Friday, December 21, 2012

"Merge" and "Disciple," Science Fiction That Successfully Marrys Murder and Lust

Dual novellas "Disciple," and "Merge" released in October are a fresh miracle of science fiction, lust, murder and the soul’s journey to eternal bliss earning a four and a half star rating.
New York Times best selling author Walter Mosley has written more than 30 novels in a variety of genres featuring mysteries, science fiction, books for young adults and erotica.
Mosley's dual sci-fi stories "Disciple" and "Merge" are neatly formed into one book which resurfaces the timeless questions; why are we here and what is the meaning of life? Mosley's answers to these questions are answered in a bizarre and intriguing way. If you want to know his answer, read his books.
"Disciple" entangles the readers thoughts and weaves them into an outre' of coherent confusion. The story starts out very simple and soon swirls it into an absorbing plot justifying genocide and illustrating how trivial life can be.
Hogarth Tryman accepts his role as a pawn in the game of life. Hogarth, a single man defines nothingness. He's a low end corporate worker who lives alone, toils on Internet porn and gaming until bedtime or time to go to the office.
Bron, an alien contacts Hogarth via the Internet. Bron is a transparent entity and Hogarth's answer to motivation and wisdom which he is willing to give to him. Bron has the power to give Hogarth the universal dreams of emotional and physical love accompanied by extreme wealth.
The middle of "Disciple" sets forth the nature of Bron's true intentions. Is Bron an all powerful being who needs Hogarth's physical form to aide in making Earth a much better world or is Bron using Hogarth to destroy the entire human race except for Hogarth?
The climax of "Disciple" is more than worth the anticipation as the story is being read. It left me to ponder; is life nothing more than an ephemeral static as Mosley suggests?
"Merge" blends the traditions story of love and loss into a journey of fear, joy and mystery. The story leaves one to contemplate; what is life?
Raleigh Redman's heart is shattered by Nicci Charbon and soon after he wins $24,000,000 playing lotto. Mosley magnificently manages a plot in which a young good looking man who is both healthy and rich still seeks happiness.
An alien in the form a large snake deepens Redman's thoughts and desires. Do Redman and the alien team up on a quest to enrich every ones lives or destroy all that is good?
If you want to know, you know what to do.
"Merge" like "Disciple" is a delicious cocktail of good, evil, love, lust, truth and deceit buzzing the brain into a wondrous expedition of pleasure and pain.

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Rolling Stones Still Rocking the World

"One More Shot: The Rolling Stones Live," their last show of 2012, "50 and Counting" at the Prudential Center in Newark, N. J. nails a four star rating.

I was particularly impressed with their first musical guest, Lady Gaga. She erased most of my negative thoughts about today's mainstream music and its performers. Lady Gaga held true to her flashy fashion complete with 70s platform shoes, long bleached blond hair and a tight pin striped jump suit.

Lady Gaga proclaimed her singing ability when she melodically belted out the chorus; just a shot away and just a kiss away and in the song "Gimme Shelter."

The Stones paid an incredible tribute to the music that influenced them as young musicians with a blistering cover of Freddie King's "Going Down."

Seizing helm of lead guitar on "Going Down" was guest John Mayer aided by Gary Clark Jr. It's abundantly clear the Stones are thankful for the great blues artists who emerged in the 40s and 50s. While playing their song "Dead Flowers," included in the video on the jumbo tron were such greats as Etta James, Chuck Berry, Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash and Otis Redding.

The stage at the Prudential Center was fashioned to the Stones renowned emblem, the big red lips with the large protruding tongue. The center of the tongue was hollowed for premium seating for certain patrons at the show.

The concert started out with an empty stage while many percussion drummers masked in the Stones red lip emblem circled the massive tongued stage to the opening beat of "Sympathy for the Devil." Out from the jumbo red lips emerged the Stones with their opening song, "Get Off My Cloud," as the masked percussionist faded behind the scenes.

Powerful performance's of their 60s hits included "Paint it Black," "Honky Tonk Women," "Brown Sugar" and "Sympathy for the Devil."

Guests, the Black Keys marvelously aided the Stones in covering Bo Diddleys " Who Do You Love?" I could have done without the much over-rated Bruce Springsteen transforming "Tumbling Dice" into "Stumbling Dice."

It was also disappointing that the Stones only performed two of their new songs. "Doom and Gloom," and "One More Shot" from their latest release "GRRR!" went down extremely well.

Their former guitarist Mick Taylor shredded the leads and solidified that "Midnight Rambler" is a timeless rock n' classic. The show was decisively concluded with indelible hits such as "Jumping Jack Flash," and "Satisfaction."

Witnessing the concert live via pay per view more than satisfied the souls musical senses and confirmed that 50 and counting leaves any rock n' roll fan wanting more of the Rolling Stones.

Rolling Stones Still Rocking the World

"One More Shot: The Rolling Stones Live," their last show of 2012, "50 and Counting" at the Prudential Center in Newark, N. J. nails a fourstar rating.
I was particularly impressed with their first musical guest, LadyGaga. She erased most of my negative thoughts about today's mainstream music and its performers. Lady Gaga held true to her flashy fashion complete with 70s platform shoes, long bleached blond hair and a tightpin striped jump suit.Lady Gaga proclaimed her singing ability when she melodically belted out the chorus; just a shot away and just a kiss away and in the song
"Gimme Shelter."
The Stones paid an incredible tribute to the music that influencedthem as young musicians with a blistering cover of Freddie King's"Going Down."Seizing helm of lead guitar on "Going Down" was guest John Mayer aided by Gary Clark Jr. It's abundantly clear the Stones are thankful for the great blues artists who emerged in the 40s and 50s. While playing their song "Dead Flowers," included in the video on the jumbo tron were such greats as Etta James, Chuck Berry, Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash and Otis Redding.
The stage at the Prudential Center was fashioned to the Stones renowned emblem, the big red lips with the large protruding tongue.The center of the tongue was hollowed for premium seating for certain patrons at the show. The concert started out with an empty stage while many percussion drummers masked in the Stones red lip emblem circled the massive tongued stage to the opening beat of "Sympathy for the Devil." Out from the jumbo red lips emerged the Stones with their opening song, "Get Off My Cloud," as the masked percussionist faded behind the scenes.
Powerful performance's of their 60s hits included "Paint it Black," "Honky Tonk Women," "Brown Sugar" and "Sympathy for the Devil."
Guests, the Black Keys marvelously aided the Stones in covering Bo Diddleys " Who Do You Love?" I could have done without the much over-rated Bruce Springsteen transforming "Tumbling Dice" into "Stumbling Dice."
It was also disappointing that the Stones only performed two of their new songs. "Doom and Gloom," and "One More Shot" from their latest release "GRRR!" went down extremely well.
Their former guitarist Mick Taylor shredded the leads and solidified that "Midnight Rambler" is a timeless rock n' classic. The show was decisively concluded with indelible hits such as "Jumping Jack Flash," and "Satisfaction."
Witnessing the concert live via pay per view more than satisfied the souls musical senses and confirmed that 50 and counting leaves any rock n' roll fan wanting more of the Rolling Stones.

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

Swedish writer John Ajvide Lindqvist hits paydirt with his novel "Little Star."

"Little Star," is a three and half star novel which deals in savage murders, preservation, twisted family values and the dark side of the music business.
Best selling author John Ajvide Lindqvist scores big with his fifth novel "Little Star."
Lindqvist has the twisted imagination of Stephen King and a writing prowess which confiscates the imagination and graciously passes the time with each turning of the page.
"Little Star" first hit the public in 2010 overseas and the U.S. in October. The book starts out with a married man finding a baby girl in the woods. For years the found child stays silent unless she is singing. Lennart, the man who finds the baby raises the child with his wife Laila. Lennart isolates the baby girl from the world simply because he is obsessed with her fantastic singing ability. Sinister and crazy things begin to happen when Lennart and Laila's grown son Jerry finds out about the girl, the little one.
By the time the girl; little one is 13-years-old, she is coveted singer. One particular sleaze ball, a wrenched music manager named Max has a devilish plan to seduce the underage little one.
Lennart, an abusive husband only cares how well his newly found daughter can sing and nothing else. His son Jerry and his wife Laila fit extremely well into this conflicted storyline.
When little one joins forces with Teresa, another girl her age and phenomenal lyric writer, the young duo blend mayhem and murder into a uniquely intriguing plot.
The only plot line I will reveal is that Max does not have sex with the very under aged little one and he and the girl become entangled in a perilous storyline that engulfs the readers attention span and hurls it into a carousel of curiosity.
"Little Star" is a bit lengthy at times and certain parts of the middle of the book are snooze worthy, yet Lindqvist pulls it off. His ability to fuse evil with good and love with lust entices the imagination and slings it into the realms of fascination.
  

Friday, October 19, 2012

Moron Compositions; Insanity is Sane in the Eyes of the U.S. Government,

Mark (Izzy) Schurr

People who rape children, commit mass murder or claim to be an angel of God to brutally kill innocent people cannot be sane, but in the eyes of the law they are deemed lucid.
The Oxford dictionary (third edition) defines insanity as psychotic, neurotic, demented, out of one's mind or wits, a manic; taking leave of one's senses.
Do the U.S. courts know what insanity is? In some cases, no and that's actually the right call in the eyes of the law.
In my lifetime the U.S. justice system has rendered some parents who rape their own children, mass murders and gang rapist of children to be of sound mind. Anybody who commits hostile crimes such as the above are highly disturbed.
Many nefarious criminals spend a lifetime in prison as opposed to being aloud their freedom due to innocence by reason of insanity.
Imagine if the courts declared Charles Manson and his followers, aka the Manson family to be crazy. Had any of them been ruled demented, they might be free today. Yes, even if Manson or any of his sadistic clan were found to be insane, it's highly doubtful they would have ever been freed. However, they would have had a shot at freedom if by law deemed psychotic.
In July Martin Pulido-Sanchez, 45 was sentenced to life in prison for 11 counts of lewd sexual conduct with his two daughters, both under the age of 14 according to the article by Julie Johnson, "Petaluma Man Sentenced to 165 Years in Prison for Molesting Daughters," in July on the website; http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20120712/ARTICLES/120719836.
Johnson's article claims the two girls were raped regularly for years. Sometimes Pulido-Sanchez would have one of his daughters on the lookout while he sexually abused the other. This is not the act of a rational person in my eyes, but since the law has found him clear-headed, Pulido-Sanchez received a life sentence. Had Pulido-Sanchez been depicted in court as a lunatic, perhaps he'd be allowed to live in an unlocked facility such as the Home of New Beginnings. Brief details about the Home of New Beginnings will follow.
How does the law which thankfully prosecuted three boys in the 90s in New Jersey for sodomizing and raping a 17-year old girl with a baseball bat and broom handle who possessed the brain of an eight-year old to be sane? By law, the demented high schoolers who par took in this damnable crime were pellucid.
"A Whole Lot of Poor Judgement," an article in August, 1997 by Russell Banks on the web page; http://www.nytimes.com/books/97/08/03/reviews/970803.03bankst.html details the merciless crimes initiated by two high school brothers, a true buzz kill of a story.
The whole innocence by reason of insanity is comical to me. I believe certain criminals are truly insane and are sincerely remorseful of their crimes. However, certain crimes, even if only committed once are unforgivable and the perpetrator(s) should never be allowed in society again.
Insane people should not be put in federal prisons, but the ones who've committed wretched crimes should spend the rest of their lives in a maximum gated facility.
It's scary to me that a Sonoma County court judge in May ruled Matthew Beck not to be a threat to society anymore.
In February 2000, Beck viciously stabbed Sandra Napier 28 times and her mother 17 times to death in Rohnert Park with a kitchen knife. Beck told police he was an angel of God and the women were evil spirits. Sounds like the plot of of "Frailty" with Matthew McConaughey and Bill Paxton released in 2001. The article "Family of Rohnert Park Killer Upset About His Release," by Paul Payne in May, on the web page; http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20120523/ARTICLES/120529796?p=2&tc=pg explains how the U.S. courts have regarded Beck to be insane.
I've done the math on Beck's potential release according to the article; "Judge Approves Release of Hospital Patient Committed After Double Murder." The article written in May on the web page; http://rohnertpark.patch.com/articles/judge-approves-release-of-hospital-patient-committed-after-double-murder states it would take about two months for Beck to be sent to the Anka Behavior Health Northstar facility in Manteca. The article claims Beck would spend about three months in the Manteca facility before being sent to live in The Home of New Beginnings in Santa Rosa. It's highly possible Beck could be free come October. The above article, like Payne's claims it could be years before Beck's release. Could be years before his release? This news is not promising to me.
Technically Beck is one daft man, but dollars to donuts the deceased Napier's family would have felt much better if Beck were ruled to have a lucid mind in the perception of the law. If Beck is sent to live In The Home of New Beginnings, he'd be living in the same county as the Napier's surviving family members; talk about an uncomfortable silence if any of the family members run into Beck in town!
James Holmes, the prime suspect who massacred movie patrons in Aurora Colo, in July needs the law to consider him sane. If the judge ruling on Holmes' case finds him fatuous, he and Beck might be room dogs in the Home of New Beginnings unrestrained in society. Yes, I know the odds of this happening are the same as having a truthful government, but in this case lie on.

"Monster" is a Marvelous Read for Horror Fans



Dark sorcery, Devil worship, sadistic murders and horrific torture to children combat the pure at heart in Dave Zeltserman’s Aug., 2012 book "Monster."

Award winning novelist Zeltserman has written crime and horror tales. “Monster,” is a compelling read that seizes the senses.

Zeltserman transforms Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein,” into an intriguing journey into the minds of the wicked and good living in the 1800s.

The maliciously smart character Victor Frankenstein thrives on the torture and death of the innocent. Frankenstein robs Friedrich Hoffmann of everything dear to him; his job as a chemist and the love of his life, Johanna Klemmen. Klemmen and Hoffmann become the victims of one of Frankenstein’s sadistic experiments.

"Monster" engulfs the reader's’ attention and hurls the imagination into the depths of despair and an insatiable thirst for vengeance.

The intelligent and once handsome Hoffmann is bludgeoned to death by many of the villagers because he is thought to have brutally murdered his fiancée Klemmen. All that is left of Hoffmann is his brain dwelling in a very large and hideously looking monster via the evil prowess of Victor Frankenstein. Zeltserman eloquently describes Hoffmann's emotional pain in the words of the character himself;

"I’m just a wretched abomination brought forth into the world by a wicked sorcerer."

The monster (Hoffmann) has an initial goal of simply killing his sadistic creator, Victor Frankenstein. Wit and the powers of black magic tweak the monsters plans immensely.

The monster soon escapes from Frankenstein's macomb mansion and anxiously plots how to achieve vengeance for himself and his lost lover. His pursuit of revenge becomes a quest to save the lives of adults and children.

Frankenstein and his equally damnable friend Marquis are in the pursuit of young women and children to plot their deaths in the most merciless ways imaginable. The monster is the only one who can save the lives of dozens of innocents who are meant to die so ominously in Frankenstein’s evil amphitheater, that the Devil Himself would fear both Victor Frankenstein and his pal Marquis.

The monster in Zeltserman’s story has an IQ to combat Frankenstein’s, but because of the times, he's living in and his grotesque appearance, he is thought be a direct spawn of Satan by too many people.

“Monster” is extremely hard to put down once the reading has commenced. At a mere 222 pages it’s a perfect afternoon or night time read.

Despite the pernicious imagination of Zeltserman, he effectively manages to write about extremely horrible events with only one mildly profane word in the entire book.

If you enjoy getting livid at iniquitous characters and rooting for salubrious ones, “Monster” should be high on the list as a must read. A four star read easily.

Mark Izzy Schurr