I commence my 9th year of reading works by Avon/Equinox SF Rediscovery Series writers. I still have 5 writers on the list, though Silverberg is nearly done. Malzberg and Moorcock have about a year to go, while E C Tubb and Kenneth Bulmer are still in for the long haul. This past year I managed to add 60 books by the Avon authors to my list, which is now at a total of 829. I doubt I'll make it to a thousand, but one never knows. Books unrelated to the SF series equaled the series books for the very first time this year, as I also got through 60 books of free reading, many of them from the Delphi Classics series. Added to the accumulative series total, I have now read 226 books unrelated to any particular project. And total books read from June 2023 to end of May 2024 is 120. That's a book every three days!
This month I finished the 'required' reading (5 books) and was on to freestyle by May 14th. Only 5 of the 24 Equinox/Avon authors remain for me to finish up within the stable of SF writers, as well as dozens from the Delphi Classics series.
I am all out of Silverberg SF, so once again I had to resort to recent reprints (on Kindle) of his soft core porn crime novels. The reality of trying to make a living as a professional writer in
the 1960s is on full display in this 1965 novel The Killer,
originally called Passion Killer. For a decent SF writer to have to
resort to writing this stuff is not only sad, but also not very
surprising. Its 156 pages contain a short story about a hired killer
about to double cross the man who hired him to kill his wife, but in the
end someone else also gets double crossed. The actual story is about
40 pages long; the rest consists of people having sex nearly every which
way. And the top heavy females, who just love to have sex, consist of a
blonde, a brunette, and a redhead. Vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry, the flavours of the 60s. All bases covered. The basic story
is okay, similar to any number of crime story plots from period novels and or
films. The sex described in the book, which was probably sold under the
counter in those days in certain types of book shops, is likely milder
than found in most best sellers of today. Some may call this progress. I
call it something else. A must read for Silverberg and pulp fiction fans. The rest of you may safely pass by.
Golden Scorpio is the
final book in the exciting 4-part novel series dealing with the capture,
destruction, and recapture of Vallia. It is from 1978, and is 159 pages
long. Bulmer now writes as if he lives in this world, and it can be
disconcerting, even to readers of the whole series so far, to hear him
spouting so many invented foreign language words. Kregan is a complicated
planet, with many more kinds of people and animals than Earth. There is
a glossary provided, but it gets to be a pain to always have to go back
and refer to some word or type of person or place or thing. Other than
that, this is turning into quite an epic effort of storytelling. A TV
series could run infinitely long based on these books, and I'm only at
#18 of 52 volumes. Bulmer has gone far beyond what E. R. Burroughs ever
hoped to achieve. But how is the writing?
Aside
from so many strange words, and so many characters to keep track of
(some disappear for volumes, then return), this story is one of the best
in the series. Essentially, Dray has to train an army from scratch,
mainly made up of citizens who have been conquered and whose cities have
been captured by enemy soldiers. The problem with Vallia is that it
has always relied on mercenary soldiers to defend its borders. But if
the mercenaries are bought out by a higher bidder, they are no longer
useful to Vallia, which is then left to itself. So Dray begins training
civilians, and it is quite a job. The possible influences on Bulmer
here are many, and he has masterfully taken from several sources.
Firstly, Roman warfare and how Roman troops were trained in such a
disciplined manner. Secondly, I see a strong influence from Kurosawa's
epic film The Seven Samurai. Then comes Tolkien's Battle of the
Hornburg (but without the cavalry coming to the rescue). And of course,
Burroughs himself. Bulmer outdoes himself in this book, and even
manages to keep some sense of humour during the bloody and horrifying
events.
Vallia
is not out of the woods yet, however. But with Dray now as Emperor, and
the capital city and palace regained, things are certainly looking up.
What will happen in the next 34 books in this series? Likely not even
Bulmer knew at this point. But if the quality of writing can be
maintained, I will stick with it till the end.
From
1957 comes Cauldron of Violence, a 119 page western with events beginning in 1859, continuing through
the Civil War, and then ending sometime afterwards. The well written
story focuses around Collin, who was 12 when Indians attacked his
parents' homestead, killing them and his uncle, and burning down the
house. He managed to escape, and doesn't seem to exactly have a love affair
with Indians afterwards. He lives with a host family until he joins up
with the union army during the war. After being badly wounded in a
successful attempt to blow up a southern railroad bridge, he recoups in
hospital, wondering what lies next for him. After the war he leads a
small wagon train of settlers heading west, through dangerous Indian
territory. Most of the story describes this adventure. Though not too
far from the plot of The Gold Seekers, previously read, Collin is a very different
character. The wagon train encounters hostile Indians and must fight
to the death until help arrives. As is now expected in a Tubb western
tale, the Indian side of things is told well, making the inevitable
outcome seem like a foretold prophecy. Another high quality tale from a
pulp writing master.
There
is only one true fantasy plot for a novel in that genre. A really bad guy, who seems to have
unlimited and endless evil powers, plans to take over the
world/universe. The good guy is helpless to stop him, and undergoes
horrible ordeals, suffering mightily. Until the last few pages of the
book, when evil is defeated. Tolkien did not invent this age-old plot;
he just happened to write the best version of it, ever. So anytime this
plot is encountered (just open any fantasy novel), that writer is up
against some mighty stiff competition. In this case, Moorcock falls far
short of writing a memorable and lasting work of fantasy fiction.
Michael Moorcock's The Dreamthief's Daughter
is from 2001, and is 241 pages long. I couldn't wait for it to end, never a good thing when reading a book.
The author tries a lot of new tricks. Instead of one Elric, there's two
(Elric and Ulrich). It is revealed that he has a daughter, referring
back to a much earlier and very fine Elric tale called "The Fortress of
the Pearl." His evil cousin is back, unfortunately. One can quickly
get very tired of this 'cousin', who has appeared in many Elric tales. And then there are the Nazis, on the rise. Of course there would
have to be Nazis. And might as well throw in the Holy Grail. He does. And
dragons over England, helping defeat the German air attack on London in
1940.
I know this is fantasy, and Elric, and all that. But I found it very tiring reading. A low point for me in the Elric saga.
The Engines of the Night is a collection of essays published in hardcover in 1982, lasting 199
pages. Most of these very short essays were published elsewhere around
1980. Malzberg, as usual, tells it like it is (was), giving readers a good
handle on what it was like to write SF in the 40s, 50s, and 60s. There
are some fun essays, and some very bitter ones. Both kinds are very
well written and required reading for fans of the history of the genre.
I have many favourites, among them being the chapter discussing Cornell
Woolrich; two essays on the 50s; one called Science Fiction as Picasso;
the obit essay for Mark Clifton; and a chapter giving Malzberg's choice of the ten best SF
stories of all time (to 1980). I'd only read read two of them! A
pretty amazing and wonderful collection of essays. He has an updated collection
of essays that I am greatly looking forward to reading. The final essay
in this collection, the longest, tells the tale of a typical pulp SF
writer from the time. Unforgettable.
After Malzberg, it was time to go freestyle. I can read anything I want! Sort of. I really enjoy picking away at the Delphi Classics series, available on most type of e-readers. For about $3 readers get the entire collection of writing from an author now out of copyright, and often out of print. These are very well edited editions, too. A most highly recommended series. I now have about 50 authors in my library, and that includes thousands of novels, stories, novellas, poetry, plays, and original art work. And I never have to decide whether to keep or discard a book, or give it away to charity. I can keep it with me till I die!
First up was J. K. Bangs' first children's novel, Tiddledywink Tales. Published in 1891, it is 161 pages of some wonderful but harmless prose and poetry for very young children, perhaps aged 4-7. Filled with wit including riddles, jokes, funny poems and even a few jokes for adults (the book is meant to be read to children), it's 20 chapters each offer some special kind of delight. I'll bet readers here didn't even know that tiddleywinks (today called tiddlywinks) could even talk, let alone crack jokes, have pageants, and entertain guests. Obviously influenced by Alice In Wonderland (1865), it offers somewhat different pleasures. It is probably closer to Wizard of Oz (1900) in its style of jokes and witticisms, though (as yet) is not nearly as adventurous. These little stories are mostly forgotten today.
Next came a novella by J. M. Barrie. It is called Better Dead, and is from 1888. It was his first novel (-la), published at his own expense. Later he tried to not have it republished, but it was anyway. It is a darkly humoured look at the London Society For Doing Without. Many readers manage to miss the black humour of the novel entirely, somehow. A young Scotsman fresh from university and armed with good references, arrives in London to seek his fortune. He is befriended by the president of a unique private society of men who murder other men. If someone thinks that the world would be better off without a certain person, then he simply murders that person. The young man observes such a killing, and becomes quite interested in joining the club. He is given his probationary task of writing his thesis, and sets about righting perceived wrongs. One of the funniest parts of the book has a leading female suffragette speaking to the club, demanding equality. She believes they should be murdering women, too, not just men. In the end, the young man is nearly undone by his enticingly visible neck, as well as the theses he presents to the club. He believes everyone over 45 should be killed, including most members of the club, thus giving young people a chance to briefly shine. His presentation does not go over well. A brief but entertaining read.
Arnold Bennett's Anna of the Five Towns was published in 1902. Set in the Midlands region of England, the towns were the centre of pottery manufacturing. Think of Hobbiton after Sharky had spent some time there. Anna is 21, and lives with her father, the miser of town, and her 12 year old half sister Agnes. Her father is rich, and upon Anna turning 21 she is given her inheritance from her deceased mother, amounting to about L50,000, a sizable fortune. She also has investments which bring high annual returns. Of course she is not allowed to spend any of it. Her father is at least as rich, but is about the most miserly person ever met in literature. He also has a wrathful temper, and continually browbeats Anna. The dreariness of her life is relieved by a two week holiday on the Isle of Man. She is invited by neighbours, who are able to convince her father to let her go. Agnes is happy to keep house while she is gone. During the trip she becomes engaged to a man she once liked, but she grows less fond of him every day. A man in debt for his rent to her father (and now her, as she owns the property) becomes central to the story, as does his son, a simple boy whom Anna takes to her heart. The great tragedy of their downfall becomes a symbol of what awaits Anna. Married to a man she doesn't love, she performs her duties to him, as she once did to her father.
Yes, it is a grim story. But it is so well told, and we get so many insights into what Anna is thinking, things she never shares with others, that her character becomes not only memorable, but unforgettable. She is not a mousy woman, but she has lived under paternal tyranny and abject misery for so long that even being married to man she does not love or greatly respect is a giant step away from her father, albeit a sideways step. Bennett is a wonderful writer, and hopefully still being read, somewhere. Paternal tyranny and the woeful place of a woman at this time have never been more clearly illustrated. A town is brought to life, and the characters perform their duties, in a way that seems drawn from experience and some deep thinking about female and male roles in society. Highly recommended.
I have previously read two books of short ghost stories by Algernon Blackwood. This time I retreated to his first novel, called Jimbo: A Fantasy. From 1909 it is a tale of childhood, but it is not meant for children to read. However, it could work if it was read to them. Jimbo (James) is eight, and has an accident that renders him unconscious for several hours. During this time he becomes trapped in another world, in a castle tower, a prisoner of Fear. A former governess of James helps him prepare for an escape. James grows wings over time, and learns to use them. A true fantasy, and very much in the tradition of Iain Banks' The Bridge, from 1986, where an unconscious man (we don't know this until later) finds himself trapped on a mysterious bridge and tries to get off of it. However, Bennett's tale is also a bit of a ghost story. Fairly well done, and could form the basis of a terrific animated version of the story.
Five Go Adventuring Again, from 1943, is Enid Blyton's 2nd novel in her popular long running series featuring four kids and a dog. Blyton hit on a winning formula, one that kids loved. A secret hidden passage, an important formula stolen, a cryptic note, and some bad guys thrown in is repeated again and again in her stories. They were so popular that she was not allowed to stop writing. Some differences between this one and the first story include the fact that it is winter and Christmas holidays, rather than summer holidays, and that the entire story takes place on land. Also, there is no treasure, just a stolen formula that must be retrieved. While three of the children are your standard cardboard children, two older boys and their younger sister, George, their cousin, is a female with a difference. She remains an interesting character, being not only rebellious to the extreme, but one who trusts her instincts, despite others not thinking she is very wise to do so. Certain kids still might like to read the book today, though most now require certain amounts of magic and fantasy. There is no magic in Blyton's book, but plenty of adventure.
Ernest Bramah's The Mirror of Kong Ho is a brilliant and very funny book from 1905. Brahma was included in the Ballantine Adult Fantasy Series with two splendid novels. Though this one is not a fantasy, it retains the same idioms of speech and the same intent of those tales. Never has a clash of cultures been better brought to light than in these eleven letters that Kong Ho writes home to his Chinese father, detailing his experiences and misadventures during his visit to London. Each chapter tackles several misunderstandings and their consequences based on cultural differences between England and China. We learn how and why Kong Ho is kicked out of his rooming house. Grim but hilarious. Kong Ho visits a pub and causes a riot. He thinks it is a temple of worship. He plays cricket; he rides the Tube; he visits a country estate; two con men attempt to rob him. Whatever it is he experiences, it all gets included in the truly hilarious letters home. Not being British, I did not get all the jokes, but most of them sunk in just fine. It's one of those books that will drive the person you live with mad, due to sudden outbursts of laughter, and the obligatory rereading aloud to them of passage after passage. A wonderful book!
Warlord of Mars is Edgar Rice Burroughs 3rd Martian tale, published in 1918. It's interesting to read this series in light of reading Kenneth Bulmer's similar Dray Prescott series. While Bulmer takes the Martian tales of Burroughs as his base (as did Michael Moorcock in his Martian trilogy), his world is much more complex, and his lead character much more interesting. Burroughs used many of the same writer's tricks over and over again, and they can become tiring after a time. Having said that, Burroughs can write a good yarn with the best of them. This book is a direct continuation of the 2nd Martian novel, as he begins his attempts to rescue Dejah Thoris, his wife and Princess of Mars. We travel back to the root of the evil from Book 2, where the religion of the black men is stomped out and destroyed. Of course the main bad guy gets away, kidnapping Dejah. The chase is on. It culminates in a huge battle at the North Pole. Poor John Carter, the hero. At one point he actually gets Dejah in his arms, but she is cruelly whisked away yet again as he battles for their lives against the yellow men (there are also green men and red men). The book finishes up a series within the series, with all well that ends well. Looking forward to new adventures next time.
Art by J. Allen St. John.
Lastly came a short book by Sir Richard Burton. Falconry In The Valley Of The Indus is from 1852, one year after his first travel book, also set in India. I have little interest in falconry, being a non-hunter. And yet I was curious to learn something about it. This short book told me just about everything I needed to know, so I can say with confidence that I am now versed in the ways of falconry. Burton deals with the actual hunting part, of course, but also with the training of the various kinds of birds of prey that are/were used in the activity (I cannot call it "sport", as very little hunting has anything to do with sport). However, the best of the book was a 10 or 11 page postscript by the author, dealing with English critics of his writing to date. This is a very well written retort to the imbecile critics who had never set foot outside of England, and who could not imagine that any British person would behave ignobly towards natives of other lands. A diverting book.
Mapman Mike
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