Flight
of the Crow - Paul Clayton
(Frontier Fiction, p/b, $9.95)
This 'pre-western' is set in the mid-sixteenth
century on the coastline of what would become Georgia. Calling Crow
is a native American indian, a chieftain cast out from his own tribe
on suspicion of bringing the white man's disease which effectively
destroyed the tribe. Later, Calling Crow was captured and enslaved
by the Spanish but has escaped and is searching for his wife when
he is caught by another tribe and eventually adopted by them. Spanish
Catholic and French Protestant settlers invade this tribe's land and
Calling Crow is called upon to use his knowledge of the Spanish to
prevent a war that could destroy all three groups. Plus he has found
his wife with the Spaniards.
The bare details above really do little justice
to one of the best novels I've read in a long time. This period in
North America's early history has been little utilised by modern writers,
though from the evidence of this novel it is a rich seam ready to
be exploited. Paul Clayton is a fine writer, economic and sparse in
style, many chapters are only two or three pages in length yet carry
the story forward, always with a richness in detail that other writers
would take many more pages to achieve. Calling Crow himself is a noble
'savage', intelligent, a strong leader, upholding the tribe's traditions
but knowing that the european invaders and their advanced technologies
(horses, firearms, swords, cannon) will change his world forever.
Praising a book as a ‘quick read’ is
mildly insulting as it intimates a book of little depth and substance,
but Paul Clayton's Flight of the Crow rattles along at a fast rate
working both as a rollicking adventure yarn and as a study of how
disastrous that first contact between Europeans and Native Americans
was for the indians. This isn't the first book chronicling Calling
Crow's adventures, and I hope it won't be the last. Highly recommended.
Where
the Bodies Are Buried - Kim Newman
(Alchemy Press/Airgedlamh Publications, h/b,
£17.50)
Where The Bodies Are Buried is a collection
of four themetically linked stories all dealing with a fictitious
serial killer called Rob Hackwill - a movie character that becomes
a multimedia anti hero and over the spread of these stories takes
on a life of itself that crosses over and becomes a global megastar,
inspiring countless copycat murders. The stories look at the effects
of the Hackwill phenomenon from the viewpoint of the writer who created
the character, the real life Robert Hackwill who inspired the writer
in his youth, the tabloid reporter who sold his soul for success by
publically blaming Hackwill movies for inspiring a mass murderess,
and finally a futuristic tale where Hackwill the slayer has moved
into virtual reality and the cybernet and is attacking victims there.
This is a very clever collection, obviously inspired
by the Freddie Kreuger/Nightmare on Elm Street movies that was one
of the most succesful movie series of the last twenty years. Being
a media magpie Kim Newman throws in enough cultural and media savvy
references to make them extremely believable. The book is a nice package:
hard back, illustrated by Sylvia Starshine and Randy Broecker, with
a forward by movie director/writer Peter Atkins, it's a limited edition
of 500 signed by all four contributors, so potentially very collectable.
Rock
on CD - by David Sinclair
(Kyle Cathie, p/b, £9.99)
Subtitled "The Essential Guide",
David Sinclair has put together a 400 page reference work listing
what rock music is available on compact disc. Unfortunately, it
isn't as comprehensive as I would like, glaring omissions litter
the alphabetically ordered listing. Sinclair has mixed biography
and discography together very well, and this book is a fine read
if you want information on specific artists. The writing is quite
humorous at times, and Sinclair doesn't come over as a sycophantic
back-scratcher. This edition was originally published in 1992,
so hopefully an updated issue in the future will correct the noticeable
omissions which mar this book.
The
Moment - by Jill Furmanovsky
(Paper Tiger, lge p/b, £14.95)
This excellent collection of photographs is
subtitled 1970-1995, 25 Years of Rock Photography. Jill Furmanovsky
began as a fan photographing gigs while an art student and then
became resident photographer for the legendary Rainbow Theatre
in the early 70's. The autobiographical notes explain how hard
it was for a woman photographer to be taken seriously in what was
almost exclusively a male domain. This book proves that she succeeded,
with 270 pictures of musicians covering a wide spectrum of rock,
punk, soul, disco and jazz - Chic, The Cramps, Eno, Talking Heads,
Chrissie Hynde, Pink Floyd (to name a few). These are just a few
of the musicians that her camera has immortalised. Her photographs
literally scream, sing or dance, and it's no wonder that they appeared
first in publications such as the New Musical Express, Melody Maker
and The Face. This brilliant collection is a must for any serious
rock fan or photographer.
On Poetry And Poetics
by John Igo
(Argo Press, POB 4201, Austin, Texas 78765,
USA, 2001 - ISBN 0-9634181-4-9, 95 pp, $13.95)
Reviewed by Steve Sneyd
Years ago there was a comedian, I forget which,
who at intervals used to break off to strum a banjo, then say "By
God I needed that", or words to that effect.
I was reminded of him when reading this, "a
collection of essays on the theory and practice of poetry". Much
of it is practical advice, to a great extent useful, but every so
often the author clearly feels the need for a burst of highly arguable
opinion or polemic against the present state of the poetry world.
There are two problems with this, if the book
as a whole is intended as a "how to" for beginning poets
and for those who have already been writing poetry for a long time,
a useful reminder of the kind of basics which so easily get neglected,
as drivers forget the Highway Code rules after they get their license.
One problem is that whether or not the reader
agrees with the polemic - denunciations of poetry slams, bland "blob"
poetry, "hyphenated" poetry (black, feminist, social comment
etc) and so on - it is a distraction - like being taught how to get
the best out of your PC by someone who every few minutes utters a
jeremiad against Bill Gates. The other is that the polemics, presumably
for space reasons, take the form of assertions rather than reasoned
and developed arguments, so neither add anything for those who would
already agree, nor would be likely to convince those who didn't. I
found the answer was to read the book once, get reacting to the polemics
out of the way, then read it again concentrating on the "how
to" advice.
That is variable, though often excellent - a notably
useful suggestion for example, for those who feel rhyme-agendaed but
don't know how to break out, is to write the rhyme, then replace the
rhyme word with a non-rhyming synonym the same syllable length. At
the other extreme, the suggestion that a poet can learn all that is
needed about poetry markets and what they use in fifteen minutes is
so preposterous I at first assumed it must be a misprint. In between,
there are instances of the simplistic - relying on Poe's word as "proof"
that the long poem can't work, advice on self-publishing which ignores
DTP and the Internet (as much of the book is reprinted essays from
as long ago as, in one case, 1965 - the author bio data is also from
then! - rewriting to bring it up to date would have been helpful),
the patronising, the plain prejudiced (e.g.: advice clearly based
on disliking T S Eliot) and so on. A book, then, that can often infuriate,
but that also contains much genuinely valuable advice, if you can
manage to get at the meat while pushing the polemical mustard to the
edge of the plate.
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Batman:
Crimson Mist - Doug Moensch,
Kelley Jones & John Beatty (Titan,
h/b, £17.99)
 This
is the latest volume in the 'Elseworlds' series of alternate universe
stories featuring various DC Comics superheroes. Crimson Mist
follows on from Red Rain and Bloodstorm, in which Batman
has become a vampire preying on his foes for more than legal justice.
Crimson Mist starts with Batman staked to a coffin and enduring
the living death that ensues when a vampire is dormant and not destroyed.
Wracked by guilt, his butler, Albert, removes the stake and Batman
is revived, a ravening vampire hellbent on revenge and blood. This
Batman is no hero but a monster who after feeding off his remaining
foes will turn on the populace of Gotham... This has to be one of
the grimmest Batman stories I've ever read (though I'm no expert,
being only an occasional follower of the man-bat), and it probably
won't make much sense to anyone who hasn't read the previous graphic
novels mentioned above. The story is told (and drawn) with a vibrancy
at odds with its grimly gothic heart, though the monstrous Batman
depicted here is a million miles away from the tv series clown. It
has to be said that this sequence of novels is potentially the best
Batman movie never filmed.
Sex
Drugs And Sausage Rolls - Robert
Rankin (Corgi, p/b, £5.99)
Waiting For Godalming - Robert
Rankin (Doubleday, h/b, £16.99)
 I
don't think I've read any Robert Rankin before (I'm sure I'd have
remembered!), so I ventured into Sex Drugs And Sausage Rolls
with much interest. Of course it would be easy to say that Rankin
writes in a similar humorous vein to Terry Pratchett or Tom Holt,
but Rankin works with a darker humour: characters - lead characters
at that - end up violently dead in this book. Sex... may
inhabit something of a science fiction-type dystopia - Britain
is governed, policed and nannied by Richard Branson's Virgin megacorp
(indeed, the number of times the name Virgin is vilified in the
book one wonders if Mr Rankin has a grudge against Mr Branson!)
- along with time travel and future history elements. All mixed
together in a stew of black humour. The Plot? Hey, there's so much
going on that it's nigh impossible to encapsulate it all. But let's
try - rock 'n' roll fan boys from the future come back in time
to save various rock heroes such as John Lennon, Jim Morrison,
Janis Joplin from dying. This alters the present in many diverse
ways, leading to the ultimate millennial rock festival in Brentford
with the Beatles topping the bill. In the current time stream in
Brentford a rock band called Gandhi's Hairdryer have a singer who
can heal the sick and put the world to rights just by singing.
Somehow this all comes together into a very dark and very funny
book.
Waiting For Godalming is
the latest from Robert Rankin and continues the humourous sagas
set in the heaving metropolis that is Brentford. This time the
story centres on private dick Lazlo Woodbine, whose latest case
involves investigating the death of God, who had been taking a
vacation in Brentford when he was shot down. Things aren't that
simple though, God's widow has the will, and his sons are fighting
for their inheritance, the Earth. This is another slice of bizarre
weirdness from Mr Rankin, with many strange characters, including
a morphing bar-man, Barry the talking sprout, assorted demons and
a maniacal cab driver. I have to admit that while this novel takes
on several surreal flights of fancy it didn't have the impact of
Sex Drugs And Sausage Rolls, which I thought was a lot funnier.
Noctet:
Tales of Madonna-Moloch
by Albert J. Manachino
(Argo Press, lge p/b, $14.95)
 Noctet
brings together a selection of the best stories by veteran American
small press writer Albert J. Manachino. Madonna-Moloch is one of
the weirdest planets you can ever encounter — because of the
alignment of its suns, the planet is deadly to its human settlers
in the daytime but is a virtual Eden in the long nights. Science
and magic are entwined together and the technology is organic plus,
just to add spice to things the dead don't stay dead on this planet!
Most of the stories in this collection are whodunits or whydunits,
mixed with science fiction and a strong dash of outright weirdness.
Occult detective Virgil Hood is your guide to Madonna-Moloch, and
you view the events and characters from over his shoulder, which,
considering what happens on this planet, is the safest place to
be. Noctet was a damn fine read by a very original writer, and
the stories are complimented by Larry Dickison's highly atmospheric
illustrations. You should be able to find Noctet at specialist
SF bookshops such as Andromeda or Forbidden Planet — however,
you can also order it by adding $2 postage and writing to Argo
Press, PO Box 4201, Austin, Texas 78765-4201, USA (US currency
only).
Points
Of Departure: Essays on Modern Jazz
By Robin Tomens
[Stride Publications, ISBN: 1 900152 79
7, £10.00/$20.00]
 Taking
this book out of the envelope and my heart sank at the secondary title
of the book. We all know what 'Essays' usually denote - overwritten,
over-analytical and pedantry text that induces yawning and premature
narcolepsy. But this book is different, it's actually alive and throbbing
with the enthusiasm for its subject, Modern Jazz.
According to writer Robin Tomens Modern Jazz
began in the late 1940's with the bebop of Charlie Parker, and takes
in all the developments from the 50's through to the 80's [Miles Davis,
John Coltrane, Sun Ra, Eric Dolphy, Don Cherry etc] - pretty much
to the point where Jazz had mutated into -rock, -funk, fusion, and
he became bored with it. Tomens also favours the original vinyl over
modern cd releases [if he can]. Indeed, anyone looking for an academic
approach to these 'essays' will be disappointed, this book is a [dis]organised
ramble through one man's record collection. Don't read this expecting
'reference book'-style detail or organisation, the style here is an
enthusiastic rant about specific artists, albums and tracks, even
individual musical moments.
Reading Points Of Departure is like being buttonholed
by that dishevelled nutter in the pub or record shop who wants to
impart his pearls of wisdom on any poor schmuck who even thinks of
stepping into his territory. It can be fun for a while but then you
notice the froth around the lips and make your excuses. This is a
book to dip into, rather than read serially - the enthusiasm simply
overwhelms you. It's a fun book, to be sure, and if you are interested
in Jazz then well worth exploring, but in small bites.
The
X Files: Skin - Ben Mezrich
(Voyager, h/b, £16.99)
 This
new X Files novel continues the globetrotting aspect used in previous
novels, with Mulder and Sculley ending up tramping through the jungles
of Thailand. Starting with human skin being harvested from morgue
inhabitants, a skin transplant patient who goes psycho and kills a
nurse, clandestine genetic experiments on Vietnam vet burn victims
and a mythological skin eating monster, you'd think this would be
a classic case for the FBI's finest. Yet, author Ben Mezrich has turned
this into the dullest, by-the-numbers exercise in franchise harvesting
so far. Lack of characterisation, and interaction, leave Mulder and
Sculley mere cyphers on the page, devoid of all the interesting facets
and nuances that the actors have brought to the characters. Being
a huge X Files fan I had been looking forward to reading this book,
so my disappointment in such a run of the mill product is sad to report.
Ayuamarca:
Procession of the Dead
Darren O'Shaughnessy (Millenium Orion, p/b,
£6.99)
The more books I read the less surprised I become at
the poor quality of writing that passes for professional acceptance
nowadays. However, reading Ayuamarca shows that there is light
at the end of the tunnel and that some quality material is getting
through the bland filter. How to describe Ayuamarca? A Kafkaesque
film noir science fiction thriller that challenges your ideas of time,
perception and reality - and a slam bam battle between morality and
corruption. Set in the near future Capac Raimi arrives in The City,
ready to join his uncle as a gangster. The City is ruled by The Cardinal,
a crime overlord whose army controls everything in the city and has
plans to extend his tentacles of corruption beyond the city boundaries.
Capac joins the Cardinal and is put on the fast-track learning curve
as a possible successor, but Capac begins to question his background,
finding that his mind has been manipulated to forget everything in
his life from before he came to the city. Friends disappear as if
they never existed, and as he searches for his true identity Capac
discovers just how far the roots of corruption and power control the
city and its people. Darren O'Shaughnessy has written one of the finest
debut novels I've ever read, a chilling indictment of moral bankrupcy
and corruption. Written in a no nonsense style that precludes the
worst excesses of dictionary word hunting, this is a genuine pageturner,
and makes this reader eager for the next volume in The City sequence.
Gnawing
Medusa's Flesh: The Science Fiction
Poetry of Robert Calvert
By Steve Sneyd & David Jones (Hilltop
Press, £2.99/$7.00)
 Robert
'Bob' Calvert is best known to the public as a songwriter, poet and
vocalist with the space-rock band Hawkwind. He was also a solo artist
and wrote and published poetry which is now categorised as 'sci-fi'.
This beautifully produced 52 page booklet analyses Calvert's work
as a science fiction poet, his position and contribution to Hawkwind's
music, and collates together extracts from interviews highlighting
his views on rock music, poetry and his life.
Bob Calvert was something of a 'tortured artist',
a manically hyperactive individual with [at times] severe personality
problems which hospitalised him several times during his career. Despite
this, he contributed many of the songs that 'made' Hawkwind a name
in space/prog-rock circles, and helped them survive punk rock and
still be active today. Indeed much of the band's 'space' image and
philosophy was down to him
This booklet was a fascinating read, though I have
to admit that I found the second section dealing with Calvert's music
career the more interesting [no insult to the authors but I don't
like poetry]. Plus there is a very useful discography for those fans
looking for the rare recordings. Surprisingly, there are no examples
of Calvert's poetry included here - I assume this was a copyright
issue, but it does hamper the overall completeness of this publication.
Despite this I think Gnawing Medusa's Flesh should be on any Hawkwind
fan's shopping list.
Contact Point
HILLTOP PRESS, 4 Nowell Place,
Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, HD5 8PD, UK.
Insanely
Great - by Steven Levy
(Penguin, p/b, £7.99)
Subtitled "The life and times of Macintosh,
the computer that changed everything", this book charts the
humble garage workshop beginnings of Apple Computers and their subsequent
development of the ground-breaking Macintosh computer. Despite the
all-encompassing encroachment onto office (and home) desktops, the
personal computer is only just twenty years old, and while the IBM-compatible
PC has the lion's share of the marketplace the computer that generates
the most interest, and the most covetous glances has always been Apple's
range of Macintosh computers. The reason is very simple - the Mac
was designed to be used by anyone, not just graduates with a degree
in computer studies. Of course, the problem with a book like this
is that it uses old technology to explain a new one that is still
developing, and if you have never used a computer or even seen one
then the book will be meaningless. Indeed, the book really needs to
have been illustrated to highlight some of the concepts that make
the Mac so special. Steven Levy writes as a dedicated fan, and there
is little criticism of the mistakes that Apple have continually made
in marketing the Mac over the years. But that aside this book should
be of interest to any Apple users out there.
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