January was a good month for reading. Cold weather will do that for one. In addition to the 5 books by Avon/Equinox authors, I managed to finish 8 others.
First published in 2001 as a three part story in Asimov SF Magazine, Robert Silverberg's The Longest Way Home
is the story of a young teenage boy growing up the hard way. Joseph is
the 15 year old eldest son of a Master, on a planet where two waves of
humans have usurped the planet from the native inhabitants. The first
wave was mostly simple farmers, and they were struggling when the ruling
class came and took over, making things work. But Joseph, visiting a
distant House in the far north, gets caught up in a serious rebellion.
He makes his escape with the help of a servant, and then is basically on his
own, marching south to his home at least ten thousand miles away. On
his journey, several times in which he nearly dies of starvation, he
encounters allies where least expected. His journey is a harrowing one,
to say the least. Brought up with a pampered existence, as the eldest
son it will be his job to take over his father's great House someday,
and manage it.
Essentially
aimed at high school aged boys (sorry, girls, yet again), the story is
very simple and never very deep. Boy walks and walks, encounters
obstacles, and somehow gets through them. At least the story is
relatively short, and seldom challenges the reader's credulity. From
what Joseph learns along the way, by the end of the story we expect him
to be a far better Master than he would have without his journey. Quite
a good story, but far from exceptional. It almost sounds as if
Silverberg took a very old idea from his pulp days and did his best to
update it for modern readers.
Next comes the 223 page (original 1977 edition) conclusion to Bulmer's
Krozair trilogy, in which Dray Prescott loses, then finally regains, his
status as a Krozair warrior. Krozair of Kregen again shows that Dray doesn't take much interest in
poetry, art, or music. He is a savage killing machine, and not much
else. The first part of the book sees Dray yet again serving as an oar
slave aboard a Grondin ship. It takes time, but he finally escapes
with the help of several slave companions. They become pirates for a
while, before splitting up and going their own way. Dray has a score to
settle with a certain king who murdered his daughter at the end of the
last book. He ends up defending a besieged city, but not before
encountering a monster from the depths, something directly borrowed from
H P Lovecraft (see original cover painting to the 1977 edition, below). Though he rescues a maiden from her doom at the hands of
the monster, she more or less disappears from the story immediately
afterwards.
Once
on land, the remainder of the story deals with the defence of the city
where he has chosen to meet the bad king. In his usual bold manner,
Dray takes the bull by the horns, storming into the enemy camp in
disguise, capturing the king, and flying away with him. Since Dray has
been hounded (mistakenly, of course) from the membership in the elite
warrior class, his three sons have taken to being shamed by him, and
they in turn speak words of hatred about him. None of them recognize
Dray as their father, and there is a very funny scene at the end when
they finally come to realize that their "cowardly" father is the brave
man they have been fighting with all along. He is reunited with Delia,
his wife, his status as a Krozair is reinstated, and they live happily
ever after. Until Book 15. A good entry in the series, if readers can
get past him being a slave for a time, yet again.
Originally
published in 1955 as "Men of the Long Rifle," The Pathfinders is not a traditional
western novel. Lasting only 13 chapters and about 120 pages, there are
no cowboys here. The time is 1830. The East has been settled and
civilized, and things are just starting to move towards the northwest. There are
Indians, and some of them are hostile. There are scattered frontier
forts and trading posts, but not much else. Ben is a mountain man who meets up with young
Dan, running from the corrupt law of a small town where he and his
mother are farmers. They are hired to lead a small expedition from the
plains over the mountains, as the search is on for good wagon routes
west.
According
to Tubb, mountain men are real men, not like those sissy farmers that
eat vegetables and wheat and stuff like that. Real men eat meat, often
raw, and nothing else. Hmm. Wonder how they avoided scurvy. Imagine
going an entire winter and not eating anything but meat. And real men
will kill a man first if needed, and ask questions later. Talking only
makes things worse. Hmm again.
Anyway,
the basic story is a good one, and it's fun to read a novel about the
time before cattle, pony soldiers, and any kind of well travelled
trail. Most travel was done by river in barges, rafts, and canoes.
Only the mountain men ventured much beyond the rivers, trapping and
trading to make their way in the world
There
is a lot to mull in this book. With the urge to settle in the west
growing, was there a different way of handling things then the way it
was done? A British/Canadian captain near the end does suggest a
different way, the way it was done in the north. In the end, though,
Canadian Indians did not fare much better than their American cousins.
The whole thing turned into a disaster, not only for the Indians, but
also for the wildlife and vegetation. Cattle grazing (over grazing, to
be precise) has decimated western lands to this day. One could make a list a mile
long to see what went wrong. Today, we face newer problems, as people
from less fortunate areas of the world try to press their way into safer
and more prosperous areas. While they cannot be blamed for wanting a
safer and more prosperous life, the strain upon resources, both human
and natural, goes on and on. The planet must be getting tired by now.
And still we ask more from it.
From
1981 comes Michael Moorcock's 1981 epic novel Byzantium Endures, the first book of a most promising series. My
hardcover edition runs 373 pages, with large pages and small printing.
The very best books that deal with historical events are sometimes not
the ones that deal with overall views and after-the-fact analysis;
sometimes the best books about history are from the 'man on the ground,'
so to speak. Biographies are often useful in learning about certain
places at certain times, as are autobiographies. What Moorcock has
achieved with his fictional "Colonel Pyat" character is to perhaps invent a new kind
of historical fiction. Born in Kyiv in 1900, this first book follows the
young boy through one of Russia's darkest times, up to about 1920. He
lives through the Great War, the Revolution, and the Russian Civil War before
finally fleeing from Odessa to Constantinople at the end of this first
book.
By
confining his hero to Russia and Ukraine in the first volume, readers
are able to digest a lot of history as it happened. Despite being a
fictional autobiography, the events depicted were real, though of course
not all the details. Pyat is an engineer, interested in all things
mechanical and modern. He grows up in Kyiv, moves to Odessa on the
Black Sea to live with an uncle for a time, who then sends him to a
school in Petersburg to gain an engineering degree. Of course the war
interferes with plans, and he is never able to gain his piece of paper,
though he does pass his exams with flying colours. Back to Kyiv, and
then, through a very long sequence of mostly bad events, makes his way
again to Odessa.
The
character of Mrs. Cornelius (to be Jerry's mother in a different series
of book) becomes a veritable guardian angel to the young Pyat. She is a
truly inspired creation, and totally unique in the history of
literature. Readers will either love her or hate her; this reader
loves her. The present story is told by a very old Pyat, who operated an
antique shop in Portobello Road in London until his death. He and Mrs.
Cornelius remained good friends all their lives, and we can look forward
to more of their adventures and meetings in the next three volumes.
I
learned more about early 20th C Russia and Ukraine from reading this
book then anything else I have ever read throughout my life. It is a time of great darkness, despair, cruelty, extreme
hardship, and, to put it most simply, a time of complete chaos. I finally
understand what makes a Russian tick, as well as that of a Ukraine
citizen. This is a very fascinating book, one of the best historical
fictions I have ever read. Highly recommended.
Boston Avenger is a direct continuation from Burt Wullf's San Francisco
adventure, the 3rd book in a long series about a lone wolf crime fighter trying to take on the drug lords of America. This time the mayhem he causes happens to be in Boston. A
good story, this 155 page novel is from 1973, as Malzberg cranks them
out but maintains a unique style and definite narrative flow. Wulff is
only able to accomplish what he does through his belief that he is a
dead man anyway, so taking huge risks is never a problem if there is a
chance they might come off. One of the more riskier tricks he pulls off
is to retrieve a briefcase filled with heroin from a convoy of four
police cars on their way to the downtown station with a suspect in
custody. The entire action scene is a complete movie setup. We have
seen so many police chases in movies that it's not difficult to
visualize this madcap adventure, which, however, ends quite differently than
a movie chase. This ends up being one of the better parts of the book,
and does convince us at last that Wulff is a madman after all. Lots of
killing and shooting, it runs along similar lines to many Samurai
and gangster films. A good addition to the extended book series. At the end of
the book Wulff is on his way back to New York, possibly to look for his
girlfriend's murderer. Stay tuned for more adventure.
The first book read this month not related to Avon/Equinox authors was called Castle Crespin, a medieval adventure story taking place around in France in 1225. Francis of Assisi has began influencing religious monks, and two of them are featured in this tragic tale. Written in 1982 by Allen Andrews, it also features talking animals. Oddly enough the two monks cannot understand them, but the girl Adele can. Aside from talking animals, this well written story tells of the evil perpetrated by a rogue knight, a traditional all round bad guy, when he stops to visit a local castle. Though he gets it in the end, as all bad guys should in a good story, he takes a lot of good folk, human and animal, down with him.
The story begins with a fox getting what he can from a farmer's poultry collection, driving the man nearly mad in his outrageous attempts at killing it. We gradually meet other animals and people, quite a few, actually, in a well thought out exposition. The story builds nicely to a major and devastating violent climax. There may be talking animals, but this does not seem in any way to be a children's book. There is a good deal of humour as some of the animals complain of the things Nature has them do to keep their species populations vibrant and growing. Wolves, bears, rabbits, boars, birds of prey, a hunting beagle and the fox make a worthy team against the evil knight and his minions.
This is the second such book by this author. Deb found this book in a London charity shop, and paid 50p for the hardcover edition, complete with full colour dust jacket. A good bargain indeed.
Next came some poetry by Edgar Allen Poe. I don't exactly have a love affair with 19th C poetry. I read four collections of Poe's. The first three (very early) left me glassy eyed. His earliest collection was published when he was 19, which might explain a lot. He was heavily inspired by Byron. Tamerlane and Other Poems came out in 1827. Tamerlane is an epic poem about the dying conqueror. It would end up being republished and revised for the next two collections as well. In 1829 came the publication of Al Aaraaf, Tamerlane, and Other Minor Poems. Tamerlane is shorter now, and considerably more readable. Al Aaraaf is Poe's longest poem, inspired by a 1572 supernova. The star supposedly lies between heaven and hell. In this purgatory there is no punishment, and also no fulfillment. To this reader it seems unintelligible. Both Tamerlane and Al Aaraaf are reprinted again in 1831, in Poems. Even the revision does not help me with Al Aaraaf, but Tamerlane has once again been improved.
In 1845 came The Raven and Other Poems. Now we are getting somewhere! Poe was paid $9 for the original publication of what has literally become the world's most popular poem. He worked hard at it, and it certainly is a great little piece of writing. My Delphi Classics Kindle edition comes with three illustrations, two of them by Dore. Also included in the collection is Lenore, The Conqueror Worm, and Eulalie. The latter is mentioned in case a reader should come to the conclusion that all of Poe's works are about death. Left for next time are many uncollected poems. The above are the ones that were published in actual volumes during his lifetime.
Arthur Ransome is a new addition to my collection of Delphi Classics complete works. I will begin with his lone solo non-children's novel from 1915 called The Elixir of Life. Written in St. Petersburg when the author was a war correspondent, the story concerns a young man who becomes involved with an evil man who kills people to continue living longer. The events take place in 1716, and are retold 20 years later. The book has a promising beginning, and the ending at least brings a fitting conclusion to the story. But beware all those pages in between. Ransome obviously read his Poe and especially Lovecraft. By saying that his book is at least as good as some of Lovecraft's writing is not necessarily a compliment, as for the most part Lovecraft was a man with some fun ideas, but he was quite a terrible writer. Ransome's novel suffers from lack of originality, as there are no ideas here new to 1915. It also causes its readers to suffer from boredom, as nothing much happens in the story, and everything important takes place in one location, a large house with a rose garden. In addition, the young hero is actually quite stupid. Of the five main characters, three of them end up dead, as well as some horses and villagers. The elixir itself is a preposterous concoction that seems to know when someone has been killed, thus strengthening it mysteriously and magically. It is not very sophisticated thinking for a 1915 reading audience. Needless to say the book met with virtual silence upon publication. I am looking forward to his S & A books next time around.
P. G. Wodehouse's earliest novels are his so called School Stories Books. This past month I read the second in that series, called A Prefect's Uncle, published in 1903. It is a mere trifle of a book, barely amusing, and 90% of its content has to do with cricket. It's another book for boys in boarding school, who it seems must love sports or die of nothing else to do.
Moving on. The Dragon in Shallow Waters is Vita Sackville-West's 2nd novel, from 1920. It's a bit of a gut wrenching story centred on two brothers in a dingy and poor factory town in Lincolnshire. Silas Dene is blind, and very very angry about it. Gregory is deaf and dumb. Silas murders his own wife, then tricks Gregory into believing that his wife is cheating on him. Nan is Gregory's wife, and she is caught between the two brothers, who live in attached but separate cottages. Silas is the main focus of the novel, his outrageous outlook on life affecting nearly everyone in the village. Most people stay clear of the Denes. Nan is bullied mercilessly by both brothers, finally finding words that give her a weapon to use against Silas. His long hoped for downfall is well written, and well deserved. Like most evil characters, Silas is rather unforgettable. However, he does finally do a good deed for Nan before his final fall. He ends up saving her from a fate worse than death (staying married to his brother). Coming from Silas, that is a rather good deed. A very strange tale, but it has its rewards.
The Philanderer is a play by Shaw from 1893. However, due to censorship issues it was not produced until 1902. It is the first of his early plays that reveals his wit, as we recognize the writer that he was to become. There are several very funny scenes in the play, which is in four acts and is still occasionally mounted on the stage today. Shaw deals well for his time with the women's movement, as he shows us characters (fathers and daughters) who are caught between the old world view of what a woman is and should be, and what the modern world now demands of the fairer sex. The young philanderer himself, however, doesn't seem to be affected by any changes around him, and seems destined for bachelorhood. A very readable play, and it would be fun to see a live production.
Carson Mccullers wrote her first novel at the age of 23. Born in the southern US, her writing is imbued with hot, sultry days and nights, and characters so real that they seem to leap off the page into one's room while reading. The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter is from 1940, with the title being suggested by her editor, from a poem, The Lonely Hunter, by Scottish poet William Sharp (as Fiona MacLeod). The working title for the novel was The Mute. This novel has probably had a lot of essays and reviews written about it, and for good reason. It is a fantastic novel. After so much reading and film watching, this writer can only conclude that the best fiction tells simple stories about average people. Life and people can be very complicated, so it takes a very special talent to be able to simplify things enough for readers or film viewers to understand exactly what is happening to a character, why it is happening, and where things are likely headed for this individual. Though there is a very good film version of the story, the book is far superior.
The main character in this novel is Mr. Singer, an intelligent deaf mute who works in a jewellery shop in a small southern US city, repairing watches and clocks, as well as doing beautiful engraving. Mr. Singers best friend is also a deaf mute. He and Antonapoulos share a room together, and though the latter character is a simpleton who loves food more than anything else, the two get along really well. They both talk with their fingers, but Singer does most of the talking, pouring out his thoughts to his friend, who really doesn't listen and usually doesn't really care. But at least Singer has someone with whom to talk. It is this theme that is most prevalent in the novel--having a listening ear when you need to talk. Singer ends up, after Antonapoulus is sent to a care home for causing his uncle a lot of trouble in town, being the person who has to listen to everyone in town who needs an ear for their thoughts. He can lip read, though he does miss a lot of context. But after many repetitions, he is able to get the drift. But like his friend, he doesn't really have much interest in what people tell him.
Dr. Copeland, a Black medical doctor, often turns to Singer. He is the only white person the doctor has ever met that seems to understand his people and the causes the doctor is trying to undertake on their behalf. Likewise, an alcoholic drifter by the name of Jake Blount finds that Singer is a good friend who listens and understands what he is trying to achieve. Blount is a Marxist and tries to bring about change in the attitudes of poorly paid and overworked cotton mill employees in town.
The most tragic character of all is Mick Kelly, a 13 year old girl who lives in the house where Singer boards. She, by far, is the book's most interesting character. She lives and dreams of becoming a musician and composer and conductor. Her limited experiences with hearing classical music are among the greatest writing on the topic one could imagine. After watching the filmed version of the book, it was her character more than anything else that eventually drew me to read the novel. There are some obvious autobiographical elements to her character, as the author herself wanted to become a concert pianist. Those plans ended when she lost her tuition money somewhere in the New York subway. Likewise, it is financial matters that keep Mick from ever hoping to achieve her goals. Her family is dirt poor, and she eventually, at age 14, has to take a job at Woolworths and drop out of school. Poverty is another huge theme that runs throughout the novel, in addition to loneliness. American poverty, especially in the deep south, is second to none anywhere else in the world.
There are other themes and many other characters, and the author treats them all in enough detail to make them live for readers. The town and the people in it become very real, even after a few chapters. By the end of the novel we feel that we have lived among these people, blacks and whites. Many black critics have said that McCullers completely gets the Black experience and is able to write about Black characters better than any other white writer. The short climax hits the reader like a sledgehammer, and with no warning. Loneliness, frustrated ambition, poverty, and doing what one must do might sound like a rather bleak read. It isn't. This is one of the finest novels I have ever read, and I highly recommend it to one and all.
Lastly, I finally finished The Seventy Wonders of the Ancient World: The Great Monuments and How They Were Built. A Thames and Hudson book from 1999, edited by Chris Scarre, I bought this on a journey to London many years ago. This is my second reading. With 333 illustrations, 140 in colour, the book also has plenty of text. The 70 chapters are grouped as follows: The Seven Wonders; Tombs and Cemeteries; Temples and Shrines; Palaces, Baths & Arenas; Fortifications; Harbours, Hydraulics & Roads; and Colossal Statues & Monoliths. Though most of the amcient works are centred on Mediterranean countries, there are still plenty elsewhere spread across the globe. We have visited the three sites discussed in the US, and 2 of the 4 in Mexico. That's about it for us. A trip to Rome would add a lot to our list, so it might just happen.
Mapman Mike
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