New Stephen King Book

The next Stephen King book is available for pre-order. It will be available on November10, 2009 and is called UNDER THE DOME. It will be a horror novel in the vein of THE MIST. I've heard it runs about 1100 pages. List price is $35, but is available on Amazon for $23.10. If you wish to pre-order, please use the link to Amazon on my website, www.baryon-online.com.

Only one review today from Harriet. The book reviewed was recommended by Parke Godwin. Parke's an old friend and marvelous fantasy/science fiction writer on his own, so if he recommends a book - it's a good one.

Hope everyone has a pleasant weekend.

THE LONG LOOK
Richard Parks
Five Stars, Sep 2008, $25.95
ISBN: 1594147043

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He is thought to be a demon, a dark magician - a sorcerer who practices the blood arts, but the truth is both much simpler and much more complex than the rumors. Tymon the Black has what is called THE LONG LOOK as he can see future tragedies with the knowledge some can be changed, even prevented; he works to do so. One of his Long Looks makes him kidnap the Ashesa, the princess of Morushe, whose future husband he must lure him to Tymon so he can kill him and prevent a war. Instead the princess appeals to him to let the prince live. He heeds her request leading to letting her to see her future husband will plunge them into war. She ends up killing him.

The dark prince’s brother Galen wants to marry Ashesa because he loves her; she agrees to their state marriage. Galen’s enemies are planning to kill him and place a puppet on the throne. While Tymon sees their plot, an advisor to Duke Laras wants to push his lord into claiming the throne as he has a legitimate argument that he should be the ruler. Galen in a quest for revenge and brings something dark and evil into the realm to destroy Tymon. However he loses control of the darkness. Tymon is capable of saving the world by dying and his various enemies are planning to do just that in a confrontation at the Black Pits.

Tymon is eyed as a vile villain, but ignores the monster label to do what he believes is right to include killing someone in order to prevent a greater catastrophe (mindful of the Star Trek episode “The City on the Edge of Forever”). He hates killing, but knows he must do what it takes for what he perceives is the greater good. Richard Parks has written a fascinating fantasy with a deep morality question of when is it okay to kill an innocent and then there is the question of the time paradox in which changing the future with one death may lead to unforeseen consequences worse than what you prevented as the hero learns to his dismay.