March already, sheesh

With the baby due to make his appearance in early April (or perhaps sooner since he's measuring 4 weeks ahead) I've been fairly busy emptying what used to be my study. Sounds like an easy task, but with 10 years of stuff to sift through and limited space to put it all afterward, it's turned into a little nightmare. Anyway, it's done. The walls and ceiling of baby's room were plastered last week and the electric sockets and a light fitting were replaced, so that leaves the painting, the carpet, and the part I'm so looking forward to - assembling the furniture.

The novel is progressing, albeit slowly, through the second draft, and I'm pleased with the rewrites thus far. I'd love to predict the completion date but since my weekly output varies so much at the moment it's hard to say. Maybe by my boy's first day of school *sigh*

I'll end on two recommendations. If you haven't read Stephen King's novella collection Full Dark, No Stars or checked out Boardwalk Empire on Atlantic, you definitely should.

All the best.

Book Review: Under the Dome, Stephen King

A mysterious dome descends upon the town of Chester's Mill. A woodchuck is split in two and a light airplane explodes, raining debris (and body parts) on Route 119. And so begins Stephen King's latest novel, Under the Dome...

Forget The Simpsons Movie comparisons. They're unfortunate and distracting. This 1072-page epic deserves to be judged as a new King novel, end of. And he's having a lot of fun here, you can tell, watching his one-hundred-plus cast move around like a kid staring at ants through a magnifying glass. So what if I didn't feel quite the same connection with any of the Chester's Mill inhabitants? I did, however, feel involved enough in their stories to keep turning page after page. Besides, Under the Dome is about people in general more than individuals. It is also about action, pace, tension, and story. In fact, King's prose is leaner here than it has been in years, and if it's not quite ripped, he has certainly worked hard to rid himself of not all but most of the flab that comes with TMI: Too Much Information. Indeed, hand on heart, I can say I wasn't bored for a single moment, quite the opposite, and when you consider the length of the novel, that's a massive achievement.

Anyway, Dome in place, things quickly heat up inside. Divisions form. Dale 'Barbie' Barbara, an Iraq veteran, on one side, 'Big Jim' Rennie, used-car dealer and town second selectman on the other. King tries to blur the lines a little, but what we essentially get is a battle of Good versus Evil. Global Warming, albeit in microcosm, is addressed also, and with admirable restraint. As for the politics in the novel, purported to represent King's own beliefs, they seem to have angered and even turned some readers off. They did not particularly interest me, so I won't go there other than to say I don't believe they encroached upon the story, perhaps because I saw this as something deeper than religion or politics. It's an unflinchingly dark portrayal of human nature and society, but it may also be an honest and true one. Therein lies the horror.

Now for the ending. You will find out what The Dome is and why it is there, but whether you like the explanation or accept the explanation comes down to you, the individual reader. And in traditional Stephen King style, it will disappoint some and satisfy others. Fortunately, after a thousand-page read, I found myself in the latter camp. Again, for me the novel was a study of human behaviour above all else, and for the most part King handles this aspect with great skill and understanding. Okay, one or two characters lost it a little too quickly for me, but what do I know? I've never been under the dome...

Finally, would I recommend picking up a copy? Let me offer some perspective. Here are my top three Stephen King books:

1. The Long Walk (granted, written as Richard Bachman)
2. Hearts in Atlantis
3. Duma Key

Under the Dome supplants Duma Key at No.3 on my list, though it is a close decision. As the smoothest, swiftest, most thrilling read from King so far, I would have to say, yes – get your hands on a copy.

Book Review: Cujo, Stephen King

My hopes weren’t high going into Cujo. King claims he can barely remember writing his famous tale of a rabid Saint Bernard (he was an alcoholic and drug addict at the time), but I wondered if perhaps he merely wanted to forget… That's not the case. Cujo may have a slow build-up to its tense climax (one of the author’s better closings, it should be said), but it’s never dull thanks in part to the surprisingly measured structure. For me, though, the novel’s real strength is found in its realistic portrayal of two families, the Cambers (country-dwellers) and the Trentons (former city-dwellers). Both have serious problems and are on the brink of falling apart. Enter Cujo. There may be some significance to the juxtaposition of these families, some metaphors to be found in the rabid dog and the disease-like rot that seems to infect the husbands and wives of the respective families; then, there may not. I suspect, however, that Cujo is meant to be viewed as more than a horror novel. Indeed, the grisly scenes of murder that litter other horror novels are few in number here; instead, the focus is suspense and the ever-present fear of death rather than death itself. I expected this to be one of King’s lesser efforts… I was pleasantly surprised.

Book Review (part 2 of 2): Just After Sunset, Stephen King

N.

A strange standing-stones formation brings on OCD in an observer, who visits his psychiatrist for help. Only, his OCD is catching… There is a lot going on in this story (there should be, it’s over 50 pages long), making it easily one of the best in the collection. Story and character blend here in near-perfect harmony, and the writing, particularly toward the end of the tale, convincingly captures the protagonist’s condition. Indeed, the focus here is the mind, fear manifesting itself through OCD, how quickly and easily it spreads and destroys. The more I think about this tale, the more frightening it becomes... 4/5


The Cat from Hell

For Halston this is a new kind of hit: a cat. But this cat has the blood of three people on its paws, and it won’t go out without a fight… This is vintage King, literally. Written and first published some 30 years ago, the style and content are very different from the rest of the stories collected here. The short, sharp prose of pulp crime fiction meets King’s nasty streak of old in this deliciously dark tale. Good enough to make me want to dig out some of the old collections but out of place alongside the more literary, character-driven stories. Nonetheless, an excellent read. 4.5/5


The New York Times at Special Bargain Rates

Many of the stories in Just After Sunset touch upon the subject of death. Here, Annie Driscoll receives one final phone call from her late husband, who died three days earlier in a plane crash. Though the call is short, Annie will never forget it, and never quite let go of the man who made the call, regardless of the path her life takes. An understated and believable tale where story and character are well-balanced. Memorable. 3.5/5


Mute

In a church confessional, a travelling salesman recalls an encounter with a deaf-mute hitchhiker to whom he ranted about his cheating wife... Mute draws the reader in but the so-called twist can be seen coming for miles, making this one end on a slightly disappointing note. Indeed, the moral questions King asks here (which I won’t mention to avoid spoiling the story for those who haven’t read it), aren’t particularly new or interesting either, and certainly don’t justify the story’s 24-page length. An enjoyable but forgettable read. And Playboy published this... 3/5


Ayana

Here we have miracles and questions…why do some people live and some people die? King himself says in the afterword that this tale is about the questions rather than the answers. He says that often, and here he gets away with it. There’s no bells and whistles here, no horror per se but an understated and tender story. 3.5/5


A Very Tight Place

Curtis Johnson finds himself trapped in a Port-O-San (portable toilet) in this almost novella-length tale of revenge and rebirth. It’s probably the best example from Just After Sunset of vintage King meets new King, a delicious marriage of nastiness and richly detailed prose in the darkest, grossest tale of the bunch. The perfect choice for the final story, too. 4/5


In Just After Sunset, Stephen King often writes about questions without providing any answers. The less successful stories of this ilk feel disappointingly unfinished, but some do linger beyond a first reading. It isn’t the author’s strongest collection to date, but it is a thoughtful journey that is never less than interesting; a journey in which time and time again he forces the reader to confront the subjects of death and dying. At times unflinching and horrific, at others subtle and poignant, this uneven collection is nevertheless worth your attention, as even its lesser tales offer the discerning reader something beyond character and plot. And King’s prose has never been so rich, so layered, so compelling.

Book Review (part 1 of 2): Just After Sunset, Stephen King

As promised, here is the first part of my story-by-story review of Stephen King's latest collection, Just After Sunset:


Willa

While the victims of a derailment in Wyoming gather at a station to await a recovery train to take them on to their destination, David goes off in search of his fiance, the eponymous Willa, who has wandered into a nearby town. The ‘twist’ in the tale is soon revealed; King isn’t stupid, he’s seen The Sixth Sense like the rest of us. Besides, the story is really about love, how it sets us apart, how it survives everything, even death. There’s plenty of his trademark attention to detail to be found here, which can at times make his work seem bloated and gassy, but mercifully the pacing here, although a little out-of-balance, is just about right. A tale that lingered with me… 3.5/5


The Gingerbread Girl

Since losing her baby, Emily likes to run. She runs from her husband and her life all the way to a beach retreat in Vermillion Key, Florida, where she runs straight into the arms of a psychopath. Part character study, part action-suspense tale, The Gingerbread Girl is an easy if overlong read. Though the protagonist is an interesting and sympathetic character, King has given her a fairly insipid plot through which to navigate. More disappointing than that, however, is her main antagonist, a psychopathic serial killer who is pure stereotype. No surprises. 2.5/5


Harvey’s Dream

What this story lacks in action and plot, it more than makes up for in character and to a lesser degree suspense. A richly detailed portrait of a man and woman nearing their retirement years. Add to the mix a vivid and disturbing dream, and their ‘thin’ world is suddenly, irrevocably changed forever. Not for everyone, but I enjoyed the detailed writing and slow, simmering build-up, even if it was all fairly predictable in the end. 3/5


Rest Stop

A popular writer stops for a bathroom break and overhears a man beating on a woman. He has to decide if and how he will intervene. I won’t reveal what happens next, just that Rest Stop is another classic example of King’s highly readable style carrying a straightforward story. He’s truly a magician with detail. Indeed, as he did with the previous tale, he takes the simplest of situations and works his magic to somehow make it feel immediate and exciting. 3/5


Stationary Bike

The point King makes in this cautionary tale about the dangers of over-exercise could easily be made in fewer pages than the 30-plus he uses here. But when it’s delivered in such a readable style, it really is hard to complain. Freelance artist Richard Sifkitz is overweight, has high cholesterol and, after the bluntest of warnings from his doctor, buys a stationary bike. He puts the bike in his basement, paints a road on the wall, and marks off his route on various maps. Great, so far. You might think you can guess where King takes it from here, for he’s revisiting familiar ground, mixing elements from some of his other work—The Road Virus Heads North and his last novel, Duma Key, spring to mind—but he literally informs the reader that this story won’t end as they might expect. And to an extent he’s right and it doesn’t. There’s much to enjoy here, but like a lot of King’s work the payoff doesn’t quite live up to the build-up, unfortunately. Still, this is a strong if slightly overlong story. 3.5/5


The Things They Left Behind

Almost a year on from 9/11, Scott Staley, a man who should have been working in one of the Towers that day, discovers objects belonging to his deceased co-workers in his apartment. Objects with stories to tell... What follows is a journey of understanding and for me, boredom. This one didn’t connect at all. Despite my initial interest and high-hopes, it had me zoning out for pages at a time. Overwritten—even more so than the previous story—and thin on plot, this could easily stand to lose 40-50% of its length. I may revisit this to see if it engages me second time around, I’m stubborn—or stupid—that way, but after a first reading this is the most disappointing story of the collection so far. 2/5


Graduation Afternoon

Like Harvey’s Dream, Graduation Afternoon showcases King the writer more than King the storyteller. It is a simple and fairly effective literary tale, full of detail like the other stories in this collection, but ultimately lacking story. Structurally and thematically it bears some similarities to Harvey’s Dream, in that he details the lives of the players before hitting them hard at the close. Enjoyable, but I think writing this good deserves more plot. 2.5/5

Part two of my review will follow soon...

Hard Case Crime

If you’re looking for something to read on the bus or train to work, let me point you in the direction of the Hard Case Crime series. Starting in September 2004, founders Charles Ardai and Max Phillips have published one hardboiled crime novel every month since, recently passing the fifty mark with no signs of slowing down.

This is an easy genre to dismiss (I’m relatively new to it myself), but take some time out to read one or two of the HCC novels and you’ll find enthralling stories written in the kind of sharp prose that most authors can only dream of writing. I’m currently reading Little Girl Lost, the fourth in the series and my fifth HCC title so far (having bucked numerical order to read #13, Stephen King’s, The Colorado Kid), and the selling point is simply this: consistent quality.

So drop by their website, browse through the titles and authors on offer, or maybe even let the gorgeous cover art influence your choice...but make a purchase. Not convinced? Well, check out the price tag. Over at Amazon UK, HCC titles start out at as little as £3.53, at Amazon US, $7. Worth every penny or cent if you ask me.

Movie Review: Stephen King's The Mist

I’ve been waiting for my online DVD rental company to send me Stephen King’s The Mist for at least two months now. No luck. So, last night my wife and I took matters into our own hands, walked to the local Blockbusters, and for £25 bought the 2 Disc Special Edition on Blu-ray (along with Assembly, a Chinese war movie, which currently sits at 7.6 on imdb). Not the best deal, but not bad either. We opted to watch the colour version (there is a black-and-white version on the second disc, supposedly superior, the director’s version of choice) and here are my thoughts...

I had high hopes going into The Mist (pun intended), possibly the highest I’ve had for any Stephen King adaptation since The Green Mile. Frank Darabont directed both movies, so I felt in pretty safe hands. Well, it’s fair to say it is no Green Mile, and certainly no Shawshank Redemption, but it is a fun horror tale, a strange hybrid of Sixties throwback and modern shocker with obligatory gore. I admit to being extremely worried when the first monster showed up (in the form of tentacles reaching under a loading bay door) because the CGI was dreadful by today’s standards - too shiny, too stuck on. It wrenched me right out of the movie for a time. But the giant insects won me over again, and I was almost able to forget those tentacles. Almost. Another minor gripe was the performance of the lead, Thomas Jane of The Punisher and, er, Dreamcatcher. His reactions were unconvincing if not annoying at times. The rest of the cast put in solid enough performances. On to the good...the psychological aspect and the ending. The real horror in this movie, for we’ve all become desensitised to CGI monsters and gore thanks to the franchises of The Lord of the Rings and Saw respectively, is human in nature - the fast-formed religious mob with its murmurs of sacrifice in the name of ‘expiation’. If that doesn’t at least make you uncomfortable, check the colour of your blood. As for the ending...I won’t spoil it for anyone who hasn’t seen the movie. I will say it’s the most memorable and frustrating scene by a mile, and as such the scene you’ll want to discuss more than any other.

Stephen King’s The Mist isn’t perfect, but it is a welcome antidote to the torture-porn that seems to represent the horror genre these days. On a final note, though I haven’t done so myself yet - make it a point to watch the black-and-white version. I put it on for a few minutes after watching the movie in colour and it immediately felt...right. You’ll see what I mean. Even those shiny-ass tentacles didn’t seem quite so bad...

My Top 3 Reads of 2008

1. Perfume: The Story of a Murderer, Patrick Suskind

Magnificent. This novel offered me everything I want from a story – it was dark, literary, original, compelling, psychologically acute, tragic, beautifully written, and with an outcast as its unforgettable central character. A tale I will doubtless revisit again and again in years to come. My only disappointment was watching the film version before reading the book, always a mistake.


2. Duma Key, Stephen King

In recent years, I find myself biting voraciously into each new effort from King only for my appetite to wane around its flabby middle section and then return again with the serving of dessert, i.e., the final 150 to 200 pages. Duma Key was no different. The beginning was exceptional, hooking me completely, the middle seemed a little long and unfocused, and the ending, though satisfying, resorted at times to one or two laughable plot/exposition devices to move the whole thing along and resolve the story issues. That said, Duma is more accessible and enjoyable than most of King's recent output, Lisey's Story and Cell to name just two, and is, therefore, his best work for a long, long time.


3. Another Bullshit Night in Suck City, Nick Flynn

I bought this book from Amazon a while back because (1) it was on sale, and (2) that title grabbed me. I had no expectations and only a vague idea of what it was about, but sometimes that makes for the best reads. Suck City has much to offer, too much to include in this short review. Among other things, it is an insightful and honest portrayal of a difficult father and son relationship, a fresh, unflinching look at life on the streets and in homeless shelters, and a sad, cautionary tale about clinging to empty dreams. Highly recommended.

week six (feb 05 - 11)

No novel work this week, but I'm finally ready to start the first draft of In the Cage of Ghosts after five weeks of preparation. Sounds like a lot, right? It's not, believe me, because it took just five sittings to get me to this stage. Had I applied ass to chair on Jan 1st and continued to do so on a daily basis until I was ready to roll on (draft) one then I would've been good to go before the end of the first week of the year. Sometimes, though, ideas take a little time – not to mention coaxing, gentle or otherwise – to untangle themselves into something worthwhile. Sorry I don't have more to report on this at the moment, but I hope to give you more in the coming weeks.

Reading consumed most of my spare time this week. I finished Jonathan Maberry's Ghost Road Blues (scroll down the right hand margin to read my short review) and started King's latest, Duma Key. Now, I haven't said this in a long, long time, simply because Mr King has not given me any reason to say it, but… (deep breath) this one is a winner – so far. I'm a little over one hundred pages in and I'm captivated. While Cell was by King standards flat and uninspired and Lisey's Story was overlong and overwritten, Duma Key is…well, it's not. Edgar Freemantle is one of King's most interesting protagonists starring in what is, again so far, one of his finest mysteries. Thank you, thank you, thank you. For some time now I've been wondering, like many of you I'm sure, what happened to the guy who brought us Misery and The Stand and two of my own favourites, The Long Walk (okay, that's a Bachman) and Hearts in Atlantis. Assuming this one doesn't take a nosedive after page 150, I'd say he's finally found the niche it seems he's been so determined to find and occupy in the years since his Accident, that of the writer who can bridge the gulf between genre and literary fiction. My faith is restored. So far.

Finally, I've decided to take a break from submitting for a while. Why? I'm on a bad streak, have been for months, and the pile of rejections has me asking uncomfortable questions of myself. I reckon I need to rebuild my confidence, so I'm knuckling down to work on the projects I've been talking about here until I feel ready to put my neck back on the block or until one of the small number of stories I still have out there finds a good home, whichever comes first...

STATS:
3 submissions: Crazyhorse, Murky Depths, Eclipse Two
6 rejections: Triangulation, HLQ, Vestal Review, Outercast, GUD Magazine, Postcards From Hell

Currently reading: Duma Key by Stephen King
Recently watched: Glory (****), Roxanne (****1/2), Zodiac (****)
Current iPod favourite: n/a