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Probable spoilers ahead. As far as I’m concerned, director J.J. Abrams has succeeded in making a superior sequel with Star Trek: Into Darkness. I liked it even better than the first film. The action sequences are spectacular and the plot moves along at a breakneck pace that barely gives viewers a chance to take a breath. Seriously, those two hours and ten minutes flew by at warp speed.

One thing that has us Trekkies so excited about this franchise reboot is the fact we don’t know exactly what will happen next due to the “time travel fallout” that took place in 2009’s Star Trek, when an alternate timeline was created, changing each character’s future. Expect to see familiar events from the old movies given new twists and turns.

As this film begins, James Tiberius Kirk (Chris Pine) is back as the young, brash captain of the Enterprise, leading a mission on the class-M planet Nibiru. (The opening scenes in the red jungle are visually stunning.) A volcano is about to erupt and destroy the primitive species, and First Officer Mr. Spock (Zachary Quinto) is hurled into the inferno to neutralize the problem. But when do things ever go as planned for the crew of the Enterprise? Kirk once again violates the Prime Directive in order to save his friend, and must face the consequences back home.

He barely has time to deal with the shock of his severe punishment when all hell breaks loose on Earth: Terrorist John Harrison (Benedict Cumberbatch) is determined to destroy Starfleet at any cost.  As a result of an attack on Starfleet headquarters, Kirk suffers a terrible loss. It’s up to him, Spock and the rest of the crew – Bones/McCoy (Karl Urban), Sulu (John Cho), Chekov (Anton Yelchin), Uhura (Zoe Saldana) and Scotty (Simon Pegg) – to go after Harrison when he flees to the Neutral Zone to hide out on the Klingon planet Kronos. Yes, we finally get to spend a little time with the violent Klingons, who are still archenemies of the Federation, at this point. My favorite villain in this flick (there’s definitely more than one), is the terrorist John Harrison (an alias, by the way). The brilliant Benedict Cumberbatch, of Sherlock fame, is deliciously menacing as the British Baddie, and not entirely unsympathetic.

Also along on the mission to help capture Harrison is Dr. Carol Marcus (Alice Eve). An early interlude between Kirk and Carol, in her underwear, had some viewers crying foul, saying the scene was gratuitous. I thought it was excusable because 1) it was so brief, 2) Abrams was trying to remind the audience that Kirk is a womanizer, and 3) perhaps the encounter served a purpose by foreshadowing their future involvement (if that’s going to happen in this universe).

Even though we’re served up plenty of action in this latest installment, that does not mean we don’t get to see heartfelt emotion between the main characters as their relationships evolve. Fans will enjoy the familiar humor of Bones’ observations and Scotty’s lamentations. Spock still has to struggle to control his human side, as his romance with Uhura and his friendship with Kirk become more complex. All of them will be tested, and lessons will be learned when it comes to breaking the rules – defying orders to follow one’s heart instead of one’s head.

I’m not going to say this was a flawless, perfect film. But I believe Trekkies will be extremely satisfied with it, and science fiction fans, in general, will find it entertaining. If you choose to see Star Trek: Into Darkness, take my advice and don’t drink a lot of soda beforehand. You won’t want to miss one breathtaking minute. Oh, and if you don’t like movies that cause you to leave the theatre with uplifted spirits, then go see Les Misérables.

Live long and prosper.
 

“Any reviewer who expresses rage or loathing for a novel is preposterous. He or she is like a person who has put on full armour and attacked a hot fudge sundae.” – Kurt Vonnegut

I couldn’t resist opening with this quote. It’s been a long time since I’ve read a book that’s caused such a firestorm among fans and reviewers. Thanks to a German reader who had access to the worldwide web, I (and everyone else) knew the ending of “Dead Ever After” before it was released in the U.S. But I felt I needed to read the entire novel anyway – having devoured the previous twelve books in the series. I had to see for myself if other fans were justified in their shock and disappointment with how this long saga was brought to a close by Charlaine Harris.

There’s no way to talk about such a topic without spoilers being involved. This review is primarily for those of us who’ve been fans since the very beginning – way before True Blood premiered on HBO in 2008. (And by the way, the TV series is much different than the books.) I’ve read other reviews by unhappy fans, and I’ve watched them get bashed online by writers, friends of Charlaine, who admitted they have never even read any of the novels. Not one. I hardly think that’s fair, and it’s not very professional either.

I’ve tried to look at the issue from two perspectives: as a writer and a reader/fan.

“Dead Ever After” had a different feel to it from the start. In the previous books, the point of view character was always Sookie Stackhouse, the telepathic heroine of the series. In this last installment, the author used multiple viewpoints. No big deal to me. When the book begins, Sookie is now estranged from her vampire lover Eric Northman, and is soon accused of killing her former friend and co-worker, Arlene. To make things more complicated, at least three people are out to get Sookie. However, in my opinion, only one has a proper, believable motivation to end her existence. (The worst motivation: We are expected to believe that her gay fae cousin, Claude, wants to kill Sookie because she never expressed a desire to sleep with him while he was living with her. Huh?)

In the first sections, similar to a prologue, I was bothered by the details involved when a businessman makes a deal with the devil. He sells his soul to Satan, and convinces his associate to do the same. He gets two wishes in return. He wants to be prosperous again – and he wants a fae object that Sookie has, which grants one wish to the owner. What? He wants the “cluviel dor” so he can have influence over his wayward witch of a daughter. Why didn’t he just ask the devil to make it so?

Throughout the novel, I kept getting the feeling that another author wrote the book instead of Harris. The narrative flow, the way the characters behaved (contradicting their opinions/attitudes from previous books), all seemed strangely unfamiliar. Having been exposed to Charlaine’s forum and having read many interviews with her, perhaps a few things shouldn’t have surprised me at all. She has always stated that she never liked Sookie’s long-term love interest, Eric. She wanted to end things between them early on, but the publishers told her that the Sookie/Eric partnership was too popular with readers and it increased sales. Apparently, she also wanted to end the series after writing four to six books. But, again, the publishers convinced her to continue on and stretch out the storyline. In the meantime, the author kept promising faithful readers that Sookie would eventually have her “happily ever after.” Whatever that meant.

The main criticism I have with “Dead Ever After” is that Charlaine should never have had to write it. She ended this book, and the series, the way she always intended to from the beginning, when she thought there would be half as many novels, and that’s why so many readers are upset. Fans don’t understand how Sookie could end up having a love affair with her boss and friend (a shape-shifter she’d already known for five years when the series began) when there had been no hint of a romance between them at all since the first book, when a brief kiss didn’t go over so well. There were many missed opportunities in previous books to end the Eric affair and start a romance between Sam and Sookie, but Charlaine didn’t make that choice – probably because the publisher wouldn’t have been pleased.

The ending of this series did not give me a warm, fuzzy feeling. Sookie doesn’t really get her happily ever after, and neither do any of the other characters as far as I can tell. Eric is turned into a villain and is sent away to be a vampire queen’s reluctant husband. Sookie tells Sam they should take it extra slow – and who knows, perhaps their feelings were influenced by the magic of the cluviel dor when she used it to save his life (at the end of the last book, Deadlocked). As for her life – it hasn’t changed much at all from the way it was in the very beginning. She’s not a virgin anymore and she has a little extra money after becoming Sam’s business partner at Merlotte’s Bar & Grill, but other than that she’s still left hating her telepathic gift and worrying about what everyone in town might think of her. I was hoping she’d finally realize her special ability was a super-power and use it as such.

It doesn’t seem right that a character could go through so much over such a long period of time and yet change so little.

I have a confession to make: I’m a geeky fangirl and have been for quite a few years. I come by the trait honestly, since my mother is just as big a fan as I am. This summer and fall we’ll have plenty to be happy about – five new movies will be released and we’ve been looking forward to all of them. Some are sequels and a couple are reboots of an old franchise, which we hope will be worth the wait.

1. First up is Iron Man 3, starring Robert Downey, Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Guy Pearce and Ben Kingsley. Even though there are references to the events that unfolded in The Avengers (released last spring), I believe this movie is not a direct sequel to that flick. Ben Kingsley plays the villain, “The Mandarin.” I hear there are action sequences so elaborate they make the ones in the first two movies seem tame. Of course, we will still get treated to the usual sharp-witted dialogue from the main character Tony Stark. The release date is May 3, but the movie has already premiered overseas and has broken big box office records. I’m sure it will do the same here in the States.

2. Next in line in order of release date is Star Trek Into Darkness, opening May 17, and starring Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Karl Urban, Zoe Saldana, John Cho and Anton Yelchin. The villain is played by Benedict Cumberbatch of Sherlock Holmes fame. More explosive action and familiar one-liners, which a true Trekkie can’t do without. As a long-time Star Trek fan, I have to say I was extremely pleased with the first film. The casting directors couldn’t have done a better job choosing actors to play these “sacred” roles. The chemistry between them all is absolutely perfect. (And unlike some fans, I found the romance between Uhura and Spock to be perfectly logical.)

3. On June 14, a rebooted Superman franchise will kick off with the release of Man of Steel. Henry Cavill takes over the role of Clark Kent. The trailer looks very promising and is noticeably different than all the other versions of Superman I’ve seen in the past. The film also stars Amy Adams as a not-so-typical Lois Lane, Russell Crowe as Jor-El, and Michael Shannon as the villain, General Zod.

4. Next up, with a release date of July 3, is another franchise reboot, The Lone Ranger, starring Johnny Depp as Tonto and Armie Hammer as John Reid (Lone Ranger). Depp has been my favorite actor for over a decade and I can’t wait to experience his vision of this old familiar western. I hear he’s promised the Native American communities that Tonto will be portrayed much differently than in the disrespectful TV version. And before everyone goes, “I can’t believe they picked Johnny Depp to play a Native American character,” you should be aware that he’s actually part Cherokee.

5. Finally, coming in last with a release date of November 8, is a sequel, Thor: The Dark World, starring Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman and Anthony Hopkins. I didn’t think I’d like the first Thor film, but I’m glad my mother talked me into seeing it. I hope we’re not disappointed with this follow up. I still haven’t seen a trailer for this flick yet, but I’m sure we won’t have too much longer to wait.

If you’re interested in reading my reviews of certain upcoming films, check back here every week or two. I’m sure I’ll have plenty more to say.

I’ll be in Indianapolis, Indiana the weekend of May 3 through 5 attending Mo*Con VIII. This is a small convention founded in 2006 by my friend, and writer, Maurice Broaddus. (http://mauricebroaddus.com). Mo will tell you it’s become more like a ‘family reunion’ to those of us who attend the event every year. I wouldn’t miss it for the world. Whether you’re a writer, an artist, or simply a person who enjoys reading speculative fiction, this convention has something for everyone and never fails to entertain. (Not to mention, the wonderful food provided to attendees all through the weekend is included in your entrance fee.)

Special guests this year are Jim C. Hines, Saladin Ahmed, and Gary Braunbeck. Below is an excerpt from Maurice Broaddus’ blog with more details about the event:

Mo*Con 8: The Mind and Spirit of the Artist

Mo*Con has always been about the “intersection of art, faith, and social justice” and this year is no different. There’s no easy way to describe the Mo*Con experience, except as perhaps as a convention room party extended for a whole weekend, except held in a church. Its aim has always been to be fairly small and intimate, yet retaining the feel of a family reunion.

Part of what makes Mo*Con a different sort of convention is that it revolves around a series of conversations (and food and art). Mo*Con has a two part vision. The first, inspired by many a late night at conventions, is to provide a forum for publishing professionals to get together and discuss some of the larger issues which affect their writing and their social conscience. Discussions can be had in a spirit of respect. The second is that too often the artist is underappreciated and here they are spoiled.

This year’s theme is “The Mind and Spirit of the Artist,” revolving around a discussion on Saturday the 4th about the struggles many writers have with mental health issues and what that means for their craft, their lives, and their community. The featured writer guests of honor have all written publicly about their struggles with issues from depression to anxiety to other issues. As the countdown for Mo*Con begins, several will be posting part of their stories.

This is the first year the event will be held at Broad Ripple United Methodist Church. The convention has expanded to include a First Friday event featuring the art of Steve Gilberts and Kristin Fuller. There will also be a spoken word performance from prominent poets: DDE the Slammer, Devon Ginn, Pope Adrian, Bless, Theon Lee Jones, Dizz, Reheema McNeil, ParaLectra, and Mr. Kinetik, hosted by Ill Holiday. These events will be open to the public. The spoken word event will be a fundraiser event for the local non-profit group, Second Story.

We’ll be debuting a few projects at this year’s Mo*Con. Seventh Star Press is the featured publisher this year.

The event is expected to draw over 100 writers, artists, editors, and publishers and many networking sessions. A half dozen workshops will be offered ranging from topics like privacy issues for writers to post-apocalyptic fiction to hands on demonstrations.

About five years ago, I discovered Graham Masterton’s “Night Warriors” series, and I went on to enjoy some of his short horror tales here and there as well. When I saw he was releasing a mystery/crime novel, I was pleased. I love detective stories and whodunits.

I bought “White Bones,” not realizing it had been released in America ten years ago under the title “A Terrible Beauty.” Luckily, I hadn’t already read that particular book. A publisher apparently had decided this story starring Detective Katie Maguire of the Cork Garda could be the first in an Irish crime thriller series, so “White Bones” is also now being referred to as “Katie Maguire #1.” (I have to admit I like the book cover for “A Terrible Beauty” better than the updated version.)

One wet November morning, a field on Meagher’s Farm gives up the dismembered bones of eleven women.

The bones date back to 1915, and bear the ritualistic marks of an executioner who skinned his victims alive. Detective Superintendent Katie Maguire of the Cork Garda wants to give these women justice, but the trail is stone cold. And then a young American tourist disappears, and her bones are discovered on the same farm. With the crimes of the past echoing in the present, Katie knows she must find a way to solve the old murders before the present day killer strikes again.

The character of Katie Maguire is likeable but flawed, and sometimes she seems to face constant adversity a bit too well. Being the first female Detective Superintendent in Ireland, she has to deal with resentment from several male colleagues on a daily basis, and her home life is even more troubled. The loss of a baby boy has left her marriage in shambles.

“White Bones” raised plenty of emotions in me while I was reading it, and I can’t really say I enjoyed the experience, even though I couldn’t stop until I got to the end. It was well written and moves along at a good pace, but I felt it was much more of an extreme horror story than a crime novel. I had problems reading through the graphic torture scenes.

Overall I found this tale to be relentlessly sad and bleak. It even weakened my desire to visit Ireland one day. (I’ll probably get over that though.) Also, I wish I’d noticed the “Selected Guide to Cork Slang” that appears in the back of the book before I had finished reading the novel.

The twist at the end seemed somewhat surreal, although it wasn’t completely unexpected since enough clues were presented to the reader to keep it from being too fantastic. When I think about the sequels – however many there may be – I honestly don’t know if I’ll have the gumption to read them. I would only recommend this book to true horror fans.

More reviews and ratings are coming in for my horror story eBook collection, “The White Death and Other Ghastly Ghost Stories.” Check out what readers are saying about it on Amazon and Goodreads. (Ten dark tales of vengeful ghosts and lost spirits. From New Orleans to San Francisco, relentless specters haunt both the innocent and the guilty.)

Latest Amazon reviews:

“Great collection of ghost stories from a writer whose style is deceptively simple yet succeeds in thoroughly involving the reader in the story. Highly recommended.”

“I couldn’t put this book down. Looking forward to Debbie Kuhn’s next book!”

(Click the link above to read more reviews on Amazon.)

Reviews on Goodreads:

“Been a while since I liked a short story book as much as this one.”

(Click the link above to read more.)

“The White Death and Other Ghastly Ghost Stories” is available on Amazon, Kobo, Barnes & Noble, Lulu.com and the iBooks Store for only $2.99.

Who doesn’t love The Big Easy? This year I have two good reasons to visit New Orleans again, a little vacation combined with the writing business: both the World Horror Convention and the Bram Stoker Awards Weekend will take place at the Hotel Monteleone from June 13 through 16.

Visit this link for more info.

‘Laissez les bons temps rouler!” (Let the good times roll!)

Looking forward to eating beignets at the Cafe Du Monde and drinking a Hurricane or two. Hope to see you there!

I love to travel, and I’ve been fortunate enough to have seen some of the world’s most romantic places. In honor of Valentine’s Day, I’ve decided to post a free verse poem I wrote after a trip to Venice, Italy. The details are all true.

LOST IN VENICE

I quit the shady part of the Square, where the one so significant to me sits nursing his cappuccino, looking bored.
I work my way through a congealing mass of slack-eyed tourists,
Ambling forward with beer bellies and fast food thighs,
Alongside apologetic mothers towing cranky children,
Not seeing what they should want to see.

I leave them all behind, gratefully following your lithesome exuberance
over the Bridge of Sighs.

The Italian sun makes my coppery hair shine like a naughty beacon,
Should I hide beneath that blue silk scarf, or do I want you to notice me
and my thirst for spontaneous adventure?
For a breathless moment I think that you have – the way you turn your dark head,
Sultry black eyes sweeping over me like a cool breeze, unconcerned and unsurprised.
A handsome young man used to basking in constant attention.

You lure me down streets that are as charming and crooked as your smile.

Through a maze gorged with crumbling little churches,
Quiet bistros hidden by ivy, and faded brick homes
Decorated with white linens – flapping over our heads like noisy seagulls,
This is just a normal day for you, for the grey-whiskered gondolier
who glides past me in the murky canal,
He looks into my hopeful eyes and knows not to offer me a ride –
He can sense I’m on a mission and my quest is you, pretty boy.
I want to see this special place the way you see it.
I want to believe I belong here too.
That would be a gift I could never forget.

Where shall we venture next?

Lead me while I’m feeling brazen and my eagerness has no bounds.
I could saunter along in your footsteps for a decade, a not-so-secret stalker,
While you deliver candles to nuns and priests, waitresses and widows,
Who thank you so profusely, as if the wax had been dipped in gold
And you were an angel performing a sacred task.

(Pavarotti’s talents are nothing compared to your musical voice and wind-chime
laughter.)

We burrow deeper into the timeless, decaying heart of the city,
Finding a lazy bistro that smells of yeast rolls baking
You have business here, so I choose to have sweet wine and bread.
You choose to steal a soft kiss from our scarlet-lipped hostess
She thinks you taste as sinful as tiramisu or spumoni, I can tell.

Soon we are on the move again and I am distracted by a crying schoolgirl
Perched on the edge of a sagging step, looking as fragile as a china doll,
She giggles at my broken Italian and stares at my glittering Celtic cross
Until a heavy-bosomed woman in a window above us spills out a motherly command
Causing the girl to scurry inside, causing me to hurry away, eyes sad and searching,

Knowing that I’ve lost you, realizing that I’d even lost sight of myself – long before I
crossed the Bridge of Sighs.

I’ve lost count of how many horror movies I’ve seen that have tried, unsuccessfully, to imitate director William Friedkin’s “The Exorcist.”  None of them can compare, but “The Possession” comes closer in terms of quality than any other film I’ve watched in recent years. Surprising, since it’s barely ninety minutes long and has a PG-13 rating. After a visually shocking opening scene, director Ole Bornedal takes a more subtle approach, gradually building suspense and a meticulous sense of dread as the movie unfolds – proving you don’t have to include lots of CGI or bloody gore (or a jerky “Blair Witch” camera style) in order to make a story scary. Luckily for the director and the viewers, talented actors Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Kyra Sedgwick have leading roles, and newcomer Natasha Calis is quite impressive as their possessed daughter.

Calis plays Emily, a young girl upset by the divorce of her parents, Clyde (Morgan) and Stephanie (Sedgwick). Clyde tries to compensate for the separation by spoiling both his daughters during their weekend visits with him. One day he’s talked into stopping at a yard sale, and gives in when Em asks him to buy her a wooden box she can’t seem to open. Bad move. Turns out it’s a “Dybbuk Box.” But the family knows nothing about Jewish folklore, and not long after Em figures out how to open the box she is influenced by the evil spirit living inside. She begins talking to a lady who isn’t there, and soon displays signs of rage and physical abuse. Stephanie blames Clyde at first, but then (in my favorite spooky scene) she comes to realize that her daughter’s problems stem from the supernatural.

Naturally, an exorcism is the only solution – by a rabbi instead of a Catholic priest. Even with some good special effects, this Jewish exorcism isn’t nearly as intense or horrifying as the William Peter Blatty version, and the film’s ending is pretty typical. (One comes to expect this “open-endedness,” since most movie makers hope for a sequel.) Despite this, for a horror flick dealing with a tired trope, it has a classy, creepy feel to it that makes it worth viewing. “The Possession” gets three out of five “goblins” from me.

Happy New Year!  My scary story collection, “The White Death and Other Ghastly Ghost Stories” is still available online at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, etc., but I thought I’d remind people of another horror tale I’ve written (not a ghost story) that is still available in print from Shroud Magazine (Issue #9), “How I Met the Pope Lick Monster.” The link for ordering is below the following excerpt, if you would like to read the entire tale.

This story is based on a local Louisville legend that began in the 1930s, or thereabouts. It involves a “monster” that lives in the vicinity of a 100 foot tall train trestle. I decided to write my own explanation of how it came to be.

“How I Met the Pope Lick Monster”

The teenager was a petite blonde and reminded me of my younger sister, but I offered her a ride anyway. Darkness fell early at the end of November, and this evening it was being hastened by ugly clouds that spit icy raindrops over the drab landscape.

The girl jumped into my silver Mercedes and gave me a dimpled smile, her blue eyes filled with relief and gratitude.

“Thank you so much, ma’am,” she said, sounding breathless and deeply southern. “I was already getting cold.” She tossed her bright red duffel bag into the backseat of my sedan and then ran her hands through her short, damp hair.

I didn’t like being called ma’am, but I turned up the heat when I noticed she was shivering beneath her denim jacket.

“My name’s Amy. I don’t normally hitch rides with strangers – especially men – so I’m real glad you came along.”

“I’m Michelle. Was that your VW I saw broken down a little ways back?”

“Yeah. I knew it probably wouldn’t make it from Atlanta to Chicago, but I had to try. My boyfriend is working up there right now with his cousin and I wanted to surprise him for his birthday. ‘Course, now I gotta call him and ask for help.”

Amy let out an exasperated sigh as I maneuvered my car back onto I-75.

“Well, I live in Fisherville, just south of Louisville. You’re welcome to come to my house and use the phone – even spend the night if you need to.”

“Wow, you would let me do that? Really?”

I smiled at her in the dark. “Sure.”

“Jeez, I was so worried back there. I was hoping someone would stop to help, but I was scared that I’d get picked up by a serial killer.”

“Monsters are everywhere, Amy. They’re not always human either.”

I could feel the girl staring at me. “Hey, you’re not saying you’re a vampire or a werewolf, right?” She ended the question with a giggle.

“Of course not. I’m just a very open-minded science professor.”

“Whew, that’s a relief! My boyfriend is real smart, but he believes in UFOs and even Big Foot, I think.”

“And what do you believe in?”

“Um, I believe in God. And I might have seen a ghost one time. But mostly, I don’t think about that kind of stuff. These days all I can think about is Malcolm and how much I miss him. I want to marry him real bad, but my parents think I’m too young.”

“Eighteen or nineteen, I’m guessing?”

“I turned nineteen last month.”

We were both silent for a few minutes. I thought about the reluctant road trip I’d taken when I was nineteen and how it had changed my life forever.

Amy shifted sideways in the seat and stifled a yawn. “So, no offense, but how did a professor who teaches science end up believing in real monsters?”

Honestly, I thought she’d never ask. It had been a long time since I’d told anyone the absolute, unbelievable truth.

**********

Shroud Magazine #9