The Rook: Hickey and the Pirates

The Rook in: 'Hickey and the Pirates'
Story by Bill Dubay, art by Jose Ortiz
from Eerie 99 (February 1979)

'Hickey and the Pirates', a Rook episode from Eerie No. 99, published in 1979, features some excellent ink-and-wash artwork from Spanish artist Jose Ortiz. Ortiz's full-page depiction of a battle at sea between Chinese junks is certainly a highlight, and something that you likely won't see in any contemporary comic books.

Bill DuBay's script is as wordy, as usual; with this episode, there is more of an emphasis on sarcastic humor, showcased mainly by the irascible Bishop Dane, the Rook's great-great grandfather. 

Some of this humor would not pass the censors in any contemporary comic book. It's also likely that were it to be published today, 'Hickey and the Pirates' would spur charges of racism as well as homophobia.

But read the episode for yourself and make your own judgments...............

Divine and John Waters, 1970s

Divine and John Waters, 1970s

Divine (Glenn Harris Milstead) (left) and John Waters (right), sometime in the 1970s. Photograph by Christopher Makos

Book Review: Dune Messiah

Book Review: 'Dune Messiah' by Frank Herbert

1 / 5 Stars

‘Dune Messiah’ first was serialized in Galaxy magazine in 1969; the hardcover version was released in that same year. This Berkley Books mass market paperback version (256 pp) was published in June, 1970, and features cover art by Jack Gaughan.

‘Dune Messiah’ is set 12 years after the events in Dune. The novel takes place entirely on Arrakis (i.e., planet Dune), in the capital city of Arrakeen, where Paul Atreides rules the galaxy from his massive, well-fortified palace. Atreides is assisted by a number of supporting characters from Dune, including his younger sister Alia, his wife Chani, the Fremen leader Stilgar, and Princess Irulan.

As the novel opens, Atreides finds himself deeply troubled by the massive loss of life, and political turmoil, inflicted on the galaxy by the jihad being carried out in his name by the Fremen. The jihad has grown to the point where Atreides can no longer control it, and threatens to plunge the galaxy into chaos. Atreides remains cursed – or blessed - with a prescience that lets him determine the most likely of a seemingly infinite number of possible futures, but none of the choices open to him for halting the jihad are benign – all come with the risk of sending the galaxy even further into barbarism.

Chafing under the rule of the jihadis, a group of conspirators - all of them traditional enemies of the Fremen and the Atreides dynasty - have set into motion a plan to remove Paul from the throne, and end the rule of House Atreides. The plot’s success hinges on infiltrating a clone of Duncan Idaho, Paul’s combat instructor who was killed by Harkonnen forces in Dune, into the Atreides household. Once the clone has ingratiated itself into Paul's confidences, it will be triggered by an embedded subliminal command to betray Atreides and his sister Alia.

Paul Atreides is aware of the plot against his life, but is restrained by the knowledge that acting too precipitously against the conspirators could have dire consequences for the future of his household, and Arrakis and its people. Thus, he is forced to employ subtle counters to the machinations of the conspirators, waiting for the crucial moment when all possible outcomes coalesce into one single moment of action and reaction…….a moment that will change forever the fate of the galaxy………..

I found ‘Dune Messiah’ to be a disappointment. Like many of Herbert’s novels, the narrative is relentlessly constructed around lengthy exchanges of dialogue; even more so than in Dune, these are overburdened with figurative, metaphorical prose designed to evoke a Zen-like sensibility (indeed, the cloned Duncan Idaho refers to himself as a ‘Zensunni’ adept). Herbert’s continuous onslaught of koans, and passages showcasing Paul Atreides’s existential angst, gives 'Dune Messiah' a plodding, obtuse quality throughout its comparatively short length. 

The few action sequences begrudgingly doled out to the reader are well-written, but also too few, and too far between, to impart needed momentum to the narrative.

[I won’t disclose any spoilers regarding the denouement, save to say that I found it rather predictable.]

Summing up, reading ‘Dune Messiah’ left me underwhelmed, and in no hurry to tackle the next volume in the series, ‘Children of Dune’. If you are a dedicated Herbert and Dune fan then maybe your point of view will be different, but I can’t endorse ‘Dune Messiah’ as a must-have.

more Books from Britain

more Books from Britain

An eclectic mix of titles from a recent order from the UK: two horror potboilers from Laurence James; a rather obscure fantasy novel from Simon Majors; a disaster novel involving the flooding of London; horror novels from Bernard King and Whitley Strieber; the very first entry (1966) in the Pan Books horror stories anthology; and finally, a sci-fi title from Terry Greenhough.

Book Review: The Hunters

Book Review: 'The Hunters' by Jack Lovejoy

4 / 5 Stars

'The Hunters' (256 pp) was published by Tor Books in February 1982. The cover art is by Thomas Kidd.

Jack Lovejoy (1937 - 2014) published a number of sf and fantasy novels during the 1980s; the best-known of these is the so-called 'Vision of Beasts' trilogy, also published by Tor Books.

'The Hunters' is set several centuries into the future, after the Earth has been subjugated by a race of mysterious, omnipotent aliens. The remnants of mankind live in scattered settlements, lying low during the daytime, and moving about with care lest they be spotted by the enormous spaceships of the aliens patrolling the skies. What little is known about the aliens suggests that they have turned the planet into one giant hunting ground, stocked with all manner of exotic creatures, including dinosaurs. To the Hunters, as the aliens are called, mankind is little more than vermin. 

Thelon, the young man who is the central character in the novel, lives in a settlement near the eponymous river in Northwestern Canada. As 'The Hunters' opens, he comes into possession of a diary, written long ago by a man who survived the invasion and went on to create the encampment where Thelon lives. The contents of the diary awaken in Thelon a desire to leave the confines of the settlement, to discover if any other human tribes survive - and whether their inhabitants have any information about how to defeat the Hunters.

Toting his bow and arrow and knife, and wearing a camouflaged tunic, Thelon sets out on foot for the territory once known as the United States. His journey will set him against alien monsters, dangerous bands of feral Wildmen, and ultimately, a confrontation with the Hunters themselves................

'The Hunters' is at heart an 'old school' sci-fi adventure novel. The plot is simple, straightforward, and devoid of authorial self-indulgence. Lovejoy has the ability to properly pace his narrative, delivering action sequences, and revelations about the world under the heels of the Hunters, at well-timed intervals. The only complaint I had about the novel was the often stilted nature of the dialogue, and the rather rushed, rather contrived nature of the final chapters. 

But all things considered, if you're looking for a quick, engaging read, then 'The Hunters' delivers. In fact, I'd categorize it as one of the more entertaining sf novels of the 80s. Used copies can be had for affordable prices, so this one is well worth picking up.