| Rodney Leighton's Book Reviews REMEMBRANCE by Danielle Steel.487 page paperback. I have heard a few times that tears are beneficial to the body. One of the things that make some of Steele's novels hard to read is that the damned things make me cry. Don't know why. The women are always beautiful beyond belief and rich as well. Most of the time. This one has Serena, age 7, seeing her parents murdered by Mussolini's goons .Sent off to the U.S. for the duration, she returns at age 18 and becomes a servant in her family home. Marries the major who turns out to be rich. And who has one miserable bitch of a mother. Serena is beautiful but naive and a tad stupid. They move west; a daughter is born; husband is killed in Korea. She moves back to N.Y., becomes a highly successful model; is swept off her feet by a playboy photographer who is also a heroin addict. Goes through hell; has another daughter; finally leaves the maniac and is later murdered by him. And the girls are separated, grow up and meet. Lots of hardships; lots of cruel events; lots of things to make silly old men cry. VANISHED by Danielle Steel.391 page paperback. Vastly different story, this one is almost a thriller, something like a Grisham novel, except some of the characters are nice. Set in 1944, there is a trial which is unbelievable for what is allowed to transpire. Marielle is, of course, beautiful. She goes through hell, losing 2 children. Meets an older man who marries her. And becomes a really rotten bastard. They have a little boy who is kidnapped ... by people hired by his father. They try to drive Marielle insane or to suicide. I found myself screaming at the head FBI guy at one point. I was happy to see that I knew who did the kidnapping ages before anyone else and I cried when they finally found the boy and got him back to Marielle. Strangely enough, I was totally wrapped up in this one, couldn't put it down. But only cried the once. I read the other one in stretches of 30 pages or a chapter at a time and had no problem setting it aside for hours or days. Cried like crazy over that one. Kind of strange, that. THE FIRM by John Grisham.500 page paperback. This one is quite good. Grisham must really hate his former colleagues. The Mafia has a money laundering operation combined with a law firm. Hot shot law student Mitch is recruited. The FBI want the firm and try to recruit him. Mitch wins, to my surprise. He's something of a bastard but I liked him enough that I was glad he won. The FBI is made to look like fools. Incoming... HouseCat MagaZine, vol. 2, no. 4 - 50 cents Cdn. Or $1 other; from 404 - 1235 Huron St., London, Ont. N5Y 4L5 Canada. Three double-sided sheets of paper is enough to get one's thoughts out to others - HCMZ is a prime example of this. The publisher's continuing review of the writings of Kurt Vonnegut Jr. and editorializing on the human condition in the modern western world is rounded out by Bonnie Briggs' critique of Ontario's food bank system and Fido Dogstoev-ski's letter to Canadian members of parliament, signed ‘A City Zen'. We want and need more publishing along these lines. It's refreshing to hear an honest, ordinary working person's view of things, rather than the usual "we knew it all along", dime-a-dozen type of column we so often find in the daily press, mainstream magazines, television and, to a lesser extent, radio. HCMZ may not be a household word, but then, it isn't a brand name product with big advertising bucks behind it, either. It is, however, a very definite, questioning voice that needs listeners (readers); and it may have some answers, too. The publisher is also looking for material, so this may be the place for you, if you have something worthwhile and timely to say. Check it out, at any rate. Like they say, "catch the vision!" WHITE BUFFALO GAZETTE, #"Life is Tragic and Incompre-hensible even during the Good Times" (mid-May, 1999). 44 pgs. containing e-mail from war-torn parts of Europe, artwork, cartoons, letters and observations; a piece about the late Jim Copp, creator of such delightfully-sounding children's recordings as "A Trip to San Francisco with the Glups"; notes by a homeless woman, re-views and much much more. For a copy, send a contribution to: Jeff Zenick, 1019 Commercial Drive, Tallahassee, Florida 32310 USA. You'll be glad you did. Since writing this, another issue arrived with plenty of new material, letters, artwork, notes, ideas and reviews. Definitely recommended... COVERT COMMUNICATIONS FROM ZETA CORVI #2 fell out of an almost-clear sky from Andrew C. Murdoch, 2563 Heron St., Victoria, British Columbia V8R 5Z9 Canada - its stated purpose being to review science fiction books, films, etc.; to open discussion on all of the above; to show how sf has influenced the real world; to report on major and minor sf conventions; to report & publicize sf awards and fan funds; to review & promote other sf fanzines; and to realize a healthy letter exchange column. Heady stuff, if you're not yet aware - a good idea if you are. Get in touch, send postage or a dollar... FREETHOUGHT PERSPEC-TIVE, vol. 2, no. 1 arrived from Leland W. Ruble (one of the godfathers of modern atheistic thinking? whoops, sorry Leland - I couldn't help it!) - Write to him at 833 Orchard Street, Toledo, Ohio 43609 USA. This is the periodical that takes on all concepts of "God" - and the Bible, Koran, American politics, you name it. Very thoughtfully put together, with a variety of articles, poetry and letters from other believers of non-belief. I like it! FP lets others tell it as they see it without fear of condemnation, editing, interjection, pronounce-ments or blaspheming the authors. It manages to criticize creatively and positively. (And those who disagree, well, they can do so without any fear whatsoever of being sent to Hell) - "Man is certainly stark mad; he cannot make a worm, yet he will make gods by the dozen." (from the Montaigne essays, 1550). Try it on for size... OPUNTIA nos 41.5 and 42 - $3 cash for a sample copy of (still) one of the best small-pressed periodicals around. Write Dale Speirs, Box 6830, Calgary, Alberta T2P 2E7 Canada. Contains letters, brief histories, commentary, articles. The content is as interesting and refreshing to read as ever, and everyone should check it out. Not all issues contain the same kind of material, though, so you might want to ask what's best for your particular interests. Very ‘papernet' inclined, and useful to researchers of all sorts of fan material and more. Included was a copy of SEMPERVIVUM #9, a one-pager with news of current mail art projects... STOP THE WAR ON YUGO-SLAVIA; WHY THE SYSTEM MUST BE CHANGED; THE YEAR 2000 COMPUTER PROBLEM; SOCIALISM VS. SOVIET DESPOTISM and a photocopied page from something called THE PEOPLE, plus a handwritten note explaining the above-mentioned leaflets - which came from the Socialist Labor Party, the New Union Party and the DeLionist Society. Why they keep coming here, I don't know. Maybe they think we need a change! If interested, write DDEC, PO Box 3244, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49501 USA. I'm sure they'll put you on their list... (They promised to send more, too, and next time say they will ask for money for support. Ironic, isn't it, that in order to defeat capitalism, you'll most likely need a lot of bread?) QUETZALCOATL... has arrived! This is "a one-sheet one-shot" to declare a change of address for Andrew . Murdoch (new address) - 508 -6800 Westminster Highway, Richmond, British Columbia V7C 1C5 Canada. Along with it came Covert Communications from Zeta Corvi, number 3 - 10 pages of letters, science fiction award news, book reviews and sci-fi convention reports. If you're interested in the genre, by all means, it's available "in exchange for a submission of text or artwork, a copy of your 'zine in trade, a letter of comment, or two dollars cash" - cheap at any price! You can also e-mail Andrew: raven@wolf.spydernet.com WHITE BUFFALO GAZETTE #Haunted Ravine (mid-July 1999) is available for who-knows-what-but-you-should-get-it-and-send-a-contribution-to-the-cause-because-it's-a-decent-type-publication and one of the best currently out there - if you like letters from around the troubled spots of our crazy old whirled, good true-enough-tales and artwork galore. The 28 pages tell many stories. This is what you might call a 'zine with heart. By supporting it, you're supporting the reason why there should be small presses to begin with. A CANDID CARTOONS MINI COMIC, by Larned Justin, PO Box 471, House Springs, MO USA. For a buck or postage. "I hope you enjoy it and if you have any idea what it is about be sure and let me know." I kind of like the artwork, Justin, but, really, my guess is about as good as yours... WRITERS PLUS, Vol. 2, No. 6 - published by a collective in Glace Bay, Nova Scotia. With 40 pages of poetry and short prose, don't let it fool you into thinking just because it's a local endeavour you shouldn't check a copy out. The wisdom of The East appears from time to time in its pages, and we all know that real wisdom can't be localized, but must, for some reason or other, be universal. "Maybe this world is another planet's Hell" is only one of the gems you'll discover here. WP sells for $2, which barely covers postage. You can write to: the group at: 39 Water St., Glace Bay, N.S. B1A 1R6 and/or check out their web site: (http://) maxpages.com/capersaweigh OPUNTIA #41.2, available from Dale Speirs, Box 6830, Calgary, Alberta T2P 2E7 for $3 cash, trade, letter, etc. American readers are advised to please not send cheques in small amounts as our wonderful Canadian banking system at times will charge as much or more than the cheque is worth to cash one. Amazing, ain't it? Well, this is why The Bibliofantasiac advises the same, though it's always okay to send large amounts by cheque!! (I think. We've never had one. With the apparent greed that goes on in our banks, though, maybe that wouldn't work, either)... Opuntia is a good source for just about anything to do with small presses, conventions, and of course, cacti. Review by Barbara Spring A Patchwork Planet Anne Tyler Alfred A. Knopf 1998 288 pages Appearances are deceiving. Is Barnaby Gaitlin an honest man? In her latest novel, A Patchwork Planet, Anne Tyler's characters remind us of people in our own lives, both young and old. Barnaby Gaitlin is employed by a company that does chores for senior citizens such as taking them to appointments and moving furniture. Barnaby's clients trust him and are very fond of him. With his family, it's a different story . As a teenager, Barnaby stole things, not really knowing why. He would break into houses with his friend and look through their photo albums. His first marriage did not work out and he has a little girl he visits each Saturday. His mother never lets him forget that he has not lived up to her expectations, unlike his brother who has conformed by going into the family business. She never lets him forget for a moment the trouble he caused the family growing up. She would like him to stay indebted to her forever. Barnaby manages to free himself of this emotional blackmail and also from his girl friend who is behaving in the same way toward him as his mother. Both believe he is not trustworthy although he has proved over and over that he is. What is a successful human being? Is caring for people whether they are pleasant or not, as opposed to making money , driving an expensive car and living in a good neighborhood what makes a successful human? With humor, dialog that shows each person's character and an eye for detail, Anne Tyler creates a world that shows us the human condition. Before she died, one of Barnaby's clients made a colorful quilt with a planet cobbled together of little pieces of cloth. While clearing out her house for resale, Barnaby says of the quilt, "it's beautiful." With all its flaws, it's a beautiful patchwork planet. THE GRAIL IN CAPE BRETON by John MacNeil Published by Capers Aweigh Press, 39 Water St., Glace Bay, Nova Scotia B1A 1R6 Canada - 70 pgs., text and graphics, $9.95. This is an impressive venture, and one that needs to be read, though it matters not if one is a grail seeker (or believer, for that matter). For truth seekers, 'tis a different matter - as it is for those who love a keen turn of phrase and a thoughtful look at humanity's adventure on the planet thus far. And while it is rtue that we see very few (if any) "monographs" as we approach the final year of another century, it seems fitting that a book like this should be produced and offered to us. We have yet to find Nirvana, wherever that may be (or if it exists), but Mr. MacNeil does not offer that. He only points out the various paths, and beckons us toward the east coast of Canada; and why not? 'Tis a place of much beauty, and as good an Eden as any. Abounding with many pictures and sketches, we are led from the very ancient to the mediaeval to the 'discovering' (and plundering) of America, to the present day, where we find ourselves no more enlightened now than we ever are: "Perhaps we're not as smart as Shakespeare's generation. We certainly don't write as well. We've created a technology that has made us lazy, so that we are mentally and physically less robust because of it; and we believe that it will solve all our problems. We are a warmongering, superstitious race. Need we count the ways of our ignorance?" What we really have in The Grail in Cape Breton, all references to the above-mentioned ‘holy' item aside, is a questioning if not a refusal of modern belief structures, and an affirmation of the beliefs and values of the native North American instead. For this book is as much about the Mi'kmaq nation as anything else, and the author has discovered in his research a hole in our way of viewing the past (which means, of course, there's something not quite right about the way we see the present - and the future as well). For all our California-ized new age lifestyles and religions - i.e. "Angel Edgar Seth has spoken! Mehitabel will show you the way! Buy designer clothing and drink Spirit-Aid! (and we'll sell you all you'll ever need, and more...)" - well, we haven't really considered everything, have we? And maybe, we're hopelessly lost. "The modern esotericists will remind us of our lower frequency rate and denser composition when compared with the spirit world. And they have a 12-step program, I'm sure, that goes from 'slightly out of focus' to spiritual enlightenment for the price of a book. It just doesn't work that way. The whole thing comes in at once, in a flash... solar knowledge is fragmented, where we try to understand the whole by examining its parts. This is the basis of our 'western' science today..." The similarities between some of the handed-down mythologies gathered about the holy cup and the traditions of east coast natives are striking. Which came first? we are caused to ask. How came it to pass that Europeans, before (apparently) arriving in what is now commonly called North America, knew of native ways, even of clothing and councils? Is it not passing strange that Mi'kmaq words, too, show up in the grail myths? The book abounds in maps showing Cape Breton (the 'Land of Fog', as it is translated from the Mi'kmaq) as being a focal point of the mystical and unknown. History has left us, as usual, with little proof. But should we believe the handed-down, sometimes disguised and edited versions? They do tend to leave us confused at the best of times, when and if we think about them, which we too often don't. 'Tis a far, far better thing, some will say, to leave us in our modern day confusion than to question what has been passed along as the uncluttered truth. However, there are those who are curious enough to seek, and seeking, find things to clutter up even the most accepted versions of who we are, where we came from and where we might be going. John MacNeil is such a person, and - believe in the ideas he presents or not - a joy to read. He is one among a very few authors who might tell even the most hardened fundamental Chris-tian, "Yes, all the signs and sayings of the seers point to a time when Jesus is supposed to return, perhaps even sometime in this century. But don't forget that calendars have been altered from time to time, and of course if he is at all like the rest of humanity, no doubt he'll be late for the appointment." - Fido Dogstoevski Letter from a Fellow Publisher I just received the new issue of The Bibliofantasiac. Great work on the new, old 'zine. Thanks for the kind words about EXIT! It's funny, I almost decided to stop EXIT! altogether. (No, J. Anxiety, don't do it!) - You see, I wasn't getting much response from it (most of us never get what we want, just what we need); and I also concentrated more on XYZed. But a funny thing is, when you're NOT doing anything, things start happening. People started sending me things, so within a few months, I had a new belief in the longevity of EXIT! Now, it looks as if I may have to put out a second issue this year! XYZed #11 should be out by July or August... (It's a trap, J. Anxiety, it's a TRAP! Get out while you can - but, of course, it's too, too late, isn't it? Once you're hooked, as with so many other things in life, you just can't stop!) I see you enjoyed the short skit in EXIT! #4. In case you didn't know, all the SCHOOL DAYZ comics are in fact, true stories. I hope to showcase the life of the Jason Soup character - I've got a lot of interesting stories to tell, so it may take a few years... (Reading these tales makes me remember why I always tried so hard to stay OUT of school!) As for the cover of #4, the ship is actually Titanic's sister ship, Britannic (originally called Gigantic before Titanic sunk. It too sunk, despite having added safety features and a stronger iron hull. It's now the largest wreck on the ocean floor. Only 30 people died on her and it happened during WWII when she was used as a hospital ship, so she's largely forgotten. Thank goodness for those extra lifeboats, eh? I am glad you were able to notice the "Exit" symbolism!) Remember, truth is stranger than fiction! - J. Anxiety-Stewart, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.. PS - The new Biliofantasiac is even better than Drift! And Another Letter: Many thanks for issue 13 of The Bibliofantasiac...too much work, too many other responsibilities, too little time to do other things, like respond to zines. That's my excuse, and I'm sticking to it. In the meantime, some response... For many years, there's been a schism between fans of SF books and fans of SF movies and television series. I've straddled the fence for quite a while. Your remarks in the Biblio-torial makes the book fan's argument. You can immerse yourself in a book, but a TV show or movie provides a flat experience. The thieving fox reminds me of a story recently in the paper about a thieving cat named Moo. The cat would pick up anything small not nailed down, and carry it home, where the embarrassed owner would have to advertise the fact that if you missing something, chances are the cat stole it. The owner admits that Moo was adopted from an animal shelter, and that its previous owner had named it Bandit... Not only does Jesus save, but I'll bet he backs up on disk, too. I guess this is the modern version of the old joke that says that Jesus saves, but Bobby Orr scores on the rebound... I think the fellow I dealt with at the Colobo Exchange was named Clinton, and I also think he had a long Polish or Ukrainian name. This all happened so long ago, and my memory is never reliable. That's all for now...take care, and see you next issue...with a better letter of comment, I hope. Yours, Lloyd Penney |
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