Well, we're so close to release day for Beneath A Darkening Sky , and I've celebrated this by becoming a member of the Horror Writers' Association ! I also had a set of author photos taken in a local graveyard, complete with an entire flock of sheep watching me as some previous visitor had left the gate open for them. So now, I'm faced with the decision of which story to share with you. We've been through a few for this blog series, and I'm left with three: Guidman Trowie (a tale set in Orkney and inspired by the unique folklore of the islands); Moonsong (a love song from a werewolf to the moon); and Eaves-Drip , which is the story I'm going to talk about in this blog. It's no coincidence that these three stories have been left. Along with Ay Atomics , they're the short and (not-always-very-)sweet ones. Eaves-Drip was written while we were on holiday in Perthshire one autumn, but it goes back to Lincolnshire, where I grew up. Lincolnshire is ful...
Historical fiction is not a new idea, and the nineteenth century teemed with it. Literary giants like Walter Scott, Charles Kingsley and Robert Louis Stevenson all delved into the realms of the past to set their adventures, many of their stories recalling the bygone idealism of chivalry which was deemed as sorely missing from their own times. The restructuring of the class system, as the industrial revolution grew, created a certain amount of nostalgia and, from this, grew a renewed readership for the past.
This wasn't just happening in Britain and, in the spring of 1844, Alexandre Dumas serialised what was to become one of the best known stories in the world: "Les Trois Mousquetaires" or "The Three Musketeers". This remains a title thousands of people recognise, but only a fraction of them have read.
The Three Musketeers - yes, I read it in English because my French is limited to saying hello and goodbye - is my favourite book and I keep hoping to find a film which actually lives up to it. But I have finally come to accept that part of what I love the most about the book is the narrative and the shrewd observations made in the narrator's passing comments. It's witty, light-hearted, adventurous and fun, but it also features storylines which are dark and, in some cases, vindictively evil.
With spies and devious actions from both the politically-minded Cardinal Richelieu and the loyal musketeers, both sides are vying to out-do the other in wit and cunning. But, as in all good plots, nothing is black and white and, while modern interpretations have made the cardinal into the "bad guy", he is only persevering to protect what he deems important.
The final portion of the book is the part which elevates it far and away above most of its movie counterparts. If you're looking for a happy ending, be prepared for it to be tinged with sadness. The conclusion to this book is brilliantly real, with strong emotions, love, heartbreak and remorse all playing their part.
Overall, read this book! On the surface it is a fantastic swashbuckling adventure, but you can also delve deeper into the political undercurrents which run through every storyline in the book - and, yes, there are a good many of those!
Comments
Post a Comment