The Venture Bros. Movie

 Recently, The Venture Bros. movie, bearing the fittingly pulp-y title Radiant is the Blood of the Baboon Heart was released digitally and having, seen the film, I thought I'd offer my take on it.

First of all, let me make one thing clear: If you haven't seen The Venture Bros, then this movie is not a good introduction to the series. Unlike other movies spawned off of TV-Shows that I can mention (South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut, the 2017 My Little Pony movie, among others), Radiant is the Blood of the Baboon Heart makes no attempt at being accessible to newcomers, picking up from where the show left off when it was cancelled back in 2018 and being completely steeped in lore. Anyone who comes into this movie without pre-existing knowledge of these characters and their relationships are likely to be left scratching their heads in confusion.

As someone who has seen every episode of The Venture Bros (some emultiple times), did I enjoy the film? Well, before I answer that question, I'm going to address my one major criticism of it.

Radiant is the Blood of the Baboon Heart clocks in at 84 minutes and it packs quite a lot of plot into that relatively brief runtime. To the point, where, at times, the movie feels cramped. Apparently, this was originally going to be the eight season of the show proper, before it was made into a movie and there are times when hat shows. In particular, the antagonist would have benefited if they and their organisation had been built up over multiple episodes rather than making their first appearance in this film.

That aside, I did enjoy the film. My favorite characters (Rusty, the Monarch and Dr. Mrs. Monarch) all got plenty of focus (I could have used more of the Alchemist though and was surprised at how little Brock had to do). Red Death, of course, stole every scene he was in. I really liked how Hank's and Dean's story-line was resolved, showing that these two are probably more emotionally mature than most of the adults they know. Visually, the movie looks good and the voice-actors perform their roles well (as I expected).

Lastly, the movie provides answers to questions that fans of the show have been asking for years. Such as; the identity of Hank's and Dean's mother and whether or not Rusty and the Monarch are related? 

Radiant is the Blood of the Baboon Heart may not join the ranks of my favorite animated features, but it is an entertaining film and, if it is indeed the last Venture Bros. related thing we get (I hope not), a worthy conclusion to a saga that has been going on for nearly two decades.

Go Team Venture!

Oh, and in case you were wondering: Yes, there is a reason for the movie's title.

Chapter 80

 Risha and Merees did not waste any time. As soon as they were alone, they began to make their way back to the clearing as quickly as their feet could carry them. 

Despite their great haste, they found themselves slowed down, as they tripped on roots, or got entangled into vines that had not been there before. Almost as if the island itself was trying to stall their progress. 

When the lynx and the dragon finally arrived at the clearing, they found the others  lying lifeless on the ground, with the remains of half-eaten fruit being strewn all around them.

"Are they dead?" Merees whispered.

Risha shook her head.

"No, I can hear them breathing, but faintly. Let's wake them up."

She went over to Kyros and tried to wake him up by shaking him gently by the shoulder, but to no effect. The Mountain-lion did not stir.

Realizing that she had to resort to more extreme measures, Risha grabbed hold of Kyros'  shirt and slapped him hard across the face. After three slaps, his eyes opened.

"What's the matter?" He asked, drowsily. "Why are you hitting me?"

"I'm sorry" Risha apologized, "but I had no other choice."

Meanwhile, Merees had managed to rouse the first-mate, using a similar method. With the two men awake, the women explained what had happened: That the island was inhabited and that those who lived here were not exactly hospitable.

Kyros agreed that the best course of action they could take would be to wake their comrades and leave the island. However, the first-mate was of a different opinion: 

"You claim that the two bats you met were hostile..." He began.

Risha was about to ask him what the hell he meant by that, when a sound could be heard. It was the sound of many wings, drawing closer and closer. Both Risha and Kyros reached for their blades, but the first-mate ordered the swords to be kept in their scabbards.  

The Two felines obeyed, though Risha did so with ill grace, muttering under her breath. The Next moment, the denizens of the island appeared and the lynx's eyes widened at the sight: 

She was not sure how many bats there were. She counted at least seventy of them, but she could tell even by a quick glance, that she, Merees and the other members of the expedition were vastly outnumbered. 

Some of the bats wore loincloth, while others displayed everything. Many of them had adorned themselves with bracelets or necklaces. Risha noticed that these were made of teeth and bones. She felt a shiver run down her spine.

"You got any fire left in you?" She whispered to Merees.

"I'm afraid not" the Princess whispered back. 

"What about your magic?"

Merees shook her head.

At this point, the first-mate stepped forward, his right paw raised.

"Greetings, island-dwellers" he said. "We come in peace."

At the head of the swarm was a bat larger than any of the others. His fur was the color of snow,  his headdress was a skull and his breastplate fashioned from a rib-cage. Embedded in his own skull, his eyes shone like rubies. 

"Greetings land-walkers" he said, in a hoarse voice (both Risha and Merees noticed that, unlike the brother and sister, he spoke the common tongue perfectly). "You have set foot on our island and have partaken of its bounty. Normally, your lives would therefor be forfeit.."

"What do you mean 'normally'?" The First-mate interrupted, guardedly.

In response, the leader of the bats pointed at Merees:

"The Dragon" he said. "Give her to us and the rest of you shall be allowed to leave here unharmed."

"What?!" Risha stepped forward, eyes blazing. "Listen, you creep! Take your offer and shove it, we are not interested!"

The Bat looked at Risha as if he had just now noticed her.

"Are you in charge?" He asked, smirking.

"She's not" replied the first-mate. "I am." 

"And yet you let one of your underlings talk over you." The Bat shook his head in mock amazement.

"I am not his underling" Risha growled.

"Nor am I" said Merees, "and if the reason you want me is because I killed one of yours, you should know that he and his sister attacked us."

"Lies!" Shrieked the sister in question.

She was about to address her leader in their own language, telling him not to believe these filthy land-walkers, but one look from him told her that he had best keep her tongue still.

"I apologize for the behavior of of these young ones" ,he said. "It was their first scouting mission and apparently they decided to act on their own. They were under no orders to attack you. At least, not at the moment. No, we want you for an entirely different reason:

You see, this island that you are currently standing on is actually a living being. A being on an endless journey through the oceans of this world."

"That explains why this island could not be found on the Captain's maps" Kyros said, while stroking his chin thoughtfully.

"Exactly. My people have lived on this island for ages, ever since we were driven away from our homeland. It shelters us and keeps us fed. In exchange for its hospitality, we provide it with sustenance."

"By killing anyone who sets foot on your island." The Words had not been intended as a question and Kyros' voice had grown dark as he uttered them.

"Yes, once we sacrifice our...visitors, their life-essence are absorbed by the island and becomes a part of it. Forever."

Risha let what the leader of the bats had said sink in. She glanced first at Merees, then at the first-mate and saw her own horror and disbelief reflected in their faces. 

"Its been years since anyone last set foot on the island", the bat continued, taking no heed of the effect his words had had on his audience. "And our guardian is slowly growing weaker. So, when I learned of your arrival, I was relieved. When I found out that one of you No!was a dragon, I was ecstatic."

"I think I understand" Merees said. "Because we dragons are among the World's most long-lived races, you assume that my life-energy is greater than that of my companions." 

The Dragoness' voice was steady as she spoke, though her hands, trembled slightly.

"Precisely. So, what are your answer? Will you sacrifice one to save the many? Or will all of you perish here?"

While this conversation had been going on, Risha's mind had been working at full speed. There had to be a way out of this situation, a way for her to save them all. Well, mostly Merees and to a slightly lesser extent Kyros, with the others as a bonus. Then, it struck her: 

If this island was alive, then it could be hurt. 

It was worth a try. What did they have to lose?

With one rapid movement, she drew her short-sword and, with a roar, drove it into the soft ground. Beside her, Kyros, having caught on to Risha's intentions, did the same.

As the Lynx and the mountain-lion pulled out their blades, the island began to shake violently. The Leader of the bats let out a wail and, fell limp to the ground.

Immediately, Kyros pounced on the fallen bat, aiming the tip of his sword at the leader's heart.

"Listen!" He called out. "Stay where you are, or your chief's essence will be the next to feed your precious island!"

Now it was the bats' turn to be frightened, not all of them understood the mountain-lions' words, but they did not need to. The Situation was clear to anyone with eyes in their heads.

"Don't listen to him!" Shrieked the female-bat, who was seeing her chance to get revenge slip away. "The Land-walkers have dared to harm the island! Kill them!"

"No!" One of her fellow bats protested. "The Chosen's life is too precious, we have to do what they say."

While Kyros kept the bats at bay and they, in turn argued among themselves, the two women and the first-mate quickly went about the job of waking the rest of the expedition.

"Is everyone up?" Kyros asked, not taking his eyes off the squabbling chiropterans.

"They are" Risha responded, as she helped one crew-member on his feet.

"Good. Then, leave this cursed place."

"What about you?" Merees asked.

"I'll be right behind you."

Kyros waited until the last member of the expedition had left the clearing, then he lifted up the still unconscious leader, and started to walk backwards out of the clearing, using the white bat as a shield. The Mountain-lion waited until he was a safe enough distant from the clearing, then  he put down his burden and ran towards the beach.

Two By Weyman

 Fame, as I trust we all know, is a fickle lover. Take for example Stanley J. Weyman (pronounced Wyman). A British author, who lived from 1855-1928. While largely forgotten today, during his life-time, Weyman was a best-selling author, whose work was admired by such names as Robert Louis Stevenson and Oscar Wilde and although I've only read two of Weyman's books, so far, they were enough to convince me that his present-day obscurity is undeserved.

Out of the two books I've read: The Man in Black and Count Hannibal respectively, it is the latter which best seem to represent the type of story that made Weyman's name famous in his day. An historical adventure set during the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre and featuring a complex, morally ambiguous lead character, Count Hannibal is a thrilling read, one that comes highly recommended to anyone who is a fan of the works of Rafael Sabatini and Alexander Dumas. 

The Man in Black is different. While, it too, takes place in France, this time during the reign of Louis XIII (with Richelieu making the obligatory appearance), it is not an adventure-story, though it certainly does not lack in suspense.

This time, the  story follows a young boy (age 12), who suffers mistreatment at the hands of adults, including the titular villain. Though I don't think I spoil anything if I say that things turn out well for him in the end.

With its child protagonist and relatively short length, its fair to say that The Man in Black was intended for younger audiences. However, like all worthwhile children's stories, it can easily be enjoyed by adults. This adult found it highly engaging. 

Chapter 79

 The Merchant-Ship was on the third month of its voyage, when the lookout cried out that land had been spotted. 

Upon hearing this, the Captain, who had been busy going over the maps, promptly left his cabin. On deck, several of the passengers and some of his crew had gathered by the railings. The Captain made his way over to them.

"Incredible" he muttered, shaking his head, as he stared at what was within rowing distance from his ship.

"I'm sorry, Captain" said Risha, who was standing next to him. "But I don't see what's so incredible about that. It looks like a pretty ordinary island to me. Even has a forest growing on it and everything."

"That's just it, young lady" the Captain replied. "There aren't supposed to be any islands that size in these waters."

Feeling the need for a smoke, the Captain sent one of the crew back to the cabin, to fetch his pipe. Once the precious object had been delivered, the Captain lit the pipe and puffed at it.

"I've made my decision" he announced, after a moment's contemplation. He turned to the black-furred canine who served as first-mate. "Jansen, take a group of men and investigate that island."

"Aye, aye, Captain."

"Captain" said Risha, "I should like to come along on this expedition."

"As do I"said Merees. "It will be nice to be on dry land. If only for a little while."

"I'm sorry" the Captain said, "but I must ask you to stay. Who knows what dangers await on that island? I can't let my passengers take any risks, especially...."

"...Especially when they're two defenseless young women" Risha interrupted. "Is that what you were going to say, Captain? Don't worry, we can take care of ourselves."

"I have fought beside Risha and I can confirm that she tells the truth, Captain" said Kyros.

Realizing that there was no point in arguing, the Captain gave in and somewhat later, two rowboats left the ship. Risha and Merees traveled in the second, as did Kyros and three more members of the mountain-lion's group. 

Once ashore, the expedition set forth into the lush jungle which seemed to cover most of this mysterious island. Jansen the first-mate took the lead, using his cutlass to clear away some vines, and the others followed. 

They had all been prepared for a harrowing march through wild, uncharted territory. However, this jungle turned out to be more accommodating than most of its kind: The Ground, bar the occasional root, was smooth and easy to walk on and the air was filled with the pleasant fragrance from a variety of colorful flowers.

Eventually, they came to a clearing. There, the first-mate gave the order to make halt. A decision that was met with universal approval, for they had walked for many hours and were in need of rest and nourishment. 

The Latter had priority and soon, the salted fish brought from the ship roasted over a campfire made out of dragon's flame. Everyone ate with good appetite, with several members of the expedition picking the succulent fruits dangling from the trees and adding them to their diet. 

After he had finished his own meal, Jansen wiped his muzzle with the back of his paw and looked around. He immediately noticed that there were two less people in the clearing than when they had entered it. 

"Anyone know where the two skirts went off to?" He asked.

No-one had and the first-mate turned to two of the crew.

"Go find them" he ordered. "They can't be too far from here."

The Sailors were about to leave, when a voice stopped them. It was Kyros, who was sunning himself on a nearby rock.

"They probably went away to have some privacy" said the mountain-lion. "Let them be. Besides, what could happen to them on this island?"

****

Kyros' assumption turned out to be correct. Some distance from the clearing, Risha and Merees had shed their clothing and were now making love. The Lynx was on top, stimulating Merees' sex with her fingers, while her hips moved in response to the sensation of the dragon's long tongue against her own.

Afterwards, the two lay on the ground, recovering from their powerful climaxes. 

"It's getting dark" Merees observed. "Should we head back to the others?"

"We could" said Risha, who was resting her head on Merees'  shoulder. "Or we could sleep here. After a few more rounds, of course. What do you sa.." 

Risha sat up abruptly, her tufted ears twitching.

"Do you hear that?" She asked.

Merees was about to ask what 'that' was, when she heard something herself. At first, she couldn't place the sound, but then she realized that it was the soft beating of wings. Wings that were getting closer and closer.

They both looked up at the same time. In the sky above, two bat-winged silhouettes could be seen. 

Suddenly, the two bats came gliding down, stopping when they were slightly above ground. Scrambling to their feet, Risha and Merees looked at the duo: A male and a female, siblings judging from how similar they looked.  Neither wore any clothes.

"This is surprise" Merees began. "We thought this island was uninhabited, but I guess you were only sleeping. Oh, permit me to present ourselves: I am Merees, Princess of Vinoli and this is Risha, my..."

"Mer, hon" Risha interrupted, "I don't think this is the local welcoming committee."

Merees had to admit that what Risha said made sense. She did not like the way the bats stared at her with their amber-colored eyes, nor did she like the long claws that both had at the end of each of their thumbs. They looked sharp.

"Listen" she said, "we did not mean to trespass on your land. If you wish us to leave, then we shall."

"You no go" the female bat objected in a mangled version of the common tongue. "Right, brother?"

"Yes, sister" the male's voice was only slightly deeper than that of his sibling. "You stay, you all stay. Forever!"

While Merees were talking, Risha had swiftly reached down and picked up her short-sword. Now, with one move she swung it at the male bat. All it cut though, was empty air. Sudden as Risha's attack had been, he had managed to dodge it. 

Then, the male struck Risha's sword-arm with his wing. The Sudden blow caused her to lose her grip on her weapon and before she had had time to retrieve it, the female bat had snatched it. 

Howling with laughter, the bat-siblings circled above the heads of Risha and Merees, who tried their best to keep up with their movements. 

"Stupid land-walkers!" The Female bat jeered. "You no catch us! You too slow!"

She tossed the short-sword to her brother, who caught it mid-air and began playing with it; twirling it around and stabbing the air. 

Risha watched him with one eye. With the other, she scoured the ground for any reasonably-sized stone, one that would do some damage. Alas, none that fit the description could be found in the vicinity. 

Up in the sky, the siblings were chatting away in their own language.

"What are you going to do with that?" The Sister asked, pointing at the sword. "Are you going to give it to the Chief? I bet he'd reward you if do."

"Not a bad idea", her brother agreed. "But before I do that, I'm  going to try it out."

With his face split by a cruel smile, the male-bat sped downward like an arrow. He held the short-sword out in front of him, its point aimed directly at its owner's heart. 

Before he could pierce that vital organ and impale Risha on her own weapon, however, the male-bat was struck by a jet of fire. The Next moment, his head and wings were engulfed in flames and he crashed screaming into the ground.

The Stench of flesh and fur burning filled the air. Risha fought down an urge to vomit. Her short-sword was lying nearby. She picked it up and went over to the bat, who was writhing around, trying to douse the flames. 

No sense in prolonging the bastard's suffering, Risha thought. 

She raised her blade into the air and brought it down. The Writhing stopped. 

And now, to more important matters.

Risha turned to Merees, who was staring pale-faced at the remains of her work. 

"Are you alright?" She asked.

Merees nodded slowly. She was about to say something, when a wail could be heard from above. For a moment, the female bat glared at her brother's killers with hatred in her tear-filled eyes. Then, she turned around and flew away. 

Just wait, brother. You may have been the first to die this night, but you won't be the last.

Favorite Books

An ever-growing, ever-changing list of my favorite books (novels, short-story collections, plays, etc) excluding graphic novels and non-fictional books (even though there are plenty of both that I think are great).

*= Book read in its original language.

r= read more than once. 

(last updated: 21/09/2026)

Prose

Absolon, Absolon! (William Faulkner) r

The Abyss* (Marguerite Yourcenar) r

Address Unknown* (Katherine Kressman Taylor) r

Against the Day* (Thomas Pynchon)

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass* (Lewis Carroll/Charles Lutwidge Dodgson) r

Ambergris* (Jeff VanderMeer)

An Accidental Man* (Iris Murdoch) 

Anna Karenina (Lev Tolstoy) r

The Angelic Avengers (Isak Dinesen/Karen Blixen) r

Augustus* (John Williams) r

Austerlitz (W.G. Sebald) r

Baltasar & Blimunda (José Saramago)

Baudolino (Umberto Eco) r

Barabbas (Pär Lagerkvist) r

The Baron in the Trees (Italo Calvino) r

Berlin Alexanderplatz (Alfred Döblin)

Beware of Pity (Stefan Zweig) r

The Bethrothed (Alessandro Manzoni)

Blood Meridian* (Cormac McCarthy) r

The Book of Disquiet (Fernando Pessoa) r

The Book of the Long Sun* (Gene Wolfe)

The Book of the New Sun* (Gene Wolfe) r

Brideshead Revisited* (Evelyn Waugh) r

The Bridge on the Drina (Ivo Andric) r

The Brothers Karamazov (Fyodor Dostoyevsky) r

Buddenbrooks (Thomas Mann) r

The Buru Quartet (Praomedya Ananta Toer)

By Night Under the Stone Bridge (Leo Perutz) r

The Captain's Daughter (Alexander Pushkin)

The Castle (Franz Kafka) r

Carmilla* (Joseph Sheridan Lefanu) r

A Canticle for Leibowitz* (Walter M. Miller Jr.) r

The Case of Comrade Tulayev (Victor Serge)

The Charterhouse of Parma* (Stendhal/Henri Beyle) r

The Christmas Oratorio* (Göran Tunström)

The Comedians* (Graham Greene) r

The Confessions of Felix Krull (Thomas Mann) r

Conversations in the Cathedral (Mario Vargas Llosa)

The Count of Monte Cristo (Alexander Dumas) r

Crime and Punishment (Fyodor Dostoyevsky) r

Dangerous Liaisons* (Choderlos de Laclos) r

Daniel Deronda (George Eliot/Mary Ann Evans) r

Darkness at Noon (Arthur Koestler) 

Daughter of Fortune (Isabel Allende)

Death of a Beekeeper* (Lars Gustavsson) r

The Death of Artemio Cruz (Carlos Fuentes)

The Death of Virgil (Hermann Broch)

Demons (Fyodor Dostoyevsky) r

The Deptford Trilogy (Robertson Davies) r

Diary of a Country Priest* (Georges Bernanos)

Doctor Faustus (Thomas Mann)

Doctor Glas*  (Hjalmar Söderberg)

Don Quixote (Miguel de Cervantes)

Dream of the Red Chamber (Cao Xueqin)

The Dwarf* (Pär Lagerkvist) r

Earthly Powers* (Anthony Burgess) r

Earthsea books* (Ursula LeGuin) r

East of Eden* (John Steinbeck)

The Emperor of Portugal* (Selma Lagerlöf) r

The Erl-King* (Michel Tournier)

Everything Flows (Vassily Grossman) r

Fathers and Sons (Ivan Turgenev) r

The Feast of the Goat (Mario Vargas Llosa)

The Fifth Queen* (Ford Maddox Ford) r

Flashman at the Charge* (George MacDonald Fraser) r

A Fringe of Leaves* (Patrick White)

The Galton Case* (Ross MacDonald) r

The Golem (Gustav Meyrink) r

Great Expectations* (Charles Dickens)

The Great Gatsby* (F. Scott Fitzgerald) r

Grendel* (John Gardner) r

A Harlot High and Low* (Honoré de Balzac)

A High Wind in Jamaica* (Richard Hughes) 

A Hero of Our Time (Michail Lermontov) r

Herscht 07769 (Laszlo Krasznahorkai) r

The House of the Spirits (Isabel Allende) r

Hunger (Knut Hamsun) 

The Hunchback of Notre Dame* (Victor Hugo) r

Hyperion* (Dan Simmons) r

I, Claudius* (Robert Graves) r

I Served the King of England (Boumil Hrabal)

Iceland's Bell (Halldor Laxness)

The Idiot (Fyodor Dostoyevsky) r

If on a Winter's Night a Traveller (Italo Calvino) r

Independent People (Halldor Laxness)

Invisible Cities (Italo Calvino) r

Jacques the Fatalist* (Denis Diderot) r

Jane Eyre* (Charlotte Bronte) r

The Jerusalem Quartet* (Edward Whittemore)

Journey by Moonlight (Antal Szerb)

Kidnapped* (Robert Louis Stevenson)

Kim* (Rudyard Kipling) r

A King Alone* (Jean Giono)

The King Must Die* (Mary Renault) r

Kristin Lavransdatter (Sigrid Undset) r

The Last Unicorn* (Peter S. Beagle) r

The Left Hand of Darkness* (Ursula K. Le Guin)

The Leopard (Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa) r

Life and Fate* (Vassily Grossman)

Lord Jim* (Joseph Conrad)

Lost Illusions* (Honoré de Balzac)

Lyonesse* (Jack Vance) r 

The Makioka Sisters (Junichiro Tanizaki)

The Man Who Laughs* (Victor Hugo)

The Man Who Was Thursday* (Gilbert Keith Chesterton)

The Manuscript Found in Saragossa (Jan Potocki) r

The Master and Margarita (Michail Bulgakov) r

The Melancholy of Resistance (Laszló Krasznahorkai)

Memories of Hadrian (Marguerite Yourcenar) r

Middlemarch* (George Eliot/Mary Ann Evans)

The Miracles of Antichrist* (Selma Lagerlöf) r

Les Miserables* (Victor Hugo) r

Moby Dick* (Herman Melville) r 

Mrs. Dalloway* (Virginia Woolf) r

Music and Silence* (Rose Tremain) r

My Name is Red (Orhan Pamuk) r

Mysteries (Knut Hamsun) 

The Name of the Rose (Umberto Eco) r

The Napoleon of Notting Hill* (Gilbert Keith Chesterton) r

Night Flight* (Antoine Saint-Exupéry) r

Ninety-Three* (Victor Hugo)

Nostromo (Joseph Conrad)

The Notebook (Agota Kristof)

Oblomov (Ivan Goncharov)

Old Goriot* (Honoré de Balzac) r

Orlando* (Virginia Woolf)

Our Mutual Friend* (Charles Dickens) 

Pale Fire* (Vladimir Nabokov) r

A Passage to India (E.M. Forster)

Peace* (Gene Wolfe)

Pedro Paramo* (Juan Rulfo) r

Pereira Maintains (Antonio Tabbuchi) r

Petersburg (Andrei Bély) r

The Power and the Glory* (Graham Greene)

The Prague Cemetery (Umberto Eco)

Pride and Prejudice* (Jane Austen)

The Queen's Tiara* (Carl Jonas Love Almqvist)

The Quiet American* (Graham Greene)

The Quincunx* (Charles Palliser)

Quo Vadis (Henryk Sienkiewicz)

Pale Fire* (Vladimir Nabokov) r

The Raj Quartet* (Paul Scott)

The Remains of the Day* (Kazuo Ishiguro) r

Resurrection (Lev Tolstoy)

Restoration* (Rose Tremain) r

Riddley Walker* (Russell Hoban) r

Romola* (George Eliot/Mary Ann Evans) 

Salka Valka (Halldor Laxness)

The Samurai (Shunsaku Endo)

Satantango (Laszló Krasznahorkai)

Scaramouche* (Rafael Sabatini)

The Sea, The Sea* (Iris Murdoch)

The Serious Game* (Hjalmar Söderberg)

The Sleepwalkers (Hermann Broch) r

The Sound and the Fury (William Faulkner) r

The Spectre of Alexander Wolf (Gaito Gazdanov) r

The Spire (William Golding) 

The Spy Who Came in From the Cold (John Le Carré/David Cornwell) r

Steppenwolf (Herman Hesse) 

Sword of Honour* (Evelyn Waugh) 

The Swedish Cavalier (Leo Perutz) r

The Tartar Steppe (Dino Perutz)

Terra Nostra (Carlos Fuentes) 

Tigana* (Guy Gavriel Kay) r

The Third Policeman* (Flann O'Brien)

Thomas Cromwell books* (Hilary Mantel)

Three Men in a Boat* (Jerome K. Jerome) r

The Three Wise Men (Michel Tournier)

The Tin Drum (Günter Grass) 

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (John Le Carré/David Cornwell) r

Titus Groan and Gormenghast (Mervyn Peake) r 

The Transylvanian Trilogy (Miklós Banffy)

True Grit* (Charles Portis) r

The Turn of the Screw* (Henry James) r 

Ubik* (Philip K. Dick) r

The Unconsoled* (Kazuo Ishiguro)

Under the Sun of Satan* (Georges Bernanos)

Vertigo (W.G. Sebald) r

Villette* (Charlotte Brontë) r

Voss* (Patrick White) r

Waiting for the Barbarians* (John Maxwell Coetzee) r

Watership Down* (Richard Adams) r

The Waves* (Virginia Woolf)

The Way We Live Now* (Anthony Trollope)

The Year of the Death of Ricardo Reis (José Saramago)

Zeno's Conscience (Italo Svevo) 

Zimiamvia* (E.R. Eddison) r

 

 Short-Story Collections

 The Aleph (Jorge Luis Borges) r

 Fictions (Jorge Luis Borges) r

The King With the Golden Mask* (Marcel Schwob) 

The Periodic Table (Primo Levi)

 Seven Gothic Tales (Isak Dinesen/Karen Blixen) r

The Sword of Welleran* (Lord Dunsany) r

Trafalgar (Angelica Gorodischer)

Winter's Tales   (Isak Dinesen/Karen Blixen) r

 

Verse

The Aeneid (Virgil) r

Aniara* (Harry Martinsson) r

 The Divine Comedy (Dante Alighieri) r

Eugene Onegin (Alexander Pushkin) r

 Gaspard de la Nuit* (Aloysius Bertrand) r

The Illiad (Homer) r

The Kalevala (Elias Lönnrot, ed) r

 Metamorphoses (Ovid) r

The Odyssey (Homer) r

Orlando Furioso (Ariosto)

Paradise Lost  (John Milton) r

The Ring and the Book* (Robert Browning) r

Selected Poems (Robert Browning) 

  

Plays

 Andromaque* (Jean Racine) r

The Alchemists* (Ben Johnson)

Berenice* (Jean Racine) r

Blood Wedding (Federico Garcia Lorca)  r

Boris Godunov (Alexander Pushkin) r

The Cherry Orchard (Anton Chekhov) r

Cyrano de Bergerac* (Edmond Rostand) r

Death and the King's Horseman* (Wole Soyinka) r

Faust (Johann Wolfgang von Goethe) r

Hamlet* (William Shakespeare) r

Hedda Gabler (Henrik Ibsen) r

Henry IV* (William Shakespeare) r

The House of Bernarda Alba (Federico Garcia Lorca) r

Julius Caesar* (William Shakespeare) r

King Lear* (William Shakespeare) r

Macbeth* (William Shakespeare) r

Maria Stuart (Friedrich Schiller)

A Man For All Seasons* (Robert Bolt) r

The Master Builder (Henrik Ibsen) r

The Misanthrope* (Moliére/Jean-Bapiste Poquelin) r

A Month in the Country (Ivan Turgenev) r

Murder in the Cathedral* (T.S. Eliot) r

Othello* (William Shakespeare) r

The Oresteia (Aeschylus) r

 Peer Gynt* (Henrik Ibsen) r

Phedre (Jean Racine) r

Prometheus Bound (Aeschylus)

The Satin Slipper* (Paul Claudel)

The Seagull (Anton Chekhov)

The Theban Plays (Sophocles)

Three Sisters (Anton Chekhov)

The Trojan Women (Euripides) r

Uncle Vania (Anton Chekhov) r

Volpone* (Ben Johnson)

The Wild Duck (Henrik Ibsen) r

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter 78

 From the Desk of the Editor:

A daring rescue operation was performed yesterday, as a squad of our capital's finest, under the command of Corporal Dorn (38), liberated General Jeraddin (47), from the cellar in which he was held prisoner. 

Most of the credit for this rescue must go  to a certain Salsky (29), a former soldier, recently returned from Guanaca. According to Salsky, he was in the vicinity when he noticed two men wearing the uniform of our city-watch step out from a carriage. He noticed immediately that the two were carrying a third person between them. A person which the sharp-eyed water-rat immediately recognized as none other than Jeraddin himself.

"I was suspicious, of course" Salsky told the Vinolian Gazette, "so I rushed to get help and, well, the rest you know."

When asked whether or not he expects a reward, the  young Frigonian merely replied that he had only done his duty as a citizen.

Such modesty does a body credit and we have no doubt that General Jeraddin will want to personally thank his rescuer, when the opportunity presents itself.

We must report, however, that the General sustained some injuries at the hands of his abductors and is currently recuperating at home, under the care of his housemaid.

Regarding the culprits, they have been taken into custody and have been identified as the Captain and crew of the ship the Maelstrom, which was damaged in a fire recently. Is there connection between this event and their abduction of one of our nation's most prominent citizens? Hopefully, all will be revealed during the upcoming trial...

In his cell, Cerewan stopped reading the paper one of the guards had slipped under his door. He was not too concerned by the trial. After all, he was not the only one who had profited from his business-venture. Soon, he would be summoned to the interrogation room and when that happened, he would talk. Oh, yes, he'd give them every name of his associates and silent partners, in exchange for as lenient a sentence as possible. 

In a way, I suppose I am fortunate that the other ledger was destroyed in the fire. If not, I wouldn't have anything to bargain with.

With this thought, the tiger stretched himself out on his bunk and drifted off to sleep, unconcerned about the fate of his crew and untroubled by any pangs of conscience. 

He woke somewhat later, by the sound of a key turning into the lock. With a yawn, Cerewan sat up, just as the cell-door swung open and his jailer appeared in the doorway. To Cerewan's surprise, however, the rhino did not motion for him to get up, but instead stepped into the cell and shut the door behind him. 

Growing suspicious, Cerewan unsheathed his claws...

*****

The Trial took place the next day and in light of the evidence provided, it was concluded with haste. Each sailor who had served on the Maelstrom were sentenced to fifteen years at the galleys, plus five years imprisonment, should they live long enough. 

Among the accused, there was one who was absent from the trial: On the same morning, Captain Cerewan had been found dead in his cell. The Prison's doctor was quickly summoned and, having examined the body, ruled that the deceased had died of an apoplexy. 

A week later, Argath's ship sailed into the harbor. That evening, a banquet was held at the palace, to celebrate the Queen's return and to welcome the new Royal Consort.  Jeraddin, was there: He could not exactly refuse to be present, considering his position and besides, it would give him a chance to see his wife again. As soon as court-etiquette permitted, the lynx went off in search for her.

He found her in the palace-garden, sitting on a bench and staring up at the moon. Stealthily he crept up behind her and whispered "Guess who?" Softly in her ear.

She turned around, his name passing over her lips and the two of them embraced.  

"So, how was the journey home" Jeraddin asked, sitting down next to Nasari.

"Terrible" the black cat sighed. "I'm glad to be back home. What about you? Has anything happened while I've been away?"

"You can say that again", her husband replied. "Let's see, where I should begin?"

And so, Jeraddin told Nasari about everything that had transpired during her absence. Starting with Albert's death, the news of which made Nasari wet her husband's shoulder with her tears. 

"How awful" Nasari gasped, once she head learned of Jeraddin's treatment at the hands of Cerewan. "Are you sure you are fine?" She asked, concernedly.

"Don't worry" Jeraddin smiled, "I am fully recovered."

"And the Captain's death? Do you really think it was a natural one, as they claim?"

Jeraddin shook his head.

"No, Cerewan had become a liability to too many people. No doubt one of them decided to get rid off him."

"Well, whatever the reason, I'm glad he's dead. Good riddance!"

"I agree, although I would have preferred it if he had been punished by the law, rather than by one of his peers."

"I don't care, let the villains of this world devour each other."

"Speaking of which, you should have seen the Queen during the banquet."

"Well, she is eating for two now. Or three."

"To be honest, I can't picture her as a mother."

"Me neither." Nasari paused and when she spoke again, there was bitterness in her voice. "I hope she dies in childbirth. I hope that kid kills her."

"What if she has a miscarriage?" 

The Word had come out of Jeraddin's mouth, aided by too much wine. He immediately regretted its utterance.

Nasari gave him a look.

"I hope not. Its a terrible thing, to loose a child" she said. "I wouldn't wish it on any woman, not even Argath."

"You're right. I'm sorry, I don't know what I was thinking."

Nasari's nodding was meant to convey both her agreement with what Jeraddin had just said and to show that she accepted his apology.

"Let us talk about something else" she said. "Now that Albert's gone, who's looking after your home? Or do you do it yourself?"

"No, I have a housekeeper. Her name is Flora."

"Is she a diligent worker?"

"She's yet to give me cause to complain."

"And is she fair to look at?"

"I suppose. Yes, yes she is. Though not as much as you."

Nasari gave Jeraddin a playful nudge.

"Flatterer. Tell me, if its not too discrete a question, have you...?"

"I have not shared my bed with her, if that's what you ask."

"Why not? If you're worried about how I would react, than don't be. I don't mind and even if I did, it would be awfully hypocritical of me to begrudge you a lover."

"It's not that, I'm her employer and I wouldn't want to take advantage of my position."

"Somehow, I doubt that most people would let that stop them, were they in your position."

Before he could answer, Jeraddin's mouth opened wide in a deep yawn.

"Feeling tired?" Nasari asked.

"Actually, yes. Too much food and drink, I suppose. Or maybe age is gradually starting to take out its toll."

"Why not lie down for a spell?"

Jeraddin thought that this sounded like a good idea. He laid himself down on the bench, resting his head in his wife's lap, where he fell asleep to the touch of Nasari caressing the fur on his head and the sound of her voice, singing softly.

A very brief rant concerning anthro characters in fiction

 Lately,I've been watching YouTuber Totally Not Mark's videos on Hunter x Hunter, one of my favorite manga/anime in the battle-shounen genre. So far, I've been enjoying the videos and have found myself in agreement with TNM about a lot of things and I will definitely continue watching them. However, as I watched his second video on the Greed Island arc, something happened that made me pause the video and type out this brief post.

In that video TNM brings up the 2016 animated movie Sing and cites one of the reason for it being a bad film is due to the fact that there's no reason for its anthropomorphic characters not to simply be humans. I've seen this criticism leveled against the movie before (by I Hate Everything) and I've always disagreed with it. Now, this is not me defending Sing. I have not seen Sing, nor have I any desire to do so, I just don't think that this is a valid criticism of any movie, or any work of fiction that features an anthropomorphic cast. Never once in his Donald Duck/Uncle Scrooge comics does Carl Barks justify that his characters are talking waterfowl (or pigs or dog-people) and yet, these are some of the greatest American comics ever made.  Is it neat when a piece of media takes into consideration what a world populated exclusively by anthros would look like, á la Disney's Zootopia? Sure. Is it a necessity or requirement? Absolutely not.

Oh, and by the way? The Fact that I myself have a story in which none of the cast is human without really 'justifying' it has nothing to do with me writing this. 

Well, OK, maybe a little...