Latest news with #NeedfulThings
Winnipeg Free Press
10 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Winnipeg Free Press
All aboard… for chills
Linwood Barclay, the U.S.-born, Ontario-based author of many bestselling thrillers and mystery novels, tries his hand at a supernatural thriller oozing with homages to Stephen King in Whistle. Annie Blunt, a bestselling children's book author, is suffering from a traumatic pair of events. Inspired by her popular picture book character Pierce the Penguin, a young boy tries to fly using cardboard wings and plummets to his death. While Annie struggles with feeling responsible for this tragedy, her husband is killed in a hit-and-run car accident. At the behest of her editor, Annie and her young son Charlie retreat to a rented mansion in upstate New York to try and recover some sense of normalcy. The quiet, slow pace of country life seems to be working until Charlie comes across an old model train set. Daniel Crump / Free Press files After setting it up and obsessively running the toy along its track, a number of strange events begin to unfold. And veering away from the cuddly Pierce, Annie's new idea for a character is much darker and more sinister than anything she's attempted before. There's a second storyline woven into the pages of Whistle, one that follows Harry Cook, the chief of police in the small town of Lucknow, Vt. and taking place not long after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks. Beginning with the mysterious disappearances of two men, a number of odd accidents befall the town, all seeming to somehow connect with the new specialty shop Choo-Choo's Trains and its eccentric owner Edwin Nabler. Fans of Stephen King will likely see a parallel to the 1991 novel Needful Things. Barclay is not shy about how much King has influenced this particular novel, and he includes a number of nods to other King titles including Christine, It and Maximum Overdrive. As well as drawing heavily on Needful Things and its villain Leland Gaunt, Whistle's villain also bears some resemblance to Andre Linoge, the creepy and mysterious bad guy of the 1999 made-for-TV miniseries Storm of the Century, also penned by King. Barclay is clearly a fan and makes no secret of the various influences which have inspired his foray away from thrillers and into supernatural chiller territory. Given that Barclay is playing (at least partially) with a less-modern setting, he might have been better suited to push the timeline back even further, to when model trains were actually popular. There are a couple of half-hearted snipes at video games and other modern toys compared to the precision and uniqueness of the trains, but it seems a stretch that these characters would have taken the slightest interest in this hobby without the supernatural persuasion of Edwin Nabler. Ellis Parinder photo Linwood Barclay And while the titular spooky shop called Needful Things catered to the many tastes of the town residents, Choo-Choo's Trains feels a little too niche for its influence to spread through the whole town. Billed as a spooky chiller, Whistle certainly has elements of horror, but doesn't really evoke many scares. For fans of Barclay's previous oeuvre and other mysteries, this is probably just enough spookiness to remain enjoyable, whereas devoted horror fans may find this one a touch too cozy. And while Barclay uses the split narrative akin to It, breaking the narrative into two branches does cut the tension. In Whistle readers' connection to Annie and Charlie builds, when the narrative suddenly breaks and introduces a whole slew of new characters in Harry's storyline. And because the reader knows Harry's plot takes place 20-some-odd years before Annie's, it can be difficult to invest in that plot. The two plot threads eventually do come together, though it does seem a little forced and relies heavily on coincidence. But like many King novels, Whistle works best when not taken too seriously and simply enjoyed as a thrill ride. A breezy and fun read, Whistle will appeal to fans of vintage Stephen King, particularly the stories set in the Castle Rock region. It doesn't reinvent the formula or introduce anything new, but it might just scratch that particular itch for the type of story King doesn't seem to be as interested in producing anymore. Whistle Keith Cadieux is a Winnipeg writer and editor. His latest story collection, Donner Parties and Other Anti-Social Gatherings, is out now from At Bay Press. He also co-edited the horror anthology What Draws Us Near, published by Little Ghosts Books.
Irish Times
14-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Times
Toy soldiers up for auction at Mullens
Every now and again, a collection built up over a lifetime comes up for sale at auction. Such is the case at the current auction of Mullens in Laurel Park, Co Wicklow. The so-called Collector's Cabinet online auction – which begins to close on Saturday, June 21st, from 2pm – has an intriguing collection of toys, coins, banknotes and GAA programmes. The groups of tin soldiers are one of the more interesting items in the sale, part of the estate of the original collector. A small collection of mainly Del Prado lead figures of samurai warriors. Estimate: €80-€120 One piece from a collection of cavalry figurines Various lead figurines depicting British regiments from different periods including the first World War. Estimate: €80-€120 'This collection features depictions of soldiers in redcoats from the Boer War period, through World War tommies and later,' says John McGeever, owner of Needful Things antiques shop on Aungier Street, Dublin. Irish soldiers in the Band of the Southern Command from Collin's Barracks in Cork (later known as the Band of 1 Southern Brigade) are also included. McGeever, who assisted Mullens with the catalogue, says that while toy soldiers were traditionally manufactured as playthings, those kept in good condition also became collector's items. Companies such as Britains in England and Del Prado (later known as History Works), also catered specifically for collectors, with the latter producing a magazine encouraging collectors to build up sets of, say Napoleonic Cavalry or second World War infantry. 'This collection contains a wonderful range of these types of toys,' says McGeever. READ MORE A collection of Star Wars figurines. Estimate: €80-€120 The auction also has more contemporary pieces, such as Marvel DC comics figures or Game of Thrones figures. Figures from Star Wars and the Beatles in their various phases are also included in the sale. McGeever says some purchasers of toy soldiers are happy just to have a few for display purposes. More serious collectors collect soldiers from a particular period, and may even show them in dioramas representative of actual battles, often accompanied by vehicles and buildings. A Currency Commission Ploughman £10 note (€2,000-€2,500) The auction also has a collection of Irish banknotes, including the Ploughman notes. These banknotes – so-called because they had an image of a man ploughing a field – were first issued in 1929 by the Currency Commission of Ireland as a transitional measure for eight Irish banks, so that the banks withdrew their previously individualised or general-issue banknotes. The last issues of these so-called consolidated bank notes (such as the Ploughman notes) were in 1941, and the notes were withdrawn from circulation on December 31st, 1953. A Currency Commission Ploughman £10 note, issued by the National Bank and dated May 6th, 1929, is among the lots for sale (€2,000-€2,500). The Central Bank Act 1942 established the Central Bank of Ireland, which replaced the Currency Commission. The Central Bank then authorised legal tender notes as the only banknotes issued in Ireland. Viewing of all items in the Mullens auction will be in their showrooms at Laurel Park, Woodbrook, Bray, on Thursday and Friday, June 19th and 20th, 10am-4pm, and on Saturday, June 21st, 10am-2pm. Finally, deVeres' summer online auction has plenty of potential bargains for new collectors of contemporary Irish art. The auction features the remainder of the paintings by modernist Irish artists collected by Alan Conroy, the former postman who amassed an incredible amount of paintings in his modest home in Dublin. A sale of his collection was held by deVeres last month. The auction also includes a smattering of modernist furniture and fittings – side cabinets, chairs, tables, lights and so on. The online auction closes on June 23rd. ,
