Challenge Complete: League of Extraordinary Gentlemen

Many thanks to Man of la Book for hosting this interesting challenge.  I had a great time reading all of the classic novels which inspired the graphic novel The League of Extra­or­di­nary Gen­tle­men, writ­ten by Alan Moore and illus­trated by Kevin O'Neill. [In fact, truth be told, I had a much better time reading all the books behind the story than I did with the graphic novel.  But, then, graphic novels aren't my thing, so mileage may vary.]

This graphic novel  takes sev­eral famous (and not-so-famous) lit­er­ary char­ac­ters and mixes them up together for an adven­ture of a life­time. Man of la Book thought it would be fun to read those clas­sic nov­els and then the graphic novel to see how the cre­ators man­aged to take such clas­sics and mix them up all together. If that sounds fun to you too, then click on the challenge button above for complete details and to sign up--it's a perpetual challenge, so even though I'm just finishing up, you could get started. Right now.

Here are the books I read (in no spe­cific order):
– Drac­ula by Bram Stoker (4/25/12)
– Twenty Thou­sand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne (2/14/12)
– Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Steven­son (6/3/12)
– The Invis­i­ble Man by H.G. Wells (1/9/12)
– The First Men in the Moon by H.G. Wells (2/3/12)
– The Insidious Dr. Fu Manchu by Sax Rohmer (any Fu Manchu novel) [6/12/12]
– The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (any Sher­lock Holmes novel) [2/5/12]
– King Solomon's Mines by Sir H. Rider Haggard (any Allan Quater­main novel) [5/29/12]
– Casino Royale by Ian Fleming (Any James Bond novel) [3/3/12]

and

- The League of Extra­or­di­nary Gen­tle­men (Vol 1) [read 4/6/12) graphic novel to tie it all together. (if you don't have it in your local library Ama­zon sells afford­able issues).

The Insidious Dr. Fu-Manchu: Review

I just had me a nice little dose of déjà vu.  Earlier this year I read Sax Rohmer's The Golden Scorpion.  And now I have finished The Insidious Dr. Fu-Manchu.  And it was like reading the same pulpy, cliff-hanger, Yellow Peril story all over again.  Evil, all-powerful, Chinese master criminal bent on world conquest with ominous green eyes? Check.  Leaving behind a trail of murdered experts in their field?  Check.  Beautiful, mysterious, woman who is strangely enslaved to the evil master criminal, but who has fondness for our gallant narrator and who alternately helps him and does her master's bidding?  Check.  Edge-of-your-seat endings to each chapter as the heroes narrowly escape from danger, just miss saving someone from the villain's clutches, or occasionally snatch a victim from Fu-Manchu's grasp? Check.  Throw in a huge supply of weird, dangerous creatures to spice things up a bit--and we're all set.

This time our evil villain, Dr. Fu-Manchu, is determined to get his hands on all the experts on the Far East that he can--and eliminate them.  He's also picking up a few doctors and scientists along the way and sending them back to China where they will be forced to aid him in his quest for world domination.  Nayland Smith, who has mysterious connections with Scotland Yard, is out to stop the doctor no matter what the cost.  Smith enlists the help of his friend Dr. Petrie--and the two of them set out to warn and rescue as many people on the doctor's hit list as they can.  With mixed results.  The final showdown occurs in a cottage and ends in flames.  But is it the end of the Doctor?

Once again, this story is not for those who want a nice sanitized view of the early 20th Century.  Rohmer uses the period's conventional mistrust of the Far East and the Asian culture to create his super villains--members of the Yellow Peril, a group bent on dominating the world and, particularly, conquering Britain and America.  It's good old fashioned fun--especially for those of us who are familiar with the cliff-hanger serial stories of yesteryear. Lots of hyperbole and exaggeration (I've given a few examples below)--either about Fu-Manchu or in his dialogue.

If you're looking for fast-moving, pulpy fun, then Rohmer is your man.  Another fun romp through one thrilling adventure after another.  A good solid three stars.

This is also my final read for the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Challenge.  And I would have to say that of all the characters included in that graphic novel, Fu-Manchu was the most faithfully rendered.  Maybe it's easier to get it right when you're already dealing with an over-the-top villain.  I don't know. But Moore did a great job capturing Fu-Manchu's "I'm going to rule the world!!!!" madness.  Don't remember straight off whether he got the Doctor's eyes piercingly green enough or not.  But well done on Fu-Manchu over all.

And--this being one of the classic pulp thriller/detective novels, I'm counting it for the Classic Bribe Challenge as well.


Quotes:

Other members of the household were moving about, more or less aimlessly, and the chilly hand of King Fear had touched one and all, for, as they came and went, they glanced over their shoulders, as if each shadow cloaked a menace, and listened, as it seemed, for some sound which they dreaded to hear. (p. 4)

Singular though my friend's  proceedings appeared to me, I had ceased to wonder at anything. Since Nayland Smith's arrival at my rooms I seemed to be moving through the fitful phases of a nightmare. (p. 9)

But a woman is a two-edged sword, and treacherous. [Nayland Smith] (p. 11)

Imagine a person, tall, lean and feline, high-shouldered, with a brow like Shakespeare and a face like Satan, close-shaven skull, and long, magnetic eyes of the true cat-green. Invest him with all the cruel cunning of an entire Eastern race, accumulated in one giant intellect, with all the resources, if you will, of a wealthy government--which, however, already has denied all knowledge of his existence. Imagine that awful being, and you have a mental picture of Dr. Fu-Manchu, the yellow peril incarnate in one man. [Nayland Smith] (p. 13)

It was a sidelight upon the character of the awful being with whom we had to deal. My very soul recoiled from the bare consideration  of the fate that would be ours if ever we fell into his hands. (p. 19)

There are few states, I suppose, which exact so severe a toll from one's nervous system as the anticipation of calamity. (p. 56) 

I felt as one bound upon an Aztec altar, with the priest's obsidian knife raised above my breast! (p. 56)

"They die like flies!" screamed Fu-Manch, with a sudden febrile excitement; and I felt assured of something I had long suspected: that that magnificent, perverted brain was the brain of a homicidal maniac--though Smith would never accept that theory. "It is my fly-trap!" shrieked the Chinaman. "And I am the god of destruction!" (167)

Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde: Encore, Encore!

Thanks to Man of La Book's League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Challenge, I have now read The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde three times in as many years. [Most of my previous thoughts on Jekyll & Hyde can found HERE and HERE.]  I'm not complaining....I love this late Victorian Gothic morality play about the division of good and evil that lies in every person.   It's just that I'm not sure I've got much that's fresh to say about this one on my third go round.  That being the case, I may not be able to do this review without spoilers--so beware!

As I mention in a previous review--the story tells us all too well that if we are not very careful, then evil can overtake us. Once started down the road, lesser sins can soon lead to bigger until finally it becomes near impossible to turn back and become what we once were. It is particularly difficult for those with addictive personalities--one looks for bigger and better thrills and that is part of what leads one further down the road.  

I think what strikes me most this time around is a very tiny moment in Jekyll's final days.  It's a point that I didn't really take note of before.  After the murder of Sir Danvers, he is determined not to let Hyde loose again.  He spends a good two to three months suppressing the "child of Hell" and begins to feel very good about himself.  He has used his time trying to repay good for the evil Hyde has done.  He has been immersing himself in spiritual studies.  He begins to compare himself to other men--"comparing [his] active good-will with the lazy cruelty of their neglect."  And you know what they say about pride...it goeth before a fall.  Jekyll is setting himself up for a doozy.  In almost every list of the seven deadly sins pride is considered the most serious.  It represents the primary fault that led to Lucifer's fall.  The moment when Jekyll begins to feel prideful about how well he's done in suppressing Hyde and making reparations for his behavior is his point of no return.  From that time on the potion no longer works as well--he finds himself turning into Hyde with very little effort and with no notice, right there in a public park.  

Image Source

The only other thoughts I have are in connection with the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.  In the original story, Hyde is depicted as much smaller than Jekyll--a shrunken, "little" man; pale and dwarfish; "particularly small and evil-looking."  And, yet, the League graphic novel (and movie, for that matter) portrays him an almost-giant, an Incredible Hulk type (less the green skin) with immense strength.  If we allow that Jekyll/Hyde actually survived (rather than committing suicide as Stevenson's story relates), then, for Hyde to have become as large and strong as he is in League I see no way for him to ever appear as Jekyll.  Hyde would have to have completely subdued his original persona to grow to such proportions. Stevenson mentions towards the end that Jekyll feels as though Hyde had grown--but even at that, Jekyll's clothes still hang on him, many sizes too big.

King Solomon's Mines: Review

King Solomon's Mines by H. Rider Haggard is another read initially selected for the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Challenge sponsored by Man of La Book.  This time I'm taking a peek at the origins for the character of Allan Quartermain.  This book is Haggard's answer to Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island and was originally written as a result of a five-shilling wager between Haggard and his brother.  Haggard had commented that he could write an adventure story that was at least half as good as Stevenson's Treasure Island.  Apparently the reading public of the time thought so because when it was published in 1885 to advertisements proclaiming it "The Most Amazing Book Ever Written" they gobbled it up, making it difficult for  the publishers to print enough copies to keep up with demand.  According to the book's introduction, it sold 31,000 copies in the first year--an incredible amount for that time.

The story is a pretty straightforward treasure hunt story.  Allan Quartermain is a well-known elephant hunter--a man who has made his living at a dangerous job for well over the general life-span for such hunters.  Quartermaine is approached by Sir Henry Curtis and his good friend, former naval officer Captain Good, who had contacted the white hunter previously about Curtis's brother.  The brothers had quarreled and George (the brother) had set off for Africa in search of treasure.  He had heard the legend of King Solomon's mines--supposedly the source of great wealth, primarily in diamonds.  Quartermain is acquainted with the legend and even has a rough map that is said to show the location.  

Sir Henry asks if Quartermain will accompany them on a search for for the missing man...and incidentally for the diamonds.  After reaching an agreement that gives Quartermain a share of any treasure found and that will provide for Quartermain's son in the event his death, the hunter agrees--figuring that he hasn't much time left as an elephant hunter anyway.  The men set out with three African men on the treacherous journey that finds them crossing a deadly desert, scaling a near-impossible mountain slope, and encountering a warrior tribe to rival the Zulu nation.  The adventurers will have to use all their ingenuity and fighting skills to survive their journey.

There is plenty of action in this one--particularly in the last half of the book.  Quartermain makes a point of saying that he's just giving the story to us straight, without "the grand literary flights and flourishes" of the day.  And for the most part, this is so.  Haggard's style is certainly a lot less wordy than, say, George Eliot (whom I love, by the way, but who has to describe absolutely everything from every which way)--but he does have his moments.  Quartermain does a bit of philosophizing now again, but not too much.  Taken on the surface, it's just a fun book with some humor and some really good characters.  Sure, there are those who are going to be all politically correct and get offended over some of the representations of the "natives."  But, look, folks--this was written in the late 1800s and we're in the middle of British Imperialism here.  Of course, there's bound to be an air of "what these people need is some good old British, white man influence."  And, yes, there is.  But if you look at it realistically--Haggard's pretty forward-thinking for a man of his time.  His representation of the African people is fairly positive in most sections--particularly Umbopa/Ignosi.  And he even allows a romance between Captain Good and one of the Kukuana women--a most unusual move for the times. Three and a half stars.

I enjoyed this story quite a bit and am glad that the challenge gave me incentive to read it.  And...In reference to the portrayal of Quartermain in League (the graphic novel)--I find that Alan Moore has more closely followed Haggard's characterization of the hunter than he did with Stoker's Mina (Harker) Murray.  He has struck just the right note between the great white hunter/adventurer and the coward that Quartermain claims to be. 

Quotes:

It is far. But there is no journey upon this earth that a man may not make if he sets his heart to it. There is nothing, Umbopa, that he cannot do, there are no mountains he may not climb, there are no deserts he cannot cross; save a mountain and a desert of which you are spared the knowledge, if love leads him and he holds his life in his hand counting it as nothing, ready to keep it or to lose it as Providence may order. [Sir Henry Curtis] (p. 82)

Yet man dies not whilst the world, at once his mother and his monument, remains. His name is lost, indeed, but the breath he breathed still stirs the pine-tops on the mountains, the sound of the words he spoke yet echoes on through space; the thoughts his brain gave birth to we have inherited to-day; his passions are our cause of life; the joys and sorrows that he knew are our familiar friends--the end from which he fled aghast will surely overtake us also!

Truly the universe is full of ghosts, not sheeted churchyard spectres, but the inextinguishable elements of individual life, which having once been, can never die, though they blend and change, and change again for ever. (p. 165)

As I grow older, I regret to say that a detestable habit of thinking seems to be getting a hold of me. (p. 166)

When one can only do one thing well, one likes to keep up one's reputation in that thing. (p. 169)

Dracula: Review

Dracula by Bram Stoker is the classic horror story.  No sparkling boy-vampires here.  No teen angst.  Just plain and simple, down-right nasty evil--the Master of the Undead and the "children of the night" (read wolves).  This vampire story, despite all the in-depth criticism and literary analysis, is not about seduction.  It's not sexy.  This is Count Dracula in all his baseness wanting to exert his mastery over the human race and to make everyone--especially Mina Harker--do his bidding and become like him.  He doesn't want Mina Harker because he wants to thrill her with his all-powerful, undying masculinity.  He wants first to punish her for interfering with his plans and then to make her his creature to in turn harm her husband and the others in their small group of crusaders.

Dracula is one of those stories that you assume that everyone knows.  It has been such a part of our culture--from Bela Lugosi's Dracula of the 1930s to the 1992 "Bram Stoker's Dracula."  Stoker's version may not be the very first vampire story--but it is the one that set the standards for vampires.  We all know how vampires behave because of this novel--they can change form (primarily bats and wolves), they are stronger than normal men, they are strongest at night (and in some cases can't bear daylight), they must have their native soil with them for strength, they can almost hypnotize their victims when overpowering them, they can't stand garlic and crosses and other religious icons. 

This story tells us about Jonathan Harker, a young lawyer, who is sent to Transylvania to complete business affairs for a mysterious Count.  Count Dracula has plans to leave his native land and take up residence in England.  Harker and the office he works for have been procuring a house for the count and he has brought the final paperwork and summary of preparations for the count to sign and approve.  Harker's journey to the castle home of Count Dracula should warn him of what is to come.  The residents of the surrounding town and his fellow travelers all make signs to ward off the evil eye and his driver and the horses are more and more nervous the closer they get to castle.   Once at the castle, Harker notices that his host never eats with him and he discovers that the man casts no shadow and no reflection in the mirror Harker has brought to shave with.  Soon he finds that he is a prisoner in the castle and the Count does not intend that he will ever leave.  The young lawyer fears what fate awaits him at the hands of the Count...or the evil women who also inhabit the castle.  Harker makes a daring escape by climbing out a window and down the sheer castle wall below.

The story shifts to England where Harker's fiancee, Wilhelmina Murray is visiting with her dear friend Lucy Westenra.  Lucy has not been feeling well and falls into an old habit of sleep-walking.  Mina tries to restrain her, but Lucy cannot seem to resist the urge to walk at night.  Mina finds her one night up at a favorite sitting place--very weak and pale.  Dr. Seward is called in to examine her, but he cannot find a cause for her weak health.  He is mystified by odd puncture wounds in her neck.  He in turn calls upon his mentor, Professor Van Helsing to attend the girl.  Van Helsing is appalled at her state of health and eventually calls upon her fiancee, Lord Arthur Godalming (as well as Dr. Seward, Quincey Morse (another admirer of Lucy's) and himself) to give the young woman blood transfusions....all in a vain attempt to save her life.  But the blood of four good, strong men is not enough to save her and soon they are laying her to rest in the family vault.

Meanwhile, Harker has made it back to England--albeit unwell and delirious--and Mina had gone to his side to nurse him back to health. She is away when her friend dies.  It isn't long before children begin wandering off and when found they exhibit similar neck wounds to those found on Lucy.  All they can say about their experience is that they were lured away by a "bloofur lady."  Seward, Van Helsing, Godalming, and Morse band together to seek out the "bloofur lady"--and incident that will bring much heartache to Lord Godalming.   Harker recovers from his trauma and he and his now wife, Mina meet up with others.  They pool their stories and recollections of the incidents and Van Helsing convinces them that they must now go after the source of the trouble--the mysterious Count.  The rest of the book revolves around the group's efforts to thwart Dracula and end his reign of terror.

Told in the form of letters and diary entries, Stoker uses the various points of view very effectively.  Switching often from Harker's journal, Mina's letters and diary, Lucy's letters, and Dr. Seward's journal, we see events as they happen and sometimes from more than one perspective.  It is a very well-rounded method of story-telling--and quite good when done well.  As it is here.  Stoker manages to build the suspense and horror without the blood and gore and shock techniques often found in modern horror stories.  His use of atmosphere is superb.  A long, sometimes dense classic--but well worth the investment.  Four stars.

Two more comments:  First--my initial contact with the Dracula story was in an illustrated children's version (what would now be considered a graphic novel--although I don't believe that term was in use back in the dark ages when I was young).  Having now read the entire classic novel, I am amazed at how well done that condensed version was.  It was a very short paperback book--no more than 70 pages, I'd say--but it hit all the most important points.  And didn't skimp on the palpable horror either, I'm thinking in particular of the scenes with the "bloofur lady"--kids in the "dark ages" were apparently expected to be up to the challenge.  Here is a link that Pendulum Press classics illustrated edition..

And....One of the main reasons I'm reading this now is for the Man of la Book's League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Challenge (among others).  Having read the graphic novel of The League of Extraordinary Gentleman (and not being extraordinarily impressed--click title for review), I just want to emphasize that I'm really unenthused with Alan Moore's vision of Mina Harker--er, Murray, since he has her divorced from Harker.  I'm not going to claim that I entirely endorse the Victorian view of women that Stoker presents--women as the angel of the home, bringing sweetness and comfort to their men.  A good woman giving her man "heaven on earth."  But he (Stoker) does get some kudos for showing Mina to have some brains and to be the true heroine of the novel.  I digress.  The point is, if we go with her creator's vision--she IS a very sweet woman.  She truly loves and is devoted to both her friend Lucy and her husband Harker.  And there is no way on earth you can get me to buy into the sour-faced wench that Alan Moore & Kevin O'Neill (illustrator) has given us in League.  I still say she looks like she's got a poker shoved where the sun don't shine.  Yes, she's a strong female character--but Stoker gives us that with sweetness, not as lemonade with no sugar.

The League of Extraordinary Gentleman: Review

First off, let me say...the movie The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen? I loved it. Absolutely loved it. That was one of the main draws for me for taking part in the challenge of the same name. That and the desire to read some of the classic novels on the list of books that serve as back-stories for the graphic novel and the movie. Now, the graphic novel...I did not love. Perhaps it's that graphic novels really aren't my thing. But mostly, I think it's the incredibly violent, overly-sexualized drawings that turn me off. I may be from the prehistoric age when it comes to comic books (and, let's face it, that's what I think of when we talk graphic novels)--but I don't expect to see more-than-half-naked women (and a few men), with grossly over-sized bosoms heaving all over the place. And I'm not terribly keen on seeing bloody bits of human beings flying across the page. Seriously. Oh...and Mina Murray is drawn (when we're not emphasizing her feminine attributes) to look as if she's sucked on a pound of lemons AND has a poker shoved where the sun don't shine. That's marvelous as well. And, of course, there are the sexist and racist bits.

Once I turned on my visual filter and skimmed the pictures for the written word only, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (Vol. 1) and I got on a lot better. It's a pretty good story--and the plot-line is well-written. I like the action and twist and double-twist at the end. I liked that the graphic novel gives a bit more explanation of how the league came together. I just think I would have enjoyed it a lot more if it had been a straight novel rather than a graphic novel.

The story itself is a bit different from the movie. The League is gathered together by a certain Campion Bond, who is in the employ of "Mr. M." "M" is supposedly the head of intelligence in Britain and he wants Bond to put together a group of agents who can help the Empire in a time of great need. A certain Asian "Doctor"--kingpin of crime in London's East End--has stolen cavorite, a substance which will enable flight and allow the Doctor to attack Britain from the air. Mina Murray works at Bond's behest to gather Allan Quartermaine, Captain Nemo, Hawley Griffin (The Invisible Man), and Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde together to track down the Doctor and save the Empire. Little do they know what evil adventures await....and who they're really working for.

Two stars--all for story. There are other volumes in this graphic novel series. I can't say that I'll be seeking them out.

Casino Royale: Review

"Mine's Bond--James Bond."

Casino Royale by Ian Fleming. Where it all began--the first book in the 007 legacy. This book introduced the world to what has become the most well-known British Intelligence agent in fiction.

I first read this one back in the mists of time when I was about 14 or so. There seemed to be endless rounds of James Bond Marathons with Sean Connery running on the television (that my Mom and Dad never wanted me to watch)....so I decided to take a look at the books--reading Casino and then Dr. No. My parents never monitored my reading the way they did the television-viewing. Perhaps they thought the visuals were more likely to warp me. Either that or, not being the heavy-duty readers that I am, they didn't realize the effect the written word might have. Not that reading about gambling, drinking martinis, and wild nights of passion, set me on the road to ruin...pretty boring Mid-Western life going on here. :-)

When Man of la Book posted his League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Challenge and included "read any James Bond novel" as one of the criteria, I wasn't sure which Bond book I wanted to try. I was tempted to reread Casino simply because I was curious whether I would still like it after almost 30 years. But I also thought I might want to try reading one that I hadn't read before. So...I asked one of our resident Bond experts in the English Department which book he would suggest if I were only going to read one Bond book and he narrowed it down to either From Russia With Love or Casino Royale. And when the Friends of the Library offered up the pictured copy for sale, my decision was made.

In 007's first written mission, Bond has been commissioned to out-gamble a deadly, high-rolling Russian operative known as "Le Chiffre." or the cipher. Le Chiffre has been playing games with Soviet funds and stands to be permanently relieved of his spying status if he doesn't have a run of luck at the Baccarat table to replenish his bankroll. Bond's goal is to bankrupt Le Chiffre so the Soviet organization SMERSH will punish their own. But even when it looks like Bond has gambled on a sure winner, he finds that the odds can quickly change--especially when some people just won't play by the rules. Add a beautiful female agent to the mix and the stakes become even higher. We're all set for an exciting finish...including a surprise assist from an unexpected quarter.

I have to admit that I still think Ian Fleming writes one heck of a spy thriller. Not my usual thing--but when I read them, I want my spy novels to be exciting. And Bond definitely delivers. You can't beat James Bond for smooth and debonair with all the glitz and glamor of the gaming world. An excellent story as long as you're prepared for the world you step into. I gave this story four stars on my first read and we're almost there this time. My only major problem with it on this go-round is with Bond's attitude towards women. I realize that he's a product of his time--but his views on romance (making love to Vesper will always "have the sweet tang of rape"?? Um. yeah. That goes over big in 2012.) and women's proper place ("These blithering women who thought they could do a man's work. Why the hell couldn't they stay at home and mind their pots and pans and stick to their frocks and gossip and leave men's work to the men.")...well, his views just don't go down well for me at this point. So, we'll deduct a bit for that. Three and a half stars for the latest reading.



Quotes:

Above all, he liked it that everything was one's own fault. There was only oneself to praise or blame. Luck was a servant and not a master. Luck had to be accepted with a shrug or taken advantage of up to the hilt. But it had to be understood and recognized for what it was and not confused with a faulty appreciation of the odds, for, at gambling, the deadly sin is to mistake bad play for bad luck. And luck in all its moods had to be loved and not feared. (p. 42)

Luck in all its moods had to be loved and not feared Bond saw luck as a woman, to be softly wooed or brutally ravaged, never pandered to or pursued. But he was honest enough to admit that he had never yet been made to suffer by cards or by women. One day, and he accepted the fact he would be brought to his knees by love or by luck. (p. 42)

Bond didn't defend the practice. He simply maintained that the more effort and ingenuity you put into gambling, the more you took out. (p. 43)

History is moving pretty quickly these days, and the heroes and villains keep on changing parts. (Bond, p. 135)

Englishmen are so odd. They are like a nest of Chinese boxes. It takes a very long time to get to the centre of them. When one gets there the result is unrewarding, but the process is instructive and entertaining. (Mathis, p. 136)

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea: Review

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne is, quite honestly, more of an adventure and revenge novel than science fiction. Admittedly Verne was speculating on the use of sciences that were in their infancy or just a glimmer in their inventor's eyes when he wrote, but there isn't much that's truly out-of-this-world and stretch-your-imagination here--particularly for someone reading it now.

Verne has given us the mysterious figure of Captain Nemo--a man whose nationality and origins are unknown. A man who harbors a deep distaste for his fellow man and who is a on a quest to avenge some private wrong. At the end of the story he says about a vessel that he is about to attack, "I am the oppressed, and there is the oppressor! Through him I have lost all that I loved, cherished, and venerated,--country, wife, children, father, and mother. I saw all perish! All that I hate is there! Say no more!" We are never told exactly what happened to make him so bitter.

But, I get ahead of myself....to backtrack. The story begins with Professor Aronnax, French naturalist who is a recognized expert on marine life and who is on his way home to France after an expedition. When he arrives in New York in preparation to sail back home, there are also preparations being made for the naval ship the Abraham Lincoln to set out in search of a "sea monster" which has been spotted by various ships and most recently has opened a large hole in the passenger ship the Scotia. The captain and crew of the Lincoln have vowed to hunt down whatever creature may have done the damage and Professor Aronnax is invited along as an expert in sea life. His devoted servant Conseil joins him on what may (and does) prove to be a dangerous journey. They make friends with the skilled harpooner Ned Land.

When the Lincoln finally locates the "creature" and engages it, the ship is damaged (the rudder rendered useless) and Aronnax, Conseil, and Land all find themselves adrift in the Atlantic. They wind up washed up on the hull of the "creature"--a man-made submarine shaped roughly like a cigar. The three are soon brought inside, but find themselves prisoners of a man who introduces himself as Captain Nemo. Nemo tells them that he means them no harm, but that he will never allow them to leave the vessel. They must resign themselves to a life aboard his ship.

The remainder of the book is a veritable travelogue of the voyage of the Nautilus (Nemo's vessel) through the oceans and seas of the world. We follow him through the Atlantic and Pacific, through the waters of the Antarctic to the pole itself. We see him journey through the Red Sea and a secret underground passage that takes him through the Mediterranean. We are treated to an encyclopedia's worth of marine life (literally--a catalog of underwater creatures, with commentary given to us in great detail by the Professor). And ends with the scene of revenge from which the quote above is taken.

There are some grand adventures here. There are some very nice descriptions. Nemo has the makings of a tremendous character study. I enjoyed the heart of the story very much--and could have loved this so much more than Moby Dick and Ahab's obsession*, but for two things. First--the obscenely long lists of marine life and the detailed descriptions of everything from their scales to their fins to their tentacles. And the fact that even Conseil, the servant, seems to have an encyclopedic knowledge of most of the life they encounter. He occasionally has to ask the Professor a question, but he seems to know more than most servants should about just about anything. Second, we never find out Nemo's back-story. He's one of the most interesting characters but we don't know why he hates men so much or what happened that took everything he had away from him. We're left to wonder. I would have enjoyed more about Nemo and less about the zillions of kinds of fish.

Overall, an enjoyable adventure. Three and a half stars.


*I do like it better than Moby Dick (which I hated), by the way. But I could have loved it much more and would have liked to.

The Hound of the Baskervilles: Review

Since I've been struggling with my reading (and as a by-product, my blogging) lately, I decided to go back to something tried and true--Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and The Hound of the Baskervilles. Sherlock Holmes never lets me down. Give me a good old Victorian mystery set on the moors of England and watch the reading doldrums fade away.

This is the classic story of Sir Henry Baskerville and the legend of the giant hound that haunts his family. Is it really true that a spectral dog hunts down all the Baskerville men as retribution for Sir Hugo's dastardly deeds in the 18th Century? Sherlock Holmes is unwilling to believe it until he can rule out all possibility of human involvement, but recent events have Dr. Mortimer, a man of science, thinking it may be true.

The tale really starts with Sir Charles Baskerville, Henry's uncle. Sir Charles had returned to Baskerville Hall only two years ago having made his fortune abroad. He settled down to the life of country squire and was spreading his wealth amongst the less-fortunate around him. There seemed to be no reason for anyone to wish him harm. Then the rumors start flying that a giant hound has been seen and heard on the moor. Sir Charles, who has a weak heart, becomes anxious and dies one night near the moor--of "natural causes." Dr. Mortimer, the attending physician, is uneasy. There are no marks of violence on the body, but there is every reason to believe that Sir Charles was literally scared to death. He approaches Holmes with the legend of hound, the facts as he knows them of Sir Charles's death, and asks his advice about what to do with Sir Henry--the new baronet.

Holmes is quite sure that there is, indeed, evil abroad and sends Watson to Baskerville Hall to guard the new baronet and send reports about all that happens and all who are interested in Sir Charles. Watson gathers clues while Holmes works mysteriously in the background until the story reaches a climax on the foggy, lonely moor. A night when Sir Henry, Holmes and Watson will see the Hound of the Baskervilles for themselves....

It was nice to breeze through a book again--and not just because I've read it before. But because Doyle writes so darn well. There are plenty of Victorian-era descriptions, but not so much that the reader gets bogged down. And there's plenty of action to keep the story moving--with mysterious strangers following Sir Henry through London, the mystery of the disappearing boots, the escaped criminal out on the moors, the tall man who watches from the craggy heights, and what in the world is Barrymore, the Baskerville butler, up to at night? Great fun! And reading Holmes was like coming home. Five stars.

Quotes:

It may be that you are not yourself luminous, but that you are a conductor of light. Some people without possessing genius have a remarkable power of stimulating it. (p. 8)

The world is full of obvious things which nobody by any chance ever observes. (p. 31)

The devil’s agents may be of flesh and blood, may they not? (p. 32)

The setting is a worthy one, if the devil did desire to have a hand in the affairs of men. (p. 32)

There's a light in a woman's eyes that speaks louder than words. (p. 94)

Evil indeed is the man who has not one woman to mourn him. (p. 143)

The First Men in the Moon: Review

This is not my favorite H. G. Wells novel. I really enjoyed The Island of Dr. Moreau last fall--it won the creepy contest sponsored by Softdrink & Heather in their annual Dueling Monsters challenge. And The Invisible Man garnered 4 stars this year. But The First Men in the Moon is one of Wells' lesser known novels--and I think deservedly so.

It is the story of two men who find a way to journey to the moon (back at the turn of the last century). There is the brilliant scientific theorist who comes up with the method and the failed business man (and current attempted playwright) who prods the theorist into putting his ideas into practice. The business man, of course, has visions of what they might discover on the moon and bring back to Earth for a profit. He might actually make something of himself...

The scientist, one Mr. Cavor by name, has come up with a substance (dubbed Cavorite) that will block the force of gravity. Coat a spherical ship with the stuff and manipulate it just right and off you go to the moon! It's just that easy. And so they do. They arrive on the moon to find that, miracle of miracles, they can breathe the air. It's a bit thin, but workable. And when they get lost and can't find their ship, why they can eat the moon-vegetation as well. The only ill-effect is drunkenness. Well, that, and they come out of their stupor to find that they have been captured by the natives of the moon. Their captors take them down inside the moon.

Bedford, the businessman, fears what the Selenites (that's what the moon-people are called) might do to them and a grand escape and chase and action-hero fighting take place. It looks like our two protagonists will make a clean get-away. But then they are silly enough to separate. Bedford finds the sphere and Cavor is re-captured. Bedford has an idea that he might head back to Earth and bring back reinforcements, but things don't go exactly as planned. The book ends with communications that are received from Cavor and a bit of Wells' usual philosophizing on the war-like nature of man.

You'd think with the action, this would be an interesting book. But it just didn't pull me in the way the chase across Moreau's island did. And I didn't really care for either of the main characters. Cavor is a bit endearing as the one-track-minded scientist who can't really see the practical side of things--but not enough to win me over. Two stars.

The Invisible Man: Review

The Invisible Man by H. G. Wells is another one of those classic stories that "everyone" knows. There have been countless adaptations in film and I even participated in an abridged play version of it in grade school. (We actually used marionettes.) There weren't exactly oodles of female parts in the play...so I got to be Dr. Kemp. Quite simply it is the story of Griffin, a brilliant scientist who happens to discover the secret of invisibility. After trying it out on inanimate objects (a piece of wool and a pillow), he then uses it on a white cat....and finally on himself. He thinks that it will make him powerful and allow him to do all sorts of things undetected. But, of course, there are aspects of invisibility that hadn't occurred to him and he soon finds himself in difficulties.

At its heart, The Invisible Man is about power--and what uses and misuses man makes of it. Griffin becomes more and more selfish, only thinking of his needs and his gains. It soon becomes apparent that either the process has driven him mad or his lust for power has done the job. By the end of the story, we all know that he would quite willingly sacrifice anyone provided he might get what he wants. It is interesting to follow Griffin's slide into madness and see how far he will go. It is also a bit alarming to think that perhaps any us might do the same given the proper incentive--there is that adage that "every man has his price." Perhaps every man also has his power trip--the one that might send him over the edge. Let's hope not.

The story is often credited as one of the earliest science fiction stories, but Wells preferred to think of it as a "scientific romance" (romance using the older meaning of embellished story rather than dwelling on a love story). He would point out the differences between this story and those of Jules Verne, his contemporary. Verne regularly speculated with science that might exist, although it did not yet exist in his time. Wells used what he called "scientific patter"--making a theory of invisibility sound good, but with no solid basis in scientific fact. Fortunately both produce stories well worth reading. Four (invisible) stars for the Invisible Man.

League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Challenge

Man of la Book is hosting this interesting challenge. Which I, naturally, cannot resist. Resistance, Bev, books, and challenges do not go together. The League of Extra­or­di­nary Gen­tle­men, writ­ten by Alan Moore and illus­trated by Kevin O'Neill, is a won­der­ful graphic novel which take sev­eral famous (and not-so-famous) lit­er­ary char­ac­ters and mix them up together for an adven­ture of a life­time. He thought it would be fun to read those clas­sic nov­els and then the graphic novel to see how the cre­ators man­aged to take such clas­sics and mix them up all together. If that sounds fun to you too, then click on the challenge button above for complete details and to sign up.

DETAILS/RULES:

1. The goal is to read the clas­sic books and the graphic novel to see how they all tie together. No blog is needed, a review on Ama­zon, Goodreads, etc. is good enough.

2. What counts: books, eBooks, audio books

3. Crossovers from other read­ing chal­lenges count.

The books are (in no spe­cific order):
– Drac­ula by Bram Stoker (4/25/12)
– Twenty Thou­sand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne (2/14/12)
– Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Steven­son (6/3/12)
– The Invis­i­ble Man by H.G. Wells (1/9/12)
– The First Men in the Moon by H.G. Wells (2/3/12)
– The Insidious Dr. Fu Manchu by Sax Rohmer (any Fu Manchu novel) [6/12/12]
– The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (any Sher­lock Holmes novel) [2/5/12]
– King Solomon's Mines by Sir H. Rider Haggard (any Allan Quater­main novel) [5/29/12]
– Casino Royale by Ian Fleming (Any James Bond novel) [3/3/12]

and

- The League of Extra­or­di­nary Gen­tle­men (Vol 1) [read 4/6/12) graphic novel to tie it all together. (if you don't have it in your local library Ama­zon sells afford­able issues).