One of the strangest books I've ever read...(book review)

The Selected Works of T.S. Spivet by Reif Larsen.

I found it in Barnes and Noble on the clearance shelf. The first thing I noticed was that the book was completely square, not rectangular like most other books. It looked interesting at a first glance, with pictures and captions in the margins. I went ahead and bought it, at less than $7. The narrator is Tecumseh Sparrow (T.S. Spivet), a 12-year-old cartography genius who lives with his parents and sister in rural Montana. His father is a quiet rancher; his mother a scientist is search of a rare and exotic beetle. 

A call from the Smithsonian in Washington D.C. changes his life. He's offered a fellowship, although the museum director has no idea that T.S. is only 12 years old. T.S. decides to leave his family and go cross-country to D.C. So starts his very strange trip.

The first part of the book introduces his family: practically-minded sister Gracie, silent Tecumseh Elijah Spivet, and distracted Dr. Clair (his mother...he only refers her to Dr. Clair, not 'Mother'). We find out that T.S.'s brother Layton has recently died in a shooting accident, but no one really mentions Layton, except T.S. After the Smithsonian call, T.S. leaves on a train heading East.

The middle part of the book focuses on T.S.'s great-great grandmother, Emma Osterville. Dr. Clair kept a notebook about her illustrious ancestor: Emma was one of the first female geologists in the country. Why did such a strong-willed, practical woman give up everything to marry a rancher in the wilds of Montana?

It's a strange tale-within-a-tale, a definite mirror to T.S.'s journey in the opposite direction. There's one problem: we (the readers) never know the reason. Emma's story just ends on that vague note with no conclusion. Of course, Emma's tale lasts long enough to occupy T.S. during the entire cross-country trip (wormhole effect?)

The last part of the book has T.S. involved with a conspiracy group in Washington D.C., but that storyline doesn't go anywhere, either, and is never resolved. The story ends on a rather abrupt note (won't give it away, but my reaction was, "That's IT?!"), as if the book just runs out of time.

I actually enjoyed the illustrations and the footnotes in the margins. T.S. manages to include all sorts of trivia and pieces of information in those drawings. If footnotes drive you crazy, it can be a real distraction. Some of them are directly related to the story, but most are not. It's a fascinating look into T.S.'s mind; a 12-year-old genius whose thoughts are random, yet organized at the same time.

I enjoyed some parts of this book, but others seemed to drag out, and you have to suspend a lot of disbelief while reading this. Out of five stars, I'd give this book about a two and a half.

Fantasy Architecture and Then Some...

I bought this book today: How To Draw and Paint Fantasy Architecture by Rob Alexander. I'm a fan of his books, having Drawing and Painting Landscapes and Cityscapes (with Martin McKenna) and Otherworlds: How to Imagine, Paint and Create Epic Scenes of Fantasy. His artwork is breathtaking both in the colors and the depth. In each book, Alexander covers art techniques like the pros/cons of various media (oil, acrylic, pastel, digital), perspective, color theory, and composition. 

The Fantasy Architecture book also includes a chapter on "Introduction to Architecture". It includes the trademark features of buildings from various cultures:

• Middle Eastern buildings use domed roofs, tall minarets (towers) and precise, mathematical decorations that repeat over and over. An example of that is the Hagia Sophia mosque.  
• Romanesque buildings usually have rounded arches, thick wall and small windows. The doorways are usually squat and heavy, since the shape and the height of the buildings are fixed ratios. Churches in Rome use arcading, which are rows of columns with archways in between them. These formed walkways (such as in monasteries) or architects set them flush against a wall (those are called blind arcades).
• Gothic cathedrals have the high arches, flying buttresses, ribbed vaults and wall mouldings (think Notre Dame in Paris). Those high arches, buttresses and vaults helped expand the interior space and allowed plenty of light through stained-glass windows. These buildings stretched gracefully towards the sky, the complete opposite of the Romanesque design.
• Mesoamerican temples (Aztec, Mayan or Incan) are low and wide, instead of tall and high. They have highly decorated walls and lintels; the carvings tell important stories about the people's history.  Each major temple, stelae (stone markers) and the ball court were geometrically placed to reflect Heaven and the Underworld.   
• Viking architecture used stave posts and wooden wall beams with low, sloping roofs. 
• Asian buildings also have distinctive sloping roofs, and were mostly constructed out of wood instead of stone. Many doors were circular instead of square (those are called moon portals). Round-arched bridges symbolized the path between Heaven and Earth. Both Asian and Viking styles emphasized an integration with nature, instead of replacing or destroying it.

The book has plenty of examples of each type of architecture, which can inspire artists (and writers) to imagine their own based on them.

One helpful chapter of the book talks about the details and textures of various building materials. How can an artist portray a well-worn wooden chest?  A carved wooden lintel? A rugged stone wall? A brick arch that's falling apart and overgrown with weeds? A thatched roof? A plaster ceiling? A marble column? What about a Roman mosaic or tiled floor? What if the building's been gutted by fire and it's been damaged by smoke and soot? Alexander describes how an artist can convey their imaginary world through realistic art techniques.

A word of caution: this book is excellent for reference, but I wouldn't recommend this for complete beginners. It assumes at least a working knowledge of basic concepts like the values of lights, shadow and tone. If you're interested in how to convey your fantasy world in a realistic style, pick up this book. 

 

Italy out of hand by Barbara Hodgson

In the spirit of travel, I picked up this book, Italy out of hand, A Capricious Tour by Barbara Hodgson. Italy has always been one of my favorite countries. I lived there for 5 years, from 1982 to 1987. My father was stationed there, first with the Sixth Fleet (Mediterranean), AFSOUTH (Armed Forces Southern Italy), then at the Naval Hospital. I have fond memories of living in Europe: going to Rome for Christmas Eve Mass, visiting the islands of Sicily and Capri, traveling via hydrofoil in Venice, eating ices and gelati at Tony Sampan's, and eating pizza al metro (pizza by the meter) in downtown Naples.

Naples is one of the cities explored in Hodgson's book. The list includes Genova (Genoa), Milano (Milan), Bologna, Ferrara, Venezia (Venice), Padova (Padua), Firenze (Florence), Arezzo, Perugia, Pisa, Roma (Rome), Napoli (Naples) and Sicilia (Sicily, including Palermo). This is no ordinary guidebook; it brings together famous (and notorious) historical figures, expatriates, churches, squares, fashion, food, music and stories galore. I enjoyed revisiting places I'd been (albeit almost 30 years ago, now). There is always more to learn and more to discover, no matter how much you know.

Life can be gritty, messy, and wholly embarrassing, and the book explores the scandals as well as the triumphs. I was disappointed to reach the end of these travels...it only made me want to go back. Someday, I will.

All original writing and art copyright A. Dameron 2000-2011

Drumming as a Way of Life...a book by Mickey Hart

I just finished reading Mickey Hart's Drumming at the Edge of Magic: A Journey into the Spirit of Percussion. Mickey's the drummer for the Grateful Dead and has been a percussionist for mover 25 years.

The book nearly blew me away. It weaves Mickey's personal journey as a drummer (his father Lenny was also a drummer) and the history and tradition of drum. Shamans and possession trance rituals spread from the beginning of time from Asia and Africa. These traditions endured, despite modernization and invasions from self-righteous invaders. These rhythms evolved into other forms, such as jazz, heavy metal, and blues. Mickey attempts to understand this way of life, a way of consciousness that is all but extinct in North America.

I've been and still am a percussionist. When I listen to music, I'll listen for the drums and the bass, the snare and the bodhran, the kettle and the bass guitar. They hold the other instruments together, but have a melody all their own.

Eleven years ago, I enjoyed listening to a drum jam at the Downtown Mall in Charlottesville, VA. It was just an experience- it's hard to explain just what I felt. A sense of clearing of my mind, an uplifting of my spirit. That's the closest I can get to describing it. I wished I'd stayed longer, but my husband was impatient to go.

Since then, my fascination with rhythm and how to build it has been there, but understated. I enjoyed music classes, but I felt like a thief indulging in a secret vice. But it survived, no matter all the criticism. It was a relief to read a book that addressed what the magic of drumming was, to those who open their minds and hearts to it.

All original writing and art copyright A. Dameron 2000-2010

A How-To about Writing Scotsmen, Revolutionaries and Companions: Diana Gabaldon's Outlander Series

I had thought that I was the only one with  a weird writing style. I rarely write in a straight line (i.e. chronologically, chapter one follows chapter two, etc.). I end up writing what I call "snippets" of scenes that I fit into place later, as the story takes shape. Even my poetry tends to wander at times. I write anytime, anywhere, whenever I get the chance. This random functionality (or as a friend calls it, "chaotic scribbling") is a must for my busy mum lifestyle. Otherwise, I'd never get around to writing, and employ all sorts of excuses.

Yesterday, I bought the Outlandish Companion by Diana Gabaldon. It's a compendium of things related to her "Outlander" series. The series focuses on Claire Beauchamp Randall, a British nurse who served in World War II. In 1945, she and her husband go on a second honeymoon in the Scottish Highlands. There she stumbles into a ring of stones, which transports her to 1745 Scotland. She ends up in the middle of a clan war and is forced to marry Jamie Fraser, a young Scot warrior, for protection. Their journey includes the Battle of Culloden, the American Revolution, and time-jumps to 1968 Britain.

It's not quite historical fiction, not quite fantasy/romance, but has elements of all three. The Outlandish Companion includes things as varies as 1)synopses of each book in the series (up to A Drums of Autumn) 2) Scots Gaelic dictionary of expressions, 3) brief Scottish history, including clans and the events leading up to the Battle of Culloden, where the clans were defeated by the British, 4) character lists and geneologies, 5) an article about the medical practices of the era, 6) Frequently Asked Questions about the series, 7) Celtic musicology, 8)Celtic myths and legends, 9) How to conduct historical research and 10) her thoughts and ideas about the writing process in general. (Whew!)

Ms. Gabaldon is candid about her writing process. Before starting Outlander (known as Cross Stitch, in the UK), she wrote and published scientific articles in marine biology. When she made the decision to switch to fiction, she decided to learn how to write a novel by "just writing it". In fact, Outlander was meant to be her 'practice novel', and hadn't planned on showing it, much less publishing it. When she posted snippets of it on a discussion board, her fellow readers wanted "to find out what happens next", so she continued to write it. In fact, she admitted she hadn't planned on concentrating on 18th century Scotland at first, but through research and more writing, she completed Outlander and began a new journey.

The Outlandish Companion doesn't skimp on information; it's packed with notes, letters from fans, and copies of the original conversations on the old-style "bulletin boards" (before e-mail and chat). It can be overwhelming at first, but you can pick and choose which sections interest you. If you write in the historical fiction genre, this would be an excellent book to have on your bookshelf.



All original writing and art copyright A. Dameron 2000-2010