<div dir="ltr"><div>All, <br></div><div>Please find below and attached Lisa Timpf's Review of Gary Morganstien, <i>Mound Over Hell</i></div><div>Thanks</div><div>Duncan</div><div>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;line-height:normal;font-size:11pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif" lang="EN-CA">Lisa
Timpf<span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;line-height:normal;font-size:11pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif" lang="EN-CA">72 Oak
St.<span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;line-height:normal;font-size:11pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif" lang="EN-CA">Simcoe,
Ontario<span></span></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;line-height:normal;font-size:11pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif" lang="EN-CA"><span> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;line-height:normal;font-size:11pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif" lang="EN-CA">email:
<a href="mailto:lisa.timpf@gmail.com">lisa.timpf@gmail.com</a><span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;line-height:normal;font-size:11pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif" lang="EN-CA"><span> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;line-height:normal;font-size:11pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif" lang="EN-CA">Word
count (body): approx. 892<span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;line-height:normal;font-size:11pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif" lang="EN-CA"><span> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;line-height:normal;font-size:11pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif" lang="EN-CA"><span> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;line-height:normal;font-size:11pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><b><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif" lang="EN-CA">Morgenstein, Gary. A Mound Over Hell (Book
1 of the Dark Depths series). <span></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;line-height:normal;font-size:11pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif" lang="EN-CA">Reviewed
by Lisa Timpf<span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;line-height:normal;font-size:11pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif" lang="EN-CA"><span> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;text-indent:0.5in;line-height:200%;font-size:11pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif" lang="EN-CA">In
<i>A Mound Over Hell,</i> Book 1 of the Dark Depths series, Gary Morgenstein
weaves together a story about baseball, politics, and a changed society while
presenting an interesting and engaging cast of characters. Chief among the
latter is Puppy Nedick, a former college pitching star now turned baseball
historian. <span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;text-indent:0.5in;line-height:200%;font-size:11pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif" lang="EN-CA">In
the early chapters of the novel<i>, </i>which is set in 2098, Puppy’s friends
Zelda Jones and Pablo Diaz are bugging him about the need to get a new job.
After all, the current season is slated to be the last for major league
baseball. Once that’s over, there won’t be much need for Puppy’s role. <span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;text-indent:0.5in;line-height:200%;font-size:11pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif" lang="EN-CA">But
baseball is Puppy’s passion, and he isn’t ready to move on yet. If this is
going to be the final season, he’s determined to see his beloved sport go out
with a bang. It’s clear that he’ll have a long way to go. Only eight listless
fans grace the stands of Amazon Stadium (formerly Yankee Stadium) as the Bronx
Hawks and the Bronx Falcons clash in the first match of the year. Most of the
heavy lifting in the game is done by holograms, as the human players only go up
to bat. The athletes are out of shape and dispassionate about the game.<span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;text-indent:0.5in;line-height:200%;font-size:11pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif" lang="EN-CA">Things
change after supposedly-dead baseball stars Ty Cobb, Mickey Mantle, and Mooshie
Lopez show up, one by one, in Puppy’s apartment. Puppy doesn’t understand how they’ve
come back to life, but he doesn’t really care. Seeing his opportunity to
breathe some life back into the game, Puppy ditches the holograms. Assisted by Ty
and Mickey, he slowly whips the flesh-and-blood players into shape while
cultivating a growing following for the sport. <span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;text-indent:0.5in;line-height:200%;font-size:11pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif" lang="EN-CA">Puppy
also hits reboot on his own pitching career. Back when he was young enough not
to know better, he injured his pitching arm by pushing too hard to break a
record. Now, faced with pain and lack of function in his arm, he needs to
employ different strategies to be successful. At the same time, his will to win
compels him to push the boundaries. His experiences, along with those of Ty and
Mickey, illustrate the difficulties aging athletes have when trying to make a
comeback. When Mickey and Ty first take to the field, Puppy finds “some
poignant familiarity to the way they tried to throw and hit. As if Mick and Ty
were putting on their wedding suits, knowing it didn’t fit, but didn’t matter
because they still thought they were young studs on a happy day.” (p. 59)<span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;text-indent:0.5in;line-height:200%;font-size:11pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif" lang="EN-CA">As
the season progresses, Puppy appears to be making gains, both with pitching and
with boosting baseball’s profile. But not everyone is a fan, and the race is on
to see whether Puppy’s aspirations will be fulfilled, or dashed.<span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;text-indent:0.5in;line-height:200%;font-size:11pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif" lang="EN-CA">The
America of the future which serves as the backdrop for Puppy’s endeavors is
dramatically different from the one we’re familiar with. After losing World War
Three to the Islamic Empire, with 13 million casualties suffered, America
surrendered in 2073. Democracy has been replaced by a “family” system, and
America is led by Lenore Chin, better known as Grandma. Citizens are guided by
“Grandma’s Insights,” a list of precepts that all are expected to take to
heart. <span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;text-indent:0.5in;line-height:200%;font-size:11pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif" lang="EN-CA">Because
of the lingering effects of radiation, even the food supply has changed. Most
items for consumption are synthetic. Robots, performing in various capacities,
abound. Most of these are faceless, though they do have some degree of emotion,
including a capacity for feeling affronted when humans don’t show them respect.<span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;text-indent:0.5in;line-height:200%;font-size:11pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif" lang="EN-CA">The
novel includes speculations about the future of sport, envisioning a time when
fans might be transported into the football huddle via Virtual Reality. As for
baseball, reference is made to a robot arm pitching scandal in the 2050s. In
the aftermath of that, Major League Baseball shrank to 12 teams. The sport fell
into further disgrace after being used by dissidents as a focal point for
terrorist acts. <span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;text-indent:0.5in;line-height:200%;font-size:11pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif" lang="EN-CA">Even
without these issues, baseball would have had its struggles. Many sports fans
had lost interest, attracted by higher-action sports like football and
basketball. By 2098, “Just the diehards, the real fans, wanted the laconic
baseball from a distant past, an America which no longer existed, an America
few wanted to be reminded of.” (p. 59) But Puppy suspects that an undercurrent
of love for the sport remains, and he does his best to tap into that.<span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;text-indent:0.5in;line-height:200%;font-size:11pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif" lang="EN-CA">Given
its dystopian setting, it’s not surprising that the novel contains some dark
moments. Despite this, many of the situations and the interchanges between characters
are humorous, albeit often with a sarcastic or satirical bite. Morgenstein also
does a masterful job of building suspense on a number of fronts. For example, Pablo
stumbles upon a strange anomaly with a restaurant that seems to be frozen in time.
Zelda’s boyfriend disappears. Then there is the question of how three former
baseball stars have managed to come back to life. The sense of mystery
simmering beneath the surface serves to draw the reader forward.<span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;text-indent:0.5in;line-height:200%;font-size:11pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif" lang="EN-CA">Published
in 2018, <i>A Mound Over Hell</i> is the initial book in the Dark Depths series.
It delivers on what one might hope from a series-opening novel, with a unique
and thoroughly-developed setting, interesting characters, and high stakes. The
second novel in the Dark Depths series, <i>A Fastball for Freedom, </i>was
published in 2021.<span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;line-height:normal;font-size:11pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif" lang="EN-CA">Morgenstein, Gary. A Mound Over Hell (Book 1 of the
Dark Depths series). Plymouth, MI: BHC Press, 2018. pp. 520. <span></span></span></p>
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</div><div><div><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature">Remember to smell the roses as you recumber past<br><br>Duncan R. Jamieson, Ph. D.<br>Professor of History<br>Book Review Editor<br><i>AETHLON: The Journal of Sport Literature</i><br>Ashland University<br>Ashland, OH 44805<br>USA<br></div></div></div></div>