In my bookshelf right now

One of the main battlefields, a city of Tampere, in 1918

• Väinö Linna's 'Under the North Star', parts 2 and 3. It tells about the same family, Koskelas, as the previous novel. Second part is placed around 1918, when there was Civil War. Third part place around Second World War.
• Criminal Minds, seasons 1 and 2. An American police series, which follows a profiler team from FBI's Behavior Analysis Unit (BAU).
• Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's Faust. A tragic play about a scholar and a Devil.

Indrotuction

First part of Väinö Linna's trilogy, Under the Northen Star, is a bit confusing reading experiment. It's really slow and some times almost wearing stable, but still some how interesting. I don't know is it Linna's way to write or his accurate character description or what, but underneath a ordinary and prosaic there is a small tone, which makes you want to read more.
   The novel starts when Jussi, a crofter of a local clergyman, examine a marsh going to build his croft on it. The old clergyman gives a premision and with his wife Alma his start to desiccate the marsh and clear fields. The croft is named as Koskela (koski=rapids, -la=common ending in place's names). The whole trilogy follows life's of Koskela's occupants.
   The first part is truly prosaic, slow. Major events are among other things weddings, funerals, confirmations, births, common celebrations... In the beginning the novel tells the life of Jussi, but starts soon to follow the life of his son, Akseli. There is also some other important characters, like a self-educated socialist, taylor Halme and clergyman and his wife and crofter family of Kivivuori (kivi=rock, vuori=mountain), expecially the daughter Elina. Entire village of Pentinkulma (Pentti=Finnish man's name, -n=ending of genetive, kulma=corner) is filled with colourful people.
   The first part doesn't work as a independent novel, there isn't enough happenings to that. It's like a introduction, a beginning for something bigger and darker. That promise can be seen in the last sentences of the novel, which end a beautiful wedding episode: "Finnish summer is beautiful. But short."

Mark:   8 1/2

Banal seriousness

I had never before read any books from Marja-Leena Tiainen and I can promise that there will not be any others. I have better use for my time.
   The book which I read was 'Kahden maailman tyttö' (direct translation would be 'Girl of two worlds'). It tells about, 17 years old Tara, who is an immigrant. She would like to live like normal Finnish girl, but her brother and father have their own plans. In the end Tara has to run away to a shelter.

The novel handles interesting, important and serious issues, like honor violence, but it don't make justice for them. It keeps a processing of those things in the level of newspaper writing. Characters do and think things, but it haven't any kind of affect to the reader.
   The most irritating character is Tara. She's a stereotype of young girl: she is quite good at school, like languages and fashion, dreams about eternal love and looks gorgeous without known it. She also seems to be little indolence: she just wander through the happenings and she only emotion seems to be horror mixed with agony.
Language is almost as horrific as the main character: because it is a book for youngsters, the writer tries to use youthful language, with awful consequences. There is some 'youthfull' expressions in the text, like 'galtsu' (abbreviation from IRC-gallery). Youngsters really don't use this kind of language.
   The novel try to be a serious story about serious subject, but end up to be banal and ridiculous. There's many better ways to spend your time. For example staring a fly on ceiling.



Mark: 4

Ordinary war

A famous cover of "The Unknown Soldier"

VäinöLinna's “The Unknown Soldier” is a Finnish classic. Many quotes from those soldiers have become common phrases in Finnish and our national broadcasting network, YLE, shows every Independent Day a same film, Edvin Laine's black-and-white version about the novel. 

Once “The Unknown Soldier” raised a furor: it was something new and provocative. It bring up many taboos of Finnish culture. Their part of the jeering get Russians, officers and members of the women's auxilitiry service as well as patriotic fervor and the war itself.

“The Unknown Soldier” follows the story of a machine gun company's third platoon. The storyline follows a course of Finnish Continuation War against Russia 1941-1944. Story and characters based on mainly real happenings, war stories and people. Platoon reminds much Linna's own platoon, where he served in Continuation War.

Characters are a colourful punch of people: there is a ladies' man, a coward, a psychopath, a miser, a communist, a bully... “The Unknown Soldier” isn't a portrait about Continuation War, primarily it is a portrait about ordinary people in war. All characters are human: they make mistakes and some questionable things, but they're also loyal and encouraging for one another. They rebel against officers, grumble about almost everything, swear, drink etc.

Rahikainen, Lehto ja Määttä in Edvin Laine's fi

“The Unknown Soldier” is a powerful and impressive tale. Despite of its topic and historical aspect, it has definitely something to give for a modern reader. It's not groundlessly maybe the most important Finnish novel. Different dialects make the novel first hard to read, but soon you use to them and they help you to identify characters. I can warmly recommend it to everyone.

Mark: 9+

In my bookshelf right now

Now when I have again time to read I have visited in library:

• Anu Holopainen's newest "Varjoja" (Shadows). It's sequel to her feminist fantasy series "Autumnland". It's, like all Holopainen's books, available only in Finnish.
• Marja-Leena Tiainen's "Kahden maailman tyttö" (Girl of two world). It tells about Tara, 17 year-old immigrantgirl, how have to run away to a reformatory. This book is available only in Finnish, but some of her other novels are traslated to Swedish, Danish, Estonian and Lithuanian.
• First part of the Väinö Linna's trilogy "Under the North Star". This important Finnish trilogy follows the life of a cotter family. It has translated to Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Hungarian, Russian, Estonian, French, Czech, Turkish, Croatian, Polish, Bulgarian, Chinese and English.
• Goethe's "Faust". A tragic play about Faust and Mephistopheles (the Devil). Translated to many different languages.
• George Orwell's novella "Animal Farm", where animals of the farm make a revolution. Traslated numerous languages.

Answers to almost everything

Vikas Svarup's first novel ‘Q to A’ was success. And not completely without reason.

   Ram Mohammad Thomas is an 18-year-old waiter from Bombay’s slum. He take part in quiz and for everybody's suprise win a billion rupee. But when waiter, without any kind of proper education, can answer correctly for 12 difficult question, it awakes some doubts. An young beautiful lawyer saves him from violent interrogation, but like everyone, she want to know how he did it. And so Ram ends to tell her his lifestory.

   Ram's whole life is like a cross-section from Indian culture. Even his name shows its diversity (Ram is one of the most important characters in hindu mythology, Mohammad is a creator of Islam and Thomas is one of the

apostles). He has faced politicians and filmstars as well as prostitutes, perverts and all shorts of criminals.

   And still, some times, it feels like the whole novel would be a tribute for a western society; Ram's all acts are acceptable by western standards. He dream about travelling to Australia and survive partly because he speak english. Svarup is clearly avoiding all that can be strange for western readers: all the places are familiar (Bombay, Delhi, Taj Mahal), Ram is little like Oliver Twist and some of the chapter’s names are took from the western light reading (like ‘Licence to kill’). The novel is like a turisttrip: it shows some of places, but don’t go any deeper. Luckily Svarup do that in his second book ‘Six suspects’ (review coming), where he approach for example caste system, political corruption and Kashmir's problem.

   And still the novel is, somehow, quit sympathetic story. I think most of charm come from the way Svarup tells the story. It’s open like Rubik’s Cube: every move displays bricks untill there's a perfect picture in front of us. Anyhow, Svarup has deliciously woven Ram's life to this moment.

Mark: 8

Dorian Gray - defaced by his beauty

Oscar Wilde's only novel Picture of Dorian Gray is a classic. In Victorian England it aroused sensation with its 'immoral story'. It was even used as an evidence in Wilde's trial.

   Picture of Dorian Gray is a little confusing book. Tale Dorian's

depravity and his changing picture can be read as thriller as well as study about art and beauty. In every page I found a new viewpoint to see the novel. So I was bit in a whirl.

   And still Wilde is being able to greate small but accurate pictures about people and their motives. If you have some spare time in your holiday, here is a book, which is worth of reading.

Mark: 9 1/2

Macbeth

I know - Macbeth isn't the easiest text, but it's a good one. It's easy to read it when you think it on play or movie in your head. Then you can in peace consentrate on the story.
   And story is good thought quit traditional. Bad guys lose and good ones live happily ever after. Still Shakespeare is embroider the story so that there are lots of interesting characters. When you cleanse patiently their speeches, you get to know a lot of their personality.
   There is few scenes that don't seem to carry the story to anywhere. Like the witches scene where Hekate appears. Maybe their are for filling, so that actors have time to change their costumes.
   I'm not going to tell more about play, if you're interested, read it. It's worth it.

Mark: 10

Arthur and his round table

I didn't really read sir Thomas Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur, only translated concise of it.

   It adds my knowledge about adventures of King Arthur and his noble knights,

where based on  Mauri Kunnas's children's book The Tails Of King Arthur And The Knights Of The Round Table.

   Actual I can't say anything about Le Morte d'Arthur, because like I said, it was an abridgement. And very terrible of that kind. Characters seemed to run happens to another and times didn't match at all. Indeed I recomendate rather Mauri Kunnas's inaccurate, but so sweet version than this translation.

Mark: 6

Whoever saves one life, saves the world entire

 Second World War is still a popular subject, especially in entertaiment: YLE present every Independence Day 'The Unknown Soldier', the movie, which based on Väinö Linna's famous novel, everybody have heard about 'Saving Private Ryan' and in this year get its premier finnish scifimovie 'Iron Sky', where Nazis have colonized the moon. Into this same subject draw also Thomas Keneally's 'Schindler's list'.
   The book based on true story about Oskar Schindler, ethnic German industrialist and member of Naziparty and 1100 Jewishs he bail out. Like author hiself states, he have used aids that are typical for novels, partly because he thinks that he doesn't posses others. He have anyhow wanted to stay into facts as far as possible, so book contains lots of numbers and reference to his repositorys, especially to the Jewishs Oskar saved. All happens in the book are true and most of the conversations ( part of them had to reconstruct ) based on accurate memorys by Schindlerjuden ( Schindler's Jewishs ), witnesses and Schindler hiself. This create a confusing mess of cold facts and literature's emotionality.
  Reader can immediatelly identify to holocaust's Jewishs victims. She or he can almost see when Rosners brothers, Jew musicians, play literally for dear life in Podgóre's concentration camp's commendant Amon Goeth's villa. Reader can also conceive Goeth standing his villa's terrace in shirtsleeves just after breakfast targeting lazy prisoners with rifle.
   The book contains many shuddering stories about mistreatment of Jewishs: little girl has to see during action when SS-men beat people who was hiding in ghetto's houses. When group of men who belong to Schindlerjuden end up into Auswitch, they have to sleep in one another's lap so that they fit into their small building.
   Althought book gush out shuddering happens, there is also little glimpses of hope: it feels almost miraculous that same little girl, who have to see cruelty of action, contrives to slide from middle of SS-men's boots back to freedom. It's touching how young lovebirds want to date traditionally middle of Podgóre's camp's misery and horrors.
   In Oskar's and Jewish's he saved battle against revelation almost every means are allowed; they get officers to turn a blind eye with generous bribes or drinks, Oskar keeps SS-men away by threatening them with consequences, which would follow if somebody would disturd his Jewish workers, who are 'important to war' and saves many of his employees by pleading their so called 'proficiency' and they fake without a second thought official documents.
   Characters of 'The Schindler's list' are like direct to traditional fairytale: there is incomprehensible evil
( Nazis, at the head Podgóre's concentration camp's commendant Amon Goeth ), innocent people, who need help ( Jewish ) and a guide, who directs our hero to the right way ( Itzhak Stern ). Only Oskar hiself doesn't fit into this pattern. Although he managed to save 1100 Jewish, he was still a hard drinker with an iron liver and little bit flighty and he had many lovers, who his wife got at least suspicions. Despite that in his Jewish workers' memories he appears in mystic and almost supernatural guardian angel.
   Oskar Schindler and his acts are so complex that their are actually impossible to explain exhaustively in 412 pages, if at all. If I would know that all this is true, I would have hard to believe so.

Mark: 8-

Freemasons, mysterious intruders, weird weapons and coded messages

Arthur Conan Doyles fourth and final Holmes-novel 'The Valley of Fear'

includes everything this. Just like all the other Holmes-novels ( part from

'The Hound of the Baskervilles' ) it contains two part: in the first part

Holmes and Watson are examining the tragedy of Birlstone. Mr. Douglas

has killed brutally in his home and police is confused. The second part

places in past and tells how everything have came to this point.

   Novels language is a little bit obsolescent and so it little hard to read, especially if you english isn't good. That's why I recomend it to them who have read books in english before and who manages to use dictionary.

   Many of the Sherlock Holmes -fans think that 'The Valley of Fear' is Conan Doyles best and I agree. It's the most exiting and darkest Holmes-story I have read. There Watson's narrators voice get its rights. It shows that Doyle's Watson isn't a bit dumb like in later movies; compared to Holmes everbody look little dim. There is also the only truly funny moment for which I quietly chuckled by myself; the moment when Holmes awake Watson and ask him if he would "be afraid to sleep in the same room with a lunatic, a man with softening of the brain, an  idiot whose mind has lost its grip". And in the end, well, everything aren't nicely and well.

Mark: 7-

My top 10 movies

1. Inception 
It's simply brilliant.

2. A Beautiful Mind 
Touching true story about a brilliant mathematician John Nash, who has schizophrenia. Especially Russell Growe's performance as Nash is memorable.






3. The Phantom of the Opera 
It based on Gaston Leroux's classic
novel and Andrew Lyod Webber's popular musical. Story lean mainly great songs, which remain spinning in your mind.

4. Angels and Demons 
It based on Dan Brown's first Robert Langdon -novel, which I think is the best of them. It's a thrilling story about encounter of science and religion. In the major part is Tom Hanks as Robert Langdon and my personal favourite, Ewan McGregor, as Camerlengo.
 

5. Sherlock Holmes 
Guy Rithcie's vision about Conan Doyle's characters is fresh, exciting and funny. This time Holmes and Watson aren't middle-aged men.

6. Tim Burton's Corpse Bride 
Gloomy stop-motion-animation by Tim Burton. It's so weird that it can't be anything but great entertaiment.

7. Shutter Island
It based on well constructed novel by Dennis Lehane. It's a thrilling story about sanity and insanity.

8. Nightmare Before Christmas
Weird but fun tale about Halloween and Christmast. It's directed by Tim Burton just like in Corpse Bride.

9. Mouling Rouge 
To this musical is selected many very popular songs from 'The Sound of Music' to 'Like a Virgin'. And there is Ewan McGregor singing.

10. The Men Who Stare at Goats 
It's so weird, but also so hilarious.

+ 11. Ghost Writer 
I have to put this to here, because in this movie has the most brilliant end that I have ever seen.

Cops of Detroit

Finnish tv-channel 4 has showed already four episode from new crime drama series 'Detroit 1-8-7'. It
tells about Detroit's leading homicide unit. It features an ensemble cast of actors including Michael Imperioli (The Sopranos) and James McDaniel (NYPD Blue).
   Series isn't full of technical apparatus like any of CSI-series and more realistic than for examble Mentalist or Castle. It's somehow quit charming and humor is fun, but sometimes little bit weird like in this clip:  Unusual interrogationtactic. It's mostly merit of Michael Imperioli, who acts Louis Fitch, talented crime inspector, but he is very challenging colleague.
   Series represents all so ordinary people, who just try to live they lives. Detroit is almost one of the characters.

Mark: 8-

Another poem from Tim Burton

Nightmare Before Christmas original poem

It was late one fall in Halloweenland,
and the air had quite a chill.
Against the moon a skeleton sat,
alone upon a hill.
He was tall and thin with a bat bow tie;
Jack Skellington was his name.
He was tired and bored in Halloweenland

"I'm sick of the scaring, the terror, the fright.
I'm tired of being something that goes bump in the night.
I'm bored with leering my horrible glances,
And my feet hurt from dancing those skeleton dances.
I don't like graveyards, and I need something new.
There must be more to life than just yelling,
'Boo!'"

Then out from a grave, with a curl and a twist,
Came a whimpering, whining, spectral mist.
It was a little ghost dog, with a faint little bark,
And a jack-o'-lantern nose that glowed in the dark.
It was Jack's dog, Zero, the best friend he had,
But Jack hardly noticed, which made Zero sad.

All that night and through the next day,
Jack wandered and walked.
He was filled with dismay.
Then deep in the forest, just before night,
Jack came upon an amazing sight.
Not twenty feet from the spot where he stood
Were three massive doorways carved in wood.
He stood before them, completely in awe,
His gaze transfixed by one special door.
Entranced and excited, with a slight sense of worry,
Jack opened the door to a white, windy flurry.

Jack didn't know it, but he'd fallen down
In the middle of a place called Christmas Town!
Immersed in the light, Jack was no longer haunted.
He had finally found the feeling he wanted.
And so that his friends wouldn't think him a liar,
He took the present filled stockings that hung by the fire.
He took candy and toys that were stacked on the shelves
And a picture of Santa with all of his elves.
He took lights and ornaments and the star from the tree,
And from the Christmas Town sign, he took the big letter C.

He picked up everything that sparkled or glowed.
He even picked up a handful of snow.
He grabbed it all, and without being seen,
He took it all back to Halloween.

Back in Halloween a group of Jack's peers
Stared in amazement at his Christmas souvenires.
For this wondrous vision none were prepared.
Most were excited, though a few were quite scared!

For the next few days, while it lightninged and thundered,
Jack sat alone and obsessively wondered.
"Why is it they get to spread laughter and cheer
While we stalk the graveyards, spreading panic and fear?
Well, I could be Santa, and I could spread cheer!
Why does he get to do it year after year?"
Outraged by injustice, Jack thought and he thought.
Then he got an idea. "Yes. . .yes. . .why not!"

In Christmas Town, Santa was making some toys
When through the din he heard a soft noise.
He answered the door, and to his surprise,
He saw weird little creatures in strange disguise.
They were altogether ugly and rather petite.
As they opened their sacks, they yelled, "Trick or treat!"
Then a confused Santa was shoved into a sack
And taken to Halloween to see mastermind Jack.

In Halloween everyone gathered once more,
For they'd never seen a Santa before
And as they cautiously gazed at this strange old man,
Jack related to Santa his masterful plan:
"My dear Mr. Claus, I think it's a crime
That you've got to be Santa all of the time!
But now I will give presents, and I will spread cheer.
We're changing places I'm Santa this year.
It is I who will say Merry Christmas to you!
So you may lie in my coffin, creak doors, and yell, 'Boo!'
And please, Mr. Claus, don't think ill of my plan.
For I'll do the best Santa job that I can."

And though Jack and his friends thought they'd do a good job,
Their idea of Christmas was still quite macabre.
They were packed up and ready on Christmas Eve day
When Jack hitched his reindeer to his sleek coffin sleigh,
But on Christmas Eve as they were about to begin,
A Halloween fog slowly rolled in.
Jack said, "We can't leave; this fog's just too thick.
There will be no Christmas, and I can't be St. Nick."
Then a small glowing light pierced through the fog.
What could it be?. . .It was Zero, Jack's dog!

Jack said, "Zero, with your nose so bright,
Won't you guide my sleigh tonight?"

And to be so needed was Zero's great dream,
So he joyously flew to the head of the team.
And as the skeletal sleigh started its ghostly flight,
Jack cackled, "Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!"

'Twas the nightmare before Christmas, and all though the house,
Not a creature was peaceful, not even a mouse.
The stockings all hung by the chimney with care,
When opened that morning would cause quite a scare!
The children, all nestled so snug in their beds,
Would have nightmares of monsters and skeleton heads.
The moon that hung over the new-fallen snow
Cast an eerie pall over the city below,
And Santa Claus's laughter now sounded like groans,
And the jingling bells like chattering bones.
And what to their wondering eyes should appear,
But a coffin sleigh with skeleton deer.
And a skeletal driver so ugly and sick
They knew in a moment, this can't be St. Nick!
From house to house, with a true sense of joy,
Jack happily issued each present and toy.
From rooftop to rooftop he jumped and he skipped,
Leaving presents that seemed to be straight from a crypt!
Unaware that the world was in panic and fear,
Jack merrily spread his own brand of cheer.

He visited the house of Susie and Dave;
They got a Gumby and Pokey from the grave.
Then on to the home of little Jane Neeman;
She got a baby doll possessed by a demon.
A monstrous train with tentacle tracks,
A ghoulish puppet wielding an ax,
A man eating plant disguised as a wreath,
And a vampire teddy bear with very sharp teeth.

There were screams of terror, but Jack didn't hear it,
He was much too involved with his own Christmas spirit!
Jack finally looked down from his dark, starry frights
And saw the commotion, the noise, and the light.
"Why, they're celebrating, it looks like such fun!
They're thanking me for the good job that I've done."
But what he thought were fireworks meant as goodwill
Were bullets and missiles intended to kill.
Then amidst the barrage of artillery fire,
Jack urged Zero to go higher and higher.
And away they all flew like the storm of a thistle,
Until they were hit by a well guided missile.
And as they fell on the cemetery, way out of sight,
Was heard, "Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good
night."

Jack pulled himself up on a large stone cross,
And from there he reviewed his incredible loss.
"I thought I could be Santa, I had such belief"
Jack was confused and filled with great grief.
Not knowing where to turn, he looked toward the sky,
Then he slumped on the grave and he started to cry.
And as Zero and Jack lay crumpled on the ground,
They suddenly heard a familiar sound.

"My dear Jack," said Santa, "I applaud your intent.
I know wreaking such havoc was not what you meant.
And so you are sad and feeling quite blue,
But taking over Christmas was the wrong thing to do.
I hope you realize Halloween's the right place for you.
There's a lot more, Jack, that I'd like to say,
But now I must hurry, for it's almost Christmas day."
Then he jumped in his sleigh, and with a wink of an eye,
He said, "Merry Christmas," and he bid them good bye.

Back home, Jack was sad, but then, like a dream,
Santa brought Christmas to the land of Halloween.

The Phantom of the Opera

Gaston Leroux's The Phantom of the Opera is a classic. And not without reason. All of  Phantom's gadgets and secret traps and mechanisms are possible to carry out, which shows how carefully Leroux is thought everything.
   Book tells about Erik, deformed man who lives cellars of the Paris Opera House. He falls in love with Christine Daae, young chorus girl. But there is also Raoul, Vicomte de Chagny, Christine's crush when they are children. From this starts love triangel which ushers unheard-of happenings in the Opera.
   Book start with a prologue where Leroux convinces that every thing is true. This fits Leroux's job in journalist. He benefits his large experience from his trips around the world.
   Story aren't really scary but otherwise it's quit enjoyable.

Mark: 8-

Yippee!

Finnish national tv-company YLE start to show Pasila's 3th season in monday 17.1.
    Pasila is a finnish cartoon, mainly for adults. It tells sarcastically about policies life in Pasila, real neighbourhood in Helsinki. Pasila shares peoples opinions: some thinks is irritating and tasteless, but some (like me) loves it.
   You can watch some periods in english here: http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=pasila+in+english&aq=f

I love this poem

Vincent
Tim Burton's poem

Vincent Malloy is seven years old
He’s always polite and does what he’s told
For a boy his age, he’s considerate and nice
But he wants to be just like Vincent Price

He doesn’t mind living with his sister, dog and cats
Though he’d rather share a home with spiders and bats
There he could reflect on the horrors he’s invented
And wander dark hallways, alone and tormented

Vincent is nice when his aunt comes to see him
But imagines dipping her in wax for his wax museum

He likes to experiment on his dog Abercrombie
In the hopes of creating a horrible zombie
So he and his horrible zombie dog
Could go searching for victims in the London fog

His thoughts, though, aren’t only of ghoulish crimes
He likes to paint and read to pass some of the times
While other kids read books like Go, Jane, Go!
Vincent’s favourite author is Edgar Allen Poe

One night, while reading a gruesome tale
He read a passage that made him turn pale

Such horrible news he could not survive
For his beautiful wife had been buried alive!
He dug out her grave to make sure she was dead
Unaware that her grave was his mother’s flower bed

His mother sent Vincent off to his room
He knew he’d been banished to the tower of doom
Where he was sentenced to spend the rest of his life
Alone with the portrait of his beautiful wife

While alone and insane encased in his tomb
Vincent’s mother burst suddenly into the room
She said: “If you want to, you can go out and play
It’s sunny outside, and a beautiful day”

Vincent tried to talk, but he just couldn’t speak
The years of isolation had made him quite weak
So he took out some paper and scrawled with a pen:
“I am possessed by this house, and can never leave it again”
His mother said: “You’re not possessed, and you’re not almost dead
These games that you play are all in your head
You’re not Vincent Price, you’re Vincent Malloy
You’re not tormented or insane, you’re just a young boy
You’re seven years old and you are my son
I want you to get outside and have some real fun.

”Her anger now spent, she walked out through the hall
And while Vincent backed slowly against the wall
The room started to swell, to shiver and creak
His horrid insanity had reached its peak

He saw Abercrombie, his zombie slave
And heard his wife call from beyond the grave
She spoke from her coffin and made ghoulish demands
While, through cracking walls, reached skeleton hands

Every horror in his life that had crept through his dreams
Swept his mad laughter to terrified screams!
To escape the madness, he reached for the door

But fell limp and lifeless down on the floor

                                                          His voice was soft and very slow
                                               As he quoted The Raven from Edgar Allen Poe:

                                                        “and my soul from out that shadow
                                                            that lies floating on the floor
                                                                      shall be lifted?
                                                                       Nevermore…”