As Climate Change Produces Grim Discoveries,
Theories Abound on Remains Found in a Barrel
From
The New York Times, Sunday, May 22, 2022
Lake Mead, the reservoir of of the Hoover Dam, is now just 30 percent full, and is revealing its secrets.
Given the long history of Las Vegas and the Mafia’s involvement, is it any surprise that old cold cases are being solved?
One of the unexpected consequences of climate change I suppose
Doc was the original template of our "modern" heroes Batman and Superman. Indiana Jones is very much in keeping with Doc Savage.
I purchased lots of the magazines for a few years then drifted off. I blew the dust off the books recently and picked up issue #1 which contains two "complete book-length novels," Fortress of Solitude and The Devil Genghis.
It was an interesting place to start a new publication of reprints. I would have expected Will Murray, the consulting editor of the series, to start at the beginning. Instead he chose these two stories, #68 and #70, when the series was well established.
John Sunlight, the antagonist of the books, marked a departure in the series. It was the first time Doc suffered the bad guy to get away.
In Fortress of Solitude, John Sunlight stumbles upon Doc's secret hideaway. Once he makes his way inside, he takes advantage of all the technology within for his own purposes.
Up to this point the Fortress has not been revealed to the readers, only that Doc occasionally went there to think, learn, and train.
The beauty of the Doc Savage books is that you need not read them in order. Each story is self contained and the Doc Savage universe is explained in each installment with the first time reader in mind.
That is, except for these two.
This recollection centers on a childhood illness while traveling with the author's mother to Mount Pilatus, Switzerland.
What happens when a place is associated with a bad memory? Many may not return. Sometimes going back can be a tonic that can only be appreciated once the old memories are examined and compared to the new experience.
It's not unusual to avoid a place where an unhappy event happened. But is it the fault of the place? No, it's just what the place itself represents. Giving the place a second chance may be an opportunity to give the memory some perspective.
There was a warmth to the story that I took to immediately.
However, people are people and they have the same troubles and desires we do today. And that's what makes the whole Expanse series so compelling for me. Sure, there is an alien baddie. But humans used it, without understanding what it was, for their own desires; money & power. The classic corrupters.
David Draper is a young student trying to get through a tough patch in school to get a good placement in university. His aunt is ex-marine Bobby Draper, an important character in the previous novel, Caliban's War.
Somehow, he got tied up with a dangerous drug dealer by cooking the drugs he sells. David falls for the drug dealer's girl, Leelee. She gets in trouble and David tries to help.
This book is much like a tie-in novel or fan fic, but provided by the authors themselves. It expands The Expanse, if you will. It is an excellent story and fills in the gaps between Book 3 and Book 4.
I would love to see the spread sheet the authors must have had to create before writing a word.
Well worth the effort to read this story.
I enjoyed this article, it reminded me of Bill Bryson's A Walk in the Woods and his quiet, casual way of looking at the world. Rhyno has that same, self-deprecating style, unafraid to reveal that he started his journey going in the wrong direction.
Knowing this trail exists, made me think of the many trails available to me by walking out my front door and heading to Edmonton's river valley. There are many trails I have yet to travel all within easy reach.
A Sailing Trip Down the St. Lawrence - and Down Memory Lane by Abi Hayward. Another gentle narrative of a sailing trip that brought up memories of family and how sailing is part of the author's history.
There is some discovery too, in the Sailors Church, Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours in old Montreal and the votive ships that hang from the ceiling.
A good travel story does not necessarily have to include a daring escape from a life-threatening situation. Sometimes, when things go well, and as expected, there is still a reward for the effort.
I also subscribe to their newsletter where they link to previous stories in the magazine. That's how I came across this one.
I do enjoy a good adventure. When it's real, I wonder why people do the things they do? Take the risks they take? This is why I am well and truly an armchair traveler.
This true account of being trapped on a BC mountain peak during a storm sent chills down my back.
Excellent writing.
Better yet, if you enjoyed this piece, it's part of a larger collection, Tales of B.C. by Daniel Wood.
The Writers Gild of Alberta created a clever way to get stories out into the world. Better yet, my wife got a different story than me and we got to trade them with each other.
Tuesday Night Auction Club by Ali Bryan - A beautiful and heartbreaking memory of a perfect moment.
Lucky Birds by Jacqueline Kwan - Exploitation and decisions.
Chris Hadfield is a Canadian hero and astronaut.
I enjoyed taking a ride on the fictional Apollo 18 mission.
But...
It missed the mark for me. Not because it was a bad story. For me, it was because it was historical fiction. When a twist in the mission occurs, the decisions made struck me as being implausible.
I kept thinking to myself, "There is no way NASA and Mission Control would allow this to continue."
Had this story been inside a world of the author's creation it would have been terrific. Inserting it into a known history is so much more difficult to pull off.
I very much look forward to his next novel. I could see a series, where the settings change throughout the history of NASA. The Shuttle era. The ISS. The new Artemis program. SpaceX. Missions to Mars.
Hadfield has the inside knowledge which makes his writing so very compelling.
I had a difficult time with his Mars trilogy. The depth of research made me feel he could have use an editor. But after I completed the series, his work percolated in my mind. I began to appreciate the depth and the detail. This kind of attention is exactly what takes place in science.
Fiction has often informed our world. The flip phone came from Star Trek. The iPad from The Next Generation.
In this article, Alexandra Alter writes how KSR is focusing his fiction to solving the world's problems.
I am now very intrigued to read more from him. The Three Californias trilogy, the Science in the Capital trilogy, New York 2140 (Excellent by the way), and The Ministry for the Future.
Yes, he will digress into long expositions, but that is actually the point.
As a reader, I will be looking for his research, his lists of facts, his history lessons. I will be reading KSR as a jumping off point for further reading.
Climate change, geopolitics, and economic change, these things are important. I may not be able to do much to help create a better world, but I own the world my time to understand the problems.
Kim Stanley Robinson is an intelligent, thoughtful author whom I trust. I can't think of a better writer to guide the discussion.
Midlife is a terrific collection of essays from alumni of the University of Alberta's Gateway newspaper about reaching middle age in 2021.
Katie Kovacs's account of her divorce and return from France to Edmonton is moving and raw.
Life is not easy. Divorce makes it ugly. Add a pandemic.
An excellent entry to an already excellent collection.
I was happy to stumble upon this book excerpt on the Ars Technica website.
Slow reading. Thoughtful reading. It's an article for out times.
It is said that people read more now then ever. But texts and doom scrolling takes its toll on thoughtful reading. Distractions abound.
Click HERE to be taken to the article.
It's worth the read because it's worth thinking about.
