Album Review: Be Bop Deluxe / Futurama...............Eric, wherever you are, I thank you!.....

"Top-heavy with massed guitars and melodic ideas pursued on a whim and just as quickly abandoned, it nevertheless contained two of the most perfect pop singles to never make the charts- "Main in Heaven" and "Sister Seagull"

Peter Buckley in "Rough Guide to Rock"

For many reasons I had discovered by the beginning of the 10th grade that high school was not going to be all that it was cracked up to be. I'm guessing that's how it was for everyone to varying degrees. I had moved to a new city from where I was born and raised at the end of 8th grade, and I never acclimated to my new environment, and in hindsight I've realized it was mostly my own fault! 9th grade was the roughest school year I had ever had, and 10th grade was shaping up to be just as miserable.

So in the fall of 1975 I was once again sitting in German 1 class during first period as I had gotten a failing grade in the same class my freshman year and had to take it over again. I had done well in Spanish in junior high, and had figured maybe German would be just as easy. Boy, was I in for a big surprise! I was a loner, and pretty much kept to myself. Next to me in class sat a kid I had never seen before named Eric. He didn't talk much, but he spent a lot of time drawing on a  his peechee folder One day I noticed he had drawn a large Kiss logo. That caught my attention! 

At the time Kiss weren't a nationally known act (their "Kiss Alive" LP that put them on the map was released in September of 1975), and very few people in Southern California knew who they were, let alone owned any of their LPs. At the time I think I knew a little more musically than a lot of kids my age. At some point I struck up a conversation with Eric, and I asked him if he was into music. Come to find out, he was, in a big way. We ended up chatting a bit at lunch about music, and I found he was much further along on the musical curve than I was. Some of the bands he mentioned I had never heard of, and from what he was telling me they were mostly new, and from the U.K. He would bring music magazines to class, and instead of studying German I was reading up on the latest musical happenings.

One day Eric asked if I would like to buy some records from him as he didn't want them anymore. I said sure, but could I listen to them before I bought them. He said "no", that they were all good bands, and besides they were only 50 cents a piece. So he brought a stack of vinyl to school, and I began to sift through them. For some reason when I hit the cover of Be Bop Deluxe's "Futurama" album I thought the art deco inspired cover was cool, and I flipped it over and saw this:

Back cover of Futurama

Now I can't tell you today why I was intrigued by a photo of some poor guy in a harlequin suit who was being restrained by two other gentleman, but at the time I thought it was interesting enough to give Eric the 50 cents for it. Also in the stack were albums by other U.K. bands like Steve Harley and the Cockney Rebels,Roxy Music, Slade, The Sparks, and others (I wasn't to hear any of these bands till later).  On the bus ride home I just stared at the cover, front and back. It just seemed so odd, and I wondered what sort of music could be on the grooves of that vinyl! The bus arrived in our tract, and I scurried home, ran up to my room, and threw the record on my turntable. What came out got my attention immediately.

At the time I first heard "Futurama" I didn't have the "musical vocabulary" to explain Be Bop Deluxe's sound, which in hindsight added to the beauty of the initial listening experience. I just know it was a wondrous thing I had discovered, this Be Bop Deluxe! Now that I do have the "musical vocabulary" I can describe what I was hearing, and maybe why it appealed to me so much.

Be Bop Deluxe was the vocalist/guitarist/lyricist Bill Nelson's musical vehicle. The bands first album was "Axe Victim", which at the time was only available as import in the US. After the release of the album Nelson dumped the entire band and started over. He hired Charlie Tumahai (bass) and Simon Fox (drums) prior to recording "Futurama". On a side note during the recording of "Futurama" Nelson hired keyboardist Andy Clark, but he didn't play during the sessions for the album. This quintet would remain together for the rest of Be Bop Deluxe's all too short existence.

Nelson was strongly influenced by the art and film work of Frenchman Jean Cocteau, and art in general. I believe Nelson enjoyed the whole process of making music, as well as working on the packaging artwork. His lyrics didn't seem to always tell stories, but they did paint pictures in conjunction with the music. His lyrics, at least to me, seemed to follow this pattern for the bands entire lifespan. However, when he did tell stories they made excellent pop songs (that sadly flew under the radar of the general listening public)

Simon Fox, Charlie Tumahai and Bill Nelson

Review:

The album was produced by Roy Thomas Baker who is known mostly for his work producing the first  five Queen albums. Already having heard a fair bit of Queen before ever hearing Be Bop Deluxe I think Baker's production work on "Futurama" must have struck a familiar chord with me. His style was to make the music sound "big", multi layered and elegant. Also the guitars are very prominent on this record (a la Brian May) of Queen, and I was very keen on lots of guitar playing (or overplaying depending on your point of view!) at 15. 

For the first few months after I picked up "Futurama" I don't think I even flipped the album over to side two more than once or twice. Side one was just so good! It wasn't too hard, it wasn't too soft and it had lots of lead guitar pouring out of the speakers. Also, as the quote at the top of the page espouses, side one had a perfect pair of pop tunes tracking back to back in "Maid in Heaven" and "Sister Seagull". 

The album's first tune was "Stage Whispers" and it opens with a multi-tracked guitar solo  that pans left to right and melts into an uptempo rocker. As the  singing begins one notices  that Bill Nelson had a very pronounced "Britishness" to his voice, not so much a distinct accent, maybe just in the delivery. I find the same thing in Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull's voice as well.  The song moves through several shifts in style from a heavy riff to a bolero feel which then morphs into a funky instrumental break. The song then ends in a ska like bit that underlays a solo that takes us to the end of the song. Nelson crammed a lot of musical ideas into this one song, and it manages to all fit together somehow.

The intro to the ballad "Love with the Madman" hints at Elton John's "Rocket Man" with piano being the lead instrument, and the guitar providing melodic embellishments. As the song progresses the guitar takes over in the mix, as yet again Nelson's guitar noodling are heard throughout the song.The production on this track also gives the tune a bit of a Queen feel, and the lyrics hint at something David Bowie might have done. The third track of side one is just over 2 minutes of pop perfection in "Main in Heaven". This song, and others scattered through out the bands catalog of tunes, show that Nelson could right fabulous pop songs when he wanted to. I think the reality was he didn't really care to. "Maid in Heaven" opens with a nice instrumental section that leads into the vocal section of the song that is built around a few power chords and an arpeggiated descending bit. The song is relatively free of Nelson's usual leads guitar embellishments until the guitar solo that serves as the outro to the song. A brilliant little pop masterpiece; short, upbeat,well written and played. A true gem.

A live version of "Maid in Heaven" from 1976

"Sister Seagull" is the second of the back to back pop gems on side one. A slow ballad that tells a story in word and music. A bit of a contemplative lament is the best way I could describe the song. The part of the song that really caught my attention the first few times I listened to it was the guitar solo. It builds from a section that is played backward, as the notes surge and die suddenly, as opposed to a normally recorded part where the notes decay the longer they sustain. Nelson's guitar tone then shifts to a heavily distorted, phase shifted (a phaser modulates the sound to give it a "sweeping" effect)  solo that is one his most memorable. Many years later I read a interview with Nelson in which he was critiquing Robin Trower's guitar playing. I found it ironic in that several of the solos on this album, including on this particular song, at least in their "sound", are very close to what Trower was doing. I think Nelson was complaining more about Trower's style (rather pedestrian blues rock and a blatant Hendrix ripoff in Nelson's eyes) than his actual tone. After the solo we are given one more repetition of the verse, and then we are given one of the coolest guitar effects ever! The outro "solo" of the song is Nelson mimicking seagull cries on his guitar. Under his lead playing are subtly recorded guitar chords, and as a whole the sound does remind one of being by the seaside. This is probably the best one-two punch of tunes the Be Bop Deluxe ever recorded.

Bill Nelson playing his trademark Gibson ES-345

The final cut on side one of the LP is "Sound Track". To put it simply I've always viewed it as a song built around a series of guitar solos! The lyrics seem to be about birds, or planes...............or something. I'd never even read them till I wrote this review. It never mattered, I was too busy listening to the guitar work! With that we finish side one of the LP.  

 Side two opens in fine fashion with as "Music in Dreamland"marches in to a martial drum beat and then takes on the character of a bit of a dance hall tune. As the song progresses if not for Nelson's distinctive voice it could almost be mistaken for a song from Queen's "Sheer Heart Attack" album. The song features what sounds like a marching band with bass drums, tuba,etc. as we get close to the midway point of the song. As the song nears the end we are given a heavily effected guitar solo played in with a middle eastern style. This, like every other song, features a heavy dose of Nelson's guitar noodling.

"Music in Dreamland" is followed by the light, jazzy "Jean Cocteau". Through out his career Nelson would frequently mention Cocteau as an influence, and when the band recorded their "Drastic Plastic" LP they would do so at Chateau Saint George, Juan-le-Pins France due to it's association with Cocteau. This is by far the mellowest tune on the LP. Next the frenetic "Between the World"charges out of the speakers at a rapid pace  The song was released as a single, and to this day I have no idea why, with two songs on the first side of the LP that are much better candidates than this song. There are some nice "la la la" sing along moments in the chorus that scream  "single!", but to me this was a album track and no more. No guitar solos on this song, but Nelson's usual guitar embellishments underpin the song. The lyrics are a bit nonsensical, artsy word play la Bowie. Probably my least favorite song on the LP, but still pretty good.The album closes out with the fittingly titled "Swan Song". This is a mid tempo song with a fair bit of piano being used. I think Roy Thomas Baker pulled out all the stops on this tune as far as production tricks go. Stop-start sections, stylistic changes from soft to abrasive, backwards guitar, gongs and more; Baker threw in everything but the kitchen sink. The song itself has a bit of a Elton John circa "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" feel to it. And there we have it, a bit of a forgotten and underrated masterpiece from a terribly underrated band.

Parting Thoughts:

Be Bop Deluxe went on to make several more LPs before Nelson, disappointed by the bands lack of commercial success,threw in the towel and went solo. Being rather well read on the bands goings on, I have to suspect they were not well served by their management. Their touring partners seemed somewhat hit and miss, as some gigs  were played with similar sounding bands, while at other times they were coupled with no frill rockers such as Ted Nugent and Rory Gallagher. I also think Nelson was restless to move on to another form of art/music, and Be Bop Deluxe was a casualty of his artistic restlessness. Subsequently Be Bop Deluxe became a footnote in rock and roll history. Bill Nelson continued to make recordings, in many different styles, and still records new music to this day. 

I suppose if I had to lump Be Bop Deluxe in with a group of similar bands I would include David Bowie, Queen, 10cc, City Boy, ELO and Crack the Sky; and maybe "Sirens" era Roxy Music! Well produced, hard edged pop with guitar work that is a bit adventurous.To this day this is, and will remain one of my favorite albums. I think some of the love for it is pure nostalgia. Listening to the record and finding joy in it during what was not one of my happier times certainly has something to do with it. Be Bop Deluxe is one of my most treasured "musical friends". "Futurama" is like a favorite sweater, in the musical sense. I can throw it on, and it is always comfortable, and it fits just right. I know it like the back of my hand, but I never tire of listening to it. I only have a handful of albums I can say that about. I'm guessing I will be reviewing those too some day!

Eric moved away between 10th and 11th grade, but I really do owe him a debt of gratitude. He turned me on to some great music, and really broadened my musical palette, and sold me an album for 50 cents that really brought a lot of joy to a moody teenager. So as I said in the title of this post, Eric, wherever you are I thank you!

If you like this album you might also enjoy:

Queen: Sheer Heart Attack

David Bowie: Alladin Sane

Be Bop Deluxe: Modern Music

Book Review: Borodino by Christopher Duffy......The Domino Effect!.............

Christopher Duffy: Borodino

So I will need to start in the middle of my story to explain why I even bought this book in the first place. As a New Year's resolution I decided I wanted to watch less TV, and read more, play games and finish some unfinished hobby projects that have lingered in limbo for far too long! I have plenty of books to read, and I had been managing to make some progress with a couple of hobby projects as well. All that was left was to start playing some games. I had several "Euro Style" (these are really just easy to learn family games) games I found cheap at Savers and Tuesday Mornings, and something the wife would be willing to play. 

That is all well and good, but I really, really like board games based on historical battles. These my wife doesn't like so much. That means if want to play those sorts of games I will have to do it solo, or on the rare occasion I may be able to con one of my boys to play with me. In my internet wanderings I happened to find a local "print and play" game company based here in Orange County a few years ago, and earlier this year they had a great sale on their "Napoleonic 20 Series" games. Here is a link to Victory Point's page for the Napoleonic 20 Series games if you are interested in a fun, and fairly quick game.

Borodino Game From Victory Point Games

Victory Point Games" Napoleonic 20 Series

I grabbed a handful of games including one on the battle of Borodino, and several other battles based around Napoleon's invasion of Russia in 1812. Upon opening the game up I realized I didn't know much about the battle of Borodino. I did know a lot about the Napoleonic Wars in general, and in detail depending upon the battle. This is the book that got me hooked on all things Napoleonic when I was in 6th grade;The Battle of Waterloo by J. Christopher Herold. It happened to be in our tiny school library, and I'm guessing the cover art from Lady Elizabeth Butler sucked me in. The mixture of an exciting story and lots of pictures was hypnotic.Very quickly I was recreating battle scenes from the book  with tiny 1/72 scale plastic soldiers from Airfix of Britain that I found at Sargent's Sporting Goods in Whittier CA.

Waterloo by Christopher Herold

Airfix 1/72 Scale Highlanders

Well I really couldn't play a game when I didn't really have a good understanding of the ground, the combatants, the leaders or the strategic situation. So, I did a little research, and it looked like a smallish book on the battle by Christopher Duffy would do the trick.The 208 page book, which was published in 1973, proved to be what I thought was a little pricey on the second hand market. Well, patience is a virtue, and I eventually found a copy for 98 cents; thank you Half.com!

The book is rather small, with all illustrations being in blank and white. The story of the campaign, battle and aftermath are contained in only 165 pages.There are also a few maps, and they too are relatively small. Aside from Duffy's musing on the Borodino campaign we also get his footnotes, a bibliography and a detailed order of battle for both of the opposing armies. The fact I mention the size of the book isn't a knock as much as simply being factual. As a matter of fact the book is very typical of what you would have seen for a book of this nature in the 60s and 70s. The cover art is a section of the famous painting of the battle by the Frenchman Louis-Francois LeJeune. 

The book begins with a brief introduction, followed by several chapters setting the table for the reader so as to lets us understand the politics, the tactics and the leaders of the opposing armies. Duffy does a great job at this as he describes what the political atmosphere from the French Revolution to what lead to the his march into Russia in 1812. We are given quick snapshots of the makeup, characteristics and weaponry of the two armies. He also describes the leaders, and their style of leadership. 

A disinterested Napoleon at Borodino

I found his description of the leaders of the two armies as key to understanding the battle of Borodino itself. On one hand we have Napoleon, who while once the master of all Europe, has begun to see things unravel.He was not at the top of his game in 1812 either, as physical, and mental issues began to plague him. He trusted only family members, and in the words of Duffy "like some aging capo of a Mafia clan, he lived in mistrust of all but the members of his immediate family". His personal issues were beginning to cloud his judgment, dull his grasp of tactical situations, and in the end bring about the complete destruction of his army.

The Russian army at the battle of Borodino was lead by Marshal M. I. Kutuzov. Kutuzov, from a noble Russian family, would assume command of the army just before to the battle itself. Kutuzov was given command of the army by Tsar Alexander (against his better judgment) at the expense of Marshal Barclay De Tolly. 
After being bombarded by complaints regarding Barclay's ethnicity (Barclay's family was of Scottish extraction, and not Russian) as well as his supposed cowardice due to his constant retreating in the face of Napoleon. 

Kutuzov at Borodino

Duffy shows to us a Kutusov, who although  Russian, was not the archetypal Russian. He was polished and intelligent, but well past his prime. He had the bad habit of making decisions based on what a current favorite thought. He could win the hearts of his men, but his leadership skills were found wanting. He did his leading from the rear at Borodino, and let others (mainly the recently demoted Barclay) do the actual "leading".

The battle itself was fought between September 5th  through the 7th 1812, but the seeds of Napoleon's defeat were sown almost as soon as he left the Grand Duchy of Warsaw and crossed the Niemen River and entered Russia in . Logistics, missed opportunities and tactical blunders by Napoleon's brother Jerome let the Russian army escape the traps Napoleon had planned for them. The Russians escaped to the east towards Moscow, and Napoleon followed. This was not what he had planned. He had envisioned an early defeat of the Russians on the frontier, which would force Tsar Alexander to the negotiate. Invading Russia itself was not part of the original plan.

After continuously falling back from position to position for over two months, the Kutuzov finally decided that the Russian army had to make a stand 70 miles west of Moscow near the town of Borodino.  

The two armies initial deployment at Borodino

Kutuzov made his stand behind the steep banked Kolocha River on his right flank, and had built field fortifications in the center of his line and his left flank. His extreme left flank was nearly impassable woods (the Russian armies is shown in red on the map, the French in blue). This position allowed him to block both roads from Smolensk to Moscow. Unfortunately for Kutuzov his strong right flank was never to be under attack. Napoleon intended to destroy the Russian army, not force it to retreat by turning it's flank. His plan called for a frontal assault that he thought would crush the Russian army. 

Duffy gives that battle itself one long, 42 page chapter that is broken down into seven sections. The battle itself was a bloody slugfest, with Napoleon capturing all of the Russian fortifications. The Russians retreated, and Napoleon chose not to give chase. More casualties inflicted than in any other battle of the Napoleonic era. The opposing armies size at the battle were roughly 130,000 Russians opposing Napoleon's army of about 160,000 men. Estimates put the casualties at somewhere close to 44,000 for the Russians, and 30,000 for the French and her allies. At a conference of officers Kutuzov decided to continue to retreat, and abandon Moscow. In the end this played to the Russians advantage, and in the end Napoleon Was left with 1,000 affective's out of an initial army of 450,000 that crossed the Nieman on June 24th. It was the beginning of the end for Napoleon's far flung empire. By May of 1814 Napoleon would find himself exiled to the Island of Elba.

Duffy also gives us a chapter on how the Battle of Borodino was viewed in Russia, particularly it's veneration during the soviet era. Duffy duly notes that Tolstoy's "War and Peace" helped to further propel the battle into stuff of legend.

I found Duffy's book served it's purpose; I now know enough about the battle well enough to have a working knowledge of how to play the game representing the battle. It doesn't have some of the glitz you would find in books published over the last couple of decades. No colorful maps or numerous glossy illustrations. It served it's purpose, and let me see a realistic picture of the combatants, their leaders, the tactics used to fight the battle as well as a blow by blow account of the battle and it's aftermath. It was well worth 98 cents!

If you enjoyed this book you may also like:

Austerlitz by Christopher Duffy

The Battle of Borodino by Alexander Mikaberidze

The Battle of Berezina by Alexander Mikaberidze

Book Review: Monster Blood Tattoo Trilogy : Foundling by D.M. Cornish

"Hearken to me, me lad! Not all monsters look like monsters, do ye get me? There are everyday folks who turn out to be th' worst monsters of 'em all!"

Master Fransitart "Foundling"

I stumbled onto this book while reading through 
someone's blog that was dedicated almost exclusively to his hobby endeavors. In one of the blog posts there was made mention of the "Monster Tattoo Trilogy" by an Australian author, D.M. Cornish, and it sounded interesting, so I checked into it. It sounded good, a found a used copy of the first book "Foundling" on the cheap, and I proceeded to give it a read.

D.M.Cornish

"Foundling" by D.M. Cornish is a young reader book. I guess that would turn some people off, but I have never stopped reading this genre of books even as an adult. I mostly read historical non fiction, so I find young reader, science fiction and mystery books to be a pleasant diversion. It also seems that the level of writing in young reader books isn't much different from the adult books, as the difference seems to mainly be in the content. The young reader books  have deep plot lines and good character development, but the themes are  just lighter than  say a John Grisham or Patricia Cornwell novel. "Foundling" is the first in a trilogy, the other two books being "Lamplighter" and "Factotum".

After giving the book a quick look through (no, I did not skip straight to the end!), I made two observations. The first thing I noticed without even opening the book was the very fine artwork. As I flipped a few pages I discovered the drawings in the book itself were excellent as well. Upon inspection I discovered D. M. Cornish did all of his own drawings for the book and cover. It isn't often you see a writer who does his own artwork. I have to guess the artwork done by the artist gives you a real feel for what his writing is trying to convey. No need to have to have an artist "translate" the writer's vision for him, In this case the writer could put what he sees in his head onto paper. This fact made me want to read the book even more. I'm not against books without illustrations, but I do find visuals help me "see" the characters better.

D.M. Cornish's Artwork

Something else I discovered was that D.M. Cornish spent over 10 years lovingly creating his own setting for this trilogy (and subsequent releases), the Half Continent. He gave the reader the information he would need to help him navigate his way through this world (it required a 120 page glossary!). Unique words, back story explained and maps, yippee! I know this will turn off many, but those who are drawn into the worlds created by the author (as in Tolkien's Middle Earth) will enjoy this aspect of the book. I enjoyed flipping back and thumbing through the glossary when I would find a new word or place name.


Cornish's Half Continent is a world I could best describe as "18th century steampunk". Picture H.G. Wells and Jules Verne in tricorne hats and you get the idea. Some interesting technical mechanisms are presented alongside conventional items from the 18th century such as buggies and flintlock rifles. All in all I found the depth of setting helped the story line, and I found zipping back to the glossary occasionally to see just what I was reading about to be fun.As the book, and later trilogy goes on we are introduced to more and more technological advances, many of which are key to the story line. Another key element to the Half Continent is that in much of the land monsters of all sorts are found in many parts of the countryside, and ocean. Monsters are a key element to the story, and they are encountered in all shapes and sizes.

"Foundling" begins the continuing story of the orphan Rossamund Bookchild, who was found on the steps of Madam Opera's Estimable Marine Society for Boys and Girls by Master Fransitart. Fransitart is a pensioned sailor, or "vinegaroon", as are most of the staff at the orphanange. Rossamund was left on the orphanage steps in a basket with a note attached which had the poorly written word "Rossamund" on it. He was given the surname "Bookchild" as are all the orther orphan's with unknown parentage. Rossamund was not off to a very auspicious start! As Rossamund grows up he is small for his age, which leads to all manner of bullying at the orphanage. 

Master Fransitart

Our story kicks off as Rossamund takes a rather severe beating from Gosling, the resident bully at Madam Opera's while engaging in a bout of "harundo" (a game a bit like fencing). As he is recovering from his injuries he has a discussion with Fransitart about monsters. Rossamund pries out of Fransitart the fact he has killed monsters in his past. In the Half Continent it is a tradition that the killer of a monster receive a tattoo from the creatures blood. Rossamund has been obsessed with monsters slayers after reading about them in  penny novels that Verline, the parlor maid who acts as a surrogate older sister to him.

Verlin

As the book progresses the time comes in the month of Calor for the orphans in teen years to be selected for employment in various postitions throughout the empire. As Rossamund has been overlooked in prior years he doesn't hold much hope that his luck will change. On this he is wrong. Rossamund who has always hoped to be a sailor on the vinegar seas, has instead been chosen to be a lamplighter. The tasks for this position are really those of lamplighter and a soldier, who lights the numerous lamps on the road as well as wards off any monsters that might infringe on the completing of a lamplighters duty.

It is here where Rossamund's adventures begin. He meets with the Lamplighter Marshal if Winstermill's agent Sebastipole. Sepastipole is a "leer", or one with enhanced abilities to tell if one is telling the truth. He informs Rossamund that he needs to get himself to the city of High Vesting, where he will then be escorted to the lamplighter manse in Winstermill. This is where 

Sebastipole

things get interesting. Fransitart and another pensioner at the orphanage,  Craumplin "help" Rossamund to get equipped for his new job as a lamplighter. The next morning Sebastipole meets with Rossamund to give him his final instructions, and then Rossamund is left to his own devices to find his way to the boat that will take him by river to High Vesting. As Rossamund enters the dock are the story picks up.
From this point on Rossamund will be involved in kidnappings, rescues, escapes; all manner of adventure await. Most of "Foundling" is spent on using Rossamund's adventures to introduce us to key characters, and set the table for the second book "Lamplighter". A fascinating cast of characters await discovery by both Rossamund and we the reader.

We will also meet a group of well developed characters as you work your way through the book. Some will be characters that will be seen though out the trilogy, others are there to add "flavor" to the world Cornish has created. Cornish's excellent drawings really helped me to visualize what the characters looked like. Since the writer was also the illustrator we are getting a picture of the characters exactly as Cornish meant them to look. As I said in the forward, how often is the book both illustrated and written by the same person.


We will encounter monsters,or"bogles","nickers","untermen","baskets" and "nadderers" as it were, of all shapes, sizes and temperaments. The Misbegotten Shrewd, a monster of considerable size, but little intelligence will make an appearance as well. We find Freckle, the riddle talking, smiling "glammergorn" who doesn't really look like much of a monster at all. Then there is the "Bogle on the Road", a monster who looks like a proper monster should. But all is not as it may seem in regards to these monsters as one will find with further reading.

In regards to human characters we will meet many. Some of the key ones I have already mentioned, but the most important character to the story other than Rossmund is Miss Europe, or as the Branden Rose in parts of the Half Continent. Europe is a "fulgar", or monster hunter. More specifically she is a "lahzar" or a surgically modified monster hunter with special, and very deadly skill set. Europe has a certain arrogance about her, as she is not only quite good at her job, she is also well known and very wealthy. However, she has moments where she drops her facade, and we see there is more to her than what can be seen on the surface.

Miss Europe

I'd love to go on, but if I do I will have to start giving away key elements of the plot, and I don't want to do that. I really enjoyed this book, as well as the last two books in the trilogy. I was hoping Cornish would write more books set in the Half Continent, but at the moment the only other writing he has done on this world he has created is a volume of short stories called "Tales from the Half Continent". I really enjoyed the way the book is "packaged". We get the book itself, Cornish's drawings and all you need in the glossary to left yourself escape into the Half Continent. I have reread all three books, finding little bits here and there I didn't catch the first time around. I like that, the feeling you can pick a book up and still find something shiny and new inside. 

This is my first book review ever, and as such I suppose it isn't really a review as much as it's a  summary. I don't intend to review a book I didn't like, just those I really enjoyed. I just want to give folks a feel for the book, and what I liked about it without delving to far into the plot. I just hope others who might enjoy this book will stumble onto my musings.

If you enjoy this book you may also like:

D.M. Cornish: Lamplighter

D.M. Cornish: Factotum

D.M. Cornish: Tales From The Half Continent