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Guest Post by Bill Cushing

Pulitzer Prize winner John Hersey is probably best known for his books dealing with China, where his father served as a missionary, but in The Conspiracy, he takes readers back to the first century AD and Nero’s imperial and mainly insanity-tinged reign.

Like the works of Robert Graves or Leon Uris, Hersey uses a historical backdrop to present a political thriller of the first order. Employing two main characters—Tigellinus, co-consul of the Praetorian guard, and Paenus, tribune of the Roman secret police, along with a series of memos, assorted notes, intercepted letters, and interrogation transcripts—the two members of Nero’s intelligence community try chasing leads concerning a potential assassination attempt against their emperor.

The primary suspects involved in this plan?

The philosopher Seneca and a cadre of poets, artists that Nero had earlier supported and entertained, are surveilled, bringing up images from the Oscar-winning film The Lives of Others.

However, as the layers of the plot open, it begins to reveal Nero’s descent into madness.

Soon, the reader begins to wonder if this is an actual investigation or a means to create a paper trail pointing to others in order to establish scapegoats while the members of Nero’s own security people become the real perpetrators.

One interesting aspect of this book is that it was released in 1972, when news and revelations of the Watergate incident dominated worldwide media and occupied American minds. Hersey’s story produced numerous parallels between the subterfuge and hidden messages of the novel with the events of those days. If readers want to make those connections or draw any parallels with current events is their choice, of course, but the fact that it’s possible only verifies what a relevant story Hersey concocted in any age when he conceived and delivered The Conspiracy.

The Conspiracy by John Hersey. 1972.

Reviewer bio: Bill Cushing writes and facilitates a writing group for 9 Bridges. His poetry collection, A Former Life, was released last year by Finishing Line Press.

Guest Post by Durdana Parveen

Adventures of Poorna, the debut work of Mayur Kalbag, is a mythical voyage of the protagonist Rudra who wakes up in a strange land and meets a monk there. Upon his guidance, he sets out on a long quest, gains a lot of mystical skills, discovers his past life, meets his guru and friends, and finally finds the purpose of his rebirth.

The plots and characters were so beautifully described that they could get struck in the reader’s mind forever. The concept of shivering was distinctly redefined in many instances. I personally liked the way author personified leaves and thorns in the story: “leaf would bite if not asked permission to pluck it” and “the thorns oozed ink when touched the leaf.” The colored water and the vapors that monk offers Rudra to quench his thirst and satiate his hunger were fascinating.

In addition to the detailed description of the plots and characters the author also mentions many rituals: havan pooja, third eye opening, appearance of Lord Shiva, and many other spiritual and mystical events.

The title is apt to the story and the author’s intentions and scope of the book are well-depicted. Although the story is little lengthy, I like the book as a whole and I’d recommend it for all the readers.

Adventures of Poorna by Mayur Kalbag. Penman Books, March 2020.

Reviewer bio: I’m Durdana Parveen Mohammad from India. I am currently pursuing my MBBS and writes poems, quotes, and reviews as a hobby at my own instagram page: @ifathwrites.

Guest Post by Bill Cushing

Okay, we’re all stuck indoors for the duration, so I’ve used the opportunity to get to some books I’ve not read. However, occasionally I like returning to a guilty pleasure—whether it’s a movie or book. Here are two such recommended books.

Although George Fox wrote several novels, Amok remains my favorite; the ride is such fun that I can now breeze through in about two hours. The story isn’t new by any stretch: a Japanese soldier still fights WWII in the Philippines during the 1970s. Hell, even Gilligan’s Island did that one, but it’s the way Fox constructs his story that makes this version so interesting.

For example, he begins by noting that the word “amok” began as a noun. Now, there’s a hook. Additionally, Fox’s story is so cinematic that I was casting it during my first reading some 40 years ago.

When Nicholas Meyer moved from writing scripts and novels (Time After Time and The Seven Percent Solution stand out) to directing films, I felt a sense of loss to the world of letters. Not that I blame the man, and he is actually responsible for two of the better Star Trek films (The Wrath of Khan and Undiscovered Country), so there was an upside.

But his novel Confessions of a Homing Pigeon offers one of the best coming-of-age books around. An orphaned boy of acrobat parents moves to Paris with his paternal uncle. He’s taken from the morally ambiguous relative to Chicago after his mother’s family decides he needs a “proper upbringing.” Quickly tiring of that suburban grind, he decides to return to the beloved uncle and makes his way back to France in a novel quite accurately described as “charming.”

Meyer is a great writer, and this may be his greatest yet least known book.

Amok by George Fox. 1978.
Confessions of a Homing Pigeon by Nicholas Meyer. Dial Press, January 1981.

Reviewer bio: Bill Cushing writes and facilitates a writing group for 9 Bridges. His poetry collection, A Former Life, was released last year by Finishing Line Press.