Home » Posts tagged "historical fiction" (Page 2)

Musings: The Adventure of the Peculiar Protocols: Adapted from the Journals of John H. Watson, M.D. by Nicholas Meyer

The Adventure of the Peculiar Protocols: Adapted from the Journals of John H. Watson, M.D.

Minotaur Books, 2019

ISBN-13: 978-1250228956

Available: Pre-order, hardcover, Kindle edition, audiobook, audio CD

 

I’m not sure what genre exactly this book fits. As a Sherlock Holmes pastiche, it by rights should be in the mystery genre. It is solidly grounded in history, although the author notes that not all the dates fit. It might be considered political fiction. But while I wouldn’t call it horror, for me, it was disturbing and terrifying. The plot concerns what is probably the last case Meyer will write for Holmes (he’s written several, starting with the brilliant The Seven-Per-Cent Solution), and begins in 1905, with Sherlock’s older brother, Mycroft, who works for the Foreign Service, approaching him to ask him to determine the authenticity of a document that a woman died to get her hands on. The document? A French translation of what is known today as The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, an anti-semitic screed that claims that there is a secret cabal of Jews meeting regularly and trying to take over the world. The first version of this document was published in the years just before the story takes place, and in the novel, its origins and authenticity are unknown.

On a personal level, I cannot even begin to tell you how it made me feel to read of fictional characters I have known and loved since I was a teenager discuss whether this could be authentic. (spoilers start here) Of course, Sherlock quickly deduces that it is a fraud (because it makes no logical sense that a secret cabal would announce itself) but Mycroft informs him that in fact Jews have been meeting yearly in Basel, Switzerland (this is the Zionist Congress, spearheaded by Theodor Herzl, which is working towards establishing a Jewish homeland in Palestine). Could this be related?

Zionism and the historical foundation and location of Israel in Palestine are touchy subjects and Meyer handles them well, sending Holmes and Watson to interview a number of Jews in England who have differing viewpoints, who include Chaim Weizmann, the future first president of Israel, and writer Israel Zangwill, who favors assimilation. Continued discussions between Holmes and Watson, and Watson’s own musings, on the authenticity of the document and the likelihood that Jews might actually be involved in some kind of conspiracy, were enough to make my stomach ache even though they were in agreement before long that the document was a fraud intended to stir people to anti-semitic acts, and well before the friends traveled to Russia to root out the truth firsthand. On reading a passage by Mark Twain, which presumably is supposed to be complimentary, Watson realizes it could be read the opposite way as well, and notes:

Having seen portions of the Protocols, a dark corner of my mind found itself wondering if the Jews were as noble and noteworthy as Twain described them. I confess I have never given Jews much thought… But now, in the stillness of the night… I was mortified to find myself wondering if, despite all logic and probability, there might not be some grain of truth in the Protocols… The scurrilous pages had already begun their insidious work, tunnelling their way into my poor, addled brain.

Of course, history tells us that Holmes and Watson, despite their thrilling and mind-altering adventure here, failed to keep the lies from spreading. It’s quite clear from the author’s repeated statements about lies being accepted as facts and people believing what is most comfortable to believe, especially when they need a scapegoat, that his story has been significantly shaped by the current presidential administration. As a reviewer, I think this made a considerable difference on how Holmesian the story actually was. Holmes rarely made the kinds of deductions he typically does in his stories, or referred to his expertise: he was much more emotional and less creatively resourceful. Watson, of course, is Watson, the faithful chronicler, but he also interjects himself into the narrative more frequently.  The long separation between the two left the relationship somewhat rusty as well.  While still grounded in Holmes’ world, it almost feels like this is less a story of Holmes and Watson and more a warning for us, the readers now…. certainly, a timely one. Meyer is a brilliant writer for carrying the story off. Here, Sherlock discovers, the world is smaller than he thought, and the political is very personal.

I think Meyer’s choice to focus on The Protocols of the Elders of Zion was interesting and unusual, and he brought some mostly unknown history and historical figures to light for many readers (I really loved how grounded in history and how vivid and real the setting and historical characters were). But while I recognize the need for the discussions of the possibility that this was an authentic document, I worry that, as with Watson’s thoughts following his experience with the Protocols, readers will instead take the opposite message away from the book.

Contains: references to murder and rape,  threats of violence, anti-semitic remarks.

Posted on October 10, 2019 by , Reply

Book Review: The Grave Digger by Rebecca Bischoff

The Grave Digger  by Rebecca Bischoff

Amberjack Publishing, 2019

ISBN-13: 978-1948705523

Available: Pre-order, hardcover and Kindle edition

 

It’s 1875 in Circleville, Ohio. Captain Cooper’s mother is ill,  and the doctor has to be paid. Although Cap is not yet thirteen, his father has decided it’s time for him to join him and his partner Lum as a “resurrectionist”, a person who digs up dead bodies in order to sell them to medical schools for dissection. The plan is to dig up the bodies of those who won’t be missed (mostly “colored” people), but the dead don’t appear to be staying dead. Cap’s classmate Jessamyn comes back to life after he touches her, and the next body wakes up while they are actually digging. The secret activities of the grave diggers are out, and they have to cover them up and find other ways to acquire the bodies. Cap is spooked, but his mother’s medical bills still have to be paid, and his father insists this is the only way they can raise the money. Beyond acquiring the bodies, Cap realizes that there is a larger conspiracy at work, involving not just unsavory characters, but also some of the most respected individuals in town. While the newspaper stirs up the town, it is mainly the “colored” people who are affected, and their demands for a cemetery guard are left unanswered. We can all be grateful that this is a middle-grade novel and that, while a book about grave robbing, burying people alive, and human dissection will obviously have some disturbing moments, it doesn’t get gratuitously gruesome.

Racism in Circleville’s general population doesn’t rear its head in overtly violent ways, but in white people’s daily choices and conversations, like the Coopers’ housekeeper’s resentment of and unwillingness to interact with Jardine, an African-American woman who is a friend and hear of Cap’s mother, comments about “those people”, and the choice to zero in on body-snatching the African-Americans in the cemetery.  It intersects with sexism as well, with Jessamyn’s mother feeling that the only choice she has to support her child is sex work (it’s referred to indirectly), and Jardine’s daughter Delphia, after telling Cap of her ambition to be a doctor, bracing herself for the expected comment “but you’re a colored girl!” and laughing when he says “but you’re a girl!” instead (either way, in 1875, ten years after the Civil War ended, she’d be unlikely to get into medical school, but the book treats it like it’s a real possibility– props to Bischoff for that).  It is noticeable (and relevant to the present day) that there are so few consequences for anyone who participated in the grave-robbing scheme and lived to tell about it.  That’s probably realistic, and in a middle-grade novel you want things to turn out for the protagonist, but I think this ending requires a conversation. There is a myth in the Midwest that because the Underground Railroad had a strong presence that there must not have been other race-baced issues (I can’t tell you about Ohio specifically, but it’s definitely the case in Indiana), and this book exposes that.

There are a lot of schools that can’t officially celebrate Halloween (my district doesn’t allow it) but that doesn’t mean there aren’t ways to celebrate the season. The Grave Digger is a great historical fiction choice with a macabre touch to promote to the right elementary and middle-schoolers at this time of year.  Highly recommended.

Posted on October 4, 2019 by , Reply

Interview with Steph Post

Steph Post

Monster Librarian reviewer Dave Simms recently had the opportunity to interview Steph Post, the author of the recently published book Miraculum, reviewed here.

Steph is also the author of A Tree Grown Crooked (Polis Books, 2018), a semifinalist for the Big Moose Prize, and the Judah Cannon crime novels Lightwood (Polis Books, 2017) and Walk in the Fire (Polis Books, 2018). Her short fiction has appeared in a number of publications and anthologies, and her short story “The Pallid Mask” was a nominee for the Pushcart Prize. She has published many book reviews and author interviews and is currently the writing coach at Howard W. Blake High School in Tampa, Florida.  You can visit her website at stephpostfiction.com.

This is a really fun interview, so definitely take the time to read it and enjoy! You also might want to check out her website now, as she is running a contest for art from the book through March 31st.

******************

DS: Miraculum was written between two of your Judah Cannon books  Why is this your third/fourth book and not second? Crazy publishing world or by design– or both?

 

SP: Definitely the crazy ins-and-outs of the publishing world, but I think the timing actually worked out perfectly. I sort of exist between different genres, so I think it worked out in my favor to establish a base with the crime fiction community before jumping over to fantasy/literary/historical/whatever we’re calling Miraculum today. Also, from the writing standpoint, I like to switch genres with every book I write. That way, there’s no chance of getting bored! I just finished up the last of the Judah Cannon books this past year and now I’m back to a novel that much more resembles the style of Miraculum, so I’m sticking to my zig-zagging path.

 

DS: Your art related to Miraculum is fascinating. Any thought to doing something professional with this? Art show? Illustrated version of the book? Booth at a local carnival?

 

SP: Thank you! I don’t consider myself a professional artist by any means, but I do love painting and printmaking. I especially love that it’s not a career in the way writing is for me. I can just mess around, without any of the pressure I put on myself when it comes to my novels. I’ve sold paintings in the past, and will be selling these Miraculum pieces as well, but mainly this project was a way for me to reconnect with a book I wrote three years ago, and also to connect with readers and fans. I wanted folks reading Miraculum to see some of the additional layers in the story that might not be obvious between the actual covers of the book. In a way, the paintings are a peek behind the curtain. I’m running a contest on Instagram right now— anyone who sends in a photo of the book (audio, Kindle, library book, doesn’t matter)—is entered in a drawing to win their choice of paintings. The contest ends March 31st and once the two winners (plus a winner of a custom piece) have chosen their paintings, I’ll put the rest up for sale. The contest is also a way to interact with readers and so I’m loving the project all around.

 

DS: I absolutely love your tattoos – and Ruby’s. The symbolism of her ink gives the novel a very cool dimension of character. Which of yours means the most to you?  I intend on getting one for every novel  published. Two down so far.  What’s your view on them?

 

SP: Well, thank you again. Speaking of… that reminds me. I need to make a tattoo appointment…. There’s no way I could pick one tattoo of mine that means the most to me—I don’t even know how many I have! My most recent tattoo is a quote from ‘The Little Prince’ in honor of all the dogs I’ve loved who have passed away. Every tattoo is hugely important to me, whether in what it means or in where I got it (I like to get tattooed when I travel), or in why I got it. I think everyone has different reasons for getting tattoos, no one reason better than another, but for me, it’s like a record of my life. A visual story, in a way, that only I understand, but that keeps me grounded.

 

DS: Ruby reminds me of a badass version of Ray Bradbury’s The Illustrated Man. Where did the inspiration for her come from?

 

SP: See above…. I think the tattooed part of Ruby comes from me. What I love about her tattoos, though, is that they are a doorway to discovering herself and her power. They’re a mystery, but a Pandora’s box once unlocked and opened.

 

DS: A Tree Born Crooked, Lightwood, and Walk in the Fire live in the crime genre. Was there a conscious decision to jump back in history for Miraculum‘s semi-historical realm? I understand that you’re going further back for the next novel. Do you think this could be a trend for you?

 

SP: Oh yes. The novel I’m currently working on is set in the 1890s. I love studying history and I think time periods of great change (such as the 1920s, the 1890s, etc.) are especially fascinating. Above all, though, the story has to rise above the setting of the novel, and this is something I’m really having to learn to balance, the farther I go back in time to write. I’ve got a long way to go on this new book, so I haven’t yet seen the book that will follow it. But I really like playing around on the fringes of fantasy/history/horror/adventure etc., so we’ll see how it goes.

 

DS: Influences? Who has shaped your writing, personality, and soul? Beyond writers, what musicians or artists impacted your creativity?

 

SP: Oh wow, that’s a weighted question. I’m going to just stick to those who have influenced my writing: definitely Michael Ondtje, David Eddings, Sheri Reynolds and Dorothy Allison. I’m sure there a million more, but I was reading those writers back when I first started to consider the idea of one day becoming an author myself, and so I think they had a huge impact on defining my direction.

 

DS: What’s next for you? Don’t feel obligated to stop at books, although what I read about the story set in 1890 sounds intriguing.

 

SP: While I’m still promoting Miraculum, of course, most of my energy is now going into the new book, which will most likely consume me for the next nine months. When I’m working on a book, I tend to get hyper-focused, and so I’m not one of those talented authors who can juggle a dozen creative endeavors at once. But when I do come up for air, I’m busy with dogs, chickens, gardening and, of course, art projects.

 

DS: You are very active on social media promoting other writers, both new and established. That is amazing – and not something that’s common enough in writing. We’re good with the support overall, but to publicly do so is refreshing. Writers’ groups and organizations rarely help much (although ITW has done wonders for me and others).  Your thoughts on this?

 

SP: When I was first starting out, I reached out to a few other writers, on social media, because I had absolutely no physical writing community. I don’t have an MFA, I’ve never been part of a writing group, I’m a very lone wolf when it comes to the actual writing process. I didn’t know the ropes at all and I started asking to interview writers as way of making connections and trying to learn what the hell I was doing. And I was stunned by how many writers, famous writers, were so warm and kind and open. They instilled in me the need to always, always, support other writers first. Not just because it will usually come back around to help you one day (and it has for me), but because it’s the right thing to do. There is not a finite amount of author success out there in the world that we need to scrabbling over. When one of us succeeds, we all succeed. And we should use any bit of success we might be fortunate enough to find to help pull up other writers, just as we ourselves were pulled up.

 

DS: What do you want readers to take away from Miraculum?

 

SP: I hope they get lost a little bit in the magic of storytelling. There’s a million layers to Miraculum and from what I’ve seen, all types of readers are taking away different things. But I hope everyone who reads it is reminded of why storytelling in and of itself is so vital. And so much fun.

 

 

 

 

 

Posted on March 17, 2019 by , Reply
First « 12345 » Last