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!
FORGOTTEN BOOKS #106: HELLCATS & HONEYGIRLS By Lawrence Block and Donald E. Westlake
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“Self Reliance” is the last story of this short story collection. It’s about seven pages long. I’d suggest you read “Self Reliance” first as a test drive. If you like the story, then by all means read all of the stories in Binocular Vision. If “Self Reliance” doesn’t speak to you or turns you off, stop right there. All the stories share a unique sensibility. I have a mixed reaction to the 34 stories in Binocular Vision. Any humor in the stories is unintentional. Although Pearlman writes with the precision of a surgeon, the tone of most of her stories is chilly and distant. “Inbound” tells the story of a family touring the libraries of Harvard University. Their precocious young daughter gets separated from her mom and dad and disabled sister. The events are seen through the eyes of the lost child. The story’s conclusion stayed with me for days. There’s no denying the power of Pearlman’s stories. Amy Patchett’s “Introduction” praises Edith Pearlman’s work to the skies. I can’t go quite that far. GRADE: B
Those of you who freaked out after I reviewed The Long Emergency by James Howard Kunstler, the scenario of how our civilization will collapse, won’t find any solace in the DVD documentary COLLAPSE. Chris Smith, the director of American Movie and The Yes Men, films former LA cop turned rogue reporter, Michael Ruppert, as he predicts how our oil economy will fail, how our banking system will implode, and how we all need to get into “survival mode.” These are not the ramblings of some backwoods survivalist. Ruppert backs up his assertions with data. COLLAPSE is not for the faint-of-heart. I was on the edge of my seat while viewing this gripping monologue. GRADE: A
Karen Russell first wrote about Swamplandia!, the alligator wrestling theme park, in a short story “Ava Wrestles the Alligator” in her fine short story collection, St. Lucy’s Home For Girls Raised By Wolves. This 316-page novel version features alligators, ghosts, daring rescues, and humor. Swamplandia! is on the verge of bankruptcy. Ava’s mother, a beautiful gator wrestler, has died. The family starts to fall apart. The grandfather is put in a nursing home. Ava’s sister elopes with a ghost. Ava’s brilliant brother, Kiwi, gets a job at a rival theme park, World of Darkness, and experiences teenage-angst. The father disappears on the mainland. The strongest part of Swamplandia! is Ava’s story. Karen Russell, for some unknown reason, hedges her bets by creating a parallel story of Kiwi working in the World of Darkness. Kiwi’s story is a pale shadow of Ava’s. Plus, Ava’s story is narrated in the first person and Kiwi’s story is told in the third-person, a technique that always annoys me. This is a promising novel that could have used an editor to cut 100 pages of rambling. And, I wish Russell had indulged in magical realism more. She has a flare for it. I can’t wait to read Karen Russell’s next book! GRADE: B+
This book started as a series of podcasts on the BBC. Philosophy Bites is a collection of the 25 best interviews in transcript form. I enjoyed Wendy Brown on “Tolerance,” A. W. Moore on “Infinity,” Timothy Williamson on “Vagueness,” and Simon Blackburn on “Relativism.” You can access past interviews and read the daily blog at: 
BAEN BOOKS has been reprinting classic Science Fiction for more than a decade. It was wonderful to have Keith Laumer, Andre Norton, and Christopher Anvil’s works returned to print. Now, BAEN BOOKS embarks on reprinting Australian A. Bertram Chandler’s “John Grimes Saga” in omnibus volumes. A. Bertram Chandler was a prolific SF writer for 30 years. Grimes is Chandler’s “Hornblower” character modeled after the hero of C. S. Forester’s naval adventures. Grimes has his adventures, too, only they are set at the rim of the Galaxy. This edition contains The Road to the Rim (1967), To Prime the Pump (1971), The Hard Way Up (1972), and The Broken Cycle (1979). If you’re a fan of High Adventure and Science Fiction, you’ll enjoy these classic stories.
Shrek: The Musical is silly. The play is based on the 1990 book Shrek! by William Steig which became the successful 2001 DreamWorks film with the same title. The original Broadway production opened in December 2008 and, after a run of 12 months, the play went on tour and eventually landed here in Buffalo. The play follows the plot of the movie in most major aspects. Shrek is an ogre who is recruited by height-challenged Lord Farquaad to rescue a princess (guarded by a dragon) who Farquaad plans to marry to achieve his kingship. Shrek agrees to this quest in order to obtain the deed Farquaad holds to his swamp. Along the way, Shrek meets up with a goofy Donkey who becomes his companion on the quest. My favorite part of the play was the confrontation with the dragon. The dragon is impressive! Shrek rescues Princess Fiona (who has secrets of her own) and complications set in. None of the music is particularly memorable. But I found Shrek: The Musical engaging for a couple of hours. GRADE: B