Category: Books & Novels

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Books & Novels General Non-Fiction History & Biographies (Books) Westerns

BANDIT HEAVEN: THE HOLE-IN-THE-WALL GANGS AND THE FINAL CHAPTER OF THE WILD WEST

Written by Tom Clavin

SUMMARY:

Released by St. Martin’s Press in 2024, this 288-page hardcover explores the nefarious exploits of the Old West’s last desperadoes and the lawmen chasing after them.  The prologue relates a middle-of-the-night train robbery in proximity to Wilcox, Wyoming, on June 2, 1899.  Not only was it another successful raid for Butch Cassidy’s Wild Bunch, but its notoriety nationwide signaled the end was coming for the Old West’s most elusive desperadoes. 

As an unintended consequence of Western expansion, Clavin elaborates on how the vast frontier spanning from Canada to Mexico supplied three prominent outlaw hideouts: Brown’s Hole, the Hole-In-The-Wall, and Robbers’ Roost along the so-called ‘Outlaw Trail.’  For years before the 19th Century’s close, rival bandits could share these remote locales gloating over why savvy posses wouldn’t dare breach these sparse strongholds.  The likelihood of hidden ambush, exhausted horses, and a scarcity of food and water (if you didn’t know where to find it) frankly provided no incentives to further these pursuits.

Aside from introducing comparatively obscure bandits meeting foul ends (i.e. George Parrott; the Blackjack Ketchum gang; etc.), Wyoming’s infamous Johnson County War and Arizona’s Pleasant Valley War are discussed.  With virtually exclusive control of livestock (i.e. cattle) and, therefore, grazing lands at stake, both range wars would accumulate scores of wanton casualties.  Local police, U.S. Marshals, and even the private-sector Pinkertons already had their hands full with smaller-scale crooks to contend with essentially organized crime, including range assassins. 

Dogged efforts of undercover operatives, such as the Pinkertons’ Charlie Siringo, at least ensured valuable surveillance over time on fugitives would be shared in a growing law enforcement network.  Roving outlaws, in that sense, became hard-pressed to outrace the practicality of telegraphs.    

Among the ‘Wild Bunch,’ Butch Cassidy, “The Sundance Kid” Harry Longabaugh, and their incorrigible cronies (including the psychotic “Kid Curry”) usually managed to evade capture.  Yet, the brazen Wilcox heist signaled that their profitable fun-and-games would soon end. With Cassidy and Longabaugh absconding to South America (along with Longabaugh’s wife, Etta Place), the region’s remaining bandits would be hunted down, one by one, as necessary, into the early 20th Century.  Of the Wild Bunch’s known membership, only ex-convicts Elza Lay and Laura Bullion would live to see past middle age.  

Upon their discreet escape to South America, the final fates of Cassidy, Longabaugh, and Etta Place still remain murky.  As Clavin acknowledges, the trio shares a lingering Old West enigma that present-day forensics has no certain answers for.  

Note: This title is available digitally and as an audiobook.  Presumably, Bandit Heaven will be re-released in paperback form at some later date.

REVIEW:

As an author, Tom Clavin’s narrative style for Bandit Heaven is admirably consistent with his prior Old West works.  Concocting briskly conversational yet still historically accurate text, Clavin delivers all the necessary goods, including welcome sprinkles of humor.  His propensity for extended side stories shouldn’t, otherwise, impact a solid read revisiting The Wild Bunch’s capers and long-befuddled posses in pursuit. 

With the infamous Johnson County War as a prelude, Clavin focuses on the era’s most notorious bandits, their cronies, and really, by extension, more cronies of cronies.  The same applies to his detailed takes on the Pinkertons and local law enforcement, as their successes often proved hard-earned.  Along with his excellent mini-biography of Charlie Siringo, Clavin examines manhunters Tom Horn, Frank Canton, and lesser competition like Joe Lefors, with precision. 

Hence, Clavin would make a stellar professor in the classroom engaging students on his subject matter’s less-than-glamorous realities.  He also knows better than to pitch unprovable theories and sticks to grounded history.  For instance, Clavin doesn’t speculate much on Ethel “Etta” Place’s tantalizingly unknown fate beyond mentioning some possibilities that historians have considered. 

Among them is a quick footnote indicating that Place and fellow Wild Bunch girlfriend, Ann Bassett, weren’t the same person since their conflicting known whereabouts at certain times makes such an intriguing notion impossible.  Still, given their startling physical resemblance (even evidently sharing the same birth year), let alone Place’s seemingly non-existent past, it does make one wonder about strange coincidences possibly linking Place with Bassett. 

As for the unsolved Butch & Sundance mystery dating back to 1908 in San Vincente, Clavin explores it as much as he can – without going overboard.  Clavin mentions that at least other two fellow American bandits the duo knew were working South America at the same time, so misassumptions on shady aliases were common.  His reporting leave open a remote chance that Butch & Sundance’s inexplicable mistakes in San Vicente weren’t made by them.  No matter how slick this dynamite duo (read Clavin’s text on their train heists for this pun) was in its prime: they were either very much off their game that fateful night – or some luckless copycats pretended to be them one last time. 

Considering members of Cassidy’s family claimed he survived under an alias to old age, again one wonders.  Clavin doesn’t even mention it, but a similar claim has also been made before of Sundance – that is, to a far lesser degree.  Unless reliable forensic evidence is excavated from a San Vicente cemetery, it appears the same ‘what-if Butch & Sundance’ scenarios from over a century ago are still on the table.      

Much of what Clavin reports is often found elsewhere, but there are occasionally obscure gems that one wouldn’t expect.  For instance, the unfulfilled prospect of Butch and his pals enlisting as U.S. soldiers in the Spanish-American War in hopes of securing amnesty is a curious notion.  For that matter, having his boys instead hold off from robbing unguarded trains during the war, shows what a patriotic and generous soul the wily Butch Cassidy was (wink-wink).  Or how about The Sundance Kid’s failed efforts at commanding his own spin-off faction?  Such details and anecdotes are Clavin’s forte, so even if one already knows much of this material, you can appreciate these enlightening revelations.  

The only caveat is a heads-up for the squeamish: specifically, Clavin discusses the macabre use of bandit George Parrott’s remains – though true, it’s wincing to read.  The author, otherwise, doesn’t delve much into grisly details (i.e. the brutal demise of ex-Wild Bunch desperado Ben Kilpatrick is mentioned but not elaborated upon).  Instead, as with his other works, Clavin wisely lets the history speak for itself – along with his knack for well-played sarcasm. 

For armchair historians (older teens and up), Bandit Heaven delivers a contemporary Old West history lesson well worth taking for a ride.    

ADDITIONAL FEATURES:

After the table of contents, Clavin supplies some helpful maps: 1. A North-to-South map titled ‘The Outlaw Trail;’ 2. A map of the Wild Bunch’s robberies; and 3. Butch & Sundance’s ‘Final Years’ tour of South America.  Midway through, there is an intriguing sixteen-page black-and-white photo section.  Please note, though not graphic, that a few images depict post-mortem glimpses of lesser-known Wild Bunch members.  A ghoulish picture proving bandit George Parrott’s dubious legacy, however, may be cringe-inducing. 

In addition to his detailed footnotes, Clavin provides the following sections: two pages of acknowledgements, a three-page ‘selected bibliography,’ and a very helpful nine-page index.  The last page offers a brief Clavin biography, which is duplicated on the inside back cover jacket.   

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                       8 Stars

Note: Also recommended is Clavin’s prior work, The Last Outlaws (his take on The Dalton Gang is really a ‘second-to-last-chapter’ on the Wild West).  Also, from a visual perspective, there is the 2014 PBS ‘American Experience’ episode: Butch Cassiday and the Sundance Kid.  Far grimmer than Clavin’s text, this documentary adds supplemental insights into the real ‘Butch & Sundance’ – further distancing them from their romanticized cinematic counterparts.  

Categories
Books & Novels Fantasy, Horror, & Science Fiction General Fiction History & Biographies (Books) Mystery & Suspense

THE TERROR

Written by Dan Simmons

SUMMARY:

First published by Little, Brown and Company, in 2007, this 770-page hardcover imagines a horrific ‘what if’ as to a real-life, unsolved nautical mystery.  Specifically, The Terror explores the catastrophic fate of the British Navy’s 1845 Arctic expedition led by Captain Sir John Franklin. 

With two reliable and newly reinforced vessels (the HMS Erebus under Franklin’s command and Captain Francis R.M. Crozier’s HMS Terror), the Franklin Expedition had been ordered to locate and explore a purported Northwest Passage from Canada’s North Pole region to Asia.  Including its seasoned officers, the two vessels’ combined crew would be comprised of nearly 130 men.  Setting sail from England, these vessels would be well-stocked with supplies (including a horde of hastily tinned foods) and resources to seemingly answer all likely contingencies.

According to history, only two Franklin Expedition messages (one being an update of the other) were ever found by a multitude of subsequent search-and-rescue parties.  Hence, the British Navy could never confirm Franklin’s improvised deviations off his expedition’s intended route to finally locate the missing ships. 

In reality, the signed messages revealed that both vessels had been trapped by ice in close proximity to one another some thirty miles from King William Land/King William Island’s coast for eighteen months.  Months after Franklin’s death in 1847, both ships were evidently abandoned to attempt a grueling trudge across hundreds of miles of frozen sea and terrain in hopes of eventual rescue – as of late April 1848.  According to various historical accounts and present-day science/archaeology, there were no survivors from the Franklin Expedition.         

Per Simmons’ novel, after several months of frozen gridlock, Franklin contemplates his officers’ pendulum-like assessments of their dire predicament.  He scoffs at Crozier’s suggestion of abandoning the bigger HMS Erebus, despite its enhanced frame slowly buckling under constant strain.  Instead of immediately consolidating crews aboard the HMS Terror to wait out a possible escape, Franklin chooses a different alternative. 

Under Lt. Graham Gore’s command, a small team is sent afoot to search for leads (open water) and deposit the first of only two messages the Franklin Expedition would ever leave of its whereabouts.  Returning to the ships, Gore’s team is unexpectedly attacked by a raging behemoth resembling a polar bear.  An enigmatic clue to this ghostly creature’s origin may be a young Esquimaux (Inuit) woman dubbed ‘Lady Silence,’ due to her severed tongue.

Franklin’s subsequent strategy to kill the supposed bear (in the crew’s ironic slang, nicknamed ‘The Terror’) ends in a bloody disaster.  Now sharing command, Crozier and Commander/Captain James Fitzjames must keep their crews alive by all humane means necessary. 

Not only is a bloodthirsty leviathan (aka ‘The Tuunbaq’) stalking the stranded vessels, but other lethal factors become inevitable: hypothermia, scurvy, botulism, lead poisoning, and, worst of all, a dwindling food supply.  Left no other viable option, Crozier and Fitzjames desperately lead their crews hiking across King William Land/King William Island’s frozen tundra for hundreds of miles in hopes of an eventual escape or rescue by river.    

In the grueling months to come, the depleted survivors continue falling to tragedy and misfortune.  Crozier and others deduce another vile monster lurking among them is stirring up imminent mutiny, including threats of cannibalism.  Forced to split his remaining crewmen into factions seeking their own fates, Crozier knows that time is fast running out to escape the Arctic Circle’s wrath. For them, hell has already frozen over. 

Yet, an unexpected glimmer of hope may at last disclose the predatory Tuunbaq’s motive for feasting on mortal victims.          

Notes: The novel has been released in multiple formats, including paperback, audiobook, and digitally.  Simmons’ novel was published prior to the real-life discoveries of the HMS Erebus (in 2014) and, subsequently, the HMS Terror (in 2016).  The underwater wrecks were found approximately 100 kilometers (or roughly 62 miles) apart. 

AMC, in 2018, released a ten-episode, same-named mini-series of the novel co-starring Jared Harris and Ciarán Hinds.  This TV adaptation serves as the first season of AMC’s The Terror horror anthology series.

REVIEW:

Let it first be reiterated that, given its bleak and macabre nature, The Terror is a mature audiences read only.  Dan Simmons’s nasty fantasy-horror doubles as a historical fiction masterpiece indulging an excess of grisly details.  With many fully developed supporting characters and individual sub-plots, readers are getting the dense literary equivalent of a director’s cut/extended version – be forewarned.    

Rather than preparing an exhaustive analysis, I’m going to instead discuss some key areas:    

  • No matter their factual inaccuracies, Simmons’ depictions of historical figures (i.e. Franklin, Crozier, John Irving, Dr. Goodsir, Graham Gore, Lady Jane Franklin, and Sophia Cracroft, among others) effectively co-exist with his own fictional creations in this alternate reality. Despite the supernatural presence of an unstoppable Star Wars Wampa-like monster and Crozier’s recurring psychic dreams, this component makes for a considerable creative asset.     
  • The intricately detailed narrative conveyed in sixty-six chapters (through the perspectives of rotating characters) isn’t flawless.  At least one hundred pages could have been omitted without losing a fraction of this epic’s gruesome substance.  Simmons, in retrospect, should have prioritized better pacing over pitching innumerable ghoulish twists.      
  • Readers (especially the more squeamish) will feel as though they’re on-the-scene observers.  It’s a nod to Simmons’ undeniable literary talents.  Case in point: His made-up timeline painstakingly overrides common sense as to why the expedition should have likely perished from harsh natural elements, let alone starvation – long before the novel’s actual climax.  Note: Nearly three hundred pages take place after the real-life expedition’s last known correspondence. 
  • Simmons’ ability to defy common sense doesn’t always work. Even if such details are indeed historically accurate, readers may be bewildered by the two vessels’ vast cargo holds, including room for multiple smaller boats, sleds, and absurdities in excessive personal effects.  Case in point: storage of an aristocratic Franklin’s vast costume collection on an exploration mission just seems an eye-rolling implausibility. 
  • The same applies far worse later when the dwindling crewmen are ‘man-hauling’ enormously heavy yet unnecessary objects (i.e. Crozier’s desk) for months across countless miles of frigid tundra.  Why no one suggests packing lightly at the outset for a far more expedient (and possibly less suicidal) trek across the island isn’t explained.
  • Necessary compensation is supplied by a wealth of character depth Simmons’ depictions of Crozier, Goodsir, Irving, Blanky, Gore, Lady Silence, Franklin, Bridgens, and even the antagonists.  Repulsive details/inferences (including cannibalism, sodomy, disemboweling/mutilation, and some crude refences to female anatomy), however, can’t be ignored.  Instead, they become a nauseating counterbalance to such well-constructed characters.             

What might give one further pause, however, is the author’s creative exploitation – reminiscent of The Perfect Storm (both Sebastian Junger’s 1997 novel and its 2000 movie adaptation).  Specifically, is Simmons profiteering off historical tragedy?  With the Franklin Expedition’s grim fate transformed into a gruesome fantasy, readers inevitably face a coin toss.  One side offers a brilliantly speculative though excessive take on historical fiction.  The flip side implies that Simmons has taken advantage of this expedition’s misfortune by concocting it into mass fantasy-horror. 

In spite of these qualms, The Terror is ultimately a potent read.  It is, however, bogged down by an overload of wince-inducing plot elements.  Additionally, several overextended sequences (i.e. Thomas Blanky’s first and seemingly endless monster escape; the preposterous costume ball, etc.) push credibility much further than necessary.  Before accepting the challenge of reading The Terror, it’s advisable to stock up on fortitude to absorb this novel’s literally blood-chilling narrative.  

If The Terror is the kind of epic nightmare that intrigues you, then Simmons will surpass your money’s worth.

ADDITIONAL FEATURES:

There’s a double-page of black-and-white maps detailing Simmons’ versions of the Franklin Expedition’s Northwest Passage route and of King William Land/Island.  A Northwest Passage map also appears in a double-page format for the front and black inside covers.  Simmons’s dedication infers his creative inspiration was taken from the 1951 sci-fi/horror film, The Thing From Another World (aka the original cinematic Thing).  A foretelling 1851 Moby Dick quotation by Herman Melville is included.  

Simmons’ three-page acknowledgements section reveals his bibliographical sources.  Among them is an 1845 letter from the Expedition’s real Dr. Harry D.S. Goodsir to a relative.  The last page provides a paragraph-long biography on Simmons. 

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                         8½ Stars

Categories
Comic Books & Graphic Novels Marvel Comics MARVEL's Hardcovers & Paperbacks Movies & Television (Books)

IRON MAN 2: PUBLIC IDENTITY (MARVEL Comics)

Primary Feature (Issues # 1-3) Written by Joe Casey, with Justin Theroux (as co-plotter).

Primary Feature Art (Issues # 1-3) by Barry Kitson; Ron Lim; Tom Palmer; Victor Olazaba; Stefano Gaudiano; Matthew Southworth; Matt Milla; & VC’s Clayton Cowles.

Cover Art (Issues # 1-3) by Adi Granov.

Iron Man 2: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.  One-Shot Written by Joe Casey.

Artists: Tim Green II; Juan Doe; VC’s Joe Caramagna; Felix Ruiz; Ian Hannin; VC’s Clayton Cowles; Matt Camp; & Ian Hannin.

Cover Art by Salvador Larroca.

Collection Cover Art by Adi Granov.

SUMMARY:

Released in 2010 by Marvel Comics, this 152-page trade paperback compiles the three-issue Iron Man 2: Public Identity mini-series followed by the one-shot Iron Man 2: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. – all from that same year.

Set after the first Iron Man film (2008), Public Identity presents a prelude to Iron Man 2. Tony Stark’s maverick international presence as Iron Man is making U.S. military leadership uneasy.  Unable to corral Stark’s impulsive yet benevolent intentions, the military secretly recruits weapons designer Justin Hammer and U.S. General Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross to help devise immediate alternatives.  Lt. Colonel James Rhodes, despite exasperation with his own friend, tries to keep Stark attuned to the military’s ongoing concerns.   

Interspersed with flashbacks to Howard Stark’s own past as a high-tech weapons manufacturer, Tony’s troubled childhood growing up is conveyed.  Tony’s present-day playboy antics are of concern to Pepper Potts.  Overseas, Iron Man successfully a notorious minefield with his own futuristic take on a mine-attracting magnet. 

After a Hammer-designed armored ship goes down with the unidentified U.S. pilot landing in enemy hands, an exhausted Iron Man returns to battle.  Stark and Ross later angrily confront one another.  Meanwhile, S.H.I.E.L.D.’s Nick Fury has been shadowing Stark before sending in a covert operative for closer surveillance.     

The 24-page Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. has Nick Fury, Agent Phil Coulson, and, finally, “Black Widow” Natasha Romanova, entering Stark’s orbit from different angles.  In the eight-page “Who Made Who,” Fury has an undercover S.E.A.L. commando to observe Iron Man’s actions in the field.  Yet, he may be unaware that Stark is conducting his own counter-intelligence.  The eight-page “Just Off The Farm” has Agent Coulson recruiting a new S.H.I.E.L.D. operative named Hendricks via a trial under gunfire.           

Lastly, “Proximity” (8 pages) sets up Black Widow’s undercover surveillance assignment at Stark Industries during Iron Man 2.  Case in point: posing one of Stark’s legal notaries, Natasha Romanova devises a ruse to infiltrate his palatial beachside estate.     

Note: This title is also available digitally.

REVIEW:

Deeming Iron Man 2: Public Identity a glorified movie ad would be accurate.  Given its content, including a third of its page count as total padding, that should come as no surprise. 

While its overall writing is fairly sharp, the primary feature’s artwork isn’t nearly as slick as the glossy paper it is printed on.  Public Identity’s artwork, in that sense, is deliberately generic.  Only Nick Fury resembles Samuel L. Jackson; to a lesser degree, this take on Justin Hammer passably resembles actor Sam Rockwell.  One isn’t likely to recognize the other actors (i.e. Don Cheadle; Gwyneth Paltrow; William Hurt; and even Robert Downey Jr.) based upon their comic book counterparts.  The story, overall, makes for an okay read, but the overindulgence playing up Iron Man 1 and 2 is a given.

The trio of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D tales prove fairly good, as are the likenesses of actors Jackson, Clark Gregg (with Coulson murkily seen), and Scarlett Johansson.  Hence, casual fans will get a little more insight as to Iron Man 2’s plotting, as far as why some of its pivotal supporting players are joining the franchise.  As for the Spotlight magazine, it’s fun to peruse once, but clearly the iconic Avenger’s die-hard fanbase is whom it would most appeal to.

Iron Man 2: Public Identity, overall, is by no means a must-read – except for the film’s ardent fans.  At most, this book offers a welcome library find for nostalgic fans as to the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s early days. 

ADDITIONAL CONTENT:

Adi Granov’s full-page Iron Man 2: Public Identity cover for each of the three issues precedes its story. The same applies to Salvador Larroca’s Agents of HIELD one-shot cover.

Also included is 2010’s 48-page Iron Man 2 Spotlight promo magazine.  With movie promo images and a plethora of Marvel artwork, the magazine consists of:

  • Full-page cover and then a table-of-contents;
  • Jess Harrold’s interview with artist Adi Granov (7 pages);
  • Four Granov covers (1 page) and his Extremis Armor sketch designs (2 page);
  • Chris Arrant interviews co-writers Marc Guggenheim and Brannon Braga about the Iron Man vs. Whiplash feud (3 pages);
  • Black Widow: # 1 With A Bullet” promo summarizing the character by Dugan Trodglen (4 pages);
  • Harold interviews writer Matt Fraction (10 pages);
  • John Rhett Thomas interviews writer/artist Bob Layton (8 pages);
  • Arant interviews writer Warren Ellis (5 pages); and
  • Trodglen reviews Marvel’s definitive Iron Man moments (5 pages).
  • The last page is filler.

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                          4½ Stars

Categories
Comic Books & Graphic Novels Fantasy, Horror, & Science Fiction Marvel Comics MARVEL's Hardcovers & Paperbacks STAR WARS-Related

STAR WARS – JOURNEY TO THE FORCE AWAKENS: SHATTERED EMPIRE (MARVEL Comics)

Issues # 1-4 Written by Greg Rucka.

Issues # 1-4 Art by Marco Checchetto; Angel Unzueta; Emilio Laiso; Andres Mossa; & VC’s Jose Caramagna.

Collection Cover Art by Phil Noto.

SUMMARY:

Released in 2015 by Marvel Comics, this 124-page trade paperback reprints the same-named 2015 four-issue mini-series. 

Set in the closing moments of Return of The Jedi, amidst the Death Star II shootout, Rebel pilot Lt. Shera Bey aids Luke Skywalker’s borrowed Imperial shuttle escape back to Endor.  On planet Endor, Shera’s husband, Sgt. Kes Cameron is among General Han Solo’s commandoes in their effort to disable the Death Star’s outer force field defense system.

Having briefly reunited on planet Endor, Shera and Kes continue their Rebellion commitment in thwarting the Empire’s still-potent remnants.  As Han Solo’s shuttle pilot, an undercover Shera helps his commando squad take down Endor’s last remaining Imperial outpost.  Deciphered Imperial messaging indicated that the Empire now intends to attack multiple planets simultaneously in vengeance.  While Han, Chewbacca, and Kes are involved in leading multiple counterstrikes, Shera becomes Leia’s pilot in her diplomatic return to planet Naboo.

As the Empire bombards Naboo with catastrophic weather-altering technology, it’s up to Leia, Shera, and an unexpected third pilot to mount a vastly outmatched counterattack against a Star Destroyer and its TIE Fighter squadron.  Their only chance is whether or not the Rebellion fleet can reach Naboo in time to save the planet from destruction.  A parallel between the Han/Leia romance and the Damerons’ young marriage is conveyed.   

Shera and Kes contemplate the quiet future they should commit to, along with her father and their young son, Poe.  Recruited by Luke Skywalker, Shera accompanies the Jedi Knight on his personal extraction mission to planet Vetine.  It appears that the Imperials are holding on to a Jedi relic that Luke desperately wants to recover without Rebel reinforcements.  A hint of Kes and Shera’s imminent future is revealed.       

Note: This title is also available digitally and in hardcover.

REVIEW:

It’s really a glorified hodgepodge. Aside from Marvel/Disney’s slick production values, the content of Shattered Empire is relatively good, but it isn’t a must-have.  Specifically, writer Greg Rucka, with a terrific art team, conjures up a sufficiently appealing premise for an episodic mini-sequel to Return of The Jedi. 

It’s a shame, though, that plot elements of Shattered Empire couldn’t have been extended out to six issues vs. the conventional four-issue industry standard.  That way, there could have been more time spent with the franchise’s original characters, as opposed to playing supporting roles for Shera Bey and Kes Dameron.  

If anything, the four-part Shattered Empire offers a good read for Star Wars fans for most age groups, in terms of setting up Poe Dameron’s future link to The Force Awakens.  Besides introducing Poe Dameron’s parents convincingly, Rucka’s conveyance of Han and Leia’s leadership during their own separate missions is well-constructed.  The final issue shifting to Luke Skywalker’s personal side trip (which conveniently includes Shara Bey), however, is more of an obvious plot tack-on than it should be.   

As for this title’s additional padding, Princess Leia # 1 and Marvel’s original Star Wars # 1 supply just enough to attain a respectable page count.  Serving best as a welcome library find, Star Wars: Shattered Empire, at least, offers a kid-friendly escape back into a galaxy far, far away. 

ADDITIONAL CONTENT:

The full-page cover precedes each issue.  The cover artists are: Phil Noto (Issue # 1) and Marco Checcheto (Issues # 2-4).  Splitting pages are variant cover reprints.  For Issue # 1, the variant cover artists are: 1. Francesco Francavilla; 2. Checchetto; and 3. Pasqual Ferry & Chris Sotomayor.  Issue # 2’s variant artist is Kris Anka.  Issue # 3’s variant artist is  Mike Deodato.  Sarah Pichelli & Paul Mounts are the variant artists for Issue # 4.          

The opener for the 2015 Princess Leia mini-series is then presented afterwards.  The issue’s creative team consists of writer Mark Waid; artists Terry and Rachel Dodson (who also supply the full-page cover); colorist Jordie Bellaire; & VC’s Joe Caramagna on letters.

Set immediately after Star Wars, Episode IV: A New Hope, Princess Leia recruits an embittered Rebel female pilot (and fellow survivor from Alderaan) for an unauthorized excursion to Naboo.  Defying General Dodonna’s orders to stay put (given there’s an Imperial bounty out on her), Leia gambles that her pilot can out-maneuver Luke Skywalker and Wedge Antilles, whose X-Wings are in an interception pursuit.

Between Mark Waid’s likable scripting and the Dodsons’ sufficient visuals (still, their cover image surpasses the average interior artwork), Princess Leia # 1 makes for a nice read.  Waid smartly plays up Leia’s often icy exterior for some insightful scenes with Luke (briefly), General Dodonna, and a newly introduced Rebel pilot, Evaan.  While this single-issue ‘teaser’ isn’t a must-read, Waid and the Dodsons make it easy enough to visual the familiar actors playing out the dialogue.   

From out of Marvel’s archives is the first issue of its original 1977 Star Wars comic book adaptation.  The creative team consists of writer Roy Thomas; artist Howard Chaykin; and letterer Jim Novak.  The uncredited cover art team is Chaykin and Tom Palmer. 

Though its artwork seems primitive today, this first issue’s plotting reasonably follows George Lucas’ script.  Including the film’s deleted Luke and Biggs sequence at Anchorhead on Tatooine, Thomas nimbly conveys the movie’s iconic dialogue in comic book form.  This Thomas/Chaykin collaboration, in that sense, makes for a decent blast from the past.   

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                 5½ Stars

Categories
Books & Novels Digital Books Fantasy, Horror, & Science Fiction STAR TREK-Related

STAR TREK: GENERATIONS (1994 Movie Novelization)

Written by J.M. Dillard Based Upon The Story & Script Co-Written by

Ronald D. Moore, Brannon Braga, & Rick Berman.

SUMMARY:

First released in 1994 by Simon and Schuster’s Pocket Books imprint, Star Trek: Generations’ novelization was penned by J.M. Dillard.  Depending upon its format, the page count for Dillard’s novel evidently varies from about 280 pages up to 304 pages.

Set approximately a year after the events of Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, the now-retired Captain James T. Kirk, Montgomery Scott, and Pavel Chekov are on hand for the U.S.S. Enterprise-B’s media-friendly launch ceremony.  A subsequent space emergency inflicts severe damage upon the new Enterprise during its rescue of survivors from three crippled El-Aurian refugee ships due to the destructive Nexus ribbon. 

Among the characters introduced are helmsman Ensign Demora Sulu (Hikaru Sulu’s daughter); the Enterprise-B’s rookie Captain: John Harriman; and a deranged El-Aurian scientist, Dr. Soran.  In a cameo appearance, The Next Generation’s Guinan is among the rescued refugees.  The legendary Captain Kirk, however, is among those casualties tragically lost in space amidst this makeshift rescue mission.

Seventy-eight years later, Captain Jean-Luc Picard anguishes over news of his estranged brother and beloved nephew having perished in a fire at the family’s French vineyard.  Picard’s grief is interrupted by Dr. Soran, who has suspiciously survived a Romulan onslaught upon the space station he was working from.  Having stolen an experimental and ultra-destructive power source known as ‘tri-lithium,’ Soran’s ruthless scheme becomes apparent.  He intends to detonate a star impacting far-off-planet Veridan III to expedite his reunion with the time-warping Nexus. 

Like others familiar with The Nexus, awaiting Soran inside is immortality and escapes to seemingly all of his heart’s greatest wishes.  With hundreds of millions of innocent lives at stake, the lone obstacle impeding Soran is Picard’s valiant crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise-D.  And quite possibly a long-lost Starfleet hero seeking to make a difference once more.         

Instead of further reiterating the film’s main plot and various subplots, included are some highlights that aren’t in the film.    

  1. Following Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, the novel begins in 2293 with the U.S.S. Enterprise-A crew’s farewell party.  Foreshadowing a hint of his ultimate fate, Captain Kirk rues a lingering back injury.  He also realizes that retirement will prove far lonelier than expected.  After Carol Marcus rejects his pseudo-marriage proposal, Kirk subsequently exchanges parting gifts and temporary goodbyes with Spock and Dr. Leonard McCoy. 
  • Over the next several months, Kirk relentlessly pushes himself through a series of physically strenuous hobbies to alleviate his boredom.  Among his reckless new pursuits is orbital skydiving, which the also-retired Montgomery Scott and Pavel Chekov witness in a mixture of worry and envy.  Note: The orbital skydiving sequence was filmed with William Shatner, James Doohan, and Walter Koenig, but it was deleted from the movie’s theatrical version. 
  • An emergency drill aboard the U.S.S. Excelsior ends after Chekov notifies Captain Sulu of their captain’s death.
  • Spock and Dr. McCoy poignantly reunite as the first guests to arrive at Kirk’s memorial service.
  • Kirk’s nearly eighty-year existence within The Nexus is expanded, including a marriage ceremony to Carol Marcus, with their late son, David, in attendance.
  • Indicating that Dillard composed the novel during the movie’s initial filming schedule, Kirk’s original death sequence is depicted.  Yet, its content was panned in test screenings and subsequently replaced in a hasty reshoot prior to the movie’s November 1994 release.    

Note: This title has been released in multiple formats, including hardcover, paperback, and audiobook. 

REVIEW:

Given the script’s contrived content (i.e. a laundry list of Paramount and/or Rick Berman’s cookie-cutter plot edicts), novelist J.M. Dillard merits some applause for salvaging what she can.  Case in point: it’s easy to visualize Leonard Nimoy and DeForest Kelley playing out her well-written chapel sequence.  The same applies to imagining the Kirk/Carol Marcus wedding scene, as this segment adds some welcome depth to Kirk’s Nexus experiences.  Depth, not to mention, plausibility … yes, that’s where this novelization, unfortunately, becomes a mixed bag.

Like several other Trek authors (in this instance, i.e. Peter David, Vonda N. McIntyre), Dillard is effective in freshly mining the franchise’s primary characters and conveying them as believably as one could.  Still, even Dillard’s solid literary talents can’t fix The Nexus’ preposterous nature into anything resembling dramatic Trek storytelling.  Given how The Nexus was abandoned by the franchise as a single one-and-done concept, Dillard is left too little substance that is legitimately compelling to work from.  This assessment of implausibility applies equally to The Nexus and Data’s eye-rolling emotion chip crisis.    

Hence, Dillard’s work predictably falls short of McIntyre’s underrated movie novelizations of Star Treks II and III exploring the unintended repercussions of The Genesis Device.  More so, unlike Peter David’s stellar Star Trek: The Next Generation – Imzadi, Dillard doesn’t have access to a far better Trek time-warping concept: the Guardian of Forever. 

As with much of the film’s cast, J.M. Dillard at least imbues Star Trek: Generations with more class than its hackneyed storyline frankly merits.  Still, for fans who enjoy Star Trek: Generations onscreen as is, Dillard’s novelization makes for a welcome treat.  Casual readers, otherwise, ought to find her novel as a slightly above-average adaptation. 

ADDITIONAL FEATURES:

None.

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                    6 Stars

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FATHER BROWN (1974): THE SECRET GARDEN (Season 1: Episode 13)

SUMMARY:                                 RUNNING TIME: 51:00 Min.

First airing on England’s ITV on December 19, 1974, “The Secret Garden” is the final episode of this first (and single-season) Father Brown TV series.  Faithfully adapting G.K. Chesterton’s same-named 1910 short story, Peter Jeffries directed this episode off Hugh Leonard’s screenplay.

In 1920’s Paris, wealthy French police chief Aristide Valentin (Mayne) voices his desire to seek humane commutation for a death row inmate he previously sent to prison.  Despite Valentin’s considerable political influence, he realizes that making an in-person plea is his last opportunity before the condemned’s execution that same night.     

Meanwhile, at Valentin’s posh fortress-like estate, his dinner party guests await him.  Among the guests are: married British aristocrats – the elderly Galloways (Luckham & Benham); their socialite daughter Margaret (Waugh); her soldier ex-fiancé, O’Brien (Dance); an amiable physician (Davies); American millionaire philanthropist Julius K. Brayne (Dyneley); and Brayne’s own associate, Father Brown (More). 

Father Brown ponders Valentin’s stringent security measures necessitating the front door as his manor home’s sole entrance – not to mention, a spiked high wall surrounding the estate’s backyard perimeter.  Brown is told that Valentin routinely receives death threats. 

Subsequent after-dinner conversation includes the topic of capital punishment.  O’Brien then departs for the garden to tempt Margaret into resuming their former romance, much to her father’s disgust.  An eccentric Brayne also leaves the room.  He is last seen playing with Valentin’s mounted sword collection in the hallway.

Wishing to thwart O’Brien, a drunken Lord Galloway stumbles upon a grisly discovery in the darkened garden: specifically, a well-dressed mystery corpse with a severed head.  The murder weapon is established as O’Brien’s missing Foreign Legion saber.  Valentin calmly seeks to shield his guests from his own police force’s imminent scrutiny.  Suspicion soon pivots towards another guest besides O’Brien. 

The priest’s sleuthing suggests, however, that all may not be what it seems.  For instance, how could the unknown intruder/victim have circumvented various defenses and gotten inside the estate?  By the next day, this macabre enigma worsens once a second decapitated head is discovered.  Father Brown realizes it’s up to him to thwart a culprit’s potentially perfect crime. 

                   Cast:

Father Brown: Kenneth More

Commandant Neil O’Brien: Charles Dance

Aristide Valentin: Ferdy Mayne

Lord and Lady Galloway: Cyril Luckham & Joan Benham

Lady Margaret Graham: Eileen Waugh

Julius K. Brayne: Peter Dyneley

Dr. Bernard Simon: Rowland Davies

Duchess of Mont St. Michel: Rosemarie Dunham

Ivan (servant): Athol Coats

Beaumont: Stefan Gryff

Unnamed Servant: Hugh Cecil. 

Notes: 1. As forewarning, though not exceedingly graphic, there are three or four close-up glimpses of ‘severed heads.’ 

2. Interestingly, Valentin’s literary counterpart appeared in the first Father Brown story, 1910’s “The Blue Cross” (aka “Valentin Follows A Curious Trail”).  Valentin was that mystery’s featured player rather than Brown.  Hence, “The Secret Garden” makes for an intriguing sequel. 

3. In terms of possible coincidence: reminiscent of “The Blue Cross,” Agatha Christie’s 1930 Murder at The Vicarage features St. Mary Mead’s vicar, Reverend Len Clement, over Ms. Jane Marple in her whodunnit debut.   

REVIEW:

Filmed on videotape, it’s readily obvious “The Secret Garden” relies upon well-dressed sets vs. any sense that the cast is inside a castle-like manor home.  Aside from this minor quibble, it’s an old-school Father Brown whodunnit well-played for its macabre source material. 

For fans of G.K. Chesterton’s Father Brown, seeing “The Secret Garden” faithfully visualized makes for solid viewing – no matter its logical contrivances.  Kenneth More’s Father Brown, in that regard, effectively spells out what some viewers likely will have already deduced.      

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:         7 Stars

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THE HARDY BOYS (1995): JAZZMAN (Season 1: Episode 2)

SUMMARY:                APPROX.  RUNNING TIME: 22:00 Min.

First airing on September 30, 1995, this episode of the Canadian syndicated TV series was directed by Jon Cassar off Dave Cole’s script. 

At a downtown church, journalist Frank (Gray) and computer ace Joe (Popowich) Hardy serve as the best man and wedding photographer for their friend: Tommy (Small), a local news vendor.  Yet, Tommy inexplicably no-shows the wedding and has seemingly dropped from sight. 

The Hardys promise his worried fiancée, Anita (Clarke), that they will find Tommy.  Following clues from Tommy’s newsstand, Frank & Joe’s investigation uncovers his long-suppressed former life as a jazz musician.  More so, after serving decades in prison, an elderly mobster (Tager) is now shadowing the Hardys.  He, too, wants to find Tommy, as they evidently have a personal old score to settle.     

                 Cast:

Frank Hardy: Colin K. Gray

Joe Hardy: Paul Popowich

Anita: Norma Clarke

Tommy (Carter): Ron Small

Jimmy: Aron Tager

Jordan: Karen LeBlanc

Pawnbroker: Ellen-Ray Hennessy

Bartender: Robbie Rox

Wedding Guests: Uncredited

Priest: Uncredited

Nightclub Patrons: Uncredited

Pedestrians: Uncredited

Flashbacks: Uncredited.

Notes: There are sporadic hints that the series was filmed in Canada (i.e. a close-up of a license plate).  Reminiscent of their 1970’s incarnations, the show was produced in tandem with a Nancy Drew TV series – likewise, it wasn’t long for this world.  Both single-season series only ran for thirteen episodes and were effectively canceled the same night: December 16, 1995. 

REVIEW:

Despite its limitations, this obviously low-budget episode makes for some passable viewing.  While competently directed, the episode’s flimsy plot is something of a letdown for stars Colin K. Gray and Paul Popowich.  They simply don’t get much of a mystery conveying that they are ‘The Hardy Boys,’ as opposed to some unremarkable, twenty-something amateur detective duo.  Among this cast, only guest star Karen LeBlanc makes a vivid impression in her minimal screen time.

Still, “Jazzman” delivers a watchable, all-ages caper to sample this mid-90’s revival of The Hardy Boys.     

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                        4 Stars

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NANCY DREW (1995): THE DEATH AND LIFE OF BILLY FERAL (Season 1: Episode 7)

SUMMARY:             APPROX. RUNNING TIME: 22:00 Min.

First airing on September 30, 1995, Bruce McDonald directed this episode of the Canadian syndicated TV series off series story editor Laura Phillips’ original script. 

In this incarnation of Nancy Drew, Nancy and her two friends: Bess and George live downtown in a large city at the supposedly haunted Callisto Hotel.  This episode doesn’t specify the girls’ careers or if they’re still college students – all one gets is that George is evidently an amateur filmmaker.     

Five years have lapsed since rock star Billy Feral’s (Bissonette) enigmatic demise.  A pilgrimage by Feral’s mourning fans descends upon The Callisto Hotel on the  anniversary of his death.  Per George’s (Tanner) video footage for a Feral documentary she is filming, Nancy Drew (Ryan) views suspicious visual evidence that Feral’s ghost is haunting The Callisto’s fan memorial.  More so, Nancy and her friends find that others residing at The Callisto are keeping secrets about the musician’s tragic life.

               Cast:

Nancy Drew: Tracy Ryan

George Fayne: Joy Tanner

Bess Marvin: Jhene Erwin

Billy Feral: Joel Bissonette

Amina: Kyrin Hall

Simon: Uncredited.

Pete: Matthew Smith

Seymour: Conrad Bergschneider

Clerk: Eric Kimmel

Video Store Customers: Uncredited

Other Callisto Residents: Uncredited

Feral’s Fans: Uncredited.

Notes: There are sporadic hints that the series was filmed in Canada.  Reminiscent of their 1970’s incarnations, this series was produced in conjunction with a Hardy Boys TV series – as it, too, wasn’t long for this world.  Both single-season series only ran for thirteen episodes and were effectively canceled the same night: December 16, 1995. 

REVIEW:

To its modest credit, this episode sports an okay series lead in Tracy Ryan (frankly, co-star Joy Tanner might have made better casting) and a potentially intriguing premise.  At only twenty-two minutes, the plot’s rudimentary execution, however, is really more akin to what one might expect from The Mystery Files of Shelby Woo.  One could also imagine that the script somewhat echoes elements of Eddie and The Cruisers.      

Considering this Nancy Drew’s obvious budget limitations, “The Death and Life of Billy Feral” doesn’t strive for more than it can achieve.  At most, it’s an easily forgettable ghost story tease meant for an all-ages audience.  For undemanding viewers, this contrived episode is worth catching once – if at all.       

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                      3½ Stars

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STAR TREK: THE RETURN

Written by William Shatner, Garfield Reeves-Stevens, & Judith Reeves- Stevens

SUMMARY:

Released in 1996 by Pocket Books, the 371-page Star Trek: The Return is the direct sequel to the first ‘Shatnerverse’ entry – 1995’s Star Trek: The Ashes of Eden.  Given occasionally retroactive contradictions with Trek’s established mainstream continuity (i.e. the fate of the U.S.S. Enterprise-A), the so-called ‘Shatnerverse’ evidently occupies its own self-contained alternate timeline.     

Set a few weeks after Star Trek: Generations (and as teased by The Ashes of Eden), Starfleet’s Veridan III salvage operation of the crashed U.S.S. Enterprise-D is unexpectedly besieged.  At the base camp, Commander William Riker and Counselor Deanna Troi barely survive the unknown enemy’s onslaught. Is this ruthless attack merely a diversion?  Meanwhile, elsewhere on Veridan III, a visiting Ambassador Spock directly witnesses the theft of Captain James T. Kirk’s remains from his mountaintop grave. 

As it’s soon revealed, the Romulans have joined The Borg in a sinister alliance to destroy Federation opposition.  Joining a covert Starfleet strike team, Captain Jean-Luc Picard and Dr. Beverly Crusher confirm this joint invasion has already commenced with the assimilation of the remote Starbase 804. 

Worse yet, through use of alien technology, Kirk has now been resurrected and then brainwashed.  His new mission is to kill The Borg’s greatest threat: Picard himself.  As a sleeper agent for the Romulan/Borg alliance, Kirk’s restored body is infested with bionic nanites that helped bring the Starfleet legend back to life.  Simultaneously, these same nanites are now slowly killing him.  Kirk, meanwhile, experiences enigmatically haunting dreams occupied by the ghost of Spock’s father, Sarek. 

Targeting Picard’s temporarily displaced crew (i.e. Worf, Geordi LaForge, & Data), a disguised Kirk intends to extract Picard’s whereabouts by any means necessary.  Though instinctively resistant to his brainwashing, the amnesiac former captain of the U.S.S. Enterprise finds himself on an intercept course with allies turning on one another.  With Riker and later Picard suspecting Ambassador Spock’s current Romulan ties, they wonder why The Borg didn’t assimilate Spock upon his brief capture.  Spock, in turn, questions Picard’s own previous Borg assimilation.  The rogue Kirk intends to take full advantage of such distrust – even as he is reunited with his two best friends. 

With Dr. Julian Bashir’s help, a team of U.S.S. Enterprise luminaries (Picard, Riker, Troi, Crusher, Data, Worf, LaForge, Spock, Admiral McCoy, and Kirk) join a desperate Starfleet strike mission.  Targeting The Borg’s home world, the Federation’s new makeshift Enterprise is caught in the crossfire by the same Romulans who had abducted Kirk.  With their new Enterprise’s weaponry rendered inoperative, Starfleet’s two greatest captains both realize an ultimate sacrifice must be made.  In order to thwart The Borg, will the simmering rivalry between Captains Kirk and Picard again end in tragedy? 

The initial Kirk resurrection storyline subsequently concludes with 1997’s Star Trek: Avenger.  The ‘Shatnerverse’ chronology would resume with two additional trilogies and, finally, a Starfleet Academy prequel in 2007.         

Notes: In addition to hardcover, this title’s alternate formats include paperback and audiobook; however, as of this writing, a digital format isn’t available. 

Purportedly, Shatner had pitched to Paramount Pictures after 1994’s Star Trek: Generations that the second Next Generation film explore Captain Kirk’s resurrection for the franchise’s upcoming 30th Anniversary.  As Paramount opted to instead produce Star Trek: First Contact, one wonders how closely The Return expands upon Shatner’s initial premise. 

REVIEW:

William Shatner (far more likely, his ghostwriters: Garfield Reeves-Stevens & Judith Reeves-Stevens) sharply concocts a slam-bang Trek adventure no doubt meant to be as cinematic as possible.  Including tidbits of well-informed fan service (i.e. V’Ger, Spock’s prior mind-melds, etc.), Star Trek: The Return devises a plot far more aggressively complex than the old school ambitions of Kirk & Picard’s ill-fated Generations team-up. Think of it this way: Star Trek: The Return aspires for a complicated storyline more akin to Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (and Star Trek: First Contact) than Generations.  

Whereas Generations clearly made Kirk its expendable guest star, The Return boldly flips that concept upside down.  Hence, it’s indisputable that Shatner’s take on Star Trek is that the franchise ought to still revolve around James T. Kirk.  Everyone else (from Spock, Picard, etc. on down), therefore, comprises his high-profile supporting cast.  As to a sixty-something Kirk’s inexplicable vigor, one might presume that his murky nanite-infused resurrection has transformed the Trek icon into something just short of ‘The Six Million Dollar Kirk.’       

In addition to lots of Kirk, this storyline supplies a welcome exploration of Spock and, to a lesser degree, the ever-cranky Admiral McCoy, as to their geriatric presence in the Late 24th Century.  As for Jean-Luc Picard, William Riker, and the primary Next Generation roster (plus guest star Dr. Julian Bashir), this novel at least lives up to their established characterizations. One can credit Garfield Reeves-Stevens & Judith Reeves-Stevens for ensuring that Picard’s team isn’t merely a hollow afterthought in a ‘Best of Both Worlds’ (pardon the expression) bridge between generations.  

The significant difference, however, is that the Next Generation characters have been obviously diminished in favor of emphasizing Kirk’s star power.  For instance, various scenes where Picard’s crew merely stands in the background observing Kirk (or Kirk & Picard) (or Kirk, Picard, & Spock) or make minimal contributions become abundant in the novel’s second half.  For that matter, the amount of deference aimed at Kirk is never left lost upon readers (who should already get the point).    

Spelling out further numerous contrivances building towards ‘Kirk vs. The Borg’ would likely present too many plot twist spoilers.  Suffice to say, the Shatner team’s efforts to re-imagine The Next Generation as far more action with dense plotting and far less technobabble can be construed as a worthwhile endeavor. Conversely, The Return’s mostly coherent plot risks being cluttered with non-essential characters and still squeeze in sufficient ‘screen time’ for everybody. This gamble, in terms of pure entertainment value, pays off, but anyone’s reasonable sense of Trek plausibility may be stretched at times too thin.

Ultimately, as long as one doesn’t mind Shatner’s ego assuming the captain’s chair (to the shock of no one), Star Trek: The Return still delivers an intriguing read for Trekkers from any generation.     

ADDITIONAL FEATURES:

None.

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                   7½ Stars

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HAUNTED HISTORY: HAUNTED CARIBBEAN (Season 2: Episode 10)

SUMMARY:                 RUNNING TIME: Approx. 47:00 Min.

As Haunted History’s final U.S. episode, “Haunted Caribbean” first aired on The History Channel on August 11, 2001.  Narrated by actor John Glover, this installment explores reputedly haunted locations in various Caribbean locales.  Included are uncredited reenactments of Caribbean regional history and reported sightings (i.e. interviewees Gerald and Loretta Hausman play themselves reenacting an unsettling incident where a ghost pirate ‘threatens’ a sleeping Gerald).    

Starting with Fort San Cristobal in San Juan, Puerto Rico, anthropologist Michael Gleeson and historian Milagros Flores discuss eerie legends associated with the locale.  Among them are reported encounters with an imprisoned Spanish captain, a ghostly Spanish soldier on guard duty, and the infamous Devil’s Sentry Box.  The empty Sentry Box purportedly has a history where numerous overnight guards vanished without a trace.     

For the Jamaica segment, married folklorists and authors Gerald Hausman and Loretta Hausman discuss ghostly sightings at “Blue Harbor” (aka the Noël Coward House) situated on Cabrita Island.  It’s acknowledged that fellow interviewee Gleeson owns Coward’s former estate. 

Next discussed are local legends associated with notorious 17th Century pirate Henry Morgan and those of alluring mermaids killing their male prey.  Another Jamaican locale explored is the reputedly haunted Edinburgh Castle.  Its initial owner, Dr. Lewis Hutchinson, is believed to have been a mass serial killer.  Similarly, the ghost of slave owner Annie Palmer, known as the sadistically evil ‘White Witch of Rose Hall,’ supposedly haunts her former plantation.  It’s acknowledged that both Hutchinson and Palmer subsequently met foul endings through evidently karmic justice in Jamaica.

Moving on to the St. Thomas beach in the U.S. Virgin Island, the initial topic is the presence of ghosts associated with 1853’s cholera plague victims.  Local resident Joseph LaPlace is interviewed, as is historian David Knight.  Also discussed are reputed (and unrelated) hauntings of two private homes at St. Thomas: one dating to the 19th Century and the other on Charlotte Amalie Harbor.  In this segment, local residents Kenneth L. Brick and Kate McDonnell are interviewed, as is author Joan Medicott.  The 19th Century legend of local voodoo enthusiasts attempting to turn a deceased elderly recluse into a zombie is also told.  

Lastly, at St. Croix, the “One North” estate once owned by a Mary Pomeroy is examined.  Including reenactments, the late Pomeroy (portrayed by an uncredited actress) resorted to a Catholic Church-sanctioned exorcism to cleanse her home.  According to a subsequent owner, George Tyler, the recruited priest’s efforts evidently succeeded.

Glover concludes by noting that haunting mysteries abound in the Caribbean, in spite of the region’s popularity with tourists.        

Notes: Including one standalone special (with actor Michael Dorn as the narrator), Glover’s U.S. version produced 26 episodes over two seasons between 1998 and 2001.  Haunted History’s 1998 British version lasted one season consisting of six episodes, which explored more historically-based stories in the United Kingdom, the U.S., and Tasmania.

REVIEW:

Clearly made on the cheap, the episode’s intriguing historical context and vivid tourist advertisement (stock) footage help make this show watchable.  Still, given this show’s low-rent production values (i.e. being filmed on videotape and the dubious reenactments), it’s a stretch taking “Haunted Caribbean” seriously. 

A lack of verifiable historical documentation of these hauntings is a glaring red flag, in spite of some seemingly credible interviewees.  The same applies to an over-generalization of local folklore/superstitions and stereotyping local residents (i.e. the region’s African and Spanish descendants) as being wary, if not fearful, of the supernatural.  One wonders if the lack of native input (at least, on-screen) is coincidental, in terms of the controversial claims Haunted History seeks to push.    

Regarding John Glover’s off-screen presence, it’s a mixed bag.  Hiring him as the series narrator, theoretically, makes good sense.  Viewers could presume that his narrative style meant to convey the same unsettling, almost creepy vibe Paul Winfield’s voice added to City Confidential’s lurid, real-life whodunnits – or perhaps mimic Robert Stack on Unsolved Mysteries.   However, when considering the contentious paranormal subject matter and his obviously scripted comments, let’s just say Glover’s contribution falls short of convincing armchair skeptics.

While “Haunted Caribbean” is instantly forgettable, its tidbits of often sinister historical fact dating back long before Christopher Columbus may still whet one’s curiosity.           

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                           4 Stars

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