Book Review: The Dakota Project

Book Review: 'The Dakota Project' by Jack Beeching

 1 / 5 Stars

‘The Dakota Project’ was published in hardcover in 1968; this Dell paperback (280 pp.) was issued in July 1971. The cover artwork is by Robert (Bob) Foster.

Foster illustrated many paperbacks in the 60s and 70s and used Steve Holland as a model, as the male figure on the cover of ‘Project’ reveals. Holland, of course, was the model for James Bama’s 'Doc Savage' covers for Bantam.

‘The Dakota Project’ is a first-person narrative on the part of a middle-aged British writer named Richard Conroy. As the novel opens, Conroy has arrived in North Dakota, where, logically enough, the Dakota Project is located.

Conroy is not overly impressed with the location of the project – a village surrounded by security fencing and mine fields, in the middle of the windswept prairie – but the vague thrill of working on a semi-clandestine endeavor, as well as a handsome salary, have induced him to sign on for a multi-year stint.

Conroy gets to work writing propaganda tracts, befriends a lesbian couple, and acquires a harelipped Mexican domestic (!) as a mistress. His superiors are pleased with his work, and as Fall turns to Winter, Conroy is promoted to the inner circle, where he learns of the Project’s true mission.

Conroy accepts this disclosure with some equanimity, reasoning that after his hitch is up, he can depart and re-enter civilian life without a backward glance. But when a high-ranking member of the Project recruits him for a possible coup, events start to lurch out of control. 

Will Conroy side with the usurper and see his friends subjected to a dire fate ? Or will he rebel, and risk his life for a chance to escape the Project ?

Such a dilemma sounds like the ingredient for a good thriller, but unfortunately, ‘The Dakota Project’ is a dull and unimaginative read.

Author Beeching awkwardly tries to take the self-centered narrative peculiar to middle-aged white men, the same narrative that John Updike successfully mined with his ‘Rabbit’ novels, and meld it to a satirical thriller along the lines of ‘Dr Strangelove’.

Much of the novel is centered around long stretches of dialogue, in which the author shows to us his command of witty repartee. As well, there are plentiful monologues, during which Conroy muses about various frat-boy topics, such as how he best can get the lesbians into his bed, or how best to impress the Project directorship during administrative meetings. 

The end result of these excursions into middle-aged male psychology is……… tedium. 

‘The Dakota Project’ is unimpressive both as a near-future sf novel, and as a thriller. You’re better off passing on this title.

Wonderworks by Michael Whelan

'Wonderworks'

Science fiction & fantasy art by Michael Whelan

 

‘Wonderworks: Science Fiction & Fantasy Art by Michael Whelan’ was published in 1979 by The Donning Company.

Starting around 1975, publishers of sf, and the growing genre of fantasy, began to turn from the abstract, figurative artwork of the New Wave era, towards a more ‘realistic’ and painterly style of illustration, for their book covers.

There were a number of talented artists whose work was seminal to this transition, among them the Brothers Hildebrandt, Chris Foss, Patrick Woodroffe, Darrell K. Sweet, Tim White, and Michael Whelan. 

The latter’s work was plentifully evident in many paperbacks released from 1975 – 1979, the interval covered by this book.

‘Wonderworks’ is divided into several chapters devoted to the genres of sf, heroic fantasy, romantic fantasy, horror, heroines, and aliens. Whelan's paintings for mass market paperbacks and hardbound books in these genres all are reproduced in large-scale, full-color format. 

Each of these chapters features an introductory essay by a well-known author or editor whose work employed a painting by Whelan, such as Poul Anderson, Michael Moorcock, Gerald W. Page, Ann McCaffrey, and Alan Dean Foster.

Many of these illustrations will evoke nostalgia among readers of the PorPor era, and probably will move them to seek out copies of the paperback for which the cover artwork was used.

I’ve posted some images from 'Wonderworks' below, along with some of the relevant paperbacks, to give you an idea of how the original images were cropped or obscured to meet the confines of paperback cover layout and sizing.

Michael Whelan continues to be active in fantastic artwork and illustration; his website is: http://www.glassonion.com/.

Brother Assassin by Fred Saberhagen, Ace Books, 1978

The Night Face by Poul Anderson, Ace Books, 1978

The Year's Best Horror Stories: Series V, edited by Gerald Page, DAW Books, 1977

 

The Year's Best Horror Stories: Series IV, edited by Gerald Page, DAW Books, 1976

Dying for Tomorrow by Michael Moorcock, DAW Books, 1978

Swords and Ice Magic by Fritz Leiber, Ace Books, 1977

Stormbringer by Michael Moorcock, DAW Books, 1977

World Without Stars by Poul Anderson, Ace Books, 1978

Gate of Ivrel by C. J. Cherryh, DAW Books, 1976

The Planet Savers by Marion Zimmer Bradley, Ace Books, 1976

'Orion' by Gray Morrow

from the March 1978 issue of Heavy Metal

'Orion' debuted in the March, 1978 issue of Heavy Metal magazine and ran in succeeding issues throughout the remainder of that year.

A compilation of the 'Orion' series is being released as a trade paperback by Hermes Press in mid-2012, and is available for pre-order at online retailers.

Book Review: 'The Winged Man', by E. Mayne Hull and A. E. Van Vogt

1 / 5 Stars

‘The Winged Man’ first appeared in print in 1944 in Astounding Science Fiction, with Edna Mayne Hull – Van Vogt’s first wife - as the sole author. An expanded version was published in 1966 with Van Vogt as a co-author; seeking to fill its early catalog, DAW Books re-issued the novel in 1980 as book No. 378; the luminous cover art is by Douglas Beekman.

The novel starts with a US Navy atomic submarine, the Sea Serpent, cruising in the darkness of the South Pacific. Officer Kenlon espies what appears to be a very large bird flying past the ship; the ‘bird’ soon turns out to be a winged man, who attaches devices of unknown design and purpose to the sub’s surface.

Kenlon and his crew succeed in capturing the winged man; no sooner is he imprisoned below decks, than the submarine is somehow transported to the Pacific Ocean of the far, far future: the year 24,999, to be exact.

It transpires that the Sea Serpent is one of a number of vessels from various centuries, all brought into the future by the winged men. It seems the winged men are losing a war being waged against an aquatic subspecies of Homo sapiens, and they believe the firepower of the submarine, and the other vessels in their unusual armada, can destroy the undersea city of their adversaries.

But as office Kenlon soon discovers, there is more to the story than a war among two races of a future mankind. He and the crew of the Sea Serpent will find themselves forced to make a decision with consequences for the fate of the entire galaxy….

Aware that ‘Winged’ originated as a pulp novel, I had no major expectations upon reading it. Even so, it was a chore to finish.

It’s difficult to tell if Van Vogt’s contribution to the expanded version made the original story worse, or better. But as it stands, ‘Winged’ spends the greater part of its narrative belaboring the interactions between the crews of the various ‘kidnapped’ sea vessels. Indeed, not until the final 11 pages of the book, does the battle promised in the back cover blurbs come to fruition. 

As a novel, ‘Winged Man’ is tedious and unremarkable, particularly for a novel re-written in 1966, by which time the prose skills of  Van Vogt, at least, should have showed some signs of advancement.

Starting in 1956 with Damon Knight’s essay ‘Cosmic Jerrybuilder’, Van Vogt became the target of increasing disparagement by other sf writers. 

I can’t say if the limited set of Van Vogt fiction that I’ve read over the years is of sufficient magnitude to allow me to agree with Knight, particularly in light of the fact that an awful lot of the New Wave content I’ve waded through has represented sf at its worst. 

But ‘The Winged Man’ is easily forgettable.

'Surprise Party' by Brenda Jackson and Serge Clerc

from Heavy Metal, March 1982 

Starsky and Hutch: The 'Lightbulb' Killer

Starsky and Hutch: The 'Lightbulb' Killer 

('Vendetta')

November 27, 1976

While the show may seem cheesy to today's audiences, back in the mid-70s 'Starsky & Hutch' was a highly-rated series, and we never passed up a chance to catch it on the little 22" black and white TV at our house in upstate New York.

One of the creepiest episodes I remember seeing first aired on November 27, 1976, and was officially titled 'Vendetta', although I will always remember it as the 'Lightbulb' killer episode.

The killer is a young man named Tommy (played by Gary Sandy, who two years later would be cast as 'Andy Travis' in WKRP in Cincinnati). 

Tommy is seriously, seriously fucked up; he lies on a dirty mattress all day, in a squalid apartment, staring at a naked light bulb dangling from the ceiling (!)

When sometime friend Jimmy Shannon comes calling...

...Tommy appears, maniacal and wielding a baseball bat....!

His erstwhile friend kisses this world goodbye.

Assigned to the murder of Jimmy Shannon, Starsky and Hutch check out the corpse at the city morgue: broken skull, shoulders, and legs.....

It turns out that Tommy is being manipulated into serving as a 'hit man' by a sleazy, middle-aged bellhop named Artie.

Next on the Hit List: a middle-aged business man (played by M. Emmett Walsh), who needs to be beaten up, but not killed.

As Starsky and Hutch pursue their investigation, the increasingly nervous Artie decides it's best to eliminate Hutch's girlfriend Abby (Ann Foster). 

While Tommy gazes at his lightbulb, the order for murder is given. [These 'lightbulb' sessions featured an eerie - sounding synthesizer background track.]

Wearing Sunglasses At Night (like all stylish Psycho Killers are apt to do) Tommy makes his way to Abby's apartment....

Will Abby survive ? Will Starsky and Hutch catch the lightbulb killer and his evil mastermind Artie ? 

I won't reveal any spoilers, but you can watch 'Vendetta' for $2 at amazon Prime video.