My Continuing Author's A - Z

No political talk today, no complaints about the weather, just books. It's been awhile since I last had a post about my Author's A - Z list on Goodreads. My last post is here. So, no books finished since my last post, no new books arrived in the mail and I'm going to take a little break from my Mystery genre posts to catch up on my A - Z. I finished with Elizabeth Daly last time.

So, with a quick bow to the sunny skies (see, not a complaint) and with Clyde keeping an eye on me from the chair in the family room, I now move on to my A - Z. Taaaadahhhhh!

Bill's Authors A - Z

James Dashner

1. James Dashner (Fantasy). American writer, Dashner, is a writer of speculative fiction. He's written a number of young adult series. The one I've started is his Maze Runner series of 5 books. I've finished the first and have the second on my bookshelf.

a. The Maze Runner (2009).












"The Maze Runner is the first book in the Maze Runner YA/ Fantasy / Dystopian series by James Dashner. Thomas wakes up with no memories on an elevator which empties out on to the Glade. It's peopled by a bunch of teenage boys who live and work there and are trying to find the way to escape by searching for a way through the Maze. The boys who take on this task are, of course, the Maze Runners.

Normally, it seems that the new boy or the Greenie works his way through various tasks in the Glade until he finds his official duty. Thomas, for some reason, is drawn to being a Maze Runner.
Events speed up rapidly with his arrival. Normally a new boy arrives once a month. Each night the entrances to the Maze close, which is a good thing, as the Maze is peopled by creatures known as the Grievers. If the gate were left open, they would kill every body. The Maze Runners must get back to the Glade before the gates close or they will have to stay overnight in the Maze, a fatal situation. The sting of the Griever causes hallucinations and a Changing (you have to read about it, I'm not telling you everything.)

There is normally a new arrival once a month but the day after Thomas arrives, a new person arrives... A GIRL!!! And then things start happening more and more rapidly. The idea is that the boys have to find a way to escape the Glade or who knows what might happen.

It's an interesting story, with a few neat twists and an interesting ending.. well, not really an ending but rather a cliff hanger. I have the second book on my shelf so I'm sure I'll see how the story moves along and see if any other answers are provided. (3.5 stars)"

b. The Scorch Trials (2010).











"Solving the Maze was supposed to be the end. Thomas was sure that escape from the Maze would mean freedom for him and the Gladers. But WICKED isn’t done yet. Phase Two has just begun. The Scorch.

There are no rules. There is no help. You either make it or you die. The Gladers have two weeks to cross through the Scorch—the most burned-out section of the world. And WICKED has made sure to adjust the variables and stack the odds against them.

Friendships will be tested. Loyalties will be broken. All bets are off. There are others now. Their survival depends on the Gladers’ destruction—and they’re determined to survive."

Lionel Davidson

2. Lionel Davidson (Spy / Thriller). English writer Davidson was born in Yorkshire in 1922 and lived until 2009. He was a writer of spy thrillers. I discovered Davidson early in 2000 and have enjoyed 3 of his books so far. I've got another two resting on my bookshelves. From 1960 - 1994, he wrote 9 thrillers. He also wrote 3 books of stories for young adults under the pseudonym David Line and also some collections of short stories. Let's take a look at the books I've read and have on my shelves.

a. Kolymsky Heights (1994 / To be read).

"From the heart of Siberia have come coded messages implying a mysterious secret to be entrusted to only one man. How that individual gets in, finds the contacts, and tries to get the secret out is a masterpiece of wrenching excitement and immensely intelligent story-telling. Lionel Davidson is an award-winning author critically acclaimed on a par with le Carre, Forsyth and Follett."

b. The Rose of Tibet (1962 / 3 stars).

"In the forbidding mountains of a remote, hidden land, a goddess cries a river of emeralds, an enemy army is missing on the border, and Charles Houston is fighting for his life in an avalanche of danger. Searching for his missing brother, he comes upon an innocent people and is plunged into a bizarre religious ritual."

c. The Chelsea Murders (1978 / to be read).

"A terrifying, grotesque figure bursts into a young art student's room. Head covered with a clown's wig, face concealed by a smiling mask, it wears the rubber gloves of a surgeon. The girl is seized, chloroformed, suffocated and - horrifyingly - beheaded. This is only the beginning of a series of murders terrorizing London's fashionable Bohemia. The police target three avant-garde filmmakers. One of them is mocking the other two, and openly taunting the police as well. But which of them is behind these appalling crimes?"

d. A Long Way to Shiloh (1966 / 3 stars).

"THE MENORAH MEN, Lionel Davidson's acclaimed best seller, is set in Israel, the author's adopted country. It is a thriller with an archeological background which tells of the modern quest for the original Menorah, the Holy Grail of the Jewish faith.
Caspar Laing, a young British archaeologist, is persuaded to travel to Israel to decipher a recently discovered scroll. Its contents set him hot on the trail of the long-lost Menorah. Accompanied by Shoshana, a dusky Yemenite soldier who is his chauffeuse, Laing scours the Holy Land in a dangerous search for a priceless buried treasure."

e. Night of Wenceslas (1960 / 3 stars).


"In the novel that launched Davidson's career as a master thriller, young Nicholas Whistler, on a seemingly innocent business trip to Prague, finds himself caught between the secret police and an amorous suitor named Vlasta."






The other thrillers in his catalogue are -
- Making Good Again (1968)
- Smith's Gazelle (1971)
- The Sun's Chemist (1976)
- Under Plum Lake (1980)

Nope, it's not Tolstoy :0)

3. Robertson Davies (Canadian Fiction). Canadian novelist, playwright, critic, journalist and professor Robertson Davies lived from 1913 - 1995. If I remember correctly, he was the Master at Massey College, the graduate residence of University of Toronto, while I was attending for my undergraduate degree. In my university days, I read one of his many trilogies, the Deptford trilogy, which featured Fifth Business (1970), The Manticore (1972) and World of Wonders (1975), a trilogy featuring magic, life, mystery. It was many years before I tried another of his books. In 2012 I tried another of his trilogies, the Cornish trilogy. I finished it in 2016. I've since purchased another of his books. He is a wonderful story teller.

a. The Rebel Angels (1981).












"Loved it! Entertaining, well-crafted, intelligent. The story is developed carefully and lovingly. Story is told from two characters' perspective, two narrators. Both are interesting and I enjoyed both of them. Darcourt, the priest/ professor was most interesting and Maria, the gypsy/ student wonderful and easy to see why all the male characters fell in love with her. It's been ages since I read anything by Robertson Davies and I'm glad I read this story. I look forward to reading the other stories in the trilogy. (5 stars)"

b. What's Bred in the Bone (1985).











"This is the second book in the Cornish trilogy. It basically tells the life story of Francis Cornish, with side discussions by his daimon and an angel analyzing how his life is progressing. The reason for this story is that Simon Darcourt is one of a trio, including Arthur Cornish (Francis' nephew) and Maria, Arthur's wife, who are tasked with managing Francis' Trust. Darcourt is having difficulties writing Francis' biography, feels there are potential scandals in his life and finds too many secrets in his life. So the story begins then with Francis life and follows through until his death. What I do like about the story is the fluency of Davies' writing. It's intelligent but still accessible and flows so nicely. My only issue is that ultimately, it doesn't really mean much to me. I kind of felt, so what... but it hopefully ties into the final book, The Lyre of Orpheus to round up everything. Still so well-written and if read in concert with the first book, The Rebel Angels, I'm sure you would enjoy very much. (4 stars)"

c. The Lyre of Orpheus (1988).












"This is the 3rd book in the Cornish trilogy. I enjoyed the first, The Rebel Angels, very much. It had been most enjoyable to get back into Robertson Davies. The second book, What's Bred in the Bone, while interesting, didn't hold the same level of enjoyment that the first did. So The Lyre of Orpheus has sat on my shelf for a couple of years now. I'm so glad that I dusted it off and got back into this trilogy. It was excellent. I loved everything about this, the writing, the characters, the story. 

The basic story is that the Cornish foundation, run by Arthur Cornish and his lovely wife, Maria, and assisted by a loose collection of directors, agrees to use Cornish foundation money, to fund the doctoral work of a young music student, Hulda Schnakenburg, who is trying to complete an unfinished opera by Hoffman, the Story of Arthur of Britain. A concurrent story has Simon Darcourt, old friend of Francis Cornish and of Arthur and Maria, seeking to complete a biography of Francis Cornish. The investigation into this biography, to find out the missing middle of Francis' life and the development of the opera, are fascinating stories. 

The characters, from the main ones, as well as Schnak and the others brought in to help with the creation of the opera, were lovingly written and so interesting. I won't say I'm an opera fan, but watching the creation and development and the ultimate presentation of this opera, was a joy to read. Throw in asides by Hoffman, throughout the story, as he watches from Limbo and waits to see what the ultimate result will be, and you've got a wonderfully rich story. Sex, cuckoldry and just downright entertainment and you have a fantastic, wonderful story. A perfect ending to this trilogy. (5 stars)"

d. The Cunning Man (The Toronto Trilogy #2 (unfinished) / 1994).

"A mysterious death prologues a rich and meaty saga, narrated by Dr. Jonathan Hullah, which looks back over a long life punctuated by the dazzling intellectual high-jinks and compassionate philosophies of Hullah and his circle."

Well, there you go folks. Some new reading ideas for you and a mix of genres and styles.

Now to watch the Blue Jays and see if they can win a game. Enjoy your Tuesday!