The Saturday Morning Post ( No. 165)

 

We have a murder mystery story this this episode by one of my favorite authors. Murder mysteries are not one of my favorite genre, but I have read them in the past, and this one was recommended by Wanda, a book review blogger that I follow. So how did I like it?

My reviewer criteria. I like light, entertaining novels. I like smaller scale stories rather than epics. I like character focused novels featuring pleasant characters, with a minimum number of unpleasant ones. I greatly value clever and witty writing. I like first person, or close third person narratives. I dislike a lot of "head jumping" between POVs and flashbacks. I want a story, not a puzzle. While I am not opposed to violence, I dislike gore for the sake of gore. I find long and elaborate fight, action, and battle sequences tedious. Plot holes and things that happen for the convenience of the author annoy me. And I fear I'm a born critic in that I don't mind pointing out what I don't like in a story. However, I lay no claim to be the final arbitrator of style and taste, you need to decide for yourself what you like or dislike in a book.

Your opinions are always welcome. Comment below.

A Christmas Party AKA Envious Casca by Georgette Heyer  DNF 38%

Wanda, when she recommended this story to me described it as: "I reread it in December when I can. All the characters are delightfully despicable!"  I can assure you that the all but one are indeed despicable. As for delightful, well that's in the mind of the reader. Perhaps I wasn't in the mood for this story, though I think the more likely reason I abandon this book is that I don't find despicable characters delightful, either in books or real life. I simply don't care to spend my time in their company. 

I've watched a YouTube video on Heyer's mysteries, suggesting why she is not considered amongst the most famous of the mystery writers of the golden age between the two world wars. The presenter's conclusion was that she was simply too famous in other genre, namely Regency Romances to be considered as a mystery writer. That fame, and that association with other genres simply overshadowed her mystery stories, even though she wrote one a year for years. The other factor might be that her husband contributed at least to the mechanics of the murder, which perhaps diminishing her stature a little in the minds of mystery lovers. For me, having only read one and one/third of them, I've found that they lack the flare, wit and engaging characters of her romances. 

But on to the story at hand.

In this story she brings a wealthy family, often at odds with each other, together for Christmas, hosted, very reluctantly, by the estate owner. The invited guests also bring along companions who are even less welcomed by the nominal host. Each of these characters are given multiple times to annoy each other, and, in this case, me, with only one who is not annoying. Then there is a murder, and the police arrive, at which the point I decided I had read enough, and well, I knew who, if not how, the murder was done.

Heyer played by the rules, giving you the clue you needed. The problem was that the key clue, was a toss away line that struck me, at least when I read it, as seemingly unnecessary. And then, when events around the time the murder was being committed were being recounted, and act was described in more detail than strictly warranted, so that it struck me that toss away line was the explanation to solve the mystery. I'm being vague so as not to spoil the mystery. This is not to say that I knew just how murder was done, but it told me who done it. I looked ahead just to make sure I was right, and I was. 

Still, if like Wanda, you enjoy a carefully crafted mystery with a host of despicable characters, something on the order of those "Knives Out" movies, you will likely enjoy this Heyer mystery outing. They are solid for what they are, though I haven't read enough of the golden age mystery writers to say how they fare against the Christies, Sayers, et. al.

 

Happy Winter Solstice!

 

It is, in the northern hemisphere, that time of the year again of the coldest days, the longest nights, and shortest days. However, with the arrival of the winter solstice it is time to create some light and cheer, for the tide has turned and light and warmth are, well, only four or five months away here in Wisconsin. But still, spring will come...

So let me wish all of you the light and cheer of family and friends, no matter what you call, or how you celebrate your winter solstice holiday!

The Saturday Morning Post EXTRA! EXTRA! (No. 164)

 

Back to the library ebook catalog, and a lazy pick. All I did was type in a reliable author's name...

My reviewer criteria. I like light, entertaining novels. I like smaller scale stories rather than epics. I like character focused novels featuring pleasant characters, with a minimum number of unpleasant ones. I greatly value clever and witty writing. I like first person, or close third person narratives. I dislike a lot of "head jumping" between POVs and flashbacks. I want a story, not a puzzle. While I am not opposed to violence, I dislike gore for the sake of gore. I find long and elaborate fight, action, and battle sequences tedious. Plot holes and things that happen for the convenience of the author annoy me. And I fear I'm a born critic in that I don't mind pointing out what I don't like in a story. However, I lay no claim to be the final arbitrator of style and taste, you need to decide for yourself what you like or dislike in a book.

Your opinions are always welcome. Comment below. 

The Talisman Ring by Georgette Heyer  A

Heyer seemed to have had a great deal of fun with this story, and so will you. The story is set in the English countryside prior to the Regency period. A wealthy earl or some such nabob, dies early on in the story. His natural heir, his grandson, had been hustled out of England because it appears that he murdered someone, though he denies it. He had pledged his treasured "talisman ring" of the title to pay a gambling debt, but when he went to repay the debt, the fellow who held it, hoping to keep the ring, avoided seeing him, and subsequently turned up murdered on a dark night. With his grandson unavailable, the dying earl obtains the promise of his half-French niece, who inherits the estate, and nephew of his, a man about town, to marry each other, a practice designed to keep the money in the family. The two, out of respect for the old guy, and for other reasons, agree do so, but, alas, they don't get along... And then the grandson, the rightful heir secretly turns up, tossing another wrench into the gears... To avoid a scandal should the grandson be apprehended, the two cousins set out to prove his innocence.

This is very much a mystery story with a romance side plot or two. But it's great charm, as usual, is in its sly and witty dialog and the wonderful characters Heyer created for this story. 

There is a a reason why Georgette Heyer books have always remained in print for the better part of a century while other popular authors have faded away. Her stories are unique in their ageless authenticity of the language and setting, making them stand out from their imitators. Moreover, I doubt that her writing and effervescent storytelling has been matched, especially in her comedies such as this one. They are timeless.

Heyer sold her first novel at the age of 17 and year in year out never stopped writing and selling books in the millions not only in Regency romances, but in a variety of genre, from mysteries to medieval historical fiction. There is, as I've said in many a review, a very good reason for this. Don't let the genre label put you off.

The Saturday Morning Post (No. 163)

 

A trip down memory lane this time. A reread for perhaps the sixth time. I hadn't anything in hand, so I reached for my book shelf, and selected...

My reviewer criteria. I like light, entertaining novels. I like smaller scale stories rather than epics. I like character focused novels featuring pleasant characters, with a minimum number of unpleasant ones. I greatly value clever and witty writing. I like first person, or close third person narratives. I dislike a lot of "head jumping" between POVs and flashbacks. I want a story, not a puzzle. While I am not opposed to violence, I dislike gore for the sake of gore. I find long and elaborate fight, action, and battle sequences tedious. Plot holes and things that happen for the convenience of the author annoy me. And I fear I'm a born critic in that I don't mind pointing out what I don't like in a story. However, I lay no claim to be the final arbitrator of style and taste, you need to decide for yourself what you like or dislike in a book.

Your opinions are always welcome. Comment below

A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs  A (on a sentimental curve)

Actually looking back, I gave this book on first read as grade of 3 1/2 stars out of my 1- 4 star rating system in 1971. It is a great work of imagination, but I always wish there was more depth to it. Deeper characters, more dialog and more time spent on the story. But this is my complaint about all of those pulp stories and all of the early science fiction I read in my youth when I try to read them as an adult.

I read this and the next two books featuring John Carter to my kids as bedtime stories, and every so often I go back and read it again. I usually don't continue on, as it is just more of the same; one strange adventure after the next. 

I will, however, take this opportunity to let you, dear reader, on a great secret that has been kept for over a hundred year. And that is that unbeknownst to John Carter himself, he is perhaps the last survivor of the original inhabitants of Barsoon, the civilization that built all those dead cities. The evidence is clear.

1) John Carter can't recall his childhood or past. All he remembers is being a soldier who never ages.

2) There a variety of races with different skin colors in the lost ages, all of who intermixed to form the current race of red skinned humans. Thus Carter's whiteness is consistent with being a member of the first civilization.

3) The strange method of his return to Mars - simply by wishing to return -  and finding a different body awaiting him, though inexplicable by our science could be explained by some sort of ancient time-travel mechanism, and so it all but confirms his Barsoonian heritage. Apparently he is some sort of time traveler, part of an experiment from that lost and distant age.

4) And then consider the fact that not only could he consume any and all food found on Mars, but he quickly (re)developed his telepathic abilities. It is extremely unlikely that an ordinary Earthman would be able to digest the food or possess any telepathic abilities.

5) Given the fact that he never seemed to age can easily be explained by him being a Martian, who can live a thousand years or more.

6) And the final and undeniable proof of his Martian origins is that he was able to sire offspring with an egg-laying human(oid), the incomparable Dejah Thoris. It is almost impossible to believe that an Earth human could impregnate a Martian whose internal organs were said to be different, not to mention the egg-laying.

The inescapable conclusion is John Carter, that gentleman from Virginia is, and always has been a Martian, likely given the vast age between the old civilizations on Mars and 1865, some sort of time traveler who got lost in time and space. QED

December Writing Update

Some old business first. 

Life - yes, that "life" - has reared its unwelcomed head, and together with the holidays, has resulted in my wife not yet getting around to reading the manuscript of The Idle House Ghost and Nine Again. This is not a major problem, since it being the busiest time of the year for many people anyways, I likely would not have plagued my beta readers with it until after the first of the year, in any event. And though it will not go out until after the first of the year it's target publication date in February has not changed. Much. I won't set an actual date until she had completed her read through.

As for writing fiction...

I have not been actually been doing much of that since my last report, for several reasons. First, of course "life" again had me doing and thinking of other things. Early on I did spend time early thinking about new angles and making revisions to reflect those thoughts for the first part of that Lorrian novel I had started, before setting it aside last spring to write The Founders' Tribunal, The Ilse House Ghost and Nine Again. However, I have to admit that it still fails to excite my interest. It seemed like a good idea at the time, but I haven't found that something to make it sparkle. And if it fails to excite my interest, I have good reason to believe it will fail to excite the interest of most of my readers as well. Especially since most of my long time readers who are still with me, found my books while looking for science fiction, and that's not what I'm writing these days. While I won't say never, unless I can find someway, and some character, to spark my interest in the story, I may well leave this one in "the trunk." 

But if not that, what?

Looking ahead I see: {Blank}

I have no idea for a new novel.

What I do have is a gnawing sense that I need to write one more Red Wine story. A novella will do. A novella would be ideal. I rather like novellas these days. 

The premise of these stories is that they are prequels to the Red Wine Agency thriller novels of intrigue written by the fictional character, Tarashay Clare. in my story Chateau Clare. Which is to say, a fictional character of a fictional character. Since I don't think writing true thrillers is in my wheelhouse, I wrote these lighter stories with more modest stakes and set them prior to those novels, recounting the time when he is being  slowly drawn into the bare knuckle world of Great House intrigues. Given that premise, I feel I need to write one more story that would fully draw Red Hu into the Great Game as the mysterious Red Wine of the Red Wine Agency. And given the feeling that just one more story would wrap this series up, that is what I am hoping to write.

If I can come up with the story. Always a big if.

I am, however, happy to report that ideas are coming right and left, though I haven't a clear idea of the story yet. I have a premise and am running variations of some early scenes in my head during idle times which change daily as a new idea appears in the middle of the night. All these ideas have to be rustled together into a story. Given that task, I doubt that I'll be ready to pull all the loose ends together into a story that can be put into words on a screen much before the release of The Isle House Ghost and Nine Again. 

Not, mind you, that there is any urgency to get this story out. In my one novel a year project, this story would either be my 2028c project or my 2029a project. Either way I care to look upon it, I am far ahead of the pace I set for myself. And given the inexplicable burst of creativity that has seen the rapid writing of three novels and three shorter works in the last two plus years, I don't feel any urgency to get something out on any sort of schedule. That said, by nature, I hate putting things off, so if I am able to put together a story, it will out sometime in the late spring or early summer of 2026. It is, however, still very much a bird in the bush. We'll just have to see if I can get it in hand. Stay tuned.

The Saturday Morning Post EXTRA! EXTRA! (No. 162)

 

In this episode, I found a novel by the author of some non-fictional books that had an important affect on me. During my sophomore year in college, the stacks of the university library were opened up for all. Prior to that, you had to use the card catalog to select a book, and then submit a request for it and wait for someone to collect it from the stacks. Now, I could, and often did roam the stacks - six or seven floors of books. One of the subjects I searched out was had to do with naval matters, and having an interest in tea, I found a book about the tea clippers and the races they ran from China to London to bring the first tea of the season to London. A very romantic trade. I used the idea for one of my first (unpublished) stories, made a game of it, and tracked down more books on tea clippers. That first book was The China Clippers by Basil Lubbock. I have my own copy these days and a number of other books he wrote on that trade, the opium trade and others. Plus, he also wrote several novels. I have one in paper, and found this next one at Gutenberg.

My reviewer criteria. I like light, entertaining novels. I like smaller scale stories rather than epics. I like character focused novels featuring pleasant characters, with a minimum number of unpleasant ones. I greatly value clever and witty writing. I like first person, or close third person narratives. I dislike a lot of "head jumping" between POVs and flashbacks. I want a story, not a puzzle. While I am not opposed to violence, I dislike gore for the sake of gore. I find long and elaborate fight, action, and battle sequences tedious. Plot holes and things that happen for the convenience of the author annoy me. And I fear I'm a born critic in that I don't mind pointing out what I don't like in a story. However, I lay no claim to be the final arbitrator of style and taste, you need to decide for yourself what you like or dislike in a book.

Your opinions are always welcome. Comment below.

Jack Derringer, A Tale of Deep Water by Basil Lubbock  DNF 41%

Alas, this effort was just too authentic for me. Lubbock set out to create an authentic story of life on a Yankee "hell-ship" on a voyage around the Cape Horn from Frisco to New York with a motley crew, most of whom had been shanghaied to serve aboard it, as this ship had a bad reputation with a ruthless captained and brutal mates. We follow the fortunes of Bucking Broncho, a cowboy who wakes up aboard ship after a night of drinking. He finds an old acquaintance, Jack Derringer, aboard, who is an experienced sailor and who takes him under his wing. Jack is an Englishman, with some education, who has taken to roving the world looking for adventure. The rest of the crew is made up of a variety of nationalities, and skill levels, all driven by those brutal mates who curse, beat, and kick men to make them work.

Lubbock himself was something very much like Jack Derringer, in that he was well educated, but had the itch for adventure. Giving university a miss, He sailed to America and the the Klondike gold rush of 1898. After that he signed on to a British sailing ship, and used that experience to write his first book, Around the Horn Before the Mast. After serving in the Boer War, he signed on for another sea voyage. In short, he knew of what he was writing about.

The problem with this book is, as I said above, it is too authentic, especially in the dialog of the motely variety of crew on board. The cowboy character talks like a cowboy from a very old western - dialed up to 11. And then you have all sorts of other nationalities, each using their own jargon. I simply found it too hard to follow what was actually being said. Plus, Lubbock did not bother to explain what these fellows where doing while working the ship. And though I have read a fair number of books and novels set in the age of sail, and so I have a general idea of what was going on in these scenes, the scenes themselves went on far too long for my taste, as usual. All in all, the story failed to engage me and so I decided to reluctantly call it a day for this novel.

Basil Lubbock is pictured on the cover of the edition I found to illustrate this book.

The Saturday Morning Post ( No. 161)

 

As it happened, I had just downloaded this book from the library when the previous book became available. I decided to read that one first. But now, having decided that 500+ page contemporary murder mysteries are likely not my thing, I turned to this book, which, I had good reason to think, might be my thing.

My reviewer criteria. I like light, entertaining novels. I like smaller scale stories rather than epics. I like character focused novels featuring pleasant characters, with a minimum number of unpleasant ones. I greatly value clever and witty writing. I like first person, or close third person narratives. I dislike a lot of "head jumping" between POVs and flashbacks. I want a story, not a puzzle. While I am not opposed to violence, I dislike gore for the sake of gore. I find long and elaborate fight, action, and battle sequences tedious. Plot holes and things that happen for the convenience of the author annoy me. And I fear I'm a born critic in that I don't mind pointing out what I don't like in a story. However, I lay no claim to be the final arbitrator of style and taste, you need to decide for yourself what you like or dislike in a book.

Your opinions are always welcome. Comment below

Arabella by Georgette Heyer  A-

As I mentioned in another review, Heyer's romances vary in tone. Some are more serious, well as serious as romances can be, while others are comedies. Arabella falls on the comedy end of that spectrum. It proved to be a very enjoyable antidote to that mystery story with all its unpleasant characters, "real" and  fictional.

In this story Arabella is the oldest daughter of a kindly clergyman. She has seven siblings that the clergyman must provide for on modest means. Her mother married this second son of the gentry, and is very happy, but she knows it will be hard to marry off her four daughters, and so arranges to send her oldest, Arabella, down to an old friend of hers in London, who married well and is now a rich widow in the hope of finding a suitable i.e. rich, husband for Arabella. Her friend is delighted to introduce Arabella into London society and goes about it as if she were her own daughter. 

However, along the week-long journey from the north, Arabella and her traveling companion's carriage breaks down and it being winter, they call on a local house for shelter while they wait on a replacement carriage to be sent out from town. This house happens to be he hunting lodge of a Mr Beaumaris, a youngish, very wealthy, and important figure in London society. They are welcomed, but she overhears Beaumaris telling his friend that he fears she is just another woman hoping to land him, and his money, as so many other women have tried. This makes Arabella angry, and she when their together again, she tells him that she has her own wealth and has no interest in him.

Well, word reaches London that she is a wealthy heiress, trapping her in her lie, and causing her to be besieged by scores of young men in need of a wealthy heiress to marry. And, of course, she meets Beaumaris in London, and his attendance to her ensures her success in London society. Can she escape her lie?

I found this a very enjoyable story. Heyer's writing is always witty and  entertaining, which I value highly.  Arabella is an engaging protagonist, her father's daughter, ready to stand up against anyone when she sees injustice or cruelty, be it taking charge of a battered orphan child who was being forced to crawl up chimneys to clean them by his master, or saving a little dog being beaten youths. My few cons were that there is a fair amount of "telling" as we are introduced to London society and all its ins and out. Plus, there is a typical Heyer sub-plot involving her brother in town and getting into deep financial trouble living wide and foolish. Plus gambling, i.e. the evils of gambling, and losing at it, are often featured in Heyer's Regency London stories.

I haven't exhausted as Georgette Heyer's catalog yet, so more of her stories will be on the way. And if you've read my last mid-week post, you'll know just how many more.