Monthly Archives: January 2011

Examples of Writing Through History

Posted on January 5, 2011 by Gene Stewart

…Chill-boy, fo Shizzle, y’all — I B out… Continue reading →

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The Scream by Edvard Munch

Posted on January 5, 2011 by Gene Stewart

…Our modern world offers no spiritual comfort. We are each utterly alone. Our pain is for naught. Our sacrifice serves no greater good. When we hear the planet cry out, there is only a cringe of realization of how isolated we are… Continue reading →

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Piercing the Darkness: Undercover with Vampires in America Today by Katherine Ramsland

Posted on January 5, 2011 by Gene Stewart

…Piercing the Darkness is the single best book to read if you’re wondering how much of the vampire myth is content to remain in its dusty coffin, and how much appeals to you as a living tradition or way of life… Continue reading →

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The Book of Joby by Mark Ferrari

Posted on January 5, 2011 by Gene Stewart

…Have you read all the Potters? Have you read The Innkeeper’s Song by Peter S. Beagle; Prince Ombra by Roderick MacLeish; Mainspring by Jay Lake; Needful Things by Stephen King; The Man That Corrupted Hadleyburg by Mark Twain? All those and many others ring in one’s head while reading The Book of Joby, which parallels them all in ways Joseph Campbell would have recognized in his thesis of the Hero With A Thousand Faces. There is a groundswell of modern storytelling bearing a new appraisal of ancient myth, and The Book of Joby epitomizes this manifestation of old-into-new. And yet The Book of Joby remains Ferrari’s own original work… Continue reading →

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The Night Church by Whitley Strieber

Posted on January 5, 2011 by Gene Stewart

…What fascinates most about this book, though, are the echoes of themes and images that would later surface so dramatically in his terrifying confessional, Communion… Continue reading →

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Mister B. Gone by Clive Barker

Posted on January 5, 2011 by Gene Stewart

…Mister B. Gone is beautifully presented. The dust jacket resembles worn, torn leather, while the pages are yellowed, faintly stained, and aged-looking. The typeset gives the impression of older printing methods, and the marbled endpapers remind us of cinnamon scented attic treasures cherished by generations past. Appearance, feel, and narrative combine to create a work of physical as well as storytelling art, and it enhances the reading experience. Harper is to be congratulated for going this extra step in publishing. It is added value justifying today’s high cost for books… Continue reading →

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Curtains of Blood by Robert J. Randisi

Posted on January 5, 2011 by Gene Stewart

…As a realistic thriller its dialogue rings untrue. Hearing Irishman Stoker speak with Scotsman Doyle amidst Cockney Londoners in accents straight out of Chicago tough-guy movies is a bit disconcerting. Our tour of the Yorkshire accent at the end of the book is equally cursory. Then again, Ah-nold made it in talkies, didn’t he?… Continue reading →

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No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy

Posted on January 5, 2011 by Gene Stewart

…Serious fiction in popular form describes this book perfectly. It demonstrates how much more truth fiction carries, as compared with nonfiction and so-called news. It also shows us our own inertia and sometimes our apathy. The people in it live, breath, bleed, and die in ways you recognize and can empathize with. You’ve met them all… Continue reading →

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KINGDOM OF HEAVEN, Directed by Ridley Scott

Posted on January 5, 2011 by Gene Stewart

…That KINGDOM OF HEAVEN is a unified work of art with a single theme and solid connective tissues binding its framework into a working, living whole is a remarkable achievement given that no sentimentality, faux patriotism, or pleas to bigotry are present in the film… Continue reading →

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The Prestige by Christopher Priest

Posted on January 5, 2011 by Gene Stewart

…Inattentive readers may wish to move on to a franchise novel or some such…. Continue reading →

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