Navigators of Dune by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson

 

(hb; 2016: third book in the Great Schools of Dune trilogy)

From the inside flap

“Navigators, mutated by spice into beings far superior to normal humans, make space travel possible across the burgeoning Imperium. Their prescient awareness allows them to foresee safe paths through the universe as starship engines ‘fold’ space. Only industrial magnate Josef Venport knows the secret of creating Navigators, and he intends to build a commercial empire to span the galaxy.

“ But at every turn Josef is embattled by the forces of antitechnology fanaticism, ‘Butlerian’ zealots led by the charismatic and dangerous Manford Toronado. They aim to turn back humanity’s new renaissance and drive the Imperium into a dark age. And between these titanic forces stands the uncertain new emperor, Roderick Corrino, forced to take the throne after the assassination of his brother. The Navigators are the key to claiming a glorious future for humanity. . . or the end of civilization.”

 

Review

Two months have passed since the events of Mentats of Dune. The verbal and physical skirmishes between Venport, Toronado and Roderick have escalated into be-all-end-all war. The pacing is swift, the characters and the situations are complex, the action is brutal and occasionally gory, and the twists are well-foreshadowed and effective. Navigators, particularly if you’re a Dune fan, is an excellent entry in the Great Schools of Dune trilogy (and the overall series), one that’s not only worth reading but owning.

The Postman Always Rings Twice by James M. Cain

 

(hb; 1934)

Review

Postman is an excellent, no-words-wasted, twisted tale of raw sexuality, adultery and murder, with two main characters who, in spite of the seeming amorality, are relatable (at least for this reader), who aren’t evil just unhappy, and willing to do what they need to do to achieve it. Simple (but not simple-minded), entertaining and darkly clever, this is one of the best pulp novels I’ve read. Worth owning, this.

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Two film versions of Postman resulted.

The first version was released stateside on May 2, 1946. Tay Garnett directed it, from a screenplay by Harry Ruskin and Niven Busch.

John Garfield played Frank Chambers. Lana Turner played Cora Smith (in the book her married surname was Papadakis). Cecil Kellaway played Nick Smith.

Hume Cronyn played Arthur Keats. Leon Ames played Kyle Sackett. Audrey Totter played Madge Gorland. Alan Reed (who later voiced an animated Fred Flintstone) played Ezra Liam Kennedy. Jeff York played Blair.

The second version, directed by Bob Rafelson from a script by David Mamet, was released stateside on March 20, 1981.

Jack Nicholson played Frank Chambers. Jessica Lange played Cora Papadakis. John Colicos played Nick Papadakis.

Michael Lerner played Mr. Katz. John P. Ryan played Kennedy. William Traylor played Sackett. Anjelica Huston played Madge. Thomas Hill, billed as Tom Hill, played Barlow.

Star Trek Vol. 4 by various authors and illustrators

 

(pb; 1977-9: graphic novel. Collects the Golden Press-published comic book series, issues 27-35, a.k.a. Star Trek: The Enterprise Logs, Vol. 4.)

Overall review

Good, entertaining, better-than-earlier-issues collection of Star Trek comic books, worth owning.

 

Issues/story arcs

“Ice Journey” [#27]: Spock, Kirk and Dr. Krisp beam down to Floe I, a frozen planet for a Federation-ordered population survey, unaware of the civil war between its inhabitants, red masters and blue slaves. Sad, solid and clever in parts.

 

“The Mimicking Menace” [#28]: On Tactis II, a mysterious asteroid with a dormant volcano, Kirk, Spock and a landing crew encounter parasitic creatures that feed on energy and duplicate their victims physical forms. Good, entertaining story.

 

“Death of a Star” [#29]: Kirk, Spock, Lt. Uhuru and Nurse Chapel encounter an old woman who refuses to leave an about-to-explode star (Isis III). While its twist is telegraphed, it’s a fun read.

 

“The Final Truth” [#30]: Kirk, Chekov and other Enterprise personnel are abandoned on a hostile planet (Tristias) where eco-aware denizens hold them prisoner. Can Spock and the rest of the crew rescue them before it’s too late?

This story is an interesting, good remix to the usual Trek issue set-up, with a pleasant, cosmic-minded ending.

 

“The Animal People” [#31]: On the planet Hercula, Kirk and Spock try to prevent the genocide of the Yerbas, a mostly speechless, slave race who are targeted by the Herculas. Good, entertaining story with a truncated finish.

 

“The Choice” [#32]: In a little known quadrant of space (Mark I), possibly the “birthplace of the universe,” the Enterprise crew find themselves mired in a void where human will, duplication and ruminations on free will might be life-or-death events. Fun, interesting, wonky and heavy-on-science entry in the Star Trek comics.

 

“A Bomb in Time” [#33]: While checking out new technology at Research Satellite-5, a doctor working on a time machine is murdered, a bomb is hidden somewhere in time on Earth, and Scotty, Spock and Kirk must act quickly before much of Earth’s history─as well as its universe─is wiped out.

Fun, twisty and intriguing, this is one of the better issues of this series.

 

“The Psychocrystals” [#34]: During a mineral and biological survey on Planet Alpha 23-C, Bones, Kirk and Scotty encounter a race of sentient crystal beings that can not only probe their minds, but prevent them from tonctacing the Enterprise for rescue. Good, entertaining story.

 

“One of Our Captains is Missing” [#35]: While Kirk goes on a secret mission to prevent the Klingons from exploiting a possible war on planet Mobita, Captain Zarlo─a by-the-book commander replaces Kirk on the Enterprise, much to the crew’s ire. Solid, sometimes melodramatic (even for Trek) read.

Amy Girl by Bari Wood

 

(pb; 1987)

From the back cover

“Eight-year-old sweet and irresistible Amy is an orphan. Reach out to her with warmth and she’ll love you. But cross her and she’ll destroy you.

“It begins with a cold yet intimate breeze, like a shiver of fear. A whisper of death. And as it swirls into the innocent mind of beautiful young Amy Kaslov, she becomes the master of a terrifying power: Amy can make people do things very much against their will. She can make strange and violent things happen. Even death.

“Someone must save Amy from her awesomely destructive power. . . someone must uncover the evil secret that hides behind her beautiful young face.”

 

Review

Set in 1973, Amy is a solid, if sometimes chatty, thriller that sidesteps the cliches of its psychic child/monster subgenre, with characters that are relatable (warts and all), a mostly well-paced and suspense-build-up storyline, and an effective climax and denouement that are distinctive and character-true. This is a good read by an excellent writer, not Wood’s best work but often unputdownable, especially in its last third.

For her best works, check out: Twins (1977, with Jack Geasland); The Tribe (1981); and Lightsource (1984).

A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child by Joseph Locke (a.k.a. Ray Garton)

 

(pb; 1989: movie tie-in novel. Sequel to A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master.)

Review

Freddy Krueger has found a clever loophole through which to return to torment Alice Johnson (from Elm Street 4) and her friends, one that’s initially a mystery before it becomes horrifying reality.

As with the fourth Nightmare script-based book (which Locke/Garton also wrote), he mostly follows the screenplay but expands on the characters’ backstories and actions, resets some of the action (e.g., one of the early sequences in the book involves Alice taking a bath instead of the movie version’s shower), gets grislier with some of the nightmares (especially Dan Jordan’s), etc.

Locke/Garton’s writing is again lean, immediately involving, fast-moving, and entertaining within its surreal swirl structure of dream logic, returning characters and all-around solid writing. If the means of Krueger’s defeat seem paper-thin and almost laughable, it’s not Locke/Garton’s fault (blame the screenwriters and the producers who pushed them), an okay whatever (anti-)climax that is almost remedied by the emotional efficacy of Locke/Garton’s final, character-centric scene in the book.

Garton, whether he’s writing under his real name or Joseph Locke, is a consistently excellent and entertaining horror writer.

If you’re curious what was changed between this solid, mostly dreamtime sequel’s book and film versions, check the reviews on Amazon (there’s a nice person who thoroughly listed the differences).

Nightmare 5 was published later in 1989 with its prequel, A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master in one volume, titled The Nightmares on Elm Street: Parts 4 & 5. It’s out of print, so if you can get it for a reasonable price (the current price hovers between $50 and $80 online), you might want to consider picking it up if you’re even slightly interested in it.

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The counterpart film was released stateside on August 11, 1989. Stephen Hopkins directed the film, from a screenplay by Leslie Bohem, based on a story by her, Craig Spector, and John Skipp.

Robert Englund played Freddy Krueger. Lisa Wilcox reprised her role of Alice Johnson. Nicholas Mele, billed as Nick Mele, also returned as Dennis Johnson (“Johnson” in the last film), Alice’s father. Danny Hassel reprised his role of Dan Jordan, Alice’s boyfriend. Whit Hertford, billed as Whitby Hertford, played Jacob.

Kelly Jo Minter played Yvonne. Joe Seely played Mark. Erika Anderson played Greta Gibson. Beatrice Boepple played Amanda Krueger.

Valorie Armstrong played Mrs. Jordan, Dan’s mother. Burr DeBenning played Mr. Jordan.

The Glass Key by Dashiell Hammett

 

(pb; 1931)

From the back cover

“Paul Madvig was a cheerfully corrupt ward-heeler who aspired to something better; the daughter of Senator Ralph Bancroft Henry, the heiress to a dynasty of political purebreds. Did he want her badly enough to commit murder? And if Madvig was innocent, which of his dozens of enemies was doing an awfully good job of framing him?”

 

Review

Glass is an excellent, twisty, fast-moving, and character-interesting read─no shock, considering its author. This is one of Hammett’s easier-to-follow novels (some of the sharp plot turns in his Continental Detective Agency works and The Maltese Falcon can be hard to follow). Not only that, Glass is perhaps my work of his thus far, with characters who are corrupt but relatable, even the more cruel ones (e.g., Shad O’Rory─called Nick Varna in the superb 1942 film─and Jeff Gardner, an apish thug). Worth reading and owning, this.

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Two film versions have been made.

The first version was released stateside on June 15, 1935. Frank Tuttle directed the film from a screenplay by Kathryn Scola, Kubec Glasmon, with additional dialogue provided by Harry Ruskin.

George Raft played Ed Beaumont. Edward Arnold played Paul Madvig. Claire Dodd played Janet Henry. Rosalind Keith, billed as Rosalind Culli, played Opal Madvig. Emma Dunn played “Mom” Madvig.

Robert Gleckler played Shad O’Rory. Guinn ‘Big Boy’ Williams, billed as Guinn Williams, played Jeff Gardner.

Charles Richman played Senator John T. Henry. Ray Milland played Taylor Henry. Tammany Young played Clarkie. Ann Sheridan played “Nurse.”

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The second version was released stateside on October 23, 1942. Stuart Heisler directed the film from Jonathan Latimer’s screenplay.

Alan Ladd played Ed Beaumont. Brian Donlevy played Paul Madvig. Veronica Lake played Janet Henry. Bonita Granville played Opal Madvig.

Richard Denning played Taylor Henry. William Bendix played Jeff Gardner. Francis Gifford played “Nurse.” Joseph Calleia played Nick Varna.

Light Source by Bari Wood

 

(pb; 1984)

From the back cover

“A physicist makes a great energy discovery─and disappears. Her research partner dies in a plane crash. And a brutally ambitious oil executive plots his last lethal strike.

“Torture. Blackmail. Even murder. There was nothing David Lucci wouldn’t do to stop Emily Brand from going public with her plans for an inexpensive, safe source of unlimited energy.

“Because of what Emily Brand had done to him, over twenty years ago, David was going to use all of NARCON’s vast resources to see that she paid for it─with her life.”

 

Review

Light is an excellent, tight-prosed and character-interesting thriller set in the then-future 1990, that’s as timely as it was in 1984 (when Light was published). Wood deftly avoids the usual cliches, while providing a familiar yet fresh suspense tale, one that easily could translate into a satisfying movie if the producers and filmmakers didn’t tamper with the characters, storyline and pacing too much. This is one of my favorite books by her, a consistently standout writer.