FORGOTTEN BOOKS: JOHN D. MACDONALD

This is the day that Patti Abbott's merry band (well, some of us anyway) celebrate John D. MacDonald, chronicler of Florida crimes and passions and creator of Travis McGee.  Although best known for his suspense novels, JDM began his career in a most pulp-worthy manner in the 1940s, peppering those forgotten magazines with a barrage of stories of various genres.  Early on he became one of the favorites in the science fiction field, churning out over three dozen sories from 1948 through 1950.  It was in 1950 that his first science fiction novel, Wine of the Dreamers, saw the light of day in the May issue of Startling Stories.

     From Wikipedia:  "The book is set both on Earth (dealing with a top-secret military spaceflight project in an imagined 1975) and a far-away planet of humans able to influence Earth while they sleep, believing that the planet and all its inhabitants are simply part of their dreams that they can toy with.  MacDonald described the books as 'a symbolic novel of how when original purposes are forgotten, the uses of ritual can be destructive.'

     "Galaxy reviewer Groff Conklin wrote [of the book edition] that 'The skill and the imagination with which the tale is developed are genuinely satisfying.'  P. Schuyler Miller [in Astounding Science Fiction] found the novel to be 'well and smoothly told, with likable characters a bit beyond the cardboard stage.'"

     Wine of the Dreamers appears to have been well received by the readers of Startling Stories also.  A glance through the letter columns of subsequent issues shows praises from fans Nancy Moore, Ed Butenhof,  future editor/writer Shelby Vick, future publisher/editor/bookseller Gerry de la Ree, and future writer/editor Lin Carter.  Certainly there were many more favorable reactions in letter columns I don't have immediate access to.

     MacDonald wrote two more sf novels:  Ballroom of the Skies and The Girl, the Gold Watch, and Everything, as well as a collection of sixteen of his sf stories, Other Times, Other Worlds.  A number of his sf stories have been reprinted in various anthologies and/or are available online.

     Here's a flavor of MacDonald's early sf, from Startling Stories, September 1948:

http://www.unz.org/Pub/StartlingStories-1948sep-00102

     For more JDM and other of today's Forgotten Books, stop by Pattinase, where Patti Abbott will have reviews and links.

UPDATE

We made it back from Pittsburgh happy but tired.  It seemed every animal in the Pittsburgh zoo thought we would enjoy it if they defecated in front of us; can't say I enjoyed it, but the grandkids giggled.  The aquarium was fun and Kitty did not disapppoint by being put off by the moray eels.  (They just look evil, says she rightly.)  We also did the Carnagie Science Center where the kids went wild at the adjoining Sports Science center and everyone enjoyed the hands-on displays at the main building.  Kitty, Christina, and the kids took the Duquesne tram ride down and up Mount Washington while I cowered at the top.  All in all, Pittsburgh is a fantastic city and far more interesting and beautiful than I had thought.  Good times.

     Alas, now that we're back in Maryland, my back has started to spasm and now I'm walking funny and in some pain.  My back has been the bane of my existence for the past fifty years and occasionally decides to do nasty things.  At its worst, I cannot stand, sit, or lie down for more than twenty minutes at a time and I'm apt to fall down without warning.  A combination of arthritis, stenosis, adhesions, and at least one fractured spine, coupled with muscle spasms.  Bah!

     So I'll be taking it easy for the next few days.  Not much blogging, and a lot of guilt about things that need to be done around the house.  Tonight, though, I have to cheer Erin on in her fourth grade spelling bee.  (She came in second in the second and third grade spelling bees.)  Then on Thursday, we have to take the kids to a book signing by "Erin Hunter," author of the Warriors (about cats) and the Seekers (about bears, I think) series of kid's books; since "Erin Hunter" is four different writers, it will be interesting to see which one show up and how she'll sign the books.  I'll take both canes to the Thursday signing because I anticipate a lot of standing in line.  Also I anticipate having to recuperate over the weekend.

     No Overlooked Film or TV this week, but I'm thinkingof a future post on "Overlooked Characters" -- those characters who just disappear from a television show or movie without explanation.  Think Chuck, Richie Cunningham's older brother from Happy Days.  Any suggestions?

     Last week was Patti Abbott's "Zoo" Flash Fiction Challenge, but I was at a zoo, instead of writing a story about it.  I may post a belated zoo story sometime of the next week or two.

     This Friday, Patti's Forgotten Book series is focusing on John D. MacDonald.  My JDM's are buried in a box that I can't get to while my back is acting up, so there are no guarantees I'll be posting then.

     I was able to post a Hymn Time this past Sunday and yesterday's Incoming almost killed me.  Today's Update is being done in short bits over a period of time; it is difficult to sit and to concentrate for any length of time.  Even reading is difficult; I'm three days into a Joe Lansdale novel that I would normally gulp down in an evening and I'm only halfway through the book.

     If past history is any indication, I should be back to being productive (or productive-ish) in a week or so.

INCOMING

Looks like it's Western Week here at Casa Me.  I count 111 of 'em, but since I don't have that many fingers I may be off a bit.  Yee-hah!

• John Edward Ames, Deadwood Gulch.  A "Ralph Compton" western.
• Jack Ballas, A Town Afraid.  Western.
• William Blinn, A Cold Place in Hell.  Western.
• "Max Brand" (Frederick Faust) The Abandoned Outlaw.  Western collection of three short novels.
• Peter Brandvold, .45-Caliber Revenge (the ,45-Caliber series), The Devil's Winchester (Lou Prophet, Bountry Hunter series), and Navarro (a "Ralph Compton" novel.  Westerns all.
• "Lyle Brandt" (Mike Newton), The Lawman: Avenging Angels.  Western.
• Bill Brooks, Vengeance Trail.  Western.
• J. Lee Butts, Written in Blood.  A Hayden Tilden western.
• Sir Andrew Caldecott, Not Exactly Ghosts.  Omnibus edition of two horror collections: Not Exactly Ghosts (twelve stories) and Fires Burn Blue (thirteen stories).
• Margaret Coel, The Lost Bird.  A Vicky Holden and Father John O'Malley mystery.
• Ralph Compton, Devil's Canyon.  Western.
• Ralph Cotton, Fighting Men, Gun Law, Gunman's Song, Jackpot Ridge, and Riders from Long Pines.  More westerns.
• "Peter Dawson" (Jonathan Hurff Glidden), The Ghost of the Chinook.  Western collection with five stories.
• Randy Denmon, The Savage Breed.  Western.
• Phil Dunlap, Cotton's War.  Western.  The first in a series.
• T. T. Flynn, Gunsmoke.  Western collection of four stories.
• Alan Dean Foster, Phylogenesis.  SF.  Book One of the Founding of the Commonwealth.
• Marcus Galloway, Rusted Tin.  A "Ralph Compton" western.
• Martin H. Greenberg and Russell Davis, editors, Law of the Gun.    Western anthology.  Seventeen stories.
• Ed Gorman, Fast Track.  Western.  Dev Mallory #3.
• Ed Gorman & Martin H. Greenberg, editors, The Adventure of the Missing Detective and 19 of the Year's Finest Crime and Mystery Stories!  Annual anthology; this one covers 2004.
• Arthur Herman, How the Scots Invented the Modern World.  Nonfiction.  SPOILER ALERT:  Haggis had nothing to do with it.
• Sebastien Japrisot, A Very Long Engagement.  Historical fiction.  Winner of the 1991 Prix Interallie.  Translated by Linda Coverdale.
• J. A. Johnstone, The Loner:  Dead Man's Gold, The Loner:  The Big Gundown, The Loner:  Killer Poker, and The Loner:  Crossfire.  Books Three, Four, Nine, and Eleven in the western series.
• William W. Johnstone with J. A. Johnstone, Pride of Eagles (a MacCallister novel) and Massacre Mountain (a Cotton Pickens novel).  Westerns.
• Elmer Kelton, Sons of Texas.  Western.  Part of a series.
• "Frank Leslie" (Peter Brandvold), The Dangerous Dawn, Dead River Killer, and Revenge at Hatchet Creek.  Yakima Henry westerns.  
• Matt Lewis, editor, Out of the Gutter 4 and Out of the Gutter 5.  From 2005, two issues of "The Modern Journal of Pulp Fiction and Degenerate Literature."
• "Jake Logan" (house name), #239 The Comanche Princess, #241 Slocum and the Big Three, #257 Slocum and the Mountain Spirit, #258 Slocum's Partner, #261 Slocum and the Senorita, #266 Slocum and the Blue-Eyed Hostage, #270 Slocum on Ghost Mesa, #274 Valley of Skulls, #275 Slocum and the Gravedigger, #276 Slocum's Warpath, #277 Slocum and the Deserter, #278 Shoot-Out at Whiskey Springs, #280 Slocum and the Ranch War, #281 Slocum and the Widow Maker, #285 Slocum's Disguise, #289 Slocum at Devil's Mouth, #290 Slocum and the Treasure Chest, #295 Dancer's Trail, #298 Slocum and the Tequila Rose, #307 Slocum and the Sheriff of Guadalupe, #309 Slocum and the Crooked Sheriff, #314 Slocum and the Deadwood Deal, #318 Slocum and the Presidio Phantoms, #319 Slocum and Lady Death, #321 Slocum and the Vanished, #325 Slocum and the Boss's Wife, #333 Slocum and the Land-Grabbers, #345 Slocum and the Widow's Range Wars, #326 Slocum and Pearl of the Rio Grande, #358 Slocum and the Bandit Durango, #361 Slocum and the Lucky Lady, #362 Slocum and the Witch of Westlake, #363 Slocum and the British Bully, #634 Slocum and the Dynamite Kid, #365 Slocum and the Family Business, #366 Slocum and the Rustler on the Run, #367 Slocum and the Medicine Man, #368 Slocum and Belle Starr, #369 Slocum and the Living Dead Man, #370 Slocum and the Four Peaks Range War, #371 Slocum and the Backshooters, #373 Slocum and the Widow Sold to the Comanche, #374 Slocum and the Gift Horse, #376 Slocum and the Second Horse, #377 Slocum and the Four Seasons, #378 Slocum and the Teamster Lady, #379 Slocum and the Yellowback Trail, #380 Slocum and the Dirty Dozen, #381 Slocum and the Forgetful Felon, #383 Slocum and the Trail to Tascosa, #387 Slocum and the Bandit Cucaracha, #398 Slocum and the Big Timber Belles, #390 Slocum and the Cow Camp Killers, #392 Slocum and the Socorro Saloon Sirens, #393 Slocum's Breakout, #394 Slocum and the Fool's Errand, and these "Giant" novels:  Slocum Along Rotten Row, Slocum and the Town Killers, Slocum's Great Race, and Slocum in the Secret Service.  As you can tell, this is a long-running adult western series.
• Robert J. Randisi, Gallows.  Western.
• "Kenneth Robeson" (Lester Dent), Doc Savage #12:  "The Squeaking Goblin (1934)" & "The Evil Gnome (1940)" and Doc Savage #15:  "The Red Spider (1979)," "Terror Wears No Shoes (1948)," and "Return from Cormoral (1949)."  Two of the Doc Savage omnibus volumes from Sanctum Productions.  Four stories originally published in the pulps, t he fifth  as a paperback.
• David Robbins, Bluff City, By the Horns, and A Wolf in the Fold.  "Ralph Compton" westerns.
• Les Savage, Jr., Trail of the Silver Saddle.  Collection of three short western novels.  
• [Darrell Schweitzer, editor], Weird Tales, Spring 1991, whole number 300.  The Robert Bloch issue.
• Bradford Scott, The Cowpuncher.  Western.
• "Jon Sharpe" (house name), The Trailsman #227:  Navajo Revenge.  Adult western.
• "Grant Stockbridge" (Norvell Page), The Spider, Master of Men! #3:  "Death's Crimson Juggernaut" and "The Red Death Rain."  Omnibusvolume of two pulp tales from 1934.
• R. W. Stone, Trail Hand.  Western.
• John Trace, Range of Golden Hoofs.  Western.
• Charles G. West, Evil Breed and Lawless Prairie.  Westerns.
• Joseph A. West,  Bounty Hunter, The Convict Trail, Death of a Hangman, Guns of the Canyonlands, Rawhide Flat, The Stranger from Abilene, and Stryker's Revenge.  "Ralph Compton" westerns.
• "Jack Yeovil" (Kim Newman), Drachenfells.  Gaming tie-in novel; part of the Genevieve series.

And the following e-books:

• Charles Gramlich, Harvest of War.
• "Colby Jackson" (Bill Crider this time), Rancho Diablo:  Dead Man's Revenge.
• Paul Levine, Riptide.
• Jeffrey Marks, The Ambush of My Name.
• Richard Sapir & Warren Murphy, The Destroyer:  The Day Remo Died.

HYMN TIME

Happy Easter!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5tipsbcfuB4&feature=results_video&playnext=1&list=PLE80EAFC7F6D6E24D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fmBqIlXUo2A

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzt8lWBtT5g

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HeldboPtUZQ

and two non-hymns for the season:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_lk3YyU0E2E

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mKGnIF7GRE

have a great day!

OVERLOOKED TV: CAROL BURNETT

     When I think back on television comedy shows when I was younger, there are some true standouts...The Red Skelton Show, The Jack Benny Show, The Burns and Allen Show, and, of course...

     The Carol Burnett Show cannot be overlooked.  In 278 episodes from 1967 to 1978 she provided us with great shows, big laughs, and incredible talent.  Her cast of regulars included Vicki Lawrence, Harvey Korman, Tim Conway, and Lyle Waggoner.  The genius of the show was that Carol gave her cast and guests the freedom to use their talents to the utmost; the result was pure bliss.  And don't forget those amazing costumes by Bob Mackie.

     To my mind, Burnett and Korman were the bedrock of the show.  When Tim Conway joined the troupe his job mainly appeared to go off script and crack up the others.  Vicki Lawrence learned to hold her own and to become outrageous.  Lyle Waggoner was there for his good looks.

     As with any variety show, different bits will appeal to different people.  For the most part I didn't care for Momma's Family; Kitty never cared for Tim Conway's shuffling old man.  But some things worked perfectly for us.  One such were the skits about The Queen:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XfH1wxmyukM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Y7BIvec5ns

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-cnBGMMmCI

     One of Tim Conway's greatest moments was breaking up the cast in a Momma's Family skit:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qqE_WmagjY

     And here Tim Conway makes Harvey Korman totally lose it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XG87sNz7HzU

     Here's one of the ultimate classics:  "Went With the Wind."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IH6TBEbP77Q

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TjhtxfSMIWk

**********

     For more today's overlooked film/television/whatever, Give out a big Tarzan yell and go to Todd Mason's blog, Sweet Freedom.

   

INCOMING

• [anonymous], GrandOleOpry Picture History Book.  Looks like this one is a full-color souvenier book from 2004.  Entries on many of the performers past and present, along with a history of the country music institution.
•  Paul Auster, Travels in the Scriptorium.  Novel.
• "Benjamin Black" (John Banville), Christine Falls.  Crime.
• John Brosnan, Movie Magic:  The Story of Special Effects in the Cinema.  Nonfiction.  Brosnan also wrote fiction as "Harry Adams Knight."
• Jim Butcher, Summer Knight and Death Masks.  Fantasy.  Books Four and Five of The Dresden Files.
• Frank De Felitta, Funeral March.  Thriller.
• Michael Farquhar, A Treasury of Royal Scandals.  Subtitled "The Shocking True Stories of History's Wickedest, Weirdest, Most Wanton Kings, Queens, Tsars, Popes, and Emperors."  Nifty.
• Robin Furth, The Talisman, Volume 1:  The Road of Trials.  Graphic novel prequel to the Stephen King and Peter Straub novel.  Art by Tony Shasteen; coloring by Nei Ruffino and JD Mettler.
• Elizabeth Goudge, The Little White Horse.  Fantasy.  Winner of the Carnegie Medal.
• Susie Moloney, The Dwelling.  Horror.
• Spencer Quinn, Thereby Hangs a Tail.  A Chet and Bernie Mystery.
• "James Rollins" (Jim Czajkowski), Black Order.  A Sigma Force thriller.
• Trenton Lee Stewart, The Mysterious Benedict Society.  YA fantasy.
• Duane Swierczynski, Batman:  Murder at Wayne Manor.  "Interactive" mystery/comic book tie-in.
• Lois Tilton, Babylon 5, Book #2:  Accusations.  TV tie-in novel.
• Tad Williams & Nina Kiriki Hoffman, Child of an Ancient City.  Arabian Nights/vampire mash-up.

And the following e-books:

• Russell Blake, The Delphi Chronicles, Book 1:  The Manuscript.
• Ken Brosky, Desolation:  Stories
• Rjurik Davidson, The Library of Forgotten Books.
• J. R. Rain & Scott Nicholson, Dark Spells:  Four Books, containing Cursed, Ghost College, The Vampire Club, and (with H. T. Night) Bad Blood.
• Scott Nicholson, The Dead Live Longer, The First, and Bad Stacks Story Collection Box Set, containing American Horror, Curtains, and Ashes.  (And, yes, I got Ashes as a separate e-book last week.)
• Steven Torres, The Devil's Snare:  A Comedy.

HYMN TIME

The much-missed Dave van Ronk:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxAYR_mI8s8