The Jerusalem Quartet

There are some authors who never achieve fame during their lifetime and unfortunately, remains largely obscure even after they have passed. And yet, proving that popularity does not necessary equal quality, these authors tend to be highly regarded; both by critics and those of us fortunate to be familiar with their works. One such author was the American Edward Whittemore.

By all accounts, Whittemore; who was born in 1933 and died in 1995, lived a rich and varied life, having, during his lifetime, occupied such varied positions as reporter, photocopy assistant, US marine officer and CIA agent. What he is most remembered for though (when he is remembered) is as a writer of novels.
Whittemore's bibliography consists of five novels. Out of these five, the first one: Quin's Shanghai Circus, is a stand-alone and the remaining four form a sequence called The Jerusalem Quartet (although a few of the characters in Shanghai Circus turn up in The Quartet as well). Its the latter which is the focus of this post.

In the first volume of The Quartet, titled Sinai Tapestry, Whittemore introduces the reader to a cast of memorable, larger-than-life characters:
Plantagenet Strongbow, the British explorer who becomes the secret owner of the entire Ottoman Empire during its twilight years. Joe O'Sullivan Beare, an Irish freedom-fighter who flees his country by disguising himself as a nun. Stern, son to Plantagenet Strongbow, who grows up with a dream of creating a country where the three religious groups of the Middle East: Moslems, Jews and Christians can live in harmony. Haj Harun, an old shop-keeper who claims to have defended the city of Jerusalem for more than 2000 years, always on the losing side. Because, as Harun himself puts it, when you are defending Jerusalem, you are always on the losing side.

These are not the only characters to populate the pages of this book, but they are the most important ones and so, I mention them here.

Although Sinai Tapestry is the most light-hearted and optimistic book in the series, its not without its dark moments. The Pivotal sequence of the novel is the Turkish army's massacre of Smyrna. An atrocious event which haunts the characters that get caught up in it for the remainder of their lives and which Whittemore describes in horrific detail.

Moving on to the next novel,  Jerusalem Poker. This volume, which may well be my personal favorite of The Jerusalem Quartet, revolves around a poker-game, with the entire Holy City at stake. The Main players in this high stakes game are Joe, Munk Szondi and Cairo Martyr, a character newly introduced in this volume. However, its not long until the game attracts the attention of certain sinister figures.

One notable aspect of the Jerusalem Quarter is that, as it draws closer to the present day (meaning the 1970's, in this case), the more fantastical elements become less and less prominent. This does not mean that the remaining books aren't up to the standards set by their predecessors, but they are different in tone, belonging more firmly in the realm of mystery and spy-fiction than the books before them. Volume no. 3, Nile Shadows takes place during World War 2 and opens with a hand-grenade being thrown into a bar and the investigation into the life of the only man killed in the explosion: Who wanted him dead and why?

Finally, we have Jericho Mosiac. With one single exception, this volume features none of the characters from the previous volume, choosing instead to introduce a completely new cast. At first, the reader may feel disappointed knowing that the characters they've come to know and care about during the course of this series are absent from its ultimate installment. However, the new characters soon prove themselves to be just as compelling as Joe, Harun and the others.
This final volume revolves around Halim, a Syrian businessman who returns to his homeland after having lived most of his life in Argentina. In Syria, Halim's likable personality soon earns him the friendships of several people in high circles. No-one suspects that this Syrian patriot is in fact, a deep-cover spy for the Mossad, operating under the code-name The Runner.

As a whole, The Jerusalem Quartet definitely ranks among my favorite works of literature and I recommend it strongly to everyone who is a fan of historical fiction, spy-fiction, magic realism or just great storytelling in general. Hopefully, this post has made at least some of you interested in checking it out, because it and Quin's Shanghai Circus, deserves to be more widely known.

Wrath of the Ninja

I am not sure why I decided to watch the obscure 80's anime movie Wrath of the Ninja, but I did (thanks to FantasyAnime - a site I recommend, by the way) and so, I figured I might as well write a little something about it.

The Plot of the movie? That scamp Oda Nobunaga is at it again and....OK, hold on, I have quick question: Has any figure in Japanese history been as villainized as Nobunaga? I get that the guy was a warlord, but if one was to believe some anime, he was pretty much the most evil person to ever be evil.

Anyway, this version of Nobunaga is in control of an army of demons, including a group of demonic ninja, with which he aims to conquer Japan. Only a good group of ninja, including a young female one, who happens to be our protagonist, can stand against this threat.

The Movie which Wrath of the Ninja most closely resembles is, undoubtedly, Ninja Scroll. Although, Wrath actually predates that cult classic by a few years. That said, Ninja Scroll is definitely the better film in my eyes. Wrath of the Ninja is nowhere near as graphic as Ninja Scroll is (there's no rape-scene, for one thing), but its also less engaging. Which is not to say that the story or characters of this film are bad by any means, both are perfectly serviceable. Its just that neither stands out all that much.

Character-wise, the best character is definitely Ayame, whom I found to be a pretty solid heroine. On the flip-side, we have the villains, who are by far the weakest aspect of this movie. Even Nobunaga, who is ostensibly the chief bad guy, does not really have much presence and never goes beyond being the generic evil overlord. Again, one can't help but compare the villains of this movie to the members of Ninja Scroll's gallery of rogues; all of whom were evil, certainly, but with much more memorable designs, powers and personalities.

Lastly, let me say that the negative reviews of this movie that you can find on MyAnimeList, comes across as quite hyperbolic. Wrath of the Ninja is not a great movie by any stretch, but its also far from being one of the worst anime ever. Basically, if you have a thing for obscure old-school anime and you should happen upon this movie during your travels on the World Wide Web, I'd say that Wrath of the Ninja is a perfectly acceptable way to kill an hour and a half, but its not a movie that you need to go out of your way to watch.

Chapter 39

Risha looked down at the crumpled pile lying at her feet, the first person she had ever killed. She did not know it yet, but he wouldn't be the last.

Around her the battle between the troupe and the pirates raged on, but the lynx-girl took no notice of it: She was struck dumb as the enormity of what she had just done dawned on her.
Having grown up with her father telling her stories about his exploits on the battlefield, Risha had always thought that she had had at least an idea of what it would be like to take the life of another person.

She realized now that she had been mistaken. Despite everything she had told herself, nothing had prepared her for this.

Staring at the dead pirate, Risha found herself wondering what sort of life he had lived and the circumstances which had one day lead him down this path? Would he have taken it if he had known that it would have ended with him dead at the paws of some girl, all because his captain decided that he could not let one small ship pass him by?

If only her first kill had been someone else: A hardened freebooter with a scarred face and cold, dead eyes, for example. Such a person; a cold-hearted rogue, experienced in villainy, Risha thought for sure that she would have been able to kill without any lingering sense of remorse.

Unfortunately, this pirate did not fit that description at all. He had been a youth, barely older than Risha herself. What's more, he could have been her twin; the two of them resembled each other so much that it had been like gazing into a mirror.

Risha was not exactly sure what had happened next, all she knew with certainty was that one moment they had both stood there staring at each other in stunned silence and the next her blade had been embedded in her reflection's chest.

As she bent down to close the other lynx's eyes, Risha noticed someone behind her. Quickly, she spun around and was confronted by another pirate. This one was a jackal, looking about ten years older than his colleague. The Older pirate held a cutlass, which almost slipped out of his paw as he stared at the scene in front of him.

"You killed him" the jackal muttered, as though he couldn't quite believe his own eyes. Then, the expression of disbelief on his face was changed into one of cold rage.

Their swords clashed and Risha soon found herself outclassed by her opponent. As their duel took the two of them around the bloodstained deck, it was all she could do to keep up. Sweat broke out on her brow as she desperately blocked her adversary's attacks.

"You are quite talented, girl" growled the jackal, . "There are not many who have been able to keep up with me for this long. You have potential, its to bad that it will remain unfulfilled."

With a flick of his wrist, the jackal sent Risha's sword flying from her grip and over the side of the ship.  The Lynx could hear the splash it made  as it sunk into the depths. Risha had never heard a more dreadful sound. To her, it seemed to be the signal for her demise.

It was in that moment that an idea came into Risha's head and, knowing that it was a matter of seconds, she converted that idea into action immediately: Just as the jackal raised his sword , Risha lowered her head and with a roar rushed her foe, headbutting him in the stomach. The Blow took the air  out of the jackal's lungs, causing him to drop his sword and land on his back with Risha on top of him.

The Two antagonists fought furiously and desperately: One to avenge his fallen comrade, the other because she did not want to die. They grabbed hold of each other's fur and tore of clumps of it, causing their eyes to water. They scratched with their claws until the blood ran. Eventually, though, the jackal proved himself to be the stronger of the two and Risha struggled as she was pinned down by her foe.

"You could have had a clean death by my sword" the jackal hissed. "I would have granted you that at least, but now, I'll just squeeze your filthy neck until your eyes pop out of their sockets!"

With that he wrapped his paws around Risha's throat and squeezed, his claws digging into her soft flesh. The Lynx-girl tried to loosen the jackal's vise-like grip, but to no avail. Her strength was beginning to ebb and her vision started to get blurry. Then, just as she was about to let go, she could make out a figure approaching through the haze, the next moment, she was able to breathe again.

Gasping for air, Risha sat up and massaged her sore throat. She looked up and saw her would-be killer struggling desperately, legs flailing, as Merees held him in an iron grip. Smoke came out of the dragon's nostrils and the white of her eyes had turned red.
It was clear that Merees was about to kill the jackal and for a moment, Risha considered letting her do it. Wasn't it what he deserved after all? Then, something in her consciousness rebelled against this.

"Mer! Stop!" She called out.

Risha's voice reached Merees' ears and she turned her head the way the sound had come from. The Dragon stared at her beloved, her eyes having regained their normal color.

"Risha...you are alive?" She said, as if she almost did not dare believe it possible. "I thought I was too late."

Risha shook her head.

"No, I'm fine. Mer, darling?"
"Yes?"
"Let him go, will you?"

Merees' relief upon seeing that Risha was alive had been so great that she had temporarily forgotten about the jackal, now she was reminded of his existence.

"He tried to kill you" she said, as though she could not believe what she'd just heard.


"I know, but he didn't succeed: Thanks to you. I really don't want anyone else to die today, if I can prevent it."

With a sigh, Merees relaxed her grip, dropping the jackal who was just as surprised as her by this development.

"You should have let her kill me" the jackal said. "When we take this ship, I will..."

Before the jackal could finish his sentence, a powerful voice rang out. A voice that both Risha and Merees recognized as belonging to Rufus.

"Pirates!" The Fox bellowed. "Your Captain is dead!"

A sound much like the wind in the trees could be heard all over the ship. Rufus held up a paw in the air and the sound died out.

"In short, you are leaderless" he continued. "What's more, look around you: You came aboard this ship with the intention to kill us all, but from what I can see you've suffered heavier losses. Still, we shall give you the choice you were never going to give us: Lay down your weapons and your lives will be spared."

The Pirates glanced at each other. Then they looked at the body of their chief lying at Rufus' feet. Finally, they looked at their enemies and saw the determination in their eyes and as one creature, they laid down their weapons.

****

While all this took place, Leorin and Sara sat in their hiding place, listening to the sounds of the battle which could be heard faintly somewhere above their heads.

"We'll win, won't we?" Leorin asked.

"Of course" Sara replied. "This isn't the first time we've been involved in something like this. Trust me, those pirates won't know who they are messing with."

The Porcupine's confidence did assuage Leorin's concerns somewhat, though they did not make them go away entirely. Sara noticed this and so, to take his mind off things and also, because she was curious, decided to ask Leorin how he and the others had ended up on Hieronymus' island.
"That is, if you don't mind telling me" she said.
Leorin did not mind and so, he told his new friend everything that had transpired in our narrative thus far. Or at least, the parts he was there for. Sara edged herself closer to Leo, taking care not to accidentally prick him with her quills and listened intensely.

"That's quite something" She said, once Leo had finished. "I guess you miss your parents, huh?" She added, after a brief pause.

Leorin nodded.

"I do, especially my mom.  I love my sister, even if she can be a jerk sometimes, but its not really the same thing."

"I suppose not. Of course, my parents are dead so I wouldn't know."

This revelation had been accompanied by a shrug, as though the fact that she was an orphan did not mean much to Sara. Leorin, however, could not help but feel for her:

"I'm sorry" he said, with genuine sympathy.

"Don't worry, they died when I was very young, I can barely remember them. Honestly, I consider the Troupe to be my parents. After all, they are the ones who raised me."

Leorin did not say anything. Sara's words had struck a cord. Deep down, he knew that the chances of him seeing either of his parents again were slim. With that in mind, weren't Risha and the Princess the closest he had to parents, right now? And they would probably continue to hold that position longer than his real mother and father had.

"What's the matter?" Sara asked and Leorin told her.

"Just don't slip up and call either of them mom" the porcupine said teasingly. "That would be weird."

Despite everything, Leorin could not help but let out a small laugh. That was followed by another sound, coming from his stomach. The Second after, Sara's stomach made a similar noise.

"I guess we better eat something" Sara said.

She took out some of the food they had taken with them from the galley and spread it out on a cloth. She and Leorin each took an apple, a bread and a piece of cheese, which they consumed in silence. Now that he was sated, Leorin stretched and let out a yawn.
He knew he shouldn't sleep at a time like this, but his eyelids felt as though they had turned into lead. Unable to resist the call of the Sandman, he curled himself up into a ball and was soon lost to the world around him.

So, cats really can sleep anywhere, Sara mused.

She herself didn't feel tired, but since there was nothing else to do but wait, she laid down next to Leorin and stared up in the ceiling. She had preferred that he had remained awake, so they could talk more. You see, the truth is that despite what she had told Leorin, Sara was just as worried as he had been, but putting up a brave front for his sake had helped ease her own anxiety. After all, its not as if the Troupe fought pirates all that often. In fact, the last time it had happened Sara had been no more than three years old and she could hardly remember anything except that there had been fewer members of the Troupe when the battle was finished. 

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of footsteps approaching. The next moment there was a series of knocks on the door to their hiding place. It was the correct series of knocks. Feeling as though she could cry with relief, Sara reached out and shook Leorin by the shoulder.

"What is it?" He muttered.

"Didn't you hear?" Sara said excitedly. "Our friends have come to get us. We are out of here!"
She was just about to unlock the door, when Leorin stopped her.

"What if" he said, "the pirates won and one member of the troupe told us about this place and the correct way to knock so that they could save their own skin?"

Sara shot him an angry look. She was just about to tell him that he was being ridiculous and that no actor would ever do such a thing, when a voice called out:

"Are you two asleep in there? Open up!"

The Cat and the porcupine both looked at each other, there was no doubt as to the owner's of that voice identity. They scrambled towards the door and unlocked it. The Next second, Leorin rushed into his sister's outstretched arms.

"See?" Sara said, resting one paw on her hip. "I told you we'd win."

Risha thanked Sara for looking after her brother. At that moment, Leorin let out a tiny gasp.

"Sis" he said, his eyes wide. "You are hurt."

"Its just a few bruises" His sister reassured him. "There are others on deck who are in much worse shape than I am. Though I would have been dead if not for Mer."

She shot Merees, who was standing behind her, an adoring look.

"I told you that nothing would happen to her when I was around" Merees said to Leorin.

"You are the best, Princess" Leorin said, smiling at the dragon.

"She's the best?" Risha said, shaking her head in feigned offense. "What about me? Your sister? Who changed your diapers when you were a baby and gave you piggyback rides?"

"You're great too" Leorin reassured her, giving her another hug.

"Let us not remain here anymore" Merees said. "There are still the dead and the wounded to take care of."

Everyone agreed and so, the four of them climbed up from the hold and out onto the deck and into the sunlight.