Book Report: Last One In

'Facing dismissal over an erroneous story of celebrity infidelity, New York Daily Herald gossip reporter Jimmy Stephens is given a second chance. The country is about to go to war in Iraq, and the paper's veteran war correspondent is laid up after being hit by a delivery truck. To save his job, a reluctant and clueless Jimmy assumes the position. In Kuwait, Stephens joins a Marine infantry company and hitches a ride in a Humvee with four typical Marines: profane and irreverent, but thoroughly professional when necessary. The tough Marines, of course, tease the "sissy-ass civilian reporter," but sharing privation and sporadic combat affect Stephens and his Marine companions in unexpected ways. Though the war has changed dramatically since the initial invasion—lending a strangely dated feeling to the narrative—a steady flow of Yossarian-flavored absurdity ("We're the pro-Iraqi forces, and the anti-Iraqi forces are the Iraqis") smooths out the bumps in Stephens's odyssey.'

Author Nicholas Kulish, a journalist who was embedded with a Marine attack-helicopter unit for the 2003 invasion of Iraq, draws on that experience for this satirical debut novel. Last One In is very reminiscent of the 2005 box office hit, 'Jarhead', both stories having similar plots and views. But without sexy Gyllenhaal as distracting eye candy, Last One In is able to focus more on the morals and ethics of a war which many people don't understand. I loved this story for the protag's naivety--not ignorance or stupidity, but Jimmy maintains the attitude of 'If it's not happening to me, why should I care?'. But once even when Jimmy is in the back of a Humvee in heading straight for the front lines, he doesn't understand exactly why the war is happening in the first place. I found it comforting to know I'm not the only one who doesn't completely 'get it', as I'm sure many readers did.

First paragraph:
"A small part of Jimmy was offended at the thought of someone eating gold. It was a very small part, and shrinking dangerously fast. But it was still there."

Kulish has expertly woven together his personal experiences into fiction, creating real, memorable characters, laugh-out-loud humor, and heartbreaking tragedy. Jimmy has been yanked from his lavish world of tabloid reporting and thrown into a whole new world--and several times he tries to escape this 'call to arms'.
"What Jimmy liked most about his cover story as he prepared to sneak away from his squad and find a way back to Kuwait was its elegant simplicity. Rather than some transparently elaborate lie, he'd told them he was going 'to get something' from 'over there'. Leaving his stuff behind probably had thrown them off his trail. Waiting till morning also had been a good idea, if only because he could see where he was going."

Jimmy's character arc is very satisfying. When I started reading, I quickly assessed his character and made guesses as to how he would change, but Kulish exceeded my expectations.

"It was breathtaking that someone could spend weeks in a war zone and only worry about himself. It was egotism worth noting in a textbook somewhere, but he didn't know where. Jimmy was alone for the first time. Now he threw up, puked his guts out under the tires of a high-backed Humvee, more scared than he'd ever been. Fear for one is only so big, but fear for dozens or hundreds was too much. Doug and Woody could get hit on assignment. He needed to find out where Becky was, if she was okay. Their families back home must have been sick with worry. And his own family. He wanted to do something. He owed everyone so much, and there was only one option. So he wrote."

Five out of Five stars for a well-rounded, teaching, emotionally satisfying book. I'm eager to see what Kulish comes out with next.

Belated New Year's!

Here it is, half-way through January: my New Year's Writing and Reading Resolutions (and '07 Recap).
Thanks for Caroline for the inspiration!

2007 Recap:
Wrote 18 fan fiction stories:
-15 Supernatural (6 in printed zines)
-2 Dog The Bounty Hunter
-1 SN/ Dog crossover
-1 Original 'flash fiction': 'This Time Around'
Equaling= 95,682 words

Read approximately 25 books (excluding a lot of fanfic):
-blogged 22 between June 24th and December 7th
Equaling= I've no clue.

Am currently 11 chapters into my novel 'Innocence Fading':
-44,727 words

After one (or two?) false starts and miscellaneous back-story:
-57,940 words

Bringing the grand total of written words to (excluding blog entries):
198,409 averaging 540 words per day


Goals for 2008:
Complete first draft of novel
Write at least 5 original short stories
-and enter them in competitions
Write at least 5 dog-related articles (both memoir-style and training-related)
-and submit them to magazines
Read at least 60 books
Attend at least 3 writing conferences
-Australian Writer's Convent
-Missouri Writer's Guild
Writing fan fiction is a writing exercise only--not a priority!
-Reading it is a guilty pleasure!

Best wishes!!

Book Report: Demons

'Nightmarish demons terrorize the world in this sharp-edged tale of horror and humanity from award-winner John Shirley. A young artist from San Francisco witnesses the demons' arrival and the world's response--panic, denial, and even cooperation in the slaughter. He joins a group of people who believe that human action brought the demons into the world and that the power of human consciousness--awareness of one's true self--is the only defense against them. Then nine years later, in the face of a new threat, the group must overcome conspiracy and the world's disbelief to battle demons once again. Themes of wakefulness and sleep--the struggle for self-awareness against the deliberate denial of what's happening around us--form the counterpoint for the terrifying and often brutal events of the story. This is a fast-paced, finely told horror tale combined with a pointed examination of the ways in which people so often conspire in their own destruction.'

I chose this book to see (once again) how to believably write a supernatural element into an otherwise 'normal' story. While 'Demons: Book One' is a novella, John Shirley knows his stuff. He's authored more than a dozen books, been awarded the Horror Writers Association's Bram Stoker Award, written lyrics for Blue Oyster Cult, and was a principle screenwriter for The Crow. Impressed by his accomplishments, I figured I couldn't go wrong.
First paragraph:
"It's amazing what you can get used to. That was a platitude; now it summarizes life for everyone. It means something powerful now. People can get used to terrible privation, to famine, to war, to vast and soulless discount stores. Some got used to prison; some got used to living alone on mountaintops. But now..."

Shirley immediately launches into a vivid, violent account with a demon, as shown through the eyes of Ira, a rather subdued artist. Told through a first person, journalistic viewpoint, Ira recounts the demon's descent from the clouds, their initial attacks, the panic and chaos that ensued. There are Seven Clans of demons, each described in the front of the book, each with unique traits and characteristics (but all grotesque and horrifying). The rest of the story is about Ira and his band of friends surviving, and trying to figure out why the demons have come, and more importantly, how to stop them.

I enjoyed the imagination behind it all. Shirley went to great detail organizing this 'apocalyptic' event. Rules are in place. For instance, the demons are not aliens, or monsters, but demons.
"There's no question that they are quite specifically demonic, that not only are they not aliens, they distinctly belong here. How does one know this? It's another one of those intangibles that, ironically, define the creatures. Once you've encountered them--you simply know. You can feel their miraculous nature; you can feel they're somehow rooted in our world."
Also their are periods where the demons fall still; The Lull, the only time when it is semi-safe for people to move about. Some demons fly, some ooze, some walk. Some talk. Some look like insects, some like animals, some like people. All of them are unique.
I also appreciated how Shirley keeps this story rooted in reality by how the demons affect the rest of the world. After the panic, riots start. Looters wreak havoc on the cities. The president is killed. News reporters briefly entertain the idea that the demons are only a mass hallucination, a by-product of enemy gassing. People live in bomb shelters. Cults offer the demons sacrifices: goats, terminally ill children, lifers from jail. Armies quickly discover bullets have no effect. The world is powerless, and confused, and it is easily felt from the words on the pages.

The story becomes less about demons, though, and more about humans as the plot is revealed. Through the scattered ramblings of a scientist on the brink, a complicated explanation emerges, one that ultimately proposes that humans, attempting to become 'enlightened' and 'God-like', have in fact created these demons from their subconscious--that as thousands of people all over the world lay in trances, in tombs underground, the dark and evil side of humanity is free to materialize and fulfill the 'dreamer's' every desire. The demons are a manifestation of human evil. Only by waking the dreamer does the corresponding demon dissolve. Shirley added another layer by including snippets from Ira's childhood, small memories of his drug addict mother and her abusive boyfriend--providing a much-needed layer for the protag but also giving deeper meaning to the story itself.

I thoroughly enjoyed the issues and points this book not-so-subtlety raised. 'Demons', although at times dry and too-world wise, is deliciously gory and visual, and might even make you stop and reevaluate some things.

Four out of Five stars: Fantastic imagery and emotion make up for the dry, boring conversations and back-story. I would have liked to see more depth to Ira, and more action. But ten points for originality, and something to ponder long after I've finished reading.

Book Report: Out of Body

Written by screenwriter and producer Thomas Baum, 'Out of Body' is one suspense novel that I thoroughly enjoyed. I bought it to see if anything could be learned in regards to my own story, which deals with writing not-so-believable things happening in a believable way. I was not disappointed.

'As the story begins, Denton Hake is released from prison, having served his time for a rape he cannot believe he committed. While living with his brother and trying to start over, a new girlfriend is found murdered and Hake, the logical suspect, goes on trial for his life. He loses periods of time, a dissociation sometimes found in survivors of childhood trauma. His therapist tries to help him understand the lapses and their connection to his father's mysterious death, while a new wrinkle sets in. Now he can leave his body and witness events in other locations. Fearing for his sanity, he starts to believe that he might be violent while in these fugue states.'

First sentence: "Five minutes into my parole hearing, despite all Carl Williams's warnings, I started to drift."

Drifting is what this story does best. This story moves at lightening speed, composed of copious amounts of dialogue and mere flashes of physical transition. In the beginning, I faulted the author for being *too* brief, but quickly realized the 'blink-and-you-miss-it' actions are part of Denton's character. He blacks out, starting for only seconds at a time, enough to appear to be daydreaming or retarded. But as the story progresses, not only to the blackouts get longer, but Denton also seems to seperate from his body and view things in one place while his body, on auto-pilot, remains stationary. As he comes back to his physical self, Denton has no recollection of conversations, poker games, or anything else he was 'really' doing. Instead, he's seen where his sister in-law has hidden her bottle of vodka, or who his girlfriend is sleeping with behind his back. These 'out of body' experiences soon have him with only a small handful of friends, and even those think he's crazy.

It's easy to get into the flow of Denton's visions, and for such a complex, daunting plot, first-time novelist Baum weaves quite a razor-sharp, razor-smooth story. Each character is unique, the plot tight, the realism heavy. The characters are smart, and the scenes between Denton and his therapist are cutting and thought-provoking. The climax ping-pongs between a tense courtroom scene and the release of long-buried memories, creating a surprise ending I never saw coming. This is a tight, whirl-wind of a novel--the kind of story that ventures everywhere you want and skims the parts of little importance. Very easy to read in one sitting.

Five out of five stars for so flawlessly weaving together the supernatural and the 'real world', and for simultaneously keeping both feet anchored on the ground.

Book Report: The Rules of Survival

Authored by Edgar Award Winner Nancy Werlin, this story is in the same vein as 'A Child Called It', but much less graphic/physical abuse and much more emotional mind games. Written in first-person 'memoir style' by teenaged 'Matt Walsh', it is hard to see how the events that take place could possibly lead to a happy ending.

'Living with an unpredictable, psychotic mother has taught Matthew how to survive. Constantly on alert, he and his sister, Callie, devotedly shelter their younger stepsister, Emmy, from their mother's abuse and worry about staying safe. Matt insists that "fear isn't actually a bad thing . . . . It warns you to pay attention, because you're in danger. It tells you to do something, to act, to save yourself," but his terror is palpable in this haunting, powerful portrayal of domestic dysfunction, which is written in retrospect as a letter from Matt to Emmy. Unfortunately, the adults in the children's life, a distant father and an apathetic aunt, don't help, though Matt sees a spark of hope in Murdoch, who dates his mother, Nikki, and then leaves when he becomes another target for her escalating rage. It is Murdoch, with a violent past of his own, who is willing to risk getting involved and eventually becomes the change agent that the children so desperately need.'

First sentence: "For me, the story begins with Murdoch McIlvane."

The story opens when Matt and Callie go into a small convince store and witness a stranger, Murdoch, standing up for a little boy whose when his father becomes violent. To Matt, Murdoch becomes a nameless Superhero, one he spends all his free time for the next year trying to find. Then as a birthday present, Matt's sister Callie finds Murdoch's address in the phone book. But before they can visit, Matt's mother finds the address and assumes her children at trying to set her up on a date. Dragging all three children, she goes to Murdoch's house, introduces herself, and that easily Murdoch becomes the best friend Matt always wanted.

But things don't stay that way for long. Matt's mother seems to have some variety of psychosis, and when her true self is revealed to Murdoch, the fantasy-family falls apart. Nikki grows more and more violent, out of control, and soon focuses all her attention on stalking Murdoch and even accuses him of beating her. While Matt is used to this sort of unpredictable behavior, he finds himself without Murdoch's friendship and so turns to other people for help.

The price sticker on this book says it's categorized as 'teen fiction', and while the writing itself suits a younger audience, the events and emotions will resonate with any aged-reader. Matt is a very 'deep' character, one who observes and thinks far beyond what he actually says. There is a maturity to him that lends to his situation and creates sympathy. This story is very much about transformation, salvation, and understanding the evil that lurks inside us all. I enjoyed Murdoch's character too, and the ending feels like a missing piece of the puzzle that goes beyond the depth of what simplistic 'teen fiction' is composed of. I enjoyed this fast paced story and it's bite-sized chapters, and I found Matt's journey and the things he realized about himself fascinating and real.

The Rules of Survival begins and ends with Murdoch McIlvane, a supporting character who is a powerful, mysterious catalyst for both the protag and the story itself.

Five out of five stars for mastering human emotions and creating characters to learn from

Book Report: The Kings of Infinite Space

'According to Paul Trilby, there's something weird going on at the Texas Department of General Services, where he slaves away as the lowliest-of-lowly corporate workers, the office temp. Of course, Paul also thinks his apartment is haunted by the ghost of his ex-wife's cat, and that egg-headed aliens wearing pocket protectors are stalking his daily commute. Yes, ol' Paul's grasp on reality is none too secure, but that's understandable. Divorced, destitute, and driving a rattletrap clunker amidst a sea of sleek SUVs, Paul's down-and-out existence is a far cry from his former glory days as an up-and-coming university professor. Confronted by his smarmy co-workers (who are not above selling their souls for a better gig), Paul is introduced to a mysterious world of former employees, equally downtrodden middlemen downsized in state budget cuts. The only difference is--they're dead. In the best tradition of Baum, Carroll, and Orwell, James Hynes crafts a mordantly incisive satire on a corporate America where incompetence is rewarded and talent ignored.'

First sentence:
"One brutally hot summer's morning, Paul Trilby--ex-husband, temp typist, cat murderer--slouched sweating in his t-shirt on his way to work, waiting behind the wheel of his car for the longest red light in central Texas."

James Hynes had me hooked on 'Kings' half-way through the first line. This book is visual, fun, hilarious and creepy in all the best ways. It reads much like a movie, with action scenes clearly depicted and each character unique and recognizable. Except for the occasional weirdness, much of this story resembles the movie 'Office Space', but maybe even a little better.

I loved the first few incidents where Paul begins to question his sanity:
"He pushed the book away and pressed his fingers into his eyes, and when he pulled them away he saw a string dangling from the ceiling fifteen feet away. Paul squeezed his eyes shut, then looked again. The string was still there, hanging over a lunchroom table straight as a plumb line, suspended from a little, black, triangular gap where a ceiling panel was askew. At the lower end of the string a little noose was being raised and lowered over a salt shaker in the middle of the table. The noose draped once over the shaker without catching it, then twice, then again, the string above slackening each time. Then, one more try and it caught around the neck of the salt shaker. The string went taut, and the salt shaker swung silently up off the table."
What I loved about this was that immediately after, another character approaches Paul and he never really gets to reflect on what just happened. That left me sitting there with a delicious 'WTF?' grin, and had me racing on to find out more.

I'm sure the repetitive use of the word 'bloodless' was meant to be a motif or a clue, and it was a noticeable one. Every time I read it, it threw me out of the story as I pondered it.

I've never before read a novel that so completely jumped genres. This story cruises along as a lovely comedy, the humor both in witty dialogue and situations. But the climax switches gears completely, and as the reader is taken into a world that could easily be interpreted as Hell, the wit falls away and Hynes concentrates instead on describing his underground world. But he executes a rather complicated, fast-paced chase scene which serves to answer all the questions and also raise a couple more. Paul's future is left uncertain at the end, but you will find one of the best last sentences ever.

Four and a half stars out of five, for originality and addictiveness, and because work really is Hell.

Book Report: Grand and Humble

This fast-paced little novel by Brent Hartinger tells the tales of two boys, Manny and Harlan, who seem to have opposite lives. In alternating chapters, Hartinger introduces two high-school kids who seem to be worlds apart. Harlan, 17, the gorgeous, brilliant son of a rich senator, appears to have it all; he never notices that his dad is always busy or that his mom is a control freak. Manny, also 17, is a theater geek, the child of a poor, nurturing single-parent dad, who has secrets that he won't share with his son. But the boys are alike in at least one way: both have panic attacks and recurring nightmares about drowning and being hit by a truck. Harlan's battle with his demonic mother is too purposive (his panic attacks will stop if he stands up to her), and readers may be confused about who's dreaming what until the plot cleverly twists to reveal a surprise.

The minor characters are nicely drawn, including Harlan's best friend, Ricky, who is gay. Manny's best friend, Elsa, is deaf, and their signing talk is relaxed and friendly. This story reads simply and is in fact rated for grades 7-10, making this a fast weekend read. While not of outstanding quality, I read till the end, wanting to know the 'big secret'. While a little predictable--or at least, guessable--it forces the reader to stop and reevaluate, to question everything that happened before.

While not completely original, Hartinger avoided cliches where he could and it shows. Good, solid writing.
Three out of five stars