All posts by Eric Robert Nolan

Eric Robert Nolan graduated from Mary Washington College in 1994 with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology. He spent several years a news reporter and editorial writer for the Culpeper Star Exponent in Culpeper, Virginia. His work has also appeared on the front pages of numerous newspapers in Virginia, including The Free Lance – Star and The Daily Progress. Eric entered the field of philanthropy in 1996, as a grant writer for nonprofit healthcare organizations. Eric’s poetry has been featured by Dead Beats Literary Blog, Dagda Publishing, The International War Veterans’ Poetry Archive, and elsewhere. His poetry will also be published by Illumen Magazine in its Spring 2014 issue.

“Let me through. I am a priest.”

This blog post contains major spoilers for Stephen King’s “The Gunslinger” and “The Waste Lands.”  Please read no further if you haven’t read the series.

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A re-read of “The Waste Lands” has informed me of a switcheroo that might strongly detract from one of the most powerful scenes in “The Gunslinger.”  (And I am not sure how the hell I missed this in past readings of the novel … did I just forget?  Am I going senile?)

It is actually Jack Mort, and not The Man In Black, who pushes Jake Chambers into traffic in New York. He is (somewhat confusingly) also dressed as a priest.

I much prefer the iconic, terrifying Walter/Flagg as the slayer (sort of) of poor Jake.  I might just forget that whole Jack Mort retcon, which served little point in “The Waste Lands” and seemed like a surprise that was just shoehorned in.

Stephen King’s “Full Dark, No Stars”

“Full Dark, No Stars” is a good, solid collection of horror tales — four strong novellas by Stephen King that had me engrossed. Interestingly, three of the four tales — “1922,” “Big Driver,” and “A Good Marriage” — contain no supernatural elements whatsoever, and deal only with murders.  The one tale of the supernatural — “Fair Extension” — is a shorter, faster, superior take on the basic plot device examined by the less-than-stellar “Needful Things.” It was typical King; parts were slow, but the pace didn’t change the fact that this was a great page-turner that was hard to put down.  There were a few references to other King novels to please long-term fans, including a reference to “The Dark Tower” series.  Even the Afterword was entertaining, as King delivered his down-to-earth recounting of how he got the ideas for each story.  There’s some great trivia there, too — King says “The Long Walk” was the first novel he wrote, at the tender age of 18. My copy of “Full Dark, No Stars” had a bonus feature — a damn fantastic short story called “Under the Weather.”  Don’t miss it.

“A book is a loaded gun in the house next door…Who knows who might be the target of the well-read man?”
― Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451

New Year’s Eve, 2014

I wish all of you who share your voices and friendship here the very best of New Years — I hope your 2015 is filled with love, light, laughter, prosperity and peace.

And thank you — friends, colleagues, alums, and fellow lovers of words — for being there in 2014 and for brightening my days, and for being who you are — the best, funniest and kindest group of chums that a man could ask for.

Much love,

Eric

2014 in review (goddam Paul Bunyan poem)

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2014 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

A New York City subway train holds 1,200 people. This blog was viewed about 7,300 times in 2014. If it were a NYC subway train, it would take about 6 trips to carry that many people.

Click here to see the complete report.

“Brave New World”

O, wonder!
How many goodly creatures are there here!

How beauteous mankind is! O brave new world,
That has such people in’t!

— Miranda, “The Tempest,” by William Shakespeare

My beard has a name, and it is Grendel.

Seriously, it’s huge.  I think it might soon require it’s own social security number.

I’m starting to think it might rival the face-manes of pals John Kerr and Pete Harrison.  I’ll post pics when I can.

In other news, I am trying to pen a poem about a raven.  Someone gave me a funny look and told me that it’d been done … apparently there’s ANOTHER poem about a raven by a well known poet?

I’ve got submissions in to a few online publishers, for flash fiction and poetry — I’ll let you know if anything is accepted.

I wrote a zombie long story that actually DOES have a main character based on me, which is a first.  His name is Steve, and he’s inquisitive and physically quick.  Also penned my first (and predictably dark) time-travel tale, and I’m very happy with how it turned out.

And I’m hard at work behind the scenes on a major project as well.  I hope everyone is having a terrific holiday season!!!

Looking for a magazine to which to submit a mythology poem.

It’s an allegory to Homer’s “Odyssey.”

Wish me luck.  I don’t know what my chances are … these things are so hit or myth.

Merry Christmas to all my friends!!

I hope that yours is joyous, peaceful, warm and fun.   🙂

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Stephen King’s “Mr. Mercedes”

Stephen King’s “Mr. Mercedes” is a terrific thriller that will be sure to please his fans.  It’s the story of very unlikely heroes and friends pursuing an at-large, highly intelligent and remorseless spree killer/serial killer.

It is occasioanlly slow.  We spend way too much time getting to know Hodges, for example, before his character becomes either likable or even plot-relevant.  But this is forgivable for such a great book.  I loved the characters and found certain scenes touching.  And the character development for the eponymous Mr. Mercedes is consistently disturbing.

And for horror fans … Jeez, does this book deliver.  It’s a frightening story, to say the least.  One part, involving a certain mixup (I can’t say more without spoilers), is positively horrifying, even by Stephen King standards.

My pal Steve Miller told me that this is the start of a trilogy — I can’t wait for the next installment.