Books Times Five

-I seem to be a little behind . . .

Blameless in Abaddon by James Morrow

-The sequel to Towing Jehovah, this novel is religious satire, about a man who puts God's comatose body on trial for Evil. It is mostly a brilliant summation of theodicy, the question of why an omniscient, omnipotent, and omnibenevolent god would allow bad things to happen. If you're interested in theology, highly recommended. (My favorite bit is Lot making margaritas using his wife for the salt . . . )

Dilvish, the Damned by Roger Zelazny

-A fixup fantasy novel about a wandering wizard and his metal horse, out for revenge upon another wizard. Digressions and arch dialogue ensue. Mildly recommended if you like Zelazny's fantasy work.

Cell by Stephen King

-It's 3pm in Boston on a beautiful October day, and suddenly anyone who listens to a cell phone goes stark raving buggo. The survivors must evade the phone-crazies while civilization goes staight to hell . . . and then the crazies start acting even weirder . . . As King novels go, not one of his bests, but much better than the pointless Buick 8 and Colorado Kid. And it didn't hurt that some of it took place practically down the street from where I live. Recommended to King fans.

The King Must Die by Mary Renault

-A historical novel, written in the 1950s, which I curb-picked a few years ago. It's about Theseus of Greek myth, if he'd been an historical figure. I was surprised how much I liked it. I may even track down the sequel. Moderately recommended.

Other Dimensions by Clark Ashton Smith

-A thoroughly out-of-print collection of some of Smith's short stories. My comments on his in-print collection, Emperor of Dreams, still hold, and I recommend that collection to anyone.