by Jane | Sep 2, 2017 | Write Here Write Now
Dean Koontz’s The Silent Corner is one of five science fiction books I saw listed for summer reading in a prominent magazine. Though summer is basically over, I’m finally getting around to the list. I haven’t read a lot of Dean Koontz, but from those I have read, I would have classified him as somewhere between horror and thriller. So I was surprised to find him on this list. But not having read a lot of his books, it could have just been my ignorance.
The front cover of The Silent Corner says “A novel of suspense,” and as I started to read the book, that would have been my assessment as well — suspense/thriller. But as I continued reading, I began to see some science fiction elements. So now I label it “thriller with science fiction elements.” The story itself is of FBI agent-on-leave Jane Hawk, who is investigating her husband’s apparent suicide, and stumbles into a wide-ranging plot of human control and societal manipulation. It reminds me mostly of some of Robin Cook’s work if we were to start in the middle.
All that being said, it is an excellent book, as Koontz is an excellent writer. The reader is kept in suspense from beginning to end. Jane’s life is constantly in danger and she never knows from where that danger will come. Still, she pushes forward to find the source of the plot and end it.
One word of caution — The Silent Corner is the beginning of a new series, so everything will not be resolved in this one book. That could be good news or bad news. If you enjoyed following Jane Hawk through her many travails, you’ll get a chance to do it again in Kontz’s next book The Whispering Room. I, for one, will line up to get it.
by Jane | Aug 25, 2017 | Write Here Write Now
In the first two volumes of These Are the Voyages TOS, Marc Cushman spent a lot of time describing what went into producing each episode of Star Trek (the Original Series), as well as how it first got onto the air. The third volume also describes each episode and how it was produced, but much of the book is devoted to what went wrong.
Everyone agrees that the third season of Star Trek was the worst, containing the largest number of bad episodes, including “And the Children Shall Lead,” “Spock’s Brain,” and “Let That Be Your Last Battlefield.” So, what went wrong? Most people know of Gene Roddenberry’s fights with NBC, and Paramount was no friend of his either. Lucille Ball, head of Desilu, supported the show, but once her studio was bought out by Paramount, that support disappeared.
There were two main issues that affected the third season. First was the time slot. NBC had promised Roddenberry a prime slot on Tuesday nights but later took it away and gave it to Laugh-In, pushing Star Trek to 10:00 on Fridays, a very bad time. For that slight, Roddenberry basically left the show. He contributed to a few early scripts and story ideas, but as the season drew on and on, he became less and less involved, devoting his time to other projects. He did, however, make it clear to the production staff that he wanted them to eliminate the humor which had been in many of the first and second season episodes, and to make the show more serious. This could have been one of the worse things he did, as most Star Trek fans agree that the humor really added to the show. Interestingly, both “The Trouble With Tribbles” and “Shore Leave” were slated for sequels, but they never made it to script.
But Roddenberry wasn’t the only one to leave. Gene Coon, who had produced much of Seasons 1 and 2 (and had introduced much of the humor) had already left, and he was joined by story consultant and writer D.C. Fontana and producer John Meredith Lucas from Season Two. The new producer was Fred Freiberger, who had many credits to his name, but no experience in science fiction.
The second issue was the budget. Even though Star Trek had had trouble keeping within its previous budget, Paramount reduced it even more. The corridors of the Enterprise were empty because they couldn’t afford extras, corners were cut on special effects, and scenes that should have been reshot, weren’t. Overtime and falling behind schedule was frowned upon so much that one director was fired in the middle of filming an episode. Others with experience on Star Trek were black-listed for similar reasons, and directors were brought in simply to keep the production on time with little regard for quality. Many of these not only had no experience with Star Trek, but with science fiction at all. And add to this the fact that NBC wanted more people in the corridors, more shows on the planet’s surface, and more action-adventure, all of which cost money.
So, in summary there was a producer with no experience in science fiction, many directors with no experience with science fiction, and believe it or not, many of the writers had no experience in science fiction. Plus, there was a war between Paramount and NBC on issues involving money, with the production staff caught in the middle. Season 3 was doomed for disaster.
Having said all this, all the episodes were not bad, some being quite entertaining. Some of my favorites were “The Paradise Syndrome,” “Wink of an Eye,” and “Day of the Dove,” although the author points out many problems with these as well. Other people may agree, but I’m sure there were some episodes that they would find enjoyable. It was also an interesting season which included the first televised interracial kiss and the only real romance for Dr. McCoy.
Something else I noticed was that the storylines of some of the clunkers really weren’t that bad to start out with. But with the desertion of Roddenberry and the financial constraints, it was next to impossible to have a season anywhere near as good as the first two. As to the cancellation, I had originally heard it was the expense, and NBC tried to say it was the ratings, though ratings stayed pretty much the same as the first two seasons, usually in at least second place for the time slot. Based on what I read in this book (and the previous two volumes), I don’t think NBC had any intention of renewing Star Trek for a fourth season. It was their extreme dislike for Gene Roddenberry.
We’re just very lucky that Star Trek fandom was so strong to allow its rebirth into a slew of movies and series, the newest series to premiere this September on CBS All Access. I hope you’re all as excited as I am.
by Jane | Aug 7, 2017 | Write Here Write Now
Astrophysics for People in a Hurry by Neil deGrasse Tyson is a short little book (about 200 pages) with chapter titles such as “Let There Be Light,” “Dark Energy,” and “Between the Planets.” Even though I have never taken a Physics class, I am fascinated by Einstein’s Theory of Relativity, the Big Bang Theory, and the science which guides the planets. Tyson’s book was created for people like me. From the largest stars to the smallest particles, Tyson helps us to understand the universe. He writes well and as simply as possible, given the subject matter.
That said, you can’t read this book like a novel. If you try, you will most probably get lost. I had to read several sections two or three times. But then I had it. I feel that other popular science books, like those by Carl Sagan or Stephen Hawking, may be easier to read, but Tyson covers so much, it’s worth having to read it a few times to absorb it.
This book is jam-packed with information. Tyson’s explanations of quantum physics, dark matter, and dark energy are the clearest I’ve ever seen. If you’re at all interested in this area of science, pick it up. In a hurry.
by Jane | Jul 27, 2017 | Write Here Write Now
Spectral is a Netflix movie set in the near future. Soldiers in a war zone in eastern Europe encounter a mist, roughly human-shaped, which is extremely fast and kills on contact. What’s more, it seems to be indiscriminant in its killing — civilians and children are not exempt.
These creatures (or entities) are only visible with special UV googles and cameras. The military brings in an engineer from a company specializing in military weapons and equipment. He discovers there are several of these things, which the locals refer to as “ghosts of war.”
This is an interesting concept, though not as well-developed as I would like. The first part of the film moves quite slowly, with not enough tension or scary moments. It gets a little more interesting when they finally discover the nature of the ghosts of war.
But I think the big problem is not enough buy-in. Usually, in this type of film, there are a few scenes at the beginning where we get to know the characters, so that we care what happens to them. There was none of that.
Also, they missed the boat on inter-character conflict. There was a scene where the soldiers are hostile toward the engineer coming on board. It is resolved much too quickly. In addition, there is a woman working on the problem who opposes the engineer’s ideas, but there is not enough made of that, or the fact that she is the only woman.
Good try, Netflix, but you can do better.
by Jane | Jul 18, 2017 | Write Here Write Now
Five Stories High is a collection of weird tales, edited by Jonathan Oliver. They are loosely connected through a linking narrative by the editor about a house called Irongrove Lodge. They all involve weird happenings in a grand 5-story English house, though none of them are actually connected. The first is kind of a “pod people” tale, in which the protagonist starts to believe that his aunt isn’t really his aunt. In another, there are several ghosts working against each other — and the current occupants.
The book cover calls these stories “terrifying.” I wouldn’t go quite that far, but they are unsettling. Oliver has managed to gather together stories from five different authors that will make you shiver, and think twice about buying all or part of a 5-story house in England. A lot of fun.
by Jane | Jul 11, 2017 | Write Here Write Now
Anne Rice’s latest book is Prince Lestat and the Realms of Atlantis, the newest in The Vampire Chronicles. In this book, the vampires, led by Lestat, become aware of some beings on the Earth who look human but are neither human nor vampire. The vampires fear that the beings want to harm them and take action to prevent that, but run into problems when they discover just how powerful the beings are.
But they also discover that the beings are fascinated by Amel, the spirit responsible for vampirism, who now resides in Lestat. It turns out the new creatures, who call themselves the People of the Purpose, have come to Earth with a mission. The question is how their mission will affect the vampires and Amel.
Anne Rice is an amazing writer — she really pulls you into her stories. I also applaud her for including in this book a prologue, a glossary, and an appendix of person and place names. These are really useful if you haven’t kept up with all the books or have forgotten important points. I also like the way she varies point-of-view between various vampires and People of the Purpose.
Though I’ve only read of few of the Vampire Chronicles books, I thoroughly enjoyed Prince Lestat and the Realms of Atlantis. For those who have read all the books, it provides answers to many questions raised previously, which fans should appreciate. A win all the way around.
