A Green Man Review

Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.

W.B. Yeats’ “Slouching Towards Bethlehem”

So what’s that libation with the lovely aroma that I’m drinking with my breakfast of a just baked cinnamon bun? That’s Glögg (pronounced glug), the Swedish version of mulled wine. Yeah mulled wine for breakfast. (I am not an alcoholic. Really I’m not.  But then I’d say that, wouldn’t I?)  Glögg is made of fortified wine and spiced with citrus, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom and ginger. It’s been simmering all morning long up in the Estate Kitchen, which is a level up and some hundred feet from here.

Breakfast was waiting for me as I came up the stairs to the Kitchen. Canadian bacon sizzling in its pan, cheddar buttermilk biscuits warm in their basket, eggs ready to be cooked however I want them and coffee standing ready to poured. Mind you it was noon when I sort of graced the Kitchen staff with my presence but it’d been a long night as we’re hosting a curling tournament and they do love to drink so I assisted Finch, my associate Pub manager, and we all worked late into the night.

Walter Jon Williams’ Deep State gets a review by Cat as he notes Dagmar Shaw is once again in trouble in this series: ‘So now she finds herself trying to keep Great Big Idea, the ARG running company, afloat. Not an uneasy task given she’s an über geek, not an über money person. All of which explains how she ends up in yet another unstable country, Turkey this time, running an ARG just as those Generals decide to throw out those democratically elected leaders, a situation that has played itself out before in that both young and very old state.’

Last Night’s Fun: In and Out of Time with Irish Music pleased Chuck who tells us what’s about: ‘Ciaran Carson is an Irish poet and musician, who has, in Last Night’s Fun, put together a series of writings, each inspired by a traditional tune. In most cases, these are short essays. For others, he has written poetry or put together sets of quotations. Occasionally the subjects in consecutive chapters are directly related, but that is most likely happenstance.’

Looking for a guide to essential jazz or Latin music? David reviewed the Rough Guides books on those topics in their 100 Essential CDs series: ‘Books like this can be read front to back or they can be dipped into – flip here, scan there. They can be used as shopping lists (and they are small enough to fit into your pocket) when you browse the CD racks. They can be used to spark discussion and debate. Start your own list. You may not be the expert these authors are, but you know what you like.’

Gary says the Istanbul of Ian McDonald’s near-future novel The Dervish House is rather like what our own world could be very soon: ‘…hotter, more crowded, with an even starker divide between rich and poor, and teeming with technology. … It’s also brimming with Anatolian spirits that sometimes seem indistinguishable from the effects of nano-technology.’

Gary reviews a new science fiction release, Gareth L. Powell’s Stars and Bones. ‘British SF author Powell has begun a new series called Continuance with the action-packed <i>Stars and Bones</i>. It’s packed not just with action but with some intriguing ideas. Powell has created a universe, an FTL travel concept, and a timeline for Earth and its people that are unique among space operas, which is no mean feat.’

Jack does a thorough omnibus review of some printed guides to folk and world music, and tosses in some words about a humongous opera reference book. Regarding the folk and world guides, he says: ‘I recommend you take your spare halfpennies and buy both of the musicHound guides. Skip the two volumes of The Rough Guide to World Music unless you’re seriously into studying world music from a genre or regional basis. But do buy these volumes if you are seriously interested in knowing everything there is about traditional and sometimes not so traditional world music, as these are the best general overviews of the subject on the market today.’

Judith recommends Gail Holst-Warhaft’s Road To Rembetika to anyone wanting to learn about the history of this Greek folk music. The most striking property of Road To Rembetika is not that Holst gives a respectable history of rembetika, but that she does so with the passion and quirky writing style of an Australian woman enraptured with the Mediterranean, suspended between two worlds. Dr. Holst is an adjunct professor in Classics at Cornell, and, though her prose is adequately scholarly, you could imagine her writing travel articles about cafės in southern France.

Kim says a book called World Music: The Basics by Richard O. Nidel is pretty good, as far as it goes: ‘It would make a great gift for a young person with a love of music but no idea where to begin learning about it. It might also stimulate their interest in history and politics, which are so inextricably linked with so much of the music covered in this volume. Older readers accustomed to more sophisticated prose and even a smattering of world history or strong opinions on some of the regions covered here will be frustrated, but it is unlikely the book was written for them anyway! The Basics is just that, and succeeds partly because its ambitions are modest.’

Paul says ‘Greta Kelly’s The Seventh Queen completes her duology, with an often traditional fantasy narrative, once again putting its titular heroine into a Deadly Decadent Court, but with her life on the line, as well as her Kingdom.’

Reynard has a look at Harry Long’s The Waltons Guide to Irish Music: ‘The subtitle of this book is “A Comprehensive A-Z Guide to Irish and Celtic Music in All Its Forms” and for once this is an accurate statement. It is indeed an indispensable guide to Irish music in all its varied facets.’

Robert notes that the Ottoman Empire included a dizzying array of peoples and traditions, which necessarily led to a less-than-monolithic culture, as outlined in Suraiya Faroqhi’s Subjects of the Sultan: ‘In many ways it is a dizzying survey: Faroqhi’s coverage is extensive, the very richness of the subject is somewhat daunting, and the fascinating sidebars she explores almost lead to severe input overload — but I didn’t care. (She even devotes a section to cooking and dinner parties, and how many “cultural histories” do that?)’

A more historic and political perspective is found in a pair of books, Suraiya Faroqhi’s The Ottoman Empire and the World Around It and Handan Nezir Akmeşe’s The Birth of Modern Turkey: The Ottoman Military and the March to World War I. Says Robert: ‘The Ottoman Empire and its successor, modern Turkey, have time and again played an important role in European politics, and yet there are vanishingly few sources in English to bring us the viewpoint of the Turks themselves, or, indeed, to focus on the Anatolian peninsula as other than an adjunct to the doings of European states. Addressing that lack is one of the aims of two recent histories.’

April has some chocolate cups for us: ‘Founded by Paul Newman’s daughter Nell in 1993, and once a division of Newman’s Own, Newman’s Own Organics has been a separate company since 2001. Its focus is, unsurprisingly, on certified organic foods. The company provides a limited range of organic snacks, beverages, olive oil, vinegar and pet foods. Up for review are three of the five varieties of chocolate cup candy available: dark chocolate with peanut butter, milk chocolate with peanut butter and dark chocolate with peppermint.’

Carletti’s Jakobsen Coffee Time chocolate collection pleased Denise: ‘ Danish chocolates? Don’t mind if I do! Especially when the package itself gives me a great excuse to indulge. Coffee time? Yes please! And while these chocolates would go great with coffee, I had mine with a stout, and then a mug of green tea. I was pleased.’  Read her detailed reviews for all the sweet notes.

A trio of Trader Joe’s chocolates, to wit Super Dark Chocolate, Super Dark Chocolate with Almonds and Dark Chocolate Truffle are, says Robert, socially conscious: ‘ In the case of Trader Joe’s Organic Chocolates, this also includes certification by both the USDA and Quality Assurance International, and since organic chocolate is the product of a fairly limited group of producers, its almost guaranteed that the growers are getting fair, and probably premium prices. So, how does all that social consciousness taste?’ Read his review here.

A rummage through the archives turned up a trove of writings about Bill Willingham’s splendid Fables graphic novel series:

We begin with April’s thorough look at Fables Volumes 3, 4, and 5, Storybook Love, March of the Wooden Soldiers, and The Mean Seasons: ‘Willingham continues to produce witty, sharp dialog and compelling characters as he guides the story ever closer to an inevitable clash with The Adversary. It’s very handy that as the cast of characters grows, each volume includes pages at the beginning with pictures and brief bios of the key players. And while the art varies from story to story, in both style and quality, it remains consistently serviceable for the story. I can offer no higher praise than to say that the instant I finished The Mean Seasons, I went online looking for Volume 6: Homelands, to devour, which was not available for another six months or so (much to my dismay).’

April reviews two more volumes of  Fables, Volume 6: Homelands, and Volume 7: Arabian Nights (and Days). ‘Though not as compelling as earlier volumes, Arabian Nights still has significant details that further the overall story and reveal teasing hints about various characters.’

Next she reviews a slightly different volume of the Fables series, Sons of Empire: ‘In this ninth installment in the ongoing Fables series, Bill Willingham is back in top form, delivering solid character development and intriguing plot in spades. A mix of multi-part and one-shot stories, Sons of Empire introduces new characters and provides insight into the lives of others while driving the over-arching story forward.’

April makes a startling claim for another of Willingham’s Fables volumes: ‘When a series is as consistently excellent as Fables, it can be extremely difficult to decide which is the finest issue or volume. However, The Good Prince, the tenth volume, certainly makes a strong case for itself as the best of the best.’

Regarding Willingham’s twelfth volume of Fables, The Dark Ages, April says: ‘Willingham proves in this arc that there’s not only life still in his marvelous creation, but a whole new realm of possibilities. The writing and art remain top-notch and the story as riveting. It remains to be seen what will become of the new, if not necessarily improved, Fabletown; the overcrowded Farm; the splintering Empire and everyone involved. No doubt the ride will be bumpy for all involved, but worth every bruise!’

Finally, April was disappointed with a volume that combined threads from three series within the larger Fables universe: ‘The Great Fables Crossover takes place entirely within the Fables universe, pulling together characters and plot threads from the Fables, Jack of Fables and The Literals series. … The Great Fables Crossover is mildly entertaining, a diversion from the larger Fables’ story, but best enjoyed by enthusiasts who have read the related series.’

Richard reviewed a couple of volumes in Willingham’s Fables offshoot series Jack of Fables: The (Nearly) Great Escape, and Jack of Hearts. ‘Jack is cocky, brash, self-centered to the point of obnoxiousness, and just good enough to pull it off. Depending on how that sort of protagonist rubs you, that means any book detailing his adventures is either a) a hoot and a holler or b) an exercise in grinding away your irreplaceable tooth enamel as the smartass – who no doubt bears an uncanny resemblance to someone you really, really hated in elementary school – gets away with murder because he’s so damn charming.’

Big Earl reviewed three discs of Mongolian music from the Swiss label Face Music: ‘This is sort of a full circle review for yours truly. My first review (my “audition,” if you will) for Green Man was Tsagaan Sar’s White Moon, a disc of music from Mongolia. And now I have some more glorious Mongolian discs to share with you, courtesy of the fine folks at Face Music. I recommend you hunt these discs out, even if your listening tastes aren’t especially esoteric, as you will find some of the most incredible music produced on this planet.’

Big Earl was less enthusiastic about four CDs of music from former Soviet lands. ‘These four discs are marred by an almost too clinical style. While these are musical styles that are often celebratory and jovial, the performances are almost uniformly stiff, stoic and a bit severe. Whatever reverence these artists have for the music they are performing is overshadowed by the overly formal workouts these songs get.’

Cat really liked a very oddly titled CD by an oddly titled group, Swill’s Doh, Ray, Me-Me-Me-Me-Me: ‘I eagerly look forward to seeing what certain artists will do next. Swill, one of the founders of The Men They Couldn’t Hang, is one of those artists. Nothing Swill has done has ever been less than superb, and Doh, Ray, Me-Me-Me-Me-Me is certainly no exception! My only complaint is that it is a mere seven cuts long, as it’s the EP of an album still to be released! Damn!’

Charles rhapsodized over the massive box set from Topic Records, Three Score & Ten: A Voice to the People: 70 Years of the Oldest Independent Record Label in Great Britain. ‘I can’t think of a better introduction to the music of the British Isles than this collection. The only down side I see is that, if you don’t already have the original albums from which these sample tracks were culled, you’re going to want to go out and track down many of the full albums. And that will hurt your wallet. But your ears and your heart, they will thank you for it.’

David compares and contrasts three blues CDs: Michael Jerome Browne’s Michael Jerome Browne, Ruthie Foster’s Runaway Soul, and various artists’ Shout, Sister, Shout!: A Tribute to Sister Rosetta Tharpe. ‘Three CDs, each coming from that part of our musical geography known as the blues. The fan, the next generation, the descendents, the originator. Only three chords … but stir in a heaping helping of soul and you’ve really got something. Take your pick: there’s something worthwhile on each of these CDs.’

Gary was ‘smitten’ with an album entitled Hárr by Benedicte Maurseth. ‘It’s doubly true that Benedicte Maurseth is a Hardanger fiddler. She plays the hardanger fiddle, and she is from the western Norwegian district of Hardanger. Her latest album Hárr is an homage to the wildlife and mountain people of her home region, where she has spent a lot of time hiking in the subarctic landscape of Maurset in Eidfjord, near Hardangervidda National Park.’

Gary reviews Song Dust, a jazz trio album by Norwegian trumpeter Karl Strømme. ‘An easy comparison to Strømme is Chet Baker, in both his often airy tonal quality and his phrasing and material. He emphasizes that here with the opening track, the standard “Nature Boy,” which he presents quite naturally and freely, with only minor embellishments from bass and guitar behind his trumpet lines. But elsewhere he follows his own path, particularly in his penchant for playing trumpet and synth lines simultaneously.’

Gary has many nice things to say about an album called Good Time Music from Steven Bernstein’s Millennial Territory Orchestra, a New York jazz ensemble: ‘This album, the second installment in the four album set called Community Music from Bernstein’s Millennial Territory Orchestra, has its roots all over America. From Levon Helms’ Midnight Rambles in Woodstock, N.Y., to the streets and clubs of New Orleans, to the R&B, blues and jazz of Ray Charles, and of course the Big Apple jazz community, it’s all there in the pot.’

Gary reviewed several discs that collect traditional music of Central Asia plus one from Armenia. ‘Many parts of Asia have only recently been opened to the West. Many of these lands have for much of the past several centuries been under the sway of huge empires – the Ottomans, Tsarist Russia, the Mongols, ancient and modern China, the Soviet Union. Since the fall of the Soviet Union and the beginnings of the opening of China, we’re seeing and hearing new sights and sounds from these lands. This collection of CDs dips a proverbial toe into those waters.’

Patrick revels in the funk of Dr. John’s Creole Moon. ‘His bourbon growl gives his music a distinct flavor that says, instantly, “Dr. John.” And no bad aftertaste, either. It’s smooth like sandpaper, soft like steel wool. And piano? He’s one of the few who plays a piano the way it should be played: with a vengeance. No tickling the ivories here.’

Richard reviewed The Rough Guide to Chicago Blues, which took him back to his earlier days as a young music fan. ‘Suddenly there we were, white kids growing up in post-World War Two England, steeped in the music of Chicago’s Southside, pestering record stores for obscure recordings by Black musicians destined initially for the North American “race” market; i.e., the relatively prosperous (anyway, prosperous enough to buy records) urban African Americans whose music this was, and many of whom lived in Chicago.’

This week’s What Not comes from Jennifer, who has adored ZBS Media‘s crazy, musical, funny, melodramatic radio plays for decades. All their stuff is full of rich zen conundrums illustrated with fart-o-matic subtlety, and also with kindness and charm and silliness. ZBS revels in the best traditions of old-timey radio plays, in those days before tee-vee. Give ’em a listen!

In August twenty four years ago, Joni Mitchell did something unusual — she covered “‘Slouching Towards Bethlehem’ word for word. No idea why, but it is quite brilliant. It was recorded at Max Yasgur’s Farm in Bethel, New York. Yes, the place where Woodstock had taken place.

People need belief systems, Barnaby. Druidism is as good as any.― Caradoc Singer to Dectective Chief Inspector Tom Barnaby in the Midsomer Murder’s “The Sleeper Under The Hill” episode

I could smell  lamb being braised with garlic, cumin, ginger and butter as I approached our Kitchen. These are quite welcome smells, especially on this raw, snowy afternoon where the temperature is hard pressed to reach minus five degrees (twenty three degrees for you yanks). Of course, right now I’m enjoying winter tomato soup with bulgur, chopped bacon rich with garlic and chilis. And hot buttered rolls too.

The weather here this week on this Scottish estate definitely means that other than the grounds staff that has to go outside, everyone else is staying inside their residences, either in the main estate building or in the old crafter cottages. It is not really cold there’s a constant snow falling and a damn blustery wind to boot, a bad combination indeed. So every surface is treacherous and really not safe to walk on.

I am really not much for video of any kind but I’ve been enjoying the video version of Midsomer Murders, now well twenty years in length. Check our video reviews for a look at this series. I did try reading the source novel by Caroline Graham in the form of the first novel, The Killings at Badger Drift, but it lacked the charm and wit of the video series.

Faith gives us a taste of what a good culinary history can be: ‘Heaven forbid I should ever judge a book by its title, but this one certainly can be. In Dangerous Tastes: The Story of Spices, Andrew Dalby does exactly what the title says he is going to do. He traces the origins of dozens of spices. Some are used daily all over the world, or in large portions of it. Some are common only in a limited area. A few that were used in the past cannot now be identified. At least one, silphium, is now extinct.’

Back when the Roma were still commonly referred to as Gypsies, Gary reviewed a rollicking book about Gypsy music and musicians, Princes Amongst Men. ‘Journalist Garth Cartwright goes to the heartland of Gypsy music, the Balkans, to meet the legends and present some of the truth behind those legends. Spending apparently much of 2004 travelling through Serbia, Macedonia, Romania, Bulgaria, he looked for the heart of Gypsy music in all its messy glory. It’s a long, strange trip to say the least.’

Matthew liked the story well enough in K.J. Parker’s epistolary novella Purple & Black, but found its mechanics unsatisfying. ‘Were this a novel of much greater length, the epistolary format would have worked wonderfully at gradually revealing plot as well as character. As it stands, though, too much characterization is lost because the letters are focused more on the mechanics of the story unfolding … There was too much plot here for a novella (but, oddly enough, not enough for a novel).’

Rebecca liked a retelling of the Arthurian legend that has lots of different twists in it: ‘Fantasy writers have never forgiven the Christian god for supplanting all the pagan gods that came before him. To hear them tell it, the pagan gods weren’t too pleased about it, either. In J. Robert King’s first non-gaming novel Mad Merlin they actually see a way to prevent the Tetragrammaton, as they call Jehovah, from taking over. Young King Arthur proposes to build a city where all gods can live together as peacefully and tolerantly as the human population. The gods can help him build his Camelot, says Merlin … But Merlin is mad.

Next we have a quartet of reviews of Judith Tarr books including two trilogies, for a total of … well, who’s counting?

Elizabeth was not at all pleased with a trio of novels by Judith Tarr, set during the Crusades. ‘While Judith Tarr’s novels Devil’s Bargain, House of War, and Pride of Kings are supposedly historical fantasies dealing with the Crusades, one of the most bloody, savage, and violent episodes of our history, the books are disappointingly tame, boring, naïve, and biased … What these three books share in common is that all three are shamelessly, ridiculously romantic. More often than not, it’s love at first sight, and usually with someone who is twice or half their age.’

Faith looks at a trio of early works by Tarr – The Isle of Glass (1985), The Golden Horn (1985), The Hounds of God– collected in an omnibus edition titled The Hound and the Falcon. ‘Do the fey have souls? Are they creatures of God or of the Devil? Can a member of the fey be a devout Christian, and even a Roman Catholic priest? These are the weighty questions Judith Tarr examines in this trilogy.’

Rebecca had a minor quibble with Tarr’s Kingdom of the Grail, but she mostly enjoyed it. ‘This is an enjoyable book, and well-written, filled with romance and warfare. Roland is a bit too sweet for my taste, too modest and too shy with women. Tarr has a tendency to present her male protagonists as the equivalent of virginal young girls when it comes to sex, which is hard to square with the fact that they are handsome, experienced men. But this is a small complaint. Roland is a wonderful hero, brave, but with moments of cowardice; arrogant without even realizing it; steadfast, though sometimes unforgiving.’

Rebecca was more forgiving of Tarr’s White Mare’s Daughter, set in the late stone age Eurasian Steppes. ‘Misogynists, beware, this book is not for you! It is a celebration of big-breasted, powerful women, wild, proud horses, and what happens when men try to break them. It is a vibrant and fascinating portrayal of the conflict that arises when a male-dominated nomadic culture meets a settled, city-dwelling matriarchy.’

Warner has four reviews for us. The first is Ray Bradbury’s Bradbury Novels and Story Cycles , which Warner says “is easy to recommend to a wide variety of readers. Bradbury was an expert at the short story, and many of the works in this volume include some of his most famed tales. There is slice of life, crime, magic, sci-fi, and even the more varied content. Anyone with an interest in the work of Ray Bradbury should check out this volume, as they will not find a better treatment of the contents within.”

A beloved television deceptive gets his due in this book: ‘Christyne Berzsenyi’s Columbo: A Rhetoric of Inquiry With Resistant Responders looks at the classic series in a detailed analytical light. Books about Columbo are nothing new, but the depth of this book serves well to prove that the series can handle academic scrutiny. Columbo is a much beloved and long running property, which has in recent years regained something of a foothold in American popular culture thanks to the internet. As a result more than a few blogs are cited in the book, and conversely the volume has a larger audience than it might were the series still more obscure.’

Next is Lee  Child and Otto Penzler’s The Mysterious Bookshop Presents The Best Mystery Stories of the Year 2021 which he say ‘is, as the name implies, a collection of excellent mystery stories published in the year 2020. With pieces from authors as well known as Stephen King and Sue Grafton, it is sure to attract attention.’

Ready from some horror? ‘Cassandra Khaw’s Nothing But Blackened Teeth is a short horror novella dealing with the classic setup where a group of friends go to a haunted house. It is an old storytelling tool, but one that has proven effective time and time again. Still, it is often the oldest and most well known bits of horror storytelling that find new life most easily. While not an old hand at this genre, the author’s past work should make this idea most interesting.’

A bit of fantasy gets reviewed by him here: ‘James Rollins’ The Starless Crown is the first volume in a new series by the well known author. Like many epic fantasies, it focuses on a group of adventurers making a quest to deal with an imminent problem. The ways the reader beats these characters, however, show the talents Rollins possesses.’

Donna returns from the front with word of the U.K. TV series Foyle’s War. ‘At its core, Foyle’s War is a mystery series. Each episode finds the members of its relatively small ensemble cast unraveling a case that typically involves at least one suspicious death not related to the war itself. Veteran actor Michael Kitchen is the star of the series, playing Detective Chief Superintendant Christopher Foyle, an acerbic but kind-hearted veteran of World War I.’

Donna also enjoyed sets 11 and 12 of the video releases from the long-running U.K. series Midsomer Murders. ‘To be entirely honest, it’s a bit of a misnomer to call Midsomer a series. With the exception of a very few main characters, there is virtually no continuity between the episodes. In fact, you can watch them out of order with very little sense of disorientation. However, the episodes do share some thematic similarities. For the most part, they all take place in the fictitious Midsomer region of England, an area comprised of charming little villages populated by eccentric individuals, some of whom are sexually perverted, murderous, greedy or otherwise not very nice.’

Kimberlee had a lot to say about the karmic implications and other philosophical matters in the now classic film Groundhog Day starring Bill Murray as a jerk of a TV meteorologist and the lessons he learns from having to live one particular day over and over again. ‘It’s funny, but the laughs come from a serious place. The fact that one man is able to re-stabilize his karma in the reliving of one day gives us all a measure of hope. If sarcastic weatherman Phil Connors can pull it off – and make us care about him in spite of his initial flaws – we can do it too.’

Amusing and poignant is how David found Drew Friedman’s Old Jewish Comedians. ‘Friedman doesn’t hesitate to present his subjects in portraits that show all their warts. And working with this motley bunch, there are warts galore. The portraits, save for the front and back covers (Milton Berle and Moe Howard) are all in glorious black and white. But rich black and white (with little touches of sepia for texture). The reproductions are glorious.’

Deborah raved a little bit about Ari Berk’s The Secret History of Giants, which she found charming and delightful: ‘This is a book that I want to share with children; it’s certainly staying on my shelf until I have children of my own to appreciate it as I do. Such a cleverly designed and captivating volume of fantasy demands nothing less than the inquiring and imaginative minds of children ready to discover tales of hidden folk – and then to imagine their own encounters with those folk with such enthralling new fodder.’

Big Earl wrote a typically thoughtful review of a CD of traditional and popular Mongolian music, Tsagaan Sar’s White Moon. ‘Not really a band per se, Tsagaan Sar is more a collection of independent Mongolian musicians, nominally named “Melodies of the Steppes,” keeping alive ancient musical traditions. Recorded in the Netherlands, this collection brings together ancient songs about love, faith – and horses, the raising and selling of which are the basis of the Mongolian economy.’

Gary reviews a new release from an Arkansas based band, Sad Daddy’s Way Up in the Hills. ‘The music they make is broadly acoustic country music, loosely falling into the now so broad as to be nearly meaningless category of Americana. But all four members are top-notch songwriters, lead and harmony singers, and players of multiple instruments. And all are deeply grounded in the various roots and branches of acoustic Americana: early country, blues, ragtime and jazz like Jimmie Rodgers, Carter Family, and Leadbelly, revivalist crooners like Leon Redbone, freak folkies like the Rounders and Michael Hurley, and old time and bluegrass.

Gary also gives the nod to Maya De Vitry’s Violet Light, the third solo album by this Tennessee singer-songwriter. ‘On this album it seems she’s really finding her voice – opening her heart in these 11 songs about busking with friends, losing dear canine companions, surviving close brushes with death, and being inspired by a favorite female author. Recorded with an expansive crew of guest musicians and produced in a basement home studio during the pandemic, these songs also broach some difficult topics like police violence, the deaths of close family members, and the oppression inherent in global capitalism.’

Kevin learned a lot from a release from Faroese composer Kristian Blak that blends modern classical and jazz idioms, Yggdrasil’s Two Suites by Kristian Blak: The Four Towers and Heygar og Dreygar. ‘His music is a stylistic cornucopia of contrasting sounds and styles, and I was genuinely surprised at how avant-garde his sensibilities were (though, in retrospect, this makes sense, considering the climate of classical music in the latter half of the 20th century). There are many purely jazz cues, of course, and these tend to lie within a more traditional scope of harmony and rhythm. But the overwhelming impression I got was one of an audaciously experimental musician who is not afraid to test new waters in order to further his artistic expression. This CD was thus a refreshing listen for me, although it will no doubt be challenging (even daunting) for many.’

Peter does a ‘compare and contrast’ review of CDs from a couple of folk singers, Jimmy Hutchinson’s Corachree and Gary Greene’s The Grand Imagineer. ‘Neither of these singers are particularly famous, both are different, but similar in their own way. All of it makes up the rich pattern of folk music.’

Cat has a truly adorable creature for us: ‘I am here today to speak of Rodents of an Unusual Size. No, not the ones that the hero battles in the Swamp in William Goldman’s The Princess Bride, but rather the far more adorable ones that came in recently to Green Man, the Folkmanis’s Mouse with Vest.’

So let’s finish off with some choice music from Nightnoise, to wit ‘Toys, Not Ties’ which was performed at Teatro Calderón de la Barca, which is a theater in Valladolid, Spain, on the 23rd of April twenty-six years ago. For more on this superb sort of Celtic band, go read our career retrospective here. Nightnoise had its origins in members of the Bothy Band and Skara Brae, august bands indeed, and also included fiddler Johnny Cunningham for a while.

Luxury always comes at someone else’s expense. One of the many advantages of civilization is that one doesn’t generally have to see that, if one doesn’t wish. You’re free to enjoy its benefits without troubling your conscience.  ― Ann Leckie’s Ancillary Justice

That’s ‘Number 37’ which is  James Keelaghan’s homage to a female horse racer playing here in the Green Man Pub this lovely day. It’s off one of the myriad samplers that we get, Festive to Go: An All Canadian Sampler that came in quite some years ago. I’m looking for a live recording of it so I can share it but no luck so far.

I remember seeing him play this quite some years back at a concert somewhere in Canada where I was managing the door as a favour to a friend. He pulled a flask out of his jeans that held some of the finest Irish whisky that I’d ever had. Don’t recall who distilled it but fuck it was good! If you’re in the mood for some Irish this afternoon, I’ll recommend the Powers John’s Lane which we carry here along with several others. It’s pricy but worth it.

Kelly has a tasty piece of pulpy SF for us: ‘Poul Anderson, who died in 2001, was one of the grand old voices of science fiction right up until his death, winning the Hugo Award seven times, the Nebula Award three times, and being named in 1997 as a Grand Master of the Science Fiction Writers of America. His was a long and prolific career. In the middle of that career, he created a character named Dominic Flandry, whose adventures had eluded me as a reader until my review copy of Ensign Flandry arrived on my desk. Now I’m wondering why.’

Richard states: ‘Sometimes, the intentions are better than the end result. Such is the case with Multiverse: Exploring Poul Anderson’s Worlds, a tribute to the late Grand Master edited by Gardner Dozois and Anderson’s son-in-law Greg Bear. This is not to say that Anderson isn’t worthy of the honor. On the contrary, even a cursory look at his body of work suggests how highly he should be regarded.’

Robert says that  ‘Summon the Keeper is quite possibly the first of Tanya Huff’s books that I read – she’s another one of those writers who has a long history in my library. This one is a contemporary urban fantasy that is hilariously funny, original, and captivating.’

He also  has a review of Patricia McKillip’s Winter Rose: ‘The story is told in McKillip’s characteristically elliptical style, kicked up an order of magnitude. Sometimes, in fact, it is almost too poetic, the narrative turning crystalline then shattering under the weight of visions, images, things left unsaid as Rois and Corbet are drawn into another world, or come and go, perhaps, at will or maybe at the behest of a mysterious woman of immense power who seems to have no fixed identity but who is, at the same time, all that is coldest and most pitiless of winter.’

He also looks at Solstice Wood, a sequel of sorts to Winter Rose though you do not read that novel first: ‘McKillip has always been a writer whose books can themselves be called “magical,” and it’s even more interesting to realize that she seldom uses magic as a thing of incantations and dire workings, or as anything special in itself. It just is, a context rather than an event, and perhaps that’s the way it should be.’

Warner starts off with Charlotte Carter’s Rhode Island Red which he says ‘is a nice little mystery centering on the author’s recurring detective Nanette Hayes. Charlotte Carter has a number of quality novels under her belt at this point, yet on initial publication in 1997 this was the first to feature this detective. As one of the author’s earlier books, it is also a fascinating look back into older examples of her work.’

He says Sean Hogan’s England’s Screaming is ‘an interesting piece of literary studies as fiction. Specifically, it takes a number of icons and figures from British horror and attempts to build a coherent timeline of events assuming they are united world. This is a fascinating idea, harkening back to David Thompson’s Suspects (a fact which Hogan makes clear in his own preface) or Philip Jose Farmer’s World Newton ideas. although done with different style and organization.’

Short fiction is next for him: ‘Darren Speegle & Michael Bailey’s Prisms is an anthology centered almost entirely upon the strange matter of point of view. Whole stories exploring the question of change, and points of view. The pieces within this collection vary from obviously science fiction and fantasy to seemingly being a slice of life.’

He next has a review of a book that sounds very interesting: ‘Stephen Spotswood’s Fortune Favors the Dead is a wonderful bit of throwback fiction, featuring a pair of detectives solving mysteries while sharing a home. It is hardly a new formula, yet works so well that readers are willing to give their love to it. The case here deals with a psychic, a rich family, and a series of fairly distanced deaths. Still, like so many pairs, the detectives have to meet.’

Cat was very enthusiastic about the Beeb’s The Inspector Alleyn Mysteries on DVD: ‘Nothing is amiss here — and keep that in mind, as it becomes important in a minute — with the acting perfect, the scripts well-written, and the setting (which appears to be London just after the Second World War) wonderfully realized. All in all, it’s one of the better BBC mystery series I’m seen done, an equal of the Brother Cadfael series which starred Derek Jacobi.’

David and Spike checked out the Anthony Minghella film adaptation of Charles Frazier’s novel Cold Mountain. David was less than favorably impressed. ‘I suppose we shouldn’t expect realism in a film that is essentially fantasy. That two people should fall so hopelessly in love after a courtship that takes place at a distance and over only a few passing moments is a romantic notion that has provided the impetus for hundreds of novels. Somehow the idea works better on paper than on film. Especially when the director has gone to so much trouble to make the setting real.’ And Spike? I like the bit where they cut up the cow! That wuz really grisly!

Our archives this time bring forth a plethora of reviews of all things Batman.

Cat has spent a lot of time watching Batman: The Animated Series on DVD, and was quite pleased with this book about it, Paul Dini and Chip Kidd’s Batman Animated. ‘Batman Animated is a lavishly illustrated commentary by Paul Dini, writer on the series, and Chip Kidd, the author of Batman Collected, which is possibly the most fanatical look at the various products — from soap dispensers to action figures — based on the Batman franchise.’

Richard takes a detailed look at Grant Morrison and Tony S. Daniel’s Batman R.I.P., and comes to a bit of a mixed conclusion: ‘As a reader, you either go with what Morrison’s doing, which is to use the worst excesses of Batman’s long and storied history to try to get at some core truths about what has made the character so enduring, or you don’t. If you do, the narrative is an intriguing, clever look at precisely how powerful the idea of The Batman is, as manifested by Bruce Wayne’s imitators, followers, and ultimate drive to seek the truth when even his core personality has been stripped away. If, however, you don’t, it’s a muddled mess that’s overly reliant on willfully obscure bits of continuity, loaded with ridiculous supporting characters, and too clever for its own good.’

April casts her eye (and pen) over Neil Gaiman and Andy Kubert’s attempt to assist DC in laying to rest a bunch of old Batmans in preparation for a reboot, in Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader. ‘The scenario is a seemingly simple one: a rogue’s gallery of villains – and allies – have gathered in a torchlit room off a dark alley in Gotham City to pay tribute to an open casket. A casket containing Batman’s body. But there’s a twist, of course, for the proceedings have a pair of unseen voyeurs: Batman himself and a mysterious woman.’

April said it looked like DC was gearing up for a Batman reboot with Neil Gaiman’s book (see above), and here it is. Robert attempts to untangle the complex skein that is the beginning of a new Batman & Robin series. ‘Grant Morrison, in Batman Reborn, has brought us the next generation of — well, of Batman and Robin. In this case, Batman is Dick Grayson, the former Robin, the former Nightwing. Robin is Bruce Wayne’s son Damian, ten years old, raised by his mother and her league of assassins, returned home to undertake his part of his father’s legacy. It’s not an ideal mix, as far as personalities go.’

Robert found Matt Wagner’s Batman/Grendel to be a mixed bag. This book draws together two crossover series bringing those two characters together. Of the first, he says, ‘I have reservations about this one, starting with the story itself: it’s more than a little formulaic, even for comics, and Grendel’s methods, while certainly in keeping with his character, are almost trite. My deeper complaints have to do with the way the story is executed. … Most of those complaints disappear in the second mini-series, incorporating “Devil’s Bones” and “Devil’s Dance.” ‘

As is his wont every year about this time, Gary looks back at some of his favorite music of the past 12 months. Gary’s favorite jazz and world music of 2021 includes jazz duos, trios, quintets and larger groups, plus a lot of “Nordic noir” and some Uyghur folk songs.

Next, he reviews his favorite roots, rock, and Americana music of 2021. ‘There was plenty of good Americana and roots music in 2021, but I didn’t hear a lot of great music in those categories. Which is fine, and understandable. We’re all struggling to stay afloat.’

‘Doran is the sound of four young musicians engaged in the serious business of playing with sound,’ Gary says of this group’s self-titled debut. ‘These four, who hail variously from the Pacific Northwest, New York City, and rural Virginia, have made one of the most spine-tingling and yet comforting albums of American folk music in 2021.’

And he looks back at January 1966, when he was puzzling out the new album from The Beatles, Rubber Soul. The cover is different for one thing, and the music is different too: more acoustic than electric, and though still largely love songs, they’re more mature. In the end, he says, it’s ‘a solid, compact, enjoyable album. It may not have been apparent at the time, but it shows the Beatles beginning to pivot away from teenage love songs into more mature fare, which would become glaringly obvious on their next album Revolver.’

Coda

Sometime she forgot what subculture she was living in. — Dagmar Shaw in William Jon Williams’ This Is Not A Game

The Kitchen this morning decided to take upon themselves to turn out a most excellent batch of pumpkin cream cheese muffins. Now, the Kinrowan Estate has grown those creatures for centuries now and they get used in cooking quite a bit here. Pumpkin soup, pumpkin pie and tarts, curried rice with pumpkin and winter veggies… You name it, it’s likely pumpkin has played a role in it. Though not that abomination that is pumpkin spice coffee that Starbucks has popularised!

I like my coffee freshly brewed which is which the Pub has its own machine here. It is a Wolf Ten Cup Automatic Drip Coffee Maker. You don’t want to make too much coffee ahead.

Cat says in his review that “I’ve got a lot of audiobooks in my Audible library as it’s been my primary source for such matters for many years now, so sometimes I forget if I’ve listened to one of them. This is how I came to be listening recently to Lavie Tidhar’s The Great Game, a genre stretching thriller that’s set, I think, at the end of the Nineteenth Century in an alternate universe that’s a riff off various literary works in our universe. Think Allan Moore’s The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen as an apt comparison. It was a wonderful listen.’

He also found a lot to like in Seanan McGuire’s Indexing books: ‘I’m re-listening right now to one of those things that Seanan McGuire does so ever well: she takes a familiar story and make it fresh. … I first read it as novels when they came out some six years ago and then listened to it a few years later. Now being home confined due to three knee surgeries, I’m doing a lot of audiobooks and this was a series I wanted to revisit while working on other things.’

Gary reviewed all three of the books in William Gibson’s so-called Blue Ant trilogy: Pattern Recognition, Spook Country and Zero History. He says, ‘The best-selling series brought Gibson out of the ghetto of genre fiction into the limelight of more mainstream fiction, which is something that some sci-fi fans may hold against him. One of the inventors of cyberpunk is writing books that aren’t even sci-fi, and they’re about … fashion! How dare he?’

Farah Mendlesohn’s Diana Wynne Jones: The Fantastic Tradition and Children’s Literature gets a review by Kestrell: ‘Diana Wynne Jones (DWJ to her fans) is one of those writers who, despite the fact that she is frequently referred to as a “children’s author,” has a significant following of adult readers. Although there are an increasing number of literary critics addressing the subject of children’s and young adult fantasy, there is still a lack of literary criticism addressing why those books often shelved in the children’s sections of bookstores and libraries hold such a strong appeal for so many adult readers. Despite the title of this book (a title chosen by the publisher, not the author), its subject is a sophisticated exploration of Diana Wynne Jones’s complex approach to writing and storytelling.’

Jo has this review she wrote for Folk Tales, the predecessor of GMR a very long time ago.: ‘Folk legend merges with Jane Yolen’s creative world to create a work of pure magic in The Wild Hunt, which should be destined to become a classic in the world of children’s literature. Pitting the forces of light and dark against one another is a common theme, but it is rare for those forces to acknowledge the other as essential to their own existence, as done in this delightful tale. Yolen’s use of time and words have woven a masterpiece from the ancient threads of an old tale together with the modern threads of something totally new and different. The resulting tapestry is beautiful to behold.’

Richard’s first review is a look at an award-winning fantasy series which is perhaps the most English of the series here: ‘Trying to write an omnibus review of Robert Holdstock‘s Ryhope Wood cycle is a damnably difficult task. On a strictly practical note, two portions of the cycle (‘The Bone Forest’ and Merlin’s Wood) are fiendishly hard to find. ‘The Bone Forest’, which can be found in The Bone Forest collection describes the original explorations of George Huxley and Edward Wynne-Jones into the nature of Ryhope Wood, at a time when Christian and Stephen Huxley, the protagonists of Mythago Wood and Lavondyss are still children.’

He also looks at Donald E. Morese and Kalman Matolcsy’s The Mythic Fantasy of Robert Holdstock: Critical Essays on the Fiction: ‘The myth-infested landscape of Robert Holdstock’s Ryhope Wood would seem to be fertile ground, not only for walking legends and “mythagos”, but also for literary criticism. After all, in the sequence Holdstock tackles not the structures of mythic fiction – dark lords, questing heroes, magical macguffins and so forth – but rather the concept of myth itself, and how the same core stories have echoed down through the millennia, amplified and distorted and reflected by centuries of human experience.‘

Richard ginishes his reviews off with a book of Appalachian lore for us: ‘Manly Wade Wellman’s stories of Silver John are like snatches of a familiar song: you find them in the most fascinating places, but good luck finding the whole tune in one place when you want to. While the Silver John tales are relentlessly anthologized (at least, by anthology editors with good taste), finding the actual novels and collections of stories featuring Wellman’s wandering guitarist are rarer than hen’s teeth. Finding a Silver John novel, like After Dark, is cause for a discerning reader to rejoice. Alas that such causes for rejoicing are few and far between these days.’

Robert starts off a review I think is perfect for a reading as it was the author’s Birthday this week this way: ‘I’ve long followed Charles de Lint’s writing, starting with, if I remember correctly, Moonheart way back when, and I’ve been as close as I ever come to being a fan for years. (I even got my hands on some early stories, somehow.) So when I was asked to do a review of The Cats of Tanglewood Forest, I said, “Yes. I haven’t had a chance to read de Lint in a while.” ’

Warner says ‘Lyndsay Faye’s Observations by Gaslight is a collection of stories about a familiar detective which take an interesting stylistic decision as a common feature. The subtitle of the book is “Stories from the World of Sherlock Holmes” yet rather than featuring Watson as the narrator, instead chooses to have each tale told by a different individual.’

In a thorough omnibus review, Michael took a run through three Brian Froud faery-related collaborations, including the first in the “pressed fairy” series: Lady Cottington’s Pressed Fairy Book, and Strange Stains and Mysterious Smells, both by Froud and Terry Jones; and Good Faeries, Bad Faeries by Froud and Terry Windling. ‘Froud’s artistic genius has matured and developed a lot over the decades. He’s not the same artist he was when he helped create the uniquely memorable characters and concepts in *Labyrinth*, but he’s changed only for the better.’

Next up Michael takes a fond look at Lady Cottington’s Pressed Fairy Journal, also by Froud and Terry Jones.  ‘Worry not, for no fairies were harmed in the production of this book, even though a great many of them appear flattened and squished on the pages. See, what they’ve left are -psychic- impressions, and the whole thing is actually something of a fairy sport. So you don’t have to feel sorry for them.’

The review of Brian Froud and Ari Berk’s Lady Cottington’s Pressed Fairy Letters fell to Mia, who was charmed. ‘The third volume exploring the world of notorious Lady Angelica Cottington, Lady Cottington’s Pressed Fairy Letters brings us a collection of her correspondence, saved and carefully pressed along with more of her victims . . . er, specimens . . . in another insanely fascinating companion to her Pressed Fairy Book.’

Finally, if you’re tired of all those faeries, pressed or otherwise, Mia takes us for a spin through Ari Berk and Brian Froud’s Goblins, which she says ‘is a brilliant representation of Berk and Froud’s contact with the goblin world — and it was very close contact, as Froud even locked a goblin scribe in his downstairs bathroom (Help! I trapped in downstairs water closet. Mr. Froud very bad man … Come to Froud ground floor poop-cupboard and unlock door. Will give you many socks and a small dog with cheese on him. — Gargle)!’

Gary reviews the final two installments of a 20-volume series of CDs of the Folk Music of China. First, he gives an overview of the sprawling Vol. 19 – Folk Songs of the Lahu, Jingpo, Jino and Achang Peoples: ‘It’s difficult to do justice to such a panoply of diverse music on one disc, even in 36 tracks, and just as difficult in a review. This 19th and penultimate volume of the Folk Music of China series feels like a whirlwind sonic tour of Yunnan province, best experienced with a hot cup of tea, perhaps pu-erh.’

Next up is the even more compendious Vol. 20 – Folk Songs of the Hui, Manchu, Xibe, Korean and Gin Peoples, with 41 tracks covering the music of five ethnic groups! ‘This 20th volume of the Folk Music of China series is emblematic of the whole: filled with incredible variety in style, substance and performance. It is surprising and gratifying that so many of these highly differentiated regional and ethnic styles of folk song have survived the arrival of radio, television and other electronic media. I don’t know if any of this music is threatened by the rapid modernization and urbanization of China, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it is.’

Gary enjoyed the modern hard bop sounds of a quintet from the Spanish region of Catalonia called David Viñolas’s 5ET. ‘Viñolas is a true international player. As a drummer he has played with musicians in jazz and other idioms throughout Spain as well as in France, Cuba, Turkey, Portugal and Austria. Viñolas has been blind since his birth in a village in Catalonia, and showed an early interest in music, playing classical piano and Catalan music with local student ensembles, where he showed particular interest in drums. Largely self-taught in his early years, he’s been a voracious student of all aspects of modern music in various schools, workshops, and through private lessons.’

We’re nearing the end of another calendar year, so as I was perusing the music archives I had in mind the many, many variations on Robbie Burns’s curious song ‘Auld Lang Syne’ our reviewers have covered over the years. Here are just a few of the examples I turned up:

Chuck was a bit puzzled by A Thistle and Shamrock Christmas Ceilidh, which he liked but said was more of a Green Linnet sampler than a holiday album. ‘With tracks as recent as Lunasa’s “Goodbye Miss Goodavich/Rosie’s Reel” from 1999’s Otherworld and as old as Tannahill Weavers “Auld Land Syne” from 1982’s The Tannahill Weavers IV, there’s a lot of good material for Ritchie to choose from. Several songs of the season are included. Besides the above-mentioned “Auld Land Syne,” Altan’s “The Snowy Path” (From Harvest Storm) and John Renbourn’s “I Saw Three Ships” (from Christmas Guitars), fit the winter theme. Outside of that, however, there’s nothing but good music.’

Gary notes that June Tabor’s jazzy ensemble Quercus opened their second album Nightfall with an interesting rendition of ‘Auld Lang Syne.’ ‘It has become something of an odd musical touchstone in Western culture, a song that looks resolutely backward that is sung at the beginning of each new year, a paradox that Tabor embraces by placing this in the first position. It’s reharmonized, as they say in the jazz world, to a tune that’s less sentimental and less obvious than the one we all drunkenly sing on the stroke of midnight. And of course Tabor includes the other verses, giving herself and the players a chance to explore things a bit.’

Gary also found a lot to like (of course!) in Richard Thompson’s Old Kit Bag, including a sardonic song that comments on our ambiguous New Year’s ritual. ‘Thompson saves almost the best for last, with “Happy Days and Auld Lang Syne.” Underneath the surface of this glimpse of a relationship’s end lurks a typically twisted bit of Thompson commentary. The title, of course, refers to the song sung in much of the English-speaking world at the stroke of midnight on New Year’s Eve, Robbie Burns’ “Auld Lang Syne.”

Lars mostly enjoyed an offering from The Gothard Sisters, a Celtic trio who work many other styles of roots music into their performance, as they do on their third CD Mountain Rose. ‘I am not that impressed by their reading of ”Auld Lang Syne” though. They rush through it, and at the end you understand why; they turn it into a fast, furious reel. And that part is superb. Probably a great number to finish one of the girls’ 120 concerts a year, but as a song it does not work on record.’

Lars was gobsmacked by a 12-CD collection of The Complete Songs of Robert Burns, which includes more than one version of our now New Year’s Eve standard. ‘This is one of the most ambitious recording projects I have encountered within the folk music world, covering all of Robert Burns’ 368 songs. It took about six years and twelve volumes to complete, with a great number of well known Scottish musicians and singers taking part.’

For this week’s What Not, Robert has a group of four — count ’em, four — finger puppets from Folkmanis: ‘All in all this is a nice group, although there’s not a lot of mobility — about all you can do is wag your finger back and forth, but given their size, I suppose that’s about all that can be expected.’

Let’s finish off with Garmarna, a Swedish group founded in nineteen ninety ,after several of them who were friends saw traditional Swedish music performed in a film. Emma Härdelin, their vocalist, would join them several years after that. ‘Vedergällningen is from a concert in Sweden they did around the turn of the millennium.