Gwangi

Amazing. Top notch sword and sorcery fare.

Lovecraft himself considered this story drivel. He wrote it for money, which he felt was an artistic compromise. Yet it is really a great story. It definitely has more of a pulpy style to it than his normal fare, but it's both exciting and creepy. It also includes "fast zombies" decades before the movie 28 Days Later!

If you like creepy, horrific, pulpy fun, you should definitely latch onto Herbert West Reanimator.

When it comes to an adventurous romp with cliffhangers dangling at the end of every chapter, you can't beat The Scarlet Pimpernel. I love the old B&W film and I love the book.

The highlight of the book, for me, is the dramatic irony created when we, the audience, have to sit mutely on the sideline while the main character is unjustly criticized. I guarantee you will feel every cut given to Percy, the self-absorbed dandy that the Scarlet Pimpernel uses as his impervious disguise. The disguise… (more)

When it comes to an adventurous romp with cliffhangers dangling at the end of every chapter, you can't beat The Scarlet Pimpernel. I love the old B&W film and I love the book.

The highlight of the book, for me, is the dramatic irony created when we, the audience, have to sit mutely on the sideline while the main character is unjustly criticized. I guarantee you will feel every cut given to Percy, the self-absorbed dandy that the Scarlet Pimpernel uses as his impervious disguise. The disguise may be impenetrable, but you have to believe that the true man underneath all the finery and silliness feels every biting remark and longs for the day when he can openly declare his allegiances.

It helps that Percy's character is so damned clever. His engaging witticisms will make you laugh and take away some of the sting from the undeserved criticism.

This a great little story about a space-faring gambler who winds up on a planet full of militaristic colonists fighting for their lives. For some reason the planet itself seems bent on continuously evolving more and more lethal species to attack the colonists, and the gambler, a helpless weakling in this dangerous new world, may hold the key to final victory.

This is a great little story. The Feedbooks version is the original from the pulp magazines. The story was later expanded and then turned… (more)

This a great little story about a space-faring gambler who winds up on a planet full of militaristic colonists fighting for their lives. For some reason the planet itself seems bent on continuously evolving more and more lethal species to attack the colonists, and the gambler, a helpless weakling in this dangerous new world, may hold the key to final victory.

This is a great little story. The Feedbooks version is the original from the pulp magazines. The story was later expanded and then turned into a trilogy by Harrison. But the short story packs most of the punch of the extended version.

THE KING IN YELLOW by ROBERT CHAMBERS is an amazing collection of loosely related fin-de-siècle (end of the century) horror stories, written in 1895. It served as one of the primary literary influences for H.P. LOVECRAFT and the entire "weird tale" genre, which was born as a literary entity in the pulp magazines of the early 20th century.

One should not pick up this book with the expectation that all the stories are coherently linked. They are written from radically different perspectives, though… (more)

THE KING IN YELLOW by ROBERT CHAMBERS is an amazing collection of loosely related fin-de-siècle (end of the century) horror stories, written in 1895. It served as one of the primary literary influences for H.P. LOVECRAFT and the entire "weird tale" genre, which was born as a literary entity in the pulp magazines of the early 20th century.

One should not pick up this book with the expectation that all the stories are coherently linked. They are written from radically different perspectives, though several of the stories have the common setting of an imagined future 1920's America and Paris. The stories are not even always related thematically, other than being sinister works of weird horror. The most important recurring elements in the stories are:

Yellow, a color indicative of the decadent and aesthetic attitudes fashionable at the end of the 19th century. Notable reference points include THE YELLOW BOOK, a literary journal published by OSCAR WILDE and AUBREY BEARDSLEY, and the short story by CHARLOTTE PERKINS GILLMAN, THE YELLOW WALLPAPER. Yellow may also suggest quarantine, decay, and illness (especially mental illness).

THE KING IN YELLOW, a blessedly rare volume containing a two act play that drives anyone who reads it insane. Also a mysterious and malevolent entity.

THE YELLOW SIGN, a mysterious graphical character of sinister, but largely undefined importance.

Esoteric and vaguely defined proper nouns like CARCOSA, a city, probably in another dimension; HASTUR, both a person and a place; and ALDABRAN, a star of occult significance.

The stories are sometimes criticized for thin character development and syrupy language. Such criticism is lodged in ignorance of the literary style of the time and tradition in which this book was written. If you don't like to revel in decadent and evocative turns of phrase or if you can't recognize the brilliance of sustaining a rarefied psychological state of horror without the introduction of relentless gore or explicit and twisted sexuality (which constitutes 90% of more recent "horror" pieces), then this book is not for you.

Perhaps the best, or at least most representative story in the collection is THE REPAIRER OF REPUTATIONS, which is set in a militaristic future New York City, circa 1925. Immigration is controlled and suicide is legalized with the introduction of "Government Lethal Chambers." The main character has been injured in a fall from a horse. As a result, his personality changed dramatically and he subsequently spent some time in an asylum. During recovery he reads the censored play, The King in Yellow, which further imbalances him. He becomes a recluse, pouring over old books and maps, and associating with another unsavory character who specializes in blackmail on a Machiavellian level. With help from this "repairer of reputations," the main character believes he will become the heir of the "Last King" of "The Imperial Dynasty of America."

Yes, it's strange, and it gets even stranger. Enjoy!

A CONNECTICUT YANKEE IN KING ARTHUR'S COURT by MARK TWAIN is one of my favorite classic novels and one that should still have a lot of impact on modern readers.

As a comedy, it doesn't disappoint. Twain's satirical nature oozes from every page. However, reading it only as a comedy is a huge disservice to the work. Aside from the message of the book in relation to the political environment of its own time, there are two, broader underlying themes that I think keep this book from becoming dated.… (more)

A CONNECTICUT YANKEE IN KING ARTHUR'S COURT by MARK TWAIN is one of my favorite classic novels and one that should still have a lot of impact on modern readers.

As a comedy, it doesn't disappoint. Twain's satirical nature oozes from every page. However, reading it only as a comedy is a huge disservice to the work. Aside from the message of the book in relation to the political environment of its own time, there are two, broader underlying themes that I think keep this book from becoming dated. (Note that the following two paragraphs are somewhat anachronistic in regards to Twain's intentions. A matter which I explain at the end of the post.)

The first is a disillusionment with technology. You can't live in the modern world and not understand the productivity paradox in relation to technology, at least on an instinctual level. The more technology one employs on a task, the easier that task gets ... theoretically. In actuality, a chart that depicts increasing dollars spent on technology and increasing productivity will display that the two grow out of proportion to each other. (Imagine one steeply inclined line representing a sharp rise in dollars spent and another more gradually-sloped line depicted a modest rise in productivity. The two grow ever more divergent as they extend into space.) This phenomenon is reflected in the book. The protagonist at first enjoys great success as he introduces a few bits of useful technology to medieval England. The more he pushes improvement on his new environment, however, the less benefit he receives from using technology at all and the more problematic the situation becomes. The moral for today's readers, if there is one, has something to do with "judicious use" of one's knowledge.

The second still-relevant theme is the dangers of trying to advance a primitive culture too rapidly. The "Westernization" of the world is, perhaps, an old and fairly well understood problem at this point. However, understanding the problem hasn't given rise to much real change in policies regarding emerging nations. We (the most advanced civilizations on the planet) still find it convenient to rapidly advance cultures when it serves our own need for resources, regardless of how that advancement affects the base culture. That's my opinion, obviously. Forgive me for getting political. Historically, though, it's true. Native Americans grew increasingly violent when the introduction of horses allowed them to more easily encroach on the territory of neighboring tribes. Once guns were added to the mix ...

To be fair, I think Twain was making a different sort of point. He believed that the Brits were so backward thinking and bound by tradition that they wouldn't adopt improvements no matter how beneficial. They were, in Twain's estimation, essentially hopeless. This message doesn't really fit with my modern moralizing, but as I learned in my college lit courses, authorial intent is (at least sometimes) irrelevant to modern reading.

THE LOST WORLD by SIR ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE is an adventure of the first water, and as readable today as it was in 1912. The story was original serialized in STRAND magazine.

The main character, Edward Malone, is a young reporter who decides to seek out danger and adventure in order to impress his would-be fiancee. A "dangerous assignment" from his editor brings him into the company of the eccentric scientist Professor Challenger. Challenger's reputation is at risk with the Royal Society, because… (more)

THE LOST WORLD by SIR ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE is an adventure of the first water, and as readable today as it was in 1912. The story was original serialized in STRAND magazine.

The main character, Edward Malone, is a young reporter who decides to seek out danger and adventure in order to impress his would-be fiancee. A "dangerous assignment" from his editor brings him into the company of the eccentric scientist Professor Challenger. Challenger's reputation is at risk with the Royal Society, because he claims to have found a lost world in South America ... a plateau populated with prehistoric beasts long thought to be extinct. To prove this assertion Challenger and Malone, accompanied by a big game hunter and a rival scientist, set out to explore the plateau and bring back samples.

As you probably know, The Lost World is the subject of one of the oldest surviving movies. This early special fx film is quite good and still bears watching. I used to watch it with my son, who is a fellow dinosaur enthusiast. It's a silent film, and few people today have the taste and tolerance to endure such, but I enjoy these mute artifacts of another time. The film was made in 1925. It was actually the very first film to be shown to passengers on an airplane. For many years it lay in clipped ruins in various vaults. Recently it has been restored as much as possible and is readily available on DVD.

The Lost World has also been filmed on other occasions, but the only one worth talking about is the AMC rendition from 2002. BOB HOSKINS and PETER FALK appear in this version, which has top notch special effects and is fairly faithful to the original. One change they made, which I like, is to include another young woman as a main character. This addition turns Malone's infatuation with "the girl back home" into a more interesting lover's triangle.

I should add here that both the BBC and ALIEN VOICES have made great radio dramas based on The Lost World. (The BBC did it twice.) The name of the production company, Alien Voices, refers to JOHN DE LANCIE and LEONARD NIMOY ('Q' and Spock of STAR TREK fame). Most of their shows are solid adaptations and enjoyable listens.

Other notable books in the lost world tradition include the pulps of EDGAR RICE BURROUGHS, namely the PELLUCIDAR series beginning with AT THE EARTH'S CORE and his LAND THAT TIME FORGOT trilogy, along with MICHAEL CRICHTON's high tech JURASSIC PARK and its sequels.

Interesting Note: the plateau in the story was inspired by MOUNT RORAIMA in Venezuela.

Predating BRAM STOKER's DRACULA by a quarter of a century, CARMELLA by JOSEPH SHERIDAN LE FANU is an outstanding short read and a strangely overlooked masterpiece of Gothic horror.

In Carmilla, a young woman falls prey to a doting female vampire.

Much is made of this book as the fountainhead of a small pocket of literature and film dedicated to "LESBIAN VAMPIRES." (A fact I did not know until after reading the book.) I don't know how seriously to take this. Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu writes into the… (more)

Predating BRAM STOKER's DRACULA by a quarter of a century, CARMELLA by JOSEPH SHERIDAN LE FANU is an outstanding short read and a strangely overlooked masterpiece of Gothic horror.

In Carmilla, a young woman falls prey to a doting female vampire.

Much is made of this book as the fountainhead of a small pocket of literature and film dedicated to "LESBIAN VAMPIRES." (A fact I did not know until after reading the book.) I don't know how seriously to take this. Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu writes into the work a complex motivation for his vampires that somewhat waters down the modern interpretation. Not only do vampires need to suck the life out of their victims, they need to prolong the experience by turning it into a mock courtship. Vampires long to earn affection and acceptance from their victims. In Carmilla, the relationship is focused on two women, and so there is a strong homo-erotic current in the novel. I would stop short of overtly referring to it as a novel about Lesbianism, though, because of the supernatural element in play. I feel like it is focused on a more universal theme about intertwining love and destruction. The book is about a "predatory" form of love and a projected bond between the hunter and the hunted. The aim of the vampire in the story is not to establish a loving relationship with a partner, it is to extract every ounce of delicious experience possible from her current meal.

On the other hand, this explanation is primarily added in the last chapter and may be Le Fanu's way of dissembling. Perhaps he intended to write a Lesbian love story, clothed in Gothic horror, and then carefully stirred up a veil of smoke around it so as not to expose himself to censorship or criticism.

In any case, I was surprised by the strong ideas in this book, even though I was a bit disappointed by the story's resolution. (It failed to address a number of loose ends and was less than satisfying, in my opinion.) Though not as good a "yarn" as Dracula, it is a more thorough tale in a psychological sense and a must-read for fans of Gothic horror.

I almost forgot to mention that I have also "read" this story as a free audiobook from LIBRIVOX.ORG. The narration by ELIZABETH KLETT is very good and lasts just a bit longer than three hours.

I just finished reading the wonderful JUNGLE BOOKS by RUDYARD KIPLING to my sons. They are a perennial favorite of mine (as is KIM). However, I couldn't recommend them for reading to children without pointing out that the language can be quite difficult. This is mostly because of all the setting specific diction. Kipling's familiarity with India led him to heavily spice his tales with local terminology, place names, and concepts. Add to this the sometimes antiquated diction of the late 1800's… (more)

I just finished reading the wonderful JUNGLE BOOKS by RUDYARD KIPLING to my sons. They are a perennial favorite of mine (as is KIM). However, I couldn't recommend them for reading to children without pointing out that the language can be quite difficult. This is mostly because of all the setting specific diction. Kipling's familiarity with India led him to heavily spice his tales with local terminology, place names, and concepts. Add to this the sometimes antiquated diction of the late 1800's and you might be in for a lot of explaining. "Daddy, what's a mahout?"

In case you didn't know already, The Jungle Books are a collection of stories set in and around the jungles of India, during the mid 1800's, when the British empire ruled over the country. All of the stories feature anthropomorphic animals; most of them also feature one or more humans. Much has been made of the morals in the stories, and I discovered in reading about the books that they inspired some of the structure and symbolism of the Cub Scouts. However, I wouldn't say that imparting morality is the primary purpose of the tales. Unlike, say, AESOP'S FABLES, the central purpose of The Jungle Books is first and foremost to entertain, not to teach.

Before I sign off on this one, I feel it is my duty to separate the general public from some of their misconceptions about this work. For starters, I'm not sure why the title on the cover of the image above is singular. There are two Jungle Books, inventively titled The Jungle Book and The Second Jungle Book. They are almost never published separately now, but they were originally. In addition to this lesser known fact, there are a number of other surprises in store for first time readers.

Disney's Jungle Book is certainly inspired by The Jungle Books, but not much like the original tales at all. Calling the cartoon an adaptation is like comparing the flavor of watermelon Jolly Ranchers to the actual flavor of a watermelon.

Not all of the tales are about Mowgli. Riki Tiki Tavi is a good example, which tells of a mongoose defending his adopted human family against encroaching cobras. Another is The White Seal, in which a young white-coated seal leads his people to a Utopian island, devoid of seal hunters. Readers may be familiar with both of these stories due to the CHUCK JONES animated adaptations.

The stories in The Jungle Books are told out of chronological sequence. The second chapter of the first book is essentially the culminating story of both volumes. It's the literary equivalent of reading the first chapter and last chapter of a book, and then reading all the in-between chapters ... with chapters from other, similar novels interspersed. It sounds confusing, but it's really quite wonderful. I think it is a better structure than if Kipling had simply lined up the Mowgli stories chronologically and then put the other stories in the second volume.

I just finished reading the wonderful JUNGLE BOOKS by RUDYARD KIPLING to my sons. They are a perennial favorite of mine (as is KIM). However, I couldn't recommend them for reading to children without pointing out that the language can be quite difficult. This is mostly because of all the setting specific diction. Kipling's familiarity with India led him to heavily spice his tales with local terminology, place names, and concepts. Add to this the sometimes antiquated diction of the late 1800's… (more)

I just finished reading the wonderful JUNGLE BOOKS by RUDYARD KIPLING to my sons. They are a perennial favorite of mine (as is KIM). However, I couldn't recommend them for reading to children without pointing out that the language can be quite difficult. This is mostly because of all the setting specific diction. Kipling's familiarity with India led him to heavily spice his tales with local terminology, place names, and concepts. Add to this the sometimes antiquated diction of the late 1800's and you might be in for a lot of explaining. "Daddy, what's a mahout?"

In case you didn't know already, The Jungle Books are a collection of stories set in and around the jungles of India, during the mid 1800's, when the British empire ruled over the country. All of the stories feature anthropomorphic animals; most of them also feature one or more humans. Much has been made of the morals in the stories, and I discovered in reading about the books that they inspired some of the structure and symbolism of the Cub Scouts. However, I wouldn't say that imparting morality is the primary purpose of the tales. Unlike, say, AESOP'S FABLES, the central purpose of The Jungle Books is first and foremost to entertain, not to teach.

Before I sign off on this one, I feel it is my duty to separate the general public from some of their misconceptions about this work. For starters, I'm not sure why the title on the cover of the image above is singular. There are two Jungle Books, inventively titled The Jungle Book and The Second Jungle Book. They are almost never published separately now, but they were originally. In addition to this lesser known fact, there are a number of other surprises in store for first time readers.

Disney's Jungle Book is certainly inspired by The Jungle Books, but not much like the original tales at all. Calling the cartoon an adaptation is like comparing the flavor of watermelon Jolly Ranchers to the actual flavor of a watermelon.

Not all of the tales are about Mowgli. Riki Tiki Tavi is a good example, which tells of a mongoose defending his adopted human family against encroaching cobras. Another is The White Seal, in which a young white-coated seal leads his people to a Utopian island, devoid of seal hunters. Readers may be familiar with both of these stories due to the CHUCK JONES animated adaptations.

The stories in The Jungle Books are told out of chronological sequence. The second chapter of the first book is essentially the culminating story of both volumes. It's the literary equivalent of reading the first chapter and last chapter of a book, and then reading all the in-between chapters ... with chapters from other, similar novels interspersed. It sounds confusing, but it's really quite wonderful. I think it is a better structure than if Kipling had simply lined up the Mowgli stories chronologically and then put the other stories in the second volume.

THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY by OSCAR WILDE is a book about three characters: Basil, a moralistic painter; Harry, a jaded wit; and Dorian, a searcher.

The story begins with Basil painting a portrait of Dorian, an innocent young man. We aren't told how Dorian managed to reach young adulthood and remain largely naive of his own good looks, the lure of drugs, the joy of fast women, etc., other than that he was raised by his grandparents in a rural setting.

Enter Harry, a socialite who tangles every… (more)

THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY by OSCAR WILDE is a book about three characters: Basil, a moralistic painter; Harry, a jaded wit; and Dorian, a searcher.

The story begins with Basil painting a portrait of Dorian, an innocent young man. We aren't told how Dorian managed to reach young adulthood and remain largely naive of his own good looks, the lure of drugs, the joy of fast women, etc., other than that he was raised by his grandparents in a rural setting.

Enter Harry, a socialite who tangles every idea in a clever phrase and philosophizes about art, psychology, and love at the drop of a hat. Harry flatters Dorian, who for the first time gets an inkling of just how good looking he is and the potential that lies therein. At this moment Basil finishes the portrait, capturing the moment that the innocent Dorian "awakens" to his manhood. Dorian, captivated by his own beauty on the canvas, muses that he would trade his soul if he could forever stay beautiful while the painting ages instead.

Essentially, this is what happens. Dorian takes Harry as his mentor and explores every hedonistic pleasure imaginable, often to the dire harm of others. But instead of being marked by these experiences, the painting bears the visible burdens of the debauchery. What does Dorian do when he discovers this phenomenon? How does it all end? I'm not telling. I've told you enough already.

This book is full of wonderfully witty sayings that seem perfectly true in context. Most of them are uttered as the pet theories of Harry, who serves as a sort of catalyst for bringing out the worst in people. After some reflection, his charming and verbally intricate proverbs are revealed to be thoughtless cynicisms. Consider the following example, offered to Dorian. To give the passage context: Dorian's first real love has committed suicide, but Harry doesn't know it and is trying to put a good face on his friend marrying a common actor.

"She is very lovely, and if she knows as little about life as she does about acting, she will be a delightful experience. There are only two kinds of people who are really fascinating-- people who know absolutely everything, and people who know absolutely nothing. Good heavens, my dear boy, don't look so tragic! The secret of remaining young is never to have an emotion that is unbecoming."

Harry's witticism's function as a device for keeping Dorian interested in pursuing self-gratifying pleasures without concern for others or for his own well-being. The best part of reading the book is wrestling with the moral complications of Dorian's self-absorbed lifestyle and endless rationalizing. On the one hand, there is is his friend Basil's morality, which seems stuffy, unimaginative, and boring. On the other, there is real harm as well as real fun in Harry's cynical approach to life. Also, there is Dorian's self-reflection. He watches the effects of his experiences on his soul-portrait, and this terrible knowledge in turn affects his future choices.

FRANKENSTEIN, DR. JEKYLL AND MISTER HYDE, and THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY together make a masterful trilogy on the potentially monstrous human nature. I recommend them all and suggest that the subtleties in comparing and contrasting them makes for a rich study.

Three more quick thoughts.

1. If you are a teacher, this book would be an excellent companion to A CLOCKWORK ORANGE for comparison/contrast essays.

2. Oscar Wilde's own history as a gay man in a century that was not so forgiving of homosexuality is intertwined with the story of Dorian Gray. There are many parallels and overt references to Wilde's own life.

3. The following passage is from near the end of the book. I wonder how it relates to the book itself in a "meta" sense. Harry is speaking to Dorian.

"You and I are what we are, and will be what we will be. As for being poisoned by a book, there is no such thing as that. Art has no influence upon action. It annihilates the desire to act. It is superbly sterile. The books that the world calls immoral are books that show the world its own shame. That is all."

In THE CALL OF THE WILD by JACK LONDON, a family dog from California named Buck is abducted and sold as a sled dog to feed the voracious appetite for such animals created by the gold rush in Alaska. From his sunny days of quiet contentment, Buck is hurled into a dog-eat-dog world (literally) where he struggles to survive. In the process a more ancient and feral dog is awakened within him.

I recently finished reading this book to my boys and ... wow ... not a good choice for bed time reading.

First… (more)

In THE CALL OF THE WILD by JACK LONDON, a family dog from California named Buck is abducted and sold as a sled dog to feed the voracious appetite for such animals created by the gold rush in Alaska. From his sunny days of quiet contentment, Buck is hurled into a dog-eat-dog world (literally) where he struggles to survive. In the process a more ancient and feral dog is awakened within him.

I recently finished reading this book to my boys and ... wow ... not a good choice for bed time reading.

First of all, I didn't remember this book being so overwritten. The diction was bordering on ridiculous. (London would rather "flail an expired quadrupedal equine" than simply "beat a dead horse," if you catch my drift.) The long passages about the reversion of Buck to his primal doggy state were also tedious. Oh, and there was lots of violence that I had forgotten about. This was the part that my eight year old did like, by the way. Once he puzzled his way through the language, he was more than interested to hear that some dude had just gotten a spear in the guts or had been torn apart by a wolf-dog. Little boys live for this stuff. This, and poop jokes.

The story is good. Don't misunderstand me. It's a first class adventure with some poignant moments. During the reading, the hind parts of my brain were wishing it could be rewritten in simpler and more straightforward prose without violating its classic status and the author's voice. In fact, I often substituted simpler diction and skipped passages on the fly while reading it to the boys.

The best part of the story, for me, was the passage that described a dysfunctional trio, a man, his new wife, and her brother, trying to cash in on the gold rush without any knowledge of how to survive the extreme environment. Their end is sad, but only in the grand scheme of things. Empathizing with their plight is almost impossible because they are so foolish and unlikable.

It's worth a quick read, but not really for kids. (And that's a fair criticism, because it is often packaged as story for kids.)

BEFORE ADAM by JACK LONDON is the story of a proto-human in the PLEISTOCENE AGE. The narrator tells us that he pieced the tale together from nightmares he has experienced his whole life, nightmares which he later recognized as ancestral memories after taking an evolution class in college. He names his alter-ego Bigtooth, because of his large incisors, and the assembled account tells of Bigtooth's struggle for survival in world filled with fierce predators and competing proto-humans in various… (more)

BEFORE ADAM by JACK LONDON is the story of a proto-human in the PLEISTOCENE AGE. The narrator tells us that he pieced the tale together from nightmares he has experienced his whole life, nightmares which he later recognized as ancestral memories after taking an evolution class in college. He names his alter-ego Bigtooth, because of his large incisors, and the assembled account tells of Bigtooth's struggle for survival in world filled with fierce predators and competing proto-humans in various states of evolutionary advancement.

I've got a lot to say about this book, so please bear with me. I'll try to keep each paragraph focused on a single topic, so you can easily skip the parts that don't interest you.

This was the second time I have read this book, and neither reading was "conventional." I first read it as a free PROJECT GUTENBERG file on a PDA, a PALM M505. (I used to love to reverse the text-ground colors on it and lower the intensity so I was reading light text on a dark background in low-light situations. It was a great way for me to read in bed at night without keeping my wife awake. For my money, it was a much better way to read electronically than the new KINDLE II, but I can see the advantages of that machine too.) This time I downloaded an audio book version from AUDIOBOOKSFORFREE.COM, a quirky site that definitely deserves its own write up at some point. I have been very pleased with every recording I have purchased from that site and this one was no exception. (FYI, I buy the 48kbps, separate-file, download versions for $7 per title.) The narration by SILAS HAWKINS was perfect. (Though I had to laugh when his polished voice was forced to utter prehistoric growls!)

The narrative frame of this story, the explanation that the writer gives for his freakish ability to access ancestral memories, frankly doesn't work. Even if the science behind his ancestral memories were plausible and logical, which they aren't, the pieced together account doesn't follow the rules he laid down for himself in the explanation. If you listen/read closely, you will note occasions in which the narrator knows things he should not, or with an unlikely preciseness. No matter, though, both the narrative frame and the tale are entertaining. If you just grin a little at the slightly-forced mechanism for delivering the story and the antiquated scientific notions, you will find plenty of interesting things this book. (Though some would argue, myself included, that London's popular science notions are in themselves an interesting artifact of his time. More on this in the paragraph on related literature.)

So what's good about the story? For one thing, it's an entertaining and short little adventure story. Beyond that, I kind of felt like I was watching MEERKAT MANOR or some fantasy penned by DIANE FOSSEY after a long day of peeping at mountain gorillas. At times, London does an admirable job of imagining what a very intelligent primate might be thinking, feeling, and doing. There are some sour notes, but generally I found London's writing to be an interesting take on a fairly challenging little writing exercise. London later wrote a book with a similar premise called The Star Rover, in which a condemned prisoner puts himself into a trance and experiences his past lives.

The novel is also remarkable as a literary object. There are other "LOST WORLD" novels written before this one, but I can't think of any that tries to scientifically tackle pre-humans from their own point-of-view. Related contemporary works to Before Adam that I have enjoyed include ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE's LOST WORLD (1912); EDGAR RICE BURROUGH's THE LAND THAT TIME FORGOT (1918), TARZAN OF THE APES (1912), and AT THE EARTH'S CORE (1914). More recently, CLAN OF THE CAVE BEAR (1980) by JEAN M. AUEL is an interesting comparison. Both Clan and Before Adam portray competing branches of proto-humans, for instance. According to modern anthropology, this conceit is scientifically accurate. I also enjoyed reading SUNSET OF THE SABERTOOTH, by MARY POPE OSBORNE, to my children. It's a book from the MAGIC TREEHOUSE series in which two children travel back in time and encounter ice-age humans. Finally, another similar book, though it is actually a post-apocalyptic novel, is ROBER SILVERBERG'S AT WINTER'S END (and its sequel NEW SPRINGTIME).

One final historical note of interest. In 1906 STANLEY WATERLOO, having also written a story of proto-humans in the ancient world, accused London of plagiarism after reading three installments of the serialized Before Adam. Waterloo's book was called THE STORY OF AB. There doesn't seem to be a lot of basis for his charge of plagiarism, but there are a few "odd" coincidences. London's response was pretty pointed, and you can read the dialogue between the two in this NEW YORK TIMES article, from November 24, 1906. The chief difference, according to London, is that his work takes a decidedly more scientific approach to the subject.

Oh, and I should mention that this book answers the timeless question, "What would you do if your best friend ate your new puppy?" :-)

In LITTLE FUZZY by HENRY BEAM PIPER, a frontiersman mining "sunstones" encounters a hairy little creature that piques his curiosity. After adopting one "little fuzzy," Pappy Jack Holloway quickly finds himself attached to a whole family of them. Pretty soon he is convinced that they are not just animals, but also intelligent beings. This creates a problem for the company that is systematically mining the planet and harvesting its resources. If an intelligent species is discovered, then the company's… (more)

In LITTLE FUZZY by HENRY BEAM PIPER, a frontiersman mining "sunstones" encounters a hairy little creature that piques his curiosity. After adopting one "little fuzzy," Pappy Jack Holloway quickly finds himself attached to a whole family of them. Pretty soon he is convinced that they are not just animals, but also intelligent beings. This creates a problem for the company that is systematically mining the planet and harvesting its resources. If an intelligent species is discovered, then the company's charter is automatically nullified and all those juicy profits disappear. So the company immediately takes measures to disprove the intelligence of the fuzzies and discredit their discoverer.

I read this book on my AMAZON KINDLE II after downloading it from FEEDBOOKS.COM. It was a fun, light read from start to finish. There's no real depth to the story and not much in the way of serious science fiction, but it is an enjoyable story nonetheless. I believe there are more fuzzy books and I will consider picking them up. I am also considering reading this one to my boys, as I think it might play well to a young audience.

STARFISH by PETER WATTS. The year is 2050. You are part of a work crew three kilometers below the surface of the Pacific Ocean, maintaining the geothermal energy generators that are critical for delivering electricity to an overcrowded world. You and your coworkers have been specially "modified" to handle work in this extreme environment. In fact, you no longer look entirely human, but then how much humanity you possessed before your body was altered is uncertain. It takes a special kind of individual… (more)

STARFISH by PETER WATTS. The year is 2050. You are part of a work crew three kilometers below the surface of the Pacific Ocean, maintaining the geothermal energy generators that are critical for delivering electricity to an overcrowded world. You and your coworkers have been specially "modified" to handle work in this extreme environment. In fact, you no longer look entirely human, but then how much humanity you possessed before your body was altered is uncertain. It takes a special kind of individual to withstand the psychological pressures at the bottom of the sea, and that kind is borderline psychotic.

If you are interested in reading this book, I have good news for you. It's free. Watts has released the book under a CREATIVE COMMONS license which means you can download it, and it's two sequels, from FEEDBOOKS.COM and other places.

I found Starfish to be an engaging bit of writing built on some pretty interesting concepts. Most of these concepts place the book squarely in the TRANSHUMANIST sub-genre of science fiction, an area of fiction I have been exploring for a month or so. I suppose my highest praise for the book is that I started it's sequel, MAELSTROM, within minutes of finishing Starfish.

I do have a couple of minor quibbles with the book.

First, there is an odd moment when one character (Acton) seems to use lines that belong to another character (Fischer). Maybe I just didn't get the connection, but Acton's dialogue, especially the characteristic "This is what you do to someone when you love them" seems to imply more of a connection between Acton and Fischer than really existed, at least "on-stage".

Second, the ending was good, but I'm not sure I got as much closure as I would have liked. If you start the next book right away, this complaint is irrelevant, but the book's final moments seem a bit odd to me. The story isn't open-ended exactly, it just left me with some unanswered questions and a vague sense that I missed something significant.

I read this book on the KINDLE II and on the IPOD TOUCH using the STANZA reader app. In fact, once I was finished with Starfish, I immediately downloaded Maelstrom on my iPod, using a link built into the Starfish e-text. This is a handy little trick that I chastised Amazon for not employing with books in a series. I'm surprised that Feedbooks has beaten them to the punch when the financial gain of creating this feature is much more obvious for Amazon. The other feature I'm surprised Amazon hasn't created for Kindle reading is the ability to subscribe to a book series with your credit card so that when a new book is released it automatically gets delivered wirelessly to your Kindle and your credit card charged for the sale price. (Or at least the ability to pre-purchase a book for a fixed amount once its release has been announced.)

THE GUN is one of PHILLIP K. DICK's earlier SF stories. It first appeared in PLANET STORIES in September of 1952.

The Gun is a pretty straightforward tale. I have read many cautionary SF tales like it, in which a weapon of mass destruction is left switched on and under the control of a computer long after its makers have been reduced to ash.

Still, the writing is concise and one can see that Dick knew how to construct a "traditional" SF tale long before he started writing the experimental works for which most readers know and love him.

THE MACHINE STOPS by E. M. FORSTER is an amazing short story first published in 1909. (Many sources list the second publishing in 1928 as the story's official date, missing it's first appearance in THE OXFORD AND CAMBRIDGE REVIEW.)

The Machine Stops tells of a mother and son in a future, underground utopia. Each person in the society lives in a hexagonal cell, inside of a larger "hive" of other individuals. When they travel, which is rarely, they use automated cars that travel through tubes and… (more)

THE MACHINE STOPS by E. M. FORSTER is an amazing short story first published in 1909. (Many sources list the second publishing in 1928 as the story's official date, missing it's first appearance in THE OXFORD AND CAMBRIDGE REVIEW.)

The Machine Stops tells of a mother and son in a future, underground utopia. Each person in the society lives in a hexagonal cell, inside of a larger "hive" of other individuals. When they travel, which is rarely, they use automated cars that travel through tubes and airships with the window blinds drawn down. Mostly, though, people hang out in their cells where all of their needs are met by "the machine." There they participate in an Internet-like community, talking and sharing new ideas with each other, though they rarely have new ideas as a result of not having any new experiences on which to base them. If you can imagine living inside of FACEBOOK ... Anyway, the son is a "weird" individual whose curiosity and remarkable physical strength (he can hold his bed pillow out from his body for minutes at a time) results in his daring to go outside! The reaction this unorthodox behavior earns from the machine, and the ultimate fate of the machine itself is the meat of the story.

Even without considering it's chronological point of origin (before chip technology, let alone before computers or the Internet), The Machine Stops is an eerily accurate commentary on trends in our modern technology-based society. Several weeks ago my wife showed me a single-panel cartoon in which a woman was asking her husband how he could have 134 friends on Facebook when he didn't have a single friend in real life. I didn't think it was all that funny because it seems to draw an distinction that is uncomfortable for those of us who are willingly "plugged in" to the latest and greatest technologies. I have an exoskeleton built out of an iPod, laptop, cell phone, etc. I want to believe that my virtual connections to other human beings are meaningful and I don't necessarily believe that physicality makes connections automatically meaningful. Still, Forster pokes a similar kind of fun at modern society, pointing out that lack of experience and direct human contact reduces us in all capacities until we no longer matter as a species.

I would recommend this story to anyone and everyone. First of all, you can get it for free. Second, it will not fail to provoke a reaction from you, regardless of your opinions about modern technology.

I read this book on the AMAZON KINDLE II.

Simply fantastic. Great reading for any intelligent young person or adult. Little Brother creates a great story around the premise of a paranoid post-9/11 America and how it affects one precocious young adult.

Almuric is a "planetary romance" by Robert E. Howard in which the main character, Esau Cairn, is transported from Earth to another world where he fights apelike humans, winged demons, and other monsters.

This story was serialized after Howard's death and, frankly, it's not good. I question whether he really wrote it or whether someone else played ghostwriter with his notes. The plot is thin and filled with freakish (and convenient) coincidences. Some good elements are present, but without Howard's… (more)

Almuric is a "planetary romance" by Robert E. Howard in which the main character, Esau Cairn, is transported from Earth to another world where he fights apelike humans, winged demons, and other monsters.

This story was serialized after Howard's death and, frankly, it's not good. I question whether he really wrote it or whether someone else played ghostwriter with his notes. The plot is thin and filled with freakish (and convenient) coincidences. Some good elements are present, but without Howard's usual rich treatment. Unfortunately, while I love Howard's Conan and Kull stories, I can't recommend this one.

P.S. The name of the planet is repeatedly omitted and there are a couple of small typos.

I read this on my Palm Pilot m500 ages ago. Imagine the love child of H. P. Lovecraft and Lester Dent (a hybrid of ghoulish weird horror and straight up action). If you are imagining this strange and wondrous creature right now and drooling over the possibilities, I am going to direct you to lower your expectations slightly. By including elements of both the weird and the action tale, each gets watered down slightly. Still, Merritt throws lots of cool imagination into this book and I think anyone… (more)

I read this on my Palm Pilot m500 ages ago. Imagine the love child of H. P. Lovecraft and Lester Dent (a hybrid of ghoulish weird horror and straight up action). If you are imagining this strange and wondrous creature right now and drooling over the possibilities, I am going to direct you to lower your expectations slightly. By including elements of both the weird and the action tale, each gets watered down slightly. Still, Merritt throws lots of cool imagination into this book and I think anyone who likes weird tales, science fiction, or just a vintage ripping yarn will enjoy this title.