Contented
upon finishing “Lord of the Rings,” I told a doughnut of a friend. They replied
I was “a big girl” to have read it as they’re making a film. Peter Jackson made
a fair attempt but I defer, for only those who read know the idiocy of his statement.
Still authors dream their works would attract a film producer, but to see your
narrative ripped apart can be disheartening. Guess you just lie back and think
about the money.
Last
week I mentioned the ease of movie adaption with Alexes Razevich’s astounding
novel “Khe,” this can be an attraction for readers. So the couple of books I’ve
picked this time contradict each other. While “Judas” is an all-action, popcorn
munching Hollywood dream, I feel “Speak Swahili Dammit!” is quite the opposite,
both breathtakingly brilliant but the latter book remains something to be
digested in literature form.
“Judas”
I discovered as a friend (Barry Renshaw) designed the cover. Yeah I know, don’t judge a book
blah, blah. But when I read the synopsis I gasped, wondering why no one had
thought of this simple but awesome plot before.
Judas
Iscariot, yeah him, the disciple who grassed up Jesus in the bible, is paying
for his crime. God has made him immortal, to walk the Earth forevermore, never
to love, unable to die and so, obviously, he’s turned into an all-American
action hero out to protect a forthcoming prophet! The likes of Bruce Willis or Vin
Weasel would not look out of place playing Judas……if it would be snapped up by
Hollywood.
Although
I fear with its Christian connotations Middle-America would hail blasphemy. It’s
exactly the shock-tactic its author, Roy Bright tells me he was aiming for.
Expect a plague of locusts in his hometown of Burnley.
While
some chapters, such as the biblical flashback sequences, are deadly serious,
others have a tongue-in-cheek feel about them; both equally wonderfully written
and engaging.
Its
location is a movie caricature of New York, where demons choose to take the
form of Japanese businessmen. Dripping with wry “Terminator” and “Die Hard”
pastiches, it’s all very comic-book; Bright makes no attempt to hide this fact.
Not just the gung-ho narrative but often referencing comic, manga or action
hero movie media in the narrative. And in true Hollywood fashion, Roy is
currently bashing out a sequel as we speak.
“Judas”
may not be up everyone’s street. It’s highly addictive, chockful of fury-paced
pulp fiction, aching for John Woo to direct. In contradiction, I believe the
author of “Speak Swahili Dammit!” considered the possibility of movie adaption
but it’s one of those things, I feel, which is best remaining as it is; a both
inspiring and amusing masterpiece novel.
Quite
lengthy, “Speak Swahili Dammit!” is autobiographical. Cornish author James
Penhaligon’s family migrated to Tanganyika in the 1950s when he was six. This
then is the story of white kid “Jimu” growing up in the African bush, being accepted
by the Watu and it ends with his dawning of adolescence.
It
describes life there, its history and culture in colossal detail, ventures off
into gorgeous character portrayals, and amusing anecdotes of his interactions
with the ingenious people, the other colonists, and a few deadly animals.
Covering
the fullness of childhood; prepubescent love, friendship and general
mischievousness, “Speak Swahili Dammit!” meanders through emotions cogitating through
the eyes of a child.
This
truly is an inspiring and witty read; a self-published stroke of genius which
makes you wonder why the heck it is isn’t in every bookshop worldwide. But hey,
that’s the domain of self-publishing, there’s greatness lurking down rabbit
holes. You just have to take the leap… or wait for me hand more to you on a
silver platter, as I did last time spotlighting Alexes Razevich.
Based
on the excellence of “Khe,” I had high hopes for her second book, “Shadowline
Drift.” Offering to be different Alexes again outreached my expectations. This
book captivated me until the end. It’s not a turn of phrase when I say “I
couldn’t put it down;” might as well have superglued it to my fingers.
When
the protagonist delves into the Amazon rainforest to make a trade with a
nomadic tribe for a plant which can solve the world famine problem, he gets
much more than he bargained for. This believable fantasy sprints, with rich
storytelling and careful research through the culture and wildlife of the rainforest
and whisks into supernatural enigmas with a killer plot line.
So
with three more added to our bucket list; an unspecified amount of
self-published books to read before you either die or go buy another book by a
big publishing house; lock in this feature for we have more to come.
I’ve
put a Facebook group together called Ye OldE-book Shoppe, please join for more
coverage of great books and meet the authors: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1606699399605659/
Speak
Swahili Dammit! James Penhaligon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Speak-Swahili-Dammit-African-childhood-ebook/dp/B00B1WOYY4/
Shadowline
Drift, Alexes Razevich: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Shadowline-Drift-Razevich-Alexes-ebook/dp/B00JEP2GBI/
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