Got the first draft of my Cemetery Dance column for issue 63 written today. It’s due with the editor next Friday, which gives me lots of time to revise and polish it. Once upon a time, these articles ranged anywhere from 5000-7500 words, if you can believe that. Bob Morrish tamed me of my excesses, though, and lately they’ve been more in the 2000-3000 word range.
I’m reading the galley of A Twisted Ladder, an upcoming novel by Rhodi Hawk, a friend I know from NECON and other conventions over the year. When she asked if I’d read it with an eye twoard reviewing it, I happily accepted without even asking what the book was about.
Accepting a review copy from a friend can be a risk. I mean, what happens if I don’t like the book? Sorry, my dog ate it doesn’t work for eGalleys (I transferred it to my Kindle). Fortunately in this case I needn’t have worried. This is an impressively accomplished novel, sort of Southern Gothic but not quite. Set in modern-day and simultaneously in the early 1900s in the bayous, towns and cities of southern Louisiana. I’ve never read any of Rhodi’s fiction before, so I was bowled over by her literary skills, both as a wordsmith and a novelist. The book is due out from Tor/Forge in early September, so I’ll hold my detailed review until closer to that date, but I’m sure my recommendation when I complete it (I’m 40% of the way through now) will be: go buy it!
Speaking of New Orleans, we watched The Curious Case of Benjamin Button last night. I’d heard mixed things about the movie, but the premise was intriguing and the cast (Brad Pitt, Tilda Swinton, Cate Blanchett) strong. We enjoyed it, though at 166 minutes it was a tad overlong. Afterwards, I found myself analyzing the story in terms of what they could have cut. The scene where Daisy falls, for example, did absolutely nothing to advance the plot–her daughter didn’t need to be born prematurely. There were all sorts of places where it could have been trimmed back to the usual length for movies, but in reality, the movie didn’t seem overlong at the time. It was self-indulgent, but we were happy to go along for the ride. My biggest quibble was about what happened to him at the end. Why did he get small, when he was born small and grew normally? I also argue that he could have had another good 15-20 years with Daisy.
Curious about the inspiration for the story, I downloaded the F. Scott Fitzgerald story to my Kindle to be read at a later date.
Remember, Eli Stone fans (all three of you)–ABC is burning off the final four episodes starting tonight at 9 p.m. (Central), and continuing on each of the next three Saturday evenings. I have no idea if there is a wrap up or if it just peters off into nothingness.
