Hey!! Let's get some action going! What are we reading?

[MacEachaidh]

Originally Posted by poohbear_nc

If you enjoy it, you might want to follow up with Peter Ackroyd's "The Casebook of Victor Frankenstein" - a retelling that centers on the imagined friendship between Percy Bysshe Shelley & Victor Frankenstein -- Ackroyd really can write in Mary Shelley's style.

Ooh, that's an interesting heads-up, poohbear - thanks!

Not so long back I read the "sequel" to Dracula by Bram's ... ermm, great grandson, I think - Dacre Stoker. The kindest thing I can say was that it was a struggle to complete. I still really enjoy the original novel, and still feel I've yet to see a filmed version that has caught its essence of loathsomeness and creeping horror, but unfortunately modern vampire genre conventions have long since swept us past the reach of Bram Stoker's imagination. We've all become inured to the inherent terror of vampires and the violence they do to the perceived Victorian order of things; there's no real repulsion left there, and vampires are largely reduced to being gory and relying on "Boo!" moments for their movie kicks. Dacre Stoker's fledgling and (heh hehh!!) ghost-written efforts really didn't stand much of a chance of having an impact.

(For my money, the best vampire I've seen on-screen was Klaus Kinski in Polanski's remake of Nosferatu. He was both tragic and repulsive, like something you'd find under a suddenly-overturned stone. Anyone agree, or have another favourite they can recommend?)

[WT Sharpe]

Originally Posted by MacEachaidh

Ooh, that's an interesting heads-up, poohbear - thanks!

Not so long back I read the "sequel" to Dracula by Bram's ... ermm, great grandson, I think - Dacre Stoker. The kindest thing I can say was that it was a struggle to complete. I still really enjoy the original novel, and still feel I've yet to see a filmed version that has caught its essence of loathsomeness and creeping horror, but unfortunately modern vampire genre conventions have long since swept us past the reach of Bram Stoker's imagination. We've all become inured to the inherent terror of vampires and the violence they do to the perceived Victorian order of things; there's no real repulsion left there, and vampires are largely reduced to being gory and relying on "Boo!" moments for their movie kicks. Dacre Stoker's fledgling and (heh hehh!!) ghost-written efforts really didn't stand much of a chance of having an impact.

(For my money, the best vampire I've seen on-screen was Klaus Kinski in Polanski's remake of Nosferatu. He was both tragic and repulsive, like something you'd find under a suddenly-overturned stone. Anyone agree, or have another favourite they can recommend?)

I haven't see the Polanski Nosferatu, but now I think I'll have to see if I can find it online. F.W. Munarau's 1922 version has long been a favorite, and it's hard to imagine a creepier Count Orlok than Max Schreck (whose role went uncredited in the film).

Another one of my favorite vampire films is closely related: Shadow of the Vampire, a film released in 2000 that imagines the filming of the original Nosferatu. In this fictional version, the reason there were no actor credits for the vampire in Nosferatu is because to add realism to the film, the director hired a real vampire to play the role. All went as planned until cast members begin to go missing.

In "reel" life of course, Nosferatu was Dracula by another name, and the heirs of Stoker's estate nearly succeeded in suing the film into oblivion.

[poohbear_nc]

Yes - the Dracula "sequel" was "anemic" - just banking on the author's name I guess.

Peter Ackroyd is IMHO a great writer - who is at home in many literary styles of many different centuries. His Frankenstein retelling really captures the ambiance and prose style of Shelley's novel, and adds an entertaining riff of including real poets and other historical figures.

[MacEachaidh]

Originally Posted by WT Sharpe

I haven't see the Polanski Nosferatu, but now I think I'll have to see if I can find it online. F.W. Munarau's 1922 version has long been a favorite, and it's hard to imagine a creepier Count Orlok than Max Schreck (whose role went uncredited in the film).

I for one would be interested to hear what you think. Schrek's version is great, but I think Kinski's amazing in the role. (All due credit to Lugosi for his genre-defining performance, but his version does absolutely zilch for me.)

Originally Posted by WT Sharpe

Another one of my favorite vampire films is closely related: Shadow of the Vampire, a film released in 2000 that imagines the filming of the original Nosferatu. In this fictional version, the reason there were no actor credits for the vampire in Nosferatu is because to add realism to the film, the director hired a real vampire to play the role. All went as planned until cast members begin to go missing.

Ah yes, I was going to ask if you'd seen that one when you mentioned Murnau's version. I love it, and Willem Dafoe is extraordinary (and almost completely unrecognisable) in it, no?

Originally Posted by WT Sharpe

In "reel" life of course, Nosferatu was Dracula by another name, and the heirs of Stoker's estate nearly succeeded in suing the film into oblivion.

They came within a whisker of wiping it out completely. The court actually ordered that all copies be destroyed. If I'm not wrong, wasn't it simply dumb luck that a copy survived? In fact - do we actually have the whole thing, even now? I know Metropolis has gone through a long process of being slowly pieced back together by archivists from around the world, and we still don't have a complete print of its original edit, from before the US distributors edited the master copy down so heavily, but am I wrong in thinking something similar had happened with Nosferatu?

[MacEachaidh]

Originally Posted by poohbear_nc

Peter Ackroyd is IMHO a great writer - who is at home in many literary styles of many different centuries. His Frankenstein retelling really captures the ambiance and prose style of Shelley's novel, and adds an entertaining riff of including real poets and other historical figures.

Hmm, I'll have to chase some of his stuff down.

I just discovered he wrote "The House of Doctor Dee" - I listened to the BBC radio dramatisation just recently, and it was great stuff (not done by Peter Ackroyd himself, though) - so I'll have to add that one to the list as well.

Thanks for the suggestions, poohbear.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Very good so far (about 1/2 way through). I might need to look for the others in the series. Does it hold up well, or is the first the best (as is usual)?

Well, His Majesty's Dragon was excellent. I've added the others to a wish list. To be bought when I've got through a bit more of my backlog of books.

And so now onto another interesting looking freebie Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr.

[Ea]

Originally Posted by WT Sharpe

Another one of my favorite vampire films is closely related: Shadow of the Vampire, a film released in 2000 that imagines the filming of the original Nosferatu. In this fictional version, the reason there were no actor credits for the vampire in Nosferatu is because to add realism to the film, the director hired a real vampire to play the role. All went as planned until cast members begin to go missing.

Great film. I loved the humour - and the last scene is especially good.

[WT Sharpe]

Originally Posted by MacEachaidh

Ah yes, I was going to ask if you'd seen that one when you mentioned Murnau's version. I love it, and Willem Dafoe is extraordinary (and almost completely unrecognisable) in it, no?

Indeed.

Originally Posted by MacEachaidh

They came within a whisker of wiping it out completely. The court actually ordered that all copies be destroyed. If I'm not wrong, wasn't it simply dumb luck that a copy survived? In fact - do we actually have the whole thing, even now? I know Metropolis has gone through a long process of being slowly pieced back together by archivists from around the world, and we still don't have a complete print of its original edit, from before the US distributors edited the master copy down so heavily, but am I wrong in thinking something similar had happened with Nosferatu?

If I'm not mistaken, one copy was overlooked. That's cutting it close! It would have been a tragedy to lose that film.

[WT Sharpe]

One thing I'm reading now is the latest edition of Science News. It is the only Kindle magazine subscription I have. I was doing some free newsfeeds via calibre, but gave them up because I found I wasn't having time for anything else!

[slenderperson1]

Okay now I have to buy the book. I love funny books.

Originally Posted by bjones6416

I started reading "Sh*t My Dad Says" while sitting in a hospital waiting room yesterday. Note to self: Do NOT try reading this book in public again.

I'm sure the people sitting around me thought either that I was mentally deficient or that I was so overcome with worry that I had gotten hysterical. I kept trying to muffle my laughter, which made me look like I was crying incontrollably. Very funny book, although seen from another angle it could be construed as some sort of verbal child abuse, I guess. As much as I am laughing at it, I think I would be upset if I actually HEARD a father talking to a young child that way.

[DMcCunney]

Originally Posted by lilac_jive

I'm in between a few right now:
"Famous Mysteries" by John Elfreth Watkins, which I found on Google Books when searching for "Mary Celeste." Not well written but actually pretty interesting. I thought it was funny that the first case (those two boy brothers locked up in the Tower of London, forget who they were) has been solved semi-recently.

Have you read Josephine Tey's _The Daughter of Time_?

Her detective protagonist, Allan Grant, is laid up in hospital, and passes the time investigating the case of the two princes in the tower, using historical records and his on investigative training. Classic stuff.

It's available in the MR Uploads section in BBLF, IMP, LIT, and Mobi formats from Patricia, and ePub format from Alex Bell.
______
Dennis

[bevdeforges]

Originally Posted by mlewis78

I read Atonement a long while back and didn't like it either. It was disappointing because I liked some of McEwen's previous books (including Amsterdam). I watched Atonement on DVD, which was just as bad (IMHO).

That's funny, because I really liked Atonement and so was pleased to see McEwen's latest book, Solar, come out at $9.99 (my price point). That one was a big disappointment for me. Vastly over-hyped.

I've just finished The Disappearing Act of Esme Lennox and absolutely loved it! It's a short book, written from three different points of view. The writing is very well done. Definitely worth re-reading in a bit to check out a few of the plot twists.

[DMcCunney]

Originally Posted by jgaiser

Just finished "Wizard's Bane" by Rick Cook. Another fun little novel. Full of inside jokes about computers, Unix, programing languages and even Star Wars. Looking forward to picking up the second in the series from Baen.

The first two are available as a bundle from the Free Library: http://www.webscription.net/p-724-wizards-bane.aspx

The next couple are available at a very reasonable price:
http://www.webscription.net/p-470-wi...consulted.aspx
______
Dennis

[dionna17]

I'm currently reading books 2 and 3 of the Tales of the Otori by Lian Hearn. I was never really into Japanese clan books (does "Shogun" count?) but when I read "Across the Nightingale Floor", I was hooked! I also bought Alison Weir's "The Lady in the Tower" about Anne Boleyn. I just love her books!

[Pookeysgirl]

Originally Posted by dionna17

I also bought Alison Weir's "The Lady in the Tower" about Anne Boleyn. I just love her books!

I'm reading "The Lady Elizabeth" now, so far I love it!