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Sunday, April 07, 2024

Persuasion 5Stars

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Title: Persuasion
Series: ----------
Author: Jane Austen
Rating: 5 of 5 Stars
Genre: Classic
Pages: 193
Words: 85K

This is my 4^th read of this novel since 2003. Suffice to say that I really enjoy it.

It is shorter than Pride and Prejudice as well as Sense and Sensibility and is significantly shorter than Emma (which comes in around the 340page mark). Unfortunately, it “feels” shorter too. While I am a big fan of a short novel, sometimes it isn’t the best. I think the interactions between Anne (with an “E”, hahahaha) and Wentworth could have been longer and more drawn out. Or even more of them. It’s not that they didn’t meet and interact, it just felt rushed. Which ties into the shortness of the novel. But that is my only complaint.

I have always liked this novel because of the age of the protagonists. Anne is 26/27 and Wentworth is 30something? (an OLD man if you listen to Marianne Dashwood ;-) ). Mrs B was younger than Anne when we got married. The calm and collected way that Anne and Freddie (I am not typing Frederick more than once!) went about reconnecting was enjoyable to me. There was very little drama and they proceeded pretty calmly and rationally and allowed their minds to be in control instead of their emotions. They allowed their emotions to influence them, but the emotions weren’t in control. I really, really like that aspect. I see too much of people giving their emotions sway over their lives and then bad things usually happen, either to them or the people around them. So seeing a maturity in the romance is just refreshing.

Despite having read this four times (now), I never can remember which Austen novel it is where a young girl gets head strong and jumps and gives herself a concussion. It is this novel. The scene has always made a strong impression on me but for some reason I simply cannot keep it attached to Persuasion. I’m always convinced it is one of Austen’s other novels and I keep waiting for that scene in other books and am always disappointed it isn’t there; but that only enhances my enjoyment of it when I DO read it here :-)

I did notice that I no problem getting into the story or the manner and style of writing. Reading S&S last year was a bit of a chore as my mind had to switch mental gears for the 1800’s literary style. But now that I’ve got three of Austen’s novels under my belt (the three mentioned at the start of this review), my mental gears are all well oiled and I sailed through this with nary a hiccup or stickage. That’s always a good feeling and it is how this book made me feel, ie, good.

★★★★★

From Wikipedia.org

The story begins seven years after the broken engagement of Anne Elliot to Frederick Wentworth: having just turned nineteen years old, Anne fell in love and had accepted a proposal of marriage from Wentworth, then a young and undistinguished naval officer. Wentworth was considered clever, confident and ambitious, but his low social status and lack of wealth made Anne's friends and family view him as an unsuitable partner. Anne's father, Sir Walter Elliot, and her older sister, Elizabeth, maintained that Wentworth was no match for a woman of Kellynch Hall, the family estate. Furthermore, Lady Russell, a distant relative whom Anne considers to be a second mother to her after her own died, also saw the relationship as imprudent for one so young and persuaded Anne to break off the engagement. Sir Walter, Elizabeth, and Lady Russell are the only family members who knew about the short engagement, as Anne's younger sister Mary was away at school.

Several years later, the Elliot family are in financial trouble on account of their lavish spending, so they decide to rent out Kellynch Hall and settle in a cheaper home in Bath until their finances improve. Sir Walter, Elizabeth, and Elizabeth's new companion, Mrs Clay, look forward to the move. Anne, on the other hand, doubts she will enjoy Bath, but cannot go against her family. Mary is now married to Charles Musgrove of Uppercross Hall, the heir to a respected local squire. Anne visits Mary and her family, where she is well-loved. As the Napoleonic Wars are over, Admiral Croft and his wife Sophia (Frederick's sister) have become the new tenants of Kellynch Hall. Captain Wentworth, now wealthy from his service in the war, visits his sister and meets the Uppercross family, where he crosses paths with Anne.

The Musgroves, including Mary, Charles, and Charles's sisters Henrietta and Louisa, welcome the Crofts and Captain Wentworth, who makes it known that he is ready to marry. Henrietta is engaged to her cousin, clergyman Charles Hayter, who is absent when Wentworth is introduced to their social circle. Both the Crofts and Musgroves enjoy speculating about which sister Captain Wentworth might marry. Once Hayter returns, Henrietta turns her affections to him again. Anne still loves Wentworth, so each meeting with him requires preparation for her own strong emotions. She overhears a conversation in which Louisa tells Wentworth that before marrying Mary, Charles Musgrove first proposed to Anne, who turned him down. This news startles Wentworth, and Anne realises that he has not yet forgiven her for letting herself be persuaded to end their engagement years ago.

Anne and the young adults of the Uppercross family accompany Captain Wentworth on a visit to see two of his fellow officers, Captains Harville and Benwick, in the coastal town of Lyme Regis. Captain Benwick is in mourning over the death of his fiancée, Captain Harville's sister Fanny, and he appreciates Anne's sympathy and understanding, helped by their mutual admiration for the Romantic poets. Anne attracts the attention of Mr William Elliot, her cousin and a wealthy widower who is heir to Kellynch Hall despite having broken ties with her father years earlier. On the last morning of the visit, Louisa sustains a serious concussion after jumping from the Cobb seawall expecting to be caught by Wentworth. Anne coolly organises the others to summon assistance. Wentworth is impressed with Anne's quick thinking and cool-headedness, but feels guilty about his actions encouraging Louisa's attraction to him. This causes him to re-examine his feelings for Anne. Louisa, due to her delicate condition, is forced to recover at the Harvilles' home in Lyme for months. Captain Benwick, who was a guest as well, helps in Louisa's recovery by attending and reading to her.

Following Louisa's accident, Anne joins her father and sister in Bath, with Lady Russell also in the city, while Louisa stays at the Harvilles' in Lyme Regis for her recovery. Captain Wentworth visits his older brother Edward in Shropshire. Anne finds that her father and sister are flattered by the attentions of their cousin William Elliot, thinking that if he marries Elizabeth, the family fortunes will be restored. William flatters Anne and offhandedly mentions that he was "fascinated" with the name of his future wife already being an "Elliot" who would rightfully take over for her late mother. Although Anne wants to like William, the attention and his manners, she finds his character opaque and difficult to judge.

Admiral Croft and his wife arrive in Bath with the news that Louisa is engaged to Captain Benwick. Wentworth travels to Bath, where his jealousy is piqued by seeing William trying to court Anne. Captain Wentworth and Anne renew their acquaintance. Anne visits Mrs Smith, an old school friend, who is now a widow living in Bath under straitened circumstances. From her, Anne discovers that beneath William's charming veneer, he is a cold, calculating opportunist who led Mrs Smith's late husband into debt. As executor to her husband's will, William has done nothing to improve Mrs Smith's situation. Although Mrs Smith believes that William is genuinely attracted to Anne, she feels that his primary aim is to prevent Mrs Clay from marrying Sir Walter, as a new marriage might mean a son for Sir Walter, displacing William as heir to Kellynch Hall.

The Musgroves visit Bath to purchase wedding clothes for Louisa and Henrietta, both soon to marry. Captains Wentworth and Harville encounter them and Anne at the Musgroves' hotel in Bath, where Wentworth overhears Anne and Harville discussing the relative faithfulness of men and women in love. Deeply moved by what Anne says about women not giving up their feelings of love even when all hope is lost, Wentworth writes her a note declaring his feelings for her. Outside the hotel, Anne and Wentworth reconcile, affirm their love for each other, and renew their engagement. Lady Russell admits she was wrong about Wentworth and endorses the engagement. William leaves Bath; Mrs Clay soon follows him and becomes his mistress, making it more likely that he will inherit Kellynch Hall as the danger of her marrying Sir Walter has passed. Once Anne and Wentworth have married, Wentworth helps Mrs Smith recover the remaining assets that William had kept from her. Anne settles into her new life as the wife of a Navy captain.

Wednesday, February 14, 2024

Pride and Prejudice 5Stars

Title: Pride and Prejudice
Series: ----------
Author: Jane Austen
Rating: 5 of 5 Stars
Genre: Classic
Pages: 275
Words: 124K

This will be a bit different from my usual review. Lashaan and I did a buddy read of this and we used a series of questions I found online to help us talk about the book. There were 11 questions in total and I chose to answer 7 of them. I found the other 4 stupid, insipid, insulting or just plain not a subject I cared one whit for. After the questions I have some general thoughts. And I’ve included a link to Lashaan’s review at the end. Please visit his review when it goes live to see another whole take on this book :-D

1. “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune,

must be in want of a wife.” This first line has become one of the most famous in English

literature. In addition to setting the narrative in motion, how does this line alert us to the

tone of the novel and our role, as readers, in appreciating it? What does the line imply

about women?

I'll work backwards on this. Addressing that last question first.

When you talk about the opening line, you have to also use the second to put it into context:
"However little known the feelings or views of such a man may be on his first entering a neighbourhood, this truth is so well fixed in the minds of the surrounding families, that he is considered as the rightful property of some one or other of their daughters."

So what the opening implies about women, and then about men, is that they are both playing pieces for their elders. It's not about gender (despite what the questioner is trying to force into this). Both are pawns are on the chessboard of marriage.

The role of the reader is whatever the reader wants it to be. It doesn't matter what the author thinks, or tries to do. The reader is an independent being and a good author acknowledges this and simply writes their story without forcing their reader into the slavery of being "in a role". Only Message writers do that.

As for the tone of the novel, I'd say it it sets a jolly good tone! Funny, amusing and yet acknowledging the foibles of the culture the author is living in.

So there we go. My first set of ranty answers to the first question :-D

2. Elizabeth is upset to learn that Charlotte has accepted Mr. Collins’s marriage proposal. Do

you think Charlotte should have married Mr. Collins? Did she choose him or did he choose

her? What do you think influenced her decision to accept him? Is Charlotte a romantic? Is

Elizabeth?

At 27, being plain, poor and unconnected, Charlotte didn't have much choice if she didn't want to end up being a burden to her family. While I suspect she will regret in the future her choice of Mr Collins, tempermentally she seems fit to deal with his particular brand of pride and false-humility. And now she is mistress of her own establishment with greater things to come. Her children won't be in her circumstances and thus will hopefully be able to have more choices open to them.

I'd say Charlotte definitely chose Mr Collins. He was just wafting around like a butterfly, looking for the first open flower. She saw him coming a mile away. Besides, Mr Collins seems to stupid to do any real choosing :-D

I think my answer to the first question also answers this. Material stability goes a long way towards making a relationship stable. Charlotte knew what her future held and so she did what she had to to change it, for the better.

I don't see Charlotte as romantic at all. She's just super realistic. Elizabeth on the other hand is fully infected with the "Love is Our Guiding Light" idea. Of course, given what Elizabeth sees between her father and mother, one can forgive her for wanting some genuine love in a relationship.

3. How does Pemberley play a role in Elizabeth’s change of heart? Does she really fall in

love with Darcy after seeing his estate? Trace the development of her feelings for him.

Why is Darcy attracted to Elizabeth? Trace the development of his feelings for her.

I think this question is a bit too "school report" like for my taste. Plus, you know, feelings. Seeing Pemberley was just another check mark in the positive side for Darcy. Not because it was all big and rich, but because of the character it displayed and thus by extension, Darcy's character. You can tell a lot about a person by their living quarters. And by the people they keep around them. So it simply helped Elizabeth begin to change her feelings towards Darcy. She saw another side of him displayed through Pemberley. She was discerning enough to see that and to look beyond the wealth itself.

4. What might have happened if Elizabeth had accepted Darcy’s first proposal? Do you think

he really expected her to accept? How does the first proposal change their feelings for, and

opinions of, each other?

I think their marriage would have ended in disaster. He wouldn't have respected her and she never would have loved him him. They both needed to change themselves and see the other in a more accurate light before their marriage could have worked.

I do think Darcy expected an acceptance. I'm pretty sure when they are talking about it later he says something like "you had everything to gain and nothing to lose by accepting my proposal. At least that is how I saw it at the time".

I think Darcy's proposal opened Elizabeth's eyes to the fact that Darcy did love her. He wasn't just attracted to her, but he loved her. That allowed her to realize that her feelings of prejudice might need to change. And Darcy got a good earful from Elizabeth and he needed that to set him on the path of seeing her as an equal in any marriage endeavor and not just an emotional and sexual outlet.

7. Mr. and Mrs. Bennet do not agree on very much, especially when it comes to their

daughters’ futures. Who is the better parent—Mr. or Mrs. Bennet? What role does family

play in this novel?

Neither of them is the better parent. Mr Bennet is the least worst though. Lydia is exactly like her mother, so it shouldn't have come as any surprise to anyone at her running away with Wickham and not caring at all about getting married. Mr Bennet could have helped guide his wife's character growth at the beginning of their marriage but chose not to fight that battle and he reaped the harvest with a selfish, vain, silly woman for a wife.

Family plays a huge role! The Bennetts. Darcy's sister and Aunt. Mr Bingley's sister. Elizabeth's Aunt and Uncle. Even Wickham is a pseudo-family of the Darcy's. You can't go very far without a family interaction.

8. Darcy says that Wickham tried to elope with Georgiana for revenge. Does revenge play a

part in his elopement with Lydia?

I don't think it does at all. I think Wickham needed an out and Lydia provided the easiest and most comfortable out. I have to admit, Wickham running away with Lydia still puzzles me.

11. Why is this novel so popular? Why do readers keep coming back to it, even after the

original suspense is gone and they know how it ends?

Because it's a girly romance and there are more women in the world than men.

Is my off the cuff, flippant remark, hahahahaa.

My serious answer would be that the Initially Thwarted Romance between Jane and Mr Bingley and the Enemies to Lovers Romance between Elizabeth and Mr Darcy speaks to a lot of women. "I" like it because it's a romantic story that shows some real human foibles and it's some very fine writing.

I skipped a bunch of questions because they pissed me off. I hate social media so wanted to nothing to do with that question. I dlsliked the leading question about Irony because I don't like being led down a certain path by somebody else. finally, I don't care two figs for what it might have been originally titled. It is called Pride and Prejudice and that' that. It's overthinking things for the sake of overthinking to do any more on the title.

Bookstooge’s General Thoughts:

I must admit, I did not like this format of Question and Answer. I felt stifled, hemmed in and like I was back in highschool with a teacher looking over my shoulder. While it made writing a review much easier (I pasted/copied the questions and my answers from my emails to Lashaan), I totally did not enjoy the reading process itself. My brain did not have the freedom to wander down the byways because I was focused on trying to "pay attention" to the story so I could answer the questions.

It's not that the Q&A is a bad way of doing things, especially for younger people who haven't been trained to think for themselves yet. It gives them a framework within which to work, otherwise they'd be left floundering and their thoughts would be "I liked this" or "I didn't like this" without any further explanation. But I am not a kid any more. Sadly, I haven't been for a long time and I have much vaster reading experience now than I did back when I was a teenager (even as well read as I was then). For me, the reading experience itself is part of the process. I simply flow into the story, absorb it and let it knock around my brain like a pair of dice. Then I release it and see what happens. That's how I read and review now. It's been quite the revelation to me to come to that realization.

I am also glad that "I" am the one that chose the questions, that way I have nobody but myself to blame, hahahaahahaa.

Overall, while this Q&A was quite the different approach, and one that I’m happy to have applied, it won’t be happening again.

★★★★★

Lashaan’s Review

Complete Set of Questions:

1. “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.” This first line has become one of the most famous in English literature. In addition to setting the narrative in motion, how does this line alert us to the tone of the novel and our role, as readers, in appreciating it? What does the line imply about women? (From the Chicago Public Library’s One Book, One Chicago pamphlet on Pride and Prejudice, 2005)

2. Elizabeth is upset to learn that Charlotte has accepted Mr. Collins’s marriage proposal. Do you think Charlotte should have married Mr. Collins? Did she choose him or did he choose her? What do you think influenced her decision to accept him? Is Charlotte a romantic? Is Elizabeth?

3. How does Pemberley play a role in Elizabeth’s change of heart? Does she really fall in love with Darcy after seeing his estate? Trace the development of her feelings for him. Why is Darcy attracted to Elizabeth? Trace the development of his feelings for her.

4. What might have happened if Elizabeth had accepted Darcy’s first proposal? Do you think he really expected her to accept? How does the first proposal change their feelings for, and opinions of, each other?

5. Several letters are reproduced in full in the text. What is the effect on you as a reader when you read a letter instead of getting the information contained in it from the 3rd person narrator? Why do you think Austen might have used letters so often in this novel? (There are 59 references to letters in the book.)

6. How does the title Pride and Prejudice relate to the original title Jane Austen used for the novel, First Impressions? Do you think Pride and Prejudice is a better title? Why? How does it relate to Elizabeth? Darcy? Does it relate to other characters in the novel?

7. Mr. and Mrs. Bennet do not agree on very much, especially when it comes to their daughters’ futures. Who is the better parent—Mr. or Mrs. Bennet? What role does family play in this novel?

8. Darcy says that Wickham tried to elope with Georgiana for revenge. Does revenge play a part in his elopement with Lydia?

9. Lady Catherine’s visit to Elizabeth to persuade her not to marry Darcy actually has the opposite effect and propels them toward the final conclusion, their marriage. What is it about this use of dramatic irony that is so appealing to readers? What other examples of irony do you find in the novel?

10. The novel has many universal themes that make it relevant today and inspire contemporary spin-offs and adaptations. Imagine the Facebook pages of each of the Bennet daughters. Who would be most active on Facebook? How would their entries differ from each other? Would any of them choose not to be on Facebook?

11. Why is this novel so popular? Why do readers keep coming back to it, even after the original suspense is gone and they know how it ends?

From Wikipedia.org

In the early 19th century, the Bennet family live at their Longbourn estate, situated near the village of Meryton in Hertfordshire, England. Mrs Bennet's greatest desire is to marry off her five daughters to secure their futures.

The arrival of Mr Bingley, a rich bachelor who rents the neighbouring Netherfield estate, gives her hope that one of her daughters might contract an advantageous marriage, because "It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife".

At a ball, the family is introduced to the Netherfield party, including Mr Bingley, his two sisters and Mr Darcy, his dearest friend. Mr Bingley's friendly and cheerful manner earns him popularity among the guests. He appears interested in Jane, the eldest Bennet daughter. Mr Darcy, reputed to be twice as wealthy as Mr Bingley, is haughty and aloof, causing a decided dislike of him. He declines to dance with Elizabeth, the second-eldest Bennet daughter, as she is "not handsome enough". Although she jokes about it with her friend, Elizabeth is deeply offended. Despite this first impression, Mr Darcy secretly begins to find himself drawn to Elizabeth as they continue to encounter each other at social events, appreciating her wit and frankness.

Mr Collins, the heir to the Longbourn estate, visits the Bennet family with the intention of finding a wife among the five girls under the advice of his patroness Lady Catherine de Bourgh, also revealed to be Mr Darcy's aunt. He decides to pursue Elizabeth. The Bennet family meet the charming army officer George Wickham, who tells Elizabeth in confidence about Mr Darcy's unpleasant treatment of him in the past. Elizabeth, blinded by her prejudice toward Mr Darcy, believes him.

Elizabeth dances with Mr Darcy at a ball, where Mrs Bennet hints loudly that she expects Jane and Bingley to become engaged. Elizabeth rejects Mr Collins' marriage proposal, to her mother's fury and her father's relief. Mr Collins instead proposes to Charlotte Lucas, a friend of Elizabeth.

Having heard Mrs Bennet's words at the ball and disapproving of the marriage, Mr Darcy joins Mr Bingley in a trip to London and, with the help of his sisters, persuades him not to return to Netherfield. A heartbroken Jane visits her Aunt and Uncle Gardiner in London to raise her spirits, while Elizabeth's hatred for Mr Darcy grows as she suspects he was responsible for Mr Bingley's departure.

In the spring, Elizabeth visits Charlotte and Mr Collins in Kent. Elizabeth and her hosts are invited to Rosings Park, Lady Catherine's home. Mr Darcy and his cousin, Colonel Fitzwilliam, are also visiting Rosings Park. Fitzwilliam tells Elizabeth how Mr Darcy recently saved a friend, presumably Bingley, from an undesirable match. Elizabeth realises that the prevented engagement was to Jane.

Mr Darcy proposes to Elizabeth, declaring his love for her despite her low social connections. She is shocked, as she was unaware of Mr Darcy's interest, and rejects him angrily, saying that he is the last person she would ever marry and that she could never love a man who caused her sister such unhappiness; she further accuses him of treating Wickham unjustly. Mr Darcy brags about his success in separating Bingley and Jane and sarcastically dismisses the accusation regarding Wickham without addressing it.

The next day, Mr Darcy gives Elizabeth a letter, explaining that Wickham, the son of his late father's steward, had refused the "living" his father had arranged for him and was instead given money for it. Wickham quickly squandered the money and tried to elope with Darcy's 15-year-old sister, Georgiana, for her considerable dowry. Mr Darcy also writes that he separated Jane and Bingley because he believed her indifferent to Bingley and because of the lack of propriety displayed by her family. Elizabeth is ashamed by her family's behaviour and her own prejudice against Mr Darcy.

Months later, Elizabeth accompanies the Gardiners on a tour of Derbyshire. They visit Pemberley, Darcy's estate. When Mr Darcy returns unexpectedly, he is exceedingly gracious with Elizabeth and the Gardiners. Elizabeth is surprised by Darcy's behaviour and grows fond of him, even coming to regret rejecting his proposal. She receives news that her sister Lydia has run off with Wickham. She tells Mr Darcy, then departs in haste. After an agonising interim, Wickham agrees to marry Lydia. She visits the family and tells Elizabeth that Mr Darcy was at her wedding. Though Mr Darcy had sworn everyone involved to secrecy, Mrs Gardiner now feels obliged to inform Elizabeth that he secured the match, at great expense and trouble to himself.

Mr Bingley and Mr Darcy return to Netherfield. Jane accepts Mr Bingley's proposal. Lady Catherine, having heard rumours that Elizabeth intends to marry Mr Darcy, visits her and demands she promise never to accept Mr Darcy's proposal, as she and Darcy's late mother had already planned his marriage to her daughter Anne. Elizabeth refuses and asks the outraged Lady Catherine to leave. Darcy, heartened by his aunt's indignant relaying of Elizabeth's response, again proposes to her and is accepted.

Saturday, January 27, 2024

Second Foundation (Foundation #3) 5Stars

Title: Second Foundation
Series: Foundation #3
Author: Isaac Asimov
Rating: 5 of 5 Stars
Genre: SF
Pages: 200
Words: 72K

What a masterpiece of storytelling. The Foundation Trilogy absolutely deserves all the plaudits it has received over the decades. When I read this trilogy in ‘08 and only gave it 3stars, I suspect most of that had to do with the fact that I was in the midst of thralldom to the Sandersonization of the SFF genre. Now I’m not and so can appreciate it better. Which in turns means that those who are addicted to the chunksters of SFF today probably won’t enjoy the Foundation either. That’s too bad, but that’s how it all shakes out.

Structure-wise, Second Foundation follows the same formula of the previous book, in having two novellas comprising the one book. Each novella in turn is broken down into “chapters” that read much more like a short story than just a chapter from a whole. That kind of structure works very well for me and as Asimov was a genius in terms of writing short stories, I think it works well for how the book is made up.

Story-wise, this wraps things up just fine. The First Foundation is still alive and working on it’s destiny to unite the galaxy in a second empire in a couple of hundred years and the Second Foundation is safely in the background, guiding things along. Seldon’s Plan is back on track after the disruption of The Mule and humanity seems to be riding the right track.

And I can see why people keep reading the later Foundation novels. I ended this and my first thought was “I want more”. I read Foundation’s Edge and Foundation and Earth back in highschool and hated them. But that was almost 30 years ago now and I wonder if my tastes and opinions have changed enough that I wouldn’t hate them this time around. Considering how much I loved this trilogy this time round, I am hesitant to do anything to mar that pleasure. But at the same time, I am a reader. I read books, lots and lots of books (say that in your best Neo voice please)

(But this is not a post about my decision making skills or abilities. That’s for another time. That’s a threat, count on it!)

I enjoyed reading this book, and this trilogy and I found it tantalizing, well done and once again, worthy of all the praise it has received over the years. I highly recommend this, even if you end up not liking it nearly as much as I do. The Foundation Trilogy is foundational to SF and once you’ve read it, you’ll see it peeping out everywhere in the SF genre.

★★★★★

From Wikipedia.org

Part I: Search By the Mule

Part I is about the Mule's search for the elusive Second Foundation, with the intent of destroying it. The executive council of the Second Foundation is aware of The Mule's intent and, in the words of the First Speaker, allows him to find it—"in a sense". The Mule sends two of his people on a search for the Second Foundation: Han Pritcher, who had once been a captain and a member of the underground opposition prior to being Converted to the Mule's service, and Bail Channis, an "Unconverted" man (one who hasn't been emotionally manipulated by the Mule to join him) who has quickly risen through the ranks and impressed the Mule.

Channis reveals his suspicions about the Second Foundation being located on the planet Tazenda, and takes the ship there. They first land on Rossem, a barren planet controlled by Tazenda, and meet with its governor, who appears ordinary. Once they return to the ship, Pritcher confronts Channis and believes him to have been too successful with the search. The Mule, who had placed a hyper-relay on their ship in order to trace them through hyper-space, appears, and reveals that Channis is a Second Foundationer. Pritcher's emotional bonds to the Mule are broken in the ensuing exchange between Channis and the Mule, and he is made to fall into deep sleep. With only the two of them left, the Mule reveals that he has brought his ships to Tazenda and has already destroyed the planet, and yet senses that Channis's dismay is only pretense. He forces Channis to reveal that Rossem is actually the Second Foundation, and that Tazenda is only a figurehead.

The First Speaker for the Second Foundation appears and reveals to the Mule that his rule is over; neither Tazenda nor Rossem is the Second Foundation, and Channis's knowledge had been falsely implanted to mislead the Mule. Second Foundation agents are headed to Kalgan and the Foundation worlds to undo the Conversions of the Mule, and his fleet is too far away to prevent it. When the Mule experiences a moment of despair, the First Speaker is able to seize control of and change his mind; he will return to Kalgan and live out the rest of his short life as a peaceful despot.

Part II: Search By the Foundation

Part II takes place 60 years after the first part, 55 years after the Mule's death by natural causes. With the Mule gone his former empire falls apart and the Foundation resumes its independence. Because of their enslavement at the hands of the Mule and their wariness of the Second Foundation (who possess similar abilities to the Mule) the Foundation began studying the mental sciences.

A secret cabal is formed within the Foundation to root out the Second Foundation after evidence of the latter's manipulation is found through mental analysis of the former society's key figures. They send one of their own, Homir Munn, to Kalgan to search for clues to the Second Foundation's location. Munn is followed to Kalgan by Arcadia, Dr Darell's daughter.

Since the death of the Mule, the Second Foundation has worked to restore the Seldon Plan into its proper course. In the organization's secret location, the First Speaker discusses the state of the galaxy with a student. The Student is concerned that the Foundation's now tangible knowledge of the Second Foundation's existence would have negative effects upon the former which would then further destabilize the Seldon Plan. The First Speaker reassures the Student that a plan has been put in place by their organization in order to address his very concerns.

In Kalgan, a man named Stettin has assumed the Mule's former title as First Citizen. He believes that the Mule's actions have made the Seldon Plan irrelevant and declares war upon the Foundation, intending to usurp their role in the formation of the Second Empire. He's unconcerned with the possible intervention of the Second Foundation.

Arcadia escapes from Kalgan to Trantor with the help of a Trantorian trader named Preem Palver. With his help, she passes information to her father regarding the location of the Second Foundation.

Kalgan eventually loses the war against the Foundation as the specter of the Seldon Plan adversely affects the performance of the Kalganians every bit as much as it bolsters the morale of the Foundationers.

The Foundation cabal reconvenes to discuss what they've learned about the Second Foundation. Munn believes that the Second Foundation never existed while Pelleas Anthor believes they're in Kalgan. Dr Darell states that the Second Foundation is in Terminus itself based on information supplied by Arcadia. He also reveals he has created a device capable of emitting mind static, which is harmful to individuals with mental abilities similar to that of the Mule and the Second Foundation. Activating the device in the presence of the cabal reveals Anthor to be a Second Foundationer, and further interrogation leads to the discovery of the rest of his comrades who are subsequently detained indefinitely.

Unsatisfied with the ease by which the Second Foundation has been defeated and suspecting Arcadia's information to be planted through mental tampering, Dr Darell runs tests on his daughter to determine if she has been compromised. Both are relieved when the tests' results are negative. Dr Darell basks in the realization that with the Second Foundation gone, the Foundation are the sole inheritors of the Seldon Plan and the Second Empire.

It is then revealed that the Second Foundation are not only intact but also the mastermind behind the recent major events. The Foundation's conflict with Kalgan and their subsequent victory was meant to restore the former's self-esteem after the Mule enslaved them. Anthor and his comrades were in fact martyrs meant to mislead the Foundation into believing they had eliminated the Second Foundation, thereby shrouding the Second Foundation in secrecy once more and restoring the Seldon Plan to its proper course. Arcadia was unknowingly working for the Second Foundation, having been mentally adjusted shortly after her birth in order to prevent detection. The Second Foundation is actually located at the planet Trantor, the seat of the previous Galactic Empire.

The story closes with the revelation that the First Speaker of the Second Foundation is Preem Palver, who is satisfied that the galaxy is now forever secure.

Tuesday, January 23, 2024

Weaponized (Polity #22) 4Stars

Title: Weaponized
Series: Polity #22
Author: Neal Asher
Rating: 4 of 5 Stars
Genre: SF
Pages: 481
Words: 163K

It’s been almost two years since I read Jack Four, the previous Polity book by Asher. I still vividly recall that book though because of all the pooping. Thankfully, in Weaponized, Asher moves away from that. However, what he moves into is as close to body horror as I ever want to get. I’ll talk more on that later.

This novel takes place before and around the beginning of the Prador War. We follow one Ursula as she moves into the ennui stage of life (somewhere around the 200 year mark for most humans, kind of like a very deadly puberty phase of life), then beyond it and then into the present, where she is trying to colonize a world outside of Polity control. Asher slices the story up into Past, Near Past and Present and slices each time line up and interweaves them. So for Chapter 1, you’ll have Present, about Ursula fighting on the planet. Then we’ll switch to Near Past about the colonists discovering whatever they are fighting in the Present. Then we’ll go to the Past which starts with her going through the military and getting kicked out because of the ennui. While it was handled well, I didn’t like it. It was very different from his previous novels and I suspect he did it just to see if he could but I sure hope he’s done with that little “phase”.

The pace here was just as unrelenting and furious as in Jack Four. Which leads into the body horror. This was also a Jain tech novel. By now, fans of Asher know how horrible Jain tech is, how pervasive, twisting and overpowering it is. But instead of the jain changing the colonists over a period of years, it happens within months, days and even hours. They change from humans to whatever is needed to survive, not only physically but also mentally and emotionally. It was degradation on every level. What made it worse is that they chose it, even if they were under the influence of the jain tech. It became so bad that a Polity golem sacrificed herself to set off the entire CTD arsenal in a prador dreadnaught. Ursula STILL managed to survive and the novel ends with her entity being taken to a Polity AI to be studied. It was brutal. Asher does a great job of showing that the Polity is not some benevolent technocracy but just a series of programs weighing what is the best outcome for the greatest number. There have been times it felt like he was promulgating the idea that they were truly benevolent, but either my perceptions have changed or his writing has changed. Either way, it feels much more inline with my worldview and I for one am ok with whatever the reality of the change actually is.

Another fantastic journey into the heart of a future as envisioned by Neal Asher. I continue to recommend this Polity series.

★★★★☆

From the Publisher

With the advent of new AI technology, Polity citizens now possess incredible lifespans. Yet they struggle to find meaning in their longevity, seeking danger and novelty in their increasingly mundane lives.

On a mission to find a brighter future for humanity, ex-soldier Ursula fosters a colony on the hostile planet Threpsis. Here, survival isn’t a given, and colonists thrive without their AI guidance. But when deadly alien raptors appear, Ursula and her companions find themselves forced to adapt in unprecedented ways. And they will be pushed to the very brink of what it means to be human.

As a desperate battle rages across the planet, Ursula must dig deep into her past if she is to save humanity’s future.

Sunday, December 03, 2023

A Christmas Carol 5Stars

Title: A Christmas Carol
Series:
Author: Charles Dickens
Rating: 5 of 5 Stars
Genre: Classic
Pages: 89
Words: 29K

Yep, good stuff. Having listened to this in various audio editions for the last 2 years, I decided that it was time to actually re-read it. Last time I read it was back in ‘13. A decade. One of the boys at church was just being born then and several of the girls weren’t even a gleam in their daddy’s eye yet. Measuring my book reading by peoples’ lives is kind of scary. Because it makes me feel powerful and wise and like I can do anything, such as read a book. Again ;-)

Because this is my umpteenth time, I specifically looked for little details that I hadn’t noticed on earlier reads. I found them. It helped that I sat down one evening and just read this from beginning to end. At 89 pages that’s not a big chore. I didn’t take note of the little things, but as I read them, I mentally said to myself “Bookstooge old fellow, we don’t remember THAT detail do we?” and I nodded sagely to myself for my perspicuity.

I suspect that after this year I’ll let this story rest for a couple of years before I try again. Hopefully not another full decade, but a couple at least, maybe even a couple of couples. I don’t want the enjoyment and fun and goodness of a story to be squeezed out because I was so greedy and grasping in my literary hunger. Just as eggnog is meant to be consumed in a small portion of the year, so too must certain stories be consumed in a measured pace.

This was a good start to my Christmas Carol on Sunday’s for December. Please look forward to next Sunday when I review the movie version of A Christmas Carol starring Patrick Stewart.

★★★★★

From Wikipedia

The book is divided into five chapters, which Dickens titled "staves".

Stave one

A Christmas Carol opens on a bleak, cold Christmas Eve in London, seven years after the death of Ebenezer Scrooge's business partner, Jacob Marley. Scrooge, an ageing miser, dislikes Christmas and refuses a dinner invitation from his nephew Fred. He turns away two men who seek a donation from him to provide food and heating for the poor and only grudgingly allows his overworked, underpaid clerk, Bob Cratchit, Christmas Day off with pay to conform to the social custom.

That night Scrooge is visited at home by Marley's ghost, who wanders the Earth entwined by heavy chains and money boxes forged during a lifetime of greed and selfishness. Marley tells Scrooge that he has a single chance to avoid the same fate: he will be visited by three spirits and must listen or be cursed to carry much heavier chains of his own.

Stave two

The first spirit, the Ghost of Christmas Past, takes Scrooge to Christmas scenes of Scrooge's boyhood, reminding him of a time when he was more innocent. The scenes reveal Scrooge's lonely childhood at boarding school, his relationship with his beloved sister Fan, who died young while giving birth to Fred, and a Christmas party hosted by his first employer, Mr Fezziwig, who treated him like a son. Scrooge's neglected fiancée Belle is shown ending their relationship, as she realises that he will never love her as much as he loves money. Finally, they visit a now-married Belle with her large, happy family on the Christmas Eve that Marley died. Scrooge, upset by hearing Belle's description of the man that he has become, demands that the ghost remove him from the house.

Stave three

The second spirit, the Ghost of Christmas Present, takes Scrooge to a joyous market with people buying the makings of Christmas dinner and to celebrations of Christmas in a miner's cottage and in a lighthouse. Scrooge and the ghost also visit Fred's Christmas party. A major part of this stave is taken up with Bob Cratchit's family feast and introduces his youngest son, Tiny Tim, a happy boy who is seriously ill. The spirit informs Scrooge that Tiny Tim will die unless the course of events changes. Before disappearing, the spirit shows Scrooge two hideous, emaciated children named Ignorance and Want. He tells Scrooge to beware the former above all and mocks Scrooge's concern for their welfare.

Stave four

The third spirit, the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, shows Scrooge a Christmas Day in the future. The silent ghost reveals scenes involving the death of a disliked man whose funeral is attended by local businessmen only on condition that lunch is provided. His charwoman, laundress and the local undertaker steal his possessions to sell to a fence. When he asks the spirit to show a single person who feels emotion over his death, he is only given the pleasure of a poor couple who rejoice that his death gives them more time to put their finances in order. When Scrooge asks to see tenderness connected with any death, the ghost shows him Bob Cratchit and his family mourning the death of Tiny Tim. The ghost then allows Scrooge to see a neglected grave, with a tombstone bearing Scrooge's name. Sobbing, Scrooge pledges to change his ways.

Stave five

Scrooge awakens on Christmas morning a changed man. He makes a large donation to the charity he rejected the previous day, anonymously sends a large turkey to the Cratchit home for Christmas dinner and spends the afternoon at Fred's Christmas party. The following day he gives Cratchit an increase in pay, and begins to become a father figure to Tiny Tim. From then on Scrooge treats everyone with kindness, generosity and compassion, embodying the spirit of Christmas.

Saturday, November 04, 2023

Sense and Sensibility 5Stars

Title: Sense and Sensibility
Series: ----------
Author: Jane Austen
Rating: 5 of 5 Stars
Genre: Classic
Pages: 258
Words: 120K

What a difference 17 years makes. When I first read and reviewed this back in ‘06, I gave it 3 stars. Whether that was because it didn’t have the same emotional impact on me as did Persuasion, or if it was simply because I was a callow youth of 28 (oh, how the character of Marianne in this book would laugh at that. At 17, anyone over 25 is ancient and already just waiting for the grave) or some other reason, I do not know. But this time around, I could not only appreciate the story from a different perspective (having gotten married in ‘08 changed my perspective on a lot of things) but also the writing itself.

The writing was complex, almost, but not quite, convoluted. It was not a ten lane highway but a back country road that is still gravel, has hairpin turns and occasionally washes out at the creek. In other words, the writing had character and it wasn’t just about getting the reader from Beginning to Middle to End. That being said, at first I still tried to read this like I was in my Porsche 911. After banging up the oil pan and puncturing one of the tires, I gave that up and jumped into my Model T and tut tutted down the road, at just the right speed. As it was meant to be read.

My initial reaction back in ‘06 was that Elinor, the older sister who showcases “Sense”, was the better of the two sisters. While I think that Austen is advocating for self-control with the character of Elinor, I also felt that she was inadvertently showing the downsides to that. As an uptight, self-controlled kind of person myself, I have found that throwing off the traces every once in a while is very good for me. While emotions DO need to be controlled, they should be guided into their proper channels, not just controlled for control’s sake (or for culture’s sake, as Elinor seems to do). That is not a slam on Elinor’s character at all, as she is all of 19 or 20 and most young people need MORE control of their emotions, not less, at that time of life. They’d make a fool of themselves a lot less anyway and save themselves and others a world of hurt and pain.

Starting to look at things that way, I found myself (now at the wise, old and ancient age of 45) agreeing with Marianne’s viewpoint a lot more. She doesn’t care what other people, or “society” thinks. The older I get, the less I care what you think. Doesn’t mean I want to be a jackass and trample all over you, but in many areas, I have my ideas firmly set and I won’t give way on them and if that hurts someone feelings, that’s too bad. Maybe they should stop being a pansy and put on their boot cut jeans instead of wearing those girly skinny jeans. Ooops, see, that is being a jackass. You go right ahead and wear those girly skinny jeans. I won’t mock you at all, at least not if you’re a woman.

The only downside to this story, which wasn’t much so I didn’t even bother to knock a half star off of my rating for it, was that Marianne’s falling in love with Colonel Brandon happened like that:

~snaps fingers~

In my Currently Reading and Quote post from last month, Marianne made it evident what she thought of “older” men. Of course, in that post I laughed my head off because Colonel Brandon is all of 35. But to have Marianne change not only her opinion but her feelings so drastically and so quickly, while not out of the realm of possibility at all, didn’t ring quite true to me. It felt very “Authorial Fiat”.

I actually ended up reading this novel twice, within a week. The first time I was trying to drive that Porsche I mentioned and while I switched to the Model T partway through, I felt like I had lost something at the beginning, so I waited a week and then re-read it using the Model T from the get-go. Part of that, I must admit, was because I had formed the idea of watching four different screen adaptations and I wanted a SOLID grounding in the text, so that I wouldn’t get things from the movies and miniseries mixed into this book review. I feel that I have done that more than adequately. So prepare yourselves, the next four Sunday’s will be filled with more Sense and Sensibility than you can shake a stick at.

Finally, the synopsis hidden away by the details arrow is almost 1500 words long. Open that at your own peril.

★★★★★

From Wikipedia.org

Henry Dashwood, his second wife, and their three daughters live for many years with Henry's wealthy bachelor uncle at Norland Park, a country estate in Sussex. That uncle decides to leave only a life interest in the Norland Park estate to Henry, so that upon Henry's death the property must pass to John Dashwood, Henry's son by his first marriage, and thence to Harry Dashwood, the four-year-old son of John. The uncle dies, but Henry lives just a year after that and is unable in such short time to save enough money for the future security of his second wife Mrs Dashwood, and their daughters, Elinor, Marianne, and Margaret, who are left only a small income. On his deathbed, Henry extracts a promise from his son John to take care of his half-sisters. But John's wife, Fanny, persuades her husband to renege on the promise, appealing to his concerns about diminishing his own son Harry's inheritance, despite the fact that John is already independently wealthy thanks to both his inheritance from his mother and his wife's dowry. Henry's love for his second family is also used by Fanny to arouse her husband's jealousy, and persuade him not to help his sisters financially.

John and Fanny move in as the new owners of Norland, where the Dashwood women are treated as unwelcome guests by Fanny. Mrs Dashwood seeks somewhere else to live. Meanwhile, Fanny's brother, Edward Ferrars, visits Norland and is attracted to Elinor. Fanny disapproves of their budding romance, and offends Mrs Dashwood by implying that Elinor must be motivated by his expectations of coming into money.

Mrs Dashwood moves her family to Barton Cottage in Devonshire, near the home of her cousin, Sir John Middleton. Their new home is modest, but they are warmly received by Sir John and welcomed into local society, meeting his wife, Lady Middleton; his mother-in-law, the garrulous but well-meaning Mrs Jennings; and his friend, Colonel Brandon. Colonel Brandon is attracted to Marianne, and Mrs Jennings teases them about it. Marianne is not pleased, as she considers the thirty-five-year-old Colonel Brandon an old bachelor, incapable of falling in love or inspiring love in anyone.

While out for a walk, Marianne gets caught in the rain, slips, and sprains her ankle. John Willoughby sees the accident and assists her, picking her up and carrying her to her home. Marianne comes to admire his good looks and his similar tastes in poetry, music, art, and love. His attentions, and Marianne's behaviour, lead Elinor and Mrs Dashwood to suspect that the couple are secretly engaged. Elinor cautions Marianne against her unguarded conduct, but Marianne refuses to check her emotions. Willoughby engages in several intimate activities with Marianne, including taking her to see the home he expects to inherit one day and obtaining a lock of her hair. When the announcement of an engagement seems imminent, Willoughby instead informs the Dashwoods that his aunt, upon whom he is financially dependent due to his debts, is sending him to London on business, indefinitely. Marianne is distraught.

Edward Ferrars pays a visit to Barton Cottage, but seems unhappy. Elinor fears that he no longer has feelings for her, but she will not show her heartache. After Edward departs, sisters Anne and Lucy Steele, vulgar cousins of Mrs. Jennings, come to stay at Barton Park. Lucy informs Elinor in confidence of her secret four-year engagement to Edward Ferrars that started when he was studying with her uncle. Elinor realises Lucy's visit and revelations are the result of her jealousy and cunning calculation. This helps Elinor understand Edward's recent sadness and behaviour towards her. She acquits Edward of blame and pities him for being held to a loveless engagement to Lucy by his sense of honour.

Elinor and Marianne accompany Mrs Jennings to London. On arriving, Marianne writes several personal letters to Willoughby, which go unanswered. When they meet by chance at a dance, Willoughby is with another woman. He greets Marianne coldly, to her distress. She leaves the party distraught. Soon Marianne receives a curt letter enclosing their former correspondence and love tokens, including the lock of her hair. Willoughby is revealed to be engaged to Miss Grey, a young lady with a large fortune. Marianne is devastated. After Elinor reads the letter, Marianne admits to her that she and Willoughby were never engaged. She behaved as if they were because she knew she loved him and thought that he loved her.

As Marianne grieves, Colonel Brandon visits and reveals to Elinor that Willoughby seduced, impregnated, then abandoned Brandon's young ward, Miss Eliza Williams. Willoughby's aunt subsequently disinherited him, and so, in great personal debt, he chose to marry Miss Grey for her money. Eliza is the illegitimate daughter of Brandon's first love, also called Eliza, a young woman who was his father's ward and an heiress. She was forced into an unhappy marriage to Brandon's elder brother, in order to shore up the family's finances, and that marriage ended in scandal and divorce while Brandon was abroad with the Army. After Colonel Brandon's father and brother died, he inherited the family estate and returned to find Eliza dying in a pauper's home, so Brandon took charge of raising her young daughter. Brandon says Marianne strongly reminds him of the elder Eliza for her sincerity and sweet impulsiveness. Brandon removed the younger Eliza to the country, and reveals to Elinor all of these details in the hope that Marianne could get some consolation in discovering Willoughby's true character.

Meanwhile, the Steele sisters have come to London. After a brief acquaintance, they are asked to stay at John and Fanny Dashwood's London house. Lucy sees the invitation as a personal compliment. It is actually a slight to Elinor and Marianne who, being family, should have received such an invitation first. Too talkative, Anne Steele betrays to Fanny Lucy's secret engagement to Edward Ferrars. As a result, the sisters are turned out of the house, and Edward is ordered by his wealthy mother to break off the engagement on pain of disinheritance. Edward, still sensitive of the dishonour of a broken engagement and how it would reflect poorly on Lucy Steele, refuses to comply. He is disinherited in favour of his brother, Robert, which gains Edward respect for his conduct and sympathy from Elinor and Marianne. Colonel Brandon shows his admiration by offering Edward the clerical living of the Delaford parsonage, to enable him to marry Lucy after he is ordained.

Mrs Jennings takes Elinor and Marianne to the country to visit her second daughter, Mrs. Charlotte Palmer, at her husband's estate, Cleveland, on their way back to their home in Devonshire. Marianne, still in misery over Willoughby's marriage, goes walking in the rain and becomes ill. She is diagnosed with putrid fever, and it is believed that her life is in danger. Elinor writes to Mrs. Dashwood to explain the gravity of the situation, and Colonel Brandon volunteers to go and bring Marianne's mother to Cleveland to be with her. In the night, Willoughby arrives and reveals to Elinor that his love for Marianne was genuine and that losing her has made him miserable. He elicits Elinor's pity, but she is disgusted by the callous way in which he talks of Miss Williams and his own wife. He also reveals that his aunt said she would have forgiven him if he married Miss Williams but that he had refused.

Marianne recovers from her illness, and Elinor tells her of Willoughby's visit. Marianne realizes she could never have been happy with Willoughby's immoral, erratic, and inconsiderate ways. She values Elinor's more moderated conduct with Edward and resolves to model herself after her courage and good sense. Edward later arrives and reveals that, after his disinheritance, Lucy jilted him in favour of his now wealthy younger brother, Robert. Elinor is overjoyed. Edward and Elinor marry, and later Marianne marries Colonel Brandon, having gradually come to love him. The two couples live as neighbours, with sisters and husbands in harmony with each other. Willoughby considers Marianne as his ideal but the narrator tells the reader not to suppose that he was never happy.

Wednesday, July 19, 2023

The King of the Swords (Eternal Champion: Corum #3) 4Stars

Title: The King of the Swords
Series: Eternal Champion: Corum #3
Author: Michael Moorcock
Rating: 4 of 5 Stars
Genre: Fantasy
Pages: 127
Words: 45K

While I still enjoyed this, I did not find the story as engaging as the previous two. Part of that was just how weak the gods of Law are. They control 10 of the 15 planes of existence and yet the single god of Chaos is more powerful alone then all of the gods of Law combined. They came across as weak and effete. So when I found out at the end that Kwll and his brother Rhynn had killed ALL the gods, both of Chaos and Law, I didn’t shed a tear. It did make me wonder what that meant for the Cosmic Balance, as Kwll seemed to go out of his way to emphasize how he and Rhynn didn’t believe in the Cosmic Balance and thus weren’t under control by the rules of it.

That kind of philosophizing permeated this book much more than in the previous two. Corum gets to meet Elric and Erekose (other incarnations of the Eternal Champion. Erekose is the only one who remembers every incarnation though and maaaaan, is he a whiny pants cry baby) and Moorcock waxes on (yes Mr Miyagi!) about the nature of reality, blah, blah, blah. I think the ideas here are great for teens and young adults to be exposed to, because thinking about the nature of reality is important. People are ignoring biological facts today, which is reality, and are reaping the consequences by going insane.

We do get to see Corum go whizzing around in one of the flying boats and boy howdy, does he go all over the place. He travels his own world, he travels to other planes of existence and has adventures. He even goes to Limbo. I would say this ends happily with him and Rhalina being at peace, but knowing there is another trilogy to come means Corum is going to get boned somehow. Eternal Champions are Eternally Unhappy.

Why Moorcock chose that line of reasoning is still a mystery to me. Maybe it was pure marketing? When you’re writing for the teen and YA crowd, tortured anguished heros usually sell better. I’d like to believe that he had better reasons than that but I don’t care enough to find out. I don’t even know if there are any biographies on the man. He is just a name on the cover to me and I suspect it will be better for me and everyone, if he stays that way.

★★★★☆

From Wikipedia.com

A spell - determined to have been cast by the forces of Chaos - forces the inhabitants of Corum's plane to war with each other (including the City in the Pyramid). Desperate to stop the slaughter, Corum, Rhalina and Jhary-a-Conel travel to the last five planes, ruled by Mabelode, the King of the Swords. Rhalina is taken hostage by the forces of Chaos and Corum has several encounters with the forces of Chaos, including Earl Glandyth-a-Krae.

Corum also meets two other aspects of the Eternal Champion: Elric and Erekosë, with all three seeking the mystical city of Tanelorn for their own purposes. After a brief adventure in the "Vanishing Tower", the other heroes depart and Corum and Jhary arrive at their version of Tanelorn. Corum discovers one of the "Lost Gods", the being Kwll, who is imprisoned and cannot be freed until whole. Corum offers Kwll his hand, on the condition that he aid them against Mabelode. Kwll accepts the terms, but reneges on the bargain until persuaded to assist. Corum is also stripped of his artificial eye, which belongs to Rhynn - actually the mysterious giant Corum had previously encountered. Kwll transports Corum and Jhary to the court of Mabelode, with the pair fleeing with Rhalina when Kwll directly challenges the Chaos God.

In a final battle Corum avenged his family by killing Glandyth-a-Krae and decimating the last of Chaos' mortal forces. Kwll later located Corum and revealed that all the gods - of both Chaos and Law - have been slain in order to free humanity and allow it to shape its own destiny.

Corum: The Coming of Chaos Trilogy (2000 “Review”)