Is there anyone who doesn't secretly love stories about King Arthur and Camelot?
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So I've been curious about this story for a while, but I avoidIs there anyone who doesn't secretly love stories about King Arthur and Camelot?
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So I've been curious about this story for a while, but I avoided it because Sean is a good friend. I mean, he named his daughter after me, that's how close we are! Not really. Total coincidence. Roll with it, though, because I like to feel special. Anyway, when it popped up in my feed again the other day, I caved in and added it. So, of course, Sean (because he knows how cheap I am) offered to gift it to me. His only stipulation was that if I trashed his book, I had to make the review funny. About 4% into the book, I was trying to come up with Knock-Knock jokes.
Knock-knock. Who's there? Imma. Imma who? Imma pretty sure Sean's gonna de-friend me after this review. *rim shot*
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Here's the thing, I don't like books that are full of unnecessary description. And as the main character was being introduced, I started getting bogged down by descriptive prose.
The blowing wind made him grateful for the warm glow that emanated from the library's fireplace, an antique structure surrounded by a bronze relief that depicted a parade of ancient gods. In the evening, the fire would cast shadows across the wall, presenting a fierce struggle worthy of those same gods, one that raged until the blaze had burned itself out.
Ok, after reading that, some of you are looking at me like, What's wrong with you?! That's beautiful writing!
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But then some of you, my brothers and sisters in the Move-It-The-Hell-Along sect, are nodding your heads and grimacing.
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My version of those same sentences? Brrr. It's cold. Thank fuck I lit a fire. Boom! Done.
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For those of you who are like me, I want to point out that this is only an issue in the first chapter. After that, shit starts happening. I have a sneaking feeling that Sean's son stole his purple crayon back, and probably drew something Refrigerator-worthy with it. Thank you, Henry!
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Ok. The second problem I had when I started didn't have anything to do with the writing or story. I was actually just having a hard time taking anything Sean wrote seriously. See, he & I both belong to the same comic book club. Now, the other members & I like to think we're getting together to chat about graphic novels, but the reality is that most of what we talk about is simply depraved nonsense. Would you like an extra pat of butter on that blue waffle? And Sean is just as twisted as the rest of us, which makes him about as mature as a queef joke. How do you read a book written by a walking queef!? One of the characters would start to say something important, and my mind would send me off-path. Suddenly, I'm thinking about something ridiculous that Sean had said about creme filled donuts. Heh. Lady creme...
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Anyway. At first, it was hard to stay on track. But then something weird happened about 9% of the way into this sucker. I fucking forgot about Sean! He just sort of disappeared from my mind, and I totally got into the story.
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I should mention that this is set in the... Um? Well, whenever Victoria was queen of England. *cough* Whatever! It'll come to me, eventually.
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Alfred and Will are two middle-aged friends who've known each other for most of their lives. Alfred is a happily married noble, kind of an introvert, and (most importantly) he's one of the premier experts on the Arthurian legend. Will is a respected bookseller, confirmed bachelor, and all-around fun guy. Despite their differences, they're pretty much BFF's. Ok, Alfred's wife is dying, and he's heartbroken that he can't save her. So, when a shady dude claiming he's from a secret agency within the British government corners him at a party and tells him that they need his help to locate King Arthur's scabbard (which is reported to have healing properties), Al can't help but jump on board. Alfred confides his plans in Will and takes off to meet a mysterious figure named Nigel. Right off the bat, you know Nigel is not what he seems...
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In my head, I'm screaming for Alfred to get the hell away from this guy. He's nefarious! Noooo! Don't get bedazzled by his powers! Run, man! RUN! But, it turns out, Will is not entirely what he seems, either. I don't want to spoil anything, but he knows more than he lets on about stuff, and he begins working desperately behind the scenes to protect his friend.
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Now, I'm not an expert on Camelot, so I have no idea about whether the legends used were accurate, or whether Sean just made all that shit up, but it sounded legit when I was reading it. I gobbled it up, and that's all that really mattered.
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This was a surprisingly good story! I mean, just the fact that the main characters were old guys mature men and not 20somethings was a total bonus for me. I'm so sick and tired of everything revolving around youth like somehow you never do anything fun or adventurous after you turn 35. Horseshit! It rocks to get older!
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Alright. That ending. What. The. Fuck. Seriously, Sean? Seriously? That shit is not going to fly, pal. I mean, I get it. It was a total dude-ending. Bro-hug, keep a stiff upper lip, take a drink, and squint your eyes to find the tiny sliver of light at the end of the tunnel.
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No! No way. I want a sequel! I need these two to go on a few more adventures before they hang it up. Get on it!
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Anyway, this was just a great buddy-adventure with a pinch of magic thrown in for good measure. It had pretty much everything I look for in a book. I still can't believe it didn't suck. I mean, it's not some crappy indie turd that my friend banged out on his tablet! Color me shocked. Now, come here and pull my finger, Sean...
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Merged review:
Is there anyone who doesn't secretly love stories about King Arthur and Camelot?
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So I've been curious about this story for a while, but I avoided it because Sean is a good friend. I mean, he named his daughter after me, that's how close we are! Not really. Total coincidence. Roll with it, though, because I like to feel special. Anyway, when it popped up in my feed again the other day, I caved in and added it. So, of course, Sean (because he knows how cheap I am) offered to gift it to me. His only stipulation was that if I trashed his book, I had to make the review funny. About 4% into the book, I was trying to come up with Knock-Knock jokes.
Knock-knock. Who's there? Imma. Imma who? Imma pretty sure Sean's gonna de-friend me after this review. *rim shot*
[image]
Here's the thing, I don't like books that are full of unnecessary description. And as the main character was being introduced, I started getting bogged down by descriptive prose.
The blowing wind made him grateful for the warm glow that emanated from the library's fireplace, an antique structure surrounded by a bronze relief that depicted a parade of ancient gods. In the evening, the fire would cast shadows across the wall, presenting a fierce struggle worthy of those same gods, one that raged until the blaze had burned itself out.
Ok, after reading that, some of you are looking at me like, What's wrong with you?! That's beautiful writing!
[image]
But then some of you, my brothers and sisters in the Move-It-The-Hell-Along sect, are nodding your heads and grimacing.
[image]
My version of those same sentences? Brrr. It's cold. Thank fuck I lit a fire. Boom! Done.
[image]
For those of you who are like me, I want to point out that this is only an issue in the first chapter. After that, shit starts happening. I have a sneaking feeling that Sean's son stole his purple crayon back, and probably drew something Refrigerator-worthy with it. Thank you, Henry!
[image]
Ok. The second problem I had when I started didn't have anything to do with the writing or story. I was actually just having a hard time taking anything Sean wrote seriously. See, he & I both belong to the same comic book club. Now, the other members & I like to think we're getting together to chat about graphic novels, but the reality is that most of what we talk about is simply depraved nonsense. Would you like an extra pat of butter on that blue waffle? And Sean is just as twisted as the rest of us, which makes him about as mature as a queef joke. How do you read a book written by a walking queef!? One of the characters would start to say something important, and my mind would send me off-path. Suddenly, I'm thinking about something ridiculous that Sean had said about creme filled donuts. Heh. Lady creme...
[image]
Anyway. At first, it was hard to stay on track. But then something weird happened about 9% of the way into this sucker. I fucking forgot about Sean! He just sort of disappeared from my mind, and I totally got into the story.
[image]
I should mention that this is set in the... Um? Well, whenever Victoria was queen of England. *cough* Whatever! It'll come to me, eventually.
[image]
Alfred and Will are two middle-aged friends who've known each other for most of their lives. Alfred is a happily married noble, kind of an introvert, and (most importantly) he's one of the premier experts on the Arthurian legend. Will is a respected bookseller, confirmed bachelor, and all-around fun guy. Despite their differences, they're pretty much BFF's. Ok, Alfred's wife is dying, and he's heartbroken that he can't save her. So, when a shady dude claiming he's from a secret agency within the British government corners him at a party and tells him that they need his help to locate King Arthur's scabbard (which is reported to have healing properties), Al can't help but jump on board. Alfred confides his plans in Will and takes off to meet a mysterious figure named Nigel. Right off the bat, you know Nigel is not what he seems...
[image]
In my head, I'm screaming for Alfred to get the hell away from this guy. He's nefarious! Noooo! Don't get bedazzled by his powers! Run, man! RUN! But, it turns out, Will is not entirely what he seems, either. I don't want to spoil anything, but he knows more than he lets on about stuff, and he begins working desperately behind the scenes to protect his friend.
[image]
Now, I'm not an expert on Camelot, so I have no idea about whether the legends used were accurate, or whether Sean just made all that shit up, but it sounded legit when I was reading it. I gobbled it up, and that's all that really mattered.
[image]
This was a surprisingly good story! I mean, just the fact that the main characters were old guys mature men and not 20somethings was a total bonus for me. I'm so sick and tired of everything revolving around youth like somehow you never do anything fun or adventurous after you turn 35. Horseshit! It rocks to get older!
[image]
Alright. That ending. What. The. Fuck. Seriously, Sean? Seriously? That shit is not going to fly, pal. I mean, I get it. It was a total dude-ending. Bro-hug, keep a stiff upper lip, take a drink, and squint your eyes to find the tiny sliver of light at the end of the tunnel.
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No! No way. I want a sequel! I need these two to go on a few more adventures before they hang it up. Get on it!
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Anyway, this was just a great buddy-adventure with a pinch of magic thrown in for good measure. It had pretty much everything I look for in a book. I still can't believe it didn't suck. I mean, it's not some crappy indie turd that my friend banged out on his tablet! Color me shocked. Now, come here and pull my finger, Sean...
3.5 stars This is the best Mercy book I've read in a while!
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So excited to see some of that old magic back. I liked that all the sex scenes in thi3.5 stars This is the best Mercy book I've read in a while!
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So excited to see some of that old magic back. I liked that all the sex scenes in this basically faded to black, too. One, because I'm getting to the point that I've read so many sex scenes over the years that I'm just tired of them taking up page time. And two, because I don't think sex scenes are Briggs' forte to start with. Last time around, I was really starting to get an ick over Mercy and Adam's cringe relationship, but now they're back to just being a good, solid urban fantasy couple.
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The skinny gist of the story is that Mercy's brother, Gary, shows up at their house completely incoherent and unable to understand exactly who everyone is without a bit of help. It's up to Mercy and Adam to backtrack through the past few months of his life and figure out who or what cursed him.
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Their search leads them to a lodge in Montana during the middle of a supernatural snowstorm that has them completely cut off from the rest of the world, and a cast of characters that includes the fey, an elemental, a spider, a few goblins, and a vampire and her ghostly husband. All they have to do is find out which one of them stole a frost giant's magical harp. Oh, and if they don't figure it out soon, they might just be responsible for Ragnarok. I love it when Mercy's dad stirs the pot.
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I do wish Briggs wouldn't leave so many plot threads and characters dangling. Like, it's fine for one or two things to be mysterious to give us something to look forward to, but it seems like she starts something interesting in one book, forgets about it in the next, mentions it again for a second in another book, and then kind of forgets again. And she does this with multiple characters/plot threads. What's up with Tad and Zee? What the hell with Sherwood? Where's Stefan and all the vampires from the first few books?! Gabriel is getting married to some girl he just met?! And on and on and on. Just don't mention it at all if you don't plan on giving us a resolution or explanation in the next book. Please. But this was still a far more coherent and fun story than I've been used to from this title in the past few years, so we're going to call this one a win.
Uh. Well, you might have a completely different experience if you're a fan of the books in this series. But since I didn't realize it was a book seriesUh. Well, you might have a completely different experience if you're a fan of the books in this series. But since I didn't realize it was a book series, much less a "what are they doing now" kind of story for a (I think) 12 book series that had already ended with some kind of an apocalyptic war? It was incredibly scatty and confusing to read. I don't know who these characters are, or what their relationships are like, and I don't really even understand the setting.
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I thought this was a comic about a vampire huntress. But it looks to me like this is all angels and demons. Sometimes the women have wings? And they're being attacked by demons from Hell who are being sent after them from (what looks to be) Satan. But then a few of the guys they're married to say they were vampire lords in Hell at one point? Or something?
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The plot was fucknuts and the dialogue seemed really cheesy. But then it might make a lot of sense to a fan! I don't know. This was a Hoopla Bonus Borrow, so I decided to try it out. Some kind of introduction to the world would have been nice because, without it, this is a fans only sort of comic.
Kinda fun. The premise sounds stupid, but really wasn't terrible.
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There's this group of door-to-door salespeople who travel together from town tKinda fun. The premise sounds stupid, but really wasn't terrible.
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There's this group of door-to-door salespeople who travel together from town to town, knocking on doors and attempting to get folks to purchase an 8x10 portrait for $10. Supposedly, for the local fire department. First, who buys studio portraits anymore? Second, who buys ANYTHING from a salesman who comes to your door? Third, who is even opening the door to strangers? Not me! And not anyone that I know, either.
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Anyway. The ragtag group meets a hitchhiker, offer to let her stay with them and sell portraits, and end up getting sucked into a world they didn't know existed. The newbie turns out to be a monster hunter. Apparently, once you see them you can't unsee them. So now, they're confronted with the wacky and weird in every new town.
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It was decent, and I liked that the plot was pretty straightforward. Recommended for fans of monster hunting....more
In this volume, Jess finally gets her "I believe I can fly" montage.
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For the past two volumes, Jessica Harrow has been discovering who she is, In this volume, Jess finally gets her "I believe I can fly" montage.
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For the past two volumes, Jessica Harrow has been discovering who she is, where she came from, and what that makes her in terms of specialness. <--she's very special, btw Now, she's got to get past all of her feelings of anxiety and overwhelming self-doubt. Which is relatable. Then she's got to grab that scythe and become the new Death. Which is not quite as relatable.
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Jess isn't the only one who has to fight her demons. Marcel and Eddie both end up in their own personal Hells and it may be that the only way out is through the power of friendship. Yes, just like the My Little Ponies always told you. Meanwhile, Annabel has made a deal and set something loose from Hell. If Jess doesn't get her shit together to fight it, it might spell disaster for everyone.
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Alright. This is a pretty cute series. I'll read the next one when it comes out....more
To me, it felt like this was a graphic novelization of a book or tv show that everyone has read or seen but meGood concept, terrible execution.
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To me, it felt like this was a graphic novelization of a book or tv show that everyone has read or seen but me. Like I should have already understood the backstory and quirks of these characters and was just reading this as a fun filler.
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Who is Dana? She's a paranormal investigator/exorcist who also writes books. Which is how Jana meets her. She's in the audience of a book signing with a friend of Dana's who says he'll introduce her (why Jana wants to meet her so badly is never explained) and then some monster pops up and Jana helps Dana fight it. Dana says Jana can hop in the car and they head off to Italy together to solve a case. WHAT? For some reason, the new apprentice Jana was snack-obsessed and kept whining about food while they were in the middle of either fighting for their lives or doing other important non-food related activities. Kind of like a Shaggy rip-off.
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The story didn't flow, the plot was choppy, and the dialogue was unbearable. I must be missing something because the few ratings this comic has are all pretty good....more
I don't know what I was expecting but this is starting to have a bit of heart. William teams up wiOh hey, this is actually getting kind of good.
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I don't know what I was expecting but this is starting to have a bit of heart. William teams up with a geologist to uncover the cause of these strange murders. But when they reach the town, the person who is funding their trip turns out to be the daughter of the man who originally caused the cave-in (or whatever) that kicked off these paranormal events. Though, no one is saying the murders are supernatural. Yet.
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The smarmy mayor of Canary is determined to get some good PR out of the famous US Marshall in his town, but it looks like the three new friends are going to Scooby Doo this shit and uncover some pretty nasty secrets no matter how hard he tries to get them to look the other way.
Jessica is one of many Reapers responsible for ferrying souls to the underworld. The main difference between her andI like Grim Reaper stories.
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Jessica is one of many Reapers responsible for ferrying souls to the underworld. The main difference between her and her Grim friends is that she has no memory of her death. Ooooh. Bet she has a secret origin! Spoiler alert: she does.
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This isn't so much a horror story as it is a supernatural soap opera, but I dug it enough to download the next volume almost immediately. Recommended....more
I didn't realize this was part of the Hellboy universe when I picked it up. Mainly because the digital cover says the author is Chris Roberson, not MikI didn't realize this was part of the Hellboy universe when I picked it up. Mainly because the digital cover says the author is Chris Roberson, not Mike Mignola. I'm assuming Roberson is the actual writer and this is some sort of a Goodreads f-up.
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Ok, so the gist is that these two old-timey paranormal investigators do some investigating in a small village that is full of secrets. Old gods and human sacrifice kind of secrets. But not everything is what it seems!
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I've never heard of either of these characters before, but I'm not super familiar with Hellboy. Maybe some of you out there will be excited to see your favs in their own comic or something? I don't know. For me, this was very mid. Recommended for Hellboy Universe completionists....more
It's really that last thing that will give you the shivers. Because if you grew up in a weird one, nothDemonic Puppets. Possessed dolls. FAMILY.
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It's really that last thing that will give you the shivers. Because if you grew up in a weird one, nothing will scare you more than having to go back home and face your fucked-up blood relations. However, if your mom spent her spare time making Christian puppets and collecting dolls, you're in a class all by yourself. You, my friend, get a pass on Christmas and Thanksgiving. No one expects you to go home. Ever.
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On a side note, I did a stint in my church's Puppet Ministry when I was in middle school, so this book hit me on all the levels. I know what you're thinking, Random Goodreader <-- that Anne is so multi-talented! Reading AND puppets? Is there anything she can't do?
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Alright. I'll stop.
I have to tip my hat to Hendrix because he really nails the voice of that southern religious woman. Perfection, sir. Also. Charleston, South Carolina. It is lovely. But seriously. Come on down to Columbia, Grady. We might be a little more grubby and a tad less touristy, but we still have prayer warriors who will wrap you in a Jesus burrito. Bless.
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Ok, this takes a little while to get going as Hendrix sets the family scene with little to no horror in sight for quite a good bit. I'd almost forgotten this was supposed to be a spooky story by the time the freaking dolls started moving around and the damn puppet started acting the fool.
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And normally, I don't like stories that drag on, but this time it worked. Every time I thought the story was going one way or I had a bead on the characters, the author would give the rug a little yank and I'd be on my ass asking what the hell just happened.
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I don't want to give anything away so I'll just say that this was a good tale. And I now believe that those damn puppets we had in the Children's Ministry at my old church were probably 100% possessed by demons. Recommended for horror fans and puppeteers....more
Pee-yew! My second stinker in a row from Le Fanu. I didn't think he could write anything could be more boring than Green Tea but he managed it. This timPee-yew! My second stinker in a row from Le Fanu. I didn't think he could write anything could be more boring than Green Tea but he managed it. This time around, our main character is stalked by a small man. Yes, you read that right.
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Ok. So it starts with this guy, Captain Barton, a retired navy man who gets engaged to this pretty young woman. On the way home from her house one night, he gets stalked by someone invisible, then finds a sinister note the next day warning him to stay off of that street. I should mention that he's an atheist. So. Yeah. Now, he's going to learn the hard way that the spiritual stuff is REAL.
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Things escalate when he sees this sinister looking small man a few days later while he's out with friends. He freaks out and goes home and everyone is all, what just happened, duuude?, but they assume he'll be fine. He is not fine, as it turns out. The small man is some sort of supernatural stalker.
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Obviously, he's wronged someone (probably the small man) and this is his punishment. Unfortunately, the spirit stalker never really does anything. He just kind of shows up every now and then. His old acquaintance and maybe someday father-in-law tries to help him, but everywhere they go this little guy pops up...and lurks. And that's the part that I don't get. THIS DUDE NEVER DOES ANYTHING THAT WOULD FRIGHTEN A READER.
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I understand that it would be freaky as hell if you were literally being followed by a dead guy you had fucked over. But that doesn't make for a scary story. Small Man needed to reach out with his icy fingers and touch the back of Barton's neck while he was in a spooky house by himself. Or something! It's just not all that chilling when this ghost dude goes and says things like “Monsieur is walking too fast; he will lose his sick comrade in the throng, for, by my faith, the poor gentleman seems to be fainting.” to the father-in-law. What is he? The Spirit of Helpfulness? Uuuuuugh. There was never a moment where I was interested in any part of this tale. In case you're wondering, the moral of the story is that the guy learns to believe in God.
This is the spookiest of all the Harley Quin stories, IMHO.
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Once again, Mr. Satterthwaite is staying with friends. Does he even have a home? PreThis is the spookiest of all the Harley Quin stories, IMHO.
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Once again, Mr. Satterthwaite is staying with friends. Does he even have a home? Presumably, yes. But that's not the point. This time around he's staying with a couple that isn't normally in his social circle and he's wondering what possessed him to accept the invitation. That is until he runs into Mr. Quin at the house. Ok, I don't know anything about ballet or dancing but apparently, the Denham had scheduled some sort of fancy-dancy entertainment for her guests. This leads to talk of a murdered Russian ballerina. Hmmm. And then eventually the discovery that Mr. Denham is a cheater and Mrs. Denham has a Russian prince who has been in love with her for years. What's gonna happen?
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Honestly, I didn't think the story was going to end the way it did the first time I read it. But Christie really plays up the paranormal aspect of Mr. Quin and gives a nod to Mr. Satterthwaite for having some kind of special ability to see things that the rest of us can't. This is also the last story in The Mysterious Mr. Quin. I liked it!
Originally published in 1927 in The Story-Teller Read as part of the short story collection The Mysterious Mr. Quin....more
This is another of Christie's Mr. Quin helps the star-crossed lovers stories. Mr. Satterthwaite is on vacation...again.
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This time he runs into aThis is another of Christie's Mr. Quin helps the star-crossed lovers stories. Mr. Satterthwaite is on vacation...again.
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This time he runs into a man who, after receiving bad news from his doctor, was stopped from committing suicide by the appearance of a man who sounds a lot like Satterthwaite's friend, Mr. Quin. He was getting ready to toss himself off a cliff, but this man, in what looked like a Harlequin outfit, seemed to just come out of the sea. He tells Satterthwaite that he plans to try again, but for at least one night, he is willing to put it off. The next day Satterthwaite ends up running into a woman who tells him her incredible tale of an abusive marriage and her husband's death at sea. Then she tells him about a one-night stand that produced her beloved son. Of course, there's more to the story. With Mr. Quin's guidance, Satterthwaite tries to help set everything right. It's a bit dark, and you have to almost choose your own ending, but I kind of appreciate it for that.
Originally published in 1927 In The Story-Teller. Read as part of the short story collection The Mysterious Mr. Quin....more
Mortimer Cleveland is a paranormal researcher. When his car breaks down, he stops and knocks on the door of a nearby house that belongs to the DinsmeadMortimer Cleveland is a paranormal researcher. When his car breaks down, he stops and knocks on the door of a nearby house that belongs to the Dinsmeads. It doesn't take him long to sense that something is wrong, but he can't put his finger on what exactlyit is. Is there something supernaturally sinister about this home or is the evil a little more human in nature? Can it possibly be a little bit of both? Sure. Why not.
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This one didn't really seem super spooky to me but Agatha left it up to the reader to decide where they thought the murderous intent came from. I don't know. You always see those paranormal researchers on tv and their reactions are just so over the top to every little squeaky floorboard. I didn't trust this narrator's opinion much more than I do theirs. I think (view spoiler)[they were just money hungry. You don't need to live in a ghost house to want to steal someone else's fortune. (hide spoiler)] Recommended for fans of Christie.
This one was an incredibly inaccurate portrayal of dissociative identity disorder (multiple personalities) AND hypnotism but it was so entertaining! BThis one was an incredibly inaccurate portrayal of dissociative identity disorder (multiple personalities) AND hypnotism but it was so entertaining! Bananas plot about a woman with DID that killed herself. Or was she actually killing someone else? A wacky must-read.
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Nothing about this one makes real sense but I feel like it's one of those that really shouldn't be missed. Back in my younger days we all thought that having multiple personalities was one of those things that seemed to think was half mystical, so it's no wonder that Christie managed to make crazy seem crazier. It's a mental illness meets magical ghost story, with a bit of hypno-mystery thrown in. Honestly, what's not to love?
Miss Marple and her Tuesday Night Club friends listen to the clergyman of their group tell a story about the time he witnessed a man killed by seemingMiss Marple and her Tuesday Night Club friends listen to the clergyman of their group tell a story about the time he witnessed a man killed by seemingly supernatural forces. The beautiful young socialite, Diana Ashley, convinces the other guests to play dress up and go out to the supposedly sacred grove of Astarte (on the property) that had a small temple/house there. It's all fun and games till the owner of the house, Sir Richard, falls over dead with a stab wound and there's no knife to be found. How did this toga party go so wrong?!
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Spooky, spooky, right? Of course not! Miss Marple isn't going to let a costume party fool her, and she correctly figures out who stabbed that young man so many years ago.
An older woman with a heart problem is persuaded to buy a wireless radio by her favorite nephew and finds she really enjoys listening to the programs An older woman with a heart problem is persuaded to buy a wireless radio by her favorite nephew and finds she really enjoys listening to the programs in the evening. As we all do.
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The odd thing is, Mary Harter keeps hearing her dead husband's voice coming through the airwaves. He's coming for her, apparently. As dead husbands do. So, Mary does the sensible thing and decides to get her will in order. There's a faithful servant that she wants to make sure gets an extra bit of money, you see. Once that's all taken care of, she can just wait for dear old Mr. Harter to collect her from the Great Beyond. And that's exactly what happens. Or is it?
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I really liked the conclusion to this one. (view spoiler)[See, her nephew went to all of this trouble to set up the radio so that he could "speak through it" in the voice of his uncle after his aunt's doctor told him that she had a heart problem. Then he lies and says he saw her husband's face in the window. After he's got the old lady convinced that there's nothing she can do to avoid her fate, he dresses up with a fake beard and pops out at her, causing her to startle and drop something into the fire right before she keels over dead. His plan is to quickly inherit the estate she had left solely to him so that he doesn't end up in jail for some fraudulent business he was involved in. Unfortunately, she dropped the will into the fire. Which means that her old will, which left everything to a niece who married a man her aunt didn't approve of, is the only one on file. HA! Better yet, the doctor tells him that his aunt's heart was worse than he thought and she probably only had another month or so to live. So the moral of the story is don't be a murderous shit and things will probably turn out ok. (hide spoiler)]
Some of Christie's short stories appear over and over in collections (and believe me, I've read a lot of them) but I've not seen this one a lot. If nothing else, that made this story more interesting.
A morality tale. And not a terribly good one. I've always found those the rich must give away their money to find true happiness stories a bag of bullsA morality tale. And not a terribly good one. I've always found those the rich must give away their money to find true happiness stories a bag of bullshit. Should you do good things for others if you have more? Yes. If you are in a position to help, then help. I don't think that means you need to feel guilty for having money, though. Unless you are unscrupulous and are harming people to get it, then you're just a lucky bastard and you should enjoy.
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The story revolves around a rich man who has worked his way up from the bottom. He now has all the security that he craved when he was young and hungry. And he's pretty darn happy about it! Until he sees a man die in front of him. He soon after runs across this musician without legs. This character turns out to be some version of Pan that has cut off his 'evil' and is now some sort of Happy Hobo.
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The whole damn thing is weird, to be quite honest. The rich man keeps hearing some sort of angelic sound of wings and feels like he can almost fly up to it, but never quite gets there. By the end of the story, he's sleeping on his roof to try and capture the feeling. You can well imagine what he has to do in order to finally feel free. He gives all of his money to the poor, via his pastor friend, and then sets off to become a homeless traveler. (view spoiler)[He immediately comes across someone who has fallen onto the railroad tracks and saves their life by sacrificing his own (hide spoiler)] and THEN he hears the sound of wings. Ew. No.
WEIRD. But I'm not gonna lie, I kind of dug it. This time around when Christie did supernatural, she DID supernatural. Like, you need to suspend disbeliWEIRD. But I'm not gonna lie, I kind of dug it. This time around when Christie did supernatural, she DID supernatural. Like, you need to suspend disbelief for this one. Ok, so this doctor gets called in by his friend to check out this case of amnesia. Or something. This dude not only completely forgot who he was, but he also isn't even acting like a human anymore.
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The young man in question was just about to get married, so his fiancee is there at the manor. And also his stepmother and younger half-brother. Oh, and there's also this cat that only the doctor can see who keeps twining himself around the legs of the fiancee. But what does this young man remind him of?!
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Spoilers Below! But...seriously. It's not a hard nut to crack.
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So the stepmother turned him into a cat. Gasp. Yeah, she did some kind of voodoo and killed her cat and stuck his spirit inside of it. Now she's got this pissed-off cat spirit after her, but she won't admit it because... Well, shit. I wouldn't admit to that, either. You just killed your cat, bitch! THERE'S HELL TO PAY, WOMAN!
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Ok, so eventually this cat eats her face off and she almost dies. And then the cat-dude dies. He falls into a lake and almost drowns. Or whatever. It's all fakey shit so it doesn't really matter, but somehow the man's spirit goes back into his body and they all live happily ever after! Except for the evil stepmother, of course. She stays eaten. Just kidding. She falls over dead when she sees her stepson alive and well.
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If you can get past the wacky shit, you may enjoy this one.
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