Who Writes This Stuff?

-
When writing fiction, writers need to create characters, and convey their traits to the reader relatively quickly. One vehicle writers, usually lazy writers, use, is the character defining name. The names Dudley Do-Right, Dirk Strongjaw, Tess Trueheart, and B.O. Plenty instantly tell readers what those characters are about. The technique is hardly limited to comic books though. The mystery genre has Mike Hammer, Peter Gunn, Sam Spade, and Hawk (just Hawk) who are all obviously tough guys. The romance genre is full of characters such as Chesapeake Divine or Rod Remington, who's names bring to mind pictures of purity erotic perfection.

There are also the stereotypical names for stock characters. Not only will a character with the name Jeeves be a butler, he'll be a specific kind of butler. Jeeves will be a very formal butler who has an appreciation for "the finer things," and who looks down on that new music the kids like. In the same vein, Bubba will be hulking and somewhat slow witted, Waldo will be the standard four eyed nerd, and Bertha's usually your larger than average female character. Of course, these characters can bare other names, Wooster, Moose, or Hershel. However, when you come across the names Jeeves, Bubba, and Waldo in fiction, they'll be tied to those stereotypes.

Such names cause many readers to roll their eyes and groan, at least until the writer establishes some level of complexity within the character in question. Science fiction, fantasy, and 007 stories are forgiven for these types of cheesy names; we accept the presence of Luke Skywalker, Wormtail, or Pussy Galore simply because we know, going in, these stories aren't meant to reflect reality. Plug the shapely Dr. Goodhead into an otherwise serious novel though, and readers will write the story off as being unrealistic and stupid. However, this reaction may not be entirely justified.

In 2001, a U.S. reconnaissance plane collided with a Chinese fighter sent to intercept it. According to survivors, the collision was caused when the Chinese pilot flew aggressively too close to the spy plane. The Chinese pilot then bailed out and was permanently lost. The Chinese pilot, who flew to close and then became lost, was Lt. Cdr. Wang Wei (Wong Way). Yes, Wang Wei went the wrong way. True Story.

Locally, Portland's mayor was revealed to have been in a sexual relationship with a young intern. That intern's name was, no kidding, Beau Breedlove. Of course, equally notable is the fact that Portland, a city known for its beer, has a mayor named Sam Adams. True Story.

Most recently, New York's U.S. Representative publicly lied about an erotic photo of himself sent over Twitter to a college student in Seattle. The scandal has revealed the congressman's longtime habit of cyber-sexual relationships. The congressman with this sexual propensity is none other than Representative Anthony Weiner (Weener). True Story.

If I'd written any of these stories, as fiction, I'd have been laughed out of the room for being a cornball. With tongue half way in cheek, I sometimes wonder if reality isn't, in fact, someone's really bad novel. Or, it could be that God peppers events with a bit of irony and humor to keep us from taking ourselves too seriously. I'm not sure. In any case, I will definitely be less judgmental, from now on, when deciding whether a character is truly cheese ball, or not, since truth really is stranger, and cheesier, than fiction.

Review: Sixkill - Robert B. Parker's Last Hoorah

-


I love, but don't typically review, Spenser novels. They're generally tough guy mysteries which depend more testosterone filled scenes of violence and the frequent appearance of favorite characters than on eloquent prose. Witty banter between Spenser and his sidekick Hawk, frequent, if begrudging, cooperation from state and city detectives; Quirk, Belson, and Healey; regular alliances with the underworld, an array of colorful culturally diverse muscle men, and the psychoanalyzation of players in his current case by his love interest Susan Silverman are comfortable story elements to avid readers of the series.

Sixkill however, deserves special attention, since it's the last book Robert B. Parker completed before his death in January of 2010. This is the 39th or 40th Spenser book, depending on whether or not one counts 2009's Chasing the Bear, which tells a story from our hero's teen years. Yet, when you include his Jesse Stone series, Sunny Randall series, Virgil Cole series, and some non-series stragglers, it's his 69th novel altogether.

To briefly summarize the book, without revealing spoilers:
"On location in Boston, bad-boy actor Jumbo Nelson is accused of the rape and murder of a young woman. Not wanting the star to be railroaded by police brass and the press, BPD Captain Martin Quirk asks Spenser to look into the matter. In the course of the investigation, Spenser encounters Jumbo's bodyguard: a young, former football-playing Native American named Zebulon Sixkill. Sixkill acts tough, but Spenser sees something more within the young man. Despite the odd circumstances, the two forge an unlikely alliance, with Spenser serving as mentor for Sixkill." *

Except for the absence of Hawk, this book delivers everything fans want from a Spenser mystery. Frustrating roadblocks to the truth, thugs warning him off the case, hard hitting fisticuffs, and gun fights are all part of this latest case. I will admit to being personally disappointed by the solution to the case. Yet, there was still enough danger thrown Spenser's way, once he'd solved the mystery, to keep me entertained.

While the mystery is an exciting one, the story focuses more on the title character's evolution into a Hawk-like sidekick for Spenser. The middle of the book is even peppered with sub-chapters, which tell the story of Sixkill's life up until the time he went to work for Jumbo. These sub-chapters, coupled with the frequent mention of Hawk being in Asia, gave me the feeling that Parker was laying the ground work for future books.

Were Spenser and Sixkill destined to rescue Hawk from Asia, or perhaps avenge his death. Sadly, we'll never know. True, Ace Atkins has been slated to write future Spenser books, but they'll be products of Atkins' imagination, and probably won't be canonized by hard core fans.



*=Modified from official summary