Book Review: The Beast of Boggy Creek by Lyle Blackburn

The Beast of Boggy Creek The True Story of the Fouke Monster by Lyle Blackburn
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

One night in early May 1971 brought attention, a lot unwanted, to a 500-person town that eventually became apart of the cultural zeitgeist thanks to surprise blockbuster. The Beast of Boggy Creek: The True Story of the Fouke Monster by Lyle Blackburn examines the events of 1971 and the surprising aftermath as well as the events long before and up to the present-day to give context to those of early 70s.

Before his examination of the string of incidents, Blackburn gives a physical and cultural background of the Fouke, Arkansas region before incidents that brought the little town to the national monster zeitgeist. Then Blackburn goes right into the 1971 incidents using newspaper accounts and interviews of those directly involved or who investigated them in the aftermath including local law enforcement officers to examine all of them. Blackburn then goes back to previous sightings in time over the course of the previous half-century that occurred in the nearby but equally small Jonesville, including those that involved the family of Smokey Crabtree. Blackburn then examines the events leading up to, during, and aftermath of the filming of The Legend of Boggy Creek including its surprise box office performance—leading to horrible sequels—and cult classic status even today. Blackburn then transitions after the “heyday” of the 1970s to explore if there had been anymore sightings and relating many of them through to and past 2000. The last fifth of the book is dedicated to examining theories of what, if anything, the monster could have been from misidentification to an unknown bipedal ape as well as any incidents of hoaxes, particular with the three-toe foot tracks.

Aside from Florida’s Skunk Ape, Fouke Monster is the essential Southern Bigfoot within the cryptozoological community. Blackburn keeps his focus on events directly in Fouke or connected with it from sightings and interactions to the guerilla-style filmmaking of the surprise smash hit that is based off events within the community. As stated above, Blackburn only really goes into analysis and speculation at the end of the book as the primary focus is on those events in 1971 that created the phenomenon and then if there were any similar events before and after the 70s heyday. The most important thing I found in the book is that Blackburn took years researching this book and traveling to the area so often that it appears those in the community that were suspicious of his motives realized he was not there for a hatch job on the community and were willing to be interviewed, some of them relating events for the first time to an ‘outsider’.

The Beast of Boggy Creek is a thorough look into the early 1970s cryptozoological and box office phenomenon as well the history before and after those defining events. Lyle Blackburn writes in an engaging style the clearly brings the events and facts to the reader so they can come to a informed conclusion of their own.

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Book Review: Black Wind by Clive & Dirk Cussler

Black Wind by Clive Cussler
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A long-range plan by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea conquer the South is spearheaded by a businessman with a deadly plan to strike the United States with a pandemic of a hybrid strain of smallpox, but Dirk Pitt Jr. appears on the scene. Black Wind is the eighteen novel of Clive Cussler’s Dirk Pitt series the first featuring the young Pitt in the lead as well as the first with Cussler’s son Dirk as his co-author.

In December 1944, the commanding officer of the Japanese submarine I-403 is given orders to launch a mysterious attack on the United States, a mission involving Japan’s notorious biological warfare group, Unit 731. The I-403 reaches the U.S. northwest coast but is sunk before the mission can be carried out. Over 62 years later, a team of CDC researchers, including field epidemiologist Sarah Matson, are unexpectedly infected by a deadly and mystery illness in the Aleutian Islands; they are rescued by Dirk Pitt Jr. (hereinafter Pitt Jr.), who is nearby on a NUMA research vessel. Pitt Jr, with friend and coworker Jack Dahlgren, return to the site to investigate, but their helicopter is downed by gunfire from a mysterious trawler. They survive, eventually determining that the illness resulted from a toxic compound of cyanide and smallpox. In Japan, the U.S. ambassador is golfing with his British counterpart when he is assassinated by a sniper named Tongju. Tongju later assassinates the ambassador’s deputy and a semiconductor executive, leaving clues that appear to identify him as a member of a Japanese terrorist group. Investigating the toxin, Pitt Jr. consults marine-history researcher St. Julien Perlmutter, who finds records of the I-403. Pitt Jr. and Dahlgren find and dive on the sunken I-403, but its mysterious ordnance has been removed. Meanwhile, in the Philippines, Dirk Pitt senior (hereinafter referred to simply as Dirk) and his friend and colleague Al Giordino are also discovering forgotten Japanese ordnance that is poisoning marine life. In Incheon, South Korea, Dae-jong Kang, a multi-millionaire industrialist, is secretly a North Korean sleeper agent who has been using corruption to press for rapid reunification of the divided peninsula under the DPRK's rule. Kang reviews his plans with his assistant; they include framing a U.S. serviceman for the murder of a South Korean girl to foment unrest, while Tongju retrieves more of the World War II toxin from a second sunken submarine. Learning of the interference of Pitt Jr., Kang sends assassins to eliminate him, but they fail through ruin a classic car Pitt Jr. had just purchased. NUMA researcher Hiram Yeager has discovered that the toxic ordnance was also carried by a Japanese submarine lost in the South China Sea. Pitt Jr. joins his sister Summer aboard a NUMA salvage vessel that locates the wreck, but Tongju and his commando team seize the vessel. After taking the recovered toxin and kidnapping Pitt Jr and Summer, the North Koreans sabotage the salvage ship and leave the imprisoned crew to drown, but actions by the Pitt siblings before leaving enables everyone to escape. Pitt Jr. and Summer are taken to Kang’s yacht, where the multimillionaire taunts them with a general threat of infecting the U.S. with the hybrid toxin, then leaves them to drown. They escape and make their way back to the United States. Unaware of the exact nature of Kang’s plan, the NUMA team coordinates with government agencies to search for cargo vessels that might be carrying the toxin. However, the real plan goes forward as Tongju and his commando team pirate Sea Launch, a seaborne rocket-launching platform, preparing to fire a toxin-laden warhead at a G8 summit meeting in Los Angeles. When Dirk and Giordino spot the launch platform from a blimp, a deadly countdown is already underway. However, Dirk manages to infiltrate and alter the launch, resulting in the rocket crashing harmlessly into the sea. In the final showdown, Pitt Jr. and a team of Navy SEALs infiltrate Kang's base as he prepares his final getaway aboard his luxury yacht. However, after a showdown on the bridge, Pitt Jr. sends Kang and his yacht to a fiery crash.

As this is the first book that featured the younger Pitt as the main character, his character was more rounded out than his previous appearance. Unfortunately, he is too much of a chip off the ol’ block from his father, in fact its hard to see any differences between the two from physical appearance to their interests (classic cars as shown in this novel) and even getting himself onto a SEAL mission. It could be said that there are a variety of ways that a younger character could be seen as their parent’s kid, being exactly alike is the cheap way out. The overall plot of the book is one of the better ones of the series and an improvement over some of the previous outings, save for a few glaring head scratch moments that don’t ruin things but diminish the quality enough. The evil mastermind (Kang) and his top henchman (Tongju) are among the best in the series as well as head and shoulders over any since probably Inca Gold. If there is one glaring thing in the book, it’s that Summer Pitt sometimes feels like an add on though she’s given enough agency to be more than a damsel-in-distress due to some genes from her father, I guess.

Black Wind is a return to the better quality of books in the Dirk Pitt series, whether it’s focusing the series on a younger protagonist or that fact that Clive Cussler was joined by his son Dirk in writing the book can be argued. While not perfect and nor the best in the series, this is a very fun and engaging read.

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Book Review: Best Served Cold by Joe Abercrombie

Best Served Cold by Joe Abercrombie
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A ruthless and paranoid Grand Duke looking to become a King believes his best general is planning to usurp him and looks to get rid of her, but he did not finish the job. Best Served Cold is the fourth book and first standalone set in Joe Abercrombie’s First Law world as the vengeful path of the betrayed has an impact for the great powers of the world.

Monzcarro "Monza" Murcatto is the notorious leader of The Thousand Swords mercenary company that has brought victory after victory to her employer, Grand Duke Orso of Talins, becoming wealthy and popular as a result. Unfortunately, too popular for Orso’s liking which results in his ordering that Monza and her beloved brother Benna being thrown down a mountain. Unfortunately for Orso, she survives the stabbing, mutilating, garroting and a brutal fall. Now Monza wants vengeance against the seven men responsible: Orso's bodyguard Gobba, his banker Mauthis, the general of his armies Ganmark, her treacherous second-in-command Faithful Carpi, his sons Prince Ario and Count Foscar, and finally Orso himself. However, she cannot do it alone, so she enlists the help of an oddball carnival of psychopaths to aid her in her quest. This includes: Caul Shivers, a Northman looking to make a fresh start; Friendly, a number-obsessed ex-convict; Castor Morveer, a self-congratulatory blowhard of a poisoner, and his constantly eating apprentice Day; Shylo Vitari, a former Practical; and last, but by no means the least, the lovable scoundrel and drunkard has-been Nicomo Cosca who Monza betrayed to become leader of the Thousand Swords. Across Styria, they systematically work their way through Monza’s list. On the way, they not only kill their targets, but poison an entire bank full of people in Westport, burn a bordello to the ground in Sipani, and play no small role in the fate of Styria as a whole. Before Monza finally kills Duke Orso himself, he reveals that his fears were well-founded, and Benna was indeed planning to usurp him without Monza's knowledge. Meanwhile, various subplots interweaver Monza’s bloody-minded violent revenge. Bayaz and Khalul continue their machinations on the grand chessboard in Styria. Caul Shivers’ moral transformation from a likable optimist to a cold-blooded killer. Through Monza’s flashbacks we learn that her reputation as a butcher of the innocent, may not be as simple as all that. And a mysterious assassin called Shenkt who has his own plans for Monza, and his own desire for revenge … against Bayaz. In the end, a pregnant Monza is Grand Duchess of Talins just as Benna had planned, one of the only stable states in Styria and fulfilling Shenkt’s plan of an independent strong leader in Styria.

Like all of Abercrombie’s books of the First Law there are no purely good characters even though there are some awfully bad ones, but Monza might turn out to be one of the more morally positive by the end of the book than any of the other characters of Abercrombie’s work. All the characters followed throughout the book are well-written and intriguing, but the most intriguing is Benna who though killed in the first chapter worked to make Monza the ruler of a city though given what he did to ruin her reputation appeared to be setting her up to be assassinated so he could take over which would be a real Abercrombie thing to do. The long game of Shenkt appears to be something interest to look forward to for the future of the world especially given who the two big supernatural players of this world are.

Best Served Cold is a fantastic return by Joe Abercrombie to his First Law world that any fan of the original trilogy would enjoy.

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Review: Emma by Jane Austen

Emma by Jane Austen
My rating: 2 out of 5 stars

A young woman believes she is a natural matchmaker and wants to spread her gift, but it turns out she might have just gotten lucky the first time. Emma is the fourth novel by Jane Austin in which the titular character attempts to improve the lives of those around her with not so successful results.

After taking credit for engineering the marriage of her friend and former governess Miss Taylor to Mr. Weston, Emma Woodhouse's believes herself a matchmaker and looks for her next target. She becomes friends with Harriet Smith with the aim of marrying her to the local vicar Mr. Elton and persuades Harriet to refuse a marriage proposal from Robert Martin, a respectable, educated, and well-spoken young farmer which upsets Emma’s long-time friend and neighbor Mr. Knightley. Elton, a social climber, believes Emma is in love with him and thinks Harriet is an inferior which only comes out after Elton proposes to and is shot down by Emma. After many cancelled plans Frank Churchill, Mr. Weston's son though adopted by his wealthy and domineering though sickly aunt, arrives for a two-week visit and makes many friends though one of them is not Knightley who believes him to be of shallow character. Frank seems flirt with Emma and the two engage in speculation with another arrival Jane Fairfax who is visiting her aunt, Miss Bates, and grandmother, Mrs. Bates, for a few months before starting a governess position due to her family’s financial situation. Elton gets married to a social climber and the new Mrs. Elton and Emma do not get along which makes the former take Jane under wing and attempt to find her a position. Frank humors Emma’s belief that Jane had a mutual attraction to her friend’s new husband, which appear to be confirmed for Emma when a piano is sent to Jane by a anonymous benefactor. The Elton’s treat Harriet poorly, but is counteracted by a gallant act by Mr. Knightley. Frank and Jane start to noticeably arrive and leave outings at opposite times, but the banter between Frank and Emma continues harmlessly until Emma thoughtlessly insults Miss Bates. Emma apologizes the next day after a scolding by Mr. Knightley, but Jane refuses to see her nor accept gifts sent when Emma learns she is ill. Emma later learns that Mrs. Elton successfully convinced Jane to be the governess to a friend of hers. Meanwhile Frank’s aunt dies from her long illness which starts a stunning chain of events as he and Jane reveal they have been secretly engaged since autumn, something is now deceased aunt would have disapproved and whose nature strained the conscious of Jane making her end the engagement. Frank’s uncle approves the marriage, and it is made public making Emma feel embarrassed she was wrong. Events then happen quickly as Emma realizes she is in love with Knightley who proposes to her after at first coming to comfort her over Frank’s engagement only to learn she was interested in Frank. Emma then wonders what to do about Harriet after ruining her hopes only to learn of happy coincidences that have make Robert Martin propose to her a second time which she accepted.

Being completely honest, through most of this novel I imagined Emma becoming a busybody aunt who continually attempts to set up her nieces and nephews like several other characters from Austen’s previous novels, though she will not be a future Mrs. Norris. The overall narrative with its twists and turns was good, but the drag that the main character had on the whole piece was hard to overcome. Of the major secondary characters Mr. Knightley insightfulness into the personalities of others and heroic quest to temper Emma’s overbearing traits for the sake of their dual nephews and nieces—children of his younger brother and her older sister—future happiness makes him the standout of the novel, though the fact that poor Harriet Smith got her happy ending after the suffering she endured because of Emma was a truly the best ending any has gotten in Austen’s writing.

Emma as both a novel and character might have their admirers, but as you can tell I am not one of them. Through Austen wrote some interesting characters and a good overall narrative, the main character just came off as too unlikeable for my tastes.

Book Review: Bigfoot!: The True Story of Apes in America by Loren Coleman

Bigfoot!: The True Story of Apes in America by Loren Coleman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Did Bigfoot just pop up one day or has it been around for a while? Veteran cryptozoologist Loren Coleman examines the question in Bigfoot!: The True Story of the Apes in America.

After introducing himself and how his own researching of Bigfoot started, Coleman’s overview of the subject begins with events in 2000 when a rash of sightings made the news on the National level during the summer before the finding of the Skookum body cast in Washington state. After this hook, Coleman reviews the oral and written traditions and histories of Bigfoot from Native American tribes to colonist, settlers, hunters, and normal people up until 1958 when Jerry Crew made the first Bigfoot casts, and a “legend” was born. Coleman covers everything around the Bluff Creek incident and how it sparked the search for Bigfoot which led to the Patterson-Gimlin film that Coleman covers in-depth as well. Coleman completes his history with the “rise” of other bipedal “monsters” across the country from Florida’s Skunk Ape to Missouri’s Momo. The last half of the book is Coleman covering various topics and subjects that have arisen over the near half-century from Coleman’s own theory about three subspecies of Bigfoot—Classic, Eastern, and the North American Apes in the South—to the belief that Bigfoots were extraterrestrials during the last 1970s and many other things before Coleman finished the book by asking and answering three important questions at this point in the search of Bigfoot.

This is book is a excellent overview of the history of Bigfoot by one of the best cryptozoological researchers to have worked in the field and who worked alongside many of the early and important scientists that studied the subject soon after 1958. Through Coleman focuses on history, he does cover some scientific subjects including one that is not talked about much by researchers. Coleman’s inclusion of his subspecies theory and supporting evidence, especially related to the more apish subspecies of the American South and southern Midwest, adds to the overall work.

Although Loren Coleman’s Bigfoot! is almost two-decades old, it is still relevant for anyone interested in Bigfoot/Sasquatch whether one has been a long-time enthusiast or newly interested.

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