Who Rides a Tiger || Sutter's Sands

I've recently purchased these two novels; the 1st arrived yesterday in the mail. Will read them, but will also admit I bought them primarily for the covers. They were listed near to each other at BookIT.com [who provided the cover scans]; the unique beauty of each and stark contrast to one another were indeed appealing.

I love the moody, somber blues broken by a large white foreground candle affixed to its solid metal holder, and the slashes of bright red. And note the shadowy figure of a woman in the background, also holding a candle. Candles, lanterns and Victorian gas lights are favorites.



























As for "Sutter's Sands," the woman's complexion is not right but somehow it works with the bold blue eyeshadow and coral lipstick. The greens and golds in the background, and the shading of her brown hair with its reddish highlights, bring it all together.

These are my most favored style of cover art. I couldn't resist.

'Salem's Lot [1979]

Found a scan of an original promo (TV Guide no doubt) for this made-for-TV film:













Nice! And can it really be 30 years already? [No, no! Say it isn't so!] Somehow David Soul will be *just that old* always.

Far be it from me to "review" this film, except to say if you've not yet viewed it when DID you come out of that coma? ;-P For some reason I could never get into the novel [sorry Mr. King]; the film tells the story better than the novel. That's a switch.

Favorite scenes: The mysteriously moving packing crate in back of the truck. Mike Ryerson leaping down into Danny's grave, and soon confronted by the vampiric boy. The attempted exorcism in the kitchen. The softly squeaking rocking chair in a room above, in which sits Mike - now a vampire. The glowing eyes of vampires in the crawl space, stealthily advancing on Ben and Mark. The final sad and seductive scene in Mexico between Ben and Susan.

David Soul is now a British citizen. He enjoys tea and Rugby [blows my mind; I figured "Hutch" would always be in Malibu]. Lance Kerwin is an Episcopal priest. Bonnie Bedalia [a favorite '70s actress!] is Macaulay Culkin's aunt. Geoffrey Lewis, a fine actor, is also Juliette Lewis' father. Mr. Lewis played his share of nitty-gritty outlaws and cowboys; his role in this film is especially cool. And I do love Barbara Babcock.

The Shadow on Spanish Swamp by Genevieve St. John [1967]

I'm going to speed-read the remainder. A huge disappointment. Rates 1 Star on a scale of 1 - 5. It started off very well, including being set in a warm/subtropical environment [Louisiana]; I looked forward to this as an exception to my preference of north, overcast, gloomy, foggy, rainy, etc. The descriptives of the drive through the swamp were wonderfully eerie and quite unique; it hooked me...then let me down. I've read Ms. St. John before [most recent review was 08/01/2008]; that story was terrific all around -- quite UNlike this one.

The story opens with the heroine, June, and her husband driving to his family's estate called Spanish Swamp. I've noticed that Gothics which start out with a married heroine are usually disappointing; or maybe it's just me. It seems they've been married a while, yet after Gregory is killed we discover they're newlyweds of a mere 5 days' duration.

The story is VERY poorly paced and the characters are abruptly introduced, as if you're already to have a solid familiarity with them. Contrasted to that are superb descriptions of the swamp, the estate and house, furnishings, weather. The author was also inconsistent with character portrayal: Sometimes Aunt Millie seems a cultured and refined Southern lady; at other times she comes off as an Okie from Paskokie. And whereas Gregory Thoinot is sophisticated, his brothers are written as backwards and hickish. There is also a burdensome [wet blanket] focus on legal matters.

Included are two "Negro" characters: Morel and his daughter, Iva. This IS 1967 and we know the history of the racial tensions of the time. I've often uneasily wondered if some day these novels won't get branded as "racist" [despite their being woman-oriented] because 98% of those I've read contain only white characters. That having been said, I was glad to see the inclusion of Morel and Iva. But the writing for them is...awkward at best. Iva is lavished beyond reason with what smacks of "white guilt" praise and Morel is sometimes made to say cringe-worthy things like "but we black men knows things; we know's!" It's a combination of stereotyping and fighting against stereotypes, but ultimately the author seemed unable to relax and simply write believable human characters for Iva and Morel too; a pity.

The coup de grace was the family's reaction to Gregory's death. He's arrived home less than 24 hours when he's supposedly sucked into a mud boil while trying to rescue June. A few hours later Aunt Millie and brothers tell June there'll be NO funeral, and the next time the reverend comes around [is this 1892 and he's a circuit-riding preacher??] they'll have him "say a few words over the bog."

Despite that double outrage, Aunt Millie's rude comment in front of the just-rescued [by Raul] and grief-stricken June that she is "just a prissy little nobody with a pretty face" who should have died instead of Gregory, and snapping "I'm not your aunt!" at her, and Gregory's two cold-hearted and welcoming brothers, June decides she's going to stay and fight for Gregory's dream! Yes sir! Gregory wanted to rebuild Spanish Swamp and make it profitable again, and by golly with her [father's] money June is marching bravely onward to do just that! Riiiight.

Even the grief-stricken scenes are rushed and unbelievable. And June doesn't think to telephone her beloved antiques-dealer father in New York that she's now a widow; she simply will await word of what money he can wire to fulfill Gregory's dream.

*Enough.* If the ending does a 180, I'll amend this post. But I doubt that'll be the case. Cover scan from BookIT.com.

The Veil of Silence \\ Matravers Hall

Two more Gothics I don't own. I especially like the cover of the first [even if her skin tone's a bit...gray/green??]. Both scans obtained from BookIT.com:






























Matravers? I'd likely misread that "Ratmavers," lol.

As for reading, I'm currently (like usual) on two Gothics. The one started out with a bang but it's quickly become a fizzle [a lot of non-logic in it]. The other is steadily and consistently good reading. Those reviews are soon forthcoming.

Secret of the Marshbanks // Whisper of Darkness

My apologies for the delay in posting. Life, work and briefly diving into non-fiction again [some seriously heavy reading] interfered.

Did everyone survive Friday the 13th? There's two more this year. I was going to post yesterday but didn't get around to it.

The cover art on these is especially beautiful, and I couldn't resist owning "Whisper of Darkness" - that is THE scan for the book I now have. :-D Both cover scans from BookIT.com:

====TEST====

Hello blog...are you here??

I can only download the latest entry.

Upon signing in all appears normal, but once "in" it's back to only the latest post showing up.

Moon in Shadow by Aynn Westminster [1974]

Couldn't obtain a scan. Think turquoise, hot pink, teal and gray. Upper 1/2 of book is turquoise with title in hot pink [I kid you not]. Midsection is an uneven line of grayish pine trees and glimpses of jagged snowy mountain peaks. Lower right-hand [to viewer] corner is small grayish impression of a mansion. Mid- to lower-left hand corner is dominated by Claudia, who looks a bit like Nancy Barrett of "Dark Shadows" fame: Her long blonde hair is flowing in the full-moon light; wearing a teal-colored dress and plucking at the petals of a black orchid while gazing at the mansion.

*Sigh.* I sped-read/jumped to the story's end. I would bash this book five ways to Friday, but out of respect for the author who WAS published I'll opt for some hopefully constructive criticism. This story DID have a ton of potential.

Claudia, a 21 year old popular model [in the days before Super Models], has learned her mother has just died. This is a huge shock, as Claudia's "known" her mother died 20 years ago; she was raised by her aunt. That was all a lie; her mother had "issues" and gave Claudia up, led a selfish life. Moonhall was her mother's estate, willed by her husband. Claudia is accompanied by Bob, her "mentor" and photographer [so far they've avoided an actual affair], to claim her inheritance and perform a graveside ritual which Claudia's mother insisted upon.

Upon her arrival at Moonhall, Claudia hopes to discover some very real facts about her mother -- photos, momentos, keepsakes, possessions. Unfortunately all was disposed of/burned upon mother's request immediately after death. Only Ann -- personal maid and confidant -- can fill in the blanks.

Enter Philip. He's Claudia's stepbrother, who should be the rightful heir of Moonhall except his father willed the estate to Philip's stepmother; theirs was a mutual hatred, and Philip is understandably sore that Claudia is heir to Moonhall.

1. Claudia. She's a terrific character. Instead of turning her into a flightly floozy who flits into the arms of 3 different men in turnstile fashion, why not make her brave and independent?

2. Moonhall. It seemed to be fabulous. But we're only briefly introduced to the mansion and nearly ALL the action takes place in "the great outdoors."

3. Ann. She knew Claudia's mother intimately. Claudia has been curious about her mother, yet all interaction between Claudia and Ann is superficial and cursory. Ann could have been a terrific character and helped to drive the plot; but nope. She's relegated to the backburner and we only see Ann when it's suddenly convenient.

4. Same for Philip. He's a bit menacing, bitter, perhaps even warped. He was the other potentially "excellent" character who could have (should have) lent a lot to the story; but alas he too is relegated to the wings, and only called onto the story's stage when immediately needed.

A pity!!

5. The sexual/romantic scenes are bizarre. Dick and Ann are getting hot for each other when they've been maliciously locked into an earthen cellar in the middle of the forest [they could go UNdiscovered there and die], with the carcass of a dead dog in a nearby trunk and the stench of rotten potatoes permeating the air?? Later, after being attacked by a psycho wearing a bear suit, Gavin and Claudia start "getting it on" despite her having just been attacked and nearly killed [and deep cuts on back/arms], her fear/mistrust of Gavin, and after putting on Gavin's deceased wife's dress (her other clothing is ruined from the attack). I don't even want to try and psychoanalyze the author's sexual...notions. >:-\

6. Bob. Claudia's "mentor" and photographer of years' duration, who fondly calls her his "Gold Chameleon" because she makes him a lot of $$$ and also because her features and expressions are so changeable. He suddenly and inexplicably packs up and abandons Claudia to Moonhall. HUH? No reason nor explanation is given; he simply tells others to tell Claudia "Don't call me, I'll call you." If anything, Bob wouldn't simply give up a huge CASH COW like that.

The overall story is seriously disjointed. The author writes absurd things in a feeble attempt to build atmosphere and tension, like "Claudia began to feel that the people she knew and trusted weren't the people she had known." ??? Um...except for Bob, EVERYONE referred to are still strangers she's known for 24 hours.

Either the author didn't know what to do with story elements or took the easy way out.

Trixie gives the story 2 Paws for mentioning a cat who leaps out of a closet and hisses at Claudia. I guess the cat was hissing at the story itself.