Just finished Paradise by Koji Suzuki, the guy who wrote The Ring Trilogy, on which the movies were based. The story in Paradise spans ten thousand years, and as many miles, linking successive generations in an ethereal quest for love and finality which chases down time as if it were no more than a constraint. I've always thought that time is an illusion promulgated by mankind in order to make sure that everything doesn't happen all at once.

This is Suzuki's first novel, but it was only translated into English this year. While kind of pulpy, it does hold your interest sufficiently so that it can be read at one sitting, or lying (laying?) as in my case.

The book itself is presented as a type of trilogy, with the first portion being set in the distant past, the second in the 1800s and the third in 1990. Be on the lookout for the red deer whose forelegs are outstretched toward the sun. Basically the moral is that "love abides".

Also the land bridge between Siberia and Alaska is open for business which figures quite prominently, and if true would hold great promise for the election of Sarah Palin in 2012, in which case this blog will be written from Fiji.

Biggles Works it Out

I just received an email from Abe Books promoting a series of books about a pilot named Biggles: from what I can tell, the promotion is for April Fool's Day, but the books look real and hilarious! I looked him up on Wikipedia suspecting that there must be some racism, and sure enough, although Biggles tries to be decent to all men, he does encounter some stereotypical savages. Some of my favorite titles:
The Camels are Coming
Biggles Defies the Swastika
Biggles Presses On

Unfortunately, Biggles never meets Mr. Tutt, another manly character from a series of books written for decent lawyers who enjoy a good novel.

Paths of Glory

The last thing I would have ever expected is that I would be reading a book by Jeffrey Archer. However for some strange reason I just read (in one night) The Paths of Glory, the tale of George Mallory and the possible first ascent of Mt. Everest. The book was actually very good, and true to the heroic and tragic story. George loved his wife Ruth very deeply and their relationship was portrayed endearingly. His love for climbing was also related vividly and viscerally. Mallory was the man who supposedly, when asked "Why do you do it?", answered "Because it is there."

He died in 1924 on his third attempt to summit the tallest mountain in the world, also known as Qomolangma. His body was recovered in 1999 by Conrad Anker. Ruth had sewn a little bag for Mallory to keep in his pocket. There were small mementos in it. There was also a photograph of Ruth, his favorite picture of her. He had promised to place it on the summit when he reached the top. When he was found, just a couple of hundred feet from the top, the picture was missing.