Tag: book review

Wheels Within Wheels

On By Brandon1 Comment

I recently finished my first P. G. Wodehouse book. It most certainly won’t be the last. You see, I have been holding off on reading Wodehouse for some reason or another for many years. I knew that folks like Steve Martin and my friend Alan Cornett have nothing but high praise for the Wodehouse bibliography, yet still I resisted. That is, until I spied this Norton paperback edition of Heavy Weather with a wonderful illustration on the cover (by Siyu Chen). Seemed as good as any book to start with.

The title of this post refers to a saying that a young Monty Bodkins says many times throughout the book and could easily describe the plot. It involves a manuscript of recounts and reminiscences by a Galahad Threepwood that, if they were to be published, would surely bring to light the rowdy pasts of much of the elite society and generally cause an uproar of sorts. However, Galahad has refused to send the manuscript to the publisher Lord Tilbury(AKA Stinker). Lord Tilbury takes it upon himself to pinch the papers, so to say, but he is not the only one after them. Hilarity ensues.

Wodehouse has a wonderful way with language and I can see that Terry Pratchett must be a fan of Wodehouse as well. The descriptive passages often reminded me of Pratchett. The characters are lovingly rendered and fit the story marvelously. I look forward to reading more of Wodehouse. I know there are a few more of the Norton editions with equally fantastic covers I will have to chase down. Tally ho, and I’m off.

Cloudy with a chance of funny
Cloudy with a chance of funny

The Bookshelf

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I have been remise in posting of late and deeply regret it. The holiday season is upon us and I’ve got a lot on my plate. I am trying to finalize my short story for a Weird Western anthology and continue writing my novel plus a few other projects. Enough about me…

Poe Book

Selected Poems and Tales by Edgar Allen Poe: This is a large Barnes and Noble edition with illustrations by Mark Summers and an introduction by Neil Gaiman. It probably comes as no surprise to you that I am a fan of Poe’s work. While I enjoy his stories I am fonder still of his verse. I believe that Annabel Lee was my introduction to Poe and the first story I read was The Cask of Amontillado. I was hooked after that. There is a reason that numerous movies and works have been inspired by the works of Poe. His writings worm their fiendish way inside of you and tether themselves with terror and dread. The Conqueror Worm indeed.

The Hobbit Book

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien: This edition is illustrated by Alan Lee. I doubt there isn’t a fantasist in the land that doesn’t have this book on their shelf. Bilbo Baggins and his dwarven companions take to an adventure that none will soon forget. The world that Tolkien creates is detailed, vast and wonderous. How could I not want to return back again and again. I eagerly await the coming second part of the recent Hobbit movie and you should too.

lord-of-the-rings book

The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien: This is a massive paperback collection of all three volumes. I really need to attain a more sturdy edition and have my eye on one at Barnes and Noble, but for now, this is what I have. There is so much to say about the Lord of the Rings that I find myself at a loss to encapsulate it. Some would call this the father of the Fantasy genre and certainly it is one of the seeds if nothing else. The characters and action grab hold of your imagination and the world Tolkien has created swallows you whole. The quest to destroy the One Ring, searched for by the Dark Lord Sauron, and heal the land from the evil threatening to overtake it entirely. A quest led by a small hobbit named Frodo and his trusty friend Sam but that also involves, dwarves, elves, wizards and mighty creatures of magic. The recent movies made from these volumes are masterpieces and I recommend you watch them right away if you have not.

Hunchback Book

The Hunchback of Notre-Dame by Victor Hugo: One of my most favorite books. The prose is often beautiful and always a joy to read. If you are used to reading modern novels only, it will take some getting used to reading with a bit more effort, but it is well worth it. I am still waiting for a film version that captures the novel’s heart and tempestuous nature. I modeled the main character in my current novel a bit after Quasimodo, so yeah, I’m a fan.

neuromancer_book

Neuromancer by William Gibson (20th Anniversary Edition): This book came out in 1984, fourteen years before the movie The Matrix. Mind blown. Gibson is often credited with birthing the cyberpunk genre. Gibson’s virtual reality has become our own. Any fan of science fiction will revel in the prose and stylings found in this book.

“Know how a ROM personality matrix works?”

“Sure, bro, it’s a firmware construct.”

“So I jack it into the bank I’m using, I can give it a sequential, real time memory?”

“Guess so,” said the construct.

“Okay, Dix. You are a ROM construct. Got me?”

“If you say so,” said the construct. “Who are you?”

“Case.”

The Bookshelf

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Musketeers Book

 

 

 

The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas: A true classic. I never get tired of reading the exploits of Athos, Porthos, Aramis and D’Artagnan. High adventure, love, honor, intrigue and swashbuckling. Dumas knows how to weave a thrilling yarn to be sure. Much better than any of the movies that have attempted to bottle Dumas’ formula. The rest of the books in the Musketeer series are excellent reads as well. I will make special mention of the Man in the Iron Mask movie with John Malkovich, Jeremy Irons and Girard Depardieu as the aged trio and Gabriel Byrne as D’Artagnan. The movie closely captures the essence of the characters and world they live in.

 

 

East of Eden

 

 

 

East of Eden by John Steinbeck: I believe that this was once featured as a Oprah Book of the Month. I won’t hold that against it. You can never go wrong with Steinbeck. This is a tale loosely based on the fall of Adam and Eve and the rivalry between Cain and Abel set in the Salinas Valley of California. I have to admit that I have yet to finish the book. I have read half of it and intend to finish it some day soon. This is due more to unforseen circumstances than to the quality of the book itself. I still recommend it.

 

 

kane

 

 

 

The Savage Tales of Solomon Kane and Bran Mak Morn: The Last King by Robert E. Howard: If you are a fan of fantasy and have not read Howard, then get thee hence to a book store post-haste. I wouldn’t call his prose beautiful but it has a swift brashness that cannot be denied. Conan is his most well-known character but Solomon Kane is memorable in his own right. The puritan swordsman roaming strange and foreign lands righting wrongs and valiantly battling creatures of darkness. Bran Mak Morn contains some great poems as well.  Check them both out.

 

 

Terror

 

 

 

The Terror by Dan Simmons: Be warned, this is a massive book at nearly 800 pages but it is well worth your patience. Not many can write horror and terror like Simmons. Stephen King has written kind words about Simmons many times and I feel Simmons is better than King. The Terror is the story of the HMS Terror; a vessel sent to search for the Northwest Passage as part of the 1845 Franklin Expedition. They enter the Arctic Circle and come face to face with a strange cold world and a terror stalking them along the ice. Truly terrific stuff.

 

That should do for now. I pray that Summer arrive swiftly. I have late watch over camp tonight and the bitter cold nights are getting old and contribute to a general grumpiness among the men. Tomorrow, we march into the void. The captain says he does not know what is beyond the void and some of the men are afraid. I just hope it is warm there.

Of Dwarves and Men

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I’m certain that most of you have seen the new Hobbit movie directed by Peter Jackson. I alas have not. I dearly wanted to but the holiday season and money woes collided to thwart me. In anticipation of the movie I looked for a high fantasy novel that would whet my appetite for dwarves, elves, magic, battle and blood and honor (I was waiting until after I watched The Hobbit move before rereading the book again). I found The Dwarves by Markus Heitz (translated by Sally-Ann Spencer from German).

The Dwarves

The Dwarves is the first of what looks to be a four book series that follows the blacksmith dwarf Tungdil as he journeys from being abandoned as a child and raised by a human wizard to contention of being king of the fourthling dwarves. All against a backdrop of the dreaded Perished Land encroaching on the realms of Girdlegard. The Perished Land is a land of death and decay filled with orcs, dark elves and every being slaughtered within the Land’s ever-increasing borders raised anew as a minion of the dark. All being led by the powerful mage Nudin the Knowledge Lusty, himself overcome by darkness.

Marcus has created a wonderful world and given a spotlight to a race usually reserved as the outlier to the true heroes. The Dwarves is a tale of high honor, adventure, sorrow, friendship, magic, courage and hope against all odds. The writing is very good and the pacing is excellent. I highly recommend the book and look forward to reading the further adventures of Tungdil and his friends.