Wesley Britton's Blog, page 38
January 21, 2017
Book Review: The Platinum Age of Television: From I Love Lucy to The Walking Dead, How TV Became Terrific by David Bianculli
The Platinum Age of Television: From I Love Lucy to The Walking Dead, How TV Became Terrific
David Bianculli
Publisher: Doubleday (November 15, 2016)
ISBN-10: 0385540272
ISBN-13: 978-0385540278
https://www.amazon.com/Platinum-Age-T...
Reviewer: Dr. Wesley Britton
For forty years, David Bianculli has been a noted TV critic, perhaps best known for his audio commentaries and interviews on PBS’s radio show, Fresh Air. As he demonstrates on every page of The Platinum Age of Television, Bianculli’s personal wealth of TV knowledge is very deep indeed, going back to the 1950s when the author’s childhood love affair with the small screen began.
One stated purpose for the book is the tracing of the evolution of quality television starting long before TV’s “Platinum Age.” Bianculli claims the age began in 1999 when two important series premiered, The West Wing and The Sopranos. Just what qualifies as quality TV might surprise some readers as the first two chapters deal with children’s shows and animation. Then there’s the chapter on soaps, not the daytime series but the influential ongoing storylines in programs like Peyton Place and Dallas.
Bianculli looks at the full history of television in such chapters devoted to different genres and categories, usually opening with overviews that briefly touch on series he doesn’t spotlight followed by focused discussions of shows he believes are landmarks in TV’s evolution. Despite the book’s title, I Love Lucy isn’t covered until Chapter 8. In many discussions, as with Legal shows, he also mentions radio programs that set the stage for their television descendants. For example, he gives us a detailed history of crime shows before the first series he highlights in that genre, 1981’s Hill St. Blues. Before that groundbreaking show, Bianculli points to the differences between quality and popularity, in this case all the TV detectives who had only one characteristic or another to distinguish themselves from each other in very interchangeable storylines. Then came Hill St. Blues and NYPD Blue and crime shows dramatically evolved into a new era of maturity and creativity all the way up to Breaking Bad.
For each genre, Bianculli offers up these detailed history lessons with no shortage of analytical observations along with often hit-and-run explorations of the shows he spotlights. At the end of most chapters are interviews with and retrospectives of key figures like Mel Brooks, Carol Burnett, Stephen Bochco, Norman Lear, James L. Brooks and many others. Not only is Bianculli a devoted watcher of hundreds of hours of TV—claiming to have seen every broadcast of Saturday Night Live—his interviews add an insider’s point-of-view that shares what performers and creators think about their work, how their shows came to be, their motivations and influences, and often judgements of their respective legacies.
The Platinum Age is a book for anyone who loves television, and who doesn’t that include? As it reaches back to the beginning and includes series up to the present, it should interest all generations of TV watchers. I suppose there are those who would be most curious about specific chapters that deal with the genres they prefer. All readers will learn things they likely haven’t discovered before and should measure their own judgements against Bianculli’s. Fawlty Towers as the first workplace sitcom worthy of a spotlight? Did you know about the 1963 Arrest and Trial, a 90 minute mix of police work and courtroom drama decades before the Law and Order franchise did the same thing? Do you remember The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd and the fact it featured a single mother who had a child on her own a year before Murphy Brown launched an unintentional controversy with the same event? In short, this is a book for pretty much everyone willing to put down the remote and read an engaging book about what they’re watching.
This review first appeared Jan. 21, 2016 at BookPleasures.com:
goo.gl/j6TiwJ
David Bianculli
Publisher: Doubleday (November 15, 2016)
ISBN-10: 0385540272
ISBN-13: 978-0385540278
https://www.amazon.com/Platinum-Age-T...
Reviewer: Dr. Wesley Britton
For forty years, David Bianculli has been a noted TV critic, perhaps best known for his audio commentaries and interviews on PBS’s radio show, Fresh Air. As he demonstrates on every page of The Platinum Age of Television, Bianculli’s personal wealth of TV knowledge is very deep indeed, going back to the 1950s when the author’s childhood love affair with the small screen began.
One stated purpose for the book is the tracing of the evolution of quality television starting long before TV’s “Platinum Age.” Bianculli claims the age began in 1999 when two important series premiered, The West Wing and The Sopranos. Just what qualifies as quality TV might surprise some readers as the first two chapters deal with children’s shows and animation. Then there’s the chapter on soaps, not the daytime series but the influential ongoing storylines in programs like Peyton Place and Dallas.
Bianculli looks at the full history of television in such chapters devoted to different genres and categories, usually opening with overviews that briefly touch on series he doesn’t spotlight followed by focused discussions of shows he believes are landmarks in TV’s evolution. Despite the book’s title, I Love Lucy isn’t covered until Chapter 8. In many discussions, as with Legal shows, he also mentions radio programs that set the stage for their television descendants. For example, he gives us a detailed history of crime shows before the first series he highlights in that genre, 1981’s Hill St. Blues. Before that groundbreaking show, Bianculli points to the differences between quality and popularity, in this case all the TV detectives who had only one characteristic or another to distinguish themselves from each other in very interchangeable storylines. Then came Hill St. Blues and NYPD Blue and crime shows dramatically evolved into a new era of maturity and creativity all the way up to Breaking Bad.
For each genre, Bianculli offers up these detailed history lessons with no shortage of analytical observations along with often hit-and-run explorations of the shows he spotlights. At the end of most chapters are interviews with and retrospectives of key figures like Mel Brooks, Carol Burnett, Stephen Bochco, Norman Lear, James L. Brooks and many others. Not only is Bianculli a devoted watcher of hundreds of hours of TV—claiming to have seen every broadcast of Saturday Night Live—his interviews add an insider’s point-of-view that shares what performers and creators think about their work, how their shows came to be, their motivations and influences, and often judgements of their respective legacies.
The Platinum Age is a book for anyone who loves television, and who doesn’t that include? As it reaches back to the beginning and includes series up to the present, it should interest all generations of TV watchers. I suppose there are those who would be most curious about specific chapters that deal with the genres they prefer. All readers will learn things they likely haven’t discovered before and should measure their own judgements against Bianculli’s. Fawlty Towers as the first workplace sitcom worthy of a spotlight? Did you know about the 1963 Arrest and Trial, a 90 minute mix of police work and courtroom drama decades before the Law and Order franchise did the same thing? Do you remember The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd and the fact it featured a single mother who had a child on her own a year before Murphy Brown launched an unintentional controversy with the same event? In short, this is a book for pretty much everyone willing to put down the remote and read an engaging book about what they’re watching.
This review first appeared Jan. 21, 2016 at BookPleasures.com:
goo.gl/j6TiwJ
January 17, 2017
Book Review: The Guns of Bridgewood: A Western of Modern America by Aaron Cooley
For readers who might wonder how I’ve been able to post so many reviews this month, the answer is simple.
I wrote up some of these reviews back in 2016 before the titles went up at Amazon. So these reviews have been sitting in my files until the book’s publication. Like this one:
The Guns of Bridgewood: A Western of Modern America
Aaron Cooley
Publisher: Melnore Press; 1 edition (January 19, 2017)
Publication Date: January 19, 2017
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services LLC
ASIN: B01N5N3MDE
https://www.amazon.com/Guns-Ridgewood...
Aaron Cooley’s new novel opens with this dedication:
“This book is supposed to be at its heart a novel about three daughters;
and so I dedicate it to my own, Beatrix Hope.”
This dedication might suggest three daughters would be major players in the story, but as two of them are dead, one is disabled and unable to speak due to gun violence, they serve more as inspirations for the action, not living participants in it.
However, the subtitle is a strong signal of what will happen. The story is indeed a modern Western, featuring central character Clayton “Sour” Manco, a former FBI agent who dislikes guns. He was drummed out of the bureau under a cloud, but is drawn again into hunting violent killers by Congressman Homer Blunt. As a result, Manco is a literary descendent of all those legendary gunfighters who seek to put their pasts behind them but become enmeshed in the need to fall back on their old deadly skills against their will.
In this modern setting, Blunt wants Manco to hunt down and kill three assassins who’ve murdered three fellow congressional representatives for, at first, unknown reasons. Blunt’s head of security, Jill Creete, is assigned the task of being Manco’s shadow. She too lost her former employment in the government under her own cloud and doesn’t think much of Manco until he shows off his investigative chops.
The story is full of such psychologically wounded warriors, especially the trio of assassins with murderous vengeance coursing through their veins. To reveal what their motives are would be a spoiler, but I will say two dead school girls are very much at the heart of their anger. I will also note the irony of their using gun violence to react to what they perceive is a lack of gun control and any willingness by our leaders to restrict access to guns.
Cooley is especially good at drawing complex character portraits with none of his characters portrayed as simple black-and-white figures of good or evil. Most are very dark indeed, no matter what side of the law they are on. In particular, his anti-hero, Manco, is able to see the flaws in Blunt and the reasoning of his quarry despite their bloodlust.
I’ve had the pleasure of reading two previous Cooley novels, the Bond homage, Shaken, Not Stirred, and part of his Supreme Court legal saga, Four Seats: The Full Docket. While I have no quibbles with his previous work, I do think The Guns of Bridgewood is more sharply drawn with a richer depth in his characters. It’s also easy to see his script-writing experience as this novel unfolds like it belongs on screen.
I think the novel is a fine way for Aaron Cooley to begin 2017. It’s thought-provoking and an obvious leap forward in one novelist’s development.
This review first appeared at BookPleasures.com on Jan 17, 2017:
goo.gl/CzeEnf
I wrote up some of these reviews back in 2016 before the titles went up at Amazon. So these reviews have been sitting in my files until the book’s publication. Like this one:
The Guns of Bridgewood: A Western of Modern America
Aaron Cooley
Publisher: Melnore Press; 1 edition (January 19, 2017)
Publication Date: January 19, 2017
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services LLC
ASIN: B01N5N3MDE
https://www.amazon.com/Guns-Ridgewood...
Aaron Cooley’s new novel opens with this dedication:
“This book is supposed to be at its heart a novel about three daughters;
and so I dedicate it to my own, Beatrix Hope.”
This dedication might suggest three daughters would be major players in the story, but as two of them are dead, one is disabled and unable to speak due to gun violence, they serve more as inspirations for the action, not living participants in it.
However, the subtitle is a strong signal of what will happen. The story is indeed a modern Western, featuring central character Clayton “Sour” Manco, a former FBI agent who dislikes guns. He was drummed out of the bureau under a cloud, but is drawn again into hunting violent killers by Congressman Homer Blunt. As a result, Manco is a literary descendent of all those legendary gunfighters who seek to put their pasts behind them but become enmeshed in the need to fall back on their old deadly skills against their will.
In this modern setting, Blunt wants Manco to hunt down and kill three assassins who’ve murdered three fellow congressional representatives for, at first, unknown reasons. Blunt’s head of security, Jill Creete, is assigned the task of being Manco’s shadow. She too lost her former employment in the government under her own cloud and doesn’t think much of Manco until he shows off his investigative chops.
The story is full of such psychologically wounded warriors, especially the trio of assassins with murderous vengeance coursing through their veins. To reveal what their motives are would be a spoiler, but I will say two dead school girls are very much at the heart of their anger. I will also note the irony of their using gun violence to react to what they perceive is a lack of gun control and any willingness by our leaders to restrict access to guns.
Cooley is especially good at drawing complex character portraits with none of his characters portrayed as simple black-and-white figures of good or evil. Most are very dark indeed, no matter what side of the law they are on. In particular, his anti-hero, Manco, is able to see the flaws in Blunt and the reasoning of his quarry despite their bloodlust.
I’ve had the pleasure of reading two previous Cooley novels, the Bond homage, Shaken, Not Stirred, and part of his Supreme Court legal saga, Four Seats: The Full Docket. While I have no quibbles with his previous work, I do think The Guns of Bridgewood is more sharply drawn with a richer depth in his characters. It’s also easy to see his script-writing experience as this novel unfolds like it belongs on screen.
I think the novel is a fine way for Aaron Cooley to begin 2017. It’s thought-provoking and an obvious leap forward in one novelist’s development.
This review first appeared at BookPleasures.com on Jan 17, 2017:
goo.gl/CzeEnf
Book Review: Stormhaven Rising (Atlas and the Winds) (Volume 1) by Eric Michael Craig
Stormhaven Rising (Atlas and the Winds) (Volume 1)
Eric Michael Craig
Publisher: Rivenstone Management, INC (April 12, 2016)
ISBN-10: 0997470720
ISBN-13: 978-0997470727
https://www.amazon.com/Stormhaven-Ris...
Reviewed by Dr. Wesley Britton
The concept of the destruction of earth because of an asteroid crashing into our planet can be traced back to 1933’s When Worlds Collide by Philip Wylie and Edwin Balmer. Since then, sci fi novels and high-octane Hollywood films have used the idea for a number of cinematic thrillrides from Armageddon to Asteroid to Deep Impact.
In When Worlds Collide, Scientist Cole Hedron built two spaceships that took survivors to a second approaching planet to give humans a second chance. It’s difficult not to think Colton “Cole” Taylor, owner of earth’s largest advanced technology corporation called Stormhaven in Stormhaven Rising, isn’t an overt nod to Hedron. Taylor too wants to take survivors from earth to the moon to give humanity a second chance.
Still, Stormhaven Rising is far more complex and believable than its literary ancestor. For one matter, the science in Stormhaven is far more credible, as when earth scientists determine trying to blast the asteroid into bits won’t work and a better strategy would be to nudge the body off its present course. But can this be done in time and can the governments of the earth put aside a host of political issues to cooperate?
For example, the government of paranoid U.S. President Sylvia Hutton is obsessed with maintaining secrecy to the point of destroying civil liberties of anyone who might know the truth. The government doesn’t want Taylor to send up any spaceships without getting proper liscences. The Chinese have their own moon-based plans. The Russians and Japanese are resentful the U.S. wants to call all the shots, notably building spaceships at the International Space Station without working with their international partners. In short, how can humanity save anything if all efforts are either bogged down in politics, bureaucratic squabbles, censorship, or conflicting schemes and goals?
With all these players on the chessboard, and all the stages on earth, on the moon, and in space, there’s no shortage of characters representing the differing interests. Some are better drawn than others, especially in Taylor’s stormhaven base and in the camp of government agents surrounding the company headquarters determined to capture an astronomer who knows about the asteroid and stop any unauthorized launches. One of those characters is the amazing computer with the feminine voice, MICA. In the midst of all this drama, we do get some light moments, as when two astronauts try their level best to enjoy some anti-grav sex on a space shuttle going, where else, around the world. In other words, Craig does a good job of creating characters that signal humanity, despite its flaws, is worth saving if it can only get out of its own way.
The final chapters include a very exciting climax and a long denouement full of both optimism and foreboding. Stormhaven Rising is the first book in a series that has already resulted in two sequels published last year (Prometheus and The Dragon, Shadows in the Flame) with two more volumes scheduled for June and December 2017 (Warlords of the Night, The Orphans of Destiny). A related short story, “Ghostmaker,” is also in the pipeline.
So Stormhaven Rising, an epic on its own terms, sets the stage for an epic series in its wake. I like such series and know I’ll be exploring the sequels very soon. If this sort of sci fi is your cup of tea, you too will likely dig into this saga in short order. It’s a ride well worth taking as Craig breathes considerable fresh air into a well-established tradition.
This review first appeared at BookPleasures.com on Jan. 17, 2017 at:
goo.gl/QzcdYL
Eric Michael Craig
Publisher: Rivenstone Management, INC (April 12, 2016)
ISBN-10: 0997470720
ISBN-13: 978-0997470727
https://www.amazon.com/Stormhaven-Ris...
Reviewed by Dr. Wesley Britton
The concept of the destruction of earth because of an asteroid crashing into our planet can be traced back to 1933’s When Worlds Collide by Philip Wylie and Edwin Balmer. Since then, sci fi novels and high-octane Hollywood films have used the idea for a number of cinematic thrillrides from Armageddon to Asteroid to Deep Impact.
In When Worlds Collide, Scientist Cole Hedron built two spaceships that took survivors to a second approaching planet to give humans a second chance. It’s difficult not to think Colton “Cole” Taylor, owner of earth’s largest advanced technology corporation called Stormhaven in Stormhaven Rising, isn’t an overt nod to Hedron. Taylor too wants to take survivors from earth to the moon to give humanity a second chance.
Still, Stormhaven Rising is far more complex and believable than its literary ancestor. For one matter, the science in Stormhaven is far more credible, as when earth scientists determine trying to blast the asteroid into bits won’t work and a better strategy would be to nudge the body off its present course. But can this be done in time and can the governments of the earth put aside a host of political issues to cooperate?
For example, the government of paranoid U.S. President Sylvia Hutton is obsessed with maintaining secrecy to the point of destroying civil liberties of anyone who might know the truth. The government doesn’t want Taylor to send up any spaceships without getting proper liscences. The Chinese have their own moon-based plans. The Russians and Japanese are resentful the U.S. wants to call all the shots, notably building spaceships at the International Space Station without working with their international partners. In short, how can humanity save anything if all efforts are either bogged down in politics, bureaucratic squabbles, censorship, or conflicting schemes and goals?
With all these players on the chessboard, and all the stages on earth, on the moon, and in space, there’s no shortage of characters representing the differing interests. Some are better drawn than others, especially in Taylor’s stormhaven base and in the camp of government agents surrounding the company headquarters determined to capture an astronomer who knows about the asteroid and stop any unauthorized launches. One of those characters is the amazing computer with the feminine voice, MICA. In the midst of all this drama, we do get some light moments, as when two astronauts try their level best to enjoy some anti-grav sex on a space shuttle going, where else, around the world. In other words, Craig does a good job of creating characters that signal humanity, despite its flaws, is worth saving if it can only get out of its own way.
The final chapters include a very exciting climax and a long denouement full of both optimism and foreboding. Stormhaven Rising is the first book in a series that has already resulted in two sequels published last year (Prometheus and The Dragon, Shadows in the Flame) with two more volumes scheduled for June and December 2017 (Warlords of the Night, The Orphans of Destiny). A related short story, “Ghostmaker,” is also in the pipeline.
So Stormhaven Rising, an epic on its own terms, sets the stage for an epic series in its wake. I like such series and know I’ll be exploring the sequels very soon. If this sort of sci fi is your cup of tea, you too will likely dig into this saga in short order. It’s a ride well worth taking as Craig breathes considerable fresh air into a well-established tradition.
This review first appeared at BookPleasures.com on Jan. 17, 2017 at:
goo.gl/QzcdYL
January 15, 2017
Book Review: The Seventh Age by Rick Heinz
The Seventh Age: Dawn
Rick Heinz
Publisher: Inkshares (January 17, 2017)
ISBN-10: 1941758894
ISBN-13: 978-1941758892
https://www.amazon.com/Seventh-Age-Da...
Reviewed by Dr. Wesley Britton
In a way, I almost feel this review might be a tad redundant. That’s because I’m about to repeat and echo observations made by a number of other reviewers before me.
For example, I’m far from the first to tell you Rick Heinz immediately drops the reader into hot and heavy action in the very first paragraph of The Seventh Age and doesn’t slow down for the over 400 pages that follow. The book is dense, complex, and populated by a very strange cast of characters that include warlocks, vampires, demons, ghosts, shape shifters, sorcerers, mutant animals, as well as humans. In all this paranormal activity, earth as we know it is about to change as all these beings have different agendas about what they want to happen. There are apparently international rituals in the works to bring about a “Unification” and the resurrection of a super-entity named Lazarus to usher in a new age when magic will again rule.
In many ways, because of the layers of varying agendas and battles between the supernatural beings, trying to offer a useful and understandable synopsis isn’t really workable in a short review like this. Suffice it to say a human named Mike Auburn is our first point-of-view character in Chicago, a man who can see the dead. He meets beings who slowly reveal his important role in what is coming. Some of the supernaturals care nothing for humans and would be happy to wipe us out. Others see us as expendable inconveniences in the way as they invade earth from both Purgatory and Hell. Still others want to Shepard and protect as much humanity as they can in underground and street level battles. There’s a lot of blood, vampirism, and eating of souls. For those who enjoy conspiracy thrillers, there’s no shortage of secret societies who want to open or block the portals between the realms and keep their activities hidden from humanity as they plan a takeover of our planet.
One of my favorite aspects of this book is just how much Heinz is able to keep the reader guessing and surprised by what is going on, particularly as many of the characters you’d think are pure evil turn out to have far more mixed motives than you’d expect. While I can’t say my reading of urban fantasies is all that deep, I can’t recall a title in this genre with this much of an epic scope. This is especially true considering Dawn is obviously just volume one of this saga.
So, if you don’t mind your fantasy being on the grim and grisly side, the plot constantly challenging any preconceptions you might have as you go along, The Seventh Age is a chilling, engrossing read. Some books still prove literature can be very frightening indeed, even if everything is so fantastic that what happens can’t reflect real-world concerns.
This review first appeared at BookPleasures.com on Jan. 16, 2016:
goo.gl/T2mGBv
Rick Heinz
Publisher: Inkshares (January 17, 2017)
ISBN-10: 1941758894
ISBN-13: 978-1941758892
https://www.amazon.com/Seventh-Age-Da...
Reviewed by Dr. Wesley Britton
In a way, I almost feel this review might be a tad redundant. That’s because I’m about to repeat and echo observations made by a number of other reviewers before me.
For example, I’m far from the first to tell you Rick Heinz immediately drops the reader into hot and heavy action in the very first paragraph of The Seventh Age and doesn’t slow down for the over 400 pages that follow. The book is dense, complex, and populated by a very strange cast of characters that include warlocks, vampires, demons, ghosts, shape shifters, sorcerers, mutant animals, as well as humans. In all this paranormal activity, earth as we know it is about to change as all these beings have different agendas about what they want to happen. There are apparently international rituals in the works to bring about a “Unification” and the resurrection of a super-entity named Lazarus to usher in a new age when magic will again rule.
In many ways, because of the layers of varying agendas and battles between the supernatural beings, trying to offer a useful and understandable synopsis isn’t really workable in a short review like this. Suffice it to say a human named Mike Auburn is our first point-of-view character in Chicago, a man who can see the dead. He meets beings who slowly reveal his important role in what is coming. Some of the supernaturals care nothing for humans and would be happy to wipe us out. Others see us as expendable inconveniences in the way as they invade earth from both Purgatory and Hell. Still others want to Shepard and protect as much humanity as they can in underground and street level battles. There’s a lot of blood, vampirism, and eating of souls. For those who enjoy conspiracy thrillers, there’s no shortage of secret societies who want to open or block the portals between the realms and keep their activities hidden from humanity as they plan a takeover of our planet.
One of my favorite aspects of this book is just how much Heinz is able to keep the reader guessing and surprised by what is going on, particularly as many of the characters you’d think are pure evil turn out to have far more mixed motives than you’d expect. While I can’t say my reading of urban fantasies is all that deep, I can’t recall a title in this genre with this much of an epic scope. This is especially true considering Dawn is obviously just volume one of this saga.
So, if you don’t mind your fantasy being on the grim and grisly side, the plot constantly challenging any preconceptions you might have as you go along, The Seventh Age is a chilling, engrossing read. Some books still prove literature can be very frightening indeed, even if everything is so fantastic that what happens can’t reflect real-world concerns.
This review first appeared at BookPleasures.com on Jan. 16, 2016:
goo.gl/T2mGBv
January 13, 2017
Reposts of Wes Britton reviews
Two of Wes Britton’s book reviews—of Third Party: Volume 1 by Steven Nemerovski and Nazi Saboteurs on the Bayou by Steven Burgauer—have been reposted in the Midwest Book Review:
http://www.midwestbookreview.com/rbw/...
While I’m here, author Andy Zachs also reposted my review of his Zombie Turkeys at his blog—
http://zombieturkeys.com/blog/i
http://www.midwestbookreview.com/rbw/...
While I’m here, author Andy Zachs also reposted my review of his Zombie Turkeys at his blog—
http://zombieturkeys.com/blog/i
January 10, 2017
Book Review: Zombie Turkeys: How an Unknown Blogger Fought Unkillable Turkeys (Life After Life) (Volume 1) by Andy Zach
Zombie Turkeys: How an Unknown Blogger Fought Unkillable Turkeys (Life After Life) (Volume 1)
Mr. Andy Zach
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform; 1 edition (October 17, 2016)
ISBN-10: 1539466752
ISBN-13: 978-1539466758
https://www.amazon.com/Zombie-Turkeys...
Reviewed by: Dr. Wesley Britton
The title of Zombie Turkeys signals this urban fantasy is intended to be entertaining, not to be taken seriously, and likely a comic romp. You can guess there’s lots of clever twists in the story, and happily the execution is more than what readers might expect.
The yarn is fast-moving from start to finish, opening with the first attack of carnivorous red-eyed wild turkeys very difficult to kill. They can quickly resurrect after death and grow back cut-off limbs. They’re led by a tom full of confidence as Zach gives us this tom’s perspectives from time to time as he builds his flock into the tens of thousands throughout Illinois and beyond.
On the trail of the killer swarm is Sam Melvin, investigative reporter for the small-town Illinois Midley Beacon newspaper and blog edited by his future wife, Lisa. She’s motivated to put her paper on the map and exploits the invasion by selling turkey traps, turkey t-shirts, inedible turkey sausages, and ad space on the paper’s YouTube channel where she posts Sam’s videos. Along the way, as Sam recounts his adventures, we get some obvious jokes. We hear choirs of “Gobble, gobble” when the flock goes after the “predators”—mostly we humans. Humans are literally hen-pecked to death. When we hear cries of “The zombie turkeys are coming, the zombie turkeys are coming!,” the reference to Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds is more than obvious.
As the setting expands, we encounter some very strange groups. They include the heavily-armed and very secretive Organic Turkey Farmers network of survivalists. PETA shows up at law enforcement press conferences protesting the “inhumane,” aggressive means needed to kill the murderous turkeys like flame-throwers and chainsaws. There’s the Zombie Widows Help Association created for the survivors of turkey attacks who offer advice on how families can gather for Thanksgiving during the carnage across Illinois. When the flock begins to invade Chicago, Second Amendment advocates press Mayor Rob Emmanuel for a loosening of gun control measures. Even President Obama has several cameos, including an aborted Thanksgiving dinner in the city. Perhaps strangest of all is the battle at Soldiers Field where the Chicago Bears, the Green Bay Packers, and a stadium of armed fans take on a horde of relentless turkeys.
Obviously, looking for clear explanations for why all this is happening is way beside the point. We learn about a Turkey Institute who discover where the infectious bacteria came from and how simple salt water is the needed cure. We hear about the Journal of Turkey Medicine where scientific reports are published. Are there really that many turkeys in Illinois? Hundreds of thousands? Maybe so, but again, making real world connections is way beside the point. After all, here’s how the author describes himself:
Andy Zach was born Anastasius Zacharias, in Greece. His parents were both zombies. Growing up, he loved animals of all kinds. After moving to the United States as a child, in high school he won a science fair by bringing toads back from suspended animation. Before turning to fiction, Andy published his PhD thesis "Methods of Revivification for Various Species of the Kingdom Animalia" in the prestigious JAPM, Journal of Paranormal Medicine. Andy, in addition to being the foremost expert on paranormal animals, enjoys breeding phoenixes. He lives in Illinois with his five phoenixes.
I’m not certain, but Promotions for the urban fantasy seem to include fake online news reports, like an article on zombie turkey attacks posted at Weekly World News, “The World's Only Reliable News.” Other online notices for Zombie Turkey games and pranks go back to 2010, so I don’t know which came first—the turkey book or a very different creative egg. Not surprisingly, during a perhaps overlong denouement in the novel, we see the seeds for a sequel, Zombie USA. Don’t put those flamethrowers and chain-saws away just yet--
This review first appeared at BookPleasures.com on Jan. 10, 2016 at:
goo.gl/IqWpSb
Mr. Andy Zach
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform; 1 edition (October 17, 2016)
ISBN-10: 1539466752
ISBN-13: 978-1539466758
https://www.amazon.com/Zombie-Turkeys...
Reviewed by: Dr. Wesley Britton
The title of Zombie Turkeys signals this urban fantasy is intended to be entertaining, not to be taken seriously, and likely a comic romp. You can guess there’s lots of clever twists in the story, and happily the execution is more than what readers might expect.
The yarn is fast-moving from start to finish, opening with the first attack of carnivorous red-eyed wild turkeys very difficult to kill. They can quickly resurrect after death and grow back cut-off limbs. They’re led by a tom full of confidence as Zach gives us this tom’s perspectives from time to time as he builds his flock into the tens of thousands throughout Illinois and beyond.
On the trail of the killer swarm is Sam Melvin, investigative reporter for the small-town Illinois Midley Beacon newspaper and blog edited by his future wife, Lisa. She’s motivated to put her paper on the map and exploits the invasion by selling turkey traps, turkey t-shirts, inedible turkey sausages, and ad space on the paper’s YouTube channel where she posts Sam’s videos. Along the way, as Sam recounts his adventures, we get some obvious jokes. We hear choirs of “Gobble, gobble” when the flock goes after the “predators”—mostly we humans. Humans are literally hen-pecked to death. When we hear cries of “The zombie turkeys are coming, the zombie turkeys are coming!,” the reference to Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds is more than obvious.
As the setting expands, we encounter some very strange groups. They include the heavily-armed and very secretive Organic Turkey Farmers network of survivalists. PETA shows up at law enforcement press conferences protesting the “inhumane,” aggressive means needed to kill the murderous turkeys like flame-throwers and chainsaws. There’s the Zombie Widows Help Association created for the survivors of turkey attacks who offer advice on how families can gather for Thanksgiving during the carnage across Illinois. When the flock begins to invade Chicago, Second Amendment advocates press Mayor Rob Emmanuel for a loosening of gun control measures. Even President Obama has several cameos, including an aborted Thanksgiving dinner in the city. Perhaps strangest of all is the battle at Soldiers Field where the Chicago Bears, the Green Bay Packers, and a stadium of armed fans take on a horde of relentless turkeys.
Obviously, looking for clear explanations for why all this is happening is way beside the point. We learn about a Turkey Institute who discover where the infectious bacteria came from and how simple salt water is the needed cure. We hear about the Journal of Turkey Medicine where scientific reports are published. Are there really that many turkeys in Illinois? Hundreds of thousands? Maybe so, but again, making real world connections is way beside the point. After all, here’s how the author describes himself:
Andy Zach was born Anastasius Zacharias, in Greece. His parents were both zombies. Growing up, he loved animals of all kinds. After moving to the United States as a child, in high school he won a science fair by bringing toads back from suspended animation. Before turning to fiction, Andy published his PhD thesis "Methods of Revivification for Various Species of the Kingdom Animalia" in the prestigious JAPM, Journal of Paranormal Medicine. Andy, in addition to being the foremost expert on paranormal animals, enjoys breeding phoenixes. He lives in Illinois with his five phoenixes.
I’m not certain, but Promotions for the urban fantasy seem to include fake online news reports, like an article on zombie turkey attacks posted at Weekly World News, “The World's Only Reliable News.” Other online notices for Zombie Turkey games and pranks go back to 2010, so I don’t know which came first—the turkey book or a very different creative egg. Not surprisingly, during a perhaps overlong denouement in the novel, we see the seeds for a sequel, Zombie USA. Don’t put those flamethrowers and chain-saws away just yet--
This review first appeared at BookPleasures.com on Jan. 10, 2016 at:
goo.gl/IqWpSb
Book Review: The Forgotten: The Ari Cohen Series, Book Three by Spencer Hawke
The Forgotten: The Ari Cohen Series, Book Three
Spencer Hawke
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (August 11, 2015)
ISBN-10: 1515375633
ISBN-13: 978-1515375630
https://www.amazon.com/Forgotten-Ari-...
Reviewed by: Dr. Wesley Britton
“While pompous politicians belch over their taxpayer funded extravagant lunches, real Americans are trying to do something about the horrors many precious fallible children of God are destined to suffer through. Hopefully this book will help inspire at least one leader to skip a lunch and DO SOMETHING . . . This work, is my attempt to spread the word [about the trafficking of abducted children] . . . If you wonder why this book is more expensive than the first two books in the An Cohen series, it is because a portion of these proceeds go to fund organizations that I feel are trying to fight this injustice.”
Spencer Hawke’s stated purpose in his “Dedication” to The Forgotten signals there’s more going on in this thriller than the sorts of pumped-up action you’d expect in similar yarns by the likes of Tom Clancy, Clive Cussler, or Jack Higgins, among many others.
The third book featuring former Mossad agent Ari Cohen (following The Arrows of Islam and The Swiss Conspiracy) is a human trafficking mystery in which Cohen follows a trail starting with his criminal rival Peter Stengal, a.k.a. the Raven, who is involved in a cartel that kidnaps young girls and boys for sex, slave labor, and organ harvesting. It’s a personal mission for Cohen as his niece, Renee, has been abducted by a child trafficking syndicate in Paris. It’s also a personal matter for Stengel who seeks compatible bone marrow for his dying son before The Raven decides to team up with the good guys as he too is repulsed by the evil he observes.
Cohen has become an operative of Athena Ops, led by Col. Tom Burke headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland. Athena, established over 200 years ago by America’s founding fathers, especially Thomas Jefferson, has many resources at their command, including advanced technological eyes-in-the-sky. Of course, such technology can’t replace a skilled asset in the field willing to face physical obstacles and match skills and wits with the enemies of individual freedom and, in this case, simple decency and humanity.
Judging from this book, the Ari Cohen series isn’t as hot-blooded as many other special operations books as the action is comparatively limited and the threat isn’t on a massive power-hungry megalomaniacal scale. That is, until the final 60 pages with the invasion into underground slave chambers and a slave auction in Zanzibar. Even then, the story never goes overboard with blazing gun battles or pyrotechnic explosions. In the background, but not the action, the husband of the president of the U.S., unseen Zulu warriors, and hungry lions prowl in the jungle but never play important roles in the escapes of the adducted youngsters.
I rather doubt Ari Cohen or Athena are likely to replace any reader’s affections for previous fictional spy heroes or their organizations. But it’s hard to dismiss a thriller with a purpose as important as Hawke’s. For that reason alone, readers who like espionage adventures should make a point of exploring The Forgotten and perhaps indeed be inspired to support the work of real-world efforts to thwart the evil fictionalized in the story. It’s a fast-moving read to boot featuring sympathetic characters with deeper than average motivations.
This review first appeared at BookPleasures.com on Jan. 9, 2016:
goo.gl/QguAT9
Spencer Hawke
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (August 11, 2015)
ISBN-10: 1515375633
ISBN-13: 978-1515375630
https://www.amazon.com/Forgotten-Ari-...
Reviewed by: Dr. Wesley Britton
“While pompous politicians belch over their taxpayer funded extravagant lunches, real Americans are trying to do something about the horrors many precious fallible children of God are destined to suffer through. Hopefully this book will help inspire at least one leader to skip a lunch and DO SOMETHING . . . This work, is my attempt to spread the word [about the trafficking of abducted children] . . . If you wonder why this book is more expensive than the first two books in the An Cohen series, it is because a portion of these proceeds go to fund organizations that I feel are trying to fight this injustice.”
Spencer Hawke’s stated purpose in his “Dedication” to The Forgotten signals there’s more going on in this thriller than the sorts of pumped-up action you’d expect in similar yarns by the likes of Tom Clancy, Clive Cussler, or Jack Higgins, among many others.
The third book featuring former Mossad agent Ari Cohen (following The Arrows of Islam and The Swiss Conspiracy) is a human trafficking mystery in which Cohen follows a trail starting with his criminal rival Peter Stengal, a.k.a. the Raven, who is involved in a cartel that kidnaps young girls and boys for sex, slave labor, and organ harvesting. It’s a personal mission for Cohen as his niece, Renee, has been abducted by a child trafficking syndicate in Paris. It’s also a personal matter for Stengel who seeks compatible bone marrow for his dying son before The Raven decides to team up with the good guys as he too is repulsed by the evil he observes.
Cohen has become an operative of Athena Ops, led by Col. Tom Burke headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland. Athena, established over 200 years ago by America’s founding fathers, especially Thomas Jefferson, has many resources at their command, including advanced technological eyes-in-the-sky. Of course, such technology can’t replace a skilled asset in the field willing to face physical obstacles and match skills and wits with the enemies of individual freedom and, in this case, simple decency and humanity.
Judging from this book, the Ari Cohen series isn’t as hot-blooded as many other special operations books as the action is comparatively limited and the threat isn’t on a massive power-hungry megalomaniacal scale. That is, until the final 60 pages with the invasion into underground slave chambers and a slave auction in Zanzibar. Even then, the story never goes overboard with blazing gun battles or pyrotechnic explosions. In the background, but not the action, the husband of the president of the U.S., unseen Zulu warriors, and hungry lions prowl in the jungle but never play important roles in the escapes of the adducted youngsters.
I rather doubt Ari Cohen or Athena are likely to replace any reader’s affections for previous fictional spy heroes or their organizations. But it’s hard to dismiss a thriller with a purpose as important as Hawke’s. For that reason alone, readers who like espionage adventures should make a point of exploring The Forgotten and perhaps indeed be inspired to support the work of real-world efforts to thwart the evil fictionalized in the story. It’s a fast-moving read to boot featuring sympathetic characters with deeper than average motivations.
This review first appeared at BookPleasures.com on Jan. 9, 2016:
goo.gl/QguAT9
January 9, 2017
Book Review: Alfred Hitchcock: A Brief Life by Peter AckroydAlfred Hitchcock: A Brief Life
Alfred Hitchcock: A Brief Life
Peter Ackroyd
Publisher: Nan A. Talese; Reprint edition (October 25, 2016)
ISBN-10: 0385537417
ISBN-13: 978-0385537414
https://www.amazon.com/Alfred-Hitchco...
After decades of numerous in-depth biographies, studies, analyses and memoirs of those who knew and worked with director Alfred Hitchcock, one question must spring to mind when considering any new bio of the esteemed director: what can any new book provide that hasn’t been covered before?
A few answers occur to me. While it’s difficult to imagine any full biography can ever supersede Donald Spoto’s 1983 The Dark Side of Genius: The Life of Alfred Hitchcock or Patrick Mcgilligan’s 2003 Alfred Hitchcock: A Life in Darkness and Light, I think there’s room for a “brief life” geared for the general reader without all the scholarly discussions appropriate for film students or serious movie aficionados. “Brief” implies there’s no attempt for Ackroyd’s biography to be exhaustive or authoritative but rather is a book for those who would like a history of how Hitchcock’s film canon came to be in a non-academic presentation.
It’s also fair to say any important artist should be viewed through new critical lenses anew from time to time as new generations will see creators of the past in very different ways from their predecessors. In addition, readers of books written in previous decades were far more likely to be familiar with many of the master’s films while new readers may have seen few of Hitchcock’s productions. This is most likely true of Hitchcock’s early silent films, his British efforts, or his final movies made after the success of The Birds.
Of course, most books of the past pay considerable homage to critic
François Truffaut due to the exhaustive interviews he conducted with Hitchcock in 1962 which probed the director’s artistic visions much deeper than anyone else was able to accomplish first-hand. Ackroyd too spends some time summarizing the highlights of Truffaut’s conversations with “Hitch” and Truffaut’s popularizing the notion that Hitchcock was an “auteur”—a director that was completely and individually responsible for his work. While not overtly saying it, Ackroyd signals that Hitch was far more collaborative then he’d publically admit, the director always downplaying the contributions of, in particular, script writers and actors.
Ackroyd’s book opens with a quick biography of Hitchcock’s childhood, pointing to the sorts of events that would influence the films to come, in particular the traumas that set the stage for the fears and anxieties present throughout Hitchcock’s life and canon. From that point forward, Ackroyd discusses each film in chronological order with brief overviews of how each came to be, some bits of production history, critical reaction to each film, and how each fit the development of the director’s cinematic trajectory. Along the way, Ackkroyd makes clear what he thinks of each movie and readers can match their own critical analyses with the author. For example, Ackroyd is far kinder to Torn Curtain than most reviewers would be, then or now.
A Brief Life, it seems to me, shouldn’t be dismissed by serious Hitchcock fans, no matter how many previous books they may have already read. Ackroyd does give us fresh perspectives and doesn’t shy away from being controversial. For example, he largely dismisses Tippi Hedron’s tails of near rape by Hitchcock during the making of The Birds and Marni. While Ackroyd is usually balanced in his appreciations and critiques of Hitchcock as a man, this was one instance I found the author a tad unkind.
If you’ve never read a Hitchcock bio, A Brief Life is a good place to start. If you haven’t seen many of the master’s films, A Brief Life should give you a list of films you’ll want to check out. If you’re a Hitch expert, perhaps you will think about movies or personal incidents in new ways. In other words, A Brief Life is well worth exploring by scholars or general film buffs alike.
This review first appeared Jan. 8, 2016 at:
goo.gl/xkUByl
Peter Ackroyd
Publisher: Nan A. Talese; Reprint edition (October 25, 2016)
ISBN-10: 0385537417
ISBN-13: 978-0385537414
https://www.amazon.com/Alfred-Hitchco...
After decades of numerous in-depth biographies, studies, analyses and memoirs of those who knew and worked with director Alfred Hitchcock, one question must spring to mind when considering any new bio of the esteemed director: what can any new book provide that hasn’t been covered before?
A few answers occur to me. While it’s difficult to imagine any full biography can ever supersede Donald Spoto’s 1983 The Dark Side of Genius: The Life of Alfred Hitchcock or Patrick Mcgilligan’s 2003 Alfred Hitchcock: A Life in Darkness and Light, I think there’s room for a “brief life” geared for the general reader without all the scholarly discussions appropriate for film students or serious movie aficionados. “Brief” implies there’s no attempt for Ackroyd’s biography to be exhaustive or authoritative but rather is a book for those who would like a history of how Hitchcock’s film canon came to be in a non-academic presentation.
It’s also fair to say any important artist should be viewed through new critical lenses anew from time to time as new generations will see creators of the past in very different ways from their predecessors. In addition, readers of books written in previous decades were far more likely to be familiar with many of the master’s films while new readers may have seen few of Hitchcock’s productions. This is most likely true of Hitchcock’s early silent films, his British efforts, or his final movies made after the success of The Birds.
Of course, most books of the past pay considerable homage to critic
François Truffaut due to the exhaustive interviews he conducted with Hitchcock in 1962 which probed the director’s artistic visions much deeper than anyone else was able to accomplish first-hand. Ackroyd too spends some time summarizing the highlights of Truffaut’s conversations with “Hitch” and Truffaut’s popularizing the notion that Hitchcock was an “auteur”—a director that was completely and individually responsible for his work. While not overtly saying it, Ackroyd signals that Hitch was far more collaborative then he’d publically admit, the director always downplaying the contributions of, in particular, script writers and actors.
Ackroyd’s book opens with a quick biography of Hitchcock’s childhood, pointing to the sorts of events that would influence the films to come, in particular the traumas that set the stage for the fears and anxieties present throughout Hitchcock’s life and canon. From that point forward, Ackroyd discusses each film in chronological order with brief overviews of how each came to be, some bits of production history, critical reaction to each film, and how each fit the development of the director’s cinematic trajectory. Along the way, Ackkroyd makes clear what he thinks of each movie and readers can match their own critical analyses with the author. For example, Ackroyd is far kinder to Torn Curtain than most reviewers would be, then or now.
A Brief Life, it seems to me, shouldn’t be dismissed by serious Hitchcock fans, no matter how many previous books they may have already read. Ackroyd does give us fresh perspectives and doesn’t shy away from being controversial. For example, he largely dismisses Tippi Hedron’s tails of near rape by Hitchcock during the making of The Birds and Marni. While Ackroyd is usually balanced in his appreciations and critiques of Hitchcock as a man, this was one instance I found the author a tad unkind.
If you’ve never read a Hitchcock bio, A Brief Life is a good place to start. If you haven’t seen many of the master’s films, A Brief Life should give you a list of films you’ll want to check out. If you’re a Hitch expert, perhaps you will think about movies or personal incidents in new ways. In other words, A Brief Life is well worth exploring by scholars or general film buffs alike.
This review first appeared Jan. 8, 2016 at:
goo.gl/xkUByl
January 6, 2017
Book Review: The Night of the Eleventh Sun by Steven Burgauer
The Night of the Eleventh Sun
Steven Burgauer
Publication Date: October 26, 2016
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services LLC
ASIN: B01MDRXQ8K
https://www.amazon.com/Night-Eleventh...
Review by: Dr. Wesley Britton
Last fall, I was happy to review Steven Burgauer’s Nazi Saboteurs on the Bayou, a book very different in both style and substance from his The Night of the Eleventh Sun. For the record, Night first came out as a paperback on June 29, 2007 and was reissued as an e-book last October. According to Burgauer, the book was completely rewritten with a new cover designed, and he regrets any confusion due to Amazon’s unwillingness to change the publication information at the book’s paperback page.
One major difference between Nazi Saboteurs and Night of the Eleventh Sun is the panoramic lense and rich cast of characters in Saboteurs as opposed to a far more focused portrayal of a small tribe in Night. Night is presented in two parts. In the first half, we are taken into the day-to-day doings of a Neanderthal family in the final days of their existence before a new species of humanity wipes out the less evolved clan people. We read vivid descriptions of the seemingly nearly idyllic lives of one small clan lead by Strong Arms and his wife Brown Curls, their children, and the wise “God Woman.”
In this section of the book, there’s no plot to speak of as we get many descriptions of the clan people’s hunting and fishing techniques, their working on clothes and tools, their interactions with the natural world around them, their family structure and relationships with each other including sexual couplings. We see the “God Woman” assembling her collections of natural cures for all manner of ailments. As we go along, Burgauer weaves in contemporary explanations as to why some things worked the ways they likely did, as in his discussion of how the dangers of eating wild honey would later affect ancient Greeks and Romans.
The second and shorter part of the book is where the action kicks in. Another clan arrives on the scene made up of a very different kind of humanity with advanced weaponry like bows and arrows and a vicious streak to boot. With the exception of Strong Arms himself, these invaders murder the clan before facing the Neanderthal man’s revenge. To say more would veer into the realm of spoilers.
Perhaps the biggest surprise for most readers could be just how human and sympathetic the clan people were, at least based on the sources Burgauer lists in his bibliography. Throughout the first section of the yarn, the author weaves in so much factual evidence that it’s difficult not to accept his portrayal of these largely undocumented times beyond cave paintings and artifacts. The attack of the new clan is clearly emblematic of the ending of Neanderthal peoples as they are superseded by the next step in evolution, a term the author uses frequently. He says at this point in history, there were likely only 800 Neanderthals left against a rising tide of the unnamed new people.
I admit, I don’t understand why some previous reviewers have connected Night of the Eleventh Sun with science fiction. There’s not a single sci fi trope anywhere in the book. It is essentially historical fiction, or perhaps more accurately prehistoric fiction with nothing fantastic about it, at least in terms of offering anything beyond what could have happened. While others have compared Night of the Eleventh Sun with Jean M. Auel’s Clan of the Cave Bear, there’s very little similarity beyond the setting and time period. Night is a shorter, tighter read and is as informative as it is entertaining.
If you have any curiosity about a type of humanity less brutish and far more intelligent than what most readers might expect, Night of the Eleventh Sun could be a revelation.
This review first appeared at BookPleasures.com on Jan. 6, 2016 at:
goo.gl/djktg3
Steven Burgauer
Publication Date: October 26, 2016
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services LLC
ASIN: B01MDRXQ8K
https://www.amazon.com/Night-Eleventh...
Review by: Dr. Wesley Britton
Last fall, I was happy to review Steven Burgauer’s Nazi Saboteurs on the Bayou, a book very different in both style and substance from his The Night of the Eleventh Sun. For the record, Night first came out as a paperback on June 29, 2007 and was reissued as an e-book last October. According to Burgauer, the book was completely rewritten with a new cover designed, and he regrets any confusion due to Amazon’s unwillingness to change the publication information at the book’s paperback page.
One major difference between Nazi Saboteurs and Night of the Eleventh Sun is the panoramic lense and rich cast of characters in Saboteurs as opposed to a far more focused portrayal of a small tribe in Night. Night is presented in two parts. In the first half, we are taken into the day-to-day doings of a Neanderthal family in the final days of their existence before a new species of humanity wipes out the less evolved clan people. We read vivid descriptions of the seemingly nearly idyllic lives of one small clan lead by Strong Arms and his wife Brown Curls, their children, and the wise “God Woman.”
In this section of the book, there’s no plot to speak of as we get many descriptions of the clan people’s hunting and fishing techniques, their working on clothes and tools, their interactions with the natural world around them, their family structure and relationships with each other including sexual couplings. We see the “God Woman” assembling her collections of natural cures for all manner of ailments. As we go along, Burgauer weaves in contemporary explanations as to why some things worked the ways they likely did, as in his discussion of how the dangers of eating wild honey would later affect ancient Greeks and Romans.
The second and shorter part of the book is where the action kicks in. Another clan arrives on the scene made up of a very different kind of humanity with advanced weaponry like bows and arrows and a vicious streak to boot. With the exception of Strong Arms himself, these invaders murder the clan before facing the Neanderthal man’s revenge. To say more would veer into the realm of spoilers.
Perhaps the biggest surprise for most readers could be just how human and sympathetic the clan people were, at least based on the sources Burgauer lists in his bibliography. Throughout the first section of the yarn, the author weaves in so much factual evidence that it’s difficult not to accept his portrayal of these largely undocumented times beyond cave paintings and artifacts. The attack of the new clan is clearly emblematic of the ending of Neanderthal peoples as they are superseded by the next step in evolution, a term the author uses frequently. He says at this point in history, there were likely only 800 Neanderthals left against a rising tide of the unnamed new people.
I admit, I don’t understand why some previous reviewers have connected Night of the Eleventh Sun with science fiction. There’s not a single sci fi trope anywhere in the book. It is essentially historical fiction, or perhaps more accurately prehistoric fiction with nothing fantastic about it, at least in terms of offering anything beyond what could have happened. While others have compared Night of the Eleventh Sun with Jean M. Auel’s Clan of the Cave Bear, there’s very little similarity beyond the setting and time period. Night is a shorter, tighter read and is as informative as it is entertaining.
If you have any curiosity about a type of humanity less brutish and far more intelligent than what most readers might expect, Night of the Eleventh Sun could be a revelation.
This review first appeared at BookPleasures.com on Jan. 6, 2016 at:
goo.gl/djktg3
December 12, 2016
Happy Holidays from Wes Britton!
Barring some unexpected surprise, this will likely be my last post at this blog for 2016. That’s because this week, the Brittons are moving into our new house and my time for reading and writing is going to be very limited until we get settled in. It’ an exciting time for us and we’re hopefully going to be comfortably ensconced in our new digs by Christmas!
In the meantime, don’t forget that on Tuesday, Dec. 20, I will be among the many participants in a Facebook event celebrating the launch of Dawn Chapman’s new science-fiction novel, First Contact, which I reviewed at BookPleasures.com and this blog.
The event begins at 12 noon EST on Tuesday, Dec. 20, and will run until approximately 9 pm on Wednesday, Dec. 21. Special guest authors of science fiction and fantasy will join the event to discuss the genre and their books – and have some fun, too.
I am currently scheduled for 1:30 pm on Tuesday, Dec. 20. From 1:30 to 2 pm, I’ll discuss The Beta-Earth Chronicles and provide five posts.
Everyone is invited, especially readers who love sci fi and fantasy! We hope to see you at the party! It all happens at:
https://www.facebook.com/events/11825...
With luck, the next time I’m active at this blog, I’ll have news on book 6 of the Beta-Earth Chronicles—Return to Alpha—and have updates about the series coming out as paperbacks via BearManor Media in 2017!
Until then, Happy Holidays everyone—all of them!
In the meantime, don’t forget that on Tuesday, Dec. 20, I will be among the many participants in a Facebook event celebrating the launch of Dawn Chapman’s new science-fiction novel, First Contact, which I reviewed at BookPleasures.com and this blog.
The event begins at 12 noon EST on Tuesday, Dec. 20, and will run until approximately 9 pm on Wednesday, Dec. 21. Special guest authors of science fiction and fantasy will join the event to discuss the genre and their books – and have some fun, too.
I am currently scheduled for 1:30 pm on Tuesday, Dec. 20. From 1:30 to 2 pm, I’ll discuss The Beta-Earth Chronicles and provide five posts.
Everyone is invited, especially readers who love sci fi and fantasy! We hope to see you at the party! It all happens at:
https://www.facebook.com/events/11825...
With luck, the next time I’m active at this blog, I’ll have news on book 6 of the Beta-Earth Chronicles—Return to Alpha—and have updates about the series coming out as paperbacks via BearManor Media in 2017!
Until then, Happy Holidays everyone—all of them!
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“The Blind Alien is a story with a highly original concept, fascinating characters, and not-too-subtle but truthful allegories. Don’t let the ...more
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