The End of Summer from 'Salem's Lot

The End of Summer

Chapter One, Ben (I)
'Salem's Lot by Stephen King

October 17, 1975

By the time he had passed Portland going north on the turnpike, Ben Mears had begun to feel a not unpleasurable tingle of excitement in his belly. It was September 5, 1975, and summer was enjoying her final grand fling. The trees were bursting with green, the sky was a high, soft blue, and just over the Falmouth town line he saw two boys walking a road parallel to the expressway with fishing rods settled on their shoulders like carbines.

Book Review: Shining Steel

Book Review: 'Shining Steel' by Lawrence Watt-Evans

5 / 5 stars

‘Shining Steel’ (216 pp.) was published by Avon Books in June, 1986. The striking cover illustration is by Carl Lundgren. It is one of several novels by Watt-Evens loosely organized into the so-called ‘Shining Steel’ series.

Since 1980, Watt-Evans (b. 1954) has been a prolific author of original sci-fi and fantasy novels, as well as novels for franchise properties such as ‘Aliens’ and ‘Star Trek’. 

‘Shining’ is set on the planet of Godsworld, colonized centuries ago by a starship carrying Christian Fundamentalists anxious to escape the turmoil afflicting Earth. 

The descendants of these colonists have turned the planet into a patchwork of sects, all constantly warring with each other over obscure questions of doctrine. Since technology on Godsworld has regressed to that of the of 19th century, battles are conducted with edged weapons, and those few firearms for which there is sufficient ammunition are deployed with deliberation and care.

The novel’s protagonist is John Mercy-of-Christ, a model of Christian rectitude and the military commander of the True Word and Flesh sect. In the opening chapters, John leads an attack on a village known to support heretics. John expects a quick victory, followed by the requisite execution of those enemy survivors who refuse to convert to the True Word sect, and the rape and enslavement of their women, actions considered justifiable by the martial codes governing the sectarian conflicts on Godsworld.

However, John and his troops encounter the unthinkable: the villagers are equipped with advanced weapons, weapons that can change the balance of power on Godsworld. John learns that the weapons were obtained from a new faction on Godsworld: The People of Heaven.

The Heaveners, as they are called, not only have advanced weapons, but an astonishing variety of material goods never before seen by anyone on Godsworld. It seems the Heaveners have formed an alliance with an offworld entity, the Bechtel-Rand corporation. Indeed, after centuries of isolation, a resurgent Federation is contacting long-lost colony worlds and auctioning development rights to those worlds to corporate entities. Godsworld has, in essence, been turned into the modern-day equivalent of a trading post.

John struggles to cope with the changed reality of life on Godsworld, life now dictated by corporate administrators who are indifferent, even amused, by the theological conflicts of its inhabitants. But although John is not an educated man, he is willing to alter his doctrinal rigidity when circumstances dictate it prudent to do so. And John realizes that there may be a way to turn the tables on the planet’s new corporate masters……….  

In 1980s sci-fi, it wasn’t unusual to have Christian Fundamentalists as villains; for example, they control the near-future Earth in John Shirley’s ‘Eclipse’ (1985), and visit cruel punishments on hapless villagers in Lester Neil Smith's 'The Crystal Empire' (1986). The first half of ‘Shining Steel’ has considerable fun in depicting John Mercy-of-Christ as a hapless scripture-quoting rube, whose devotion to dogma has left him ill-prepared to deal with a technologically advanced society indifferent to religion.

However, the second half of the novel diverts from a mocking treatment of Christian Fundamentalism and instead takes a more subtle and nuanced path: is the secular Corporation, with its single-minded focus on profit and economic exploitation, any better a substitute for religious zealotry ? 

‘Shining Steel’ s allegorical nods to the real-world exploitation of Third World countries and cultures, by those of the mercenary First World, gives the novel a depth that is adeptly conveyed by Watt-Evans’s clear and crisp prose style.

I finished ‘Shining Steel’ comfortably convinced that this novel deserves a five-star rating. Readers looking for a treatment of the conflict between Religion and Science that is more imaginative than most will find much to like here.

August 2021 Graphic Novels

 August 2021 Graphic Novels

On a trip to a comic book store in upstate New York last week, I came across a trio of vintage graphic novels that were nicely priced.

'The Jewel in the Skull' was issued by Savoy Books in 1979 in partnership with Big O Publishing. This was one of a number of graphic novels released in the 1970s, illustrated in black & white by James Cawthorn, depicting Michael Moorcock's characters. 

Savoy Books was a rather unique, rather eccentric UK publishing house. 

'Blueberry 5: The End of the Trail' was one of a number of graphic novels issued by Marvel's Epic Comics imprint, offering English translations of Moebius's 'Lieutenant Blueberry' bande dessinees. 

'The End of the Trail' (1990) compiled the 1983 and 1986 episodes La dernière carte ('The Last Card') and Le bout de la piste ('The End of the Trail'). 

These Epic translations of 'Blueberry' have steep / exorbitant asking prices, so I was happy to get this copy for $15.

'Alien Legion: Slaughterworld' (Marvel / Epic Comics, 1991) is a compilation of issues 1 (April 1984) and 7 - 11 (April 1985 - December 1985) of the comic published by Epic.

All in all, some worthwhile reading material to close out the Summer of 2021.

The War Machine - Rogue Trooper

The War Machine - 'Rogue Trooper'

by William Simpson and Dave Gibbons

Heavy Metal: War Machine, 1993

In 1993 Heavy Metal magazine published one of a regular series of special issues, this one devoted to 'War Machine' themes.

The star feature in this special issue was a full-length comic, titled 'The War Machine - Rogue Trooper', designed to showcase the 2000 AD character to a U.S. audience.

The Rogue Trooper character first appeared in 2000 AD prog No. 228 (September 5, 1981) and underwent a reboot in 1989, which took place over the course of ten or so issues, on into 1990.

2000 AD Prog 650 (October 28, 1989)

It's the 1989 - 1990 reboot from 2000 AD that is reprinted in this 'War Machine' special of Heavy Metal (although curiously, the magazine doesn't explicitly state this, simply referring to a copyright with Fleetway dated 1991). 

William Simpson's artwork relies on a figurative, at times very murky, style that was much in demand in the early 90s. Simpson remains active as an artist for 2000 AD, having illustrated 2021's 'Desperadlands' story. According to a recent interview with 2000 AD, Simpson remains dedicated to:

'Pencils, paper, artboard, ink, acrylic, watercolour, gouache and sometimes oil paints, and then after I’ve scanned and pieced together my pages, maybe a little bit of photoshop highlighting, and that’s the art !'

Dave Gibbons's script for The War Machine - 'Rogue Trooper', designed as it is to reboot the character, is necessarily limited in its scope and I'm sure most readers will see where the plot is headed well in advance. There is some predictable 'war is hell' signaling, which I don't think will be all that novel to the reader, either.

Summing up, hopefully the scans I've provided should give you an idea of what The War Machine - 'Rogue Trooper' is all about, and whether it's something you would find interesting. 

For my part, I think it will be of interest to fans of 1990s comic book art, 2000 AD, and the Rogue Trooper character, in particular, but I can't see anyone else being sufficiently captivated by this graphic novel to designate it as a 'must have'.

Voltar by Alcala

 Voltar by Alfredo Alcala

In 1963, the Filipino artist Alfredo Alcala (1925 - 2000) began publishing 'Voltar', a sword-and-sorcery tale, as a komik (as comic books are referred to in the Philippines). 

Warren publishing acquired the rights to reprint Voltar, in English, as an eight-part series in The Rook magazine. The first of the 8 installments appeared in The Rook issue 2 (cover date February 1979).

Alcala's art for Voltar is amazing, but I've hesitated scanning and posting the first installment because my copies of The Rook are 42 years old, and the bindings are fragile. 

Luckily, the complete content of the first installment of 'Voltar' has been scanned and is available at the 'Straight Outta Surrey' website. It's well worth checking out. 

Book Review: Assassin's Dawn

Book Review: 'Assassin's Dawn' Trilogy

Slow Fall to Dawn

Dance of the Hag

A Quiet of Stone

by Stephen Leigh

5 / 5 Stars

'Assassin's Dawn' (610 pp.) was published by DAW Books in May 2013. It's an omnibus of the novels in the so-called 'Hoorka' trilogy, all originally issued by Bantam Books: 'Slow Fall to Dawn' (1981), 'Dance of the Hag' (1983), and 'A Quiet of Stone' (1984). With those original paperbacks long out of print, this omnibus edition is a good way to acquire the trilogy for an affordable price.

The omnibus edition features an Introduction written by author Leigh, in which he remarks that he used the historical hashashin cult of assassins, who operated in the Middle East from 1090 to 1256 AD, as an inspiration for his novels.

The trilogy is set on the planet Neweden, which, despite its salutary name, has been an impoverished galactic backwater for some time. The isolation has given rise to a number of strange religious cults and beliefs, some centered on the worship of Dame Hag, who governs death, and She of the Five Hands, who governs fate. A fatalistic attitude towards life and death pervades the collective psyche of Neweden's people, rendering them comfortable with the entropy that has stricken the planet

Guilds, rather than political parties, rule Neweden, with inter-guild disputes settled by formal feuds rather than warfare. Key to the settling of feuds is the guild of assassins, known as the Hoorka, who are led by the middle-aged master assassin Gyll Hermond. The rules governing assassination contracts are formalized and scrupulously followed, and thus allow a slim chance for the pursued to survive.........if he or she can evade death until sunrise.

As the creator of the Hoorka, Gyll Hermond is not content to see the guild leverage its influence among the perpetually disputatious guilds of Neweden. He has wider ambitions, ones that can be fulfilled by the spaceport at the capital city of Sterka. After centuries of isolation, the resurgent Galactic Alliance has opened a trade and diplomacy mission at the port, and the mission's Regent, Madame D'Embry, may prove sympathetic to allowing the Hoorka to accept commissions on member planets. To Hermond, the prospect of opening satellite offices throughout the Alliance is a means of freeing the Hoorka from any dependency on the ever-shifting political landscape of Neweden. 

But unyolking the Hoorka from their dependency will not be easy:

Vingi, the corpulent and odious ruler of Neweden, intends to control the assassin's guild for his own purposes.......howevermuch those purposes may bring social and economic chaos to the streets of Sterka.........

Kaethe, the representative of the powerful FitzEvard intergalactic trading company, offers an alternative route to expansion, one free from Alliance strictures.......but FitzEvard has no scruples about working at cross-purposes with its unwitting partners....... 

And some among the Hoorka, including Hermond's possible successors Aldhelm and Valdisa, are skeptical of his plans to expand operations to the worlds of the Alliance. A divide among its members could bring an abrupt end to all of Hermond's ambitions.......

The Hoorka Trilogy nestles comfortably into the sub-genre of sci-fi, popular in the late 70s and early 80s, that offered highly detailed and complex portraits of 'alien' societies (examples are  'The Gameplayers of Zan' by M. A. Foster, 'Courtship Rite' by Donald Kingsbury, 'The Snow Queen' by Joan Vinge, and 'Door into Ocean' by Joan Slonczewski).

The opening chapters of 'Slow Fall to Dawn' can require patience, as the prose is saturated with metaphors, similes, and densely descriptive passages. But if the reader perseveres, the plot begins to gain momentum, and by the novel's end I found 'Slow Fall' to have sufficient action to make the sequels worth pursuing. 

These have a more expansive approach to plotting, with crisp sequences set off-world in which the Hoorka take on assignments that take them well outside the familiar surroundings of Neweden. The introduction of a new character, the dwarf Helgin, brings a note of dark humor to the narrative, as his cynical, world-weary observations about interplanetary politics serve as a foil to the ambitions of Gyll Hermond.

The concluding chapters of 'A Quiet of Stone' offer a tense battle of wits and combat skills, and thus, the end of the trilogy avoids advancing too pat an ending. 

Summing up, readers who are willing to sit down with a densely written, character-driven set of novels likely will enjoy 'Assassin's Dawn'. This trilogy stands well alongside other well-received (by me, at least) 1980s trilogies, such as Harry Harrison's 'Eden' series, and Melissa Scott's 'Silence Leigh' series. 

Spies, Vixens, and Masters of Kung Fu: The Art of Paul Gulacy

Spies, Vixens, and Masters of Kung Fu

The Art of Paul Gulacy

Vanguard, 2005

Paul Gulacy (b. 1953) is an accomplished comic book and graphic artist who came to prominence in 1970s with his work in Marvel's popular title Master of Kung Fu. This book cover's Gulacy's work from the that era, as well as the 1980s, 1990s, and early 2000s. 

While his meticulous style meant that his output was comparatively limited compared to other artists of the era, when his art did appear in print, it was memorable then and remains so today.

'Spies, Vixens, and Masters of King Fu: The Art of Paul Gulacy' (128 pp.), featuring editing and commentary by Michael Kronenberg and J. David Spurlock, was issued in hardback and trade paperback editions in 2005 by Vanguard. 

Some of the reviewers at amazon have complained that the trade paperback edition has an easily loosened binding and this is true of the copy in my possession.......even when using a dedicated PlusTek book scanner, I had to take care in spreading the book for these scans.

The majority of the art presented in 'Spies, Vixens, and Masters of Kung Fu' is in black and white, with a color insert showcasing selected comic books contents and covers.

The book is arranged in roughly chronological order, with the opening chapters devoted to Gulacy's work on Marvel's comic Master of Kung Fu, followed by coverage of his art for the Warren's Eerie magazine, Marvel's Bizarre Adventures, and the indie comic The Grackle.

Reproducing these pieces on glassy finish, large size paper lets the reader see how well-composed these comics truly are.

Additional chapters cover Gulacy's work through the 1990s and into the 200s for DC titles like Batman. There also is coverage of the art he produced for the 1992 Dark Horse James Bond series Serpent's Tooth; according to the text commentary in 'Spies, Vixens, and Masters of King Fu', the series was instrumental in bringing about the renaissance in the James Bond franchise in the early 1990s, when the franchise was adrift following the failure of 1989's License to Kill. 

The book's closing chapters profile more recent material Gulacy has produced for a variety of publishers and collectors.

Summing up, while its binding is suffering a bit from the 16-year aging process, 'Spies, Vixens, and Masters of Kung Fu' offers a very nice showcase of Gulacy's art and undoubtedly will send fans of comic book and graphic art out searching for overlooked treasures. 

Here is where things can get rather frustrating, since not all of Gulacy's work in the 1980s and 1990s is still in print, and prospects for the reissue of titles (like Serpent's Tooth) do not look promising.......never mind the exorbitant prices the Bookjackers are requesting for used copies of these older comics and graphic novels. 

However, I'm certainly going to keep an eye out for the appearance of Gulacy's Old School publications on the shelves of used bookstores.............

English Roses

The Pretenders
'English Roses'
from Pretenders II

August 1981

The Pretenders dropped their second album, titled simply Pretenders II, on August 15, 1981. Three of the tracks on the album had previously been released on an EP in March, somewhat diluting the impact of the album as a whole. 

But the track 'English Roses' was a little underappreciated gem from side two. It showcases how talented a guitar player James Honeyman Scott was, and makes one wonder what could have happened if he had not overdosed in June of 1982.

Sci Fi Fo Fum from Texas Monthly

Sci Fi Fo Fum

by Mike Shea

from Texas Monthly, July 1998

An interesting article on the science fiction and fantasy culture in Texas in the late 1990s. 

It has some observations on the role of the Turkey City Writer's Workshop (founded in 1973 by, among others, Howard Waldrop, Lisa Tuttle, and Tom Reamy) as a vehicle for promoting Texas-based sci-fi writers. In the article Bruce Sterling, a member of the Workshop during the 70s, calls Turkey City the 'cradle of cyberpunk'. 

Along with an in-depth look at the early days of Sterling's career, the article profiles British transplant Michael Moorcock.

The article sometimes has its tone of mocking affection (The science-fiction world circa 1998 is somewhat of a social and artistic ghetto......), but that's how journalists treated the sci-fi genre and its devotees back then............

Book Review: Salt

Book Review: 'Salt' by Gabrielle Lord

3 / 5 Stars

Getting hold of indigenously published Australian science fiction story collections and novels remains difficult, being more than a little expensive due to the nature of trans-oceanic delivery.

So I was happy to obtain an affordable copy of 'Salt' (281 pp), published as a mass-market paperback in 1991 by McPhee Gribble, Australia. The cover art is by Kerri Gibbs.

Gabrielle Lord (b. 1946) is an Australian writer, primarily of crime fiction. As best as I can tell, 'Salt' is her only science fiction novel.

The novel is set in 2074, on an Earth devastated by eco-disaster. Things are particularly bad in Australia, where daytime temperatures reach 134 degrees Fahrenheit, and massive dust storms sweep across salt-encrusted deserts en route to the walled city of Sydney. A civil war some twenty-five years previously has left the nation in a state of barely-controlled anarchy, and the majority of the populace eke out lives of want and privation.

David 'Sando' Sanderson is a helicopter pilot for Sydney's Western Security, the paramilitary force tasked with maintaining law and order inside the city, and deterring attacks from the raiders emerging from the surrounding wastelands. As the novel opens, Sanderson is leading an aerial search for the crashed helicopter of Frank Hilliard, a hero of the civil war and a symbol of steadfastness in the face of society's looming collapse.

Sanderson suspects that the helicopter crash may not have been an accident: it seems that Hilliard was aware of malfeasance among the upper management of Western Security. As Sanderson makes inquiries, these bring unwanted attention, and Sanderson decides to flee the city for a precarious existence in the wastelands. He is accompanied by his girlfriend Hedda, Hilliard's daughter.

Once in the wastelands, Sanderson and Hedda discover a world ruled by a band of raiders, whose leader has no qualms about using all manner of violence to achieve his aims. Further complicating things is a prison where a mysterious laboratory, operating in secrecy, is conducting amoral experiments into human genetics. Will Sanderson and Hedda survive their encounters with raiders and ruthless scientists ? Or will their bones join those already fast-drying in the merciless heat of the Australian desert ?

'Salt' is something of a middling success as a science fiction novel. Any novel set in a post-apocalyptic Australia inevitably is going to be compared to the mythos of Mad Max, and 'Salt', in its favor, does this without coming across as imitative. The opening chapters are effective in presenting a world of entropy and decay, with civilization losing its battle against eco-catastrophe. 

However, past these opening chapters I found myself wading through too many segments devoted to documenting various bouts of introspection and self-examination among the lead characters; indeed, a near-death hallucination on the part of one character goes on for nearly five pages. These segments tend to impede, rather than propel, the narrative (the pivotal flight to the desert by Sanderson and Hedda doesn't take place till page 124).

The narrative regains momentum in the second half of the novel, but I found the science fiction components to be a bit contrived and lacking in depth, as their main purpose is to frame the author's exploration of the emotional and ethical turmoil afflicting a scientist who is compelled to do Bad Things for the Greater Good of Mankind. The novel's denouement features some well-composed action sequences, but I found the final two chapters to be disappointing, as they close major plot threads in a perfunctory manner. 

[ One good thing about 'Salt' is that it does not promote the adoration of Aborigines, a favorite pastime of the Australian intelligentsia. Indeed, there are no Aborigines in the novel at all. ]

Summing up, if you are willing to tolerate plentiful passages of 'telling, not showing' as regards the inner musings of the characters, 'Salt' eventually will deliver some Australian-flavored, post-apocalyptic entertainment that makes it deserving of a three-star rating.