Fair Warning

Fair Warning by Michael Connelly
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was pleasantly surprised to find myself enjoying this book. I didn't particularly like my first experience with Connelly's writing, which was one of the early Harry Bosch novels. That one seemed formulaic to me. It didn't compare well with the work of authors such as Hammett, Chandler, or John D. MacDonald, or more contemporary practitioners such as Ruth Rendell, Denise Mina and Tana French. Procedurals don't really interest me any more. 

But in Fair Warning, Connelly chose a journalist as his subject, not a policeman. Perhaps that's why I found this book so satisfying. It has the ring of truth to it. It's an area where Connelly has deep real-world experience, having been a journalist before he became a novelist. The characters were interesting and believable, and the story moves along briskly. An out-of-work newspaper reporter is forced by circumstances to work for a consumer watchdog publication. He stumbles onto an unscrupulous genetic testing firm whose data is being sold on the dark web to creepy involuntary celibate men seeking women who are genetically predisposed to risky behavior such as one-night stands and addiction. And one of the "incels" is a killer.  

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Morgan le Fay

Morgan le Fay, King Arthur’s half-sister (sometimes called Morgana), is involved in the current plot in the Prince Valiant comic strip. 

This creates dramatic tension because Prince Valiant’s wife Aleta is also a powerful enchantress who has described herself as “a witch-queen from the South” and “queen of witches.” Aleta has beef with Morgan le Fay, who has transformed Prince Valiant into a fish-goblin guard in her underwater palace.

Oddly enough, this week a young woman appeared in the shop and showed me her college ID to claim our 10% student discount. The name on the card was “Morgan Fay”, or at least I  thought it was. This led to the following exchange:

Me (incredulously): "Is your name really Morgan Fay???” 

She: “It’s Morgan Ray, but some people call me Morgan le Fay.” 

Me (grinning foolishly): “That’s awesome!"

Sadly, neither looked like Helen Mirren, who played  Morgana in the film Excalibur (1981).

An American Tragedy

by Theodore Dreiser

Library of America, New York 

972 pages. ISBN 978-1-931082-310.

This outstanding novel is based on the true story of the Gillette murder case of 1906. But it's much more than a crime story. 

Clyde Griffiths is a young man from a poor family who seeks to rise in society by attaching himself to people of wealth and power, including his rich uncle. In sharp contrast to his wealthy friends, his impoverished parents are itinerant street preachers who are "wrapped up in evangelizing the world." Yet he has no sense of right and wrong to guide him. 

Published in 1925, certain aspects of the story will seem dated to contemporary readers. But for me that was more than balanced by Dreiser's occasional powerful messages about religion, class, wealth, capitalism (he was a committed socialist) and, most importantly, personal responsibility. 

Dreiser on the religious beliefs of Clyde's parents: "...in some blind, dualistic way she and Asa insisted, as do all religionists, in disassociating God from harm and error and misery, while granting Him nevertheless supreme control."  

Dreiser on capitalism: "There had to be higher and higher social orders to which the lower social classes could aspire. One had to have castes....It was necessary when dealing with the classes and intelligences below one, commercially or financially, to handle them according to the standards to which they were accustomed. And the best of these standards were those which held these lower individuals to a clear realization of how  difficult it was to come by money... It informed and strengthened the minds and spirits of those who were destined to rise. And those who were not should be kept right where they were."

The latter part of the novel seems to shift gears into more straightforward storytelling, with courtroom scenes as compelling as any I've read. Yet here again, Dreiser manages to insert some pointed observations about how law enforcement can be swayed by political considerations.  After all, district attorneys are elected officials.

Muse, Odalisque, Handmaiden

A Girl's Life in the Incredible String Band
By Rose Simpson. Strange Attractor Press. 2020.
264 pages. ISBN 978-1-90-7222672.

I liked the Incredible String Band in the late 1960s. I read this book because I was particularly interested in what part Scientology played in Rose Simpson's departure, and the women's role in the band. Muse, Odalisque, Handmaiden has all that and more. Even if you're not that into the ISB, it's interesting to read of her encounters with The Rolling Stones (minimal), Joan Baez (less than gracious), The Doors, Janis Joplin, Joni Mitchell -- and especially Crosby, Stills and Nash, an encounter which she claims changed her life.

The book is well written. It doesn't follow the approach a journalist or a historian would use. It's more like a series of memories or stories, not strictly arranged in chronological order but well enough organized that you get a sense of how things unfolded. She's quite candid about certain things. For example, she tells us that although she was "part of" the band, and appeared on stage with them, she never felt like a musician. And she describes the elite groupies in the U.S., those that pursued the biggest bands, as "beautiful and intelligent", based on encounters in hotel elevators.

Personally, I found Simpson's account of commune life sad. Clearly she was in love with Mike Heron, but when it came to couples, monogamy was neither expected or followed, and "cottage doors remained open long after we ceased to be exclusively together." It's a life I could never lead. But then, this isn't my memoir. 

A passage I keep coming back to about her commune years: she tells us that in those days they wished for "peace, an end to war and the outrageous exploitations of capitalism." In those days (the late 1960s) capitalism wasn't exactly unbridled in the UK. I wonder what she thinks of British politics today.

I salute Simpson for her honesty, and for having the courage to walk away when her "freedom had been overruled by Scientology" and she decided "I wanted someone who would stay with me, a life to share." 

Duma Key

by Stephen King

Pocket Books. 2008. 

800 pages. ISBN-13: 978-1416552963

This is a superior entry in the King canon. As you'd expect, it has the supernatural horror elements common to his work, but what stood out for me was the quality of the writing. It's outstanding, well above his usual level, and sustained throughout the book. 

The book concerns Edgar Freemantle, an ordinary man who suffers an on-the-job brain injury and develops clairvoyant abilities. His first name may be a veiled reference to the psychic Edgar Cayce, and his last may be telling us that the accident has freed his mind and made him a mentalist. 

These powers are amplified by an evil supernatural entity, Perse, who uses them to bend events to its will. As for what that entity is, that is never fully explained, although "older gods" are mentioned. So is H.P. Lovecraft, which makes sense because Perse would be right at home in one of his stories. A chthonic entity, as HPL would have termed it.

To give you a sense of how much I liked Duma Key: I began listening to it in audio book form during a long driving vacation. During vacation, I got through about two-thirds of the book. The very day we got home, I downloaded the Kindle version and continued reading. Last night I fell asleep reading it, woke up around 1:30 am and stayed up reading until I finished the book around 2:30 in the morning. That's how strongly the story and writing grabbed me.

Among the things I liked about this book: the depiction of Freemantle's relationship with his ex-wife and daughters (as a child of divorce, I can relate to that), and the character Mary Ire, a tough old broad who I found entirely believable from my 30 years in the Sunshine State.

I didn't care for the way King makes Jerome Wireman constantly use Spanish phrases, especially  "muchacho." True, there's a tie-in to the plot, but in this character's mouth it sounded false and overdone.  And I was amused to find that the idiosyncratic phrase "lookie-loos" is used to describe gawkers on pages 172, 264 and 325. This peculiar saying recurs in at least two other King novels. 

I have read many of King's books, a few twice (e.g. Salem's Lot, It and Pet Sematery). As I worked my way through this one, the Sarasota setting, artist protagonist and slowly approaching death-ship were unmistakably familiar territory. I decided that I must have read it before. But maddeningly, I had absolutely no recollection of vast parts of the plot. How did I forget all that material? This led me to wonder if I'm going senile, or if I'd just read parts of it before and somehow neglected to finish it. As it turns out, the book is an expansion of his short story Memory. That's what I read, or listened to in audio book form, years ago. Memory was later expanded into Duma Key. Mystery solved. I'm not senile! Not yet, anyway.

The Troubled Air

by Irwin Shaw

Dell Publishing Co. New York. 1951. 

509 pages. ISBN 0-440-18608-0
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
The Communist witch hunt of the 1950s takes its toll on the entertainment industry in this gripping story with believable, nuanced characters and nicely drawn color about life in post-war New York. Shaw is a first-rate writer (the sort of fellow I'd like to be), and he tells a good tale here, as he did in The Young Lions  and Lucy Crown.  

In The Troubled Air, Shaw gives us a whole cast of secondary characters that are interesting and well developed, even if you despise some of them. But there's more. He also has something larger to say about integrity and principles, and the agonizing conflicts public figures faced during the Red scare. No doubt that's because Shaw himself was blacklisted during the Red scare.  

I can't wait to read more of Shaw's work. He reminds me of Herman Wouk, which is not surprising, since they come from the same city and the same era. I came to both authors by the same road: my father, who was the same sort of reader I am, and had their books around the house.

Angelopolis

By Danielle Trussoni
Viking New York. 2013. 320 pages. 
ISBN-13: 978-1-101-60606-3

Angelopolis by Danielle Trussoni
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is a worthy sequel to Angelology, book #1 in this series. In some ways, it's even better. Here Trussoni goes much deeper into the world of descendants of angels who walk among us. But this isn't a spiritual book, or one that is preoccupied with religious messages. It's a fantasy novel set in the real world. 

Book #1 is an absolute prerequisite to this one. Angelopolis assumes that you understand that there are Nephilim (plural of Nephil), whose ancestors were angels cast out of Heaven for falling in love with human women. It also assumes readers know that there are angelologists, humans who seek to track down Nephilim. You must understand these things, and more, before you attempt to read Angelopolis. The plot quickly becomes quite complex and the list of characters grows like Topsy. But the writing style, lush and accessible, kept me reading.

It's filled with the same features that made the first book so tantalizing: apocryphal religious texts (in this case, The Book of Jubilees), real-life figures (such as John Dee, Peter Carl Faberge, Rasputin and the Russian royal family) that are obliquely related to the plot, and the general sense of esoteric knowledge moving beneath the surface of what people think is reality. Wait until you read the "truth" about the origin of Easter eggs. 

I don't like to be critical, but books aren't perfect and no review can be all positive. So, as to my issues with the book: Trussoni introduces so many characters that I had to create a sort of reader's guide listing them and their relationships (see below). Also, the author occasionally resorts to forcing plot exposition language into the mouths of the characters, but the thinking here is rich and original, so I can easily forgive that. 

A third installment in the series is reportedly in the works. In the meantime, I can't wait to read Trussoni's gothic novel The Ancestor (2020).

This is a list of key characters in "Angelopolis." Years have passed since I read the first book. The plot of the second one became so convoluted that I found it necessary to put this reader's guide together for my own aid - and to help me understand the third and final book, which has not yet been published. Warning: This list may contain spoilers.

Watchers: angels banished from Heaven for falling in love with human women. Imprisoned in "The Devil's Throat," a cavern in Bulgaria.

Nephil, Nephilim: evil descendants of ancient families of angelic origin. Originated when The Watchers interbred with humans. Have extraordinary physical characteristics. Live among humans, but  humans barely notice them. Their influence underlies humans' social, economic, political structures. Hunted by angelologists. The most powerful live in Russia. Infiltrated most of the ruling families of Europe, especially Russia. 

Evangeline Cacciatore: central character of both books. Raised by nuns at St. Rose convent. Has both human and Nephil characteristics. Mother: Angela Valko. Father: Lucien. Grandmother: Gabriella Valko. Grandfather: Percival Grigori, a Nephi. Descendant of "the great Semyaza, great-grandaughter of Sneja." 

Percival Grigori: Nephil seeking to engineer an alternate world wholly constructed for Nephilim.

Grigori: a family of particularly vicious Nephilim.

Lucien: angel hatched from a Faberge egg. Not Nephilim, he is something higher up in the hierarchy. Evangeline's father. 

Angela Valko: One of the most daring angelologists. Child of Raphael and Gabrielle Valko (or Percival Grigori and a human woman, according to Merlin Godwin - ???). Creates a virus that kills Nephilim. Breaks into Merlin Godwin's laboratory.  Gives Faberge egg to Vladimir Ivanova. Murdered. Husband: Luca. 

Raphael Valko: Angela's father. An angelologist. Explored The Devil's Throat in Bulgaria. Made three Valkine amulets for self, Angela and wife Gabriella Valko. In book 2, he is 100 years old and continuing his research in his Bulgarian mountain laboratory. 

Vladimir Ivanova: Visits Evangeline in the convent in book 1.  Gives Faberge egg to Evangeline. Dead by the time book 2 gets underway. Wife: Nadia. Daughter: Xenia. 

Nadia: Angela Valko's assistant. Parents were servants to Tsar Nicholas who brought eight Faberge eggs out of Russia during the revolution. Nadia hides them in safekeeping for decades before the events of book 2.

Verlaine: angel hunter. In love with Evangeline. 

Bruno: angel hunter. Head of Paris bureau of "The Society." Trained Verlaine. 

Merlin Godwin: turncoat angelologist who works with Nephilim to remove weak Nephilim from the population.

Azov: angelologist. Trying to replicate the medicine of Noah cited in the apocryphal Book of Jubilees. 

Eno: an Emim angel. Assassin. Exceptionally powerful.

Emim: an order of angels that serve Nephilim. Assassins, enforcers.

Gibborim, Raiphim: an order of warrior angels.

Mara, Golobium: orders of lesser angels. 

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Pennsylvania: Getting Vaccinated

Prepare for frustration when it's your turn to be vaccinated. Scheduling an appointment is a major headache. That's the case even though I'm over 65. 

My state, Pennsylvania, announced eligibility for everyone in the over-65 class before adequate supplies of the vaccine were available.  The Pennsylvania Department of Health's website informs us: "Supplies are extremely limited, so we must prioritize who gets vaccinated first — starting with those most at risk." 

But the state has thrown open the doors to everyone over 65, healthy or not. Primary care physicians are not involved in the selection process. Instead, the state delegated scheduling decisions to pharmacies and hospitals. There is no involvement by anyone who understands my medical condition, and no central point of contact for scheduling. Since the vaccine is scarce, why not allow my doctor to prioritize her patients within the over-65 class? 

I've had to spend many hours on web searches at the local pharmacy and hospital level, only to find no appointments available for months. By sheer luck, my wife finally found an appointment in another county over an hour away. But that's only because we're retired and able to devote days to searching for a provider. 

It seems to me that Britain and Israel are executing the vaccination process much more effectively. In Britain's case, perhaps that's because there is already a nationwide network in place, thanks to what some  call "socialized medicine." Israel appears to have something similar. 

Our decentralized, for-profit health care system is lagging behind in getting the job done. This is a complex policy issue, but perhaps it's time for a change. "Medicare for all"... perhaps Bernie Sanders is onto something there.