Books and Movies and Stuff

Once again, author Darby Karchut shows off her amazing knack for building on each installment of a series, making each book better than the last.

In the Adventures of Finn MacCullen series, Ms. Karchut hasn’t struck a bad note yet, but the third book—“The Hound at The Gate”—surpasses even its two predecessors.

The first two novels mainly focus on the relationship between apprentice Finn “Don’t Call Me Finnegan” MacCullen and his Knight, Gideon Lir. We watch as Finn struggles to learn all the skills required to make him a full-blown knight in the ancient Tuatha De Danaan realm.

The first novel—“Finn Finnegan”—shows Finn’s early training, and the dangers that surround this world so new to Finn. The second novel—“Gideon’s Spear”—shows Finn come into his own, gaining confidence and skill, and showing the traits that will make him a brave warrior in his own right.

In the third installment, “The Hound at The Gate,” Ms. Karchut shifts gears a bit. Rather than focusing solely on Gideon and Finn, she gives us a glimpse into the entire Tuatha De Danaan world.

The location is The Festival, a gathering of Tuatha De Danaan from all over. It’s a sort of ancient warrior Woodstock, with feasts, music, and challenges, a chance for Knights and Apprentices to renew old friendships, and—especially for Gideon and Finn—some old rivalries.

Also attending The Festival—crashing the gates is more like it—are the Amandan, fierce goblin-like creatures whose favorite food happens to be Tuatha De Danaan.

Things turn ugly early, as certain people question Finn’s right to attend The Festival, since he comes from a Knight father and a mortal mother. This internecine tension crackles throughout “The Hound at The Gate,” as if the Amandan weren’t enemy enough.

Repeatedly, Finn finds himself locked in combat for his life and that of his friends.

And those were the good times.

On one night of The Festival, the unthinkable happens. A massive army of Amandan force the Tuatha De Danaan to retreat. Things look hopeless. Only incredible bravery by a handful of Knights stands between being vanquished or living to see another morning.

As the battle winds down, Finn becomes embroiled in yet another quarrel regarding his status, this time due to his uniqueness, not his difference. At stake is his future as a trainee, and the chance that he could be forever separated from his beloved mentor, Gideon.

I can’t stress enough how much of a page-turner “The Hound at The Gate” is. I’ve learned better than to start one of Ms. Karchut’s novels before bedtime, since I know I’ll read all night, and never get any sleep.

As interesting as the lives of the Tuatha De Danaan are in the first two novels, “The Hound at The Gate” gives us a broader glimpse into this mythical world. We see the alliances and rivalries within the group. We learn about the hierarchy and ruling body, and we see all of these things disappear when the Amandan mount a full-scale attack. Knights and apprentices work together, regardless of position or personal feelings. There’s a job to do, and each is prepared to defend the group to his or her dying breath.

I say “his or her” advisedly, because one of the highlights in this novel is the introduction of a feisty female Knight named Kel, and her equally feisty apprentice. Needless to say, these two women leave Gideon and Finn utterly flummoxed, even as they more than prove themselves equals to the men in the group.

Ms. Karchut does a wonderful job providing rich description, setting a visual stage against which the battle will be fought. Then she lets fly with the action.

“The Hound at The Gate” is my favorite thus far of the “Adventures of Finn MacCullen” series, primarily because of the expanded view it gives of the warrior group. While the action is plentiful and powerful, I like the quieter moments as well. Here, we see the people behind the flashing daggers and swinging axes. We can see our own groups mirrored in the Tuatha De Danaan, with all of humankind’s foibles, strengths, and weaknesses.

We also see how all of Gideon’s training has rubbed off on Finn. Not just on the battlefield, but in other areas as well.

Like the rest of The Adventures of Finn MacCullen series, “The Hound at The Gate” is classified as a “middle-grade” book. Also like the rest of the series, “The Hound at The Gate” serves as an excellent read for adults, too.

My only complaint is that Ms. Karchut is making us wait till 2016 for the next installment. That’s a long time to wait for such an exciting series.

Most Highly Recommended

(nb: I received an Advance Reader Copy of this book from the publisher)

Suicide Watch is a website, where people contemplating suicide gather and discuss their pain, their hopelessness, and their plans to end their lives.

Kelley York’s novel, “Suicide Watch,” is one hell of a read.

The book’s narrator, Vincent, has been cast out his entire life. His parents gave him up when he was two-and-a-half years old, and every foster family since then let him go as well. He finally lands with an elderly woman named Maggie, who is completely different. She makes it clear that Vincent’s stay with her will be permanent, and she lives up to her end of the bargain. She cares for Vincent like a son, helps him change to a school that better suits his needs, and serves as a one woman cheering squad.

She dies during Vincent’s high school graduation.

Her estate isn’t much, but it leaves Vincent enough money to live on for a year or so, if he’s careful. His sense of grief and abandonment, of hollowness, is so acute, that he’s driven to think about suicide. He once saw a girl jump to her death from a bridge, and Vincent remembers the peaceful look on her face before she let go of the railing.

A Google search turns up a link to Suicide Watch. Vincent is puzzled, but intrigued enough to sign up. Soon, he finds himself chatting with a girl screen-named Casper, who’s dying of cancer and wants to go out on her own terms. He also meets a boy who goes by the name RoxWell. Roxwell communicates entirely through song lyrics.

The cyber-world of Suicide Watch becomes real when Casper invites herself to meet Vincent for a gallery exhibition. Vincent is still defensive and terrified of people, but he manages to bond somewhat with the vivacious Casper.

On Casper’s next trip down, she brings RoxWell, a sullen eighteen-year-old. The three engage in an uncomfortable evening.

As time progresses, the three become close friends, and Vincent and RoxWell agree to help Casper when she decides to end her life.

The three friends prop-up one another as they face their individual hells, through sadness and loss, through hope, love, and triumph.

The key to “Suicide Watch” is Vincent, through whose eyes we see everything. We’re privy to his thoughts and inner pain, and we can see just how hard it is for him to trust his new friendships. He’s so used to being abandoned and made to feel worthless, that it’s damned near impossible to believe that people really like him just as he is.

I’ve suffered from depression for years, and I found myself highlighting passage after passage from Vincent’s narrative. “Oh, that’s true. That’s dead-on.” That sort of thing. Vincent is drawn that realistically.

Kelley York does a wonderful job in keeping the story under control. It’s not like Vincent meets his new friends, then suddenly begins dancing joyful tarantellas. His distrust of people–individually and in general–is too deep-seated for him to change that abruptly.

Change is gradual, and often painful. Ms. York recognizes this, and she avoids innumerable pitfalls and easy shortcuts she could have used.

In the afterword, she says that this book was the hardest book she’s written, that she gets attached to her characters and finds it heartbreaking when they suffer.

It’s obvious that she means what she says. Life has dealt Vincent a cruel hand. Ms. York doesn’t shy away from his pain. She guides him through it as best she can, hoping–and leaving us to hope–that Vincent finds some sort of recompense in the end.

Most Highly Recommended

“Give War a Chance: Eyewitness Accounts of Mankind’s Struggle Against Tyranny, Injustice, and Alcohol-Free Beer” is a collection of P.J. O’Rourke’s various writings from the late 1980’s and early 1990’s. If you grew up during the Reagan Years, you’ll probably remember many of the stories in this collection from when they were current events–especially various foreign affairs stories (Iran-Contra, e.g.).

O’Rourke also takes jabs at famous books from the era (Lee Iacocca’s autobiography, and a book penned by former President and First Lady, Jimmy and Rosalyn Carter). To me, one of the funniest parts of the book is the party games he’s invented to play using the Carters’ book. It’s…well, you’d just have to read it.

The book’s biggest section concerns the events leading up to The Persian Gulf War, as well as the war itself. The war–if you recall–was the first one really televised live. O’Rourke gives behind the scenes details of how the press coverage really worked, as well as some horrifying situations he encountered during his time there.

To us–more than a quarter-century after most of these stories were originally published–“Give War a Chance” is most-valuable as an eyewitness historical perspective. O’Rourke’s adventures have led him through more than enough dangerous situations.

The real value to fans of the author is his rich, funny prose. It takes a special skill to inject humor into war coverage, for example, but P.J. O’Rourke manages to do just that. He balances his oft-irreverent style with in-depth reporting, without being overly frivolous.

The age and length of these stories would normally earn three stars from me. But I’m giving it four, just because P.J. O’Rourke is so damn funny.

Recommended (Mainly for P.J. O’Rourke fans, and those with interest in that time period’s big stories.)

(nb: I received a review copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley)

In many ways, love is like music. It can soar with passion and verve, or it can ring dissonant and harsh. In most relationships, we experience both of these, and endless progressions in between.

Thus, music is the perfect backdrop for budding lovers Shawn Davies and Jaymi Del Harmon. Shawn is a survivor, a former hustler whose L.A. music career was going nowhere. She packed up, and worked her way back to her New England home town. She spent many days playing for whatever people would throw in her guitar case; she spent many nights in her car.

When she got back home, her father refused to see her. He had never forgiven her for coming out as a lesbian back in her teens. When everything seemed lost, she heard the band Passion Play on a local radio station. Shawn had been friends with Passion Play’s guitarist and songwriter, Jaymi Del Harmon, and Jaymi agreed to take Shawn in, just till she got her life together.

That period of time kept stretching, as the two women grew closer and closer, till something had to give. At risk? Their burgeoning music careers, close friendship, and blossoming love. The question remained whether the two women’s bond could endure new temptations–as well as ghosts from the past–and make their song a joyous melody, or would the entire relationship crumble like the clash of cymbals.

Author Holly Stratimore does a wonderful job melding music and romance into a parallel narrative. As the characters’ lives ebb and flow, so does their music. They suffer from writer’s block, and their relationship hits snags. It’s deftly handled.

I liked the two protagonists, too. Shawn comes off as tough but vulnerable, while Jaymi seems to have it all together, though there’s a giant hole inside her. They complement one another beautifully.

I also liked the supporting characters, especially Passion Play’s super-brash lead singer, Nikki. Beneath the growl and arrogance, we find an unexpected soft side. It was a nice twist.

Ms. Stratimore throws in enough curveballs so that the story never gets stale, and she brews up plenty of steamy scenes to keep up the sizzle.

“Songs Unfinished” works as a romance. However, there’s plenty more to the story. It’s obvious the author has a deep knowledge of both music and relationships, and she blends them together into a beautiful chord of a novel.

Highly Recommended