Legion World Forums LEGION COMPANION The Anywhere Machine So what are you READING?

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

"Reading Comics: How Graphic Novels Work, and What They Mean," by Douglas Wolk. Originally published 11 years ago, I have no idea how it's managed to elude me until now. This is one of the best overviews of comics I've ever seen! Wolk includes some, but not all of, the obvious choices (Moore, Morrison, Los Bros Hernandez,) and takes a bazooka to all the snobs by including two Bronze Age classics: Jim Starlin's "Warlock" and the Marv Wolfman/Gene Colan/Tom Palmer "Tomb of Dracula." Best of all, Wolk is neither pseudo-ironic nor overly defensive about his tastes in comics (he affectionately refers to "Tomb of Dracula" as " the cheap, strong stuff.") I give this my highest possible recommendation!

Dark Sacred Night by Connelly.

I just finished Stephen King's Pet Sematary in preparation for the intriguing-looking movie remake that is released in a couple of weeks. this makes something like the sixth, seventh or eight King book I've read, all of which have been worthy reads. This one is good but is maybe the least of the ones I've read.

Like all of his books, Stephen King excels at character development and examination. I've said it before, but this seems hugely overlooked by most people, who write him off as simply a master of horror. It doesn't help that many of the film adaptations of his work don't pay enough attention to the characters and doing them justice toward their sources. Louis Creed is the central character, and the reader is in his head for much of the book without any first-person narration. His wife Rachel and their neighbor Jud Crandall are strong, believable supporting players, too. If you know anything about where the plot goes, probably via the original film, the book really informs Louis's fateful actions that give the story its particular horror signature.

One thing that surprised me is how well the book acts as a dissertation on death and people's attitudes, feelings and superstitions about it. Other than the character work, this is where the book succeeds as something more than just some schlocky horror pastiche, as the first film paints it. The views and reflections King presents about death are really well thought-out and make the reader think about his or her own views. Particularly memorable is Louis's frank discussion with his young daughter Ellie as she tries to comprehend the death of one of their family friends. And when the big death of the book hits, the reactions and coping or lack of coping hit like, well, a tractor trailer. It's very real and hard to read, even outside of the supernatural element.

Where the book fails somewhat is with its ending sequence. Unfortunately, the build-up and groundwork laid are superior to the finale, which should feel like the point where all the dividends pay off. Instead, King feels like he's rushing through it, and the finale doesn't resonate with all of the themes and character work we've experienced to that point. It basically degenerates into a slasher flick when we are expecting more of a layered evil than what we got. There's a hint that the evil is more than simply a twisted version of its former self, but not any more than that. I have to conclude that King was more interested in the journey than the destination, based on the evidence here. It's actually one of his shorter books, at 374 pages in my edition. I think it could have used more than 400 to give me the kind of ending I wanted and that it deserved.

So there you have it: a really good, well developed book with a truncated, unsatisfying ending. To be clear, it's not exactly the outcome that disappoints--I really don't expect happy endings in a King book--but that it didn't satisfy and pay off the way it should have in my opinion.

I'm still curious to learn more about the new film adaptation. It clearly features elements that weren't in the book, such as the masked children, but I can see where the book may have given the filmmakers the idea. The It movie worked well as both an adaptation and in incorporating some new ideas, so that's what I'm hoping for in the Pet Sematary re-make. That and a better ending. One possible plot change (regarding the major death being given to another character instead) I've heard about worries me, though. I'll see how the reviews go....

Good review, Lardy. You've reminded me of something Steve Bissette said about the same book: "I felt, when I first read it, as though King was going places that no horror author had before, to the point where it ended up scaring *King himself* too much to take it to its logical endpoint. Instead, he turned the story into a generic gore-fest."

I actually consider the original "Pet Semetary" movie to be one of the more watchable King adaptations, at least by the low standards of the time it was made (1989.) It's pure schlock, yes, but its decent for what it is. The possibility that the creative team on the new movie version might actually go where King didn't dare are quite intriguing.

I've only seen the original movie once or twice and then not in a long, long time. As a now-reader of the book, one thing I feel is unfortunate about that one (and a mistake I feel is being repeated in the new one according to the casting list) is the omission of the neighbor Jud Crandall's wife Norma from the cast. Her presence and what happens to her really helps inform the themes from the book that I feel were developed so well. Her storyline is such a perfect part of the book's progression and results in one of the best conversations in the book between Louis and daughter Ellie (that I referenced above). Maybe that conversation still happens, but Norma's influence on it gives the scene the perfect context.

It seems obvious that you haven't read the book. It's certainly not for everyone, I'll grant you, especially given the central event and the descriptions of events that surround it. Salem's Lot is one you like and features similar taboos that this one crosses, though this one undoubtedly feels more personal. But I like that the book makes me think about and question my own feelings about death in a way that no other book I've read has. I appreciate the book, especially for that.

We'll see if this new movie can add something in the ending that might resonate better than King's ending did. This one looks like its own animal with the creepy children in their animal masks. I feel this may be an expansion of how the book describes the path leading to and the titular site itself as being mysteriously well maintained by children over many generations. What I'm more worried about are the trailers' fairly clear implications that the central death may not be whom it is supposed to be. Maybe that person simply has more to do in the plot with the masked children, but it sure seems otherwise.

That is true, I haven't read the book. In that same interview with Bissette, he describes in detail the immediate repercussions of the central event, and I decided, "Nope, not the kind of thing I'd be able to handle reading." That said, we're talking about something I read and reacted to almost 25 years ago. Perhaps I might be able to handle it today. We shall see.

For Ann or anyone else familiar with the Pet Sematary book and/or the original film, I just read an interview with King that confirms what the trailer implies, that it is King speaks rather glowingly of the movie, so this would appear not to be a bad choice.The new film is also scoring 91% on Rotten Tomatoes, if that's worth anything.

Here's a somewhat spoilery link to the Entertainment Weekly interview with King I refer to.

Regarding the ending sequence possibly being improved, the trailers seem to show much more interaction with the ghoul than was ever in the book or movie, certainly more than just the slasher elements. That's encouraging.

Thanks, Lardy.

I have to say, I'm not happy at all with that big plot change in the spoiler box.



Forewarned and all that...

I don't think it's about that. Though it hasn't been made explicit by any of the filmmakers or King,

We'll see if that's the case.....

I have been reading a lot.

Just read Lanark by Alasdair Gray. Been wanting to read it for about a decade and finally got it. I recommend it.

The Hiro Matsuda story. One of the first Japanese Pro Wrestlers to wrestle in U.S. Great book. Really a man's man type of old school story. Most of it was about his adventures outside the ring.

Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy. Same as Lanark I've been wanting to read it forever. I also recommend it.

The entire Witcher series. I heard they were good...and they are! Lots of fun!

The first 3 or 4 Mike Hammer books by Spillane. Oh boy...talk about a bygone era...as politically incorrect as you can imagine. They are a guilty pleasure for me.

The Jedi Academy Trilogy. Not a big fan of the latest SW films I decided to get my SW fix with the except Expanded Universe. There are tons of stories I never read in the EU. Working on many of the old DH comics as well.

Re-read Slaughterhouse Five. Many of the modern classics I read as a teenager or in college. I have totally different perspective on them now. Fun re-reading them.

Read the first 4 or 5 D'rizzt books. Much fun.

Master and the Margarita...great book. Probably my favorite out of all of these.

Lost City of Z. Another good book and a good film also.

Man, I miss this series. I know he's been coming out with comics...but I just can't get into the comics for some reason.

I believe I've mentioned this elsewhere, but to my mind the first filmed version of Pet Semetary is perhaps one of the most faithful adaptations of King's work, and also one of the least successful. I think it's because the book is such a fantastic study of internalised grief that the movie, while hitting all the plot points more or less exactly, failed to convey any of the actual substance behind the book. Hopefully the new filmmakers try for a deeper dive.

I haven't read it in a long time, but remember the resolution being suitably creepy (OZ and all that) and not rushed. That last page epilogue I remember being pretty impactful without saying a whole lot. I think it may just be a matter of taste. The Shining, for example, I found overly verbose and could have been just as impactful both as a horror story and a character study with 20% fewer pages.

Again it's been a while since I revisited either, so maybe older me would have a different opinion.

It's not that the resolution isn't creepy, and it's definitely arguable whether or not it is truncated or perfectly effective. I know I've looked up some reviews, and many say the ending was perfect. It's my opinion, though, and I'll try to explain:

If you'll recall, at a crucial point in the book Jud relates the story of what happened with the one case of Pet Sematary resurrection of a person that he encountered in the past. To me, that story was creepy as hell, and it was a lot more nuanced than what we would get later in the book. Very little interaction with book's present-day ghoul was given. It just killed a number of our characters and tried for one more, With the exception of one bit of intriguing dialogue to connect this ghoul with the one from the past, that's basically all we get. Wouldn't it be creepier to have something at least similar to the case Jud related with more interaction and possibly a slower revelation that this one didn't come back right either before the bloodshed starts? To me this would feel like a bigger payoff, especially when you consider all the page time given to one character desperately trying to make his or her way back home, sensing something's terribly wrong, only to arrive and, well, be quickly disposed of. What we get is pretty much similar to the Kubrick version of the Shining, where a certain character arrives and then---* (Ironically, the Shining novel goes in a totally different direction with this plotline.)

The trailer already shows some promise in this direction with a number of vignettes, including This already indicates I might be getting the kind of payoff I wanted in the book. Again, we'll see....

After putting it off for more than 3 years because I didn't want it to be over, I listened to The Shepherd's Crown, the final Discworld novel. I first discovered the Discworld in 1988 or 89, when only the first four books were published in the US. While I only made occasional detours into other Pratchett works, I have followed the series consistently since then. The only writer I can think of that I followed consistently for longer is Steven Brust. The final book brought me all kinds of feelings, and I have immediately started the series over from the beginning.

I've just finished A Very British Coup by Chris Mullen, published in 1982. Mullen was a journalist and later, after the book, a member of parliament for over a decade. I first knew about it from a TV version that I saw a snippet or two of. I wasn't that fond of it, as I was probably a bit naïve to appreciate it. I saw some of it again several years ago too. But it's one of those books and TV shows that you appreciate more, the more context you have for it. It's essentially the undermining of an elected leader by the vested interests in his own country. Flavours of it apply all over the world.

Interestingly, there's been long running rumours of exactly this sort of thing starting (if not going anywhere) in the 1970s here. Also, all of the horrid things the people in the book get up to are exactly the same things that their real life counterparts are up to now (and no doubt were then, and all the way back). So, nothing has really changed. Back when we had one of our parliamentarians-caught-taking-pennies-for-influence scandals, one politician said that it would surprise you how little difference it made who was in power, when it came to the decisions that were being made on the electorate's behalf. this book gives a peek behind the scenes.

A sequel has just been released. I heard a programme being sniffy about it being all of 190 pages, suggesting Mullen just churned it out. But A Very British Coup is only around 210 fat free pages. Quality, not quantity.

Comic Book Implosion by Keith Dallas and John Wells, art by Joe Staton. Twomorrows Publishing.

It bills itself as a history of the DC Explosion/Implosion, but as it begins it's narrative with the firing of Carmine Infantino, it seems at least so far to be more properly a history of the early years of Kahn/Levitz DC. Told primarily with excerpts from interviews or news publications of the day, it can almost be considered an oral history. Lots of fun, and it really makes me want to read some old comics. My earliest comics memories are of the late explosion/implosion, so it resonates particularly with me.

Sounds good BFoB...nips off and gets a copy... yay! sale! …

I've read a few articles, probably mostly from Twomorrows over the years. I recall reading that due to contracts, Gerry Conway was writing in all sorts of areas. This would have been because he was guaranteed a set number of books/ pages and after the implosion there would have only been so many left. I much preferred the JLD version of Vixen to the first attempt though.

Interesting. I hadn’t heard that and I haven’t gotten that far yet, but it makes sense.

Oops. I must remember that the title is "Reading" and not "READ"


But the butler did do it, albeit it led on by the blackmailing maid.

No harm no foul. In this case, I go in knowing the “twist ending.” :-)

I picked up a book for 20p in the library. It looked like an espionage book. Instead, it was some guy's emotionally stunted power fantasy character dressed up as a secret agent. I lasted 23 pages. Laughed. Read another 10 and gave up.

In that time our guy has survived 3 gunshot wounds and survived when everyone else around him dies; has survived lots of other injuries but feels he can go on for years; every shot he fires hits (despite serious injuries; has slept with countless women despite having zero personality and some deep psychological issues; lost both his parents; is the only man who is *allowed* to train for his special code name; quietly threatens people who are in awe of his abilities, despite his status being a complete secret and those abilities not being on show; feels agonising pain from wounds but "embraces it." And quite a bit more. The worst of Bond and Wayne. Dreadful.

I've finished two sci fi books by Emma Newman called Planetfall and After Atlas. They are in the first person, which I find more difficult to get into and it appears to be a trilogy (or more), which usually makes me groan.

The first deals with a group of Earthlings who have been guided by one of their own to another world. That was decades ago and those people wait for their Pathfinder to emerge from a giant plant/organic alien construct where they believe she's communing with god. So far, so sci fi. But the real stories are with the colonists. Newman reveals that there's a dark secret quite early on. It's one of a few and each of them unfolds organically like the tendrils of that alien city. It's done very naturally, and I can't recall any exposition dumps in the book. Newman has a very good grasp of the issues the central character is going through, in part shaped by those secrets. Her decisions, both good and bad, are powerfully written throughout.

The central character in the second book has plenty of issues of his own. In addition to a number of extra concerns, he's the son of one of those that left for another world in the first book. This one is more of a murder mystery in a world where everything is connected. There are overlapping themes with the first book, but they can be enjoyed perfectly well on their own which is a plus. Only the last couple of pages of each have left me a little meh. But it may all work out in the larger story.

Typically, the third book has been loaned out of the library by someone just a little ahead of me. They returned the second book just as I was returning the first. But I shall get it soon.

At a yard sale, I found two Nineties art criticism books from Yale University. I was only going to buy one (only a buck in my pocket), but it was the last hour of the sale and the proprietor insisted that I take both. Woo!

Anyway, one is Modernity & Modernism: French Painting in the Nineteeth Century and the other is Primitivism, Cubism, Abstraction: The Early Twentieth Century.

Spellcheck, P R I M I T I V I S M is SO an actual word so eat me.

Of course, they are chock full of great-lookin' paintings and such so I looked at all those first before settling in to try and digest the criticism. That part's still going on about a month later. Words with many syllables scare the little flower and make her sweat. (I bet you didn't even know that flowers could sweat.)

So far, my favorite part is a writer in one chapter breaking down what the young Picasso made for his works, versus what his less-famous colleagues did, versus what laborers and other workers made. It's weird... I went to college in the 1980s and even in the infamous Decade Of Greed, professors weren't real big on covering the nuts and bolts of what it means to try and make money as a "Creative" in this FUBAR culture. So that part was really a breath of fresh air.