After a dozen years of practicing medicine as a family physician, Dr. Alan Bulmer discovers one day that he can cure any illness with the mere touch of his hand. At first his scientific nature refuses to accept what is happening to him, but there is no rational explanation to be found. So Alan gives himself over to this mysterious power, reveling in the ability to cure the incurable, to give hope to the hopeless—for one hour each day. And Bulmer's life slowly goes to hell, for as he discovers, the "touch" exacts a price for each use form the user.
As always in a Wilson novel, the story pace is quick and the characterizations are deftly and often cleverly established. The Touch is part of The Adversary Cycle (Reborn, Reprisal, The Touch & Nightworld) which itself is a part of Wilson's larger body of work, including the amazing Repairman Jack series. The two story arcs of each series will culminate in new version (totally re-written, according to Wilson) of Nightworld.
Wilson, a practicing physician, has written several medical thrillers, but The Touch is a smooth blend of paranormal and medical. The horrific aspects of the story are not the mysterious paranormal power of the "touch", but the slow, creeping way in which the power takes its it toll on Dr. Bulmer. For more info of the how and why these 20 year old novels are being re-written and republished, go to Wilson's website and let him explain.
Gather 'round, brethren. The Family is a compelling account of power in America and how it has been shaped by religion. It makes a compelling case of how the Christian right can be neither Christian nor right.
Journalist Sharlet chronicles the history and ideas advanced by the elite Christian fundamentalist group called "the Family" at the highest levels of government during the past half century. Through its White House and congressional connections, the Family has influenced the deployment of US power, especially in foreign policy during the Cold War and beyond. Led by the Machiavellian Doug Coe, the group has operated clandestinely in the corridors of power unhindered by democratic accountability, and serves as an uncomfortable mirror of the current administration's (Obama) more overt power grab in the appointing of czars to rule American public life without any accountability and approval from the Senate.
This is a complex and sensitive subject, the intersection of Christian fundamentalist beliefs with the American political system, but Sharlet puts the Family within an historical context, and how relates it to the secular strains of American life. Starlet relates his own personal experiences at Ivanwald, the "retreat" for the elite fundamentalists, those who want to utilize "Jesus" -the tough, muscular Jesus, certainly not the "turn the other cheek" Jesus - to further specific political objectives, as well as the general ones, of expanding the influence of "free-markets" and the American empire.
Next, Sharlet goes back and places the fundamentalist movement in an American historical context, starting in the early 1700's, with the preacher Jonathan Edwards, author of "The Great Awaking," and his relationship with Abigail Hutchinson. He then moves in the early 1800's, and the character of Charles Finney. Slowly, Sharlet lays out his theme that religious fundamentalism has been one of the essential strains of the American historical experience. Finally, the book covers the 20th century and how Abram Vereide (head of the Family) used fundamentalism in his fight against the labor movement of the `30's, and in particular, Harry Bridges of the Longshoremen's union.
The book is densely written - not a quick read! - and there are some poorly edited sections that make a difficult subject even harder to understand. However, as you read, you will be struck with the thought that Sharlet is actually describing a cult that revolves around the idol of Jesus. Most of us encounter elements of The Family on a regular basis. Pay attention to your local mega-church; most of them espouse Family-like doctrine such as convincing religious and devout people that they should vote for candidates that are inimical to their economic self interest.
I'm always bemused by what critics, reviewers and the book industry categorizes as "Horror" fiction. This book, and author, are perfect example of the cubby-hole approach to the industry. During his thirty-plus year career F. Paul Wilson has written novels that fall squarely in the horror field, however, Black Wind is NOT one of those novels.
It is horrific? Absolutely. Are there supernatural elements in the story? Absolutely. However, Black Wind is also one of the most powerful World War II novels I have ever read. It is saga of passion and terror, the ravages of war, the pain of betrayal, and the glory of love. Herman Wouk has nothing on Wilson.
At the heart of the story are four people torn between love and honor: Matsuo Okumo, born in Japan, raised in America, and hated in both lands; Hiroki Okumo, his brother, a modern samurai sworn to serve a secret cult and the almighty Emperor; Meiko Satsuma, the woman they both love; and Frank Slater, the American who turned away when Matsuo needed him, and who now struggles to repay his debt of honor.
Wilson does an outstanding job of portraying the tumultuous events in Japan and America in the decades preceding WWII, and weaving historical events, people and native superstitions and East/West cultural differences into a emotionally satisfying story. The one major drawback is that as the book rushes to it's conclusion, some extra suspension of disbelief is needed as Matsuo (a Japanese Army officer) and Slater (an American Army officer) are able to slip in out of America, Japan, occupied islands in the Pacific with ease.
The book is also important for people who are reading Wilson's magnificent Repairman Jack series. RJ book #12, By The Sword will make a lot more sense if you have read Black Wind.
The murder of fictional character, Susan Silverman, created by Robert B. Parker.
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Boston, MA.
Spring in Boston can be delightful. Unfortunately, it was the middle of March and the temperature hovered at 30 degrees. A steady drizzle started at mid day and drove most of the pedestrian traffic indoors; by dusk the streets of Cambridge had been polished into a glossy sheen. As much as Cash hated the New England weather, and as anxious as he was to return south, he did not rush his preparations. He had endured two week’s worth of vile weather, but today was the day. The psychologist he was hired to dispatch was going into permanent retirement today.
All the factors were lined up in his favor. The psychologist worked out of her home and had clients scheduled all day. Her private investigator boyfriend and his sometimes business partner were working a surveillance case in Gloucester. What they didn’t know was that their client also worked for the Corporation. The job was legit, but it served another purpose. It kept the boyfriend occupied and opened the window of opportunity for Cash to complete his job.
Eight weeks ago Cash had accepted the assignment and now he was ready to earn the remainder of his $100,000 fee. The Corporation only had two non-negotiable demands: one third of the money up front and complete autonomy. Since there was no way for a client to directly contact him, once Cash’s percentage of the up-front money was in his account ($16,650) he began to work. The when-and-where of the dispatch was always his decision, and he tended to be extremely cautious. Anna Moss had taught him that there were two parts to a successful operation: preparation and execution. A well-prepared plan could survive poor execution, but a poorly prepared plan would never be properly executed.
The psychologist lived in Cambridge, on Linnaean Street in a green Victorian which had a small fenced-in yard for the annoying dog she owned. Her last client was scheduled for 5:00 pm and all her sessions lasted the traditional psychotherapist hour - fifty minutes.
Cash walked out of the crowded Porter Square T station at 5:25 and briskly walked the half mile to Linnaean Street. Due to the foul weather, foot traffic was light. His fellow pedestrians were bundled up and determined to get from point A to point B. Everyone walked with their heads down and covered.
Cash was dressed for the weather and in the full gloom he was virtually invisible in the mist: a charcoal-colored Field and Stream rain outfit with the hood pulled over his head, and his face covered by a pullover ski hat, all purchased at a Dick’s Sporting Goods Store in Smithfield, Rhode Island; black leather gloves from a Boston area Target; a pair of Earth shoes and a well-worn school backpack purchased at a local thrift store.
At 5:45 he hopped over the short fence into the psychologist’s yard. The streetlight did not filter around to this side of the house so he was quickly absorbed within the shadows of the small yard. He quickly removed the cover for the porch light and unscrewed the light bulb enough so that it would not switch on. He replaced the cover.
From the inside pocket of his rain jacket he pulled out a 12 inch black stainless steel tube which he folded open to double the length. It clicked together and became a .50 caliber blow gun. Cash was accurate within 30 feet with such a short weapon. The four inch dart was preloaded with a strong, fast-acting tranquilizer. He crouched in the corner of the yard, back against the house and fence, hidden by a large bush.
At 5:56 back door opened and the German shorthaired pointer charged out the door and into the grass, bounding around in the rain like an idiot canine. Cash was less than twenty feet away. The psychologist looked up at the light fixture. Her hand was inside the door and she flicked the switch several times. No light.
“Damn,” she said.
She turned and went back inside and shut the door. After watching the evening routine for nine days, Cash knew the psychologist was inside mixing a drink, or getting a new light bulb. Either one worked.
Cash shot the dog in the haunch. The dog yelped and began to paw at the dart but within 20 seconds began to stumble and finally collapsed on the ground and lay quivering. The dog would be out for at least half an hour. Long enough.
Cash yanked out the dart from the dog and slipped it inside a leather pouch in his pocket. He then stood waiting in the shadow of the house stoop, next to the steps leading to the back door.
A moment later the door opened. The psychologist had a new light bulb in her hand. She called for the dog and looked out into the yard. There was enough light from the house that the dog’s shape was visible in the grass.
“Baby,” she called. She ran down the steps and across the yard to the dog.
Cash slipped inside the back door and stood just behind it. He pulled out a cotton rag and a small dark bottle filled with halothane. He doused the rag with the potent anesthetic. Ten seconds later she staggered through the door carrying the limp dog in her arms. Cash stepped from behind the door and clamped the rag over her mouth and nose. He kicked the door shut with his foot.
The struggle took less than ten seconds. He could feel her muscles relax and he gently eased her and the dog to the floor. Halothane was quicker than chloroform, paralyzing the victim in mere seconds, but leaving them conscious.
“It won’t hurt,” he told her. “I’ll make it quick.”
And he did. Potassium chloride injection in her left arm. He left through the back door. Hopped over the fence and strolled along Massachusetts Avenue back to the Porter Square T station. At 6:36 he caught the next Red Line train heading south; changed to the Green line and got off at the Kenmore stop. Ten minutes later he drove his rented Ford Taurus out the parking lot of large grocery store and into a McDonald’s drive-thru and ordered a Quarter pounder with cheese and a large drink in a hard plastic cup. Then he hit I-90 south.
Later, he stopped at a massive truck stop near Framingham and placed the syringe and needle in the empty plastic McDonald’s cup, replaced the plastic lid and dropped it in one of the trashcans next to the gas pumps. He left the rain suit hanging from the hook on the back of a bathroom stall. Somebody could use a good rain suit in this weather.
Three and a half hours later Cash turned in his rental car at LaGuardia in New York. Changed clothes in an airport bathroom. His regular clothes and shoes came out of the backpack. He stuffed the other clothes, gloves, ski mask and Earth shoes into the pack. Took a cab to 34th and Lexington in Manhattan, and then walked west to Madison Avenue and south to 31st. He gave the backpack to a homeless guy on 33rd. By midnight he was in the 600 sq. ft. 8th floor apartment the Corporation had purchased three years ago in a seen-better-days building on 31st street.
As he showered Cash thought about the psychologist. As far as he could tell, the private eye boy friend would be better off without her. During the two weeks of surveillance Cash had determined she was high maintenance and a very annoying woman. Other than her obvious overt physical good looks, there was very little to recommend her as a friend or a lover. Cash wondered why there were so many lonely people that they were willing to put up someone else’s bullshit.
The next morning was bright and sunny. He bought breakfast from a street vendor and enjoyed the walk to the New York Public Library. The Corporation had a counterfeit library card which was always kept at the apartment for internet use. Cash had to wait half an hour until a public computer became available. He sent an e-mail which read: Project finished. Please complete at your end.
He searched several Boston news web sites. No mention of the psychologist’s murder. Too early. The body probably had not been discovered early enough to make the next news yet. He signed off the computer.
Later at midnight he took a taxi to Newark Airport, rented another Ford Taurus with a different credit card and name. Then he drove straight through to Tampa, Florida – twenty hours. He only made stops for gas, food and bathroom. At a truck stop in North Carolina Cash used a pre-paid phone card to call the number in the Cayman Islands and discovered that $33,600 had been wired into his account at the start of business that morning.
He dropped off the rental car at Tampa International Airport and retrieved his own vehicle, a 1992 Ford 150 beater truck, from long term parking.
By 9:00 pm Cash was lying in a hammock on the aft deck of the Love Breeze, his36 ft. sailboat at Dock C, Slip 23 at the Saucy Jack Marina on the Isles of Capri. It was nice to sleep outside in the Gulf coast warmth after the two weeks of hellish New England weather.
It has been one of the pitfalls that writers have had to endure ever since Edison perfected the camera - movies based on books. Most of us can agree that 99.2% of the time the movie version of a novel is infinitely inferior to the book. Stephen King could write a book about bad adaptations ... come to think of it, he probably has or he probably will.
Dean Koontz' Watchers is one of the most charming, thrilling and entertaining best selling books of the past 30 years and was turned into an unwatchable and offensive film. Bicentennial Man was turned into another Robin Williams embarrassment, whereas Issac Asimov's novella is a subtle and brilliant examination on the meaning of humanity.
But everyone once in a while, Hollywood takes a book and turns it into a masterpiece. Some are good books that benefited from a brilliant adaptation; others are pedestrian books that were actually improved by the filmmakers; and some are just bad and boring novels that somehow someone turned into a great move.
Here is a list of movies that are BETTER THAN THE BOOKS. And it is surprisingly longer than you would think.
GOOD BOOK / GREAT MOVIE
CHOCOLAT by Joanne Harris This 1999 novel explored the lure of temptation and alternated between sweet and sinister forces of humanity and nature. The movie stays close to the spirit of the story, but is much more positive and cheerful. LAST OF THE MOCHICANS by James Fenimore Cooper As is most fiction from that time period (1826), Cooper is virtually unreadable these days, but writers and books from the 18th and 19th century seem to benefit from Hollywood treatments. The turgid prose and stilted dialogue can be glossed over with spectacular visuals. Every one who has seen this movie knows what a great, and emotionally involving, action film it is. MARY POPPINS by B.L. Travers Come on, everyone loves Disney's Mary Poppins. Julie Andrews is magical and Dick Van Dyke has never been better than as Bert - street artist, chimney sweep and good time guy. The movie was based a popular series of English children's novels (1935-1988) and portrayed Poppins as more stern and with a darker side than the movie version. ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NESTby Ken Kesey The 1962 novel by Ken Kesey is a stunning work that is well written and emotionally compelling. And then director Milos Forman turned it into one of the all time great movies. There are a few differences, the most apparent is the voice of the narrator in the book, but we need a character to anchor our thoughts in the novel, whereas Forman can show us the story that develops, and allows us to become the narrator. We all become just another nut in the nuthouse. Jack Nicholson’s performance is genuinely inspired and the cast that surrounds is like a who’s who of soon-to-be 80s stars.
THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION by Stephen King Based on the short novel "Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Prison" from the book Different Seasons, this may be the best adaptation of Stephen King's prose to cinema. While the story has its charms and contains all the elements of the plot, it is a mere shadow of the emotional depth and sheer grand story-telling that director and screen writer Frank Darabont manages to capture. MEDIOCRE NOVEL / GREAT MOVIE BEING THERE by Jerzey Kosinsky The book is an ingenius portrayal of a mentally slow gardener named Chance whose only knowledge of the outside world comes from watching television. Through an series of circumstances, Chance becomes homeless and is left to his own devices to face the world. The book often reads flat and uninvolved, a technique of detached emotionless that makes sense (TV viewing results the deadening of senses and intellect ) but does not make it an enjoyable read. The film, however, as directed by Hal Ashby is a constant joy of subtle humor and ironic social commentary. Peter Sellers pulls off the role of his career with a brilliant and nuanced performance which ranks as one of the all time greatest. The fact that he did not win the Academy Award (Dustin Hoffman in Kramer vs. Kramer ... and when's the last time you had a discussion with anyone about that movie or that performance?) is a travesty. In fact, the film was not even nominated for Best Picture. (Kramer; All That Jazz; Apocalypse Now; Breaking Away and Norman Rae) THE BRIDGE OVER THE RIVER KWAI by Pierre Boulle This is a terse novel written by a former French resistance fighter in WWII. What is often a difficutl book to read - it is completely devoid of humor and few of the characters are developed enough to either hate or love - in the hands of film maker David Lean becomes an thrilling story of epic proportions dealing with racial prejudice and nationalism. HIGH FIDELITY by Nick Hornby Hornby may be the most successful mediocre novelist of the 21st century. Three of his books (and as of this writing a fourth, A Long Way Down is in production) have become movies: Fever Pitch, About A Boy and this novel about a record store owner and his driftless life after his girlfriend dumps him. The tends to be clunky, but the movie is an intense character study given vitality by a good performance by John Cusack.
FRIED GREEN TOMATOES AT THE WHISTLE STOP CAFE by Fanny Flagg Flagg, a comedian, actress and perennial game show guest (Match Game; Hollywood Squares) found a second career writing cheerful comedic Americana novels. But the movie, Fried Green Tomatoes takes the basic story and super charges it with great performances by Mary Stuart Masterson and Kathy Bates.
ORDINARY PEOPLE by Judith Guest The novel is a chore to read, meandering with emotional passages filled ironic angst. The movie, as directed by Robert Redford, is a brooding study at the fractious nature of a family in crisis and emotionally satisfying. RAGTIME by E.L. Doctorow I recently tried to re-read this 1975 novel (first attempt had been while in high school in 1977 and was bewildered by the bad writing) and still found it boring and stylistic clunky. The fact that Time magazine listed it as one of the Greatest 100 English Language Novels Between 1923-2005 is more of an indictment about the lack imagination of Time's editors than in your taste in books. Almost every book on the list is one of those boring academically approved books .. i.e. the books your college professor makes you read in college and which you never have the desire to read again. The movie, however, is devoid of Doctorow's turgid writing and shines. Filled with great performance and emotionally charged. HAROLD AND MAUDE by Calder Willingham One of the all-time great weird movies is based one of the all-time weird and unreadable books. SOMEWHERE IN TIME (Bid Time Return by Richard Matheson) Matheson is one of those great writers of the 20th century that never make Time's list of 100 Greatest Books because he is a popular writer of horror (gasp!) and sci-fi thrillers. Potboilers! The literati elite can't have that! However, as many good books that Matheson has written, Bid Time Return is at the bottom of the list. It is a time-travel romance that never really seems to take off, and ultimately, becomes more annoying than anything else. The movie, however, is a grand piece of movie-making, lush, romantic and satisfying. PLANET OF THE APES by Pierre Boulle Another short novel by French writer Boulle that became a classic Hollywood epic. I've tried to read Planet of the Apes (sometimes titled Monkey Planet) and found it bewildering. The story is told as a narrative found in bottle which thankfully, the movie ignores that plot device. "Get your hands off me, you stinkin' ape," is one of the great quotable lines in cinematic history.
STARDUST by Neil Gaiman The novel is good, but a bit more dark and sinister ... come on, we are talking about Neil Gaiman. The movie turned out to be a delightfully romantic and ironically hilarious fable.The movie is worth watching alone for Robert DeNiro's enthusiastic campy turn as a lightning-gathering cross-dressing pirate.
THE SEARCHERS by Alan Le May A very typical Western novel in which a former Civil War soldier becomes driven to avenge the death of his family members by marauding Indians. But in the hands of director John Ford, and John Wayne's (who for once doesn't play John Wayne) deep and disturbing portrayal of a man who is close to being psychotic .. this becomes an epic movie.
TERMS OF ENDEARMENT by James McMurtry A veeery middle-of-the-road novel by a good novelist is transformed into a 4 star drama / romantic comedy on the strength of all around great performances by Nicholson and Shirley McClaine. PSYCHO by Robert Bloch Based on a real life story, Psycho was first published in 1959. Robert Bloch based the novel on the horrific Ed Gein, who was arrested in Plainfield, Wisconsin for murdering women and making furniture, silverware and even clothing out of body parts, in an attempt to make a “woman suit” to pretend to be his dead mother. Gein also was the inspiration for Buffalo Bill in The Silence of the Lambs. Bloch’s novel was nothing more than a pedestrian thriller turned into a film classic in 1960 by Alfred Hitchcock, THE classic horror film even though there is less than 60 seconds of screen violence. BAD BOOK / GREAT MOVIE THE BOURNE IDENTITY / THE BOURNE SUPREMACY / THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM by Robert Ludlum. How these densely written and over-the-top plotted Cold War novels ever became popular is still a mystery. And the fact that they were turned into a James Bond style thrill-a-minute movie franchise is almost a miracle. Ignore the books, enjoy the movies. COOL HAND LUKE by Donn Pearce A book that truly is impossible to read was turned into one of the most iconic movies of the 1960s, and one of Paul Newman's all time great screen characters. DIE HARD (Nothing Lasts Forever by Roderick Thorpe) The book is really bad. The main character is a sappy ex-cop has-been who spends the entire novel whining and pining over his now-dead ex-wife and worries about his daughter stuck in the building with him and the terrorists. Thanks to screenwriters Steven E. de Souza and Jeb Stuart and director John McTiernan for shutting him up, giving him more attitude and hiring Bruce Willis to play him. The result was a superior action film, smart and funny, as well as edge-of-your-seat exciting. Yippee-ki-yay, motherfucker, indeed. DELIVERANCE by James Dickey Dickey is one of the most over rated writers of the 20th century. Loved by literary critics and his peers (other college professors who write fiction and poetry) but ignored by everyone else, he even ruined his one great idea for a novel by trying to infuse it with a poetic sensibility that only illustrated the fact that he was a too good of a writer to just write a thriller. It was left to Hollywood to take away all the pretension and strip the story down to it's most basic elements. I've always wondered what this novel would have been like if David Morrell had written it. THE GODFATHER by Mario Puzo This may be the second worst written book ever to become a best-seller. We read the book in high school for the sex scenes ... who can forget Sonny pushing Lucy up against the wall? But, as has been documented in abundance elsewhere, this is one of the all time classic movies.
THE GRADUATE by Charles Webb The 1963 novel was, at best, barely readable, but somehowMike Nichols, with his writing team Calder Willingham and Buck Henry took everything the novel had to offer, and expanded it to create one of the most iconic films of the 1960s. One reason the movie is better is one of the most perfect soundtracks ever, by Simon and Garfunkel.
THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER / PATRIOT GAMES / THE SUM OF ALL FEARS /CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER by Tom Clancy Tom Clancy can't write. Period. We keep a copy of Red Storm Rising next to the bed in case of insomnia. Two pages and your eyes are dropping.Clancy is a high-concept book packager where ideas are more important that creating characters and setting the mood.But they make fairly entertaining movies. JAWS by Peter Benchley This may be one of the worst written books ever to become a best-seller. Jaws is one of the first "high-concept" novels which now periodically hit the best seller list (every heard of The DaVinci Code?). But, a young Steven Spielberg turned the material into one of the most edge-of-the-seat movies ever. Roy Schneider, Robert Shaw and Richard Dreyfuss are top notch. L.A. CONFIDENTIAL by James Ellroy Ellroy is an enigmatic figure. The real mystery is how his unreadable books keep getting published, and keep getting positive reviews. But, buried within all the turgid prose and literary devices (think of a hard-boiled Thomas Pynchon with none of the humor) someone in Hollywood saw a thrilling and brutal movie ... and they were right. A PLACE IN THE SUN by Theodore Dreiser Dreiser is a literary darling and virtually impossible to read. However, the novel An American Tragedy, which is the basis for this movie, had all the plot elements needed for Hollywood to fashion a classic soap opera.
Unless you've been locked in a coffin for the past four years, you already know that Twilight is the story of the romance between out-of-place teenager Bella and ageless vampire Edward. The novel was initially marketed at Young Adult readers, but Stephanie Meyer's first novel quickly proved that it had the ability to cross age barriers and has become a publishing tsunami.
Stephanie Meyer is either a genius, naive, or perverted. I'm not sure which. What an ingenious feat she has accomplished. The concept of an 100-year old vampire obsessed with a 16-year old girl is more disturbing than anything Anne Rice has written (even in her sado-sexual fantasy novels), and Meyer has brilliantly disguised all this perversion in the guise of a sappy romance ... and the general public has swallowed it completely! Lolita could not find an American publisher for years, but Meyer's books are proudly displayed on the shelves of Wal-Mart and school libraries across America!
The story is told in first person from the perspective of Bella, who is shy and lacking in confidence; her sarcastic inner voice narrates the story for the reader. Meyer keeps Bella's narrative simple and yet full of beautiful passages.
The romance between Edward and Bella is both touching and creepy. There is a melancholic feel to their impossible love, yet at the same time they both are unwilling to give up hope that their relationship is not doomed. The book reaches a fever pitch of excitement as the romance between Bella and Edward turns into a frantic race to stay alive. But again, Edward is 100 years old, and Bella is sixteen.
I admire any writer who goes against convention; most of us have become bored by the glut of cookie-cutter vampire books that flooded the market in the post 1980s success of Anne Rice. Meyer uses the vampire device as an interesting way to explore a very cliqued story: young teenage forbidden love, and pulls it off with a disturbing touch of dark romanticism. Bravo!
As for the rest of the Bella-Edward series ... avoid.
BIBLIO SAYS: Recommended. Companion Read: The Chosen Sin by Anya Bast.
This is one of the best books ever. In 1998, Modern Library voted A Town Like Alice #17 on the list of 100 Greatest English-language Novels of 20th Century.It is also known by it's original English title, The Legacy.
Nevil Shute was the author of 30+ novels and can best be described as "old fashioned." His books are literate, with a distinctly British view, but also very worldly. He often explored unusual themes like reincarnation, utopian visions (In The Wet is a very entertainingvariation of Brave New World.) Nevil Shute was the author of 30+ novels and can best be described as "old fashioned." His books are literate, with a distinctly British view, but also very worldly. He often explored unusual themes like reincarnation, utopian visions (In The Wet is a very entertainingvariation of Brave New World.) Shute was a trained engineer and science plays a huge role in many of his books. Many of his characters are aviators, engineers, and geologists. During his lifetime Shute was one of the most popular writers in the world and his most famous book,On The Beach, while justly famous as the only close-ended novel ever written (no one in the book survives after the final page) is one of his lesser efforts. It is a shame that dozens of Shute's novels do not sit on the shelves of modern bookstores. SUMMARYAfter World War II, a young English woman named Jean Paget learns that she has inherited a legacy from her great uncle. She is now a rich young woman with no need to work ever again. When the Scottish lawyer, Noel Strachan, whose firm manages the legacy asks what she'd like to do with the money, she replies, "I'd like to build a well."
Jean and her family had lived in Malaysa for most of her childhood until her fathered died. Now, Jean was alone living in London. Her mother was dead and her brother died in a Japanese POW camp. Jean and her family had lived in Malaysa for most of her childhood until her fathered died. Now, Jean was alone living in London. Her mother was dead and her brother died in a Japanese POW camp. Jean tells Strachan her story: During the war she was working in Malaya when the Japanese invaded and she ended up as one of a party of English women and children who are marched around Malaya by the Japanese, since no camp will take them in and the Japanese army does not want to take responsibility for them. Many of them die on the march, and the rest survive only on the charity of the local villagers. Jean's knowledge of Malay language and culture proves invaluable to the group's survival.
The women meet Joe Harman, an Australian soldier who is also a prisoner. He drives a truck for the Japanese across Malaya carrying supplies. He steals food and medicines to help the women and Jean and Joe become friends. Jean always carries a small boy, orphaned after his mother died, and which leads Harman to the mistaken belief that she is married; to avoid giving Joe any temptation, Jean does not correct this misperception. The thefts are investigated and Harman takes the blame to save Jean and the rest of the group. He is beaten, crucified, and left to die by the Japanese soldiers. The women are marched away leaving Joe for dead.
To survive, the women become part of a native village where they grow rice and work as part of the village. This saves their lives, and they live there for three years, until the war ends. This village is where Jean wants to build the well so that the local women will not have to walk so far to collect water: "A gift by women, for women".
With her legacy, Jean travels to Malaya, where she goes back to the village and persuades the headman to allow her to build the well. While it is being built she discovers that by a strange chance Joe Harman survived his punishment and returned to Australia. She decides to travel on to Australia to find him.
In her travels she visits the town of Alice Springs, where Joe lived before the war, and is much impressed with the quality of life there. She then travels to the (fictional) primitive town of Willstown in Queensland where Joe has become manager of a cattle station. She soon discovers that the quality of life in Alice is an anomaly, and life for a woman in the outback is elsewhere very rugged. While staying in the local hotel in Willstown she finds that the local hunters shoot crocodiles and prepare their skins for export, at prices much lower than they are sold in England. To show the locals what their exports are used for, she makes a pair of crocodile-skin shoes in her bedroom, by hand.
In the meantime, Joe has learned both that Jean survived the war and is unmarried. He take the money he won in the state lottery in order to travel to Britain in search of her. In London, he meets lawyer Strachan, who must decide on his client's behalf how to handle this situation. On Strachan's advice, Harman returns to Queensland, and Jean and Joe two finally meet again in one of the most emotionally charged and poignant love scenes ever written.
At this point, you are about halfway through the book, and I would deserve to be crucified myself if I revealed any more of the plot. BIBLIO SAYS: Highly recommended!!! Read it NOW. Companion Read: No Highway by Nevil Shute
accept what is happening to him, but there is no rational explanation to be found. So Alan gives himself over to this mysterious power, reveling in the ability to cure the incurable, to give hope to the hopeless—for one hour each day. And Bulmer's life slowly goes to hell, for as he discovers, the "touch" exacts a price for each use form the user. 
