Nerine Dorman's Blog, page 96

#review When in Broad Daylight I Open My Eyes by Greg Lazarus

Title: When in broad daylight I open my eyes
Author: Greg Lazarus
Publisher: Kwela Books, an imprint of NB Publishers, 2012
Link

I have to laugh. The moment I tried to explain to my friends what the title of the book I’m reading was I couldn’t. So I just kept saying “this really cool book with the very long title”. And I said as much on my Twitter feeds until the author chimed in and suggest I should just call this novel WIBDIOME. I had to laugh. Yes, When in… has a Very Long Title.

Long titles aside, Greg Lazarus is the name for the talented husband-and-wife writing duo, Greg Fried and Lisa Lazarus. And, as if to echo the main characters in this novel, Greg really is a philosopher and Lisa a psychologist. So, when I cracked open the book I suspected I was going to be in for a thought-provoking work of fiction. I’m happy to report my initial opinion wasn’t disproved.

Set in Cape Town, When in… is told from the dual perspectives of Maria, a psychologist, and Kristoff, a philosopher. Without giving spoilers, these two begin a carefully choreographed dance around each other as readers are gradually drawn into their worlds.

But Maria and Kristoff’s tales plays out against a bigger backdrop—of Maria’s mother’s story. Claudia was a prominent astrologer linked to a mysterious esoteric order, and whose motivations for committing suicide aren’t immediately clear. Her relationship with her daughter seems almost ambivalent, and when the dark past is revealed, no less tragic.

Maria finds that, even beyond the grave, that her mother has an impact on her life, a fact that she resents but finds herself unable to avoid.

Kristoff, at a glance, is cold and manipulative, and appears to gain great pleasure out of toying with women’s emotions. As the story progresses we discover why he engages in such casual cruelty. As a reader, at times, I wanted to slap the man for being the way he is, yet although some of his actions are morally reprehensible, he is nonetheless fascinating to observe.

In conclusion, When In… is a novel about power, and the games people play with each other, both inside and outside the bedroom. The authors’ combined style offers fast-paced and crisp prose, which kept me guessing right until the end. Although there were one or two points where I felt they withheld viewpoint character information a bit too much, they successfully communicate sinister, simmering tension and a sting in the tail that made me gasp.

#guest Amy Lee Burgess talks Hidden in Plain Sight

As Stanzie discovers her wolf, she learns being herself is more dangerous than ever.

Where is Bethany Dillon? The seventeen-year-old girl is missing from the Maplefair pack and Constance Newcastle--Stanzie--and Liam Murphy must find her. Fast. A serial killer still has not been caught. Bethany could have run away, or killed herself. But no one in her pack seems to know the truth. Or, they’re just not telling.

Constance’s knack for uncovering secrets leads her into peril, and to save Bethany, she must break every rule. She risks losing everything, including Liam...and her life.

***

Is love enough to overcome certain obstacles?  Does it make people blind? Does it grant them courage under adverse circumstances or does it make them vulnerable?

This is the main question the third novel in The Wolf Within series, Hidden in Plain Sight, asks.

The past collides with the present not only for Stanzie, who finds several parallels between her life and the life of the missing girl, Bethany Dillon, but also for Stanzie’s ex pack mate, Vaughn Pelletier, who  journeys with her and Murphy back to his birth pack, Maplefair, in Vermont.

Secrets that have been buried and guarded for decades come to light and bring with them a danger that threatens to tear the pack apart.

This novel is a departure for the series. The first two novels dealt with the conspiracy. Worldwide in the Pack, people are being murdered. In the first novel, Beneath the Skin, Stanzie and Murphy discover the existence of this conspiracy. In the second, Scratch the Surface, Stanzie deals with her personal connection to the conspiracy. Her original bond mates, Grey and Elena, were two of those murdered and Stanzie confronts those responsible.

As Advisors to Councilor Jason Allerton, Stanzie and Murphy investigate crimes committed by people in different packs.  In the third novel I wanted to get away from the conspiracy and explore one of these other kinds of crimes.

Enter Bethany Dillon. Seventeen and rebellious.

I’d always had this picture of Stanzie being the perfect child, the submissive girl eager to please everyone, but it was in this third novel that I began to catch glimpses of the real Constance Newcastle. She was not quite as tractable as I’d originally envisioned her. It was during the writing of this novel that as I developed the character of Bethany Dillon, I also filled in many of the blank spots in Stanzie’s life.

When Bethany goes missing, Stanzie leaps to a conclusion that proves correct, but no one wants to believe the solution is that simple because it involves lies and cover ups and things no one in Bethany’s pack, Maplefair, wants to face.

At the end of Scratch the Surface, Stanzie’s old pack mate, Vaughn Pelletier, leaves Riverglow to stay with Stanzie and Murphy for awhile.  The tragedy of the conspiracy has struck him hard and he has nowhere to go.

This is his story as much as it is Stanzie’s. He, too, must come face to face with his past and come to grips with the consequences of his past actions. Maplefair was his birth pack and he knows everyone, yet when he returns to Vermont with Stanzie and Murphy, no one in the pack really acknowledges him. He’s been closemouthed about his past as long as Stanzie has known him and Stanzie comes to understand why as the novel unfolds.

Hidden in Plain Sight is a love story. Bethany Dillon and her teenaged boyfriend, Cody Brown. Stanzie and Murphy. Even Vaughn comes face to face with an old flame.

Idealized love. Hero worship. Knights in shining armor come to save the damsel in distress.   But real life is not a fairy tale and sometimes reality can kick your ass.

And when there’s a serial killer on the loose, well, all bets are off.

Stanzie and Murphy’s journey began in Beneath the Skin , continued in Scratch the Surface and for the moment has ended up here in Hidden in Plain Sight .

Please visit my blog:  http://amyleeburgess.blogspot.com/

Follow me on Twitter:  @AmyLeeBurgess

#guest Candice Gilmer: Writing Saved Me

Many people deal with dark sides of themselves--I’m no exception to that rule. For many years of my life, I had serious issues with depression and suicidal thoughts. Some would say what teen doesn’t? I spent a lot of time wondering why I was here, what the purpose of my life was, and why was I even born.

It wasn’t until I was in my early twenties that what had been considered merely “depression” was properly diagnosed as “bi-polar disorder.” When I finally realized that it wasn’t just the lows that plagued me, but the highs as well, I finally began to understand the disorder and make it work with me in my life.

Like most people diagnosed with bi-polar, I was heavily medicated. Went to lots of doctors, took lots of pills, got lots of blood drawn.
And I hated it, completely despised the rigmarole I had to go through to be “normal.” I was a fully functioning bi-polar, as in, I could work, drive, take care of myself without help. I learned very quickly that many people with bi-polar who wound up becoming disabled, and let it run their lives.
I was not about to let that happen to me. I started making sweeping changes in my life--walked away from unhealthy, high-stress relationships, researched bi-polar and alternative therapies, and I started to write more.

A lot more. Both journaling as much as I could, and writing fiction stories.

I discovered an amazing thing.The more I wrote, the better I felt. I could push away all those dark thoughts and bad feelings, and I felt a great deal better about myself and my world.

As time passed, I was soon able to get off of all my heavy medications, using writing as a major therapy for me. I could channel the manic swings into huge blasts of writing and cleaning and the depressive turns were not as bad, because I didn’t have the panic attacks about bills, I could sit back and go “Yeah, I just wrote five-thousand words today. I friggin’ rock.” (Though, I must clarify, I don’t always write 5K a day--mostly it sticks around fifteen hundred words. The 5K happens about twice a year, or if I’m under a deadline.)

Adding to that, of course, is my ever-so-awesome husband who knows how I am, and can tell, just by looking at me, whether I’ve been writing like a good girl or not. He keeps me stable, and very often, keeps me on track. Periodically he says “Hey, I’ve got the kids. Go write.” Which I think translates to “Girl, you’re being a bee-with-an-itch, go write!” (He’s also been known to bring me chocolate and fancy coffee when I finish a book too, so I will keep him around.)

And I feel better. I always feel better when I’ve gotten some writing done. The weight of the world is not so heavy, and I’m a lot more relaxed.

My first professional business card I ever had made, I wanted some kind of tag line on it, so I put “If I don’t write, my head will explode.” I passed it out at a local RWA conference in Dallas back in 2006, and while I got a few chuckles, I got several knowing glances.

Evidently I’m not the only one with that problem.

Am I normal? Nope, and I don’t profess to be. But the writing helps me stay stable. The writing saved me, it really did. I don’t know where I’d be without it.

Probably in a padded cell, talking to fairies, witches, demons and vampires.

*  *  *  *


Candice Gilmer leads a dangerous double life as a mommy and a writer. In between diaper changes and boo-boo healing, she writes stories usually to the tune of children’s television shows.

Growing up in the Midwest, Candice stays close to her family, especially the ones with basements when the tornadoes come around. She also works as a hairdresser, which she’s done for over fifteen years, and brings her laptop to work so she can write between clients.

When she’s not writing, styling hair and taking care of her family, she gets together with her girlfriends for gossip and coffee while her husband hunts ghosts with Wichita Paranormal Research Society. All in all, she stays very busy, but really, she wouldn’t have it any other way.

Well, maybe a little less children’s television.

Linkage:
Website: http://candicegilmer.com
Blog: http://candicegilmer.blogspot.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Candice-Gilmer/96543284794
Twitter: http://twitter.com/candicegilmer

Buy Links:
Rescuing Rapunzel @ Amazon

Rescuing Rapunzel @ Barnes and Noble

Rescuing Rapunzel @ Lyrical Press Site

Rescuing Rapunzel blurb:
The Charming Nobles Book 1

Getting Rapunzel out the tower is only half the problem...
Rapunzel longs to live in the world she sees through her window, but more than her tower keeps her trapped. Her mother has taught her obedience without question and filled her with fear. She knows she will never reach the ground. Then Lord Nicolas von Hohburg scales her wall, breaks into her life, and changes everything.

Nick has resigned himself to a life of duty when Rapunzel’s song calls him to her tower. Soon she has his heart wrapped in her lengthy tresses and he can think of nothing else. But his responsibilities and sense of duty threaten to come between them...

Warning: A scheming witch, a damsel in distress and a Charming Noble who just might save the day.

Revelling in worlds of myth and magic

The below bit of editorial was my appearance on the Weekend Argus Books page on July 1, 2012. I get to chat about what landed me in trouble in the first place: books. 

On My Bedside Table – NERINE DORMAN

NERINE Dorman works for Independent Newspapers and is a published author who lives in Cape Town with her husband, an artist. Her works include Khepera Rising, Khepera Redeemed, The Namaqualand
Book of the Dead, Tainted Love and Hell’s Music (writing as Therése von Willegen), What Sweet Music They Make and Inkarna, launched at the Book Lounge last week.

What got you into reading for pleasure – and when?

My mother was a teacher, and in the afternoons, while I waited for her to finish giving classes, I’d hang out in the Hout Bay library. I’ve always loved books and the fact that I could discover new worlds within them. When other kids were swimming, or riding around outside on their bikes, I was cloistered somewhere in the house with a book. Throughout my school career the teachers would regularly confiscate the books I was reading during class. I still got half-decent marks, and it’s not my fault the teachers were boring.

What was your favourite childhood book or story?

I admit I was a bit obsessed with JRR Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, but Anne McCaffrey’s Dragonriders of Pern books were favourites as well. I loved Ursula K Le Guin’s Earthsea books too. I am enthralled by any story where there is a sense of myth and magic, and where the heroes are ordinary people who set out to change the world, and are changed by their journey.

Who’s your favourite author – all-time or this week?

I can never truly choose, and I have quite a few more than these four firm favourites: Poppy Z Brite, Neil Gaiman, Storm Constantine and Jacqueline Carey. This week I think it’s Storm Constantine. I need to read her more often than I do, for her evocative, lush settings. I ration her. Although all her books are available
electronically, I have yet to indulge in more of them.

What are you reading now?

I’ve just finished reading When in Broad Daylight I Open my Eyes by Greg Lazarus, and am about to start The Watchtower, by Lee Carroll.

What do you feel you should read one day – but probably won’t?

More JM Coetzee. I find him profoundly depressing. I keep putting Andre P Brink off for the very same reason, though I probably will get round to reading him sooner, and hopefully in Afrikaans. Although I primarily read fantasy and horror, I try to read outside my chosen genres from time to time.

* * * *

You can purchase Inkarna on Amazon here, in both ebook and print formats. Follow me on Twitter @nerinedorman

#review Dark Soul Volume 1 by Aleksandr Voinov

Title: Dark Soul Volume 1
Author: Aleksandr Voinov
Publisher: Riptide Publishing, 2011
Buy link

I’ll kick off by saying that Dark Soul literally kept me on the edge of my seat and I devoured it in two sittings. Simmering tension underpins the relationship between our viewpoint character, Stefano, and the very intense Silvio.

Being gay if you’re a part of the Italian mafia is tantamount to a death sentence, and Stefano has lived his entire life thus far by keeping up the all-important facade that goes with being a self-made man. But he’s also been lying to himself, and although he is happily married to a beautiful woman, whom it’s clear he loves, it’s also evident that he has dark desires.

Silvio doesn’t seem to care what his peers think. As the indulged heir to a retired mafia boss, he does pretty much what he wants to, when he wants to. He oozes a raw sexuality that flies in the face of conformity, a challenge that grabs Stefano’s attention. He’s also damaged goods, who is fully able to submit and immerse himself in what others might find to be degrading situations.

Without giving spoilers, I’ll hint that Voinov has written what I’ll term as “That Scene” quite early in the story that had me swallowing drily and honestly wondering what the hell would happen next. This author understands how to ratchet up tension. And he masterfully understands how temporal power is often inextricably linked with sexual domination games.

In addition, Voinov doesn’t shy away from exploring the concept of what can be considered the forbidden, and he handles it with authenticity. There’s a raw honesty to his prose that makes me look forward to reading the next instalment. I love the fact that he doesn’t sugar coat.

As an exploration of complex layering of sexuality linked with power, within the complex world of the Italian mafia, Dark Soul hits all the right buttons with me. I find myself fascinated by Silvio, and appreciate that Voinov has not played his entire hand yet—and the suggestion that there still are quite a few secrets to be revealed. Stefano himself is set on a path of self-discovery, which is delicious to watch, and all this is spiced with the tension that external threats will still play an important role in developing this tale.

Recapping my recent blog tour

About two weeks ago I launched my most recent title brought out by Dark Continents Publishing, Inkarna , by running a short blog tour. Now I *could* have gone the route of tracking down some high-traffic book-bloggers' sites and, while this would no doubt have given me a bunch of fresh minions, I opted instead to have five very special ladies host me on my official tour. Why? Each of them are very dear to me and I'd like an opportunity to shine the spotlight on them while I'm at it.

I kicked off on Amy Lee Burgess's blog with a brief introduction about the origins of the novel. Now Amy and I have known each other for ages, but I'd like to make mention of her series that's currently available at Lyrical Press. I absolutely adore these tales about Stanzie, a wolf shifter. The story is quite unlike what one would expect for the paranormal genre. I can guarantee you'll be sucked right in.

Then there's Sonya Clark, one of my best finds during my stint as editor at Lyrical Press. She writes from the heart, combining two of my favourite topics: vampires and music. She's currently got a novella and a novel available, and her writing is magic, pure and simple. She graciously allowed me to chat about the Egyptian conception of the afterlife on her blog.

I absolutely adore Icy Sedgwick and totally believe that she's going to achieve greatness. Her writing thrills me the same way Neil Gaiman and JK Rowling do. A master storyteller, she has a way of bringing out the magical and whimsical in her works, and she gave me space on her blog to chat about the conflict between the rival Inkarna Houses in my novel.

Not only is Synde Korman a dear friend I've recently gotten to know, who's been there for me when I needed a shoulder to cry on, but she's a book blogger with a love for books and music--a magical combination. Not only that, but she makes kick-ass jewellery (and I wear a custom-designed necklace she made for me almost every day). She gave me space to chat about my protagonist's development.

And on the final day, my dear friend and co-writer, Carrie Clevenger had me over. She's the mastermind behind the Crooked Fang phenomenon. Once again, we have a strong link: music and writing, and I consider Carrie to be a force to be reckoned with in literary circles. Watch out for this lady. She's going places. For the last day of the blog tour, she gave me a space to chat about location, location, location!

Once again, I'd like to thank these ladies for having me over, and for offering their friendship. You're all amazing and I'm honoured to know you.

Sam Shearon and Lovecraft

I first encountered master of the dark arts Sam Shearon a year or two ago when I started listening to a metal band called A Pale Horse Named Death (APHND is still one of my favourite new finds in music). Now Sam was the one responsible for APHND's cover art, but he's also done work for the likes of White Zombie and a range of others. More recently he's been getting involved in book cover design, and he's stopped by my blog today to share a little of his latest news.

ND: Welcome, Sam, what've you been up to recently? Tell us a little more about the client.

SS: I've just finished illustrating HP Lovecraft's The Call of Cthulhu & Other Mythos Tales hard back book through IDW Publishing. It's a book of six HP Lovecraft classic horror stories - each with several full-colour illustrations created by me numbering more than 20 in total, including the wraparound cover. I'm also currently illustrating The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde.

ND: Were there any design considerations you had to keep in mind? Any unique challenges to the brief?

SS: With regards to ...Dorian Gray, it's a relatively short novel and the only one Oscar Wilde ever wrote apparently.

I read through it with a view to being as loyal as I could with my illustrations and found it to be very surprising that the character Dorian is blonde with blue eyes... so naturally it'll probably be quite surprising to most people also when they see the illustrations and cover itself... as most if not all film adaptations depict him as having dark hair.

ND: What went into the production? Any interesting side notes to the creative process?

SS: With both The Call of Cthulhu and The Picture of Dorian Gray, I had to dive into the visual history books to really flesh out the feel of each era.

The buildings, the clothes, the decor the artifacts and even the hairstyles!

I'm fascinated by the early eras of science fiction and horror... particularly the Victorian era, which has become a hugely popular subject these last few years in the alternative entertainment genres. So naturally I was thrilled to dig through my own collections and include some personal artifacts and photography into the work - thus aside from being the illustrator I was able to weave a little piece of me into some of the images.

Linkage:
The Call of Cthulhu is available online to order now
The Picture of Dorian Gray is released in September - both through IDW.

Now go forth and like Sam Shearon's Facebook page and tell him I sent you. If you like dark art, you'll be enthralled.

#opinion Releasing my inner cow

If this bugs you,
then too bad. :D
This morning I got an e-mail from some chick who wants to sell me lead pig and zinc ingots. Apparently she specialises in metal. There’s a nasty little voice in the back of my mind that urges me to send her the response that has helped me avoid getting any more Nigerian scam artists – a copy/ paste of the Nine Satanic Statements as per the Church of Satan website. I can’t think of anything more contentious with which to respond to folks I’m assuming are basically your average Joe who’s looking to find a way to make a quick buck.

And I’m not making this stuff up. I haven’t had any letters from anyone wishing to deposit money in my bank account for more than a year now. I’m starting to think I need to apply the same tactic to the folks who keep telling me I’ve won the UK Lottery. No. Really.

But getting back to Yolanda from China who wants me to buy her metal: I responded to her e-mail and enquired whether she had any progressive funeral, sludge or doom metal, since those are the only types of metal in which I’m really interested. But no black metal, thank you.

I’m not all that into the way Danny Filth sings. He sounds like he’s gargling razor blades. I don’t have much of a taste for the Norwegian bands either.

In my opinion, black metal is just a bunch of long-haired dudes wearing too-tight leather trousers who run around in pine forests looking for trolls.

On the other end of the spectrum, I have this colleague, the kind I’m sure many of us have. I have come to the conclusion that she’s not really bright because she keeps mailing me Bible verses with those little motivationals and cutesy pictures of flowers and butterflies and little fuzzy lambs and praying hands and other vomitous stuff. She also gave me a pink floral print shopping bag for my birthday. I think she’s trying to tell me something.

To be honest, I’d be happier if she just ignored me like I try to ignore her in the hopes that she’ll go away and leave me alone.

Numerous times I’ve asked her to stop including me in the mails she sends to everyone in the building. But yeah, I guess I should start copy/pasting the Nine Satanic Statements to her, too. It worked on the Nigerians and the Arab spammers. I’m sure it’s going to work on her. I’m dead certain she’s already including me in her daily prayers. My supervisor told me making little voodoo dolls to pin to my cubicle might be a wee bit inappropriate. She might have a point.

On the bright side, I can hit the delete button with these annoying e-mails, happy for once that these idiots aren’t killing trees. Not like those bulky sweepstakes letters my parents used to get in the mail that usually required a lifetime subscription to condensed books packages. With all the different envelopes for replies, you needed to complete an undergraduate course in logistics to figure out how to respond.

But let’s not get started on our friends who forward every last conspiracy theory to all and sundry in their address book; like the woman who got parasites in her breast from some larvae she picked up her bra in the Bahamas or some weird gangster initiation ritual involving flashing lights late at night. Or our old favourites of “forward this mail and Bill Gates will donate 5c to little Jenny who’s dying of cancer”.

They’re the same people who’ll turn around and say Snopes.com is run by a government agency in cahoots with the Bavarian Illuminati*, and is trying to suppress all the conspiracy theories because they must be true because they can’t be disproved. These are also the same people who believe the moon landings were fake, and the US government is in regular contact with space aliens.

I sometimes despair for the human race, but as that wonderful cliché goes, there’s a sucker born every minute. I’m sure there are stats for the percentage of people who buy into some of these scams or mindlessly forward junk mail.

Don’t get me started on Facebook. Cute pictures of cats I can deal with (hey, I’m a big fan of Basement Cat, OK?), but my new rule is that each slacktivist who pastes images of mutilated rhinos, starving dogs or abused children on their timeline is unfriended.

Does that make me a cow? If so, then hear me say “moo”.

This column originally appeared in the Sunday Independent Life supplement, June 24, 2012.


* Yes, I am a paid-up member of the Bavarian Illuminati. 

#Review: Mechanique by Genevieve Valentine

Title: Mechanique
Author: Genevieve Valentine
Publisher: Prime Books, 2011
Buy link

Sometimes stories exist that hit all of my buttons at the same time, and Mechanique is one of those rare finds for 2012 that really succeeded in keeping me glued to my ereader. Where do I start? Perhaps with my love for travellers. I watched both seasons of Carnivale a few years ago and that really captured my imagination. The concept of a group of misfits journeying together who somehow succeed in being a family. Then of course, Genevieve Valentine plays with a concept that is near and dear to my heart—that of a post-apocalyptic society. On top of that she adds magic that is never truly full explained and garnishes with a clockwork theme.

The result: beauty and a macabre yet gorgeous mutilation of art that left me breathless.

I’ll add a short warning here: I don’t think this novel is going to appeal to a broad base of readers. It jumps in point of view, sometimes first person, sometimes second and sometimes third, but somehow Valentine gets it all to hang together in a rich tapestry of imagery and text. That being said, once I got used to her style, I immediately plunged right into the narrative.

And there’s a lot going on here. Superficially Mechanique tells the story of the Circus Tresaulti that somehow exists outside of time as it travels from one ruined city to the next. The circus’s mistress, Boss, has the ability to defy death in her creations, her performers, who are modified and, in many cases “accept the bones” that set them apart from ordinary folk. A threat arises from the outside in the form of the government man, who sees the circus as an opportunity to create soldiers to aid him in his programme of world domination.

But within the circus there is tension too, particularly with regard to a pair of mechanical wings that two main characters both strive to. There’s more to this device that meets the eye, however, and I found the love/hate relationship between Bird and Stenos to be one of the pivotal story arcs within the novel.

Most of the story is told by Little George, Boss’s assistant, and his naïveté adds a freshness to the milieu. He is the glue that somehow holds all the others together, from the phlegmatic Ayar to the seemingly malicious Elena.

I can probably end this review with a whole bunch of superlatives. I’m not going to. All I can say is that if you’re looking for a mythical, multi-layered work of literary fantasy, then Mechanique is a welcome diversion from reality that will stay with you for a very long time, its characters enigmatic and unforgettable. Valentine has a fan for life.

Ensemble brings vintage cinema to life

Sonja Ruppersberg and Paul Blom,
picture: Thomas DormanLovers of vintage black-and-white cinema should perk up when they hear of a Makabra Ensemble performance nearby. The brainchild of Paul Blom and Sonja Ruppersberg, both of the industrial metal band Terminatryx, in collaboration with violin maestro Matthijs van Dijk, as well as Simon Ratcliffe and Sean Ou Tim, both of Lark, the ensemble breathes new life into classics.

What started in 2005 with a soundtrack for The Phantom of the Opera (1925) at the annual SA HorrorFest has resulted in several performances over the years, with The Cabinet of Dr Caligari, Nosferatu, Häxan, Maciste in Hell, and Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.

Blom elaborates: "We love movies of all types and respect cinema history. We wanted to include unique elements to our HorrorFest film festival over the Halloween season and we juggled many ideas around to make it more than |just a regular film festival, but rather and event.

"Before sound was introduced to film in the late 1920s, the viewing experience was enhanced with organ, piano and other instruments. We decided to bring that era back, but with a modern twist. So when we kicked off the first HorrorFest in 2005, we made a point of introducing this as a permanent fixture, breathe new life into landmark silent horror/thriller films, and give viewers the chance to see |these timeless movies on the big screen again, with a diverse new soundtrack."

Although Blom would have preferred a full orchestra, he says he tasked Van Dijk to contribute initially, and he brought in a few of his UCT graduate friends to form a string ensemble when they provided the soundtrack for The Phantom of the Opera.

It was in 2006, that the first expansive Makabra Ensemble components came together with Nosferatu. Blom elaborates: "For this, Sonja and I approached Van Dijk again, as well as Ratcliffe and Ou Tim to take it into a new realm with a wide range of instruments, diversifying it from just strings. Francois Blom from Voice of Destruction and Kobus was also a part of this performance. It was recorded live and released on DVD with its new soundtrack on the first Terminatryx DVD. We did Phantom again in 2010 as the official Makabra Ensemble."


Since those first performances, the initial ensemble members have remained consistent, but Blom adds: "From time to time special guests are incorporated, such as The Crackpot Realist, Max Starcke and others, but this is the core group. The name only got introduced around 2008 as we needed a moniker to encapsulate it (instead of listing everyone's names and their band affiliations."

Simon Ratcliffe, Paul Blom, Sonja Ruppersberg,
Sean Ou Tim, Matthijs van Dijk, picture: Ronnie BelcherBecause these movies are in the public domain - unless they've been remastered with new soundtracks - screening these old versions doesn't have legal ramifications, Blom says. All that remains is to find a way to bring the musicians together without the benefit of an existing score.
"Sonja and I systematically log each film's scenes - with its relevant time-code for each portion -  then we allocate an even distribution of these to everyone," says Blom. "Sometimes we spot a section we think someone in particular can tackle well. With everyone's unique musical style and approach to the moods of the scenes, we |let everyone do their thing with no prescriptions, resulting in an amazingly diverse soundtrack collaboration, which gels well. On the night of the performance, each musician does their thing with everyone free to add improvisational enhancements where they see fit, resulting in a fresh spontaneity added to the well-planned scores."

Because ensemble members' schedules are hectic, it's difficult for them to get together and do a full rehearsal before a show. "The first time we really get to hear what everyone got up to is during the soundcheck before the show, where we try to run through as much of the movie as possible and iron out all the technical bits and pieces.

Says Blom: "But we have great support from people like Paul Bothner Music, Ratcliffe's Sound & Motion studio crew and Point Blanc Event Tech Solutions. With so many different instruments and channels being used, it is quite an endeavour, but luckily we've learned to spot a glitch and someone will quickly jump in for an improvisational fill. At times we get to do a pre- and sometimes post-show at Sound & Motion Studios as a special White Room Session."

Those who've attended Makabra shows will know what to expect, but Blom says those who have not are in for an amazing audio-visual treat, with a fusion of historical movie-making with modern music, the live environment adding new life to the experience.

"Audience members get so wrapped up in the movie and forget we're sitting underneath the screen, while others love to watch what the musicians are doing. Then some are torn between keeping an eye on the screen and on the musicians."

This year the Makabra Ensemble are breaking away from their traditional fare of horror and thriller movies for the SA HorrorFest to offer their first sci-fi/futuristic soundtrack for Metropolis, in time for the Celludroid festival.

Blom says: "Metropolis remains such an incredible film-making accomplishment and with a new live soundtrack, this experience is bound to be an exceptional one. While we cannot speak for everyone, we expect the soundtrack to be another great fusion of organic and electronic music, with expected tricks up some sleeves."

The Celludroid Sci-Fi/Anime/ Fantasy Film Festival takes place from June 29 to July 5 at the Labia Theatre, 68 Orange Street, Gardens, Cape Town. See www.celludroid.net or www.terminatryx.com/makabra
Email Celludroid or the Makabra Ensemble at info@flamedrop.com

This editorial originally appeared in the Sunday Independent Life supplement on June 24, 2012.