SQ Magazine #5, November 2012

SQ Mag Edition 5, edited by Sophie Yorkston, November 2012


SQ Mag website
SQ Mag issue #5
Cover by Steve Thor Gunnin

Overall Rating: 5/10


SQ Mag is a free e-magazine from Australia which requires only an email for subscription, or you can simply read it online. Though I've been subscribing since the November 2012 issue, I've only now, seven issues later, finally gotten around to reading it. A speculative fiction and non-fiction magazine, it publishes science fiction, horror and fantasy, and the different intermingling subgenres of each. In fact, it promises to offer at least one story in each of these primary genres. Edition 5 contains five short stories as well as the fifth and final part of a serial, "The Searchers," by M.F. Burbaugh. Non-fiction is offered in various forms. There is an interview with author Garry McMahon, (by editor Sophie Yorkston), book reviews of two series installments, Deborah Harkness's Shadow of Night (by Mysti Parker) and Mark Walden's Earthfall: The Battle Starts Here (by Damien Smith), and a review of Rian Johnson's highly entertaining and sometimes loopy, loop-hole filled film, Looper (also by editor Yorkston).

It's the Holly Day story that makes this issue worth a read, though I have no comment on the Burbaugh serial, having missed the first four installments. (Yes, I know, I can check them out online, but I prefer my electronic reading on my ereader.) While the issue certainly maintains its commitment in offering genre variety, giving us space stations, vampires, and the post-apocalyptic, not to mention dolphins and horse-drawn carriages, overall the stories are flat and conventional, and even Day's stronger piece can use a little polishing. Though disappointed I will nonetheless read more issues since the mag does show promise. In addition, I read the issue in a day, almost entirely on bus and metro rides, so it makes for the often needful less concentrated quick reading.


The Memory Machine by Holly Day     7/10
At a house party something is greatly amiss. The adults are preoccupied with the well-being of little boy Bobby, whose vast knowledge lies in contrast with adult forgetfulness. With its near surreal opening, its sense of a fractured reality and the references to drowning, "The Memory Machine" is a story that slowly reveals itself, only half-way through allowing the reader to know what is actually going on. A tragic story in both its apocalyptic implications and in the more accessible aspect of parenthood. Somewhat reminiscent of the R.A. Lafferty short story, "What's the Name of that Town?" (Galaxy, October 1964). There is less quirky humour in this one, but the implications of mass memory loss in both are severe.


Azurewrath by Esme Carpenter     4/10
First person present tense tale of a werewolf dining among vampires. While invitations from one are often sent to the other, and hospitality is maintained, there is a mystery behind this particular evening's visit. Vampire's are equated here with stereotypical evil British nineteenth century landowners, while werewolves dote over their servants and children. Wonder who the good guys are? Not badly written, the story just isn't my cup of blood. I have a hard time taking vampire tales seriously, or stories where people say things along the lines of, "Good evening, my good man."


CSS by Warren Goodwin     4/10
Science fiction murder mystery/serial killer story. Our no-nonsense cop on a space station is investigating a series of gruesome murders of women in their twenties. Not a very good mystery or even science fiction story, it nonetheless has some atmosphere. Characters are flat and there is no real investigative process, with our stock anti-hero detective only accidentally finding and capturing the killer. Moreover, only late in the story do we learn that our bachelor cop has a lady friend, and guess whose in trouble? It lacks in the science fiction aspect since it tosses out some neat futuristic terms like insta-gloves, it does not delve deeply into the implications of its futurism. As mentioned there is some good atmosphere and the killer holograph has potential. With more fleshed out characters, patience, an investigative approach and twice the length, there might be a decent story here.


A Debt Called In by Michael B. Fletcher     4/10
After killing some thugs in a semi-self-defensive maneuver, a man flees from police and comes across a horse and cart. Desperate, he accepts a ride from the cabbie, but by then the reader has figured everything out. Reminiscent of some early television, including some Twilight Zone stories.


Bottlenose by Larry Lefkoqitz     4/10
Just when you thought it was safe to visit Sea World. At a US military dolphin training facility, Captain Sullivan has gathered his men (yes, they're all men) in order to piece together three recent deaths at sea. It appears quite possible that dolphins have killed these men. This is an idea story, so there is not much in the way of character or plot, just a lot of discussion on dolphin military involvement, alongside the movie Day of the Dolphin (which I actually enjoyed). Oddly, a critical comment on the film can also be aimed at this story. Another mystery whose reveal is conveniently tossed in:

Character: Who committed this awful deed?
Other Character: Must've been Bob, since he was there.
Bob: Drat! You found me out! My motive is I thought I was doing something good, but it turns out I am MAD! MWAHAHAHA!
THE END

Briefly: Walter Mosley, Devil in a Blue Dress (1990)

Mosley, Walter, Devil in a Blue Dress, NY: W.W. Norton, 1990

Devil in a Blue Dress at Goodreads
Devil in a Blue Dress at IBList

Rating: 7/10

For other Friday's Forgotten Books, please visit Patti Abbott's blog.

Lauded for strong characterization and solid writing for a first novel, I have no observations to contradict the popular opinion the novel received on its initial release. What makes this quick read so intriguing is not the mystery plot, but our narrator Ezekial "Easy" Rawlins. His post-war instability, genuine smarts and his admission to mistakes in dealing with the investigation of the titular "devil," crystallize the narrative and transcends it beyond plot. The novel has attracted attention not only because it is well written, but because it is an important work in African American fiction, and also due to the interesting elements of his post-war stability and a "voice" that speaks to him at moments of overwhelming stress, also likely a consequence of post-war trauma.

As a mystery I found it unremarkable and at times even frustrating. Rawlins is well ahead of the reader in his thought process, which appears contradictory since narrator and reader are close and comfortable. We lose out on deliberation and the detailed process of putting the pieces together. Instead Rawlins can blurt out, in relating a conversation, "So-and-so was behind this-and-that!" Rather than generating surprise, shock and the expected response, "It was So-and-so!" I wanted instead to roll my eyes. This complaint is, however, a minor point, since there is nothing deceiving in the presentation of the plot. The mystery even becomes secondary as I found myself more interested in Easy's war-time experiences and many of his reminiscences of 1948 Los Angeles that I at times lost interest in the murder. I was hoping his instability would complicate his investigations but he manages to keep sanity in check. The presence of the truly unstable and immoral Mouse help to balance Rawlins's own mental issues, and keep him grounded and alert.

Though cardboard, characters are well portrayed and I like their diversity, especially since they are for the most part despicable. I like Rawlins mostly because of his flaws, but I do wonder how he manages to compose such a clear narrative of events. Must be that soothing yard and home that triggers his involvement in all this. I might even read the novel's follow-up, A Red Death.


And here is the cover of the Italian translation. Quite a different approach from the English language copies I've seen. While those emphasize jazz, blue dresses and black men, this one displays passion and race.

New Ghost Stories: Stories from the Fiction Desk 6

[Hyperlink removed--July 2017]

Note: This entry was proofread by Grammarly, an online correction tool I was asked to try out. Being somewhat arrogant I thought, "Pshaw! Me make mistakes?" Pasting this review into the corrector told me that mistakes indeed I do make. While I like being playful and forming odd sentences, and I consciously use sentence fragments and the passive voice, sadly, even after proofreading the text with mine own alert eyes, there were some basic grammatical errors. For instance, I conjugated "A pair" as though it were plural, left out an important apostrophe and employed repetitive wording. My greatest fail was not one but two misused pronouns, and I even managed to pull off a confusing modifier. I admit I did have fun using the tool and will continue for a little while, until my 30-day free trial expires. It is not a tool I would pay for, especially since the errors were (thankfully for my ego) few, especially at the asking price. Note that I was compensated for the one sentence blurb at the top with an Amazon gift certificate, but the paragraph below the blurb is entirely my own.


New Ghost Stories: Stories from the Fiction Desk 6, edited by Rob Redman, The Fiction Desk, December 2013

New Ghost Stories at Goodreads
The Fiction Desk website

Overall Rating: 7.5/10

Featuring the winners of recent The Fiction Desk ghost story competition, editor Rob Redman explains in his introduction that the issue became devoted to the sub-genre as a result of receiving many strong competition entries. A superb decision, I think, as the sixth The Fiction Desk is among the strongest of the anthologies, and an occasional themed issue, in light of the consistently good stories in this one, would certainly be welcome.

We have seen ghosts wandering the pages of The Fiction Desk, so the themed issue is an extension of a part of itself, rather than a complete overhaul of its standards. In fact, the journal has published stories from most genres and can likely pull off a good collection from many. Ghost stories, however, are particular in transcending genre: while they are in their strict sense fantasies, ghosts can exist as horror, drama, satire and even strict comedy. Ghosts have haunted the pages of our most notable and recognizable serious literary personas, such as William Shakespeare, Charles Dickens, Oscar Wilde and Virginia Woolf, yet critics of the twentieth century, while admiring tales of fantasy, quickly relegate contemporary ghosts to a sub-genre, and most often dismissing such tales. Rob Redman and the team over at The Fiction Desk, along with the authors bravely risking credibility and submitting their ghostly tales to the journal, have succeeded in putting together a volume that transcends genre. These stories are not about ghosts per se, yet like any great collection of serious fiction, are about so many concrete and versatile topics, yet happen to feature varying concepts of ghost.

The only story that did not grip me is Linda Brucesmith's "The 25th Caprice," despite some good ideas. Recipient of first place is Joanne Rush's "Guests," and is very much deserving of the prize. Second place is Julie Patt's "At Glenn Dale," and while a strong story, my personal runner-up is Miha Mazzini's effective "In the Walls."


At Glenn Dale by Julie Patt     7/10
A pair of feuding high school boys settles on a showdown at the abandoned and haunted sanitarium in the town of Bowie. Ghosts and varying asylums go well together, yet "At Glenn Dale" proves to be a study of character and place in the guise of a ghost tale. The collective narrator (a la Faulkner's "A Rose for Emily") helps elevate the tale to town myth, and since that collective voice is authoritatively familiar with the details of the showdown, I wonder if the narrative belongs to the ghosts themselves. The story received second place in the competition.


Journeyman by Eloise Shepherd     7/10
A run-down boxer living with his two sons grows increasingly anxious as there appears to be a ghost in their home. Some fine ambiguity and good focus on character make for a fine read, and the story is especially elevated by genuine creepiness.


Tom by Oli Hadfield     7/10
Twelve year-old Tom is being bullied at school and neglected by a mother who is focused solely on getting back father. His only comfort is friend Becky and a spirit'like presence that guides him along. A good vision of youthful harassment and familial neglect, I feel genuine sympathy for Tom and like that the narrator's identity and existence remains unexplained. Ghost is perhaps a less appropriate term since the voice can be from a boy forced to see the world outside of a shameful self.


Washout by Matthew Licht     5/10
A struggling pair of roommates head out to scavenge for a working washing machine and encounter death and a ghost in a run-down part of New York. While I liked the premise of a pair of scavenging men (I too have scavenged successfully in my younger days), I did not get immersed in the narrative voice nor the series of events. Licht's other two Fiction Desk contributions were better efforts: "Dave Tough's Luck" in Various Authors and "Across the Kinderhook" in Crying Just Like Anybody.


Half Mom by Jason Atkinson     6/10
Clara receives from her father an urn containing half of her mother's ashes (the other half are still with father). Father's plan is to force Clara to decide what they should do with the ashes, mother having died six years ago. Another good story from Atkinson, the author of two previous Fiction Desk entries, both strong stories: "Get on Green" from All These Little Words and "Assassination Scene" from Various Authors.


No Good Deeds by Amanda Mason     7/10
After helping an old lady with her trolley, a lonely woman begins to see and smell her everywhere she goes. Recovering from a severe head injury, she does not believe anyone would believe her, and must suffer her ghost in silence. A strong story in which, in many ways, our narrator is herself a ghost; unseen and existing rather than living. Though the old woman is a creepy nuisance, it is through her that our narrator can begin to come to terms with her trauma.


Chalklands by Richard Smyth     6/10
A more traditional story of a returning spirit, this one deals with family and reminds us we can never know everything about those we love the most. A tragedy for this family might not, in its own mysterious way, be as tragic for the victim, and we can't expect resolutions when dealing with family dynamics. Smyth is also the author of the title story in Crying Just Like Anybody.


Old Ghosts by Ann Wahlman     7/10
Two years after the death of her beloved husband, a woman reunites with him every night in bed. While the woman's mother and friends encourage her to move on, she can think only of heading home and being with her husband's spirit. Things get complicated when she meets someone. A strong, emotional story with an effective conclusion. The story does not explore whether the husband is a ghost or a figment of grief, but rather the idea of transitioning to another chapter in one's life and the terror in the prospect. A great ambiguous ending, leaving the reader with a vivid image.


The 25th Caprice by Linda Brucesmith     5/10
The devilish ghost of past master Paganini haunts current master violinist Pesha. A take on the classic notion of outsmarting the devil, the story features some fascinating details borrowed from Paganini's life, yet the plot is a little flat. And I for one couldn't help but think of that Charlie Daniels Band song "The Devil Went Down to Georgia."


A Whole Bloody Century by Jonathan Pinnock     6/10
A mourning man is at the church when he encounters a tramp muttering about a whole bloody century. Mourning for loved ones, as Poe has famously stressed, makes us wonder about secret everlasting life. Though there are no real surprises here, I liked this story, primarily for its straightforward narrator and that unfathomable idea of a whole bloody century.


In the Walls by Miha Mazzini     8/10
A successful businessman at a holiday party goes home with a woman and spend much of the night listening to the sounds of a sickly coughing child. An excellent story in its focus on character, its tight prose and genuine creepiness. Interestingly it is not the nature of the ghost that is compelling in this tale, but rather that of the narrator. There is an effective irony in a man being so isolated and distant from his family while being the potential conduit in reuniting a mother and child.


Guests by Joanne Rush     8/10
A freelance web developer is left alone when her husband heads to Bosnia on a secretive mission. Keeping to herself in their isolated home, a series of dead from the former Yugoslavia settle in her home. She soon begins to neglect her work as she becomes acquainted with the various ghosts, immersed in their stories, their histories. A story worthy of receiving its first-place award, "Guests" runs the gamut of emotions, from historical tragedy, mystery and even humour. In fact, the story is so immersive and its characters so concrete, that we forget it's centred around ghosts.

The 4400: Blink

The 4400: Blink (Episode 3.7)
Directed by Colin Bugsey
Written byAmy Berg and Andrew Colville
Guest starring Brian Dennehy, Reynaldo Rosales, Linda Darlow and Matthew Kevin Anderson
First aired 23 July 2006
Rating: 7/10


Previous episode: The Home Front
Next episode: The Ballad of Kevin and Tess


Frequently television shows will insert a single-standing episode that is mostly removed from the main episodic thread in order to focus on character. A prime example is the short-lived series Odyssey 5, whose excellent entry "The Choices We Make" (ep. 1.6) features our five heroes taking time off from searching for invaders intent on destroying Earth in order to face up to the lives they might have led had they not been made responsible for saving mankind. In The 4400's "Blink," lead characters Tom Baldwin and Diana Skouris must confront the ghosts of their pasts when some cookies have infused them with vivid hallucinations. Tom is led to confront his relationship with his deceased father, while Diana is forced to face up to her back-stabbing former fiancé. The episode is a welcome change of pace, while nonetheless incorporating The 4400 elements. This plot-line easily overshadows the Isabelle/Shawn engagement.

Via Tom's cookie-induced hallucinations we learn that he has issues with his hard-ass cop father, well played by tough-guy Brian Dennehy, a nice acting coup for the series. It doesn't matter that the story-line is common and sentimental; the two actors work well off each other and the idea that the father hallucination is tagging along on the investigation is amusing. No one is expected to cry at the denouement, but it is nice to see Tom's sensitive side, which was pretty much limited to a shot from season two of him rocking baby Kyle, telling son it'll all be okay. Or to those often awkward lovey moments with now on-the-run wife Alana.

For Diana it's her almost husband Josh Sandler who is haunting her, and through this encounter we learn something important about Diana: she has commitment issues. Though not at all considered in the episode, her commitment issue are nicely counter-balanced with the fact that she adopted Maia. Since she has no prospects of a husband, being so incapable of committing, her attachment to Maia's becomes so much more integral to her existence, and even makes the episode "Gone (Part II)" more accessible. Confronting these issues results in Diana's having to face herself, and having to dump Marco, a nice guy she is evidently leading on. I am comfortable with this act, particularly since I never felt that Diana and Marco were a true item. The chemistry just wasn't there. Even hallucination Josh recognized this.

The business behind the cookies is interesting: returnee Naomi Bonderman produces a kind of resin that leads people to experiencing hallucinations and forcing them to confront past issues. Unfortunately in some cases, like the episode opening sequence, this can involve traumatic memories of sexual abuse inadvertently leading to a person's death. Bonderman's resin was stolen and baked into some cookies, and while the identity of the culprit is apparent early on, I do like the motive. Described as a wayward young man, he was just trying to help people. Yet it isn't clearly explained how this resin was transformed into the drug named blink. Did our nice guy culprit sell a portion to some dealers, or did the dealers acquire it elsewhere?

There is some silliness to the episode, as expected. Whereas Tom quickly identifies that he is on blink, likely consumed from the mysterious cookies he received (duh!), he is nonetheless convinced that his deceased father is sitting in the back seat of the car. Diana is again given the good comedic lines: "I had a cookie too and I'm not seeing dead relatives." We also get to see Tom and Diana separating to investigate different aspects of the crime, but obviously this separation is so that they can each be alone with their issues/hallucinations. Obvious but necessary technique employed by our writers.

The opening, with the creepy "It's okay. Uncle Patrick's here," is effective and reminiscent of openings often employed by The X-Files. Patrick is a ghostly figure, appearing only in niece Erika's mind's eye, as objective bird's eye shots reveal an otherwise empty rooftop.

It's okay. Uncle Patrick's here."

`
In this episode Isabella and Shawn become engaged, and while both Shawn and Richard are opposed, they also both fear what the devil girl will accomplish if they oppose her mad wishes. It's good to have the interesting blink plot interspersed with the less-than-interesting Isabelle sequences in order to simply save the episode from the dullness the Isabella threat and Shawn submissiveness has become. I am at a point where I'd like Tom or anyone to do away with Isabelle. Take Shawn out too, at this point. I do wonder why the people of the future haven't punished Tom for breaking his part of the bargain in freeing the abducted returnee kids in "Gone (Part II)." And nothing has come of our hero presenting himself as being a man against his word.

"You can move things with your mind," Shawn says to Richard, the first reference to the latter's telekinetic ability since we first learned of his power. This is probably foreshadowing something to develop soon.

A good episode, the strongest in a while.

The 4400: The Home Front

The 4400: The Home Front (Episode 3.6)
Directed by Nick Copus
Written by Ira Steven Behr and Craig Sweeny
Guest starring Sharif Atkins and Brooke Nevin
First aired 16 July 2006
Rating: 5/10

Previous episode: Graduation Day
Next episode: Blink

For other overlooked video please see Todd Mason's site.

The title of this episode, "The Home Front," refers to both the national home front and tensions brewing in the Tom/Alana household, and only incidentally to the Isabelle/Richard home. The episode focuses on two main plot threads: the ongoing drama of Isabella and Shawn (with all its ugly sidelines), and the possible ejection of Alana from the series via some connections with Gary Navarro and the infamous Nova group.

Of the many 4400 characters, I've always liked Gary Navarro, and his return is refreshing, particularly in that the focus is on the complex course his life has taken since he returned and developed, as you'll recall, mind-reading abilities. He is well acted by Sharif Atkins ("I just wanted to play baseball!!" Chuckle) Unfortunately the episode opens with much silliness: Diana and Tom are outside Navarro's home, and when other NTAC agents appear they barge into the house to find that the former baseball player has moments ago slipped out. Personally I would be scared if my national security team rushes an army through the front door in one fell swoop, allowing a potentially super-dangerous individual from casually stepping out the back door. You'd think the strategists behind that team would have the sense to advise them to surround the house before barging in.

Adding to this is the fact that a couple of special agents can simply walk into a classroom at the 4400 Centre completely unaccompanied and remove one of their staff with no intervention whatsoever, not even the request to see an arrest warrant or even identification from either man. Without a guide, how did they even know where she was? Did they ask at the reception desk: "We're here to arrest Alana Mareva." // "Oh sure!" chirps pleasant underpaid receptionist. "She's down the hall in room XXX."

The possibility of Alana being a member of the Nova group is certainly a good premise, but the execution is sadly lacking. Alana was never among my favourite characters, so I didn't have a great deal invested while watching. Moreover, the once interesting Dennis Ryland has descended into generic megalomaniacal bad guy, and the entire prisoner trade-off concept is tiring and executed here with such ordinariness in setting and style that I just did not care. The looseness of the justification behind Alana's betrayal of Tom simply weakens any redeeming quality of this thread. We are supposed to understand that Alana tipped off Navarro in order to alleviate the guilt nestling in Tom's conscience, yet this makes no sense since she takes the entire situation into her own hands, does not confide in Tom, and hence makes us believe she will continuously thwart Tom's attempts at capturing Navarro. Meanwhile Tom would continue to battle his conscience because all this time Alana is withholding the fact that Navarro turned his back on the Nova group, so Tom would not have access to this all-important piece of information. Alana has been keeping secret communications with Navarro (how she located him when NTAC hasn't been able to is a mystery), continuously risking both of them, and continuously betraying Tom. And she has the gall to scream out to Tom: "I did it for you!" As far as I am concerned she did wrong.

Despite the annoyances I do like that Alana and Navarro are on the run, heading to Canada. (Though ironically they're already there.)

Lovely dress.

As for Shawn and Isabelle, I like the re-introduction of Nikki. The writers were smart to bring her back since it's the only way that Shawn can plunge into a potential romance on such short notice. As a bonus she looks lovely in that dress. I do like that Isabelle's threats are delivered with such seeming innocence, rather than devilishly with some requiem bursting in the background, but I don't like Richard trying to convince Shawn to get back with here since this is completely out of character. I also don't see how Richard can ignore the obvious apocalyptic threats Isabelle makes over dinner. "It'll end badly for everyone."

We learn that Navarro killed eight 4400s, which brings the count from 4,371 down to 4,363. We're told twice that Ryland was behind twenty-eight deaths, yet I'm not sure how that fits in. We learn in "Mommy's Bosses" that twenty-three died from the plague, so what of the other five?

Ryland looking like a little boy being scolded.

The first of four The 4400 episodes directed by Nick Copus, and one among many scripted or co-scripted by Ira Steven Behr (Star Trek: Deep Space 9 and many others) and Craig Sweeny.

The 4400: Graduation Day

The 4400: Graduation Day (Episode 3.5)
Directed by Aaron Lipstadt
Written by Craig Sweeny
Guest starring Ian Tracey, Ulla Friis, Carter Jenkins and Kurt Fuller
First aired 9 July 2006
Rating: 4/10

Previous episode: Gone (Part 2)
Next episode: The Home Front

For other Tuesday's overlooked A/V, please visit Todd Mason's site.


We learned in the previous episode that in return for the safe release of Maia and the other abducted 4400 children, Tom Baldwin must kill Isabella. "Graduation Day" opens with a dream sequence that reveals Tom's guilt at having to commit the murder. While dream sequences can be tiresome, it makes sense here in that Tom can't speak to anyone of the deed, and the soliloquy does not translate well to the telvision medium. "'Tis Isabella I see before me / Her neck in my hands?" Moreover, a display of guilt is important since the audience must understand, by commercial television standards, that our hero is a good, moral dude. (Otherwise, where would the advertisers be?)

While Tom having been hoodwinked into killing Isabella is an interesting and promising scenario, I can't help but wonder why the good people of the future abducted mother Lily and father Richard if they together produced the bad seed that the future now wants eliminated. Neither Lily nor Richard (though he is among the show's best characters and actors) seem to have much else of a role to play in the course of history. Lily is already dead and despite a brief second season tease revealing some telekinetic ability, Richard hasn't been productive on the power front lately. I doubt he was abducted and returned solely so that Shawn and the 4400 Centre can have a level-headed funds administrator. I have probably mentioned already that Richard is among the better characters in the series and Mahershala Ali among the better actors, so I'm not advocating eliminating him, just arguing that he appears to have little purpose for a series that purports all the returnees have a role integral to saving humanity.

This episode follows a conventional plot structure and offers nothing fresh or exciting. Having Tom occasionally pull out the deadly syringe he is to use to kill Isabelle (with the director calling out, "More guilt! I want to see more guilt in those furrowed brows!") is not a tension-builder. Isabelle wreaks havoc, shows off her powers by doing away with a couple of 4400 members, bringing our count of remaining 4400s back down to 4371. She kills animal whisperer Jane Nance by turning animals against her (what good is Doctor Doolittle to the 4400?), and helps burn Jorge Molina to a crisp, then conveniently finds and emasculates Daniel Armand. We learn that among Isabelle's many talents is to turn 4400 powers against them. (So many talents Isabelle has, from regeneration to power swapping and so many in between, while acting is unfortunately not among them.) The post-climactic resolution is utter nonsense, since clearing Isabelle of the disastrous events would take months to years, not minutes. The final moment, that visit to Dennis Ryland, is really the only decent twist the episode has to offer, and yet that generates longing for episode 3.6 while doing nothing to improve this one.

Isabella's motivation in wreaking all this havoc is to defend Shawn from Daniel Armand's attack. Armand's power is to get into people's minds and drive them nutty. While Isabella's obsession over Shawn is intended to be creepy, in this episode it comes across as plainly annoying. Shawn going batty is another unfortunate sequence since the end result is laughable. Moreover, along the way Isabella does away with Matthew Ross, one of the more interesting and certainly the most enigmatic character since the departure of Jordan Collier. Before his death we learn that Matthew wants to destroy the 4400, and I wonder if that motivation and the reasons for it will become evident down the line. Perhaps the writers didn't know what to do with the character, or thought it was time to eliminate a familiar face in order to shock their viewers, most of whom were likely dozing off at the half-way point of this entry. If only they'd done away with Isabella instead.

During the episode I found myself missing Kyle Baldwin (Chad Faust). While I like Shawn most of the time, his entanglement with Isabella is exceedingly dull. Both characters, cousins we'll recall, are morally attuned and ethically motivated, yet there was a sincerity as well as a desperation in Kyle that is replaced with gullibility in Shawn. The assassination sequence involving Kyle, and his always wanting to make up for wrongs he had little control over, completely overshadow Shawn's continuous involvement with women and the reminders that he is all that wise. Kyle, Jordan and now Matthew having departed make for a weaker series, though I'm pretty sure Collier will return in due time.

A secondary plot involves Alana, in her new position as 4400 counsellor, learning the identity of the man who killed her husband and son in a hit-and-run. Turns out drunken hit-and-run offender Keane Driscoll does not recall the accident too clearly and has, through guilt, been helping other alcoholics overcome their drinking. I like the idea, particularly since it falls exactly within the realm set up by the show's first season, in that we know not why a particular power was granted, but it ultimately leads to a specific set of consequences (see "The New and Improved Carl Morrissey" ep. 1.2). Unfortunately the mini-plot here is only incidental, a few minutes of filler to relieve the viewer from being overexposed to Isabella's annoyances or Shawn's psycho-tripping. A good deal could have been made by these circumstances. I like the twist and the complex morality it exposes, but do not like Alana's idiocy; her guilt though she was the direct cause of Driscoll's accident. Driscoll is well played by character actor Kurt Fuller.

Written by perennial The 4400 scriptwriter Craig Sweeny, "Graduation Day" is among his weakest scripts. In his only episode involvement, "Graduation Day" was directed by Aaron Lipstadt, whose directorial debut was the forgotten yet highly enjoyable Klaus Kinski movie Android (1982). You cannot blame the director for this one, and the sub-par acting might have to do with more than just the script.

Jack Finney, The Woodrow Wilson Dime (1968)

Finney, Jack, The Woodrow Wilson Dime, New York: Simon & Schuster, April 1968
___________, Three By Finney, New York: Simon & Schuster / Fireside Books, August 1987




The Woodrow Wilson Dime at ISFdb
The Woodrow Wilson Dime at Goodreads
The Woodrow Wilson Dime at IBList

Rating: 7/10

For more Friday's Forgotten Books, please visit Patti Abbott's blog.
And for more Vintage Science Fiction, please visit The Little Red Reviewer.

Discontented advertising clerk Ben Bennell finds himself in an alternate reality after purchasing a newspaper using a Woodrow Wilson dime. Unhappy with his work and his wife, in this new reality he finds himself married to an old flame and riding high in a great advertising career. Though there is nothing deep or challenging about The Woodrow Wilson Dime, the novel is a great read, genuinely funny and highly entertaining, and with Finney's many scripted stories, I am surprised this one hasn't yet made it to mainstream cinema as a romantic comedy.

Though often referred to as science fiction, The Woodrow Wilson Dime is more appropriately fantasy. The fantastical element is made up of time travel and an alternate New York, yet the time travel method to this alternate landscape is pure fantasy with no allusions to science whatsoever. Bennell stumbles upon the portal uniting the two realities by using a coin from the other world to purchase a paper in this one, and logically the way back is the same, by substituting the Wilson dime with one from his own New York. The alternate New York is almost identical to our narrator's New York but with gaps in technology, such as the absence of motor bikes and zippers, along with gaps in culture, such as the music of Cole Porter. The alternate world is on a different course from our own, with different former presidents occupying the face sides of coins (though we know Wilson was president in both universes), and people pursuing different steams and obtaining different levels of success.

Finney has written a variety of genre pieces, mystery and science fiction, and many deal with time travel. His most popular novel is the 1954 multi-adapted and referenced The Body Snatchers, yet achieved much success and cult status with his New York time travel novel Time and Again. While this latter approaches time travel with a more serious and (semi-)scientific approach than The Woodrow Wilson Dime, he has produced other time travel fantasies, such as the early and oft-anthologized short story "The Third Level" (Collier's, 7 January 1950), where the third level of Grand Central Station carries our protagonist to 1894 New York. Finney clearly had an interest and love (as witnessed in Time and Again) for New York history, and likely imagined himself wandering the streets of its past, and manages with varying success to allow his readers to walk those streets as well.

The main flaw in the novel, if we were to look at through a serious lens (as opposed to its clearly playful approach, only partially interested in the finer points of the co-existing realities), is what happens to Ben Bennell Two when Ben Bennell One enters his world? When Ben I enters World II, his counterpart is nowhere to be seen, and the logical assumption is that Ben II transfers over to World I whenever Ben I enters World II. This is evinced by the fact that we learn Ben I's relationship with Hetty progressed while he was away. Further deductive assumptions would lead us to believe that no matter where Ben II is at the moment Ben I transits into his world, he in turn is tele-ported to the other, so that the Bens can never co-exist in the same reality. And yet there is no concern for this Ben II and his plight from successful ad executive to measly ad clerk. No suspicions from Hetty who must've been freaked out by a Ben II claiming not to belong to this world, appearing at her doorstep wondering who she is, likely having discovered Ben I's address as Ben I discovered his. Moreover, Ben I does not even consider the implications of flip-flopping between realities, likely sending Ben II into a crazed whirl, driving him to all levels of madness.

The novel is a pleasure because of its original ideas, the zany concepts Bennell devises, the constant scheming to not only win his wife back, but in obtaining capital. The novel is fresh, energetic and charmingly silly, and though the characters are two-dimensional as they would be in most romantic comedies, the writing is genuinely funny.

Based on Finney's short story "The Coin Collector," originally published as "The Other Wife" in The Saturday Evening Post, 30 January 1960. The novel was first published in 1968, and was updated for the 1987 omnibus volume, Three By Finney. The updating was done (sadly) in an attempt to make it more accessible to contemporary 1987 readers, which becomes completely absurd since our narrator from 1968 references the likes of Cindy Lauper and quotes prices astronomical to the late sixties, where a newspaper is still worth a dime. If you can, hunt down a copy of the original, and you'll have that great cover, the images on which make sense once you've read the text.