Book Review: Twentieth Century Boys, Vol 9: Rabbit Nabokov by Naoki Urasawa

 

Twentieth Century Boys, Vol 9: Rabbit Nabokov       

Author: Naoki Urasawa

Publisher: Viz Media

American release date: June 15, 2010

Format/Genre/Length: Paperback/manga/paranormal/216 pages

Overall Personal Rating: ★★★★★

 

Koizumi was sent to Friend Land because of her desire to write her paper on Bloody New Year’s Eve, although she tried to change her subject but was not allowed to. There she discovers that people who do not conform disappear. And just what is Friend World? Can it be worse than this? She learns that being sent to Friend World is not something anyone wants. Koizumi is shocked to learn one of the janitors is none than Yoshitsune, one of the Kenji Faction and long presumed to be deceased. He warns her that if she flunks out of Friend Land she will be sent to Friend World, so she has to do well. When she places in the top three, she finds herself in the past, where she meets the Kenji Faction as children. She thinks this is her opportunity to get to the bottom of things, but Yoshitsune is afraid she will see the Friend’s actual face… and be killed for that knowledge. He must stop that from happening!

When Kanna finds a token, her friend Mariah explains that it comes from the Casino. Remembering her uncle Kenji’s stories about the Woodstock experience, Kanna decides to make a lot of money, using her unusual talents, in order to do what must be done. She and Mariah and Chono head to the Casino. She starts off winning a little, but decides that method is too slow. That’s when someone tells her about a game with great risks but enormous payoffs, known as Rabbit Nabokov.

Yukiji learns of the crowd that is gathering because someone is allegedly giving out money. But Yukiji remembers what was said in the Book of Prophecy: “At the meeting a savior will rise up for the forces of good…but the savior will be assassinated.” Both Yukiji and Otcho race to the scene of the meeting, hoping to prevent that from happening. Can they outrun Fate?

Things are really getting exciting, what with Koizumi undercover at Friend Land, and Kanna raising awareness to prevent the assassination of the Pope. Otcho comes out of hiding and we now know that Yoshitsune is still alive. Can we hope that Kenji’s arrival is imminent, or is that expecting too much? And yet, he has been the leader all along, the voice crying in the wilderness. I’m going to cross my fingers and keep on believing!

Also, look for someone we’ve often wondered about but never really met to make an unexpected appearance at the end of this volume! Can’t wait for the next one!

 

Virtual Book Tour: Not My Ruckus

 Good morning everyone! Please welcome author Chad Musick to Full Moon Dreaming! He is here to tell us about his new release, Not My Ruckus. Chad will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN GC to one randomly drawn commenter via Rafflecopter during the tour. The more you comment, the better your chances of winning. To find the other stops on his tour, go here. Don't forget to look for the Rafflecopter at the end of this post!

 

Not My Ruckus

by Chad Musick

 

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GENRE: Literary

 

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BLURB:

 

Folks know 14-year-old Clare isn't normal, even for a tomboy. She runs too much, talks too little, carries a gun too often, and holds a grudge forever. Only her papa's job at the bank keeps gossip quiet. It's unwise to risk the cold anger of the man who knows everyone's secrets.

 

Clare feels prepared for everything from fire, to flood, to what her momma calls demon attacks. When her neighbor Esther kisses her, though, Clare has no ready script. Maybe she could write one, given time she doesn't have. At the moment of that first kiss, Esther's mom is bleeding out from a gunshot wound.

 

Clare can read the signs everyone else is determined to ignore. A murder was only the beginning. Esther needs protection, whether she wants it or not, and Clare won't abandon her friend just because things are hard.

 

Maybe one day she'll be forgiven for doing what's needed.

 

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EXCERPT:

 

 

I was still asleep when I hit the water, and I thrashed and sputtered before momma let me up for air. She let me recover, let me get my bearings and see that I was in the tub with her in front of me and papa watching, before she pushed me under again.

 

When she let me up the second time, she spat in my face. “I spit in your face, Satan, and baptize this vessel!”

 

Papa leaned close to her ear. “Do you think she’s had enough?” Maybe she would stop now, with even papa questioning.

 

She pushed me back under. I tried to hold my breath and still fight my way up, like I was just playing rough with Frank at the pool, but that made her keep me under longer, long enough the lifeguards would’ve thrown us out for sure. Every time she let me up, she had some new way to curse the devil and demand it leave.

 

Usually, when the devil took me, I could feel it. I could feel my blood getting stirred up, feel myself getting angry.

 

This was different. I just felt confused and upset.

 

I thought of Frank, and how he just laid there whenever momma said he had the devil in him, and she rarely had to give him Jesus’ love more than once or twice before the devil left.

 

Fine.

 

I stopped struggling, decided to just let myself be drowned in the bathtub. That would show her who was tougher.

 

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

 

Chad Musick grew up in Utah, California, Washington, Texas, and (most of all) Alaska. He fell in love in California and then moved with his family to Japan, where he's found happiness. He earned a PhD in Mathematical Science but loves art and science equally.

 

Despite a tendency for electronic devices to burst into flame after Chad handles them, he persists in working in various technical and technology-related roles.

 

Chad makes no secret of being epileptic, autistic, and arthritic, facts that inform how he approaches both science and the arts.

 

Author web links:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheMusicks

Website: https://cinnabarmoth.com/chad-musick/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/20831411.Chad_Musick

 

Buy Link: https://www.amazon.com/Not-My-Ruckus-Chad-Musick/dp/1953971008

 

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Chad Musick, Not My Ruckus

The Questions – please choose at least 5

1) You’re marooned on a small island with one person and one item of your choice—who is that person and what item do you have?

I hate to do it to them, but I’m going to choose Kisstopher. We’ve been married for a couple of decades now, and I’d be lonely without them. We’ll have a tent – I’ve seen too much Survivor to think a self-made shelter is going to be comfortable any time soon.

2) Which musical would you say best exemplifies your life – and which character in that musical are you?

That’s tricky, mostly because I don’t know all that many musicals. When I was young, I saw Mandy Patinkin in a production of The Secret Garden. That book is mentioned several times in Not My Ruckus and is still one of my favorites despite some elements that would now be considered “problematic”. And is it a cheat to say I’d be the window? I feel like the window that the children are looking through into the garden.

4) What is your idea of how to spend romantic time with your significant other?

It sounds boring, maybe, but we’re two middle-aged people with a pretty quiet life. We love doing jigsaw puzzles together, which is something we started a couple of years ago. It’s so collaborative, and we talk while we do them. There’s no pressure to pay attention to anything but each other.

5) When you start a new story, do you begin with a character, or a plot?

Usually I start with an image, and then I develop the characters who would create that image, and then the plot comes later. I do a basic outline of the plot before I start writing, but then I might veer from that if something interesting comes up. Sometimes that image will be the start or end of the book, and sometimes it gets cut in editing. For Not My Ruckus, the image was a teen being surprised by a kiss from their neighbor, and the book opens that way.

6) If they were to make the story of your life into a movie, who should play you?

I mostly can’t tell people’s faces apart, so I don’t know. It would depend on what part of my life was the focus. If it’s my adult life, I’d love to be played by Tilda Swinton (who was great in Cloud Atlas) or serious Adam Sandler (from Reign Over Me, not Happy Gilmore).

8) Do you have an historical crush and if so, who is it?

So many, and most of them were mathematicians. I have a thing about them. Probably Hypatia of Alexandria. She was an absolute hero, but also met a sad end. A lot of the guys have interesting stories but were jerks.

9) Is there a story that you’d like to tell but you think the world isn’t ready to receive it?

I’m still not sure the world is ready for Not My Ruckus. I thought for a long time (almost 5 years) about whether to publish it. A couple of people have reacted badly to it (seriously, read the content notes – it’s a hard book), but mostly readers seem to have understood what I was trying to accomplish.

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Book Review: Twentieth Century Boys, Vol 8: Kenji's Song by Naoki Urasawa

 

Twentieth Century Boys, Vol 8: Kenji’s Song      

Author: Naoki Urasawa

Publisher: Viz Media

American release date: May 25, 2010

Format/Genre/Length: Paperback/manga/paranormal/216 pages

Overall Personal Rating: ★★★★★

 

Otcho continues telling Kakuta, the manga artist, what actually happened on the night of Bloody New Year’s Eve. When the Kenji Faction reached the giant robot that was wreaking such havoc and spreading disease, they discovered how crude and haphazard it really was, nothing like what they had envisioned as children. With only three minutes remaining until the next chemical spray was to release, Kenji decides to go up into the mechanism himself, despite the objections of his friends. But when does Kenji ever really listen to advice? Meanwhile, the Friends, led by Manjome Inshu, offer the government the vaccine which they just happen to have on hand for just such an occasion, and they will also destroy the beast which is spreading it, thus saving everyone. Such good Samaritans, eh?

As the twentieth century comes to an end, Kenji confronts Friend, who reveals his identity. Years later, Kanna visits the site where Kenji died with Chono, the detective, and plays the tape of Kenji’s last song for him. And the group of saviors, whose arrival has been foreshadowed since the series began, turns out to be… none other than the Friends, who “saved” the world from the evil Kenji Faction. Koizumi, the student who has decided to do her paper on the events of Bloody New Years Eve, learns to her amazement, from Kamisma, that what is being taught in the schools about that day is all wrong. Kamisama tells her that he has been looking for Kenji’s niece Kanna ever since, and Koizumi has an idea where she might be.

When Koizumi tells her teacher she’s changed her mind about the subject of her paper and wishes to change it, he tells her it’s too late, she’s already been chosen to go to Friend Land, and such an honor that is. The question is, can she survive such an honor?

The tension is rising to unbearable levels as we continue to learn what actually happened on that fateful New Year’s Eve. Having assumed that Kenji and his friends successfully saved the world, it’s both shocking and appalling to learn that quite the opposite has happened, and the Friends have taken the upper hand all the way. When Koizumi finds herself at Friend Land, she discovers that it’s far from being a friendly place, and if she doesn’t watch her step, she might be sent to Friend World! She meets someone long thought dead and joins a group determined to right the wrongs of the past.

I still find it hard to believe Kenji died that night, and I hold out the hope that he will turn up at some point, and that he will be reunited with Kanna, with his friends, and with Yukiji.  Another great volume, looking forward to the next.

 

 

Saturday Day is Horror Day #11 - Nosferatu (1922)

 Nosferatu (1922)

A young married man  named Thomas Hutter (Gustav von Wangenheim) is sent on a business trip by his employer Knock (Alexander Granach). The purpose of his trip is to help finalize the sale of a house in England to a distant customer, Count Orlok (Max Schreck) in Transylvania. Although missing his wife Ellen (Great Schroder). Hutter dutifully makes the trip. But the closer to the Count's home he gets, the more the people become nervous and afraid for him. He can't even get transportation all the way to his destination, as the driver refuses to go any closer. But as he sets out to walk the remaining distance, a carriage appears, and its strange driver beckons to Hutter to get in.

Hutter finds the castle eerie and the count peculiar. But business is business, and once he is done he can

return to his beloved wife. While going through some papers, Hutter accidentally drops a miniature of his beloved, which the Count picks up. The odd nobleman seems quite taken with Hutter's pretty missus, to his consternation. Things get even eerier when at night, he spies the Count loading coffin-shaped boxes onto a wagon, all by himself! When Hutter investigates during the day, he discovers the Count lying in a coffin, and realizes he has to get out of there as soon as possible! But he is stricken by a strange illness, and begins to wonder if he will ever make his way home.

Ellen anxiously awaits her husband's return, in the company of her husband's friend, Harding, and Harding's sister Ruth (Ruth Landshoff). In the meantime, the Count has acquired passage for himself and his boxes on a ship bound for England. But strange things begin to happen on this vessel. Sailors grow sick and die, but no one can determine the cause. And when the ship pulls into the port, there is no one left alive.

The village begins to be troubled by mysterious deaths for which the citizens find a scapegoat - the increasingly erratic Knock, who has fallen under the Count's spell, albeit from a distance, and who looks forward to the master's arrival.

Hutter returns at last, to Ellen's relief, and she finds the book he was reading while in Transylvania, Nosferatur, which gave him such terrible nightmares. He warns her not to read the book but she can't help herself, and finds herself drawn to the mysterious Count. According to legend, only a beautiful maiden can break the curse of Nosferatu, by keeping him in thrall until the cock crows, and with her blood. Ellen knows what needs to be done...

This is the German film that started it all, the first cinematic version of Dracula, even before Bela Lugosi enchanted us so so me years later. Director F.W. Murnau has given us a cinematic classic. The reason  it wasn't called Dracula, even though it's taken from the novel by Bram Stoker, had to do with problems with the Stoker estate  This film is silent, and being silent, of course everything is told in the actor's actions, as well as the dialogue cards. To those unused to silent films, the action may come across as melodramatic and over the top. But even almost a hundred years later, Nosfterau has a presence that can't be denied. The music, the cinematography, the editing, as well as the performances, add up to a classic horror film which stands the test of time. This is my first time viewing it, but won't be the last. One of the scenes which impressed me was the arrival of the ship, an ordinary event, and yet so not ordinary considering what is about to unleased on an unknowing city. Next time I'll watch it at night, I'm sure it will add an element of gothic horror.

I recommend this film, and give it a solid 4 stars.

Book Review: You Love Me (You #3) by Caroline Kepnes

 

You Love Me (You #3)      

Author: Caroline Kepnes

Publisher: Atria/Emily Bestler Books

American release date:  April 6, 2021

Format/Genre/Length: Paperback/Psychological Thriller/400 pages

Overall Personal Rating: ★★★★

 

Joe Goldberg’s dreams of a forever love with Love Quinn, mother of his future child, have been crushed following the death of Love’s twin brother Forty and Joe’s arrest on suspicion of murder—namely RIP Beck and RIP Peach. But thanks to the wealthy Quinn family, Joe is freed and given 4 million dollars to go away, with the proviso that he sign a paper that says he must stay away from his son, whom Love names Forty in honor of her brother.

Joe winds up moving to Bainbridge Island, Washington, in a house bought for him by the Quinns, where he becomes a volunteer at the local library and falls madly in love with librarian Mary Kay DiMarco. Mary Kay comes with baggage, in the form of teen-age daughter Nomi,  whom Joe refers to as the Meerkat, but so what? Joe can deal with that. But MK (as he calls her) is hiding something else from him, something that is an even greater obstacle to their happiness, in the form of a has-been rock star husband named Phil.

Simple enough for Joe Goldberg, right? Not like he hasn’t killed people before, he has. But Joe has turned over a new leaf. He doesn’t want to hurt anyone, much less kill them. He’s a good boy, he is. But suddenly, people are dying, and none of it’s his fault. So why is he being made to suffer for their deaths?

The third book of the You series is just as delightful as the first two, with the deliciously psychotic Joe Goldberg as the main attraction. I love reading Joe’s voice, and his humor, even if I don’t get all the references (I do get a lot of them, though). Joe’s trying to do the right thing but the universe seems determined to get him, and his growing softness might just be the end of him.

More interesting characters along with some very unexpected events. Definite roller coaster ride with its ups and downs, and never knowing how things will turn out for Joe. Will surely be reading the next one whenever it comes out. I know this is not the end of the line for our hero, and I look forward to reading more as I wonder what he will be up to next.

 

Wednesday Briefs: Super Trooper #68 (16.2)

Good morning and Happy Hump Day! If it's Wednesday, then it must be time for more flash fiction from the Wednesday Briefers! We're a group of authors who bring you our finest flash fiction every week, 500 to 1000 words, inspired by one of our prompts. 

Chan's birthday has been perfect, and he couldn't be happier. But just because night time has fallen, and the kids gone to bed, that doesn't mean the fun has to stop! See what's happening in this week's chapter of Super Trooper. Don't forget to visit the other Briefers and see what's up with them. Their links follow my tale! Enjoy!

Super Trooper #68 (16.2)

Chan shivered at Evan’s words, even as Evan claimed his lips in a searing kiss. How had he ever lived without this man’s love, he didn’t know… and he hoped he never would again. He planned to dedicate the rest of his life to Evan, and to his siblings… his perfect family.

Evan lightly pressed his tongue against Chan’s lips. Chan gladly granted him admission. Their tongues tangled in a playful duel which took Chan’s breath away. He slid his hands along Evan’s back, feeling the strength beneath his fingers. Evan wasn’t built like a bodybuilder but Chan thought his muscular body was perfect just the way it was.

When Evan pulled back, Chan was momentarily bereft, until he realized where his lover was headed, as he kissed a trail down Chan’s body. Reaching up beside Chan, he grabbed one of their pillows. “Raise up,” he instructed, then placed it beneath Chan’s ass for better leverage.

Lightly pressing against Chan’s legs to spread them a little more, Evan stroked the sensitive skin of Chan’s perineum. Lowering his head, he licked it lightly, ringing the base of Chan’s cock with the fingers of one hand. He stroked his way up the shaft and pulled back the foreskin.

“Oh yes,” Chan gasped as Evan ran his thumb across the exposed head, which was already leaking pre-cum. Evan lapped at the liquid before taking Chan’s cock into his mouth in one fell swoop.

Chan wound his fingers into Evan’s short blond hair, anchoring himself as Evan sucked on him. So good, so very good. No man had ever made Chan feel the way that Evan did, and none of them had even actually tried. Evan was undoubtedly the best thing to ever happen to Chan.

As Evan sucked, he continued to pump Chan with a firm yet gentle motion. Chan loved the face Evan made when he sucked him off, his beautiful eyes closed in intense concentration, almost as if he was praying. His cheeks hollowed as he sucked, and when he hummed around Chan’s dick, the vibration only served to add fuel to the rapidly growing flames of Chan’s desire.

At this rate, Chan knew he wouldn’t last long. But did that matter? He also knew Evan had other things in store for him. Very pleasurable things.

Until suddenly Evan pulled away, leaving Chan rather confused. Didn’t Evan want him to come?

“Change of positions,” Evan said. “Stand up for a moment.”

Chan did as requested, while Evan positioned himself on the bed, his head on the pillows now. “Kneel over me,” he said. “And hold on to the headboard. I want you to fuck my mouth real good.”

Had anything ever sounded so sexy?

Chan wasted no time into assuming the requested position, kneeling with one leg on either side of Evan’s head, his cock at mouth level. Evan obligingly opened his mouth. At the same time, he reached around Chan and held Chan’s cheeks firmly in his grasp.

What more invitation did Chan need?

 to be continued

Now go see what the other Briefers are up to!

Cia Nordwell

 

Saturday is Horror Day #10 - The Flesh and the Fiends, The Thompsons

 The Flesh and the Fiends

In 1828 Scotland, medical research and anatomy studies depend on having cadavers to study. Dr. Robert Knox (Peter Cushing), an eminent surgeon, purchases bodies from a pair of ne'er-do-wells, Burke (George Rose) and Hare (Donald Pleasance), who are not above robbing a grave in order to supply the good doctor.

Before long, the lazy pair discover that they can get corpses without the trouble of digging them up and get more money for the fresher bodies, namely by killing people on the streets in the middle of the night! Dr. Knox remains oblivious to what they are doing, and never questions their methods,  although his assistants do. When Dr. Knox's niece Martha (June Laverick) comes to stay after an absence of three years, she catches the eye of Dr. Mitchell (Dermot Walsh), while student Chris Jackson (John Cairney) becomes enamored of a young woman, Mary Patterson (Billie Whitelaw), who is known to frequent pubs and likes to have a good time.

Burke and Hare come under suspicion as people begin to turn up missing. How long can Dr. Knox turn a blind eye to their shenanigans?

I am a long-time Peter Cushing fan and was thrilled to find this film I wasn't familiar with, on Shudder. It has the feel of a Hammer film, although it isn't one. Peter Cushing is great, as always, and I enjoyed watching Donald Pleasance play the creepily sinister William Hare. The film is based on the true story of Burke and Hare, and can also be seen in The Body Snatcher, with Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi. The Flesh and the Fiends is a little known, underappreciated gem among horror movies. It has a definite dark and creepy atmosphere, and is well worth viewing, especially for the performances of Cushing, Pleasance, and Rose. I'll give it a solid 4 stars.

The Thompsons

The Hamiltons, now going by the Thompsons, have had to move on, their dark family secret having been uncovered. Knowing little of their late parents' past, their only clue is the name of a village in England, and the name Manderson. So it's off to Europe for the Thompsons!

Unfortunately, they run afoul of a couple of robbers, and Lenny is hurt. Now it's imperative that they find him help as soon as possible. Francis finds the small village in question, and the pub where he may find Manderson. But again, things go awry, and he gets more than he bargained for. Turns out the Mandersons are kinfolk, and that's not all they have in common.

The second movie begins where the first one ends, picking up in the middle of events as we find Francis trapped in a box, and of course he has to explain what led to this. Cue flashbacks. The entire movie concerns finding these relatives, who are even more sadistic and bloodthirsty than their American cousins, and who have their own plans for them. In particularly, for Darlene, as she seems to be the last hope for the continuation of their bloodline.

Frankly, the plot is thin at best, with not much more than the Thompsons vs the Mandersons. Mainly an excuse for fighting and bloodletting.... and more fighting and bloodletting. That wears thin quickly. The writers seem intent on showing the Thompsons in a more favorable light than in the first film, as if they are trying to make them out to be human. They're not vampires, they have a disease, one that requires them to have a diet of blood. 

Honestly, there just isn't a lot of meat to this one, and I found myself getting bored. Certainly not scary. The first movie wasn't great, this one is barely decent. And I'm being kind here. I'll just give it a soft 2 stars and suggest you find something else to watch. Like The Flesh and the Fiends.