Credit Photo: Google http://sleptsolong2002.tumblr.com/
By R.J. Huneke; Edited by Cassandra DeMario In Neil Gaimain’s newest adult novel The Ocean at the End of the Lane, the reader is left, like the protagonist, to wonder in introspection and awe. Death is a prevalent occurrence in the novel that opens more doors than mortality usually sees fit to grant. A funeral and a forgone trip back to the lane where the unnamed protagonist grew up sparks an incredible memory that the reader becomes completely immersed in. With the recollection back forty years to childhood, he is struck with a vivid experience that, at eight years old, impacted him forever. There the hungry ghosts lust for life and mischief and more. Each of the characters in the book is memorable and extremely realistic, built on their own nuances and tendencies, like the father’s inability to make toast without burning it. And there's Lettie Hempstock, the confident eleven year old neighbor, who is a kind and young farmer’s daughter but is also filled with strength and a mysterious experience beyond her years. When the new nanny moves in, the boy finds himself in a fight for his and his family’s lives, and dark magic seems to surround everything around the lane. Ursula Monkton is a buxom beauty queen that is disarming in her appearance, utterly manipulative, and sickeningly powerful in her role running the family home. She is also pure evil. Magic is further crafted in words throughout the book, from the dark shades of humor to the descriptive joys, like drinking warm milk just gotten from a cow for the first time. But it is also present in the bleak pull that outside forces have on life, from money and lust, to the creatures that feed on these human weaknesses and grow fat on them. The memory is magic, the ghosts are magic, and the epic battles for the control of life are riddled with bits of magic while the tale goes forward at a thrilling pace. Read the rest of the review on Fantasy-Matters Here
0 Comments
by R.J. Huneke J.J. Abrams has brought true genius in the form of his second film in the Star Trek saga, and Star Trek: Into Darkness leaves the audience reeling with an entertaining and powerfully emotional experience. The original Star Trek movie series had to follow in the steps of an innovative and boundary pushing 1960’s TV show that had become a cult classic and legend, and when that first flick hit theaters there was a lot of disappointment from a fan base that expected more than a reintroduction and reestablishing of the characters and what has been dubbed a cool looking and fun “sightseeing tour” of a movie. It was a success but did not offer much of the groundbreaking that went on time and again in the Star Trek TV series. Then came Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, and the obscure and wonderfully ruthless, strong, and cruel Khan was the perfect foil for Captain Kirk and company. The gritty movie showed suspense, terror, and a maniac as an edgy villain that propelled its box office breakthroughs into the stratosphere. The characters had flaws, depth, and growth, and they were tested repeatedly in an all too dangerous bout. READ THE REST OF THE ARTICLE ON RUNE WORKS HERE I am swimming in words . . . and I am not going to lie I am a little overwhelmed. I had scribed about 50000 words of a fantasy work that I tossed (it had to be done) a little over a year ago. More recently, I wrote 70000+ words of an epic novel, then I sat revising, I started its screenplay/graphic novel ms based off of the novel, I wrote another 20000+ words of a sequel to said novel, revising again, and then I halted pitching it when I took up a brand new story that has me more invigorated than I've ever been. But there's a problem: The last revisit of the completed novel's opening brought me to a crossroads, and a couple of my close proofreader friends (two wonderful, patient, and saintly people for putting up with me and not murdering me with my keyboard) convinced me, and 100% rightly, to alter my protagonist's back-story and family history, which accounts for much of her character. I started to scrap the very unnecessary and overly dramatic portions of her past/present life that had swallowed and watered down who she actually was. This drastically alters her very makeup and in a good and frightening way for me. The first couple of chapters I rewrote make for a completely different story, and it both thrills me, makes me happy because of the improvement, but also pains me deeply becasue of the time and sweat (sorry about the hygiene, folks) that I put in to craft the book that I love as a child. By changing the whole protagonist, the entire story needs to be ripped down and renovated from the ground up, and the truth is, that's a bitch (to coin a phrase). I love my story as it is now but cannot bring myself to pursue publishing it as a novel before I redo it, and it might make for a great graphic novel and/or movie (or so a few people have said and I have dreamed), but these too would need a drastic reset, and I have not gotten there yet. I debate and on some days I feel that I want this as a book first and foremost and I'll find the time for the revision that will really be a rewrite, and on other days, today for instance, I think this thing was meant to be a visual noir-esque thriller of a 2020's America that we may be headed for and I can probably find my character's rhythm and life essence easier and quicker in a film and comic ms format... If anyone wants to help me out here and lend an opinion based on my hints and meanderings, I'd be grateful. What I can say for my fans looking forward to a new published novel of mine in the near future is that my newest work is nearly at the 20,000 word mark in a few short and busy weeks and this is going to be oh so HUGE when it hits. All I will admit to now is that it is straight up futuristic storytelling like there has never been and this will be my first attempt at going beyond the realistic and the fantastical of speculative literature and delving (loosely) into the thriller science-fiction genre. I hope it will be worth the wait, my friends. Nothing is stopping me from fulfilling this tale, because I know that is the case. I am compelled with a feeling similar to the compulsion to write feverishly whenever I can, so I know that this will come to fruition . . . and soon. I am going to go write some more of it and enjoy the ride, but I am thinking of you my friends, and I cannot wait to share this thrill with you as well. ~RJH At the forefront of Ian Fleming’s spy novels is, of course, the world-famous character of James Bond, but the grit and realism of Mr. Bond in the novel Live and Let Die is matched by an amazing array of world building, unexpected plot twists, a fearsome villain, and a gorgeous female named Solitaire. There is plenty of the hard-hitting Bond here, including a fantastic train scene where Solitaire somewhat falls for her rescuer and then teases him, knowing that the suave British agent 007 must painfully resist because of a near-broken wrist and hand. The man of action and few words is depicted as being at odds with everyone and everything, except his mission. But the true art of Fleming is in his tight prose, his cunning flurry of “edge of your seat” moments, and the detailed description of vastly contrasting and often exotic environments. . . Read the rest of the Impulsive Review at Fantasy-Matters I know it has been a while, readers, but I am back! And what is more, I am going to keep my promise to speak more often to you all, here, on my personal soapbox, because many exciting things are in the works and 2013 is going to be a revolutionary year! For starters, I have this fancy new domain name - RJHuneke.com - so as to shorten the typing load of, well, everyone, and my production company Rune Works has its own brand spankin' new web site - at RuneWorks.net. My finished manuscript is currently being shopped around to agents - it's a whopper of a dystopian thriller with one of my all time tenacious female protagonists - and a graphic novel version, as well as a screenplay of it has already been undertaken by yours truly. While that might not be new news, I can tell you that the polished ms and the art will be seen in 2013 in the not too distant future and these pieces will be impactful! As head of Rune Works, I can tell you that the production company's second published novel will be released in 2013, and we are proud to announce that it will be a first-of-its-kind Poetry Journey Through Graphic Comic Art - Cassandra DeMario's finely tuned words will meet R.J. Huneke's intriguing artwork in a way that takes the reader on a visual journey through a story that is told by poetry and visual art. More works from other writers are in the works too! And we have not forgotten about the dream either...full feature-length film will be coming to Rune Works! As you can see, the behind-the-scenes aspects of numerous projects have been worked on furiously over the past year, and they will see fruition very soon, folks! Stay Tuned! ~RJ Reading The City & the City by China Miéville is like walking into a dream. There has never been anything written like this. Stark realism and a vivid murder investigation start the tale off as James Patterson might. But the story quickly builds with the unique setting where two cities co-exist alongside one another, sharing the same space though they are two different countries...read the rest on Fantasy-Matters. Tuesday, May 22, 2012 Dark Shadows: A Tim Burton Masterpiece The film Dark Shadows encompasses a rarely met joining of horror, gloomy fantasy, and dark humor, which is often created by the overwhelming sexual tension that oozes across the screen in numerous scenes. Read the Entire Article on Fantasy-Matters.com here! Aside from an overwhelmingly successful reading of THE SUBLIMINAL RELIGION at the Book Revue, the novel has continued to get rave reviews from readers, and will continue to be featured in news magazines, libraries, and book stores.
On a personal note, the sequel is already well underway, and I am greatly enjoying the process of creating in the dismal world that we left off with at the end of THE SUBLIMINAL RELIGION. A graphic comic book - drawn by the talented and renowned artist Matt Helbig - is also beyond the infant stages, and it will be a mystery involving zombies, a great cast of human characters, and is heavily influenced by the TV innovation LOST among other things. A children's series has also been started up between myself and Kurt Zisa; it will consist of many of the things I feel are lacking in quality kids' books: mystery, suspense, technology, robots, and a journey through Penn Station. Lastly my published short story "Lucky" will be reprinted in the US by Abandoned Towers Magazine . . . stay posted for updates as the when and where! Best, RJ Well folks, here it is. A Juicy Quote from the book will be released sporadically on my very own blog here. Keep checking it, and read! It's fantastic!
RJ Today's Juicy Quote: "The weeks following the terrorist attack of March Fifteenth saw a drastic outbreak of hate crimes" THE SUBLIMINAL RELIGION My electric thriller THE SUBLIMINAL RELIGION is officially here! A lot of research went into subliminal messaging and the effects of this on unsuspecting TV watchers.
My riveting ride takes place in a New York City from a not too distant future that could be tomorrow; it is a dark place, that suffered another horrendous terrorist attack on 3/15, and is under a strict lock-down. People are encouraged to walk about the city in groups in order to single out potential wrong-doers. It is a place where undertaking a documentary on subliminal messaging that implicates Disney and the Tea Party in heinous acts against the unsuspecting American public is a very dangerous endeavor. And this is especially the case when the two filming it are just NYU film students trying to prove themselves . . . but they do not realize the cost . . . |
AuthorI have turned the tide and started on my journey. Words and Worlds hang in the balance and I am writing it all down before the RJ Tower! Read about my newest novel on CyberwarSeries.com Archives
March 2023
Categories
All
|