Friday, July 5, 2019

Book Review: The Glory Hole


Book Review: 'The Glory Hole' by T. Jeff Williams
2 / 5 Stars

'The Glory Hole' first was published in the UK by Corgi Books in 1977; this paperback reissue (286 pp) was published in 1985.

T. Jeff Williams published one other novel, a thriller titled 'Strangler' (1978; variant title 'Sonny'), which I reviewed here.

'The Glory Hole' is set at Quang Tri base in South Vietnam, and although the year is not disclosed, I surmise it likely takes place in the interval from 1969 - 1971.

The lead character, Jacob Sturm, is a medic who accompanies choppers on dustoff calls. As the novel begins Sturm is increasingly beset with doubts about the justification for the war and the reasoning behind American involvement. His reservations are fueled by the trigger-happy attitude of chopper pilot 'King Kong' Kowalski, who has no qualms about gunning down any Vietnamese with the bad luck to be found in 'free fire' zones.

The narrative also features 'big black' private Franklin, a ghetto kid who serves as an infantryman in the 101st 'Screaming Eagles' Airborne Division, and the newly deployed Chaplain Montano, who is eager for a taste of war and excitement.

The narrative alternates between the adventures of Franklin, participating in a risky combat operation over the border into Laos, and Sturm, who spends his time at the base getting stoned and trying to persuade an attractive nurse to sleep with him (that is, when Sturm's not risking life and limb on dustoff calls). 

The novel's first half is its strongest, as author Williams aptly conveys the hazards of flying dustoffs to pick up the wounded in combat zones, and the travails of Franklin as he struggles to survive both the soldiers of the North Vietnamese army, and the inept leadership of his commanding officer.

Unfortunately the second half of 'The Glory Hole' is disappointing. The narrative turns from a focus on combat to documenting the moral and ethical anguish of Jacob Sturm, as the senseless violence and atrocities he has witnessed lead him deeper into drug abuse and confrontations with authority. It's plain that Williams uses these episodes to communicate that there is no such thing as a 'Good War', but by filling the narrative with one rear-echelon drama after another, the plot takes on a contrived, tiresome character.

Where 'The Glory Hole' suffers most is in its closing chapter, which introduces a series of coincidences that are so contrived that they undermine the novel's standing as a 'realistic' account of the war.

The verdict ? 'The Glory Hole' likely could have been a stronger novel if it had not gone overboard in terms of trying to convey a Deep Message about the corrupting influence of war. I really can't recommend this to anyone save Vietnam War novel completists.

Thursday, July 4, 2019

July is Vietnam War Month


July is 'Vietnam War Month' at the PorPor Books Blog !


Here at the PorPor Books Blog, we like to take a break every now and then from reviewing sci-fi, fantasy, and horror books, comics, magazines, and other media, and instead place our attention on another genre.

For July, we're going to be showcasing fiction and nonfiction about the Vietnam War.

We're particularly interested in reviewing books that were originally published between the 1960s to the mid- 80s. 

As well, we're focusing on books that are less well known. Everybody has read Born on the Fourth of July, The 13th Valley, Fields of Fire, and A Rumor of War........but there are other novels and memoirs out there that are just as deserving of attention.

So put on your Boonie Hat, grab your bug juice, clean your M-16, and get ready..........

To get everyone in the mood, below is an article that appeared in Time magazine in 1966...........can you imagine seeing something like this in contemporary media ?!


Sunday, June 30, 2019

Book Review: The Douglas Convolution

Book Review: 'The Douglas Convolution' by Edward Llewellyn

3 / 5 Stars

'The Douglas Convolution' (190 pp) is DAW Book No. 359, published in October 1979. The cover art is by Don Maitz.

Edward Llewellyn (1917 - 1984) was a UK author who published a number of sf novels in the late 70s and early 80s, all by DAW Books. 'The Douglas Convolution' is the first volume in the so-called Douglas Convolution trilogy; the other volumes, which are more prequels than sequels, are 'The Bright Companion' (1980) and 'Prelude to Chaos' (1983).

The lead character is an ex-Marine and mathematician in his mid-30s named Ian Douglas. As the novel opens, Douglas is embarking on an unusual experiment informed by his lifelong interest in mathematics: he can predict the location of a wormhole that allows for one-way travel forward to the future. 

To test his theory, in September 1980 Douglas travels to a remote beach on Hudson's Bay, where he has calculated the wormhole will appear. No sooner has Douglas stepped into the mist where sea meets shore, than he finds himself instantaneously transported to the year 2170.

North America in 2170 is not doing well. As the result of a past pharmacological disaster, most of the continent is thinly populated, with vast tracts of land reverting to wilderness. The population is kept tractable by the widespread use of a tranquilizer called Paxin. Technology is only moderately more advanced than that of the late 20th century, with mechanical conveyances limited to small fleets of helicopters and ground effect vehicles.

The Governors who rule the 10 Sectors of North America are inept, and too preoccupied with political intrigues, to pay necessary attention to strengthening the borders of their territories, some of which are under constant attack from bands of brutal raiders known as 'druj'.

Assuming the identity of a deceased military policeman allows Ian Douglas to live in this new society with his secret of time travel intact. Using his military and mathematical skills, Douglas soon brings order to the lawless frontier of what used to be called Virginia. This makes him an indispensable man to the oligarchs of the North American Sectors. But, as Douglas is to discover, the oligarchs are more than willing to deceive him in order to advance their own aims...........

'The Douglas Convolution' is one of those action - adventure sci-fi novels that starts off well; the author uses a clear, declarative prose style, keeps his chapters short, and the narrative moving along at a good clip. Unfortunately things slow down considerably in the middle chapters, as the plot centers on political conflicts that, despite extensive pages of stilted dialogue, come across as muddled and overly contrived. 

There are also segments in these middle chapters that didn't bother me all that much, but, in this modern day and age, likely will be criticized as being exploitative and Un-Woke(n).

The unconvincing nature of its sci-fi elements and backstory led me to give 'The Douglas Convolutions' a three star rating. I can't call it a must-have example of 80s sci-fi, but if you're looking for a short, compact adventure novel, it will fit the bill.

Thursday, June 27, 2019

Planetoid by Corben

Planetoid
by Richard Corben
from Heavy Metal magazine, January 1992


At the beginning of the 90s, computer generated graphics were starting to come into their own, and it's no surprise that Corben, who was a pioneer in the field of coloring comics and other graphics, would embrace this technology.

Monday, June 24, 2019

Shock Cinema

Shock Cinema magazine


The most recent issue (No. 56, Summer 2019) of Shock Cinema magazine just arrived. I got to thinking that a post about this magazine is long overdue, especially since I've been reading and subscribing to Shock Cinema for more than 15 years now.

[Subscription information is available here.]

Published by New Jersey resident Steven Puchalski (who grew up in Syracuse, New York), the magazine debuted in 1990, and continues to thrive. Shock Cinema is a quality magazine, printed on thick paper stock with black-and-white, high-res reproductions of movie posters, stills, DVD covers, and advertisements (Puchalski has assembled an immense personal library of film and TV advertisements). The magazine has plenty of advertisements for vendors of contemporary cult films.


Each issue features an Editorial by Puchalski; these editorials almost always are diatribes about contemporary politics, city living, the defects in modern U.S. society, reminiscences of Puchalski's younger days, etc. 



In many ways, these vitriol-steeped vignettes of misanthropy (which sometimes are laugh-out-loud funny) are the one of the best things about the magazine. Witness these remarks about the Post Office at Peter Stuyvesant Station in New York City, which (until 2014) Puchalski was obliged to patronize:

Mind you, no one will ever mourn the loss of the old Peter Stuyvesant Station, since it was arguably the worst fucking post office in all of New York City. Long lines, lost mail, and incompetent staff are typical for many post offices, but it was the insane package pick-up line that transformed this branch into its own unique circle of hell. With a minimum of two dozen people queued up at all times of the day and one weary postal employee manning that window, the average waiting time for a package was usually over an hour. 

[Needless to say, the advent of the Trump presidency in 2016 sent Puchalski into a new dimension of outrage.]


Issue 56 features this rant: 

I'd prefer to gripe about the more baffling and downright lazy aspects of modern society.....Uber, Lyft, Handy, Postmates - basically paying for 'gig economy' services that any halfway capable individual used to do for themselves - and don't get me started about 'Meal Kit Delivery Services' like Home Chef and Blue Apron, for dumb-asses unable to cope with the torment of grocery shopping....And sorry....if you're 25 and still live with your parents, promptly move the fuck out.

The contents of each issue of Shock Cinema feature interviews - mainly with supporting cast members, but occasionally with a leading man / woman - with actors and directors who were active in the 60s, 70s, and 80s (more rarely, in the 90s). 



Needless to say, Shock Cinema also features reviews, with a two-column per-page page layout within which  smaller graphics are fitted. The font is small and cramped - this is a magazine that you have to sit down and read, rather than idly flip through. Puchalski provides the majority of the reviews, with some assistance from a panel of contributors that includes his wife, Anna Puchalski, and the well-known British author Kim Newman (Anno Dracula, The Man from the Diogenes Club), among others. 

Puchalski's reviews can feature the same sarcasm as his editorials, and many are laugh-out-loud funny. I find them a welcome change from reading the pompous, self-indulgent reviews of contemporary movies by The Washington Post's Ann Hornaday and Hank Stuever.


As the front cover states, the magazine covers 'cult movies, arthouse oddities, drive-in swill, and underground obscurities', so these reviews cover not only U.S., but foreign films, made during the interval from 1950 - 1995. While coverage of feature films predominates, TV movies get attention, too. 

Most of the contemporary film reviews deal with ultra-low-budget, direct-to-DVD features. 

Shock Cinema also reviews books dedicated to the topic of 'grindhouse swill'.

Summing up, if you're a Baby Boomer, then you could do yourself a service by subscribing to Shock Cinema. A year's worth of 4 issues is only $20, and you're sure to see something that will take you back to those glory days when Scott Baio would star in an ABC Afterschool Special titled Stoned...........!

Friday, June 21, 2019

The Banana Splits Movie coming August 2019

The Banana Splits Movie
August 27, 2019 
This is.........strange.........

Apparently, Warner Bros. commissioned an R-rated feature film starring the Banana Splits. It's being released on DVD on August 27, with an advertised price of $24.98. 



I can't help thinking that the The Banana Splits Movie will be a disaster like The Happytime Murders from 2018, which also employed the trope of taking beloved children's TV characters and recasting them (in Postmodern fashion) as deranged killers. 

But I could be wrong.


[ My workplace subjects me to random drug testing, so it is highly unlikely I will be watching The Banana Splits Movie in the frame of mind best recommended for Baby Boomers in their 50s. ]

I'm still making up my mind whether to rent the DVD, or buy it.................maybe it's best to wait and see what the reviews have to say later this Summer.

Tuesday, June 18, 2019

Book Review: Silverglass

Book Review: 'Silverglass' by J. F. Rivkin
4 / 5 Stars

'Silverglass' (186 pp) was published by Ace Books in September 1986, with cover art by Luis Royo. It's the first volume in the so-called 'Silverglass' tetrology, with the subsequent volumes Web of Wind (1987), Witch of Rhostshyl (1989) and Mistress of Ambiguities (1991). J. F. Rivkin is the pseudonym of the author Jeri Freedman, who has written other fantasy novels under the pen name of 'Ellen Foxxe'.

The cover design for 'Silverglass' is unfortunate, for it gives the impression that the book is an entry in  the 'chick-in-a-chain-mail-bikini' genre, when in reality, the novel is a well-written, frequently humorous treatment of the sword-and-sorcery theme.

Lead character Corson - the D-cupped woman on the book's cover - is a female version of Conan the Barbarian: not too bright, ever ready for a fight, and not very enamored of wizards and witches. But like Conan, Corson is often short of funds, so when Nyctasia, princess of the city of Rhostshyl, has to flee the city for her life, Corson agrees to serve as her bodyguard.

Hardly have Nyctasia and Corson escaped one danger, than others spring up to threaten them. Our duo are forced to make a desperate journey to the far-off land of Hlasven, but getting there will be no easy task..........

'Silverglass' is a quick, fast-paced read, something I never tire of commending in this modern era of 900+ - page fantasy novels. Although the novel is less than 200 pages long, author Rivkin is able to manage a believable cast of characters and settings that have a bit more imagination to them than those that are usually encountered in the sword-and-sorcery literature. The book does have its weakness, in the form of an underwhelming denouement that seems to have been designed more to set up the sequels, than to bring the main storyline to a worthy conclusion.

The verdict ? 'Silverglass' has its merits, and if you are looking for a sword-and-sorcery novel that doesn't require a dramatis personae listing, a glossary, or a map (or series of maps) in order to comprehend what is going on, then this novel is worth picking up.

Saturday, June 15, 2019

Linda Carter's Rock and Roll Fantasy

Linda Carter's Rock and Roll Fantasy
from Linda Carter: 'Encore !'
CBS, September 16, 1980
They don't make 'em like this anymore.......

Linda Carter's 'Encore' variety show special aired on CBS TV on September 16, 1980. 

The featured guest stars were Merle Haggard, Tom Jones, John Phillips (of the Mommas and Pappas), and pianist Donald Young.

For one of the show's segments, titled 'Linda Carter's Rock and Roll Fantasy', Linda did a song-and-dance medley of various hit rock songs, one entry of which was the Kiss disco song I Was Made for Loving You.



The video clip of the medley is available here. I Was Made for Loving You starts at the 2:33 mark.

Later on in the clip, Linda dons a blonde wig, uses a banana for a microphone (?!) and performs a Broadway tune.........accompanied by dancers in gorilla costumes ?!

Like I said, they don't make 'em like that anymore............ 

Wednesday, June 12, 2019

Jack Kirby's Mister Miracle

Jack Kirby's Mister Miracle
DC Comics, 1998

"Mister Miracle' was the longest-lasting of Kirby's Fourth World titles. This trade paperback compiles the first ten issues of Mister Miracle (April 1971 - October 1972). 

The companion volume Jack Kirby's Fourth World: Featuring Mister Miracle compiles issues 11 - 18 (December 1972 - March 1974). Both compilations are in graytone; if you want them in color, you're probably going to want to purchase the 1481 page Jack Kirby: The Fourth World Omnibus (2017).

The first issue of 'Mister Miracle' establishes the premise of lead character Scott Free: a master escape artist who is able to wriggle out from the most lethal of pitfalls and traps. Assisted by his dwarf sidekick Oberon, and the technical wizardry of the 'Motherbox', Free finds himself battling emissaries from his homeworld of Apokalips, as well as a variety of domestic villains.


'Mister Miracle' introduces Big Barda, one of Kierby's more memorable female characters, as well as the sadistic Granny Goodness, the overseer of the nightmarish elementary school on Apokalips (Kirby allegedly to modeled Granny Goodness on the well-known comedienne Phyllis Diller).



Issue 6, included in this compilation, is memorable for introducing the character of 'Funky Flashman', and his servile assistant 'Houseroy'. Kirby clearly intended these characters to be the most thinly disguised caricatures of Marvel's own Stan Lee and Roy Thomas. The satire works, perhaps because it has a little slice of nastiness to it (at one point, Funky Flashman makes good his escape from Darkseid's Female Fury Battalion by tossing Houseroy to them as a sacrifice).


The art, even when rendered in graytone rather than color, is the best thing about 'Jack Kirby's Mister Miracle'. Kirby was in top form at this time in his career and the artwork reflects this.


The writing is where these comics from the early 70s show their age (I should note that it's rumored that Mark Evanier ghost-wrote more than a few of these Mister Miracle comics). 

Kirby devotes the entirety of each issue to setting up scenarios where Mr. Miracle finds himself coerced by the villain(s) into entering an elaborately constructed deathtrap; he seemingly dies, only to return alive and well in the final pages, with a contrived, unconvincing explanation for how he escaped. 

This gimmick quickly gets tiresome and the series only regains momentum in the final stories, which are flashback entries set in Apokalips.


Summing up, whether it's this older compilation or Jack Kirby: The Fourth World Omnibus, I can't really see either volume appealing to anyone outside of dedicated Kirby fans, or fans of the comics of the early 70s. The good news is that Kirby's writing would become more engaging with Kammandi and The Demon, and those titles are more accessible than his Fourth World materials

Sunday, June 9, 2019

The Tower King episodes 4 - 6

The Tower King
episodes 4 - 6
Alan Hebden (writer)
Jose Ortiz (artist)
Eagle (UK) 1982


episodes 1 - 3 are here.

More postapocalyptic mayhem, starring the Tube Rats: the mutated survivors who had adapted to a life of darkness in the deep tunnels of London's underground tube system !

A mix of the cannibals from the 1972 film Raw Meat, and the wayward Morlocks in K. W. Jeter's Morlock Night (1979). Fun stuff !