| [Ben]: | Book Review: Night of Thunder | Discuss This [0 comments so far] View Comments | I burned through Night of Thunder in a couple of days. Compared to Anathem, it was a candy read, but not a bad book.
Rather than describe the book in detail, I'd like to recount a telephone conversation that I am sure took place.
*telephone rings*
Stephen Hunter: Hello?
Simon & Schuster Rep: Mr. Hunter! It's me, your contact over at S&S.
SH: Oh, hey Joe. What's up?
Rep: I was just calling with a fabulous book idea.
SH: Okay. What are you thinking?
Rep: You know that movie that they made out of Point of Impact?
SH: Right, Shooter. They really butchered it didn't they? They couldn't leave the story alone. I mean, yeah it was still about a sniper who ...
Rep: Stevie, boy!
SH: Hmm?
Rep: Not that conversation again, please.
SH: Okay, okay. I know the author doesn't have any say in the content of a movie produced from his work, but ...
Rep: Stevie! Have you seen the chart? Look, I was going over demos from the audanal and ...
SH: Demos? Audanal?
Rep: Demographics. Audience analysis. Just listen. The people that liked the movie best were southern males into NASCAR. You with me yet?
SH: Yeah, I think so. You want me to write a book about NASCAR?
Rep: Bingo!
SH: Have you ever read my books? I'm into guns. I know guns. I like cars and all, but I don't know enough to write about ...
Rep: Guns, cars ... who cares? Just write Bob into a NASCAR race somehow.
SH: Wait, you want this to be a Swagger novel?!? Bob is an old Vietnam vet ... he's not going to be racing professionally. Anyhow, the last book I wrote had him being chopped in the hip. There's no way he'd be up to it.
Rep: Stevie, I'm not trying to tell you how to write - that's your job - I'm just trying to tell you that if you write a book with Bob Lee and NASCAR, you're going to be wading through money. And Stephen, I'm glad you mentioned that other book. If you can write a book about an old Vietnam vet winning a sword fight against a professional swordsman, you can put him at a NASCAR event.
SH: Hey, that sword thing was your idea! You said that the whole ninja thing was ...
Rep: Stevie! Shut up. One last thing. If this goes off, a bunch of these people are going to be reading your books for the very first time ... heck, reading any book for the very first time, maybe.
SH: And?
Rep: And I want you to heavily reference every single other book you've ever written. It'll boost sales and we can probably wrangle another print run out of a few more of your novels.
SH: Don't we always put in that list of my other works somewhere?
Rep: Yeah, we'll do that too, but don't think subtle here. Think in your face. Think every other thought referencing some part of another one of your books.
SH: Well ...
Rep: Stevie ... 'Did we tell you the name of the game?'
SH: Yeah, yeah ... riding the gravy train, I know ... I know.
Rep: Great, I'll look forward to your first draft next week. Oh, and could you somehow work the word "supertime" into the book about thirty times? Thanks! Schuster out!
|
|
| 2008-10-06
Permanent Link:
Book Review: Night of Thunder |
