Look who it is! It’s author David Louis Edelman with answers to your questions about his book, Infoquake. But, before I turn this blog over to him, I have a couple of important thoughts to share…
1. I don’t watch the show but all indications are the series finale of The Bachelor WAS “the most shocking rose ceremony ever”. Apparently the lovable doofus chose a woman, proposed and then, six weeks later, decided he had made a mistake, called the whole thing off, and decided to go with the runner-up after all. Oh, and he broke the news to his jilted “soon to be ex” while the cameras were rolling. Now I find this very shocking. I mean, he had a whole two weeks to weed through dozens of contestants, get to know them, fall in love, and, ultimately, choose the woman of his dreams. Fourteen days strikes me as plenty of time. If it had been me, I’d have been back from the honeymoon by Day #9.
2. Er. Um…. I guess that was it.
Oh, and today’s entry is dedicated to Green’s mom and Beauty the cat! Best wishes from our little blog community.
Over to David…
Thanks to all who read Infoquake, commented on it, and asked questions. Special thanks to those who had really nice things to say. And to the guy who called Infoquake “the best book he’d read since Joe Abercrombie,” I say… since Joe Abercrombie?! I’ll mop the floor with that two-bit hack! Reinventing the fantasy genre, my ass—– Er, uh, I mean, I’m honored to even be mentioned in the same sentence with such an accomplished novelist as Joe Abercrombie.
Since I’m a shameless self-promoter, I should mention that book 2 of the series, MultiReal, was released in July of 2008 by Pyr. It was named one of the top SF novels of 2008 by io9, SFFWorld, and Pat’s Fantasy Hotlist, and called “a thoroughly successful hybrid of Neuromancer and Wall Street” by Hugo nominee Peter Watts. You can read the first eight chapters (or listen to the first five) up on the website at www.multireal.net.
I’m currently writing book 3, Geosynchron, and at the rate I’m going, I expect it to be finished somewhere around 2035. (But no, seriously, Pyr is currently planning to release it in early 2010.)
I’d also like to invite anyone who’s interested in the series to visit my website at www.davidlouisedelman.com and sign up for my once-every-couple-months email newsletter (scroll to the bottom of the page).
Thanks again!
1Kathy H. writes: “The one person they were missing on the team was the Tech Writer. Who is documenting all of their new software products? Does this happen automatically? DocUSoft42c, perhaps?”
DLE: Having done some tech writing in the past, I should remind you that this is an optimistic vision of the future. No tech writing required!
But seriously… One of the technological advances I take as a given in the Jump 225 world is near-perfect natural language processing. So in one scene in Infoquake, Natch runs a program to parse a legal contract, and in another scene in MultiReal, Horvil runs a program that can analyze drudge postings to take a worldwide insta-poll. If you can create these kind of natural language applications, seems like conjuring up automatic documentation would be a piece o’ cake.
Thornyrose writes: “Mr. Edelman, how possible/probable do you see such a universe as depicted in Infoquake being? If you had the ability, what sort of capacities would you program OCHRES to do for yourself? What do you see as the biggest danger to such a level of technology ever evolving? Thank you very much for your participation in Mr. Mallozzi’s blog, and thanks to Mr. M. for making it possible.”
DLE: I’m sure some parts of the world I’ve created are possible. But not only is it impossible to predict the future with any degree of accuracy — there are simply too many variables, and too much revolves around luck — it’s really kind of pointless. There are a zillion possible futures out there, and which one we land on is largely a question of chance. So I won’t be too upset when the future doesn’t turn out like my books.
If I could run bio/logic software, I would definitely check out the Feminine Mystique 242.37a program mentioned in Infoquake. A man who understands that can rule the world.
There are a million dangers inherent in the concept of bio/logic software (as other folks have commented). Hacking and malfunctioning OCHRE bots are just a few. In fact, there are so many dangers that I eventually just “assumed” the Data Sea engineers had figured out a way to ensure near-perfect security. Which is probably the most far-fetched assumption in the books, but hey, I had to take shortcuts somewhere.
Anne Teldy writes: “Questions for Mr. Edelman:
1. Are you any relation to the great character actor Herb Edelman?
2. I understand office-type buildings “fighting for space” but what is the purpose of private apartments in residential areas collapsing at night while the occupants sleep?
3. What is the reasoning behind your decision to draw so much attention to Natch’s Jump by naming the trilogy Jump 225 yet you only refer to Natch Jumping once in two books?”
DLE: 1. No, nor am I related to Randy Edelman, Ric Edelman, Marian Wright Edelman, or the Edelman PR firm.
2. In a world of 60 billion people still littered with radioactive ruins, I’d imagine that space is pretty tight. If you mix residential and commercial space so that the commercial buildings collapse at night when people are at home, and residences collapse when people are asleep or away at work, seems like you could fit two or three times as many people in the same amount of space.
3. Natch’s Jump 225 dream sequence at the beginning of Infoquake sets up the main themes and metaphors for the entire series, not to mention the structure of the plot. It really encapsulates a lot of what I’m trying to say in the books. (Besides which, The Da Vinci Code was already taken.)
Fsmn36 writes: “Questions for David Louis Edelman:
1. I can see where the inspiration for the novel came from (your job, your work for the government), but was there anything specific that brought it about? What caused a software and marketing management person to start writing novels?
2. Any characters modeled after people you’ve known?
3. More of a comment than anything, but being from the “Twin Cities,” I enjoyed your liberal use of them throughout the book. I’ve been trying to decide what nature preserve Natch and his hivemates would have been at.lol”
DLE: 1. Better to ask why a creative writing and journalism major who had always aspired to write novels would take a 10-year detour into software and marketing management in the first place. (The answer being: $$$.)
2. The main trio of Natch, Horvil and Jara all share characteristics with lots of people I’ve worked with over the years, but there’s no one-to-one correspondence. I’ve worked for some unscrupulous people over the years, but never anybody as nasty as Natch.
3. Can you believe I’ve never actually been to the Twin Cities?
Sorrykb writes: “The ending also left me wondering about the potential consequences of the MultiReal technology, and whether something that allows a user to see the outcomes of each choice could in fact lead to a sort of societal paralysis, since the outcome of each choice leads you to another choice which leads to another series of possible outcomes… and so on. And might that cause everyone to stop making choices (although wouldn’t that in itself be a choice?) while they evaluated all possible outcomes?
Or I suppose the technology could just be used to make the game of baseball even more dull.”
DLE: You’re right that there are all kinds of possible hideous consequences that a program like MultiReal could cause. I explore a lot of the ethical, economic and sociological problems in book 2, MultiReal, but there’s really no way to cover them all.
Also keep in mind that new technology is never quite put to the uses we anticipate. I’m sure the engineers at DARPA who invented the Internet never imagined things like Second Life, Twitter, or Facebook. So too, I’m sure that a world with MultiReal would end up quite different than anyone in my books anticipates.
Iamza writes: “I’m not so sure I really understand MultiReal. As outlined by Margaret, it sounds kind of great–a chance to have things turn out exactly as you wanted. But what happens when the batter wants to hit a six and the bowler wants to get his tenth wicket for no runs (hah, take that, baseball analogies! Give me cricket any day of the week). Whose reality ultimately wins out — or do both batter and bowler split off into separate universes, each achieving their individual goal? For every individual who’s installed the MultiReal program, are there a zillion universes in which things go wrong, and only one in which everything is golden
DLE: Now you see the big dilemma with MultiReal technology. One of the main subplots in book 2 is how to resolve conflicts very much like you describe. Natch, Jara & Co. discover that there are a lot of broad sociological implications in how MultiReal resolves these conflicts. For instance: how do you charge customers for all those realities? Do you charge a flat fee, or do you charge for each alternate reality they pick? If you choose the latter, does that mean the rich would automatically win every argument?
(Admit it, you’re just making these funny cricket terms up. “The batter wants to hit a six”? “Getting his tenth wicket”? Surely you should not be using such language on a family blog like Mr. Mallozzi’s.)
Drldeboer writes: “Politically Incorrect Questions:
Was choosing an Indian as the world’s technological savior random or deliberate?
I can’t help but feel ironic about the Economic Plunge in relation to current real life and that it took government spending to end it. Having lots of Libertarian in the book was really great, do you personally prefer that over Democrat views? Or do you just have fun poking at them all? (I would.) Thanks!!
DD”
DLE: I definitely wanted to have the “world’s technological savior” come from an Eastern culture as opposed to a Western one. Human history seems to be full of spiritual/mystical Eastern discoveries turned mercantile by Western cultures, for better or worse. In my books, it’s no different.
Yes, it is fun to see the economics in the book suddenly become topical. Especially since I finished the first draft of all three books back in 2001 when Barack Obama was still doing restaurant reviews on cable access TV. (September 10, 2001, to be specific, but that’s another story.) Personally I hold lots of disparate political views, some libertarian, some liberal and even a few conservative. I’ve tried to present multiple sides of the economic and political issues fairly and without bias, since these aren’t meant to be overtly political books.
Sylvia writes: “Question for Mr. Edelman
1. What is your impulse or foundation for the Black Code? Where or what are you drawing from for that concept?
2. What was the impulse to end the first book seemingly so abruptly? Was this a natural “break?”
Thanks for joining to respond to our questions. Looking forward to the next 2 books in the trilogy.”
DLE: 1. Black code is a pretty thinly veiled version of today’s computer hacking, plain and simple.
2. Honestly, I’ve been a little baffled at all the criticism that Infoquake ends abruptly. I think people are mostly disappointed that it’s not meant to be a standalone book — it’s just the first third of one long story, like The Fellowship of the Ring. It seemed to me to be a good place for a break: Natch’s company has just had their first big triumph, Natch himself has just confronted his mortality for the first time, and Jara has suddenly realized that she might not be the weak-minded fool she always thought. But if you disliked the ending of Infoquake, it’s only fair to warn you that MultiReal has something of a cliffhanger ending, and Geosynchron is going to have a very unconventional ending as well.
(Sylvia also asked the question of how private ConfidentialWhispers are. Since communications in the Jump 225 world are based on a technology called “subaether” — and because subaether is supposedly built on quantum entanglement — I assume that these communications are pretty rock-solid in their security.)
Mix-Martex86 writes: “Oh, and, even though I haven’t read the book yet, I have two questions for the author:
– Being a web programmer, did you get your inspiration in a specific field of the business you do stuff for (like say, health-care apps, management, or whatever you work at), or it did come to you just out of the general rhythm of the software business?
– And, do you base your depiction exclusively on the work done by the “field soldiers” (jr/sr. programmers), the “officers” (analysts and higher), or the “NCOs” (don’t know if that exists outside of Spain, here we call them Analyst-Programmers or APs)?”
DLE: I’ve done work here and there in a number of different fields — government, e-commerce, nonprofits, law firms, large corporations, etc. One of the things that I’ve noticed flitting through all these different places is that work is work, no matter where you are. Office politics seem to be remarkably consistent across all of the fields I’ve dabbled in.
I tried to make the programming work of my characters pretty generic. I wanted anyone who’s worked in high-tech to be able to identify with their situation, whether junior, senior or executive. But I think you’d especially appreciate their situation if you’ve ever been in a small high-tech start-up trying to run a business on the cheap.
Airelle writes: “Infoquake- I enjoyed this book. I was never real fond of book reports in school, I love to read though. The ending, so sudden> was not prepared for it. but am at present looking for the next one in the series so your ploy worked.
How did the ex utero work? In Lora’s case she mentioned having actual sex in younger days and no mention of pregnancy, did OCHRES control that also, and the father of Natch, not so sure it was Vigal, but it could have been someone else?
Would darts be the only way to get black code? and why not a program to stop a black code invasion?(virus protection?)
-What if you didn’t want to have bio/logic, (not sure why you wouldn’t) would they have been sent to the live with the Islanders? or some planet to fall from space? I really did like the book, was hard to put it down once I started.
-thanks for your time Mr Edelman. and thanks Joe for the book ideas, keep ‘em coming. I am thinking of having a bake sale to be able to buy more books, if I just didn’t eat all the goodies b4 the sale.”
DLE: I’ve never entirely decided how ex utero pregnancy works, besides the fact that it involves “babies grown in vats.” In MultiReal, I mention that OCHREs have made accidental pregnancy a thing of the past. Which also means that sex is completely divorced from procreation. I’m hoping to have some further explanation in Geosynchron about ex utero pregnancy, because there’s a small part of the book that depends on it.
Darts are not the only way to get black code; they’re just the cheapest and most effective. I presume that people’s OCHRE systems do constantly run black code protection programs. There’s probably a constant battle going on between the black code writers and the OCHRE programmers, just like there is today with virus writers and anti-virus software programmers.
There are three main “unconnectible” (bio/logics-free) cultures in the book: the Islanders, the Pharisees, and the diss. You’ll see more about the diss in MultiReal, and my characters will actually go to the Islands for several chapters in Geosynchron and spend some time with a Pharisee character.
GateFanSamJack writes: “Questions for DLE:
By transitioning from the end of the Shortest Initiation into Natch’s study of how humanity has been tinkering with the bandwidth of the brain stem, were you implying that Natch’s impulsive decision with the bear may have been influenced by altered physiology?
A couple of times, characters express that they consider the influx of loans into the markets by government interests to have been the reason for the economic recovery. Is that the reason or are we meant to only know that the characters express it as the reason?”
DLE: I don’t know that I was implying any direct correlation between neural technology and Natch’s mental state at that point in the book. But it certainly is an open question as to how much bio/logics would affect people’s emotions and capacity to reason. I made a very conscious decision early on in the writing process that I wasn’t going to give the people of the future a radically different psychology than our own. It was just too much to try to get the reader to identify with characters in “posthuman” emotional states, on top of everything else that’s going on. So my characters may fire up AngerBeGone 57d or Prozac 109q or whatever from time to time, but really they don’t act significantly different than a regular ol’ character from 2009 would.
There’s definitely room for interpretation as to whether Len Borda’s government subsidies really fixed the Economic Plunge or not. Hell, economists are still arguing whether Roosevelt’s New Deal actually helped the U.S. economy or just prolonged the Great Depression. But if you read MultiReal, you’ll see some more insight about Borda’s role in causing and fixing the Economic Plunge.
AMZ writes: “Questions for David Louis Edelman…
What process, if any, did you go through to create the world/reality in Infoquake?
Do you have a favourite character?
I really liked the idea of multi link and I thought it was interesting that teleportation was mentioned but not really used because of the expense. Can we expect to see more glitches/complications with multi link technology (like the “infoquake”) in the trilogy?
The inclusion of appendices has sparked a bit of discussion and I’m wondering how you approach appendices as a reader. Do you read the appendices as you start, while you’re reading or at the end of a story? Or does it depend on the book?”
DLE: I can sum up my process in three words: Magic Eight Ball.
My favorite character? It depends on who I’m writing at the moment. Natch, Jara and Horvil all seem to fight for my affections. If pressed, I’d have to say Jara, but it’s a close one. (On a related note, I find it very interesting that so many people choose Quell as their favorite. In book 2, you get to see him opening up a can of whoop-ass with an electric shock baton.)
I can’t think of any place offhand in the rest of the trilogy where glitches in the multi network play a big role, unfortunately. The characters pretty much assume that multi technology is rock solid.
I usually wait to read the appendices until the end. But I know of a number of people who preferred to read the appendices for Infoquake first. My editor told me that he actually read the appendices first.
Sparrow_hawk writes: “Questions:
Most of my questions have already been asked by others. But I am curious about the quote: “Hack the body and the mind will follow.” What is it supposed to mean? Does it refer to the pervasive nanobots or the insidious “Black Code” currently residing in Natch or something else entirely? Can you explain or do I just need to read the next book?”
DLE: The inference of the quote is that you can’t separate “hacking” of the body from “hacking” of the mind — one affects the other. As Serr Vigal explains in his little lecture to Natch about the importance of the brainstem, mind and body are fundamentally interconnected, and not even bio/logics can totally change that.
drldeboer writes: “I thought of him this way- Natch is to programming what Gene Simmons is to music.”
DLE: Pardon me, my head just exploded.
The Mailbag:
Sheryl writes: “Any chance you could get him to do an update on his new endevors? Maybe an interview?”
Answer: Alas, I’m not in touch with Ben. However, in the event our paths cross in the not too distant future, I’ll certainly make it a point to ask him.
GateFanSamJack writes: “Is this the kino you’re talking about? http://dating.about.com/od/glossarywordsijk/g/kino.htm”
Answer: Uh, no.
Melissa’s Cozy Teacup writes: “I would think that you are well known enough to self publish, and successfully market, anything you write. Why not give it a try?”
Answer: At the end of the day, I’m not writing this short story for the money. Rather than self-publish, I’d prefer to just make it available online.
Ponytail writes: “Joe, I just have to ask you because you have not been asked. Tell the truth. Did you (or your office) send Anne Teldy the “Major Teldy” Teddy Bear?”
Answer: Alas, I did not.
Lolli writes: ” Do you know of any resturants in the Vancouver area that serve ‘deep fried chocolate bars’?”
Answer: Why, yes. A place called Wing Nuts, 4444 Main Street, does both a deep-fried Mars Bar and Snickers Bar.
Kabra writes: “Any chance of Claudia Black, Ben Browder, Joe Flanigan or Michael Shanks doing a Q&A??? Has RDA done on yet???”
Answer: I promise to harrass Michael about doing a Q&A when I see him. No, Rick hasn’t done one yet but he doesn’t strike me as the Q&A type – more of the informal off-the-cuff type. Would love to do one with Claudia but I don’t know when our paths will cross again.
Major D. Davis writes: “I was wondering could you make the primary weapon for Young and Scott a G36?”
Answer: Your request has been duly noted.
Dasndanger writes: “Joe – birthday individual Belouchi? You having the same problem I had when – after several e-mail exchanges – I finally broke down and asked Perragrin if she was a he or a she?? She’s a she.”
Answer: Yep. Made an erroneous assumption once and have been erring on the side of caution ever since.
Nathaniel writes: “Will you be doing anything special during the creation con next month?”
Answer: Hopefully, still working on Stargate: Universe.
Ganymede writes: ” So, Folks… Did *anyone* happen to notice that “Life Imitating Art” brush with extinction that happened at 9am [EST] today…? I’m referring to the missed-us-by-this-WTF-much [63,000k] hunk of celestial gravel that was only discovered on FRIDAY!! ”
Answer: As I told Carl and Paul yesterday, asteroid strikes are my biggest fear. I figure that if I can just avoid being wiped out by one of those, chances are I’ll probably never die.
Quade1 writes: “Joe will the outside of the Destiny be kept a secret, seeing as they are on the ship and it won’t be visible from planets they visit.”
Answer: Nope, it won’t be kept a secret. As a matter of fact, the fans will get a sneek peek at the ship, its crew, and the show in March…
Fran writes: “How is Lulu feeling? She feeling any better?”
Answer: Lulu has a very sensitive stomach that is easily upset. This morning, for instance, she just parked herself in front of her food bowl and sat there while the pugs crowded around, waiting for her to leave so that they could help themselves. Finally, I ended up having to sit on the floor to hand-feed her. Fussy she is.
Tess writes: “I just had to comment on the fact that 1, martin wood is back in the directing chair, that is majorly AWESOME, i love him.”
Answer: If you mean back in the directing chair on Sanctuary then, yes, that is correct.
Crayonbaby writes: “Are we going to see some of the directors from Atlantis episodes show up directing Universe? I’m hoping that Rob Cooper decides to direct one of the episodes this season.”
Answer: Some familiar faces and some new faces writing and directing this season.
DasNdanger writes: “Do you have a home library – a room just for you and your books – set up?”
Answer: I do have a home library, but most of my SF/Fantasy/Horror library is at the office.
BlueJay writes: “Joe, who has the atlantis script at the moment and what are they doing with it?”
Answer: Paul printed up the outline the other day and it now sits on my desk. All 22 pages of it.
Sandygood writes: “Any idea when the DVD for Atlantis Season 5 will be out?”
Answer: Sorry, no idea. And nice to see you back with us.
duneknight writes: “Joe, you say mythology but that doesnt mean anything when you put the main characters in a different galaxy or whatever.”
Answer: Sure it does. Everything about the ship and the gate system is rooted in established mythology.
drldeboer writes: “My fave series of his is F Word, I think Gordon acted most natural there, with his family and all.”
Answer: I wholeheartedly agree. I love the show. In fact, I believe the second season is coming out on DVD in a couple of weeks.
Edgarderby writes: ” Joe, do characters merely exist to further the plot or do characters themselves create the plot? Is it too much to ask that fictional people still remain masters of their own destiny? Or is the story important enough that people who could contribute more fall to the wayside?”
Answer: I think that successful shows strike a proper balance between engaging characters and interesting storylines. Both should drive a series. Some episodes may be more character-driven while others may be more plot-driven, but at the end of the day you really need both to tell a good story.
Shirt ‘n Tie writes: “With regard to Curb Your Enthusiasm…. is it just me or does anyone else think of Carl Binder when you watch it?”
Answer: Carl gets that ALL the time.
” I promise to harrass Michael about doing a Q&A when I see him ”
Hi Joe
Since you mention seing MS and not the others, is it because he’s going to make an apearance in SU ?
Sheryl,
Re: Ben Browder
The only thing that’s come out about Ben recently is a little “commercial” he did to help drum up some funding for an independent movie hoping to eventually shoot sometime down the line. It’s called Freeze Frame. The clip is up on YouTube and the guy trying to make the movie has said that if the commercial gets enough hits (i.e. enough to get it noticed more) then it would help in finding financing in some form.
Other than that Ben has only mentioned in interviews and at conventions that he’s been auditioning a lot since Stargate, but to no avail.
Hi, Joe.
A sneek peek of SGU in March, eh?
During, say, Ark of Truth’s premiere on SciFi Channel? On March 27th?
🙂
Hi Joe,
One of your comments has given some of us a few heart palpitations of concern…last we heard, Martin Wood was on board to direct the 3rd SG-1 Movie (at least, that’s what Brad said in his Q&A). To the best of your knowledge is that still the plan or have things changed…???
Thanks!
SBS
You know, I never think of Carl Binder when I see Curb Your Enthusiasm, but he does remind me of my high school band director. To an almost scary degree. It’s eerie, actually, they even have the same intimidating glare judging by your pictures.
Though I also can no longer watch Pocahontas without thinking of him either…
Well I meant, and you know I meant it this way, is will you be doing another blog meetup at Fuel, or maybe a different area restaurant…
I think it’s terrific that you are willing to share your story online in the event the anthology falls through. But with all the time you’ve invested, I’m hoping that you can manage to find it a published home.
Many thanks to Mr. Edelman for his participation in the blog. I’m looking forward to picking up Multireal as soon as I can get to the bookstore to grab it.
Speaking of which, my four legged guest has returned, and just after I finished Nancy Kress’s “Dogs”. I think I’ll suggest to my sister that the pooch spends the night in her bedroom…
hi, joe,
do you know how close amanda is to finishing the q/a?
Speaking of asteroids, did you know the one most likely to collide disastrously with Earth is named after a Stargate villain?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/99942_Apophis
“As I told Carl and Paul yesterday, asteroid strikes are my biggest fear. I figure that if I can just avoid being wiped out by one of those, chances are I’ll probably never die.”
Wouldn’t it be ironic to be taken out by a hunk of rock named Apophis?? 😉
Oh, I watched the Bacheldor and boy I will tell you that was just awful how the news was broken. Exactly how you know you love someone after only so many weeks I don’t know. At most you probably have a good idea if you like someone if it is just them you are with for those weeks, but come on, he was with more than one girl. I had picked melissa and my family picked molly, go figure! What is to say in 3 or 4 more weeks he won’t get sick of molly too. That is why I haven’t watched the last couple of season, but Jason looked different than the rest. I was taken in hook, line and sinker.
Yay! The Atlantis MOVIE! Hurry up! We are waiting, we love Atlantis.
“Yep. Made an erroneous assumption once and have been erring on the side of caution ever since. ”
HAHAHA, Joe, I think you’re referring to me from last year, calling me a female when I am, in fact, male. Haha.
Ironically, it was just my 22nd birthday a few days ago!
Any chance of giving me a posthumous birthday blog dedication?
Oh, I also just purchased Mr.Scalzi’s “Old Man’s War” and I plan on reading it in the near future. How is he doing in regards to Universe? Any chance we’ll see a script from him this first season?
Okay – so what exactly did you mean by ‘kino’??
I wasn’t expecting a mailbag tonight. Thanks! Glad to know I’m not the only one who has a problem guessing on-line genders. And now I know…Deni B is a gal, and Belouchi is a guy. Now…to figure out what you are. 😉 (It’s the addiction to sweets that has me wondering!)
And Joe, that’s so sweet that you hand-fed Lulu. She’s going to expect it now, forever! 😀
@ shiningwit – Disturbed? MOI??
Well…yeah. Kinda. But ya gotta admit – snow bunny Wraith has the right attitude to pull that look off!
@ green – *Hugs* to you, mom, and kitty. My thoughts are with you.
@ Narelle – LOL! Spiders be warned! Iraqi shoe justice for all who invade Mr. Narelle’s empire! If it had been me and that bigass spider, well…I’d walk out the door, put the house up for sale… and move to Alaska. 😛
@ Sparrow_hawk – Sexual tension is so much more rewarding than sex scenes – and SO much more can be done with it, leaving the rest to the viewer’s imagination. It helps tell the story, but in most cases sex scenes just stall the progression of the tale…I usually just fast forward through them because I want to get back to the story.
I love the old movies for their sexual tension. One that really stands out in my mind is the scene between Bogart and Hepburn on the tennis court in Sabrina. Before that, I was really hooked on Cary Grant (still am!), and never gave craggy ol’ Bogie a second look. But I remember the day I watched that movie, and that tennis court scene, and suddenly noticed Bogart’s appeal for the first time. It really caught me by surprise, and I’ve been hooked on the guy ever since!
das
@ The Mick – Thank you, can’t wait to see him in ANYTHING, what a wonderful actor, his wife is also very talented. Also, thanks, Joe. Sheryl
Dear Joe,
There are a few questions concerning the stargate world and plots, whom TPTB, that is you guys can answer:
1. Did they fix that tainted Camulus ZPM from Zero Hour, if not why not use it as a weapon?
2. If Atlantis does go back to Pegasus, would they be more likely to return to the original Planet: Lantia or the one they were in prior to the events of Enemy at the gates?
3. Does the Antartic outpost carry more drones than Atlantis and doesn’t fire streams like we saw in the lost city season 7 SG1?
4. Will we see Daedalus class ships from the Brits and the Frenchies given that we found out the Russians( Korolev) and the Chinese( Sun Tzu) had/have one?
5. After all these years are there still Goual’ds out there that need to be taken into consideration; we know all the system lords were wiped out from Stargate Continum but there is the chance of lesser Goualds with powerful ships and armies?
6. Are you done with the Script for Project Twilight, if yes, when can we know of the title?
Thanks sir … hope these questions won’t make you pull out your hair 🙂
Joe,
When is your Birthday by the way?
You’ll ask Michael when you see him?
Am I just reading too much into that, or does that mean he’s the one that’ll be on SGU?
I’m constantly amazed by how many books you read despite your apparent lack of free time. You’re always at the studio? Do you not sleep?!?!?!?! 😛
David Blue
http://www.David-Blue.com
Between blogging and set visits, I’m usually asleep up in my office. Having fun?
Also, the only reason I come to set is in the hopes that I’ll one day make one of your twitter updates. ie.: Joe wore a fantastic tie today. And, hey, I think those were cobra cufflinks!
Got the Wii setup and going yet?
Hey Joe – there was a shoutout to SG-1 on “Big Bang Theory” on Monday. The show is alot of fun and I read somewhere that it’s a “love letter to geeks.” My husband, who is so not a sci-fi/fantasy fan – he hated the Hobbit and has never seen a Star Wars movie – just looks at me with a touch of resignation – when I get the references. (I may not get all), but I get a good number of them.
Also, do you read one book at a time, or several? I’ve been known to read up to 4 or 5 at the same time. Presently, I am reading “Ender’s Game” and “The Lady Elisabeth” I need to start “The Lightening Thief” then I think I’m gonna take a stroll down memory lane and read “A Wrinkle in Time” again. As I teach third grade (7&8 years olds) I am also reading “Toad Rage” and “The City of Ember” outloud to my classes. Love the second one!
das – I call Hubby “The Consumer” and “Destructo Boy”. I have to plead with him to not kill creatures in our yard, so he just waits until my back is turned. **sigh**
sparrow_hawk – Got the overnight update on the new dog in our family. Apparently she’s like my Kelpie but on Crack. A normal Kelpie already acts like a dog on crack so she’s super hyper. I’m not sure how my Mother would know what anything on crack is like, but it was a line of questioning I wasn’t willing to continue for fear of learning things I did not want to know.
Sounds like my Brother is going to keep her rather unusual name of “Anubis”. He was going to change her name seeing as he has no interest in Ancient Egyptian Mythology (I didn’t even mention the link to Stargate) but when you call out “Noobs!” she comes a runnin’ at full pace and bowls you over for a hug so he’s warming to it.
Hi – I realize this probably isn’t the most appropriate venue – but wondering how I might contact Mr. Mallozzi or Alan McCullough by email. I’m currently working on a project that I hope one or both of them might find of interest. It is related to social entrepreneurship – and while not a non-profit has some “altruistic” underpinnings. Agent contact, if preferred, is just fine. Just really want to send a passive email describing the project.
Thanks
PS: Rain rocks! \o/
@ Narelle – I am quite fortunate. Mr. Das is a critter lover as much as I am. He can’t kill anything, and that’s why I love him so. He’s SO not like those writers for SGA… 😉
Speaking of SGA…I’ve spent a good part of the day looking for and at the most amazing pictures of Todd…found one that just knocked my socks off, despite the fact that he was in that ridiculous jumpsuit. Damn fine figure of a bug. 😉 I think I’ll have very sweet dreams tonight…
Halfway through Powers. I really need to stop curling up with a glass of single malt and the kitties when I read this – it knocks me right out! But since being sick, I have been going to bed early anyway – before 11, unlike my usual 1 or 2 am. But I am feeling a bit better…not great, but better…so maybe the extra sleep is helping.
K…I just rambled.
das
Should have asked David Louis Edelman if he gets asked to fix any object that is electrical with his developer background.
I get those calls at home.
Relative/Friend:“Hey, my TV’s stopped working. Know what it is?”
Me:“Um, no, I’m a software programmer not a TV repair man”.
Relative/Friend:“Do you think it might be the Foxtel connection?”
Me:“Wouldn’t have a clue”
Relative/Soon to be ex-friend:“Come on, just have a guess”.
Me:“Have you tried turning it off then back on again? That would be my programmer advice.”
Good luck with with the third book Mr Edelman. Hopefully I can find an e copy of Infoquake on Fictionwise or ebooks soon.
I’m going to shut up and go away now. Really.
Seeeeeeeeeeeeeya.
Answer: Some familiar faces and some new faces writing and directing this season.
Is Peter Deluise going to be one of those familiar faces???
Thanks to David Louis Edelman for visiting and answering our questions. I’m glad the the Islands will be featured in the third book. I found the idea of an entire nation choosing to remain off the grid intriguing and I’m looking forward to learning more about them. None of my local bookstores had it, but my copy of MultiReal should be arriving within the week. And Quell rocks!
@Narelle: So your brother adopted Anubis the Kelpie? That’s great! And I think the name is wonderful – I hope he keeps it.
@das: Bogie and Audrey Hepburn were great in Sabrina. I agree it was a fabulous movie. I’ve always been a big fan of Bogart. And his films with Lauren Bacall have sexual tension in spades! (pun intended, sorry) Like that scene in To Have and Have Not: “If you need anything, just whistle…”
Oh, and @David Louis Edelman: I LOVE the hat! Is it a Stetson?
Food for a Dog with an upset stomach:
Cook ground beef-either cook it in water and pour the water/fat off, or fry it and rinse the fat away in a collander. mix with cooked white rice and a little bit of finely grated carrot. It should be about 50/50 meat and rice unless the dog has a very upset stomach, or is a starved stray, in which case there should be a more rice. Most dogs like it.
Note: I’ve never heard of a dog that had trouble with this, but since Lulu sounds like she has a particularly delicate tummy, better just try her on a tablespoon or so and see if she’s good with it.
This recipe also works very well for old cats that get picky. Just replace the ground beef with sauteed, mashed chicken livers. This would probably be fine for dogs, too, but since I heard the chicken liver one specifically for cats, one would want to check with their vet.
Oh, I should have mentioned that less rice goes in the cat recipe-more like 60/40. Your cat will tell you when You have it right. Not appropriate for cats with kidney disease or diabetes unless the vet says so…
Cooooooool. David Blue is everywhere on the Internets. 😀
Intriguinger and intriguinger. So there are new Directors AND new writers? Well, I pride myself on knowing the names of all current directors and writers, and as far as I know revealing their names doesn’t count as spoilers.
So, who are these newbies that us fans will make fun of and snark at for the foreseeable future if/when we see something we dislike? 😉
Can’t wait for the sneak peek! I suppose the best place to put it would be at the end of BSG’s end. Considering that we’ve had no story info since the initial blurb, and ZERO info on any of the show’s aesthetics, this will be big.
One more Q: Is Peter DeLuise directing “Fire”?
Ok…back to work.
Thank you sooooooooooo much for answering my question.
I tell Lulu major davis says get well soon.
Major D. Davis
Joe, one more comment directed to Mr. Ferrari. I think you said tonight was the last night………If not, please stick this comment over on yesterday’s blog for me.
I just visited Mark Ferrari’s website and OH MY GOSH!!! His illustrations are awesome!! You are very talented. Now I am a little MAD that you did not include any of your artwork in the Book of Joby. The picture of the angel-winged, teenage boy, sitting with the skateboard would have been PERFECT for the cover of the book. That picture alone practically tells Joby’s story all by itself. Why, why, why did you not use any of your drawings?? They would have added so much more to the story. As a fellow artist, your artwork is EXTREMELY IMPRESSIVE!!
Thanks to David Louis Edelman for stopping by! So interesting to note that he finished the preliminary drafts of the books the day before 9/11… I wonder how much, if anything, of the books changed because of that.
@SherylI had heard that Ben Browder was busily writing now, so he could have more time with his family. He’s a real family guy, that one. I heard he was even coaching football and track for his kids. Oh, and also teaching screenwriting at one of the UCLA extensions. 😀 (I got this info from a Gateworld interview, you can read it if you’re interested)
OMG!!!! THE David Blue (Of MOONLIGHT!!! and SGU!!!) commented on your blog Joe!!!!!
I think that’s awesome!!! And thanks for the link, David… I am now following you on twitter! 🙂
Hey Joe… do you think you could host guest blogs from some of the stars of SGU over the next break in shooting (or if, yanno, there’s an episode that is very light work for one of them)? I don’t even know when that is, but it’d be fun to have a Q&A with some of them before SGU airs. About stuff other than SGU, of course!
You can, ‘make it available on line’ through http://www.lulu.com. No, I do not work for them. They do offer free downloadable publishing should you not want to put the story on your website. Just a thought.
questions for Mr. Ferrari:
1. Many of us mentioned the delightful use of humor in portraying Lucifer, his minions, God, and the angels. It was good comic relief in the midst of Joby’s trials. What was your inspiration for the humor?
2. What role did your own faith play in the writing of this book?
3. Have you read Frank Peretti’s This Present Darkness and Piercing the Darkness? They were another example of demonic forces battling the powers of good, while showing God and believing humans in a positive light. Were his books a noodge in the direction of Joby?
4. Agnes Hamilton was such a pill! I really wanted to tell her to pack it up and head for Napa Valley. You never ran into her in real life, did you?
5. What themes would you like to experiment with in your next book?
Thank you for writing The Book of Joby. I laughed and I cried, and the premise made me think. Want to give us your web site to follow upcoming developments?
Jason Mesnick is in love with being “in love.” I imagine that is why his first marriage failed; when he fell out of love and the hard work was going to need to begin to keep his marriage intact, he bailed. Years 7-9 were the hardest for my husband and me. This year we’ll know each other for 19 years and been married for 17 years. We are now in that beautiful state they call “mature love.” I would not be someone’s second choice. They both need psychological counseling.
Love to hear we’ll be getting some sneak peeks at Universe in March. Can’t wait. Very, very excited about this.
For the record, I’m a chick.
Not a girl but, rather, a small fluffy yellow baby bird.
Just so you know.
At the end of the day, I’m not writing this short story for the money. Rather than self-publish, I’d prefer to just make it available online.
I think I’ve found a new goal in life, be in the position to desire only that.
To David Blue: Just went to your web site. You were born on Long Island? Very cool. I went to Patchogue-Medford High School. My husband is from Setauket and went to Ward Melville. Where on Long Island?
@BELOUCHI
If the Brits & Frenchies had 304s, they’d probably end up hitting each other when they came out of hyperspace at the same time!
BTW, Joe… seeing as you have this phobia for orbital-challenged real estate, you might also want to stay off that road up to Whistler!
And oh, be sure to “bookmark” the JPL website – they’re the people who keep track of those things… *most* of the time… *when* and *IF* they happen to spot them…. So. When was the last time you had your roof done….?
@ Kabra: Claudia Black is doing the Q&A session with her fans here: http://forum.claudiablackonline.com/viewforum.php?f=69 – during last weekend she answered over 30 questions! 🙂 And we’re hoping that she’s going to continue this weekend 🙂 Bookmark this page and keep an eye on it in the future, ’cause I’m pretty sure that it’s just the beginning and there will be more Q&A with Claudia in the future at CBO.
What, no Joe Flanigan Q and A????
“Joe – birthday individual Belouchi? You having the same problem I had when – after several e-mail exchanges – I finally broke down and asked Perragrin if she was a he or a she?? She’s a she.”
Das: Ever been in one of those situations where, even after five minutes of conversation, the gender of the individual you’re nattering to is still a mystery? Like Fagashlil, who has a sixty-a-day voice, buys her underwear from Army Surplus and works as a part time Bouncer for Her Majesties Prison Service? In those situations, I just like to plead diminished responsibility, grin absurdly and pat the Guide Dog before making a swift exit.
“Paul printed up the outline the other day and it now sits on my desk. All 22 pages of it.”
Joe: That’s some outline..
“I’m constantly amazed by how many books you read despite your apparent lack of free time. You’re always at the studio? Do you not sleep?!?!?!?!”
David Blue: Actually, Joe’s a fictional character. A Superhero Without Spandex. A Wright/Cooper creation, designed to fight the evils of the culinary underworld, expose literary Giants and basically keep us all on our toes. He does a pretty good job of it too.
Our frickin bridge collapsed today because some genuis driving a semi-trailer with a CRANE on the back decided to flaw right under it and didnt check the height. The bridge full out flipped over and crashed onto the road where it is currently sitting upside down and blocking the main highway.
Im still wondering how it could have fell, its a big arse bridge!! So glad I didnt have to go anywhere today XD
I hope Lulu gets better.
[b]Narelle from Aus[/b]
PS: Rain rocks! \o/
Damn straight!!
Thanks David Edelman for a great Q&A
drldeboer writes: “I thought of him this way- Natch is to programming what Gene Simmons is to music.”
DLE: Pardon me, my head just exploded.
LOL why do I keep getting that reaction?? my partner is now reading Infoquake because I said that…
drldeboer writes: “My fave series of his is F Word, I think Gordon acted most natural there, with his family and all.”
Answer: I wholeheartedly agree. I love the show. In fact, I believe the second season is coming out on DVD in a couple of weeks.
Thanks for the tip! How about Gordon teaching his kids where meat comes from? ie city family raising turkeys, pigs & sheep then butchering and eating them when ready. He really gained my respect when I saw that.
Sandygood writes: “Any idea when the DVD for Atlantis Season 5 will be out?”
MGM tells me summer, hopefully means June or July.
Gracey: Hey Joe – there was a shoutout to SG-1 on “Big Bang Theory”
I saw this too. Finally an acknowledgment Thanks Chuck! I love that show, it’s very funny. Speaking of David Blue, I think he auditioned for one of the leads at the time (Leonard?) but ultimately, glad Johnny G got it (ok because of Roseanne) and David was free to get the Moonlight part and now is home with SGU.
DD
@Ponytail: Thanks for mentioning Mark Ferrari’s website! The pictures are gorgeous. And I found the answer to the (not so original) question that I asked from the FAQ section there, too.
@amconway: I use a similar recipe for my dog when her tummy is acting up, but with chicken instead of beef. She loves it! In fact, once she discovered rice, she started expecting a share of it whenever I cook it for the rest of the family.
Hey there Mr M!!
Wow, David Blue on the blog!! *bows deeply* Welcome to the mayhem!! Hope you are enjoying your new gig. Look forward to seeing the first ep of SGU!!
WRT:Carl Binder + Curb Your Enthusiasm….. Thanks for the info. I (sadly) have yet to meet Mr B! but from the DVD Commentaries and Behind-the-scenes stuff on the SGA DVDs, his mannerisms and intonation reminds me of CYU!
On a similar vein, I sometimes get compared to the great Robert Picardo (more for the Shirt’n’Tie / sartorial sense) rather than my great acting ability (none) or fabulous singing voice (also absent)….at least I think that’s why they say I’m like Mr P….?
Best to all at The Bridge and thanks again for the kind replies
Shirt’n’Tie
Bonjour Mr. Mallozzi, quand verrons nous les premieres images de Stargate Universe, et les photos promotionnelles?
@ David Blue – Hello! I don’t know you yet…haven’t gotten that far into Moonlight (I’m only 6 eps in), but looking forward to meeting your character soon in that, and – of course – your new alter ego in SGU.
@ Narelle – Yeah, I have family, and a couple friends, that do that to me, too. For some reason, they think I know everything. 🙄 I have a friend who calls me ‘Poo’ (SciGal knows of whom I speak 😉 ), and she was always asking me nautical questions, some of which I just did not know, and had to research. Finally I asked her why she just didn’t ‘google’, and she said, ‘why google, when I can Poogle!’ 😐
@ Sparrow_hawk – Sabrina is one of those few romantic comedies that I really love. I’m more of a film noir buff. Kill the women, don’t kiss them! 😆 (Ah, yes…let the misogynist accusations begin!) Nah,it’s just that I really love a good crime drama. But back on subject – Bogart was very good at creating sexual tension, regardless of the film he was in, be it drama, mystery, or romance. His work with Bacall was certainly right up there, but I always go back to African Queen as one of my favorites. I mean, you just know what happened, but they never had to show it to get the point across. Now that’s good acting.
Still, as I said earlier, even more than sexual tension I prefer that element of ‘intimacy without sex’ that occurs between two characters that are in some way physically dependent on one another, but without any sexual overtones to it. Maybe that’s why I loved movies like Gunga Din, Master & Commander, and the Hornblower series, and any movie where Clint Eastwood got beaten to a pulp and had some old guy nurse him back to health… 😆
Yeah. I’ll leave it at that.
@ pg15 – Thank. You. You had to go and mention ‘Fire’, didn’t you? Remember my problem with Destiny?? I’m having the same problem now with Fire…
Fire (uh-huh-uh)
Fire (it’s all about…uh-huh-uh)
Fire (woo, woo, woo)
Fire
The way you walk and talk really sets me off
To a full alarm, child…yes, it does, uh!
The way you squeeze and tease, knocks to me my knees
‘Cause I’m smokin’, baby, baby…
Ugh. It’s been stuck in my head for days now… 😛 Looking at those pictures of Todd yesterday didn’t help, either. 😉
das
@ Perragrin – Oh, yes…there was this park ranger in Upstate New York that we ran into, and afterwards Mr. Das and I looked at one another, and asked, ‘Androgynous Pat?’
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pat_(Saturday_Night_Live)
Really, we simply could not tell. At all. Looked exactly like that.
Hey…ya never got back to me about that France v Wales match. 😉 That was a pretty fierce tackle on Chabal, too…poor fella. I really have to find out how I can get a job as one of those team medics… 😆
das
@ David Blue:
Glad to see you on Joe’s wonderfully funny blog & really looking forward to SGU! I want to love “you” & hate “you” as much as I do McKay in SGA. Also glad to see you’re on FB – not I’m a fan of your page 🙂
@ Joe: no Flan Q&A? Pretty please, with loads of sugar, *gourmet chocolate*, whipped cream & a cherry on top? & it’s too sweet that you hand-fed Lulu. I’m sure she appreciated your care.
Oops – David, I meant NOW I’m a fan of your page…stupid typos.
David Blue – wow and Super COOL!
Welcome! Looking forward to seeing you in SGU. Have seen you in some of your other work and you are GOOD!
Can’t wait to get this SGU party started!
Saw on your website you are from Long Island, NY. In another lifetime, I worked in Bohemia right across Vets Memorial Hwy from the Islip Airport.
Soo cool to have you part of Joe’s blog.
hello Joseph =)
Je passe en coup de vent car j’ai des devoir à faire….et oui c’est sa d’être encore étudiante^^. Merci pour ces questions/réponses et de m’avoir fait connaitre cette auteur.
Bonne journée!
A demain!
I should’ve read Infoquake… it sounds amazing from the Q&A. What a fantastic author!
I think it’s really great that you’d share your short story online but also do hope you get to publish it somewhere.
I wanted to ask, somewhere along that vein- what do you think should be more important to an author? That they enjoy their work or that their audience enjoys it? Or should it be both in equal amounts?
Hi Joe,
for an article I’m writing, I checked some German TV ratings today, and happened to see yesterday’s Stargate Atlantis ratings. Don’t know if you are interested in this kind of thing, but maybe you will be happy to hear that SGA gets almost twice as many viewers here as Battlestar Galactica. Both run in prime time on free TV channel RTL2, with SGA at 7,2 % of households (well above average for that channel), dropping to 4,3% for BG.
So, at least in this part of the world, SGA is still very successful. And that is just the 4th season yet.
Hey David, Great to see you commenting down here.
Sneak peek for Universe, COOL. Is that only on SCI-FI or will it maybe sneak peek on SPACE here in Canada as well??
Das: “Hey…ya never got back to me about that France v Wales match. 😉 That was a pretty fierce tackle on Chabal, too…poor fella. I really have to find out how I can get a job as one of those team medics.”
My bad. Must’ve missed that. Sorries 😛
Well.. what can I say. T’was a fantastic match and my Dragon’s now got a forlorn kink in it’s tail. Saying that though, i’d much rather see a game full of energy, action and skill, than watch as Wales walk all across their opponents ( England anyone? 😀 ). So, yeah. Enjoyed it very much. Unfortunate for Chabal that he tried to barge his way through a Welsh wall. See, that’s what ya get when you challenge a 7ft Leek.
Uh.. Medic?
So help us all 😛
Last night (well, early this morning) I read through my current script and it didn’t suck. In fact I like that damn thing and I’m in love with the characters again. After a long winter of wrasslin’ with the thing it’s finally sitting there all scripty and stuff, with only a few bold blocks of print where scenes need fleshing out. What’s weirder is that I managed to get a huge amount of work down in the last week while I was also imbibing huge amounts of sugar. But I don’t think it has as much to do with falling off that candy wagon as much as it does with just being almost finishing after months and months (and months) of writing. I got another assignment looming once this one is done, and I’m sure I’ll experience the same misery half way through where I wonder where I get off thinking I can write, but I gotta say today I feel like bullets will bounce off my chest. I love everybody, the birds are chirping; what can I saw, the world is mine.
Hey Joe!
I know I’ve been MIA. My wrist surgery went well but it’s taking me longer to bounce back than I thought. At the same time Allie has pretty bad tendonitis that two months of physical therapy and two nasty shots of corotosone haven’t cured yet. So no typing for her. And most unfortunately, no piano playing. She just missed her first music festival in six years. 🙁 I’ve never before been more frustrated as a parent. I couldn’t make it better. *sob*
Anyway, I’ll try to be better about being around.
*hugs blog*
And hey everyone! 😀 I have missed ya! Hope the feeling is mutual. I swear, I’m using better deoderant now. 😉
Trish
Mr. Mallozzi,
what does it take to add you to my facebook friendlist… *friendlysmile*?
Phew!! I suspect this may be a long post. It’s about time I caught up.
Candace writes: “ You could say that Ferrari definitly took a chance with this novel, especially with all the craze over how people bring religion into fiction these days. It wouldn’t surprise me to one day find this on the forbidden list of the Catholic Church.”
Answer: That’s interesting. I wonder what readers with stricter religious convictions thought of the book. On the one hand, the contemporary reimagining of God, Lucifer, and the angels could be considered risky as would some of the language and situations that pepper the book; on the other, the book does present a very positive portrayal of God, the church, and the power of the goodness intrinsic in all of us.
Your answer I believe is spot on. The Catholic Church wouldn’t ban the book. Firstly, it’s fantasy, not something presented as fact-though-fiction (The Da Vinci Code), second, it won’t gain such huge popularity (not because it isn’t good, but because it is genre and not radical), and thirdly, God wins. The Church doesn’t need much more than a happy ending for God and itself to be content.
As for the book itself. I simply adored it. I read 200 pages the first night. Sadly after that, I had a sudden onslaught of homework/job duties which meant it took about a week and a half to read. But I never wanted to put it down. The prose was light and fluid, but not “easy reading”. The subject matter satisfied me on all accounts. I’ve always been in love with Arthurian legend. I enjoy spiritual novels (in any manner-this is why I read fantasy. Be it God or gods, etc. it’s always fascinating). And I am fascinated by Christian myths (ok, really, any myths). This is not the first fantasy novel in which I’ve read about bets between God and Lucifer. Nor is it necessarily unique (check out Piers Anthony Incarnations of Immortality for some real unique perspectives that this reminded me of). But the way it was presented was indeed unique. It moved me to tears multiple times, had me laughing up a storm, and had me wanting to throw the book down when I became mad at Lucifer or Joby for one reason or another. I enjoyed the mixture of Arthur and Job.
What was unique was just how Lucifer and his minions attacked Joby (I think you’re right, they could have been the people running Enron). Drudgery, constant heartbreak and so forth. I think that’s far more crushing than earthquakes and the loss of a job. At the same time, I got so frustrated with Joby for being such a defeatist. Being the reincarnation of Arthur, it seemed below him. I wished sometimes, Joby would just buckle down and do something. He didn’t stand up and fight when bad things happened to him. He let his depression get the best of him. What’s more sad, is how realistic it is. But I still just wanted to shake him and tell him to keep trying. It seemed like if it didn’t work perfect the first time, he just ran away to a new place to start over. You can’t keep running.
Then there was his agony over God never responding. I think the author really played up on how most of us who pray to God feel. When our prayers aren’t answered (or we think they aren’t or whatever belief you hold), we question God as to why He didn’t answer them. We might feel as though He’s abandoned us or isn’t paying attention. I thought it was a nice illustration of that helplessness we all feel. At the same time, it makes a reader wonder whether they should start asking Gabriel for help now, too!!
I just loved the book. The setting, the plot, everything was woven so well together. And the big reveal at the end was nice. As someone said, the reimagining of angels was very interesting. God’s comment, “Rome wasn’t built in a day,” was very funny. To know He wants his “servants” (so to speak) to exert free will, well that’s very satisfying.
I really only had one quibble with the book, and it isn’t even that really. God was a great character. My one complaint is that he told the Camelot trio He would give them a second chance. And yet when He does, He puts them in the same situation (having been a bet once before–and one of the two Lucifer won). I believe its meant to show undying trust in them, but to me it came across as needlessly cruel. Yes, they won it for Him this time, but after what they went through before, was it really fair–or just?
Anyway, it’s probably my favorite read in a long time. This has been a good month for books!
Thanks to DLE for answering our questions!! And in response, I can believe he’s never been to the TC. It’s called good research. 😉
Questions for Mr. Ferrari:
1. What spawned such a wonderful novel? Where did you get you inspiration for combining the Book of Job with Arthurian legends? How did you immerse yourself in the project? A lot of research? An idylic setting like Taubolt?
2. What do you have in work next? After this book, I think I will probably be a lifetime fan!
3. Could you share one little tidbit, something interesting that happened while you were writing the book, or something someone has told you since it’s publication?
Thanks so much to David Louis Edelman for answering all those questions – especially with such humour and insights! I’m now determined to buy MultiReal (the book) in the very near future and make sure everyone I know reads the trilogy (well, at least the ones that read).
Joe, that sure was a lot of mail bag answers – thanks for the catch up.
Time for me to head off to work, hope everyone is having a nice close-to-the-end-of-the-week.
Amz