OBIR: Occasional Biased and Ignorant Reviews reflecting this reader’s opinion.
THE ASCENSION CHRONICLES
Publisher: Dean Wirth, June 2024.
Cover Art: by Dean Wirth.
Note: All stories are by Dean Wirth.
Further note: The first three stories were included in Dean’s first collection which I reviewed for Amazing Stories in 2020. With my aging memory I forgot this. So, the current reviews were written completely from scratch, totally “fresh” as it were. This note added when I was writing the conclusion and reread my review of his first book.
Isle of Beatrice
Premise:
Captain Bosk is a hard taskmaster. He seems intent on killing his crew.
Review:
The story is mostly from the point of view of Captain Bosk. It’s clear he is cruel to the point of making Captain Bligh look like a boy scout. It’s also clear he dreams of ripping off the Inuit, the Mayans, the Ivory Coast Blacks, anyone “low on the Darwin scale,” so it’s established he’s quite a racist and more of a pirate raider than a traitor.
What’s not clear is the setting. The year is 1904. This world-traveling Captain commands the small schooner “Endurance” with a tiny crew, apparently a sealer, yet as I recall a National Geographic article from the 1920s, such vessels carried large numbers of men to scramble about the ice off Newfoundland to club as many baby seals as possible in a very few hours. The endurance seems to be crewed by a limited number of survivors of the Captain’s wrath. I have no idea what their current mission is.
In general, the writing is mannered, not to say belaboured, in an adjective-rich blustery seaman’s style perhaps imitative of Edgar Allan Poe. It offers many puzzles, such as a volcanic island newly risen from the sea, yet riddled with limestone caves at its core, where volcanic intrusions of obsidian let in enough light to allow relatively easy travel. No such thing in reality, as far as I know. This geology, like much of the description, is purely an imaginary construct. Suitable for horror fantasy I suppose, but I would have liked something a bit more grounded to make the fantasy seem real. There’s a plethora of detail, but it comes at the reader so fast it’s hard to get one’s bearings.
The blurb on the back of the book refers to the contents as “self-contained stories,” six of which have previously been independently published. However, in my opinion “The Isle of Beatrice” is not actually a short story, but more of an opening chapter in a series of vignettes to do with Beatrice. That is my initial impression. I read further to see how the “novel” develops.
Sweet Beatrice
Premise:
“1899. What a year it has been. The Southern Cross has crossed the Arctic Circle…”
Review:
Not bad for an opening. I got terribly excited, for I took it to be literal. The Earth toppled upside down? The impossible made possible? However, turned out to be some kind of metaphor for unexpected change. I think. Not sure.
At any rate, the action begins in 1899, with Beatrice doing something unspeakable to Oscar Wilde, then jumps to 1921, and finally 1931. The origin and nature of the giant insects attending Beatrice in the opening “chapter” is explained, as is her ability to “relive” dead people. It all has to do with multiple copies of 8 rare books of sacred lore which, in the wrong hands, leads morally deficient characters to do evil things. Beatice is determined to track down the extra copies, and their owners, in order to destroy them all.
This offers many possibilities for remaining “chapters,” unlike the first one which devoted most of the telling to setting up Captain Bosk’s character, only to dispose of him. All that was left was confusion over the nature and purpose of Beatrice. But now we know what she’s up to and can’t wait to find out what happens next.
This “chapter” also has the advantage of touches of grim humour pertaining to the difficulties inherent in immortality. Even permanent existence has its problems.
House of Beatrice
Premise:
What’s worse than evil people? Evil aliens.
Review:
The human villain is a relived individual intent on building a cult following of relived criminals, eventually to replace humanity with a relived master race. He’s picked out a property in Oregon. Very cult-like so far, although he has but three followers.
Likewise, Beatrice, except one is an over-achieving immortal who helped defeat the Fascists in the war. She would appear to have the advantage. In addition, she can count on an alien who possesses a spaceship-submarine that can bore through solid rock. In comparison, the human bad guys aren’t much of a foe. On the other hand, an alien invasion by monsters determined to destroy the human race does complicate matters.
This “chapter” or “Story” has a pulp fiction feel to it, partly because it takes place circa 1948/1949, but mostly because of the daring-do attitude of the heroes. It’s nothing if not ambitious, given the introduction of characters and situations which normally would require individual origin stories. Overall function seems to be a set-up for what has yet to come.
Must admit, hadn’t anticipated a cameo appearance by a young Truman Capote. Not an arbitrary nifty touch. It serves a purpose.
The Painted Lakehouse
Premise:
A lakehouse Beatrice painted on a whim of imagination actually exists, as do froglike monsters dwelling in the lake.
Review:
Beatrice finds nineteen-year-old Theodore Armstrong a useful ally, what with his psychic ability to sense the nature and status of her enemies. She’s not ashamed to make use of him, as a supplement to her incantations, bugs, and ghost servants. Trouble is, he wants to be relived, to become immortal. She’s not sure his mother would approve. So, in addition to combatting monsters, she has to balance considerations of a young man’s hypersensitive emotions and desires. As an immortal more than a century old, she is finding this increasingly difficult to do.
Edgar
Premise:
Theodore’s mother was “gifted” with a twin to grow up with Theodore.
Review:
1935: An alien is revealed to be the mother of Theodore’s “Twin” Edgar. Superficially, the twins resemble each other, but as they grow older they more and more begin to resemble their mothers. You know how neighbours like to gossip. Doesn’t take long till locals refuse to tolerate Emily and her “Devil’s brood.” Her husband Ryley is driven to drink, and worse. Edgar is taken off world by his mother. As for Theodore, well… it’s complicated.
Emily
Premise:
Edgar and his mother return to teach Emily and Theodore needful talents.
Review:
1940: Ryley’s escaped convict brother shows up. Nasty fellow. He’s a bit taken aback by the cocoon Edgar has spun. Then utterly surprised by Emily’s newfound abilities. I think Edgar laying an egg would have astonished him even more had he stuck around to see it. The new hatchling turns out to be Apollo, the alien pilot who appeared in “House of Beatrice.” This is Apollo’s origin story.
Apollo
Premise:
While still a child Apollo is kidnapped by a carnival barker desperate to acquire a new circus freak.
Review:
1943: The opening paragraph knocked me out of the story, in that Kongo the Chimpanzee is later described in the same paragraph as a two-hundred-pound gorilla. What sort of editor lets a slip like that slide by without revision? A lazy one. Or a rushed one.
Be that as it may, on getting back into the story I enjoyed Apollo’s commiseration with Andy the Armadillo boy while Beatrice and Theodore frantically search. The carnival barker’s bizarre use of Edgar’s corpse makes sense within the context of the freak show racket, but I found it a bit odd the barker’s comeuppance isn’t even described. Apparently, Dean decided to focus exclusively on the happy family reunion aspect of the ending. Interesting choice.
The Mound in the Narrows
Premise:
A monster growing beneath the surface of Vancouver harbour is becoming a shipping hazard. Bit of a problem, that.
Review:
Having lived for decades in and around Vancouver (though I am retired in Nanaimo now) I can’t resist the premise. Beatrice and Theodore sense the presence of the monster and arrive in Vancouver to deal with it. In Gastown they meet a stevedore who innately shares their mind communication skills and, having unwittingly unleashed the monster in the first place, wants to make amends. The result is like a nightmare version of an old “Sea Hunt” episode. Great fun, in other words.
The Iron Fog
Premise:
Phantoms are trapped on Saturna Island.
Review:
Saturna is one of the Gulf Islands in the Salish sea. Though in Canadian waters, it lies due south of the American town of Point Roberts. Consequently, for Theodore and a buddy, who’ve been exploring the Gulf Islands on a fishing boat named after his mother Emily, to zip across the Salish Sea to buy groceries at Point Roberts isn’t entirely farfetched. Odd, but doable.
I have a map of Saturna Island. I don’t see a “Blood Bay” named anywhere, though the East Point lighthouse is historical enough. The island is home to the Tsawout First Nation, but the story mentions only a few backwards backwoods farmers anxious to keep strangers out. They fear outsiders would stir up the resident phantoms, and worse, awaken the Iron Fog sleeping beneath Blood Bay. Once Theodore and his friend ascertain the truth behind the resident’s fears, they decide to come to their aid.
Repurposed
Premise:
Flooding a valley community to create a reservoir is an old story. Triggering supernatural powers out for revenge was not part of the original plan. Complications ensue.
Review:
Theodore, being immortal, is reasonably well equipped to deal with an evil brother and sister team. After all, the sister is only a sorceress who knows many useful incantations. The brother is more problematic. He happens to be a god.
For once in his eternal life, Theodore chooses to be cautious.
Theodore
Premise:
A soul eater in one’s stomach does not aid digestion.
Review:
Theodore contemplates breaking his apron strings. First, he needs to reconcile with the woman who relived him, the ageless Beatrice. Then he needs to break away from his aging mother Emily, who has never forgiven him for demanding to be killed and then relived. He hopes to do so gently. It may be his most difficult challenge to date, one that he can’t even attempt till that dang soul eater is gotten rid of. Life, even an eternal life, always a matter of juggling priorities.
CONCLUSION:
I was the first to publish Dean Wirth, namely his short story, “Organic life” in Polar Borealis issue #4 in 2017. It was republished by Rhea Rose in her compilation of material from my magazine in “Stellar Evolutions” in 2020. And then again by Dean in his first short story collection “Tales from the Deep End” published by Breaking Rules Publishing later that year. Not a bad record for a first sale.
Dean has since published a sequel collection “Tales from the Deep End Two,” a self-help autobiography titled “Otis Repurposed,” numerous stories in issues of “Lovecraftiana: The Magazine of Eldritch Horror” published by Rogue Planet Press, and several stories in anthologies from Breaking Rules Publishing. Now comes this collection.
On the one hand, “Lovecraftiana” seems quite legit. No less a personage than S.T. Joshi of Hippocampus Press fame has appeared in its pages. Breaking Rules Publishing, on the other hand, is the subject of a lengthy article in the “Writers Beware!” section of the SFWA website. Which may possibly hint at why Dean’s latest publication “The Ascension Chronicles” appears to be entirely a self-published work.
This has its advantages and disadvantages. To me, the spacing between lines is that of a submission rather than a meant-for-publication manuscript. Too much space. Never previously seen the like in a published work. And not enough space between the text and the edge of the page.
Another oddity is a back cover blurb attributed to me and Polar Borealis Magazine. I never got an advance review copy, was never asked to write a blurb. It reads:
“Dean goes beyond Lovecraft in that he not only strives to recreate the mood of impending doom but goes full bore with detail. His sheer amount of description is in the best tradition of Gothic Fiction, piling detail upon detail to build a mountainlike edifice of mood and dread. Readers will enjoy and appreciate this level of detail. Dean has unleashed his imagination to remarkable degree…”
On rereading my review of his first collection, which was published in Amazing Stories 2nd October, 2020, it’s clear Dean selected various phrases and linked them together into the above quote to give readers the impression it applies to the current book. Not quite standard industry practice.
No matter, it can be said to apply. As does another comment I made in my original review:
“Lovecraft is often criticized for purple prose, but in actual fact he exercised considerable restraint in describing his horrors, which makes it all the more fun to read a ‘Lovecraft on Steroids’ pastiche. Being a Lovecraft fan, I find Dean’s ‘exaggeration’ of Lovecraft’s style delightfully entertaining.”
And that’s the advantage of Dean’s full-on do-it-himself approach to writing and publishing. He let’s nothing stand in the way of his passion and enthusiasm. Yes, his work exhibits the flaws of self-editing so typical of most self-published works. Yes, the weight and significance of individual scenes often seem disproportionate to the plot, oddly off kilter. Yes, sometimes there is no mystery in that Beatrice knows the nature of the foe well in advance of confronting them. And yes, sometimes weird things happen for which no explanation is offered. But the joy and passion and occasional startling originality Dean pours into his writing is self-evident on every page. For these reasons, I am prepared to forgive a lot of minor sins.
To sum up, “The Ascension Chronicles” is no literary masterpiece. Nevertheless, despite minor flaws, it is a good example of popular entertainment. There is a place for such.
I choose to close with the conclusion I presented on reviewing his first collection. I think it is appropriate for “The Ascension Chronicles” as well:
“I have both a positive and a negative response to this book.
First, the negative. If you are the type of grammar Nazi who would throw a book across a room because of a misplaced period, this is not for you. There are problems ranging from simple typos to misuse of words to incongruous author intrusions. In sum, a classic case of a self-published work that needs a final edit at multiple levels. Frankly, I was stopped dead or was thrown out of the story many times because the author hadn’t quite managed to say precisely what he meant to say. Didn’t read like a final draft.
However, nitpicky points aside, the variety of theme and approach exhibited is pleasing, and the sweep of Dean’s imagination impressive and exciting. It’s actually a fun read. The trick is to skip past whatever individual sticking points you find jarring (if you are a grammar Nazi or an editor) and concentrate on the visions Dean is unveiling. The imagery he conjures up is often vivid and powerful, even cinematic. This is why it being a penultimate-edit version is not much of a handicap. The strengths overwhelm the weaknesses by far.
Is it worth reading?
The answer is yes, absolutely. Not only for those who love reading horror, but for those interested in writing horror. There are lessons to be learned, but the most important one, as demonstrated in this collection, is ‘unleash your imagination!’ Dean has done this to a remarkable degree.”
Check it out at: < The Ascension Chronicles >
