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Apocalyptic stories based on potential nuclear
annihilation are not new. There are basically two angles from which such
stories are written: the timeline that leads up to the apocalypse and
how an involuntarily-chosen few attempt to prevent it, or the aftermath
of the apocalypse where people are forced to survive in a changed world.
Some stories combine the two angles into one arching epic; it takes a
very special writer to pull that off well.
Armageddon: 1973 - Part 1 takes the first angle. It shoots out of the
chute with action and intrigue, and it continues to unfold layer after
layer until the reader is left with a full-blown apocalyptic crisis
beginning to rear its head. John Cassell has crafted a work that closely
echoes Tom Clancy's mastery of the genre. His writing comes across as
effortless, and very knowledgeable, especially with regard to technical
military matters (however, it's not at all dry or dull). He has shown
the story as it takes place from all sides and develops a palpable
tension that builds to the end, forcing the reader to not only ponder
what has taken place but to instill a strong desire to find out what has
yet to take place in Part 2.
As for turning this into an arching epic as I described previously, I
believe John W. Cassell could do it. I really do.
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This is a terrific story. It is a prime example of a
character study in father-son relationships utilizing a very narrow, but
impactful, slice of a full life to make a strong point, to reveal a
potent lesson. As the sculptor wisely removes the unnecessary marble to
reveal the art within, so too does a good father strip his children of
arrogant, boastful human traits to bring forth the thoughtful,
compassionate being within. If he is a wise, as well as good, father,
then his method will be almost Socratic, allowing the son to come to his
own conclusions through paternal prodding.
Perhaps Jim Wilsky is simply describing something that happened in his
past, but his description, phrasing, and timing are impeccable. I highly
recommend this story to anyone who enjoys a good object lesson and
dynamic relationship between father and son. In this day and age where
it is commonplace to portray dads as either bumbling boobs or evil
abusers, The Sculptor is a refreshing look at the gift of fatherhood. |
This situation has played itself out time and again
throughout countless generations. Guy adores girl from a distance only
to find out she had been doing likewise. It's an everyman dream, and its
realization is an essence that is matched only by a few prima facie life
moments - first kiss, marriage, the birth of a child, to name a couple.
Anthony Waugh has chosen a topic of impact for his story Waiting for
Angie.
From its nervous start, to the much anticipated meeting, one can nod in
absolute agreement and vicarious remembrances, yet the story doesn't let
the reader off that quickly or easily. For Waugh has incorporated some
subtle plot twists that generate a level of humor which tweaks at first,
causing the reader to think that the protagonist may have unwittingly
stepped into a steaming pile of embarrassment. However, the effect,
though somewhat uncomfortable, resolves itself splendidly with a sense
of good natured relief.
Give Waiting for Angie and try, and see if you don't find yourself
recollecting similar moments of your own life. |
There are stories that are ponderous and meaningful.
There are stories that are light and carefree. There are stories that
are tedious and depressing.
Then there are stories that you whip through (it's so easy to read), and
at the end of it you nod, smile and say, "That was a neat story. That
was a good story."
Dead Reckoning IS the latter. It's a good, neat story. It is deft in its
handling of the tale, deft to the point of being a really slick
presentation. If I didn't know Jim Wilsky had written it, I would guess
someone along the lines of Theodore Sturgeon, or maybe Ray Bradbury. But
that wouldn't be quite right. A contemporary O. Henry? Serling? Maybe a
combination of all of them. No matter.
With his impeccable phrasing and cadence, Wilsky's timing in the
unfolding of events is spot on. I kept thinking as I read this, that it
would make a great movie. But when I finished, I realized that Wilsky
was able to do something that no visual media could ever do - and that
is make the reader a participant in the story rather than just an
observer.
I highly recommend Dead Reckoning to anyone. It's a good, neat story.
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What a fantastic piece penned by Lana M. Ho-Shing. I
loved the dialect, though I have to confess it did slow my reading down
as I tried to get into the Jamaican rhythms and patterns of speech. It
often takes a while when I read Huckleberry Finn for the first time in a
long time as well, so Ms. Lana shouldn't take this as criticism - it is
not.
A simple story, yet one based on very basic humanities, Country Girl is
heart-warming, faith-building, and I am absolutely taken by the line
from the story I used as title for this review. Everyone should read
this! |
In the spirit of pulp detective novels of the
mid-twentieth century, Murder at RKO follows in the footsteps already
blazed by the likes of Ellery Queen, Mickey Spillane and Dashiell
Hammett. It's a period piece, a throwback, if you will, to a story theme
and style that many of us grew up with. The protagonist, private
detective Buck Ames, narrates the story much like a radio serial.
He is called to solve a murder mystery on a movie set due to his
Hollywood background. There is the love triangle, the obligatory
friction between Ames and the police detectives assigned to the case,
and there are no surprise twists in the resolution. All in all, this
story plays out much like the aforementioned references. In many ways it
was actually more interesting as a trip down memory lane to a bygone
era.
Except it didn't start out with: It was a dark and stormy night. |
B.W. Philpot scratches the surface
of a fictional unreality so horrific in Preternatural Creatures that
it's like X-Files meets Stephen King on anabolic steroids. They say the
devil is in the details, but I'd say it was in a Romanian cave instead.
The story starts out with an acquisition by wealthy artifacts collector
Phillip (I don't recall if he has a last name or not) which spurs him to
head back to a potential discovery site to 1. seek out treasures buried
there and 2. look for his wife who went missing doing the same thing
previously. What he finds there, along with his coterie, is betrayal,
possession (not exactly demonic, but it may as well be) and an
otherworldly maleficent being.
This is a chilling tale that warps time and reality to try to bring
about global domination. Isn't that what being a baddie is all about?
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Some of my favorite childrens' stories revolve around a
character called Hank the Cow Dog by John Erickson. They are based on a
ranch in Texas, and, though there are human characters in most of the
stories, they are predominantly populated and acted out by animals on
the ranch and nearby wild animals.
As I was reading J. Lyon Laydon's An Adventure in Yore for Bedtime
Reading, I was mentally trying to compare and correlate it to
similarly-themed stories. I considered The Chronicles of Narnia and
realized they didn't quite match up. I thought about Lewis Carroll's
work, and that wasn't exactly it either. The Wind in the Willows came to
mind, but I just couldn't make the connection.
Then towards the end of Adventure in Yore, as the tree frogs sang, it
hit me. This story has a very similar footing to the Hank the Cow Dog
series. Laydon has struck a very viable chord in children's fiction with
this short. He runs ahead with activity and then pulls back for night
time relaxation. It's a marvelous piece of writing that, to be honest, I
didn't think I would care much for. However, I found out differently.
From Terramore to Mudgunkland to the Domain of Felvin and back to
Bogland, Laydon has created a legendarium totally suited to the reading
imaginations of little folks - probably between ages 4 and 7, if I had
to guess.
This is a fun story to get into, it has poetic value in much of its
prose. And it imparts a dreamy quality to its overall presentation. I
recommend this story highly.
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Robert Meacham tells a story of a family forced to move
whenever the father, a surly character, loses his job only to find
another elsewhere. There is a chronological, linear time frame to the
story, but it also deals with the efforts taken by the main character to
adapt to each situation.
Written in the first person, present tense, the reader actually follows
along with the events taking place from the beginning with an oppressive
father which is echoed in the oppressive winter to warmer months where
freedom to explore necessitates moving the father figure back into more
of a background. It is here we find Robert coming into his own (we find
out his name when he introduces himself to Dan, a cowboy who works at
the ranch Robert's family is renting) as he gets to know the animals and
makes friends with a stray dog that attaches itself to him. There is a
more carefree feel to this portion of Robert's life, as if his verbally
abusive father doesn't really exist.
However, this little bit of reprieve is shattered when Robert has to say
goodbye to his new pet as the family packs up and moves after dad's job
is lost once again.
There is a sense of timidity early in the story which seems to morph
into a revelation of indomitable childhood spirit as the tale grows. And
that which would make another feel uncomfortable seems to be accepted
with perfect aplomb by Robert as he realizes that his world, by itself,
with him alone it in, is big and worth spending time learning about.
Kudos to the author for putting forth this succinct slice.
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