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Black Wind - Perfect or just incredibly good? - Ossicle - 10-03-2005
*SPOILERS*
Anyone feel like talking about this one a bit? I read it a couple of months ago and was, er, blown away.
- First of all, by how much goddam research was in it. How has FPW had a medical practice and a family and still cranked out novel after novel, including monsters like this that seem to contain a bachelor's degree worth of historical information and a pretty deep take on another culture? These serious born-to-write types (Matheson, King, FPW, etc.) must all have some form of ADD or ADHD or Digital TV or _something_.
- I thought it was fun how much -- (um, I'm just remembering that I'm an absolute idiot when it comes to names, and I'm not going to be able to remember any of the characters' names) -- how much some of the parts of the novel dealing with the Japanese protagonist resemble a RJ book. The detective work he does, the clever solutions to problems, his lightning-fast decisions when it's crunch time, are all very Jack-like. (Plus the incredible amount he accomplishes in a short period of time -- like figuring our the entire U.S. nuclear plan in a few days; reminded me of Jack in CrissCross, gravely injuring the Dormentalists in a simliar time frame. Not people you want to have against you!)
- Humanness. The humanity! I think this novel is more affecting than just about anything else he's written. I love RJ, but Jack's relationship with Gina is just not terribly smokin'. By contrast, BW has a couple of really terrific romances in it and a lot of deep, rich, etc. emotional relationships among many of its characters. I liked seeing FPW pull this off, a lot. Hm, and along these lines, simply the depth of the characters themselves, their elaborate back stories and inner lives, etc., is really terrific.
- The plot. Well, in part this relates to the point above, about all the research FPW did for the book. Basically, an amazing horror-fantasy plot providing a secret history of Pearl Harbor and the nuclear strikes against Japan is not exactly a snore. So: Not bad! The Black Winds themselves are very frightening. I know that these days we relate the Black Winds to the Otherness; I wonder if FPW was consciously relating them at the time or if that only became a "fact" after he'd written/as he wrote so much more about the Otherness during the Adversary Cycle.
- The ending. The "ending" -- the whole, big, final coming together of all the parts -- occupies quite a few pages and I think is a masterwork. Once again, the amazing _cleverness_ that so shines in the best RJ stories is seen here, too. I think it's just fantastic how FPW gets all the lines to connect at the end -- not only the fictional lines he's created, but also the actual historic events. Just.... bravo. Oh, AND it works perfectly at the human/emotional level -- so it's not just cleverness and plot elements working out -- it's also all the human stories and agendas and fates and choices, etc., coming together in an immensely affecting way. Goshers.
The whole damn book is so interesting, so entertaining, so thought-provoking, and so MOVING that it sets me timbers ashiverin'. Too bad FPW just writes crappy genre fiction, maybe a search for him in the NY Times database would come up with some serious critical treatments and respect instead of his letters to the editor and his "Universal Prose Care" squib. ARRRGH!
-oss
Black Wind - Perfect or just incredibly good? - Maggers - 10-03-2005
SPOILER ALERT FOR "BLACK WIND" AND "DEMONSONG"
There is also a strong connection between the killing wilts (the black wind of "Black Wind") and the terrible lethal torpor that overtakes everyone within earshot of the Choir of Chaos in "Demonsong." Both these evanescent winds induce a desperation of spirit, a killing of the will to live. They create such despondency in their victims that all manner of heretofore healthy and vital individuals just give up hope. They quite literally lay down and die.
"Demonsong" is the genesis, so far, of Glaeken and Rasalom and their adversarial relationship. In "Demonsong," the Choir of Chaos is the instrument of Rasolom's wrath, and it's Glaeken's essential moral strength, or at least his core strength, that overcomes the devastating effects of the maniacal anti-music of the Choir of Chaos.
I think it's key that the "Black Wind" features the same "killing wilts," that blow over and devastate every living thing in their path. The fact that the Black Winds are created by the tongueless cries of babies, tortured and mutilated by the so-called "holy" men of the temple, is horrifying in the extreme. What more awful or effective choir of chaos could man ever create?
Despair is a killing thing. Rob a being, any being, of hope or the ability to express a desire for continuance of self, and you have a killing wilt. You have a means of total destruction of that soul.
FPW's stories always have serious moral and psychological underpinnings which are often overlooked in the thrill of following his extraordinarily exciting stories to their ends.
The Man is deep; no two ways about it.
P.S. I thought it was time that I recreated this little ditty that was lost when all those hundreds of posts disappeared so many months ago. And yes, Keith, I've copied this to my files.
Black Wind - Perfect or just incredibly good? - t4terrific - 10-03-2005
Funny thing is that I'm reading it now. I'm almost done. I'll enter this dicussion in a couple of days. As of right now, I'll say it might be the 2nd best FPW book I've read. I like it even better than The Keep (so far). I'm anxious to see how it's wrapped up. Right now, Tokyo has just been burned and Matsuo is assessing the damage.
Maggers Wrote:SPOILER ALERT FOR "BLACK WIND" AND "DEMONSONG"
There is also a strong connection between the killing wilts (the black wind of "Black Wind") and the terrible lethal torpor that overtakes everyone within earshot of the Choir of Chaos in "Demonsong." Both these evanescent winds induce a desperation of spirit, a killing of the will to live. They create such despondency in their victims that all manner of heretofore healthy and vital individuals just give up hope. They quite literally lay down and die.
"Demonsong" is the genesis, so far, of Glaeken and Rasalom and their adversarial relationship. In "Demonsong," the Choir of Chaos is the instrument of Rasolom's wrath, and it's Glaeken's essential moral strength, or at least his core strength, that overcomes the devastating effects of the maniacal anti-music of the Choir of Chaos.
I think it's key that the "Black Wind" features the same "killing wilts," that blow over and devastate every living thing in their path. The fact that the Black Winds are created by the tongueless cries of babies, tortured and mutilated by the so-called "holy" men of the temple, is horrifying in the extreme. What more awful or effective choir of chaos could man ever create?
Despair is a killing thing. Rob a being, any being, of hope or the ability to express a desire for continuance of self, and you have a killing wilt. You have a means of total destruction of that soul.
FPW's stories always have serious moral and psychological underpinnings which are often overlooked in the thrill of following his extraordinarily exciting stories to their ends.
The Man is deep; no two ways about it.
P.S. I thought it was time that I recreated this little ditty that was lost when all those hundreds of posts disappeared many months ago.
Black Wind - Perfect or just incredibly good? - Ossicle - 10-03-2005
[QUOTE=Maggers]SPOILER ALERT FOR "BLACK WIND" AND "DEMONSONG"
There is also a strong connection between the killing wilts (the black wind of "Black Wind") and the terrible lethal torpor that overtakes everyone within earshot of the Choir of Chaos in "Demonsong." ... [rest snipped]
Really excellent commentary, thanks for that -- you have quite a lot of empathy to read/feel the material so deeply. Now I like it even more.
Black Wind - Perfect or just incredibly good? - Ossicle - 10-03-2005
Ossicle Wrote:[QUOTE=Maggers]SPOILER ALERT FOR "BLACK WIND" AND "DEMONSONG"
There is also a strong connection between the killing wilts (the black wind of "Black Wind") and the terrible lethal torpor that overtakes everyone within earshot of the Choir of Chaos in "Demonsong." ... [rest snipped]
Really excellent commentary, thanks for that -- you have quite a lot of empathy to read/feel the material so deeply. Now I like it even more.
Oh, and I haven't read Demonsong yet, else that might have occurred to me. Have to do so...
Black Wind - Perfect or just incredibly good? - Kenji - 10-04-2005
t4terrific Wrote:Funny thing is that I'm reading it now. I'm almost done. I'll enter this dicussion in a couple of days. As of right now, I'll say it might be the 2nd best FPW book I've read. I like it even better than The Keep (so far). I'm anxious to see how it's wrapped up. Right now, Tokyo has just been burned and Matsuo is assessing the damage.
Well, if you can read Japanese language, you should read it in Japanese. I read Japanese edition. Funny thing is...one day I handed Black Wind to my friend. I said "This is awesome book. You'll like it." Then my friend opened the first page, and he started the reading. He read three pages, and he asked,
"Who's this author?"
I said "He's F.Paul Wilson".
"Who?"
"F. Paul Wilson. Don't you know him?"
He said, "No...is this a really foreign author's book?"
"Yeah, why?"
"Oh, are you kidding me?"
"Not kidding. See this cover!"
He saw cover and author's name, "F. Paul Wilson".
"That's interesting. Can I borrow this? I wanna read this"
Of course, I said "Okay!"
If Japanese readers read Black Wind without knowing author, they must have been thinking this book was written by Japanese writer.
Black Wind - Perfect or just incredibly good? - The Mad American - 10-04-2005
Kenji Wrote:Well, if you can read Japanese language, you should read it in Japanese. I read Japanese edition. Funny thing is...one day I handed Black Wind to my friend. I said "This is awesome book. You'll like it." Then my friend opened the first page, and he started the reading. He read three pages, and he asked,
"Who's this author?"
I said "He's F.Paul Wilson".
"Who?"
"F. Paul Wilson. Don't you know him?"
He said, "No...is this a really foreign author's book?"
"Yeah, why?"
"Oh, are you kidding me?"
"Not kidding. See this cover!"
He saw cover and author's name, "F. Paul Wilson".
"That's interesting. Can I borrow this? I wanna read this"
Of course, I said "Okay!"
If Japanese readers read Black Wind without knowing author, they must have been thinking this book was written by Japanese writer.
Great point Kenji. I made this point in another string of posts about this book. Being an American who had lived in Japan for a few years I was amazed at how well FPW represented the two cultures and their differences and similarities. Blackwind is by far the best thing I have ever read that captures that.
And one thing that floored me was I asked FPW in the other string of posts if he had spent a lot of time in Japan doing research on the country and the people. I believe he spent ZERO time in Japan doing research for this book. Which makes it even more freaking impressive, because some of the things in the book are things I wouldn't imagine you could just pick up from research from a distance but would have to spend a fair amount of time in the culture to see this, I was wrong. Probably my favorite FPW book, and I am a huge RJ fan.
Welcome to the board Ossicle.
Black Wind - Perfect or just incredibly good? - Ossicle - 10-04-2005
The Mad American Wrote:Great point Kenji. I made this point in another string of posts about this book. Being an American who had lived in Japan for a few years I was amazed at how well FPW represented the two cultures and their differences and similarities. Blackwind is by far the best thing I have ever read that captures that.
And one thing that floored me was I asked FPW in the other string of posts if he had spent a lot of time in Japan doing research on the country and the people. I believe he spent ZERO time in Japan doing research for this book. Which makes it even more freaking impressive, because some of the things in the book are things I wouldn't imagine you could just pick up from research from a distance but would have to spend a fair amount of time in the culture to see this, I was wrong. Probably my favorite FPW book, and I am a huge RJ fan.
Welcome to the board Ossicle.
Thanks. Re: FPW's skill at showing Japanese culture: I'm really reluctant to appear sycophantic (and in fact I would like to start some threads about things I wish were different/better about some of his work), but I think that in this respect BW is just astonishing. To not only possess the feelers to "get" all that about the culture; the intelligence to process and order it; and the skill/artistry to articulate it so engagingly, is difficult to believe -- Tolstoyan. (And Tolstoy wrote about countries he knew.)
-oss
Black Wind - Perfect or just incredibly good? - Lisa - 10-04-2005
I think Black Wind is easily FPW's best work of literature. Of course we all have our favorites (mine is An Enemy of the State), but from an objective point of view, Black Wind is the best thing he's written.
The Fifth Harmonic, The Keep, and Deep as the Marrow are up there too.
Lisa
Black Wind - Perfect or just incredibly good? - Kenji - 10-05-2005
The Mad American Wrote:Great point Kenji. I made this point in another string of posts about this book. Being an American who had lived in Japan for a few years I was amazed at how well FPW represented the two cultures and their differences and similarities. Blackwind is by far the best thing I have ever read that captures that.
I agree. "Black Wind" is Horror+War and History+Romance. It's very good mixed genres. I understand that reason you say it's best.
Quote:And one thing that floored me was I asked FPW in the other string of posts if he had spent a lot of time in Japan doing research on the country and the people. I believe he spent ZERO time in Japan doing research for this book. Which makes it even more freaking impressive, because some of the things in the book are things I wouldn't imagine you could just pick up from research from a distance but would have to spend a fair amount of time in the culture to see this, I was wrong. Probably my favorite FPW book, and I am a huge RJ fan.
Zero time. Yeah, that's really amazing.