First published in 1968, Arthur Hailey's Airport is one of the original disaster thrillers. Compared to others of its ilk (Hurricane, The Glass Inferno, etc), it has dated poorly but is well-composed enough to still be entertaining.
Even to the layman's eyes, airports have changed substantially in the past 35 years - and even more dramatically in the last 5. The center of the thriller's 'disaster' plot relies on a passenger being able to walk onto a plane clutching a bag of dynamite. In the post-9/11 era, this is pure science fiction.
On a character level, Airport is equally dated. The book's reliance on the 'shocking' sexual precocity of captains and stewardesses to create character drama isn't nearly as pearl-clutching as it was forty years ago.
Hailey earns a lot of credit for featuring abortion and divorce-related storylines, but the years have been unkind to the traditional depiction of sex kitten stewardesses.
The book:The Name of the Wind. The author's debut novel, The Name of the Wind, has now been in print for two years (after taking 15 years to get published). The sequel is still in the works.
The star: Garrulous and ultra-friendly, Rothfuss was spending so much time with each person that the publicity team was constantly working the line to apologize. He did photo requests ('smiling or scowling?'), inscribed anything and everything, introduced fans to his girlfriend and his agent, and merrily chatted away about anything and everything.
Killer Instinct (2006) by Joseph Finder is exactly one of those books I never pick up. A title like a Van Damme movie combines with vague and ominous cover art to make the perfectly generic airport thriller.
As far as the plot goes, Killer Instinct is similarly generic - a nice guy gets a leg up at his corporate job from a new friend. Then it all goes horribly wrong, as that friend is a nutjob and will kill everyone. Who could have predicted that trusting your wife/life/company to a nutball dishonorably-discharged Special Forces operative was a bad idea?
There's no question that the idea is hackneyed. And trite. And predictable. But... and may the god of crap fiction have mercy on my soul... this book was damn hard to put down.
The London MCM Expo is held every six months at the ExCel center, out in the docklands. It is (as I graciously coined last night) a 'tossed-salad of geekery'.
The primary focus is manga - as evidenced by the masses of enthusiastic cosplayers - but the organizers freely snap up any other media luminaries they can find. Linda Hamilton and Tony Curtis (surreally) headlined, but had to fight for elbow room with Universal Pictures, a host of video game companies and the car from Transformers.
As with last October's Expo, there was a small community of non-Manga comic creators at the event. Unfortunately for them, a rough poll of the MCM crowd would probably reveal that attendees' top five priorities were:
1) "Free Hugs"
2) Cardboard weaponry
3) Batman: Arkham Asylum video game preview
4) Trading card games
5) Linda Hamilton
I suspect the 'entire Western comic book tradition' would rank somewhere around 17th on the list. (Below pocky and above the extended preview for Bruno).
I've just returned from London's MCM Expo - a biannual tossed-salad of geekery. [Photos & full review of the event to follow]
After a week of build-up, I must sadly confess that the Warren Ellis signing didn't meet my (admittedly quite lofty) expectations.
Warren Ellis signing (Not pictured: Warren Ellis)
Although he signed everything, and was personable (if very brief), there were a few serious failings in 'signing etiquette' that left a bad taste in my mouth. Yes, it was a stuffy, sweaty box filled with sexually-confused teens in chipmunk costumes, but if his fans are willing to run that gauntlet, there's a standard they should be able to expect from him as well.
Pick the book (comic / graphic / fiction / essays/ whatever) written by Warren Fucking Ellis that you'll take to the grave with you.
The rules:
1) If someone else picked it, you can't.
2) Five person 'rounds' - you have to wait 5 people between picks (e.g. I'm going first, but then I can't pick again until number 6).
3) His full name is required. Warren Fucking Ellis.
4) Explanations are desirable, but not mandatory.
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PICK 1 (Jared): FELL. A no-brainer for me. So good that Warren Fucking Ellis stresses about writing it, because he's set the standard so high. And, incidentally, my favorite graphic novel ever.
Felis catus is your taxonomic nomenclature, An endothermic quadruped, carnivorous by nature. Your visual, olfactory, and auditory senses Contribute to your hunting skills and natural defenses. I find myself intrigued by your subvocal oscillations, A singular development of cat communications That obviates your basic hedonistic predilection For a rhythmic stroking of your fur to demonstrate affection. A tail is quite essential for your acrobatic talents. You would not be so agile if you lacked its counterbalance. And when not being utilized to aid in locomotion, It often serves to illustrate the state of your emotion. Oh Spot, the complex levels of behavior you display Connote a fairly well-developed cognitive array, And though you are not sentient, Spot, and do not comprehend, I nonetheless consider you a true and valued friend.
"We’re delighted to be welcoming the author of the astonishing The Name of the Wind, a debut fantasy novel written with the cadence and fluidity of a master poet. A rare visitor the UK, Patrick’s visit is causing quite the sensation - we’ve already received multiple emails about this!" -- Forbidden Planet
All exclamation points aside, Rothfuss is an extremely rare visitor to the UK, and - commenter opinions aside - a huge name in modern fantasy. And that's after a single book...
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