Guys Read: Thriller

Guys Read: Thriller is a mixed bag. Ten stories, by ten different writers. "Thrillers," supposedly, but... well, some of the stories, I really liked. But others just left me flat.

Of course, you might like some that I don't. That's what makes the world go round, right? But I want to excerpt from the one I especially liked, "Pirate," by Walter Dean Myers. Maybe you've heard news stories about Somali pirates hijacking ships for ransom? Myers tells their side of the story with a 14-year old Somali narrator:

Other ships came... Sometimes they would drop barrels into the water, barrels mostly sealed, but some of them leaked a fluid that turned the water dark. Some of the fish off the shore began to die. They would float onto the beach, their bodies white and shining... until the tide left them to rot and for the gulls to eat.

Then the gulls began to die.

Obe Bashir Hari, my uncle, said that what we must do was plain for all the world to see.


We have to fight back or watch our families starve," he said. "They want to pretend that they don't see us, but we must insist upon being seen." This was what he said to my cousin and my father when he first became a pirate. When my father asked if I would go with them, my uncle looked at me and felt my arm.

"Yes," he said. "The boy is old enough to fight. He should go..."

Mussa Cali is nineteen years old and he is our leader... He first went to war when he was sixteen and the enemy was the peacekeepers with their blue United Nations peacekeeper helmets. They had tried to stop the people from raiding the government food stores. The peacekeepers were beaten back but he had sustained a scar across his forehead that seemed to move when he was angry. Then he had teamed up with the Volunteers, who provided weapons when they were needed by anyone who attacked the foreigners. They also took part of whatever was taken. Mussa sometimes talks about how the foreigners have no business in our waters, but I know he is a pirate because he likes the money he gets...

This was my second trip. The first trip we got nothing because an American navy boat came up on us as we neared our target and we had to turn away.

Our boat... was called Raqq al-Habib, after a song the owner liked. If we were successful we would paint it over and change the name before going out again. Our families came to the beach with us and kissed us many times before leaving. Then the guns were handed out and packages of cooked rice and spicy lamb. When I was handed a gun, my heart pounded in my chest. I told myself to look calm and I tried to think calm thoughts, but I knew I was close to shaking, I was so afraid. The men kissed Mussa on both cheeks and embraced us all.

"It's good to see young warriors." A man with a small stubble of a beard touched my head.

The Habib was a very special boat. It had a false tiller mounted on the back that had no real use and a wheel in the cabin. My uncle said that the tiller made it look like a slow boat but the twin screws would let it fly across the water.

I had a band of ammunition that was slung across one shoulder and that came down past my waist to my hip. My uncle showed me how to release the safety of the AK-47.

"You will know who the enemy is and where to point the gun when the time comes," he said. His voice was higher than it was in the marketplace or when he sang at home. It was high and wavered and I knew that somewhere inside of him there was also fear.

I said a small prayer to God and told him that I did not want to die, knowing that if he could read my heart he already understood this. There were seven of us altogether, and I imagined seven prayers drifting to heaven.

Young Adults

In 1982 Daniel Pinkwater wrote Young Adults as a send-up of the Young Adult novels of the time. I discovered it a few years later and wasn't as familiar with the tropes he was poking fun at, though I did find it, on the whole, a humorous gloss on the trials and tribulations of teen life.

This summer my summer reading goals include going back and looking at a number of books that were key to either giving me back the joy of reading or the inspiration to become a writer; Young Adults gave me a good dose of joy and inspiration and I recently dug out my yellowing copy and read it for the first time in decades (honestly). The dang thing not only holds up, but it does a pretty fair job skewering the Young Adult genre today in the process.

Narrated by Charles the Cat (a vacuum cleaner - just go with it for a moment) "Young Adult Novel," the lead-off story, introduces a band of misfits who have dedicated themselves to being the living embodiment of the Dadaist art movement, the absurdist progenitor to Surrealism. The Wild Dada Ducks, as they call themselves, dedicate their non-school energies to infusing their boring school with acts of Dadaist pointlessness. Among their personal works is the creation of a long running story of Kevin Shapiro, Boy Orphan, who experiences all the trauma of a typical "trouble novel" typical of early YA novels.

One day the Wild Dada Ducks are flummoxed to learn that there's a real person at Himmler High School named Kevin Shapiro, a kid seemingly cast in the most stereotypical of nerd molds, who they take on as his protector and champion. But quickly thing take a wrong and unintentional turn when their Dadaist acts turn the real Kevin Shapiro into the king of the school, leaving the Wild Dada Ducks vulnerable and hated, the ultimate outsiders.  

Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer

First off, sorry this is late in the day. I wasn't stuck in a storm on Mt. Everest, so it's not like I even have a great excuse. Mea culpa.

It is, however, climbing season for Everest. It is also, I am sorry to say, the start of "summer reading" season for a lot of teens. Rumor has it that this book is on some lists. Let's just say that if it is, and you get a pick, you should read this one. (And if you don't get a pick, you probably won't mind this one.)

The book Into Thin Air has the following subtitle: "A Personal Account of the Mount Everest Disaster" - an event that took place during climbing season in 1996, during which a rogue snow storm swept through while people were trying to summit the mountain. In all, nine climbers were killed, while others were temporarily stranded. Rob Hall, one of the experienced commercial guides leading a group up the mountain, is quoted early on as saying "With enough determination, any bloody idiot can get up this hill. The trick is to get back down alive." Rob didn't make it back this time.

Midwinterblood by Marcus Sedgwick

“So it is.” This brief phrase, a refrain reminiscent of “So it goes” from Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse-Five, echoes throughout Marcus Sedgwick’s Midwinterblood. It echoes across decades and centuries, across the seasons of the sun and moon, across the waters from the mystical island of Blessed. Midwinterblood contains multitudes, seven stories for seven lives. Or, rather, seven stories for two lives. Confused? You may be early on in Sedgwick's latest inventive tale, but as he moves us from the future through the past, we see the sacrifices that link these stories, and these lives.

N0S4A2 by Joe Hill

I’m a scaredy-cat.  Case in point: when I was a child (never mind how old), I went with my parents to the movies.   Before the main attraction, there was a trailer for a film that traumatized me so much that I still freak out at the thought of it.  And I’m a grown man now.  So suffice to say that I don’t do scary movies.

And yet.  Remove the visual component—reduce the horror to words alone—and I’m perfectly fine with it.  Case again in point: the works of Joe Hill.  I picked up his first book, Heart-Shaped Box, knowing that he came recommended by Neil Gaiman (and I will generally check out anything that Neil recommends), and that was a fun, if not necessarily groundbreaking,  piece of ghostwork.  This was followed by 20^th Century Ghosts, a splendid, multifaceted short story collection (actually published by a small UK press before Box had been) that recalled equal parts Roald Dahl and Stephen King.  (Oh yes, there is that…Hill’s full name is Joseph Hillstrom King.  Yes, as in the son of.)

Something to do this summer, other than read

This summer, consider doing a triathlon. Don't just say no, you snack-addicted, book-reading couch potato. I may not be the first one to have suggested such a ridiculous thing. You may even have your excuses ready (no bike, can't swim, can't count past two, etc.) Anyway, I said consider. Bear with me while I make my case. (And, yes, this has something to do with books.)

Often people promoting triathlon participation will cite the health benefits. It strengthens your heart, they say. It makes you lose weight. It gives you energy, improves your sleep, aligns your skeletal frame. Those things are all true. And they are good reasons to consider doing a triathlon. Especially if you need to lose weight. Or are low on energy, or have a mal-aligned frame.

But I think there are deeper more important, more philosophical (ok, self-helpy) reasons for doing a triathlon. I'm talking Triathlon as Metaphor for Life. I'm saying training for three sports can teach you how to live.

This Ain't no Disney Movie

These days you can't spit a mouthful of poisoned apple without it splatting against another adaptation of a classic fairy tale. Many of these remakes emphasize the darker aspects of fairy tales. Some of them move the fairy tale characters and situations into more modern settings. Others, annoyingly, feature Kristin Stewart.

The twisted fairy tale subgenre has lately been quite overdone. And yet, a series like Cornelia Funke's Mirrorworld books demonstrates that despite over-exposure, dark fairy-tale inspired stories can still be both gripping and original. Starting with Reckless, the series follows the Reckless brothers, Jacob and Will, into what they call the Mirrorworld, an alternative reality in which fairy tale creatures (or at least their dark counterparts) exist for real. This is a world populated by living stone-skinned gargoyles (called, simply, Goyl), evil witches (known as Child Eaters) , shape-shifters who can change into animals, blood-thirsty unicorns, and, among many other things, curse uttering fairies. In Reckless, the younger brother, Will, is scratched by a Goyl and his skin begins slowly turning to stone.

(SPOILER ALERT -- if you haven't read Reckless and don't want the story spoiled, stop here. Read my full review of Reckless here, if you want)

Magic Zero is a must-have series!

In the world of Magic Zero, everyone and everything is magic.

Everyone, that is, except for Timothy. For his own safety, his kind father kept him hidden away for years, providing him with a safe haven and a chance at a decent - albeit magic-free - childhood.

When his father passes away, Timothy is flung back into the world. Now everyone knows he exists. Who can he trust? Where can he go? He must decide who his allies are - and quickly, because assassins are coming for him.

The books are packed with action, fantasy, and drama. Timothy is surrounded by intriguing, strong characters: a warrior who can blend in with his surroundings; a robot buddy of his own creation; firebreathing, war-torn dragons; a talking raven named Edgar; and Cassandra, a girl who may or may not be on the same side as her power-hungry grandfather.

You simply must put Magic Zero in the hands of kids who love magic and fantasy series. There's something here for everyone, whether you like the otherworldly creatures in The Spiderwick Chronicles or the battles and tribunals featured in Star Wars. This is a great introduction to the works of the imaginative and prolific authors Christopher Golden and Thomas E. Sniegoski. Each author has released a multitude of titles individually, including Golden's chilling Shadow Saga (thankfully, these vampires do not sparkle) and Sniegoski's best-selling teen angel series The Fallen. Older readers (meaning teens and adults) should check out the pair's dark fantasy series The Menagerie, which I often compare to The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen and give to fans of the X-Men.

Back to Magic Zero: Is this for the Harry Potter crowd? Yes, no doubt about it. At the core of the story, you've got a boy who becomes an unlikely hero in a world filled with magic. The really cool flip in Magic Zero, what sets it apart from other books starring a Young Boy on a Magic Quest, is that Timothy's the only person who cannot wield magic. Also, we know this going into the book, rather than being a loss or gain of powers somewhere along the way. Magic Zero is inventive, the premise well-developed and executed. Just wait 'til you see what happens when Timothy approaches a door protected by magic. Also, there are dragons, robots, talking animals, and more, more, more. Steampunk aficionados, check out the alternate sources of energy used in these books; Star Wars fans, prepare thyself for a battle of epic proportions.

Read the books in order:
Magic Zero
Dragon Secrets
Ghostfire - available June 4th
Battle for Arcanum - available August 27th

Get the Magic Zero series online now!



 

Download some audiobooks this summer with SYNC

By the time I remembered to write about SYNC last summer, the first few sets of downloads had already elapsed. This year, though, I'm on top of things!

For those who aren't familiar with SYNC, it's a promotion sponsored by AudioFile magazine and audiobook publishers giving away free audiobook downloads. Each week, for twelve weeks, two different audiobooks are offered: one middle grade or young adult novel, and one classic. The books change every week and you do need to have special software, the Overdrive Media Console, installed on your computer or mobile device. But I did mention these audiobooks are free, right?

And the list of books to be given away is pretty awesome, including a couple of books that others have recommended here at Guys Lit Wire, Carter Finally Gets It and Frankenstein. Other books I'm planning to download? Rotters (I've heard it's got some rather graphically disgusting parts, but if I can handle Chelsea Cain and Mary Roach, I should be able to handle this, right?), Letter From Birmingham Jail, The False Prince, Grave Mercy, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, and, well, take a look at the full SYNC schedule here. The first set of audiobooks will be available beginning May 30.

Manhattan Projects Volume 1: Science Bad by Jonathan Hickman

I thought that Manhattan Projects was weird, and then the main characters stuck a cybernetic spike into Franklin Roosevelt's head, creating the world's first artificial intelligence.

Woe to anyone hoping that Jonathan Hickman's comic book series would be an accurate retelling of the construction of the atomic bomb. Sure, it gets mentioned from time to time. The real driving force of Hickman's story, which ended up on many top comics lists last year, is the idea that the atomic bomb is just one of the hideous creations that super-geniuses Robert Oppenheimer, Albert Einstein, and Richard Feynman were working on. The other stuff... it ain't pretty.

What's more, the weapon of mass death was the least reprehensible thing that these brilliant men were involved with. Their other projects spiral the story into a mash-up of alternate history with a steady portion of pulp horror.

Take Mr. Oppenheimer, for example. He seems quiet and mild-mannered, but we find that his identity has been assumed by his evil twin brother, who murders and then cannibalizes his victims, gaining their knowledge and souls for a schizophrenic army. You still with me?

All of these figures have their deep, dark secrets. Einstein, locked up by the government, drunkenly obsesses over a 2001-style monolith. What secrets does it hold? Probably some hideous ones.