Books: The Halloween Tree by Ray Bradbury (1972)

When you read Ray Bradbury you know you’re in for a treat. Some tricks as well, but this legendary writer of dark fantasy never disappoints in the treat department. While he wrote a many science fiction novels, it is tales like The Halloween Tree that reminds me of my own Midwestern upbringing in the suburbs of Chicago (me in Hoffman Estates and Bradbury in Waukegan). Bradbury, like a few writers that would follow him(Stephen King and Neil Gaiman in particular), always seemed to obsess, remember, and love his days growing up. Here he found the magic and mystery of childhood, especially at a time when kids had more freedoms, and where TV and the internet were decades away; where adventures of the mind and adventures exploring the unknown mixed together in heady mix of fear and joy. 

And much like 1962's Something Wicked This Way Comes, The Halloween Tree explores the relationship between boys and the harvest month of October. It seems, with this short novel, Bradbury tired to explain, with his trade-mark style of dream-like imagery, what Halloween meant to him. Here he evokes the smells, the sights, and the excitement that this season brought to many boys back in the late 1920s and early 30s –the time he grew up in. He also uses Halloween as a metaphor to explore how children view life and death, how they try to rationalize the sometimes scary fact that kids can face life and death situations when they are still fresh to the world. The Halloween Tree is also an allegorical novel that gives us a better understanding to the secret history to this highly misrepresented holiday. 

“A group of eight boys set out to go trick-or-treating one Halloween night, only to discover that a ninth friend, Pipkin ("the greatest boy who ever lived"), has been whisked away on a journey that could determine whether he lives or dies. Through the help of a mysterious character named Carapace Clavicle Moundshroud, they pursue their friend across time and space through Ancient Egyptian, Ancient Greek, and Roman cultures, Celtic Druidism, Norte Dame Cathedral in medieval Paris, and The Day of the Dead in Mexico. Along the way, they learn the origins of the holiday that they celebrate, and the role that the fear of death, spooks, and the haunts has played in shaping civilization.”

As always, Bradbury’s uses his brilliant prose style to shape a novel using flights of poetic language to induce the reader into a wondrous world of the magic and the macabre; creating a world where the fantastical and the innocence of childhood come alive. By also giving us a look into the origins of Halloween, he shatters the idea that this holiday is really representative of something evil and satanic. 

Interesting to note that Hanna-Barbera produced an animated version of this book back in 1993 (which won a 1994 Emmy for animation). It was written and narrated by Bradbury himself and starred Leeonard Nimoy as Moundshroud.

Books: The Paladin Caper (Rogues of the Republic #3) by Patrick Weekes (2015)

“Loch and her crew are determined to stop the ancients from returning to reclaim the world they once ruled, but a kidnapped friend throws their plans awry. When a desperate rescue turns into a shocking reunion, the ancients return and seize power. Determined to stop them, Loch and the crew look for a way to close the gate to the ancients’ world, but this time, they find themselves up against an enemy that has insinuated itself into the highest ranks of the Republic. Cruel, cunning, and connected, the ancients target the crew’s families and histories, threatening to tear friendships apart.If that weren’t bad enough, Loch must deal with her treacherous assassin sister, her turncoat ancient friend, and a daemon who has sworn to hunt her to the ends of the earth. In order to save the Republic and pull off her largest con ever, Loch will need her friends…and maybe her enemies too.”

In what could be (though I doubt) the final book in this series, author Patrick Weekes saves the best for last. Even though the book has a tendency to bounce around like ADD kid locked in a sugar factory, the story and the characters evolve. Of course, after three books, I might have finally just used to his style of writing. Still, I enjoyed the books, with its daring Indiana Jones adventures and snarky, sometimes self-aware heroes who are as flawed as much as they’re awful damn lucky and clever.

The overall arc of the series was well thought out –nothing seemed really out of place here. He dropped just enough hints and ideas that enabled the set pieces to flow without stopping the narrative to from falling into long, bloated info-dumping explanations.  

Once again I must note the diverse cast of characters Weekes has created here, something not seen in fantasy. And like the science fiction genre where modern problems are used in future settings, Weekes weaves a subtle commentary on racism. Also refreshing is the mutual respect of sexual relationships with the various characters. There is no slut shaming as well as no one batting an eye at any of the pairings, including the same sex ones. 

Even though I’ve grown to have a love/hate relationship with series novels, I do hope Weekes plans to continue writing about these characters. They’re fun to be around and this rag-tag group of thieves, former killers, and hooligans appear to be more interesting than anything Robert Jordan ever created.  

The Schism of Doctor Who

Re-watching The E-Space Trilogy of Doctor Who on DVD and watching it with the commentary on, you realize there was a lot of moving parts going on in season eighteen. Mostly there was a near complete revamping of the show in 1980 when John Nathan-Turner took over as showrunner, which alienated series star Tom Baker and costar Lalla Ward (and their romance troubles began to bleed into the show as well, which created even more tension). After six series with Baker in the lead the show was a crossroads. While Doctor Who remained popular, under the reign of the fourth Doctor, the show’s ratings grew in spite of (or because of) the vocal criticism of BBC executives and some viewers that felt the shows dark themes and Gothic horror meant the series was no longer an appropriate  kids show that it had started out as way back in 1963. Even as the series tried to scale back some of darkness during season 16 and 17, the scripts were considerably less interesting than the ones under showrunner Philip Hinchcliff, who ran the show for four years (though his first year he shared those duties with Barry Letts). For the 1978-79 and 1979-80 seasons, new showrunner Graham Williams was under orders to reduce the shows reliance on violence and horror. While season 16 had a unique theme –a season long arc called The Key to Time- the show began a slow devolve into parody by the start of season 17.  

But for his seventh and final year as the Doctor, it became clear that things were about to change. With the huge success of Doctor Who, Tom Baker’s ego grew exponentially as well, but as the 18^th season started he found that he no longer had any control with the new regime running the show. A lot of what Nathan-Turner did to the show in his long-term as showrunner gives a perfect example of why it was cancelled in 1989 after 26 years. With the shows huge success here in America, it became clear that Nathan-Turner was appealing more to the American audience than the British ones. 

And both Baker and Ward hated almost everything that Nathan-Turner introduced, from new theme music, a new logo, to Baker’s change in costume (including the question mark motif that would remain with the series until its end) to stories that were a combination of the old style serials, mashed with some high concept storytelling that would become the TV norm (and motion pictures) ten to fifteen years later. 

It was also around this time that public learned that the Baker and Ward were in a romantic relationship –one that seemed doomed from the start. By the start of production on season eighteen, the two were barley speaking to one another (though they would be married before Baker bowed out of the show in early 1981) and that schism between them simmered behind the scenes and became obvious on screen as well. If you watch the serials of Ward’s last 20 episodes of that season (encompassing the serials The Leisure Hive, Meglos, Full Circle, State of Decay, and Warriors’ Gate) Tom Baker barley looks in the eyes of his co-star and future wife. It was also during this time that Baker had developed some sort of neurological disorder that greatly affected his weight and straightened his curly hair. So the strain of his relationship with Ward, his illness, and the changes to “his” show brought on by John Nathan-Turner (including the casting of Matthew Waterhouse as new companion Adric) were probably all the reasons Baker decided to quit the show after a record seven year run as the Doctor. 

But it’s shocking to realize, when you listen to the commentaries on both Full Circle and Warriors' Gate (which were recorded in 2007), how much Lalla Ward not only disliked the character of Adric but the actor who played him, Matthew Waterhouse, as well. You do get some hints on the DVDS as to why she continues to carry on this aversion for him, but it strikes me that whatever caused their division, you would think after some 35 years they could bury the hatchet?

I wonder why they haven’t.

Books: The Prophecy Con (Rogues of the Republic #2) By Patrick Weekes (2014)

“Who would have thought a book of naughty poems by elves could mean the difference between war and peace? But if stealing the precious volume will keep the Republic and the Empire from tearing out each other's throats, rogue soldier Isafesira de Lochenville - "Loch" to friends and foes alike - is willing to do the dishonest honors. With her motley crew of magic-makers, law-breakers, and a talking warhammer, she'll match wits and weapons with dutiful dwarves, mercenary knights, golems, daemons, an arrogant elf, and a sorcerous princess. But getting their hands on the prize - while keeping their heads attached to their necks - means Loch and company must battle their way from a booby-trapped museum to a monster-infested library, and from a temple full of furious monks to a speeding train besieged by assassins. And for what? Are a few pages of bawdy verse worth waging war over? Or does something far more sinister lurk between the lines?”

While I favored the first book in this series, The Palace Job, I do think The Prophecy Con does come out a better book. Perhaps, as with most books in this genre of late, the writer spends so much time world building that the plot, the characters motivations, and growth take a backseat to all the detailed explanations. With the second book, the writer is freer to explore the world they create, but also give us a better look into the main characters. However, while the heroes here are refreshingly diverse, most of the dialogue is in the form of quips and one-liners. What helps, though, is that the characters also have depth that can catch you by surprise, even the villains seem less two-dimensional. Yet there are times I began to wonder how unbelievably clever Loch and fellow team members seemed and there was a lot of times the book lived too closely to the corner of convenience and coincidence. And Weekes creates these fantastic set pieces –though the whole last act involving a card game is laborious. I mean it’s hard to present these scenes in novels, which is why to certain extent they're better suited for the TV or movie screen- but seems unable to stop himself from figuring out a clever, even logical way out of the situations –it’s again, mostly handled with jokes. 

So the books sheer number of things happening at the same time, the shifting point of view, is a bit of distraction. Yet, even as I say this, I still found the book workable as hybrid fantasy novel that also blends some high technology (I wouldn’t call it steampunk per se, but it does have elements of it) within it. The characters are fun, the jokes work (most of the time), and the pages are highly turn-able. It offers, as I noted, a boat load of diverse characters which makes this series not designed for readers of fantasy where everyone is white, male, and straight. 

Again, it’s clear that Weekes agenda is to offer something new within the well worn path that is fantasy.  It’s worthy of read, mostly because it does not offer the same story we’ve seen before, and it’s light, but can be deep as well. To pull that off means something to me.

Books: Headless by Tristram Lowe (2016)

Before I begin, let me say I know the author and his wife very well. He did not give me this book –I paid for it myself. So I hope to give an honest take here:

“Being a photographer at a Tokyo newspaper is no walk in the park—unless you're Akio Tsukino and only get assigned to shoot parades and park festivals. All that changes when a serial killer starts chopping off heads in nearby Kofu. Akio maneuvers his way onto the assignment in order to prove himself and get closer to enigmatic staff writer Masami Sato. When the investigation takes a supernatural turn, the unlikely partners find themselves caught between solving the mystery and saving their own lives.”

While Headless starts out awkwardly –it’s a debut of a new author and has some rough edges- it eventually settles down become a competent thriller. The character of Akio is extremely annoying, however, a bit of a narcissist, and at times unlikeable. Still he has some enduring traits that fully don’t ruin the book for me. Meanwhile, Masami Sato is certainly a modern feminist struggling to be accepted in a man’s world. She is smart, sexy, and quite capable of getting her way when she needs to –even if it seems to kill her soul to do it.

I don’t think the book is a horror story or even a mystery, though both elements are present. It’s more falls under the urban fantasy genre, especially when we meet up with Lowe’s version of Giles from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Miyahara –and where Mount Fuji seems to be this books version of the Hellmouth. 

Still, I enjoyed the book. It’s well paced and kept me turning the pages -I literally read it in a day- but I had hoped for more explanation of what supernatural themes are about and why they suddenly began to happen –if you’re going to suddenly have demons running around modern Tokyo, one thinks that there should be a reason for it other than a than the demon figured out how to escape Hell (shades of REAPER here). I mean, we do get a brief glimpse into some of it, but I’m a bit disappointed that Lowe never fully explored that aspect, as he spent way too much time dealing with Akio arrogance and libido. To be honest, I liked and wanted to spend more time with Masami’s thoughts than Akio –she’s clearly more interesting. So is Miyahara for that matter, as it’s hinted he appears to be something more than human as well. 

Perhaps will get more background information in the sequel?