Book Review: The Terror, by Dan Simmons

I like monsters.  I also like reading about ant(arctic) exploration.  So Dan Simmon’s novel The Terror is right up my alley.

Set during the disastrous Franklin Expedition to find the Northwest Passage, Simmons fills in the blanks in the awful story of the loss of 2 ships and all their crew.   Bad luck, starvation, and cannibalism aren’t enough for Simmons – in The Terror, supernatural forces, and apparently the very heaven and earth conspire to first torment, then kill, the icebound sailors.

Simmons has a real flare for monsters: from the Hyperion series, the chromed, spiked shrike;  From Ilium/Olympos, Caliban and the children of Setbos.  Simmon’s monster from The Terror is the equal of these others, cruel, cunning, and deeply disturbing.  And where does the tongueless ‘esquimeaux’ woman fit in?

As usual, Simmon’s writing is engaging and a pleasure to read.  Many of the characters are drawn from real life, and the narrative is liberally sprinkled with descriptions of British behavior in the Victorian era.

I recommend it heartily, what-ho?

J.K. Rowling: Rich Idiot

From AP (it’s Fair Use!):

“NEW YORK – Author J.K. Rowling and the maker of the “Harry Potter” films are suing a small publisher in Michigan over its plans to release a book version of a popular Web site dedicated to the boy wizard.”

I read these fine words sitting underneath one of the largest library collections on the planet: 7 floors practically groaning underneath exactly the sort of book that Rowling is suing to prevent. There’s probably an entire floor devoted to books about other authors’ books. Where is her precedent for this suit? Of course, precedent doesn’t matter when you’re rich: pay a law firm, and it will happily sue the sky for being blue.

I fondly remember a time before any bonehead who could afford a pack of lawyers (a trouble of lawyers? a suit of lawyers? a bill of lawyers?) decided copyright was a club to beat the heads of those who dared to trespass on their financial turf. I blame the RIAA, of course.

Perhaps there is a certain madness that comes upon the newly rich, which makes them honestly believe that their desires rate above those of others. All I know is that if I were Rowling, I’d never even want to hear the name ‘Harry Potter’ again. She beat that particular horse to death. My advice to her as a reader: fire your lawyers, and hire a decent editor for your next book.