HIGH NOTES: The Last Samurai

Hans Zimmer is best known for delivering some powerful music. He comes right out with the kind of music that pretty much goes perfect with action-adventure. With his score to “The Last Samurai,” we’re treated to something quite different. The first track we’re given “A Way of Life” opens with a gentle piece of music, contemplative. You typically crank up the volume with Hans Zimmer to embrace the loudness, but with the opening to “The Last Samurai,” you turn up the volume just so you can hear it.

This might well be the most beautiful score Zimmer has done to date. You can hear some subtle touches that draw on his previous work with movies involving Japan, such as “Black Rain” and “Pearl Harbor.” That work was good, but with “The Last Samurai,” he really delivers the goods. You get the feeling the other films were just practice.

We finally get to some percussion and action music within the second track (almost ten minutes into the CD), but it’s short-lived. That’s not a bad thing. Zimmer’s score recognizes this isn’t an action film. “The Last Samurai” is a spiritual journey, first with the main character played by Tom Cruise and second with the country of Japan as it makes a bloody entrance into the modern world. That said, Zimmer delivers what might well be the best piece of action music he’s done for any film.

“The Way of the Sword” gives me goose bumps every time I hear it. This eight-minute track accompanies the climax of the film. This song is both heroic and tragic. The action comes within the first three minutes, and if I had to make a complaint, then it would be I just wish this part was longer. Good as this piece is, it’s best when listened to along with the two tracks before it, “Ronin” and “Red Warrior.” Those two pieces provide the perfect buildup. As Zimmer’s scores are notorious for extremely long tracks, I’m surprised he didn’t at least merge “Red Warrior” and “The Way of the Sword” into one track. I’m glad he didn’t, though, because I often skip ahead to this part.

Zimmer finishes this score with a song just as powerful as “The Way of the Sword,” but where the one is explosive, “A Small Measure of Peace” relies on subtlety with a lot of low strings. It’s a great close.

One of the most interesting stories behind this score is how Zimmer was recruited for the film. You can attribute this happenstance to a little thing called “alphabetical order.” Director Ed Zwick and Zimmer were attending one of the pre-Academy Award functions in which nominees were introduced. These introductions were done in alphabetical order based on last names. This placed these two men beside each other for quite a while. As they chatted, Zwick mentioned his project “The Last Samurai” and Zimmer said he’d be interested in scoring the film. Years went by and Zimmer forgot about the film, assuming the project had simply fallen apart. He said he failed to consider how long it takes to organize all the pieces to a historical film of this scale. Sure enough, when the time arrived to get a composer, Zwick remembered his discussion with Zimmer and called him. This was an interesting departure for Zwick, since James Horner has scored most of his historical films. These films include “Glory” and “Legends of the Fall,” some of Horner’s best work.

Other Scores by Hans Zimmer:



I don’t often get my hopes up for a film or score when it comes to the Academy Awards, but this was one film I wish had received more nods. I felt this score deserved a nomination, at the least. Sadly, that didn’t happen. Even though this was “pre-Oprah couch,” I think the film got hammered because of the “Cruise effect.” Oscar just doesn’t seem to like him, and this was a film in which I think he deserved a nomination. While the film itself is pretty inaccurate in its portrayal of the Samurai (in real life, they were essentially the bad guys), Cruise delivered a great performance that makes this film very believable. In a lesser actor’s hand, this could have smacked of cliché, despite a strong script. I was at least glad to see Ken Watanabe nominated for supporting actor. Some of the best scenes are the ones between Watanabe and Cruise’s characters.

Perhaps one of the most interesting things for me personally about this score was that my wife was the one who insisted on getting this CD. She saw the film before I did and couldn’t wait to get the music.

DUST JACKETS: The Elfstones of Shannara

Perhaps one of the best books I’ve never finished is The Elfstones of Shannara by Terry Brooks. The book came to my attention, because I found it in the most unlikely of places. As you might expect, a 911 center can be a stressful place, so the one in which I work has a room set aside for when things just get too stressful. We call it the quiet room. This room probably gets more use as a place for a quick nap during a break, but we also have a small bookshelf in this room. The majority of its contents are motivational books and procedure manuals, but shortly after I started here, I discovered two of Brooks’ “Shannara” books.

The Elfstones of Shannara is actually the second book within this popular fantasy series. Having never read the first book, The Sword of Shannara, I can’t really make any specific comparisons or speak on how the characters and reality have evolved. What I can say is that Brooks does a nice job of introducing one very well-developed really. Even without reading the first book, I found no trouble in following this story. He makes references to events in that first book, and I sensed we were dealing with a sequel focused on the next generation of characters within this world, but I can’t say that with certainty.

Within this book, the magic that has protected mankind from hordes of demons is failing. A rare tree called the Ellerys, the source of this power, is dying and must be rekindled. The demons are already making their way into the world of men and the bodies pile up fast. A young man named Wil Ohmsford is the one who possesses the aforementioned elfstones, and he’s charged with guarding a young elven girl who is the only one capable of fulfilling their quest of planting a new Ellerys.

I remember the most interesting thing about this book was that I found myself wondering if this was a book set in in Earth’s future. While I don’t recall seeing any advanced technology, references to the world’s history almost give the impression of a post-apocalyptic world. I found this an interesting twist on the traditional fantasy, but I’ve never progressed enough within the series to learn if this impression is accurate.

For anyone who loves traditional fantasy, Brooks proves himself a master of the genre. He does a nice job of building the tension, and even though I only read this during my breaks, which aren’t that long, I managed to make it halfway through this 564 page book within a few months.

So how did such a good page-turner lose my interest? The answer is “stress.” The quiet room was designed for an escape during stressful times, and at one point in my training, I definitely felt this stress. The police radios are notorious for breaking our new hires. Even those who easily complete their training on the 911 phone lines find themselves unable to follow all the activity on the police radios. Without delving into too much detail about that, let is suffice that I made it through that radio training by the skin of my teeth. Somehow, I associate that stressful time with this book, and it basically killed my interest. In the back of my mind, I’m well aware of this book and the fact it’s still sitting on the shelf in that quiet room, but I’ve never been able to pick up the book. The interest just isn’t there, because it’s like revisiting a bad memory. As I write this, I can’t help but think to myself how ludicrous my explanation sounds.

I sometimes wonder why we even have this bookshelf within the quiet room, because I don’t think I ever see anyone reading in there or taking something from the bookshelf to read. I think the dry nature of the reading selections doesn’t help. I do find it interesting that two fantasy novels have snuck in there, and I sometimes wonder how they got there. That probably makes The Elfstones of Shannara an orphaned book twice over. Another interesting note about this book. As you can see by the picture of the book held open, the makeshift bookmark I put there more than four years ago is still keeping my place.

Other Books by Terry Brooks:



I’ve not read any other books by Brooks, but that might soon change. He’s got a new book entitled Armageddon’s Children coming out later this summer, August 29th to be exact. His website is giving away thirty copies of the advanced readers copies. I’ve entered the contest, and if I win a copy, then you’ll seeing a review of it in the Wildcat’s Lair quite soon. Keep your fingers crossed!

"You're just jealous, because the voices in my head are only talking to me" (WW? #24)

I’ve neglected my blog quite a bit this past week, a fact owed to a lot of overtime at work which has left me more sleep-deprived than I think I’ve ever felt. My vacation is coming up this weekend, so I’ve got a lot of blogging to do this week, if I’m going to finish all I planned for this month. You can probably expect two or more entries a day for the rest of the week because of that.

Speaking of neglect, I’ve gone too long without doing one of Jess’ Writer’s Weekly Questions. So now that I’m back in business, let me answer her latest one.

Writer's Weekly Question #24:

What is your experience with characters? Do they come to you "full grown out of oblivion" or do they come in pieces and only share a bit of what you need to know them? Do you hear their voices, or do you develop them? What makes them real for you?

Characters really do take on a life of their own. Many of the ones that run around the inside of my head have enjoyed that space for more than a decade. Some are probably going on two, but just how many of them are really alive to me? More than I care to admit!

A young knight named Mikhael Bek hasn’t been in my head the longest, but I can’t think of a better example of a character that has taken on a life of his own. Just this past week, I actually felt guilty about the things I have happen in his life. In The Last VanDaryn, my wife and I write some terrible things into his life. What’s ironic is that he’s there at all, because the idea of creating a traditional fantasy was pretty low on my list of goals when I first started writing.

Mikhael was originally born as a character named Michael Collins. Michael existed within a different reality, an alternate Earth. He went from a superhero to a CIA analyst. Then I got involved in online roleplay within AOL’s chat rooms. I needed a character to play, and as a shortcut, I basically borrowed Michael’s persona to create a vampire-hunting knight. Mikhael turned into my favorite character to play. There’s a lot of me in him, but elements of the original Michael remained.

I started “writing” with Mikhael in posts on message boards, something like serialized adventures. Then things got more complicated. I recruited other players to do an epic serialized adventure, something I hadn’t seen others do up to that point. Eventually, I worried that playing Mikhael was taking too much away from my real writing, and it was. I stopped doing the roleplay for a while, but I couldn’t bring myself to stop playing with him. His time online ended with a failed romance, after which he decided to return to his home country and rededicate himself to his duties. I wanted to know what happened to him, what the next chapter in his life would be. I started writing with him, but this time as a character within a book, and this was probably where he started to become real.

The years since then have seen a lot of changes in Mikhael. In a weird way, I don’t think he’s so much changed as I’ve just gotten to know the real character that’s always been there. I enjoy the little things the most. He loves to drink hot tea, and he almost never drinks alcohol. He likes to end his “day” by watching the sunrise while sitting in his favorite wooden chair. I saw him as being rather straight-laced and religious. The more I wrote with him, though, the more I realized he had some personal demons I’d never expected. He made a living hunting violent killers, and I finally realized a man can only manage to do that well if thinks like them. That led to Mikhael’s more violent nature and the frightening realization that, on some level, he takes pleasure in this, a fact that frightens even himself when he dares to dwell on it.

I don’t tend to think on his voice too much, his or any other character’s. The voices usually come pretty distinctly to me from the start. Mikhael’s has gone through some changes, though. Years ago, I wrote one of his adventures in first person, and to my surprise, he displayed more wit and sarcasm than I’d have expected. Until then, I’d always just assumed his manner of speaking would be too stiff and dull to work as first person. Even though I’m not using the first person style with Mikhael these days, the experience made me realize I’d underestimated him. How I imagined his inner voice was a lot more interesting, so I’ve forced it forward a bit over the years.

He’s not the only character that’s alive to me. I’ve more than I can count. What’s frustrating is to find such a character and then have nothing to do with him or her. These characters haunt me as images of their lives drift through my imagination, and I wonder what I can and will do with them.

Some characters spring to life so easily, and yet others just never seem to work at all. I can gift them with all the quirks I want, but they’re never right. I hope none of those ever find their way into print.

All in the Way it's "Said"

The previous James River Writers Conference took place about nine months ago, but I’m going to revisit it and open up debate among the Lair’s readers about one little word: said.

One of the most impressive guests speaking at last year’s conference was Pulitzer Prize winner Edward P. Jones, author of The Known World. The man himself proved interesting to me for his eccentricity and his seeming befuddlement at his success. I don’t expect anything I ever write to match the literary level of Jones, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t take his advice to heart. If any of his advice impressed me most it was in regards to the word “said.” Jones said that’s basically the only word he uses when he has to attribute dialogue to a character. I’ve read similar advice in the past and taken that advice with a rather heavy dose of doubt. Hearing Jones discuss it made me reconsider my opinion on this bland word.

Some might argue it’s foolish to limit your writing to that one word when so many more colorful choices exist. After all, words such as “griped,” “instructed” or “replied” can attribute dialogue just as well as “said” and convey another aspect to the dialogue. Jones offers a great counter-argument. He just uses “said” and relies on the dialogue itself to convey its added meanings. I still wasn’t sold after hearing Jones say this at the conference, but then I read through some of my own writing. In almost every case, when the dialogue was good enough, it made those more colorful cousins of “said” unnecessary. Consider the following:

Griped? If the character doesn’t already sound as if he/she is griping, then it’s not very effective griping, now is it?

Instructed? If a character says, “Hold your sword by the hilt and stick the pointy end into the other man,” do you really need to point out this is instruction? The dialogue makes that pretty clear by itself.

Replied? If the character is replying to another character’s previous dialogue, then it’s pretty obvious, isn’t it?

After reading through enough of my previous work to wince at all of the redundancy, I was a convert. Do I think there’s room for any words other than “said?” Yes. Hard as I try, I can’t think of a way to convey a “whisper” without using that word to attribute the dialogue.

Also, should I ever use anything other than “said,” then limiting most of my writing to the word “said” makes the use of any other word that much more powerful.

Disagree with me on this one? Do you think making “said” the only choice is tiresome and unoriginal? Maybe you even believe that “said” is the last word you should use. Now, it’s your turn. Make your case.

Happy Anniversary (A Day Late)!

Yesterday marked the first anniversay for my blog, and I’m rather amazed at how much it’s changed in that time. If you’ll indulge my vanity, let me spend some time taking a look back on the first year of “The Wildcat’s Lair.”

If I’ve learned anything from my first year of blogging, it’s that these blogs take on a life of their own when given enough time and passion. Look at my first blog entry, and you’ll see my original intent was nothing more than to keep a record of the books I was reading and to occasionally add in a movie score review. I also suggested I might include some graphic artwork. Little did I know how busy my own little "cat in the hat" would keep my art program, eh?

Perhaps the most unexpected thing that came out of doing this blog was Frank. I created him on a whim. This past October, I invited the readers of the Lair to write entries about their favorite monster novels. As I made a banner for this, I discovered a black cat in a variety of poses (five, to be exact) within my art program, Paint Shop Pro 7.0. Frank needed a touch of blue to really fit within the Lair, and once I gave him his stripes, he just took over the place. He’s made what started as a stuffy book blog into something much more entertaining and interactive. Perhaps the most fun I’ve had is in creating his little comic strips. I love them for a lot of reasons. I get to exercise my graphic art skills, but finding ways to include my kids in these online comic strips just makes them even more fun. There have been other benefits, of course. Let’s face it. How else could I manage a legitimate reason for visiting Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Online?

What’s funny is that Frank nearly got beat out for my blog’s mascot by my pet dog. Allow me to introduce Page. Her name isn’t misspelled. We figured this an apt name for a pet to two writers, me and my wife. Of course, that name would have also made her perfect for my blog’s mascot. There’s just one small problem. Page is the most camera shy dog I’ve ever known. In fact, this picture of Page is about the only one for which she’s ever willingly posed. I’ll tell you more about Page and this picture later this month. I can tell you that Page will be joining in a few of Frank’s online adventures in the near future. I’d like to do more of those comic strips with Frank, but they take quite a bit of time to create.

I think I can safely say Frank is the ultimate highlight of my blog’s first year. When I think back on this past twelve months, my favorite entries almost all include him. Whether it was “The Wildcat’s Café Mocha Adventure,” our “Bracket Battle” this past March or my pet wildcat’s take on the quantum law of “Schrodinger’s Cat,” he’s managed to bring a lot of humor to a blog that would have greatly lacked it otherwise. Since his first appearance, I’ve manufactured a lot of new poses for him, and I even built a vast family for him for this past Christmas. We’ve not yet been treated to his parents or his older sister (even though they’ve been mentioned). Whether we’ll get to see his immediate family in this second year of The Wildcat’s Lair is hard to say, but I do hope to introduce them at some point. Considering how much I enjoy these comic strips with Frank, I probably need to do them more often and that’s one of the goals for my blog’s second year.

So, if Frank was the highlight, then what is my blog’s lowlight? Well, at first I wasn’t sure I could think of one, but then I realized what an easy choice this was. It all centers on the number 1,250. Yes, being the “genius” I am, I set what turned out to be an impossible goal of writing 1,250 words every day. If not for two kids, a full time job (with vampire’s hours) and a lot of overtime put in to pay the bills, I might have managed this. The goal turned out very unrealistic, and despondent at my inability to meet this goal, I neglected my blog and very nearly closed it down altogether as revealed in my follow up entry, "Writer's Guilt." Some kind advice from David L. Robbins (The Assassins Gallery) made me realize how foolish I was being to consider an end to my blog, and I’ll always be grateful for that advice (I’m sure Frank will be, too!).

My blog has also turned out quite a few surprises for me, one that didn’t involve Frank. I promised to reveal which entry has demonstrated the greatest longevity. Well, this past December, I decided to focus my reading on children’s books. Among those books was one entitled Vampire Plagues, London, 1850. The book, sorry to say, didn’t receive one of the kindest reviews from me, but even as recently as this past June, the entry has received new comments. The book does hold a special place in my memory as it led to the creation of my “sub-blog series” called “Wordslingers.” The writer Ben Jeapes (operating under the pen name of Sebastian Rook for this children’s series) and I have exchanged quite a few e-mails thanks to that book, and that’s been a treat. I recently e-mailed him to let him know how that entry was still receiving attention from people online, and he mentioned I should probably read the rest of the “Vampire Plagues” trilogy to see what I think. I doubt I will get to that this summer, but I think after the dust settles on this fall’s James River Writers Conference, I’ll revisit this series to finish it.

One of the biggest changes for my blog came this past May with the creation of my parallel blog on Blogger. This wasn’t some whim. I’ve come to realize that Blogger has a strong community of novelists, and as important as connections within the publishing industry can be, I decided it foolish not to tap into that resource. There’s also the benefit of comments from people not limited to AOL or AIM, as my AIM blog is. I must confess that it’s not easy running the Lair on two blogs. I’ve streamlined the process quite a bit, but whether I can maintain both is something only time will tell. Sadly, I think the AIM blog would be the first to go, but my sentimental nature makes me loathe to abandon it completely for the Blogger version.



If you’ll allow me one last bit of vanity for today, let me close this anniversary entry by pointing out some of my favorite entries from the past year:

Favorite Book Review Entry: The Assassins Gallery, because it’s my first preview of a book. This one still hasn’t come out yet, but it will on the 24th of this month.

Favorite “Dust Jacket” Entry: Blue Latitudes, because the current format of my blog entries first started to take form here. That and it’s such a different book from what I normally blog about.

Favorite “High Notes” Entry: “The Last VanDaryn.” It’s a shameless bit of self-promotion for the book I’m writing with my wife. What more need be said?

Favorite Entry with Frank: “Wildcat’s Bracket Battle.” I found a lot inspiration with Frank this past March thanks to the NCAA Basketball Tournament, so I’d say this month offered some of my favorite work with him. I also think I became more efficient at creating these comic strips that month.

Favorite Entry About My Writing: “How to Write with a Spouse (and Not Kill Each Other)” was easily my favorite entry about my writing and perhaps my favorite entry from the entire first year. I saved this one for a long time, and I knew it would be a special entry for me even long before I wrote it.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t thank the Lair’s loyal followers throughout this first year. I think it’s starting to gain a greater following thanks to the move to Blogger. Still, if not for a lot of the folks I first met through the AOL/AIM journals, I don’t think I’d have found an interest in maintaining the Lair this long.

HIGH NOTES: Gladiator

When you think “cool guys with swords,” a film style my wife and I both love, the music to “Gladiator” might seem to fit that description but it’s actually a much more subtle score than you’d expect. That’s likely why it won an Academy Award.

The movie itself doesn’t deserve a stereotype as an action film. In many ways, I think this film feels very Shakespearean in its script, and the score reflects this. We’re given an ominous open with “Progeny.” This two-minute piece accompanies the opening credits which includes a brief setup. That opening text actually paints a positive picture of the future, promising the end of war should Rome win the film’s opening battle. The music is what cues the moviegoer that all is not well in the Roman Empire. “The Wheat” continues this ominous start to the film, and it’s not until we get to “The Battle” that we’re treated with the real fireworks for this score.

“The Battle” delivers some of the best battle music Hans Zimmer had done to date. The DVD to Gladiator included a mini-documentary on the score, and for a fan of movie scores such as myself, this was a real treat. The most fascinating thing was to learn that the battle music is actually a cleverly disguised waltz. For the purpose of editing the film, Zimmer gave the editors several variations on this waltz/battle music to let them know how the music would fit in with the other elements of the film.

Now, you do get some repetition in this score, and typically, I can just listen to the first three tracks I’ve mentioned and feel as if I’ve heard the entire score. The exception to this is the closing credit piece “Now We Are Free.” This sorrowful song does a great job of capturing the right tone for the end of the film. Yes, the ending is sad but with hope.

Other Scores by Hans Zimmer:



I think this score, more than any other, made my wife a Hans Zimmer fan. I had long ago been sold on Zimmer’s talent thanks to scores such as “Crimson Tide,” “Drop Zone” and “Broken Arrow.” Sheri still says if our book should ever find its way into film that Zimmer is the one she’d want to do the score. Can’t say I’d be upset about that either. Thankfully, we’re seeing a greater number of talented composers for Hollywood’s scores these days, and quite a few of them have ties to Zimmer.

The Secret Supper

The first impression most would get from The Secret Supper is that its author Javier Sierra was hoping to cash in on the success of The Da Vinci Code. In Sierra’s defense, he started on this book years before the latter book was published. This worked out well for Sierra, which he points out on his website, as he was able to easily access many of the places now clogged with tourists because of Dan Brown’s blockbuster. This also works well for him, because people eager for more of what The Da Vinci Code offered are turning to Sierra’s The Secret Supper as an adequate “between-Dan-Brown-novels snack.”

Enough with The Da Vinci Code. Sierra’s book offers up its own religious conspiracy theory on da Vinci’s painting of “The Last Supper.” Our guide through this tale is an inquisitor with the Catholic Church in 1497. Father Agostino Leyre is sent to Milan after Rome has received several letters from a mysterious agent calling himself the “Soothsayer.” The letters warn of a corruption of the church within Milan. Agostino’s mission is to find the Soothsayer and learn what he knows to determine if the corruption is true. The only lead to the Soothsayer is a riddle contained within his letters, but deciphering it proves a near impossible task.

Sierra employs a blend of first and third person storytelling here, and I can’t say the results work. Hurting matters is the manner in which Sierra creates the first person voice. He uses a diary of the events Agostino writes in the latter years of his life. He intends for this record to be buried with him, and yet within the same “document” he addresses the reader, even though he states he does not believe anyone will ever read this document. It’s overly dramatic, and the execution does not work well, because of the third person sections. The reader does require these third person scenes, but there are moments within the book where Sierra almost seems confused as to whether he’s telling the scene third person or through Agostino’s narrative. Even in the book’s “post-scriptum,” we’re rather clumsily taken from Agostino’s personal reflections to the author’s telling of how Agostino dies. I am reading an advanced reader’s copy, so some things might have been fixed for the final publication. Somehow, I don’t think that happens, though. In the end, he’d have done much better to stick with third person, if for no other reason than to at least make Agostino’s fate less certain.

I have to hesitate on just how far I criticize the writing, because this book isn’t the original voice intended by the writer. Sierra’s chosen language is Spanish, and this book is a translation. That does create some questions as to what might have worked in its original form and no longer does because of the translation. A lot of the names confused me. Sierra could do little about that, no matter what language he used. With so many characters based on real people, he couldn’t simply grant us names that are easy to grasp. In more than one chapter, I found myself scratching my head and asking, “Now, who is this person again? Have I even read anything about him before now?” I just couldn’t always keep it straight.

I also found the front of the book rather heavy in exposition. That’s not something that can be written off to the translation. Another complaint I have is that some good opportunities were lost for character development, especially near the end of the book with the main character. By this point in the story, I got the impression Sierra was eager to get to the real selling point to this book, exactly what the “secret” in da Vinci’s painting of “The Last Supper” really is.

This book might have worked better had Sierra placed more emphasis upon the murder mystery aspect of the story. I think this would have given the plot more focus, elevated the tension and improved the pace. The book’s saving grace is the twist at the end, the secret itself. Yes, Sierra makes good on this, but it’s a convoluted path to get there.

Other Books by Javier Sierra:



Despite my various gripes, I really enjoyed reading this book. Among my reasons for enjoying it: I happened upon my copy of The Secret Supper by way of the AOL Book Maven’s blog. Not only a free copy of this book, but one signed by the author. I also enjoyed The Secret Supper because it’s not something I normally would have considered reading. I’m not opposed to historical thrillers, but Da Vinci Code burnout might have unfairly made me reluctant to try Sierra’s book. This book made for a refreshing change of pace.

Speaking of historical thrillers, let me make a quick plug for The Assassins Gallery by David L. Robbins. His book comes out July 24th., and as I found out this past May, it’s a damn good read.

For now, I’ve decided to stick with the historical thrillers, so my next read will be Pompeii by Robert Harris.

DUST JACKETS: Storm Front

This “Dust Jackets” entry offers up the first of this month’s theme: orphaned books. The process of orphaning (is that even a word?) Storm Front by Jim Butcher took more than a year. Let’s rewind a few years to a rather quiet New Year’s Day. I was working at the 911 center, and I’d forgotten to bring a book to read. Desperate for something, I used one of my breaks to go to a bookstore and buy something. The book that caught my eye was Storm Front, a book I’d noticed more than once while working at Barnes & Noble years earlier. I already had a book I was reading, so I decided to keep Storm Front in my locker as my “backup book,” something to read should I ever get to work without anything else.

Before I get into how I orphaned this book, a little about the book itself. Jim Butcher’s urban fantasy about a wizard who sells his services in the style of a private detective (and not a very lucrative one at that) was able to piggyback on the success of Laurell K. Hamilton’s “Anita Blake” series… that in its early days employed a similar style. Both rely on first person, using the main character’s voice, which gives these books their “gumshoe detective” feel. Being a mystery lover and a fantasy fan, I naturally find this combination irresistible.

In the world of wizard Harry Dresden, magic has become a much more commonplace thing, even though skeptics aplenty remain. The police call on Harry for one very grotesque murder scene, a murder with two victims and little doubt that the murder weapon was black magic. Harry’s already got problems of his own, though. Among his problems is being under something of a mystical house arrest with a sword wielding “parole officer.” He’s also been hired to find a missing husband. On top of that, Harry and technology don’t get along well… as in machines just don’t work right when he’s around, which is why he tends to prefer stairs to elevators. As you can see, Butcher is giving readers one very well-developed, alternate reality.

Now, as to how this book got orphaned... As I said, I kept a copy of Storm Front in my locker as a backup for those days I should end up at work without whatever my “current” read happened to be. Problem is, I don’t often forget to bring to work whatever I’m currently reading … and if I do forget, then I usually use the time to write. Even though I made some decent headway into Storm Front, I never really committed myself to it. I enjoyed Harry’s voice. The world sometimes goes a bit over the top, giving the book a comic undertone. Perhaps the weakest element was Harry’s investigative skills, which lack greatly. Yes, that’s probably realistic considering it explains his impoverished lifestyle, but it also drags down the pace of the mystery a bit.

The oddest compliment I can offer this book is that I never felt lost. Even though I went long stretches, sometimes months, without reading anything in this book, I could always jump back into it in the exact place I’d left off and not feel as if I’d forgotten anything important or that I needed to start over.

So with all these compliments, why didn’t I ever finish it? After sitting in my locker for more than a year, I finally brought it home. I decided I’d finally finish it at some point. Only, that never happened. My list of books to read never gets any shorter, and somehow I couldn’t bring myself to ever put this one ahead of all the rest. Somehow, it never broke out of its place as a “backup book.” My wife and I later trimmed down our library considerably, and Storm Front just didn’t make the cut… or rather, it was cut from our library. One day, I do hope to go back and give this book another go, but I can’t say when that will be.

Other Books by Jim Butcher:



Later this summer, I plan to try out another challenger to Laurell K. Hamilton’s throne over the realm of urban fantasy. Kim Harrison is speaking at this year’s James River Writers Conference, which the Lair’s long-term readers know my wife and I are helping organize. I’m curious to see if perhaps my burnout with Hamilton’s series (which I once loved) has something to do with my inability to get into Storm Front. If I can’t get into Harrison’s book and find no other faults with it, then I’ll have my answer.

The Batcave

I’m not usually one for posting entries with those online quizzes. Yes, they’re amusing, but given the nature of my blog, they just don’t really fit with my format. That said, I’m making an exception today, and I’ll explain why.

A few months ago, my wife and I moved our office into the utility room. We painted the walls black, and I spent several hours (I had expected this to take all of fifteen minutes) trying to figure out a way to run the cable for the high speed internet into the new office. As you can imagine, I spend quite a bit of time down here. If I’m not writing, working on my blog or just surfing the Internet, then I’m hiding from my fatherly/husbandly duties (at least I’m honest about it). That latter detail prompted my wife to nickname the new office... the Batcave.

Fast forward to the present, and I see one of those online quizzes on Sandra Ruttan’s blog. The topic? “Which Action Hero Would You Be?” I couldn’t resist giving this one a try, and wouldn’t you know it… I’m Batman. I’ve spent the past few days going around doing my best Christian Bale saying, “I’m Batman,” and getting a real kick out of it, thank you.

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You scored as Batman, the Dark Knight. As the Dark Knight of Gotham, Batman is a vigilante who deals out his own brand of justice to the criminals and corrupt of the city. He follows his own code and is often misunderstood. He has few friends or allies, but finds comfort in his cause. Batman, the Dark Knight 83% Captain Jack Sparrow 75% Maximus 67% Lara Croft 54% The Terminator 54% El Zorro 54% James Bond, Agent 007 50% William Wallace 46% Indiana Jones 46% Neo, the "One" 42% The Amazing Spider-Man 42% Which Action Hero Would You Be? v. 2.0 created with QuizFarm.com

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So as I’m discussing the Batcave, a few updates on said office. The cave survived a recent flooding. When the heavy rains hit the northeastern U.S. last month, Richmond got caught in the downpour. Well, a box on the back porch, destined to be thrown out, fell over and covered the drain that keeps water from flooding the utility room. I was asleep at the time, and when I awoke to go pick up my wife from work, I stepped into a huge puddle. Not a good way to start my evening. Had the water gotten an inch higher, it would have gotten into the power strip on the floor. We dodged a bullet on that one. The office smelled like a swamp for a week after that, but I finally aired it out a few days ago. I’m going to be a bit more vigilant about keeping that drain clear of debris now.

There’s another matter I need to tend to. The last time I did an entry on the Batcave, one of the Lair’s readers asked what the story was with the desk. The reader in question is blogger-extraordinaire Patrick of “Patrick’s Place” and “A Stop at Willoughby.” Patrick’s also a fellow Richmonder by way of South Carolina (as I am), and we got to meet at last year’s James River Writers Conference. I recently realized I’d failed to ever answer Patrick, so let me amend that oversight.



The desk that occupies the Batcave came into the marriage thanks to my wife. This old spinet desk was given to her by her grandmother and was in quite dismal shape at the time. A few years before we married, the desk was refinished. It’s only major flaw is the front, right leg which isn’t really attached. The weight of the desk just keeps it in place, and the minute you try to move this desk,the leg falls off. I keep meaning to screw it in place, but I’m terrified of making a mistake and messing up the desk. We had an actual computer desk for a long time, but when we moved into our new house earlier this year, we got rid of it to save some space. I won’t say this desk is ideal for a computer, but it does the job.

Hope everyone has a happy Fourth of July. My kids and I celebrated it with the best fireworks of all, watching on television as the space shuttle launched. This was the first time my kids ever watched a shuttle launch, and I must admit to breathing a sigh of relief that it went well. I can’t think of a more fitting day on which to share a shuttle launch with my children.

Going to the Dogs

This marks a big month for the Wildcat’s Lair. Later this month, on July 9th to be exact, the Lair will celebrate its first anniversary. What started as just a journal to record my thoughts about the books I’m currently reading has turned into something much more. I’ll save my thoughts on that for the actual anniversary entry. For now, my usual sneak peak at what you can expect from this month’s entries in the Lair.

Perhaps the most fun this month will be a look at the mascot that might have been. That’s right. Frank “Skywhips” Orion is a lot of fun and occasionally a real pain in the arse (although always entertaining), but he was nearly beaten out for the role of mascot by another furry critter. To add insult to injury, said critter isn’t even a cat but a dog! I’ll introduce you to this dog and explain why she would have made such a great mascot for the Wildcat’s Lair.

As for my “Dust Jackets” entries, I do have a rather interesting theme for the month: orphaned books. I’m talking about those books that I started and for one reasonor another just never finished. I don’t consider any of these bad books either. So why didn’t I finish them? You’ll just have to wait to find out. Some of the books will include The Elfstones of Shannara by Terry Brooks, Cold Hit by Linda Fairstein and Storm Front by Jim Butcher. I’ll even have an orphaned series, a “Star Wars” trilogy, but you’ll have to wait to find out which one.



Another theme I’ll play out this month is devoted to my wife. The Dragon Queen, as I like to call her, loves movies that have “cool guys with swords.” Yes, I love these movies, too… especially if there are cool women with swords in there, too. Anyway, I plan to highlight some scores that accompany these films. The scores I plan to highlight will be “Gladiator,” “The Last Samurai” and “Die Another Day.”



I’m hoping to let Frank get into quite a bit of mischief this month. Best of all, Frank and I will be going on vacation. That’s right, folks. Later this month, Frank and I are going to the beach. This will be his first trip ever to see the Atlantic Ocean. I’m sure he’ll be on his usual “best behavior.” God help me. Unfortunately, you’ll have to wait until August to see how the beach trip turns out for Frank.

My aforementioned anniversary entry will offer a look back at the first year of the Wildcat’s Lair. I’ll pick out some of the highlights and lowlights (Lowlights? Surely not!) from year one of my blog. There’s also the entry that’s shocked the hell out of me by getting replies even months after it was posted; you’ll find out which one.