DIVAS by the RIVER

The author sent me a copy of this novel to review:

I loved the atmosphere of this maiden novel by Juno Ross. Many years ago, I was in New Orleans for a few days, and in the evening I walked the streets of this wonderful city. I would pop in various clubs for a jazz set and a scotch, then move on to the next club for an encore till the wee hours of the morning. Now, thanks to Juno Ross, I know what goes on behind the scenes. I honestly didn’t think I was going to like this novel, until about 100 pages into it. The novel seemed to have way too many characters, which in my mind is a huge error. The reader doesn’t want to remember 30 plus people and what they do for a living. Most successful writers keep the named characters down to three to a maximum of ten ( see Cormac McCarthy novels, especially The Road (Oprah's Book Club) ). However, Juno managed to pull it off. I was able to remember who was who. Surprisingly, I didn’t have that nonplussed look, I was mindful that Stu was on guitar, and Hans on the bass ( both minor named characters ).  So congratulations to a new author, Juno Ross. Juno is just one of the many nascent authors that I have read this year who could be the bellwethers of future literature.

The story is not in New Orleans, but in the D.C./ Virginia area on the Potomac River. Basically we follow the aspiring careers of three jazz singers trying to make a success. We meet Lorraine Gilligan, a talented college student who can sing scat (skeep-beep de bop-bop beep bop bo-dope skeetle-at-de-op-de-day); Avis, the singer in her husband’s trio, who is unsure of the direction her family is taking; and Izzy, the cross-dressing heir to billions. Essentially, the chapters rotate between these three singers. Initially, I thought this style of writing was a bit muddled, but as the novel progressed, the reader saw how these chapters were going to unite. As I said before, we had a lot of characters, but we also had many jazz clubs, such as: The Fishtown Cafe, Gustave’s, Nitzka’s Restaurant, Mr. Cobblestone’s, and The Four Dudes. It’s amazing how the reader was able to remember all these facets. Now, we come to the important sidebar characters: Tips, Avis’s husband; Hardy Knox, the geezer emcee; Jim, the influential waiter; Contessa Baronessa L’Marquis, the wealthy 67 or 78 year old pianist; Dahlia, a singer; and William Leiderhaus, a bandleader/pianist. After a fashion, all of these characters and places collide to make a marvelous novel. I haven’t told you too much, so you have no reason not to buy your own copy of this avant-garde novel to enjoy.

I’m starting to like this Southern Gothic genre, especially by new authors like Juno Ross. I know the classic writers, such as, Tennessee Williams, Harper lee, and William Faulkner have their vintage novels in place, but it’s time to welcome new writers to this popular genre. You might ask: What are some of the rules of Southern Gothic literature? Lets see, does Juno have a disturbed character? Yes, we have William Leiderhaus ( and a few more ). Do we have a ostracized person? Yes, we have Izzy. Does the novel have repressed people?  Yes, we have all the singers. If you put all these facts together, this novel fits the Southern Gothic genre requirements. I highly recommend this inaugural novel by Juno Ross.

RATING: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Comment: If you’ve followed my reviews and comments, you know that I’ve talked about Southern Gothic literature before. But not the great ‘jazz’ books. According to Theguardian here are some books that you can enjoy:
 
Coming Through Slaughter by Michael Ondaatje. “This is a brilliant novel imagining Buddy Bolden, the man many feel more or less invented jazz in New Orleans at the turn of the 20th century in New Orleans. There is no known recording of Bolden's music. And he spent the last decades of his life in a mental institution. Ondaatje's genius here is to re-invent Bolden and the world of Storyville – New Orleans Red Light District – and make us hear the music he played."

Jazz by Toni Morrison. “Set in Harlem during the Jazz Age, this is the story of interlocking characters in New York and how they made the journey north—tragic, ecstatic, terrible, thrilling. Morrison is one of the few authors who can really make her prose swing, can make you feel what jazz music meant, felt like, did to people, in its first great era."

 Pops: A Life of Louis Armstrong by Terry Teachout. “A terrific and comprehensive biography of the most important figure in jazz, Pops gives you a fully realised Louis Armstrong. And Armstrong not only changed the way music was played, he changed American popular singing. Tony Bennett once said, "If you're not singing like Louis, you're not singing American."
Who could forget Louis singing: “I see skies of blue...Clouds of white...Bright blessed days...Dark sacred nights...And I think to myself...What a wonderful world.” It doesn’t get better than that.

Sweet Thunder: The Life and Times of Sugar Ray Robinson by Wil Haygood. “Sugar Ray Robinson was a boxer, or course, but this wonderful biography taught me more about the world of jazz – its ecology – than almost any other. Here is a portrait of black America, the "Sepia World" from the 1930s on. Robinson carted an old record player with him along with records – Duke Ellington, Fats Waller – so he could warm up to music. Then, he would go into the ring, as Haygood writes, "guided by the jazz in his head and the beckoning lights". He loved musicians, and they loved him. He was "the first modern prizefighter to take culture — music and grace and dance — into the ring with him." The last time I saw Sugar was in the early sixties walking down the street in Waikiki, Hawaii with a beautiful girl on each arm. After all those fights, I couldn’t see a mark on his face.

Murder Takes Time

The author sent me a copy of this novel to review:

This is one of the better mob/mafia novels that I have read in a long time. How long? I have to go back to 1969’s The Godfather by Mario Puzo, and 1971’s Honor Thy Father by Gay Talese. I’m not suggesting that Mr. Giammatteo’s novel is in the rarefied air of the two previously mention novels, but it does deserve an honorable mention. This is a accomplished first novel by a self proclaimed full-time job headhunter, and part-time writer. Giacomo is amongst many new writers that I have read this year that deserve prominence with a major publisher. What does it take for a writer to get the proper recognition? I’m not saying that there aren’t any flaws in Giacomo’s novel, but there are a lot more positives versus imperfections. We will talk about that later.

The novel is about four friends living in Wilmington, Delaware, who starting at the age of six swear an oath of friendship and honor to each other. The story switches back and forth between their childhood and the present. The narrator sometimes is a third person, sometimes Nicky ‘the Rat’ Fusco (out of a story Det. Frankie ‘Bugs’ Donovan is writing?). They usually alternate chapters; although near the end, they narrate in the same chapter. I know it sounds confusing, but Giacomo’s writing style facilitates the reader through any confusion. His great job of artistic creation is a breath of fresh air. Anyway, as the boys grow up, they wind up in N.Y.C after some trials and tribulations (mostly, Nicky’s). Paulie ‘the Suit’, Tony ‘the Brain’, and Nicky ‘the Rat’ end up in the mob family of Tito Martelli. ‘Bugs’ Donovan ends up on the Brooklyn Police Department as a detective. Mobsters start dying horrible deaths. Bugs Donovan is on the case, or is he? What’s Nicky mad about? Why does Tony fear what Nicky might find out? Is Paulie involved? Believe it or not, the author provides the reader with many reasons to root for each character. As the gruesome murders continue, the plot thickens. The story burst outwards with more murders and suspicions. Who is doing all the killing and why? This is where the reader needs to buy his own copy of this exciting novel. Believe me, it’s worth it.

I found interest with other characters, as well, which means the writer did his job. Sister Thomas, Mamma Rosa, Gina, Johnny Muck, and Angela were excellent sidebar characters to this tale. Now, for the flaws. I know Giacomo grew up in the Wilmington area, but do six year olds really smoke? Could all these murders against hardened criminals really have been accomplished by one man? Finally, I found the ending a little predictable and hackneyed. However, I enjoyed the story... it’s not Mickey Spillane, but who is?

RATING: 4 out of 5 stars

Comment: The Godfather spawned many famous quotes such as: “I believe in America. America’s made my fortune.”, or... “Look, we are all reasonable men here. We don’t have to give assurances, as if we were lawyers.”, or... “I like to drink wine more than I used to. Anyway, I’m drinking more.”, or... “It doesn’t make any difference to me what a man does for a living, you understand. But your business is a little dangerous.”, or... “I don’t like violence, Tom. I’m a businessman. Blood is a big expense.”, and the most famous of all...”I’m gonna make him an offer he can’t refuse.” Wow, do you remember when in the book these quotes were made and by who?

The 1997 film Donnie Brasco also had many famous quotes. How about this one...”If I come out alive, this guy, Lefty, ends up dead. That’s the same thing as me putting a bullet in his head myself.”( Donnie Brasco ), or...”When they send for you, you go in alive, you come out dead, and it’s your best friend that does it.” ( Lefty ), or...”How much did you give that guy? A wiseguy never pays for his drinks.” ( Lefty ). My favorite lines are when Donnie says...”You think I’m a rat?”, and Lefty says...”How many times have I had you in my house? If you’re a rat, then I’m the biggest mutt in the history of the Mafia.” Well, if you saw this classic film: Bark! Bark!

After reading Giacomo’s, Murder Takes Time, it seems to me that he followed the advice Mickey Spillane once gave. According to brainyquote.com, he said...”Nobody reads a mystery to get to the middle. They read it to get to the end. If it’s a letdown, they won’t buy anymore. The first page sells that book. The last page sells your next book.”

The HOBBIT

The following is the second guest review from my nine year old grandson, Kai Ohlarik:
 

The Hobbit is a great book. I enjoyed the author’s style because it is very creative; for example, in the beginning of the book, the characters meet trolls, but he made the trolls turn to stone in the sun, instead of the trolls just being unaffected by the sun like normal trolls.

The story is about Bilbo, the hobbit, and his unexpected adventure to retrieve the dwarves lost treasure from Smaug, who is a dragon. Bilbo, on his adventure, is accompanied by a company of 23 dwarves. On their journey, they have to deal with goblins and wargs, who eventually team up. By the end, they are being hunted by the lakemen, elves, goblins, and wargs. Will they ever get the lost treasure back? Read the book to find out.  

Bilbo, a very lively hobbit, lives in a town where all the houses are carved into hills. I admire Bilbo’s bravery the most, because he puts himself in risky situations to show he is brave. Gandalf, a good hearted wizard, was responsible for Bilbo’s whole adventure. I admire that Gandalf never gives up; for example, when they were all hiding from wolves in trees, Gandalf started throwing flaming pine cones at them, and he kept throwing them till the wolves ran.

I thought this book was the best I ever read. I like it more than anything. I would recommend this book because I think it is very well written, and I think it is very exciting. I would recommend this book to fourth graders and up, especially fantasy lovers.

RATING: 5 out of 5 stars

Comment: Kai is now tackling the more difficult three-book epic, The Lord of the Rings. J.R.R. Tolkien is considered the father of high fantasy, even though many fantasy authors have preceded him with vintage novels. The first one that comes to mind is Lewis Carroll’s Alice's Adventures In Wonderland , which was published 90 years before Tolkien’s trilogy. The second novel that I recall is Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver's Travels, published 229 years before Tolkien’s classics. Recently, the author of The Pecan Man , Cassie Selleck, saw my grandson’s picture on this blog and said, “Best to you and your grandson! Keep ‘Im reading!” Cassie says that using her southern gothic ambiance.

BETWEEN MAN and BEAST

Is this a non fiction book that reads like fiction? Yes and no. There was plenty of history, but it could have been presented with a little more panache. If you have read my reviews, you know that this style of writing is my favorite genre...but don’t do it half way. I liked this book, however it could have been written in a way that would have resulted in many nail-biting chapter endings. Monte Reel, you were so close to perfection! You have a 5’ 3’’ unknown explorer who had the guts to stand up to a furious gorilla charge as your main character. According to your own research, the first white man to encounter this highly debatable relative of man is Paul Du Chaillu. You wrote an interesting tale, but you had the wherewithal at your fingertips to tell it in a more intoxicating style. This explorer, Paul Du Chaillu, in 2013 is practically incognito. Nobody in the mid to late 1800s understood who he was, just imagine what today’s students know about Du Chaillu. Nothing! I see a book that could have been written with more flare and page turning capabilities. Okay, enough said, it was still a reasonable success.

This is the story of Paul Du Chaillu of dubious parentage being brought up by the missionaries' John and Jane Wilson in Gabon, West Africa. Eventually, Wilson gets Du Chaillu a job as a French teacher in Carmel, NY. Once in America, Du Chaillu’s African stories get to John Cassin, head of Philadelphia’s Academy of Natural Sciences. Paul earns a paid expedition back to Africa to find and send back specimens of unknown animals and birds. He sends back many stuffed specimens over the next three years, but becomes famous for being the first white man to encounter a gorilla. Once back in America, Paul finds that there is little interest in his findings, and The Academy of Natural Sciences refuses to reimburse his expedition expenses. When Paul tries to display his gorilla skins in NYC, he is out maneuvered by P.T. Barnum’s Broadway museum. Monte Reel’s prose had this reviewer rooting hard for this would be explorer with no credentials.

During this time period, Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species is published in England, sparking debates pro and con. Suddenly Paul’s encounter with gorillas becomes meaningful. Richard Owen, superintendent of all the natural history collections at the British Museum, invites Paul to England to " show and tell " his African expedition experiences. Guess what? England loves him! Since Paul isn’t a “educated” explorer, he has his backers and attackers. Stories are written about him by the great Charles Dickens and William Makepeace Thackeray in their respective magazines. All is good! Not. Here comes the attack on his story and qualifications by England’s zoological society’s head, John Gray, and a jealous retired explorer, Charles Waterton. Ladies and gentleman, let the gorilla wars begin! This is where the novel gets intriguing and the ensuing chapters magnetic.

I haven’t read Reel’s first book, The Last of the Tribe , but I have to say that Monte Reel has the knack for writing novels about uncommon subjects that are irreproachably researched. My only criticism is his occasional lack of verve. If you don’t know what I mean, read Robert Klara’s FDR's Funeral Train , Candice Millard’s Destiny of the Republic , or Erik Larson’s The Devil in the White City . Nonetheless, I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and profoundly endorse Monte Reel’s latest book.

RATING: 4 out of 5 stars

Comment: It has been said that the 1933 film King Kong , created by Merian C. Cooper was inspired by Paul Chaillu’s adventures in Africa. According to Wikipedia: “ Cooper's fascination with gorillas began with his boyhood reading of Paul Du Chaillu's Explorations and Adventures in Equatorial Africa (1861) and was furthered in 1929 by studying a tribe of baboons in Africa while filming The Four Feathers. Paul’s influence in books and movies is quite incredible. Darwin’s theories seem to be alive in this movie also: “Merian C. Cooper wanted King Kong to be more of an ape, but Willis O'Brien wanted King Kong to be more of a human being. A compromise was met with King Kong being made into an apeman.”

In 1949, the movie Mighty Joe Young also had the flavor of Paul Du Chaillu’s adventures: “In Africa, the girl Jill Young trades a baby gorilla with two natives and raises the animal. Twelve years later, the talkative and persuasive promoter Max O'Hara organizes a safari to Africa with the Oklahoma cowboy Gregg to bring attractions to his new night-club in Hollywood.” The oddity here is that the actor, Robert Armstrong, plays a similar showman in both movies: Carl Denham in King Kong and Max O’hara in Mighty Joe Young. Armstrong played a similar part for a third time in Son of Kong ( 1933 )

White Pongo ( a 1945 film ) relates to some of Monte Reel’s storyline: “Hunters and scientists venture into the jungle to track down a savage albino gorilla, which they believe could be the missing link between man and ape." Sounds like the title of Reel’s book, doesn’t it? This 1856 expedition to Africa has had a lasting impression on Hollywood, even though the average human has never heard of Paul Du Chaillu.

Finally, as a sidebar to Monte’s book, here is what some tribes in Africa thought about America’s slave trade: “One of them confessed to Paul that his tribe had heard stories about the fiercely cannibalistic ways of white men. Paul's first instinct was to laugh him off as a simple minded fool. But the legend hadn't been conjured from thin air. When Paul tried to assure him that white men didn't eat black men, the man confronted him with a direct challenge: explain why they bought and sold Africans as if they were cattle, not human beings."Why do you come from nobody knows where, and carry off our men, and women, and children?" the man asked Paul. "Do you not fatten them in your far country and eat them?”  

THE GENEVA DECISION

The author sent me an autographed copy of this novel to review:

Seeley James has created a dazzling crime-stopper, and she is Pia Sabel of Sabel Security! She’s Daddy’s super rich daughter, who just happens to be a world class soccer player and a hand to hand fighter of extraordinary skill. Daddy has just turned the operations  of Sabel Security over to his daughter, Pia. Untested, Pia has to win the trust of all the agents before she can lead this billion dollar company. She is surrounded by battle hardened agents, who need to be assured that the pretty rich girl can become a leader. She is assisted by some of her staunch agents, such as; Major Jonelle Jackson; Tania, a cantankerous and loveable agent; agent Marty, a ex-marine; and agent Miguel. Mr. James does a good job in the empathy department, since I felt myself caring for quite a few of these gnarly gumshoes. This novel is the first in a series of Pia Sabel mysteries that Mr. James states he will write. If this is true, I’ll have a few suggestions on how he can improve the series later in this review.

Pia’s first client, Clement Marot, a Swiss banker, is assassinated in front of her eyes. This incident triggers a stirring thriller that includes money laundering, piracy, murder, and betrayal. Why was the banker murdered in broad daylight in a park in Geneva, Switzerland? Pia captures the assassin, and turns the criminal over to Capitaine Villeneuve and Lt. Alphonse Lamartine, who are on loan to Geneva from the French police. The killer escapes while in custody. Four more bankers turn up dead! Pia’s first case is not drawing any confidence out of her employees. Pia, with the help of Major Jackson,  plunges into this brainteaser of many suspects and motives, including the assassin Al Jabal, the arcane Elgin Thomas, Marot’s son Philippe, Calixthe Ebokea ( is that really her name? ), Conor Wigan, and the unknown kingpin, Le Directeur. The clues take Pia and her agents to Cameroon where they are momentarily sidetracked into rescuing captured slaves, or is this a ambush? It seems that everywhere they go, assassins are waiting for them. Who is the mole tipping off the agents whereabouts? The amazing concept of this novel is how Pia and her agents fight the bad guy’s Sig Sauer pistols and AK47 rifles with Glocks armed with darts! What? No, I’m not kidding. Anyway, the story does get confusing from time to time, but the reader manages to follow the storyline. Near the end, Pia remembers someone saying “chain of custody”. Can this be the clue to put the final piece of the puzzle together? I’m going to recommend this first time novel by Seeley James, because I think this series has great  promise and longevity. By the way, the prose is also pretty good.

Now, how to improve this series? First of all, the “thank you for saving my life” and “jabs to the throat” lines are repeated too often. Repetitive lines are irritating to the reader. Next, scrap the darts! It’s not believable that you can fight hardened criminals armed to the T using sleeper darts to thwart them. What would Indiana Jones be without his bullwhip? What would Mickey Spillane’s Mike Hammer be without “Betsy”, his Colt .45? Would Ian Fleming’s James Bond  be James Bond without his Walther PPK 7.65mm? No! No! Mr. James, Pia needs to come up with a respectable weapon. A harpoon would be better than a sleeper dart. Lastly, Pia needs a esoteric lover who could appear in a novel once in awhile. I thought Alphonse was that man, but no, you know what you did to him. I liked this novel, otherwise I wouldn’t make any propositions.

RATING: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Comment: Lets talk about some of the authors that have made a success with one character. I loved Mickey Spillane, who wrote 13 Mike Hammer Novels, and six more completed by Max Allan Collins after Spillane’s death. Mickey Spillane said that it only took him 19 days to write his first novel, I, the Jury . Some of Spillane’s famous quotes according to Brainy Quotes  include: “Hemingway hated me. I sold 200 million books, and he didn’t. Of course most of mine sold for 25 cents, but still...you look at all this stuff with a grain of salt.” He also said: “I’m a commercial writer, not an author. Margaret Mitchell was an author. She wrote one book.” And finally, Mickey talking about Mike Hammer said: “Imagine this guy hits Mike Hammer over the head with a wooden coat hanger and knocks him out. You hit Mike Hammer with a wooden coat hanger, he beats the crap out of you.

Clive Cussler is a prolific writer of adventure stories. My favorite hero from Clive’s lineup of characters is Dirk Pitt. The first Dirk Pitt novel was Pacific Vortex , but it wasn’t published until 1983. So far, there are 22 Dirk Pitt novels, some have been made into movies. Some of Clive’s quotes according to Brainy Quotes are: “When I first started writing, I was in advertising at the time, I was doing most of my writing on weekends. I had studied most of the other series heroes and I figured it would be fun for mine to be different and put him in and around water. So I dreamed up Dirk Pitt.” Clive is not too fond of some actors: “As far as talent goes, Marilyn Monroe was so minimally gifted as to be almost unemployable, and anyone who holds to the opinion that she was a great natural comic identifies himself immediately as a dunce”. Way to go Clive! And what does Clive think of himself? “I don’t think I’m really a rude person, but now I see myself on television, I think ‘Oh, God, that is a bit strong.’ And I wonder if I’ve always been like that and I haven’t been aware of it.

Ian Fleming wrote 14 novels and short stories about the famous 007 British Secret Service agent, James Bond. After Fleming’s death in 1964, a number of authors have continued the novels. In Casino Royale Fleming writes how Bond orders a martini: “A dry martini, he said. ‘One. In a deep champagne goblet’...Just a moment. Three measures of Gordon’s, one of vodka, half a measure of Kina Lillet. Shake it very well until it’s ice-cold, then add a large thin slice of lemon-peel. Got it?” Why am I thirsty? Nobody can accuse Ian Fleming of being a coward. When he first met Sean Connery, he said to Sean: “I’m looking for Commander James Bond, Not an overgrown stunt man.” Wow! His two famous quotes about life and death are: “You only live twice. Once when you are born and once when you look death in the face.” And: “I shall not waste my days in trying to prolong them.”

WARRIOR GIRL

The publisher sent me an autographed copy of this novel to review:

Whereas young-adult (YA) fiction might not be my cup of tea, I do recognize a well structured novel when I read one. And I think this novel by Matt Lazar and Amanda Thomas is a good example of that rationalization. It’s a simple story about a young Korean girl coming to Oxford on a scholarship. Her eastern ways are misunderstood by some western people, and inadvertently mistaken as standoffish. However there is one person at Oxford who hates her merely because of a long- standing belligerence between Korea and Japan. This is the setting for a somewhat exciting novel, although fairly predictable. The fact that our heroine, Sun Hi Kim, plays the popular video game, World of Warcraft, to ease her tensions in this new and strange western world results in the book’s title Warrior Girl.  Notwithstanding, I found that title hard to swallow based on how many times Sun Hi faints when faced with adversity. The authors paint Sun Hi as a beautiful fragile vase with a concerned distrust for western men and their motives. The writers did such a commendable job that a learned person ostensibly falls in love with Sun Hi. The reader finds himself endorsing her every move. Great job in the empathy category by the writing duo.

As Sun Hi enters her Freshman year, she encounters Marina, a loudmouth spoiled roommate; Miles, the Oxford rowing captain; Adam, a infatuated rower; and our anti-hero, Kaito Suzuki of the famous family from Japan. As the economics Professor Ellison announces that one student in the class will win a scholarship to Harvard in a student exchange, the drama unfolds. At the same time, Miles and Adam are vying for the attention of the beauty from Korea. In one way or the other, Miles gets Sun Hi to accept the job of cox on the rowing team. This is the second point that’s hard to accept, since I know how important the job of a coxswain is to rowing. Would they take a Korean girl that has just arrived to lead them in the famous race against Cambridge? Oh well, it makes for good story, besides Miles is in love, or is he? I want you to know that I enjoyed this story, but there were some elements that irritated me, such as how many times we read that Sun Hi was “smoothing down her skirt”. Okay, enough said ( for awhile ).

Meanwhile, the vile Kaito, full of animosity for Sun Hi, schemes to win that Harvard scholarship, and to derail any chance Sun Hi has to win the coveted prize. This is another concept that troubles me. The Japanese are known honorable people, and Kato’s perverse hatred for Sun Hi didn’t make any sense to me. Even though it seems like I’m criticising this novel, I'm pointing out changes that would have made this novel stronger. I think that the character of Kaito should have had an alternate reason for hating Sun Hi. Anyway, the drama explodes to a expressive conclusion as the Cambridge race; Miles and Adam’s obsession with Sun Hi; and Kaito’s chicanery meet head on. The impact is worthy of your reading this highly recommended YA novel.

Now, the only problem I have with the rating of this book as young- adult fiction is the attempted rape scene. According to Wikipedia...” The American Library Association defines a young-adult as someone between the ages of twelve and eighteen”. If that’s true, twelve is too young to read and understand that scene. On the other hand, I know that some publishers rate YA literature as low as ten years old and as high as twenty five years old. So the age is unclear, but the scene is real, and the novel should be in the hands of someone eighteen, or older.That being said, I do recommend this captivating novel by Lazar and Thomas.

RATING: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Comment: Author Sherman Alexie on why he writes YA literature: “As a child, I read because books–violent and not, blasphemous and not, terrifying and not–were the most loving and trustworthy things in my life. I read widely, and loved plenty of the classics so, yes, I recognized the domestic terrors faced by Louisa May Alcott’s March sisters. But I became the kid chased by werewolves, vampires, and evil clowns in Stephen King’s books. I read books about monsters and monstrous things, often written with monstrous language, because they taught me how to battle the real monsters in my life.

And now I write books for teenagers because I vividly remember what it felt like to be a teen facing everyday and epic dangers. I don’t write to protect them. It’s far too late for that. I write to give them weapons–in the form of words and ideas-that will help them fight their monsters. I write in blood because I remember what it felt like to bleed.”   

According to complexmedia, some of the top YA novels of all time include:
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry , by Mildred D. Taylor: “This powerful novel, winner of the 1977 Newbery Medal, sheds light on the horrors of racism through the experiences of the Logan family, who are living in Mississippi during the height of the Great Depression.”

Watership Down , by Richard Adams. A personal favorite of this reviewer: “If you get into this book expecting a story about cute bunnies, you're going to have a rough time. Richard Adams' classic rabbit novel is a lot more violent than your last outing with Beatrix Potter.”

Matilda , by Roald Dahl: “Though many of us know Matilda because of the film adaptation, lucky readers first encountered this supernatural tale as a novel by Roald Dahl, one of the most treasured authors of children's literature.”

Hatchet , by Gary Paulsen: “Think back to when you were 13. Now, imagine that you're on a plane headed to your father when the pilot suffers a heart attack. The plane crashes, but you survive. You're stranded with nothing but the gift your mother gave you for your birthday: a hatchet. Because, what else would you give a 13-year-old? Call of Duty? No.”

Dune , by Frank Herbert: “With a massive cult following, Dune is easily one of the most popular science fiction novels ever published. But it's also a great novel for teens, thanks to its teenage protagonist.” 

Outsiders , By S.E. Hinton: “S.E. Hinton began writing this novel when she was just 15; Outsiders was published by the time she was 18. Yes, when she was concerned with writing one of the greatest young adult novels ever, you were worrying about passing your driver's test.”

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian , by Sherman Alexie: “This bestseller covers issues that, unfortunately, don't see enough discussion in pop culture: the racism that Native Americans regularly face; the tenuous relationships between reservations and white communities; and the alcoholism and poverty that too often afflicts the Native American community.”

FREAKSOME TALES

The author sent me a copy of this novel to review:

No sophomore jinx for William Rosencrans! When I reviewed Willie's first novel, The Epiphanist, I said it was a cross between fantasy and weird fiction. What do I compare this work to? How about a balance of Mary Shelley's 1818 novel Frankenstein and Mel Brooks 1974 movie Young Frankenstein? Some of the ten tales are scary; some are funny. The supposed writer is V.V. Swigferd Gloume, but really, it's Willie Rosencrans in his H.P. Lovecraft costume writing these macabre short horror stories. Even the picture on the front cover is a revised Lovecraft. Reshape Lovecraft's head, change the stoic look to a scowl, and what do you get? That's right, Gloume! I'm not surprised that Willie’s tales seem to spoof Lovecraft's style because good ole H.P. is the grandfather of weird fiction and gothic horror. Since most of the tales deal with the psychology of man, or pure mental fear, I am also reminded of Edgar Allan Poe's short story The Fall of the House of Usher. Okay, one last comparison: Both H.P. Lovecraft and the fictional Gloume are known racist. Gloume, talking about the foreigner's invasion of England said, ”For their number, disgorged daily from the same ships Liverpool prospered by, grew even greater.” He hated what he called "the others".

The first tale, Hysteria horrificans, is of the scary variety. How would you like a mons veneris (I’m not going to tell you what that is!) crawling after you in a hot and steamy room filled with thorny roses! The second tale,The Veil Betwixt, is also scary and deals with a man, a pentagram, and nine goblins that come a knocking. Do I have your interest yet? The third tale, Metempsychosis, is very funny and deals with a 37 year old seismologist hit by a horse bus, and later thinks to himself, ”Somehow the process of reincarnation had got bungled.” By the way, all of these tales are written by Gloume under a pseudonym with each publisher going out of business soon after publishing his tainted tale. The fourth tale, The Hundred Doors of Kanhaksha the Mazdakite, deals with the adventures of Knoal Heftmonks looking for a sacred baresman, and frankly, I didn’t connect with this tale. The fifth tale Vile Sickness of This World  Born Not is Gloume at his racist best. He pits Rodgebert Croagmire against the "others". So in my estimation, the first half of the novel produced three excellent tales and two "take it, or leave it" tales.

The sixth tale, A Haunting at the House of Quaddock, is a enjoyable story. A man goes to the House of Quaddock for a haircut. As Mr. Quaddock starts the haircut, ”the door opened, and, accompanied by the jingling of bells, an unremarkable gentleman entered the shop.” The seventh tale, Flesh of My Flesh, features a tall, blind, and powerful woman living with her son in an ancient stone keep. This is one of the scary tales, and my advice to visitors of the keep is to stay away! The eighth tale, And Softly Wailed the Child, is of the horror variety, and it is one of the best tales. It involves a Board of Health inspector named Clockpayne inspecting the uncleanliness of Chinatown in England. Did you ever hear of a breadfruit called a durian? Neither did I, but it exists. The ninth tale, Manuscript (Found beneath a Service Pipe), is a solid five star horror tale! We have the mad Dr. Donjonierre practising vivisection (ouch!) while looking for revenge. The last tale, The Hideous Dereliction of Mrs. Blaughducks, is absolutely hilarious. Did you know that when you die your sphincter muscle opens and lets your soul out. Ha. But if it doesn’t close, other wandering souls can enter. This is the premise of Mr. Gloume’s final tale. The second half of the book produced five tales that I have appraised as winners.

As I typed this review, every other word seemed to be underlined in red, telling me it was misspelled. Charles Dickens couldn’t come up with more colorful or unusual character names. In my opinion, Mr. Rosencrans has written a very clever and imaginative novel. Lets hope that rousing sales of this novel wake up the sleeping giant publishers. Once again, I highly recommend a William Rosencrans novel.

RATING: 4 out of 5 stars

Comment: Since Rosencrans style seems to be similar to H. P. Lovecraft’s, let’s talk about H.P. He was an American horror writer (8/20/1890-3/15/1937), who may be the grandfather of Weird fiction. His writing style was different from most authors of his time. Wikipedia says: “Often in Lovecraft's works the protagonist is not in control of his own actions, or finds it impossible to change course. Many of his characters would be free from danger if they simply managed to run away; however, this possibility either never arises or is somehow curtailed by some outside force...” See what I mean.

The following are some famous quotes by H.P. Lovecraft: “Throw a stick, and the servile dog wheezes and pants and stumbles to bring it to you. Do the same before a cat, and he will eye you with coolly polite and somewhat bored amusement. And just as inferior people prefer the inferior animal which scampers excitedly because someone else wants something, so do superior people respect the superior animal which lives its own life and knows that the puerile stick-throwings of alien bipeds are none of its business and beneath its notice. The dog barks and begs and tumbles to amuse you when you crack the whip. That pleases a meekness-loving peasant who relishes a stimulus to his self importance. The cat, on the other hand, charms you into playing for its benefit when it wishes to be amused; making you rush about the room with a paper on a string when it feels like exercise, but refusing all your attempts to make it play when it is not in the humour. That is personality and individuality and self-respect -- the calm mastery of a being whose life is its own and not yours -- and the superior person recognises and appreciates this because he too is a free soul whose position is assured, and whose only law is his own heritage and aesthetic sense.”

About his youth he said: “I have dwelt ever in realms apart from the visible world; spending my youth and adolescence in ancient and little-known books, and in roaming the fields and groves of the region near my ancestral home. I do not think that what I read in these books or saw in these fields and groves was exactly what other boys read and saw there; but of this I must say little, since detailed speech would but confirm those cruel slanders upon my intellect which I sometimes overhear from the whispers of the stealthy attendants around me.”   

And finally, H.P. on horror: “The appeal of the spectrally macabre is generally narrow because it demands from the reader a certain degree of imagination and a capacity for detachment from everyday life. Relatively few are free enough from the spell of the daily routine to respond to tappings from outside, and tales of ordinary feelings and events, or of common sentimental distortions of such feelings and events, will always take first place in the taste of the majority; rightly, perhaps, since of course these ordinary matters make up the greater part of human experience.” If you have read these quotes, you have to admit that this man was very complicated.