BOOK REVIEW: Tarzan and the Jewels of Opar by Edgar Rice Burroughs

 

This is the fifth book in the Tarzan series, and it comes back to the original Tarzan of the Apes and his wife Jane. Now living in Africa, they receive word that the company that has sustained them in England has gone bankrupt. Since their wealth was originally established on the gold that Tarzan had pilfered from the unknowing (and uncaring) city of Opar, he decides to go back to get more gold to reestablish his monetary stability. However, they also have at this time a duplicitous visitor at their estate who wishes to steal their riches for himself and his Arabian master, a marauder and thief. All this sets the stage for a series of events, complicated by Tarzen himself suffering from amnesia due to a blow on the head, that leads to many and exciting adventures for all concerned.

This is the most involved novel by far in this series. Not only does it show the growth of Burroughs as a writer, but also the scope of imagination that he allowed himself to exercise when it came to his Lord of the Apes. Written in the 19th century, it is extremely misogynistic toward white, and in particular, English culture. But, to its credit, it also has a European villain and a native hero, (besides its main characters), which gives it somewhat more of an inclusive air. The action is such that it can still hold the interest with the best of thrillers today. This is the best of the series to date.

MOVIE REVIEW: The Visitor

 

This 2022 film follows a man and his wife who move into her childhood home upon the death of her father and the miscarriage of their first baby. The husband, Robert, who is from England, is having trouble adapting to the American lifestyle, and his culture shock is made worse by the fact that the town into which they have moved seems to have no end of citizens who act and speak to him strangely. Compounding this is the fact that, in the attic of their new home, he finds a painting of a man who looks exactly like him, and this is only the first of many portraits of the same man that he finds located throughout the town. As time passes, he comes to suspect that there are secrets that the town is hiding that are not only terrifying, but will effect the future of himself, his wife, and the child that they are now expecting.

This stars Finn Jones, a relative newcomer whose past roles include 2021’s Awake and 2017’s miniseries The Defenders. Jessica McNamee (Mortal Combat) plays his wife, and Donna Biscoe (best known for her role in the soap opera Saints & Sinners) appears as an antique shop owner who tries to warn Robert that something bad is happening. Originally produced for digital release on the Epix platform, this is a neat little story about a man becoming increasingly convinced that he has landed in the middle of a nightmare, and is continually frustrated by his seeming inability to do anything about it. There is very little strong language, no erotica, and basically no violence. It is purely a psychological buildup to a tantalizing ending. Older teens may appreciate this, but young children may not have the patience to allow the suspense to carry them to the end. However, this is a really good little movie and well worth the time.

BOOK REVIEW: The Lost World by Michael Crichton

 

This is a follow-up story to Crichton’s Jurassic Park, which was the basis of the movie franchise that has been so popular over the past few years. This one is about Site B, a laboratory island where the dinosaurs were bred for transfer to the infamous park, and the small team that goes in to rescue an erstwhile scientist who has gotten himself trapped while trying to study the animals there. The team includes Ian Malcolm (which is a little confusing considering that this character was supposed to have died in the first book, though he didn’t in the subsequent movie), the mathematician who was involved in the adventure on the first island, Sarah Harding, a naturalist who studies predators, an equipment specialist named Thorne, Thorne’s assistant Eddie, and the lost scientist, an arrogant, selfish prig named Levine. There are also two kids that stowaway on the expedition (Crichton always seems to have kids in dangerous places in his books). Add to the mix an unscrupulous exploitative businessman named Dodson trying to steal dinosaur eggs, and you have the makings for an unending series of thrilling episodes of people trying to survive in a world that they were never meant to. In spite of the confusion about whether this is supposed to be a sequel to the book or the movie, the author’s writing and characterization makes the story move along at a pace that precludes any consternation of storyline flaws. Entertaining to read, and even more to listen to in its audio form, this is a good one for that long flight or bus ride when one needs to be whisked away to another world, this time it being a prehistoric one.

MOVIE REVIEW: Look Away

 

A teenage girl named Maria, who is the victim of bullying in school and whose parents are too distracted by their own problems to pay any attention to their daughter, finds that her reflection in mirrors has come alive and allows it to take her place, resulting in a series of murders. This 2018 film stars India Eisley (The Secret Life of the American Teenager) as Maria, Mira Sorvino (Human Trafficking) as her mother, and Jason Isaacs (Lucius Malfoy in the Harry Potter series) as her father. This is a well-acted and well-scripted movie, but is also rather slow moving and takes a while for the real action to start. There is nudity, erotic scenes, and some strong language, so, for these reasons, and the fact that it may evolve too slowly for young minds, this is not recommended for children. However, for adults that like Alfred Hitchcock style psychological thrillers, this is a good one to keep the interest on a date night.

BOOK REVIEW: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis

 

This is chronologically the second book in the Chronicles of Narnia, though it was actually the first one published. It follows four English children who are evacuated to the country during World War II and find a magical wardrobe that transports them into another world. In this world they find themselves among talking animals and mythical creatures, and caught up in a battle to save the land from an evil witch. It is an enchanting romp through a world of imagination that, along with centaurs, mermaids, and the spirits of trees, has underlying Christian connotations. Written by a man many hail has one of the greatest Christian apologists of the 20^th century, it successfully blends religious symbolism and esoteric paganism to create a story that can be enjoyed by both young and old. A great addition to any library.

MOVIE REVIEW: The Lazarus Effect

 

A 2015 film with a cast including Evan Peters (American Horror Story) and Olivia Wilde (House), this concerns a group of scientists that find a chemical that reanimates the dead. During a late-night visit to their lab after they find out a pharmaceutical company is trying to steal their discovery, one of their number is killed in an accident, and the head of the group decides to try to bring her back to life. The result is an incarnation of evil as the body and mind of a person who has died is slowly taken over by an insane creature bent on destruction, and is able to manipulate and control the minds of those around her. While the cast is good, this a typical man-into-monster horror flick that has very little originality to it. There is plenty of violence and some strong language, but there is little or no erotica. Though this does make it palatable for older kids, the scenes of Hell and torment (which include people burning to death in a fire) that are unleashed in the visions that are planted into the brains of the victims may be triggering for younger children or emotionally traumatized individuals. Caution should be advised.

BOOK REVIEW: The Blackstone Chronicles by John Saul

 

This is a serialized book that takes place in a small New England town that is overshadowed by an abandoned hospital called the Asylum that once treated the mentally disturbed. The stories follow the distribution of artifacts from a hidden room in the old hospital to various citizens of the town by a shadowy figure, somehow bringing with them the mental miasmas of their original owners. The result is murder, suicide, and insanity.

John Saul has been a favorite author of mine for some time, mainly for his ability to write stories around old legends. This is no exception. The Asylum is a conglomerate of abandoned hospitals around the country. Its history is a composite of old mental institutions around the world, including the often torturous treatments that were used in the early 20^th century to try to help the mentally afflicted. Saul takes this setting, adds a doctor who has sadistic tendencies, and injects a mystery surrounding the death of a young girl. All of this combines under the author’s capable hand to make each and every installment of the chronicles of this cursed town into a separate shocking story of people fallen victim to an evil looking for vengeance. A great one for all Saul fans.