Lunation

For Christmas, I picked up this chuckle-fest for my parents--Paul Is Undead by Alan Goldsher. The synopsis:
"Ladies and gentlemen, meet the zombie Beatles. In Goldsher's alternate universe, the British Invasion takes on new meaning as undead Paul, John, and George and ninja Ringo Starr take the U.S. by storm. Music journalist Goldsher begins the story by 'interviewing' Lennon's mother, Julia, who died in 1958 but was reanimated by John the following week. Zombie Lennon's fateful meeting with McCartney in 1957 is another bloody affair, in which the merging of their gray matter creates an unparalleled songwriting team. Shortly thereafter, with the zombification of George and the addition of Ringo, the band begins its assault on the States. Things start to go awry when Lennon begins dating Ninja Lord Yoko Ono and the Zombies (led by non-zombie Rod Argent) begin to hunt them down. The horror mash-up publishing craze is still spreading like a plague, and while some of its most popular products seem like easy ways to digest the classics, this clever take on the subgenre will bring music nerds into its fandom." (--Carlos Orellana, from Booklist.)

They finished it quickly and told me to read it. I did so readily, and was surprised how fast it, erm, took to digest.

The reviews at Amazon.com weren't very good, which is a shame because my parents and I quite enjoyed it. It's cartoon-like in it's violence, so over the top it's giggle-inducing, not realistic or morbid. In fact, as I read it I saw it animated, in a Yellow Submarine-ish style.

Then again, I'm what some might refer to as strange and unusual in my tastes, so... >;-)

My folks and I are huge fans of the Beatles and Beatle trivia and knowledge, so this was a delightfully absurd treat. Weird, silly, gross-yet-amusing, and fun as hell.

Then it was on to Drawing Down the Moon: The Art of Charles Vess by Charles Vess, my X-mas gift from Watchingwolf. The synopsis:
"One of contemporary comics' classiest acts, fantasy artist Vess is even more stunning as a book illustrator. It's altogether fitting, then, that book illustration looms large in this gorgeously produced retrospective album (the heavy, translucent section frontispieces are especially impressive). Vess provides his own very economical notes, which downplay technique in favor of autobiographical and art-appreciative remarks, the latter about his beloved influences, beginning with Arthur Rackham and Aubrey Beardsley, both of whose fluidly slender figures have their ilk in Vess' creations. He also lauds the premier Victorian painter of fairies, Richard Dadd, whose mastery of crowded compositions Vess thoroughly learned; comics artists Hal Foster and Russ Manning, renowned for the ornate and graceful vigor of their work on Tarzan and Prince Valiant; and all manner of literary fantasists, starting with the Scots and English ballad makers and the Shakespeare of A Midsummer Night's Dream, which Vess has rendered in both comics and an illustrated edition of the full text. No wonder he’s the preferred artist of premier modern literary fantasists Neil Gaiman, Charles de Lint, and Susanna Clarke, the last of whom contributes an aptly breathless yet not giddy introduction. (--Ray Olson, from The Booklist.)

When I lived in Michigan with my comic artist friends, they all loved and looked to Charles Vess's work for inspiration. That was my initial introduction to his work, in the early '90's (Sandman! Swamp Thing! etc.) In the last ten years I've rediscovered him through his wonderful illustrations in several books by Charles de Lint.

The book was an amazing journey through time, and even his art as a youth was inspiring. Wow. An impressive tome by a favorite artist of mine.

From there on to a signed hard cover short story from one of my favorite authors of the weird, Joe R. Landsdale. The story, Dread Island, is also featured in what will be my next purchase, Classics Mutilated, which I'll detail in a moment.

Now, Dread Island... my god, where to begin? This read cartoonishly sent my pupils in opposite directions with each new absurd scene. Pure genius. Pure. Effing. Genius.
The synopsis:
"This "Monster Lit" mash-up novella from modern horror master Joe R. Lansdale, a highlight from the recent Classics Mutilated anthology, combines Lovecraft and Mark Twain in a way that can only be described as brilliant. Or, as Lansdale."

Erm, well, that synopsis doesn't cut it. It doesn't even mention Amelia Earhart's daring aerial rescue of Huckleberry Finn, Tom Sawyer, and Jim from Cthulhu on Dread Island (which, at the time, was being sucked into another plane of existence.) And the most glaring omission was not to bother mentioning Brer Rabbit, Brer Fox, Brer Bear, and the weasel gangsters residing on the island. Brer Fox and Brer Bear, crazed worshippers of Cthulu!

Genius, and how. Damn.

So, after I nab a copy, Classics Mutilated, here we come!
Synopsis: "Monster Lit meets Remix Culture in IDW's all-new, all-original story collection by top talents from horror, science fiction, and dark fantasy scenes. IDW's first foray into genre prose takes the formula of 'literary classic/historic figure + supernatural element' and drives a stake through its heart with fourteen brand-new stories, all written specifically for this collection, that transform the so-called Monster Lit movement in ways the mainstream could never imagine. Notable characters include Huck Finn, Capt. Ahab, Billy the Kid, Emily Dickensen, Jim Morrison, Edgar Alan Poe, and Albert Einstein, with contributions by John Shirley, Nancy Collins, Mike Resnick, Kristine Rusch, Thomas Tessier, Marc Laidlaw, and Rio Youers, while a masterful new novella by Joe Lansdale anchors the collection."

Awww yeah.

Between Queer Wolf and the Book of Santa Claus, I devoured Peter & Max: A Fables Novel by Bill Willingham.

Now, everyone knows (or should know by now) I'm both an addict and a pusher of the exquisite Vertigo-brand comic book series, Fables. When I realized Bill Willingham was penning a novel based on the comic, I pre-ordered it awhile back.

I won't give a shred away. I will, however, make this statement: This was within my top five of the greatest books ever written. Well, the greatest books I've ever read, that is.

From Publishers Weekly:
Understanding Willingham's new novel (the first from comics house Vertigo) doesn't require knowledge of the comic it's based upon, but it certainly helps; Fables follows a population of fairy tale characters seeking shelter in our world after their enchanted lands were conquered. Familiar figures like Snow White, Rose Red, the Beast and Belle, the Big Bad Wolf (a human PI in the mundane world) and others fill out a cast led by Peter Piper and his brother, Max. Sibling rivalry, magical flutes and, yes, pickled peppers factor in the clever, adventurous plot that sees Peter pursuing Bo Peep. Fans will find all the charm and in-jokes of the Fables universe intact; like Neil Gaiman, another acclaimed comic book author, Willingham writes without the help of thought bubbles and keeps everything clear enough that readers new to the series won't be confused for long. Though it toys with notions of mythology and its origins, this work still keeps true to the spirit of the Brothers Grimm: dark, fast-paced, moving and entertaining, with a few surprises along the way. (Oct.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Last night I stayed up until 12:30 AM finishing the thrilling new novel from John Farris, High Bloods.
A little background first: since the age of twelve it's become a habit, whenever I'm in a book store, to scan the bindings for a title that could have something to do with werewolves. Usually I'm disappointed--it turns out to be one of the many vampire books hogging the shelves, or a trendy paranormal romance. I lucked out two Saturdays ago and discovered not one, but two new werewolf novels on the shelves at Borders. One, as you guessed, was High Bloods by John Farris. The title alone didn't strike me as potentially a werewolf book, but the clawed werewolf hand on the binding did.

What a fun book. It's a hard-boiled detective novel written in Pulp-era style, yet set in the future. A fast-paced action-packed thrill ride with lycanthropy, classism, and mystery on the menu. It hearkened back to the attitudes and ideals of the 1940's, evident in the hero's views of women, machismo, and in the behavior of the female characters. There is a spark of nostalgia that ignites under futuristic lingo, frightful glimpse of future southern California, and werewolves (those afflicted with lycanthropy) outnumbering normal humans. Unaffected humans are known as the titular "high bloods", and are the elite upper class. Werewolves are known as "lycans" or referred to as "hairballs", and are the outcasts as well as the low caste (ironically, despite their status, the lycans are the majority of the famous actors and musicians--Hollywood stars and media darlings). Humans afflicted with lycanthropy that have biannual blood replacements to keep from transforming are known as "off-bloods", and their own class (not considered as lowly as lycans, but not equal to high bloods).

The book ends at a jumping point for a sequel. Hopefully a follow-up is in the works. I'm itching for a broader view of the world, the history of the lycanthropy virus and its origin, more about the growing lycanthrope rights movement, and more of the exciting mayhem of High Bloods. >:-)

Heh...

Be afraid. Be very afraid.

The boys and I tested the fine film we're unleashing on the Gathering/CO Howl 2009.

Any who, the movie. And what a gem it is.

Here is a spoileriffic review, and it's accurate. Now, despite the spoilers, you should read the review. It's amusingly descriptive and fun. The best part is that the description will neither ruin the experience of watching the movie, nor will it adequately prepare you. >;-)

Took a gander at this picture by cehualli this morning.

I have many artistic friends: poets, writers, musicians, sculptors, painters, photographers, those who draw, those who sew, and those who share stories; each unique, all stars in the constellation of life.

At times each artist's work gives me pause; today it was Cehualli's piece. I love the mythic nature of it, the melding of branches, roots, and ocelot. At the core, simply Tree and Cat. Nature shape-shifted to something new, yet somehow primal.

Two recent wonders I've acquired:

In Search of Herne the Hunter by Eric Fitch, Capall Bann Publishing (Sep 1994).
Synopsis:
This work commences with an introduction to Herne's story, the oak on which Herne hanged himself and its significance in history and mythology. It goes on to investigate antlers and their symbology in prehistoric religions, with a study of the horned god Cernunnos, the Wild Hunt and its associations with Woden, Herne and the Christian devil and a descriptive chapter on the tradition of dressing up as animals and the wearing and use of antlers in particular. Herne's suicide and its connection with Woden and prehistoric sacrifice is covered, together with the most complete collection of Herne's appearances, plus an investigation into the nature of his hauntings. Photographs, illustrations and diagrams enhance the text. The book also contains appendices covering the 19th century opera on the legend of Herne, Herne and his status in certain esoteric circles and Herne and Paganism/Wicca.

And:
The Green Man by Kathleen Basford, D.S.Brewer (paperback reprint May 2004).
Synopsis:
The Green Man, the image of the foliate head or the head of a man sprouting leaves, is probably the most common of all motifs in medieval sculpture. Nevertheless, the significance of the image lay largely unregarded until Kathleen Basford published this book - the first monograph of the Green Man in any language -and thereby earned the lasting gratitude of scholars in many fields, from art history and folklore to current environmental studies. This book has opened up new avenues of research, not only into medieval man's understanding of nature, and into conceptions of death, rebirth and resurrection in the middle ages, but also into our concern today with ecology and our relationship with the green world.

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As promised, a repost of a deservedly glowing review of the latest release from the lovely artists Mirabilis, Sub Rosa, from the website Gothic Paradise:

"Ahhh... it's great to finally have the follow-up full-length album from these angelic muses. This album is everything that we could have hoped for from these two and more. The music is accompanied by a beautiful package of lyrics and info, photos and artwork. On the disc we get no less than 16 stunningly beautiful tracks hearkening back to old-world medieval and folk songs of ages past, though many are original pieces written by this duo and a couple of guests.

"From beginning to end the music is haunting and captivating as they spin their web of subtle synths, old-world instruments and lush vocals. Starting with 'World Indifferent' the percussion is moving and the music is stunning on this piece as it immediately sets the stage and gives way to the haunting piece 'The Journey'. Mesmerizing vocals become the solid foundation for the album, especially on mostly accapella tracks like 'Nature Boy' and 'The Flowers Pressed Down' amongst others. Though this foundation remains true and an anchor on others when the percussion and instruments kick in.

"The album has a nice range and depth to it as we drift through these pieces and musical styles. I think it's apparent they had fun on several songs like the accapella track 'il est bel et bon' which is a fun little play on the vocals, or 'odyle' which is more of an ancient treasure and then the piece 'angels eyes' sounds like an old record playing on an old phonograph player from the 40's. So it's not only a beautiful work, but fun and enjoyable in many ways.

"As the album winds down we're featured with a cover of 'Because' from The Beatles which isn't exactly something you would expect to hear on an album of this style. With that we're left in much the same way we began the album with subtle percussion and synths accenting the lamenting vocals on the title track 'Sub Rosa'. This provides a nice finale in and of itself, but it's not over yet as we get a great dance-friendly remix of 'World Indifferent' to wrap up the album in style. I love medieval ethereal music like this duo does, but I have to admit that when you throw it together with some modern electronics and a dance-friendly beat, it's really hard to do better than a remix like this, or the previous remix from this band 'In The Dark'. I hope it's not ironic that my favorite tracks from this duo are their two remixed pieces. But when you start with something excellent and add a nice mix to it, it can really be something unforgettable.

"With that we wrap up the album and the listener is left breathless from the stunning beauty on this album. I think this will go down as yet another classic from this group to be remembered for many years to come.

"Rating: 5/5"

To which I concur! It’s a great work. >:-D

More I've read and recommend:

Wings of the Forest, Affectionate Impressions and Observations of Bird Life by one of the most underrated and seemingly forgotten naturalists (plus a favorite of mine), William J. Long. Features small b&w illustrations by Ray Houlihan, which are a nice touch. I adore this man's literary style and his postulations about--and in-the-field observations of--the whole of nature. While hard-lined scientists of the day wrote him off as anthropomorphizing animal behavior too much and being too fanciful, I find him discerning and his observations ring true.

I searched amazon.com and anywhere on the web for a review or synopsis of the book and came up empty. I'm not going to type out the inside flaps of the book because it's late and I'm feeling lazy; suffice it to say it's a delightful book about behavioral observations of a variety of birds in the wild, including blue jays, crows, and owls.

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Owls of the World: Their Lives, Behavior and Survival by James R. Duncan. Swiped the following off amazon.com:

"From Booklist

"Owls are among the most popular birds in the world, yet what do we really know about these nocturnal predators? Owl expert Duncan and numerous contributors marshal what has been learned about owls in an extremely accessible yet scientific work. General biology, including anatomy, behavior, nesting, and hunting, is well covered in an introductory chapter. Owls are popular figures in the mythologies of many cultures, examined in a chapter that ranges from Shakespeare through Hindu goddesses to the Owl Nebula. Another chapter is full of interesting anecdotes from the research. Sections on global threats to owl populations and their conservation lead to the final long chapter, a summary of the 205 owl species of the world. Each species is described and illustrated with a color photo, with its range indicated on a map, and a compendium of its natural history and conservation status. Many of the numerous color photographs are breathtakingly beautiful, and the extensive bibliography will lead to further research. This introduction to owl biology will be a welcome addition for all libraries. --Nancy Bent
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved"

The photos are lovely, and the writing's interesting without being dry.

The 2 in 1 book that Watchingwolf sent me for Yule, Algernon Blackwood's The Lost Valley/The Wolves of God:

(reviews copied from amazon.com and italicized)
A tantalizingly mysterious collection, May 8, 2006
Reviewer: Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA)
The Lost Valley / The Wolves of God reprints two hard-to-find anthologies of fantasy, horror, and occult short stories in a single volume. Written by Algernon Blackwood, who forsook his Catholic upbringing to explore Oriental religion and the occult, the stories were created during the end of the 19th and the first half of the 20th century, and reflect the changing world of that tumultuous era. A tantalizingly mysterious collection, especially recommended for fans of gaslight horror and occult tales by more widely publicized authors such as H.P. Lovecraft and Robert E. Howard.

Two rare and fantastic collections in one volume!, April 15, 2006
Reviewer: A reader (Indiana)
The tales in "The Lost Valley and Other Stories" (back in print for the first time in God knows how many years) are by turns mystifying, horrifying, intensely moving, funny, incredibly beautiful... and sometimes all of them at once! Algernon Blackwood is mostly remembered as a great writer of ghost stories, but he was SO much more than that - a writer of (mostly) supernatural tales with a truly unique vision. There's hardly a ghost to be found in "The Lost Valley and Other Stories", but it is chock full of other kinds of weird manifestations that are so original they are very hard to describe. Blackwood was one of a kind, and deserves to be much more widely read than he is.

As a great bonus, "The Wolves of God and Other Fey Stories" is also included in this volume. This rare collection contains a number of excellent and memorable stories, although it is from Blackwood's later, post-World War I period, when his work had lost some of the wild visionary quality that makes his early work so special. But he was still a master story-teller, and no true fan of supernatural fiction will want to be without this. The collection also includes at least a couple of stories from Blackwood's "golden period" which never found their way into the earlier collections (such as "The Man Who Found Out" and "The Empty Sleeve").

Contained in this volume:

"The Lost Valley and Other Stories":
------------------------------------
The Lost Valley
The Wendigo
Old Clothes
Perspective
The Terror of the Twins
The Man From the "Gods"
The Man Who Played Upon the Leaf
The Price of Wiggins' Orgy
Carlton's Drive
The Eccentricity of Simon Parnacute

"The Wolves of God and Other Fey Stories":
------------------------------------------
The Wolves of God
Chinese Magic
Running Wolf
First Hate
The Tarn of Sacrifice
The Valley of the Beasts
The Call
Egyptian Sorcery
The Decoy
The Man Who Found Out
The Empty Sleeve
Wireless Confusion
Confession
The Lane That Ran East and West
"Vengeance is Mine"

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LOVELOVELOVE Algernon! A good collection of his stories are here.

Florilegium, by the Porteguese band, Lupercalia:
wow, very cool. They follow in the footsteps of another favorite assemblage of mine, Ataraxia, though, in all honesty, I find their sound more accessible than a majority of Ataraxia's work. Combining operatic female vocals, sporadic creepy voices, an array of ancient instruments (particularly strings and drumbeats), nature sounds, and modern synth. Invigorating, not dull, this CD weaves a spell and transports the willing to another time and place.

Tales Along This Road, by the Finnish band, Korpiklaani:
an unexpected gem, this! I think of Korpiklanni in the same way as the band Corvus Corax; both have that bawdy, fast, rowdy sound incoporating ancient instruments of their respective homelands.
Upon first listen, I was skeptical of this CD -- but like Corvus Corax, I simply have to be in the right mood to appreciate them. After a further listens, I really enjoy this CD and the animist/pagan lyrics.
Definitely not a soothing CD, but very lively and fun. I love these reviews and agree with them, cut & pasted from their website:
"Once again, Korpiklaani have delivered an ale-swilling, sylph-moshing, forest-rock ho-down of ridiculously catchy proportions" – Metal Maniacs
"Plain and simple, folks, this is music like you have never heard before, so full of life and meant to be played at gatherings where wine, women, and song are the name of the game…many fans of other genres besides metal will love this stuff" – SeaOfTranquility.org [4/5 rating]
"Listening to Korpiklaani's impetuous incantations has been a real splendour and intuitive elevation... These paternal forthright forest dwellers echo the enchantments of their ancestral heritage with alluring alacrity and heartfelt passion" – MetalCovenant.com