The 4400: Being Tom Baldwin

Being Tom Baldwin (Episode 3.2)
Directed by Colin Bucksey
Written by Shintaro Shimosawa and James Morris
Guest starring: Sean Marquette, Leanne Adachi
First aired: 18 June 2006
Rating: 6/10

Previous episode: "The New World"
Next episode: "Gone: Part 1"

An evil-looking Tom Baldwin walks into an interrogation room and shoots an evil-looking TJ Kim twice in the head, which reminds me of the wonderful Police Squad! episode with the shooting of Mr. Twice ("So you shot Twice." "No, I only shot once."). In this case Baldwin did shoot twice (but not Twice), yet the evil-looking Baldwin wasn't Baldwin, but a kid named Boyd Gelder (Sean Marquette), who isn't evil-looking at all.

There are two obvious problems with the main plot of this episode: it fulfills expectations of a familiar idea, and it offers us a threatening situation that is presented as less than threatening.

Introducing Boyd Gelder (disappeared 3 March 2000), chameleon 4400, yet another X-Men character imitation, namely Mystique, only less attractive. More importantly, though, Gelder lacks the overall appeal of Mystique: he is not presented as terrifying or even sinister. The innocence of the youthful character, while potentially intriguing, doesn't face up to the threatening allure of other 4400s such as TJ Kim or Isabelle. It also doesn't help that his youthful angst is delivered through the older body of Tom. Regardless of his power, Gelder comes across as just another confused teenager more than he does as a threat to NTAC's investigations and, ultimately, the world. There is so far little back-story: we're informed he volunteered and was not recruited, but how he learned of the existence of the Nova group is information withheld. The fact that he comes from a clean home adds little to the threatening factor. If Gelder were a broken teen with nothing to lose I would bye into the dangerous renegade chameleon, but he's presented to us as less wolf and more pussycat.

The impostor idea is nothing new. As an idea it remains intriguing since the notion of being imitated and made to do things we wouldn't normally do is unavoidably terrifying. "Being Tom Baldwin" (nothing like the superb Being John Malkovich), despite its strong premise, succumbs to the pattern of the expected. The viewer knows early on who and what is behind the Baldwin-not-Baldwin conspiracy, so the nature of the threat is not a mystery for long. Once the characters catch up with the viewer and know what they're dealing with, the lead's loved one is threatened, the partner is also mimicked along with a close colleague, and of course the climactic showdown, as I expected within the episodes first few frames, features lover Alana pointing a gun at the two Toms, not knowing which one to shoot. If it were me, I'd have shot Twice.

Meanwhile, in other parts of the 4400 universe...

Isabelle wants to learn things, to catch up on all the standard life events that she missed out on by suddenly becoming almost twenty. These activities include swimming, driving and fornication. Shawn is there to help, at least with the first two. It's obvious feelings are brewing, at least in the physical department. I would expect someone as conscientious as Richard would want to take his little big girl under his wing and teach her the things parents teach their children, but he's on a journey to bury Lily's ashes, conveniently out of the way for just long enough for the youngsters to shed some clothing. Considering the responsibilities of fatherhood, complicated as they are with Isabelle, Lily's ashes could wait a few weeks, and I think Lily would agree. Matthew, on the other hand, seems to be urging Isabelle to lust after Shawn, and I wonder if the union will produce an uber evil 4400 spawn.

As much as I believe Mahershala Ali is the most talented actor in the series, I was left cold with Richard depositing Lily's ashes at his former Lily's gravestone. It's not Richerd, however, that leaves me cold, but the simple fact that I don't miss Lily much and her loss is a benefit to the show. I did like older Lily Tippi Hedren quite a bit though, but there's only so much the writers could do with such a character, unless they give her a truly unusual ability, like free health care.

Briefly the Dr. Burkhoff plot progresses, and we learn that he is increasing his doses of promicin as he is actually developing a 4400 ability, a kind of instant healing. Some nice humour is thrown into the scene:

Skouris: Kevin, you do have a 4400 ability.
Burkhoff: It's getting there. It doesn't always work.
Skouris: Doesn't always work? You just put a scalpel through the back of your hand.
Burkhoff: I know. I was nervous about that.

Some more humour sneaks in when Diane sees and chases herself (Boyd Gelder, really), and later says to Tom, "I don't really run like that, do I?"

Flaws continue to abound as season three progresses. When fake Tom is looking out of real Tom's window, a crew member is moving about in the kitchen, taking a seat it would appear. This movement attracts our attention and it's difficult to miss the flaw. The episode also features a number of minor continuity errors, some generic dialogue ("It's the least we can do for him!")

The 4400: The New World

The New World (episode 3.1)
Directed by Vincent Misiano
Written by Ira Steven Behr and Craig Sweeny
Guest starring Tippi Hedren, Ian Tracey, Leanne Adachi, Sharif Atkins
First aired 11 June 2006
Rating: 7/10


Previous episode: "Mommy's Bosses"
Next episode: stay tuned for "Being Tom Baldwin"


Season Three propels us toward Armageddon and a division akin to that in the universe of the mutant X-Men. Former NTAC lead Dennis Ryland is convinced that war is looming ahead. The good guys have no Professor Xavier at their helm, while the bad guys, an organization of renegade 4400 called Nova (probably in reference to the astronomical term referring to the sudden brightening of a star rather than the Latin word meaning new, though both are suspicious), have a mysterious leader by the name of Daniel Armand (Ian Tracey of Da Vinci's Inquest and Da Vinci's City Hall) (disappeared 20 July 1990). With a threat to perform some major cataclysmic show of power, Diane and Tom are racing against time (ha!) to figure out who is behind the Nova group. Standard fare with some red herrings, this plot line is broken up by some other season-setting stories.

There's a lot transpiring in this hour-and-a-half-long episode.

TJ Kim (Leanne Adachi), the siren from "Lockdown" (episode 2.10) returns in an assassination attempt on Ryland, as does mind reader Gary Navarro (Sharif Atkins) from "Voices Carry" (episode 2.2), to further the assassination attempt. Both these talents are linked with the Nova bad guys. These two powerful talents over match their 4400 opponents, good guys made up of the likes of more passive powers such as healing (Shawn), predicting (Maia) and Alana Mareva, who is little more than an organic holodeck. Except that baby Isabelle (Megalyn Echikunwoke) is all grown up, wanting to learn about this world, while exhibiting signs of invincibility. The main focus is on the Nova group and some show of power plot they are planning to release on October 19th, so that NTAC agents are hurrying to find its secret members, particularly Arcand, whose power is not yet revealed.

The most interesting plot line in this episode is that while former baby Isabelle is rapidly aging, so is mother Lily. The episode features an elderly Lily, wonderfully portrayed by Tippi Hedren (best known for her role in Alfred Hitchcock's excellent 1963 film The Birds). A great casting coup, Hedren makes a far more interesting Lily than her youthful counterpart Laura Allen ever did, and alongside talented actor Mahershala Ali as husband Richard, the relationship and its history are awarded proper dimension. Interestingly, however, is that Allen and the young Lily were supposed to return for season three, but, for reasons I'm not aware of, she was unable to, and this story-line needed to be assembled close to the shooting schedule. Meanwhile, we receive a glimpse of Richard's ability, a kind of telekinetic manipulation of objects.

As for the suddenly twenty year-old Isabelle? Possibilities abound, but so far Echikunwoke is weak in the role, focusing more on the girl's innocence rather than the conflict that would arise from learning human history (remember Leeloo's similar education in Luc Besson's 1997 fun-filled silliness The Fifth Element?). Isabelle is unaffected by her education, wanting only to experience things, which is just plain silly and unrealistic, even for such a fantasy as The 4400. "What if I'm evil?" she naively (and laughingly) asks an awkward Shawn. Alongside the new Isabelle we discover that Matthew Ross (Garret Dillahunt, who we've since seen in the very good but inherently flawed Looper) is more than just a right hand man, as he appears to have some sinister information concerning Isabelle and the 4400. Unfortunately Jordan Collier is noticeably absent from this episode.

A better story-line is eccentric Doctor Kevin Burkhoff (the always enjoyable Jeffrey Combs) injecting himself with promicin in order to generate a 4400 ability. Since the promicin inhibitor is no longer being injected into members of the 4400, individual powers are becoming stronger. This "new world" of the title is a path to Armageddon via more powerful mutants, and a glimpse of other 4400s around the world show us how varied these the abilities are. I still keep in mind from season one the concept that humans from the future developed these abilities in order to save the future human race from some terrible catastrophe.

In general terms, the episode focuses on notions of loyalty as 4400 members as well as non-members are being pressured to choose sides. The sensitive Shawn Farrell (Patrick Flueger) crosses both teams as he is a "good" 4400 who, it turns out, funded the Nova group as a precautionary measure in case the government turned on them.

Idiocy manages to peek its fuzzy head as Diane and Tom head out on their own to a potential Nova member's hideout. Do they think they can take on the likes of TJ Kim and who knows who else that might be there? Lucky for them it's all a ruse.

Overall a good season opener, with many turns and a good set-up for the season series. There are a number of hints to other potential plot lines down the season, from Maia meeting a boy who can manipulate electricity, to Alana becoming more active at the 4400 Centre. We also learn that there is some powerful hypodermic concoction that can kill Isabelle.

Another 4400 member is lost, Wesley Hauser (disappeared 1975), bringing our 4400 count down to 4,371. Yet with the post-returnee introduction of Isabelle and Dr. Burkhoff exhibiting 4400 talent, we can add two and raise the total number to 4,373. Now that would be a quirky title for a series.

Thomas Tryon, Harvest Home (1973)

Tryon, Thomas, Harvest Home, New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1973
___________, Harvest Home, New York: Fawcett Crest, July 1974 (my edition)

Visit Harvest Home at Goodreads
Visit Harvest Home at ISFdb
Visit Harvest Home at IBList
Read about other Friday's Forgotten Books at Patti Abbott's blog.

Rating: 7/10


The early 1970s experienced a mini-trend in pagan-related horror, pagan communities subsisting in modern society, featuring harvest rituals, heaps of corn and various forms of sacrifice. The three that most readily come to mind are the excellent Robin Hardy film The Wicker Man (1973), Stephen King's short story "Children of the Corn" (1977), and their predecessor Harvest Home, Thomas Tryon's follow-up to his successful first novel The Other. Each of these stories focus on long-standing farming communities that maintain traditions dating back to the communities' early days, and deal with outsiders, crops and, of course, sacrifice. All three pieces are quire strong, and Harvest Home, forty years after its publication, continues to generate a strong response, despite being out of print.

[I have read in some places that The Wicker Man was based loosely on Harvest Home, yet this makes no sense since The Wicker Man, released the same year that Harvest Home first saw publication, was filmed the year before, and no doubt drafted even earlier.]

Briefly, the story is narrated by Ned Constantine, a New York painter who, along with wife Beth and daughter Kate, move to the isolated rural Connecticut community of Cornwall Coombe. They discover the town by chance, falling in love with an empty house that the townsfolk at first are unwilling to consider selling. Months later Ned receives a call offering the house, and urban American family settles into the quiet community.

"WARNING: DO NOT READ THIS BOOK IF YOU ARE ALONE. BUT IF YOU DO, KEEP REPEATING TO YOURSELF, "IT'S ONLY A BOOK. IT'S ONLY A BOOK." This hyperbolic announcement, blaring in thick bold type at the top of the back cover, is perhaps ingenious 1973 marketing at work, and may have helped propel the novel to many bestseller lists, but it is unfortunately misleading and might even lead to disappointment to contemporary readers. The novel contains clear horror elements, yet the weight of the plot rests on elements of mystery and suspense. Indeed the first three quarters of the book read like a cozy mystery (minus the humour element) rather than a piece of horror, as Ned first begins to integrate into the community, and slowly discover that something is amiss. The last quarter of the novel is very much horror, more akin to classic horror than anything modern; we are still shy of the era of Stephen King and Peter Straub.

Community conspiracies are prevalent in varying forms of horror, from novels such as Ira Levin's The Stepford Wives to recent television anthology episodes of the Forrest Whittaker-hosted Twilight Zone ("Evergreen") and Mick Garris's lackluster Fear Itself ("Community"). There are unavoidable elements of irony in that the reader, aware that the novel (or show) is of a genre, are a step ahead of the protagonist for the bulk of the plot, whereas the sequence sees the narrator defeated by the community.


Which brings us to the major flaw of Harvest Home. Once he understands what is going on at Cornwall Coombe, and that he and his family are in danger, rather than tell his wife and daughter what is going on and quickly drive them back to New York, he keeps the secrets to himself and decides to catch a sneak peek at what goes on during the night-time ritual of the annual Harvest Home celebrations. Constantine, overall, is not a sympathetic character: he i aggressive, macho, and though he genuinely cares for his family, there is a certain distance between himself and both Beth and Kate. We learn early that their marriage has been troubled, as has Kate's upbringing as she suffered health-wise via her parents' difficulties, and this history makes of them easy targets for Conrwall Coombe's unique society. The novel, with its matriarchal universe, can almost be read as a kind of 1970s feminist treatise, where a traditional matriarch defeats the modern macho male, except for the hints of misogyny that creep into the text. Most of the women, including Beth, seem to be derived from the 1950s wife ideal, and this would be great if it were addressed, that the housewife of old is a vessel for a strong woman, someone repressed and finally breaks through that shell via the Harvest Home celebrations. Alas the text does not address that issue, and these women come across merely as dated.

Despite this bothersome flaw, the novel is well written, well constructed and the community terror is very much real. Cornwall Coombe is populated with various characters, and the most frightening aspect of these people is that the tradition of Harvest Home is so embedded in their lives that even those who do oppose it are trapped by an age's old tradition.

There was an NBC miniseries based on the novel titled The Dark Secret of Harvest Home. It features a recognizable cast with Bette Davis as the matriarch Mary Fortune, Rosanna Arquette as Beth, Rene Auberjonois as the peddler Jack Stump, Norman Lloyd as the bell ringer Amys Pemrose, the wonderful Donald Pleasance as Narrator (interesting, since the novel is narrated by its protagonist), and in the role of Ned (re-named Nick, perhaps to make it more obviously Greek), longtime television actor David Ackroyd. I'd be interested in watching it, as it has a good reputation.

Re-Vamp (2011)

Booth, Die and L.C. Hu, eds., Re-Vamp, The Mad Doctors of Literature/CreateSpace, 2011. 220 pages


Visit Re-Vamp! at Goodreads
Check out the Re-Vamp! page here

The concept behind Re-Vamp is to challenge contemporary interpretations of traditional horror creatures by hearkening back to the tales of old. The stories in Re-Vamp feature classic approaches to creatures that go bump in the night, focusing in an orderly fashion on vampires, werewolves, ghosts, zombies and serial killers (oh my!). The project was a labour of love for editors Die Booth and L. C. Hu, who first met by sharing their admiration of classic horror in an online chat room. Begun online, they posted their own tales and invited readers to submit theirs. This anthology collects a number of those submitted.

While I don't normally review self-published fiction I was intrigued by this project. I too enjoy classic suspense tales, horrific and otherwise. My own concern with contemporary horror is that the genre has become a marketable commodity, and anything too blatantly mainstream conforms to an unthinking pattern. Just look at how Hollywood represents the genre.

But I digress.

I must admit I am confused about the title since "revamp" essentially means to thoroughly recreate something, whereas this anthology is by its nature ignoring the genre's evolution over the last several decades, and I am wondering if the project should not have been titled "Pre-Vamp!"

Regardless of what I think, while reading these stories it was clear that the editors (and some authors) involved are familiar with classic horror tropes. While the stories here are far simpler than the works of Algernon Blackwood, Sheridan Le Fanu and company, they do evoke the more obvious elements of the founders of modern horror. Where the stories fail, aside from general length and complex sentence structure, is on a visual scale. Many stories lean toward the abstract, while some focus a little too much on the gore, from stepping on eyeballs to eyeballs hanging from sockets.

While as homage the stories work nicely and many do entertain, I wonder if these stories, which I suppose can be lumped among the pseudo sub-genre of fan fiction, are necessary. A fine writing exercise and a bit of entertainment, all genres progress amid cultural evolution; horror is often a response to contemporary anxieties, and as much as we don't like the treatment of our favourite creatures by mainstream media, as part of this (western) society we are all responsible for it. The genre will continue to progress along with audience needs and general anxieties, and hopefully there are enough of us out there to (financially) support the intelligent, often underground representations of the genre.

And I continue to digress.

The anthology, though entertaining, is uneven. My personal favourite author among the group (since most appear more than once) is co-editor L. C. Hu, while my favourite single story is "The Fourth Ape" by the other co-editor, Die Booth


VAMPIRES

Though vampires are among my least preferred sub-genre creatures, the vampirical section of Re-Vamp is one of the better ones. My favourite piece here is L.C. Hu's "Lump," whereas I could have been spared the poetry.

The Tangled Thread by Die Booth
The title refers not to Sir Walter Scott's famous rhyme from "Marmion," but to the threads that bind family across generations. A 1908 manuscript revealing the killing of an undead boy in a house once believed haunted leads to a contemporary teenager's own involvement with a vampire, and a fate linked to his genealogical past.

Beyond the Grave by Fallon Parker
Two rational men find themselves in a small isolated community just before the annual festival. While staying with the kindly old Gretchen, the neighbour girl goes missing, and our rational pair are forced to contend with creatures that exist beyond the realm of reason.

Apotropaic Proliferation by Adrian Benson
A poem. Traditional rhyming and lots of teeth. Some minor scanning problems but some fun mid-verse constructions.

Lump by L.C. Hu
Kurt and Anne carpool to and from work, and on this particular afternoon they see what they believe is a body on Route 15. They do not stop to help, but they do dial 9-1-1, and shortly after they leave the terrible dreams begin. I liked that mobile lump and Kurt's tenuous grasp on reality, but the story needs to be tightened with a good editorial vice. Plenty of promise here.

Sometimes They Do by Deirdre M. Murphy
A drabble: A story of exactly a hundred words, so we're informed.


GHOSTS
I do like a good ghost story, and ghost stories are certainly among the most versatile among suspense tales. A good grouping, this one. My favourite one here is Adrian Benson's.

Ghost of a Smile by Tammy Lee
A surprisingly good story about a little girl haunting an old house in rural Alberta. Structurally framed via an editor, a ghost story she once published, and a letter written as response.

The Twelve O'Clock Man by David Hill
Through his apartment window our narrator notices an old man in the park. A slight story, predictable but not at all bad.

Retrospectre by Die Booth
A former hippie, a remnant from the summer of love, experiences a little high with a former buddy, now ghost. I didn't care for this one.

Fragments from the Ghost Apocrypha #1 by Adrian Benson
One of the better stories in the anthology. While predictable it's nonetheless interesting, unfolds well and gives us a strong and memorable visual at its climax.

Ghostwalk by J. T. Wilson
A cynical man joins a celebrated ghost walk. Another predictable yet enjoyable story.

The Unseen by L. C. Hu
The title is twofold: unseen not just as ghost but in that our narrator is blind. Though we figure out the crux right at the start, it is nonetheless a good, satisfying read.

End of the Line by Tessa J. Brown
On a Montreal metro a woman finds herself on a speeding train with a creepy co-traveller. Classic certainly, hence predictable, but sadly not as engaging as the previous predictable tales.

Love Never Dies by Milla Galea
The idea here is that a ghost is the manifestation of one's grief. The potential implication is that the narrator has simply gone mad.


WEREWOLVES
The werewolf section is a little weak, the stories a little too similar. I understand that the transformation process is interesting to consider, but there are so many other possible approaches to a werewolf tale. My favourite here is Tessa J. Brown's "Family."

Werewolf Haiku by Claudia Glazzard
It's a haiku. It features a werewolf...

The Natural Beast by L. C. Hu
Another homage piece from Hu. This one allows a mysterious belt to transform its wearer into a wolf. Interesting idea and though it begins with a bang, it concludes with a whimper.

Dogged by Die Booth
A young couple in the early stage of their relationship rent a country cabin. They discover a wounded dog and learn that lycanthropy can spread through non-traditional means.

Once we were Gods by John Ivor Jones
More poetry.

Family by Tessa J. Brown
A man tries to warn a camper and son of the recent deadly night-time attacks on campers, whereas he, a wolf in the full moon, is the attacker. Brown's best story in the anthology. I liked the moral considerations, though they would have been more interesting if the characters weren't so extreme.

Grey and White and Red by M. Harley
Another exploration of a man becoming wolf. Over-written, I could not get engaged.


ZOMBIES
The weakest grouping in the anthology. Post-apocalyptic zombies are less traditional, I was expecting more voodoo as we've seen with the likes of H. G. Wells and other turn-of-the-century Brits. I don't really have a preferred story here.

Escape by Tessa J. Brown
Our first zombie apocalypse story finds us in the Montreal Biodome with the lone human survivor and a bunch of semi-exotic animals. The idea is better than the story; an exploration of primal nature amid the artificial jungle would have been a potentially awesome approach, but instead we have a slight sketch with an unsatisfying resolution.

Found by Die Booth
Stories of wanting to bring departed loved ones back to life are common, as in popular stories like Robert Silverberg's Nebula Award-winning "Born with the Dead" (1974), Stephen King's novel Pet Sematary (1983), and the classic W. W. Jacobs short tale, "The Monkey's Paw" (1902). Booth's "Found" makes reference to the last, from invoking the ominous paw to having family members playing chess. A powerful theme, I'm sure we'll be encountering more in the vein.

Flowers in the Snow by Tammy Lee
Turns out that zombieism is spread through spores. Remember that Star Trek episode, everyone loves each other? Not a bad concept, but not a good story. Lee's ghost story was far superior.

Mr. Zombie by L. C. Hu
Not exactly a zombie story, this little sketch narrated by an average guy sees the office worker as a kind of walking dead. Entertaining. Non-traditional.

But They Love Me by Die Booth
A rock star crowd surfs. Nothing traditional and another story I couldn't get into.


SERIAL KILLERS
A surprisingly good section. These monsters are definitely modern and I was surprised to see them included, but not having read many serial killer tales, I found this section quite fresh.

The Maggot by Michele Rimmer
Having gone to the home of a man she met at a party, a woman notices that there are maggots falling from the ceiling. Prose is good but story is anticlimactic.

The Fourth Ape by Die Booth
Sixteen year-old Charlotte is slave to an eccentric and reclusive collector. She must clean his home daily, including all of its taxidermied knick-knacks. Yes we know how it will end, but unlike most stories in the anthology this one is written with patience and care, as the author himself was aware that he was working on something worth working on. If he works on it a little more it can be quite the memorable little tale.

A Place for a Girl with Hair Slides by J. T. Wilson
A naive teen's journal entries tell of her environmentalist boyfriend from a broken home, and some school girls who have recently gone missing. I found this story more engaging than I'd expected, and I liked our unlikely heroine's voice. Unfortunately the end is to be expected and the climax reads a little too drily. The author tries to remove the emotion by having our narrator claim that she has herself been removed both via emotion and time (this entry dates several days after the incident) and it sadly falls flat. Lost of promise here, though.

All Better by L. C. Hu
A little tale of a mother and her ever-whining child. Yes it's predictable, but this little story is quite creepy.

Mary Lawson, Crow Lake (2002)

Lawson, Mary, Crow Lake, Toronto: Alfred A. Knopf Canada, 2002. 291 pages


Crow Lake at Goodreads
For more Friday's Forgotten Books visit Patti Abbott's blog


Rating: 7/10


Not all tragedies are at the caliber of Oedipus Rex. Some are quiet and personal and play out in a land less opulent and recognizable than Ancient Greece. Crow Lake is the story of four siblings growing up in the harsh, farming landscape of the fictional Crow Lake, and their setting is amid the vast landscape of Northern Ontario.

Told through the point of view of adult child Kate Morrison, once the third child of the orphan quad and now a well educated graduate researcher. Since leaving home Kate has been lugging the guilt of having been the one to leave the farm to earn a modern education and an urban career. Originally it was eldest Luke who was destined to go to teachers' college, then brainy second son Matt, but it is Kate alone who has managed to make the leap from Northern Ontario small town to big city education.

Though education is portrayed as the single stepping stone toward success, life on the land, along with its hardships and drama, is not entirely frowned upon. This is Canada, after all, and in Canadian literature it is often our ties to the land that help define a great part of who we are as individuals. The geography of the novel is well delineated, as are the characters, and these two and their relationships are what make Crow Lake such a good read, more than the actual events of the story. The plot is made up primarily of smaller events and struggles: in the past it is the family and the community's attempt at keeping our orphans together in the family home, whereas in the novel it is Kate's inability to bind the life of her childhood with that of her academic present, and of the man she loves. Melodramatic sounding, but quite interesting and very real.

There is an inconsistency between past and present, and I found myself far more interested in child Kate over the adult version. Boyfriend Daniel is too good, and exists primarily as a deus ex machina, being the outsider who finally brings Kate to accept that the tragedy of the past is not the real tragedy of her relationship with brother Matt. The childhood sequences, on the other hand, are vivid and compelling, and I would not have minded a greater detailed buildingsroman, as in the days of the Victorian and Edwardian eras.

But of course what I wouldn't mind is not necessarily the author's intention, and in Crow Lake Lawson's intentions are clear. Though there is little subtlety in her approach, she succeeds with the end result.

Shimmer Magazine Screwed Up

Shimmer Magazine website
My review of Shimmer 15


It was when I received their last newsletter, featuring their latest volume, Shimmer 16, that I suspected an oversight. While others were raving about the issue, I was without a copy. As a subscriber I felt I should have had my copy in hand, but knowing that in this chaotic post-modern age nothing is reliable, I was prepared to be patient and gave myself one week before inquiring. During that week I considered possible reasons why my issue was not in my hand.

Perhaps it was due to that heavy snow storm wreaking havoc along the Canada-US border. Perhaps Montreal, foreign soil as it is, lies legions away from Salt Lake City, and the shimmery carrier pigeon was too worn out to make it to my mailbox on time (the two are 3,119 kilometres, or 1938 miles, apart). Maybe it had to do with the Canadian dollar once again falling below that of the US. Or maybe, just maybe the shimmery staff simply forgot about little insignificant me.

A week passed and I wrote them a polite (I am Canadian) note, kindly inquiring about the delay. This was a Friday. On Monday I received this reply.



It looks like we screwed up your address when we entered it in our database -- so your copy has been returned to us. Woe!

I'll put another copy in the mail right away -- meanwhile, here's the electronic edition for you to read while you wait for it to arrive. I'll also extend your subscription by an issue to make up for the inconvenience!

I'm so sorry.


The term "screwed up" was theirs. A little harsh, I think. Excellent customer service though, particularly that "I'm so sorry" at the end. Something about it, either the "so" or its position at the bottom somehow managed to touch my cynical heart. I'm prepared to renew my subscription on the strength of this prompt response alone. I still have a couple of issues to go, however, and in the meantime I can only hope that the fine people at Shimmer screw up again.

You can support Shimmer Magazine via their subscription page.

Lou Cameron, Behind the Scarlet Door (1971)

Cameron, Lou, Behind the Scarlet Door, Greenwich, CT: Fawcett Gold Medal [T2493], 1971. 192 pages

Behind the Scarlet Door at Goodreads
For more Friday's Forgotten Books, this week please visit Davy Crockett's Almanack.
[Edit] Just realized that TomCat reviewed this title just as positively on his blog.

Rating: 7/10 (8, if considered among pulp novels alone)

Due to his knowledge of Cymraeg, a Welsh cop is recruited to help investigate an unusual case involving the occult. The autopsy of a recent corpse belonging to a dancer reveals it to be at least two weeks old, and yet police interviewed her only two days before. Later the body of a local witch is discovered, dead for well over a month, though our hero himself had just interviewed her. This is the nifty premise of this highly entertaining piece of pulp.

Lou Cameron was a prolific genre writer of primarily westerns. With Behind the Scarlet Door, however, he manages to weave a plot involving zombies, witches and warlocks, invisible cats, black roses, hallucinogenics, voodoo, Welsh folk tales, Moravian customs and the hint of time travel. Not to mention a love plot involving our Welsh hero and a small-town German widow.

The plot complication is far busier than the plots of your average pulp mystery, with various characters, locations and a mountain of unusual events. Our cops are pretty certain the occult is cultish fantasy and a ruse, and that there are rational explanations for all the odd events, and their investigative drive leads the reader to concur. It is clear early on that this is not a supernatural novel, but an unusual mystery.

The writing is pulpy but in a good way. It is energetic, at times humourous, and despite the repetition and stereotypes, it never wanes. The publication date of 1971 is evident throughout, displaying bellbottoms and afros, but dated primarily from a self-conscious awareness of race and gender. Black people are constantly referred to by their race ("The black detective said"), but not in a repressed racist ilk: black detective Pete Custis is the smartest of the cops, a Columbia-educated and entirely indefatigable investigator. He is far superior in every conceivable way over our often clueless protagonist Morgan. Women are also well educated, and there is no struggle to create a feminist world-view, no awkward "living in a man's world" comments as Michael Crichton drowned us with in The Terminal Man (1972).

The glaring exception to the easy social awareness is, perhaps, with Cameron's allusions to homosexuality. There are no openly gay characters in the novel, and yet there are several mentions of homosexuality, usually derogatory though primarily as an attempt at humour. Cameron himself was not necessarily homophobic; instead the era, beginning to accept blacks and women as equal to white males, was still feeling insecure around gay men.

The novel's complication is, well, complicated, and don't expect to try to piece everything together. The ending is unexpected though not shocking, and many of the puzzle pieces are semi-red herrings, leading perhaps to one piece of clue, but not always to the outcome.

This entertaining bit of silliness from Fawcett Gold Medal books is highly recommended.