Erik Larson juxtaposes a murderer and an inventor and makes it work! This author will never run out of ideas as witnessed by this historical non-fiction book, an exemplar of this likable genre. I'm a big fan of this kind of book because I get a good dose of history while thinking I'm reading a novel. Erik Larson is the foremost author of this genre as far as I'm concerned.
The book begins slowly as Larson builds up the backgrounds of Gulielmo Marconi, the father of wireless telegraphy, and London's famous murderer, Dr. Hawley Crippen, who becomes as notorious as Jack the Ripper. ( By the way, if you are having trouble with Marconi's first name, it's phonetically pronounced (Goo-yee-ail-mo.) The reader finds out about Marconi's struggles to obtain dominance in wireless communication while fighting numerous competitors, such as Oliver Lodge and William Preece of England and the powerful Telefunken Company of Germany. The trials and tribulations of Marconi starts out as somewhat of a cognitive challenge but becomes absorbing later in the book, especially when women enter his life.
On the other hand, the life of 5' 4" meek Dr. Crippen was a delight from the start. Here we have a homeopathic doctor who switches medical fields as often he needs to better his station. His second wife Belle, who desires to be a opera diva, spends his money faster than he can make it. She dominates his life, consumes his assets, ridicules him and constantly threatens to leave him. One day she does leave him, or does she? Enter Ethel Le Neve, erstwhile his employee, now his future wife. Dr. Crippen can't explain Belle's disappearance well enough for her stage friends. They don't believe that Belle went to America to help a sick relative. Enter Chief Inspector Walter Dew of Scotland Yard to investigate. This is the cusp of the book where the reader gets a sense of how the stories of Marconi and Crippen will intersect. And believe it or not, they do!
I enjoyed how Erik Larson told both stories in different years (basically 1894 to 1910), alternating chapters between the doctor and the inventor, then climaxing in the year 1910. This is a well written original idea that only Larson could come up with. Every time I read a Larson book I come away with historical knowledge along with literary gratification. It is noteworthy to mention that Larson states in a note to readers that: "This is a work of nonfiction. Anything appearing between quotation marks comes from a letter, memoir, or other written document." That is a bold and confident statement that makes this reader a big fan.
RATING: 4 out of 5 stars
Comment: Dr. Crippen's murder case has been the subject of many plays, books and movies. Two movies that included elements of the case are Rope and Rear Window. Also very interesting is that the White Star Line invited the Marconies to be their guests on the Titanic! Luckily, Marconi canceled a few days before the voyage because he wanted to sail on the Lusitania to take advantage of that ship's public stenographer. Beatrice Marconi canceled on the eve of departure because her son Giulio became ill with fever. One wonders what would have happened to wireless telegraphy so early in it's development had Marconi died at sea.
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Sunday, April 15, 2012
THE BATTLE of the CRATER
Gingrich and Forstchen have written one of the most meaningful Civil War novels to date. It reveals the Union generals' blunders and also reports hereto unknown information about the brave United States Colored Troops (USCT). After reading this historical novel, I wondered how the Union won the war? The missteps and bobbles by General Meade and General Burnside are mind boggling! Sending thousands of troops to their meaningless death is unconscionable if not criminal. Why would leadership send wave after wave of Union soldiers against entrenched Confederate troops only to be slaughtered like sheep?
The novel is narrated by a Harper's Weekly artist and illustrator James Reilly. He is also a friend of and spy for Abraham Lincoln. Reilly's job at the front lines is to sketch what he sees and listen for officer and troop reactions towards the war. Shortly after the Union debacle at Cold Harbor, Virginia, Reilly meets up with the 28th USCT of the 4th Division, 9th Corps. They are led by Sergeant Major Garland White under white Colonel Russell and Colonel Pleasants. After laboring as a burying detail at Arlington, Virginia, the black unit is finally going to see action near Petersburg, Virginia. Once there, battle hardened sergeants train them daily. The plan by Col. Pleasants is to tunnel beneath the Confederate lines to their fort and blow it up while the colored troops charge the shocked Johnny Rebs and continue their attack all the way to Richmond, thus ending the war. The plan is approved by an enthused but shaky Gen.Burnside and begrudgingly by his disobliging superior Gen. Meade. Just before the operation, Gen. Meade changes everything! You will have to read all 364 pages to learn the unpleasurable results of his decision.
This is the third novel I have read from authors' Newt Gingrich and William R. Forstchen, and it is by far their best. The empathy I felt for all the characters is a direct result of the authors excellent prose and character development. The black Sergeant Major Garland White was a real person and had actively recruited blacks for the famous 54th Regiment of Massachusetts as seen in the movie Glory . Do I recommend this novel? Does a one legged duck swim in a circle? You betcha!
RATING: 5 out of 5 stars
Comment: Robert E. Lee died five years after the war at age 63. He was not arrested or tried and remained a respected West Point graduate. Ulysses S. Grant also died at age 63 in 1885 after serving two terms as President of the United States. He lost all his wealth in a 1884 swindle, but had his memoirs published by Mark Twain after he died and was able to give his family some financial security. If you are interested in these men read: Lee: The Last Years and Grant's Final Victory.
The novel is narrated by a Harper's Weekly artist and illustrator James Reilly. He is also a friend of and spy for Abraham Lincoln. Reilly's job at the front lines is to sketch what he sees and listen for officer and troop reactions towards the war. Shortly after the Union debacle at Cold Harbor, Virginia, Reilly meets up with the 28th USCT of the 4th Division, 9th Corps. They are led by Sergeant Major Garland White under white Colonel Russell and Colonel Pleasants. After laboring as a burying detail at Arlington, Virginia, the black unit is finally going to see action near Petersburg, Virginia. Once there, battle hardened sergeants train them daily. The plan by Col. Pleasants is to tunnel beneath the Confederate lines to their fort and blow it up while the colored troops charge the shocked Johnny Rebs and continue their attack all the way to Richmond, thus ending the war. The plan is approved by an enthused but shaky Gen.Burnside and begrudgingly by his disobliging superior Gen. Meade. Just before the operation, Gen. Meade changes everything! You will have to read all 364 pages to learn the unpleasurable results of his decision.
This is the third novel I have read from authors' Newt Gingrich and William R. Forstchen, and it is by far their best. The empathy I felt for all the characters is a direct result of the authors excellent prose and character development. The black Sergeant Major Garland White was a real person and had actively recruited blacks for the famous 54th Regiment of Massachusetts as seen in the movie Glory . Do I recommend this novel? Does a one legged duck swim in a circle? You betcha!
RATING: 5 out of 5 stars
Comment: Robert E. Lee died five years after the war at age 63. He was not arrested or tried and remained a respected West Point graduate. Ulysses S. Grant also died at age 63 in 1885 after serving two terms as President of the United States. He lost all his wealth in a 1884 swindle, but had his memoirs published by Mark Twain after he died and was able to give his family some financial security. If you are interested in these men read: Lee: The Last Years and Grant's Final Victory.
Saturday, April 7, 2012
DEATH on the NILE
Eh bien,I figured it out! I actually came up with the correct killer, or killers, shortly after the millionaire heiress, Linnet Doyle, was found shot in the head on page 148. I didn't need all the clues used by our beloved Belgian detective, Hercule Poirot. I got lucky and guessed based upon Agatha Christie's past tendencies. Mais oui it will never happen again. If you notice, I'm using all of Hercule's favorite French exclamations. This 1937 detective/mystery novel is first class, as usual. Our pyknic, mustached, French speaking gumshoe once again sifts through many suspects and clues to nail his man, or woman (I'm not giving you the killer!). This time he has a Colonel Race to use as his sounding board and a German Doctor Bessner as his medical advisor. What a' merveille entertaining novel this is.
Hercule is on vacation in Egypt awaiting a cruise down the Nile when he meets twenty year old Linnet Ridgeway and her husband, Simon Doyle. It seems Simon recently detached himself from Linnet's best friend, Jacqueline de Bellefort, to marry the very rich Linnet. Now the jeune fille Jacqueline is stalking the newlyweds and the Doyles want Hercule's help. Hercule refuses the commission but says he will talk to Jacqueline. Hercule is unable to calm the rejected Jacqueline, and in fact she threatens to kill Linnet. Later, on the steamer Karnak, Linnet turns up dead, shot in the head. Zut! Now our portly Hercule is on the case. The race is on to find the killer before someone else turns up dead. Most of the characters in this story are very exotic, and the clues are portentous and numerous. The ensuing chapters are all cliffhangers with fresh clues resulting in new suspects.
Agatha's ability to develop characters is amazing, and consistent in all her books. Can't you picture Peter Lorre or Sydney Greenstreet in one of her novels? One of her few rivals during the 1930's was Dashiell Hammett, author of one of my favorites, The Maltese Falcon. Another astonishing trait Agatha commands is that all her suspects come to full closure at the novel's end. I hate when I finish a book and most of characters have disappeared without a proper arrestment. Anyway mon ami and mon amie, I give this mystery a high five! Do yourself a favor and read a Agatha Christie novel soon - you will love it.
RATING: 5 out of 5 stars
Comment: The first actor to portray Hercule Poirot was Charles Laughton in a 1928 play called Alibi. The character, Hercule Poirot, was killed off in the 1975 novel Curtain. It was such a big deal that the N.Y. Times ran an obit in their newspaper stating "Hercule Poirot is dead; famed Belgian detective". Is that incredible or what?
Hercule is on vacation in Egypt awaiting a cruise down the Nile when he meets twenty year old Linnet Ridgeway and her husband, Simon Doyle. It seems Simon recently detached himself from Linnet's best friend, Jacqueline de Bellefort, to marry the very rich Linnet. Now the jeune fille Jacqueline is stalking the newlyweds and the Doyles want Hercule's help. Hercule refuses the commission but says he will talk to Jacqueline. Hercule is unable to calm the rejected Jacqueline, and in fact she threatens to kill Linnet. Later, on the steamer Karnak, Linnet turns up dead, shot in the head. Zut! Now our portly Hercule is on the case. The race is on to find the killer before someone else turns up dead. Most of the characters in this story are very exotic, and the clues are portentous and numerous. The ensuing chapters are all cliffhangers with fresh clues resulting in new suspects.
Agatha's ability to develop characters is amazing, and consistent in all her books. Can't you picture Peter Lorre or Sydney Greenstreet in one of her novels? One of her few rivals during the 1930's was Dashiell Hammett, author of one of my favorites, The Maltese Falcon. Another astonishing trait Agatha commands is that all her suspects come to full closure at the novel's end. I hate when I finish a book and most of characters have disappeared without a proper arrestment. Anyway mon ami and mon amie, I give this mystery a high five! Do yourself a favor and read a Agatha Christie novel soon - you will love it.
RATING: 5 out of 5 stars
Comment: The first actor to portray Hercule Poirot was Charles Laughton in a 1928 play called Alibi. The character, Hercule Poirot, was killed off in the 1975 novel Curtain. It was such a big deal that the N.Y. Times ran an obit in their newspaper stating "Hercule Poirot is dead; famed Belgian detective". Is that incredible or what?
Monday, April 2, 2012
1Q84
Japan's Haruki Murakami writes a surreal novel for the intellectual reader with a touch of fantasy. The story is neither completely lucid nor byzantine, so I would say it's semiabstract. Haruki may be the leader of a new genre. It's almost like he didn't write the novel for the hoi polloi, but for the artsy reader. (Not that I'm an artsy reader.) The story is basically strong; but after 900 pages, the ending leaves many unanswered questions. That was disappointing, since I became very interested in many of the characters and wanted closure. Maybe, there will be a second book to answer my linguistic inquiries. But overall, I found the novel uniquely absorbing with strong character development.
The story is set in Japan, mostly in the Tokyo area during the year 1984. Our heroine, Aomame (Ah-oh-mah-meh), who has the strange vocation of a sports trainer and a part time assassin, is dropped off by a taxi on a traffic jammed expressway. She climbs down the elevated expressway via a strange stairway to a lower level. Once on the ground, her world is about to change. On her way to an assassination, she notices slight differences in policemen's uniforms and pistols. Later Aomame notices that she missed news events and the big one: Our moon suddenly has a companion! It's a smaller green moon. She realizes that she has entered a somewhat altered world. Our heroine calls it 1Q84 (the Q for question).
Our hero in the novel is Tengo Kawana, a teacher and a nascent author, who as a ten year old went to school with Aomame. He rewrites a novel for a mysterious seventeen year old named Fuka-Eri. The book, Air Chrysalis, becomes a bestseller, and causes major problems with the religious group Sakigake. The group hires a Mr. Ushikawa (a vile, but enjoyable character) to dissuade Tengo from further involvement in the book. He refuses, and this sets off a strife between Sakigake, Tengo and Fuka-Eri. Aomame gets embroiled in this trouble with Sakigake via an assignment from an arcane dowager and her bodyguard Mr. Tamaru. How all this comes together is a monumental accomplishment by the author. Other characters worth mentioning are Leader, Buzzcut, Ponytail and Professor Ebisuno. Character creation seems to be a strong suit of Haruki Murakami. I can't remember when I liked so many characters in a novel; I would probably have to go back to Charles Dickens's David Copperfield.
So as you can tell, I liked the novel a lot, but was disappointed with the closure of some of the characters. Do I think this novel deserves a exsibilation or a standing ovation? I think somewhere in between. I'm taking into consideration that this book was translated from Japanese to English by Jay Rubin and Philip Gabriel, whom I'm sure did a yeoman's job. Also a big factor is that in Japan this book was a trilogy. I think if you are a literary geek, you must read at least one Haruki Murakami novel, and this one is a good option.
RATING: 4 out of 5 stars
Comment: Murakami's most famous novel is Norwegian Wood. He is a former winner of the Franz Kafka, Jerusalem and Kiriyama Prizes. He has written twelve novels and numerous short stories and essays. The British daily newspaper The Guardian calls him "among the world's greatest living novelists".
The story is set in Japan, mostly in the Tokyo area during the year 1984. Our heroine, Aomame (Ah-oh-mah-meh), who has the strange vocation of a sports trainer and a part time assassin, is dropped off by a taxi on a traffic jammed expressway. She climbs down the elevated expressway via a strange stairway to a lower level. Once on the ground, her world is about to change. On her way to an assassination, she notices slight differences in policemen's uniforms and pistols. Later Aomame notices that she missed news events and the big one: Our moon suddenly has a companion! It's a smaller green moon. She realizes that she has entered a somewhat altered world. Our heroine calls it 1Q84 (the Q for question).
Our hero in the novel is Tengo Kawana, a teacher and a nascent author, who as a ten year old went to school with Aomame. He rewrites a novel for a mysterious seventeen year old named Fuka-Eri. The book, Air Chrysalis, becomes a bestseller, and causes major problems with the religious group Sakigake. The group hires a Mr. Ushikawa (a vile, but enjoyable character) to dissuade Tengo from further involvement in the book. He refuses, and this sets off a strife between Sakigake, Tengo and Fuka-Eri. Aomame gets embroiled in this trouble with Sakigake via an assignment from an arcane dowager and her bodyguard Mr. Tamaru. How all this comes together is a monumental accomplishment by the author. Other characters worth mentioning are Leader, Buzzcut, Ponytail and Professor Ebisuno. Character creation seems to be a strong suit of Haruki Murakami. I can't remember when I liked so many characters in a novel; I would probably have to go back to Charles Dickens's David Copperfield.
So as you can tell, I liked the novel a lot, but was disappointed with the closure of some of the characters. Do I think this novel deserves a exsibilation or a standing ovation? I think somewhere in between. I'm taking into consideration that this book was translated from Japanese to English by Jay Rubin and Philip Gabriel, whom I'm sure did a yeoman's job. Also a big factor is that in Japan this book was a trilogy. I think if you are a literary geek, you must read at least one Haruki Murakami novel, and this one is a good option.
RATING: 4 out of 5 stars
Comment: Murakami's most famous novel is Norwegian Wood. He is a former winner of the Franz Kafka, Jerusalem and Kiriyama Prizes. He has written twelve novels and numerous short stories and essays. The British daily newspaper The Guardian calls him "among the world's greatest living novelists".
Saturday, March 17, 2012
FDR'S FUNERAL TRAIN
Warning: The woebegoneness level of this non-fiction book is very high. It's also a fact filled historical recreation of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's funeral train journey of April 13-15, 1945. Robert Klara writes an interesting and perceptive volume of what happened on the trip that history has forgotten. The facts of the book are backed-up by 45 pages of notes. This is another one of those books that I call a "non-fiction thriller". It compares well with other recent books written about past presidents such as The President Is a Sick Man . Lately, I can't get enough of this genre of writing, especially about previous Presidents or historical events.
In the book, FDR has just come back from The Yalta Conference attended by Churchill and Stalin and departs via his special train to Warm Springs, Georgia for a long needed rest. This is not a ordinary train - his car is an armored Pullman Car known as the Ferdinand Magellan. He has recently been diagnosed by Dr.Howard G. Bruenn as having hypertensive heart disease, for which, as the doctor noted, "No medications existed to reduce extreme blood pressure on the body's arterial walls" at the time. His blood pressure was 260/150! Yet his other doctor said he was just suffering the effects of flu, bronchitis, and overwork. I guess it didn't matter either way since today's cures were not available in 1945.
In Warm Springs, while working at a portable card table and having his portrait painted by Elizabeth Shoumatoff, FDR suddenly waves his hands around his head and says to his favorite cousin, Daisy Suckley, "I have a terrific pain in the back of my head", and he slumps forward. There is no reason to have a "spoiler-warning", since this incident happens on page seven. His wife Eleanor, a fifth cousin once removed to FDR and niece to Teddy Roosevelt, is in Washington, D.C., while FDR's ex-romantic liaison, Lucy Mercer Rutherford, is in Warm Springs. Fireworks follow after Eleanor learns of this.
After the first 22 pages, the story gets to the heart of the matter. I found that the train trip from Georgia to D.C, and from D.C.(post-funeral) to Hyde Park, N.Y. was most interesting. In today's world, would you have all of the important people in the U.S.A on the same train? What about an accident or terrorist attack? On the train was the President's Cabinet, all of the Supreme Court Justices, all of the important senators and representatives, and the new President Truman with his staff! And,WWII was far from over. What happened on this train ride is quite remarkable. You'll have to read this book to find out what happens. I'm not telling, but it is very engrossing and eye-opening.
Robert Klara must be a train buff because his descriptions of trains (especially the Pullmans), the overall railroad system, and the various companies are outstanding. The other amazing fact is how little Harry Truman knew about the war. FDR told him nothing! He didn't know what was said at the Yalta Conference and didn't know about The Manhattan Project. His discovery of these critical omissions are another absorbing phase of the book. If you love history, you will love this book!
RATING: 5 out of 5 stars
Comment: Eleanor Roosevelt was not loved by FDR's mother, Sara, who thought Eleanor homely. Even though Eleanor became an author, lecturer, columnist and our delegate to the newly formed United Nations, she couldn't afford to keep the Hyde Park estate and instead moved to N.Y.C. The special train used by FDR and later by Truman was called the POTUS (President Of The United States). History shows that Truman surrounded himself with country bumpkins from Missouri, but did retain some brilliant people, such as James F. Byrnes, FDR's "assistant president".
In the book, FDR has just come back from The Yalta Conference attended by Churchill and Stalin and departs via his special train to Warm Springs, Georgia for a long needed rest. This is not a ordinary train - his car is an armored Pullman Car known as the Ferdinand Magellan. He has recently been diagnosed by Dr.Howard G. Bruenn as having hypertensive heart disease, for which, as the doctor noted, "No medications existed to reduce extreme blood pressure on the body's arterial walls" at the time. His blood pressure was 260/150! Yet his other doctor said he was just suffering the effects of flu, bronchitis, and overwork. I guess it didn't matter either way since today's cures were not available in 1945.
In Warm Springs, while working at a portable card table and having his portrait painted by Elizabeth Shoumatoff, FDR suddenly waves his hands around his head and says to his favorite cousin, Daisy Suckley, "I have a terrific pain in the back of my head", and he slumps forward. There is no reason to have a "spoiler-warning", since this incident happens on page seven. His wife Eleanor, a fifth cousin once removed to FDR and niece to Teddy Roosevelt, is in Washington, D.C., while FDR's ex-romantic liaison, Lucy Mercer Rutherford, is in Warm Springs. Fireworks follow after Eleanor learns of this.
After the first 22 pages, the story gets to the heart of the matter. I found that the train trip from Georgia to D.C, and from D.C.(post-funeral) to Hyde Park, N.Y. was most interesting. In today's world, would you have all of the important people in the U.S.A on the same train? What about an accident or terrorist attack? On the train was the President's Cabinet, all of the Supreme Court Justices, all of the important senators and representatives, and the new President Truman with his staff! And,WWII was far from over. What happened on this train ride is quite remarkable. You'll have to read this book to find out what happens. I'm not telling, but it is very engrossing and eye-opening.
Robert Klara must be a train buff because his descriptions of trains (especially the Pullmans), the overall railroad system, and the various companies are outstanding. The other amazing fact is how little Harry Truman knew about the war. FDR told him nothing! He didn't know what was said at the Yalta Conference and didn't know about The Manhattan Project. His discovery of these critical omissions are another absorbing phase of the book. If you love history, you will love this book!
RATING: 5 out of 5 stars
Comment: Eleanor Roosevelt was not loved by FDR's mother, Sara, who thought Eleanor homely. Even though Eleanor became an author, lecturer, columnist and our delegate to the newly formed United Nations, she couldn't afford to keep the Hyde Park estate and instead moved to N.Y.C. The special train used by FDR and later by Truman was called the POTUS (President Of The United States). History shows that Truman surrounded himself with country bumpkins from Missouri, but did retain some brilliant people, such as James F. Byrnes, FDR's "assistant president".
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Rambling Comment's #1
Literature seems to be developing new genres that I like and dislike. Conventional fiction or non-fiction books aren't so routine anymore. I mean writers like James Patterson, Nelson DeMille, and John Grisham are still out there publishing one book after another, but isn't it just commercial fodder? Let's face it, this type of writing just doesn't get it done anymore. I'm not including John Irving in that group, because I think he's kind of an artistic writer that's not so common. (By the way, his new novel In One Person comes out in May 2012.) I think there are writers that are using new techniques that I find refreshing and enjoyable. There are some authors that are also using old methods, such as the epistolary novel, that I still like a lot. Some examples of this methodology are Elizabeth Kostova's The Historian and Max Brooks's World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War. These are still enjoyable because of their creativity.
Now for the new style that I like. I call it the Non-fiction Thriller! Here we have the best of two worlds: history and excitement. I'm talking about authors like Erik Larson, Candice Millard, Robert Klara, and Scott Miller. Read Millard's The River of Doubt and tell me it wasn't thrilling! You learn some history of Theodore Roosevelt that you will never forget because the story was exhilarating. History teachers, pay attention! Read Larson's The Devil in the White City and you will learn about the World's Columbian Expo of 1893 in Chicago and a real serial killer, who haunted the fair at the same time. Read the sad tale of FDR's Funeral Train by Robert Klara and tell me that you aren't moved. All of these books are non-fiction, but read like a Flash Gordon serial. I have read a lot of these types of books recently, and I have to say that they are highly satisfying and educational.
Now for the style that I don't like. I call it Historical Fantasy Horror! The leading candidate for this genre is Seth Grahame-Smith's Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. This is plain comic book ridiculous! What's next - George Washington and Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy? Why not? We already have Pride and Prejudice and Zombies and Max Brooks's The Zombie Survival Guide. While these books are fun and entertaining, I don't consider this literature. I would rather read some vintage Batman or Superman comic books.
Now for the style that I'm not sure about. China Mieville calls it Weird Fiction. It's his coined phrase, and I agree that's exactly how his novels seem to me. I've had my criticism's of this loquacious author in my three reviews of his novels, mostly because of his diction and his use of neologisms. Even though I admit that Mieville is a semi-genius, I have to wonder why I usually get a migraine headache after reading one of his books. Another author in this category is Jeff Vandermeer of City of Saints and Madmen, but since I haven't read his works, I can't opine. I think the biggest problem that I have with this type of writing is the lack of disambiguation of the general story. In another words, I normally don't understand what's going on!
Okay, that's the end of rambling for now. Thanks, Rick O.
Now for the new style that I like. I call it the Non-fiction Thriller! Here we have the best of two worlds: history and excitement. I'm talking about authors like Erik Larson, Candice Millard, Robert Klara, and Scott Miller. Read Millard's The River of Doubt and tell me it wasn't thrilling! You learn some history of Theodore Roosevelt that you will never forget because the story was exhilarating. History teachers, pay attention! Read Larson's The Devil in the White City and you will learn about the World's Columbian Expo of 1893 in Chicago and a real serial killer, who haunted the fair at the same time. Read the sad tale of FDR's Funeral Train by Robert Klara and tell me that you aren't moved. All of these books are non-fiction, but read like a Flash Gordon serial. I have read a lot of these types of books recently, and I have to say that they are highly satisfying and educational.
Now for the style that I don't like. I call it Historical Fantasy Horror! The leading candidate for this genre is Seth Grahame-Smith's Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. This is plain comic book ridiculous! What's next - George Washington and Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy? Why not? We already have Pride and Prejudice and Zombies and Max Brooks's The Zombie Survival Guide. While these books are fun and entertaining, I don't consider this literature. I would rather read some vintage Batman or Superman comic books.
Now for the style that I'm not sure about. China Mieville calls it Weird Fiction. It's his coined phrase, and I agree that's exactly how his novels seem to me. I've had my criticism's of this loquacious author in my three reviews of his novels, mostly because of his diction and his use of neologisms. Even though I admit that Mieville is a semi-genius, I have to wonder why I usually get a migraine headache after reading one of his books. Another author in this category is Jeff Vandermeer of City of Saints and Madmen, but since I haven't read his works, I can't opine. I think the biggest problem that I have with this type of writing is the lack of disambiguation of the general story. In another words, I normally don't understand what's going on!
Okay, that's the end of rambling for now. Thanks, Rick O.
Monday, March 12, 2012
MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS
I haven't read a mystery of this ilk in a long time. What a breath of fresh air! Agatha Christie wrote this book in 1934, and it's a beaut. It stars her famous Belgian detective, Hercule Poirot. It seems to me many books and movies like After The Thin Man have stolen Agatha's idea of gathering all the suspects for one final interrogation to solve the case. Can anybody do it better than Agatha, who has out-sold every published work except the Bible and Shakespeare? Maybe the only character that can challenge Hercule Poirot is Agatha's other famous sleuth, Miss Jane Marple. Since this book was written so long ago, it gives the reader the flavor of the times, such as the European attitude towards America, the style of clothing, and the reminiscence of long train trips.
The story starts with our hero boarding the Orient Express in Aleppo, Syria, after a successful investigation for the French Army. He meets one of the directors of the company that runs the Orient train, M.Bouc. Hercule Poirot joins the other thirteen passengers, M. Bouc, a Dr. Constantine, and one conductor in the Athens-Paris Coach. And folks we are off to the races! One of the passengers, a Mr. Ratchett, who is of vile and dubious character turns up dead on the first night of the trip. He's been stabbed twelve times in his bunk. To make matters worse, the train is now at a standstill, snowed-in by a blizzard. That means the killer is stranded on the train and poses a threat to the remaining twelve passengers on the Athens-Paris car. As you've probably guessed, the director of the train, M. Bouc, engages our lovable and pyknic detective, Hercule Poirot. Let the Lumosity exercises begin! The rest of the novel is a cat-and-mouse game between the twelve passengers and Hercule. I tried to figure out who the killer was, and I didn't even come close!
It's amazing to me how Agatha Christie can make the reader visualize all seventeen people on the train in only 265 pages. I liked the way Agatha has Hercule use the director, M. Bouc, and Dr. Constantine as a sounding board to test his theories. He actually makes them think that they are helping him solve the mystery. This is a very sound novel and completely enjoyable. I am totally drawn into this series and hope to read Death on The Nile in the very near future. Do yourself a favor and read a Hercule Poirot novel right now, especially this one.
RATING: 5 out of 5 stars
Comment: Agatha Christie wrote eighty crime novels, nineteen plays, two memoirs, and six novels under the name of Mary Westmacott. Her play The Mousetrap opened in 1952 and is the longest running play in history. Agatha's 120th anniversary was celebrated in 2010.
The story starts with our hero boarding the Orient Express in Aleppo, Syria, after a successful investigation for the French Army. He meets one of the directors of the company that runs the Orient train, M.Bouc. Hercule Poirot joins the other thirteen passengers, M. Bouc, a Dr. Constantine, and one conductor in the Athens-Paris Coach. And folks we are off to the races! One of the passengers, a Mr. Ratchett, who is of vile and dubious character turns up dead on the first night of the trip. He's been stabbed twelve times in his bunk. To make matters worse, the train is now at a standstill, snowed-in by a blizzard. That means the killer is stranded on the train and poses a threat to the remaining twelve passengers on the Athens-Paris car. As you've probably guessed, the director of the train, M. Bouc, engages our lovable and pyknic detective, Hercule Poirot. Let the Lumosity exercises begin! The rest of the novel is a cat-and-mouse game between the twelve passengers and Hercule. I tried to figure out who the killer was, and I didn't even come close!
It's amazing to me how Agatha Christie can make the reader visualize all seventeen people on the train in only 265 pages. I liked the way Agatha has Hercule use the director, M. Bouc, and Dr. Constantine as a sounding board to test his theories. He actually makes them think that they are helping him solve the mystery. This is a very sound novel and completely enjoyable. I am totally drawn into this series and hope to read
Friday, March 9, 2012
THE LAST KINGDOM
The first novel in Cornwell's The Saxon Tales is an overwhelming success! This is a series that you don't have to read in order. I read the fifth novel first and the first novel second, if that makes any sense, and I didn't miss any background information. That's how well written these books are. How Cornwell can juggle all these serial novels at the same time is remarkable. I keep flip-flopping between Bernard Cornwell and Sharon Kay Penman as to who is the best medieval historical fiction writer. I guess it depends on whose book I read last.
The period of the novel is between the years 866 and 877 in what is now known as England, but at the time was divided into four parts. The Danes had conquered three parts and were getting ready to take Wessex, the last bastion of the United Kingdom. The protagonist is a ten year old boy named Uhtred, son of Uhtred, Earl of Bebbanburg in Northumbria. Uhtred is captured by Danish Earl Ragnar in a battle that kills Uhtred's father. Ragnar takes Uhtred under his wing and rears him as a pagan and a warrior. Uhtred loves his "new" father, but has mixed loyalty between his adopted Viking friends and the King of Wessex, Alfred The Great. When the unimaginable happens, the young christian/pagan warrior is out on his own to discover who he really is. I think this is the main theme of this series, and it leads the reader to a disambiguation of Uhtred's thoughts and motives throughout the six novel series.
The characterization in this novel is terrific, even making some of the Vikings lovable. The author notes that most of people in this novel are real, as are most of the major battles. The main character, Uhtred, and his adopted father, Ragnar, are fictitious, but very believable. I also enjoyed the Priest Beocca and the rascality of Uhtred's friend, Brida. Cornwell lets us hang for the next book to find out what happens with Ragnar's son, who is searching for his sister and planing revenge on the despicable Kjartan and his one-eyed son. You will have to read the second book in this series, The Pale Horseman to find out! That's what makes this series so much fun.
If you haven't read a Cornwell novel, you don't know what you are missing. There are many chronicles, series, and standalone novels to choose from. I give this novel my highest rating.
RATING: 5 out of 5 stars
Comment: For the 30th anniversary of Sharpe's Rifles , Harper Collins UK is reissuing all the Sharpe books with new covers. If you want to read how Cornwell began the series and how it evolved over the last 30 years, you can read his Sharpe's Story .
The period of the novel is between the years 866 and 877 in what is now known as England, but at the time was divided into four parts. The Danes had conquered three parts and were getting ready to take Wessex, the last bastion of the United Kingdom. The protagonist is a ten year old boy named Uhtred, son of Uhtred, Earl of Bebbanburg in Northumbria. Uhtred is captured by Danish Earl Ragnar in a battle that kills Uhtred's father. Ragnar takes Uhtred under his wing and rears him as a pagan and a warrior. Uhtred loves his "new" father, but has mixed loyalty between his adopted Viking friends and the King of Wessex, Alfred The Great. When the unimaginable happens, the young christian/pagan warrior is out on his own to discover who he really is. I think this is the main theme of this series, and it leads the reader to a disambiguation of Uhtred's thoughts and motives throughout the six novel series.
The characterization in this novel is terrific, even making some of the Vikings lovable. The author notes that most of people in this novel are real, as are most of the major battles. The main character, Uhtred, and his adopted father, Ragnar, are fictitious, but very believable. I also enjoyed the Priest Beocca and the rascality of Uhtred's friend, Brida. Cornwell lets us hang for the next book to find out what happens with Ragnar's son, who is searching for his sister and planing revenge on the despicable Kjartan and his one-eyed son. You will have to read the second book in this series, The Pale Horseman to find out! That's what makes this series so much fun.
If you haven't read a Cornwell novel, you don't know what you are missing. There are many chronicles, series, and standalone novels to choose from. I give this novel my highest rating.
RATING: 5 out of 5 stars
Comment: For the 30th anniversary of Sharpe's Rifles , Harper Collins UK is reissuing all the Sharpe books with new covers. If you want to read how Cornwell began the series and how it evolved over the last 30 years, you can read his Sharpe's Story .
Sunday, March 4, 2012
EMBASSYTOWN
Once again I've taxed my mind with China Mieville's words that are untranslatable or seem germane, but are actually neologistical. If you read this weird sci-fi novel, have a lexicon handy!This book is filled with new sci-fi ideas that make it an enjoyable read, such as buildings, machinery, and houses that are semi-sentient and when under stress try to grow ears. It's a common thing in Embassytown or in the Arieka city that surrounds it. I have to give Mieville credit for having excellent adoxography for things or events that other writers wouldn't even amplify.
The first third of the novel flip-flops between past and present on the planet Arieka and the immer. The immer is some kind of subspace that a immerser travels through in space and time, if that makes any sense. The narrator of the book is Avice Benner Cho, who has just return from the immer to visit her birth place of Embassytown with her new husband Scile, a expert in languages. He wants to study the linguistics of the Ariekei, who surround the human compound. They are known as the Hosts and speak out of two mouths (the cut and turn) and only communicate with human Ambassadors. The Ambassadors are actually doppels that speak from one mind and two voices, otherwise the Hosts would only hear noise. This sounds like a normal story, right? Now keep in mind that a Host (who looks like a large dual winged insect) also requires similes to make comparisons to things that are unlike in order to communicate properly. Our narrator is one of the similes known as "The girl who was hurt in darkness and ate what was given to her"! I forgot to mention that these truly unusual Ariekei Hosts are also incapable of lying! Does the story have your interest yet?
The trouble begins when a new Ambassador, EzRa, arrives from the human's home planet of Bremen to become the new chief Ambassador of Embassaytown. At the Embassy reception, EzRa tells the Hosts "That it was a honor to meet them". Suddenly everything changes! Years of peace and calm are gone. What happened and what did the Hosts hear? What was said that brings the Hosts to a high state of mulligrubs! This is where the essence of the story takes off, later to culminate in an interesting and unexpected end. The books I've read by Mieville are entertaining , but with all the lacunae and peculiar vocabulary used, I'm always glad that the book is over. Is this good or bad?
The Hosts are probably the weirdest aliens I've read about since Larry Niven's elephant-like creators in the famous sci-fi novel Footfall. This is the first novel Mieville has done in science fiction, and I think it was a good effort. Maybe he should be hired to write the script for the next Star Trek movie. I have to tell the reader that while I recommend reading this novel, I warn you it's going to be a arduous task.
RATING: 4 out of 5 stars
Comment: The stylistically exuberant author is reported to have the best tattooed "guns in literature". He states that "ever since I was two, I've loved octopuses, monsters, abandoned buildings..." Now I know why he is the weird fiction king. Having read three Mieville books, I don't know if I have the energy to read a fourth.
The first third of the novel flip-flops between past and present on the planet Arieka and the immer. The immer is some kind of subspace that a immerser travels through in space and time, if that makes any sense. The narrator of the book is Avice Benner Cho, who has just return from the immer to visit her birth place of Embassytown with her new husband Scile, a expert in languages. He wants to study the linguistics of the Ariekei, who surround the human compound. They are known as the Hosts and speak out of two mouths (the cut and turn) and only communicate with human Ambassadors. The Ambassadors are actually doppels that speak from one mind and two voices, otherwise the Hosts would only hear noise. This sounds like a normal story, right? Now keep in mind that a Host (who looks like a large dual winged insect) also requires similes to make comparisons to things that are unlike in order to communicate properly. Our narrator is one of the similes known as "The girl who was hurt in darkness and ate what was given to her"! I forgot to mention that these truly unusual Ariekei Hosts are also incapable of lying! Does the story have your interest yet?
The trouble begins when a new Ambassador, EzRa, arrives from the human's home planet of Bremen to become the new chief Ambassador of Embassaytown. At the Embassy reception, EzRa tells the Hosts "That it was a honor to meet them". Suddenly everything changes! Years of peace and calm are gone. What happened and what did the Hosts hear? What was said that brings the Hosts to a high state of mulligrubs! This is where the essence of the story takes off, later to culminate in an interesting and unexpected end. The books I've read by Mieville are entertaining , but with all the lacunae and peculiar vocabulary used, I'm always glad that the book is over. Is this good or bad?
The Hosts are probably the weirdest aliens I've read about since Larry Niven's elephant-like creators in the famous sci-fi novel Footfall. This is the first novel Mieville has done in science fiction, and I think it was a good effort. Maybe he should be hired to write the script for the next Star Trek movie. I have to tell the reader that while I recommend reading this novel, I warn you it's going to be a arduous task.
RATING: 4 out of 5 stars
Comment: The stylistically exuberant author is reported to have the best tattooed "guns in literature". He states that "ever since I was two, I've loved octopuses, monsters, abandoned buildings..." Now I know why he is the weird fiction king. Having read three Mieville books, I don't know if I have the energy to read a fourth.
Saturday, February 25, 2012
MOLOKA'I
This is historical fiction at its tear-jerking best! This novel by Alan Brennert takes you on a roller coaster ride of varied emotions. It involves the infamous Kalaupapa Leprosy Settlement on the island of Moloka'i in Hawaii. It also touches on America's illegal overthrow of Queen Lili'uokalani's throne in 1893. More can be read about that in the Queen's book Hawaii's Story or in James A. Michener's classic novel Hawaii. As with Honolulu, Brennert uses a lot of local vocabulary; such as, 'ohana (family) and haole (a caucasian), which I find adds realism and charm to his novels.
It's 1891, and five year old Rachel Kalama is enjoying life as a child in Honolulu. Everything is great until her mother finds a pink patch on Rachel's leg. She later develops another spot on her foot. When mom pricks the spots with a pin, there isn't any pain, which is a sign of leprosy. Later that week, her sister Sarah gets mad at Rachel and calls her a leper in front of schoolmates. That brings the leprosy bounty hunter to the house and it's off to Kahili Hospital for Rachel. She is there eleven months for evaluation and treatment to no avail. At this point she is torn away from her family and sent to the leper camp on Moloka'i. Since there isn't any known cure, it's a death sentence for the now seven year old.
In Kalaupapa, Rachel is befriended by Sister Catherine of the missionaries and reunited with her Uncle Pono, who was previously declared a leper. She struggles with the disease's traits, but manages to make friends with the dying people around her. Fortunately, her symptoms are slower to develop, and she is able to surf and meet other young patients under the quarantined life. Here Brennert turns this somber and depressing story into a dramaturgy of ups and downs, good and bad fortune, and high and low spirits. The many characters in this book are so contagious to the reader (pardon the pun) that you feel vicariously through them. Great job of character development!
Alan Brennert does a yeoman's job of cramming 79 years of Rachel's life into 389 pages. The novel was such a page-turner that I hardly noticed the years go by. The reason I like historical fiction of this kind is due to the educational benefits you gain from reading this book. It's hard to believe that a wondrous place like Hawaii could have also been a cold-hearted prison for the forsaken kama'aina.
RATING: 5 out of 5 stars
Comment: Early western explorers and missionaries killed off thousands of Hawaiians by bringing smallpox, measles, leprosy, whooping cough, and sexual diseases to a once healthy race. If you know how America disposed of Hawaii's monarchy in 1893, you will understand why there is a current movement in Hawaii to get the throne reinstalled. Fat chance of that happening since 119 years have passed and given Hawaii's statehood in 1959. Another wonderful book about Hawaii is Shoal of Time: A History of the Hawaiian Islands by Gavan Daws.
It's 1891, and five year old Rachel Kalama is enjoying life as a child in Honolulu. Everything is great until her mother finds a pink patch on Rachel's leg. She later develops another spot on her foot. When mom pricks the spots with a pin, there isn't any pain, which is a sign of leprosy. Later that week, her sister Sarah gets mad at Rachel and calls her a leper in front of schoolmates. That brings the leprosy bounty hunter to the house and it's off to Kahili Hospital for Rachel. She is there eleven months for evaluation and treatment to no avail. At this point she is torn away from her family and sent to the leper camp on Moloka'i. Since there isn't any known cure, it's a death sentence for the now seven year old.
In Kalaupapa, Rachel is befriended by Sister Catherine of the missionaries and reunited with her Uncle Pono, who was previously declared a leper. She struggles with the disease's traits, but manages to make friends with the dying people around her. Fortunately, her symptoms are slower to develop, and she is able to surf and meet other young patients under the quarantined life. Here Brennert turns this somber and depressing story into a dramaturgy of ups and downs, good and bad fortune, and high and low spirits. The many characters in this book are so contagious to the reader (pardon the pun) that you feel vicariously through them. Great job of character development!
Alan Brennert does a yeoman's job of cramming 79 years of Rachel's life into 389 pages. The novel was such a page-turner that I hardly noticed the years go by. The reason I like historical fiction of this kind is due to the educational benefits you gain from reading this book. It's hard to believe that a wondrous place like Hawaii could have also been a cold-hearted prison for the forsaken kama'aina.
RATING: 5 out of 5 stars
Comment: Early western explorers and missionaries killed off thousands of Hawaiians by bringing smallpox, measles, leprosy, whooping cough, and sexual diseases to a once healthy race. If you know how America disposed of Hawaii's monarchy in 1893, you will understand why there is a current movement in Hawaii to get the throne reinstalled. Fat chance of that happening since 119 years have passed and given Hawaii's statehood in 1959. Another wonderful book about Hawaii is Shoal of Time: A History of the Hawaiian Islands by Gavan Daws.
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