Creator of Calvin and Hobbes gives his first interview in over 20 years

Bill Waterson, the creator of Calvin and Hobbes, recent gave an interview to a reporter. It’s not much of an interview, but it shows how idiosyncratic Watterson is.

What I admire about Watterson is that he did everything on his own terms. He didn’t want his art to be made into toys and that’s why there never was any Calvin and Hobbes toys and he quit the cartoon because he wanted to quit while he was still good.  There’s something to be admired about that.  

Nine Dragons by Michael Connelly

Michael Connelly is an impressive writer. His last book, The Scarecrow, was published on May 26, 2009 and then he published his latest book, Nine Dragons, less than 6 months later on October 16, 2009. Plus he published another book last year.

Not only does he write quickly, but his work is still good. I give Nine Dragons a B+. It’s good, but not great. If you like police procedurals, you’ll like this book. You probably won’t love it, but it’s a fun read. Unlike The Scarecrow, which is about a newspaper writer, Connelly brings back his main protagonist Detective Harry Bosch. My complaint about many Harry Bosch novels is that Connelly has Bosch do something bullheaded and stupid during the book’s climax. Luckily, this book does that suffer from that problem.

I don’t give this book an A because Connelly didn’t hold my rapt attention the entire novel. He carried me along well, but I wasn’t on my the edge of my seat the entire time.

The Darksword Trilogy by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman

When I was a teenager, I liked the Dragonlance books by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman. Recently I noticed that Weis and Hickman are still writing books together. Because it’s been a while since I read one of their books, I decided to re-read their Darksword Trilogy. I read the trilogy when it came out, but I couldn’t remember if I like it or not.

I give the first book a B+. I thought it was pretty fun, but the series went downhill from there. I give the second book a B and the third book a C. I disliked the ending of the series for two reasons. First, I disliked the choices the authors made in concluding the series. Their conclusion just wasn’t satisfying. But I admit that reasonable people can disagree about those choices. Second, the the hero’s motivations weren’t clear and the decisions he made at that book’s climax seemed like a whim. The series builds to the climax in the third book and the hero makes a decision on a whim? Did he understand what his actions would cause?  Why did he do what he did?

Because I didn’t like the third book much, I can’t recommend the series. The first book was fun, but in the end I was let down. 

My favorite thing about Dan Brown

I’m not a big Dan Brown fan. I mildly liked Angels and Demons and the Da Vinci Code, but I certainly didn’t love them.

One thing I like about Dan Brown is how much his critics hate his work. A lot of critics can’t stand his success.

I don’t understand why his critics hate his books so much. They aren’t literature and shouldn’t be read as such.

Script of the Pilot for A Game of Thrones

Here’s the script for HBO’s pilot of George R.R. Martin’s A Game of Thrones.

Did I mention that George R.R. Martin has still not bothered to finish book 5 of his series after 4 years?

Hero in the Shadows by David Gemmell: Grade B

David Gemmell is the most underappreciated fantasy novelist I know of. I’ve only read four of his books, but I have enjoyed them all. Hero in the Shadows was no exception. I really enjoyed the opening and the main character, Waylander. Who doesn’t enjoy a story of an ex-assassin-turned benevolent leader who can’t keep from killing the bad guys.

As I like to say about books like this, it isn’t literature, but it’s a fun read.     

The Last Oracle by James Rollins: Grade B

The Last Oracle by James Rollins is fun summer reading. It was fast paced, enjoyable read. It isn’t literature and the writing don’t blow your hair back. Instead, this is brain candy. If you like the Douglas Preston/Lincoln Child techno-thriller novels you’ll like this.  

Curse you George R. R. Martin

I just finished re-reading George R.R. Martin’s A Game of Thrones. Reading it reminded me why I like his books. The series had the potential to be one of the greatest fantasy series ever. Martin’s characters felt real and the story wasn’t a retelling of The Lord of the Rings or another hero’s tale of a boy finding hidden powers, getting the girl, and saving the world.

I curse George R.R. Martin because it is unlikely he will finish this series any time in the next decade. The first book, A Game of Thrones, came out in 1996. He followed that with A Clash of Kings in 1998, and then A Storm of Swords in 2000. But that high level of productivity on this series died after A Storm of Swords. Book 4 in the series, A Feast for Crows came out in 2005 and he has yet to finish book 5. The problem is that in 2005, when A Feast for Crows came out, he said he was about half way done with book 5. Now, 4 years later, he still hasn’t finished.

I wish Martin would focus his energies on this series and HBO version of the series. But I can only wish. 

In the mean time, I’ll have to look for more interesting books to read.   

One of my favorite authors died yesterday

I’m bummed, Tony Hillerman died yesterday. He was one of my favorite authors. I love the stark desert country of the southwest and Hillerman brought the Navajo Reservation to life better than anyone I have ever read. He had a great love for the Navajo people and his books were engaging because he entwined their their thinking, rituals, and way of life into his mystery novels. Indian reservations are generally depressing places because they are usually economically depressed. But somehow Hillerman made them vibrant.

If you haven’t read any of Tony Hillerman, pick up one of his book today. They are quick and fun reads.

Try Skinwalkers, The People of Darkness, The Ghostway, Thief of Time, or Finding Moon to start (Finding Moon isn’t set on the Navajo Reservation, but it is still great).

The Christian Science Monitor has a good appreciation here.

Riptide by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child

I’m a fan of Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child’s books, but Riptide is a book you should skip. The setting, plot, and characters were all decent, but I didn’t buy the villain’s character arc, and as a result I can’t recommend the book. Here’s what Publisher’s Weekly had to say about the book:

The novel suffers from a diffusion of villains as the authors variously demonize the Pit, the Pit’s designer, the crazed expedition leader and the Sword as and from workaday prose and assembly-line characters (a computer nerd, a sexy French archeologist, a righteous minister). Machine-gun pacing, startling plot twists and smart use of legend, scientific lore (including cyptanalysis) and the evocative setting carry the day, however, resulting in an exciting boys’ adventure tale for adults that’s bound to be one of most popular of the summer reads.

I didn’t have a problem with the workaday prose or the assembly-line character, just the character arc which killed the book for me.