[***] ISBN: 0743457625
This is a pretty decent account of the life of the actor that brought to life one of the great cultural icons of my time. After having read the autobiographies of many of the actors behind the other major characters of Star Trek, I had always wished that DeForest had written his as well. Since he did not, I was glad to find someone did it on his behalf.
There's plenty here to like. There are many details about his formative years and pre-Trek career in cowboy films and television. There's also an appropriate amount of detail about his later illness and passing. I really like how the author was able to elicit plenty of memories and opinions from De's neighbors and friends. Oh yeah, she also includes plenty of anecdotes about making the Star Trek television shows and movies.
What didn't work is expecting the reader to always remember the cast of unknown characters surrounding the Kelleys in their private life. I've never heard of these people, so it was hard to keep them straight. I needed a bit more structure so I could remember how they fit into the picture (was that someone he met at the Long Beach theater or is it the mail man?). One other annoyance for me was the occasional lapse into editorial by the author, as she waxed poetic about the meaning of Star Trek or DeForest Kelley's career. But this was usually excusable.
Recommended for anyone who loves Star Trek, or cowboy movies.
Saturday, March 31, 2007
Friday, March 23, 2007
The Art of Fiction: A Guide for Writers and Readers (Ayn Rand)
[**] ISBN: 0786188847
This is a frustrating work. It's filled with wonderful thoughts and ideas about how fiction works, how to make characters live and breath with emotion and how authors can enhance their own creative process. On the other hand, it's also full of preposterous ideas about the purpose of fiction, what makes a book worth writing or reading and her own philosophical invective.
To top off my frustration, I watched the film version of her book The Fountainhead, in order to get a flavor of her writing. As I feared, it's full of the same melodramatic, selfish, intellectual drivel. I felt like Ayn (who wrote the book and the screenplay) was constantly pounding the sides of my head with a philosophical two-by-four using her completely ridiculous dialog (this stuff might work in some sorts of books, but it never works in film). It ruined what could have been a fascinating film with amazing directing and acting (very evident when no one was speaking). Whatever inclination I might have had to actually read some of her fiction has been squeezed out of my brain.
My hope is to remember and use the more practical and reasonable ideas that Rand puts forward in The Art of Fiction. I also hope to forget the crap (and never again hear the word bromide). It's too bad that's unlikely.
This is a frustrating work. It's filled with wonderful thoughts and ideas about how fiction works, how to make characters live and breath with emotion and how authors can enhance their own creative process. On the other hand, it's also full of preposterous ideas about the purpose of fiction, what makes a book worth writing or reading and her own philosophical invective.
To top off my frustration, I watched the film version of her book The Fountainhead, in order to get a flavor of her writing. As I feared, it's full of the same melodramatic, selfish, intellectual drivel. I felt like Ayn (who wrote the book and the screenplay) was constantly pounding the sides of my head with a philosophical two-by-four using her completely ridiculous dialog (this stuff might work in some sorts of books, but it never works in film). It ruined what could have been a fascinating film with amazing directing and acting (very evident when no one was speaking). Whatever inclination I might have had to actually read some of her fiction has been squeezed out of my brain.
My hope is to remember and use the more practical and reasonable ideas that Rand puts forward in The Art of Fiction. I also hope to forget the crap (and never again hear the word bromide). It's too bad that's unlikely.
Saturday, March 10, 2007
The Skystone (Jack Whyte)
[****] ISBN: 0812551389
I believe I first got tipped off about this series by reading a rave on Orson Scott Card's blog. I'm glad I followed up on it.
The Skystone is the first volume of many in a retelling of the legend of King Arthur and Camelot (according to the reviews and the cover blurb). You wouldn't know it from reading the story (until you start getting clues in the latter half of the book). This story is set years before Arthur, when Britain was still under the rule of Rome and the Roman legions. It follows Plublius Varrus, one of those Roman soldiers, through well-staged bloody battles, intriguing political feuds and troubling personal demons. This is quite an adventure.
I found the writing and plotting to be first-rate overall. I read the book straight through in a week (it helped to be sitting in airports and on planes). A few things keep me from giving it a full four stars: (1) Secondary characters seem to be either fully trustworthy and noble or not. It's way too easy to identify allies and enemies. Where are the turncoats? (2) Life in ancient Britain comes across as a bit too idyllic. Although some difficulties are described, the author glosses over many of the harsh realities of everyday life in this period. (3) Typical of most secular books, the Christian themes are very muted and easily confused with simple morality.
I will definitely find and read the rest of the books in this series.
I believe I first got tipped off about this series by reading a rave on Orson Scott Card's blog. I'm glad I followed up on it.
The Skystone is the first volume of many in a retelling of the legend of King Arthur and Camelot (according to the reviews and the cover blurb). You wouldn't know it from reading the story (until you start getting clues in the latter half of the book). This story is set years before Arthur, when Britain was still under the rule of Rome and the Roman legions. It follows Plublius Varrus, one of those Roman soldiers, through well-staged bloody battles, intriguing political feuds and troubling personal demons. This is quite an adventure.
I found the writing and plotting to be first-rate overall. I read the book straight through in a week (it helped to be sitting in airports and on planes). A few things keep me from giving it a full four stars: (1) Secondary characters seem to be either fully trustworthy and noble or not. It's way too easy to identify allies and enemies. Where are the turncoats? (2) Life in ancient Britain comes across as a bit too idyllic. Although some difficulties are described, the author glosses over many of the harsh realities of everyday life in this period. (3) Typical of most secular books, the Christian themes are very muted and easily confused with simple morality.
I will definitely find and read the rest of the books in this series.
Saturday, March 03, 2007
Cryptid: The Lost Legacy of Lewis & Clark (Eric Penz)
[***] ISBN: 158348485X
Somehow I stumbled across this author's web site and got excited because he lived nearby, worked full time and had still managed to get something written and published. More dots connected because I had recently read (er, listened to) a history of Lewis and Clark and was also starting to work on a novel revolving around a fictional creature and a cover-up. Thankfully, Cryptid is both completely different than what I have in mind and proves that the concept can work.
The early chapters of the book worked the best for me. They draw vivid pictures of convincing characters in dire situations and create a fascinating world of paleontology, anthropology and history in which the creature (bigfoot) can exist, along with the cover-up. But then the story bogs down even as the pace picks up. The middle of the book, filled with thrilling scenes, turns into a muddle -- a seemingly endless chase through the dark (underground and in the forest), filled with nasty people, malevolent beasts and a rising body count. This was not at all what I expected or wanted. And then the end wraps it all up (just like that).
That being said, I found the book hard to put down. The prose is clear and compelling. The dialog is true. Events follow each other pretty logically (though I did find I lost track of a few things). I hope my story turns out at least this well.
Somehow I stumbled across this author's web site and got excited because he lived nearby, worked full time and had still managed to get something written and published. More dots connected because I had recently read (er, listened to) a history of Lewis and Clark and was also starting to work on a novel revolving around a fictional creature and a cover-up. Thankfully, Cryptid is both completely different than what I have in mind and proves that the concept can work.
The early chapters of the book worked the best for me. They draw vivid pictures of convincing characters in dire situations and create a fascinating world of paleontology, anthropology and history in which the creature (bigfoot) can exist, along with the cover-up. But then the story bogs down even as the pace picks up. The middle of the book, filled with thrilling scenes, turns into a muddle -- a seemingly endless chase through the dark (underground and in the forest), filled with nasty people, malevolent beasts and a rising body count. This was not at all what I expected or wanted. And then the end wraps it all up (just like that).
That being said, I found the book hard to put down. The prose is clear and compelling. The dialog is true. Events follow each other pretty logically (though I did find I lost track of a few things). I hope my story turns out at least this well.
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