The Haunted Weblog

Tuesday, December 31, 2002

A Children’s Book By Who? – (book notes) Master of mind and gender bending horror, dark genius of the fantastic, Clive Barker is not the first person you might think of to write a classically structured fantasy novel for the young. But Clive had a vision, and Abarat is the result. Barker imagined a dark fantasy that was told as much by his paintings as by his writing, so this is a heavily and beautifully illustrated book. If you happen to like Barker’s style (and I do), this is a visual treat.

If you are familiar with the structure of a lot of children’s books then you will be on comfortable ground here. A child, with a difficult home life, in a drab and boring place, suddenly discovers an amazing world and enters it. Welcome to Oz, Hogwarts, and the Giant Peach. The prelude gives us a bit of foreshadowing, so later on you are not surprised at the suggestion that seemingly ordinary Candy Quakenbush may actually belong in this bizarre place. Barker is a man of fecund imagination, and he has given us wonders to contemplate with the amazing islands and his strange characters of the Abarat. All that is fine and dandy, and the illustrations are amazing, but the story is fundamentally flawed. Candy says it herself – “Ever since I arrived in the Abarat, it’s been one thing after another.” True enough, and exciting and inventive things they are, but it’s not much of a story. “One thing after another” is a narrative structure, but not a plot. It is inevitable that this first book of a projected four book series must have a travel motif, and travel stories often have an episodic quality, but they usually have a point, or a goal. Here the main character just moves along, buffeted about by fate. We get the set up, learn the main characters, and discover that there are great mysteries to be unlocked, and then the book is over. It is not so much a story in itself as the longish, heavily illustrated set up for a story.

Two more points. While this is certainly for younger readers, Barker can’t help but be Barker. This is probably not for the very young or the timid. Violence, cruelty, death, and freakishly frightening imagery is part of the tale. The other point I want to make is about Barker’s concept of the story being told through the illustrations as much as the text. While it is interesting as a concept I think it is something of a problem for the reader. One of the reasons that great children’s fantasy literature works so well is that the images from the books are owned by the reader. The monster is described by the author, then imagined in the mind of the child who reads or hears the tale. Barker’s illustrations eliminate that imaginative collaboration between writer and reader, and replace the image in the mind’s eye with the image from the easel. Perhaps this is why the book, while wonderfully inventive, utterly fails to engage.





Book 11:53 PM [+]
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The Big Book – (book notes) The Year’s Best Fantasy and Horror edited by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling is an annual must have. No one needs to review it. One should just announce that it is available and everyone who loves the genres should rush out and get it. This fifteenth edition is another good one. Not as good as the last couple of years, but not at all bad. If you haven’t read one of these before you should know that it is a big darn book. The official page count is 542, but that does not include 128 pages of introductory material. Some of that is interesting, some of it only useful to people in the business, and that part is available from other sources. This year there was an essay on Manga and Anime in 2001 by Joan D. Vinge. It was less a summation than an introduction to the topic and a defense of it. As such an intro is probably unnecessary to many of the book's readers, and it overlaps with Charles Vess’s comics summation and Edward Bryant’s media summation, I didn’t really see the point.

It is hard to pick out high points in a book like this, as there are so many of them. “The Hunter’s Wife” by Anthony Doerr is Windling’s pick for best fantasy of the year. The prose was beautiful and dream-like, while the plot was a little light. It is a beautiful and affecting piece. “Prussian Snowdrops” by Marion Arnott is a about a journalist in mid-1930s Germany looking into the disappearance of mental patients from a hospital. An elementary knowledge of the history of the last century is all you need to understand why this is such a disturbing story. Sometimes the fantasy monsters pale in comparison to the real ones. “The God of Dark Laughter” by Michael Chabon is one of the best stories I’ve read all year. Chabon puts on a clinic on how to write a good weird story. His protagonist is an interesting and tragic figure. The crime he is investigating, the murder and partial skinning of a clown, is truly bizarre. When we are presented with surprises, the reader is genuinely surprised. The investigation slowly reveals a secret history of the universe and a cosmic truth that is impossible to bear. As one character says, “Clowns have unsuspected depths.” “Trading Hearts at the Half Kaffe Café” by Charles De Lint shouldn’t work. A story of a werewolf out on a date, this would be cliché loaded romantic fluff in the hands of any other writer. De Lint makes it exciting and interesting. “The Puppet and the Train” by Scott Thomas is an amazing story about an early 20th century veterinarian and what he finds when he treats an injured elephant. I won’t say, but it is a remakable piece of weird fiction. With “Crocodile Lady” Christopher Fowler pulls of the near-impossible – a story about an attempt to save a child from a pedophile that is neither revolting or manipulative. Terrifying, certainly, but oddly inspirational.

This year’s anthology is graced by an Ursula K. Le Guin Earthsea story. "The Bones of the Earth" is a moving tale of an old wizard and his apprentice facing a great challenge. If you don’t know Earthsea, you should. It is one of literature’s great fantasyscapes. “Onion” is another excellent and beautifully crafted piece of cosmically weird fiction by Caitlín R. Kiernan. “Annabelle’s Alphabet” by Tim Pratt is a strangely structured story. It is told in little bits, each beginning with an alphabet primer. A is for Annabelle, B is for Butterflies, C is for Cages. It starts out nicely enough, about little baby Annabelle and her loving parents. As the alphabet continues we realize that all is not as it seems, Annabelle is not what she seems, and her parents have a terrible secret. “Scarecrow” by Gregory Maguire was a particular favorite of mine. It imagines what the first minutes in the life of a particular scarecrow were like, and what happened after he got down, learned the whole story of his short life, and walked away with the little girl and her dog down the yellow road. The anthology ends with “His Own Back Yard” by James P. Blaylock, a time travel fantasy. We’ve seen this sort of story (usually in a more science-fictional setting) a lot of times, but Blaylock keeps it feeling fresh.

I’ve left a lot of stories unmentioned. Most were very good, some were not that great, but there are no clinkers in the bunch. If you want to keep up with the cutting edge of horror and fantasy short fiction, you need this book.

Book 11:28 PM [+]
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All the Blood That’s Fit To Suck – Reacting to the weird news out of Malawi this week, the New York Times (free reg. req.) ponders the mythology of vampires.
Book 7:10 PM [+]
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Watching Watching the Nightingales – Episode 10 arrived with Santa, on Christmas Eve. We’ve flashed forward into the present again, mysteries of the past and future still unsolved. Douglas Clegg has somehow created an atmosphere that is suffused with both melancholy and dread. With no real cliffhangers he has us hanging on nonetheless. What horrible thing happened in their childhood? What is this deadly force that they fear? Who is “she,” and is “she” in the house? Will Alex’s terrible prediction prove true? I, for one (out of the 2221 people subscribed to Clegg’s free e-serial and newsletter), look forward to finding out.
Book 11:21 AM [+]
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Killer Clothes – In Japan a man has been squeezed to death by his own jacket. The company that manufactured the evil outerwear has decided to recall several thousand similar “massaging jackets”, but massaging loincloths are still available.
Book 10:40 AM [+]
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Real Muggle Magic – Although I usually fill this space with dark thoughts and cynical commentary, even my hardened heart was moved by this story of J.K. Rowling befriending a dying child.
Book 8:15 AM [+]
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Not That There’s Anything Wrong With It! – Superhero Sets Record Straight (NY Times, free reg. req.)
Book 11:10 AM [+]
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Klaatu Barada Nikto Nikto Nikto Nikto . . . – Thanks to their new membership drive, the Raelians will soon be the world’s fastest growing freaky religious cult.
Book 6:49 AM [+]
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Tougher Campaign Finance Reform Needed Now – The recently enacted reform legislation will be a hollow farce if it is not amended to address the burgeoning problem of unregulated money being spent on sorcery to influence elections. In Kenya a woman bought a very large python to help her brother win an election, but it escaped from the mini-bus she was traveling in. Naturally she stripped off all of her clothes to protest. “As the passengers inquired who the owner of the carton was, the middle-aged woman stripped naked as she wailed: ‘I bought the snake at Sh10,000 from Lugari to make my brother win the election. Its disappearance will end my life before New Year and will affect the outcome of the elections.’” Truly a tragedy. I hear a lot of talk from John McCain, but he seems to be dodging this aspect of the issue.
Book 9:51 PM [+]
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Great Story – I just picked up this odd report out of the Middle East. Agricultural workers have reported strange nocturnal messengers. This quote comes from our correspondent Luke, and he swears it is gospel. “And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them; and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, and good will toward men.” This could develop into something.
Book 9:09 AM [+]
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A Christmas Story – Here is a quaint little Christmas story from the Philippines about a mysterious box and its gruesome contents.
Book 3:39 PM [+]
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Vampires and Rumors of Vampires – The president of Malawi has officially denied reports that his country is under attack by vampires. Really. It is quite a serious problem, with panicking people beating and killing strangers for fear they might be vampires. To make matters worse the nation is in the grip of famine and one of the rumors is that the government is buying food aid with human blood. One aid group’s encampment was destroyed by people who were convinced that it was the headquarters of the vampires.
Book 3:12 PM [+]
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What’s Wrong With a Little Human Sacrifice? – I think parents are overreacting a bit here. Sure, it sounds a bit shocking when you hear that organizers of a history pageant for elementary school children were planning on re-enacting an Aztec human sacrifice. But why not? I don’t think that kids should be given a bowdlerized version of history. They should be taught the truth, that past is a patchwork of good and evil; beauty and ugliness. We are where we are because we stand on the shoulders of giants and monsters. It is the job of teachers and parents to explain these things and put them in an understandable context. History is (or ought to be) the study of truth. Telling children lies and then disillusioning them with truth when they are “old enough” to hear it does not serve them well.
Book 1:36 PM [+]
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Ghost Breakers – Villagers in Poovam, India saw a guy who had been reported dead. They naturally assumed that he was a ghost. Not having access to exorcists, shamans, mediums, nuclear powered ectoplasm entrapment devices, or ancient amulets, they resorted to the next best strategy. They formed a mob and stoned him.
Book 12:32 PM [+]
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The Question Booksellers All Over the World Are Sick of Being Asked – “When is the next Harry Potter book coming out?” Finally we have word from Scholastic, the American publisher. Publisher’s Weekly reports that they are planning for the release to be early in their fiscal year, which means we’ll be seeing it in June or July.
Book 7:40 PM [+]
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Watching Watching the Nightingales – Episode 9 hit my inbox this week. The story is starting to get a bit weirder, and while that’s all to the good, I am a bit concerned about the flashing blue light. Every time I read about it all I can picture is K-Mart. Oh well, perhaps Clegg will change the color when it is finally published. Meanwhile I’m enjoying the ride. There is a lot of foreshadowing going on here, and I’m looking forward to where it is all leading to.
Book 3:16 PM [+]
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May I Say Something Here? – I hate the frickin’ holiday season. I have no time. Dammit.
Book 12:10 PM [+]
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Fiendish Doings At the Paddock – Green and pleasant Nottinghamshire in England has lately been the scene of suspected black magic rituals. At least six horses have been exsanguinated. Cryptic symbols have been found. People are angry and frightened. Police are investigating, but I can’t help but notice that the curious incident of the dog in the night-time has not yet been reported.
Book 10:22 PM [+]
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Nice Save! – Hooray and congratulations to the good people of Albany, New York. They saved their neighborhood used bookstore from going out of business. I just heard that the quirky little used bookstore the next town over from me is closing. No rescue for them though. Some woman tripped and now she’s suing the store. Used bookstores run on pretty tight margins, so once you have to start paying lawyers, that’s it. I hope the clumsy cow is proud of herself.
Book 10:00 PM [+]
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Update – Hellnotes has announced that they have risen from the dead and will not be folding next month. I feel much better.
Book 9:31 PM [+]
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Bits and Pieces – Most people just get buried once and have done with it. This fellow is getting buried a little bit at a time.
Book 10:38 PM [+]
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Goose Me! – (book notes) Tonight I will stick with the kid lit theme, but with a dark twist. If you read her closely Mother Goose can be a pretty scary lady, but when she is illustrated by the late, great Charles Addams she becomes positively psychotic. The Charles Addams Mother Goose was originally published in 1967 and was only recently re-released. This rediscovered classic now comes with a small addendum of photographs, drawings, and a cartoon originally intended for the book but withdrawn before publication. Addams had a brilliant, gleefully gruesome way of looking at the world, and when he brought this slightly skewed outlook to classic nursery rhymes the result was exactly what you would hope for. Some of the illustrations are simple straightforward jokes, as when Humpty Dumpty takes his fall we find out what sort of egg he was. Several of drawings are more subtle or complex. The reader is immediately struck by the “American Gothic” look of the farmer and his wife, but then surprised to see the electric carving knife she wields. Those three blind mice never stood a chance, but one wonders where they got those tiny dark glasses. Sometimes the reader has to look into the background of the cartoon to see the hidden diabolical meaning, sometimes the foreground, as in the case of Mr. & Mrs. Jack Sprat, and what they leave on their clean platter. Much of the magic of an Addams cartoon is what is not shown. The often shivery joke is in the suggestion of what has just happened, or what is to come. Fans of the original “Addams Family” will be pleased to know that they make a couple of cameo appearances here. Looking for the perfect holiday present for your tiny relative? This is just the thing to warp that young mind. Also good for those of us who are already warped.
Book 10:34 PM [+]
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The Belle of Amherst – Today is the 172nd anniversary of the birth of Emily Dickinson. She was certainly a great poet, but she did lack in one area; she was not very adventurous with her poetic meters. About three quarters of her poems have exactly the same rhythm and can therefore be sung to the tune of “The Yellow Rose of Texas.” Really. Try a few poems at random, sing them out loud. Here’s one. Try another. How about this. Weird, isn’t it?
Book 9:40 PM [+]
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Dragons in the Garden – (book notes) Last week I wrote about Harry Potter, so this week I’ll stick with the kid lit theme and write about A Wind in the Door by Madeline L’Engle. This is the first of three sequels to A Wrinkle in Time and while a good read it is not quite up to the standard set by its predecessor. This book’s fantastical concept is to shrink the characters down to microbial size to enter another character’s body in order to save his life. Not quite as impressive as time travel via tesseract, but not bad. Although there are science-fictional elements, this is almost straight fantasy. This time the forces of evil are trying to kill super-intelligent toddler Charles Wallace himself. Meg and Calvin must go on a “fantastic voyage” into his body. Meg must face and defeat three challenges. These little morality plays have an even stronger feel of Christian parable than in the first book. This is fiction with a message, and while it is a very good message, it is just a little heavy handed. Still, this is a good read. If you loved the first book, you’ll like the second.
Book 9:29 PM [+]
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He Left His Mark – Tonight we mark the passing of Ray L. Wallace, a merry prankster. He brought magic and mystery into our lives with his happy hoaxing. Other humbugs will surely follow in his tracks, but none will ever fill his shoes.
Book 11:29 PM [+]
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Damn! – Hellnotes, the weekly dark fiction newsletter, has announced that it is folding. I’ve come to rely on my weekly fix, and now it seems I’ll have to do without it. Just think, if it wasn't for Hellnotes I would never have even heard of meat erotica.
Book 11:29 PM [+]
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Bats! – Check out these cool bat pics (via Portage).
Book 11:18 PM [+]
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Deterrence – In India a witch doctor has been given a death sentence for the ritual sacrifice of a nine year old boy. Authorities hope that the penalty will act as a deterrence. It seems that human sacrifice is an ongoing problem in that area. Sometimes I’m glad I live in a neighborhood where black magic is not a part of my daily life.
Book 10:39 PM [+]
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Do That Voodoo That You Do So Well – I thought Australians had a sense of humor. Most of the Australians I have met have been pretty level headed people who enjoy a good laugh and are reasonably well grounded. So what’s up with this? Novelty voodoo dolls are being pulled from the shelves of a national chain store because they have caused “widespread outrage.” It has been accused of promoting black magic, Satanism, aggressive behavior, and juvenile bullying. For crying out loud, when did Australians become more P.C. than southern Californians? While it may be inevitable that the rest of the world will slowly morph into an imitation of American pop culture, why do they always have to start out with our worst traits? What’s next for the land down under, anti-Harry Potter rallies?
Book 10:25 PM [+]
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Watching Watching the Nightingales – Episodes seven and eight of Douglas Clegg’s e-serial are out. No surprises, I’m still loving it. Who is this Mr. Nightingale? Does he have some way of defeating death? And where is Mrs. Nightingale? And what about his son? And how does it all tie in to the car accident? And what about . . . oh man, mysteries in riddles.

I like the idea of serial fiction. Back in the 19th and early 20th century it was all the rage. Novels were usually released in serial form before being bound in books. Who is the mysterious figure out on the moors? Next week we discover that it is Holmes himself! Will little Oliver escape the clutches of the evil Bill Sykes? Can’t wait until the next issue. It is a natural form of storytelling, a tale that caries us along for 1001 nights. Perhaps the e-serial is the 21st century re-invention of a good old idea.

Book 10:06 PM [+]
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Bad Sex Please, We’re British – London’s Literary Review magazine have awarded their annual Bad Sex in Fiction Prize. You may insert your own double entendre here.
Book 10:09 PM [+]
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Recommended Reading – “Aquerò” by Melissa Hardy is a marvelous, dark, and oddly humorous story in the latest Atlantic Monthly. It is about the body of Bernadette, who had visions of the Lady at Lourdes, and is both subversive and spiritual.
Book 9:59 PM [+]
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Best Use of Legos Ever – Legodeath. Takes a while to load if you’re on a dial-up connection, but worth it. Frickin’ amazing. (via: AMCGLTD.COM)
Book 8:51 PM [+]
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Soylent Ecuador – In yet another story about Ecuadorian cooks using our favorite secret ingredient, a restaurant owner has admitted to adding grated skull fragments to some of his dishes. High in calcium, lots of minerals, what’s not to love?
Book 9:46 PM [+]
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Inspiration For Writers of Horror Stories – You’re just sitting in your kitchen, minding your own business, when your next door neighbors drop in. One problem. You live next door to a cemetery.
Book 9:12 PM [+]
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Everybody Needs a Friend – So this guy busts his way into a 19th century crypt with a chisel and pickax. He steals a skull and some other bones. He takes them back to his place where he smears symbols on the bones using his own blood. During his somewhat light sentencing the judge suggested that he was “not without his problems.” Some people have a gift for understatement.
Book 7:16 PM [+]
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Beating Up the Wicked – Need somebody cursed? Just go to Hong Kong and for the price of a paperback you can get someone to perform Da Siu Yan on them. Just keep clear of the swinging shoe.
Book 7:01 PM [+]
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