WAYNE’S LAST REVIEW

By: Wayne (Editor's Note: Who elso could it be?)

I must say that I’m disappointed. Wayne’s latest review is as incoherent as ever. Even though he has been with the Panache Post since its inception, I can still count with the toes on my left feet the number of times he’s written something useful. If you were to paste together everything of worth he’s ever written, you might have one good paragraph. And the constant referral to his three faithful readers is optimistic fabrication at best.

Then again, he has been with the newsletter longer than most. Perhaps that is why his drivel is still published regularly. And don’t forget that this will be the second year in which members are laying down their pens for graduation.

It will now be up to the new members to carry on. Unfortunately, Wayne has done a more thorough job of scaring them off than integrating them. When asked about this he generally mutters something about respect or speaks his choice phrase, "They probably don’t even know what ‘panache’ means."

Still, he will be gone after this issue, so I’m sure everyone can expect a newsletter filled with coherently written, serious reviews. I urge everyone to bear with Wayne’s latest effort and look instead to next year.

Reviewed by: Wayne (Editor's Note: Who is Wayne anyway?)

Fiction

THE OLD MAN AND THE SEA

By: Ernest Hemingway

Ho hum, just another school assignment … Or so I thought. Like all of my previous reading assignments, I figured this one would be a bore. I soon found that ‘The Old Man and the Sea’ is a great book. It’s full of all sorts of those great guy (and I admit, there are some girls who take pleasure in this topic of reading) things: Major trawling, fish slaughtering, ravenous sharks, and one, beaten-to-a-pulp, old man. The old man’s name happens to be Santiago. In the beginning of the book, he’s been weeks without a catch. His luck finally changes, and he hooks a huge marlin. Thus begins the ensuing struggle for survival, or, the action!

Santiago fights this fish for a couple days. He tries to keep his strength up by eating raw fish and drinking from his dwindling supply of water. Despite his efforts, the marlin constantly throws him around the boat, thus validating my previous beaten-to-a-pulp remark. As far as his mental health goes, his mind keeps drifting off and rambling on and on. Anyway, Santiago finally catches the fish. But just when you think it’s over the author throws more action at you! Sharks come in waves and waves and devour the giant marlin, led to it by the smell of its blood. Santiago beats them off with his harpoon, knife and oar. But as his luck goes, all of his weapons break. So he gives up. He eventually makes it home with the remaining skeleton of the marlin.

Now, I’m not going to get into the philosophical analysis of ‘The Old Man and the Sea’, though there is a lot more to it than meets the eye. It’s a great book and an easy read. So the next time you have to read it for school don’t whine! You might enjoy it.

Reviewed by: Mark

Science Fiction

THE PATH OF DAGGERS

By: Robert Jordan

Faithful readers may recall a review some weeks ago about the "Wheel of Time". This is the eighth installment to that series. I’ve only just started reading it, and already I’m trying to remember why I liked the series in the first place.

I think it has to do with the old-people effect, the one that makes people remember to despise the present, and treat the future like something to be feared. Well, children have never respected their elders, and you really have to wonder if grandpa really walked to school uphill both ways carrying his brothers and sisters. It’s rather doubtful considering all the snow he had to deal with.

The scientific thing to do would be to revisit the first few books and see if I really liked them. However, my deadline is coming. On the brighter side, I was able to acquire the book you are reading about in this review, making it all but impossible for you to read the actual book itself.

But never fear, it is due May 3^rd, and if you are one of my three faithful readers, you might want to sit down because this is my last review.

Reviewed by: Wayne (Editor's Note: Here is than mystery Wayne again.)

THE RADIANT SEAS

By: Catherine Asaro

What an amazingly cool series! The Skolian Saga generally rocks…. Anyway, Asaro once again proves her skill with science fiction in The Radiant Seas, the fourth book in the Skolian Saga.

I won’t even bother telling you what it’s about, only to read Primary Inversion. Catch the Lightning, The Last Hawk, and The Radiant Seas, and then you too will understand.

Reviewed by: Kush

SOUL FORGE

By: Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman

This latest book by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman definitely meets the standards by their former collaborations. Raistlin Majere was always my favorite character in the Dragonlance series. From the first time he was introduced, his character has always intrigued me. Apparently many others felt the same because now there is a series devoted to his life.Soulforge is the first book in this series.A story which holds true to the Dragonlance universe, this book is truly a must-read for Dragonlance fans. While this book has less action than many of the others, it tells a great story and contains a fascinating intro.

Reviewed by: Nick

Suspense

THE CRADLE WILL FALL

By: Mary Higgins Clark

In the book The Cradle Will Fall by Mary Higgins Clark, the story opens with the murder/suicide of Vangie Lewis. This expectant mother had been slow to conceive and consulted the well renowned infertility physician Edgar Highley. The only person who may have the missing link in Vangie’s death is county prosecutor Katie DeMaio. She isn’t sure if the happenings she saw from her hospital window were real, or just an effect of her sleeping pill. As two more murders occur, the heat is on in the Lewis case, and Katie DeMaio is headed to routine surgical procedure in Dr.Highley’s operating room.

I really enjoyed this book. Mary Higgins Clark is an excellent suspence author and her novels are engrossing. I find myself staying up late to finish the chapter I’m on. An interesting thing about Mary Higgins Clark is that her novels take place in everyday life.

This creates a sense of connection between her readers and the characters. This connection, along with her superb plot made The Cradle Will Fall especially enjoyable for me!