Plutonic Rainbows

Peter Straub has a collection of his tales released on February 16th. The book encompass a range of his short stories spanning some twenty-five years.

Amazon:

Peter Straub has spent forty years at the forefront of modern literary horror. The stories assembled here represent his astonishing range and his ability to terrify, transport, and hold a reader hostage. "Mr. Clubb and Mr. Cuff" is a darkly comic masterpiece in which a stern estate lawyer known as the Deacon hires a pair of "Private Detectives Extraordinaire" to investigate and seek revenge on his unfaithful wife. In "The Ballad of Ballard and Sandrine," a man and his much younger lover explore their decadent and increasingly sinister fantasies on a luxurious yacht in the remotest stretch of the Amazon River. "Blue Rose" finds violence and power in the hands of the most innocent among us, leading to a conclusion that is fully surprising and devastating. Each story cracks the foundation of our reality and opens our eyes, taking us further and further into the darkness that normally remains deeply, and safely, hidden. Interior Darkness is the gold standard of literary horror. I'm not sure about the 'gold standard'. I've found his work to be of varying quality over the years but I'm happy to be proven wrong. My biggest concern is that the collection doesn't feature anything new or previously unpublished.

Started packing my stuff properly now. The magazines are boxed and I now need to get the paperwork put on the side and some more wrapping inside.

I also cleared out a good deal of the stuff I accumulated this past year that I won't need. It feels good to be finally getting my things ready to go back home.

The race to the White House. Those that are running are some of the wealthiest, privileged people in the world and yet that is not enough. Somehow, their egos have deluded them into thinking they can run a country.

The 4th of March sees new episodes following the machiavellian Frank Underwood, who is now mid-election as sitting President of the United States - and has spared no-one along the way.

I am hoping for something better this time. The last season was slow and plodding with most of the surprises easy to predict.

Tom Warren, The Verge:

With a lack of hardware, lack of sales, and less than 2 percent market share, it’s time to call it: Windows Phone is dead. Real Windows on phones might become a thing with Continuum eventually, but Windows Phone as we know it is done. It won’t stop Microsoft producing a few handsets every year as a vanity project, but for everyone else it’s the end of the line.

I don't think anyone ever thought this had a future.

Next month sees the release of two albums from his work in the 1980s. The first is Discovery from 1984. The second is The Killing Fields, the soundtrack to the film of the same name released in 1985. Both releases feature new masterings and bonus tracks. The Japanese editions also come in paper jacket sleeves with SHM-CD discs.

I recently sat down to watch this and was reminded of how much movies have changed in many respects. Quite simply, a film like this would never be made today. Indeed, back when the film was originally released, the reception was muted. However, over the years it has attained some degree of a cult following and I can see why. There is something very odd about the movie in general, quite apart from its subject matter.

Jacob's Ladder was released in 1990 and directed by British director, Adrian Lyne. It concerns the strange and hallucinatory experiences of Jacob, played by Tim Robbins. In part, the story is derived from the tale, An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge written by American author, Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914). There is also some inspiration from the work of Francis Bacon - especially in terms of the creature designs. The haunting and evocative music was written by Maurice Jarre, one of the greatest films composers ever - although having said that, his work on Jacob's Ladder (apart from the main piano theme) feels more like something he may have been commissioned to do between other scores. It's not his best work but it does work well within the confines of the film. The gritty exteriors of late 1980s New York (a world that has vanished now) are all there on screen and work very well. The subway sequence near the beginning is also very nice.

The problem writing about the movie is that it is very difficult to do so without giving too much away. The story revolves around the ideas of parting, loss and the possibility of the after-life. If these things appeal to you, I highly recommend the film. You can pick it up here.

Listening to Dreamscapes. A somewhat obscure soundtrack from the early 1980s. It isn't one of Maurice Jarre's best works but it does have a few good moments. The film is also worth looking out for.

Despite being dosed up with plenty of medicine, this bout of flu still has a hold of me. I've missed the last two days of work and with tomorrow being Friday, I don't think I will be back to normal until Monday.

Trying to catch up with some reading. So many books. I've probably got more than I can realistically get through.

I picked up the new Steve Wilson album a few days ago but I don't find it as interesting as his last few albums. In fairness, it's mostly a series of tracks that didn't fit in with previous albums.

Also, I'm managing to get a little more writing done.