Set in an underwater complex in the North Atlantic, this is a thriller with futuristic overtones. Whether the technology now exists to drill into the earth's crust to reach the Mohorovic discontinuity, that is the bsis of the story and the engineering and
other aspects are probably accurately described. Densely written with sometimes unnecessary elaborations, the author keeps things moving along satisfactorily to an explosive denouement and a logically disturbing afterthought. Better known as the co-author with Douglas Preston of a series of books, Child's individual effort here is acceptably entertaining.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Griffin, Kate: A Madness of Angels
Set in a London where angels, sorcerers, magicians and shape-changers exist, this first novel is a tour de force. Using many
areas of London as the sites of magic powers, the book is very well written and the use of magic in one form or another more
than acceptable. Some of the concepts are extremely well thought out - a litterbug monster eventually trapped in a rubbish
bin, the continuing life of telephone conversations unheard and the use of urban legends as reality. While the London settings and esoterica remind one of Christopher Fowler's work, this excellent novel raises the level considerably. The author is a successful writer of fantasy for young adults under her real name, Catherine Webb, and I shall try one of these soon.
areas of London as the sites of magic powers, the book is very well written and the use of magic in one form or another more
than acceptable. Some of the concepts are extremely well thought out - a litterbug monster eventually trapped in a rubbish
bin, the continuing life of telephone conversations unheard and the use of urban legends as reality. While the London settings and esoterica remind one of Christopher Fowler's work, this excellent novel raises the level considerably. The author is a successful writer of fantasy for young adults under her real name, Catherine Webb, and I shall try one of these soon.
Interlude in France
For some years now I have intended our going to Dijon to use as a base for visiting Beaune to see the great Van der Weyden
polyptych in the Hotel-Dieu there. When I first thought of doing this Ryanair flew to Dijon which would probably have made
for an easier journey though not necessarily a pleasanter one. Taking Eurostar from St Pancras with a change in Paris is
fairly straightforward. Fast, fairly smooth journeys of around two hours more or less on each sector. Overall, I thought the
French TVG stock was better quality than that of Eurostar with better announcements (the heavily accented English on Eurostar was not that good). The local train between Dijon and beaune was adequate for a short ride. With the pound having lost value against the Euro, meals were costly - our hotel was adequate as a base but rather costly and breakfast at
£15.00 was a meal we took elsewhere. By and large, the meals we had, both informal and formal, were OK but not outstanding and the wines unexpectedly expensive for the heart of a major wine growing area. I tried andouillette which is a
tripe-filled sausage at one meal - interesting but I don't think I shall repeat it. A major gripe about both websites and the
publicity materials issued by tourist authorities is the lack of any scale on so many of the maps. The one I eventually found for Dijon was fine, that for Beaune covered a small enough area that the lack of scale did not matter but the one I used for the detour to the Musee Jacquemart-Andre in Paris on the return journey gave us grief: what appeared to be possibly a 10 minute walk turned out to be much more on what had become a hot day - we took a cab back to Gare du Nord afterwards to
make up for this! The Van der Weyden is definitely one of the great masterpieces of the northern Renaissance, not quite as
superb as the Van Eyck 'Mystic Lamb' nor as startling as the Grunewald Isenheim altarpiece, but brilliant in its conception and
execution. Obviously now carefully displayed away from its intended setting, it is easy to imagine the effect it would have had on the occupants in an age where belief was part and parcel of everyday life. To paraphrase Michelin, worth far more than a detour. The Musee des Beaux Arts in Dijon has some fine early work, both Flemish and Italian as well as an extensive collection of later works which received rather less of our time than the earlier items did. The 'Brueghel, Memling, Van Eyck'
exhibition which occasioned the Parisian detour was a disappointment. Very crowded with several group visits in progress with 'learned' lecturers explaining what the paintings were to what seemed to be, as so often, mainly bored listeners. The
trouble is that they detract from the enjoyment of others by obscuring the paintings. This is a practice which should not be
allowed. There was only one Van Eyck and a few Brueghels and Memlings with a fair amount of lesser works but I suppose it would have been a pity to miss it.
polyptych in the Hotel-Dieu there. When I first thought of doing this Ryanair flew to Dijon which would probably have made
for an easier journey though not necessarily a pleasanter one. Taking Eurostar from St Pancras with a change in Paris is
fairly straightforward. Fast, fairly smooth journeys of around two hours more or less on each sector. Overall, I thought the
French TVG stock was better quality than that of Eurostar with better announcements (the heavily accented English on Eurostar was not that good). The local train between Dijon and beaune was adequate for a short ride. With the pound having lost value against the Euro, meals were costly - our hotel was adequate as a base but rather costly and breakfast at
£15.00 was a meal we took elsewhere. By and large, the meals we had, both informal and formal, were OK but not outstanding and the wines unexpectedly expensive for the heart of a major wine growing area. I tried andouillette which is a
tripe-filled sausage at one meal - interesting but I don't think I shall repeat it. A major gripe about both websites and the
publicity materials issued by tourist authorities is the lack of any scale on so many of the maps. The one I eventually found for Dijon was fine, that for Beaune covered a small enough area that the lack of scale did not matter but the one I used for the detour to the Musee Jacquemart-Andre in Paris on the return journey gave us grief: what appeared to be possibly a 10 minute walk turned out to be much more on what had become a hot day - we took a cab back to Gare du Nord afterwards to
make up for this! The Van der Weyden is definitely one of the great masterpieces of the northern Renaissance, not quite as
superb as the Van Eyck 'Mystic Lamb' nor as startling as the Grunewald Isenheim altarpiece, but brilliant in its conception and
execution. Obviously now carefully displayed away from its intended setting, it is easy to imagine the effect it would have had on the occupants in an age where belief was part and parcel of everyday life. To paraphrase Michelin, worth far more than a detour. The Musee des Beaux Arts in Dijon has some fine early work, both Flemish and Italian as well as an extensive collection of later works which received rather less of our time than the earlier items did. The 'Brueghel, Memling, Van Eyck'
exhibition which occasioned the Parisian detour was a disappointment. Very crowded with several group visits in progress with 'learned' lecturers explaining what the paintings were to what seemed to be, as so often, mainly bored listeners. The
trouble is that they detract from the enjoyment of others by obscuring the paintings. This is a practice which should not be
allowed. There was only one Van Eyck and a few Brueghels and Memlings with a fair amount of lesser works but I suppose it would have been a pity to miss it.
Benacquista, Tonino: Framed
While as readable as the earlier novel of his I have read, 'Holy Smoke', this was rather more violent. The humour is well
sustained and the plot just about believable, All in all, a pleasant way to pass the time while offering no great insights or
social comments, not that either of these were intended by the author.
sustained and the plot just about believable, All in all, a pleasant way to pass the time while offering no great insights or
social comments, not that either of these were intended by the author.
Friday, October 16, 2009
Camilleri, Andrea: Excursion to Tindari
One of the Inspector Montalbano detective stories set on Sicily and the first I have read. The Inspector is a well developed
character and is surrounded by adiffuse set of individuals together providing for some pointed comments on the life of the
area and the ever-present Mafia whose influence is sometimes made overt and, at other times, hidden but obvious. The
events in the book fit together eventually but they seem to be there more to provide the reason for a commentary on the
mores of Sicily often expressed with a somewhat bitter humour.
character and is surrounded by adiffuse set of individuals together providing for some pointed comments on the life of the
area and the ever-present Mafia whose influence is sometimes made overt and, at other times, hidden but obvious. The
events in the book fit together eventually but they seem to be there more to provide the reason for a commentary on the
mores of Sicily often expressed with a somewhat bitter humour.
Schenkel, Andrea Maria: The Murder Farm
A slim, economically written tale of murder which is a first novel. It is unusual in that the narrative is unfolded in a series of
interviews and statements to the police and to journalists with, periodically, straightforward passages inserted. This gives an
air of detachment to the murders at the heart of the story while in no way diminishing the overall effect which leaves the reader finally knowing what occured even though no one else does. The use of a litany as punctuation as the story unfolds is
particularly effective.
interviews and statements to the police and to journalists with, periodically, straightforward passages inserted. This gives an
air of detachment to the murders at the heart of the story while in no way diminishing the overall effect which leaves the reader finally knowing what occured even though no one else does. The use of a litany as punctuation as the story unfolds is
particularly effective.
Frightfest 2009: Day 5
'Zombie Women of Satan' is complete and utter rubbish, one of the worst films ever shown at Frightfest.
'The House of the Devil' has a student going to babysit in a creepy old house out in the country - what she is really there for
is to be sacrificed during a lunar eclipse that evening. Well photographed and acted with the iconic Mary Woronow making an unexpected return to the screen, this has much to commend it. Better than many big budget films, this kept one interested right to the end.
'Case 39' is an evil child film with Renee Zellwegger in the lead which may be why I found it not at all involving or that well done. What had happened and what was going to happen was obvious from the start and actimg by numbers did not help.
'Heartless' directed by Philip Ridley was the final film of the weekend for us as we decided against seeing 'The Descenr: Part
Two'. A young man disfigured by a birthmark is cured by a mystic who is really one of the manifestations of the Devil. While the film is trying to draw parallels between the violence of contemporary society in deprived areas and, presumably, the lack of faith that is there, the film left me wondering whether the fuss that the director's return to films had created was really justified. Not a patch on 'The Passion of Darkly Noon'.
To summarise my thoughts on the five days, I would say that the overall standard this year is somewhat lower than in the past. Whether this is a function of age, familiarity, satiation or declining standards I do not know. "Millenium' is every bit
as good as anything shown previously though less spectacular than some; 'Trick 'R Treat'. 'Hierro', 'Dead Snow' and 'Pontypool' are as good in their individual ways as many earlier offerings and I should possibly include 'Triangle' and 'The House of the Devil' here as well though the former has dminished in my eyes with the passing of time. The bad films were
probably no worse than those of earlier years though one's tolerance levels do vary - and this is where satiation comes in -
I am sure my reactions early on tend to be more favourable than those towards the end of the weekend though showing
'Case 39' on the first night, for example, would not alter my opinion.
'The House of the Devil' has a student going to babysit in a creepy old house out in the country - what she is really there for
is to be sacrificed during a lunar eclipse that evening. Well photographed and acted with the iconic Mary Woronow making an unexpected return to the screen, this has much to commend it. Better than many big budget films, this kept one interested right to the end.
'Case 39' is an evil child film with Renee Zellwegger in the lead which may be why I found it not at all involving or that well done. What had happened and what was going to happen was obvious from the start and actimg by numbers did not help.
'Heartless' directed by Philip Ridley was the final film of the weekend for us as we decided against seeing 'The Descenr: Part
Two'. A young man disfigured by a birthmark is cured by a mystic who is really one of the manifestations of the Devil. While the film is trying to draw parallels between the violence of contemporary society in deprived areas and, presumably, the lack of faith that is there, the film left me wondering whether the fuss that the director's return to films had created was really justified. Not a patch on 'The Passion of Darkly Noon'.
To summarise my thoughts on the five days, I would say that the overall standard this year is somewhat lower than in the past. Whether this is a function of age, familiarity, satiation or declining standards I do not know. "Millenium' is every bit
as good as anything shown previously though less spectacular than some; 'Trick 'R Treat'. 'Hierro', 'Dead Snow' and 'Pontypool' are as good in their individual ways as many earlier offerings and I should possibly include 'Triangle' and 'The House of the Devil' here as well though the former has dminished in my eyes with the passing of time. The bad films were
probably no worse than those of earlier years though one's tolerance levels do vary - and this is where satiation comes in -
I am sure my reactions early on tend to be more favourable than those towards the end of the weekend though showing
'Case 39' on the first night, for example, would not alter my opinion.
Frightfest 2009: Day 4
'Dead Snow' is a delightful Nazi zombie comic chiller from Norway in which a group of medical students on a weekend ski trip
inadvertently resurrect a murderous SS squad from World War 2. Not so much a story as a series of sometimes scary but often funny events which see the students die one by one to a never-ending supply of zombies. Great fun.
'Human Centipede (First Sequence)' is about a mad doctor trying to graft humans nose to arse, having already done so with dogs. I only saw the opening half hour or so which was well photographed and seemed to be developing into a really nasty and scary movie.
'Pontypool' is set in a radio studio in the town of that name with a fading shock jock who is brilliantly played by Stephen
McHattie. A deadly virus is causing people to kill and it becomes clear eventually that the virus is caused by the English
language. Most of this is not seen but reported, adding to the weirdness, though the station manager's assistant does become infected and batters herself to death. What keeps the film together is not only the odd premise but especially the
stunning tour de force by McHattie.
'Night of the Demons' is another wakening the demons chiller which is well photographed but not at all involving. Had I
written this closer to seeing it, I might have had more to say but it left virtually no impression on me. Visually it was rather
like an extended music video
'Clive Barker's Dread' expands a novella into a full length film examining what makes people scared. No great shakes with
average performances from the main characters.
inadvertently resurrect a murderous SS squad from World War 2. Not so much a story as a series of sometimes scary but often funny events which see the students die one by one to a never-ending supply of zombies. Great fun.
'Human Centipede (First Sequence)' is about a mad doctor trying to graft humans nose to arse, having already done so with dogs. I only saw the opening half hour or so which was well photographed and seemed to be developing into a really nasty and scary movie.
'Pontypool' is set in a radio studio in the town of that name with a fading shock jock who is brilliantly played by Stephen
McHattie. A deadly virus is causing people to kill and it becomes clear eventually that the virus is caused by the English
language. Most of this is not seen but reported, adding to the weirdness, though the station manager's assistant does become infected and batters herself to death. What keeps the film together is not only the odd premise but especially the
stunning tour de force by McHattie.
'Night of the Demons' is another wakening the demons chiller which is well photographed but not at all involving. Had I
written this closer to seeing it, I might have had more to say but it left virtually no impression on me. Visually it was rather
like an extended music video
'Clive Barker's Dread' expands a novella into a full length film examining what makes people scared. No great shakes with
average performances from the main characters.
Frightfest 2009: Day 3
'Smash Cut' featured cult horror actors David Hess and Michael Berryman and Herschell Gordon Lewis, the director, with Sasha Grey, a recent porn star in a ridiculously bad film that was a complete waste of time.
'Hierro' is the southernmost tip of the southernmost of the Canary islands where the heroine has taken her son on holiday
only for him to vanish from the ferry taking them there. Six months later, a child's body is found and she returns with her
sister to find out if it is her son. She stays on her own awaiting the DNA test result even though it is obviously the body of
her son that has been found. The location adds to the psychological drama and a fine central performance of a woman toppling over into madness made this a better than usual film.
'Millenium: The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo' is in some ways not a Frightfest film as it is a relatively straightforward mystery
from the book which I reviewed recently. Sticking fairly closely to the book but leaving out a lot of background and some of the twists, the film is very well made and acted. Some differences were understandable - finding a lead actress to fit the book's description would have been well-nigh impossible - but the changed ending added nothing. Definitely the film of the weekend.
'Giallo' is the latest Dario Argento offering and it is a great disappointment. There are some touches of Argento's visual
brilliance but the central performance by Adrien Brody made one wish that Oscar awards could be taken back. Emmanuelle
Seigner was not much better though adequate in a part that did not demand much. The oddities were the complete breaching of basic police procedure and the odd reaction of Elsa Pataky when she was rescued - though had she not been
recaught by the killer the film would have been much shorter.
'Trick or Treat' is set at Halloween in a community, which celebrates it seriously, with four interlocking stories. Some of these work better than others but the overall impression is good - a generous mixture of scares and laughs, a nicely judged performance from Brian Cox and a smattering of glamour.
Reports have it that mssing the late film 'Vampire Girl vs Frankenstein Girl' was a sound move.
'Hierro' is the southernmost tip of the southernmost of the Canary islands where the heroine has taken her son on holiday
only for him to vanish from the ferry taking them there. Six months later, a child's body is found and she returns with her
sister to find out if it is her son. She stays on her own awaiting the DNA test result even though it is obviously the body of
her son that has been found. The location adds to the psychological drama and a fine central performance of a woman toppling over into madness made this a better than usual film.
'Millenium: The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo' is in some ways not a Frightfest film as it is a relatively straightforward mystery
from the book which I reviewed recently. Sticking fairly closely to the book but leaving out a lot of background and some of the twists, the film is very well made and acted. Some differences were understandable - finding a lead actress to fit the book's description would have been well-nigh impossible - but the changed ending added nothing. Definitely the film of the weekend.
'Giallo' is the latest Dario Argento offering and it is a great disappointment. There are some touches of Argento's visual
brilliance but the central performance by Adrien Brody made one wish that Oscar awards could be taken back. Emmanuelle
Seigner was not much better though adequate in a part that did not demand much. The oddities were the complete breaching of basic police procedure and the odd reaction of Elsa Pataky when she was rescued - though had she not been
recaught by the killer the film would have been much shorter.
'Trick or Treat' is set at Halloween in a community, which celebrates it seriously, with four interlocking stories. Some of these work better than others but the overall impression is good - a generous mixture of scares and laughs, a nicely judged performance from Brian Cox and a smattering of glamour.
Reports have it that mssing the late film 'Vampire Girl vs Frankenstein Girl' was a sound move.
Frightfest 2009: Day 2
'The Horseman': A father tracks down the makers and distributors of a pornographic video featuring his daughter who has died from a drug overdose. This provides a series of violent confrontations with much letting of blood and a lead character who seems to take an almost unbelievable amount of punishment as he works his way through those he holds responsible.
A new feature this year was the running of a second screen with a number of films each being shown twice. 'I Sell The Dead'
was bodysnatcher story with Ron Pearlman in a major role and Dominic Monaghan as one of the two main bodysnatchers.
The only problem I had was sitting in the front row of a small cinema and thus being unable to focus properly - which in turn
induced sleepiness - so I did not see too much of the film. What i did see moved along at a brisk pace and was more than a little amusing.
This meant missing the documentary 'Beware the Moon' about the making of 'An American Werewolf in London' but this was
followed by a restored high definition print of the film, both being introduced by John Landis who is definitely one of the more articulate film directors of recent years. Seeing the latter again after quite a number of years was an enjoyable experience and the enhanced print added a lot.
Federico Zampaglione is a highly thought-of Italian rock musician and 'Shadow' is his debut film. An American soldier returning from Iraq is on a mountain biking tour following a classic trail in the Italian foothills of the Alps. An incident at a
local inn leads to him and a girl he befriends being chased by two hunters until all four are captured in an isolated laboratory
by a cadaverous scientist (Nuot Arquint plays this all but soundlessly). A number of gruesome 'experiments' leads to a
shocking finale.
'The Horde' starts with a funeral which seems to be of a gang member whose relationship with a woman who turns up at the
ceremony was somehow disturbing. It then turns out that this is actually a select undercover police group and that she is
blamed for his death. They unofficially set out to get revenge on the drug lord who killed their colleague but their raid goes
wrong and they are about to be killed when something external creates hordes of raging zombies so they reluctantly team up
in order to survive - the late start of the film meant we left before the end though only four of them were then left including the woman and the drug lord. I gather they escape only for her to kill him as she had meant to do from the start.
'Macabre' was the really late film from Singapore with lots of blood and anything but a coherent plot.
A new feature this year was the running of a second screen with a number of films each being shown twice. 'I Sell The Dead'
was bodysnatcher story with Ron Pearlman in a major role and Dominic Monaghan as one of the two main bodysnatchers.
The only problem I had was sitting in the front row of a small cinema and thus being unable to focus properly - which in turn
induced sleepiness - so I did not see too much of the film. What i did see moved along at a brisk pace and was more than a little amusing.
This meant missing the documentary 'Beware the Moon' about the making of 'An American Werewolf in London' but this was
followed by a restored high definition print of the film, both being introduced by John Landis who is definitely one of the more articulate film directors of recent years. Seeing the latter again after quite a number of years was an enjoyable experience and the enhanced print added a lot.
Federico Zampaglione is a highly thought-of Italian rock musician and 'Shadow' is his debut film. An American soldier returning from Iraq is on a mountain biking tour following a classic trail in the Italian foothills of the Alps. An incident at a
local inn leads to him and a girl he befriends being chased by two hunters until all four are captured in an isolated laboratory
by a cadaverous scientist (Nuot Arquint plays this all but soundlessly). A number of gruesome 'experiments' leads to a
shocking finale.
'The Horde' starts with a funeral which seems to be of a gang member whose relationship with a woman who turns up at the
ceremony was somehow disturbing. It then turns out that this is actually a select undercover police group and that she is
blamed for his death. They unofficially set out to get revenge on the drug lord who killed their colleague but their raid goes
wrong and they are about to be killed when something external creates hordes of raging zombies so they reluctantly team up
in order to survive - the late start of the film meant we left before the end though only four of them were then left including the woman and the drug lord. I gather they escape only for her to kill him as she had meant to do from the start.
'Macabre' was the really late film from Singapore with lots of blood and anything but a coherent plot.
Frightfest 2009: Day 1
The opening film on 27 August was 'Triangle' with Melissa George in the lead. A time-warp chiller with an initially believable premise and a strong central performance, the film became over-involved and, ultimately, unbelievable. For a yacht to overturn in a storm and then find a deserted liner bearing down on the party survivors is acceptable but the plot's turning on
itself again and again, while making for some scary moments, just did not work.
'The Hills Run Red' had a film buff searching for the full print of a 'classic' horror film of which only the trailer seemed to have
survived. Locating the director's daughter (played by a shapely and exposed Sophie Monk), he persuades her to take him and
his friends to the film's backwoods location where they become part of what was a never finished film - not exactly that good a film, it had its moments.
The late night programme of 'Infestation' and 'Deadwalkers" was missed, as usual.
itself again and again, while making for some scary moments, just did not work.
'The Hills Run Red' had a film buff searching for the full print of a 'classic' horror film of which only the trailer seemed to have
survived. Locating the director's daughter (played by a shapely and exposed Sophie Monk), he persuades her to take him and
his friends to the film's backwoods location where they become part of what was a never finished film - not exactly that good a film, it had its moments.
The late night programme of 'Infestation' and 'Deadwalkers" was missed, as usual.
Williams, Liz: The Poison Master
A combination of Tudor period magical divinations featuring known historical persons and a future where some planets are
relatively backward in many ways while others are very technically advanced and inter-stellar travel is avaiulable to the rich and powerful, this was enjoyable without being overly engrossing. The three different elements - Tudor Europe, the backward planet and the highly advanced areas - are each well done but do not quite make a coherent and acceptable whole.
Something is missing but I cannot quite work out what.
relatively backward in many ways while others are very technically advanced and inter-stellar travel is avaiulable to the rich and powerful, this was enjoyable without being overly engrossing. The three different elements - Tudor Europe, the backward planet and the highly advanced areas - are each well done but do not quite make a coherent and acceptable whole.
Something is missing but I cannot quite work out what.
Stross, Charles: Iron Sunrise
A second novel following the previously reviewed 'Singularity Sky' with Rachel Mansour and her husband again featuring though not the central focus. Well thought out plotting with a young heroine for whom everything does not go according to
plan even with a 'deus ex machina' providing support. Very believable though the scientific elements have to be taken on trust (at least by those such as I with limited knowledge); these elements are consistently applied and do not have any of the
'with one leap he was free because the author forgot to mention something basic' spoiling episodes. An easy read and good
enough to encourage further reading by this author.
plan even with a 'deus ex machina' providing support. Very believable though the scientific elements have to be taken on trust (at least by those such as I with limited knowledge); these elements are consistently applied and do not have any of the
'with one leap he was free because the author forgot to mention something basic' spoiling episodes. An easy read and good
enough to encourage further reading by this author.
Larsson, Stieg: The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo
The first of the 'Millenium Trirlogy' which has rightly been acclaimed. A complicated mystery about a girl who vanished 40
years earlier and is presumed dead though no body has ever been found. The journalist hired to re-visit the case by the now
retired business tycoon, whose favourite the girl was, agrees to do so because he is promised information on another tycoon
who has just successfully sued him for libel. The eponymous heroine is initially unrelated to this but is hired well into the
journalist's work because of her reputation for unearthing information from many sources, often doing this illegally. There
are a number of strands, some related, some not, which combine excellently and the whole story moves along to a conclusion that is both startling and enexpected. The book most definitely deserves its reputation.
years earlier and is presumed dead though no body has ever been found. The journalist hired to re-visit the case by the now
retired business tycoon, whose favourite the girl was, agrees to do so because he is promised information on another tycoon
who has just successfully sued him for libel. The eponymous heroine is initially unrelated to this but is hired well into the
journalist's work because of her reputation for unearthing information from many sources, often doing this illegally. There
are a number of strands, some related, some not, which combine excellently and the whole story moves along to a conclusion that is both startling and enexpected. The book most definitely deserves its reputation.
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