Saving the day at any age

 kw: book reviews, fantasy, heroes, anthologies

When I saw the title, Never Too Old to Save the World, I first imagined something like this (the cover illustration of a woman with a rifle had some influence…).

On further thought, I wondered if there would be more of this. Bibbity bobbity boo, anyone?

As it happened, the editors, Addie J. King and Alana Joli Abbott, both of whom contributed stories to the volume, had a broader imagination, and had selected a broad range of stories by incredibly creative authors. Having read the stories, I find that all the protagonists but one are women, from middle age to old age, plus in two cases there is a handoff to a younger generation.

Also, there were at least a couple of stories that I would characterize more like this (The artist is Egle Bartolini. Sorry, I couldn't find clip art with an older host). The last story in particular, "The Mountain Witch" by Lucy A. Snyder, has the aging champion, who decades earlier lost a battle with the witch, who is thought capable of unleashing a dragon, trying again. But she is instead invited in for tea and conversation. This story, more clearly than the others, tells of changing views with maturity.

Every story includes magic or magical characters. The least magical is "Launch Day Milkshakes" by Jim C. Hines. The brain of a resourceful "cat lady" has been rendered immortal and is built into the first starship. On launch day, the mission controller is being bullied by a male (of course) administrator, but she holds him off while the starship fends off a terrorist attack in a very surprising way. To say more would be spoiling the very pleasant surprise.

The second-least-magical is "My Roots Run Deep" by John F. Allen. The woman, Mia, gains an infallible B.S. detector in the form of hearing what a speaker is saying inside. I think most of us would say that all grandmothers, and plenty of mothers, can read minds anyway. Allies prompted by Mia gather information needed to foil the plans of a predatory banker and have him arrested.

All but a few of the stories are better described as "…Save the Day", but a few really do portray saving the world. One is "Utopia" by Vaseem Khan. The Invaders in a starship fleet have taken over the world, abolishing all frivolity. Here the savior is an aging man, who earns the trust of an alien. The story ends before the denouement, but with it firmly in view.

I noted a big "+" or "++" alongside eleven of the nineteen stories, and a "–" for only two of them, two which went nowhere. For all nineteen, the writing is top tier, and I enjoyed reading them all.

We'll always need someone like Lawrence Welk

kw: memories, heroes

I watched the Lawrence Welk program on ABC, on and off during the decade and a half that it ran live. I haven't seen it much since, though it has been in continual reruns ever since. My wife has begun to watch the PBS reruns in the last few years, and now we watch together. The current run, produced out of OETA in Oklahoma, has lasted nearly ten years longer than the original program.

I usually avoid programs that tug at my heart strings, whether dramas or "specials". For example, while I really like the premise of Extreme Makeover Home Edition, I rarely watch. I am just too big a softie, and need to use up a few tissues. But in the case of the LW program I make an exception. It touches my heart without overpowering it. The pieces are often reverent without being maudlin, sometimes corny but always enjoyable.

I find it amazing that so many PBS stations (three in this area) carry the program. The continued and vocal support it gets from people of all ages gives me hope that there is a core of strength in this country. It is composed of equal measures of family values, unabashed patriotism, and a healthy fear and love of God. Just like the show.

The media culture, including most PBS stations, dominated by the overly "progressive" ideology found on East and West coasts, is a culture bent on self-destruction. But these poor folks can't overcome the influence of the "flyover country" that lies between. The Welk programming isn't found everywhere, but I've found that other programs continue to feed that righteous need, programs such as Prairie Home Companion, though it has lost something in the past ten years (Find out more about it here).

People like Lawrence Welk (and many of those who worked with him) and Garrison Keillor (and a number of his cohorts) are heroes of mine. They have the precious skill of entertaining without degrading, rather they ennoble their audience.

There is a verse in 2Thess that speaks of a "restraint", holding back the extreme lawlessness of the last days until one day it will "get out of the way". Lotsa people don't like any restraint, but a restraint is in place, and continues to rescue the human race from the worst of which it is capable. It will not always be so. For now, the popularity of the Lawrence Welk program and similar warm-hearted work is a clear indication that the restraint is safely in place. For now.