Well, and I’m sure I’ve mentioned here a few times that John Scalzi’s Whatever is one of the few blogs I read daily that are written by people I’ve never met. One of the main themes of his blog (and why shouldn’t it be) has been the writing, sale, publication, marketing and reception of his various books. The Big Deal, of course, is his first published novel, Old Man’s War, a science-fiction military sort of thingie. He writes about his other books, and about writing the new ones, and about his wife, child, and musical tastes, but I would say the Big Deal about his blog over the last year or so has been OMW.
Well, and naturally, I was interested. I enjoy his writing on Whatever, so there was every chance I might enjoy his fiction. No guarantee, of course, but a good chance. And, as it happens, the reviews were generally favorable, without being raves. So I figured that someday I would probably want to pick the thing up. The thing is, it’s only out in hardback, and quite aside from the cost (which is, for me, pretty near prohibitive), this is the sort of book I don’t care to own in hardback. It’s too heavy and awkward for me. There are some books I’d like in hard covers, but specfic novels, not so much. I suspect if I owned American Gods or Passages in paperback, I’d have re-read them by now. Possibly, I would have enjoyed them more the first time. Anyway, I put the title away in the back of my mind in the untidy heap of titles to-be-read-at-some-point-if-I-get-the-chance. Hoo-raw for internet marketing!
And yet, when I happened to see it on the shelf at the library, I nabbed it, and then I read it (and returned it). So the internet marketing worked to that extent, although of course I didn’t pay for that. On the other hand, I’m sure the library keeps track, so perhaps my contribution to its circulation will lead to the purchase of another copy, or the purchase of an extra copy of the next one. And, since I enjoyed reading it, who knows? I may yet buy it in paperback. And I may buy the next one in paperback. And perhaps one of my Gentle Readers will spend some money on it. And it’s not like the marginal cost of letting me read the blog makes it inefficient, even if the eventual return turns out to be nil.
Oh, right, the book. It’s amazing how enjoyable a competently written book can be. There are some original bits, and some clever bits, and a few bits that aren’t as clever as they are meant to be, but on the whole, it’s just (just) a well-written old-fashioned book. It didn’t plod, it didn’t have a big stretch that was in to no point at all, it didn’t annoy me in any way (other than the funny bits which I didn’t find funny, which were a fair trade-off for the funny bits I did). It’s Heinlein-esque, but like Starship Troopers or The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, not The Number of the Beast or The Cat Who Walks Through Walls or Friday, so that’s all right.
Digression: is it possible I have read twenty-eight Robert Heinlein novels? And there are perhaps five of them I’d like to read again? I’m not sure why, but I kept reading them long after I stopped enjoying them. I don’t know if there are any other writers who have written twenty-eight novels I have read. I was impressed when I counted up that I had read eleven of Robertson Davies’ novels (and liked, um, eight, and two more somewhat). I’m sure I’ve read twenty Asimov novels, some of which I re-read in the last five years. I suppose I’ve read thirty-odd Dick Francis novels. At least that means Mr. Heinlein isn’t in first. End Digression
Anyway, it’s not the best specfic novel I’ve read this year, which was Dragon Rider, nor even the best straight-ahead science-fiction novel with, you know, spaceships and with aliens and humans blasting at each other with zap guns, which was A Fire Upon the Deep. I think the lesson here, though, is that a book doesn’t actually have to either be the best or try to be the best in order to be perfectly entertaining. I could easily imagine Mr. Scalzi getting up into the Vorkosigan Saga level of entertainment, which is a very high level indeed.
chazak, chazak, v’nitchazek,
-Vardibidian.