Vultural

Insole, Colin - The Rhododendron Boy

Childhood remembered.
For many of our adult years, our early days seem buried, if not forgotten.
In old age, those ghosts often return unbidden.
For the blissful, the shroud of nostalgia deceives with lollipops and laughter.
Others recall with startling clarity, ugly behavior, suffocation, and the brittle veneer of happiness.
In this, our narrator is in his 60s, perhaps older, revisiting events – an event – when his course took the errant path.
This is a terrible story of building unease, as misremembered characters saunter and stumble in a young girl’s rambling sing song.
Almost from the onset, there are shadows. Off in the corners, out of focus, their shape ungrasped.
And yet, like all horrors, more may be exposed by the end. Because you want to look.
They will crawl down your throat and disgorge their secrets.
Even on a first read, this is powerful and disturbing.
The book itself is a gorgeous piece of art. Deceptive, however, a siren who beckons into a bleak world.
The fragrance of Helen Vaughan lingers in this.

Thanks, guys.
I have the remaining Witcher episodes of S01, so I’ll probably watch.
Being based on a series of books tempts me more. Original series based on writing rooms, I shun.
Don’t know about Witcher S02 and beyond. Looking at Wiki, it appears the books have concluded.
Usually, I stick with shows one season, maybe two.
I watched all of Game Of Thrones, and God do I wish I hadn’t.

The Witcher
I have watched one episode of “The Witcher,” and it seems like a YA version of “Game Of Thrones,” albeit heavier on magic and monsters.
I’m on the fence with this, and would appreciate comments from other OT members who have finished S01.
One song in particular drew me to the series and it has become stuck in my head, so some of you may want to beware.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bS4Q-WWyl3Q

I would be happy if someone could excise the Rico-Ibanez-Barcalow triangle.
Nothing satirical there, just teen pap.
Not sure what bonus footage was in the DVD. The “extra” I returned to was always the commentary.
The third film has the power suits, but, if I recall properly, insufficient budget to show a company of troopers wearing them.
No, I never had an issue with the satire.
Moreover, should someone incorporate 45’s “space command” comments into an edit, then excellent, most excellent.

I hesitate posting reviews here, which would resemble a flood
Nonetheless, this is a recent one and a suggestion for editors.
Believe me, I have searched for no-nonsense version. Where is Maniac when you need him?

Starship Trooper - 1997 - 6/10

Near-future Earth finds itself at War with planet Klendathu.
A few whisper we were the provocateurs, infringing on Klendathu territory.
Hardly cause for them to annihilate a major Earth city!
Patriotism surges, high schoolers enlist, and, whether they remember their training or not, few soldiers survive.
Intense battle sequences coupled with black satire aid this flawed SciFi.

I saw this theatrically and I remember how, at work, we jeered the soap opera romances, clichéd boot camp, and the deadly accuracy of bug farts against the sneering fleet.
Aside from Rasczak and Carl, most characters are ignorant fools, including the top brass.
Still, over the years I’ve rewatched this … what …a dozen times? More? The pezhead and his guilty pleasure.
I speed through the Rico-Ibanez-Barcalow twaddle, linger over Dizzy, and ask myself why, oh why, oh why, has no one in the fan-edit world ever given this gem an adult overhaul.

Sooner or later, someone will suggest that obscure series by James S. A. Corey.
Corey (AKA - Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby) has, of late, seen his books adapted for television.
I recall recommending S01 and S02 over at the other joint.

Bukowski, Charles - The Captain Is Out To Lunch And The Sailors Have Taken Over The Ship

Publisher John Martin persuaded Bukowski, very late in his career, to keep a journal.
This came out posthumously.
Lot of comments about the racetrack, his neighborhood, ailments.
Some repetition, and there would be long lapses between entries (can’t tell if that was Bukowski or the editor).
One gets the feeling the writer knew his time was winding down, and he seemed to find less enjoyment in everything. Not that he was ever the beacon of merriment. As always, his observations are merciless, and skewer the facades we hide behind.
A quick read - no Chinaski - may prove better for hard fans.
Fabulous drawings by sympathetic soul, Robert Crumb.

Various (Editor: Morgan, Robert) - The Pale Illuminations

To be fair, Robert’s overview on his website captures these tales concisely.
Four longish stories that land within the “folk horror” category.
Bell’s “Labyrinth” tracks a graduate student, researching a paper on pagan sites dating from pre-Roman times, specifically the worship of Proserpina. As she pushes deeper into back country, she begins to wonder if a lingering trace survives.
Valentine’s “A Chess Game At Michaelmas” catches an unexpected match with the king.
Although set around a wooded French area, Oliver’s “The Old Man Of The Woods” seems the least folk tinged, and is more a cursed tale.
“Cropmarks” by John concerns an abandoned church, now used for Wiccan purposes. While I read, absorbed throughout, I had scant sympathy, let alone empathy for any of the characters. Their behavior borders on antics.
As with most Sarob Press titles, this quickly went OP. Copies can still be found at more or less reasonable prices from the reputable dealers.
Excellent book, this.

Personally, I keep a small timer handy.
Set mine to 2 hours, 45 minutes. Then watch my time.
Usually I can get 3 or 4 free sessions a day.
My download speed always seems to be 100 kbps.
Not terrible, but definitely throttled.
It has been an OK experience for me, as I’ve mostly sought oddities.

Dick, Philip K - Collected Stories: Vol 1 The King Of The Elves

After being disappointed by writers that tried hard to impress, yet seemed incapable of “storytelling,” I pulled out a thick tome from a master.
The earliest stories shine forth on a gleaming future, as humankind builds perfection.
Across this initial collection, however, Dick’s output darkened and SciFi utopia became dystopia.
“The Little Movement” catches a diminutive, would-be dictator before the reign.
An assassin is sent back in time to liquidate a future problem in “Expendable.” To his peril, he slowly sees rifts in the ordinary world.
“The Variable Man” is accidentally brought to a future of deadly conflict, and his presence upsets the space/time continuum.
The title story finds one Shadrach James as he befriends the weary king of the elves and his battered entourage and army. In gratitude, the king bequeaths honors and burdens.
“Colony” is a black gem of colonists and a perfect world.

Thank you for the workaround, Bluto, I appreciate that.
I try to keep an eye on my three hour limit.
As a free-loader, a mooch, I cannot really expect to receive the same quality of treatment as those paying for blocks or monthlies.
Throttled or otherwise, for me, free-usenet is more than generous.

Smith, Farah Rose - Of One Pure Will

Early on, this book irked me and I had difficulty reading it for enjoyment.
In the Introduction, the guest writer attempted to give insight and background details.
Puffy intros are common enough, yet this elaborated, giving pointers to “how” and “what” to read.
“As you are reading, ask yourself the following questions …”
I was in back in English 101, listening to a condescending professor.
Some may view this as illumination, others as spoon-feeding. I was of the latter.
How about the stories themselves? The majority are not stories per se, but prose poems.
Most detail dystopian alternate realities of pain, blood and dissolution.
If aiming for the Aesthete style, the writing is dense, though not particularly beautiful, with imagery that alternately enhances and detracts from the proceedings.
Elegant dream fragments, akin to a fractured diamond, but not classic storytelling.
The one that comes closest is “Sorcerer Machine,” though the finish was so dissatisfying I wanted to toss the book across the room.
As is often when I have such a negative reaction, I check other reviews afterward.
Mixed. Even Mr Lewis’ comments struck me as carefully chosen.

Update -
OK, I still don’t know jack about free-usenet.
Online reviews have proved to be elusive, or in my case, non-existent.
Yeah, and I know the Fight Club rule about Usenet. Tell that to Reddit or any open forum joint (like OT).
Anyway, for you curious souls, speed for freeloaders works out to 100 kb.
You got a three hour time limit until it expires.
Beforehand expiration, you better hit PAUSE on NZBGet or you’ll receive fails.
These affect the “health” of the file. Once health falls below 90%, it’s all over, Barney.
That said, I’ve been doing OK. I’ve nabbed a few items that were 2 years old.
The retention for free-usenet is damn good.
By comparison, I had tried XSUsenet several years ago.
Their retention for moochers went from 1000 days to 100 to 10.
I went back to more reliable eMule and private tracker torrents.
All in all, my experience with free-usenet has been alright, although I would still like to hear others’ interactions with this outfit before I pony up cash.

I have played around with the NZBGet + Free-Usenet set-up.
Fairly straightforward. Thank you, Bluto.
I have had a high fail rate, however, and I wonder about if the 3 hour time limit affects this.
(I’m seldom around when the expiration hits, and then the warnings mount.)
Free-Usenet has extremely reasonable prices for Block accounts, and I am tempted.
I cannot find any sort of review for this news server.
Has anyone used something beyond the free account, and can you provide feedback?

Sigmoid said:

Hey dear people. Thanks for the great information, I was under the firm impression that usenet as a thing has been shut down a few years back.

I am a big user of Emule, which many also assume is dead.
Both Usenet and Emule are off radar, to me a very good thing.
Bluto, could you talk a little about “retention”?
I was a free user of Usenet back when Mysterbin was around, but retention limits finally pushed me towards Email and private tracker torrent groups.

NECRO-POST

I once met Roger Ebert in the middle of the Atlantic, trapped somewhat.  I cornered him in a bar and walked up.  Doubtless, he braced himself for a round of questions about CITIZEN KANE, which he had lectured on earlier that day.  Or he wondered if I would ask why Gene Siskel had been acting so peculiar.  This was when Siskel was showing effects of the undisclosed brain tumor.
I inquired about neither.
"Say, on the audio commentary of FASTER PUSSYCAT, KILL KILL, Russ Meyer said you and he were developing a new script."
Ebert's wary smile shifted to an expression of utter horror.  "I ... I don't know anything about that,"  he stammered.
Behind him, a woman, his bride it turned out, swiveled round on a bar stool.  "Someone talking about Mr, Meyer, honey?"  she grinned.
Ebert, the influential critic, trapped in a bar, on a boat, between a merciless spouse and a trash aficionado.
"Have you ever seen VALLEY  DOLLS?"  She gave me a wink.
"BEYOND THE VALLEY OF THE DOLLS,"  he muttered.   She winked again.
"Actually,"  I hesitated,  "I own it ... on VHS ... and laserdisc."
"A connoisseur!"  she clapped her hands and laughed aloud.
"Anyway, Russ said the new film was going to titled THE JAWS OF LORNA.  Is this going to be a sequel?  What's the plot?  How is Russ, anyway?"
"He's a crazy old man.  Look, I gotta lie down,"  Ebert excused himself.  And yes, he did look unwell.  Alcohol did not mix with rolling swells.
So staggered off my golden opportunity to discuss Russ Meyer, King of the Girlie Flicks.
Two days later, Ebert joked about his lurid screenwriting past in a round table discussion, so perhaps I simply caught him in off moment.

Bummer, dude.
At least I won’t keep trying one code after another.
Thanks.

Aha!
A dedicated Markdown thread.
How does one underline in Markdown?
Tried <U> - [U] - __ - <span=“underline”>
If you know, please show me the way.

oojason said:

Vultural said:

I don’t mean to derail, and this may be answered elsewhere, so bear with me.
Does buying the digital copy equate with DVD purchase?

Yes mate, it does - Fan Edit / Preservation Forum Rules and FAQ (See Number 6) 😃

Thanks!
Good to know for aspiring editors - which will never be me.

I don’t mean to derail, and this may be answered elsewhere, so bear with me.
Does buying the digital copy equate with DVD purchase?

ChainsawAsh said:

… The series isn’t indefinite, though - it was written as a trilogy of trilogies. That’s why season 3 felt like an ending - it was the end of the first trilogy. Book 9 will be the ending of the whole thing and it will be out within the next year, most likely …

Thank you for the detailed response regarding The Expanse.
I was aware of the book series (Subterranean Press has been peddling the posh edition for years), but never ponied up. Nor, to tell the truth, was I interested in reading.
I appreciate that there is a trilogy of arcs, and an overall conclusion.
A few years ago I posted a favorable review of S01 over at FE.
I really recommend this series, especially to those who have burned by so many shitty SciFi shows.

Laymon, Richard - Night In The Lonesome October

Returning to school after the semester break, Ed receives the breakup letter from his true love.
He is devastated, even though her sorority sister, Eileen, literally throws herself at him.
Confused, Ed goes out walking after midnight, heading towards a donut shop seven miles away.
On the way, he spies a young girl (he reckons is 15) and he begins following. Not stalking, he reassures himself, following. Ensuring she is OK. Until she gives him the slip.
Then Ed crosses into backyards and starts peeping into windows. There’s a female in one home, half naked!
Eventually, he does make it to the donut shop where a male customer forces his affections.
The novel goes on and on and on with ridiculous vignettes like those.
Odd characters arrive with nary an explanation as to their wayward behavior.
Almost all is told from Ed’s repressed point of view in goofball stream of consciousness.
My inkling is that Laymon never wrote this.
Rather, he stretched out on the sofa, microphone in hand, and warbled deliriously, narrative nonsense spilling from his brain. Perhaps he edited it. Or perhaps not, declaring, “Masterpiece!”
My fault. I was looking for a lightweight alternative, and boy did I select a winner.
I had purchased this decades ago when I was on a Laymon kick.
Beast House or Cellar, it ain’t.
Feels like a rambling pitch for a drive-in movie.
A movie Joe Bob would fall asleep watching.

dahmage said:

Looking forward to the next season of The Expanse the most

I enjoyed S01 - S03.
Since S03 finished with closure, albeit open ended, I am inclined to wait until the S04 concludes and I can study comments.
Corey published the eighth book in 2019, and I don’t know if I want to sign on for a long hitch.
Or if Mr Bezos will bail like SyFy did.

Really appreciate what you have listed here.
I had not visited for awhile, mostly because of the difficulty finding the edits.
Not the edits per se, but rather an index of projects.
Many intriguing titles, I’ll shoot some PMs.
Thank you again for this.

stretch009 said:

For those that don't already know, and I didn't see any mention of this here, FE.org is back up.

 Hooray TMBTM