It's time to 'take some steam' with Stephen King's 'Doctor Sleep'

The first book I read in 2014; Stephen King's 'Doctor Sleep' - his sequel to 'The Shining' and for me, a superb Christmas present from my beloved daughter Hayley - a 'real' book too, hardback and inscribed to me inside. Something to treasure.

So, the question is - as a novel, is 'Doctor Sleep' something to treasure also?

I have been reading King for more than 30 years now, ever since I read 'Salem's Lot' on a family holiday to Spain in 1981, although my loyalty has been fickle. Like many, I felt he went considerably off the boil around the mid 1990s - to the point where I actually ditched 'Insomnia' half way through and ever since I have read him only sporadically, the days of a new 'King' being a major event and a 'must read' long gone - so there is still much to catch up with. I've tried a  bit harder ever since reading his splendidly scary and frankly downright nasty 'Full Dark No Stars' a few years back and I am also three books into his completely out there 'Dark Tower' series (a big thank you to my lovely friend Michelle Selleck for telling me to 'get cracking' on these!)

Anyhow - where were we? Ah yes, 'Doctor Sleep'

King himself does not like Kubrick's film interpretation of 'The Shining' - something he makes very clear in his note at the end of 'Doctor Sleep' - and goes to great pains to remind his 'constant reader' (As I have already said, I have been something less than constant over the last 20 years, but it's still nice to be acknowledged) that this is a sequel to the novel, not the film. However, like many I loved the novel AND the film, making it difficult not to have Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duval, Scatman Crothers and whoever it was who played the mouldy old bag in the bath in mind when their respective characters are mentioned - or make and appearance (be warned!)

Whereas 'The Shining' took place over a few months and mostly within the confines of the sinister Overlook Hotel, 'Doctor Sleep' spans more than three decades and a large chunk of the U.S.A, as we discover what became of young Danny Torrance after the horrors of 'The Shining'. Danny has grown up with many of his Father's demons, worst of all, the demon drink and we find him shambling from one failure to the next as a hopeless alcoholic. After a truly bottom of the barrel experience that plagues him with guilt for years afterwards, he makes a huge effort to clean up and is given a break at last in a small New Hampshire town as well as a job (first at a fairground and then at a nearby hospice, where he eases the terminally ill through the moment of death, courtesy of his ability to 'shine') Danny also agrees with his new boss to attend A.A. meetings and 'stay dry' no matter what temptations may come his way to make him fall off the wagon.

Danny is soon drawn into the world of a young girl, Abra Stone, who has similar - but far stronger - powers to Danny and a sinister group of travellers, 'The True Knot' who pose a terrifying threat to Abra's life.

What follows is classic King; a seemingly impossible battle of good against evil, fought between some of the best and very real human characters he has crafted in years and a truly unpleasant bunch of nasties. True to form there is a sublime balance of moments of terror, suspense, humour, pathos and a terrific pace throughout. As always King manages to tackle a very real and human subject along the way, with refined and well researched skill; in the case of 'Doctor Sleep' he deals with the despair of alcohol addiction and the long and treacherous road to recovery.

All in all this is a worthy sequel, genuinely spooky in places (look out for that great King staple - someone, or something floating at a bedrooom window) at times truly unsettling (the fate of the poor 'baseball boy') and packed full of believable characters, whether they are 'goodies' or 'baddies'

As a sideline - on the subject of characters, be warned, in 'Rose The Hat' he has created a truly classic King nasty, well worthy of a place on the podium of nastiness along with such classic villains as Pennywise The Clown, Randall Flagg and Annie Wilkes.

One small gripe was that I felt the ability to 'Shine' is used at times as something of a 'sonic screwdriver' type plot resolution device, especially when it comes to working out the intentions and motives of the bad guys - but it's only a minor gripe and doesn't spoil a great read in the classic King style, which builds to a genuinely thrilling and satisfying ending.

Whether this is up there with the King classics; 'The Stand', 'Christine', 'Salem's Lot' - even 'The Shining' itself, is a matter of opinion, but I really enjoyed it and would certainly recommend it, especially to any fellow reader who, like me, felt that King had lost his way somewhat back in the 1990s.

So, thank you again Hayley for this superb book, which gets a Chairman's rating of 8/10

Jack London - The Sea Wolf (1904) Lots of angry men on a boat - and the Skipper's a nutter

The next time you are congratulating yourself heartily on achieving some perceived great feat of endurance or practical innovation – a recent example being my walking the pitiful 3.5 miles home from work in the January snows in the early hours of the morning – take time to read some Jack London afterwards, you will soon be reassured that you are in fact still a pampered milksop, safe in the comparitively luxurious ease of 21st Century living.

Many of London’s works are based on endurance, survival against all odds and good old fashioned adventure; one of his most famous novels, The Call of The Wild, told from the point of view of its canine hero and his peerless short story To Build A Fire are two fine examples.

Somewhere along the way into my reading marathon I found out via my Mum that my maternal Grandfather, Walter Baker (I never got to meet the man as he passed away a few years before I was born) loved to read Jack London, so this was my incentive to read my chosen book for the latest blog, The Sea Wolf.

The Sea Wolf deals with the plight and adventures of a literary critic, Humphrey Van Weyden, who is on board a ferry in San Francisco Bay which collides with another vessel and sinks, leaving him at the mercy of the sea. He is rescued by the crew of a seal hunting schooner, The Ghost, but soon realizes that his ‘rescue’ is in fact an involuntary capture against his will and that he is condemned to his new role in life as cabin boy - the very lowest amongst a bunch of the already pretty low. Here begins his adventure.

Captain of The Ghost is Wolf Larsen, physically strong, ruthless, cruel and brutal towards his crew. Faced with this constant threat of violence, a near crippling knee injury sustained in a fall and dealings with his immediate superior – the vile and fawning ship’s cook, Muggridge, whilst trying to come to terms with this sudden and undeserved loss of his liberty, VanWeyden soon realizes that his only chance of gaining the measure of Larsen is intellectually, owing to his obvious physical inferiority.

Van Weyden’s growth of character lies not only in his enforced ‘manning up’ as he strives to learn quickly the skills of sailing and the strengths to survive life on board ship, but in the development of his edgy relationship with Larsen, with whom he slowly forms an intellectual bond, albeit a very delicate one. The dialogue between Larsen and Van Weyden is often very reminiscent of the spiky banter between Quint and Hooper in Jaws and – similary – is mostly based on preconceived prejudice on the part of Larsen.

Further complications abound when The Ghost rescues three more castaways, one of whom is ………….. a lady!

The Sea Wolf is a compelling read with a steady narrative pace that doesn’t let up. It is not over long either (I read it over three consecutive evenings last Summer just after my legendary bicycle accident!) and upholds an atmosphere of claustrophobic tension throughout. Wolf Larsen is a superb literary creation; an unpredictable, manipulative and amoral bully, yet London reveals as the novel progresses that even such an unmatchable physical strength cannot compensate for some ultimate weaknesses.

The narrative is filled with detailed nautical terms, which at first I felt tempted to ‘google’ to have a better understanding, however in the end I just let them happen – who cares if I didn’t understand exactly what they meant – they just sounded great in the context of the tale. The contrast between the freedom of the sea and the open air, against the claustrophobic powder keg of life on board The Ghost is tangible throughout.

So, all in all, we have an exciting and totally readable tale of survival both physical and psychological and a great starting point if you haven’t read any Jack London before. The contemporary theme of seal hunting might seem a little brutal by today’s standards, but – rightly or wrongly – it was still an established means of making a living at the time this was written, hence the lack of sensation or concern in the manner in which it is described.

Perfect for an absorbing read under any circumstances that suit, The Sea Wolf gets a big, chunky Chairman’s score of 8/10.

More to follow……………..

Antonina by Wilkie Collins (1850) - it's all going 'belly up' for the Roman Empire

The usual starting point for Wilkie Collins is either The Woman In White or The Moonstone – probably his two best known works. I have read TWIW and loved it, haven’t got around to The Moonstone yet.. Wilkie’s complete works was the first thing I snapped up for my e-reader, and at a loss for where to begin I thought I would start at the very beginning and give Antonina a go. This was one of the first books I read on my marathon read last year and what a cracking start it was too.

Antonina is Collins’ first published novel and, uncharacteristic of most of his subsequent work, is a historical novel, set in the final years of the Roman Empire, when the walls of Rome are laid siege and totally surrounded by a huge army of Goths (unfortunately not skinny, pasty faced, black clad miserable teenagers clutching Marilyn Manson cds but the real deal) just biding their time until the depleted and outnumbered Romans are literally starved into surrender, with nothing and nobody allowed out or in.

Life goes on as normal for the Romans at first, expecting as they are help at any time   from nearby Ravenna where the imbecilic young emperor is hidden away and seems content to ignore the situation - as long as it continues to not bite him directly on the arse and that he is left in peace to throw grains of feed for his indoor flock of chickens (a striking scene very early in the novel)

It is not long before things reach crisis point in Rome, starvation and deprivation kicks in and everything starts to go horribly wrong. Amidst all of this is a struggle between the new Christian church and the outlawed worship of the pagan gods, some West Side Story style forbidden love, all manner of plot and counter plot, a bitter quest for vengeance and some really freaky goings on (the terrible ‘communal stew’ and the macabre goings on at the ‘Banquet of  Famine’ are described graphically and are especially horrific)                                                                                                                    
           
All in all it is a well paced and captivating read with plenty of memorable scenes and some larger than life characters, in particular Goisvintha, the fearsome Goth warrior with a quest for vengeance after the murder of her children and Ulpius, the scheming high priest, determined at any cost to restore to Rome worship of the outlawed pagan gods. Had Antonina been better known and filmed some time between 1960 and 1975, Vincent Price  would have been superb as Ulpius I reckon. Too late now of course…………

Elsewhere we have our eponymous young heroine, her fundamental Christian zealot father Numerian and the wealthy senator Vetranio, with a lustful eye on our young  heroine and a stoic refusal to accept that, inevitably, it is time for the feasting, cavorting and coupling to come to an end.

Antonina does not tend to be found on any study syllabus; it’s themes, meanings and all the other stuff that the student of literature has to dissect are worn too obviously on its sleeve for any in depth analysis - and all the better for it. I like a read that challenges and gets you thinking, but I love a good story too and, in the main, Antonina rarely lets up on the action and intrigue right up to the very end.

So, a fine debut and a novel less known than others (I hadn’t heard of it before I acquired Collins’ complete works) which is a shame as it has enough adventure, romance, suspense, mystery and - in places - genuine horror to keep any reader amused. Also the novel kicks into gear very early on and reads very smoothly with very few, if any, dull moments. One little niggle is the narrative style which can be at times a bit patronising to the reader, who doesn’t really need to be told ‘right then, I want you to forget him for a minute and scoot over to the other side of town where this was going on’ - not a direct quote by the way, but that’s what you have to get used to. Only a small gripe however.

So - the debut from the excellent Wilkie Collins gets a big old thumbs up from The Chairman and a respectable, resounding rating of 7/10

Thank you for reading and don’t forget if you have any ideas or suggestions for any books you might think Arthur would appreciate reading down in the cellar for a future review in the blog please let me know.

More to follow……………………………

See also my other (mostly music based) blog here; http://thethoughtsofchairmanarthur.blogspot.co.uk/

Find the complete works of Wilkie Collins - and many more - here; http://www.delphiclassics.com/

Welcome to my new, literary themed blog page. Whether this will gather dust and cobwebs in the same way as my other - mainly music, movies and TV related -  blog (The Thoughts of Chairman Arthur*) has done over the last two years remains to be seen, but the plan for now is to do a bit of a write up about various books I have read and have been of interest to me.

Just over a year ago (Christmas 2011) I was surprised with a Kindle from Santa (that will be Santa Ana) and the quickest way of getting it filled (affordably) was by loading it up with 'The Classics' - complete works collections of literature now in the public domain which have been put together by an excellent organisation called Delphi classics**, purchased either direct from them or via Amazon. For just a couple of pounds you could get the complete works of Dickens, Austen, Conan Doyle, Twain and many many more, so,  within a few hours of getting the thing out of it's box and fired up, my portable reading device was filled with more literature than I will likely be able to read in the remains of my lifetime, let alone shake a stick at, all for around £25.00. Sorted.

It's all very well having all these great works ready to read on a handy little device, but only if you are going to actually read and enjoy them. Thankfully I do actually really like this stuff, well most of it anyway (I love the Victorian era especially) -  and as I'm in the middle of a slow plod through an English Literature / Language degree with the OU I thought it couldn't do any harm to read through these works; not for study and over analysis, but just for fun. If I am going to end my working life as a hirsute professor with leather patches on the elbows of my tatty sports jacket, discussing 'Bleak House' in front of a roaring study fire***, then I'm going to have to have read these anyway.

So, for the whole of 2012 - and all of 2013 so far, I have read at a terrific pace; mostly the golden oldies, but plenty of other, more recent stuff too, so I thought about doing a bit of a write up about some of the works I have enjoyed the most. This isn't intended to be a study aid, or any kind of informed analysis - I'm happy to pull a book apart for a study assignment, but at the end of the day what I really want is a good, well written story.

Well then, there's the intro, now for some product. I intend to be random in my choices, individual in my approach and irreverent in my treatment, with a tendency to avoid spoilers just in case anyone feels tempted to read or revisit the books that get the Arthur treatment.

As always, any suggestions, recommendations, comments, rotten articles of vegetable matter or guest write ups will be most welcome. Ok then, let's sling this at the wall and see if it wants to stick........

More to follow



Colin (Chairman Arthur)

* Find it here thethoughtsofchairmanarthur.blogspot.com

** Find them here www.delphiclassics.com or go to the Amazon kindle store and search 'Delphi classics'

*** I know, I know - reality check.