"Haunted" is a collection of 23 short stories in between the narratives about a group of writers who answered an ad that says "Artist''s retreat abandon your life for three months" in an isolated writer's colony run by an old dying man named Whittier.

None of the characters were named by their real name, they were refered to by various aliases like; Mother Nature, Earl of Slander, Duke of Vandals, the Missing Link, Lady Baglady to name a few.

The narratives about their ordeal in the writer's colony are intertwined with the different short stories that these characters have written (which are mostly about them ), the cover of the paperback version of this book has a line from observer that says "brutally graphic".

Which is expected of any Chuck Palahiuk book and with the first short story called "Guts" is of any indication, readers are in for a horrific ride.

As i have learned, "Guts" has been in circulation prior to the writing of this book, Chuck P. has made some news around America during a book reading tour, wherein while reading this short story, scores of listeners dropped unconsciously on the floor, mainly because of the graphic details of the story.

"Guts" was about a teenage masterbation gone wrong, if you are curious. And as i found myself, i cringe halfway through it, finished the story without passing out, but still, true to it, i found it brutal and darkly funny, the true Chuck P. style.

So as the days goes by on the "Artist's colony", with lack of food and stable living condition sets in, the mental state of the writers are greatly affected, the stories they write soon becomes darker, their relationships towards each other becomes spiteful, starvation eventually leads to a suicide and more contempt with each other to the amusement of the old man Whittier...yeah i guess i should stop right here hahaha...

Over all the novel is what every critics have said it is, "full of gore" to some they find it as "worthless piece of graphic literature" (probably the same critics who gave John Grisham's novels a 5 star ).

Reading a book is an intimate experience, its like consentual sex, you wont go on if it doesnt pleases you, and i find reading this book as one of my joyful exuberant moments in reading just about anything ( that includes porn ), if i may say, this one isn't for everybody.

This book aint for the sissy readers who thought "Da Vinci Code" is the greatest book on earth and are foolish enough to watch the film, if you're a Harry Potter junkie, i suggest keep up with your reading habbits, no need in making a grothesgue and sudden change in genre.

But if you are a Stephen King, Irvine Welsh, Alex Garland, The Canterbury Tales reader? then this one is for you.

It will delight you to no end, its brutal content will either leave you laughing your ass of or it might produce some nightmares in the coming night.

Which coincidentally i did, night after i got done reading with "Haunted", i had a nightmare, even though i dont remember the details, it was enough to wake me up in the middle of the night, leave me sweating and unable to sleep the rest of the way.

I can say "Haunted" has gotten under my skin....hahahaha....

Brief Lives is the 7th collection of Neil Gaiman's acclaimed The Sandman Comics series. It was the 4th volume that i've read so far and probably the most insightful one in terms of explaining to me the relationships between each member of the family of the Endless.

Brief Lives starts with with an old man named Andros climbing up a rocky hill into an almost obscure island, among the small inhabitants of that island where some of Andros' family playing the modern day version of "the priests of Orpheus", it is then revealed that they were guarding and taking care a severed head which seems to be alive and at the same time talking.

Same with almost the previous Sandman volumes, each will start out with a scene that may resonates with the reader as they advance through the story, here the mysterious "talking head" will play a great part in the mysterious past of Morpheus aka Dream.

But the events of Brief Lives progresses on when Dream's youngest sister Delirium ( childlike in any sense of the word ) decided to find the Endless' missing "prodigal" brother Destruction, who about 300 years ago has abandoned his realm and responsibilities.

Delirium travels through the different realms of her older siblings to ask for help in locating their brother, after being churned away by both Desire and Despair telling her that they should respect their brother's decision, Delirium then was able to convince Dream to help her find Destruction in the waking world.

Dream accepted to help childish little sister Delirium so he can take his mind off the pain caused by the latest break up of a relationship with an unmentioned female.

Their quest costs the lives of many people who would be entangled in their search, because of what will be revealed later as result of 'mechanisms' Destruction set up before he left his realm. Eventually, the pair do track Destruction down, with the help of Destiny who in turn told Morpheus to ask for the help of an oracle.

The oracle that will help Morpheus and Delirium's quest for their brother turns out the severed head in the opening chapter, the Oracle's name is Orpheus, none other than Morpheus own son.

In exchange for the information, Orpheus demands a "boon of his father": where he wishes to die; and bound by his sense of obligation to his son, Morpheus cannot do anything but consent to his wish of dying and finding peace. Thus the shedding of family blood.

****
As i said, Brief Lives offers a great deal about the relationship of The Endless, in spite of their different realms and responsibilities, a feeling of love bounded by hundred of years of existence still exist with each other, Destruction's fondness of both Delirium and Despair is both touching and endearing.

The conversation between Dream and Destruction towards the end that explains Destruction's decision to leave offers a hindsight on the start of the existence of the whole Endless family.

Destruction: "As the universe came into being, Destiny came with it, alone on the darkness...before the living thing came into existence, our sister was there waiting"

Dream: "And when the first living thing awoke to life, i was also there"

And how Destruction's decision that he doesn't want any more part in it.

Destruction: "The Endless are echoes of Darkness, and nothing more. We have no right to play with their lives, to order their dreams and their desires"..

And with that Dream and Delirium watch as their brother descends to another world.

Frank Miller's "Sin City: The Hard Goodbye" tells the story of a down on his luck man named Marv, a huge character with a soft heart for doing good.

 

 

Problem arises when after making love to a beautiful woman named Goldie an experience that Marv describes as:

"I'm staring at a goddess, she's telling me she wants me. She sounds like she means it. I'm not going to waste one more second wondering how it is i've gotten so lucky"

And the next day Marv awakens to a dead Goldie in his bed.

"Not a mark on her, you'd have to check her pulse or notice those perfect breasts of hers aren't moving like they would if she was breathing...and there's nothing telling me it wasn't just a heart attack in her sleep..nothing but that cold thing in my gut getting colder"

And as Marv promises vengeance to those responsible for Goldie's death, the rest of the book details Marv's single-minded pursuit of vengeance in a classic true film noir fashion.

A journey that will lead him to encounter characters like his sexy but lesbian parole officer Lucille, a well-endowed stripper named Nancy, a gun wielding Wendy ( Goldie's twin sister ), Kevin, a sadistic, cannibal who doesn't speak but is a deadly killer to be reckoned with and Roark, a man who lives in the shadows, but holds the ultimate power.

Ultimately Marv got his revenge to those responsible for Goldie's death.

During the time after he sawed of both of Kevin's legs:

"Not even at the end, not even when the mutts had his fill and Kevin's guts are lying all over the place and somehow, the bastard is still alive, still staring at me, not even when i grab the saw and finish the job. HE NEVER SCREAMS"

The best part was when Marv meet up Patrick Henry Roark in his own place.

Roark: "Will that give you satisfaction my son killing an old helpless old man" ( dont be fooled by his rhetorics about being helpless )

Marv: "The killing, NO!, but everything up until the killing will be a gas"

"And when his eyes go dead, the hell i send him to must seem like heaven after what i've done to him"...


*******

It is graphic, violent YES! but the writing are slick, no wonder Robert Rodriguez based the movie page by page, line by line. All you ever wanted in great pulp fiction is here. Frank Miller delivers the goods. And i'm left wondering how great the other Sin City Volumes would be. I guess i had to collect them all.

Damn another reason to be broke, but as Marv would put it
"Everything is worth dying for, worth killing for, worth going to hell for Amen"

Although i aint dying and killing for nobody...i guess Reading "Sin City" is very much worth being broke for.

In America the November Presidential Elections was just the culmination of months of rigid political positioning, the long and winding political process of choosing the Democratic and Republican standard bearer is the blast from the gun that will start all of this.

Through the backstage of every primaries, conventions, secret deals, quick minded handlers, political maneuvers, media, supporters all rolling together to help a candidate get that prized trophy...The Presidential Nomination.

And this is what a full time Rolling Stones correspondent Hunter Stockton Thompson did cover during the time of Dec 71 - March 73, from the onset of the Democratic Presidential race unto the Nationwide Presidential Election itself.

A must read for every political junkie and even to those who are sick of it all, like me, hell this is sort of history as told by HST, even as dubious as American Politics, its eye popping and very informative at the same time.

The 1972 race to the white house was probably one of the most crucial in modern American history, for it was the era of the Vietnam war becoming more of a burden and a thorn in American society, A president who is in the midst of the watergate scandal gunning for re-election, disillusioned young people who would rather become hippies and smoke "marrywanna" than practice their right to suffrage.

Gone are the leaders of yesterdays, ( Jack and Bob Kennedy ), a disgraced Lyndon B Johnson, what remains are the Nixon thugs, a young but reluctant Edward Kennedy and of course the hope of the Democrats, front runner Ed Muskie, Hubert Humphrey and a long shot and the "only honest senator" Sen. Mcgovern.

The madness of that era in American Politics was widely told by HST with cunning reality, bold conviction, brutal truth, obscene, horrid and driven narrative, only he, the quintessential outlaw journalist, Prince of gonzo journalism, fueled by the "edge", Hunter S. Thompson can deliver.

who in his own words "my garb and demeanor is not considered normal by Washington standards" in comparing himself with the normal Washington reporters.

It was a typical HST, but not at all typical by any body's standards, here he relates the all unfolding events, from the get go to the end of the whole madness, thereby taking a toll on himself also., the struggles in finishing the book, the White House's indifference to him ( not giving him press credentials ), the wacky Ed Muskie train junket ( courtesy of some heckling hippies sporting an HST press ID ).

"it become obvious both by the bizarre quality of his first draft work and his extreme disorganized lifestyles, that the only way for the book could be completed was by means of compulsory verbal composition" - HST's editor's note.

Thus explaining the Q&A style in the book's last chapter.

As if the drama, highs and lows of Senator Mcgovern's rise from being merely a contender to the eventual Democratic Presidential nod was not enough, HST was able to cough up some personal account of his life at the time, and some NFL snippets ( Nixon's NFL jinx ), all proved to be entertaining.

Obviously the book shows HST's distaste at the thought of Nixon occupying the White House for another 4 years, at first he explained that his choice of Mcgovern was a fact based on the "lesser of two evils" comparison, but as time goes by he was able to firmly believe with all sincerity that Mcgovern is the man that deserves to be in the White House, at the same time contradicting this belief that Mcgovern is a better Senator than a President working on a National level, still bottomline, its anyone except Nixon.

Its clear cut that he supported Mcgovern's drive to the Democratic race and the Presidential campaign itself, but he was cut out honest enough to enumerate probable varying factors, political miscalculations, mistakes by the staff that contributed to Mcgovern's coming up short in beating Nixon.

the doomedness and failure of the campaign right from the start is written on the wall, against Nixon's well oiled political machinery and "thugs" are very well explained in here.

Right then HST is already writing about the importance of the youth vote, the first timers, who unfortunately was seldom taken advantage by the Politicians then, from a statistic viewpoint of about 25 million youngsters, it was concluded that even at least only 10 % would troop to the polls, it may after all proved the difference.

One factor that Mcgovern failed to take advantage of, maybe it was the 60's mentality or the hippie culture, that instilled on the Politicians mind at that time.

Well HST is right after all because if all of you would remember the various campaign by different organization in the last American Presidential election about the youth vote, you know MTV's "rock the vote", it was all pointed towards youth participation on the election.

Even though i never lived in that era, hell i am not an American to say the least, reading this book fills me with so much understanding not only about American Politics, where "democracy" is built upon, i also got a firm grip on issues that are relevant, ingredients in a successful campaign, and most of all the complexities of the search for power...to attain that one particular Political prize...

Hell its American politics, full of deceit, scumbags, lies and more lies...it can very well be PHILIPPINE POLITICS....

or this book can be very well be Fear and Loathing: Philippine Politics..

By way of a so called "chrono-synclastic infundibulum" wave phenomena, millionaire Winston Niles Rumford travels through space as an energy all across the universe, mainly through so called "materialization" a process where he appears with his dog Kazak for an hour every 59 days on Earth, at his residence at Newport, Rhode Island to be exact. When he entered the infundibulum, Rumfoord became aware of the past and future. Throughout the novel, he predicts future events that always come true.

During these materialization he engages the novel's main protagonist, Malachi Constant, a happy go-lucky playboy and the richest man in 22nd century America of a future prediction that will take him to Mars, Mercury and an obscure Saturn moon called "Titan". Sire a child named "Chrono" with Rumford's estranged wife Beatrice.

Both Beatrice and Malachi did in their very best to avoid fulfilling the said predictions. But little did they know a conspiracy that ranges far to Martian armies, mysterious disappearances and mind control is being conducted upon and to what purpose?

But as Vonnegut's central theme of the meaning of life. Or rather, the meaninglessness of life, future events conspires that things happens for a reason.

Readers then were taken to a colony in Mars where Armies recruited on Earth work together in preparation for an impending invasion of Earth. One man who goes by the name "Unk" is among them. With no knowledge of the past, Unk was given a clue by a man in the gallows on the verge of being executed about a secret location of a letter that may very well be the answer to Unk's real identity.

And the rest of the plot which i don't have to divulge is a great storyline that purely entertains readers with a classic science fiction tale from bright lit yellow colored "harmoniums" of Mercury, to a distant planet called Trafalmadore, coded message represented by the Stonehenge, the Great Wall of China and even the Kremlin House. Put in a dose of religious theme as Winston Rumsford organize a religion on Earth called "the Church of God the Utterly Different".

****

Vonnegut's detailed storytelling is more than realistic to transport us through space and time among the vastness of the universe. He makes the ridiculous more hilariously entertaining. He has written a most detailed renderings of the nature of the human being and complete with snapshots and annotations about our history. As well as writing some passing shot to the antidote to all of our foolishness.

Eventually, Malachi Constant does find out what's important in this life and even love with Beatrice, Chrono their only son eventually finds out more about life as evident when he said towards the end "Thank you Mother and Father, for the gift of life, Goodbye"

And, then, so do we. How much of life is determined by luck or by fate? How much does God and man conspires with each other in creating human events? Kurt Vonnegut may not give us all of the answers, but his observations are satisfyingly enough.

I've put my reading habit on the sideline for over a month, hopefully I'm back to reading again because I still got lots of backlog books on my shelf.

Anyway here's the one that broke the streak and put me back to reading again.

"The Dream Hunters" is Neil Gaiman's homage to mythical Japanese literature, served with an appetizing dish by way of the artworks of Yoshitaka Amano, one of Japan's legendary painters. 

 

 

While the original plan was to create a graphic novel version of the retelling of the classic "The Fox, the Monk, and the Mikado of All Night's Dreaming".

But according to Gaiman, Yoshitaka Amano insists while he is a fan of the comic medium he does not create one and the plan to make a novella with accompanying paintings by Amano proved to be a wise idea.

The Dream Hunters started as the back blurb would say "begins with a wager between a badger and a fox".

The wager's conditions was who among the badger and the fox would succeed in driving out the monk out of his temple. After unsuccessful attempts by the badger and the fox to get rid of the monk. Unexpectedly, while the fox transforms into a female body to try and fool the monk to leaving his temple, the fox formed a deep connection with the monk and eventually falls in love with him.

Driving the badger away the fox accompanied the monk in the temple. Life together was peaceful until the fox overhears a countryside conversation between two creatures plotting to kill the monk.

On the other side of the country a rich Master of Yin-Yang known as the "Onmyoji" is bothered by unexplained fear amidst a life of wealth, convenience and the company of a wife and a concubine. After consulting with three wicked sisters, the "Onmyoji" learned that the only thing that can drive away his fears lies on a monk living in a secluded temple somewhere.

And as the "Onmyoji" plots a plan to get rid of his fears at the expense of the Monk, the fox approaches the "King of Dreams" with the hope of saving the Monk's life.

The ensuing events and what happens next is for you to discover!.

****

The prose and the way Gaiman commands his storytelling which is patterned after Japanese mythologies and Yoshitaka Amano's fine artwork, which sometimes would force you to tear a page from the book and put it in a frame to hang in your wall. All of it makes this a "must read".

Most importantly it brought me back to reading again...I pick just the right book to kickstart my reading habits again.

Called by many as "the long lost novel", it was written by then young 22 year old Hunter S. Thompson.

Years before he would make a name for himself and become America's notorious journalist, his technique, method and flamboyant writing style created the so called "gonzo journalism" its style which blurred the distinction between writer and subject, fiction and non-fiction was widely imitated by a lot of witers, all of them coming up way short. 

 

When asked how much of the "fear and loathing" series are facts, he stated his own explanation through Truman Capote's own words "as a non fiction novel in that almost all of it was true or did happen..just warped out a few things"

And the result was a list of cult smash hits like ( are mostly non-fiction or true accounts )
"Fear and loathing in America"
"Fear and loathing in Las Vegas"
"Fear and loathing: the campaign trail of 1972" ( national bookstore in galleria has this one )
"hell's angels" ( his account for riding with the bikers in america known as hell's angels for over a year )
"better than sex"
and the self autobiography "Kingdom of fear" ( which i am now a proud owner )

Either way "The Rum Diaries" is HST 100% shot at fiction, one would just wonder how many "fiction" novels he may have written if he just "found a drug..that can get you anywhere near as high as sitting at a desk, trying to imagine a story no matter how bizzare it is" ( Kingdom of Fear - HST )

The Rum Diaries is set in Puerto Rico circa 1950's, a place where "American dollars and American cars flows through the streets....a rum is a drink of choice better than gin" Paul Kemp a young journalist fresh from countless stints in Europe was called on to join the english language paper called "San Juan Daily News"

A place where rampant drunkenness, stubborness and riotous traits abound, mix with the volatile personas of his peers, third world environment, exotic beaches, un-hospitable looks of the locals, it all becomes a question of survival just trying to exist. A true gritty story and study of human nature forced to different implications by their environment.

A must read indeed not only to HST fanatics.

in what critics called "reveals a young Hunter S. Thompson brimming with talent"

some of the lines from the book

"the sun woke me up the next morning, i sat up and groaned, my clothes were full of sand, 10 feet to my left Yeamon and Chenault were sleeping on their clothes, they were both naked & her arm was thrown over his back, i stared at her, thinking that no one would blame me if i lost my wits and pounded on her, after first crippling Yeamon with a blow on the back of his skull"

"I covered my head with my arms and lashed out my feet, but the awful hammering continued, there was not much pain, but even though the numbness i knew they were hurting me and i was suddenly sure i was going to die, i was still conscious and the knowledge that i was being kicked to death in a Puerto Rican jungle for $ 11.50 filled me with such terror that i began to scream like an animal"

Notable American "Pulp Fiction" writer Jim Thompson's psychological tale of a psychopathic serial killer, published first in 1953, at that time the idea of such monsters existing in our midst is quite shocking and hard to believe.

But a dozen Ted Bundy's, Charles Manson and Jeffrey Dahmer later, the public have grown accustomed to such evil men that walk the Earth as if they wouldn't hurt a fly.

"Wouldn't hurt a fly" Just like Deputy Sheriff Lou Ford, a man everybody looked up to, as the defender of peace in a small county in Texas. Lou Ford is appreciated by his boss and the town's citizenry, but hidden beneath that philosophical gestures and image of the law and the badge that he carries, Lou Ford carries something more sinister, more evil that only the past can betray.

It seems that as the body count rose, and nobody is a likely suspect. Lou Ford begins to think that people around him are suspecting him of the recent crimes being committed in his small county. Is Lou Ford capable of this crimes?

It seems that a "sickness" from the past, long been absent has resurfaced and this time there won't be any family to look after and cover up for him. As Lou Ford tries to act as the Sheriff in charge of solving the mysterious crimes another part of him tries to cover up by killing anybody and he means anybody who would at least dig up some dirty secrets from beyond.

 

"The Killer Inside Me" as Stanley Kubrick's blurb on the cover says "probably the most chilling first person criminally warped mind (written)".

Frightening indeed it was. The coldness of the narratives, the brutality that the character displays are enough to make you drizzle in sweat. One doesn't need further to be reminded of the evil and sickness that lingers around us, one just have to pick this book and read it cover to cover. And i dare you, you won't look up at a friendly neighbor, teacher, boss at work the same way ever again.