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Review: THE TRIBE and THE THIRST

10/29/2015

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It’s always frustrating when someone takes a movie you really enjoyed and screws it up with a bad sequel. Cube 2: Hypercube is a great example. So are the third movies in the original X-Men and Spider-Man franchises.
 
The Lost Boys: The Tribe and The Thirst take that ineptitude to an entirely new level.
 
I remember my initial disgust when I saw The Tribe. Talk about bursting the bubble of anyone who’d enjoyed the quirky horror comedy original back in the ’80s. The only similarities between that first sequel and the original were Edgar Frog (a professional surfboard shaper—really?); an actor from the Sutherland family; the protagonists being implied members of the Emerson family; and the iconic song, “Cry Little Sister” (a crappy cover by the way).
 
What bugged me the most about The Tribe:
 
  • Edgar Frog’s initial appearance comes with no good explanation; he just seems to know where the newest victims seem to be. Who just shows up in someone's home like that?
  • His motivations seem forced; initially, he is dead set on killing the newly infected protagonist (so intensely that he must be forcibly restrained), but then he’s all about saving her by going after the head vampire.
  • The writers took ridiculous liberties with the original line, “Some yell and scream, some go quietly; some explode, some implode; but all will try to take you with them,” using that as full license to come up with all sorts of vastly different ways for each of the vampires to die. Turning into stone and shattering? Really?
  • That the protagonists also belong to Emerson family, implying some kind of blood relation to Michael and Sam from the original movie, is just overkill--especially when the antagonist is another Sutherland.
  • Formulaic much?
Still, as far as The Tribe falls short, The Thirst crashes and burns. It doesn’t seem to know what it wants to be. Kinda wants to be Blade, but not quite. From Dusk Till Dawn … well, it’s got the slutty vamps down. A little bit of Fright Night and John Carpenter’s Vampires, but not really. The flashbacks indicate that it wants to hold some kind of connection to the original, but again … not so much. There’s none of the original charm, and the attempts at comedic relief are just sad. Most of the acting is the worst bit of horror in the film.
 
But worst of all:
 
  • How did Edgar Frog become so infamous? Why is he suddenly so important to the vampires? Because he’s killed a couple of head vampires along the Northern California coast (with added successes just conveniently inserted by the writers)? From the scene showing how out of practice he is, it’s not all that convincing that he’s done all that much since killing off The Tribe. There aren’t bigger threats to the vampire community out there? Please … call Peter Vincent.
  • How does anyone (beyond the person who immediately becomes the suspected end-of-movie-twist as soon as she goes on and on about them) know anything about the raves?
  • Really, how does anyone know just about anything they know in this movie? Talk about writing in info only the audience should be privy to….
  • With the amount of passion Edgar’s had about vampire killing in the previous films, why is it so hard to get him onboard with the biggest vampire-killing gig of his lifetime? Oh, that’s right—he needs to have a meaningful flashback from the original film in order to be convinced.
  • As noted above, the “real head vampire” twist at the end was sadly predictable.
 
Really, the only meaningful moment in the movie is when Edgar goes to Sam’s grave—obviously an homage to the late Corey Haim (may he rest in peace).
 
So, all you writers out there: Stop ruining other writers’ visions, especially if those visions are cult classics—unless you really, really think you have what it takes to do justice to the stories, the coattails of which you’re willfully riding. Otherwise, people are going to take notice. They’re going to get a little peeved. They might just write nasty blog posts about it … even years after the fact.
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Book Review: THE BOOK BLOGGER PLATFORM

10/21/2014

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The Book Blogger Platform, written by Barb Drozdowich, is a good beginner’s guide to book blogging. It is well organized, covers a good amount of ground, gives clear explanations about using the most popular platforms, and offers some really good advice.

The pictures, unfortunately, were too small for me to see clearly, but perhaps they show up better on other, newer devices (I have a Kindle Touch). I also felt the author was a little too opinionated about platform choice.

There was a lot of information included that most people will already know, but for those just starting out, this book covers all the basics necessary to start a good, solid blog.  4 stars.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.


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Book Review: THE DAY THE LEASH GAVE WAY AND OTHER STORIES

9/14/2014

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Overall, this is an excellent collection, one I highly recommend. While there were a couple of stories I didn't enjoy at all, specifically "An Angel for the Angels" and "End of the Rainbow," the handful of exceptional stories kept me from dropping my review down to four stars. I think my favorites were "Acupuncture," "Competition," and "Dead Man's Burrito," although several more neared the top of my list. Before reading this collection, I'd only read Zelazny's noir and suspense/thriller. While I thought those were excellent, his horror is even better. The squeamish might not appreciate every story in here, but the average horror fan is in for a real treat. 5 stars.
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Catching Up on Reviews

8/27/2014

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It's been quite a while since I've posted a review, so I thought the time had come for me to begin playing catch-up. The following are reviews for works I've read within the past few months:

The Shroud by David Moore – 4 stars

A small group within the Catholic Church has taken the Second Coming into its own hands, and the result is disastrous. While the concept of cloning Jesus using DNA obtained from the Shroud of Turin is nothing new, the direction this novel takes—and how the author executes it—is well done.

The writing style is excellent, with fluid prose and a great pace. Had it been more carefully copy edited, I likely would have rated this story 5 stars. There are a few places in which unrelated characters in unrelated scenes either assume the same information or come to the same conclusions when such information should have been restricted to limited characters and the reader. There were also a number of typos and errors in punctuation/capitalization, and a couple of improperly used references. Still, this novel is a beautiful read, filled with suspense and interesting ideas. I recommend THE SHROUD to thriller fans who enjoy well-crafted prose.

Monstrosities by Jeremy C. Shipp – 5 stars

Monstrosities was my first real taste of bizarre fiction, and while it left me feeling like my head had been thrown into a tornado, I walked away from this collection thoroughly entertained. The writing style is excellent, and nearly every story is exceptional, most of them seeming the literary equivalent of abstract modern art. If you like weird and creepy, you’ll love Monstrosities.

“Bullets and Fire” by Joe R. Lansdale – 4 stars

This short story, which offers a slice of urban gang life, is not only well-written but also surprising in the direction it takes. I have to say I didn’t see the end coming—not the way it was presented or from the standpoint of character motivation. It’s a quick read, but it packs a good amount of detail and personality for its length. I recommend this work to fans of contemporary fiction with a gritty and bold tone.

“Shame the Devil” by Christine Sutton – 4 stars

This story is a short, quick read with a lovely take on an old concept. While not entirely unpredictable, the presentation is fun and it’s a satisfying to read. I loved the play on perception, and I thought the ending was gratifying. I recommend this story to fans of supernatural fiction.

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Guest Author Sèphera Girón and FLESH FAILURE

7/24/2014

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Today, I have the pleasure of hosting author Sèphera Girón, who is promoting her new release, Flesh Failure, published through Samhain Books. I first met Sèphera back in my Ravenous Romance days (it was nice to have a like-minded erotic horror author amid all of the romance) and I've since witnessed how talented and versatile she is.
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Sèphera Girón: Why Flesh Failure?

As I was working on Flesh Failure last summer, it occurred to me that I’ve visited themes from Mary Shelley’s classic horror tale, Frankenstein: The Modern Prometheus several times in my work. I’m sure I’m not the first author who is blind to ongoing themes while immersed in her own work until one day...Wow, I never noticed that I had several patterns in my body of work that don’t relate to witches, magic, or ghosts. 

Flesh Failure is the story of a Frankenstein-monster-inspired creation dragging herself from a shallow grave in the park and realizing that she lives, well, as only a sewn-together reanimated corpse can live...

As she revives herself, flashes of memories return to her. The story follows her search for her creator and the people she meets along the way.

Originally the monster in Flesh Failure was to be in Captured Souls (a story unfolded through the journal entries of a modern-day mad scientist, Dr. Miriam Frederick, on a mission to create the perfect sexual lifestyle without the complications of emotions). I was going to have many of Dr. Miriam Frederick’s creations drag themselves from the grave to haunt her, spurred on by the electrical impulses she was using to control Specimen 1, Specimen 2, and Specimen 3. However, as often happens to me, once I found the true pulse of a book, I realized that adding these creatures would change the direction of the story that I had found while writing. 

So Agatha scenes were put aside while I worked on Captured Souls. When Don D’Auria, Editor-in-Chief at Samhain Horror announced a call for Victorian Horror novellas to create an anthology, I decided to revisit the monster. I wondered if I should have her as one of Frankenstein’s botched experiments. 


Over a few months, she kidnaps a writer, a triathlete, and a model. She subjects them to her will, manipulating them to dance to her desires through electricity, behaviour modification, music, and other tools. 

How far will she go? How far should anyone go to manipulate another person to do her bidding?

The ideas of “someone” playing God, whether it’s Dr. Frankenstein, or Dr. Frederick, or the nameless creator in Flesh Failure, is the one that I find most intriguing. Certainly some people have great power to manipulate. But how far is too far? Why should one person have power over another to do what he wants with no regard for what the other person wants?

Do the monsters ask to be sewn together from the dead? What is the responsibility of the creator? The “parent?” The “lover?”

What happens when you’ve created another human being? Now what? Much like parenthood, where does your personal responsibility for the creature end?

Since I’m known for writing erotic horror, my work tends to explore themes of sexual and emotional manipulation.  I’m not new to that idea either, the punch line ending of Young Frankenstein is a sex joke. Many movies, books, and stories before my time examined the machinations of sex slaves and no question influenced my own renderings of the Frankenstein mythos. I’m looking at you, Rocky Horror Picture Show.  

Dr. Miriam Frederick in Captured Souls isn’t a sweet transvestite, but she’s a control-freak bi-sexual who changes her appearance with wigs, corsets, contacts, and clothes and likes it kinky.

In 1999, Gord Rollo edited an anthology called Unnatural Selection:  A Collection of Darwinian Nightmares. He asked me to contribute and I got to work trying to conceive an evolved monster. I thought about what kind of monster would a mad scientist be able to make with these new things called computers that we now can have in our homes? What can computers do? If they are run on electricity and have radiation and other elements, would there be a way to configure a real life person who isn’t a robot? There have been holograms since the eighties. Do you combine all that to make a person? Could you input data into his brain to be the person you want him to be? How much electricity would it take? If you used human fear, would it give the creature emotions?
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I had lots of questions and so set to work writing the story. It took place in 1999. Back in those days, there was a very real fear that at midnight, the computers would screw up and the world would be paralyzed. The rumour of “no one thought ahead to set the clocks” was a bizarre notion that ran at fever pitch and contributed to a hesitant hysteria over that holiday season. People hoarded food and water just in case the world came to a standstill. Everyone backed up their stories and other important data onto their trusty floppies in case the computers all stopped, never to work again. Yes, it was an odd time back in 1999. So my mad scientist fed on this idea and the story, “Cyber-Prometheus” was born.

You can see me read the beginning of “Cyber-Prometheus” on my YouTube Frankenstein channel. I put a few clips from movies and songs as well on there. It’s a smorgasbord of Frankensteinian goodness and I’m going to be adding to it so keep checking back.
Click here for more.

I read from Captured Souls, and there are a few Instagram clips of me “reading” as characters from Captured Souls (Dr. Miriam and her wig fetish) and Flesh Failure (Agatha, the monster).  Yes, I like to have fun with my horror. You only live once, unless you’re sewn back together at some point.


It seems fitting that Flesh Failure was the next step on my exploration of Frankenstein themes. I usually focus on the scientist and this way my first long version of a monster. I hope you enjoy it!


I’m happy to answer any questions you may have about my work or anything else. I would love to hear what you think about Flesh Failure.


Thank you Lisa for inviting me to guest post on your blog!



About the author:

Sèphera Girón was born in New Orleans, grew up in London, Ontario, and currently resides in Toronto. She has over 17 books traditionally published in several genres. Her latest releases are Flesh Failure (Samhain Horror, July 2014) and Captured Souls (Samhain Horror, March 2014). When Sèphera isn’t writing, she is helping others write with her editorial services. She also is a professional tarot counselor.

For more about Sèphera and her writing, check out her page at Samhain, Amazon, Facebook, Twitter, or any of the links below:

Fan Expo/Festival of Fear, Toronto, August 28 - 31, 2014
Will be appearing on a panel presented by the Horror Writers Association
http://fanexpocanada.com/horror-guests/sephera-giron/

Inspire! Toronto Book Fair, Toronto, November 13 - 15, 2014
Will be appearing on a panel presented by the Horror Writers Association
http://www.torontobookfair.ca/
 
http://www.youtube.com/sephera  - free monthly horoscopes 
http://tarotpaths.blogspot.ca 
http://sephwriter666.blogspot.ca 
http://sepheragiron.com 
http://pinterest.com/sephera888/boards/
 
Sèphera also offers editorial services.

My review: Flesh Failure:

Agatha’s falling apart. Literally. Waking underground stiff, weak, and in agonizing pain, she must claw her way to the surface, only to realize she has no idea who she is or how she got there. Even worse, she finds that she is a patchwork of body parts sewn into a crude figure, stitches oozing and housing filth and maggots. The author uses a nice bit of symbolism in Agatha’s slow recovery, her journey from unearthing herself to mobility taking seven grueling days: Just as Mary Shelley draws against Greek myth, describing Frankenstein’s monster as “a modern Prometheus,” Girón ties her monster to its own mythological roots with allusions to creationism. This fits well with the theme of man playing God.

Girón’s language is simple but elegant, and the story progression offers some interesting surprises. I did feel that the first dozen or so pages moved slowly, but it was purposeful—a marriage of form and function that helped to immerse the reader in Agatha’s hell. I liked the integration of Jack the Ripper, the “Elephant Man,” and Frankenstein, Agatha’s life weaving between history and fiction. One issue I had with the story was the very nature of Agatha’s being, finding strength and notable improvement in her health and wellbeing both through electrocution and blood consumption. While Agatha’s bouts of vampiric behavior helped to add to the story’s horror element, it just didn’t work for me.

Overall, I found Flesh Failure to be an enjoyable take on the Frankenstein formula, filled with suspense, horror, and heart. With that in mind, I rate it at a solid 4 stars.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this novella in exchange for my honest review. Parts of this review rely on reader response theory, which speculates, and may not coincide with, author intent.

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Delusion and Denial: Season 1 of BATES MOTEL

5/20/2013

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For a story that has a conclusion any Hitchcock fan will already know, Bates Motel has proven to be as unpredictable as they come.  This first season was surprisingly good, and it will be interesting to see what happens in the Season 2.  So far, it reminds me of a teenage Breaking Bad: a well-mannered, good-natured man finds himself slowly pushed over the edge by circumstances beyond his control.

The main characters all possess extreme flaws, and yet those flaws are not forced.  Still, they are what drives the story, a necessary and important component to every twist the writers have thrown our way.

Norma Bates is well-meaning but unable to cope with day-to-day problems, let alone the horrors she’s encountered.  She’s frail but so desperately wants to appear strong.  These flaws are vital to the story because her need to fight not only aspects to her life she’s powerless to change, but also her very nature, is what contributes most to her continued trauma.

Norman Bates is much like his mother, clueless about how disturbed he is.  He wants to find his place in the world, but he’s too far in the periphery to do so.  He’s the perfect example of the seemingly good person capable of horrific acts.  He wants to be good; he’s just too lost to see himself in any kind of realistic light.

Dylan Bates is the sanest person in the family, yet he works as an illegal pot grower’s guard and has murdered at least one person we know of.  The scene in which he teaches Norma how to shoot a gun shows how level-headed he is, but the level of corruption his character has amassed parallels that of his mother and brother.  The only difference is he is aware of his actions, the consequences of those actions, and where that places him in terms of society and those he feels the need to protect.

Bradley is a symbol of Norman’s desire for normalcy.  She’s the all-American girl, the epitome of the seeming high-school perfection that nearly everyone, at one time or another, strove to be.  Norman’s obsession with her is nothing less than an obsession to fit in, to live the stereotypical high school experience.  Her denial of his affection represents a denial of his place in the normal, sane world.

Emma is the perfect reflection of Norman.  Although she has no homicidal tendencies, she represents death through her chronic, deadly condition.  Her attraction to Norman symbolizes his own imperfection and, despite himself, the slow dance with Death that he cannot escape.  When they go to the dance together, both admitting it to be their first, the music is telling.  The opening lyrics are, “Everybody’s got a secret to hide. . . .”  While Emma’s flaws are physical and Normans psychological, he rejects a part of himself by rejecting her.

Abernathy, the slave trade dealer, is a symbol of the town’s corruption, while Sheriff Romero symbolizes a desire to create order amidst a sea of chaos.  Deputy Shelby, with whom Norma has a brief fling, represents the evil that lies just beneath the surface of all that appears good but ends in tragedy—the darkness each character strives to overcome, only to see it return, time and time again, in a different form.

Norman’s meltdown over the black socks and Norma’s confession of childhood incest offer deeper glimpses of who they are; Norma’s visible scar parallels her emotional ones.  Each character introduced throughout the season, as minor as he or she may seem, holds a tiny piece of the puzzle that will eventually solve the big question: how does Norman Bates become the insane, ever-tormented killer of Psycho?  The writers have laid the perfect foundation of trauma, neurosis, and betrayal.  What promises to come in the following season will be nothing short of horrifying.



For more about Bates Motel, go to A&E.
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MIRAGES Just Received a Great New Review!

2/2/2013

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Mirages: Tales from Authors of the Macabre just received a lovely new 
5-star review on Amazon.  Reader Dave-Brendon says, 
I'm really glad that I got an opportunity to read this anthology, because it's one of the best collections of dark, unsettling tales that I've ever read. I won't say that it was a pleasurable read -I'm not sadistic or masochistic- but it was definitely an eye-opener, and supremely memorable.
And here's what he had to say about my contribution:
The Descent Upstairs by Leigh M. Lane is a tale that I'll probably remember for a long time - I certainly wouldn't want to be pushed as far as the poor woman in this story was. Sort of makes me think that the fantasies we have regarding how to deal with people who irritate us and enrage us could be dangerous fantasies to have...
You can read the full review here.
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Happy Birthday, Edgar Allan Poe!

1/18/2013

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Edgar Allan Poe was well known for his critical reviews of other authors, and to pay homage, I’ve decided to offer a critical review of what I believe to be one of his most provocative short stories, “The Pit and the Pendulum.”  While Poe’s reviews were often scathing, I felt it more appropriate to celebrate his birthday with something a bit more praiseworthy and analytical.

In “The Pit and the Pendulum,” Poe uses hellish visuals to portray the irony of religious justification for torture and death.  His unnamed protagonist first describes his physical response to the “inquisitorial voices” sentencing him to death.  His senses fail him before he falls into a mild hallucinatory state, at which time one must consider the possibility that Poe is using his common tool, the unreliable narrator.  This works to the benefit of the story, however, allowing one to regard the entire work as an opinion piece.


The narrator describes,

I saw, too, for a few moments of delirious horror, the soft and nearly imperceptible waving of the sable draperies which enwrapped the walls of the apartment; and then my vision fell upon the seven tall candles upon the table. At first they wore the aspect of charity, and seemed white slender angels who would save me: but then all at once there came a most deadly nausea over my spirit, and I felt every fibre in my frame thrill, as if I had touched the wire of a galvanic battery, while the angel forms became meaningless spectres, with heads of flame, and I saw that from them there would be no help.
Here, the seven candles represent the Catholic pontifical high Mass, which is commonly associated with the Pope.  It is in the above passage where he makes clear his intentions in writing this story.  When he describes the candles as “angel forms [that] became meaningless spectres, with heads of flame,” he juxtaposes the holy with hellfire, a visual that will prove to be a recurring theme throughout the work.

The narrator falls into a fugue state, which he can only compare to death.  Poe writes,

I had swooned; but still will not say that all of consciousness was lost. What of it there remained I will not attempt to define, or even to describe; yet all was not lost. In the deepest slumber -- no! In delirium -- no! In a swoon -- no! In death -- no! Even in the grave all was not lost. Else there is no immortality for man. Arousing from the most profound of slumbers, we break the gossamer web of some dream. Yet in a second afterwards (so frail may that web have been) we remember not that we have dreamed.
The narrator’s inability to define or describe his experience represents the unknown and the uncertainty of what lies beyond death.  Through his perceived encounter with those sanctified by the Catholic Church, our protagonist loses his faith in the divine.  He further exemplifies this ironic event in his confusion over what exactly he has encountered: “In the deepest slumber -- no! In delirium -- no! In a swoon -- no! In death -- no! Even in the grave all was not lost. Else there is no immortality for man.”  By claiming, “Even in the grave all was not lost.  Else there is no immortality for man,” the narrator is defining the moment in which he feels forced to question the afterlife.  He compares the encounter to a dream immediately forgotten upon waking, bringing death to a strictly physical level and abandoning any spiritual connection.  He elaborates upon this sentiment when he soon thereafter describes the experience as “some token of the state of seeming nothingness into which [his] soul had lapsed.”
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Illustration courtesy of MacFran:
http://macfran.deviantart.com/
Poe cleverly offers a sense of confusion over the narrator’s unreliability when he comes upon a brief moment of clarity.  He describes, “I brought to mind the inquisitorial proceedings, and attempted from that point to deduce my real condition. The sentence had passed, and it appeared to me that a very long interval of time had since elapsed.”  Here, he recalls his sentencing, but also questions the state in which the shock of that sentence had imposed upon him.  He exemplifies this by adding, “Yet not for a moment did I suppose myself actually dead. Such a supposition, notwithstanding what we read in fiction, is altogether inconsistent with real existence; -- but where and in what state was I?”  By specifically referring recorded experiences of death as “what we read in fiction,” he denies any supernatural connection to said experiences.  His additional observation that it might be “altogether inconsistent with real existence” fortifies the idea that there is a clear divide between his perceived and actual occurrences.

The narrator, upon gaining full consciousness, finds himself in a pitch-black dungeon, which he describes as difficult to gauge in shape and dimension.  This, of course, works as a parallel to the indeterminate size and shape of our universe (which remained an enigma at the time of this story’s creation), his imprisoned world suddenly reduced to the same level of uncertainty.  He clarifies the nature of his prison, however, after again falling unconscious and waking to find the dungeon lit just enough for him to gauge his surroundings.  He describes it as “a wild sulphurous luster” with an “origin of which [he] could not at first determine.”  By describing the vague light source as having “a wild sulphurous luster,” he incorporates sensations most often associated with Hell, and by adding that the origin was one “of which [he] could not determine,” he makes clear the ethereal ekphrasis intended.

When Poe introduces the pendulum, he provides an interconnection between time and death, insinuating the finiteness of all life.  He describes the pendulum as “a painted figure of Time as he is commonly represented, save that in lieu of a scythe he held as a casual glance I supposed to be the pictured image of a huge pendulum, such as we see on antique clocks.”  By meshing the traditional images of (pendulum) and death (scythe), he alludes to the association between the two; both are inescapable and both play against one another in the eventual mortality of all humans.  Many attempt to diffuse their fears over the two through faith, but again, perception and reality do not always go hand in hand.


Poe further alludes to this connection when his narrator describes, “there had been no perceptible descent in the pendulum.”  Like watching a child grow or a person age, the perception is not one that can be viewed in one moment to the next.  One might as well attempt to watch the grass grow.  Old age creeps upon us all, and youth falls to the wayside before it can be fully appreciated.  Death, as inevitable as it is, often seems distant until nearly the moment it strikes.  Most of us think little about our mortality, or the finality that may come with death, until we’re forced to, as Poe’s narrator exemplifies, “For the first time during many hours, or perhaps days, I THOUGHT.”  It isn’t until the pendulum has nearly reached him that he is able to ponder both its implications and his possible escape.

Poe returns to allusions of the battles resulting from the Inquisition when he brings the rats inhabiting the dungeon to the forefront.  The narrator describes,

I had not counted in vain upon their voracity. Observing that I remained without motion, one or two of the boldest leaped upon the frame-work and smelt at the surcingle. This seemed the signal for a general rush. Forth from the well they hurried in fresh troops. They clung to the wood, they overran it, and leaped in hundreds upon my person.
Notice the choice in language here: the “general rush” and the “fresh troops.”  Poe clearly depicts war through the garish guise of vermin warming a man on the brink of death.  Still, his narrator survives, patiently waiting for their assault against his flesh to weaken also the ties that bind him, only to describe the horrors that ensue:
I had scarcely stepped from my wooden bed of horror upon the stone floor of the prison, when the motion of the hellish machine ceased and I beheld it drawn up by some invisible force through the ceiling. This was a lesson which I took desperately to heart. My every motion was undoubtedly watched. Free! I had but escaped death in one form of agony to be delivered unto worse than death in some other.
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Image courtesy of Ryan Russell.
Click on image for more information.
Here, one might find a correlation between the assumed all-seeing eyes of God and the narrator’s torturers: “My every motion was undoubtedly watched.”  The pendulum ceases as soon as he slips from his binds, and he anticipates a new level of suffering to replace the old.  The “lesson which [he takes] desperately to heart” compares to the canonical “lesson[s]” anyone might derive from any given religious text.

When the torturers are finally revealed, the narrator describes “Demon eyes, of a wild and ghastly vivacity, glar[ing] …in a thousand directions where none have been visible before, and gleamed with a lurid luster of a fire that I could not force my imagination to regard as unreal.”  The description here is more ethereal than it is earthly, turning men into demons, meshing the imagined with inescapable reality.  Those trusted with the position of punishing the condemned are no better than those deemed the heathens they have sentenced; human and demon become one in the same.  Poe ensures his message is clear by describing his torturers as “most demoniac of men,” and by transforming the stone walls of the narrator’s prison as “burning iron” ever closing in on his protagonist.

When he rouses from his imagined hell, the protagonist realizes “the fiery walls rushed back” and he is still on the battlefield, fighting alongside General Lasalle of the French army, driving those fighting for the Inquisition into submission.  This reversal of roles here is key to the story.  By shifting the narrator’s hell into reverie, Poe merely shows that he portrays one side of a complicated story.  More importantly, he illustrates the atrocities that might exist due to something as menial as a difference in belief.  The enemy is always the demon, and his domain is always Hell, and it is only human nature to dehumanize he whom one currently fights against.

Works cited by link:

http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01347a.htm
http://www.literature.org/authors/poe-edgar-allan/pit-and-pendulum.html

http://macfran.deviantart.com/
http://www.tumblr.com/tagged/edgar%20allan%20poe

2 Comments

Kody Brown: I'm Calling You Out

11/17/2012

2 Comments

 
I've watched the TLC series Sister Wives since last season, not because I'm rooting for the family, but rather because it's like a train wreck: you can't help but watch, no matter how ugly it gets.

I'm not one to judge others for their beliefs or lifestyles; I'm an agnostic married to an atheist with a biological father who's a pastor recently broken away from the Assembly of God, a New Age mother, and an adopted father who's a mainstream protestant.  I respect religious freedom.  I respect freedom of belief.

What I don't respect is abuse of various government agencies and taking advantage of women who have been too downtrodden to know they deserve to be the sole love and be given  the exclusive attention of one man, one family, one marriage.  You might cite your "religious beliefs" as much as you want; Al Queda have cited "religious beliefs" in the name of terror against our beloved United States of America.  I must respect that you have been raised to believe you are worthy of the affection and full attention of multiple wives; I cannot respect that the women who have fallen into your little harem fall into tears in every episode--either out of jealousy over their "sister wives," a feeling of abandonment, or an undue sense of inadequacy when compared to the others.

I'm sorry, but you make me sick, Kody.  What makes you think you are all that, deserving of multiple wives, when those poor women have to share your affection?  What about them?  What about the lonely nights each of those women must suffer, knowing you are sharing a bed with another, knowing you respect them so little as to believe they are not worth your sole attention?  I cite the recent article, 'Sister Wives' Kody Brown 'None of My Wifes Can Satisfy My Needs'.  Despicable.  Who the hell do you think you are?  I couldn't imagine sharing my husband with other women.  I couldn't imagine the heartache of knowing I alone wasn't good enough for him.  I wish your wives would see reason to find "brother husbands" to join your ranks, just so that they might get the attention they each deserve.

Next on topic is the necessary question: how do you all survive?  Do you "bleed the beast?"  Yes, I've had a Mormon family member (who left the Church to become an atheist after becoming disillusioned with the Church's many ridiculous dogmas) and she learned all the ins and outs of your particular sect.  I know what that's all about.  For those who do not know what this term means: "Bleeding the beast" is a polygamist Mormon term for having one "officially" married wife and having several other unofficial "spiritual" wives, all of whom are living off of welfare.  They pool their money, each wife offering her welfare money for the sake of the "family," rationalizing that the government is evil (i.e. the "beast") and deserves to be "bled."  Tell me, Kody, do any of your wives "bleed the beast?"

What it all comes down to, regardless of whatever you do to validate the indirect abuse your "wives" suffer or whatever you do to make money, is that you deny these women what they deserve.  They deserve to feel unconditionally loved--not against any other woman, but for who they are and what they have to offer you.  Moreover, each of these women deserves to know what it means to be loved alone--not in competition with any other woman--just you and her.  You are a pig.  You are sick.  Your "wives" deserve so much more, but unfortunately, they will never grow the self esteem needed to break away from you while you're still under their thumb.  May God--if there is a God--have mercy on your pathetic soul.

Watch Sister Wives on TLC on Sunday nights ... and please do join the fray.
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FINDING POE a Featured Review at the SF Site

11/17/2012

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This month, Finding Poe finds itself alongside Kim Harrison's Into the Woods and Peter F. Hamilton's Great North Road as a Featured Review at the SF Site.  Here's an excerpt:


"It is a story that seems as though it has been written in the dark, as the setting and characters are darker than normal. This is a gothic novel with Poe being one of the main interests in it. The story starts with her trying to find Poe and the answers to her husband's death, but along the way she is subject to some horrifying events that form the dark setting of the novel. Although it is rather short, it has some nerve wracking moments, and some that are downright gory."


Read the full review here.
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