University of South Carolina Libraries
" Entertainment To The R< By CHRIS HANDAL Book Critk ____ I Ah, to be back in the realm of the thriller is a pleasure, especially if it is a good one as John Kruse's Red Omega is. Kruse, a British scriptwriter, has adhered to all the accepted constructs of the genre and produced an exciting and en leriaining dook. The first construct is to have a suitably outlandish plot but to have it grounded in fact. Kruse does this. His book is set in 1953; Josef Stalin has started another one of his brutal purges. The object is to flush out a high level CIA spy codenamed Omega. Omega is so well placed in the Soviet hierarchy that the Americans cannot afford his loss. The CIA opts to assassinate Stalin. Another construct is to set the story in strange and exotic 1 ?m n - J TnnrtiAi* in lucauuiu. jliic avuuu 111 neu \jtrivgu oiuiio num laiigici m North Africa to Spain to Washington and back to Spain and Tangier and finally ends in Moscow and the Kremlin by way of East Berlin. KRUSE ALSO follows the trend of providing murkey characters. The line between the good guys and the bad is freely crossed and the loyalty of the reader shifts between the characters throughout the book. Kruse gives the reader Kelland, a ruthless CIA spymaster who will use anybody to eliminate Stalin; Lessing, whose flaw is that she is not ruthless enough; and Cabeza, communist firebrand who led the Spanish revolution in 1936 and is vehemently anti-American but has a deeper hatred for the regime in Russia. To confuse matters, Kruse gives us a brutal Soviet intelligence head who must find the identity of Omega, r Restaurant I By WANDA M. HITE small, a rather intimate RetUurant Critic 6ff?Ct. I HAD the main dish of the gg^ Since becoming a day, which was a plate of restaurant critic early in nachos and my choice of September, I have met a lot soup or a salad, and a of interesting people and muffin. I tried the lentil have eaten a lot ot unusual soup. \ine nacnos were nol foods. Tuesday was no ex- like anything I am acception. customed to eating but I 3 Upon the suggestion of my must admit they were good, editor, I went to the Basil Though I only received a Pot, a vegetarian gourmet small portion, the cheese on Hfr restaurant. Now, I'm not a my nachos was enough to fill ve8etar'an but I will admit I me up. I have never had |E| fg I W 1111 B9BDI^H| || -??ii ^ am always open to new lentil soup and had I closed suggestions and on occasion, my eyes, I would have will try something ? shall thought I was eating chili; it we say? different. was good. The fresh L The Basil Pot has a quiet, lemonade I had to drink was * congenial atmosphere, quite refreshing. The cost? Large, beautiful plants hung |4-75. from a skylight in the middle My partner tried a of the ceiling. An old piano tostada, which consisted of a sat in the comer and all of crisp corn tortilla topped the tables were wooden and with refried beans, lettuce, a' Takes Rc ealm Of Th< knowing that if he doesn't his life is over. Kruse presents this character in a way that almost has the reader hoping he will ferret out Omega. BUT Red Omega also falls victim to the major weakness of the genre ? poor writing. "I want the part that's not in your file." She forced a laugh. "Just like that?Hopes, fears, loves, hates, all neatly packaged?" "Have a stab at it." He waited ? in vain. "I thought women liked to talk about themselves." Fortunately, this is an isolated example, but writing like this pops up just enough to distract the reader. The author also has a penchant for using the word "utter." Kruse's characters are always uttering something or they are utterly stunned. KRUSE'S FAULTS can be forgiven, though, for they ire faults shared with most writers of thrillers and this is Kruse's first novel. Besides, he succeeds where many other thriller writers fail. He creates characters that are above the norm for thrillers (occasional bad dialogue excluded) and sets up an interesting conflict between the aristocrat Kelland and the peasant Cabeza. The characters, the plot and the diverse settings all con tribute to sustain a feeling of tension throughout the novel The climax mav be a little too melodramatic but is still ef fective. What is not effective is the author's assertation at the end 01 the novel that this really could have happened, that we di( have Stalin killed in an attempt to save a spy who could hav< ascended to the leadership in Russia. This, Mr. Kruse, i "utterly" impossible to believe. Serves Excitin . 1 sprouts and cheese. The need anything, we simpl) price was only $1.80, well would have to raise our hanc worth it. For an appetizer, and we would be taken can he tried the house salad with of. Tahini dressing. I'm not 1 noticed that most of th< exactly sure what Tahini has customers weri in it, but my partner was businessmen and seemed t< quite impressed with it. For eat at the Basil Pot quit< a beverage, he chose Red frequently. Evidently, onc< Zinger tea, a fruity-tasting you go there you alwayi type of tea. No sugar. return. Other interesting items The Basil Pot is owned b; offered on the luncheon Basil Garzia, Allan Glicl menu were grilled cheese and Jayne Jackson and ha and mushroom sandwiches been operating for abou ai aim raiaici ? pocket bread, stuffed with jjf bean croquettes, salad, SI If i ] sprouts and served with I W tahini dressing at $2.65. m W IP ASSORTED salads were By HARVEY MES also offered: House salad- suh writer $1.60, Small Deluxe-$2.75, Large Deluxe-$4.50 and Jf y?u missed it at the Greek Salad-$3.40. Dressings miss it tonight as CBS p listed were House, Tahini, run showing of Mel Brookf Bleu Cheese, French, Greek Saddles." Complete with and Avocado. four-letterers that'll nev The Basil Pot is also well- your screen, this hilarioi known for its lasagna, to westerns what "Air served with a choice of soup disaster films. Cleavon or salad and a muffin. The Gene Wilder as a price is only $6.35. I haven't worker who is appointe had any of their lasagna, but bigoted town. He teams have heard from many gunitgnier iwuaer; 10 sources that it is ex- from destruction. Some ceptionally good. scenes will end up on th My partner and I were not floor, no doubt, but the constantly bothered with, - enough laughs to go arour "Can I get you anything MAKING ITS season p else?" The waiter came by is the show everyone's b< the table once to make sure At least that's what NB everything was okay and Street Blues," the show should my partner and I Emmys, promises to be aderBack s Thriller SHI _. ft ' !?j j [ ; - '^1 ' v . ...... ,^JH: f _=_rj * ' Sf ^^HEHKHI^BBHBHeHIHHRB1^HHHHHH8^&^ : ,* 9B . British scriptwriter John Kruse weaves a thrilling tale in his first novel. g Difference eight years now. It has served on Sundays from 10-2, become a favorite but plans for that are not restaurant in Columbia. The definite at this time. only thing to remember when going to the Basil Pot IF YOU are in the mood is that there is no smoking. I for something different yet smoke but I think this rule exciting, then you should try makes eating much more the Basil Pot. It could be the nlp?<ant start of something new! Lunch is served Monday through Friday from 11:30- The Basil Pot 2:00 and dinner is served Hours: Mon-Fri 11:30-2:00 Wednesday through Wed-Sat 5:30-9:00 Saturday from 5:30-9:00. Phone:771-9648 Sunday brunch may be Address: 2721 Rosewood Dr idbits Hi! nvimm ? - i ?1- n?.i it 1 f /\ I/vV%n A ittvii neiwui k. joui n n a icn ujj iw u\j >>> . Public, the show will have as few viewers as it had before the Emmy awards, movies, don't "Mork and Mindy" may have lost a esents a first- few ratings points last season but the ' 1974 "Blazing producers have a gimmick that'll bring one-liners and back viewers. "M&M," which seems to ?r make it to get more outrageous every season, gives 5 comedy does birth, or rather Mork gives birth, better >lane" did to the giant egg Mork hatches gives I iHliu nn.ctarc i_ ;_?i_ 4^ ^ rr M W?? U1"*v vw ? uit lll iu it WJCMI -uiu sun, pidjfcu uy iaiblack railroad out comic genius Jonathan Winters, i sheriff of a Robin Williams has long held Winters as jp with an ex- his career image idol and if the coupling ave the town 0f these two produces the hilarity it >f the funniest promises, "Mork and Mindy" could be i cutting room back on the top of ABC's list. e will still be HUMOR ROOM: Ixx>k for Bruce Jenner emiere tonight in the next four or five episodes of en waiting for. "CHiPs" as the replacement for Erik D thinks. "Hill Estrada's absence. Jenner filled the void that swept the so well that producers are considering a "hit" for the him for a regular role.