(29) 'Heroes of Six Decades'
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I am so old now, my sight fades, my muscles are weak, my piss dribbles, my bones ache and I sit in the sun and fall asleep, only to awake tired. My wife, as pious a piece of stupid woman who ever whined, flinches when I tell my stories, but what else do the old have but stories. So I tell these stories so that my children's children will know my fate, my wife whimpers, but I make her listen, she is such an idiot......................................... Anyone who has ever witnessed my devotion to Jenny would know the above words were not written by me. However, it amused me to think of my children's reaction as they read those words for the first time. Do not worry people, the love between the girl on the bus and the man with the nervous twitch is as strong as ever, stronger even than my love of a good book, which is where the unkind words above originate. Today I will tell of this book, and of the enormous pleasure I have gained, thanks to the skills of certain writers of fiction. I have written this mainly for my two children, so that one day, after my time is passed, they will know what once excited their old Dad. Perhaps they will even pick up a 'Louis L'Amour' novel on the anniversary of my birth and read it. I am aware that to all others who enjoy my ruminations that this collection is akin to watching paint dry....You have been warned! Obviously, like most children, I started by reading comics, the first being 'The Dandy'. I recall when, at the age of thirteen, I started my paper round, I was able to obtain almost every weekly comic and I read them all. I read the 'Eagle', the 'Topper', the 'Rover', the 'Beezer', the 'Hotspur', the 'Adventure', the 'Wizard', the 'Lion', the 'Champion' and the 'Knockout', but I obviously couldn't afford to buy them. Looking back I don't think I had any perception that what I did was wrong, that it was a form of stealing, but perhaps I did, for I ensured my parents didn't know. What I did was deliver a copy of each of the above a day late to children were expecting them. For example, the Topper comic came out on a Tuesday and the family expected it on that day, then they suddenly found it arriving on the Wednesday instead. I realised that the Previtt family were the ones who seemed to receive most of the comics I liked, I recall delivering them together with their fathers, 'Daily Herald,' newspaper. They had no knowledge at all that I borrowed each of their comics but I ensured that when I did deliver them they were still in mint condition. I continued with this mini fraud for the two years I did the paper round and I told not a soul. To my way of thinking no one missed out and I got to read everything I wanted for free, just like in a Library! I hardly ever used Library's before my move to Lampeter for in the good years if I wanted a book I just bought it. The first books I got really hooked on were read by most of the Tuffs household in the family home of the early 1960's. They were the 'Tarzan' books and were probably purchased by my brother Bob. He mentioned during one of his recent visits how much he used to enjoy them, and all four brothers concurred. Their author, 'Edgar Rice Burroughs', was also the writer of some superbly imaginative early science fiction books that my brother Gordon and I adored. The first of these, the 'John Carter of Mars' series, was written as long ago as 1919 and it's still being read today. The next style of book that could be regularly found in the Tuffs' Hullmead household were westerns, the best one I ever read was called 'Shane' and it was written by 'Jack Schaefer' in 1946, but he was not a consistently good writer and many of his books were below par. The most successful westerns were written by the author, 'Louis L'Amour, who was the Tuffs family favourite. He preferred to describe his novels as 'Frontier Stories' and he hated the term 'Cowboy Books, as do I. In all he wrote eighty nine 'Frontier Stories', and I have read every one. So far, worldwide, 320 million copies of his books have been sold and his writings have been translated into over twenty languages. Try one of his 'Sackett' series of books! I was only eighteen when my father died and I have no recollection of ever seeing him with a book in his hand, perhaps my older siblings have? I do recall Mum enjoyed reading and I remember spotting at a jumble sale a book by an author I knew she liked. It was by someone called 'Mrs Henry Woods', and I bought it and proudly took it home for her. Until today I had no knowledge what sort of books they were. However, a few minutes on my magic box and all the information on what my mother enjoyed half a century ago became available. The books were written mainly in the 1870's, in the middle of Queen Victoria's reign, yet they still appear extremely readable. It is my intention to try to read one and, in doing so, capture a little of the world that my mother sometimes escaped to. The next Author to capture my attention was a fantasy writer called 'Michael Moorcock'. He was very prolific and wrote many books that were not my cup of tea. However, his good books I found superb. His novels about, 'The Eternal Champion', I found uplifting, and names like 'Corum', 'Elric', and 'Count Brass', still fire my imagination. Jenny and I devoured his books in the first decade of our marriage and it was another example of how much we had in common. Forty years have passed since I started to confuse myself with, 'The Eternal Champion' of his stories, and I have just started to re-read the books again. So gather around me fellow heroes, the multiverse needs our help and 'Tanelorn' is calling! It was my brother Gordon who introduced me to 'Isaac Asimov', perhaps the cleverest of my favourite authors, his 'Foundation' series is truly brilliant and I was late discovering his books. When I was singing the praises of the likes of 'Moorcock', Gordon would say I must read some 'Asimov', who he described as simply unique. It was in the late 1980's, when he gave me the first volume of the series, that I found out it was written as long ago as 1951. But better read late than never, and I thank Gordon for his insistence that I give 'Asimov' a chance. I, in turn, introduced Gordon to the fantasy works of 'Raymond E Feist', another brilliant author whose books we both devoured with relish. Now we come to 'Bernard Cornwell'. He was the author I borrowed the words at the start of this memory from, the one where someone describes his wife thus, 'as pious a piece of stupid woman who ever wined....' etc. This comes from a series of books called, 'The Saxon Stories', and tells of the fictional life of a man called 'Utred of Bebbenburg', who served King Alfred in the ninth century. The books use true events in history and mixes them with the story telling genius that 'Cornwell' has been gifted with. He came to fame with his ''Sharpe' series of adventure stories, but I discovered him when he wrote some novels about 'King Arthur'. These books acted as a stepping stone from the mainly science fiction and fantasy books I had read for decades, to the historical novels that I now enjoy. I do not rate all of 'Cornwell's' work, for he has written some stinkers, but when he's good, he's very good indeed. The books about 'Utred' are the best of his output and they are both exciting and amusing, I find myself able to answer countless pub quiz type questions because of the knowledge I have gained from his writing. It was from a pile of books my brother Len brought down to Wales that good fortune took my reading to where it is today. He gave me a large pile of books he had enjoyed, and some weeks later I perused them with little hope of finding anything of interest. Then I saw for the first time the name, 'Jack Reacher'! He is the hero in about twenty books written by 'Lee Child', and both Jenny and I were instantly hooked by this amazing character. He is, 'Shane' like, in the way he will arrive in some troubled place, evaluate the problem and put it right. He is the perfect hero for our age, but unlike that wonderous legend, 'Shane', he will not, 'when his job is done, return whence he came.' Reacher moves on to yet another town, to right another injustice in his unique 'Reacher' fashion. My daughter, Kathryn, will sometimes listen to Jenny and I talk about some World problem and will hear one of us say', "they need a Reacher to solve that..." She will shake her head in exasperation and say, "He's not real!" What does she know, she's yet to read of him. Having enjoyed to my surprise this new type of book I tried some other thriller writers. One very good author that both Jenny and I have enjoyed, is 'Harlan Coben', whose hero in a dozen books is named 'Myron Bolitar'. This individual is admirable and amusing and is very likeable, you will want him to be your friend. Another strong fictional personality is 'Harry Bosch,' he features in many of the the books written by 'Michael Connelly'. You will also like and admire this individual, but you won't, I promise, want to be his friend! This brings me to the final Author whose works I applaud and this one is my absolute favourite, his name was 'David Gemmell'. He wrote over thirty novels of heroic fantasy and he was the only writer whose books I would read in one sitting. I use the word 'was', for regrettably in 2006 he died. I can remember being genuinely sad for he was just fifty eight years old and he had so many brilliant stories yet to tell. They would have told of the heroes I would have come to admire, who I would now never know. However, I am grateful for the heroes he did give me, and the heroes that other author's have given us. So I finish this long and somewhat rambling list of my favourite author's with some names I just like looking at. They are....'Desperate Dan', 'Alf Tupper', 'Wilson', 'Morgyn the Mighty', 'Tarzan', 'John Carter of Mars', 'Flint', 'Shane', 'William Tell Sackett', 'Corum', 'Elric', 'Waylander', 'Druss the Legend', 'Harri Seldon', 'Pug', 'Jimmy the hand', 'Nakor', 'Richard Sharpe', 'Utred of Bebbenburg', 'Harry Bosch', 'Myron Bollitar', 'Windsor Horne Lockwood the Third' and of course, 'JACK REACHER'! |
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Not one of my closest friends is a reader of fiction but I could not imagine a life without my fictitious friends. This tale tells how in many ways they moulded the way I think today and why I am different from my real life buddies.
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Hi ken, Nicola told me about your blog this morning and I have been binge reading them since I got home from work. This is the first entry that makes me want to comment, but probably not the last.
I of course very much enjoyed the book pile at Shamley Green, not so much the westerns, as a genre I have never got into them. I so enjoyed the Jon Carter of Mars series, there was of course also a similar series of novels set on Venus. The other series you set a young boy on was of course Fleming and James Bond. Brilliant. The other day I read a new Bond book, Solo, by William Boyd. Rubbish, have I changed or has Boyd written a bad book? The latter I think. Interesting that we still enjoy some literature in common. Jack Reacher, every man would like to be like him, a lot of woman would like to know him. A complete travesty to cast Cruise. Almost all compelling reads, they have what I call a strong narrative drive,but there is little depth or colour in the novels. I would not want one on my desert island. Harry Bosch, again like him. I might try some of your other positive recommendations. One in return, If you have never read the Patrick O'Brian British navy series with Jack Aubrey as the hero, give them a go. I think you will like them. Shaun |
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Good Morrow Shaun.
I have just said goodbye to Gordon and Audrey who have spent a few days with us, in ten days time I will say hello to Gordon again but this time my brothers Len and Bob will accompany him. More beer, more wine and more laughter will be enjoyed around the big old oak table that you once knew so well. Thank you for your recent reply to one of my 'Cosy' stories of yesteryear, it was nice to hear from you again. My email address is kentuffs@hotmail.co.uk . It would be pleasant to be in touch with the Heaphy clan again and, if you feel inclined to send me your email address, it would be appreciated. I promise neither Jenny or I are the type to pester people but it could be fun to be in contact. We have so been with your cousin Peter for the past few years, which I know both he, I and Jenny have enjoyed. Belated congratulations on your marriage to Jeannette, I'm told she's both nice and attractive and I'm happy for you. Best Wishes KEN FMH. |
Re: (29) 'Heroes of Six Decades'
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In reply to this post by Shaun
Did you mean to send me this, or did you just copy me in? Sent from my iPhone
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