The Club Dumas Arturo Perez Reverte

An amazing, intelligently written, mystery and occult puzzle novel written by a favorite Spanish author. Books, writers, collectors and dealers in old and rare books are introduced into this story about a certain book dealer who makes his living researching and finding and buying and selling books for a selected clientele. Lucas Corso is hired to authenticate part of an original manuscript, part of "The Three Musketeers", written by Alexander Dumas ;Dumas was known to collaborate with others when he wrote his novels, hence the need for verification. As he goes about this task, he is engaged by a very wealthy collector, Varo Borja, to research a demonic book called "The Book of The Nine Gates of the Kingdom of Shadows" supposedly authored by Lucifer himself. The book is supposed to enable the owner, if he can figure out the puzzles, to meet the Devil and become all powerful. There are only three such volumes in existence and Corso is charged to examine each one in order to assure Borja that the one he has is genuine; he suspects it might be a forgery. (Perhaps, Borja tried to meet the Devil and the ritual did not work) Corso finds himself involved in a complicated plot where he meets people that seem, to him, to resemble the main characters of the "Three Musketeers", a sensuous woman the wife of the previous owner of the manuscript that he identifies as Milady De Winter and a man who is closely identified with the woman he thinks of as Rocheforte.
At the same time ,as he begins to compare the second of the Book of the Nine Gates, he discovers that while the binding, the paper and the print are identical, there are slight differences in the nine prints. He also discovers that some of the prints were originated by the publisher and others were originated by another person "LCF" (Lucifer?). Corso is followed and threatened by the person he thinks of as Rocheforte but each time he is in danger, he is rescued by a strange young girl who follows him. As the story progresses, death and destruction of their libraries come to the two other owners of the Book of Nine Gates; the books are destroyed but the prints were removed prior to burning the books. Corso finds himself in the middle of a twisting plot that involves devil worship, occult practices and a secret organization relating to Alexander Dumas.
This was a fascinating novel; the plot was complex and the climax was interesting and throughout the book there were lively discussions between Corso and book dealers and book collectors where literally hundreds of novels and author’s works were discussed or quoted from and great care was taken in the story to show the sources that Corso and others used as they researched both the manuscript and the occult book.
This novel was adapted into a film by Roman Polanski. Johnny Depp played Corso in this dark and exciting movie called "The Ninth Gate". Get the DVD.

Drood By Dan Simmons

In 1865, Charles Dickens was on a train going to London; the train was involved in a tragic wreck known as “the Stapleton Railroad Disaster”.
Dickens escaped injury and helped in the rescue of other passengers. He was aided by another; a huge, strange looking man with missing fingers, no eyelids and talked with a hissing lisp. He wore rather formal clothes and a top hat. After things settled down, the man, Edwin Drood disappeared but for some reason, Dickens was never the same after meeting him. His last novel, never completed was titled “The Mystery of Edwin Drood”.
Dan Simmons has used the idea of Drood to create a dark mystery novel narrated by Wilkie Collins a lesser author and friend of Dickens. Collins was an opium addict, a man who was jealous of and extremely critical of Dickens and who speaks very disparaging of him but still, he followed Dickens as he searches for Drood. As he narrates the search he takes the reader through the underbelly of Whitehall, Shadwell and Wapping; the docks, the rats, river stench the awful places where they search for Drood. They went through cemeteries and down through catacombs and a labyrinth of filth and sewage to a strange dock where Dickens went alone with two weird boatmen who took him to an underground city where he met with Drood who is a kind of lord of this, Egyptian like, undertown of thieves, murders, drug addicts and miscreants.
The story is, certainly entertaining and it gives vivid descriptions of how miserable some parts of London were and it is a reminder of Britain’s heinous role in the International Opium Trade but except for references to opium addiction, cemeteries, a couple of names from Dicken”s unfinished novel and that Edwin Drood once lived in Egypt the story portrays Drood as very bad person; a monster,whereas in Dicken’s book he seemed to me a rather mild fellow who had an unhappy romantic encounter and went missing and the “Mystery” is what happened to Edwin; was he killed by his stepfather? Dan Simmon’s novel was much more interesting.

There is a lot of interest in this unfinished novel of Dickens; there have been radio dramas, plays, several movies and a musical.

Right after I read the Simmons book, I found and read “The Last Dickens” by Matthew Pearl which tells a well researched but fictionalized story in considerable detail of Charles Dicken’s last trip to America, his reading tours, his entourage, how the tours were arranged and how the United States publishers vied to get hold of his works and how one publisher, in particular, searched Boston, New York and London for the “lost” final chapters while dangerous evil men and competitors stalked him and tried to kill him. This was a real thriller; I liked it better than “Drood”.

Comics Review

There is a splendid fellow named Rick Norwood who publishes "Manuscript Press", a monthly collection of comic strips. Gasoline Alley, Flash Gordon, Steve Canyon, Alley Oop, Little Orphan Annie and even Krazy Kat from the early '30s. For several years I have been getting them and I send them on to Mr. Parker, my Grandson. Lots of fun to read and remember these old classics which include Mandrake the Magician and the classy Modesty Blaise by O'Donnell and Colvin. Interested? contact Rick at
f.norwood@att.net
www.io.com/~norwoodr

The Charlemagne Pursuit By Steve Berry

Steve Berry’s hero, Cotton Malone, has seen the Treasure of the Templar Knights, the library of Alexandria, the tomb of Alexander the Great and the Amber Room of Russia; now he is in pursuit of an ancient culture that predates recorded history and supposedly was much more advanced in science, mathematics, architecture and civics than any other civilization and had some influence on early man as he developed. Berry has used actual history and myths to tell the story of the hunt for the these people, called the “Ahnenerbe”, which began in Antarctica. The Americans, the Germans, The French and the Russians have followed clues and writings from artifacts discovered in Antarctica and much earlier when Otto III opened Charlemagne’s tomb 1200 years ago and supposedly discovered a book of containing writing unknown to any people.
The Germans, under Hitler, decided that the old "superior" race must be German and they wanted to prove their “Arian Race” theory. The Americans were heavily involved in the Cold War and if this old race had technology that would give them an advantage they wanted the secrets. Everything the United States did was cloaked in secrecy and there was rivalry between the politicians and branches of the Pentagon.
Even for Berry, the story surrounding the history is a bit far fetched; lots of thrilling action a bit of gratuitous sex,clearly defined good guys and bad guys and lots of geography. Berry really does his research. Best part for me was learning more about Otto III and Charlemagne by going on the internet. Reading about the accomplishments of the old race “the first civilization” and how references to such a people is found in Egypt, and other early cultures is certainly food for thought.
Good Berry novel!

Signora da Vinci By Robin Maxwell

Absorbing and colorful, fictionalized, biography of Leonardo da Vinci’s mother. Very little is known about Caterina, the unwed mother of Leonardo. His father, Piero, took him away as was his right in those days and raised him as a servant in the Vinci home.
Robin Maxwell took it for granted that Leonardo got his genius from his mother so she built this story about a remarkable and talented women, trained by her father, an apothecary, who had great love for her son. She convinced the father that Leonardo, who was very early, precocious, curious and very intelligent, should be sent to Florence to study with the master artisan, Verrochio. As a bastard son, Leonardo was precluded from any civic jobs. Piero’s main business was in Florence but he totally ignored Leonardo and plays a minor role in the story.
Leonardo goes to Florence to become an apprentice; his mother misses him so she goes to Florence in the guise of a young man; Leonardo’s “Uncle Cato”. Cato sets up an apothecary which is very successful and because she is, also known as a healer, she attracts the attention of Lorenzo de Medici who becomes very impressed by this “young man’s” talents and intelligence. Lorenzo, Sandro Botticelli, Antonio Pollaiuolo, Christoforo Landino, Verrichio and other progressive thinkers are brought into the story as these men, Cato and others meet secretly to discuss ideas that were considered heresy by the church.
An interesting view of the times and happenings in Florence and Milan and how the church tried to tame two of the most progressive cities in Italy. And most important, the sacrifices a mother will make to insure the success of her son. I liked this one.

The Independance of Miss Mary Bennet By Colleen McCullough

Writers continue to be fascinated by the characters created by Jane Austen. Australian born and acclaimed author of “The Thorn Birds” and other great novels has chosen Mary Bennet from “Pride and Prejudice”, one of the middle and rather plain sisters as the center piece of a story that is set some 20 years after Jane Austin’s novel closes. Mary had been shuttled off to a manor purchased by Fitz Darcy to care for her mother far enough away from Pemberly to make visits there rare. Mother Bennet dies and Mary decides that she will, no longer, be a drudge and will make something of her life; she will travel and write a book. Her actions cause problems and embarrassment to Darcy and her sisters. To further complicate things, she is kidnapped on one of her journeys . Colleen McCullough brings us up to date as to what has happened to the four other sisters as well as Charle Binkley’s sister Caroline(haughty as ever).
Elizabeth has four daughters and a son who is a disappointment to Fitz and the former ardor seems to have cooled. Fitz’s political ambitions are driving him. Jane is producing babies every two years and Charlie has a mistress. Lydia is drinking and whoring; her husband, George, has died as a soldier and Kitty has settled down with an aged wealthy land owner. McCullough, skillfully, moves all these people, the servants and some important new characters through danger and adventure to a very satisfactory climax.

Terminal Freeze By Lincoln Child

This was, somewhat, a disappointment. The characters were not very strong and the plot seemed very much like “Relic” except the “monster” came out of a chunk of ice instead of the jungle and the chase was through the corridors of an ice station rather that a great museum. It just left me cold, sorry Lincoln. I am still a fan of you and Douglas Preston so I will wait for and read your next.