Rotten Fruit makes for a Wickedly Delicious Story

What happens when you take a writer who is obsessed by apples? You get a story that twists and turns like the roots of an old, wild apple tree. Engaging, horrific, and dare I say original? This one is packed with all the things that make a horror story great. Creepy, atmospheric setting? Check. Eye-popping gruesome visuals? Check. Suspense? Fear? The unknown? Oh, yes! Death? Multiples. The characters are rich and engaging. And if you like a folk and historic element, it has that, too. It almost sounds like too much, but Wendig masterfully weaves it all together. 

If I had to come up with a criticism, I’d say the horrific part of the tale started a little late for me, but it takes time for the seeds to germinate and grow. One other note. I listened to the audiobook and was happy that I listened all the way through all the end stuff. There I learned more about the author’s obsession with the fruit. I’ll certainly be keeping a watchful eye out for heirloom apples.  

 

Black River Orchard: A Novel

by Chuck Wendig

Published by Random House Audio

September 26, 2023 | 22 hours and 18 minutes | ASIN: B0BRBVY51P

Love is all there is

A little of my art to honor this great man and his work today.

He's No Angel

 

The Ferryman

I was about 10% into this story before I really got interested, but don't let that scare you off. The setting, Prospéra, was different in many ways from our own world but not enough to pique my interest. At first. It teased me and dangled its originality in my peripheral, and then it came. What a payoff. I won’t say where that occurred. I’ll leave this story to you to take in. Suffice to say, this story comes from the same writer who gave us, The Passage, which was a brilliant take on the end of the world as we know it. A dystopian nightmare populated with the survivors of a scientific catastrophe that almost ended the world. And vampires.

Cronin’s words and imagery in The Ferryman are rich and lush, as are his characters. The world is multi-layered and fraught with mystery. There is a lot to process as this tale slips and slides and pulls the rug out from under you just when you think you are ‘getting it’.

“You know what your problem is?”
“I’m guessing you’re about to tell me.”
“It’s the same problem most people have, actually. You know a lot of things. You believe almost nothing.”

And Cronin's character is right. Believing in something is difficult, especially in today's world probably because the ability to acquire knowledge is remarkably easy. Probably too easy. And I'm no different.  I'm going to take the easy way out and wrap this up by saying if you liked Logan’s Run and 1984, you will be thrilled with this one. And, if not thrilled, certainly chilled.  

The Ferryman

by Justin Cronin

Published by Ballantine Books

May 2, 2023 | 560 Pages | ISBN-13: 9780525619475

I would like to thank the author, publisher, and NetGalley for providing an ARC of this novel.

What Have WE Become?

Crude, crash, and most likely heretical. I'm referring to those in the MAGA movement. Even after all this time, I STILL cannot understand the support for this man and his teachings. Thankfully/hopefully, he will get the truth and justice he deserves. I truly hope he gets the fairest trial America has ever seen. Of course, if he is convicted, he will claim it's all political and nothing more than a witch hunt, then scream “Hunter's Laptop!” Or “What about her emails?!” OR “Impeach Biden!” Diversionary tactics, hate, and division keep his spirit alive in this country. I have also come under the spell of hatred, and that makes me angry and ashamed. I hate how his brand of politics has fractured this great country. I hate how it has made racism, misogyny, anti-Semitism, homophobia, and so many other forms of hatred OK for so many. I hate the war on treating others with respect and dignity—the so-called Anti-Woke agenda. I hate DeSantis' war on diversity. And all these hatreds fester in me and bubble up when I see a red MAGA hat or a "Take America Back" bumper sticker or one of the many TRUMP or DeSantis signs here in Florida. But the flags are the worst. They may also reveal a truth for so many flying these disgusting banners. That truth being that the flag waivers pledge more loyalty to the name on the flag that the country and principals in which they live. 

For so many years, this country has been a beacon of hope to the world. A promise that things can be better. Of course, we still have a legion of problems that need to be corrected. While individuals have the ability to achieve their American success story, whatever that may be, we still have institutional racism. The indigenous peoples in this country are still, for the most part, living in third-world conditions. Our education system is not the gold standard for the world and should be. Our infrastructure is crumbling. The three branches of our government that should provide checks-and-balances is rife with payola and graft. Our justice system is an ideological and political cesspool. The press, our last defense against all of this hate, selfishness, and political corruption, is itself corrupted by ideological hate and corporate interests. The deregulation of the telecommunications industry has allowed an unhealthy consolidation of media outlets, further putting what we want to believe as truth and facts into silos. Deregulation, in theory, creates competition among suppliers, but technological advances, the internet, and market conditions have created a homogeneous cesspool. We have too many spineless reporters who refuse to challenge those who twist the truth claiming their outright lies as fact. We are living in a world mired in gas lighting and doublespeak where so many reporters are either too lazy or too scared of the consequences . That said, we still have reporters who are doing the mostly thankless hours of digging and unearthing the actual terrible truths. We should, and must, give them the protections guaranteed by the Constitution, and the thanks for helping to hold our public servants and corporations in check. 

We are better than this America. I am better than this.