Summer Reading: The Umbrella Conspiracy

As summer wears on into the August dog days, I find myself turning to my XBOX One console for relaxing (and admittedly mindless) gaming action. Though the missions have long been completed, I most frequently return to any of the many Resident Evil/Resident Evil Revelations titles for comfort. There is, after all, a personal Gamer Score to inflate by reaching achievements in games that are not necessarily earned by simply completing the narrative. For a number of reasons, the Resident Evil games to have a high level of re-playability for me that others don’t. Much of this is due to the deep and somewhat convoluted mythos presented throughout the game series.

Despite having read the numerous screenshots and load pages with background information—and having seen the cgi films released her in the U.S—the expansive story of Raccoon City, the Umbrella Company and Terragrigia, as well as their connections to one another from game-to-game is not always easy to discern. It is with interest in obtaining more background, as well as filling some free time with enjoyable reading, that I picked up Resident Evil: The Umbrella Conspiracy by S.D. Perry. A fairly straightforward novelization of the first Resident Evil game, The Umbrella Conspiracy combines Jill's and Chris gameplay scenarios into a singular narrative.

Bearing cover blurbs declaring the paperback as both “Volume 1” and “Based on the Bestselling Videogame by Capcom,” I anticipated getting some additional canon to help clarify some of the relationships between characters, at least at this early point in the series. While some of obvious character traits such as Albert Wesker’s villainous nature through obvious mannerisms such as his “perpetual sunglasses propped on his tanned brow” (127), new information is revealed such as Wesker’s early role in the story as a secondary henchman character. The he began as a captain in the U.S. police team STARS was not clear to gamers such as I who came late to the series (never a PlayStation player was always behind with RE early releases). This was just the kind of character development I came for. From the heroic Jill Valentine and white bread Chris Redfield to less well-known (though I dig him in his debut as a playable character in Resident Evil Revelations 2), Barry Burton, Perry uses the gameplay context to provide each an opportunity to develop.

Perry also makes the interesting choice to use the gameplay structure to drive the narrative in The Umbrella Conspiracy. Puzzles for opening doors become part of the story as Perry offers the reader into the though process characters go through in deciphering the proper way to address a variety of keys. Because this often entails characters spending pages searching for large coins which when combined allow access to parts to important the building, it is best that the reader recognize The Umbrella Conspiracy for what it is. Anyone who has played video games understands the necessity of nuanced puzzles to keep gameplay engaging. Perry is ware of his intended audience and writes it straight rather than having characters question “why would someone have use a series of cradle-to-grave paintings as a key to a secret doorway?” the STARS members demonstrate grit in simply recognizing the importance of doing what needs to be done. Even if what needs to be done is pulling levers to avoid attack crows. Requiring characters to think critically think about how to address each challenge as it occurs also offers deeper insight into what drives them. What seem like selfish moves on Barry’s part in assisting Wesker is much more forgivable given the weight of the threats made to his family should he not.

Another thought I had while reading The Umbrella Conspiracy is how Perry so effectively (and consistently) uses olfactory imagery throughout, a sensual competent obviously absent in the game beyond the visuals. Yes the zombies as computer generated characters are uniquely designed and, well, gross, I had not previously considered that they probably really stink too. Overall the level of descriptive gore present in this book is definitely on par with what one would expect from a Resident Evil product… and for this reader that is a good thing!

I breezed through the novel’s 280 pages, and look forward to picking up Volume 2: Caliban Cove which, unlike Volume 1, is an original work by Perry that bridges events between the first two games. I recommend The Umbrella Conspiracy to any readers of action/adventure/horror and would even suggest those who have not previously played Resident Evil will find something to enjoy; an ideal beach horror read.

Roadie: Victoria, British Columbia

View from the Harbour Pathway, Victoria, British Columbia. (7/4/19)

Just as we spent Canada Day in Juneau, Alaska, we spent Independence Day in British Columbia, Canada. It was a very brief stop and the final port of call on our seven day Alaskan cruise. The cruise ship dock is located at Ogden Point, a 35-minute walk to downtown Victoria. As you might expect we were beginning to miss home, but we're still game for a self-guided walking tour of Victoria, British Columbia. Our boat was docked for only 4 hours so it was a nice low-key way to conclude what had been an exciting six days.

Aquatic life beside the cruise ship on our way to Victoria, British Columbia. (7/4/19)

Look closely and you'll find the outline below water of a dolphin that swam
beside the ship. (7/4/19)

A humpback whale exhaling. (7/4/19)

View from our patio of neighborhood to the left of the Ogden Cruise
Ship Terminal. (7/4/19)

View from the Harbour Pathway. (7/4/19)

(7/4/19)

Close-up of sweet peas, a flowering plant, not the vegetable. (7/4/19)

View from the Harbour Pathway. (7/4/19)

One of the garden areas in Beacon Hill Park. (7/4/19)

The British Columbia Parliament Buildings home to the Legislative Assembly
of British Columbia. (7/4/19)

Close-up of giant sequoia outside British Columbia
Parliment. (7/4/19)

Close-up of the Knowledge Totem Pole carved by Coast
Salish artist Cicero August. The pole was originally created for the
 1994 Commonwealth Games. (7/4/19)

(7/4/19)

(7/4/19)

Community garden in James Bay Village area of suburban Victoria,
British Columbia. (7/4/19)

Community garden in James Bay Village suburban Victoria,
British Columbia. (7/4/19)

Summer Reading: Harvest Home

A few weeks ago I purchased a lovely worn copy of one of a recent current grail title: Harvest Home by Thomas Tryon. Tryon’s second novel has appeared on numerous folk horror reading lists uncovered during my dive into the genre. Despite its presence on so many lists it was surprisingly difficult to find a copy to read. After discovering that the local public library system possessed three copies, all of which were out, I decided to go online for a copy. Turns out it was the correct choice as not only did I enjoy it, but I am confident others in my circle will too.

Told as an extended flashback from the first person perspective of the novel’s protagonist, Ned Constantine, the story's structure takes us from his family’s purchase of a home in the secluded village of Cornwall Coombe in Part One entitled “Agnes Fair” through the terrifying revelation as to what exactly “Harvest Home” means in the eponymously titled Part Five. Tryon deftly places breadcrumbs such as “Viewed in the light of what occurred later, it was a fool’s Paradise” (152) and “I never got to Hartford… for it was the fateful night that saw my fall from favor” (278) to let the reader that, despite what is to occur, Ned has survived. Of course, surviving does not necessarily mean unchanged.

The aspect of the story that works best for me is Ned’s building paranoia regarding the shifting allegiance of his wife, Beth. Their relationship is further complicated when it becomes clear that she, and his daughter, are being slowly manipulated by the town’s leader, the elderly (and initially very kind and supportive of Ned), Widow Fortune. As the Widow insinuates herself into the Constantine family’s lives, Ned (and we) recognize that all is not what it appears. Equally frustrating is the pig-headedness of Ned’s decision making that ultimately result in the grim finale which begins when he feels a “shiver, like a strange paralysis, creeping up [his] body.” (386) In the end, Ned’s paranoia about having his loved ones turned against him by larger (small town) social pressures is well executed by the author.

This is, of course, a folk horror novel, and Tryon does a very credible job building this world of corn cob totems (160) and Eleusian Mysteries. The author uses a neighbor character, Robert Dodd, a former college professor who is now blind and housebound, as the primary vehicle for delivering the eerie exposition regarding the community’s rituals and pagan belief. Goddesses, fertility, psychedelic mushrooms and “corn stalk cosplay” all play a role in fully developing the system of beliefs that drive the community forward into the future by staying set firmly in its past.

When released in 1973, Harvest Home was the successful follow-up to Tryon’s debut novel The Other (1971). Quickly adapted into a popular television min-series starring Bette Davis, it demonstrated itself to have some cultural resonance too. Harvest Home, like most successful that maintains its appeal, subverts a number of horror conventions a trick made slightly more difficult to in a contemporary context due to its impact on books and movies that followed. Though some of the narrative twists and turns were expected, if you have seen The Wicker Man (1973) or Midsommar (2018) you’ll see them coming too, the sense of dread Tyron builds was surprisingly not ameliorated. The fact that my own prior reading provided clues to later reveals, speaks to the gripping nature of Tryon’s storytelling.

Everyone has experienced the disappointment and regret that comes with looking very forward to getting something that fails to live up to expectations (come to think of it that could be a theme for this book!). I am happy to share that this is not the case with Thomas Tryon’s Harvest Home, a 400 page book I breezed through in three days despite frequent stops to jot down notes and savor the storytelling. Highly recommended!