To England, the North Pole, Africa and Beyond

I've been busy with travel, writing, and just plain coping with life in January. But here's a rundown of the highlights of what I read in December.

1. Thirteen At Dinner by Agatha Christie. (Original title: Lord Edgware Dies). Hercule Poirot's friend Arthur Hastings returns to England in the novel The Big Four, and he returns to his new home in Argentina at the end of this novel. He narrates Poirot's investigation into Lord Edgware's death. The prime suspect seems to be his estranged wife, but not only does she have an alibi, she also seems to have no motive. Any time you can hang out with Arthur Hastings is a fun time.

2. Freddy Goes to the North Pole by Walter R Brooks. Freddy, a self-educated pig, is just one of many interesting characters who live together on a farm. As Freddy longs to travel, he sets up an agency, and he and the other animals conduct tours of nearby sites. Animals travel from nearby farms to enjoy these tours, and pay for them with food or work. Eventually he and his friends garner enough promises of work that they travel off to the North Pole. Along the way, they are rescued from an ice floe by a ship of whalers, who prove reluctant to let such an entertaining (and healthy) pig escape. So more animals on the farm must come to Freddy's rescue. They head off to the North Pole, have exciting adventures, and eventually catch up with Freddy. They also meet a very special person who has his own workshop at the North Pole. Can you guess who it is?

3. Captain's Glory by William Shatner. This novel was cowritten by Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens. William Shatner, of course, played Captain Kirk on the original series of Star Trek. The latter have cowritten other novels with Shatner, and produced and wrote stories for the series Star Trek: Enterprise. It's one of the most recent Star Trek novels I've read, and appears to be the last in a trilogy. After his death in the movie Star Trek Generations, Captain Kirk has somehow been returned to life. (You know, like Spock in the movie Star Trek III: The Search For Spock). He's married a woman of mixed ancestry, and has a young child who, due to accelerated growth, appears to be an adult. He captains a smaller ship, and his travels take him to Vulcan, where he is searching for Spock, whom everyone else seems to believe is dead. (Yes, again). Among his crew are an ancient-but-kicking Dr. McCoy, and engineer Scotty, who is little aged, due to having been trapped in a transporter for decades. There's a huge threat to the Federation, and Admiral Janeway, who served as captain of the Voyager in the series Star Trek Voyager, pulls together all her best people to investigate it. These include Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the Enterprise (from the TV series Star Trek: The Next Generation), and his former First Officer Will Riker, who now captains another ship. 

It's kind of amazing how the writers combined so many characters from different TV series. There's obviously a huge number of novels that I have not read which relate a lot of the history of all these people, and how they came to their present positions. At times I had difficulty believing in all these people from different series interacting together. But it was nice to think that the writers, and fans, loved these characters so much, that they wanted them to continue living, long after they should have passed on.

4. Ocean Of Storms by Christopher Mari and Jeremy K Brown. This story begins with a bang. Or, to be accurate, a massive Electro-Magnetic Pulse (EMP) that blacks-out cities, and drops planes out of the sky. When scientists discover the EMP came from the moon, NASA kickstarts an Apollo-style mission. Yet, as in the movie The Martian, involvement with China proves essential to the program. So American and Chinese astronauts head off to the moon, where they discover a spaceship, and a mystery that will lead to a worldwide government coverup, and the subsequent investigation in Africa. 

Although the novel has the feel of a Science Fiction novel, it seemed better-suited to the Thriller genre. It was fast paced, and aspects of it were enjoyable. But I felt as if, had it been submitted to one of the established Science Fiction publishers, they would have rejected it for scientific and story reasons. Still, it was a free ebook-of-the-month from Amazon, and I felt like seeing what Amazon felt was noteworthy and worth reading. Having read so many older books recently, it was nice to read something that was published in the last few years.

5. A Rumpole Christmas by John Mortimer. Having watched the first two seasons of "Rumpole of the Bailey," I enjoyed returning to the character with this short collection. The stories mostly take place in and around the Temple area of London, where Rumpole works as a barrister representing the people who everyone believes guilty until proven innocent. But the story occasionally takes him farther afield, such as when his wife Hilda (or, as he refers to her, She Who Must Be Obeyed) takes him to a health spa to lose weight over the holidays, or spend Christmas with an old school friend. Rumpole's extraordinary character really makes these stories come to life. So, so much fun.

6. A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness. A young boy, whose father has remarried, lives with his sick mother in an English village so small it doesn't even have a McDonalds. (Note: There's more than a few of these in England). The teachers at school are tremendously kind to him, but some of the boys in his class bully him. While his mother's cancer treatments have always worked in the past, his mother never seems to get better. So his grandmother, who he doesn't know well and doesn't get along with, moves in. In his anger and isolation, he begins to notice a tree outside. His dreams of a tree-like creature meld into real-life, and bouts of mindless violence follow. But how much is real, and how much imagined? This novel won the prestigious Carnagie and Greenaway awards for the writing and illustration, and was recently made into a movie.

Reading-wise, December seems to have been a good month. I've had months in which I read more novels, and ones (such as last month) in which I've read less. Of course, this list doesn't refer to reference books, comics and graphic novels, and books-in-process. Nonetheless, the list is a substantive and varied, and a month of reading I can look back on fondly.

What books did you read in December? Any stories that stuck in your mind? Any reading experiences that you'd like to share with others?

Dragon Dave

Forever in Flux?

Americans tend to think of World War II in terms of the attack on Pearl Harbor, which was followed by the battles we undertook on two fronts.  But while our attacks on Germany and Japan occurred far from home, England endured daily bombings, and her people lived in constant fear of invasion.  They endured long lines for items we take for granted, and often had to make do with a fraction of what is available today.  They left home and returned to piles of rubble.  Husbands spent their evenings in the Home Guard or the ARP or on Fire Watch.  Wives worked in the war industries.  Parents sent their children off to live outside the big cities.  While much fiction covers this era (C.S. Lewis’ Narnia stories, and the recent novels Blackout and All Clear by Connie Willis stand as obvious examples), a British TV scif-fi/comedy show helped me better comprehend all that the English endured during WWII.  

In “Goodnight Sweetheart,” Gary Sparrow works in the present day as a television repairman.  On one of his calls, he wanders down an unfamiliar street, and emerges in a rundown area of London.  In The Royal Oak pub, he meets Phoebe and her father.  The tape on the windows, the décor, the landlord’s intense questioning of his appearance, the locals’ conversation, and the more formal dress suggest an earlier era.   He decides he must be dreaming, and opts to play along with his subconscious mind.  Passing himself off as a spy and a singer/songwriter, he entertains customers with songs by future artists such as the Beatles and Elton John.  He sells his modern pen because he lacks the tuppence farthing for a beer.  Then alarms sound, and he must hurry into the pub’s cellar before the German planes arrive and start dropping bombs.  

As the series progresses, he wonders why he keeps returning to 1940, knowing he could be killed at any time. His wife Yvonne is ambitious, and wants him to commit to elevating their social and financial status.  But something always holds Gary back: he refuses to buy a suit when interviewing for a promotion; he spends substantial sums on 1940s books and paraphernalia; he bores her and everyone else with the minutia of what Londoners endured during the Blitz.   Only his friend Ron puts all the clues together and believes that Gary can go back in time.  To everyone else, he is a loveable loser: unskilled for anything but the job he has trained for, and lacking in the aptitude and drive necessary to succeed in life.

But Gary has all he needs and more.  Armed with his expert knowledge on daily occurrences, he prevents Phoebe from dying during an air raid.  With his singing and piano-playing, he lifts the spirits of those whom the constant bombing has dulled.  He can pop into the past with bars of chocolate, a pair of tights, or even a few bananas; amid rationing and constant shortages, he breathes life into a community struggling for existence.  Eventually, he falls in love with Phoebe, which further strains his commitment to the present.  This forces him to live a double-life that complicates his relationship with Yvonne and costs him his job.  But he overcomes the hurdles he faces with inventiveness and ingenuity.  Partly this is due to the claustrophobia and fear that makes his enduring constant bombings impossible.  Partly this is because he needs access to items in the modern world to continue playing the role he has assumed in the 1940s.  But also, he never settles for one era because, as with Yvonne and Phoebe, he loves them both too much to forsake either.  

I’m not affirming Gary’s life choices, but like him, I often feel as though others must view me as a “loveable loser,” someone who dares to dream, yet lacks the aptitude and the determination to succeed.  My office is cluttered with manuscripts I never finished or grew tired of submitting.  Worse, there are the novels that, for one reason or another, I never seriously submitted for publication.  I’ve often spent too much time rewriting, and not enough on finishing and selling.  Some could claim that the time I devote to this blog will only delay my eventual publication.  (They may be right).  Everyday I believe I journey closer toward my dream of publication, yet am confronted by the reality that, as yet, I have nothing to show for my efforts.  

One day, I hope to demonstrate that I am better than Roger Zelazny’s characters Drax and Dran, who argue over the type of future they hope to create, but never build it.  I hope that every day I opt for the achievable, like Number One in “The Cage,” rather than adopting Mr. Spock and Dr. Phil’s wait-and-see attitude.  Until I achieve my goals, I hope this blog inspires others for whom life seems forever in flux.  After all, if Horace Rumpole would believe the best of me, than I want to believe in (and encourage) all who strive to achieve the seeming impossible.

WWII and the Blitz threw life into chaos.  “Goodnight Sweetheart” reminds us how bleak those times could seem.  But as Gary constantly promises Phoebe, things will be better in the future.  "The world will be a different place, where you will be able to live as you desire."  Your life may be in flux.  But that is only because you are working toward a better tomorrow. 

Related Dragon Cache Links

Roger Zelazny is in my Head

Deliberations and Decisions

Always to Defend

Always To Defend

If there is one thing I fear more than not accomplishing my life-long goals, or losing those closest to me, it is to find myself in need of lawyers to assist or defend me.  This is not to say that I find lawyers disreputable or selfish, despite the high fees they so often charge.  I know my own weaknesses; those I can face, can fight against.  But to find oneself reliant upon a stranger who has no vested interest in one’s financial health or liberty is a situation I shall always endeavor to avoid.  

Yet, no matter how we strive to avoid them, at times we need such assistance.  Perhaps we stand accused of a crime (of which, hopefully, we are innocent).  Perhaps others seek monies not due them, or would strip us of rights to which they are not entitled.  It is then that we must seek out one who can steer us through a bewildering array of legal forms, seek agreements with our accusers, and if necessary, argue our case in court.  While many might offer such assistance, I know whom my first choice would be.  His name is Horace Rumpole.

In the British TV show “Rumpole of the Bailey,” and in the accompanying novels by John Mortimer, Horace Rumpole is the people’s defender.  While he might wear the wig and gown of his fellow lawyers, Rumpole is disinterested in the more lucrative fields of civil and business law.  He never argues for the prosecution: why would he wish to attack anyone?  Nor does he dream of becoming a judge, of having to weigh the evidence and assume an impartial mindset.  He could not bear to condemn someone to prison (or worse).  For, before he sentenced the accused, he would have to say, “There, but for the grace of God, go I.”

Such a stance might cost him the regard of friends who object to differing lifestyles or beliefs.  He may confound colleagues when defending those whose words or actions run contrary to societal norms.  His family might object to his insistence upon defending someone known to have committed similar crimes.  For Rumpole is not interested in determining guilt or innocence: that is for the jury to decide.  He may disagree with some, or indeed every aspect of his client’s life.  His duty is not to admire those he serves, but defend their right to make their own choices.  

Most will never understand Rumpole.  I’m not sure that I comprehend him fully.  I can understand why others often disagree with his decisions and actions.  After all, it is never difficult to look down upon someone, or view another with disdain.  To say, either aloud or in your head, “I am right and you are wrong.”  But there is something I find deeply admirable in Horace Rumpole.  To never look to my own betterment at the expense of others.  To never value “truth” above another’s rights.  To never decide that a given person is in need of reform, and therefore I must strip him of the dignity to make his own choices.  To never attack, but to always defend.  

If more of us were like Rumpole, perhaps our world would need fewer lawyers.  Perhaps then no one might ever find himself in need of outside help to safeguard his financial health and his personal liberty.  But before I can wish for a better world, I must make a start in my own life.  I must be more like Horace Rumpole.  I must never see myself as better or "more right" than anyone else.  I must never attack another, but always stand ready to defend those in need.  Only then may I dare to dream of a better world.