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Eric M c C o r m i c ks o u n d s t h e First Blast of the Trumpet Against the Monsterous Regiment of Women of a dark, inarching c o l u m n o f w o m e n remains firmly entrenched in M c C o r m a c k ' s m i n d and his writing. First Blast of the Trumpet the Monstrous Against Regiment of Women by literary Dawn Bennett M c C o r m a c k ' s characters are c o m plex and beautifully drawn; their (mis)adventures in love are fascinating. In fact, the point o f this book seems to be that A l l Y o u N e e d Is L o v e . W h e n A r t h u r ' s murderously insane aunt is told that " y o u can't k i l l a man for not l o v i n g y o u , " she responds by pointing out that not g i v i n g love is the worst c r i m e o f a l l . A n d when that same aunt is finally carted away to an a s y l u m , her last words screamed to A n d r e w are "Love! Andrew! Love!" M c C o r m a c k ' s background as a short story writer is both the strength and weakness o f this book. T h e tale all comes together a tad too neatly at the end. D u r i n g a brief interview. I had the opportunity to ask the author i f his point was really as obvious as it seemed: does love really conquer all? M c C o r m a c k told me that he hopes it's true; he wants to believe that love really is strong enough to overcome life's challenges. A reviewer from the Toronto Sun has labelled the ending a "cop-out," but M c C o r m a c k disagrees, even though he does call himself a skeptical romantic. Whether or not y o u . as a reader, believe that love conquers a l l , this is still a book worth reading. M c C o r m a c k is a wonderful storyteller, and, as he asked at the end o f our interview, "What kind o f w o r l d do we live in where a happy ending is considered a cop-out.'" Dawn who Bennett lives in is a freelance Vancouver. writer FIRST BLAST of the T r u m p e t . . is the story o f A n d r e w Halfnight, whose troubled life begins with a tragic secret that unwittingly propels him into a lifetime o f catastrophic losses and unconscious searching. H i s family's dark secrets are tantal i z i n g l y revealed as A n d r e w leaves his place o f birth to embark on a nomadic, sometimes lonely, but always fascinating life. A t one point he wonders. " W o u l d I have become the man I am n o w i f my past had Eric M c C o r m a c k been revealed to me when I wanted to k n o w i t ? " First Blast of the Trumpet the Monsterous by E r i c M c C o r m a c k Against F r o m the dreary m i n i n g town o f Stroven to a volcanic rock island in the South Pacific, to, finally, a detached and secure peace i n Canada. A n d r e w ' s story is the timeless tale o f loves and lives found and lost...but with a macabre twist. A l o n g the way. M c C o r m a c k sprinkles in some o f the most fascinating characters y o u ' l l ever meet i n some of the saddest circumstances you could ever imagine. M c C o r m a c k ' s characters are deeply flawed, emotionally and physically. There is much disfigurement and dismemberment in this book, one o f several recurring themes i n M c C o r m a c k ' s writing. H i s characters have a tendency to lose appendages; limbs are often severed or sometimes simply wither away. Some o f the most grisly images i n M c C o r m a c k ' s stories have emerged from his o w n dreams. In fact, M c C o r m a c k is a huge believer in dreams and feels most o f his stories come from that misty, surreal time between consciousness and sleep. His books are not for the faint o f heart, or weak o f stomach. But i f you don't m i n d a gruesome detail or ten. then y o u ' l l be enthralled by the incredibly rich characters he creates. Regiment of Women Penguin B o o k s , Canada, hardcover What w o u l d inspire an author to saddle his book with such a provocative title? T h o u g h y o u w o u l d n ' t be faulted i f y o u assumed blatant misogyny, a deeper, psychologically darker answer is revealed as you read on. The author. E r i c M c C o r m a c k , is a man shaped by his c h i l d h o o d in the grey, bleak, coal m i n i n g towns o f northern Scotland. It was a c h i l d hood filled with sturdy, g r i m w o m e n and short, stocky men bent and broken by years spent underground. It's the shadowy memory o f these people that fill this book. G r o w i n g up in a conservative c o m munity. M c C o r m a c k was taught the C a l v i n i s t i c philosophy o f 17th-century reformer John K n o x , w h o often railed against the monstrous regiment o f w o m e n . A s a c h i l d . M c C o r m a c k took K n o x ' s rantings literally, envisioning a phalanx o f somber women all dressed in black, marching determinedly into the sun holding a pennant high above them. This Ibrebodina imaee