Phil Giunta's Blog, page 116
July 28, 2011
Book Review: Ben Bova's Jupiter
Jupiter is the second book I've read in Ben Bova's Grand Tour series. I started, appropriately, with Mercury and enjoyed it. Jupiter was next on the list because I was curious as to its connection with an earlier Bova novel, As on a Darkling Plain, in which explorers dive into Jupiter’s violent, toxic oceans in a craft filled with breathable fluid. While there, they discover life in the form of large creatures reminiscent of Earth's whales yet far more massive.
In Jupiter, young astro-physicist Grant Archer is recruited, much to his chagrin, by religious order known as the New Morality to spy on "godless scientists" on a space station orbiting Jupiter. Archer is a Believer but with an open mind. He is also married and working on his doctoral thesis but despite his protests, New Morality official Ellis Beech invokes a public service clause that dictates all scientists must serve a minimum of four years wherever the government deems fit to send them, even if the assignment is unrelated to their discipline. The New Morality suspects that the scientists on the station are conducting unauthorized searches for intelligent life on Jupiter.
Once arriving at the space station, Archer assimilates into the team of scientists under the wrathful eye of crippled director, Dr. Wo (known as "Old Woeful" to the team). After working his way up the ranks from errand boy, Archer is given the opportunity to study Jupiter's tidal patterns (known as fluid dynamics) and eventually becomes part of a team that pilots a submersible space craft into Jupiter's oceans under the command of the cantankerous, and partially blind, Dr. Krebs.
The craft, christened the Zheng He, was specifically--and secretly--constructed for the purpose of withstanding the pressure of Jupiter's oceans to a depth of ten thousand kilometers. Again, the craft is filled with the breathable fluid and, as also described in As on a Darkling Plain, the crew is surgically altered with implants that allow them to connect directly to the ship's computers through a series of fiber optic cables.
However, when the New Morality receives no reports from Archer, they visit the station personally in an effort to shut down the project. For if intelligent life were discovered, it would be considered blasphemy and would undermine nearly all of Earth's religions. Ignoring a hail from the New Morality to return to the station immediately, Dr. Krebs orders the Zheng He deeper into Jupiter's treacherous oceans, even bringing the vessel close to the Great Red Spot in search of these Leviathans.
A veteran author of science fact and science fiction, Bova is a master at developing characters and stories and moves both along adeptly without need of fluff or filler. His scientific prowess is evident in the details and while it is fiction, that knowledge makes each moment entirely believable. Jupiter was a thoroughly engrossing adventure. Next up, Mars Life.
July 23, 2011
Write Long and Prosper!
In my mailbox today arrived the 2010 releases of the expanded soundtracks for Star Trek III: The Search for Spock and Star Trek V: The Final Frontier . Each are 2-CD sets containing previously released music on disc one and the original soundtrack release from the 80s on disc two.
Interestingly, these sets were produced by two different companies. The Star Trek III set was produced by FilmScore in partnership with Retrograde Records. They also produced the expanded edition of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan in 2009 which was only one absolutely fantastic CD. The Star Trek V set was produced by La La Land Records and is billed as Limited Edition. As such, prices range from $29.99 to $125. I purchased both sets from from Screen Archive Entertainment .
James Horner and Jerry Goldsmith are among the greatest composers of our time, equal to John Williams in my humble opinion. I'm looking forward to the listening experience! I would like to see such treatment to the Star Trek IV and VI soundtracks. Star Trek: The Motion Picture had its expanded soundtrack released in 1998 which is a fantastic two disc set. The first disc is the expanded soundtrack while the second contains a series of commentaries and interviews with Gene Roddenberry and the cast.
July 22, 2011
About This Writing Stuff...
Be Deliberate by JA Konrath
8 Reasons Books Fail by Eric Gelb
3-Part Recipe for Agent Queries by Rachel Vater
When to Use Swear Words in Your Writing by Morgan Hunt
Why Take the Time to Read Your Work Out Loud? by Jane Friedman
Creativity Isn't Magic posted by Jane Friedman
5 Factors to Help You Evaluate Blogs & Online Authorities by Jane Friedman
New Agent Alert: Halli Melnitsky of Zachary Shuster Harmsworth posted by Chuck Sambuchino
7 Things I've Learned So Far by Sydney Salter posted by Chuck Sambuchino
The Story Behind the Story of Demon Circle by Bob Greenberger and Crazy 8 Press
July 17, 2011
Brain Movies: A new release of Harlan Ellison's TV work!
Babylon 5 creator and comic book writer, J. Michael Straczynski, has announced a new book from Publishing 180 called Brain Movies. Ths book will contain several TV scripts from my favorite author, Harlan Ellison, along with Harlan's guide to writing SF that he created for incoming writers on Babylon 5. I am very excited to procure a copy of this book!
July 15, 2011
About This Writing Stuff...
When the Story You're Writing Isn't Working: An Interview with Donald Miller by Melissa Wuske
SF Author John Scalzi Explains How Not To Be Boring by Scott Francis
Slush Pile Truths by Kristine Kathryn Rusch
Be Strategic in What You Consume to Boost Productivity by Todd Henry / posted by Jane Friedman
From Chuck Sambuchino
Find an Agent: A Little Un-Advice by Stephanie Stiles
How the "Rule of 3" Can Help You Pitch by Randy Russell
Agent Advice: Lindsay Clemons of Larson Pomada Literary Agency posted by Chuck Sambuchino
5 Tips for Making a Really Cool YouTube Video to Promote Your Book by Dan Elish
How I Got My Agent by Reavis Wortham
July 13, 2011
Book Review: Mr. Monk and the Blue Flu
If you think the plethora of phobias plaguing detective Adrian Monk is insufferable, wait until he is reinstated to the San Francisco Police Department as acting captain of homicide. When the Blue Flu strikes the SFPD, including Captain Leland Stottlemeyer and Lt. Randy Disher, the mayor reinstates Monk along with three other former detectives, each with their own mental issues....and assistants. Much to the chagrin of Stottlemeyer, Monk happily accepts the job of commanding the "scabs", and delves into a series of murders that include astrologers, a cop-killer, and a predator with a female foot fetish known as the Golden Gate Strangler.
Monk's team includes a retiree with bouts of senility aided by his bored, apathetic granddaughter, a gunslinger with anger issues who bullies his counselor, and a paranoiac with a tinfoil covered head full of alien abduction conspiracies shadowed by her shrink.
They make Natalie grateful, believe me.
As usual with his Monk novels, Lee Goldberg adroitly captures the characters and creates plausible mysteries-within-mysteries as on the television series. Each of Goldberg's stories is told completely from the POV of Natalie Teeger, a young widow and single mom who is also Adrian Monk's full time assistant/caretaker. As a long time fan of the TV series, I can easily hear the voices of Tony Shalhoub, Ted Levine, Jason Gray-Stanford, and Traylor Howard when reading the dialogue. There is little to no fluff in the Monk novels which I also admire. Each scene and chapter moves the story along while also taking the time for character development.
July 12, 2011
Book Review: Mr. Monk Goes To Hawaii
I always wanted to see a follow up story where private detective Adrian Monk takes the "cool pill" prescribed by Dr. Kroger in the televised episode "Mr. Monk Takes His Medicine". I found it hilarious and at the same time, very poignant and touching to observe what happens when the pill's effects wear off and Monk returns to his life of OCD and social paranoia. I was curious to see how differently Natalie would handle the situation as opposed to Sharona, Monk's former assistant/nurse.
I was not disappointed. Lee Goldberg, writer of several Monk TV episodes, crafts the story adeptly, putting Monk on the pill only at the beginning and end of the story and describing Monk's behavior in detail the first time while leaving it to the reader's imagination for his second dose.
In between, Monk finds himself in Hawaii, intruding on Natalie's vacation. While there, he solves a myriad of crimes for the police including murder, a series of burglaries, and drug smuggling. Before and after the crimes, Monk also publicly reveals a lying bigamist (to Natalie's embarrassment) and a charlatan psychic (who also turns out to be a killer).
This the second Monk novel I've read, the first being Mr. Monk Goes to the Firehouse, and I enjoyed them both. Coincidentally, each book was completed while vacationing in Rehoboth Beach, DE. Perhaps I'm starting a tradition. I am currently nearing the end of Mr. Monk and the Blue Flu which I started the day before my vacation concluded. I'll post a review here shortly.
July 10, 2011
Live from ThrillerFest!
No, I did not attend ThrillerFest (I'm vacationing in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware as I write this) but Zachary Petit of Writer's Digest was kind enough to send along a series of articles based on discussions from the convention. Read on!
Plot Like a Bestseller: 8 Things You Should Know by William Bernhardt
3 Things to Do Before You Start Writing Your Thriller by Michael Palmer
One Simple Question All Writers Should Ask Themselves by Douglas Preston
One Simple Way to Sharpen Your Pitch by Jon Land
7 Keys to a Thriller That Actually Thrills by Steven James
The Future: A Brief Survival Kit by Simon Lipskar
July 5, 2011
About this Writing Stuff...
The Tsunami of Crap by JA Konrath
10 Tips for Building Your Writing Checklist by Mark C. Newton / posted by Chuck Sambuchino
Humorist Justin Halpern's Uncensored Writing Insights
Numbering Pages of a Prologue by Brian A. Klems
Speed: Writing Fiction that Reads Fast by Susan Cushman / posted by Jane Friedman
How to Be a Click Magnet: Improve Your Search Engine Results by Hollis Gillespie / posted by Chuck Sambuchino
Agent Advice: Dawn Frederick of Red Sofa Literary posted by Chuck Sambuchino
New Agent Alert: Lauren Ruth of BookEnds, LLC posted by Chuck Sambuchino
The Hidden, Secret Ingredient of Platform: Relationships by Jane Friedman
July 3, 2011
Next Generation Hobbies
Yesterday, I drove up to Sugar Loaf near Chester, NY to visit Next Generation Hobbies, a fairly new hobby shop started by Anthony Mangano (formerly of HiWay Hobby House in Ramsey, NJ). My buddies and I agreed it was well worth the three hour trip (it would have been 2 hours if not for Pocono area traffic jams).
The shop has an excellent selection of SF, horror, auto, and military kits as well as supplies, and some model trains and action figures. For my birthda, I treated myself to a Romulan Bird of Prey and two USS Reliant model kits. Next Gen Hobbies is a great shop that I hope will be around for a long time.
In addition, one of my amigos that went along gave me a Vulcan Shuttle model kit and a Three Stooges DVD set for my b-day.
