The lie wasn’t meant to be believed. It was just social grease, intended to keep wheels turning. — Aliette de Bodard’s Fireheart Tiger
Ahoy, matey! Gary, music editor, here with another new edition to shiver yer timbers. With International Talk Like A Pirate Day just around the corner, I’ve ransacked the Archives for some of GMR‘s reviews of books, movies, and music with a piratical theme. That includes everything from the wide range of books and movies inspired by Peter Pan, to space operas, high seas adventures, romantasy, sea chanteys and more. And there’s a whole raft of new music reviews by Daryana and me. So let’s dig into this treasure chest together.
Cat in his review of J. M. Barrie’s original Peter Pan book (based on his earlier play) to be rather darker than the Disney version (big surprise there!). ‘Hook and his crew of pirates are predictably nasty, but so are the Lost Boys, who ‘are the children who fall out of their perambulators when the nurse is looking the other way. If they are not claimed in seven days they are sent far away to the Neverland to defray expenses.’
I found pirates known as Freeporters in Elizabeth Bear’s latest space opera The Folded Sky. ‘Dr. Sunya Song is an expert at teasing information out of ancient archives. She has travelled long and far to an exotic location to do just that, surviving an attack by pirates along the way, only to discover that her wife and their two children have unexpectedly arrived before her, as a surprise.’
In S.E. Hinton’s Hawkes Harbour, the protagonist Jamie is recounting to his doctor what led up to his being in a mental hospital, says reviewer J.S.S. Boyce. ‘Jamie regails us with exciting tales of the high seas. Pirates, smuggling, and reckless scams attempted by him and his partner in crime are recounted immodestly. I was drawn in immediately and could have read without stopping if I’d had a large enough block of time available to me. As it is, the book went by far too quickly.’
Jayme dug into William Goldman’s The Princess Bride (that’s right, the book; see below for a review of the movie). ‘There’s a lot of fun here, and anyone looking for a straightforward narrative is likely to be very confused. There are no dark overlords, no magic rings to be thrown into burning mountains. Anyone not looking for those things will be pleasantly surprised. Goldman proves you don’t have to be a Tolkein clone to write rousing fantasy. It’s just too bad that more writers today don’t seem believe that.’
‘Xich Si is a tech scavenger, living in Triệu Hoà Port, and scavenging tech to sell and support herself and her daughter, when she’s captured by pirates.’ Thus Lis begins her review of Aliette de Bodard’s romantic space opera The Red Scholar’s Wake. ‘I love these characters, their world, and their struggles to make it better.’
Robert was not entirely satisfied with Kage Baker’s short novel Or Else My Lady Keeps the Key. ‘The supernatural elements that provided strong resonance in “Maid,” an other-worldly quality to the narrative, are not so pervasive here, and have little effect on the mood of the story. There was a certain surreality there that doesn’t survive here, and I, for one, missed it — it somehow sparked “Maid” up a level, added an air of numinosity to the story that infused the whole tale.’
Finally, Warner took a look at an academic work on pirates and piracy, Gabriel Kuhn’s Life Under the Jolly Roger: Reflections on Golden Age Piracy. ‘Overall, Life Under the Jolly Roger is an excellent look at the golden age of piracy from a somewhat political point of view. The book cites sources well, makes arguments cleanly and succinctly, and has the integrity to admit when an answer is not clear.’
April has something rather nice she reviews for us: ‘Every so often an unexpected, and very welcome, treat shows up in my mailbox, courtesy of Cat, who’s constantly on the lookout for new chocolate-related review opportunities. This time around it was a box of bonbons from Diana Malouf’s Ococoa – candy that is both beautiful to look at and a pleasure to eat.’
David reviewed a tale of privateering on the high seas, Peter Weir’s Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, which he said hews closely to reality. ‘So you won’t find any beautiful damsels in distress, their bodices heaving in anticipation of rescue. No…this is men. Men in dirty clothes, with bad teenage , and bits of their bodies shot off in battle. The below decks scenes are dark, dingy, claustrophobic. The on deck stuff is wide open, airy, you can feel the salt spray on your cheeks.’
‘This is a popcorn and candy movie if ever there was one,’ Denise says of the original movie in Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, The Curse of the Black Pearl. ‘The battle scenes are spectacular, the script is well-written, and the scenery is lovely. Although the twists and turns are relatively easy to spot beforehand, they are interesting enough to keep you engaged.’
‘The Sea Hawk has a lot of the grand old tropes of the pirate genre,’ Kelly said in his review of the classic Errol Flynn adventure movie. ‘There’s quite a bit about The Sea Hawk that is different from the more standard pirate fare, however, and it all has to do with story. This isn’t a “Hunt for hidden treasure” type of film, with voyages to the Spanish Main and wench-filled taverns in seaside villages and the like. This film’s story is actually a thinly-disguised political allegory for the time in which it was made (early World War II).’
Kate tackled Steven Spielberg’s critically mixed Hook, but she enjoyed it. ‘Peter Pan is the boy who never grows up. But, as the tagline asks, “What if Peter Pan grew up?” In answering this question Hook takes on the issue of good vs evil, innocence and innocence lost, and revenge, as well as family values.’,,
‘Envision a film with Billy Crystal, Carol Kane, Peter Falk, and Peter Cook that is absolutely hilarious, yet none of them appear in the lead roles. “Inconceivable!,” you cry and I reply, “I do not think that word means what you think it means,” ‘ wrote our reviewer L.G. Burnett. ‘Yes, indeed, we are talking about The Princess Bride, the wildly successful movie based on the wildly successful book of the same title.’
Michelle submitted a lengthy look at three modern cinematic takes on the Peter Pan/Captain Hook story: P. J. Hogan’s Peter Pan, Mike Newell’s An Awfully Big Adventure, and Marc Forster’s Finding Neverland. ‘All three of them address the thorny subjects of naiveté and experience, eternal youth and mortality, and the way sex weaves its way into the most seemingly wholesome situations and complicates them immeasurably. I am tempted to wonder whether it is the story itself or my own perspective as an adult viewer that makes these issues seem so prominent.’
Gary here with music. Daryana is back with another artist interview, this time with Patrick Vignoli, one of the voices in the Corsican vocal group Tempvs Fvgit. Patrick says, ‘In our concerts, it is not merely a question of performing musical pieces, but of sharing a moment of truth and humanity. Every voice, every breath, every silence becomes an invitation to enter into an emotional communion. We aim to offer the audience an experience that goes beyond listening — a space where they can recognize themselves, be moved, find calm, reflect, or simply feel.’
In new music, Daryana has a review of an album of Balkan music, Kulin Ban’s Ad Drinum. ‘Unlike the more accessible world music approach of their 2006 debut, Ad Drinum dives into the raw depths of sevdah. It tells local stories of Zvornik and Bosnia while echoing universal themes of longing, love, and spirituality. Byzantine modes, Sufi traces, Orthodox chants, and Ottoman echoes intertwine with saz, kaval, and bendir, yet also with guitar and piano motifs.’
I have a stack of new reviews this time. I’m leading off with a new one from Oregon’s Anna Tivel, which often puts a tear in my eye, as I point out. ‘To be fair, I generally get weepy when I listen to any of her records, but the songs on Animal Poem are right up there with her most poignant.’
I reviewed a new album, Mirra, from the progressive Norwegian Hardanger fiddler and composer Benedicte Maurseth, whose 2022 album Harr was one of my favorites of that year. ‘This is a deeply immersive work, its themes, motifs and sounds moving in patterns that repeat and modulate. The entire work follows the reindeer’s annual cycle of birth, searching for food, near constant movement, and grazing, and incorporates the grunting and pawing sounds they make as they feed and interact. The titles of the eight pieces that make up this suite reflect this cycle, such as: “Windy Days,” “The Calf Rises,” Hunting March,” “Fresh Snow Over Reindeer Moss,” “A Flock Of Birds Under The Moon.” ‘
Next from me is an omnibus review of two Latin jazz albums, Roger Glenn’s My Latin Heart, and Miguel Zenón Quartet’s Vanguardia Subterránea: Live at The Village Vanguard. Of the former, I note, “… it’s just one incredible groove-filled tune after another, laid back, tropically warm and beaming with good vibes. The three opening tracks, “Zambo’s Mambo,” “Cal’s Guajira” (an homage to Tjader), and “Brother Marshall,” feature Glenn on flute, vibes and alto sax, respectively. All three are beautiful tunes and showcase Glenn’s signature flawless improvisations — and will probably show up on my year-end favorites playlist.’ And of the latter: ‘The tracklist is mostly originals and all new material, six compositions by Zenón, plus his arrangements of a couple of Latin jazz classics: Willie Colón and Héctor Lavoe’s “El Día de Mi Suerte” and Gilberto Santa Rosa’s “Perdóname.” ‘
I also reviewed a couple of new piano trio releases, John Taylor’s Tramonto, and Liv Andrea Hauge Trio’s Døgnville. The late U.K. pianist Taylor was an excellent composer, but as I note in my review of this live set, ‘He was also a superb interpreter of others’ works, of which two excellent examples are included on this album, the title track by Ralph Towner and Steve Swallow’s amazing “Up Too Late.” ‘ I was already familiar with the Hauge trio, and really enjoy this album and its dreamy atmosphere. ‘According to the album notes, it “…explores the feeling of being “døgnvill” – a Norwegian term describing the sensation of being out of sync with time and reality, like during jet lag or insomnia,” as much of it was composed by Hauge while she was in bed with a high fever.’
New York based roots musician Hilary Hawke has a new album out, which I review. ‘Her latest solo album Lift Up This Old World consists mostly of original material that I’d call indie folk with old time or bluegrass instrumentation. It has really grown on me over the past couple of months. There’s a theme here, of finding your own path and trusting your instincts as you follow your muse where it takes you, and this is an excellent album throughout.’
I dusted off my archival review of the second volume of Rogue’s Gallery, a star-studded compilation of pirate ballads, sea songs and chanteys. ‘Like a pirate chest dug up on the beach of a desert island, this set has riches galore. One of the best is the opener of the first disc, a rocking reel by Shane McGowan, “Leaving of Liverpool.” Others in this vein include Todd Rundgren’s dance hall take on “Rolling Down to Old Maui,” (Richard) Thompson’s “General Taylor,” Robyn Hitchcock’s electrified chantey “Sam’s Gone Away,” and a creative version of “Sally Racket” by New Orleans bounce artists Katey Red & Big Freedia with experimental folk rockers Akron/Family.’
Our What Not is from Kage Baker who was a storyteller beyond compare, be it in emails as Cat can well attest, at Ren Faires with her sister Kathleen serving up ale, lovingly critiquing quite old films, writing stories of chocolate quaffing cyborgs, whores who decidedly didn’t have hearts of gold, or space raptors who are actually parrots now. So it won’t surprise you that was a master narrator of her own stories as you hear as when she reads The Empress of Mars, a novella she wrote.
Now let’s see what we’ve got got a performance recording for you his time… Hmmm… That’ll do nicely. Here’s Iron Horse, the great Scottish sort of trad group, performing ‘The Sleeping Warrior’ at the Gosport Easter Festival in April of ’96.
New SF from James S. A. Corey; Terry Gillian’s Excalibur; Rolling Stones do Aaron Copland’s ‘A Fanfare for The Common Man’; An offbeat history of coffee; an interview with Russian folk singer Zhenya Wind; and a grab bag of folk music
There’s always hope for something. Just not always… not always what we want.
I smelled something quite enticing in the hallway out of our Kitchen. So I handed Pub duties over to Finch and got myself down there for the eventide meal, which was lamb kebabs seasoned with fennel, cumin, garlic and chili.
According to Gus, our Groundskeeper, who does oh so much more than that essential work, it turned out that we just slaughtered a lamb. The kebabs were served up with basmanti rice, steamed veggies and the best yeasted whole wheat rolls I’ve had.
We had ice cream for desert: a cardamom and ginger one, another intensely dark chocolate and peanut, and a strawberry one with some berries of the summer season. I sampled all three and can say that Mrs. Ware and her ever so talented Kitchen staff outdid themselves!
So let’s head over to my work table where my iPad is and see what we’ve got for you this evening.
Gary leads off with a review of a recent release from James S. A. Corey, The Mercy of Gods. ‘As with the crew of Rocinante in The Expanse, “Corey” (a.k.a. Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck) has created a team of distinct individuals for the reader to identify with, each having their own strengths, weaknesses and quirks. And then put them into an unimaginably stressful situation that brings out their best and sometimes worst traits.’
So the rest of our book reviews are space operas as well. We think you’ll find something here that will please you to read, so I’ll get out of your way and let you look at these reviews.
Cat looks at Jerry Pournelle and Larry Niven’s The Mote in God’s Eye of which he says, ‘Until the likes of Iain M. Banks with The Culture series and Neal Asher with the Polity series came along, quite possibly the best Space Opera of all time was this forty year-old novel that took the Space Opera novels of the 1930s and 1940s and very, very nicely updated them.’
Gary reviews a book of literary criticism about Iain M. Banks Culture series. He says Simone Caroti’s The Culture Series ‘is valuable reading for anyone who wants to move into a deeper understanding of what that series is really about, where it stands in the history of SF and literature, and why it’s important.’
Gary also reviewed a recent SF anthology called The New Space Opera: ‘Of course, “space opera” is what all science fiction used to be, up until about the 1970s or so. Thrilling tales of adventure in outer space, usually featuring huge starships, weird aliens, strange planets and battles, either physical or of wits.’
Joel reviewed Neal Asher’s Gridlinked, a space opera of sorts that’s a novel in The Polity series which has been running a lot longer than The Culture series did: ‘I’ve never been one for long series, and certainly the greater part of my reading time is spent on authors I’m encountering for the first time, rather than always going with the same old stand-bys, but what can I say? I get something new in the Polity universe and I know it will always be good. When it comes to escapist fiction, Neal Asher has become my most dependable travel guide. No surprise then I moved him to the top of my reading pile.’
Robert came up with a series that is quintessential space opera, with a twist: C. J. Cherryh’s The Chanur Saga, including Chanur’s Homecoming, and the sequel, Chanur’s Legacy: ‘C. J. Cherryh’s The Chanur Saga is an almost-omnibus edition of her tetralogy about Pyanfar Chanur and her ship, the interstellar trader The Pride of Chanur. Because of length, the “omnibus” volume contains the first three in the series . . . , and one would be well-advised to be sure that Chanur’s Homecoming, issued separately, is within easy reach, lest one be left hanging off a cliff.’
Asher proclaims ‘Here is a tale of human folly — “Whatever the cost, do it”. Of a noble dream – “One land, one king!” Of magic – “Can’t you see all around you the Dragon’s breath?” Of its passing – “There are other worlds. This one is done with me.” And of memory – “For it is the doom of men that they forget.” Excalibur is arguably the most exciting film version of the myth of Arthur to date.’
I have a review of the 30th anniversary deluxe edition of John Prine’s Lost Dogs & Mixed Blessings. The best thing about it is the bonus tracks including some very good demos of the album’s best songs. The original album is still not my favorite. ‘That said, if you’re in the right mood, this can be a fun album if the production doesn’t put you off as much as it does me. As with all Prine albums, the lyrics run the gamut from gut-punch sad to warmly loving to knee-slapping funny, often within one short stanza.’
Faith as always had some strong opinions, wittily expressed, in her review of a reissue of Ewan MacColl and Peggy Seeger’s Classic Scots Ballads: ‘So what do we have? Several Child Ballads, for starters. “The False Lover Won Back” always makes me wonder why she wanted him back. He must have been quite the lad to be worth running behind his horse halfway across Scotland.’
Lars reviewed several albums from English folk musicians Simon Mayor and Hilary James. Let’s start with Children’s Favourites from Acoustics, which he greatly enjoyed. ‘James and Mayor have the ability to write songs that appeal to children, and to the child within adults, without ever sounding childish. They do not oversimplify things; they trust their audience to be able to pick up on clever musical passages and word games in the lyrics.’
Next up Lars reviewed Music from a Small Island. ‘Many of the traditional tracks are well known, but Mayor and James make them their own. The treatment of “Such a Parcel of Rogues” for instance lets Mayor display his ability on a number of instruments, and “Rosebud in June” first gets an instrumental arrangement, followed by James’s clear soprano voice.’
Then Lars reviewed two at once: Simon Mayor and Hilary James’s Lullabies with Mandolins, and Hilary James with Simon Mayor’s Laughing With the Moon. ‘Well, you may ask yourself what the difference is between a CD made by SM & HJ and a CD made by HJ with SM. I am sorry to confess that I have not got a clue. Both these CDs seem to be proper duo albums, although they differ greatly when you consider the underlying feeling of each album, and in the fact that the duo are alone on the Lullabies and have brought in extra musicians for Laughing With the Moon.’
Peter Massey delved into an album of folk song by Peggy Seeger, Love Call Me Home. ‘I must say my favourite songs on the album were the two new songs written or updated by Peggy. The first is the opening track “Sing About These Hard Times.” It’s a great song, and Peggy has chosen to bring this old chestnut up to date with a theme of how things are now. The other is the title track, a beautiful song dedicated to the memory of a friend who died of cancer.’
Samantha was disappointed with Mick McAuley & Winifred Horan’s Serenade. ‘I expected a more thrilling ride from what are essentially two very talented artists. Solas fans may wish to buy it, if only to hear a different angle of the group. I just hope that if McAuley and Horan plan any future duet albums, they will be inspired to jolt some of the old fire back into their playing.’