The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, October 29, 1981, GAMECOCK THURSDAY, Page Page 5, Image 5
" 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
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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
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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
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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!
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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
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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.