THE MT VOID
01/19/24 -- Vol. 42, No. 29, Whole Number 2311

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Topics:
Mini Reviews, Part 17 (LEAVE THE WORLD BEHIND,
IT LIVES INSIDE, THE LAST VOYAGE OF THE DEMETER)
(film reviews by Mark R. Leeper
and Evelyn C. Leeper)
A BIT OF LUCK: ALTERNATE HISTORIES IN HONOR OF ERIC FLINT
edited by Lisa Mangum (book review by Joe Karpierz)
This Week's Reading (THE OTHER BENNET SISTER)
(book comments by Evelyn C. Leeper)

===================================================================

TOPIC: Mini Reviews, Part 17 (film reviews by Mark R. Leeper and
Evelyn C. Leeper)

This is the seventeenth batch of mini-reviews, more films of the
fantastic.

LEAVE THE WORLD BEHIND (2023): In LEAVE THE WORLD BEHIND Ethan
Hawke and Julia Roberts rent a house on Long Island. While on the
beach an oil tanker runs aground right in front of them. When they
get home the WiFi is out and there's no cell service. Then
Mahershala Ali and Myha'la show up, claiming to be the owners,
stranded by a blackout in New York City. Things continue to get
weirder and it's clear that Ali knows more than he is saying.

LEAVE THE WORLD BEHIND is similar to a "Twilight Zone" episode, but
it is original in its approach.

Director Sam Esmail is in love with Dutch angles--and not just
Dutch angles but rotating the camera through 360 degrees, often not
staying in a single plane. He also uses unsettling sound effects
and music by Mac Quayle to create or add tension. The problem is
that this is all very obvious to the viewer, who will probably feel
they are being manipulated. It's also not clear the explanation
(such as it is) makes much sense. [-ecl]

Released theatrically 22 November 2023. Rating: +2 (-4 to +4), or
7/10.

Film Credits:
<https://www.imdb.com/title/tt12747748/reference>

What others are saying:
<https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/leave_the_world_behind_2023>

IT LIVES INSIDE (2023): In IT LIVES INSIDE, our main character
seems to be hiding some sort of bloody secret. We get very few
clues what the film is about, and the viewer sees many apparent
unexplained supernatural implications. Several familiar situations
tied together by elements of Hindu mysticism. But does it really
matter to you if you are being chased by a Hindu demon or a
werewolf? I suppose the setting of the Indian-American community
would be more interesting to people who are not familiar with it,
but in our part of New Jersey, it's not exactly new. [-ecl]

Released theatrically 22 September 2023. Rating: low +1 (-4 to
+4), or 5/10.

Film Credits:
<https://www.imdb.com/title/tt15683734/reference>

What others are saying:
<https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/it_lives_inside_2023>

THE LAST VOYAGE OF THE DEMETER (2023): THE LAST VOYAGE OF THE
DEMETER covers a section of the novel usually glossed over,
Dracula's journey (primarily by ship) from Transylvania to Whitby.
The make-up models Dracula on Nosferatu rather than on later
versions of the Count. (Homage, or just relying on an image in the
public domain?) A lot of the movie is filmed in semi-darkness, so
it is sometimes difficult to know what is going on. This film has
some gratuitous anachronisms (primarily in the addition of a new
character) and also breaks some horror film "rules" (again,
focusing on a specific new character). Of some interest to Dracula
aficionados, but not much to offer a general audience. [-ecl]

Released theatrically 11 August 2023. Rating: 0 (-4 to +4), or
4/10.

Film Credits:
<https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1001520/reference>

What others are saying:
<https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_last_voyage_of_the_demeter>

===================================================================

TOPIC: A BIT OF LUCK: ALTERNATE HISTORIES IN HONOR OF ERIC FLINT
edited by Lisa Mangum (Publication Date: February 9, 2024, WordFire
Press LLC, Print length: 317 pages, ASIN: B0CP6GBSDP) (book review
by Joe Karpierz)

Those of you who have been reading my reviews for any length of
time know that reviewing anthologies or collections is a challenge
for me. I want to review, in detail, every piece of fiction in a
book, and that just can't happen. There are reviewers out there
who are really good at it, and I do try to emulate them when I can.

Imagine, if you will (with apologies to Rod Serling, I guess), me
trying to review an anthology dedicated to the memory and works of
an author I've never read in a subgenre that I've not paid much
attention to.

Like I said, it's a challenge.

From a personal standpoint, I met Eric Flint several times at
conventions. He was always pleasant to talk to, and I discovered
along the way that he lived in the same town in which I was born.
That particular tidbit led to several minutes of conversation
outside of a party one night at one convention or another. And, as
I said, I've never read any of his work.

Probably the closest I've come (that I can remember) to reading
alternate history is Michael Chabon's Hugo Award winning THE
YIDDISH POLICEMEN'S UNION.

So why read this book? The premise--alternate histories where a
bit of luck is involved--was interesting to me. Additionally, in
order to be included in this volume the authors had to have
attended one of the Superstars of Writing Seminars. That implied,
to me, that there was going to be a decent level of quality to the
stories, and, for the most part, that was true.

As I've said before, not every story in an anthology is going to
affect everyone the same way. And not all the stories will be of
the same level of quality--however the reader defines quality.
This volume is no exception.

Quite possibly my favorite story in the anthology is "G-Gals", by
Kendrai Meeks, in large part because of the surprise (to me,
anyway) ending. The titular G-Gals of the story are three women
who take on jobs for...well, that would be telling...that are a bit
unusual and daring. Membership in the G-Gals changes through time,
and in the case of this story with this version of the team,
they're having to deal with a former member who got a bit too
interested and involved with one of the folks from a prior job that
the G-Gals were assigned. It's an excellent, well-written story,
and I honestly had absolutely no idea where it was going.

I'm something of a vampire fan (no, not the sparkly ones), but in
particular I am enamored of the original DRACULA by Bram Stoker.
"A Brother's Oath", by L. Briar, gives us the story of a young
Vlad Dracula and his brother. The story is indeed one of brotherly
and family love, and something that seems like betrayal but might
not be. But what we do get is a narrative of how
Vlad (whom we typically call The Impaler) becomes the monster of
Stoker's novel. In the end, who was the lucky one? The reader can
draw their own conclusions.

Continuing with the theme of the macabre, another favorite story of
mine is "Out Of Habit", by Juliet Jones. It's the story of a nun
who questions her vows to the sisterhood, not because she doesn't
necessarily agree with them, but because she's hunting Jack the
Ripper. Yep, you got it, a nun questioning her life choices while
attempting to slay one of the most notorious mass murderers of the
time. I really enjoyed this one.

An awesome, but particularly short story is "Collateral Loss", by
Fulvio Gatti. It's another in a long line of stories dealing with
President Kennedy's assassination. While I'm sure there are many
stories out there that posit what would happen had Kennedy
survived, I don't think there is one quite like this that supposes
what the world *loses* if Kennedy lives.

Stace Johnson gives us "Rufus and the Wizard of Wireless" which
inventor Rufus T. Owen of Central City Colorado, ends up
collaborating with none other than Nikola Tesla on building a
powered submersible for the U.S. military. Owens will build the
submersible itself, while Tesla will provide the power for it. The
odd thing is that the experiment takes place in Colorado, where no
one would expect anyone to be building such a device, so far away
from any ocean. As there are two parties in the venture, one
experiences bad luck, and the other experiences good luck. It's a
nicely done story.

I could try to summarize each of the twenty stories, but I'd be
here all night writing this review. Instead, I'll highlight a few
more. How about a story involving the American Civil War and Baba
Yaga. You can read "Kutuzov At Gettysburg", by B. Daniel Blatt.
Do you want a wild west story about Billy the Kid? There's "The
Notorious Lawman Billy the Kid". How about a super-secret agency
that fights magical creatures in the modern day but the whole thing
is tied up in the King Arthur legend? Try "The Unnamed", by Gama
Ray Martinez. A story about a woman named Sam who finds a way to
go back in time to try to save her best friend in high school, and
upon succeeding she realizes that she's affected way more than she
wanted to (as one does in time travel stories)? Read "This Was Yur
Life (Play It Again Sam)", by Mary Pletsch.