A Review of "Samedi the Deafness"

Last night I finished Samedi the Deafness, by Jesse Ball. It was not your average novel and I still feel odd. I like that. I don't always like your average literary novel about devastating relationships or the day someone learned a family secret. Those stories can be interesting but never so absorbing as good genre writing that requires an actual plot. But this isn't genre, nor is it your average literary novel. So what is it?

I'm not sure it is a novel at all. Maybe it was a series of prose poems that fit together to describe an overall theme of deceit. It is a story of deceit, of a man who is caught up in a conspiracy. The conspirators are exceptional liars, for their political cause and for their own amusement. Perhaps it is because they work in a special sanatorium specifically designed to cure chronic liars. But the main character, James Sim, is a mnemonist. This is a great made-up profession for someone who is caught in a conspiracy.

From the beginning to the end of this book, I kept wondering if each short passage or story would later be revealed to be a lie or illusion. You have to love that. The book is a fiction, after all and as readers, we are used to believing every word of the writer. We are used to true works of fiction rather than fiction that contains multiple lies. That is, unless we are reading mystery or spy novels. In those the deceit is expected.

In other reviews, the book is called Kafkaesque, a bit like David Lynch, or like a tale told by Lewis Carroll. I agree with this last description the most. This is partially due to the seemingly unconnected encounters that our hero experiences throughout the story. It is also due to the introduction of childhood memories in a series of dreamlike flashbacks. True episodes from his past are mixed with memories of his playtime. When I think about it, my own memories of childhood are just as confused. Just like his imaginary owl, my childhood recurring dreams or even the imagined settings that my friends and I invented at recess are just as real as my first day of school.

Does this review offer any insight into the book? I hope it does. Then again, it might make no sense at all because I haven't really finished. The words and images are still falling into place in my mind. You see, a good book stays with you even after the last page is read and it makes you feel slightly odd, which I like.

This book was recommended to me and I recommend it too.

Ancient Zombies in Egypt

Hierakonpolis or Nekhan is a famous Egyptian site for archaeologists. The "City of the Hawk" and the remains of the largest Predynastic (4000-3100 B.C.E.) settlement of Egypt. It is home of the tombs belonging to Horemkhawef, a Chief Priest who lived during the Second Intermediate Period (1750-1550 B.C.E.). Another famous tomb belongs to a Prince, Ny-ankh-Pepy, who was actually the second person laid to rest at that site in 1980 B.C.E. Yes, that is all well and good and scholarly but did you know that this is also the site of some major zombie activity in or around five thousand years ago?

According to an article that appeared online at Archeology Magazine's website, zombies were un-alive and un-well in ancient Egypt. The author goes on to explain that author Max Brooks' "The Zombie Survival Guide" brought some startling yet very old news to the archaeology community when he recounts an 1892 dig at Hierakonpolis. During that fateful expedition, archaeologists discovered a partially decomposed body with a brain possibly infected by the Solanum virus. The tomb is also covered in scratch marks, typical defensive behavior for an entombed zombie.

The Urban Dictionary defines Solanum as this:

SOLANUM: THE VIRUS

Solanum works by traveling through the bloodstream, from the initial point of entry to the brain. Through means not yet fully understood, the virus uses the cells of the frontal lobe for replication, destroying them in the process. During this period, all bodily functions cease. By stopping the heart, the infected subject is rendered "dead." The brain, however, remains alive but dormant, while the virus mutates its cells into a completely new organ. The most critical trait of this new organ is its independence from oxygen. By removing the need for this all-important resource, the undead brain can utilize, but is in no way dependent upon, the complex support mechanism of the human body. Once mutation is complete, this new organ reanimates the body into a form that bears little resemblance (physiologically speaking) to the original corpse. Some bodily functions remain constant, others operate in a modified capacity, and the remainder shut down completely. This new organism is a zombie, a member of the living dead.

The article reveals other zombie evidence: bodies with decapitated heads. In addition, the marks left on the cervical vertebrae "...indicate an effort far greater than that needed simply to cause the death of a normal (uninfected) person. The standard position also indicates these are not injuries sustained during normal warfare."

For once, I am relieved to see that aliens had no part in the mysterious findings at these ancient tombs. However, I am hoping that they will get back on track with investigating Mummy curses. I am still working out the evidence, and looking for my own funding regarding one Mummy in particular may have brought down the entire Roman Empire...

To read more about how archaeologists plan to fight a potential zombies attack at the dig site, check out the article "Zombie Attack at Hierakonpolis." An interview with Mr. Brooks (Mel Brook's son), is available online here. I do love archaeology humor.

Dance Typewriter

I haven't written many blog entries because my sister-in-law visited a few weeks ago. We had a good time doing the usual New York City visit. We even drove up to the Hudson River Valley region for a few days to visit Benmarl, the oldest winery in the U.S., according to the company. We shopped, ate, and drank way too much. She is Scottish, as is my husband, so it took some time for my liver to recover.

Then, I had the fabulous excuse of actually working hard on some literary projects, finishing a short story, and then getting back to the script.

But, you are not forgotten. Nor have I forgotten that reading blogs is a major time-waster. So, to extend that experience, I give you the "Dance Writer." I found this linked to one of my favorites sites, apartmenttherapy.com.

Type in your message and see the mime at work. Is it funny or sad to watch a man do this for a living? Well, he probable doesn't make a living at this. Maybe he acts out numbers on other websites.

Have a good weekend!

Bionic Woman Makes Me Cringe

I've been meaning to write my own review of the latest re-imagined 1970s series, but I didn't have the heart to do it until now. "Bionic Woman" was going to be fantastic with better effects, a more sophisticated story, and feature Katee Sackhoff as the villain. It still doesn't work for me.

After a near-fatal car accident, Jaime Summers lost an eye, ear, some limbs, and her entire brain as far as I could tell. In her rebirth as the bionic woman, we see that the doctors injected "anthrocytes" or "bionics" into her body. They somehow provide actual structure for her bones, muscles, nerves, etc. and they also relay information from a microprocessor somewhere in her brain so that is she part robot too! I realize that I should be patient with the writers because half of the fun of these transformations occur when the character tests his or her limits. Unfortunately nanotech like this can end up being another type of magic. We are to suspend our disbelief as members of a science fiction audience. But isn't the writing supposed to help us along? I am not convinced that the writers even know what these machines can or cannot do and because it is integral to the story, they better figure it out or start ignoring the machinery so that we can too.

Lack of sophistication is often a problem with television. Producers like to appeal broadly, meaning to the least intelligent person they can imagine. Or their ten year old child. Since this isn't a children's show, I expected a bit more. For instance, when Jaime Summers is initiated into the top secret company as their muscle, a psychologist/field agent describes Jaime as a genius yet she appears to be a slow wit at the best of times. In one episode, genius Jaime receives a phonecall from her boss during lunch with her teenage sister. The call is about a top secret assignment, of course. For no reason whatsoever, she repeats everything he says: "You know where I am?... You have a tracker on me?... He's a bad man?" This piques the curiosity of her sister and introduces a farcical double conversation that falls very flat on laughs.

Jaime Summers can be slow but the show should have been quick. Constantly running around doesn't make up for the predictable plot.

Katee Sackhoff is great as Starbuck in "Battlestar Galactica." Her association with a truly great T.V. show was the only reason that I watched "Bionic Woman" in the first place. She looks fantastic in her evil persona and in her few moments of acting catharsis, she proves that there could be something to the show, if only it could figure out the point. She could carry the entire show if most of the characters are killed off and they start anew.

You can read another review on the Bionic Woman here.

Fires in San Diego

It was a bit late yesterday when I read the news about raging wildfires in southern California. A friend of mine, who I will call S.K., lives in San Diego. I immediately got in touch to get her status. We weren't at the frantic level, just serious concern.

She was alright for the time being but planned on keeping an eye on her parent's house, as they were out of town. S.K. informed me that it was very windy and smelled like campfire everywhere. Campfire seems like such a nonthreatening word. I suppose that the good news was that she wasn't smelling a bunch of burning chemicals. She described the sky as bright orange, but you can probably see that on the television reports. This particular CNN report was sponsored by Residence Inn. In the commercial, some actor throws off his jacket and began juggling a lit torches. He was actually playing with fire. Is that appropriate or just in bad taste?

This morning she got the evacuation notice. I can't imagine what it must be like to grab only the essentials and flee but it is something that everyone should consider, given all of the natural disasters over the past few years.

S.K., wherever you are right now, take care.