200 Pages of Tension in The Woman in White
Wilkie Collins (1824-1889) composed the memoriam on his own tombstone, listing what he considered the singular accomplishment of his life: “AUTHOR OF THE WOMAN IN WHITE.” Collins wrote other famous books–The Moonstone, for example, is considered the first true detective novel– but he will forever be tied to this one serial that was published in … Continue reading
Rape and Blood and Dracula
What was it about Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice that inspired the folks at Quirk Publishing to think, “This would be so much better with zombies?” Given that the mash-up spawned imitators and graphic novels and prequels and sequels, it obviously struck a public nerve. I think it is because the Quirk folks hit on the same idea as … Continue reading
Starting Fathers and Sons… Is it any good?
Sorry for the week-long hiatus, but we’re back and picking up the next book on the list, Ivan Turgenev’s Fathers and Sons. This is the first non-20th century novel in the Letters Republic project. Admittedly, that was done intentionally as 19th and 18th century novels (Jane Austin almost universally excepted thanks to her perpetual dominance of the … Continue reading
New book: Fathers and Sons by Ivan Turgenev
We’ve finished The Talented Mr. Ripley and will start up a new book, Ivan Turgenev’s classic Fathers and Sons. I know very little about this work so this will be the best kind of reading experience: a total surprise. Here are the stats and the first line. Fathers and Sons (Also known as Fathers … Continue reading
Scheherazade and the Franchise Zombie
A great concept gets slipped into If on a winter’s night a traveler at about halfway through: It is the classic dilemma of the author who is compelled somehow not to finish the story. This is different than ending fatigue, wherein a story is ending but has many, many ending sequences that drag long after … Continue reading
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