Yaddith Times

with room
to spare now
moon dust footprints


-- Ann K. Schwader
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_11

Elizabeth II: Life of a Monarch by Ruth Cowen

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This short (8, 30 minute "chapters") Audible Original offering is a well-produced brief biography of the current Queen. It is currently available on Audible Channels, and is well worth the listening time for Anglophiles. I'm not sure whether it's available for separate purchase.

I found this light but very interesting (with a few mentions of the royal Corgis, always a plus for me). It's a fairly balanced look at at the royal family, with plenty of dirty laundry being aired along with the high points. The tone was more historical than gossipy, which I appreciated.

Good for those still curious after the recent royal wedding, or anyone wanting a solid but quick overview.







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first spatter
of a cold rain
Buck's Row


-- Ann K. Schwader

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_the_Ripper#Canonical_five

dust
of a waning moon
last footprints


                      -- Ann K. Schwader

                Gene Cernan, last astronaut on the moon, is gone at 82
                http://wapo.st/2jpCsXf

no end
to new horizons
Tombaugh’s ashes


                                    -- Ann K. Schwader

http://www.cnn.com/2015/07/13/us/nasa-pluto-new-horizons-clyde-tombaugh-ashes/

Sustenance by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Number 27 in the blessedly long-lived Saint-Germain series finds the Count in post-WW II Paris, acting as publisher and friend (and, in one case, much more) to a group of American academics driven into exile by the House Un-American Activities Committee. When their lives become entangled with a shadowy CIA operation organized by a corrupt agent, no good can come of it -- and, pretty much, it doesn’t.

Yarbro’s take on the anti-Communist witch-hunt is detailed and fascinating. As usual, she provides a preface of historical information – always worth the time when starting out on one of her novels. Regular readers of this series will also find much information about how vampirism “works” in Yarbro’s world (some of this was new to me, & I’ve read the majority of these books) and discover the fates of several characters from previous novels.

That said, this still wasn’t one of my favorites. Although I enjoyed the postwar atmosphere and probably learned a great deal, I had trouble seeing how all the plot threads wove together. Perhaps this is due to my own unfamiliarity with the history, but the CIA operation and the misadventures of the Ex-Pats’ Coven never quite meshed -- and there were a few too many members of the Coven to keep track of. Though Saint-Germain proved to have some particularly lethal enemies, their motives remained obscure. Given the level of espionage and paranoia, though, perhaps this isn’t surprising.

I’m uncertain whether to make this a three-star or a four-star review, but I’m afraid I’ll have to go with three this time. This is no reflection on Yarbro’s writing, or indeed on the series as a whole. I’ll be preordering the Count’s next adventure, but his brush with the Cold War left me a little cold.





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The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This is a slow-burn Gothic experience for readers who appreciate a Turn of the Screw approach. Set in postwar (WW II) rural England, The Little Stranger focuses as much on character and class as it does on telling a very unusual haunted-house story . . . if, indeed, that’s what’s going on at Hundreds Hall, the declining great house in question.

When Dr. Faraday, an upwardly-aspiring country physician, is called to treat a servant of the resident Ayres family, his life and theirs quickly become entangled – and a creeping, possibly otherworldly malaise sets in. It’s nearly impossible to summarize this one further without spoilers. The pace is less deliberate than inevitable, the atmosphere effectively grim, & the conclusion far more complex than most horror novels provide.

One caution: if violence to either children or dogs is a deal-breaker for you as a reader, you might want to pass. The violence is integral to the plot, but disturbing.




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The Elder Ice by David Hambling

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Disclaimer: I received a copy from the author in exchange for a fair review.

Did Ernest Shackleton visit the Mountains of Madness? That’s the premise (worked out in delicious detail) behind The Elder Ice, a Lovecraftian novella with a fast-moving blend of action, Weird Tales-style intrigue, & secret history.

When Harry Stubbs, a retired boxer turned collections agent, tries to recover a mysterious treasure from Shackleton’s Endurance expedition, he quickly finds himself out of his depth. Armed only with his fists and his wits, Stubbs is an unusual protagonist for such an adventure – but the character works well, and Lovecraft fans who appreciate a British tale will find this one hard to put down.

The real fun here, however, is in the details. Hambling is obviously familiar with the history of early Antarctic exploration and the intricacies of HPL’s short novel – and uses both to good effect. Recommended for those in search of a “ripping yarn” with some thought behind it.




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stars and stripes
in black and white
first footprints


                                      -- Ann K. Schwader




(If you weren't around for Apollo 11, or just want to remember what it felt like, here's a link to some excellent Smithsonian articles & images.)