Tundraco's Daily Living Guide to Book Reviews
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Tundraco's Daily Living Guide to Book Reviews |
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In the Shadow of the Master Classic Tales by Edgar Allan Poe and Essays by Jeffery Deaver, Nelson DeMille, Tess Gerritsen, Sue Grafton, Stephen King, ... Lisa Scottoline, and Thirteen Others Edited by Michael Connelly Harper Paperbacks (2010), 416 pages ISBN 10: 0061690406 ISBN 13: 978-0061690402 |
Reviewed by Israel Drazin - January 21, 2010
Robert B. Parker, the author of the Spenser and other books, died on Monday, January 18, 2010. Then, for the first time since 1949, on Tuesday, January 19, on Edgar Allan Poe's birthday, no one showed up at his grave to deposit the traditional three red roses and raise the toast to the father of mystery writing. This occurred here on earth. But in heaven, yes in heaven, it was very different.
God, who loves a good mystery, was at the gate to greet Robert, and Edgar was with him. There must have been a thousand angels lined up to the right and to the left of heaven's gate, in a spirited adoring line to get Robert's autograph.
It was a happy day in heaven. Satan could be seen reading a Poe short story. It may have been one that human writers chose, commented upon and placed in In the Shadow of the Master. It is possible. But there was so much merriment, so much chatter, so many angels dancing around looking for more champagne, that it was impossible to see.
Heaven, the angel's knew, would be a more interesting place with both Parker and Poe there. Parker, in fact, had entered heaven with one of Poe's books, for like the angels, he was looking forward to an interesting eternity.
Poe gestured to Parker and offered him a glass of cognac to celebrate Parker's arrival and to mark Poe's birthday. For, you see, it was Poe himself that came to his grave on his birthdays. He would place three roses on his grave to remember the three of his stories that he liked best. Then he would toast himself, as a good writer should, on his successes.
That's why no visitor came to Poe's grave on January 19, 2010. Poe was celebrating in heaven. So were the angels. So was God. And so there was joy that day in heaven, "evermore."
Dr. Israel Drazin is the author of fifteen books, including a series of five volumes on the Aramaic translation of the Hebrew Bible, which he co-authors with Rabbi Dr. Stanley M. Wagner, and a series of four books on the twelfth century philosopher Moses Maimonides, the latest being Maimonides: Reason Above All, published by Gefen Publishing House, www.gefenpublishing.com. The Orthodox Union (OU) publishes daily samples of the Targum books on www.ouradio.org
