Recently Read: Tarzan of the Apes, by Edgar Rice Burroughs

Edgar Rice Burroughs' 1912 tale of the son of a British aristocrat being born and raised by apes in Sub-Saharan Africa has been perennial for one reason: the author's expertise in inducing the reader to want to know what happens next. In this tale of heredity vs. environment, the protagonist, Tarzan, learns to read English and speak French before he can speak English, and can batter the largest creatures of the jungle in battle, but not know how to open a paper envelope. His slowly awakening knowledge of a civilization outside the primeval world he's steeped in is compelling. Tarzan of the Apes ends on a cliffhanger, making reading its sequel a must.

Tarzan of the Apes also, alas, suffers from sexism and racism, with castaway Jane Porter's professorial father telling her "...not to worry her pretty little head" about a matter of importance and Porter's family servant, Esmeralda, spouting cliched "mammy" dialect. Porter's father and his assistant are themselves cliched, absent-minded, bickering, doddering "men of the mind", used for (attempted) comic effect.

With plans to read the complete Burroughs, I purchased the first volume of the recent Burroughs Authorized Library but was disappointed in the presentation and most likely won't invest in the rest. The surface of the hardbound book is a weird, rubbery texture unpleasant to the touch (couldn't the publisher charge a higher price for a nicer cloth-bound book?). Although many historical documents are helpfully included, the actual text of the novel is the 1969 rewritten version, with many differences altered from the original for what, presumably, used to be called political correctness. More importantly, nowhere does it state the Authorized Library, edited and published by Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc., is using altered text. For this reason, I turned to, for the main text, the 1963 Ballantine paperback. This series featured covers painted by Richard M. Powers. The Authorized hardcover reproduces Powers' cover inside but doesn't credit the artist. 

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Recently Read: The Island of Dr. Moreau, by H.G. Wells

Reading his novels in the order they were written, H.G. Wells continues to amaze me. The Island of Dr. Moreau is not much like Wells' first novel, The Time Machine, and nothing like his second, The Wonderful Visit (although all three trod new ground in science fiction concepts). Dr. Moreau is the most morose of the three, chilling and nightmarish. Told by the last survivor of an island-bound, surreptitious medical lab, the book continues Wells' extrapolations of Darwinian theory; it's part suspense novel and part social commentary. The god-like Dr. Moreau's attempts to mutate animals to more closely mimic humans physically and intellectually seems far-fetched, but the basic sped-up-evolution is still being used in science fiction today (in both of the Planet of the Apes film series, for example). The new Penguin Classics edition features helpful annotations, a comprehensive reference guide for future reading, a note on the varying texts over the decades, and a very insightful introduction by novelist Margaret Atwood. Her different ways of viewing the novel and interpreting its symbolism will make you rethink your earlier views of the work.

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Recently Read: Astroman Book One: The Secret Citadel

For casual or rabid fans of '50s and early '60s DC comics, Astroman Book One: The Secret Citadel will delight. Physicist Matt Dawson gets thrown into an alternate Earth I would describe as Weisinger World, named after the Superman comics editor. In this world, super-powered beings are a reality, and the top such being, Astroman, has been missing. Matt, meanwhile, has discovered his physical capabilities have changed in this new environment...

If you've read Decker's fiction, you know you're in for a fun and suspenseful tale, both fantastic and poignantly human. This one ends on a cliff-hanger (I want to know what happens next!) and incorporates many entertaining elements from the mythos of a certain famous superhero. I think I even caught a reference to Robert McCloskey's Homer Price story, "The Case of the Cosmic Comic".

Recommended!

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Recently Read: Little House in the Big Woods

The first book in Wilder's series, taking place in 1871, is at the same time romanticized and realistic, and perfect for children and adults with an open mind. It tells of growing up in the Wisconsin wilderness with siblings and two loving parents, surrounded by dangerous predators. Life is harsh, sometimes brutal, and the ways in which the family uses everything around them, organic or not, to survive is educational and fascinating. The narrative is also filled with tales of the past and premonitions of the future (such as new technology which saves days worth of hard work). The illustrations by Garth Williams are lovely, as always, and were based on his visits to the locations described in the text.

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Recently Read: Confidence, by Henry James

Henry James' 1879 Confidence is considered to be the least of his novels. I find all of James entertaining, though, and often frustrating in equal measure. The measure is equal here, in a story of romantic entanglements between a coterie of lackadaisical European travelers.

As always, the fun (and what profundity is present) is all in the sparring, probing conversations and debates, as each character attempts to know the others' intentions, goals and hearts. The attempt to use words to bring other's true thoughts to the surface is a complex and endlessly satisfying game in James. In Confidence, it's used at times almost farcically.

Where Confidence fails is in its predictabilities and unbelievable coincidences. When our protagonist, Bernard, meets the beautiful and mysterious Angela in Tuscany, the event is quickly over. When Barnard's best friend, Gordon, later asks him to come to Germany to give his appraisal of Gordon's girlfriend, the reader intuitively tells him or her self: don't let it be Angela; that's too much of a coincidence. Worse coincidences, more unbelievable, await. The story, which ends in an uncharacteristic manner for James, does at least feature a strong and smart woman, stronger and smarter, in fact, than the layabout, clueless, and rather uninteresting males surrounding her.

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H.G. Wells Books I'm Looking Forward to Reading

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Recently Read: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, by C.S. Lewis

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader strikes me as the most melancholy of the Narnia books I've read so far; it benefits from being the one book in the series without a clear villain and is simply a picaresque voyage to the end of the world (aka Aslan's country).

Like Edmund in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, newcomer to Narnia Eustace Scrubb undergoes a change of character as the narrative proceeds. Most of the book takes place aboard the ship the Dawn Treader, led by Prince Caspian, who's attempting to find the seven lost Lords of Narnia (see the book, Prince Caspian). The islands explored and adventures undertaken are by turns disturbing, exciting and amusing. A standout is Lucy Pevensie's creepy journey through the upstairs quarters of a magician named Coriakin.

The novel culminates in a remarkably metaphysical setting, as the Dawn Treader can literally go no further into the end of the world and Lucy, Edmund, Eustace, and Reepicheep journey on into the strange, dreamlike, lilly-filled water in a small boat. One could argue that Aslan's country is as much a metaphor for mortality as heaven and Reepicheep's mysterious fate brings a poignancy to bear that most children's novels don't attempt.

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Recently Read: The Silver Chair, by C.S. Lewis

The Silver Chair is an epic tale that stands in good comparison with C.S. Lewis' other Narnia books. Eustace Scrubb (from The Voyage of the Dawn Treader) and a bullied classmate, Jill Pole, are sent on a mission by Aslan to find Prince Caspian's son, Rilian, held under the spell of a snake-like witch.

Their journey introduces them to a classic and hilarious character, the gloomy Marsh-wiggle, Puddleglum, brings them to a creepy castle of giants, and then to an vividly described underworld kingdom, where a revolutionary plot is being put forth in motion on a grand scale.

To tell more would be to tell too much. Best that Lewis himself entertain you with it.

A side note: I'm continually and alternately amused and a bit saddened by the jabs and criticism of the Narnia books by younger readers who see threatening un-PC ideologies at work in the books. One review I just read said: "The writing style of the book continues to stink of the date of its publication". I can only say in response A) in the course of human history, a book written in 1953 was written practically yesterday. Blame the author if you must, but don't blame the date of its publication. B) Writer H.L. Mencken defined Puritanism as "The haunting fear that someone, somewhere, may be happy.” Similarly, hyper-sensitive reviews of Narnia lead me to think some readers have the haunting fear that someone, somewhere may think differently than they do. Getting used to the idea of diversity, though, is an essential part of maturation.

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Recently Read: The Wonderful Visit, by H.G. Wells

Is H.G. Wells' The Wonderful Visit, though not strictly a science fiction novel, the first such novel to use the parallel universe theory? Consider this dialogue, spoken by an angel-like creature who enters our world and by the vicar who promptly shot him:

"It almost makes one think that in some odd way there must be two worlds as it were...."

"At least Two," said the Vicar.

"Lying somewhere close together, and yet scarcely suspecting...."

"As near as page to page of a book."

"...there may be any number of three dimensional universes packed side by side, and all dimly dreaming of one another. There may be world upon world, universe upon universe. It's perfectly possible. There's nothing so incredible as the absolutely possible."

The Wonderful Visit, Wells' second novel, is in fact several things: a fantasy, a drama, a comedy and a satire. It's even a love story of sorts. It's easy to imagine it adapted as a British TV series and it was adapted as a film (La Merveilleuse Visite, 1973, by Marcel Carné) and an opera (La Visita Meravigliosa, by Nino Rota, in 1969).

Inspired by John Ruskin's remark that an angel appearing on earth in Victorian England would be shot on sight, Wells guides our innocent angel through needling, sarcastic, patronizing hell, though that hell is a small village in southern England filled with gossips and busy bodies.

The height of the book is a deliriously wry and funny scene wherein our angel makes his debut as a violinist in "polite society". I wouldn't be surprised if the sharp writing here was an influence on P.G. Wodehouse. Reading The Wonderful Visit, it's difficult to keep in mind it was written in 1895.

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Recently Read: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, First Edition Replica

This edition of C.S. Lewis' classic children's fantasy is a reprint of the first, 1950 edition. Pauline Baynes' charming and evocative original illustrations are all included (they were truncated, or not used at all, in many later US editions).

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe's classic status is due to many reasons, foremost being that Lewis tells a relentlessly compelling story, with characters flawed (thus, true to life) and engaging, told in homey, confidential language. The world of Narnia seems infinitely exploratory. Atheists may dislike the transparent central allegory. That's okay; there are hundreds of thousands of other books for them to read. This book's emotional resonance is such, though, that only the most hard-hearted curmudgeon could put up a shield against it.

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Recently Read: Around the World In Eighty Days, by Jules Verne

I found Michael Glencross' recent translation of Verne's 1873 Around the World in Eighty Days much more fun, fast paced and suspenseful than I expected. Phileas Fogg and Passepartout's ridiculous bid to travel the world using every means (technological or not) at their disposal has been updated and retold many times, but the original story makes the most sense. The technologies used were new then and Verne uses the opportunity to not only create a travelogue, but make wry and subtle observations on the foibles of the British (and other nationalities). It's a whimsical lark, with more humor than many of Verne's works.

The Penguin Classics edition also features an excellent introduction by Brian Aldiss, a Chronology, a Recommended list and many helpful footnotes.

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Recently Read: The Morning Watch, by James Agee

The Morning Watch, more of a novella than a novel, was first published in 1951 and is a precursor to Agee's more mature and accomplished, though posthumous, A Death in the Family (one of the finest novels I've read).

Drawing upon his experiences as a boy attending the Saint Andrews School for Mountain Boys, run by Episcopal monks, The Morning Watch takes place over the course of about three hours, as Richard and his fellow students are awoken in the very early hours of Good Friday to pray at the chapel alter. Similar to novelist Nicholson Baker's later experiments in relating minute amounts of time, every minute of the time spent in chapel as experienced by Richard is described. A sensitive and earnest soul, twelve-year old Richard is torn between a passion for holiness and the contradictory self-centeredness he believes extreme piety must require. The characters and situations have all the subtle, carefully observed frailty and flawed humanity of a Rembrandt sketch.

A second section involves a delinquent walk to a lake. Here the symbolism employed uncharacteristically becomes somewhat heavy-handed, though no less compelling.

Agee's writing is as poetic and poignant as always. The length and reach of The Morning Watch is modest, though, and probably of most interest to those who have read Agee's more important work, particularly A Death in the Family.

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Recently Read: The Europeans, by Henry James

The Europeans is the most entertaining James novel I've read so far in my quest of reading all his novels in chronological order. It's a sort-of reversal of The American; instead of a financially successful American attempting to marry into European aristocracy, The Europeans concerns mid-19th century visitors from across the pond staying with and somewhat preying upon, plain-living New Englanders of various types, with marriage as the ultimate goal.

The Europeans are a broke and devil-may-care bohemian/artist and his older sister, unequally married to a prince attempting to dump her. The machinations of this somewhat dubious couple's attempts to ingratiate themselves into the lives (if not the hearts) of their straight-faced cousins are fascinating, subtle and frequently funny. The short novel is not considered one of James' best works, but it has a sort of tossed off quality that rings truer than some of his more labored over "serious" work. All of the characters ring true to my mind and the work is a slow simmering mixture of comedy, pathos and acute observation of manners.

I read this book 34 years ago, and enjoyed even more reading it recently.

One thought that occurred to me while reading The Europeans is how unworthy the medium of film is in translating good literature to sound and pictures. Film is literally incapable of communicating the depth of details presented in text. Consider, for example, how this passage would be filmed. I'll find out soon, when I watch the Merchant-Ivory adaptation onto film:

The Baroness took her uncle's hand, and stood looking at him with her ugly face and her beautiful smile. "Have I done right to come?" she asked.

"Very right, very right," said Mr. Wentworth, solemnly. He had arranged in his mind a little speech; but now it quite faded away. He felt almost frightened. He had never been looked at in just that way—with just that fixed, intense smile—by any woman; and it perplexed and weighed upon him, now, that the woman who was smiling so and who had instantly given him a vivid sense of her possessing other unprecedented attributes, was his own niece, the child of his own father's daughter. The idea that his niece should be a German Baroness, married "morganatically" to a Prince, had already given him much to think about. Was it right, was it just, was it acceptable? He always slept badly, and the night before he had lain awake much more even than usual, asking himself these questions. The strange word "morganatic" was constantly in his ears; it reminded him of a certain Mrs. Morgan whom he had once known and who had been a bold, unpleasant woman. He had a feeling that it was his duty, so long as the Baroness looked at him, smiling in that way, to meet her glance with his own scrupulously adjusted, consciously frigid organs of vision; but on this occasion he failed to perform his duty to the last. He looked away toward his daughters. "We are very glad to see you," he had said. "Allow me to introduce my daughters - Miss Charlotte Wentworth, Miss Gertrude Wentworth."

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Pleasure Island

Another old paperback I purchased during last year's Route 40 Yard Sale.

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What D'Ya Know For Sure?

Another old paperback I purchased during last year's Route 40 Yard Sale.

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Recently Read: Raylan, by Elmore Leonard

Despite the predigree of Raylan (this is the first work I've read by Elmore Leonard) I can't say I enjoyed this novel nearly as much as the TV show Justified inspired by Leonard's work.

In fact, Raylan isn't really a novel, but three short stories loosely intertwined and packaged. Many scenes in the book, including entire paragraphs of excellent dialogue, were used verbatim in seasons one and two of the show. As funny, sharp and profane as Leonard's dialogue can be, it's stylized to the point of abstraction in many places. It also greatly suffers from characters saying things unnaturally and illogically for the sake of exposition.

In addition, several of the characters in the book, including Raylan himself, have been given much more depth and individuality on the show, making for a book wherein the characters are somewhat like the people we associate with their names, but not quite. Ironically, Raylan's boss, Art Mullen, sounds the most like the Mullen we know from the show.

For longtime Elmore Leonard fans and Justified completists only.

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Deathwalker, Written by R.A. Jones and Illustrated by Michael Neno, Out Now

From the official Airship 27 press release:

"TOUCHED BY DEATH While on his vision quest, the young Cheyenne brave High Bird encounters the sprit of Death. The powerful wraith recruits the boy as his new agent in the world and High Bird returns to his tribe altered forever as Deathwalker. When the Cheyenne become the target of a vengeful Pawnee Shaman, Stands Alone, only Deathwalker can stand between this evil sorcerer and the total destruction of his people. Featuring stunning cover art by Laura Givens with interior illustrations by Michael Neno, Airship 27 is proud to present R.A. Jones’ DEATHWALKER, another original and quality title in the New Pulp movement.


Writer R.A. Jones has woven a new and exciting fantasy set against a background authentic Native American lore and culture. He dares to imagine what this wild untamed land would have become had there been no conquests by outside civilizations beyond the great waters. Here is an old world re-envisioned in a bold new action packed adventure worthy of pulp writers such as Robert E. Howard and Edgar Rice Burroughs."

Order your copy here: http://indyplanet.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=6681

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Deathwalker Novel Scheduled for 2012

Above: one of my illustrations for the novel Deathwalker, by R.A. Jones, scheduled for publication in 2012 by Airship 27.

I finished the nine illustrations for the novel earlier this year; the book also sports a fine hallucinogetic cover by Laura Givens.

Airship 27 publishes a full line of exciting pulp-drenched novels. Check out publisher Ron Fortier's blog for more info about Airship 27's projects: http://www.airship27.com/

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