Passings

Today, Ricardo Montalban, suave and debonair, left us.

Also, the writer George Chesbro, whom most of you have probably never heard of, died in November 08. I just found his obituary on the UK Guardian site. I loved his books, but as they say, they are an acquired taste. The best-known novels featured a man named Mongo, a university professor, black belt in karate, who was once a circus performer known as Mongo the Magnificent. Oh, did I mention he's a dwarf? Sly humor, satire, weird blend of whimsy and science fiction, noir -- oh, a little bit of everything. They never sold very well and often were out of print (he was dropped by two publishers). According to the obit, he and his third wife set up a small publishing company to bring his works back to print. If you see one, give it a try; you might like it. I did and do.