(pb; 1980, 2006)
From the back cover:
“September. A beautiful New York editor retreats to a lonely cabin on a hill in the quiet Maine beach town of Dead River – off season – awaiting her sister and friends. Nearby, a savage human family, with a taste for flesh, lurks in the darkening woods, watching, waiting for the moon to rise and night to fall…
“And before too many hour pass, five civilized, sophisticated people and one tired old county sheriff will learn just how primitive we all are beneath the surface… and that there are no limits at all to the will to survive.”
Review:
This is the second time I’ve read this novel – I first read it about three, four years ago – and it was just as nasty and shocking the second time around; maybe more so, as this is Ketchum’s original version of the novel (with a notably different finish), before the editors at his then-publishing company demanded a (relatively) happier ending, and a few editorial trims, gore-wise.
Another improvement is that the characters are fleshed out (no pun intended) more in this new edition. Lean, mean and written for true horror fans, this is a landmark novel.
Followed by Offspring.
(Side-note: if you read this and love it as much as I do, check out: Sawney Bean, Night of the Living Dead, The Hills Have Eyes, and Straw Dogs (set to be remade and released in 2009).
Friday, June 15, 2007
Silence in Hanover Close, by Anne Perry
(pb; 1988: ninth book in the Charlotte & Thomas Pitt series)
From the back cover:
“When Inspector Pitt was asked to reopen a three-year-old murder case which had taken place in London’s luxurious Hanover Close, he was all too aware that his superiors wanted him to smooth things over.
“But penetrating the reserve of high society households would take more finesse than Pitt could muster. Enter Charlotte Pitt, his wellborn wife, and her sister, Emily. As the social equals of the inhabitants of the Close, the women would be privy to conversation that would never reach the ears of a mere policeman. What they found was a secret so shocking it would lead to more deaths – and quite possibly Pitt’s own.”
Review:
Perry takes her main characters – Thomas and Charlotte Pitt, Lady Emily Ashworth – into new, and incredibly life-threatening, situations in the ninth entry of her Pitt mystery series.
Six months have elapsed since the deaths of Cardington Crescent. Robert Louis Stevenson’s novel The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde has been published the previous year, and is scaring the willickers out of the reading public. Jemima Pitt, daughter of Thomas and Charlotte, is six; the Pitts’ son, Daniel, is “nearly five” – both of the children are eagerly counting down the days to a niveous Christmas.
Winter is not so kind to Thomas: an old case has been foisted on him to “smooth over”, not solve. Charlotte, ever-curious about her husband’s cases, gets involved, and in doing so, involves Emily, who’s unofficially being courted by the impecunious and rakishly handsome Jack Radley (who first appeared in Cardington Crescent). Emily’s problem is that social etiquette demands that she continue to publicly mourn her husband, George (poisoned in the last book), though she’s ready to move on with her life.
A role-reversal theme infuses Silence with fresh thrills – Charlotte, with the aid of Emily and Jack, goes undercover, adopting the fake identity of Miss Elizabeth Barnaby, a wellborn woman seeking a husband; Emily becomes Amelia Gibson, a maid in the household where a new murder has been committed. And Thomas, framed for a different killing, is arrested.
Another great, twist-filled book in a consistently gripping series, this.
Followed by Bethlehem Road.
From the back cover:
“When Inspector Pitt was asked to reopen a three-year-old murder case which had taken place in London’s luxurious Hanover Close, he was all too aware that his superiors wanted him to smooth things over.
“But penetrating the reserve of high society households would take more finesse than Pitt could muster. Enter Charlotte Pitt, his wellborn wife, and her sister, Emily. As the social equals of the inhabitants of the Close, the women would be privy to conversation that would never reach the ears of a mere policeman. What they found was a secret so shocking it would lead to more deaths – and quite possibly Pitt’s own.”
Review:
Perry takes her main characters – Thomas and Charlotte Pitt, Lady Emily Ashworth – into new, and incredibly life-threatening, situations in the ninth entry of her Pitt mystery series.
Six months have elapsed since the deaths of Cardington Crescent. Robert Louis Stevenson’s novel The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde has been published the previous year, and is scaring the willickers out of the reading public. Jemima Pitt, daughter of Thomas and Charlotte, is six; the Pitts’ son, Daniel, is “nearly five” – both of the children are eagerly counting down the days to a niveous Christmas.
Winter is not so kind to Thomas: an old case has been foisted on him to “smooth over”, not solve. Charlotte, ever-curious about her husband’s cases, gets involved, and in doing so, involves Emily, who’s unofficially being courted by the impecunious and rakishly handsome Jack Radley (who first appeared in Cardington Crescent). Emily’s problem is that social etiquette demands that she continue to publicly mourn her husband, George (poisoned in the last book), though she’s ready to move on with her life.
A role-reversal theme infuses Silence with fresh thrills – Charlotte, with the aid of Emily and Jack, goes undercover, adopting the fake identity of Miss Elizabeth Barnaby, a wellborn woman seeking a husband; Emily becomes Amelia Gibson, a maid in the household where a new murder has been committed. And Thomas, framed for a different killing, is arrested.
Another great, twist-filled book in a consistently gripping series, this.
Followed by Bethlehem Road.
Sunday, June 10, 2007
On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, by Ian Fleming
(pb; 1963: eleventh book in the original 007/James Bond series)
From the back cover:
“The superlative thriller that pits James Bond once more against SPECTRE’s archfiend Blofeld, architect of the nefarious scheme to destroy the free world… the thriller in which 007 falls in love with the lovely Tracy, daughter of Marc-Ange Draco, head of the Union Corse…”
Review:
A year after the fireworks of Thunderball, Bond is still – unsuccessfully – hunting Ernst Stavro Blofeld, who masterminded the aforementioned missile hijacking-and-blackmail plot. Blofeld has completely disappeared (as has SPECTRE), it seems. But then a lead is unearthed…
Posing as Hilary Bray, a specialist who traces clients’ ancestries, he infiltrates Blofeld’s (who’s had plastic surgery) mountainous retreat. Bond is surrounded by a gaggle of rich, young girls who are undergoing “treatment” for various “allergies” – as well as Fräulein Irma Bunt, a woman who’s more thug than nurse.
This mission is not the only thing on Bond’s mind. He’s also in love with Tracy di Vicenzo, wild daughter of a gregarious gangster-revolutionary – and possibly the perfect woman for Bond.
It’s typical 007 stuff, though the pacing and focus is different (the love story is as important as the action, which is downplayed), the characters (especially Bond) have matured a bit, and the ending, similar to that of From Russia With Love, is one of the most shocking Fleming has penned.
One of my favorite 007 novels – and movies – in the series. Check them out.
[Side-note: Sharp-eyed readers will spot the phrase “the world is not enough,” which later became the title of a James Bond film, and references to Irma La Douce and Ursula Andress, who starred in Dr. No.]
Followed by You Only Live Twice.
•
On Her Majesty's Secret Service was released stateside as a film on December 18, 1969. Peter R. Hunt directed the film, from a screenplay by Richard Maibaum and Simon Raven (who provided additional dialogue to the script).
George Lazenby played Bond. Diana Rigg played Tracy di Vicenzo. Telly Savalas played Ernst Stavro Blofeld. Gabriele Ferzetti played Marc-Ange Draco. Ilse Steppat played Irma Bunt.
From the back cover:
“The superlative thriller that pits James Bond once more against SPECTRE’s archfiend Blofeld, architect of the nefarious scheme to destroy the free world… the thriller in which 007 falls in love with the lovely Tracy, daughter of Marc-Ange Draco, head of the Union Corse…”
Review:
A year after the fireworks of Thunderball, Bond is still – unsuccessfully – hunting Ernst Stavro Blofeld, who masterminded the aforementioned missile hijacking-and-blackmail plot. Blofeld has completely disappeared (as has SPECTRE), it seems. But then a lead is unearthed…
Posing as Hilary Bray, a specialist who traces clients’ ancestries, he infiltrates Blofeld’s (who’s had plastic surgery) mountainous retreat. Bond is surrounded by a gaggle of rich, young girls who are undergoing “treatment” for various “allergies” – as well as Fräulein Irma Bunt, a woman who’s more thug than nurse.
This mission is not the only thing on Bond’s mind. He’s also in love with Tracy di Vicenzo, wild daughter of a gregarious gangster-revolutionary – and possibly the perfect woman for Bond.
It’s typical 007 stuff, though the pacing and focus is different (the love story is as important as the action, which is downplayed), the characters (especially Bond) have matured a bit, and the ending, similar to that of From Russia With Love, is one of the most shocking Fleming has penned.
One of my favorite 007 novels – and movies – in the series. Check them out.
[Side-note: Sharp-eyed readers will spot the phrase “the world is not enough,” which later became the title of a James Bond film, and references to Irma La Douce and Ursula Andress, who starred in Dr. No.]
Followed by You Only Live Twice.
•
On Her Majesty's Secret Service was released stateside as a film on December 18, 1969. Peter R. Hunt directed the film, from a screenplay by Richard Maibaum and Simon Raven (who provided additional dialogue to the script).
George Lazenby played Bond. Diana Rigg played Tracy di Vicenzo. Telly Savalas played Ernst Stavro Blofeld. Gabriele Ferzetti played Marc-Ange Draco. Ilse Steppat played Irma Bunt.
Pharos, by Alice Thompson
(hb; 2002)
From the inside flap:
“Set in the nineteenth century…a young woman is washed up on the shores of Jacob’s Rock, a remote lighthouse island off the coast of Scotland. She does not know who she is or how she got there. She has no memory. The keeper of the lighthouse and his assistant take her in and feed and clothe her. But this mysterious woman is not all that she seems, and neither is the remote and windswept island.
“Eerily reminiscent of Turn of the Screw and The Others, Pharos is a breathless tale of the supernatural.”
Review:
Understated and poetic, this seemingly simple, short novel draws the reader in with its sublime writing, memorable imagery and stark characterizations.
The novel’s only fault: the ending’s too understated and pat. The tension, subtly rendered, never culminates in a satisfactory fashion. That said, the ending fits what precedes it, tone-wise.
Not perfect, but a great, effective read.
From the inside flap:
“Set in the nineteenth century…a young woman is washed up on the shores of Jacob’s Rock, a remote lighthouse island off the coast of Scotland. She does not know who she is or how she got there. She has no memory. The keeper of the lighthouse and his assistant take her in and feed and clothe her. But this mysterious woman is not all that she seems, and neither is the remote and windswept island.
“Eerily reminiscent of Turn of the Screw and The Others, Pharos is a breathless tale of the supernatural.”
Review:
Understated and poetic, this seemingly simple, short novel draws the reader in with its sublime writing, memorable imagery and stark characterizations.
The novel’s only fault: the ending’s too understated and pat. The tension, subtly rendered, never culminates in a satisfactory fashion. That said, the ending fits what precedes it, tone-wise.
Not perfect, but a great, effective read.
Thursday, June 07, 2007
Nightmare of Ecstasy: The Life & Art of Edward D. Wood, by Rudolf Grey
(pb; 1992: biography)
From the back cover:
"This incredible, exhaustive biography of the cult movie auteur inspired the Tim Burton movie Ed Wood, starring Johnny Depp, Bill Murray, Patricia Arquette and Martin Landau.
"Author Rudolf Grey unearths the remarkable stories behind such films as Plan 9 From Outer Space and Glen or Glenda. Meet the 'Wood Spooks' -- Bela Lugosi, Vampira, Criswell and Tor Johnson, Nightmare of Ecstasy reveals the weird, wild and sordid aspects of the man the ignorant have called 'The worst filmmaker of all time.'"
Review:
This oral history, provided by those who knew (or claimed they knew) Wood, documents a different era in Hollywood, as seen from its cinematic underbelly. Colorful, kitschy tales about Wood, Lugosi and other Hollywood has-beens (or hopeful would-bes) regularly highlight this modest able effort, interlaced with the sad facts of Wood's later life (alcoholism, financial victimization), as well as Lugosi's (who was a junkie and a belligerent drunk).
Even if you've seen the Tim Burton film (which was "inspired" by this book), this is still a must-read, as it shows a different, less upbeat view of a Hollywood dreamer whose hackish visions took brief flight.
From the back cover:
"This incredible, exhaustive biography of the cult movie auteur inspired the Tim Burton movie Ed Wood, starring Johnny Depp, Bill Murray, Patricia Arquette and Martin Landau.
"Author Rudolf Grey unearths the remarkable stories behind such films as Plan 9 From Outer Space and Glen or Glenda. Meet the 'Wood Spooks' -- Bela Lugosi, Vampira, Criswell and Tor Johnson, Nightmare of Ecstasy reveals the weird, wild and sordid aspects of the man the ignorant have called 'The worst filmmaker of all time.'"
Review:
This oral history, provided by those who knew (or claimed they knew) Wood, documents a different era in Hollywood, as seen from its cinematic underbelly. Colorful, kitschy tales about Wood, Lugosi and other Hollywood has-beens (or hopeful would-bes) regularly highlight this modest able effort, interlaced with the sad facts of Wood's later life (alcoholism, financial victimization), as well as Lugosi's (who was a junkie and a belligerent drunk).
Even if you've seen the Tim Burton film (which was "inspired" by this book), this is still a must-read, as it shows a different, less upbeat view of a Hollywood dreamer whose hackish visions took brief flight.
Sunday, May 20, 2007
The Sleep of Stone, by Louise Cooper
(pb; 1991)
From the back cover:
"Ghysla was one of the Old Folks -- shapeshifters and wielders of magic -- the last of her kind. She lived in the forest far from the dangers of humankind, content with her solitary existence, until she glimpsed Prince Anyr. Anyr's bravery and kindness touched her heart, and she vowed to win her love. But Ghysla dared not reveal her true form to Anyr for fear of frightening him, so she visited her beloved in the forms of the wild and beautiful creatures of the wood. Anyr was enchanted, and as Ghysla accompanied her Prince through field and forest, she became convinced that he returned her love though she had never revealed her true nature to him.
"When Sivorne, Anyr's betrothed, arrived for their wedding day, Ghysla was filled with despair. In desperation, she cast the ancient spell known as the sleep of stone over Sivorne, determined to assume Sivorne's likeness and take her place at the altar. But what would she do when Anyr, who loved Sivorne deeply, found out that he hadn't married the woman he'd waited a lifetime for? Indeed, that he had not married a human woman at all?"
Review:
Predictable, YA-in-spirit-and-tone fairy tale. Cooper's writing is solid, but the storyline is by-the-numbers; decent read for a tween reader, otherwise this is a so-so offering from the writer who created the excellent eight-book Indigo series.
From the back cover:
"Ghysla was one of the Old Folks -- shapeshifters and wielders of magic -- the last of her kind. She lived in the forest far from the dangers of humankind, content with her solitary existence, until she glimpsed Prince Anyr. Anyr's bravery and kindness touched her heart, and she vowed to win her love. But Ghysla dared not reveal her true form to Anyr for fear of frightening him, so she visited her beloved in the forms of the wild and beautiful creatures of the wood. Anyr was enchanted, and as Ghysla accompanied her Prince through field and forest, she became convinced that he returned her love though she had never revealed her true nature to him.
"When Sivorne, Anyr's betrothed, arrived for their wedding day, Ghysla was filled with despair. In desperation, she cast the ancient spell known as the sleep of stone over Sivorne, determined to assume Sivorne's likeness and take her place at the altar. But what would she do when Anyr, who loved Sivorne deeply, found out that he hadn't married the woman he'd waited a lifetime for? Indeed, that he had not married a human woman at all?"
Review:
Predictable, YA-in-spirit-and-tone fairy tale. Cooper's writing is solid, but the storyline is by-the-numbers; decent read for a tween reader, otherwise this is a so-so offering from the writer who created the excellent eight-book Indigo series.
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Rant, by Chuck Palahniuk
(hb; 2007)
From the inside flap:
"Rant takes the form of an oral biography of one Buster 'Rant' Casey, who may or may not be the most efficient serial killer of our time.
"A high school rebel who always wins (and a childhood murderer?), Rant Casey escapes from his small hometown of Middleton for the big city. He becomes the leader of an urban demolition derby called Party Crashing. On appointed nights participants recognize one another by such designated car markings as 'Just Married' toothpaste graffiti and then stalk and crash into each other. Rant Casey will die a spectacular highway death, after which his friends gather testimony needed to build an oral history of his short, violent life. Their collected anecdotes explore the possibility that his saliva caused a silent urban plague of rabies and that he found a way to escape the prison house of linear time..."
Review:
As subversive, LOL funny, horrific, memorable and clever as Palahniuk's finer works -- Lullaby; Fight Club -- the thematically-familiar Rant weaves seemingly-side trip plot sinews into a cohesive, mindblowing and landmark narrative that demands a second read just to capture all the exciting, plot-supportive minutiae that Palahniuk's crammed into it.
If you can get past the inherent ickiness (Palahniuk has a detailed fascination with bodily fluids) of the story, this is a unique and rewarding read that may easily rewire the way you view that alterable concept we call "reality".
By all means, check this out.
Side note: J.G. Ballard's Crash explored a similar-yet-differentiated theme. If you like Rant, there's a good chance you'll like Crash.
From the inside flap:
"Rant takes the form of an oral biography of one Buster 'Rant' Casey, who may or may not be the most efficient serial killer of our time.
"A high school rebel who always wins (and a childhood murderer?), Rant Casey escapes from his small hometown of Middleton for the big city. He becomes the leader of an urban demolition derby called Party Crashing. On appointed nights participants recognize one another by such designated car markings as 'Just Married' toothpaste graffiti and then stalk and crash into each other. Rant Casey will die a spectacular highway death, after which his friends gather testimony needed to build an oral history of his short, violent life. Their collected anecdotes explore the possibility that his saliva caused a silent urban plague of rabies and that he found a way to escape the prison house of linear time..."
Review:
As subversive, LOL funny, horrific, memorable and clever as Palahniuk's finer works -- Lullaby; Fight Club -- the thematically-familiar Rant weaves seemingly-side trip plot sinews into a cohesive, mindblowing and landmark narrative that demands a second read just to capture all the exciting, plot-supportive minutiae that Palahniuk's crammed into it.
If you can get past the inherent ickiness (Palahniuk has a detailed fascination with bodily fluids) of the story, this is a unique and rewarding read that may easily rewire the way you view that alterable concept we call "reality".
By all means, check this out.
Side note: J.G. Ballard's Crash explored a similar-yet-differentiated theme. If you like Rant, there's a good chance you'll like Crash.
Friday, May 11, 2007
Cardington Crescent, by Anne Perry
(hb; 1987: eighth book in the Charlotte & Thomas Pitt series)
From the inside flap:
"When George Ashworth is found dead over his morning coffee, it is clearly a crime of passion. It was unspoken, but common knowledge at Cardington Crescent that George was having an affair with Sybilla, his wife Emily's enchanting young cousin. But in refined Victorian Society, such domestic problems were usually handled quietly and discreetly, without the aid of of a dose of digitalis. Anxious to avoid further scandal, the genteel March family is all too willing to point the finger at Emily. After all, there is no better motive for murder than the wrath of a jealous wife, and indeed, she was never really one of them, having come from a family of inferior standing.
"That family, however, happens to include her sister Charlotte, the irrepressible wife of Inspector Thomas Pitt, and no stranger to murder and intrigue..."
Review:
Seven years after their sister (Sarah) was stabbed (in The Cater Street Hangman), the spectre of murder revisits Charlotte, Emily and their family. This time it's George, Emily's husband, who's killed, and the murder is more insidious because one of their family members is the killer.
As if that weren't bad enough, the fact that Emily (always shown as a heroine in the series) may have killed George -- who appeared to be having an indiscreet affair -- makes this one of the more chilling and tragic entries in the Pitt series, with references to Resurrection Row and Death in the Devil's Acre.
The killer isn't easy to spot, at least not initially, but the killer's identity isn't surprising, either.
Another winner from author Perry, followed by Silence in Hanover Close.
From the inside flap:
"When George Ashworth is found dead over his morning coffee, it is clearly a crime of passion. It was unspoken, but common knowledge at Cardington Crescent that George was having an affair with Sybilla, his wife Emily's enchanting young cousin. But in refined Victorian Society, such domestic problems were usually handled quietly and discreetly, without the aid of of a dose of digitalis. Anxious to avoid further scandal, the genteel March family is all too willing to point the finger at Emily. After all, there is no better motive for murder than the wrath of a jealous wife, and indeed, she was never really one of them, having come from a family of inferior standing.
"That family, however, happens to include her sister Charlotte, the irrepressible wife of Inspector Thomas Pitt, and no stranger to murder and intrigue..."
Review:
Seven years after their sister (Sarah) was stabbed (in The Cater Street Hangman), the spectre of murder revisits Charlotte, Emily and their family. This time it's George, Emily's husband, who's killed, and the murder is more insidious because one of their family members is the killer.
As if that weren't bad enough, the fact that Emily (always shown as a heroine in the series) may have killed George -- who appeared to be having an indiscreet affair -- makes this one of the more chilling and tragic entries in the Pitt series, with references to Resurrection Row and Death in the Devil's Acre.
The killer isn't easy to spot, at least not initially, but the killer's identity isn't surprising, either.
Another winner from author Perry, followed by Silence in Hanover Close.
Tuesday, May 01, 2007
Reefer Madness, by Eric Schlosser
(hb; 2003: non-fiction)
From the inside flap:
“The underground economy is vast; it comprises perhaps 10% – perhaps more – of America’s overall economy, and it’s on the rise. Eric Schlosser charts this growth, and finds its roots in the nexus of ingenuity, greed, idealism, and hypocrisy that is American culture. Her reveals the fascinating workings of the shadow economy by focusing on marijuana, one of the nation’s largest cash crops; pornography, whose greatest beneficiaries include Fortune 100 companies; and illegal migrant workers, whose lot often resembles that of medieval serfs.
“All three industries show how the black market has burgeoned over the past three decades, as America’s reckless faith in the free market has combined with a deep-seated Puritanism to create situations both preposterous and tragic. Through pot, porn and migrants, Schlosser traces compelling parallels between underground and overground: how tycoons and gangsters rise and fall, how new technology shapes a market, how government intervention can reinvigorate black markets as well as mainstream ones, how big business learns – and profits – from the underground.”
Review:
This is one of those ‘yeah… what he said!’ kind of reviews. An informative, interesting, should-read book, this, one that dramatically changed how I viewed America. Another great muckrake from the author of Fast Food Nation.
From the inside flap:
“The underground economy is vast; it comprises perhaps 10% – perhaps more – of America’s overall economy, and it’s on the rise. Eric Schlosser charts this growth, and finds its roots in the nexus of ingenuity, greed, idealism, and hypocrisy that is American culture. Her reveals the fascinating workings of the shadow economy by focusing on marijuana, one of the nation’s largest cash crops; pornography, whose greatest beneficiaries include Fortune 100 companies; and illegal migrant workers, whose lot often resembles that of medieval serfs.
“All three industries show how the black market has burgeoned over the past three decades, as America’s reckless faith in the free market has combined with a deep-seated Puritanism to create situations both preposterous and tragic. Through pot, porn and migrants, Schlosser traces compelling parallels between underground and overground: how tycoons and gangsters rise and fall, how new technology shapes a market, how government intervention can reinvigorate black markets as well as mainstream ones, how big business learns – and profits – from the underground.”
Review:
This is one of those ‘yeah… what he said!’ kind of reviews. An informative, interesting, should-read book, this, one that dramatically changed how I viewed America. Another great muckrake from the author of Fast Food Nation.
Tuesday, April 03, 2007
Blood Runs Cold by Robert Bloch
Overall review
This excellent seventeen-story collection showcases Bloch’s trademark cleverness and dark humor, as well as his economic, effective use of words. Check this out.
Standout stories
“The Show Must Go On” (a womanizing actor is confronted by the outraged father of one of his conquests).
“The Cure”: A trio of criminals, waiting for their heist money in the tropics, encounter macabre complications).
“The Masterpiece”: A painter gets revenge on his treacherous lover.
“Where the Buffalo Roam”: On post-atomic war Earth, buffalo herders are shaken out of their happy reverie when a burning light fills the night sky).
“Is Betsy Still Alive?”: A suspenseful tale about a burnt-out writer, a shady Hollywood player and a dead movie star.
“Word of Honor”: Darkly funny occurrences happen when a plague of truth-telling takes over a town).
“The Pin”: Creepy tale about a painter who rents a loft in a supposedly abandoned building, and discovers he’s not alone.
“The Big Kick”: Two beatnik con artists play a “creepnik square”.
“Sock Finish”: Great work about an aging silent film-era star who’s used and dumped by his Hollywood “friends”).
Other stories include
“Daybroke”; “Showbiz”; “I Like Blondes”; “Dig That Crazy Grave!”; “Final Performance” (with its Dead Silence-like denouement); “All on a Golden Afternoon”; “The Gloating Place”; “I Do Not Love Thee, Dr. Fell”.
Bimbos of the Death Sun, by Sharyn McCrumb
(pb; 1988)
From the back cover:
“Even before the murder of the world’s most detestable cult author, Rubicon was destined to go down in fen history as the most outrageous fantasy convention ever. The great chronicler of the fantasy adventures of the noble Viking warrior, Tratyn Runewind, was suddenly no more. Appin Dungannon was dead – a bullet through his heart and a spilled bottle of scotch at his side. Who hated him enough to kill him? The answer: Practically everyone.
“James Owens Mega, creator of that deathless tome, Bimbos of the Death Sun, dons the role of Dungeon Master, and solves this uproarious whodunit in the ultimate role-playing game climax.”
Review:
Less a mystery than a good-natured spoofing of geekdom, Bimbos focuses on humor, not murder.
Read strictly as a mystery, Bimbos fails. The writing’s good, but the identity of the killer is obvious way before the Thin Man-like finale. Combined with its comedic elements, it’s an innovative (with its con backdrop), fun beach read.
Worth your time, this.
Followed by Zombies of the Gene Pool.
From the back cover:
“Even before the murder of the world’s most detestable cult author, Rubicon was destined to go down in fen history as the most outrageous fantasy convention ever. The great chronicler of the fantasy adventures of the noble Viking warrior, Tratyn Runewind, was suddenly no more. Appin Dungannon was dead – a bullet through his heart and a spilled bottle of scotch at his side. Who hated him enough to kill him? The answer: Practically everyone.
“James Owens Mega, creator of that deathless tome, Bimbos of the Death Sun, dons the role of Dungeon Master, and solves this uproarious whodunit in the ultimate role-playing game climax.”
Review:
Less a mystery than a good-natured spoofing of geekdom, Bimbos focuses on humor, not murder.
Read strictly as a mystery, Bimbos fails. The writing’s good, but the identity of the killer is obvious way before the Thin Man-like finale. Combined with its comedic elements, it’s an innovative (with its con backdrop), fun beach read.
Worth your time, this.
Followed by Zombies of the Gene Pool.
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