#Gerald Kingsland

[veryslowreader]

Buddhist Scriptures

Castaway

[warsofasoiaf]

The kingsguard are required to obey members of the royal family, but their first loyalties are to the king. Aerys no doubt ordered Gerald, Arthur, and Whent to bring Rhaegar back to Kingslanding. But what made them stay in the at the Tower of Joy? I can understand one of them remaining, but why would all three remain when they knew that a war was going on? Surely protecting their king trumped protecting the mistress to the prince and his soon to be bastard.

Gerold, Arthur, and Oswell probably were ordered by Rhaegar to defend his unborn child. As to why they didn't return, we don't know explicitly. It could be that they planned on evacuating to Essos in case the royalists lost after the baby was healthy enough to travel. They could have been personally loyal to Rhaegar over Aerys. They may have feared some rebel assassin may have come to the Tower so they had three men for three shifts of bodyguarding.

Thanks for the question, Anon.

SomethingLikeALawyer, Hand of the King

[theyearoftheking]

Book Forty-Nine: Black House

“Here is a true American loner, an internal vagrant, a creature of shabby rooms and cheap diners, of aimless journeys resentfully taken, a collector of wounds and injuries lovingly fingered and refingered. Here is a spy with no cause higher than himself.” 

After almost fifty books, The Talisman still stands at the top of the leader board as my favorite Steve book. It’s richly layered, full of memorable characters and horrible villains, with a satisfying conclusion. It’s the type of book fantasy and horror lovers alike are eager to escape into. 

It’s sometimes hard to embrace the sequel to a book you love so much... I mean, I can be bought, but my criteria are stringent:

Consider setting the book in Wisconsin... perhaps the beautiful, sad, remote, desolate western part of the state right along the Mississippi river.

Maybe a Dahmer reference? 

Scratch that. Instead, go with an old-school serial killer no one really talks about anymore. How about... Albert Fish? He’s pretty gross. 

On second thought, reconsider a Dahmer reference. Maybe an evil spirit that links Dahmer and Fish together? 

TONS of Dark Tower references. 

If Steve and Pete were to consider writing a follow up to The Talisman with all these elements, I might consider reading it. 

Spoiler! 

Dark House contains all this goodness, and more. 

It’s so fucking dark, y’all. I don’t think I’m ever going to be able to drive past a long-term care facility and NOT think about an old man inside wanting to eat the buttocks of small children.

Oh hey, trigger warnings for cannibalism, and violence against children. 

So, Dark House is set in fictional Coulee County, Wisconsin (not a place). But Steve and Pete (I need to start giving Peter Straub some shout outs as well) describe the western part of the state magnificently. Not too long ago I had a sales job that required me to travel the entire state, and I always loved my jaunts west. I’d park right along the Mississippi, eat my lunch and just soak up the isolation. I’d much rather make the drive to Pierce county than the Quad Cities, which my current employer is asking of me. *Silent scream for help*

Despite Coulee being fictional, the actual Wisconsin references are thick:

De Pere (where we recently found out Steve spent a few formative years)

The Brewers 

Miller Park 

Kingsland Ale- while fictional, it’s a nod to Wisconsin’s rich brewing history, and favorable climate for microbreweries

Dahmer (several times, actually)

Racine. Y’all. I have no idea what Steve’s obsession is with Racine... it comes up in multiple books. It’s really not that great. Take that from someone who spent a brief period of time working there. Honestly, my favorite thing about Racine is the authentic Thai restaurant right in downtown, Sticky Rice. If you find yourself in Racine, please go check them out... their red devil curry is amaze-balls. 

So, yes... lots of Wisconsin. Also, lots of Dark Tower:

Eye of the King

Crimson King

The Tower

Red roses

Breakers

Little Sisters 

Gunslingers and their weapons

Roland and the ka-tet

Monos! Blaine and Patricia

Chief Breaker Brautigan- who allegedly tells hilarious stories about his escapes. I miss him already. 

I have questions about how Steve convinced Pete to include so many Dark Tower elements into this book...

Steve:  “Pete, bud... I know you might have a different vision for how this book plays out. Buuut what about if we make it part of the Dark Tower universe?”

Pete: Stares for a long minute. “Um, I thought that series was dead in the water. Do we really need to use Dark House to resuscitate it?” 

Steve: “Remember the car accident? You know, the one that almost took my leg?” 

Pete *Oh fuck, he’s bringing up the car accident as a bid for sympathy, and to convince me to make this a Dark Tower book...* “Of course I remember!”

Steve: “Well, it shook some things loose. I’m about ready to finish the series. I just thought it might be fun if we make this book a lead-up to the finale” 

Pete: “It’s intriguing, but I’m not really sure it’s the direction I want to go in. I was thinking more-”

Steve: “I ALMOST DIED IN THAT ACCIDENT!” 

Pete: “Cool, Dark Tower book it is!” 

I should write fan fiction. I’ve obviously got a gift. 

Black House is told from a birds-eye narration view. Literally... there’s this fat, evil crow named Gorg flying all over town, giving us the lay of Coulee County. Bad stuff has been going on: little children have gone missing, and only a few of their bodies have turned back up mutilated and broken. 

The chief of police, Dale Gilbertson, knows he’s in over his head, and keeps trying to convince his pal, retired police detective, Jack “Hollywood” Sawyer to come consult on the case.

Jack isn’t having it. He retired young and moved to Coulee County from Los Angeles after tracking down and arresting serial killer Thorny Kinderling. The majestic beauty of western Wisconsin caught him by surprise, and he happily invested in reasonably priced (read: cheap) real estate with a view. 

Upon moving to Wisconsin, Jack befriended Dale’s blind uncle Henry Leydon; who voices several radio programs, including The Wisconsin Rat, which plays indy screamo bands and has plenty of shock-jock antics. The two hang out together, listen to jazz music, and sometimes Jack reads to Henry. Henry was able to use his elevated senses to study Jack’s speech pattern and figure out Jack’s mom was THE Lily Cavanaugh; the Queen of the B’s. 

While Jack and Henry are reading Bleak House, Charles “Burny” Burnside is wandering around the Maxton Elder Care Facility, pretending to have dementia, and dragging children into The Territories for Lord Malshun to either use as Breakers, or for Burny to snack on if they have no Breaking skills. So, Burny’s a bad dude who did some suspicious things in Chicago; but an evil spirit (the same one who invaded Albert Fish and Jeffrey Dahmer’s bodies) is what’s causing his kidnapping and cannibalistic urges. I know I say this every ten books or so, but Burny might be the worst King villain ever. I was not upset later on when his intestines were violently ripped from his body.

A sweet little boy (with strong Breaker powers) named Tyler Marshall goes missing outside the Maxton Elder Care Facility. While he was being pulled into the bushes by Gorg who kept repeating his name; his mother, Judy receives a taunting package and letter from The Fisherman, which sends her over the brink, and she’s institutionalized. 

Tyler’s disappearance really amps up the town outrage, and Jack agrees to help the police department out. He’s starting to suspect there’s some Territories nonsense going down, and he can help. 

From here, the book goes at break-neck pace and includes everything from micro-brewing bikers, a dog bite that causes one to dissolve into a foamy puddle on the couch, our old friend Speedy Parker showing up as a gunslinger, the world’s most annoying newspaper reporter, plenty of flipping between worlds via the creepy old black house hidden in the woods, and a happy(ish) ending. Honestly, there’s a warning at the end of the book, which allows you to choose your own ending. You can stop reading five pages before the end, and enjoy a happy ending where the good guys win; or you can get the real world ending. Both are satisfying... I recommend reading all the way to the end. 

So, just a few quotes for you... 

“Wolf died of a disease called America.” 

This line gutted me. I didn’t realize how much I loved Wolf as a character, until I had to read a follow-up that didn’t include him. His soul was too clean and beautiful for a fucked-up world like the one we currently live in. 

“He doesn’t like the cell phone to begin with- twenty-first-century slave bracelets, he thinks them...”

No explanation needed. 

“Why must life always demand so much and give so little? Parkus answers her question with a single word: ka.” 

Again, no explanation needed. 

Was this book as good as The Talisman? 

No. 

Did I want more? 

Absolutely.

But was I satisfied with the end?

You bet your (un-chomped on) ass.

Total Wisconsin Mentions: 33

Total Dark Tower References: 50

Book Grade: A-

Rebecca’s Definitive Ranking of Stephen King Books

The Talisman: A+

Wizard and Glass: A+

Needful Things: A+

On Writing: A+

The Green Mile: A+

Hearts in Atlantis: A+

Rose Madder: A+

Misery: A+

Different Seasons: A+

It: A+

Four Past Midnight: A+

The Shining: A-

The Stand: A-

Bag of Bones: A-

Black House: A-

The Wastelands: A-

The Drawing of the Three: A-

Dolores Claiborne: A-

Nightmares in the Sky: B+

The Dark Half: B+

Skeleton Crew: B+

The Dead Zone: B+

Nightmares & Dreamscapes: B+

‘Salem’s Lot: B+

Carrie: B+

Creepshow: B+

The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon: B

Storm of the Century: B-

Cycle of the Werewolf: B-

Danse Macabre: B-

The Running Man: C+

Thinner: C+

Dark Visions: C+

The Eyes of the Dragon: C+

The Long Walk: C+

The Gunslinger: C+

Pet Sematary: C+

Firestarter: C+

Rage: C

Desperation: C-

Insomnia: C-

Cujo: C-

Nightshift: C-

Gerald’s Game: D

Roadwork: D

Christine: D

Dreamcatcher: D

The Regulators: D

The Tommyknockers: D-

Now I move onto From a Buick Eight. I’ve had an advanced reading copy since the book came out, but never had the urge to actually read it. That should tell you everything you need to know about my level of enthusiasm right now. I’m hoping it’s not a Christine 2.0. 

Until next time, Long Days & Pleasant Nights, Rebecca 

[movies-derekwinnert]

Castaway ** (1986, Oliver Reed, Amanda Donohoe, Georgina Hale) - Classic Movie Review 9074

Castaway ** (1986, Oliver Reed, Amanda Donohoe, Georgina Hale) – Classic Movie Review 9074

Director Nicolas Roeg’s 1986 Castaway is based on the book by Lucy Irvine and stars Oliver Reed as middle-aged Englishman Gerald Kingsland, who puts an advert in a London magazine for a companion/ wife to take to an isolated tropical desert island for a year – and sexy Lucy Irvine (Amanda Donohoe) replies. But, when they get there, she answers no to his plans for lovemaking.

Where was Ken…

[blastikmusik]

Stranger Things Main Title Vincenzo Salvia - Italian Gigolo Cutting Crew - I Just Died In Your Arms Head On - Nothing to Say Jim Croce - You Don't Mess Around with Jim The Go Go's - Get Up and Go Paddy Kingsland - Shiver Me Timbers Gerald Crossman - All Hands Forward Black Market Baby - Gun Point Affection Altitude Music - Matter of Love John Leighton - Ballroom Foxtrot APM Music - America the Beautiful Andrea Litkei & Ervin Litkei - Too Late for Tears Weird Al Yankovic - My Bologna Billy Munn - Bop and Bounce madonna - material girl John Graham Donaldson - The Portsmouth Hornpipe Foreigner - Cold as Ice Luigi Boccherini - String Quintet in E Major, G. 275 III. Minuetto La Traviata Act I Brindisi Libiamo Ne'lieti Calici, Drinking Song Madonna - Angel Stranger Things - Long End Credits

free download: https://app.box.com/s/4plvh4j0nk5fy24knahlxbq3bd78vdnc want to support me? get me some coffe at http://ko-fi.com/blastik or www.paypal.me/KAYLEPH

[streamboxpage]

Castaway

Middle-aged Gerald Kingsland advertises in a London paper for a female companion to spend a year with him on a desert island. The young Lucy Irvine takes a chance on contacting him and after a couple of meetings they decide to go ahead. Once on the island things prove a lot less idyllic than in the movies, and gradually it becomes clear that it is Lucy who has the desire and the strength to try and see the year through. Castaway syndicated from http://ift.tt/2rLj3l6

[eyeliketwowatch]

Castaway - Man Loves Woman, Woman Loves Island

This is one of those movies that I've been nibbling away at for a while. I first saw bits and pieces of it on cable several years ago (2005 or so?), and got curious about the story behind the movie, and ran across the book that it was based on, and purchased it (long out of print, had to find it used online), read it, enjoyed it, and I've finally gotten around to watching the entire movie in several segments over the past week.

This is a story about a young woman (Lucy Irvine, played by Amanda Donahue) who answers a personals ad looking for a person to spend a year on a tropical island as a writer's companion (Gerald Kingsland, played by Oliver Reed). He's about twenty years her senior, and you get the impression that he was really hoping for a young fantasy girl to spend a year having wild sex with him (and then I suppose he'd write a book about it). He got something else instead. They are forced by the Australian government to actually get married as a prerequisite to them spending a year on this deserted island (much to Lucy's consternation), and once on the island, Gerald proves to be basically useless as far as survival skills, is depressive, mopey, and generally sexually frustrated because Lucy isn't interested in living out his fantasy. In the meantime, she falls in love with the island. They go through several trials and tribulations, like near starvation, jealousy (when a pair of young sailors stop by the island for a spell), disappointment, illness, and eventually they settle into a kind of marital understanding, and companionship that struck me as very familiar and touching.

The performances were both realistic and touching, and I really enjoyed the beautiful scenery (the island, as well as Amanda Donahue in the buff for most of the movie). The ending, also, proved to be quite moving and a bit of a surprise. I've seen other Nicholas Roeg movies before, and they've always kind of annoyed me with their tricky 'artsy fartsy' editing tricks, but this one isn't bad, and I actually liked the way he treated their 'starvation', with only partial glimpses into their true physical deterioration, while allowing them to keep their own 'inner body image' for most of the film (easier on the actors that way too).

see also:  Age of Consent (James Mason with an often nude Helen Mirren as companion), or Cast Away (with Tom Hanks, and unfortunately only a nude volleyball as a companion)

Also, for more related interesting 'desert island' reading, I'd also recommend Tom Neale's book “An Island to Oneself”

3.5 stars out of 5

Released 1986, First Viewing November 2010