GHOST LIGHT -- Frank Rich

Random House -- ©2000 -- hc
New York -- 315pp
ISBN: 0-679-45299-0

A memoir by New York Times theatre critic.

#####

This was well written (one would expect no less from a New York Times writer) but I constantly asked myself, "Who cares?"

And that would be the one problem with this memoir. Why is anyone interested in the memoir of a theatre critic? Has he made a name for himself in any other way?

I did find the development of his theatre interest quite interesting, but his family life less so. He managed to know many of the important figures of Broadway during his early days, but the book NEVER tells us how he went on to become a theatre critic. Why not a playwright? An actor? A stage manager? A theatre manager? How was it that he became a reviewer? This memoir leaves us wondering, and instead, knowing a little too much about his interest in girls as a teenaged boy (does he think he's different than 90% of male youth?).

An interesting read, but not really worth the trip.

SAGA OF THE VOLSUNGS: THE NORSE EPIC OF SIGURD THE DRAGON SLAYER -- Jesse L. Byock, translator

University of California Press -- ©1990 -- tpb
Berkeley, CA -- 145pp
ISBN: 0-520-23285-2

A translation of the ancient Norse legend of Sigurd, the Dragon Slayer.

#####

This was a fairly simple retelling of this Norse epic. The translation was easy to read. I did find some of the narrative rather annoying (often the text TOLD what would happen next and then skipped to the next part of the saga).

I was not familiar with the legends, though the similarities to such as the King Arthur stories and Wagner's Ring stories, are obvious to see.

Worth reading.

ECOTOPIA -- Ernest Callenbach

Bantam Books -- pb
Toronto -- ©1975 -- 213pp
ISBN: 0-553-23471-4

In the future, after the Pacific Northwest of the United States has seceded from the US, a reporter from Washington imbeds himself with the Ecotopians to learn what life is really like in the new country.

#####

I first learned of this book through something I had read by Kim Stanley Robinson, who refered to this as science fiction with a "green" theme. It piqued my interest and I was delighted when I could find this.

The book is written in two sections -- first, the reporter's actual reports that he has submitted to his newspaper, and then his private journals. At first, I really enjoyed the book. The ways and means of carrying out an eco-friendly lifestyle seemed very well thought-out and I often found myself nodding and grinning at the ideas.

Some aspects of the Ecotopian lifestyle seemed to be hold-overs from the 1960's lifestyle. Specifically, the free-love aspects. That the citizens of Ecotopia would often leave gatherings to have sex and then return, or that they had multiple partners, and that many places were clothing optional, seems a look back to the past rather than a view of the future. That this was written before the pestilence of AIDS is obvious. Even a nurse in an Ecotopian hospital adds sex to her healing methods.

By the end of the book I no longer felt as if this was a great look at how we could possibly live in an environmentally friendly way, but rather a 60's manifesto disguised as a sci-fi book. It becomes obvious, early on, that the plot is so thin that the only thing going for it is it's cleverness and uniqueness, but this becomes too flimsy to enjoy.

Of interest, from a plot stand-point were the hints of a war with the U.S. that destroyed thousands of U.S. helicopters and took many soldiers' lives, but which the U.S. never acknowledged. The imbedded reporter considers this, believes it's true (the reporter was a personal associate of the U.S. President), but lets the matter rest until another time. This doesn't sound like any reporter that I know. And it takes us right away from what could possibly have been the most interesting part of the book.

Unfortunately I don't recommend the book, as a book, but would suggest reading the first half of it for some thought-provoking suggestions on an environmentally friendly way of life.

THE IDES OF TOMORROW: ORIGINAL SCIENCE FICTION TALES OF HORROR -- Terry Carr, editor

Little, Brown and Company -- hc
Boston -- ©1976 -- 229pp
ISBN: 0-316-12970-4

A collection of short stories.

Introduction -- Terry Carr
"Seeing" -- Harlan Ellison
"The Dark Soul of the Night" -- Brian W. Aldiss
"In the House of the Worm" -- George R.R. Martin
"When I Was Ming the Merciless" -- Gene Wolf
"Predators" -- Steven Utley
"The Remittance Man" -- Cherry Wilder
"The Head" -- Robert Bloch
"Jamie's Smile" -- Alan Brennert
"The Eeriest Ruined Dawn World" -- Fritz Leiber

#####

This was a completely forgettable collection of stories by people who should write a heck of a lot better than this. None of these stories stood out, with the exception of Gene Wolf's, and even that wasn't particularly good. just well written, though I knew what was coming after about the first paragraph.

Don't bother seeking this collection out.

BOOTS AND THE SEVEN LEAGUERS: A ROCK-AND-TROLL NOVEL -- Jane Yolen

Magic Carpet Books -- tpb
Orlando, FL -- ©2000 -- 159pp
ISBN: 0-15-205083-3

A couple of teenage trolls want to attend a rock concert. Using magic beyond their means, they find themselves in a great deal of trouble.

#####

This was a very disappointing read from an author whose reputation suggests that this would be a top-notch book.

It is hard to describe just what the book is about, which is the main problem ... the book lacks focus. The story seems to try too hard to relate the fantsy world of trolls to the human world, showing that teenagers all have problems no matter what kind of creature that teenager is. It doesn't work, however, when one adds the element of magic. Rather than drawing the reader in by trying to point out similarities, the story puts up a wall to the reader, letting us view the story from the outside.

Not recommended.

RANDOLPH CALDECOTT: AN ILLUSTRATED LIFE -- Claudette Hegel

Avisson Press -- tpb
Greensboro, NC -- ©2004 -- 176pp
ISBN: 1-888105-68-2
personalized autograph by Claudette Hegel

A biography of artist/illustrator Randolph Caldecott, with a fair number of his drawings.

#####

I know Claudette, which is why I have this book. I might have picked this up at a library, or used even if I didn't know the author because I have been interested in knowing more about the man for whom a popular children's book award is named.

I definitely learned a few things about Caldecott, but I was not impressed with the book itself.

At first I had the feeling that the author was talking down to me. It did occur to me that perhaps this book was written for a young reader, but I wasn't certain then, and still am not.

I was also not particularly pleased with the set-up for this book. The chapters were not sequential with his life, but rather chapters touched on a particular aspect of the artists life/career (ie, one chapter about his health, one about his work life before he illustrated full time, one about his hobbies and interests, etc). The result of this kind of set up was that when one chapter ended i was expecting the next one to pick up there, but instead it would back-track, sometimes a great deal. I never quitre got used to this, and in some cases I felt that I heard about a particular incident more than once.

Probably not a lot of books available about this artist, and for that it's worth the read, but it probably holds interest to a very limited number of readers.