Author of sci-fi/fantasy, horror and adventure/thriller fiction

THE RECKONING by Jeff Long

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THE RECKONING is another terrific horror/thriller novel by Jeff Long, the author of my one of my favorite horror works, THE DESCENT. I recently reread it (it was originally published in 2004) and liked it even better the second time around.

Like THE DESCENT, THE RECKONING reads like Michael Crichton decided to do a horror novel, though Long is far superior to Crichton in my opinion in building strong characters. I don’t know if I’d classify it as thriller fiction with horror elements or the other way around, but who cares because either way, it works for me.

Molly, a photojournalist, travels to Cambodia to document the recovery of bones belonging to dead and missing American servicemen fighting during the Vietnam War. After a dig goes bust, she and two searchers meet a mysterious stranger, who tells them where they can find an entire lost platoon. They jump at the chance–Molly to get her story, her companions to recover the dead–and lead a team into what they discover is a lost city in the jungle. There, the ruins brood and sleep, haunted by ghosts, and Molly learns that here, the war never really ended…

Long’s is one of my favorite writers. He’s a master of producing wonder, ticking time bombs, likeable and capable heroes dealing with an escalating catastrophe, and a sort of visceral and moody horror that keeps you reading. If you haven’t checked out his work yet, I highly recommend it.

THE MIDNIGHT SKY (2020)

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Based on the acclaimed debut novel GOOD MORNING, MIDNIGHT by Lily Brooks-Dalton, THE MIDNIGHT SKY (2020, streaming on Netflix) is a competent and polished film about stakes both large and small at the end of the world, though for all its literary ambition, it left me feeling kinda empty.

The film begins with some type of nuclear catastrophe that is spreading deadly radiation throughout the world, producing an extinction event. At an Arctic research station, the researchers prepare to evacuate, as they want to be home for the end. A single man doesn’t: Augustine, a brilliant scientist accustomed to solitude. Meanwhile, out in space, all the other missions have returned to Earth except for one, whose crew doesn’t know what’s happening. Augustine hopes to reach them to tell them the news.

The film has some great actors such as George Clooney as Augustine, and you can sort of see the literary nature of the novel that produced the story, but overall there’s so little action, and the dialogue is so clipped and slow, that I never really felt like I got to know anybody and come to care about them. I think I was supposed to feel the movie, but the gravitas never came through for me. For the apocalypse, the whole thing seemed very calm and antiseptic, almost sleepy. As a result, when some big reveals come at the end, the emotional punch didn’t connect for me.

So in the end, it was an okay watch, though I had to apply some energy to stick with it. I have a feeling it might be better to read the book first, that way I could have filled in everything that seemed to be missing while I was watching.

BARRY, Season 1

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In BARRY (HBO, also streaming on Google Play), SNL veteran Bill Hader stars as a Marine veteran working as a hit man, who while tracking a target ends up in an acting class. Falling in love with it, he sees the possibility of a new life, but getting out of the business will be much harder than he thought. This show could have easily overplayed its hand but keeps the humor constant and subtle while hitting every other note right.

One of the things I loved about PULP FICTION is how it humanized criminals instead of making them 2D villains. In an opening scene, here are two murderous henchmen of a mob boss talking about what they call a Big Mac in Holland and whether a foot massage is technically cheating. You end up finding them charming, and the juxtaposition is often humorous. A lot of movies have tried to imitate this cool but gratingly overplay it, as imitators often do. BARRY hits the mark even better than PULP FICTION in my view, offering truly likeable 3D characters and great humor without laying it on too thick.

Otherwise, the show hits every other note just right–the portrayal of hungry and needy aspiring actors, acting itself, the action–making it a lot of fun to watch. The cast is terrific.

I have to add one of the highlights of the show is Henry Winkler. I’ve seen him in a few things after his iconic role of Fonzie in HAPPY DAYS but have never seen him have as much fun as he’s obviously having in the role of Gene, Barry’s acting teacher. He chews the scenery every time he’s on screen, and I love it.

A recommended watch. No heavy lifting, just fun comedy. On to season 2, and looking forward to season 3 once they can start shooting again.

MANDALORIAN, Season 2

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After publishing my review of THE MANDALORIAN, which I found enjoyable if a bit silly, some said the second season takes off, and they were right. The season season definitely ups the game in terms of world building, characterization, action, and even drama.

First, I’ll say the show continues to suffer from taking shortcuts for time as a way to get past characters easily being able to solve their problems. Characters are overpowered until they’re easily smacked around, a jet pack is discarded right before it’s direly needed, and the like. The Empire continues to show why they lost the war, as they’re utterly incompetent. And the show again leaned heavily on the action movie convention of having bad guys with guns in combat stumble drunkenly toward a hero so he or she can stomp them hand to hand, instead of you know, shooting them. There are a lot of silly, “you’ve seen this trope many times so here you go, that was easy” moments.

That being said, Mando finally demonstrates a genuine (not forced) connection with “Baby Yoda,” who is once again admittedly cute as hell. Their relationship started to finally invest me in the show. The world building is more lavish, and there are again those little wow visual set pieces such as prisoners cleaning up the wreckage of an ancient space battle. The fan service is perfect. The secondary characters are all great, with some solid actors such as Rosario Dawson and Katee Sackhoff making appearances. The battle droids as usual are super cool. And it was utterly satisfying to see Jedi kick ass and show why they are so feared. Episode 5 (“The Jedi”) really shined on its own as an almost perfect episode, delivering real drama and using Western tropes perfectly.

Overall, enjoyed it a lot, and it definitely earned its upcoming third season, which I’ll be sure to watch.

THE MANDALORIAN, Season 1

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THE MANDALORIAN (streaming on Disney Plus): I just finished Season 1, and while I liked it, thought it was fun, and saw it as having all the elements of a powerful series, it’s so connect-the-dots it feels empty and I ended up with a largely meh reaction.

It’s a great idea. The rebellion has succeeded, the Empire has fallen, and a lone bounty hunter works the Outer Rim. When tasked by a minor warlord who was once an Imperial officer to recover a child (now famous as “Baby Yoda”), he decides to protect it instead of hand it over, resulting in a series of adventures and ultimately conflict with some type of Imperial resurgence.

The series borrows a ton of tropes from old Westerns, films like THE SEVEN SAMURAI, and even a typical heist movie, a fun mashup. I loved little moments like when the Mandalorian sees mangy stormtroopers at his new client’s office, a comical moment between two speeder-riding troopers about whether to bug the commander, some terrific action, and similar cool elements pulled from the STAR WARS series but now showing the aftermath of the Empire. Baby Yoda is awesome, and I loved all the droids. The presentation is solid.

I think where the story became meh for me is in the length. The episodes are around 20 minutes long. As a result, the cool elements become a quick connect the dots with little real tension and heavy reliance on tropes, and I don’t feel anything, especially when I’m supposed to (e.g., “I’m done for. You go on without me.”). Same as every STAR WARS movie since the original trilogy. Maybe I’m showing my age and simply want, I don’t know, gravitas and real wonder from STAR WARS, instead of my favorite numbers repeatedly served hot off the menu.

So overall, I liked THE MANDALORIAN but didn’t fall in love with it. It’s the best STAR WARS showing since the original trilogy in my opinion, but I just found it hard to truly invest in it.

CIPHER by Kathy Koja

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Celebrated speculative fiction author Kathy Koja’s THE CIPHER has a terrific premise: after a party, Nicholas and Nakota, a dysfunctional couple, end up in the storage room of his crummy apartment building and discover a strange and utterly mysterious black hole in the floor. He’s obsessed with her, and she’s obsessed with it, while it appears to be obsessed with him, setting up a creepy and bizarre love triangle of sorts. It’s kind of like the horror version of Jonathan Lethem’s AS SHE CLIMBED ACROSS THE TABLE.

I’d never read Koja before, and she can really turn a phrase. Large parts of the book read like the stream of consciousness of a mad genius. The central conflict of the love triangle is engaging, the obsessions interesting, the core mystery of what the hell the “Funhole” is and what’s in it hooking me from the start, particularly the early crazy experiments they conduct to study it. There’s a theme somewhat teased of people filling empty lives by projecting and searching for meaning. And the horror element packs a ton of satisfying creep.

Two things didn’t work for me as a reader, however. First, only two of the characters out of what grows into a large cast are remotely likeable, and our narrator, Nicholas himself, is so negative about everything the story goes from a heroin chic to a serious downer vibe. As for Nicholas, he has no real agency despite constant attempts to gain control–mostly floundering and waffling–and none of the characters changes or grows to offer a character arc. Secondly, the second half of the book is majorly repetitive, leading to an ending that is inconclusive and lacking all the answers, which is fine, but offering no real resolution, which I found disappointing.

So all in all, I had a strange mixed reaction to this one. I loved the first half and didn’t want it to end and then grew impatient wanting the second half to be over. As a whole, it’s heavy, it’s dark, it’s creepy, and it’s periodically titillating and even beautiful, but it missed some vital elements for me that would have made it a perfect horror read. So THE CIPHER might be a love or hate read for some, though regardless of whether you love or hate it, you have to admire the singular identity Koja creates for it and the skill and craftsmanship that went into it.