Last night was a blue moon (the 2nd full moon within a given month) as well as a super moon (the moon being very close to Earth when it appears at full phase). We try to celebrate each full moon, usually with a round dessert such as a special cake or pie (this time we have cherry pie!). In addition, we often listen to an opera throughout that day. Yesterday we listened to a short opera by Haydn, in two acts. It was written for his marionette theatre at Esterhazy Palace, and is only one of two such operas to survive. A devastating fire at the palace burned many of his original manuscripts, most of which had no outside copies. He wrote dozens of operas that were lost forever. Die Feuersbrunst (The Conflagration) is a comic opera that shows Haydn in a light that many listeners never get to see. It is a very charming work, and imagining the puppets carrying out the action is part of the fun. We also saw the super moon, finally rising above our trees around 11 pm. It was really big!
Turning now to the month's reading, I made it through 10 books. Five were required reading for completion of my Avon/Equinox project, and five were picked from my endless collection of other books to read, mostly on Kindle and from the Delphi Classics collection.
Robert Silverberg used 3 stories by Asimov to write different versions of them. The Ugly Little Boy is an early story by Asimov that Silverberg has expanded into a full novel. I talk about the Asimov story in my May reading blog from this year. A little Neanderthal boy is essentially kidnapped by modern time travel science in order to study him. He is assigned a nurse to look after him. The main difference in Silverberg's expanded version is the addition of "Timmie's" tribe to the story, before, during, and following his captivity in present day Earth. We get to see the tribe facing a grave danger, and the time spent with them is quite memorable. As much as I enjoyed reading the Asimov story, I much prefer this version. The ending is still somewhat open ended, but a lot more optimistic than the original could have allowed. A good tale, well told and updated.
From
1976 comes Kenneth Bulmer's 140 page addition to the on-going sea saga of Mr. Fox, #13, Sea Flame.
He is still on land for the first half of the story, fighting the
French near Alexandria in a gruesome battle based on historical truths.
Bulmer writes for Fox on land as well as he does at sea, but Mr. Fox
makes things very clear that he would rather be at sea. He has
opportunity to capture some French soldiers, including a truly miserable
colonel, a man who loathes Fox. There is also a beautiful young
English woman, a prisoner of the French, whom Fox frees and takes under his
protective wing. Returned
to sea after the battle, Fox is assigned to take the prisoners back to England, as well
as a lot of wounded soldiers. It doesn't take long for a French ship to
find them and attack, and then all hell breaks loose on board, as per
normal for Mr. Fox and his crew. With
only one book remaining in the series, I look forward to its conclusion
with some apprehension. My life without a regular fix of Fox just will
never be the same. He is one of the great pulp action heroes of all
time.
Tubb
wrote at least 11 westerns, currently available on Amazon Kindle for
$0.99 each! I bought them all. Since the Kindle price went way up on his
Dumarest novels (from $4.99 each to $7.99), I have halted any further reading
in that series until the price returns to something more decent. So get
out your old set of spurs, your six gun, and that saddle you haven't
used in years, and head out on the lonesome prairie with me for a spell. The Gold Seekers comes from 1955, and is 117 pages long. It is a fast read, and a
darn good one. I haven't read a western novel in many years, though I
still enjoy many old western films, including the Anthony Mann directed ones
(usually with James Stewart). The hero of our story today is Marc, a
former captain in the southern army during the Civil War. With the war
over and his plantation burned and kinfolk killed, he has become a lone
cowboy wanderer. After a saloon adventure (two of them, actually), he
is forced to leave town. He takes the job of scouting for a wagon train
of 15 wagons and families, heading for the gold fields in California. While
all the usual western cliches are there, including plenty of Indian
fighting, some of the cliches are turned on their heads. For example,
Marc has taken a 12 year old boy under his wing, training him to be a
scout. When the boy's Pa is killed by Indians in a battle, he becomes
an Indian hater. Tubb takes almost a full chapter (in a book of only 11
chapters) to explain to the boy why he shouldn't hate all Indians. He
gives a full and complete picture of the position the Indians are in due
to the encroachment of the whites into their territory, including
having all their buffalo slaughtered. The only thing he omits is the
giving of pox-filled old blankets to them. I give Tubb a lot of credit
here for presenting the Indian side of things. This
is a rousing good tale, and though the wagon train makes it to
California, their original goal has broken apart to the point where none
of them head for the gold fields; they take up farming instead. And
less than half of them have made it through the journey alive. I am hoping his other westerns are as good as this one.
The Golden Barge
is a dark fantasy novel from 1979, and is 120 pages long (189 pages in
the paperback edition from 1979, above). It is a flawed work by Michael Moorcock, but
quite interesting nonetheless. A man, Tallow, heads down river in a small
boat, following a mysterious golden barge. He can never quite catch it,
though, and his adventures along the river make up the bulk of the
book. He sees it one day at home, and soon abandons his mother to follow the mysterious boat. He comes
across a castle and becomes involved there with a beautiful woman.
Later he becomes imprisoned in a city, held "for his own good." After
escaping, his adventures continue, and include becoming involved in a
small country's revolution, finding an abandoned baby, kidnapping a
young boy who he thinks can help him find the barge, and he even makes a quick
journey across dimensions to a mysterious fairy land.
I
believe that Moorcock was inspired by Lin Carter's fabulous Ballantine
Adult Fantasy series, and if the series had continued no doubt Carter might
have published this one as part of it. A bit like Dunsany and a bit
like Fletcher Pratt, and a bit like many others, including William
Morris. In turn, Moorcock may even have influenced P. J. Farmer in his
memorable Riverworld series. What is this strange tale all about? Firstly, we
all make a voyage, and it is called Life. Along the way we make
choices, choices which not only affect us, but others around us. Tallow
makes some very poor choices, some very selfish choices, and he is the
cause of much death and tragedy around him.
Tallow
seems to be searching for something mysterious, hoping to find it
aboard the barge. What does he hope to find? Inner peace, for one
thing. His urge to keep searching is so strong that he cannot turn it
off after a time, even though he has had more than enough opportunity to
do so. He is a man in search of a soul, in search of his own humanity,
which continues to elude him at every bend in the river. He is so
deeply lost that he cannot find his way out, and it is difficult to
blame him for the bad things that happen because of his choices. He is
what he is, and seems incapable of change. Do you know anyone like
that? I'm certain that you do. They are everywhere among us, causing
pain and destruction as they blindly follow their own path, unseeing as
they go. Moorcock has created one of the strangest fantasy characters
ever penned. If nothing else, Tallow is unforgettable once you have met
him.
From
1973 comes Malzberg's Night Raider, the first of 14 volumes about a lone man trying to
end the drug scene in New York. Good luck with that. One would have to
be a murderer, a sadist, and a masochist. Bert Wulff fits the bill. A
former Vietnam vet, he becomes a drug cop in New York. But because he
tries to play it straight, he makes few friends around the department.
He is shipped back to a patrol car, and is called to the scene of his
girlfriend's death, apparently killed by an overdose. He knows that she was not a user,
and suspects the cartel of using her to get back at him. Not likely.
More likely it was the NYPD that set it all up. This might be made
clear later, but in this first volume he goes after the cartel, after
turning in his badge. Malzberg
takes us on a journey in this first book, as Wulff begins with the
small fry. The street corner pusher has to pay off his collector.
Wulff captures them both, tormenting them until they give the name of
who they report to. After disposing of them, he goes up the line. And
so on, until he gets the top man that we know of so far. Six murders
later, he still hasn't done much to clear up the street drug trade. But give him
time. Though he is a lone wolf, he gets some help from a black rookie
cop who partnered with him for a time. Wulff
is tough as nails, and reminds me a bit of a loose cannon version of
Doc Savage. The book is filled with violence of the vigilante kind, and
moves along smartly. It is an easy read, and follows a logical path up
the chain of command. There are virtually no women in major roles in
book one. This is a man's world. It is a guilty pleasure to see the
big men squirm under Wulff's unkindly intentions towards them, after
acting so self assured and superior prior to meeting him. Not great
writing, but I'm sure the style will evolve.
Moving on to books by non Avon/Equinox authors, I began with F. Marion Crawford's second novel, Dr. Claudius,
from 1883. Approaching 400 pages in length, it is a sprawling tale of
love and high seas adventure, in the high tradition of such writers as E
R Eddison. Women are to be adored and waited on hand and foot by men
of the highest moral standards, preferably rich ones. To be called a
gentleman is likened to be called one of the gods, and indicates a man
of unquestioned moral standards, and usually wealthy to boot. Though at
heart it truly is a love story, in detail this is a very amusing
and highly likeable adventure. It begins in Heidelberg, with philosopher
Dr. Claudius living an isolated and scholarly life among his books,
living in cheap and crowded rooms. He comes upon a large inheritance
from an uncle living in New York, though he has no plans to change his
lifestyle or use any of the money. Amusingly, this is no grey beard
scholar, but a very tall, handsome, and sturdily built Swede. A chance
encounter with a beautiful woman on one of his private walks changes his
entire outlook, and, of course, his life. We get to cross the Atlantic on a steam yacht, and then we spend the rest of the story in New York and close by. Though this is one of those books where very little actually happens, it encapsulates a lot about life in its humble pages. Crawford himself was a friend to Isabella Stewart Gardner, and the woman in the story likely represents such a woman. Rich reading, and rewarding.
T. S. Eliot is a long way from Dunsany, I read his chapbook collection (twice) published in 1917 called Prufrock and Other Observations, which includes 12 poems written between 1910 and 1917. Born in St. Louis, he moved to England at the age of 25 (1914), settling there and eventually renouncing his American citizenship. The lead poem of the set is "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock," a man who seems to be in the skids emotionally, physically, and spiritually. It can be seen as a devastating look at life in the modern era, and the loneliness and isolation that can ensue. The opening ten lines seem to encompass an entire modern novel! And much later:
"But though I have wept and fasted, wept and prayed,
Though I have seen my head (grown slightly bald) brought in upon a platter.
I am no prophet--and here's no great matter,
I have seen the moment of my greatness flicker,
And I have seen the eternal Footman hold my coat, and snicker,
And in short, I was afraid."
The other poems don't really compare to the main poem, though a few are humourous ("The Boston Evening Transcript," and "Cousin Nancy," and a few are quite profound, and several have lines that are entirely astounding. Then there is the bizarre "Hysteria," which is a bit hard to describe, as a man watches a woman have a laughing fit. The first poem, at any rate, is worth many more readings.
Next came 2 volumes of short stories by Nikolai Gogol. Published in 1831-32, there are 4 stories in each volume, the whole called Evenings On A Farm Near Dikanka. Gogol was born in the Ukraine, and grew up there. These tales of peasant village life are among the best short stories ever written! Having said that, there are small but blatant examples of anti-Semitism in nearly every story, despite there being no major Jewish characters.
Vol. 1
"The Fair At Sorochinsti" is a straight forward tale about a young girl's first visit to the big wide world, as she, her father, and her stepmother visit the annual fair together for the first time. Being 18 and sweet to behold, the young girl soon attracts the attention of a handsome young man, who determines that she must be his wife. However, getting past the wicked stepmother is not an easy task. A funny tale that keeps one reading until the very end. The incredible superstitious fears of villagers is introduced in this story, which will blossom forth in future tales.
"St. John's Eve" is a story about the devil and how he was able to talk a young man into doing his evil deeds, in exchange for enough gold to wed the village girl whom he loves. The story is framed humourously, but the tale itself is a classic horror one, with a very sad ending.
"May Night" nails down several aspects of Ukrainian village life. Courting a girl is given top priority in this tale, as are the village night pranks of youths, both male and female. Another supernatural tale makes its way into the narrative, and capturing an evil witch finally allows the village headsman's son to marry his girlfriend, Hanna. Obviously Gogol is writing down some of the tales he heard growing up, preserving them for future generations, and building his narrative around such tales. Wonderful atmosphere, with simple and direct writing.
"The Lost Letter" is another tale of the devil and witchcraft, and again not without humour. A village man is given the task of delivering a letter to the Czarina in the capital city, and rides his horse towards completion of his goal. He encounters the devil on the way, and has a very funny conclusion to his first attempt at delivering the letter, ending up back at his house, but up on the roof. His second attempt is successful, however. A grandfather tells this story to his grand kids, after much coaxing, as he does not relish the memory of it happening to him. A gem of a tale.
Vol. 2
"Christmas Eve." Many of these stories (this one is a novella) are very much like paintings by Marc Chagall--they are colourful, bizarre, folk-like, whimsical, and different from most other short stories in many ways. This one might have been called 'The Enchanted Blacksmith,' as a young man goes far out of his way to win Oksana, the girl he desires. His mother is a witch, the devil helps him get the Czarina's slippers, and all of this (and much else, including a lot of mayhem) takes place on Christmas Eve. Expect the unexpected in these totally delightful early tales of Ukraine village life, seemingly unchanged from medieval times.
"A Terrible Vengeance" is a serious novella lacking any humour, and featuring some truly evil deeds. A warped sorcerer wants to marry his beautiful daughter (I warned you), even though she is already married and has a baby son, and he goes to some pretty sick lengths before disaster strikes one and all. An epilogue explains how it was that the sorcerer finally met his doom. Grim but fascinating reading.
"A Bewitched Place" is a short story about a place where nothing will grow. Fully expecting to find a treasure beneath the ground, a man finds an old urn. With great effort he brings it forth and rolls it home to unpack his treasure. What was inside? Mud.
Espedair Street, from 1987, is Iain Banks' fourth novel. It is a mock autobiography of a fictional Scottish lad who becomes a very big rock star. This tragi-comedy is a very fun thing to read, all 361 pages of it. Daniel Weir (as Weir, D. on his school record, and thus nicknamed "Weird") thinks he can write hit songs, and goes looking for a band to play them and make him rich and famous. Low and behold, he finds a band and they soon land a record contract for an album. The album turns into a great seller, and they sign a three album contract. The tours begin, and the money pours in. All the cliches of rock band tours are here: the fast cars, the alcohol, the drugs, the mansions and parties, the deaths. But they are handled with Banks' usual flair for writing, leaving readers amused, shocked, and saddened, sometimes all on the same page. Danny is 6' 6", quite homely and clumsy, and mostly likes to stay in the background. This makes him a much more likeable character than if he'd been an egomaniac rock star, looking at himself in the mirror over and over. We also get a nice peek at some backstreets of Glasgow, where Danny grew up. This is a very entertaining and highly readable novel.
A Strange Disappearance is from 1880, written by mystery writer A. Katherine Green, her second novel. The novel features Inspector Gryce, who featured prominently in her first novel. He has a large role in this story, too, but a younger inspector relates the story and really gets the credit for solving the mystery of a young woman's disappearance. I found this story easier to swallow than the first novel by Green, though it also suffers from that fear of scandal that seemed to foretell doom to influential families in stories from this time period and later. For one thing, the novel is shorter and much more tightly written. There is very little, if any, extraneous material, and much of the action takes places in two houses in close proximity to one another. However, we do get outside of New York for a fascinating trip to Vermont, where a further mystery and adventure awaits the young inspector. For another thing, we get to meet a young woman whose father and brother are criminals to their core, yet she remains clean and decent despite her upbringing. They are truly ugly characters, and the mysterious disappearance comes directly from their actions. One strange thing, though. A girl was kidnapped, apparently for ransom, and is kept hidden. However, no clear way to offer her up for ransom ever emerges. Were they going to just keep her there forever, always having to guard her? Anyway, a short and enjoyable mystery novel awaits curious readers.
In conclusion, I continue to make progress on two long term reading projects. Joseph Jacob's 1750 page volume Complete Fairy Tales is a treasure worth seeking out. It not only contains a ton of tales, but it is also a scholarly work where he discusses the sources and different versions of each story, and comments upon them. I am about 60% of the way through. My Kindle edition cost me around $3. I am also slowly making my way through 70 Wonders of the Ancient World, a book purchased many years ago in London. I read I through back then, but am rereading it now. It's well worth tracking down.
Mapman Mike
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