The Brotherhood of the Rose by David Morrell

 

(pb; 1984: first book in the Abelard Sanction quadrilogy)

From the back cover

“They were orphans, Chris and Saul—raised in a Philadelphia school for boys, bonded by friendship, and devoted to a mysterious man called Eliot.

“He visited them and brought them candy.

“He treated them like sons.

“He trained them to be assassins.

“Now he is trying desperately to have them killed.”

 

Review

Brotherhood is an excellent, hard-to-set-down thriller with characters worth rooting for (from the get-go), character-based action (with explanations of how characters set traps and why they fight the way they fight), and an all-around tautly penned storyline—what makes Brotherhood stand out from its typical-genre set-up is Morrell’s detailed-but-not-yawnable explanations of fighting styles, strategies and mindsets as well as how characters set traps. This is a great read, one of the best conspiracy/violence novels I’ve read in a long while, a promising start to a quadrilogy (two novels and a short story). Followed by The Fraternity of the Stone.

Fun fact: according to the Internet, David Morrell said Eliot is “based a real CIA counter-espionage master, James Jesus Angleton”.

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The resulting two-part television/NBC miniseries, Brotherhood of the Rose, aired on January 22-23, 1989. Gy Waldron wrote its screenplay; Marvin J. Chomsky directed it.

Peter Strauss played Saul Grisman, aka Romulus. David Morse played Chris Killmoonie, aka Remus. Robert Mitchum played John Eliot. Connie Selleca played Erika Bernstein, Saul’s ex-lover and Mossad agent. M. Emmet Walsh played the alcoholic former agent Hardy.

Moon-Death by Rick Hautala

 

(pb; 1980)

From the back cover

“Cooper Falls is a small, quiet New Hampshire town, the kind you’d miss if you blinked an eye. But when darkness falls and the full moon rises, an uneasy feeling filters through the air; an unnerving foreboding that causes the skin to prickle and the body to tense.

“Because faintly from across the water, a low moaning howl begins to rise and a massive, black shadow with burning green eyes stalks the night. It is part man, part beast—a victim of the past, a creature of evil—who hungers for flesh, thirsts for blood and lives to kill again. . . again and again and again. . .”

 

 

Review

Fans of Stephen King and his creative ilk, 1950s-1970s Hammer films, sensualized Satanism and witchcraft, and small-town horror novels are the target audience of this well-written, steady-pace terror tale with multilayered characterization (even if the lead characters, Bob Wentworth and Lisa Carter, have a weird, constantly shouting at each other vibe between them, early on in their budding, melodramatic romantic relationship—one that does not bode well for realistic longevity). The ending is fun, memorable, the suitable finish for a good entry in the small-town horror subgenre. Worth owning, this.

Return of the Living Dead by John Russo

 

(pb; 1978: sequel to Night of the Living Dead; prequel to Escape from the Living Dead)

 

Review

This book should not to be confused with the novelization of the 1985 horror comedy The Return of the Living Dead, for which Russo co-wrote the original screenplay—which was noticeably rewritten as a punk comedy later. John Russo also wrote the movie adaptation of the 1985 film, which is NOT this book.

Russo, co-screenwriter of the 1968 film Night of the Living Dead and its 1974 novel counterpart of the same name, keeps it raw, gory, and violent as the original film/novel, with posse-leading Sheriff Conan McClellan (who famously said “They’re dead. . . they’re all messed up” in Night) investigating what appears to be a fresh zombie outbreak in his county—it’s been ten years since the original undead attacks, something that haunts McClellan, who’s reluctant to publicly acknowledge this new zombie uprising. Still, he’s leading a new posse of thirty or forty men to put down this new spate of terror.

Meanwhile, taciturn farmer Bert Miller and his three daughters (Sue Ellen, Ann, and Karen—the latter of whom is pregnant) are four of the many people who also remember that pivotal event ten years ago and put spikes in the heads of the dead. When he lets three lawmen with two suspects in tow into their house, it might not be the best decision he makes.

As with his other works, Russo’s characters’ histories, motivations and personalities are sketched out throughout the book—thereby keeping their characters relatable, without cluttering the flow of the stark, action-oriented pacing of his storyline and, at the same time, maintaining Return’s palpable tension, effective gore, and stark, disturbing nothing and nobody is safe vibe. This is not a read for sensitive readers who need to know what the characters’ agendas and politics are or need their characters’ histories/emotions spelled out for them.

Was it the crashed Venus probe—also mentioned in passing in Night—or a weird energizing cancer spreading among the dead? It doesn’t matter for those in this tale; what matters is stopping the new uprising, something McClellan and, elsewhere, police officers Carl Martinelli and Dave Benton are keen on.  

Return, like Night, is about fear, violence, misunderstandings, and dark humanity, with touches of grim humor and an unsettling finish spicing up this blunt, sometimes horrific action read.

Rogues of Edomia by J.M. Kind

 

(pb; 2023: third novel in the Edomia series; aka Rogues of Edomia: Tales from the Edomian Mythos (Book 3))

From the back cover

“Forced against his will to take a risky job with scant hope of reward, diminutive swindler Drogn the Magnificent has little to rely on save his own uniquely twisted set of wits. Drawing on a shallow wellspring of dubious talent, the fast-talking dwarf must find a way to convince a brazen would-be queen to give up her most cherished ambitions: It’s either that or Drogn’s head when Svrosh, the ruthless Serpent-Prince, demands his pound of flesh.

“Architect of the coup that marked the falloff Taugwadeth, the traitorous Stethine k’ Flerion is holed up with her henchmen in the fortress-like Library of Rvnshrah. Now Drogn and his companions must find a way to infiltrate the citadel, discover the location of a priceless book of ancient lore, and get close enough to Stethine to administer a dose of numbing spider venom, the better to deliver her into the vile Prince-Regent’s clutches. Along with Vasto the giant (Svrosh’s musclebound enforcer), stolid farmboy Bymno, two-headed scholar-bird Klevix-Wrder, and lovely outworlder Gemma (a refugee from Medieval Scotland where she was once accused of witchcraft), Drogn will face more than his share of hardships and horrors, wonders, perils, and galling inconvenience in pursuit of liberty, respect, and his own dreamed-of life of ease.”

Review

Rogues, a relatively short and light Edomia novel, is an entertaining, erudite and straightforward tale, a side-work that serves as a bridge to the forthcoming Empires of Edomia—Rogues maintains the themes, engaging characters and feel of the previous Edomia books while being less plot- and character-intricate (it helps that the first two books did the heavy lifting of being full-on world-builders), making Rogues lighter on its story-telling feet. Excellent series for those who like fantasy genre brains, brawn, humor and a touch of sex, a book worth owning and revisiting (re-reading) at a later date, when all the books are published.

The Successful Novelist by David Morrell

 

(pb; 2008: nonfiction)

From the back cover

“David Morrell, bestselling author of First Blood, The Brotherhood of the Rose and The Fifth Profession, distlls four decades of writing experience and publishing experience into this single masterwork of advice and instruction for fiction writers looking to make it big in the publishing world.

“With advice proven to create successful novels, Morrell teaches you everything you need to know about: Plot, Character, Research, Structure, Viewpoint, Description, Dialogue, The business of publishing, and much more.”

 

Review

Successful is one of the best books I’ve read on novel writing, branding one’s work,  juggling life and work, and the financial end of one’s work after it’s reached a multimedia platform-level. Whether or not your writing habits and notions gel with Morrell’s, Successful is a worthwhile (and excellent) read for the author’s hard-won common sense/dealing-with-rights-and-finances. Great writer’s resource book, one of my all-time favorites in the business-of-writing genre.

Killing Moon by Jo Nesbø

 

(hb; 2022: thirteenth book in the Harry Hole series. Translated from the Norwegian by Seán Kinsella)

From the inside flap

“Two young women are missing, and the only connection is a party they both attended, hosted by a notorious real-estate magnate. When one of the women is found murdered, the police discover an unusual signature left by the killer, giving them reason to suspect he will strike again.

“They’re facing a killer unlike any other. And exposing the killer calls for a detective like no other. But the legendary Harry Hole is gone—fired from the force, drinking himself to oblivion in Los Angeles. It seems that nothing can entice him back to Oslo. Until the woman who saved Harry’s life is put in grave danger, and he has no choice but to return to the city that haunts him and track down the murderer.

“Catching him will push Harry to the limit. He’ll need to bring together a misfit team of former operatives to prevent another killing. But as the evidence mounts, it becomes clear that there is more to the case than meets the eye.”

 

Review

Killing Moon, like Nesbø’s previous Harry Hole novels, is a near-impossible-to-set-down thriller, with effectively foreshadowed twists and shocks, and an ending that introduces a new (possible) deadly player in Hole’s life, a dark-hearted somebody who may pop up in future Hole books—not the first time Nesbø has done this.

Many of Hole’s Oslo-based (ex-)lovers, friends, and frenemies are, again, essential characters in Killing’s wild-ride storyline, spiced with plenty of red herrings (some easily spotted, others not). Part of the attraction of Nesbø’s Hole series is the author’s willingness to irrevocably turn his characters’ worlds upside down and the bordering-on-quirky inclusion of science-based elements as well as a love of music (especially rock ‘n’ roll, particularly David Bowie, Keith Richards, and even, in Katrine Bratt’s case, death metal [hello, early-in-their-career Carcass!]).

This is one of my favorite reads this year, one worth seeking out. Looking forward to the next Hole thriller.

Portus by Jun Abe

 

(pb; 2006: manga)

From the back cover

“Asami’s best friend Chiharu has stopped coming to school and isn’t answering her phone. It seems she’s found something that’s a little more addictive than school Art Club. But when Chiharu mysteriously commits suicide, all Asami finds in her room is a strange video game called Portus. With the help of two of her teachers, Asami hopes to solve the mystery behind her friend’s macabre death and the bizarre game itself. But is she prepared for the horrors of entering the twisted world of Portus, a game where if you lose there is no option to continue? A frightening vision of modern manga horror, Jun Abe’s Portus might put you off video games for the rest of your life.”

 

Review

Portus is a fun, fast-moving, creepy and atmospheric read about a video game with a cursed kokeshi-sourced code “world” within it, one Asami, Chiharu, and others within their social circle may not survive—highly recommended, one-book standalone story for fans of Ringu and Ju-On (with, of course, manga-true/occasional, genre-annoying in the mix). If you can put up with that latter, barely PG-13 feature, Portus might be your perfect manga choice.

Blood Money by Thomas Perry

 

(pb; 1999: fifth book in the Jane Whitefield series)

From the back cover

“Even before she heard the teenager’s story, Jane Whitefield’s Native American intuition whispered danger. For a year, Rita Shelford kept house for an old man in Florida. When he disappeared, other men came and tried to kill her. That was before she knew that her employer was the Mafia’s brilliant moneyman, recently reported murdred. Now the mob suspects Rita of stealing the only record of a shady investment worth billions. Unless Jane, Rita’s last hope, can spirit Rita into a new identity, she’s a dead woman. As the mafioso army converges on airports and hotels, highways and city streets, there seems to be no exit—except form life itself.”

 

Review

Caveat: (possible) element and multi-series tie-in (not plot) spoilers in this review.

Another instant favorite of mine in the Jane Whitefield series, Blood sports a bigger cast, some of them returning characters: George Hawkes, who turned Richard Dahlman onto Jane in The Face Changers, 1998; Zinni, a Mafia soldier/airport watcher in the employ of Richard Delfina, originally seen in an earlier book featuring Nancy Carmody—I forget which one; and Martha McCutcheon, Native American/Oklahoma clan mother who helped Mary Perkins (another Whitefield client) after Perkins was “repeatedly beaten, raped and starved” in Shadow Woman (1997).

Blood’s original characters are just as interesting: Bernie “the Elephant” Lupus, a Mafia moneyman whose memory of their hidden financial accounts and amounts was slipping prior to his death; and Tony Saachi, a retiree who still might be one of the sharpest Mafia dons.

Blood has all the action-oriented, tactical, Native American elements (including meaningful dreams) and character-based thrills of previous Whitefield books, with more of an ensemble cast—many of them of particularly delightful, nasty or both—making this even more engaging and (sometimes) humorous.

I’m not sure about this, but some of Tony Saachi’s dialogue on page 162 of Blood feels like a (possible) reference to Thomas Perry’s Butcher’s Boy quadrilogy: “You should’ve been with us in ’87 when the Castiglione thing broke. Nearly two hundred guys went, just like that, in one night.” Again, not sure about that, but I’d like to think so.

Anyhow, Blood Money is worth owning, another high mark in Perry’s consistently charming and often dark series. Followed by Runner.

"Morbius the Living Vampire" Omnibus by various artists and writers (Part 2 of 2)

 

(oversized hb; 2019; graphic novel)

Overall review

Caveat: (possible) minor spoilers in this review. Part 1 of the review is here.

Morbius is a fun, distinctive (he’s a living vampire!), and overall good read, although the artwork, between its various illustrators, varies in quality (mostly it’s good). Its main characters (despite the era-familiar/sexist damsel-in-distress female players) are mostly consistent and generally interesting—in this second half of original-run Morbius-featuring issues, the living vampire is (for the most part) a more consistently humane (relatable) character, making for better overall writing, between the adult-oriented Fear and Vampire Tales magazines and kid-friendly mainstream comics. Worth reading and owning, this sometimes-melodramatic omnibus.

The original run of the Morbius stories ran from October 1971 and January 1981.

 

Review, issue by issue

Fear: “Night of the Vampire Stalker” (#27): While Martine and Morbius hole in up the supposedly haunted Mason Mansion near Boston, Massachusetts, an ex-CIA agent and monster hunter (Simon Stroud) looks for Morbius, thinking the living vampire is responsible for a string of bloodletting.

 

Fear: “The Doorway Screaming into Hell!” (#28): Boston, Massachusetts. While Morbius recovers from the events of the previous Fear issue, Police Chief Warner (introduced in the previous issue) tells Martine and Simon Stroud about Letitia Mason, former owner of the Mason Mansion, who told the police about strange supernatural happenings at her residence. This information compels Stroud to interview Letitia.

Later, Morbius and Stroud are thrust into a bizarre realm where furry eyeball, fanged creatures torment Morbius while they say the name of their master (Helleyes).

 

Fear: “Through a Helleyes Darkly” (#29): Escaping an ocean of blood they were cast into, Morbius and Simon Stroud—still at violent odds—try to survive bizarre-world oddities like singing, pinching crabs and the eyeball-covered Helleyes.

 

Fear: “The Vampires of Mason Manor!” (#30): Returned to Mason Mansion, Simon Stroud and Morbius wage war on a mini-army of undead vampires (as opposed to the science-experiment vampire Morbius is). Stroud and Morbius’s battle takes them to the Boston Police station, where Martine might be in danger as well.

 

Fear: “The End of a Vampire!” (#31): Martine, now a vampire, fights Morbius and Simon Stroud, even as the latter two try to give her a shot to cure her unnatural vampirism.

 

Vampire Tales: “A Taste of Crimson Life!” (#10): Painesville, Pennsylvania (Pop. 93). In a separate-from-Fear storyline, Morbius takes revenge on this mining town after his kind boardinghouse landlady (Alicia Twain) is attacked.

Again, it’s worth noting that many of the Vampire Tales stories are more complex, darker, and for mature audiences.

 

Vampire Tales: “Death Kiss” (#11): With help from a mysterious wealthy woman (Morgana), Morbius confronts the London-based upper class Brotherhood of Judas, who seek to fill the political and religious seats of power with bloodsuckers like themselves. Morbius being who he is, he makes melodramatic declarations at key moments.

 

Marvel Preview – The Legion of Monsters: “The Madman of Mansion Slade” (#8): In this Hound of the Baskervilles-esque story, Morbius visits Cupar Fife, Scotland, to see an old scientist friend (Ronson Slade), again to find a cure for Morbius’s unique vampirism. Ronson is distracted by problems of his own, though—specifically his “insane” son (Jeremiah), who might have something to do with recent grisly deaths in the nearby Fenwick Moor.

The events of this relatively gory, black-and-white read aren’t shocking, but it’s effectively atmospheric, solid.

 

Marvel Premiere: “There’s a Mountain on Sunset Boulevard!” (#28): After a mountain rips through Sunset Boulevard, Jack Russell (moon-transformed, from the Werewolf By Night comics), Ghost Rider, Morbius,  and the Man-Thing find themselves fighting for or against a golden alien warrior (Starseed), in a conflict that’ll cost them plenty. Palpable sense of comic book-y heartbreak in this excellent issue.

 

Marvel Two-in-One: “The Return of the Living Eraser!” (#15):  The Living Eraser, last seen in Tales to Astonish #49 (where he battled Henry Pym, aka Giant Man, and the Wasp) returns to Earth to conquer it by making more people vanish into thin air. Fortunately, Ben Grimm (aka The Thing) and Morbius are there to stop him.

Also, Morbius meets a green-skinned princess from The Living Eraser’s homeworld—a princess grateful and attracted to Morbius, who is drawn to her too. This is a curious development, as there’s no mention of Martine (Morbius’s fiancée), last seen in the final issue of Fear (#31), and still engaged to the living vampire.

 

The Spectacular Spider-Man: “Cry Mayhem—Cry Morbius!” (#7): Morbius, under the control of The Empathoid, kidnaps Glory Grant (Peter Parker’s co-worker and friend), compelling Spider-Man to rescue her—sans the ability to shoot webbing.

 

The Spectacular Spider-Man: “. . . And Only One Will Survive!” (#8): The Empathoid, a bodiless parasite, attaches himself to Spider-Man, with surprising results. Meanwhile, Flash Thompson (a returned-home Vietnam vet) gets a rude shock when he tries to rescue Shan-Shan, a woman he loved during the war, from a seemingly cruel man.

 

The Spectacular Spider-Man: “Curse of the Living Vampire!” (#38): A stressed-out Peter Parker attends a big party hosted by one of Peter’s fellow college students (Chip Martin, who manifests alarming powers), and more importantly, a party crashed by a blood-thirst-crazed Morbius, headed for a big life-change.

 

The Savage She-Hulk: “The Power of the Word” (#9): Jen Walters, struggling more than usual to control her She-Hulk rage-transformations, infiltrates a Los Angeles-based cult run by The Word (an assertive ex-editor of dictionaries) and his jealous, superhuman-strength daughter (Ultima).

Jen tries to help Randolph Harrison, a young ex-hippie, escape from the cult, at her clients’ request (Randolph’s parents).

Meanwhile, Jen’s friend (Zapper, crushing on her) consults Michael Morbius, humanized after being struck by lightning in The Spectacular Spider-Man (#38), about Jen’s bloodwork, possibly the source of her rage/She-Hulk health issues.

 

The Savage She-Hulk: “The War—of the Word!” (#10): Jen, addled by her life-threatening, mysterious bloodborne illness, is railroaded by The Word into an immediate, day-after-last-issue’s-events legal trial, for which she is ill-prepared. Later, She-Hulk fights a violently jealous superhuman Ultima, The Word’s daughter, who mistakenly thinks Jen is trying to steal a brainwashed Chip Harrison from her.

Dr. Michael Morbius is mentioned but not shown in this issue.

Bearing in mind that this is a children’s mainstream comic book (not a lot of nuance in this genre) and The Word has strong manipulation/persuasion power (he gets an immediate, per his behest, legal trial), this issue might read as too comic book-y, unrealistic in writing/editorial and real-world ways. (Younger readers probably wouldn’t notice, but reading it as an adult, with writing/editing experience, I couldn’t help noticing this.)

 

The Savage She-Hulk: “In the Shadow of Death!” (#11):  Post-court debacle (see previous issue), a seriously ill She-Hulk is arrested by and imprisoned by LAPD, where her alter-ego’s father (Sheriff Morris Walters, unaware of Jen’s dual nature) rails at She-Hulk.

Meanwhile, at a UCLA “neuro-radiology center”, a pre-legal trial Dr. Michael Morbius creates a cure for himself and She-Hulk while students protest the former vampire’s presence. They’re not the only ones angry at Morbius—he’s stalked by a vengeance-seeking father of one of Morbius’s “dozens of” victims. Worsening these situations, can Morbius resist the urge to drink the small beaker of serum that can save She-Hulk’s exponentially declining life (and turn him fully human)?

This especially exciting, rings-realistic (within its genre) issue is excellent, a great entry in the She-Hulk series, a well-written turning point for its titular character.

 

The Savage She-Hulk: “Reason and Rage” (#12): Jen Walters, recovered from her life-threatening sickness, defends Michael Morbius, in serious need of the “stabilization serum” of the one he made for Jen, in legal court even as many around her revile her and her “mass murderer” client. 

Post-trial, the parents of one of Morbius’s “dozens of” victims (Helen LeClerc, his attack/her death not shown in the series), go Paul Kersey/Death Wish (1974) after Gemini (an identity-cognizant/dual-natured android)** accidentally gets pulled into Angela and Thomas LeClerc’s retribution-seeking. During this tripartite deliberation/conflict, Jen struggles to learn how to transform into She-Hulk (something that was impulse-instant prior to her drinking the serum; now that it takes conscious effort, it’s a challenge).

[** = Created by Scorpio, a foe of The Defenders (The Defenders, issues #48—50), he was later “almost deactivated” by Nick Fury, agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. Scorpio recounts this in She-Hulk #12, continuing with “But it wasn’t that easy. . . I was alive! The good guy all put in a kind word for me. . . I was finally released on my own recognizance.”)]

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This issue is a satisfying wrap-up to the original-run, almost-forty-issue Morbius storyline, one that doesn’t white-wash the living vampire and his unchronicled fate (he is suitably but humanely punished for his actions and hubris)—and it’s as close to a realistic happy ending as one might get, and one that rings true, character- and otherwise.

Angel's Inferno by William Hjortsberg

 

(pb; 2018: sequel to Falling Angel)

From the back cover

“Private investigator Harry Angel is in a jam. Handcuffed in his apartment along with the cops and a corpse, he stands accused of violently murdering three people. The good news is he knows who did it. But in order to exonerate himself, Harry must first make his escape—and figure out his own identity.

“With the authorities hot on his heels, Harry travels from New York and Boston to Paris and the Vatican in search of an elusive stage magician. Eventually piecing together his mysterious past, he descends into the dark world of the occult. And very soon he will have vengeance upon the devil himself.”

 

Review

Angel’s Inferno picks up in the same scene where its prequel, Falling Angel, ends—if you’ve read Falling Angel, or seen its resulting 1987 film Angel Heart, you know what that scene looks like. After Angel escapes from police custody, accused of murders he may or may not have committed, he goes down another dark, increasingly ambitious rabbit hole littered with more death, voodoo, music, regret, and famous, real-life personalities (Ada “Bricktop” Smith, William S. Burroughs, Kenny Clarke, others).This time out, though, Angel’s head isn’t the only one on the main chopping block.

Angel’s is an excellent, more-intense-than-its-source-novel read, one with—like its prequel—full of effectively foreshadowed, character-based twists and not-quite-revelations. Great book, one of my favorite reads this year.

Knight Owl by Christopher Denise

 

(hb; 2022: children’s picture book)

From the inside flap

“Since the day he hatched, Owl dreamed of becoming a real knight. He may not be the biggest or the strongest, but his sharp nocturnal instincts can help protect the castle, especially since many knights have recently gone missing. While holding guard during Knight Night Watch, Owl is faced with the ultimate trial—a frightening intruder. It’s a daunting duel by any measure. . .”

 

Review

Knight is a delightful children’s picture book, with excellent illustrations and a fun twist at the end—while it would’ve been especially nice for Denise to visually foreshadow that twist (something he could’ve easily done)*, Knight (still) works, making for a good read. Worth checking out.

(*I understand and respect that most readers, especially children, won’t care about foreshadowing in a children’s picture book. That said, for some of us who write, edit, etc. text, it’s something worth noting.)