They are the “Faceless 50,” the unnamed operators who decided to stay at the Fukushima Nuclear Power Station and try to prevent a melt-down. They volunteered to pump seawater on the exposed nuclear fuel rods in hopes of cooling them enough to prevent a disaster. If the fuel rods melt down, the result would throw thousands of tons of radioactive dust into the air and produce a ecological catastrophe. Remaining that close to the leaking reactors and the heightened radiation means the Faceless 50 are risking their lives. Like the esprit de corps found among firefighters, police, and military units, these operators feel a sense of loyalty and comaraderie to stay at their posts until the crisis is resolved. I admire their dedication and selfless sacrifice.
MY HEROES #3: THE FACELESS 50
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Bill Crider recommended Don Winslow’s work to me years ago. And I dutifully bought Don Winslow’s books. But I hadn’t gotten around to reading one until now. Yesterday, I reviewed Shibumi, a thriller by Trevanian written in 1979. Now, 32 years later, Don Winslow creates an exciting prequel that begins in Japan in 1951. Trevanian’s super assassin, Nicholai Hel, agrees to a deal that will get him out of an American-run prison where he’s being held. The CIA requires Hel to acquire a new face and identity and then to carry out a secret mission to assassinate Soviet commissioner Yuri Voroshenin in China. Hel disguises himself as Michel Guibert, a French arms dealer. I liked the way Winslow develops Hel’s mixed heritage: son of an aristocratic Russian mother and a surrogate Japanese father and mentor. You don’t really need to read Trevanian’s Shibumi to enjoy Satori. Within the parameters of Trevanian’s template, I thought Winslow’s just published prequel was an entertaining, suspenseful novel. GRADE: B+
Andre Watts, a virtuoso piano player, brought Liszt to life beautifully in an all Liszt recital last night. This was Andre Watt’s third try to perform this concert. The first two attempts were canceled because he was ill for the first date and had fallen just before the second date. But last night, Watts showed up in fine form. From quiet, moody, dark passages to loud, sunny, bright ones, Watts plays in an effortless flowing style with precise and graceful dynamic ranges and transitions. Most notably, Watts separates notes and chords even in Liszt’s busiest, fastest passages. If Andre Watts performs in your neighborhood, you should make an effort to listen to this gifted pianist. GRADE: A-
Once again Subterranean Press has published a book I thought would never see the light of day. Thanks to the lovely Beth Fedyn, I’m now the proud owner of this omnibus collection. Hellcats & Honeygirls collects three sex novels that Lawrence Block and Donald E. Westlake collaborated on four decades ago: A Girl Named Honey, So Willing, and Sin Hellcat. The genre these novels fit into is called “sleaze” (but Lawrence Block prefers the term “erotica”). However, Block and Westlake are too savvy to just churn out run-of-the-mill titillation. Their novels have inside jokes and comic plot twists that will cause you to laugh out-loud. These paperback originals have been out-of-print for dozens of years. Now they’re available again. Buy this book fast before it’s gone!