Ghosts (The Enchanted World Series)

 

By Editors of Time-Life Books

Publisher: Time Life Education; 1st edition (September 1, 1984)

Hardcover, 143 Pages

Amazon Listing

“The sight of these apparitions, no matter how innocuous they might be, almost always struck terror in the hearts of the living. The fear of the dead is an age-old fear: That they should walk again seems to violate the processes of nature and deny the rules that reassure humankind of the essentially orderly structure of the universe. Moreover, a ghost is an animated memento mori, a distressing reminder to the living that they too will die.”

Unlike the previous three volumes, Ghosts does not dwell exclusively in the hazy days where myth, legend, and fact were mixed as one into a hazy stew. Ghosts fast forwards us into modern times. Or at least as late as the Victorian Age, which seemed fundamentally obsessed with death - with ornate cemeteries, death photography, and the spiritualism cults. As such the time is lousy with ghost stories. Rather than just dwell on story after repetitive story, this volume does a fairly good job reviewing the myriad types of spooks, their various alternatives, without retreading the same territory too many times.

Chapter One - “Guises of the Reaper” - Deals with the ghostly representation of Death, if you couldn't tell from the title, throughout the ages and cultures. In fact, the grim reaper appearing is the genesis of modern ghost stories. A man sees Death as a portent of mortality, in some form, and then dies. The chapter also touches on the benign ghost sighting - the spirit who simply appears and repeats the same actions before vanishing. One who never interacts, or seems aware of, anyone viewing it.

Chapter Two - “Invasions of the Angry Dead” - focuses on the malevolent species of apparition. From the returning dead baby spirit, which every ancient culture seems to have created a version, those who return to deal with their mother who let them die. To the vengeful spirit and barrow wight, an evil man whose chaotic spirit is strengthened by death and wreaks havoc. Then moves onto the standard house hauntings of the poltergeists and screaming skulls- the former occupants of a dwelling who refuse to move out, even after death.

Chapter 3 - “Shadow Plays of Grief and Pain” reveals the haunted battlefields across the world. Areas where the dead rise to slaughter each other over and over again. Those where the body count was so high, Death had to leave a few behind because his wagon was full. The action shifts to the classic of all ghost motifs, the haunted house. It actually begins with haunted castles, before moving onto modern homes.

Chapter 4 - “Hands Across the Void” - dwells on stories of how peoples in the past kept the dead from rising. Odd burial habits, such as taking the body to the grave feet first, so they couldn’t walk back. This goes hand-in-hand with tales of how people - priests and the like- put the dead back to rest once they rose again. A daunting and dangerous job.

 For more readings, try books by Rex Hurst

Fairies and Elves (The Enchanted World Series)

 

by Tristram Potter Coffin & Time-Life Editors

Publisher : Time Life Education; 1st Printing edition (June 1, 1984)

Hardcover, 143 pages

AmazonListing

“Once, at the dreaming dawn of history - before the world was categorized and regulated by mortal minds, before solid boundaries formed between the mortal world and any other - fairies roamed freely among men, and the two races knew each other well. Yet the knowing was never straightforward, and the adventures that mortals and fairies had together were fraught with uncertainty, for fairies and humans were alien to each other.”

This is the last book of the series which was given to me as a child. My mother ordered them for me as a gift, then decided to cancel the subscription after some menopausal blowout - something about me not putting my shoes away properly. I was nonplussed as this tended to happen about twice a year, where she went on a tirade and destroyed half of my toys.  Of course in those days, you bought these books by the month. The company sent out a bill and upon receiving the cash, would issue the next in the volume. You could cancel any time. All the rest I’m reviewing here in this series, I picked up along the line in my adult years.

Known to the Norse as the Alfar or elves in English and sometimes as fairies, a word that derives from the Latin fatum - fate and fatare - enchant. Fairie correctly refers to their lands or magic. In contrast to mortals, beings who sought order, these magical beings were said to be very fickle and unpredictable. Even members of the usually good Seelie Court were prone to mischief.

The chief groupings were the trooping and solitary fairies the nobles and peasants of their kind. Among the Trooping fairies are mentioned the Sidhe, the Tuatha Dé Danann and the children of the Dagda. Though sociable to their mortal counterparts, they eventually withdrew and were replaced in mortal interactions by their smaller cousins. Various nature spirits continued to haunt the wilds of the world. Some were friendly to humans and used their powers to help them with their household chores while others were cruel and delighted in tormenting mortals

The four chapters break down the classification of mortal encounters with the fey folk, which was just a often as disastrous for the elf as it was for the mortal. The first focuses on the higher level fey, the kings and knights and warriors who aided or warred with man for love, honor, or goods. These were from the ancient times when man and fey seemed almost interchangeable. Indeed they could easily interbreed, thus making one side stronger as a result - or dooming them. 

Eventually the old crossings between Earth and Fariere deals withered, leaving only those in the second chapter - the spirits of wood and stream. Personifications of the wild, untamed lands, who harm the lonely traveler when angered. Chapter three deals with the trickster sprites and their ilk. While Chapter four focuses on the doomed love and marriages between mortal and fey - nearly all are the same story. The mortal and elf are allowed to marry on some bizarre condition which the mortal inevitably out of mistrust, accident, or stupidity, violates. And thus the two are torn away for all eternity and the mortal pines away dying alone and in misery. As usual the art is amazing, and the book is chock full of wonderful stories.  

 For more readings, try books by Rex Hurst

Dragons (The Enchanted World Series)

 

                                        by Time-Life Books (Editor)

Publisher : Time Life Education; 1st edition (May 1, 1984)

Hardcover, 143 pages

Amazon Listing

“Whether European or Asian, the race of dragons was as old as creation and varied as nature itself. Their very characteristics were difficult to classify or define. The accounts from chroniclers and scholars from the centuries of the dragons’ ascendancy agree only on a general picture of a serpentine beast protected by a body armor of overlapping scales and equipped with claws to cut, teeth to tear, and breath and blood to burn. The creatures almost always had preternaturally acute vision, indeed, ‘dragon’ seems to have been derived from the ancient Greek verb ‘to see’. A few had both this keen eyesight and, for their prey, a burning basilisk gaze that was death to behold.”

When I was a kid advertisements for this series aired constantly - at least in the time slots that I usually watched. Time Life had a great reputation of putting out intricate and useful reference materials. This was well before the internet so good reference materials were needed. This series was different however. It collected all the fantasy elements and placed them in their proper books. It was unlike any sort of book I had seen before. My mother finally caved in and ordered me the set. When I ran out to show my friends they were mostly unimpressed by the first volume, Wizards and Witches, but when I showed them this one, all their eyes lit up. Dragons were no joke. Suddenly they were all very envious.

The book itself is worth it just to leaf through and drink in all of the magnificent art. As previously the volume breaks down the various types of dragons based primarily on region. The European stories of dragons, or drakes, or wyrms - whatever they are called - are very different from those told further east in China. The Asiatic versions were seen as spiritual beings, personifications of the air and water - creatures to be reasoned with on occasion, rather than outright killed.

The four parts of the book deal with the dragon as the form of chaos incarnate at the beginning of time. Born before time began, these creatures were sons of chaos, and so the gods did battle with them, for only when they were beaten could order prevail and the universe be born. Moving on to tales of European dragons in their various forms in the second chapter. While the third deals with Asain tales of dragons, and the final focuses solely on the rise to prominence of the dragonslayer as hero. In the course we learn the stories of Apep, Tiamat, Jörmungandr, Nidhoggr, and Typhon. Beowulf, Perseus (in the original telling of his story the monster was a sea dragon), Saint Martha and Tarasque, St. George, Sigurd the Volsung, along with a host of Persian and Russian rulers - among many many others.

 For more readings, try books by Rex Hurst

Wizards and Witches (Enchanted World Series)

 

by Brendan Lehane  (Author), & Time Life Editors (Author)

Publisher : Time-Life Books; 1st edition (March 1, 1984)

Hardcover, 143 pages

AmazonListing

"Unseen powers were at play in those days, in those times and places. Only a few men and women understood these powers and - through that understanding - controlled them. The early wizards possessed great knowledge, which sprang from the very nature of their being. Through their brains and veins and sinews, the cordial of magic flowed like blood. In greater or lesser degree, they contained in their bodies the very elements that made the world so restless."

The first in the 21 volumes of the Enchanted World series, put out by Time-Life book in the early 1980s. Each covers a different aspect of the world before the order imposed by Christianity. That isn't meant to be an anti-Christian it simply melds Christian mythology with the ancient legends and myths of yesteryear. It reflects the nature of chaos along with those of order, and as one wins over the other those with the skill or knowledge can manipulate the interplay. Eventually however the God of Reason won out over and the adversary was placed under his thumb. Thus the practitioners faded into myths, legends, and stories.

This volume is broken up into three parts. The first deals with the earliest and strongest of the wizards, back when the world the process of creation not yet completed. Since reality was fluid, it was relatively easy for mighty wizards to cast their magic. Magic in those days was almost instinctual and inborn; it was an art. Part two deals with the wizard scholar. As a result of Christianity clearly setting and defining the world, the use of magic became much more difficult and even dangerous. It was difficult because it was no longer an art to be understood instinctively but a science that required years of study. Part three then moves onto the study of witches, the truths and misconceptions, the rumors and stories about their powers.

What draws one into this book - and presumably the rest of this series - are the magnificent pieces of art scattered throughout the entire book and the many old stories collected together from cultures all over the world. Though the material is dominated by legends from Europe, a few other cultures manage to slip in. It also includes an extensive bibliography for those who wish to read more on the subject.

 For more readings, try books by Rex Hurst

Death on the Installment Plan (Experimental Fiction)

 

by Louis-Ferdinand Céline  (Author), Ralph Manheim (Translator)

Publisher : New Directions (January 17, 1971)

Softcover, 592 pages

Amazon Listing

“Junk is fragile. I ruined tons of stuff, never on purpose. The thought of antiques still makes me sick, but that was our bread and butter. The scrapings of time are sad. . . lousy, sickening. We sold the stuff over the customer's dead body. We'd wear him down. We'd drown his wits in floods of hokum. . . incredible bargains. . . we were merciless. . . He couldn't win. . . If he had any wits to begin with, we demolished them. . . He'd walk out stunned with the Louis XIII cup in his pocket, the openwork fan with cat and shepherdess wrapped in tissue paper. You can't imagine how they revolted me, grown-ups taking such crap home with them.”

This is the sequel to Louis-Ferdinand Céline’s autobiography Journey to the End of Night. This is not meant to be a complete blow-by-blow truthful account of his childhood. It’s too precise with long bouts of dialogue and wild abuse of ellipsis to fully make this a comprehensive chronological book. Say that it is emotionally accurate to the author’s growing up and trying to succeed in the slums of Paris around the turn of the previous century.

Author Louis-Ferdinand Céline

The action often moves into fantasy and the style becomes deliberately rougher. Sentences disintegrate to hook the taste of the crawling world of the Paris slums. The sleazy stories of families whose destiny is ruled by their own stupidity and greed.

I’m sure many people would become frustrated by this novel's bizarre style, dips into fantasy, and otherwise amoral tone, however it offers a profound vision of the nature of human existence for the socio-economically deprived, rooted in suffering and inertia. The book expresses ideas that stretch the limitations of perception while providing almost no structure to assign any meaning to life as a whole.

 For more readings, try books by Rex Hurst

The author reclined

Insufferable, Vol. 4: Home Field Advantage (Superhero)

by Mark Waid (Author), Peter Krause (Illustrator)

Publisher : IDW Publishing; Illustrated edition (May 9, 2017)

Softcover, 100 pages

Amazon Listing 

The fourth and final story in the Insufferable line. A rich man, methodical and obsessed, becomes a costumed vigilante and eventually trains his son to take his place. They become Nocturnous and Galahad. However, the son gets tired of being put in the corner and reveals his identity to the world. His father is forced to go into hiding, but can't funnel his fortune away fast enough. The son becomes a media giant, and a brand, spending more time advertising products and posing for social media than defeating villains. Now the final stage is set. The pair’s home city has been invaded by an army of villains from their past.

Several people felt that the series went on too long. That perhaps the third section slowed down the action and their interest in the characters. And while they may have points in their criticism, I felt that the long internal journeys of the tortured protagonists paid off well. People with such deep psychological issues can’t resolve them overnight. It usually takes something big and catastrophic to alter the destructive path of two zealous individuals. In this case, the event is over-the-top, but that’s what you want in a superhero comic.

Most people expect the big revelation and change, followed by confessional to come from the younger Galahad. Who is brasher and more obnoxious, at least on the surface. The title “Insufferable” can easily be applied to both protagonists. Nocturnus secretly enjoys demonstrating his son’s weaknesses to him, while hobbling him as an effective partner. Galahad has a public image to maintain and is thus hungry to collect bragging rights regardless of what he actually achieves. The father who will never treat his son like an adult and the son who hasn’t grown out of that blaming dad for everything stage. They make for a toxic team-up. And a fun comic.

 For more readings, try books by Rex Hurst

 

Skyscrapers Of The Midwest (Drama)

 

by Joshua Cotter (Author, Artist)

Publisher : AdHouse Books; 1st Edition (June 10, 2008)

Hardcover, 244 pages

Amazon Listing

I used to collect some of the issues of this comic back in the day. They stuck out because of their unusual shape, the lack of a glossy cover, and the nearly double the amount of material than the average comic. I always seems to find a copy tossed in some half-off long box at the ass-end of a dingy shop or buried in a bin under a table at a convention. This is how I found a copy of the hardback collection of all eight issues - under a table at a discount oldies store, above which was displayed the more popular trash of the moment. Boy, those who don’t look below sure miss out.

Skyscrapers of the Midwest is best described as the winding tale of a young cat, his little brother, and the creeping shadow of imminent adolescence in the American heartland. The book contains a series of heartbreaking vignettes as the two boys slowly and painfully begin to put away their childish things and embrace the bland realism of adult life. That is such a pity as the worlds conjured within their imaginations brim with excitement and adventure, with a tint of tragedy bleeding in around the seams. The story is as much symbolic as it is literally making the entire experience something unique to dwell on.

Others have said that the overall theme and tone of the series, ie. the pitfalls and uncertainties of adolescence has been done before. Which is true, but then what hasn’t been done before. This story rings with authentication. Any young boy can relate to one of the events from some time in their life. Great and sad simultaneously.

 For more readings, try books by Rex Hurst

Bottomless Belly Button (Drama)

 

by Dash Shaw

Publisher : Fantagraphics Books; Illustrated edition (June 3, 2008)

Softcover, 720 pages

Amazon Listing

It’s a 700 page book about pain, about the loss of love, about the uncertainties of life, about the death of dreams, and the joy of kindling new relationships. Dash Shaw has created a book which runs the gambit around all aspects of life and encapsulated it into a six day vacation at the beach. Dysfunction breeds dysfunction as we see parents have passed on terrible traits to their offspring who are starting to pass those same evils onto their children. Some critics have pointed out that this type of story has been done before - but then if everyone happy in a family story, where’s the drama coming from? As Tolstoy wrote, “All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.”   -Just this in Amazon and Goodreads.

After 40-some years of marriage, two aged parents shock their children by stating they are getting divorced.  This sparks a weeklong stay at their possibly haunted beach house, while the children grapple in their various ways about this news. Rich with atmospheric sequences, the family stumbles blindly around one another, often ignoring their surroundings and consumed by their own daily conflicts.

The reasons for the divorce are unclear. It’s hinted that it is at the instigation of the grandmother who felt trapped in their marriage because of the children and now can cut herself free, but is she doing so because she wants to, or because she feels she should want to? Her actions demonstrate that she is nearly incapable of dealing with the minor inconveniences of life, not to mention the big decisions. The variations of responses by the children range from absolute disbelief, to understanding, to indifference. Each character is unique and together they create a kaleidoscope of volatility around an uncommon occurrence.

For more readings, try books by Rex Hurst

Neat Stuff (Humor)

 

By Peter Bagge

Publisher: Fantagraphics Books; Box edition (August 30, 2016)

Hardcover, 488 pages- 2 Volumes

Amazon Listing

This is the box edition of the complete series for Neat Stuff, collecting all 15 issues of the indie comic from the 1980s. For those of you who might know the name of Peter Bagge, it probably comes from his indie comic sensation Hate about the adventures of disaffected youth Buddy Bradley in Seattle in his early 20s. It was the right comic at the right time and dead-on hit Generation X just as they began to bloom. But before that, the comic was Neat Stuff. It was an anthology comic. Each issue varied between a collection of wildly different characters, and that might have been its flaw. The reader was never sure what to expect. One issue might feature a variety of small bits, while the next would be dominated by a single story. 

The features for Neat Stuff are: Girly Girl - a leering troublemaker who finds humor in dead animals, festering sores and clobbering child psychologists with baseball bats. True to form, her first strip appearance ended with her being squashed underfoot by her unseen "biggest fan". Studs Kirby - a reactionary talk radio host who lives in the past, gets drunk, rants on with his ill-informed opinions. Junior - a hulking wimp social inadequate who lives with his mother and is terrified of the outside world. The Goon On The Moon - a pornography obsessed, friendless loser who lives on the moon. Chet and Bunny Leeway - a young couple who are dissatisfied with their increasingly tedious lives.

The standouts, however, were The Bradleys - a dysfunctional family, apparently based on Bagge's own family. Brad Bradley, the father, is an overweight, perpetually complaining slob. Betty Bradley, the mother, is a God-fearing, occasionally foul-tempered 'woman of the eighties', whilst their children, Butch (a gullible, war-mad pre-teen), Babs (a plain, self-absorbed teenage girl with retainers on her teeth) and Buddy (a retro music-loving slacker) alternate between fighting each other and their own parents. These characters carried onto Hate.

For more readings, try books by Rex Hurst