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For this episode’s unearthings: the wonderful works of Christopher Pike!
Any other Christopher Pike fans in the house? Anyone that grew up in the 80s and 90s is familiar with a few key authors that wrote young adult series’. There’s “Francine Pascal” of Sweet Valley Twins fame. There’s R.L. Stine (and I’m talking BEFORE the Goosebumps phenomenon, with the Fear Street books). R.L. Stine has been called the Stephen King of young adult novels, but I beg to differ–if anyone deserves this title, it is the master of YA horror, Christopher Pike.
Christopher Pike is actually a pseudonym of Kevin McFadden–the inspiration for the pen name is from the original rejected pilot episode of Star Trek (OS), or you’ll recognize the name from episodes “The Menagerie” (I & II), as the unfortunate paralyzed and scarred captain with the cool wheelchair (my dad and I would affectionately name the aliens of Talos IV as “the buttheads“).
Beginning in the 6th grade (12 years old was a huge year for me and obsession building), I discovered this marvelous author and never looked back. It all began with Bury Me Deep.
THE DEAD BOY WOULD NOT GO AWAY.
Jean is on her way to Hawaii for a week of fun in the sun. But the vacation gets off to a gruesome start. The boy sitting beside her on the plane suddenly chokes and dies. Jean tries to push the incident out of her mind when she arrives on the island, but that’s impossible. Part of the reason is because Mike keeps coming back to her in her dreams. Horrible dreams filled with cold blood.Two of Jean’s friends are waiting for her in Hawaii — Mandy and Michele. They have already made friends with two young men who teach scuba diving at the hotel — Dave and Johnny. Jean and Johnny quickly become friends. But there are problems in paradise. Dave and Johnny have recently lost a partner in the ocean. No one knows how he died. No one can find his body. But then Jean finds Mike’s body. It isn’t where it’s supposed to be, and it seems as if it’s still got some life in it.
Ok, so this blurb reads a little cheesy. But I can guarantee you that this book is a stunner–filled with supernatural horror, as well as some good old fashioned ‘whodunit’ thrills. It is a ghost story, and a damn good one–upon a recent reread, it still stands the test of time.
Bury Me Deep was only the beginning–and while it is a great book, it’s by no means my favorite, or even one of the best.
I’m gonna make a big statement here and put it out in the universe–Christopher Pike is one of the most under-appreciated authors of our time. In my humble opinion, he has ideas that make Stephen King’s imagination look pale and meek in comparison (and this is big stuff from me as King is one of my favorite authors). Indeed, some of the newer YA paranormal/horror books ain’t got NOTHING on Christopher Pike.
My favorite Pike book, and in my opinion the eeriest of the lot.
Returning home one day, Roxanne and Pepper find their small town–and surrounding towns–empty. Finally they find three other teens and realize that all five are each connected through the death of Betty Sue, the plain, shy girl who committed suicide only three months before. Betty Sue had written stories about them, stories of hate, revenge, and death . . . in a dead world.
This is a hefty story–of heartbreak and hate, but also one of hope and love ultimately. Roxanne narrates the story as a serious girl in a small town, who falls in love with a boy named Pepper. As fate would have it, Rox gets pregnant and she decides to have an abortion. After the procedure, however, Rox and Pepper return to a dead town–devoid of all life, except for three other people. And then, one by one, each dies a terrible death until Rox finally sees what she must do. This book is, in a word, atmospheric. It is poetic; it is terrifying. And it still is one of my favorites. On a sidenote, I used to be into the band Garbage, and the song “A Stroke of Luck” was my theme song for this book. I know it’s weird, but Shirley Manson’s growly voice over the track…it’s perfect for the atmosphere of the novel.
Lest you think Christopher Pike is a one-trick pony that only writes about high school kids with thriller aspects, let me assure you that this certainly is not the case. Mr. Pike is an extremely versatile author–covering the usual high school drama but in unexpected ways (fits of jealousy leading to death in Last Act, cocaine addiction and murder in Kill Me Softly, friendship, love and revenge in the Final Friends books), but also focusing on the mythological (The Immortal), monsters (Monster, The Last Vampire series), and heck even futuristic science fiction (The Tachyon Web, The Starlight Crystal).
Monster has arguably one of the best opening scenes in a Young Adult novel ever.
It began with blood.It would end the same way.
Angela Warner was on the couch finishing her third beer when Mary Blanc entered Jim Kline’s house carrying a loaded shotgun.
Mary proceeds to blow away the school’s linebacker and head cheerleader, only to be stopped from finishing her rampage by best friend Angela. As it turns out, Mary was right…an ancient evil has possessed them, and it hungers for human flesh. Angela finds out the hard way.
They did it for kicks.
Five young thrill seekers in a stolen spaceship on a joyride to the stars. But one of them had a more dangerous plan–to blast beyond the Tachyon Web, the iron boundary that barred mankind from the worlds beyond.There they found danger, excitement and heart stopping adventure. And, on a strange alien world, one of them would also find love.
Oh how I love this science fiction story. The characters, the political intrigue, the romance…when I read Linnea Sinclair today I am reminded of my first foray into SFR with Christopher Pike. Eric has been rejected from the Academy–his lifelong dream to serve abruptly called to a halt. So, the responsible young man allows himself to go on a joyride with his more reckless friends, and they jump beyond the tachyon web–the web said to protect their planet from the threats that lay beyond. But instead of threats, they find a dying civilization, a peaceful people whose technology is far inferior to humanity’s…and these people have been left to die. With their ship damaged and low on the equivalent of coolant, they are forced to board the alien vessel, and Eric finds that his conscience cannot leave these people to die. Of course, a hot alien chick is part of the deal.
While on a spaceship that travels at near light speed, Paige Christian’s work is to study the changes on earth throughout two centuries; when a disaster befalls earth and she returns, she finds an unimaginable future.
Paige is given an incredible opportunity–to study humanity on board a time capsule of a spaceship. The Traveller circles the solar system at near light speed, and a day upon the ship is equivalent to 10 years on Earth–her mission is to study the changes for the equivalent of 200 years. But, something goes horribly wrong on Earth, and the crew of the Traveller are condemned to a future far beyond their initial mission date. This is a story of death and rebirth, and a journey of the human soul above all else. It is beautiful, it is haunting, it is one of the best stories I have ever had the pleasure of reading. Highly, highly recommended.
And, the last Pike book I will leave you with.
In a hospice for the terminally ill, five teenagers, who meet every night to tell each other scary stories, make a pact that the first of them to die must try to contact the others from beyond the grave.
This is the most emotional, the most raw of Pike’s work, in my opinion. Five teenagers wait for death, and they tell each other stories each night to pass the time. One member leaves the hospice to live their life, while another dies. And Ilonka remembers past lives glimpsed in dreams and memory, and a lost love that might not be lost after all. It is a story about hope, and love beyond death. This book made me cry for its tragic beauty. Again, highly recommended.
If you never had the pleasure of reading Christopher Pike, I beg of you, try to track down some of these titles. The books sell for dirt cheap on Amazon for all they are out of print, and they are priceless.
For this episode’s unearthings: The Fighting Fantasy book series, from Steve Jackson and Ian Livingston
First, a bit of background…
The Fighting Fantasy books are a gamebook series–and yes, by ‘gamebook’ I mean the reader actively gets to participate in the story and make decisions as to where the plot goes next. As a younger kid, I was a huge fan of the Choose Your Own Adventure series (who wasn’t?!) and owned many different adventures. But then, one Christmas when I was 11 years old, my father gave me my very first Fighting Fantasy book, entitled Masks of Mayhem…
And I was hooked.
The Fighting Fantasy books were pretty popular and imitated throughout the ’80s–at least, according to wikipedia (I was 11 in the ’90s, plus I was living in Indonesia so I was in my own little bubble). Think of them as Choose Your Own Adventure…on crack. Basically how it works is, as in the CYOA books, the reader assumes the role of the main character, involved on some kind of mission. However, the FF books require dice and scratch paper. Before the game starts, you must roll the dice to determine your skill, stamina, and luck levels (in some of the books there are other factors too, but for the most part it’s just these three)–these are imperative to the gameplay story. To “fight” other characters/creatures encountered throughout the book, it’s a process involving rolling the dice, adding and subtracting points until either you or the other character/creature is dead. Similarly, there are sections to see if you are “lucky” or not (affecting the outcome of the plot line taken). Of course, I always ended up cheating like a mofo, saying I won fights when I actually lost, or choosing the ‘lucky’ route when I wasn’t lucky. So sue me. **Note: There were also a healthy amount of riddles (of the word and math variety) that are impossible to cheat on, so there!**
Perhaps the best thing about these books is that the plots were much more complex than CYOAs, but at the same time simple enough so that you could play alone (none of my middleschool girlfriends were much into this sort of thing, so getting a dungeons and dragons group going was pretty much out of the question).
On the fantasy aspect–these books have it in spades! Almost all of the FF stories take place in the same world, called Titan. Titan itself is split into three continents: Allansia (symbolic of America), the Old World (symbolic of Europe with many different states, and a history that focuses heavily on WWII and its aftermath–in this series called the “War of the Four Kingdoms”), and Khul (the dark land, with some Japanese references). Yes, a lot of the fantasy elements are accused of being stereotypical, or generic–but you gotta start somewhere right? And for young, middle-school aged me, this was a whole new world to discover.
These are my all time favorites–Masks of Mayhem, Crypt of the Sorcerer, and Sword of the Samurai.
Masks of Mayhem
Morgana, the fell sorceress of Krill Garnash, is poised to let loose her dreaded Golems, which none are able to resist. For she has equipped them with the Masks of Mayhem, which give them power over all things. Only YOU can end her evil designs – but beware: peril and treachery await you at every turn, and help is hard to find.
My first ever FF book, and probably the hardest one I ever played. Probably because it’s damn near impossible to get everything you need–i.e. the horn with the seeds, orb and scepter, the sword, the spectral army, etc (which is basically the only way to get the knowledge and power you need to finish the story–a lot of these games have only one path you can follow to win). This book’s plot and the fantasy itself is also just damn good. You play a hero that is sent on the quest by Ifor Tynin, and gradually through your mission discover that treachery is afoot.
Crypt of the Sorcerer
The original, and re-released covers
An ancient evil is stirring in bowels of the earth, and the land is blighted. After being entombed for one hundred years, the dread necromancer Razaak has been re-awoken and is poised to fulfil his promise of death and tyranny. His army of undead are at large across Allansia, bringing death and destruction to all who resist.It is up to YOU to find the only weapon to which Razaak is vulnerable – his own magic sword! Only then might you survive the dangers that await you in his evil lair – the Crypt of the Sorcerer!
This is the only FF book that I honest to goodness won, without cheating, flipping back and forth to test the waters, and figured out every riddle without help…so there! Seriously though, this was one of my favorites because it is one of the few books where you have loyal companions to aid your journey. Plus, the cover used to scare the crap outta me, but in a good way (it’s the whole noseless thing). I’m weird. I know.
Sword of the Samurai
The land of Hachiman is in grave danger. The Shogun’s control is slipping. Bandits roam the land freely and barbarian invaders have begun to raid across the borders. All this because the Dai-Katana, the great sword, Singing Death, has been stolen from the Shogun. YOU are the Shogun’s champion, a young Samurai. Your mission is to recover this wondrous sword from Ikiru, the Master of Shadows, who holds it hidden deep in the Pit of Demons.
This one was pretty damn cool because it was the first FF I had played that was not set in Allansia or the Old Kingdom, and instead took me to Khul–based on a model of Feudal Japan (which happens to be one of my favorite historical periods, probably in large part due to books like this). Also, this book featured an “honor” section–you could become a dark, lawless Ronin mercenary if you made too many bad decisions. Plus, there is a choice of certain skills that you can choose to develop that affects gameplay (I believe invisibility was one of them–and the one I most often chose).
Recently the FF books have been bought and republished by Wizard Books. You can check out the webpage here. I don’t like the new covers as much, and the limited titles kinda bug…but still, it’s cool to see this series still around.
Another comparison of the old and new release covers (this was another of my old faves)
Aaaaaand, now I will gracefully retreat and hide my dorky self from public for a while.
This Episode’s Unearthings: Evil Dead, Evil Dead 2, and Army of Darkness
Since the recent Marvel Zombies vs. Army of Darkness got me in the mood….
Any horror fan worth their salt has seen The Evil Dead movies. These films, directed by Sam Raimi (of recent Spider-man fame–and The Grudge 2, Boogeyman infamy), are genre classics…so if you haven’t seen them, watch them immediately! You are missing out.
Deadite Numero Uno
I had my introduction to The Evil Dead when I was 14–living in Japan at the time, when Star Channel (equivalent of HBO) did a triple feature, culminating in the glorious Captain Supermarket (Japanese title for Army of Darkness). I was completely hooked.
The Evil Dead follows five young, attractive college students driving up to a secluded forest cabin for a weekend of fun. Although none of them have ever been to the cabin before, they got it for cheap and are excited to get their party on. After crossing an dilapidated old bridge, they finally arrive, and discover the cabin has some strange stuff. Ash (our protagonist, played by a young and hot Bruce Campbell) and Scotty explore the cabin cellar, and find a freaky looking book and a recorder. Thinking it’s a cool gag, they bring both upstairs and decide to play the tape recording, which actually is a recitation of one of the passages in the scary looking book. As it turns out, this is no ordinary book, but actually is the Morturom Demonto…the Book of the Dead. This, unfortunately for the college kids, causes the awakening of vicious demonic forces–the titled Evil Dead. The rickety bridge they crossed to get to the cabin has been destroyed, and there is no escape. Starting with Cheryl, then Shelley, then Linda and Scotty, each of the friends is possessed by the Evil. And Ash is in a buttload of trouble, trying to fight each of them off.
The Evil Dead was filmed on a shoestring budget, but was incredibly successful in terms of critical review and in terms of profitability. Even with the lower production value (i.e. you can see the pole holding up possessed!Cheryl when she is levitating), this is still one awesome scary flick. From this 1983 success, Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell made names for themselves…and were able to continue, by popular demand, Ash’s story in…
Evil Dead II: Dead by Dawn
The Necronomicon
Legend has it that it was written by the Dark Ones. Necronomicon ex Mortis, roughly translated, “Book of the Dead”. The book served as a passageway to the evil worlds beyond. It was written long ago. When the seas ran red with blood. It was this blood that was used to ink the book. In the year 1300 AD, the book disappeared.
Armed with a bigger budget and with a new production company, Evil Dead II is a kinda-sorta remake/sequel to the first film, with better special effects, a more fleshed out storyline, and the addition of that trademark crazy slapstick humor. The movie begins with Ash and girlfriend Linda driving out to the cabin in the forest, and from there, things take a similar path. Ash finds and plays the recorder, the Evil comes and possess Linda. Who Ash promptly kills (by way of shovel decapitation) and buries. Unfortunately for Ash, the unleashed Evil finds and possesses him until dawn, then he returns as good!Ash–but passes out until dusk. He tries to escape, but the bridge has been destroyed, as in the first film. He has no choice but to go back to the cabin, where a possessed reanimated Linda attacks him, and bites him on the hand. Ash makes sure to fully incapacitate Linda by way of chainsaw. From this point, things get even more out of hand–literally, as Ash’s hand becomes possessed, and he’s forced to cut it off. Objects in the cabin become possessed and start mocking Ash–in a hilariously creepy scene (complete with those great weird camera shots Raimi loves), it’s apparent he is being driven to insanity.
Ash goes a little crazy
While all this madness is going on Annie, the daughter of the professor (that owned the cabin and who left the tape recorded translation), makes her way to the woods. She has a few loose pages of the Necronomicon (the Book of the Dead), fresh from the dig, and wants to show her father. Lucky for Ash, Annie’s extensive research in the Castle of Candar and the origins of the Necronomicon (*chortle-snort*), she finds a way to open a whirling vortex to banish the evil from whence it came. And it works. Unfortunately for Ash, he and his Delta ‘88 are sucked into the vortex as well, and end up back in 1300 A.D. England.
Evil Dead III: Army of Darkness
FreddyKrueger!EvilAsh
If I had to pick a favorite of the three, it would be a close call between Evil Dead II and Army of Darkness…but I think Army of Darkness wins out. Certainly, my 14 year old self was completely enamored with this movie. This third film opens up with Ash a prisoner, trudging along in chains as he is believed by the knights of King Arthur to be one of Duke Henry’s men (a rebel Scot). He’s thrown into a pit by his captors, where he fights and destroys two deadites (the medieval name given to the possessed evil creatures, as seen in the first two movies).
This…is…my…BOOMSTICK!
Tired of all the crap he has been through, Ash demands to go home. The wisemen wizards of the time tell Ash that he is their savior and that his job will be to rid the world of the Evil deadites, but Ash isn’t having any of it. When the wisemen tell him that the only way to get Ash back to his rightful time is a spell in the Necronomicon, Ash agrees to go get the book on the condition that as soon as he returns, they send him back. The wisemen tell Ash that in order to retrieve the book, he MUST say the three magic words in the right order, else he will unleash the greatest evil the world has ever known…and naturally, Ash can’t quite remember the three words when it comes time. Unwittingly, for the third damn time, Ash unleashes the Evil that is the Army of Darkness.
“Okay. The words. Say the words. KLATOO!…VERATA!…Uh…Necta…uh… Nectar…Necktie…uh…NICKtphhh!”
Once the evil has been unleashed, Ash isn’t THAT big of a douche…and he stays to help fight the Evil Army (which is being headed by FreddyKrueger!EvilAsh), with the help of some 20th century chemistry.
This last installment has it’s share of gore and horrific elements, but it is less of a straight horror film. It doesn’t matter how many times I watch this one, I still laugh my ass off, every time. This is the movie that gives Bruce Campbell his golden glow–as wisecracking, cheesy one-liner, boomstick and chainsaw weilding Ash. The wonderful humor, the Three Stooges shoutouts, and the homage to Jason and the Argonauts with the Ray Harryhausen skeleton battle sequence at the end make this movie one that is close to my heart.
Captain Supermarket!
Recently, I bought Army of Darkness on USA dvd–and was completely taken aback as the version that I had grown up with has a completely different ending! As I grew up and watched this movie in Japan for the first time, I assumed that what I had seen was what the US version would entail–well, nope. The endings are drastically different, and I have to say I much prefer the one I grew up with (naturally).
Evil Dead: The Musical
Recently, The Evil Dead and Evil Dead II: Dead by Dawn have been brought to the stage in form of a musical. The play features song and dance numbers (complete and utter cheeseball), and for the diehard fans the first three rows are the “splatter zone”. Where the audience gets–you guessed it–splattered by the onstage blood and body parts.
Originally it played in New York in an off-Broadway production, and has since moved to Toronto (where, if you are lucky enough to live close by, it will be running until June 14 at the Diesel Playhouse).
AND starting Friday the 13th of June, Evil Dead: The Musical will be at the Willows Theater in Martinez, California (San Francisco Bay area). Since I live in Los Angeles, I have already bought my tickets and I cannot wait to take a trip up north to watch the play! Naturally, I will be in the splatter zone. Wearing a completely white outfit.
So, as a parting gift, I leave you one of the wonderfully cheeseball songs from the musical, titled… “What the F*ck Was That?”
This Episode’s unearthing: a 2001 Bollywood movie, Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham.
Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham or It’s All About Loving Your Parents
I love Bollywood movies. I am not, by any means, a great connoisseur, but I have watched a few and I loved most of them. My favorite so far is Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham or K3G as it is known in Bollywood circles – a movie that is charming and heart-warming and was an immense success both in India and Europe.
Rahul is the most adored adopted son of one of the wealthiest families in India. He is doted upon like a biological son would be, the father is extremely proud of him but it is the mother that he has a special connection with. She can feel whenever he arrives at the family grounds, she loves him beyond anything. Rahul is expected to do great things, to follow all the family traditions, to carry on with the family name in business and life and to marry his childhood friend, a woman that his family has chosen to be his wife. He is very happy to do all of this, in part in gratitude for everything that they have done for him but also because he respects and loves his family above all things.
The movie is divided into two parts: Part one shows Rahul’s relationship with his family, and the family’s interactions with each other. We can see that his parents love each other very much but there is a very patriarchal feel to it and that the father can be quite ruthless at times and the mother has no other choice but to be submissive. This is after all, how things are. Rahul has also a much younger brother, Rohan, born 9 years after he was brought to the family who is also very much loved.
Until Rahul meets Anjali. Sweet, beautiful, vivacious, completely batty Anjali, a sweetshop owner’s daughter who is from the wrong side of the tracks, a very happy yet very poor girl who lives with her father and her younger sister. Anjali is great, with a wonderful sense of humor and who loves her family above all things as well. They fall in love and Rahul wants to marry her – she is desperate that she will have to leave her most beloved father but she knows it is dum dum dum Destiny. My silly romantic heart loves all the scenes when they are together, they have great chemistry. Rauhl trying to seduce her with banter and witty comments and how she can not fight it.
But the father tells him he cannot possibly marry a woman who knows nothing of their traditions, of their power – she is just not suitable. Rahul caves because as we know, he can not bear to disappoint the father. He goes to tell Anjali that they can not be together but when he gets to her, dear lord, her father had just died and she is now alone in the world, having to take care of her sister and Rahul does not blink, he knows what he must do and so they marry in a rushed ceremony. When he takes his new wife home to ask for his family blessing, one of the most important things for a newly -wed couple, his father tells him with all letters: you are not my son. You have proved this to me today OOOOOOOOOOOOHHHH. Bad, bad father. Rahul has to leave never to come back and the scene where he has to say goodbye to his mother who is not allowed any saying in the matter, omg is heartbreaking. He says goodbye to Rohan and tell him never to ask why he is leaving and to carry on loving their parents for both of them. And so they leave.
Cut to 10 years later. Rahul’s brother Rohan, now a full grown (and very very very handsome), man finally learns the truth about what happened to this brother and why he hasn’t seen him in ten years. His family is in tatters – the grandmothers are depressed, the mother and the father have lost their close relationship so he VOWS to bring them together. So he goes in search of Rahul who now lives in London with Anjali, their son and Anjali’s sister. We learn that although they are happy, the lack of blessing from the family is something that mars that happiness. Rohan manages to infiltrate the family posing as a friend (he isn’t recognized because he has changed so much since he was a child) .
He starts to work on his plan by talking with Rahul about family life whilst at the same time, falling in love himself with Anjali’s sister. (Yes, it is all in the family).
And one by one, they recognize him. His true reunion with his brother is so heartwarming but not as much as when finally he manages to make his parents come to London and Rahul and the mother meet again. I dare you not to cry at that scene or not to go all nutso and woohooooing at the screen when the mother finally stands up to the father and tells him that it is HIS own fault that they have lost a son and when finally the father breaks down and reunites with Rahul? Goosebumps.
This movie has everything: good songs and cool choreographies, beautiful protagonists, amazing – heartwarming story, with love and misunderstandings, laughter and tears. Plus some amazing photography and the Indian clothes? So envious. But the best is the well-acted relationships between father and sons, father and mother, between the brothers and of course between the two couples.
If you have to watch but one Bollywood movie I reckon it should be this one. Be warned though, you must be in a particular frame of mind to be able to enjoy it: it is very loooooooong with 3 and a half hours. It is beyond cheesy and melodramatic, people do burst into singing and dancing out of nowhere and the protagonists’ hair float around their heads like in a cheap shampoo commercial. But if you can get pass these things, I am sure you will love it as much as I did.
Go on, give it a go.
This Episode’s Unearthings: Let’s go mythical. John C. Wright’s Chronicles of Chaos trilogy and an all time fave movie, Jason and the Argonauts.
John C. Wright’s Chronicles of Chaos:
Orphans of Chaos, Fugitives of Chaos, Titans of Chaos
I feel almost completely inadequate when it comes to reviewing these books. Editorial reviews call this a “Harry Potter for adults”…but this does the series a grave disservice. If Harry Potter were highly educated in literature, Greek mythology, particle physics, multidimensional geometry and philosophical reasoning, then maybe this description would capture a flicker of the wonder that is John C. Wright’s incredible Chronicles of Chaos series.
Five orphans are in a large boarding school in the English countryside. The book opens with a brief chapter dedicated to each orphan, and illustrates the different mindsets and philosophical views of the universe they each have. Told from the point of view of Secunda (the second child), self-named Amelia Armstrong Windrose (named for Amelia Earhart and Neil Armstrong) in the first person, Mr. Wright manages to avoid sounding stuffy and overly-erudite and blends in a sort of sexy rock star sensibility to the heftier materials he writes about. If that makes any sense!
The five orphans have reached adolescence, and question their surroundings. Despite the top-notch education they are receiving, and the freedom to pursue whatever learnings they wish, they are being held in the school against their will, as prisoners. Things get a bit more complicated when each of the orphans discover that they have certain powers—Victor (Primus) can rearrange molecular structures, Vanity (Tertia) can imagine things into existence, Colin (Quartinus) operates solely on desire, Quintus (he chooses to keep his Latin classification for a name) is a philosopher and wizard, and Amelia, our narrator, manipulates and exists in higher dimensions. They each operate in a different paradigm, and each paradigm cancels out another’s.
Still with me?
The actual identity of the so-called children is a revelation that comes mid-story—Amelia and Quintus eavesdrop on the gathering of mythical creatures, Gods and Goddesses that assemble at the school for a periodic inspection. As it turns out, their school masters are no ordinary staff members, but characters drawn from Beowulf to The Odyssey. The children are being held as hostage…and they take to planning their own prison break. Books 2 and 3 chronicle their journey of self discovery, their escape, and the ultimate, universal showdown.
I cannot stress enough how incredible these books are. Mr. Wright has a superior knowledge of mythology, of hard science and hard fantasy, and yet manages to weave it all into a touching, coming of age story. He makes geometry and mythology sexy. Yes, SEXY. The harder to grasp notions of higher dimensions, opposing paradigms, and philosophical ponderings are nicely balanced by the author’s careful prose, and the genuine adolescent-ness of narrator Amelia.
I cannot wait for Ana to give this one a read for our next dare!!
Jason and the Argonauts
Keeping in the spirit of mythology, I present for your scrutiny the Ray Harryhausen classic, Jason and the Argonauts. This used to be one of my favorite movies as a child, and is a landmark film. The story follows Jason, son of the slain former king Aristo, and his quest to obtain the fabled Golden Fleece and claim his rightful spot as king of Thessaly. Jason gathers the best warriors of Greece to his aid, his Argonauts (after their ship, the Argos).
The movie is magic, plain and simple. Ray Harryhausen’s famous stop motion special effects sequence of seven skeletons fighting Jason and his men is considered one of the greatest achievements of 20th century movie making special effects (thank you Wikipedia!). “Stop motion”, for the curious, is a type of animation in which an object is manipulated, frame by frame to appear that it is moving of its own accord. The skeleton fight scene was four minutes long—and took Harryhausen over 4 months to create!
Harryhausen’s masterpiece Skeleton Scene
This is one of the finest fantasy films ever created and a watershed film in terms of special effects. If you haven’t seen it, watch it. Brilliance! (And very affordable, at only $10 at most dvd stores) A parting gift:
The Skeleton Fight Scene
This Episode’s Unearthings: two favorites of mine, a book and a movie with paranormal elements.
The movie, Always:
This is a beautiful love tale of love lost and found again directed by no other than the Great Steven Spielberg. It is one of his earlier, less talked about movies, a remake of a 40’s movies called a Guy Named Joe. I have watched this one countless times and it is one of my favorite romantic movies.
Pete, played by Richard Dreyfuss is a daredevil pilot who fights forest fires. His beloved Dorinda, played by Holly Hunter is also a fire-fighter and is in constant dread of all the perils that surrounds Pete’s manoeuvres. The first part of the movie shows how much they love each other with several scenes amongst the playfulness of their crew. It is delightful to see their relationship and how much they care for each other.
Until one day Pete goes too far and ends up dying. Before you kill me for spoiling the story, this is actually where the films truly starts. We see Pete in “heaven” with a guardian angel named Hap played by Audrey Hepburn who teaches him that he has a role to play yet. He is to return to be an invisible presence to guide another fire-fighter. It is six months after his death and by destiny, his protege ends up in the same crew as Dorinda. Oh, when Pete sees her again. and realises that she has pinning for him still, finding very hard to move on….sad, heartbreaking. He, none too happy to find out that his guy is falling for Dorinda and she too wants to feel something again for another man.Pete fights it with every fiber in his being, going as far as making himself a real presence in her mind. Until he realises that he must help her moving on so that she can find happiness gain.
I know it probably sounds dark and terribly depressing but it is not. It is truly an uplifting story with sad and funny moments. In the end he must guide her, when she is desperate enough to let herself die in a fire and the things they say to each other are stuff for legends! It gives me goosebumps to think about it and now I want to watch it again!
The book, Bewitching
Bewitching is one of my favorite romance novels, ranked right up there with Lord of Scoundrels, Dreaming of you and A Kingdom of Dreams.
It is the story of a young, innocent Scottish witch Joyous MacQuarrie who can never get her magic right. One day she is trying to travel by means of a spell and as usual, messes up with the words an ends up falling on the Duke of Belmore’s lap! The Duke, or Alex, is a snob, uptight member of the Ton who has just been dumped by his fiancée when she realised that she cannot live with such a cold man. When Joyous falls on his lap he is taken aback but immediately decides to marry her so that he can bring order to his life again. But hold and behold, order is last thing that Joy can bring to anyone.
She says yes of course, because she falls in love with Alex at first sight when she concludes that he needs her and her magic more than anything in the world. Corny? Oh, yes. But also freaking hilarious, deliciously hot and amazingly heartwarming. She has no time to tell him that she is a witch before they wed but does so on their wedding night. Of Course, Alex, freaks out, as this sort of thing is beyond his comprehension. So he forbids her of doing magic which she tries to obey but of course she has no control over it and things just sort of, happen around them.
Joy is one of those heroines that wear her heart in her eyes and she is taken with Alex from the get go. Alex, on the other hand ,is one of those heroes with a sad past who needs someone like Joy to bring, well, Joy (pun intended) to his life.
This book is full of endearing moments, like the first time Alex laughs, or when Rose Petals’ showers fall around them every time they make love. Or funny moments like when they are to have sex for the first time and she almost faint at his size and thinks that it can’t possibly work and after the deed is done and he is back to ahem, a resting position, she thanks him for shrinking it for her. LOL.
But Alex, the stubborn, cold Duke of Belmore fights her laughter and her light. And ends up hurting her poor heart really badly and she has to make a decision to leave him. And only when apparently is too late, he realises his mistake and that he loves her with every fibber in his being. And you know what they say: when the mighty fall, they fall hard. But none more than Alex, the serious , sad Duke of Belmore, who now spends his nights crying, unable to find his Scottish and praying that she will be returned to him. He goes around searching for her, hugging trees (as she used to do when she needed reassurance from Nature), eating gingerbread (Joy’s favorite food), and filling the bookcases with Gothic Novel which she loves and he always frowned upon. Awwww Alex, stupid, endearing man.
Of course they reunite and the moment she comes back to him is ever so sweet.
This Episode’s Unearthings: Two of my favorite Daughters–Daughter of the Forest and Mara: Daughter of the Nile
Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier
This is the first book in the Sevenwaters Trilogy. While I have to admit I haven’t yet read the subsequent books, I believe that you can read each independently. Daughter of the Forest Ms. Marillier’s beautiful, haunting first entry, and is a skillful take on the Six Swans fairy tale.
Sorcha should have been born the seventh son of a seventh son. Instead she was born a girl, with six older brothers. Her mother died in labor, breaking her father’s, Lord Colum of Sevenwaters, heart. As an Irish warlord, Lord Colum turned away from the painful memories at his Sevenwaters home and dove single-mindedly into battle against the English, only returning to visit his seven children rarely, and not particularly paying them any attention–especially not Sorcha, who is the splitting image of her mother. Until, one day Lord Colum returns home with a new beautiful bride–who is actually a cruel sorceress. Determined to save her father who has fallen under the Lady Oonagh’s thrall, Sorcha and her brothers try to break her spell in any way they can. The powerful and crafty Lady Oonagh curses them though, and turns the six brothers into swans, doomed to remain as such, save for twice a year when they can return to human form for a day. Sorcha manages to escape, and now is faced with the task of trying to break the curse on her brothers, and save her family. The Fair Folk–faries, fae, whatever you wish to call them–help Sorcha by telling her that if she wishes to break the curse, she must weave six shirts from the burning, thorny starwort weed for each of her brothers. The shirts must be made by her alone, from the weed gathering and thread spinning to the actual weaving and sewing of the cloth. What’s more is, Sorcha cannot speak a word until her task is done, or her brothers remain swans forever.
This is a beautiful, heart-wrenching story of sacrifice, family, and romance. I could not put the book down. I even found myself biting my tongue to keep from speaking along with Sorcha while reading it! I kid you not.
Fantasy fans, romance fans, I implore you–get Daughter of the Forest off your TBR shelves already! It is simply, undeniably, brilliant.
Mara: Daughter of the Nile by Eloise Jarvis McGraw
This is easily one of my favorite books of all time. I first discovered Mara in the 7th grade, and upon finishing the book I immediately flipped it back open to page one to read again. Recently, after reading The Spymaster’s Lady and hearing Ana talk about how she had not read any other spy type romances, I knew I had to bring Mara up in my next Dungeons post.
Mara is an Egyptian slave. She has been sold so many times that she does not know who her parents are, nor does she know where she came from. She is educated and can read and write in both Egyptian and Babylonian thanks to a former master, but now finds herself hungry, bored and rebellious under her current ham-headed (and heavy-handed) owner. She takes a temporary break from her daily work, and sneaks away into the marketplace at Thebes to steal some food and enjoy the day, consequences of a sure beating ahead of her be damned! This frivolous decision on a beautiful morning changes Mara’s life forever, as she attracts the attention of rival spy lords. Bought by an agent of the Queen Pharaoh Hatshepsut, Mara’s gift with language earns her a position as an interpreter between Hatshepsut’s half brother Thutmose and his unwanted Canaanite bride. Mara’s mission is simple–during her sessions with Thutmose, she must keep her eyes out for any means by which messages are being sent to and from the caged prince, for a rebellion is stirring in Egypt. Mara, who cares not for politics, is eager for her chance at freedom and for the challenge her new position as a spy promises her. She makes way to the royal city on a barge, but unknowingly is sharing her ride with the leader of the Thutmose rebellion: the handsome but very dangerous Lord Sheftu. Unfortunately for Mara, her antics in the marketplace were also observed by Sheftu, who enlists Mara as a spy for his camp, thinking that she is naught but a runaway slave (and blackmailing her with exposure and sure death awaiting her as a runaway).
You do see where this is going, dontcha?
Mara, clever creature that she is, decides to play both sides against the middle. However, the more time she spends with Sheftu, the harder it becomes for her to keep her emotions detached and play the double agent.
This book is exquisite. Ms. McGraw wrote it in the 1950s, and the fact that it (as a young adult novel no less!) is still in print today speaks for itself. It is epic without being overlong, painted against a rich tapestry of Egyptian history and vivid prose. Mara is a quick-witted, devious heroine worth loving, and the romance that blossoms between her and Sheftu still gives me the goosebumps. Not to mention the political intrigue and palpable danger in every chapter.
Highly, highly recommended.
This episode’s unearthings: About a Boy, the book and the movie.
About a Boy by Nick Hornby
Nick Hornby is a great novelist who excels at writing about our moderns days; About the struggles to find oneself in this age and what means to be an adult. This is the basic plot of most of his books: High Fidelity, Fever Pitch, A Long Way Down. I read all of them and About a Boy is my favourite.
Will is a 36 years old man who has never worked, he lives off the royalties of his father’s one-hit Christmas song. He goes about life with well organised activities to fill his hours. He is also King of Cool, he is hip, he is modern, he knows what is in and what is not. He has not real connections to anyone and he is happy about it. He is completely self-centered and goes through a great deal to keep it that way.
Marcus is a 12 year old who is having a shit time at home and a shit time at school. He lives with his ex-hippie, single mom Fiona, who suffers from depression and he is in constant fear that something bad will happen. He is the opposite of Will, he is serious, he is completely uncool and his life at home makes him behave as an adult and that makes him stand out at school and be bullied by the other kids.
They meet when Will is having a date with a friend of Fiona, who chooses that day to commit suicide (unsuccessfully) catapulting Will into a situation that he is not comfortable with. All of a sudden he is confronted by real life. And when Marcus decides to adopt him as a friend and as potential saviour to his mother, he can not fight it, for some reason. It would have been so easy to make this into a Will and Fiona story but nothing happens between them. This is really a story about the two boys. About how Will, faced with his friend’s problems realises how his life is empty and devoid of any meaning or purpose and when he finally meets a woman with whom he could fall in love with, he feels utterly desperate and not worthy. He goes through emotional turmoil in order to finally grow up and open his life to other people to come in.
It is really a simple story, Will helps Marcus to become simply a kid and enjoy life and Marcus helps Will to become an adult who cares about other people. At first it may come out as a too funny, too light read about serious stuff. But this is the magic of Nick Hornby to me, that he manages to bring lightness to life’s greatest problems but without being superficial.
The movie is great too. One of the best books-to- movies adaptation, in my opinion. It has a great feel and some scenes that do not exist in the book are awesome additions. For instance Will and Marcus singing Killing me Softly at school. That was laugh out loud funny.
Hugh Grant is perfect as Will and the supporting cast do a great job too, specially the boy that plays Marcus. I highly recommend both.
This episode’s unearthings: Kushiel’s Dart and Howl’s Moving Castle
Kushiel’s Dart by Jacqueline Carey
This book is the first of the Kushiel’s Legacy series (currently 5 books with the sixth coming soon). These books are pure magic. It has a little something for everyone. For the fan of intrigue and plot, there is enough political scheming, layering and betrayal here to be worthy of a comparison with George R.R. Martin. For the fantasy obsessed, Ms. Carey’s re-imagining of Europe and religion is flawless and utterly believable. For those craving action and adventure, there are bloody battles and escape episodes that leave you breathless. And for the romantic–there is sex, there is angst, and there is love.
Phedre no Delaunay is a child born beautiful as any D’Angelline…but for a single scarlet mote in her eye. Because of this small flaw, Phedre is denied a position as an adept in the Court of Night Blooming Flowers (the collective houses of honored courtesans), but can make her marque (paying her debt) through other work. Sold by her mother to one of the houses of the Night Court, Phedre is discovered for what she really is–the mote in her eye is not a flaw, but a mark of those god touched by Kushiel. She is an anguisette–one who can take pleasure from pain–and the only one to be born in generations. Phedre’s marque (think of it as her indenture contract) is bought by the wise and kind Anafiel no Delaunay, who trains her in the arts of espionage and secrets.
And thus, Phedre’s adventure begins as a rare and gifted courtesan spy.
I cannot say enough good things about this book, and of the series. Phedre no Delaunay is a heroine for the ages, and refreshingly knows exactly who and what she is and does not make any excuses for herself. She is cunning, smart, and yet passionately empathetic. I know the whole “pleasure from pain” thing sounds kinky and S&M–but TRUST ME. These books are not about bondage and erotica. Kushiel’s Legacy is one of the best imagined worlds I have ever had the pleasure to read. The writing is flawless, the characters are all well realized and have great depth, the villainy is very real…and the romance is heartbreaking in all its beauty.
I encourage EVERYONE to read this book (including you Ana!!!). From romance fans to fantasy addicts, Kushiel’s Dart is in a league of its own. You will love it.
Howl’s Moving Castle (2006) Hayao Miyazaki
Based on the young adult novel by Dianne Wynne Jones (also worth reading) this animated interpretation by Hayao Miyazaki is simply magical.
Sophie, a 19 year old girl, is content to spend her days making hats in her family’s hat shop. While her mother and sister are extravagant, beautiful and charismatic, Sophie thinks of herself as plain, but infinitely sensible. All this changes, however, when the local wizard Howl enters her life and saves her from ravishing at the hands of some soldiers. While Howl’s attentions save Sophie, his actions have also been detected by the Witch of the Wastes…who curses Sophie and turns her into a 90 year old woman. Sophie leaves her safe, routine, sensible world to find a way to break her spell and undergoes a wonderful, romantic adventure.
I have to admit, I am NOT a fan of anime. A lot of it seems weird to me, or kind of pervy, or…just not in general my thing. Howl is the first anime movie I had taken a chance on and watched, and I cannot say enough how happy I am that I took the gamble. Hayao Miyazaki, rightfully called the great animator of our time, is brilliant in his images, scenes, music, and characters. There is something, for lack of a better word, magical in his movies (after watching this, I quickly watched the rest of his work). Howl has a sweet love story, a smart and wonderful heroine in Sophie, and a dead sexy voice in Christian Bale as the titled wizard.
If you’ve never tried anime before, please just give this movie a shot. I couldn’t love it more!
Ana and I have decided that while we continue to branch out and review new works/movies/shows, there are a lot of older materials that we love and want to discuss and recommend. With that in mind, we have decided to give a bimonthly unearthing of our old loves and share them with you.
May we present…from the dungeons of Ana and Thea!
*Drags open heavy wrought iron door and shakes off dust*
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