Friday, July 07, 2017
FFB: Desert Stake-Out -- Harry Whittington
One thing the book does is show how well Whittington could handle a small cast. For most of the book, there are only six characters, one of whom is Blade Merrick, who's driving a wagon-load of of medicine through the Arizona badlands to a mission where there's an epidemic of sickness. Merrick comes upon five people who've been attacked by Apaches. Their horses have been killed, and Merrick says he'll take the stranded people to Patchee Wells, the only waterhole anywhere around. Three of the people are bank robbers, and the other two are a beautiful woman and her weakling husband, who's been wounded. They were trying to get to Tucson and got lost.
The tension mounts when they arrive at the waterhole. The bank robbers want to go north to the fort that Merrick came from, and so do the husband and wife. Merrick refuses. His job is to go south with the medicine. And the Apaches are lurking.
Whittington doesn't waste a word in this one. It's terse and tough, and when it comes to Apache tortures, he doesn't just tell about them. He shows them. You probably know about how things are going to work out, but Whittington manages to put in a twist or two. He even manages to humanize the bank robbers, although we know they're stone-cold killers.
The Stark House edition pictured here is a bargain. It has a great introduction by David Laurence Wilson, and you can read my review of one of the other included novels here. If you like westerns grab a copy of this triple-decker. You won't be sorry.
Thursday, July 06, 2017
8 Famous Authors Who Painted
8 Famous Authors Who Painted: Did you know some of the 20th century's finest writers were also painters? It is not unusual for writing and art to go hand-in-hand, but these authors are primarily known for their skills with a pen, or typewriter, rather than a paint brush. The abstract art movement was clearly influential on many of these writers whose work emerged from numerous counter-cultures and the turmoil of two world wars. Several of these writers produced thousands of paintings in their lifetime, while other dabbled in watercolor and oil between books. Could they have carved out careers as artists? You decide.
Wednesday, July 05, 2017
Bonus FFB on Wednesday: Another Man's Claim -- Henry Whittier (Harry Whittington)
Another Man's Claim is one of the hardest Harry Whittington books to find. I've known about it for around 40 years and have only recently found a copy. That's the only reason I'm commenting on it here. If you took the sex scenes out of this book, it would be only 10 or 12 pages long, 15 tops. I can't even show the cover, since I maintain that this is a more or less family friendly blog.
The story's a variation on James M. Cain: A named Joel needs money to keep his ranch going. The man Joel is going to talk to about investing in the ranch turns out to be married to Joel's old girlfriend. She married the guy on the rebound and hates him. She wants Joel to help her kill him. Joel is no dummy, so he's not going to get involved in any such scheme.
The guy does get killed, and it appears that his wife is to blame. But through a complicated set of circumstances, she's proven innocent by someone Joel hired, a guy who's introduced to us while he's having sex with a thirteen-year-old girl.
There's a line in William Faulkner's Light in August where Faulkner describes Joe Christmas' sexual relationship with Joanna Burden. I'm quoting from a very old memory here, but this is close: "It was as if he'd fallen into a sewer." That's sort of how I felt when reading Another Man's Claim.
The story's a variation on James M. Cain: A named Joel needs money to keep his ranch going. The man Joel is going to talk to about investing in the ranch turns out to be married to Joel's old girlfriend. She married the guy on the rebound and hates him. She wants Joel to help her kill him. Joel is no dummy, so he's not going to get involved in any such scheme.
The guy does get killed, and it appears that his wife is to blame. But through a complicated set of circumstances, she's proven innocent by someone Joel hired, a guy who's introduced to us while he's having sex with a thirteen-year-old girl.
There's a line in William Faulkner's Light in August where Faulkner describes Joe Christmas' sexual relationship with Joanna Burden. I'm quoting from a very old memory here, but this is close: "It was as if he'd fallen into a sewer." That's sort of how I felt when reading Another Man's Claim.
Tuesday, July 04, 2017
Have a Great Fourth of July!
Fourth of July - Holidays: The Fourth of July—also known as Independence Day or July 4th—has been a federal holiday in the United States since 1941, but the tradition of Independence Day celebrations goes back to the 18th century and the American Revolution. On July 2nd, 1776, the Continental Congress voted in favor of independence, and two days later delegates from the 13 colonies adopted the Declaration of Independence, a historic document drafted by Thomas Jefferson. From 1776 to the present day, July 4th has been celebrated as the birth of American independence, with festivities ranging from fireworks, parades and concerts to more casual family gatherings and barbecues.
Overlooked Movies: The Face of Fu Manchu
The Face of Fu Manchu was the first in a series of Fu Manchu movies starring Christopher Lee as the insidious doctor. It's also supposed to be the best of them, which doesn't encourage me to see any of the others. There are quite a few dumb things in the movie, including some bad continuity and things that don't make much sense. The plot's a standard one about one of Fu Manchu's attempts to take over the world, this time with a deadly poison, a small amount of which can kill millions. Can he be stopped in time? [SPOILER ALERT] Of course he can, but it's a near thing. [END OF SPOILER ALERT] There are as many fistfights as in a Republic serial, but they're not done as well as William Whitney directed for that studio.
Nigel Green makes a dandy Nayland Smith, and Howard Marion-Crawford is an adequate Dr. Petrie. Lee is his usual imposing self, but he doesn't really have much to do and isn't around much. The color is nice. I don't recommend going out of your way to see this. It's okay, but that's about all.
Monday, July 03, 2017
Sunday, July 02, 2017
Mini Meeting of Dapa-em
Getting together in Sonoma. Back row: Bruce Taylor, Art Scott, me. Janet Rudolph in front.
A Garbage Man in Colombia Has Made a Community Library From Discarded Books
Mental Floss: Jose Alberto Gutierrez doesn’t just turn trash into treasure—he transforms it into a free education for neighbors. As The Telegraph reports, the middle-aged garbage collector in Colombia has spent the past two decades collecting discarded books he finds while on the job in Bogota, the country’s capital city. Thousands of titles later, Gutierrez has an enormous library, which he and his family lend out to the community for free.
It Was All a Dream!?!?
It Was All a Dream!?!?: In 1997, when Roseanne viewers learned the ninth and final season was a fictional account of the family written by Roseanne, they were fuming mad. Why even tell a story if it never happened? More often than not, there’s a real-world explanation for why shows pull this stunt.
Saturday, July 01, 2017
PaperBack
Kenneth Robeson, Doc Savage #103, The Whisker of Hercules, & #104 The Man Who Was Scared, Bantam, 1981
Friday, June 30, 2017
PaperBack
Kenneth Robeson, Doc Savage Omnibus #7 (The Men Fanished, Five Fathoms Dead, The Terrible Stork, Danger Lies East), Bantam, 1988
FFB: Uncle Dynamite -- P. G. Wodehouse
Uncle Dynamite is Frederick Altamont Cornwalis Twistleton, fifth Earl of Ickenham, and when he's on the loose, nobody is safe from his shenanigans, least of all his nephew, Reginald (aka Pongo) Twistleton).
Describing the plot of a Wodehouse novel is an exercise in futility, but I'll at least lay out a few of the bare bones. Pongo is at Ashenden Manor, the home of his fiancée, Hermione Bostok, daughter of Sir Alymer Bostock, who's not fond of Pongo. Pongo accidentally breaks a bust in Sir Alymer's collection of African memorabilia and replaces it with another sculpted by his former fiancée, Sally Painter. Enclosed in the sculpture are jewels one of Sally's friends was planning to smuggle into the U.S.
Uncle Fred, on the loose because his wife is in Trinidad for a wedding, meets Bill Oakshot on the train. Bill is in love with Hemione, but is terribly shy and any romance seems hopeless. Uncle Fred manages to wangle an invitation to Ashenden Manor, posing as the famous explorer Major Brabazon-Plank. There's also a policeman who has arrested Pongo and Uncle Fred (under different names) and believes them to be a part of a ring of thieves.There's much more, as usual in a Wodehouse novel, but that gives you and idea. To say that complications ensue would be an understatement, as is also usual. It's all very funny and wonderfully written, again as usual. Great stuff.
Thursday, June 29, 2017
Wednesday, June 28, 2017
Off We Go, into the Wild Blue Yonder
When you read this, if all goes well, I'll be sitting in an airplane that's about to take off for San Francisco. I'll be visiting Angela and Tom in their new house in Sonoma for about a week. Don't worry about the cats, as I've found an excellent cat-sitter/house-watcher to take care of things while I'm gone. The bad news is that she'll be going to Texas A&M in the fall and won't be able to do this for me if I go to the Bouchercon. I'll be pretty much off the grid as far as email and such go, but I do have all the regular stuff scheduled to appear on the blog, along with some other things. I'll probably post some pictures of the trip here, and maybe even some things I run across on the 'net, assuming I have time to do any surfing. I'm not sure about an old one-eyed cancer patient making a trip like this, but I'm bound and determined to make it work.
Bonus FFB on Wednesday: The Killing Breed -- Frank Leslie (Peter Brandvold)
Frank Leslie's series about Yakima Henry is full of wild action, and that's certainly true of The Killing Breed. Yakima Henry takes more punishment in this one than most western heroes do in an entire series. Since Leslie is in reality Peter Brandvold, you can count on the action scenes to be vivid and thrilling. And a big plus for this book is that it has a fight on the roof of a car of a moving train. You can't go wrong with a scene like that.In previous books, Yakima Henry had helped a soiled dove named Faith escape from a brutish roadhouse owner named Bill Thornton. Faith opens her own place of business, and later Yakima Henry helps her free her brother from a Mexican prison, after which the three of them settle down in Arizona for what they hope will be a peaceful life. As this book opens, Bill Thornton is still angry about losing Faith, who wounded him with a derringer when she escaped him. His wound is still festering, and so is his deep resentment. He hires five hardcases to kill Yakima Henry and bring Faith back to him. The men do capture Faith and, believing Henry dead, head back to turn her over to Thornton.
But Henry's a hard man to kill, and he goes after them, accompanied by a neighbor who wants to help out. The long chase has several twists and turns, and even if you think you know how it's going to conclude, I'm betting you'll be tricked by the ending.
The Killing Breed is fast and furious and surprising. Check it out.
Tuesday, June 27, 2017
Overlooked Movies: The Four Feathers (1939)
Jack Clements is Harry Faversham, brought up to be a soldier. But never having bought into the idea of the glories of dying for his country, he resigns his commission the night before his deployment to Egypt to fight the rebels at Khartoum. Each of his three best friends sends him a white feather, signifying their belief that he's a coward. His fiancée, Ethne Burrows (Jane Duprez), refuses to give him a white feather, so he plucks one from her fan and leaves her house after her father (C. Aubrey Smith), a very military fellow ("Sure, war is great now, but it was even greater when I was fighting") refuses to speak to him.
Harry decides that he's indeed a coward, so he goes to Egypt to prove himself. Disguised as an Arab tribesman, he [SPOILER ALERT] proves very heroic, indeed, and manages to save all three of his friends from almost certain death and free Khartoum in the bargain [END OF SPOILER ALERT].
Keen-eyed readers might note that in the poster above, Ralph Richardson gets top billing. That might be because as one of Harry's friends, he has the showiest role in the film. I won't give it away, but the movie's worth seeing just for portrayal of a noble guy. Check it out.
Monday, June 26, 2017
Missouri Homegrown -- Jesse James Kennedy
The two opening chapters of Missouri Homegrown are as brutal as anything I've read, and Jesse James Kennedy is just getting warmed up. So if you don't like a lot of violence in your reading, don't even think about this one. If you do like violence, this is the one for you.There aren't any heroes here. The people we're supposed to root for are the McCrays, a family of druggie dope-dealing killers, who are up against a Mexican cartel, made up of killers who are even worse. Okay, maybe not worse, but just as bad. And then there are the FBI agents who are after both groups. They're not quite as bad, but it's a close call. Lots of drugs of various kinds are consumed. Many people are killed and maimed or both. Not that there's anything wrong with that, since Kennedy has strong storytelling chops, and he's a good hand with character. Booklist compared this to the work of Don Winslow, and I suppose the reviewer was thinking of a book like The Power of the Dog. Probably not an unfair comparison, so that should give you an idea. Check it out.
The ATU Fable Index
The ATU Fable Index: Like the Dewey Decimal System, But With More Ogres: PICK A NUMBER, ANY NUMBER, and I’ll tell you a story. Fifty-nine? Hunker down for “Fox and the Sour Grapes.” Eleven hundred fifty-one? Good choice—that’s “The Ogre Overawed by Displaying Objects.” Five hundred? That’s “Guessing the Helper’s Name,” or, as you might know it better, “Rumpelstiltskin.”
Forgotten Hits: June 26th
Forgotten Hits: June 26th: "Windy" by The Association takes over the top spot this week in its sixth week on the chart. But man, what a Top Ten this is … proof again of just how INCREDIBLY strong a year 1967 was musically.
Includes a SuperChart and links to the Top Ten hits.
Includes a SuperChart and links to the Top Ten hits.
Sunday, June 25, 2017
Jimi After Dark -- Stephen Mertz
Jimi After Dark is quite a bit different from the last Stephen Mertz book I commented on. The setting is swinging London in 1970, and Jimi Hendrix is coming apart because he's being cheated by music biz people, other people are out to kill him, he has real woman trouble, and all that's not even the worst of it. So Jimi calls on Soldier, an old friend whose life he once saved, for help. Soldier gets a two-week leave from his service in Vietnam and comes to help.London's a lot different from Vietnam, but Soldier is tough enough and smart enough to adapt to the situation. Jimi's having a tougher time of it than Soldier is, or at least isn't able to deal with it without plenty of drugs.
Stephen Mertz is himself a musician, and he spent time in London during the period covered in the novel, so all the descriptions in the book of the locations, the music, the people, ring true. So do the action scenes, as you'd expect from Mertz. This is also a novel of character, however, and Soldier has his own demons to deal with. There's good stuff on several levels here, so grab a copy and don't miss out.
The Sequel-Sinking Silliness of ‘Batman & Robin’
Bad Movie Night: The Sequel-Sinking Silliness of ‘Batman & Robin’: This week, on the 20th anniversary of its release – and in the wake of DC colleague Wonder Woman‘s massive success – we look at the notorious 1997 comic book bomb Batman & Robin.
Accidentally Excellent
Accidentally Excellent: Are you accident-prone? Don’t worry, it could end up making the world a better place.
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