“The Star Wars Sketchbooks”

 

“The Star Wars Sketchbook”, Joe Johnston

96 pages, Ballantine Books, ISBN-13: 978-0345273802

“The Empire Strikes Back Sketchbook”, Joe Johnston & Nilo Rodis-Jamero

95 pages, Ballantine Books, ISBN-13: 978-0345288363

“The Return of the Jedi Sketchbook”, Joe Johnston and Nilo Rodis-Jamero with additional material by Ralph McQuarrie and Norman Reynolds

96 pages, Ballantine Books, ISBN-13: 978-0345309594

The three Star Wars Sketchbooks – The Star Wars Sketchbook, The Empire Strikes Back Sketchbook and The Return of the Jedi Sketchbook – are awesome. AWESOME, I tell you. Each is filled with preliminary sketches of the various vehicles, characters and equipment that were made for the relative movie in question, and it is absolutely fascinating to see how each evolved under the artist’s pencil. Just seeing how the TIE fighters were originally imagined, or the development of the ATAT’s heads, or how Boba Fett’s armor changed through the process, or how Death Star II changed during production – and then imagining how different the movies would have been had earlier ideas had made the final cut. And to have them all at one’s fingertips made my childhood nighttime reading that much more memorable.

It is rather humbling, too, seeing the sheer creative power that these films brought together and how these artists were just as responsible for the look, feel and success of the original and best franchise (yeah, I said it). In addition to poor writing, forgettable characters and woke politics, I believe that another reason the prequels and second trilogy failed so badly is that the various vehicles, characters and equipment were boring as all hell. I can’t remember the look or the vibe of a single one from any of the other movies and suspect that nobody else can, either. From the Millennium Falcon to the X-Wings and TIE Fighters to the Snow Speeders to Slave 1 to the B-Wings to the TIE Interceptors – nothing in the new movies compares to these unique and brilliantly rendered creations, and the world knows it.

“The Mother-in-Law” by Sally Hepworth

352 pages, St. Martin’s Press, ISBN-13: 978-1250120922

Another of the books I assigned for the Fraser Public Library’s Mysteries & Munchies book club, The Mother-in-Law by Sally Hepworth was the latest book we tackled. Exquisitely polite and friendly, Lucy’s mother-in-law Diana has nonetheless always kept her at arm’s length; however, when Diana suddenly commits suicide, all and sundry are shocked, especially after reading her note claiming that she did so after her recent cancer diagnosis – a cancer that, according to the autopsy report, doesn’t exist. So Lucy finds herself in the center of a murder investigation involving the mother-in-law she hardly knew (incidentally, The Mother-in-Law is Hepworth’s sixth book and has even been optioned for a TV series by Amy Poehler).

The story shifts in perspective throughout from Lucy (the daughter-in-law) to Diana (the mother-in-law) and from the present to the past, though one is never confused by this jumping back and forth. As is usual with mysteries of this type, this non-linear way of storytelling is crucial to keeping The Big Reveal secret until the end. Throughout the narrative we get to see that what Lucy views as one thing, Diana reasonably views as another; even though Diana lives in a mansion with millions of dollars in her bank account and her children believe she comes from a comfortable middle-class life, that is far from the truth. The skeletons in Diana’s closet go back farther than any of her children can imagine, and they shaped her in ways they simply cannot understand.

While The Mother-in-Law is officially classified as a mystery it so much more than that: it is also a classic story of miscommunication and lies that so many families struggle with in reality, and not just between daughters and mothers-in-law. This book will stay with you because of the undercurrent of sadness, the “what could have been” potential if family members had just opened up to each other. Fair warning: it was rather slow to start and I found bits to be boring, but I must finish any book whose spine I crack and so I powered through. And, brah, was it worth it. I enjoyed this book but in a surprising way, for it was not at all what I thought it would be. It was better, and all the more fulfilling for being so.

“The Summer Before the War” by Helen Simonson

 

512 pages, Random House, ISBN-13: 978-0812983203

Sooooo…just what is The Summer Before the War by Helen Simonson? A romance? Well, kinda; the main characters chase after one another for most of the summer, so there’s that. Is it historical fiction? We, yes, assuredly; it takes place, as the title states, during the summer of 1914 and before the Edwardian World and European civilization committed mass suicide. Is it a character study? Again, yes, as we see personages of differing classes and social orders rubbing elbows as they watch the autumnal storm clouds of war creep over their summer skies of peace. So it is a lot of things, even poetic: “The scents of honeysuckle and wallflowers rose on the salty breeze” is one such line, as is “She could hear the snort and jingle of a horse tossing his head in the street and smell the peppery scent of Mrs. Turber’s tomato plants wilting against sun-heated brick”. This book is as much a sensory delight as it is a picturesque novel.

The book is also very English in its droll humor and sedate pacing – sedate being a kind word, for there are whole stretches in which people talk and talk and talk and TALK and yet don’t seem to say much at all. Perhaps this is to mimic the lazy summer in which most of the book takes place, wherein the principal characters spend these days in blissful ignorance: Beatrice Nash, newly arrived Latin teacher to the village’s children; Agatha Kent, the “still a handsome woman at forty-five” who sunbathes nude in the backyard; her nephews Hugh Grange, medical student fond of “sectioning” the heads of chickens and Daniel Bookham, prankster poet. They know that war is coming and that their lives will change forever – yet they DON’T know just how much this is true. Like everyone else during that last summer of peace, the magnitude of the disaster awaiting them all was hidden behind bright sunny days filled with tea and honey and flirtation.

And when that disaster at long last hits it is as disruptive and devastating as only war can be, even if that war is supposed to End All Wars. In this way the book’s title is misleading as it takes us through the start of the war when that last summer all-too-soon becomes a distant memory. This is to be expected, I guess, seeing as how one cannot have light without shadow. And one cannot have life without death, for the War, of course, affects everyone and everything, especially the main characters whom we have come to know so well. The Summer Before the War is meant to be read in as leisurely a pace as a bright summer’s day. The pacing may seem sluggish, but it is meant to contrast with the stark, driven horror to come all too soon. And it is meant to show us the main characters as their all-too-human selves, warts and all – which means that when each of them meets their ultimate fates, it is that much more affecting.

“Count Brass” by Michael Moorcock

 

 

339 pages, White Wolf Publishing, ISBN-13: 978-1565049871

 

Over the course of the mid-to-late 90s, White Wolf Publishing produced this massive omnibus collection of Michael Moorcock’s “Eternal Champion” stories, a recurrent aspect in many of his tales. Count Brass was the fifteenth (and last) in this series and the second volume featuring the character Dorian Hawkmoon, Duke of Köln, and includes the tales Count Brass, The Champion of Garathorm and The Quest for Tanelorn. Count Brass is the protector of Kamarg and the ruler of Castle Brass and, as such, is an ally of Dorian Hawkmoon and an enemy to the Dark Empire of Granbretan. According to Moorcock, “I must admit that Hawkmoon was never my favorite character but there are still a lot of people who like him best. I thought Count Brass was one of my weakest books, for instance, and yet it picked up rave reviews.” Just goes to show that the public likes what it likes, so just give ‘em what they want.

 

Count Brass picks up where the original Hawkmoon trilogy left off. It has been five years since the Battle of Londra where Dorian Hawkmoon and his allies defeated the evil Dark Empire of Granbretan and bought peace to a Europe far in the future. All that remains for Dorian now is to hold court in Kamarg and watch his children grow up as he grows older…or is it? Old friends long dead are beginning to reappear, and their intentions towards Hawkmoon are not friendly at all, while old enemies are steering Hawkmoon towards a confrontation where he must make an impossible choice. And there are consequences to these outcomes that even Dorian Hawkmoon cannot envisage. What happens next, essentially, is that Hawkmoon spends the book either explaining his theory or having his theory clarified and explained back to him, which got ridiculous after a while. The purpose of the first book of a trilogy is to set the scenes for all subsequent books, but Count Brass takes this approach a little too far and doesn’t leave much room for a story, not good for a tale of less than 200 pages. It has its moments with courageous heroes full of derring-do and evil villains with plans for world domination at any cost; all the makings of a great pulp tale, but only when it was allowed to have its head and run, which is rare.

 

Next is The Champion of Garathorm, which also serves as a sequel to the Erekosë novel Phoenix in Obsidian; perhaps because of this, the book is divided into two halves. The first finds Dorian Hawkmoon in a deep depression due to the shift of time and space he experienced in Count Brass that resulted in his wife, Yisselda, dying in the battle of Londra before they were married and, so, the children they had together no longer exist. The second involves his journey across Europe on a quest to alter the past not only to ensure Yisselda’s survival but also the defeat of the Dark Empire; this second half is more action-packed and involves that curious mix of medieval and futuristic weaponry that typifies any story involving Hawkmoon. Whereas Count Brass was a thin piece of work that was useful more as a set-up for these subsequent works, The Champion of Garathorm is a more full-bodied story that has a purpose and a more satisfying story arc, what with the many plot threads and characters from other books tying into this one, while it’s enjoyable to see threads from earlier books picked up and threads thrown out for works to follow (if you’re a fan of these books, you should be able to see what I mean). Overall a most satisfying second entry into this trilogy, an atypical thing to say.

 

Lastly, we come to The Quest for Tanelorn, in which Dorian Hawkmoon was successful in his quest, but his two children still remain to be found. If Hawkmoon is to finally reunite his family he must first find the mythical City of Tanelorn, the main McGuffin of this tale. But many perilous perils lie between Hawkmoon and his destination, the most dangerous of which will be reached by a ghost ship carrying more than one incarnation of the Eternal Champion and promising an apocalyptic fight at the voyage’s end. But this will prove to be the least of Hawkmoon’s worries when he finally reaches Tanelorn and finds the true identity of the shadowy figure that has dogged his every move. The Quest for Tanelorn attempts to do an awful lot in a few pages, this time wrapping up a trilogy AND tying up elements of his whole Eternal Champion series – which he actually manages to pull off. Mostly. If you haven’t read any of the other stories relating to the Eternal Champion then some of this may be foreign to you, but for me and other geeks, too, it was satisfying to see not only the conclusion of the Hawkmoon Saga but of other tales in the Moorcock Mythos, as well. How he managed to keep all of the facts straight I don’t know, although I suspect a good editor or two or twenty helped.

 

And with that…we come to the end of the Moorcock Cycle of Really Big Books and Thoughts. Altogether I thought it was rollicking good fun and I am delighted that I managed to get each of these books – all used, all hardcover and all in great condition – and enjoy a truly independent author and thinker and the many unique characters and worlds he crafted. Bravo, Mr. Moorcock, and thank you.

“The British Fighter since 1912 (Putnam Aeronautical Books)” by Francis K. Mason

 

448 pages, Naval Institute Press, ISBN-13: 978-1557500823

Who wouldn’t want a book for a buck? That’s what I paid for The British Fighter since 1912 by Francis K. Mason, part of their Putnam Aeronautical Books series, from the Clinton-Macomb Public Library book sale. And why not? Can’t do wrong for a buck, can I? This encyclopedic 80-year history of the British fighter aircraft, spanning development from the Royal Aircraft Factory F.E.2 to the British Aerospace EFA (forerunner of the Tornado), is by far the most comprehensive, book on the subject I have ever come across. The design, development and history of 272 aircraft in all are covered between its covers, including many prototypes for which no production contract was awarded.

Most of the fighters portrayed are shown with 3-view drawings and all with detailed specifications, seemingly reproduced from the official factory drawings. 123 of the subjects are WWI era planes, including the Pemberton-Billing P.B.9, the Robey Peters Tractor Scout and the Austin-Ball A.F.B.1. Mason does an equally good job on the interwar period and early monoplane developments, and even into the cold war jet age. In all cases the author is informative, readable and the text is crammed with detail I have never seen before, e.g. the Martin Baker M.B.5’s roll-rate of 94deg/sec. Props to Mason for all the intellectual legwork in putting this book together – and props to me for a helluva buy.

“The West Point Atlas of American Wars. Volume 1: 1689-1900, Volume 2: 1900-1953 by the United States Military Academy, Brig. Gen. Vincent J. Esposito (Editor), Dwight D. Eisenhower (Introduction)

 

West Point Dept. Of Military Art and U.S. Military Academy, ISBN-13: 978-0275200800 

I inherited these books from my Dad, and they are absolutely brilliant. When I was I kid I loved to pore over a good atlas, and The West Point Atlas of American Wars. Volume 1: 1689-1900, Volume 2: 1900-1953 certainly count. Printed on thick Buckram paper, with clear lines and colored markings for the different armies involved in the action, along with sparse but easy to follow descriptions of the battles and campaigns, it’s no wonder these atlases have withstood the test of time in the 50+ years since they were first published. I have no idea where Dad got these books from – and I wonder at the fool who allowed them to slip away from him – but he purchased them almost solely for the maps of the Civil War battlefields that he soon-after began to visit, dragging Mom and their brood along with him.

“Military works are almost universally lacking in adequate maps” Brig. Gen. Vincent J. Esposito wrote in his Introduction to these books, and he was certainly right. Whenever I am reading a work on military history, especially on the American Civil War, and I find the maps (if there are any) to be inadequate, I no longer launch into a hate-filled tirade at the author and/or publisher for their obvious intellectual and creative deficiencies; rather, I walk over to my The West Point Atlas of American Wars and seek out the battle being discussed in order to better follow just what in hell is going on. And they have never failed me. Made to last the ages, I am certain that I will continue to use these atlases on my never-ending quest at self-education and improvement, and I pity the poor bastards who do not have such a brilliant resource.

“Berlin: The Politics of Order, 1737 – 1989” by Alan Balfour

 

269 pages, Rizzoli, ISBN-13: 978-0847812714

The history of the architecture of Berlin can perhaps be boiled down to the desire to impose order from above, rather than to let a city grow organically, a conflict that would affect the city to the present day. In Berlin: The Politics of Order, 1737 – 1989, Alan Balfour shows that the buildings and monuments of Berlin reflect this conflict, of a city that was born of autocracy – order – feuding with a populous that wanted a city that reflected their needs – democracy.

Thus, we have King Friedrich Wilhelm I imposing a top-down rationality on his medieval capitol when he had three gates built in 1737: the Brandenburg, Potsdam and Hallesches Gates, which forced all future builders to follow the plan of the first. All of the big names are here: Friedrich Gilly, K.F. Schinkel, Erich Mendelsohn, Albert Speer, Mies van der Rohe, James Stirling, Peter Eisenman and their impact on the landscape of Berlin.

Covered as well are the political, socioeconomic and architectural backgrounds of the era in which they lived and worked and how it all affected the physical space they builders were working with. If one is not well-versed in the visual language of architecture then I’m afraid that the images within will seem ever-so esoteric, at best (at least, they did to me). But stick to it, for the message within is as interesting as it is enlightening.