Vic Valentine: Lounge Lizard for Hire by Will Viharo

(pb; 2018: eighth book in the Vic Valentine series)

From the back cover

“My Voodoo Valentine? Vic Valentine has finally retired from the private eye racket. And since his beautiful, new bi-sexual, black belt-burlesque-dancer bride, Ava Margarita Valentina Valdez Valentine, who may also be a witch or a vampire or both, has a mysterious and possibly nefarious source of seemingly endless wealth, he no longer walks dogs for income, either. Vic is finally living the life of his wildest dreams! Until the Universe sucker-punches him yet again, and it suddenly melts into a noir nightmare. . .

“First a Yakuza hitman from Mrs.Valentine’s past shows up in Seattle with a score to settle. She conjures demons from another dimension to not only protect them, but to spice up their sex life (or hers, anyway). The ghost of Vic’s dead friend Doc Schlock still haunts him, literally. His old pal Ivar the sailor statue starts talking, and walking. And then there’s the doppelganger of a young Vic suddenly popping up here and there around town, setting Vic up for a showdown with his younger self.

“But no matter what happens next, the show must go on.”

Review

Fans of David Lynch, werewolves, Mexican wrestling films, vampires, yakuza flicks, actor Christian Slater and hypersexual violence may find themselves reveling in this surrealistic tale, where one reality swirls into another what-the-FRELL alternate reality, sucking readers further into Vic’s headworlds, imagined or real.

This is an excellent, gory, sexually explicit neo-psychedelic pulp novel, much like its predecessor, Vic Valentine: International Man of Misery, although Lounge ups the crazy what-is-real ante to the triple nth degree. While this works as a standalone story, readers familiar with previous Vic Valentine works (starting with Love Stories Are Too Violent For Me) might enjoy Lounge more, as Viharo spin-cycles through a lot of the characters, elements, storylines and themes that formed the first seven books in this series and other books penned by this distinctive, consistently fascinating author. 

Followed by Vic Valentine: Space Cadet.

Twin Peaks: The Final Dossier by Mark Frost

(hb; 2017: companion read to the Twin Peaks television/cable series. Sequel to The Secret History of Twin Peaks.)

From the back cover

"The return of Twin Peaks this May is one of the most anticipated events in the history of television. The subject of endless speculation, shrouded in mystery, fans will come flocking to see Mark Frost and David Lynch's inimitable vision once again grace the screen. Featuring all the characters we know and love from the first series, as well as a list of high-powered actors in new roles, the show will be endlessly debated, discussed, and dissected.

"While The Secret History of Twin Peaks served to expand the mysteries of the town and place the unexplained phenomena that unfolded there into a vastly layered, wide-ranging history, Twin Peaks: The Final Dossier tells us what happened to key characters in the twenty-five years in between the events of the first series and the second, offering details and insights fans will be clamoring for. The novel also adds context and commentary to the strange and cosmic happenings of the new series. For fans around the world begging for more, Mark Frost's final take laid out in this novel will be required reading."

Review

Dossier is a great companion read to David Lynch and Mark Frost’s three-season television series, Twin Peaks, as well as the 1992 film, Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me. This book, with its cheeky commentary, simultaneously recaps key events in the series while filling in the plot cracks and personal details about its quirky, intriguing characters. If you are a fan of Twin Peaks and enjoy books, there is a good chance that Dossier may provide entertainment, information and a deeper understanding of this distinctive and increasingly abstract series.

Village of the Mermaids by Carlton Mellick III

(pb; 2013: novella)

From the back cover:

"MERMAID [mur-meyd] "noun" -- a rare species of fish evolved to resemble the appearance of a woman in order to attract male human prey. Mermaids are protected by the government under the Endangered Species Act, which means you aren't able to kill them even in self-defense. This is especially problematic if you happen to live in the isolated fishing village of Siren Cove, where there exists a healthy population of mermaids in the surrounding waters that view you as the main source of protein in their diet.

"The only thing standing between you and the ravenous sea women is the equally-dangerous supply of human livestock known as Food People. Normally, these "feeder humans" are enough to keep the mermaid population happy and well-fed. But in Siren Cove, the mermaids are avoiding the human livestock and have returned to hunting the frightened local fishermen. It is up to Doctor Black, an eccentric representative of the Food People Corporation, to investigate the matter and hopefully find a way to correct the mermaids' new eating patterns before the remaining villagers end up as fish food."

"Like a Lovecraftian version of David Lynch's Twin Peaks, Village of the Mermaids is a dystopian mystery for the bizarro fiction fan. It proves, once again, how cult author Carlton Mellick III brings the weird to a whole new level."


Review:

Short (111 pages), waste-no-words, mysterious, atmospheric, creepy, full of odd humor, twists, turns and interesting characters, this novella lives up to its bizarro classification, one of the best I have read in the genre, and one of the best I have read this year. Village is worth owning.

A Mermaid Drowns in the Midnight Lounge by Will Viharo

(pb; 2010)

From the back cover:

"A Mermaid Drowns in the Midnight Lounge is a lushly, lurid, exotically exploitative, sensationally sensual pulp-noir potpourri where star-crossed lovers, sea sirens, monster men, gangsters, porno filmmakers, jazz standards, and an Elvis-spawned zombie apocalypse all intermingle across several parallel dimensions in time and space. This story is unlike anything you've ever read."

Review:

Another neo-noir genre-blender from the wonderful Will Viharo, whose work, this time out, updates a David Lynchesque (specifically: Lost Highway) template, traversing three alternate realities - actually levels - that are grindhouse violent, retro-revering, and over-the-top horrific and pornographic.

When the levels begin to meld, the characters' degeneration, the werewolfery, the zombies (which read like cognizied versions of Lucio Fulci's putrefied undead) and the dizzying swirl-cycle of bloodthirstiness, sex, skewed humor and desperation acelerate into a satisfying come-together finish.

If you're fan of grindhouse, neo-noir, retro-culture horror or science fiction-ish work, you should own this novel, which can be purchased here or on Amazon.com.

Or you can talk to him when he hosts Thrillville, once a month, and buy it from him directly (after he orders it for you).

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Actual Rafiq composed an "original book score" for Mermaid, titled Music for a Drowning Mermaid. This exhilarating four-song instrumental CD, which reflects and complements the mood of the book that inspired it, is on sale at Lulu.com for $8.

Do I Come Here Often? by Henry Rollins

(pb; 1996: non-fiction)

From the back cover:

" 'I believe that one defines himself by re-invention. To not be like your parents. To not be like your friends. To be yourself. To cut yourself out of stone.'

"With the addictive intensity, irreverence and humor for which he is renown, Henry Rollins interviews and writes about some of his musical heroes, as well as laying himself bare in his private journals.

"Discover exactly what he thought of Jane's Addiction, Nine Inch Nails and [Johnny Mnemonic co-star] Ice-T as they journeyed across the US together on the 1991 Lollapalooza Tour with the frustration of playing in front of indifferent crowds, dealing with groupies and the daily trials of life on the road. Meet Rollins the music fan, as he explains how David Lee Roth inspired him to get into music, what it was like to interview greats like John Lee Hooker and Isaac Hayes, why Roky Erickson is unlike anyone you will ever meet and what happened the day he met 'Killer' Jerry Lee Lewis.

"Essential reading for both fans and the uninitiated alike."


Review:

Artists largely come into their brilliance by two routes. One route is through cleverness, cutting one-liners or, by extension, collections of well-set-up/well-acted one-liners (think Oscar Wilde or comedian Robin Williams).

The second route is through sheer force of personal expression. It's not an immediate quick-hit high, but a building-up-to-something-great talent/situation. The artist talks sincerely, passionately about something he or she cares about, and as a result of that point-minded passion, something transformative -- dare I utter the phrase real-life magic -- is born.

Rollins has often achieved brilliance via the second route. He's been doing spoken word shows for over twenty-five years, toured and worked musically with various entities and people (largely with Black Flag and Rollins Band), become a compelling writer, and acted (often in a tongue-in-cheek, dark-humored way) in notable films, done TV work (his current talk show, The Henry Rollins Show, is shown on the IFC Channel)... The list goes on and on; the man has been working hard for thirty plus years on various media fronts, with no sign of letting up.

This is one of Rollins finer efforts. Never mind the raging, often-awkward (but undeniably honest) poetry he started off publishing (on his 2.13.61 label) years ago, this is "the sh*t," as it's said these days. The date of the writings extend from "2.13.87" (Rollins' twenty-sixth birthday, privately -- now publicly -- recounted in the journal-essay "Happy Birthday") to 1996, when he went to Grenada, Spain to play an equipment-flawed gig (the aural feedback on the speakers was horrendous). In this book-final essay Rollins ruminates about the hell of flying in commercial airplanes, the joys of working with filmmaker David Lynch (Rollins had a role in Lynch's Lost Highway), the paranoia of ex-bandmate Greg "the Ginn" Ginn, his love of the Addams Family, and the crappiness of certain musicians (namely Sting and The Offspring, whom Rollins describes as "this weak band playing this cute, pale imitation of fifteen year old music").

Worth your time, this. You may not agree with everything Rollins says, but the force and plain-spoken charm of his words cannot honestly be denied.

From The Borderlands: Stories of Terror and Madness edited by Elizabeth E. & Thomas F. Monteleone

(pb; 2003: horror story anthology)


Overall review

Exemplary anthology, originally published as Borderlands 5, with only a few clunkers in the mix. Well worth your time.


Standout stories

1. ) “All Hands” – John R. Platt: Quirky, delightful entry about a man who wakes up with a different pair of hands each day.


2.) “The Growth of Alan Ashley” – Bill Gauthier: Black-humored take on the delusion of “self-improvement” – a strange “growth” on the titular character’s body becomes imbued with increasing, dangerous importance. If this were a film short, I could see this being directed by Eraserhead-era David Lynch, or Videodrome-era David Cronenberg.


3.) “The Goat” – Whitt Pond: Heartbreaking tale about a teenage boy who’s trying to save his supposedly demon-possessed brother from their fellow townspeople.


4.) “The Food Processor” – Michael Canfield: Surrealistic tale about two brothers whose collective desire to build things conflicts with their Father’s desire that they become chefs, like him. Superior, semi-bizarre work, one that would make an excellent Tim Burton film, illustrated by Peter Max.


5.) “Storytime with the Bluefield Strangler” – John Farris: Destined-to-be-a-true-classic story about a little girl who’s being terrorized by a real-life boogeyman.


6.) “The Planting” – Bentley Little: Perverse B-movie gem about a pair of panties, a cabin and a dessicated mummy.


7.) “Infliction” – John McIlveen: Stunning, emotional tale about an ex-alcoholic tracking his runaway daughter, four years gone.


8.) “The Thing Too Hideous To Describe” – David J. Schow: Funny, ultimately sad story about a small-town monster who makes a friend. One of the most imaginative entries in this bunch.


9.) “Magic Numbers” – Gene O’Neill: The operative phrase for this one-of-a-kind work is um, wow. Memorable work.


10.) “Head Music” – Lon Prater: Another destined-to-be-a-classic tale, this one about a young man who’s drawn to a oceanborn monster in the middle of the night. Reminiscent of H.P. Lovecraft’s finer nightmares, or any issue of Creepy.


11.) “Around It Still The Sumac Grows” – Tom Piccirilli: Envy-inducing entry about a middle-aged man who returns to his high school – site of countless teenage humiliations – twenty years later.


12.) “Annabell" – L. Lynn Young: Sublime, sad work about a physically-beautiful mother who seeks to protect her deformed daughter from the barbed horrors of the world.


Solid entries

“Ramis Temporalis” (Gary A. Braunbeck); “Faith Will Make You Free” (Holly Newstein); “N0072-JK1” (Adam Corbin Fusco); “Time For Me” (Barry Hoffman); “Prisoner 392” (John F. Merz); “Answering the Call” (Brian Freeman); “Smooth Operator” (Dominick Cancilla); “A Thing” (Barbara Malenky); “Slipknot” (Brett Alexander Savory); “Stationary Bike” (Stephen King).


So-so entries

“Father Bob & Bobby” (Whitley Strieber); “Dysfunction” (Darren O. Godfrey); “One Of Those Weeks” (Bev Vincent).

Dune by Frank Herbert

(hb; 1965: first book in the Dune Chronicles)

From the back cover

"Set in the far future amidst a sprawling feudal interstellar empire where planetary dynasties are controlled by noble houses that owe an allegiance to the imperial House Corrino, Dune tells the story of young Paul Atreides (the heir apparent to Duke Leto Atreides and heir of House Atreides) as he and his family accept control of the desert planet Arrakis, the only source of the 'spice' melange, the most important and valuable substance in the cosmos. The story explores the complex, multi-layered interactions of politics, religion, ecology, technology, and human emotion as the forces of the empire confront each other for control of Arrakis."


Review

Dune is rich in political intrigue, treachery, oracular mysticism, lust, loyalty, love, jihad and societal upheaval, as well as many interesting, often conflicted characters. What makes Dune great is how it's simultaneously personal and emotional, yet coolly distant in an intellectual way, without compromising either of the elements, tracking the course of an empire over three or so years – Herbert manages this balancing act by focusing on the characters, while making them aware of their importance (or lack thereof) in the struggles and violence that consumes them.

This is one of my all-time favorite books. It has been since I read it as a boy (approximately thirty years ago); I've reread it several times since, and every time I read it, I get something completely new out of it – there are so many levels on which to take this landmark work that I foresee more readings of this personal magnitude in the years to come.

Followed by Dune Messiah.

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Dune has been filmed twice.

The first film version was released stateside on December 14, 1984.

Kyle MacLachlan played Paul Atreides. Jürgen Prochnow played Duke Leto Atreides.  Francesca Annis played Lady Jessica.  Alicia Witt, billed as Alicia Roanne Witt, played Alia. 

Richard Jordan played Duncan Idaho.  Patrick Stewart played Gurney Halleck.  Linda Hunt played Shadout Mapes.  Freddie Jones played Thufir Hawat.  Dean Stockwell played Doctor Wellington Yueh.  Max von Sydow played Doctor Kynes.  Jack Nance played Nefud.

Sean Young played Chani.  Everett McGill played Stilgar. 

Kenneth McMillan played Baron Vladimir Harkonnen.  Sting played Feyd Rautha.  Brad Dourif played Piter De Vries.  Paul L. Smith, billed as Paul Smith, played The Beast Rabban.

José Ferrer played Padishah Emperor Shaddam IV.  Virginia Madsen played Princess Irulan.

 David Lynch scripted and direct the film.  Lynch also - uncredited - played a "Spice Worker".

If you see this film, make sure you see the three-hour/Director's Cut version, which makes more sense than the initial/studio-cut version of the film.

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The second version began airing stateside as a three-part television miniseries on December 3, 2000.

Alec Newman played Paul Atreides/Muad'Dib, a role he reprised in the 2003 television miniseries sequel, Children of Dune.  William Hurt played Duke Leto Atreides.  Saskia Reeves played Lady Jessica Atreides.

P.H. Moriarty played Gurney Halleck.  James Watson played Duncan Idaho.  Karel Dobrỳ played Dr. Pardot Kynes.

Uwe Ochsenknecht played Stilgar.  Barbora Kodetová played Chani.

Ian McNeice played Baron Vladimir Harkonnen.  Matt Keeslar played Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen.  László I. Kish played Glossu Rabban.

Giancarlo Giannini played Padishah - Emperor Shaddam Corrino IV.  Julie Cox played Princess Irulan Corrino. 

John Harrison scripted and directed the miniseries.