Judge A Book By Its Cover

Most book lovers also have an appreciation for cover art and, personally, I always find myself strangely drawn to the book covers of fantasy and science fiction novels. I am aware that this may not be to everyone's taste, but I - for one - enjoy looking at it.

I recently found a number of flickr groups paying tribute to cover art and cover artists. Whilst some might not see the point of photographing the covers of the books on your shelf and sharing these images with others, in my humble opinion it is a jolly good idea.

By no means representative, but nevertheless a first impression of what is on offer over at Flickr, here is a selection of book covers featuring in the group "Hi - Res Science Fiction Book Covers":

Hi-Res Science Fiction Book Covers, a group on Flickr

And this is an overview for the "Books of Fantasy"  group

Books of Fantasy, a group on Flickr.

These groups are just a taster for what is on offer - the perfect destination for an afternoon's browsing and to gather inspiration for your to - read - list.

Stephen King's Pet Sematary - Summary and Review

Pet Sematary was my first Stephen King novel. Though not a major disappointment, the book did not fulfil the expectations I had in mind when starting off. Since I finished it, I have not lost the feeling that King could have explored so much more.

The basic plot of the story can be summarised in a few sentences: Louis Creed and his wife Rachel move together with their two young children, Ellie and Gage, to Maine, where Dr Creed takes up a new job in the Univeristy’s medical centre. Soon after settling into their new home, Dr Creed becomes friends with Jud, his elderly neighbour, who has lived in the house opposite all his life. Jud takes the Creed family on an excursion to the Pet Sematary, a place where local children bury their dead pets. Most of the pets buried in the cemetery are victims of the heavy traffic on the road, which also happens to run past the Creed family home.

Stephen King's Pet Sematary Book Cover

A few months down the line, whilst Rachel and the children are spending Thanksgiving with Rachel’s parents in Chicago, the Creeds’ cat, Church, is run over by a lorry. Initially, Louis is at a loss and does not know how to break the news to his daughter. During the very same night, however, Jud comes up with a solution to Louis’s problem and takes him beyond the Pet Sematary to an ancient Micmac burial site, where Church is subsequently entombed. A few days later Church returns, but only his outer shell resembles the tomcat he once was.

Nevertheless, life goes on in the Creed family household, and even though the cat’s behaviour has altered significantly, the events of this fateful night remain Louis’s secret. Tragedy returns when Gage, the youngest child, is fatally injured on the same road. Unable to cope with his son’s death, Louis decides to bury Gage at the Micmac burial ground against Jud’s ominous warnings…

Contrary to the experiences of other readers, I found Pet Sematary a very emotional read. Rather than inducing feelings of suspense or fear, in my opinion, the novel conveys the moral message that, even if we had the power to awaken the dead, it is more fruitful (and safer) to come to terms with the death of a loved one. King was most convincing when talking about Louis’s feelings of guilt after his son’s tragic death.

Altogether I felt that the book was too long and contained too many, superfluous details. At the same time, following Gage’s return and his somewhat inexplicable killing spree, it felt that King was almost in a rush to bring the story to its conclusion. Whilst he fills pages talking about the return of the tomcat and his altered appearance, it is hard to form an impression of Gage after his return from the burial ground.

Frankly, I couldn’t quite understand why he would return and kill both Jud as well as his mother straight away. The story therefore effectively ended when it could have become most intrigiung. Rather than killing most of the characters off, I think it would have been quite interesting to witness Gage interact with the remaining members of his family.

Thomas Mann's 'Death in Venice' - a very brief summary

In his novella 'Death in Venice' Thomas Mann portrays the final days of his protagonist Gustav von Aschenbach, a revered German novelist, who has reached the autumn of his life. Aschenbach, a widower, is described as a paragon of self - discipline, who has dedicated a lifetime to his craft and denied himself any opportunity for self - indulgence.

When Aschenbach is plagued by a lack of artistic inspiration (or more aptly put: an onslaught of writer's block), he decides to take a holiday, which, as he hopes, might remedy the situation. Instead of spending the summer in his summer house, Aschenbach settles on the Grand Hotel des Bains, located on Venice's Lido Island.

Shortly after his arrival at the hotel, he notices Tadzio, a fourteen - year - old Polish boy, who is staying in the hotel together with his mother, his sisters and their governess. From the moment Aschenbach sets eyes on Tadzio he is mesmerized by the boy.

Initially, Aschenbach admires Tadzio's aesthetic beauty, but soon his interest spirals out of control. Aschenbach either follows him around or observes him for hours whilst Tadzio is playing on the beach with other children. Aschenbach's obsession intensifies against the backdrop of a cholera outbreak in the city, which both the Venetian authorities and those economically dependent on the tourist trade try to cover up. However, even when Aschenbach receives confirmation that the rumours in respect of the cholera outbreak are true, he still does not leave the City.

Eventually, Aschenbach himself starts feeling unwell. When emerging from his room to have breakfast one morning, he finds the Polish family in the midst of preparations for their departure. Seeking out Tadzio, Aschenbach makes for the beach and it is here that he dies in his chair whilst observing Tadzio one final time.

Finding Thomas Mann

The other day, I was watching a travel documentary on Germany. The programme, which last aired on BBC 4 on 2nd April 2011, was presented and researched by Al Murray, a comedian well known amongst the British public. Murray was looking at Germany's cultural heritage, thereby examining the legacy of German artists, architects, composers and novelists. His journey led him to the Hanseatic town of Lübeck, the city where Thomas Mann was born in 1875.

Murray quoted Mann, who is alleged to have stated during his time in exile in the US that where ever he went, there was Germany. In the context of its time and rather than demonstrating a good dose of self - importance, Mann aimed to challenge the narrow definition of what the Nazi elite prescribed to be German or, for that matter, Ungerman.

Being a German and living abroad, I was able to identify with Mann's statement. What was true for Mann, is true for me: where ever I am , I will always be taking a part of Germany with me. As a consequence of this, I will consciously or subconsciously project my particular and subjective brand of "Germanness" to others around me; not because I am keen to let it hang out or eager to thrust my nationality down people's throats, but simply because my nationality, the culture that surrounded me throughout childhood, ultimately shapes my identity. And yet, just like Mann's, my "Germanness" is unique. The same will probably apply to the remaining 80 million of us. For me, Mann's statement works on many levels, but I think it beautifully captures the notions of individuality and commonality in the context of national identity.

Because Mann's statement intrigued me, I thought it a good idea to actually read one of his books. I hear people ask: How can you be German and not have read Mann? Well, I asked myself the same question. Quite frankly, I was unable to come up with an answer. Let's face it, a German who has never read Mann is the equivalent of a Brit who has never seen a Shakespeare play.

I remember my mother's bookshelf contained a copy of Mann's Buddenbrooks. I also remember her talking about 'The Magic Mountain'. As an adolescent I never had great urges to venture into "fat book territory" and both works definitely fall into this category. My irrational fear of big boks possibly explains why I would have not given his epic works a chance during my teenage years. Having said that, I cannot recall Mann being part of my school curriculum either, which, considering Mann's literary accolades, seems rather bewildering - a point I will return to at a later point.

To close this gap in my literary education once and for all, I ordered a copy of "Death in Venice" from the local library. I chose Death in Venice since it is probably one of the better known novellas and my library happened to house a copy in German. This particular edition contains a collection of six novellas by the author and was located on the ethnic minority shelf, quietly cuddling up to the Russian edition of Stephenie Meier's Twilight. (I am somehow convinced Mann would have not objected to me disturbing this questionable union.)

Review: Darkover Landfall - Marion Zimmer Bradley

I am going through quite a phase with Marion Zimmer Bradley at the moment, and it was her Avalon series that got me hooked on her work. So I decided to give Darkover a go as well. In terms of internal chronology, Darkover Landfall is the first book in the series and tells the story of the first earthlings stranded on Darkover following the crash landing of their spaceship. Landfall was first published in 1972 - ten years after the publication of "The Planet Savers", Bradley's first Darkover novel.

Don't expect too much in terms of storyline, this book is intended to set the scene and fill a chronological gap providing the reader with background info on the initial phase of the planet's colonisation: Who were the first humans on Darkover? How did they end up there? Why did they stay? What were their first impressions of the planet and which challenges - both in terms of internal / social as well as external / environmental - did they face? In line with this, Landfall is mainly concerned with the exploration of various themes, whilst the characters remain superficially drawn. Giving a thorough synopsis of the book would give away too much of its content. Below, I will briefly summarise some - but not all - of the plot and introduce Bradley's main themes.

What happens when a group of highly skilled and educated humans get stranded on an uncharted, seemingly inhospitable planet? The group consists of the spaceship's crew and a number of colonists, originally on their way to be dropped off on another planet. Whilst the astronauts are keen to get the spaceship up and running again, the colonists are more inclined to accommodate their fate and make the best of their predicament by settling on Darkover.

Darkover, however, isn't everybody's cup of tea. Due to a lack of metal deposits, it is unlikely  that it would ever support the requirement's of a technologically advanced society, its climate is subjet to severe - and mostly freezing - temperatures and it is already inhabited by two other, humanoid species. Each of these characteristics on their own is reason enough not to earmark the planet for potential colonisation. What's more, Darkover's "powers" seem to gradually set free psychic abilities in its new inhabitants and a strange "Ghostwind" causes barriers between the individuals to temporarily break down, thereby leading to mass orgies with at times grave consequences.

However, when it becomes clear that the spaceship is not salvageable, the colonists, a bunch of red - haired Scots from the Outer Hebrides, take the lead and get everybody "winter - ready". Adapting to life on the planet is not easy, especially not for the spaceship's tech - savvy crew. On Darkover, the colonists' skills as food growers and house builders are sought after and essential in ensuring survival, whilst the crew members' scientific and engineering backgrounds are as good as obsolete for all but future generations. This is what I loosely term Bradley's "back - to - basics theme" and it  permeates Landfall throughout, culminating in the settlers' recognition that a society governed by the principles of scientific knowledge and technological innovation is not a viable option for the organisation of life on Darkover.

Bradley's depiction of this dichotomy (skilled manual labour versus academic education) moves to another level when she explores the effects of the newly regained telepathic abilities on her protagonists. Whilst some are at ease with being guided by their gut - feelings, others, such as the spaceship's captain, find it much harder to come to terms with the existence of these powers. Hard science and its principles are thus pitted against the powerful forces of psychic intuition.


One final point worth mentioning is Bradley's engagement with the pivotal role of women and their significantly altered attitudes towards motherhood. Darkover's chemical composition has rendered all hormone - based contraceptive methods ineffective and due to above - mentioned "get - togethers" a large number of females have become pregnant. When it becomes clear that there is no escape from the planet, all pregnant women are literally forced to continue their pregnancies in order to ensure the colony's survival. Initially, this goes against the grain amongst those women who tend to have a rather sanitised attitude towards motherhood. As we move through the book, this attitude gradually changes. Rather than viewing motherhood as an inferior choice, which is to be avoided at all costs - the dominant viewpoint held by the spaceship's first officer -, its true value is uncovered by the characters in the end.


My verdict: Darkover Landfall was a highly enjoyable read and a good starting point for getting a feel of the series. It certainly got me hooked and more Darkover novels are on the way.  Bradley's work undoubtedly differs from the more technology - oriented novels in the genre, as she views human development as a function of its environment and focuses on exploring the effects of alien environments on societal norms and values. Written in the 1970s, Darkover clearly reflects the concerns and technical advances of a different era, but Bradley's ideas are still contemporary for a 21st century audience.

More information on Marion Zimmer Bradley's Avalon Series

For all those who want more info on Marion Zimmer Bradley's Avalon series, here is a collection of links that might be of interest:

• More on Marion Zimmer Bradley (including advice for aspiring writers) can be found here:

www.mzbworks.com

Marion Zimmer Bradley - Avalon Series

 

• In depth info on Diana L Paxson, who continued Marion's Avalon series, is available on her website. This site also contains info on her Westria series:

http://www.westria.org/author/

• Diana's blog can be found here:

http://dpaxson.livejournal.com

• The latest instalment in the Avalon series was released in the latter part of 2009 and is available now.