“The Afterlife” by John Updike #11

Our mortality is something that we all must face. This subject of mortality is something John Updike tackles in today’s selection. Carter and Jane Billingses are in their fifties, and have been living in New England for quite some time. They have had nice lives, and weren’t looking to change. But then, one of their dearest friends, Frank and Lucy Eggleston moved to England, close to Norfolk. After three years, the Billingses take advantage of an opportunity to visit their friends in Great Britain. It is there that Carter has a near fatal injury which prompts him look at his life differently than before.

This change in perspective, while coming at a cost, is something that I am very happy that Mr. Billingses is able to experience. It is as if he has a small sense of liberation after his experience. It is as if he is finally allowing himself to experience a new life, maybe not taking a few things for granted anymore. Even things such as listening to how Jane and Lucy talk about bird watching are opportunities to think about his life differently than before. In just a small way, I could appreciate Mr. Billingses’ newfound perspective, and I found it enjoyable to read. You can find it in The Afterlife and Other Stories.

Links of Interest:

Official Norfolk Tourist Information

Birds of Norfolk Trailer at YouTube

All About Birds at Cornell Lab of Ornithology

“The Mad Scientist” by Isaac Asimov #10

There has many stories and shows about mad scientists throughout the years. This one tells the story of Martinus Augustus Dander of Mudlark University in Tennessee. He is an under appreciated physics professor with a possibly revolutionary theory, which if true, could produce an unlimited supply of energy. But like other scientist who found themselves initially dismissed, Martinus has face rejected at the hands of multiple journal editors who will not publish his work. If only his paper was published, then the world would know his brilliance! If his papers had already been rejected, how can he make them take him seriously?

To be honest, I have a biased view of this book. Not until I was in college did I really enjoy reading for pleasure, but at times in my childhood I would have moments where something would catch my eye, and I would read a book or two, and then stop again for another six months. Isaac Asimov’s Magic is one of those books. Reading from it again after all those years was a joy to me, I had forgotten about the humorous nature of his writing. I found myself laughing and chuckling throughout this story. The main flaw that I have with this story is that the solution involves many of the same characters throughout the collection. This isn’t really too bad, but it can make it boring in a sense because you know who is going to solve the problem much of the time. You can find it in Magic: The Final Fantasy Collection.

Links of Interest:

James P. Joule Biography from www.answersingenesis.org

Oliver Heaviside Biography

Tunguska Event Video on YouTube (History Channel Broadcast)

“Tennessee” by Justin Taylor #9

Despite its name, “Tennessee” has very little to do with the state. Its main importance in the story is the fact that the story describes how a Jewish family reacts when they are forced to move from their home in the greater Miami area to Nashville Tennessee. This causes turmoil among the main character and his younger brother Rusty, both of which behave in different ways. While one takes up smoking, the other often finds himself getting in arguments about Israel with his father. These manifestations of rebellion, while reprehensible, are the main thing that I found interesting in this work. These are common ways people, especially young adults, deal with their problems, so I am not surprised to see it here. This sense of rebellion that permeates the story gives it some merit if you are a young adult struggling with similar feelings. You can find it in Everything Here Is the Best Thing Ever: Stories.

Content Advisory: Foul Language, Sexual Descriptions, Tobacco Use

“The Camera and the Cobra” by Roger Nash #8

One commonly seen element in short stories is the surprise ending. This may be exciting and make me think, "Wow!" at the end, but at times I wish it wasn’t there. I like the fact that with the short story, I can be taken to a great number of different places and times, in a very short period of time. It is like I am at a place for just half an hour in a short story, where in a novel I may be somewhere for a week or more. I don’t need a cliffhanger ending to achieve that feeling. Besides, sometimes an ending such as that can sour the experience for me.

With that in mind, I couldn’t help but feel that "The Camera and the Cobra" achieved that sensation of being there better than most any of the stories mentioned thus far on this blog. The story describes a newly qualified doctor being posted at Kasfareet in Egypt, on the shores of the Great Bitter Lake. While there, he takes up the hobby of photography which is written about in great exuberance. The great thing about this story is the incredible organic feeling to the writing. Despite taking place in a desert, everything feels so organic and alive that I was gripped by each sentence. You can read it in PEN/ O. Henry Prize Stories 2009.

Links of Interest:

Great Bitter Lake Images from Google

Khamsin at Wikipedia

Euclid of Alexandria

“I Will Survive” by Jeffrey Archer #7

 "I Will Survive" begins like just a simple tale about the day-to-day activities of antique dealer Julian Farnsdale. Among his wares include an Adam fireplace, a Chippendale rocking chair, and best of all, a Faberge egg created by Carl Faberge in 1910. Everything is normal until he and his fellow shopkeepers meet the famous Gloria Gaynor who will be performing at the Royal Albert Hall in South Kensington in London. I thought it was a pretty fun read because I find the way people behave around famous people entertaining, which this story touches on. Further, I liked being given a description of how a salesman thinks in this story as well.  You can find it in And Hereby Hangs a Tale.

Links of Interest:

Official Gloria Gaynor Website Multimedia

Official Faberge Collection Web Page

Royal Albert Hall Home Page (Includes Virtual Tour)

“Thor’s Day” by Sam Shepard #6

When I began “Thor’s Day” I noticed that the page had a different layout then most, and when I came to page 2, my suspicions about what made this story unusual were confirmed. This is a dialogue-only story. Also somewhat unusual, there are no names for the two protagonists, just like in “The Briefcase.” In a nutshell, this selection is about a conversation a couple has in a restaurant in Virginia. As you can surmise from the title, part of the conversation has to do with the origins of the word “Thursday.” Due to the nature of the writing, it is an extremely quick read. It is almost like I was taken for a ride as the conversation progressed, brought to the climax, and then suddenly ended. You can find it in Sam Shepard’s Day out of Days: Stories.

Content Advisory: Blood and Gore

Links of Interest:

The Origins of the Names for the Days of the Week

Thoughts on Dialogue-Only Fiction at Flash Fiction Chronicles

“An Ordinary Soldier of the Queen” by Graham Joyce #5

I will be the first to admit that I am not an expert on the military, and I do not come from a military family. So when I discovered that “An Ordinary Soldier of the Queen” took place during the first Gulf War in ’91, I thought it would help my appreciation, even if it is from the perspective of the British military. The story opens with Seamus Todd remarking that he is going to go see the Queen, to ask her if what happened to him out there in the desert was true. He is a Color Sergeant in the British 1st Armored Division and it is his job to bring his boys back home alive. A lot of the story describes him leading his men through the deserts of Iraq in their Warrior tanks, which was for me something that helped me appreciate what my military has done to keep my country safe. But better than that, is the descriptions of what those men and women go through mentally while in that situation, and how they cope with what they see there that I enjoyed the most. It made me think, “man, I couldn’t do that.” Thus, the appreciation. It goes without saying that this story is filled with cussing all over the place, and that it is gory at times too, so reader discretion is advised. At times, the language was so much that I almost couldn’t take it, but what can I say, this is war, so I can look past that in this. Check it out in PEN/ O. Henry Prize Stories 2009.

Content Advisory: Blood and Gore, Foul Language

Links of Interest:

1st Armored Division (UK) from Wikipedia.com

Color Sergeant from Wikipedia.com