Just Finished
"Sigh.... I don't know if it was the intent but I spent much of The Bishop's Wife by Mette Ivie Harrison angry and depressed. This is the first book in Harrison's Linda Wallheim mystery series. Linda is the wife of a Mormon bishop in Draper, Utah. (I apologize from the outset if I get any terminology about the Mormon religion or practices wrong).
The story starts out with the disappearance of Carrie Helm, the wife of one of the families in the community. Suspicion immediately falls on Carrie's husband Jared. Linda is struck by his aggressive attitude towards his wife. She fears for the safety of their small child, Kelly. (point to note, many years ago, Linda lost her sixth child, who would have been their only daughter) She finds herself getting more and more involved in trying solve the disappearance. Her previous loss does have an impact on her attitudes towards Jared and his father. Considering their personal attitudes to both women and Mormon teachings, I had difficulties with them as well.
Adding to the story, Linda befriends Anna Torstensen, a neighbour whose husband is dying. There is a mystery there as well, about how his first wife, Helena, died. Linda finds many odd things around their house that leads her to believe that maybe Anna's husband might have killed his first wife.
There are many disturbing aspects to this story, especially the treatment of women in this community. And what is being done?? Lots of hand wringing it seemed for the most part. It made me very frustrated.
It was interesting to learn a bit about how the Mormon community operates and I would like to learn more. But even that I found somewhat frustrating. There were many unlikeable characters in this story and so many secrets. I don't know if it was intentional but where are the police? They play only a minor role in this investigation... anyway, there were enough interesting things in this story / mystery that I will try to find the next book and see how it continues to progress. (3 stars)"
Currently Reading
"Romulus and Fabiola are twins, born into slavery after their mother is raped by a drunken nobleman. At thirteen years old they are sold - Romulus to gladiator school, Fabiola into prostitution, where she will catch the eye of one of the most powerful men in Rome. Tarquinius is an Etruscan, a warrior and soothsayer, born enemy of Rome, but doomed to fight for the Republic in the Forgotten Legion. Brennus is a Gaul, his entire family killed by the Romans, and he rises to become one of the most famous and feared gladiators of his day.
The lives of these characters are bound and interwoven in an odyssey which begins in a Rome riven by political corruption and violence, but ends far away, at the very border of the known world, where the tattered remnants of a once-huge Roman army - the Forgotten Legion - will fight against overwhelming odds, and the three men will meet their destiny."
The Science Fiction Novel - Stephen King
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| Stephen King |
My first few exposures to his work were his horror stories; Carrie, Cujo, Salem's Lot, Christine, The Shining, etc. He has an ability to find out what scares people and draw it out of you. I was a big fan of his works until Rose Madder, George's Game and got a bit tired of his books, but I'm slowly trying some of his later books. I'm not totally won over yet but I may continue to explore.
So back to Science Fiction. I think his Sci-Fi, at least those books I've tried, still have a horror element to them, but they definitely delve more into the Sci-Fi / Fantasy genres. Let's look at a few of them that I've enjoyed.
"Johnny , the small boy who skated at breakneck speed into an accident that for one horrifying moment plunged him into The Dead Zone.
Johnny Smith, the small-town schoolteacher who spun the wheel of fortune and won a four-and-a-half year trip into The Dead Zone.
John Smith, who awakened from an interminable coma with an accursed power--the power to see the future and the terrible fate awaiting mankind in The Dead Zone."
John Smith can see the future and one thing he sees is the destruction of mankind and only he can stop it. It's a power that he tries to hide as it ends up putting him in the public eye and causes him more and more problems. But he can't avoid trying to help people and he puts his life at risk at the end of this story. The book was made into an excellent movie starring Christopher Walken. There was also a TV series starring Anthony Michael Hall. It is definitely Sci-Fi I believe.
"This is the way the world ends: with a nanosecond of computer error in a Defense Department laboratory and a million casual contacts that form the links in a chain letter of death. And here is the bleak new world of the day after: a world stripped of its institutions and emptied of 99 percent of its people. A world in which a handful of panicky survivors choose sides -- or are chosen."
It's a fascinating story about people trying to survive in this new world that is destroyed by a super virus. It's also a battle between good and evil; the evil trying to take over and led by what might be the 'devil' or one of his minions and the good led by Mother Abigail. I'm sure that I could easily read again if I didn't have so many other books to read.. It's that good.
This isn't King's only use of alternate realities. His The Talisman uses the 'ghost roads', or in this case 'The Territories', concept to travel between locations on the earth. The sequel, Black House, I presume does the same.
"It's been a long time since I've read anything by Stephen King and maybe Under the Dome wasn't the book to rekindle my enthusiasm for his work. I can't say I didn't enjoy it as the story moved along at a fantastic pace and it held my interest when I picked it up to read for a few hours. But what a tome and such unlikable characters; do you hear me Big Jim Rennie!!!
Of course, I realize that you need villains to make horror stories work and Rennie and his gang were worthy of apprehension and anger. I'd seen a few episodes of the TV series based on the book so was interested to see how they compared. I readily admit that King can churn out entertaining and exciting and books scary stories. This was one of those. It wasn't a book that I couldn't put down to see how it ended but whenever I did pick it up, it held my attention and kept me interested.
It flowed nicely, was broken down so that you could read happily for an hour or so and then put it down without losing the train of the story. There were many characters I did like; Barbie, Julia Shumway, Joe McClatchey and so many others. They did provide a nice counterpoint to those people who take over the town when the Dome comes down.
Oh yes, the town is cut off from the world by a huge transparent dome. The powers that be decide it's a perfect opportunity to become tyrants and a small band of intrepid people work to combat them. That plus trying to find out who or what put the dome in place is the basis for this story. Is it King's best story? I don't think so, but it's still a fun read and adds to King's place in the horror genre, that being a place of honour. I may actually try some more of his books now that he's refreshed my interest in his writing.. :).. (3.5 stars)"
Anyway, these are a few of King's stories that while often scary and eerie don't fall strictly into the horror genre but explore fantasy and Sci-Fi. The complete list of King's works, and there are many, can be found at this link. If you like a story teller who can grab your attention and hold it and hold it some more, Stephen King is your man.
Enjoy your week.
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