The King Of Good Intentions Part Three

The oft-used adjectives--"rollicking," "uproarious," "zany," etc.--don't half do justice to the world John Andrew Fredrick has created in his The King of Good Intentions trilogy. In this, the final volume of the series, the author's madcap, kaleidoscopic, dazzling take on love (and love triangles) and life and an up-and-coming indie rock band called The Weird Sisters in 90's Los Angeles comes full circle as the story of principal bandmates and paramours John and Jenny (plus the mysterious Katie who comes between them) reaches its thrilling conclusion: an ending that, as you'll find, bears out the T.S. Eliot line "in my end is my beginning." Lyrical, heartbreaking, discursive/digressive, startlingly as poetic as it is laugh aloud funny, part three of The King is sure to draw favorable comparisons to the Russian-American master who loved tennis and chess and to play elaborate games with his readers; as well as to a certain bandanna-sporting/tennis-loving genius-writer we lost so tragically some time ago now. As The Los Angeles Review of Books has observed about Fredrick's work: "Come to him, you omnivorous readers with strong opinions. Follow him from A to B, and you'll laugh, furrow your brow, and maybe raise an objection or two. It's not a dangerous trip, but blink and you'll surely miss something."

The Count of Monte Cristo is one of the great adventure novels of all time. But the author, Alexandre Dumas, also adapted his novel into four riveting plays. Part Three: The Rise of Monte Cristo is set two decades after Edmond Dantès has been unjustly imprisoned in the Château d'If. Edmond has made himself into the Count of Monte Cristo, and he now sets out to gain his revenge upon the three men who shangaied him into 14 years of prison. First on the list is Fernand Mondego, whose treacheries have brought him a fortune, a title (the Count of Morcerf), and a wife: Edmond's fiancée, Mercédès, who's long believed him dead. Monte Cristo uses his great wealth to draw a net around Fernand, gradually exposing his lies to the world. Finally, the two men must confront each other--knowing that only one of them will leave the room alive! Great action drama!

The wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have highlighted again the precarious situation aid agencies find themselves in, caught as they are between the firing lines of the hostile parties, as they are trying to alleviate the plight of the civilian populations. This book offers an illuminating case study from a previous conflict, the Italo-Ethiopian war of 1935-36, and of the humanitarian operation of the Red Cross during this period. Based on fresh material from Red Cross and Italian military archives, the author examines highly controversial subjects such as the Italian bombings of Red Cross field hospitals, the treatment of Prisoners of War by the two belligerents; and the effects of Fascist Italy’s massive use of poison gas against the Ethiopians. He shows how Mussolini and his ruthless regime, throughout the seven-month war, manipulated the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) – the lead organization of the Red Cross in times of war, helped by the surprising political naïveté of its board. During this war the ICRC redefined its role in a debate, which is fascinating not least because of its relevance to current events, about the nature of humanitarian action. The organization decided to concern itself exclusively with matters falling under the Geneva Conventions and to give priority to bringing relief over expressing protest. It was a decision that should have far-reaching consequences, particularly for the period of World War II and the fate of Jews in Nazi concentration camps.

Set in Los Angeles in the early 90s, the novel chronicles the early days of an indie band as they meet, practice, make their first record, and get their first break/big gig. It’s also the story of the the flowering love affair between John and Jenny, the two charming if troubled guitarists/singers in the band. John is by day a misanthropic substitute teacher in the zany, sometimes horrific LA Unified School District; Jenny is an mysterious recovering child prodigy. Along the way, the couple and their bandmates make momentous discoveries about themselves and the Hollywood milieu in which they struggle to succeed, a world peopled by narcissistic actors, wannabe screenwriters, pretentious musicians, weirdo fans, crazy neighbors -- and an emu. The King of Good Intentions was originally to have been published by Henry Rollins’s 2.13.61 press in 1999. When Rollins decided henceforth to publish only his own work, Fredrick set the novel aside to focus on his musical and teaching career. Now it will finally make its long overdue debut.