Dead Witch Walking

Dead Witch Walking by Kim Harrison, 2004 Harper Voyager

      Rachel Morgan is a runner for Inderland Security--the I.S. for short--hunting down and arresting the bad guys. But when she decides to get out and start her own firm, the I.S. is not pleased. Rachel's vampire partner, Ivy, and pixy backup, Jenks, follow her and the trio become partners in Vampiric Charms. But in the midst of the changes, the I.S. puts out a contract for Rachel and the demon Algaliarept begins chasing her down.
   Rachel and Ivy move into an old church, renting it from Piscary, the city's master vampire. To thwart her death threat, Rachel moves to take down Trent Kalamack and his illegal Brimstone trade. Trent is a powerful inderlander, holding a seat on Cincinnati's city council but of indeterminate origins, and when he catches Rachel sneaking into his compound as a mink he captures her and forces her to fight in the underground rat fights.
     Before she ends up in the fights, Trent keeps Rachel in his office where she slowly starves herself (she doesn't want to eat poisons or something that will affect her magic) until Trent's new secretary feeds her carrots from her own lunch. Rachel learns about the inner workings of Trent's compound and discovers other, more unsavory business dealings than just illegal Brimstone.
     Rachel is even more determined to escape the rat fights and take Trent down. She discovers the reigning champion is another human-turned-rodent and together they arrange to escape. But even she realizes that she'll need stronger magic to complete the task. She considers black magic and the rat, a human named Nick, helps her get into the restricted books at the local university.
     Just as Rachel and Nick find a book that might be helpful Algaliarept appears to kill Rachel. Nick manages to command him to return both of them to the church where Jenks' wife Matalina and Keasley, the mysterious witch across the street, patch Rachel up. Ivy goes to the Federal Inderland Bureau (the F.I.B. is the human-run equivalent of the I.S.) trying to get Captain Edden to go after Trent.  Edden cannot touch Trent, but Rachel makes another foray into his compound and finds security that prevents Trent from killing her. Trent is unhappy that his attempts at damage control fail and continues trying to get Rachel under his control.
     Rachel Morgan has her own ideas about how the world should work; though she plays within the rules she gets results the "good guys" can't always get. Her tenacity and independence are remarkable, yet they are what also pushes her into the vat of trouble she inevitably finds. Rachel is a strong woman living in a difficult world and surviving. Mature readers will be able to understand more of the gray reasoning behind some of Rachel's exploits, and some content is more suitable for older readers
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MASH: A Novel About Three Army Doctors

MASH: A Novel About Three Army Doctors by Richard Hooker, 1968 Pocket Books

     This post is going to be a little different because of the different media encompassed. I was excited about finding the MASH book because I've been watching the television show since I was a kid. It was fascinating to see the transition of the story: the movie, and television show, were based on this book. I hadn't noticed when I saw the movie or in watching the show--I guess they didn't credit the author unless he or she was associated with the screen production too--so I was surprised when all three of the renditions were similar.
     The show follows Franklin "Hawkeye" Pierce, a Captain in the US Army stationed at a Mobile Army Surgical Hospital situated near the front lines. He lives in "The Swamp" with a rotation of four other officers and makes it through the Korean War by drinking and flirting outrageously with any and all women he comes across. Yet, he is still one of the best doctors in Asian campaign, with an honest care for the well-being of the people around him. Hawkeye and his friends' hi-jinks illustrate the futility of war while still showing their humanity: their pranks and shows of temper are how they maintain dignity in the midst of one of the most brutal situations man faces.

     The movie is a precursor to the television show and based on the novel. A dark comedy about the same characters and problems as in the novel and television show. The 4077 MASH calls in two replacement doctors and gets Hawkeye and Captain "Duke" Forrest. The two encounter their new tent-mate, Major Frank Burns, who is extremely religious and an inferior surgeon to Hawkeye and Duke. A new surgeon arrives, "Trapper" John, whom Hawkeye knew in college. Hi-jinks ensue and Burns is sent stateside. Meanwhile, the unit's dentist confesses to the chaplain that he is considering suicide. He comes to the Swampmen (for they again live in a tent named "The Swamp") for a quick and easy way to finish it. The three men suggest a "black-pill" quick acting poison and prepare a Last Supper-like going away party for the dentist. The black-pill is a sleeping pill and the dentist's confidence is renewed when he spends the night with one of the nurses, negating his worry of inability to perform. The movie then includes Trapper and Hawkeye's journey to Japan to save a congressman's son. Through blackmail and political implication they escape court-martial and run into a friend of Hawkeye's from college. The story ends with a football game between the 4077th and 325th MASH units. Both sides have ringers and the 4077th manages to win through a combination of cheating and trickery. Soon afterward Hawkeye and Duke are discharged and sent home.
     The book is much like both the movie and the television series. Character outlines vary and some characters are combined to create those who appear in both the movie and television show. I found the personifications between the book and shows enlightening. Alan Alda as Hawkeye in the show has always struck me as the perfect character, but in reading the book I realize how much the two are intertwined. Donald Sutherland as Hawkeye in the movie is a good imagining, but he doesn't have as much of the carefree rake in his personification as Alda's Hawkeye does. Yet the Hawkeye of the book isn't quite as much of a womanizer as in the television show. The relationships between characters, though, are spot-on. How they interact and react to each other, in both the show and movie, mirrors a relationship in the book that creates the community the characters can exist within.
     Despite the differences in characterizations between mediums, the MASH characters are powerful examples of humanity in times of trouble and chaos. I enjoyed all three tellings of Richard Hooker's story, though they are definitely adult entertainment. What if all franchises had this similarity threading through them?

Nights in Rodanthe

Nights in Rodanthe by Nicholas Sparks, 2002 Warner Books

     When her daughter, Amanda, begins to lose touch with reality after her husband’s death, Adrienne begins to tell her about a relationship from the past.

     Three years after her divorce Adrienne was watching a bed and breakfast in Rodanthe, South Carolina, when she met Paul. Paul’s wife had filed for divorce and his life began to fall apart. When he stayed at the Inn in Rodanthe, and met Adrienne, Paul was on the way to see his estranged son in Ecuador. The two met and were attracted to each other; the connection was different than either of their marriages and, in the middle of a terrible storm, became lovers. Paul was only scheduled to stay for five days. During that time Adrienne and Paul shared their lives and declared their love for one another.

     Adrienne’s story for her daughter didn’t seem relevant to Amanda’s situation, but after their five days were over, Paul continued to Ecuador to see his son. Adrienne was his inspiration to become a better parent and they planned to meet again. They wrote love letters back and forth, continuing their relationship. Adrienne offered some of the letters to Amanda as proof of Paul’s love.

     The sudden end of her mother’s relationship doesn’t inspire Amanda to jump back into life, but her memories of her mother at the time of its end remind her that her children are waiting for her. Adrienne’s love story becomes the force pushing Amanda to get back to her life and her boys, who depend on her.

     Adrienne’s story is about the love between two people later in life, unlike many romances which focus on young love and people just starting out. It focuses on love as it blooms, changes and is lost. Nights in Rodanthe is a romance novel that features the death of a loved one, which may be difficult for young readers. It is aimed toward an adult audience. 

Spellcaster

Spellcaster by Claudia Gray, 2013 HarperTeen

Nadia Caldani is a witch, but shhh... don't tell anyone.
     When her mother abandoned Nadia, her little brother Cole, and their dad, Dad decided it would be better to make a new start in the small town of Captive's Sound, Rhode Island. But what he can't see is the barrier that causes them to crash their car as the Caldani family comes into town for the first time.
     Nadia can feel the magic throughout town, draining the small town of its life force. Especially the young man who somehow knew to rescue them from the storm and wreck on their arrival. Mateo's family is known for their Cabot Curse, which led one member from each generation of his family to see the future and go insane from the visions. Nadia has haunted Mateo's dreams, mostly dying, and when he meets her his first instinct is to avoid her. But his next instinct draws him closer.
     When a sinkhole sucks her car into the ground, Nadia unwittingly reveals her Craft to Verlaine. But unlike most people, Verlaine isn't put aside by the assurances that magic couldn't possibly exist, and when the two try to see the town's future Verlaine is excited by the prospect of becoming Nadia's Steadfast -- her partner and close friend in magic, lending power to her spells. When Mateo enters and the magic turns to him the young women are shocked: men cannot hold power, they cannot be told of magic, and they definitely cannot become a Steadfast!
     The three find something wrong in their dying town and band together to try and solve the problem. Along the way they discover that magic has touched everyone in town, but why and where did the magic come from? Nadia uncovers an ancient evil bent on unraveling the powers that are a part of Captive's Sound. When that evil turns out to be Mateo's oldest friend, life is completely turned upside down.
     Mateo and Nadia's relationship seems to heat up, their friendship with Verlaine becomes stronger (though why the rest of their classmates either ignore or are cruel to her continues to elude them), and Nadia's powers seem to be progressing enough to defeat their enemy. Through the new friendships in this new town Nadia regains confidence in her Craft and her family's new start seems to be just the ticket.
    Betrayal and abandonment feature significantly in Spellcaster. In turn, companionship and mutual respect (leading to love) become the antidote for the evils assaulting Captive's Sound. Nadia begins as an outcast by choice, but when she is drawn into society she becomes a support for the failing structures. There is a definite sense of what is right and wrong, sometimes it is charmingly naive, however Nadia and her friends discover what they are willing to lose and what they are willing to die for. The tale works well for middle school through high schoolers and lovers of Gray's other books.