Anne Rice and Westeros

My fave author, Anne Rice, referenced Game of Thrones in the recent LA talks with her son Christopher, during the promotion of her latest book in the Vampire Chronicles, Prince Lestat. In the talk, she replied to Christopher's question that generally books like Harry Potter, Vampire Chronicles, the Millennium Trilogy by Stieg Larssen, tap into some general struggle or journey and that without it, there is not much "meat" for the story to latch on to and thus not make it engaging for readers. Anne said that generally that is true but Game of Thrones broke the mold for having a singular hero undergoing a journey. She said that because the hero whom we thought to be in Book 1/Season 1 was apparently not. I wonder though, if Ned Stark, is George RR Martin's statement on idealism? That it's risky to be seeing life through rose colored glasses in this cynical and practical and at times, user-friendly world that we live in.

Truly Ned for all his faults as a king, was honorable and perhaps even faultless in the eyes of his supporters. And that whatever information he withheld or altered to suit the need for secrecy concerning Jon Snow's true lineage is definitely something he needed to do. I wonder too if in this day and age, Idealism is dead. Has everyone started to become jaded about everything and everyone else. And anyone who holds that kind of thinking or viewpoint will ultimately be sacrificed and thrown into the fire, because for the sole reason that what the majority wants and deems right and proper, matter. That the majority always would rule. And anyone who is not conforming to that should be silenced or learn to keep their views to themselves. Anything else is fodder.

What do you think?

Sharing the video clip of that talk too here. Enjoy and keep writing.

Caught up in The Shadow of the Wind

The first time I heard of this book was in 2004  when Powerbooks was touting it as the next book to watch out for. I knew immediately that I wanted to read it but having so much books on my reading plate (then and still now), felt that it could wait. So I ended up buying the hardcover as a gift instead for a fellow Anne Rice Philippines member and he in turn gave me the audiobook set for The Lives of the Mayfair Witches. I felt that was a good trade. J

Years later, like Daniel Sempere, in the book, I would chance upon the trade paperback version of the book at a Book Sale branch and relish the treasure of a find I had. But like all readers who would want more time with ALL of their books, it became another casualty to other books that took precedence up until I found an unabridged version on audiobook Cd format for a steal at another Book Sale branch. This time I knew I had to get into this and not be left behind.

Throughout my drive to and from work, the haunting story of ten year old Daniel and his search for truth regarding the mystery surrounding the author of the book in question, who is equally is as elusive as his other copies of his books in the novel proved to be the enchanting tale that it is, and one that transported me out of the traffic laden streets of Manila and into a simpler and yet darker and dangerous streets of Post Spanish Civil War Barcelona of the 1930’s.

The book opens with Daniel Sempere, son of second hand book store owner, being brought to the Cemetery of Forgotten Books, a old haven of a library for books that have almost been forgotten but kept and preserved for all lovers of antique and obscure books. There he meets the caretaker of the establishment, Isaac Monfort and is told that whoever comes to the library the first time must choose a book, adopt it as his and makes sure that the book will be preserved and guaranteed an owner and a home. Somehow, the Shadow of the Wind by Julian Carax is the book that Daniel chooses and immediately he is transported into the tale brilliantly spun by Carax which leaves him wanting more of his works and equally more information about the author.

He thus finds himself in a search for the threads of Carax’s life, while his own life and growing adolescence mirrors Carax’s own. On top of that, he also must deal with his obsession with Clara Barcelo, the blind daughter of Gustavo Barcelo, a friend of his father and in addition a new found friend in the form of a homeless man, whom he took in to help with the book shop. This man who goes by the name of Fermin Romero de Torres we find is a military man who is in pursuit by the main antagonist in the novel, the evil, vengeful and corrupt Inspector Javier Fumero.

And as if Daniel’s plate wasn’t enough, there is also a mysterious lurking figure, who is horribly burnt and hides in the shadows and poses a threat to his own life and in want of the Carax book that he possesses.

Newfound love, Tarnished love, Envy, Greed, Bitterness, Frustration and other elements of a varied human condition is one that a lover of the written word will find in reading this book. My interest in it was equally buoyed by the brilliant narrative and character voicing of the audiobook narrator, Jonathan Davis, who efforlessly shifts from one voice to another as the task of voicing different characters solely rests on him.

As one further gets into the story, more stories of other people that are just pieces of the puzzle of a tragic life lived by Julian Carax may overwhelm some readers in want of a more traditional and linear way of storytelling, but in the end, all the lives lived by every individual in the book, hastens Daniel’s maturity as he graples with life, with love, with loss and with the promise that if one is in search of the truth, the search will ultimately extract a price of its own for it, but if one is ready for the ride and for the result, then it is a journey worth taking.

Read on and discover how other people’s lives and relationships may at times mirror facets of our own and in learning about others, we learn more about ourselves and the wisdom behind the choices that we make in our lives, everyday.

For Heaven's Eyes Only- Secret Histories Book 5

We all know or have heard of the expression, NO Rest for the Wicked. But perhaps a tad of that was forgotten or could be reworked for this novel, as there is certainly No Rest for the Ones who faced the Wicked! In this case, the new bad in the continuing Secret Histories series by award winning author and my fave, Simon R. Green.

Last we saw our hero, Edwin Drood, he was stabbed and left for dead in Book 4, From Hell With Love, after confronting the accursed Immortals who infiltrated the ranks and the family of Droods to assassinate their leader, the Matriarch. Although they were also successful in storming Castle Frankenstein to battle down the Immortals with the help of Frankenstein’s spawn, it was finally time for Eddie to get some peace and quiet.

But peace and quiet were not exactly what he had when the book opens up with a scene in a ghost dimension, or  Limbo, and has Eddie running up and down a cold, glass-frosted, and desolate looking Drood Hall. He’s all alone and hasn’t found a living soul to talk to except finding and talking to members of his family who already have died or those foes or friends that he has dispatched and died from the service of protecting the world from supernatural bad-asses, as that’s what the Drood Family does. 

The Droods, all clad in their indestructible and retractable, Golden Armor, are our defense against the supernatural horde who want to lay claim to the world that is ours. In Limbo, Eddie encounters someone telling him, and alluding to it successfully, that his parents are actually alive. And of course, Eddie being the hero of our tale, never really was dead, as his girlfriend, the powerful witch Molly Metcalf comes into Limbo and brings him out.  Although he was nearly dead, he wasn’t quite so as Molly had the initiative of transporting his heart elsewhere; to a secret location and thus he couldn’t be killed. Dear reader, this was also a trick that Molly did in Book 4 when I thought she was a goner. I know, spoiler! Me bad.

But moving on, Book 5 continues on the mayhem and doubt instilled in the previous book and brings in a new malevolent force slated to create havoc in the world, by way of a Satanic conspiracy. The need to know who’s behind it and how deeply the organization has infiltrated the British and other governments of the world in preparation for the much touted, Great Sacrifice; once revealed was shocking enough to make me shake my head in disgust. Disgust, not from the writing or plot points, but for what it entailed for its success. Ah, Green, you still amaze me with each book outing.

Suffice to say, I thoroughly enjoyed this 5th book and urge anyone to not read it in random order but to start where it all began. From new characters like powerful telepath, Ammonia Van Acht, Charlatan Joe, Lady Damnation, Indigo Blue, the adorable spirit named Poof that finally has revealed itself and guards the Drood Library, to other noteworthy recurring and revealing characters like the Drood lovers Roger Morningstar and Harry Drood, the novel offers the same witty dialogue, repartee and snappish remarks between Molly and Eddie and also between other members of the Drood clan make this another classic Drood read for me. 

Just when I thought Book 3 tired and burned me out early and left me for a revitalized reading, Books 4 and 5 certainly did that. And with another cliffhanger to top all endings, I fear that I may have to wait too long for the next book to come out next year. And because this is the supernatural James bond adventure that we have all come to enjoy and love with each release on the life of a Drood, Book 6 is aptly titled, Live and Let Drood.

Frankly, I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Where’s my Martini, shaken…not stirred. Please.

Anne Rice Philippines Book Meet- Servant of the Bones

                For a time it felt like The Gathering that was never going to happen.

                After a long hiatus since our last meet at A Different Book Store in Serendra, Fort Bonifacio for the 5^th Vampire Chronicle, Memnoch The Devil, meeting up for the next book in focus was a done deal. Apparently we were wrong for events and different life plans for all members got in the way up until it was decided that August 27 was the date and I would be seeing my fellow Vampires once more and we’d get to feast on coffee and cake and chat another late Saturday afternoon away. But once more, the Vampiric order of things was thrown in disarray for a typhoon set in that day and only me and Lynn were able to make it. Penny, on the other hand, whose back problem was acting up joined us on Skype as we tried to make some sense of a discussion and catch up on each other’s lives. With just us two (or 3), we decided to move the Book Meet to another Saturday that looked feasible for all. Fast forward to last night.

                I got in at around 5pm at the new designated place which was now Cravings restaurant in Shangri-La Edsa Plaza. As per the conversation thread in our Facebook page, this was place was suggested because of their ongoing promo of unlimited cake and coffee for only P150 (roughly $3.45), that begins at 4pm and ends at 8pm. With our love for blood and coffee (interesting book title, if it be used), the excitement to gather once more and make do on that postponed promise to meet up loomed into reality until I got there. Penny was the first to arrive and looking fabulous and made up ordered her share of salad and take home Cordon Bleu. I, on the other hand, disciplined myself to stay away from cakes and started first with a cup of Cappuccino, before ordering their Hungarian sausage by the time Lynn came from after having an exhausting workload of tutoring.

 I didn’t want to think that it would be only the 3 of us again who were arriving because Jestat was glad of the postponed book meet the last time and expressed desire to join this time and even sent me a text message yesterday morning inquiring if the Book Meet was pushing through. Now, Lynn was still finishing the book by the time we got there and that gave us some more time to enjoy our food and by the time the discussion was under way, I realized that it was too late for anyone else to come and “make habol”.

         First off, Penny felt the book didn’t grab her on the onset. Having been accustomed to seeing Lestat drive things in a narrative was an Anne Rice staple and no other character had the stamina and the bratty wit to keep us enthralled. So for us who all read the book ages ago when it first came out (and after Memnoch, mind you), we didn’t really catch onto the character of Azriel.

                To give you a summary, the story tells of Azriel, then a man living in Babylon, whose narrates his life to a Jewish scholar named Jonathan. Azriel, now a powerful spirit or dybuk, appears to this aging man during a self imposed writer’s retreat in his mountain cottage, nurses him back to health and reveals his story. We are introduced to Azriel’s life in Babylon during 539 B.C. and living under the rule of King Cyrus the Persian. Azriel was someone marked as special for during his young age, he is able to hear and converse with the golden Babylonian god, Marduk; to which the priests have already singled him out as someone to be reckoned with and later on to be used to appease the god himself in their glorification of their deity. Marduk for Azriel became his confidant, accomplice and best friend. And because of that, Azriel was craftily selected by the Babylonian witch Asenath, to participate in a celebration to personify Marduk by having himself painted in gold, re-enact the god’s slaying of a lion and paraded throughout the city with the conquering King being blessed on and thus bringing Cyrus closer to acceptance by the populace. But Asenath had an alterior motive.

She knew that this act meant Azriel had to sacrifice himself to the cause and take part in a ritual that involved boiling him into a pot of Gold and bonding his soul to the gold-encrusted bones and making him a genie or dybuk that would obey the whims and wishes of the one who possesses his bones; his Master; thus successfully creating the legendary Servant of the Bones. Lucky for Azriel, he only felt the boiling gold touch his skin momentarily as his soul rose to evade the pain and witness his own transformation as a spirit that can be sent to inhabit the bones and summoned back out whenever needed. His creation thus led him to be sent to his first Master, the Magician Zurvan in the Greek city of Miletus. Zurvan proved to be the Master who had the most profound effect on him; teaching and guiding him to fully realize the extent of his powers. His lessons carried and guided him from one master after another until he appears in present day New York City during the murder of a woman named Esther Belkin, who just happens to be the daughter of his current master, Gregory Belkin.

But Belkin was not the Master that Azriel can learn wisdom from. He may be rich, powerful but was also the fanatical leader of his own new age organization called The Temple of the Mind. With it, Gregory exerted much influence and planned to genocide the world’s population by way of a manufactured virus; a combination of new and old strains of the dreaded Ebola. Part of his plan is to use his twin brother, Nathan, whose existence was unknown the public, assassinate him thereby successfully faking his death and later rise 3 days after as a Messiah. Azriel fools him and spoil his plans, thus saving humanity from genocide.

I remember excitedly getting this novel first in 1996, the preferred Chatto and Windus version with a golden skull in front rather than the US cover that was all gold with embossed figures. Read it then and then most recently and found that although it wasn’t Anne’s best, it still had the potential to slowly draw you in and let you take part in the peeling process of characterization and layering of the plot till you reach the end.

Here are some points that were discussed:

1.       We started by identifying the first issue that we had about Azriel and that was his pacificity. How could one, a loving son at that, so readily accept his father’s decision of allowing him to take part in the ritual and not have one ounce of anger and bitterness for it. Azriel knew that he was going to die and that the process will kill him. Was Azriel’s unconditional love for his father that deep or was it justified in the book by Azriel himself that no matter what he said about the issue, his father, being the parent of gifted son, would still be in danger from the Babylonian priests. Better to appease them than see my own father suffer. Should that be the case, then we would understand but his lack of emotion about the situation was just one of the things that had us scratching our heads.

2.       Having kept his emotions in check, we were surprised to see Azriel cry at the death of Esther Belkin on the day that he re-appeared in New York. Could Esther have summoned him? Perhaps not a formal summoning. But having no concept why he was there and to see him break down as if he knew her and had some profound bond with Esther was another thing if not flaw that we found most puzzling. If we were to base it on the fact that seeing a woman murdered in front of you in cold blood was tragic enough to make one weep as such, then perhaps Azriel should’ve have had an issue regarding the taking of another life even way back then when his first Master, Zurvan ordered him to kill a group of Bedouins in the desert when they stole Azriel’s golden bones from him. Where was this sudden outpouring of emotion coming from?

3.       According to the lore, the Servant of the Bones was not supposed to be able to touch his bones, but because the process of his own making was already flawed, the consequences could not have been the same. What the evil High Priest, Remath and Asenath wanted to make was a powerful genii that would be able to perform any task appointed to it. Although Azriel is indeed able to do that, his selection in itself was already a mistake. You see, the candidate needed to make a ruthless spirit was one that was already inherently bad in his human life. Azriel, was inherently good. A direct opposite of the prime candidate and perhaps it is that reason that we as a reader were getting mixed results.

4.       Penny pointed out and asked why did Anne’s characters need a scribe to tell their tale? The Vampire Lestat spoke directly to the reader and didn’t need a scribe up until his adventures in the 5^th Vampire chronicles. By then, Lestat, bound in chains needed David Talbot to transcribe his tale. But was it more “fashionable” to have one’s characters tell their story via a Scribe or does it have any purpose in lengthening and fleshing out the narrative in this manner?

5.       For someone regarded as a god, Marduk certainly didn’t fulfil his end of the bargain by being a friend to Azriel. In fact, he was at a loss once Azriel became a spirit and proved useless to him by not being able to give comfort or wisdom to his plight. Did Marduk come off as all-knowing because Azriel didn’t share the same “status” as his because he was “beneath” him, as he was human? And once made like him, the mystery is unveiled; the truth revealed? The deception complete?

This by the way, reminds me of the Nihilistic themes of Anne in her earlier Vampire works. Her protagonist Louis, in Interview With The Vampire, was on the search for his purpose because he didn’t understand what was his nature in being a Vampire. Akasha, the antagonist in Queen of the Damned, could find no meaning to her own purpose and sought to make one by proclaiming that the male species should be annihilated and only the females are to be glorified and put on a pedestal. Was Marduk, equally exhibiting signs of a Nihilist nature by being unable to provide sense and comfort to Azriel because he was only putting up a front. To paraphrase Louis in describing Lestat’s absence of guidance, He knew nothing because there was nothing to know.

6.       Like in her previous novels, our Anne has enjoyed writing and incorporating characters who have embraced their individuality or varied sexuality. Our favorite, Vampire Lestat was the first. And Azriel was no different as he felt no qualm in kissing his Master on the lips and loses himself to physical pleasure and abandon as he sleeps with Gregory Belkin’s wife, who already was dying from her ailment, just before she killed herself by jumping from the balcony of her Florida mansion. We wonder what fuelled Anne to add such textured but passionately written scenes into her works. Where does perhaps, carnality, lie in the essence of her writing?

7.       We also were wondering who was it really that called Azriel to New York. The novel purports that Azriel came into his own and learned not to depend on a Master to constitute himself as opposed to the given that whoever possesses the bones has the power and authority to summon Azriel from the golden bones.

Could it have been Esther herself, for she recognized him in the few moments just before her death as she was ambulanced out after her murder. But then again, Azriel knew that no one called him. He was just drawn to the scene to witness a cleverly and made-to-look casual killing of Gregory Belkin’s step daughter.

We thought about it and referenced an earlier incident wherein Zurvan unconsciously summoned Azriel during his sleep by just thinking of him when he didn’t even need him during that moment. Could it be that Azriel, by this time, and after 4 Masters in his current incarnation, have become so well tuned, that even the slightest thought or reference of him by anyone who knows of the lore of his making can instantly summon him without his knowing and thus led him to believe that he has done so by his own will and volition?

8.       The casting of an actor for the role of Azriel was also bandied and tossed about. We all agreed that the ideal person to play this if ever was Iranian actor, Oded Fehr. He was Zankou in the 6^th season of Charmed, was the leader of Guardians looking after the tomb in Imhotep in the first 2 Mummy movies of Brendan Fraser and was also in Resident Evil 2 and 3. He is also my ideal actor to play my favorite Marvel comic character, Dr. Strange. I know I am digressing but indulge me in this a bit.

9.       We also found that it was tragic that Azriel, for all his sacrifices and good intentions, has not been rewarded entry into Heaven. True that as Nathan was killed and he saw the similar stairway to Heaven which Rachel Belkin went up to, and he himself went on as it appeared, he was urged by Rachel to go back and inhabit Nathan’s dying body in order to stop Gregory. Azriel’s master, Zurvan, even urged him to see the “rationale” in this act even if it meant damning himself back into mortality and risk the possibility of not ever seeing the freedom again that he so relished in, as a spirit.

Could Anne have thought of a possible sequel and reworked her narrative to keep Azriel on Earth for another adventure back then? It certainly felt that his presence as a wanderer can lead to another story but then again, there was no guarantee of that. A door was potentially open. But unless one steps through it, it will always be ajar and not a true doorway that would certify its use to deliver a promise after having been crossed.

By the time we covered most points that got us enthralled, confused, laughing with cross references to other books, the restaurant started to close down, shut it lights and it was time to go home. And even though we were only a handful of members who attended all 3 of us still had fun and look forward to the next discussion, of which the next book we decided was the most unlikely of choices and yet one that would hopefully get more of the members talking and attending at the same time. It’s book 1 of Anne’s erotic trilogy, The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty.

P.E.N. Calls for Abolition of Tax on Imported Books

The Philippine Center of the International PEN (Poets & Playwrights, Essayists & Novelists), led by National Artists Bienvenido Lumbera (chair) and F. Sionil Jose (founder and chair emeritus), has issued a resolution calling for the scrapping of Department of Finance Order 17-09, which levies duties on imported books.

 

While Malacanang has suspended the order, writers, and publishers are afraid that the tax would be re-imposed soon.

 

Text of the resolution is as follows:

 

We, The BOARD of DIRECTORS and members of the Philippine center of the International PEN, invoking the international PEN charter, join the many other sectors of our society in denouncing the Department of Finance Order 17-09, which imposes duty on the importation of books.

 

We believe that “literature though national in origin knows no frontiers, and should remain common currency between nations in spite of political or international upheavals” (Article 1, PEN Charter)

 

We, as a worldwide organization founded in London in 1921, consisting originally of Poets & Playwrights, Essayists, and Novelists, but now also of Journalists & Historians, were organized precisely and principally to promote friendship and intellectual cooperation among writers everywhere.

 

We are of the firm conviction that literature plays a crucial role in developing world culture and global understanding, and that the most accessible way of spreading thoughts and ideas, vision and imagination along this line in through books: “PEN stands for the unhampered transmission of such thoughts and ideas through books between nations all over the world” (Article IV, PEN Charter). To be left behind will certainly not be good for our youth and our country.

 

Moreover, the unenlightened and misinformed Department Order violates the Florence Agreement, an international treaty the Philippines signed in 1952. It also violates Republic Act 8047, the Book Publishing Industry Development Act passed in 1995.

 

The Philippine Center of International PEN joins other writer groups and publisher associations, and the general reading public, in urging the Department of Finance, to permanently withdraw—and not just suspend—Department Order 17-09, so as to finally allow the continued duty-free importation of books.

Thoughts on ROD-Con 2007

            When I heard last year that there would be a reader’s convention this year, I was ecstatic. I was told that it was going to be the first and therefore for bibliophiles like me it was going to be an “event”. Together with that, I was also in the midst of getting “accreditation” with my own book club, “Anne Rice Philippines”. I didn’t think much of it and so these two situations were moving simultaneously as the 2006 was nearing its end.

 

            Fast forward to now, my group has finally gotten the accreditation that I was working on with its recent induction into the New World Alliance and the Reader’s conference was scheduled on the same day as my vampiric gathering at Powerbooks. I was torn between rescheduling the gathering in order to be there. But crestfallen as I was, I was quickly relieved to know that the Read or Die Convention was a two-day event. This meant that I get to my have my cake and eat it two; which is more than most we at times get to have in this life.

 

            Going with 3 members of my Coven on the 2^nd day, the function room of the Intercon in Makati became a room of readers, publishers, enthusiasts and hopefuls. Some were there to rake on possible discounted finds. Some were there to attend and listen to the insightful words of wisdom if not inspiration and harsh realism from several keynote speakers. Some like me just felt they had to be there regardless what the day’s stay would yield and be present for what the event is. Lucky for me, that worked because I got to listen to Filipino author, F.Sionil Jose talk about the value of Literature, as its presence must once more be felt in the educational system and in local society. I got to boost the presence of my group, by setting up Anne’s books in the Alliance table and had two 2 newbies interested to sign-up. Along with that I got some vindication for my group, just the day after our successful gathering, by answering a question about Anne and her works during a Q& A portion and win a free book as well. And when the host announced over the PA system, “Oh, the Anne Rice people are here”, all fatigue and exhaustion from the day before simply evaporated from my system and I was dazed all day long.

 

            Immediately I forgot my earlier complaint of not having enough sleep the week before (then again, when did I ever) but being in the room with like-minded people whose own level of interest, devotion and fanaticism equals your own just made everything complete for me that Sunday and made me care less about what I was whining about earlier and what would non-enthusiasts say about the time I spend in events like these. (I get my share of those as well)

 

 

But for what its worth, I’m glad that I was there. Not just for the group but also for the purpose I have in creating my group in the first place. That is to foster awareness for the benefits of reading. If you had known me growing up, I was never the person who couldn’t leave the house or go out without a book in tow. Heck, I couldn’t even finish a chapter then. When I would carry one back then it was for show. I knew that I liked having a book in my hands but that’s just about it. It was only after being a given a book on my birthday and committing myself to it, did I find it a surprising and rewarding venture.

 

So is this a mission that I have now; a quest to silence the crying of lambs in the cold winter’s night like detective Clarice Starling as each cry of a lamb represents the unsatisfied hunger of a literature-deprived individual? Or is it also because of being a Trainer, I saw and heard with own eyes and ears the startling result of a compromised education compounded with a lack of confidence and surety?

 

I know that there are equally many out there who feels the same way as I do. That if children these days were given the opportunities that our parents gave us, perhaps the next generation of thinkers would become do-ers. That the principles that they espouse be that which both defines and exemplifies their lives which in turn helps and spurns on others to do the same. Henceforth, a ripple effect is thus established.

 

And being thus characterized, who is to say where it begins and where it ends and in what form does it come and go?

 

And so having come to terms with that and with this event having ended, I’m bracing myself for another whirlwind of focused devotion and attention as the Alliance works its butt off for the upcoming 5^th Annual Sci-Fi & Fantasy Convention this coming July.

 

            The cycle has been finished only to yield another one to complete and take its place, pretty much like the ripples in the water.

 

            In short, the work has not ended as it has only begun.

 

            To the CON, my brothers and sisters…