1980s Retro Horror/Comedy Back From The Dead!

Although they’re about a generation out of step with the rest of the world now, the Universal Monsters remain some of the most recognizable creations in the world. There’s just something eternally cool about Dracula, Frankenstein’s monster, the Werewolf, the Mummy, and the Creature from the Black Lagoon. Even if a kid doesn’t immediately recognize these monsters, he wants to know who they are.

Unlike Jason, Freddy Krueger, or Michael Meyers, the Universal Monsters stand out at first glance. They just look different. Where Freddy, Jason, and Michael Meyers tend to look like ordinary people gone really wrong, the Universal Monsters somehow look regal and more otherworldly. Dracula looks like a lord in his suit and cape. Frankenstein’s monster looks totally rad with the bolts and the scars all over his face. The Mummy looks decrepit, but Brendan Fraser’s franchise (which is getting a new edition and 2008) taught the movie-going audience to fear the Mummy in a whole new way. The Werewolf, especially with his human side not totally evoking sympathy, looks kind of corny but is a definite archetype of the lycanthrope. And the Creature from the Black Lagoon – no one has ever looked like the Creature from the Black Lagoon.

To make those monsters even more different, all of them had some hint of tragedy clinging to them. Dracula could’ve been a good guy if he hadn’t gotten bitten by vampire. Frankenstein’s monster was actually childlike at the beginning until he was mistreated and finally hunted to turn him into a vengeful creature. The Werewolf suffered a gypsy’s curse. The Mummy just wanted to rest undisturbed until grave robbers made off with his goods. And the Creature from the Black Lagoon just wanted his fish bowl left alone – and maybe a little love.

Beginning in the 1930s, the Universal Monsters ruled the silver screen. Dracula, Frankenstein’s monster, the Wolfman, and the Mummy all put in their original appearances and lurched, flew, and howled their way to fame. The Creature from the Black Lagoon was a latecomer, not putting in an appearance until 1954. But even after only one movie, the creature immediately became a staple in the league of monsters.

Steven Spielberg’s sponsored movie, The Goonies, was largely responsible for The Monster Squad coming to the big screen. Scriptwriters Fred Dekker and Shane Black (Lethal Weapon, The Last Boy Scout, The Long Kiss Goodnight, and Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang) entered into the deal to bring the Universal Monsters into the 1980s. They decided to do it in a campy style for kids, and use a larger-than-life backdrop for the story: kids who save the world from monsters.

However, Universal Studios wasn’t happy – or compliant – about the use of the characters. That’s why in the movie the monsters look somewhat different than they did in the original films. At one point Universal Studios threatened to sue. Plus the special effects and makeup were better in 1987.

As the story goes, our young heroes, Sean and Patrick, are outcasts from school. They’re not cool. They’re not jocks. They don’t fit in. In fact, when they’re introduced, they’re in trouble with the principal for drawing monsters in class. We get to see just for a moment that the principal was probably once just like them. He knows all about monsters too, but he tells them they need to learn more than monsters.

They have a tree house getaway, a sign that says “No Girls” that doesn’t work on Sean’s little sister Phoebe, comic books, and monster magazines galore. Oh, and crosses. Lots and lots of crosses. They are the ultimate nerds waiting for adventure. Especially after they recruit cool bad boy Rudy, who wants to join up with them because their tree house overlooks the bedroom of a stunning girl.

Unfortunately, they’re about to get their fondest wish: to meet monsters.

In the prologue to the movie, we see Dracula devising a desperate plan that involves a mysterious gem. Abraham Van Helsing is on hand to combat Dracula and the other monsters. At the end of this, we find out that Van Helsing screwed up.

In the present day a hundred years later, Dracula comes to town looking for the mysterious gem. The boys discover that the gem is the balance between good and evil and only appears in the world every 100 years. As long as the gem exists, good will exist in the world and evil cannot triumph over good. But once the gem is destroyed, evil will flourish. He gathers the other monsters to him and they begin searching an old mansion.

Sean gets Van Helsing’s diary from a garage sale because his mother knows he likes old books. Of course this is a convenient conceit of the largest kind, but it’s okay because we’re just here to have fun.

After a decent buildup that’s not quite too long, the story spins into full action mode. Given that the film was made twenty years ago, the pacing isn’t too bad. I was greatly aware that it moved more slowly than most of today’s movies. Still, I watched it with my nine year old and he didn’t complain too much or get antsy waiting for something to happen. The action was more low-key than I remembered, but it still got the job done. I just remembered that there was a lot more action and that it was bigger.

Another thing that made me a little uncomfortable was that in spite of the PG-13 rating, the movie contained more swearing and adult situations then I remembered. Maybe I was more jaded in those days. I honestly can’t remember. But I know that today’s movies don’t seem to contain as much of either.

I had a good time cruising down nostalgia lane watching The Monster Squad with my son. For a while there, we were both nine years old. Back when monsters were really cool and you didn’t have to worry about dying because you knew you were going to beat them at the end.

Great New Graphic Novel Coming In November!

I love comic books. Every time I open one, it’s almost like holding a movie screen in my hands and watching the progression of action taking shape. However, lately I’ve found it hard to keep up with monthly titles. Too many of them are continued from one month to the next, stretching out least six months or more, and I only get a sense of completion twice a year. This is so the comic book companies can put out what they call “graphic novels.”

In the old days, graphic novels were illustrated stories that couldn’t be told in 22 pages (or 24 pages as when I was growing up). At that time, graphic novels were stand-alone stories that might or might not feature recurring characters.

Somewhere in there, graphic novels simply became a format for comic book companies to re-merchandise product. That form is one of the most successful in publishing these days. When comic book monthly sales were down, the sales of graphic novels were growing. Libraries picked them up. Collectors picked them up. Bookstores put them on the shelves and sold them.

And America, young and old, discovered a brand new love for the format. Graphic novels are published in all sizes these days. My nine-year-old reads pocket-sized versions of Teen Titans while I usually pick up the regular-sized editions of my favorites. If a story captures my interest and I know I will read it over and over again, and if it’s available, I buy it in hardcover.

While I was at Comic-Con in San Diego this year, I got the chance to preview a brand-new graphic novel that is a genuine exercise of the form. The actual book won’t be out until November 19, 2007.

Shooting War by Anthony Lappe and Dan Goldman is absolutely amazing. Lappe is a Guerrilla News Network reporter that has provided extensive coverage of the Iraq war. He’s the author of a previous nonfiction book, True Lies, that was unflinching in its view of the existing war. Lappe isn’t a fan of how things are being handled in that part of the world, nor does he appreciate the slanted news coverage and lack of information that’s been given to the American people.

Dan Goldman co-authored Everyman: Be The People, an illustrated satire of George W. Bush’s presidency and the theft of the American dream. Goldman isn’t noted for pulling punches either.

Together, Lappe and Goldman have created a brand new graphic novel called Shooting War. The book is about a young, independent newsblogger (someone who has independent access to the Internet and specializes in covering breaking stories – which isn’t too far removed from what’s actually taking place on the Internet these days).

Set in 2011, Jimmy Burns is a sympathetic character still wrapped in innocence when he first appears on the pages. The opening scene reveals him on the front line in the Iraq warzone. We don’t yet know why he’s there.

The story cuts immediately to a time two months ago when Jimmy has his brand-new satellite-feed camera that allows him to upload to the Internet in real-time (which is a really scary thought if you think about it, and that technology is not that far off when everyone is going to Wi-Fi. This look at emerging technology is one of the things I liked about the book, and that wasn’t even a primary focus.)

Almost immediately, the action breaks loose as the Starbucks coffee shop beneath Jimmy’s apartment blows up. The art is amazing. It’s a blend of traditional comic art as well as mixed media involving photographs with computer-generated images cast over them. The visualization of the scenes lends itself to screenplay style format. (And I’ll be really surprised if someone in Hollywood doesn’t snap up the rights to this story really quickly.)

The carnage that occurs during the explosion is visceral. The way that the reaction to Jimmy’s broadcast spreads around the world is awesome. This is the way real-time video blogging would work – but only if the blogger had an audience. In the story, Jimmy’s broadcast is seized by a news conglomerate and broadcast everywhere. The whole world sees the newest terrorist attack on American soil.

The conceit used in the story is one that would happen, and has happened, in today’s world already. When something big happens, people are usually there with video recorders, digital cameras, and cell phones with image-capturing functions (the recent Barry Bonds homerun and all the amateur photographers in the stand comes immediately to mind). The American people know they can usually sell these images or digital footage to media corporations. In fact, there have been shows on television that specialized in live footage shot by amateur photographers.

Overnight, Jimmy becomes a media superstar. The news corporation, Global News, pushes Jimmy into the limelight. And that’s exactly where Jimmy wants to go. However, Jimmy isn’t prepared for what the news corporation is going to do to him. He – and we – find out that they’re not that interested in what he has to say. He’s just part of the show.

But that doesn’t mean they’re going to be able to control him. And I know that’s going to cause all sorts of problems.

The preview ends there. But this backstory is intercut with scenes from the Iraq front line where Jimmy looks haggard and desperate. I know that the authors have a political agenda with their story, and I’m fine with that. But they’re also going to be telling a coming-of-age tale that looks to be filled with adventure and heart. That’s plenty to keep me turning pages.

Although this preview is only sixteen pages long, it’s whet my appetite for the rest of the story. November can’t get here soon enough.

BOURNE ULTIMATUM Rocks The House!

The Bourne Ultimatum is the final film in what has been an amazing and action-packed trilogy of thrillers based on the late Robert Ludlum’s novels featuring the same characters and plot. Matt Damon has turned in some of the best work in his career in these movies. He appears at once as invincible and unstoppable as Jason Bourne, yet is also vulnerable and lost.

In the first movie, fans learned that Jason Bourne was just a pseudonym and not the character’s true name. In this movie, we finally find out what the character’s name really was. Of course, those people who have already read the books knew that.

The first two movies, to a degree, paced the action and played to the tension in scenes. The Bourne Ultimatum goes for the throat on action sequences from the very beginning. But there are still some brilliant twists and turns to the plot that will catch the audience off balance.

Julia Stiles reprises her role as Nicky Parsons, a CIA agent who believes Bourne and sympathizes with him.

Joan Allen plays Pamela Landy, a CIA supervisor clever enough to catch Bourne – or to help him find out what exactly was done to him. Both of these women are strong and individual in their roles even though they aren’t allowed much screen time.

David Strathaim is absolutely marvelous as Noah Vosen, the evil CIA mastermind fans of the series have come to enjoy hating. His acting is spot on and his deviousness is purely Machiavellian.

But the thing that really drives this movie is the pedal-to-the-metal action. Once the movie rips into motion, it simply does not slow down. Although two hours in length, the movie breezes by and is gone before you’re ready. Although it is intensely satisfying. Bourne’s opponents aren't the only ones capable of devious and twisted action.

Even though he’s been hunted, Jason Bourne is a relentless predator. He asks no quarter and gives none, totally merciless when dealing with those who would do harm to him. He’s the kind of hero every guy wants to be and every woman wants to fall in love with. The fight scenes, the chase scenes in cars and on motorcycles, the marathon races across rooftops and through apartment buildings are physically demanding and look great on screen. Evidently Damon did a lot of his own stunt work when he could.

The film was also shot on numerous locations, giving it a spectacular visual appeal. Scenes were shot in New York City, England, France, Germany, Morocco, Spain, and India. The story’s pacing burns through the terrain, though, but you can immediately tell he was shot on location.

The stunt crew must have had a field day with this one. All the dazzling escapes, explosions, and chase sequences are extremely well choreographed and look great on the screen.

Personally, I felt this movie was a little less plot-dense then the other two. There was more of a linear progression in this one, without all the side stories. We knew Bourne was being hunted, and we knew that Vosen was the bad guy. But everything tied together and made sense.

At the same time, some of the scenes strain credulity. Not the action sequences, because I was willing to go along with those. But in one instance, Bourne was able to break into Vosen’s office without being caught. We never got to see that happen, and I can’t believe it would be so easy that he would do it in a matter of minutes while hey were hunting him. The security in that place, even before the threat of Jason Bourne being in the city, had to have been extremely high. Not just mechanical security devices, but also human guards. It was a great plot twist to have Bourne invade Vosen’s office, but I really had to stretch to believe it could happen.


The world seems to have rediscovered Robert Ludlum through these movies. Several of the late author’s novels have been recently reprinted, and there’s even a new film adaptation of The Chancellor Manuscript underway starring Leonardo DiCaprio. It seems as though Hollywood has finally figured out how to make realistic spy thrillers and is doing a bang-up job of choosing source material the same way Quentin Tarantino did when reinventing the crime thriller using Elmore Leonard’s books.

I’m waiting to buy the Bourne movies when they come out on HD DVD. The first two have already been released in that format. But I’m holding out for a collector’s set of all three. I’ll probably have those, though, when Matt Damon decides to do a fourth movie in the series. Two new Jason Bourne novels have already been written by best-selling author Eric Van Lustbader. A fourth movie would disrupt my collected set, but I would be happy to see another one.

Gold Eagle/Silhouette/Harlequin Represents At Comic-Con 2007!

When I was at San Diego Con, I met an amazing group of people who worked the Gold Eagle/Harlequin/Silhouette booth. I was there to do an autograph session for them and ended up having so much fun that we blew past the first hour and continued into the second .

I'd gone to lunch with another editor from another book company . When I got back there was a line waiting at the booth. The editor I was with suggested that the people were waiting on me. I didn't believe that for a minute. But when I got up to the table, I saw that they were waiting on me. It was intimidating and exciting at the same time.

I flagged down Tony , the guy who was answering people's questions and told him who I was. He quickly put me to work behind the table. I signed over 200 books in those two hours . When the Harlequin people go to San Diego Con, they give away books like crazy. During that four-day convention, they gave away a thousand copies of Rogue Angel Forbidden City.

The new Rogue Angel book, God of Thunder is out now.



I don't know how many other books they gave away, but it had to be in the thousands. The Mack Bolan Executioner line was represented, as well as Silhouette's new Nocturne line. They were also giving away posters of the various products.


I got to meet Tim Bradstreet, the artist who does the Rogue Angel covers. Of course, a lot of people may recognize his work from the covers he does on The Punisher.



I even got to take a picture with Tim. And I got a signed Rogue Angel poster.




Another poster they were giving away showed the cover to the first book in the new run of Athena Force books. I got to help out with the design of the overall 12-book arc.



Rachel Caine (of the Weather Warden series) wrote the first novel, Line of Sight, that is out on shelves everywhere.

Her new Weather Warden book is out now.





Afterwards, the team took me to dinner at an Italian restaurant whose name I still can't pronounce or even come close to spelling. We had a blast.

Tony is an art director at Harlequin. We talked a lot about what goes into book cover composition and how models show up for shoots. I was promised that when I go to Toronto I could sit in on a session and watch a cover come to life.

Farah is in marketing and was my contact person during the whole convention.

Lindsey is Tony's wife and an educator (which is how she keeps Tony in line and trains him -- though when we were together we were waaaaayyyyy too much to handle and lingered most of the time somewhere around 12 years old. With inappropriate humor.).

Gold Eagle Books editor Feroze Mohammed bought my first novel. I've sold 50 or so to that company, and have always enjoyed doing business with them. They have some of the best people you could ever find working with them.

Thanks again, guys! You really made the convention a great experience!

Gallery of Buff History Rogues

(so much better than Gallery of History Rogues in the Buff!)

One of things I most enjoy about attending comic book or science fiction conventions is getting to meet other professionals in the writing field. As a writer, I spend a lot of time inside my own head. I’m oftentimes my own worst enemy. I either keep my creative side imprisoned or torture it with thoughts of failure.

However, getting to meet other working professionals quickly reminds me that I’m not alone in this job and that it’s never easy. We’ve all developed our ways of getting around that little critical voice tucked away in the back of our heads. I get new ideas of how to defeat that stumbling block, and I get reminded that this job isn’t as hard as I sometimes believe it is.

Don’t get me wrong, writing is hard work. It’s difficult to sit in one spot for hours, days, weeks, and months and dream up scenarios and characters...then completely dash them into pieces because you get scared or nervous. Generally no one else around you understands what you’re going through. Your family and friends get sick of hearing you whine.

In San Diego this year, I was on the history panel with an esteemed collection of authors. Everyone who reads fantasy knows their names.

Peter David, scriptwriter supreme of The Incredible Hulk, Supergirl, and Fallen Angel to name a few, as well as several novels involving Star Trek, Babylon 5, and other television properties, was their lending wit and wisdom and repping his new book, The Darkness of the Light: Book 1 of the Hidden Earth.

R. A. Salvatore, whom I had met before, was his usual jovial and generous self. He’s the author of several books starring the Drow Ranger, Drzzt Do’Urden as well as several other novels in the Forgotten Realms world. In addition to that, he’s invented several nifty worlds of his own and filled them with terrific heroes and monsters. He wasn’t, however, generous enough to give away any hints about his upcoming Drizzt book, The Orc King.

David Keck is a relatively new writer, but he’s one you’re going to be hearing a lot about. He absolutely blew away not only the audience, but also the other panelists with his stories about a floating molar in his brain and observations on the realms of fantasies. His latest book is In the Eye of Heaven.

To anyone who reads science fiction, and very probably anyone who reads history seriously, Professor Harry Turtledove needs no introduction. But I’ll provide one. He is an acclaimed and accomplished writer of alternate histories, probably the very best in that field and certainly working at the top of his game. His latest book is In At The Death, the fourth book in the Settling Accounts series.

David Durhan is another name that you’ll soon see more of. He also came to the panel legitimately because he is a professor of history, and I was impressed by his knowledge as well as his personality. His first three books are fiction wrapped tightly in the threads of time, place, and real people. His latest book, however, is fantasy but you can see how he melded his two loves or factual and fictional events. Acacia has been announced as the first of a trilogy that is known as The War with the Mein.

I had a really good time on the panel and was much impressed with how much everyone knew. Later, I had a lot of people come up to me a different signings and tell me how much they’ve enjoyed the panel, the topic, the discussion, and the humor. Believe me, we’re writers. We know our humor isn’t always appreciated and we make the most of a captive audience. It’s better to ask forgiveness…

Comic-Con is way too busy to actually get the chance to meet people unless you’re on a panel. Even then you’re limited to just a few minutes. Thankfully I got the opportunity to see more of these guys at the signing immediately following the panel.

Summer Replacement Series "Saving Grace" Is New #1 Show

Award-Winning Actress Holly Hunter stars as Grace Hanadarko on TNT’s summer replacement television series Saving Grace. Grace is a police detective who works violent crimes and struggles with inner demons. Ten years ago, she lost her sister in the Oklahoma City bombing. She feels guilt over her sister’s death because she was supposed to care for her nephew the day before but ended up sick. Grace believes she is the reason that her sister is dead.

The series is near and dear to my heart for a couple of reasons. Number one is that it shows the struggle that sometimes has to be fought to achieve faith. Many movies and books simply show that once a person accepts God his or her life is immediately and forever changed. Like hitting the religious lottery or something. But for a lot of people faith is an ongoing struggle between wanting to believe and wanting to understand.

The core of Saving Grace is that monumental struggle within a person. Yet it is intelligently portrayed against the backstop of police investigations, friendships, temptation and betrayal, and miracles. Grace isn’t a good person. She drinks too much, swears too much, doesn’t honor her mother and father, and is having an affair with a married man. And that’s just to name a few of her faults. She’s violent, quick to anger, and shortsighted regarding personal agendas. However, she is a good police detective.

The second reason I like the show so much is because it’s supposed to take place in Oklahoma City. I live in a suburb of Oklahoma City, and I’m very familiar with the April 19, 1995 Oklahoma City bombing. As I understand it, the show is actually shot in Vancouver, British Columbia. However, there is footage shot in the Oklahoma City area. The memorial downtown is featured in the first episode. Holly Hunter evidently never made it into Oklahoma City because the scene is shot from a distance and delivered with voiceovers. The scene is the memorial, but I feel confident that the actors aren’t Holly Hunter and the boy who’s playing her nephew. Still, some of the feel is right. But for those of us who are use of the vegetation and trees in the area, the outdoors shots aren’t anything we’ve seen here.

Leon Rippy plays Grace’s personal angel, Earl. He appears as an old-fashion good old boy who dips tobacco, talks rough, and wears concert tee shirts under a jean jacket. He’s absolutely amazing in the role.



The primary struggle between Grace and Earl is something I look for in the episodes. In the second episode, “Bring It On, Earl”, Grace actually gets into a wrestling match with Earl. He transports them to a Greek stadium and they have at each other without restraint. The fight comes to a draw, but only because Earl literally takes away one of Grace’s arms. The scene is hilarious but still conveys a lot of deeper emotion.



Both mysteries featured so far have been interesting, but not all-consuming. They work to get the story moving along. There’s also been a duality about the case each week. The struggle that Grace faces that week also resonates in the case that she’s working on, and often the insight she’s supposed to receive is the key to unlocking the investigation. That crossover between the investigation and the personal growth is really well done.

Holly Hunter is tremendous as Grace Hanadarko. She plays the character right on the edge with a lot of energy. She’s believable as a woman in trouble, but police detective, and a doting aunt all at one time.

Saving Grace debuted as the number one most viewed new series so far this summer. In overall numbers, it debuted only slightly behind The Closer and The 4400. Seated comfortably behind Kyra Sedgwick’s series now in its third year on Mondays, Saving Grace enjoys a great lead-in. The show also seems to be hanging onto the audience.

Given the religious makeup of this series, viewers are going to be talking about it. They should be. It’s a good series with a great premise, and a fantastic actress in the lead role. More than that, it’s about the struggle for faith in a world that’s gone dark and dangerous of late.

New Jack Bauer Novel A Fun Read!

I’m a big fan of Kiefer Sutherland’s Jack Bauer character on the television show 24. I like the way Bauer is driven to get the job done no matter what, no matter who gets hurt. It sets him up as great flawed hero among his family and peers, but all of us who love the character know the price he’s paying to stop the bad guys.

I also have to admit that I can’t stand waiting from week to week for episodes of the new season. I have to make a deal with myself. I don’t watch the first-run showing of the seasons. After they’re finished, I wait until the DVD sets come out and buy those. I watch those straight through, more or less. It’s easier on me than having to wait every week. I know there are some people who enjoy getting together to watch the episodes and then rehashing the twists and turns of the plot as well as making predictions about what’s going to happen. I tried that it first, and it drove me crazy.

When I first found out Harper Collins paperbacks was going to be releasing new books set in the series, I was excited and dismayed at the same time. I was glad to get the extra Bauer adventures, but I didn’t know how the books were going to pull off the immediacy of the television episodes.

Nor did I want anyone to try to sandwich books between the ongoing series seasons. Bauer’s life changes from season to season and I prefer that that be shown within the television world.

Fortunately, with the tight driving plot lines of the series, publishers weren’t willing to risk trying to elaborate on stories set between the seasons. They elected to go back to earlier in Jack’s career and call the series 24 Declassified. This way we get to see the first season CTU (Counter Terrorist Unit) team in action all over again. From time to time, though, a few mishaps with canon will occur, or the characterization will not quite seem right.

One of the biggest problems in the book series is the fact that all of the television fans who read them know what Nina is really like. We know that she was not a good person, yet the authors of these books have to portray her as decent and professional. But no attempt can be made to evoke a lot of sympathy for character because we won’t buy it.

John Whitman and Marc Cerasini together have written six books in the 24 Declassified novel series so far. Chaos Theory is the latest in the successful run.

The book opens with Bauer interrupting a poker game and shooting one of the man dead. This prologue is set a few weeks prior to the opening hour of the next 24-hour run. It sets the plot into motion and raises questions. Two pages later, we learn that Bauer is in prison awaiting trial for murder of a man he shot in the prologue. Questions arise immediately, but they take back seat to the action that begins with a bang. Within minutes, Bauer is attacked by an Hispanic street gang in the shower. He has no idea why he’s been targeted, but he knows something has gone drastically wrong.

It isn’t long before the reader understands that Bauer is in jail because he wants to be. He has a mission on the inside. However, his cover has been blown because someone has taken out all three people that know he’s innocent. Bauer has no choice, as usual, but to take matters into his own hands and move events directly toward critical mass. This is typical, great Bauer action.

The plot is convoluted and multi-layered. The CTU team all have parts to play. Whitman does an excellent job of “seeding” events that lead up to betrayals and double-crosses that play out in the television series. This foreshadowing works well and doubles down on the pleasure the reader receives because not only is a new mission unfolding, the fans get to see some of the other pieces of the television series’ twists and turns fall into place.

The title, Chaos Theory, relates to the action in the book and a lot of ways. Everybody seems to take some part in the chaos that eventually unravels. Nobody’s plans, not Bauer’s or the villain’s, go as intended. Some of the twists and turns can be predicted, and some of the action is a little over the top, but there are some surprises.

I read the book on the plane on the way to San Diego Con this past weekend. With three hours of flight time ahead of me, I wanted something familiar to read that would easily grasp my attention and immerse me in a world other than the airplane. By the time I reached San Diego, I was totally engaged in the book. After arriving at my hotel, I settled in, put my feet up, and finished the read rather than going exploring. For me, that’s a sign of a good book.

Now I know there are five other Jack Bauer adventures awaiting me that I’ll probably be able to cram into my schedule before Season Six arrives on DVD. If you’re a 24 fan, and like to read, these books are for you. If you don’t like to read but love the show, I’d recommend giving these books a try. If the others are like this one, they are lean and mean and move with the same blistering bullet speed as the television series. You may find the book interface seems to disappear completely as Bauer’s adventures come to life inside your mind.

If the rest of the books are like this one, they’re just sheer good fun.

San Diego Con!


I'd never been to this convention before, so -- even with all the hype surrounding it -- I wasn't prepared for a huge number of people. I swear, the police were letting small towns at a time pass across the streets!


The closer in I got, the more I felt like I was getting swallowed up by the crowd. It was hard to break free of the moving current of humanity and go your own way.



The hottest set of wheels at San Diego Con!


You gotta love the superheroines!


And the monster girls!

And the honeys!

And the scantily-clad!



My favorite scratching post!

As you can plainly see, I had a great time!