Who Scares Stephen King? Ted Cruz.

Image from source, The Daily Beast

Stephen King is our generation's premiere horror fiction writer, whatever you personally think of his style. He's a favorite of mine, and has the rare ability to actually give me the lasting willies sometimes, with his terrifying creations. But who terrifies the horror master? Who could possibly scare Stephen King? Ted Cruz, that's who.

I'm with you buddy. --Constant Reader, Editor James Greenlee

[Excerpt]

Stephen King Talks JFK, Oscars Diversity, and ‘Bulletproof’ Donald Trump

. . .He’s very scary. I actually think Trump, in the end, would be more electable than Cruz because Cruz is a fundamentalist Christian and it would almost be like electing the analog of an Imam—someone whose first guiding principle would be the scripture rather than the Constitution. But I don’t think he could get elected. And, even if he was able to govern without blowing up the world, could we look at a guy who resembles a cable game show host for four years? He has that awful plastered-down hair and everything. . .

Read more at: The Daily Beast

Ebola Comes to the US

Captain Trips is a bitch.

Oh, here we go. As a voracious reader of Robin Cook and Stephen King over the years, this is just the scary thing that resonates with me. I'm heartened that it's difficult to catch Ebola, and that its gestation is so fast that people don't go around as carriers for extended periods. That should keep it from becoming an epidemic here. But yikes, let's hope this is one time that truth is stranger than truth. Meanwhile, we can delight in how FOX News and Right Wing world will turn this into: a) President Obama's fault, and b) somehow a distraction from and related to Benghazi.

[Excerpt]

First U.S. case of Ebola diagnosed in Texas after man who came from Liberia falls ill

A man who flew from Liberia to Dallas this month was diagnosed with Ebola on Tuesday, becoming the first person to board a passenger jet and unknowingly bring the disease here from West Africa, where it has killed thousands of people in recent months. . .

Read more at: Washington Post

Dave Grohl of Foo Fighters Takes ALS Ice Bucket Challenge to a sCARRIE Level

His dirty pillows are showing. Hat tip to my li'l sis for the link. Thanks, Jen!
 

Stephen King on Religion (and How NewsBusters Got it Wrong)

The awesome Stephen King, from FanPop.com

Yes, NewsBusters again. I just extracted myself from a fight I kind of started at the supposed "media watch dog" site that is in reality an arch right-wing commentary site. I've commented before how the NewsBusters headlines often read to me like a big list of "so whats." They list a bunch of things that are supposed to outrage, but instead, I agree with them.

Well, this time, they went too far. They focused on one of my favorite authors--and I know he's considered somehow "not literary," but I don't care--Stephen King. Now, don't think I like King simply because he's a liberal. I like Dean Koontz too, and he's an obvious Orange County conservative. Still, King's stories are more dense, more layered. And with less focus on golden retrievers, Jeep Cherokees, and slightly mismatched male/female couples who verbally spar in humorous ways in the midst of catastrophe.

But one thing they both have in common is a seeming belief in the divine. Sure, they can skew that quite a bit, toward sci-fi, toward other-worldly rather than explicitly God, but other times they'll pretty much spell out a big-time, universe creating deity. As an atheist, this only bothers me a little. I mean, we're talking aliens, monsters, other worlds, alternate dimensions, time travel and IT. I can handle a little make believe.

So, how does this come back around to NewsBusters? Well, they are using him to make it seem that this very successful liberal author has duped NPR in his interview, by supporting Intelligent Design.
I ain't gonna lie, he said something along those lines. But they emphasize that as though it is his main point, but then downplay his conclusion.

My favorite King novel and adaptation was The Stand, 
in which religion is figured heavily. It didn't bother me.
But Randall Flagg and Mother Abigail could just be
"good" and "evil," right?

And I get what he's saying. We humans often say things like, "It must have been meant to be," and "it was fate." We say these things whether we literally believe that time and elements were physically guided or not. We can feel that something was going to happen, and fall into place, without necessarily believing that a supernatural entity was cataloging, manipulating and  guiding time and space to make something happen.

But, typical of NewsBusters, they will focus on what they want you to see. And their readers--as I've learned first hand in the last few days--will take the bait, and argue it strenuously.

Here is the line they highlighted: " if you say, well, OK, I don't believe in God, there's no evidence of God, then you're missing the stars in the sky, and you're missing the sunrises and sunsets, and you're missing the fact that bees pollinate all these crops and keep us alive and the way that everything seems to work together at the same time."

What they don't want you to notice is this, "But at the same time there's a lot of things in life where you say to yourself, well, if this is God's plan, it's very peculiar. And you have to wonder about that guy's personality, the big guy's personality." And then even more clearly, "What I'm saying now is I choose to believe in God, but I have serious doubts."

I'm just saying, that conclusion doesn't really square with their headline.

[Excerpt]

Stephen King Shocks NPR Audience: Nature 'Suggests Intelligent Design' by God

On Tuesday's Fresh Air on NPR stations from coast to coast, host Terry Gross interviewed author Stephen King on his new book  "Joyland," which features a young man in a wheelchair with muscular dystrophy and his grandfather, a radio evangelist named Buddy Ross, who insists the disease is divine punishment. . .

Read more at: NewsBusters

Ermahgerd! Stephen King's Under the Dome Set for CBS

Squee! I will admit with no shame that I'm an unabashed, unrepentant Stephen King fan. I like Dean Koontz too, though I prefer King's subtle liberal politics over Koontz's slightly more obvious conservative allusions. And I don't give a flying fig that "serious readers" consider this type of author to be substandard, or somehow lacking. I have ravenously gobbled up almost every King and Koontz book released in the last 25 years or so (except The Dark Tower series, which I seriously don't get).

So, when I really enjoy a particular book, it's always a thrill to see it optioned as a movie or miniseries. The actual results are more scattershot. For every good adaptation, there are several bad ones (sometimes even with the authors' input). When it comes to King, the best live action adaptations (in my opinion) are Misery, the miniseries The Stand, Pet Sematary and Carrie. There have been other good ones too (Creepshow, Stand By Me), but more often than not (Maximum Overdrive, Creepshow 2, the miniseries The Shining) they kind of stink on ice. So, I have high hopes for Under the Dome, a ridiculously thick page-turner I read in a frenzy. But my optimism is guarded with experience.

Under the Dome is a story about a small town that suddenly finds itself cut off from society, with a mysterious--seemingly impenetrable--barrier put around it. The aftermath of the event, and the efforts to thwart it take up hundreds and hundreds of pages. But I didn't care. It was an enthralling book. Can a broadcast television adaptation do it justice? I'll be watching to find out.

[Excerpt]

'Under The Dome': CBS Announces Premiere Date For Stephen King Drama, 'Unforgettable,' 'Big Brother'

Stephen King and Steven Spielberg's adaptation of "Under the Dome" will premiere on CBS at 10 p.m. on Monday, June 24, the network announced Saturday.   At the network's presentation for reporters at the Television Critics Association Winter Press Tour, CBS Entertainment President Nina Tassler expressed enthusiasm for the concept, hoping that it will become a "big summer event" for the number one broadcast network. . .

Read more at: Huffington Post

Halloween Horrors: Top 10 CLASSIC Horror Movies

It's time for another repost of my regular Halloween movie tips. Since we're almost out of time, I'm going to post a few, so here we go. . .

Photo from Wikipedia.org

All right, I've covered my favorite scary horror movies, my top funny horror movies, even the bad horror movies., and now it is time for a list of all-time classics. These movies may no longer scare as much as they once did, but they must not be missed, if you are a true horror fan. If you haven't seen any of the movies in this group, do yourself a favor, and add them to your Halloween viewing list! It's a pop-culture imperative!

Greenlee Gazette Top 10 CLASSIC Horror Movies

1. Psycho (1960) - Already reviewed here, this movie still ranks as the all-time classic. It's very nearly perfect. It may not have the unrelenting gore of Hostel, or the outright laughs of Shaun of the Dead, but this movie still contains enough humor and horror to qualify for all three of my lists. A must see, but avoid the remake.

2. Rosemary's Baby (1968) - Another of the best 60s horror films. Very high-brow, and stylishly shot. Ruth Gordon is one little old lady you do not want living next door.

3. Jaws (1975) - Not strictly a horror film, but has more scares than some whole lists of movies. It might not work for Halloween, but wait a few weeks, and then pop this one in for a refresher on what a good scary time you can have any time of year. The sequels get progressively worse, so stick to this one, and maybe Jaws 2.

4. Night of the Living Dead (1969) - In a slightly different league from the first three on this list, this low-budget, black and white film still deserves a spot on the list. George Romero squeezed every last cent out of his budget, and delivered a film that can still scare (and disgust) you, almost 40 years later. This film is in the public domain, so watch out for bad prints. Also avoid the colorized version, and the remake. The sequels though, are pretty good, particularly the original Dawn of the Dead. The ending of this film might tick you off though.

5. Bride of Frankenstein (1935) - The first movie set the tone, but the sequel hits it out of the park. Outstanding, nearly flawless horror film. Trust me, if you haven't seen it, it is a must. And if it weren't for this film, there might never have been a Young Frankenstein!

6. Alien (1979) - You might have thought it was just a sci-fi film, but don't be fooled. This is top-shelf horror, it's just that the haunted house is a space ship! Even better that it sets up one of the best sequels in history, Aliens.

7. Suspiria (1977) - Creepy, and moody and very, very foreign in tone, this movie will wig you out. A little astray from the other movies in this list, and not for all tastes, but still a classic.

8. Carrie (1976) - Possibly the best strictly horror adaptation of a Stephen King novel. Piper Laurie is an anti-religionist's worst nightmare. Sissy Spacek is probably the most sympathetic psychopath ever. Also started the "surprise ending" motif for horror movies for years to come.

9. The Last House on the Left (1972) - Another low-budget cheapie that delivers a wallop. Seriously, you will have a pillow in front of your face during some parts. Wes Craven is the master. The remake is effective, but can't match the gritty intensity.

10. A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors

(1986) - Yes, I know, a sequel. But part one is in my "scary" list, and this one is so good, I still consider it a classic. Eerie, moody, and Fred Krueger isn't quite an anti-hero yet. Plus, once again, Wes Craven is at the helm.

Previously:

Halloween Horrors: Psycho

Halloween Horrors: Top 10 FUNNY Horror Movies

Halloween Horrors: Top 10 SCARY Horror Movies
Halloween Horrors: Overlooked Horror Films

Halloween Horrors: A Nightmare on Elm Street

Movies I Can't Wait to See: Friday the 13th

Halloween Horrors: Top 10 BAD Horror Movies

Stephen King Tells Rich People Upset Over Tax Increases: ‘Tough S**t’

One of the very many reasons I love Stephen King.

[Excerpt]


Stephen King tells rich people upset over tax increases: ‘Tough s**t’

Wealthy Americans adverse to paying higher taxes may have found a new enemy in famous novelist Stephen King, who lashed out at his fellow high income earners Monday afternoon for complaining about a possible increase in their rates.In a brutally candid and colorful op-ed column for The Daily Beast, King was relentless in his criticism of rich people upset over tax increases and Republican figures who defend them. . .

Read more at: Raw Story

Or go to the source at: The Daily Beast

It's really good!

Conservatives Mock Conservation on Earth Day

"Trashcan Man" from Stephen King's
The Stand, would probably be considered
a "conservative" today.

I'm posting this not because I have some sort of particular interest in Earth Day, but because I'm genuinely curious as to what "conservatism" actually means. If you were going to be literal about it, conservative ought to denote a person interested in conservation, right? Conserving things ought to be conservative. And if you get a little more esoteric about it, it could mean keeping things the way they are, or conserving them. Or, it could even mean "tighter" or "more restrictive." So how does this relate to wasting energy? Why do arch-conservatives think it might be funny to waste energy on Earth Day? Yeah, I know that "punching the hippie" can be fun, even for the left, but how does wasting energy = conservatism? Somebody help me out here.

[Excerpt]

Right-Wing Media Celebrate Earth Day By Mocking Conservation



In the lead-up to Earth Day, members of the right-wing media have ridiculed conservation efforts and downplayed the concerns of environmentalists. This is nothing new for conservative media figures who have, in the past, used the Earth Day to attack conservationists by urging audiences to cut down trees and increase their energy consumption. . .
 
Read more at: Media Matters

Movie Review: Carriers

Image from Wikipedia

I've continued on my obscure movie quest, watching one or two a week on the Cox On Demand. This week, I picked Carriers, because it starred Chris Pine (Capt. Kirk of the new Star Trek), and the whole end-of-the-world genre has always been a favorite. It also co-stars Emily VanCamp, one of the stars of Brothers & Sisters, and Lou Taylor Pucci (from no other project I've ever heard of).

The film starts after a world-wide epidemic has already claimed most of its victims, and centers upon four survivors, Pine and Pucci (as brothers), Piper Perabo as Pine's girlfriend, and VanCamp as fellow traveller whose origins aren't explained.  The setup is not original, having been used for countless genre stories, most notably Stephen King's The Stand. Since we've been spared the actual horror of the plague--save for a few flashbacks--this is basically a road picture, with a vague destination in mind.

The brothers have memories of their favorite childhood vacation spot on the beach, and decide that's where they should go. Along the way, they reluctantly pick up a man (Chris Meloni of Law & Order: SVU) and his daughter, which waylays them a bit. There are of course also stops for gas, presumably food and water, and run-ins with other survivors.  The picture is basically a suspense/thriller, with hints of horror and just a touch of gore.

Image from BSCReview

I enjoyed it. Van Camp and Pucci are both quite good, with a jaded innocence about them, and obvious emotional pain mixed with practical ruthlessness.  Pine is quite frankly good in everything I've seen him in.  So the acting brings the quality of the movie up a couple of notches.  Story wise, there are a couple of areas where the movie started to feel like The Happening (and if you click that link, you'll find my review of the worst mainstream movie of all time), but never falls all the way into the ridiculousness of that film.

Ultimately, the ending is bound to blow.  A happy ending is almost out of the question, because it would feel forced and phony.  As in George Romero's Dawn of the Dead (and its sequels and prequel) or 28 Days Later (and sequel), you're pretty much guaranteed to have an ambiguous, open ending.  As with any road picture, the story is really about getting there, and once you're there, where do you go?  Because of this, I can't give the movie my full endorsement.  It's well done, and if you are a fan of any of the actors or sibling writing/directing teams (in this case Àlex Pastor and David Pastor), by all means, check it out.  As a lazy Sunday time waster, it isn't bad either. But in the scheme of things, I can only say it's only slightly. . .


Recommended

Book Review (Part 2): Stephen King's Under the Dome

Image from QuarterlyConversation

This moring, I finally settled down to read the last two hundred pages or so of Stephen King's Under the Dome.  I started at about 10:00 am, after watching last week's True Blood on the DVR.  I figured I'd read for an hour or so, then get up, get dressed, and take care of some errands and chores.  After a while, I decided to push through, and just read the whole thing. Imagine my surprise when I finished--thinking it must be 12:45 or so--when I looked at the clock and saw that it was a quarter til three!

That, in a nutshell, tells you how into this book I was.  "Couldn't put it down" applies. Sure, I'd pause to get a soda, or for a bathroom break (though I just popped a squat with the book on my lap. . .think of that next time you get a book from the library!).  Before I get to my review, here's an encapsulation of what I first wrote:

[Compiled from original post, July 17, 2010]

Under the Dome (a 1074-page book) takes place in Maine (naturally), just up the road a piece from Castle Rock, a town you're intimately familiar with if you've read very much King. The small town of Chester's Mill finds itself suddenly trapped--right to the town's borders--by a transparent, seemingly indestructible barrier. This has a calamitous effect on anything actually at the border at the moment the dome came down, or for anything preparing to cross it at high speed.

If you've ever read a Stephen King novel, you know that he can be wordy, sometimes at the expense of the story. As much as I loved Misery, I found myself skipping the "Misery Chastain" romance novel portions of the book only partway in. At other times though, say with The Stand, King's wordiness can be rich and rewarding. One thing I think I can be relatively certain of is that it won't have a rushed conclusion!

This first part of the book is an outstanding, gripping, can't-put-the-book-down good time. If your idea of a good time is kinda gory. Mine is. Anyway, a large section of the book deals with the setup, introducing us to a broad section of Chester's Mill's citizenry and public servants. By the time we begin to gather some vague understanding as to what's going on--about a third of the way in--we'd have already been to the end of many books of this genre (Dean Koontz's included). I was a little leery of what the thick mid-section of this book was going to be like. For the sheer genius that was The Stand, another long King book, Duma Key while good, wasn't quite as satisfying. So far though, I'm still along for the ride. There are protagonists I'm rooting for, a couple of deaths--hey, this is King--that I've lamented, and a few deaths I'm looking forward to!

[Part 2]

The middle portion of the book chronicles life under the dome, and what that sort of scenario would do to the populace of a small town.  A slimy politician who already fancied himself king of the town, takes his role to grandly inflated places.  Our protagonist, a former soldier with a heavy consience is appointed by the President to take charge as a Colonel, and our slimy politician doesn't take well to this news.  Much of the midsection of the book is built upon this power play, and if that sounds boring, it isn't.  King has done a masterful job of bringing an entire town to life, and the ways they interact and whom they align with is kept interesting, and sometimes surprising.

From outside the dome, there are a few efforts to bust through, with the results only emboldening the Big Bad and his son, Junior Bad.  Together they spin a fanciful tale, connecting the Colonel to a series of deaths, to a riot, to a drug ring, and even to the existence of the dome itself.  The story wouldn't hold together well in ordinary times, but the rattled citizenry clings to it, and sides with Big & Junior Bad.  Fortunately, there are some brighter bulbs in this bunch, and a resistance of sorts is born.

Through all of this, the atmosphere in town is getting rank, there is barely a breeze, and no rain.  The resistance tries to discover the source of the dome, and what to do about it, while simultaneously trying to free the Colonel from the clutches of the Bads.  All of this is great, page-turning stuff.  And twin events: a town meeting called by Big Bad, and a "meet your relatives on the other side of the dome" gathering at the edge of town, send the book hurtling into the scorching home stretch.

The secret behind the existence of the dome is an interesting departure for this kind of book, one that may not satisfy everybody.  And the ultimate conclusion is rather speedy after a long homestretch, but I understood the need for this.  As the characters get more and more desperate, a fast resolution was necessary to break the tension.  It was not an eye-rolling ending, or one that let me down.  I was satisfied, and said as I closed the covers, that was a good book. 

All through the book, I could see this as a movie, or more likely, a mini-series.  If it comes to that, I have a prediction.  Some characters will be combined. Some will be deleted. The Big Bad (who had an uncomfortable, but sadly underwhelming and solitary comeuppance) will have a more satisfying demise, and will infiltrate the resistance (which does not happen in the book).  I do know that if a Hollywood adaptation is in the works, I will want to watch it.  Highly Recommended

Book Review (Part 1): Stephen King's Under the Dome

Image from QuarterlyConversation

There's a reason I haven't blogged about anything since yesterday. I've been immersed into a book. A big, heavy, 1074-page book.  I first checked Stephen King's Under the Dome out of the library several months ago, but partly intimidated by its heft, I returned it unread.  Last weekend, while still reading Dean Koontz's Frankenstein: Lost Souls, a book I enjoyed but with which I was disappointed.  As I said in my review of that book, it left me wanting because it ended mid-story--or more accurately--only a third of the way in.  Unlike the previous Frankenstein trilogy, this edition didn't carry a chapter number, or any other indication that it was only one volume of a longer story.

I'm pretty sure that won't be an issue for Under the Dome. I'm only halfway into the book (at page 545!), and have only come up for air now, after reading since 7:00 am this morning!  If you've ever read a Stephen King novel, you know that he can be wordy, sometimes at the expense of the story.  As much as I loved Misery, I found myself skipping the "Misery Chastain" romance novel portions of the book only partway in.  At other times though, say with The Stand, King's wordiness can be rich and rewarding.  One thing I think I can be relatively certain of is that it won't have a rushed conclusion!

Under the Dome takes place in Maine (naturally), just up the road a piece from Castle Rock, a town you're intimately familiar with if you've read very much King.  The small town of Chester's Mill finds itself suddenly trapped--right to the town's borders--by a transparent, seemingly indestructible barrier.  This has a calamitous effect on anything actually at the border at the moment the dome came down, or for anything preparing to cross it at high speed. 

This first part of the book is an outstanding, gripping, can't-put-the-book-down good time.  If your idea of a good time is kinda gory.  Mine is.  Anyway, a large section of the book deals with the setup, introducing us to a broad section of Chester's Mill's citizenry and public servants.  By the time we begin to gather some vague understanding as to what's going on--about a third of the way in--we'd have already been to the end of many books of this genre (Koontz's included).  I was a little leery of what the thick mid-section of this book was going to be like.  For the sheer genius that was The Stand, another long King book, Duma Key while good, wasn't quite as satisfying. So far though, I'm still along for the ride.  There are protagonists I'm rooting for, a couple of deaths--hey, this is King--that I've lamented, and a few deaths I'm looking forward to! 

I'll be following this review with a complete one when I'm done reading. I may have to extend my library check-out period to do that, unless next weekend is as schedule-clear as this one was.  But so far, I've got to say I recommend it. Especially, I recommend the idea of books like this to other writers (you listening, Dean?).  Having the space to flesh out a story this rich, and not having to wind it up at page 400 or so has got to be a freeing experience for a writer. It's also an entertaining and memorable way to read one.  I've read hundreds of books, and if we winnow it down to just the King and Koontz stuff, I could name several titles, but few details.  That said, I can tell you that The Stand had characters like Mother Abigail and Trashcan Man, and the song "Baby, Can You Dig Your Man?."  Those big books stick with you!

Lost: What Happened?

As season finales go, I'd rate Lost's an 8 or a 9. Great stuff, very satisfying. But like all good stories (and I'm thinking along Stephen King lines here), the final scene left a bit to be desired. Of course, it is open to interpretation, and that is probably best. And I won't spoil it for anyone who hasn't seen it yet, but that last scene? Kinda like the spider at the end of It, or the glowing hand at the end of The Stand. Just meh. Otherwise? I loved it.

Gotta Have It: The Shining Cuckoo Clock!

Source: The Wow Report

Will Dean Koontz Finally Have a Hit Movie with Frankenstein?

Image from source, CinemaBlend

I'm a big Dean Koontz fan, even if I've given him a few middling reviews lately. Koontz is always an entertaining writer, even if I'm not always thrilled with his endings. The ride can be better than the destinations sometimes. But along with Stephen King (an author who Koontz is often compared to), he remains one of my favorite writers. One of his most entertaining reads was his Frankenstein series, initially begun with collaborators, and recently finished solo.

The three-book series began life as a treatment for a television series, which was turned into a (reportedly) lackluster TV movie. Koontz wasn't happy with the TV version, and wrote the book series. It puts Frankenstein's monster--with the original back story as the basis--into modern-day (but pre-Katrina) New Orleans. Victor Frankenstein is still around too, after hundreds of years, thanks to bio-mechanical upgrades. The story is one of Koontz's most engaging, and ultimately one of the most satisfying. I'm hopeful that the proposed movie version finally brings Koontz success in Hollywood. I mean, other than maybe Demon Seed, has there ever been a good adaptation of his work?

[Excerpt]

Dean Koontz's Frankenstein Headed To Theaters

A couple of weeks ago Lakeshore announced they were moving forward with an adaptation of Kevin Grevioux's graphic novel I, Frankenstein. Now 1019 Entertainment has announced it will produce a whole franchise of Franken-flicks based on Dean Koontz' series, Frankenstein. . .

Read more at: Cinema Bland

M-O-O-N, That Spells Swine Flu!

OK, this is blatantly stolen from Wonkette. As you might have noticed, I'm not real big with the original material this blogging day. Oh, well. The clip is from the opening moments of Stephen King's The Stand, one of the best adaptations (and most star-studded) of the author's books. It has to do with (at least at first) a world-wide pandemic. It doesn't end well, particularly for those of us who live in Las Vegas.

Book Report: Odd Hours by Dean Koontz

I've talked about my favorite authors here before, and why I'm defensive of them. Two of my favorites are Stephen King and Dean Koontz. I know I risk a reputation as a "non-serious" reader by publicizing this, and I don't care. While I'm the first to admit that popularity does not equal quality (witness FOX "News"), it does not disqualify something either. Most of both authors' books are enjoyable, can't-put-it-down reads. And both are so prolific, you can count on finding something of theirs you haven't read before, when you need a book to take on a trip.

Because of their voluminous work, there are a few clunkers from both. And there are also detours into different genres, different styles, and different presentations. King had a serialized, multi-book paperback series. He also had a weird (for this reader, impenetrable), dense series of Wild West/Outer Space hardbacks that were interwoven into his mainstream work. Koontz has deviated from the usual with a paperback series based on Frankenstein (unfinished as of yet, apparently because Koontz didn't like working with a collaborator), and with hardback sequels to previous works.

The longest series of sequels centers around Odd Thomas, a young man with limited psychic powers who finds himself in perilous predicaments, and is an extemporaneous and witty liar, when a gun is pointed at him. This time, in Odd Hours, Odd is faced with literally saving the world, and the read was never dull. The story moves swiftly, and the character of Odd is quite engaging.

Of course, the Koontzian elements are all here, if not as prominent as in some of his other works. A golden retriever makes a sporadic appearance, but his role is not central to the narrative. The story has an enigmatic heroine, but this one is not as seemingly perfect as is common in many of Koontz's stories. She is sidelined for almost all of the action and drama, stowed away with a happy/tragic woman we haven't met before. She is also not completely explained as a character, leading me to believe that her role (as well as the other woman) will be expanded--and the ending clarified--in yet another Odd Thomas book.

As enjoyable as it was, there were a few things that took me out of the story, interrupting my "willing suspension of disbelief." One was some of the dialogue, which just didn't seem to fit with either the character (a rotted-teeth meth-head, with perfect English), or the situation (easy familiarity with characters who have just met, usually with pointed guns). Also, the group of conspirators didn't seem like a crowd that would actually mix for such a scheme.

Despite these things, I've enjoyed the Odd Thomas series, except for a foray into anime, a prequel fifth book. In Odd We Trust, a recent paperback, was illustrated in the Japanese manga style, and didn't work for me. I didn't like the art, didn't like the story, apparently don't like manga, and didn't like Stormy Llewellan, Odd's doomed "soulmate." Which brings up the biggest flaw in the series for me.

A running thread in the series is Stormy, young Odd's girlfriend, who died during one of the early books. To Odd, her death was fairly recent (the books progress over a short span of time for the characters), but the way their relationship is portrayed, as eternal. . .well, it strikes me as rather silly. We're talking about a teen relationship that lasted at best a couple of years. Though the end of the relationship is tragic, a middle-aged reader like me is a little too jaded to buy into the eternal love thing. You learn as you age that no matter how much a person seems like "the one," there are other potential "the ones" out there. I guess Koontz may be taking us there in the next book, though it is possibly just reinforcement of Odd's/Stormy's "foreverness," I don't know.

Another thing I noticed was Koontz's politics. I learned--oddly enough, between two Koontz books--that the author is conservative, politically. I hadn't really noticed this in his writing before, but it sneaks through here and there. Fortunately, he doesn't hit you over the head with it, but it is there. Now, Stephen King is known to be more liberal, and that does come through in his more recent works. And I'm more on King's page than Koontz's here. But it's nice to know that I can enjoy both authors almost equally, while knowing that.

Which is a long way to go to say that, overall, I enjoyed Odd Hours, and look forward to the next installment. Unlike the previous Koontz book I read, I was not disappointed with the ending. It was a brisk read, and I wanted to read instead of doing something else (like blogging!). Also, it is not necessary to read any particular Odd Thomas book in order to enjoy the story. Pick it up for your next flight, or for a nice, lazy weekend.

Recommended

Book Report: Stephen King's Duma Key

I don't understand why my favorite authors are often considered to be hacks. I kind of take that as a personal insult. Is prolificacy (prolificness?) and success somehow a bad thing? Two of those favorites are Stephen King and Dean Koontz.

The most recent Koontz book I've read was The Good Guy, a story of mistaken identity, where the protagonist is taken for a hit man. He spends the rest of the book protecting the intended victim (a compatible female, natch). It wasn't his best book, but I enjoyed it. I've rarely been disappointed by Koontz. My only beef is (excepting the omnipresent golden or Labrador retriever) is that his characters tend to repeat: a perfect man and a perfect woman meet under dire, supernatural circumstances and banter amusingly while being attacked.

Stephen King doesn't do that. His characters are unique, and distinctly drawn. The stories are rich, and dense (too wordy for some people). In Duma Key, the protagonist is a successful building contractor, critically injured in a construction site accident. After a painful recovery (and the abandonment of his wife), he makes a new life in the Florida Keys. There, he takes up painting, and finds that his paintings not only depict past, present and future events, they can affect them.

The writing is very descriptive, and played in my mind like a movie--or mini-series. If I have any complaint, it would be that the setting does not resemble the Keys I'm familiar with. But I can reason that away fairly easily. The supernatural villain made it that way! There we go, all fixed.

So, if you want a good summer read (and a lengthy one at that), you'd be hard pressed to do any better than Duma Key. Buy it (or check it out), you'll thank me later.

Recommended

What Will Hillary Clinton Do About Her Dirty Pillows?

I don't do this very often, but the post is so up my alley, I had to share it. The following is a 100% steal from AmericaBlog, and my apologies to blogger John Aravosis if this is not appreciated.

If you haven't bookmarked AmericaBlog, please do so now. It is one of my daily (many times daily, actually) must reads.


A reader writes:

Kerry 2004/Carrie 2008?

Instead of Gloria Swanson in "Sunset Blvd.," I'm beginning to think [Hillary is] like Sissy Spacek in "Carrie."

And the Democratic Convention will be her High School Prom, where she can get her revenge on the delegates who laughed at her.

Source: AmericaBlog.com

Gas to Hit $4 This Summer?

Photo from source, AOL News

Nobody wants to believe it, but it looks like it's going to happen: $4-per-gallon gasoline. Oddly, I've gotten rather used to the $3+ price, no longer cursing--as much as I used to--at the total bill each time I fill up my Jeep. There was a time when it cost me just over $20. Now $20 whizzes before it's even half full. I, and we will suck it up and pay $4 too. But if it stays at $4--or creeps up to $5 or more--I have a strange feeling we'll actually start to change our ways.

None of this takes into account the price of everything else, which will all have to go up in price too, to offset the trucks and planes that get everything to us. It's especially dicey for folks like me who live in a remote desert locale. There's a reason Stephen King picked Las Vegas as one of his end-time locales in The Stand!

[Excerpt]

Summer Gasoline Prices Could Hit $4

Retail gasoline prices pulled back slightly from record levels Tuesday and gave some consumers a small break, but a new government forecast said gas could reach as high as $4 a gallon during the summer driving season. . .

Read more at: AOL News

Stephen King turns 60

Photo from Wikipedia.com

Greenlee Gazette would like to wish a very happy 60th birthday to author, Stephen King. King has been one of my favorite authors for almost as long as I can remember. I started reading his books in elementary school, and have been hooked ever since.

I've read nearly novel and anthology he's published (minus The Dark Tower series, which I never really could get into). His books (and his readers, for that matter) are sometimes unfairly criticised, as though being prolific and successful are somehow a bad thing. It doesn't matter though. I don't read books to boost my self image, I read what I enjoy. And almost every King book I've read has been enjoyable, sometimes even thrilling.

'Salem's Lot scared me for days after reading it, and inspired vampire nightmares (as did the movie version). Misery actually made me nervous to turn the page, out of fear of what Annie was going to do to Paul next. It, Pet Sematary, The Dark Half, The Dream Catcher, The Dead Zone, all are difficult to put down. I can't count how many nights I've stayed up WAYYY past my bedtime, just to finish "one more chapter" that turned into several.

Don't confuse King's books for his movies. While there have been quite a few good adaptations (The Stand being by far the best), many suffered in their translation. Much like Dean Koontz (a writer in the same genre who I'm also a huge fan of), you cannot judge a book by its movie.

We're very lucky that King made it to 60, after he was crushed by a van several years ago. Of course, like Berkeley Breathed (creator of Bloom County, who broke his back years ago), he just managed to turn it into part of one of his stories. I'm glad he made it (though surely not as glad as he is), and I'm also glad that his supposed retirement didn't take.

Happy birthday, Mr. King!

Stephen King's Official Web Site: StephenKing.com