The Writer's Life 9/14 - Time

I hadn't read a thriller in a while. I needed a break from the chick lit and Pulitzer prize winners I'd been reading lately. Cliff Ryder's Out of Time fit the bill, coming in at 346 pages, reading like less than 300. The story is simple: a top notch secret agent is assigned to destroy a biotech lab in China, which has engineered a weapon of mass destruction. There are complications. The agent is battling the onset of the worst form of MS, and his wife is a brilliant researcher at the firm's American branch. The pace is fast, the situations more plausible than usual for such fare. Although the prose and dialogue are solid, the editors missed a lot of errors. The manuscript needed another wash. Spotting such mistakes always has me worrying about any I may have missed in the books I've edited myself. Anyway, fans of the genre would probably enjoy the novel. It does not compromise. I loved the last passage, which leads to interesting moral questions. Of course, one wonders if such events actually take place. While reading, I recalled a deadly fire that occurred at a plant in China recently and asked myself if... Like James Bond, the hero has the moral certitude required to carry out such tasks, killing those who stand in the way, giving no consideration to whether the person is integral to the deadly program or just a working stiff. Ryder wrote six novels between 2008-09, all about 'Room 59," a virtual reality site agents log in to for assignments. As far as I was able to ascertain, each has a different protagonist. The books are still selling modestly. Only three users at Amazon rated Out of Time, forging to a consensus of 4.5 of five. I rate it three. I was unable to find any personal information on the author. He has a grasp of gadgetry that lends authenticity to the narrative. Is he working undercover? Has he been killed in the line of duty? Do such events actually occur? I don't want to know. It's scary to think they do.

RIP NBA Hall of Famer Moses Malone, 60, who was drafted right out of high school and played 21 years as a pro. He was a three-time MVP, and MVP of the 1983 playoffs when the 76ers won it all. In his career he averaged 20.3 points and 12.3 rebounds per game. Well done, sir.

I'm so glad I spend no time in sports rooting anymore because last night's Giants loss to the Cowboys would have made me sick back in the day. A Cowboys player's idiotic personal foul penalty all but handed the game to Big Blue, who threw it away because of poor clock management, a lost art in modern football. Of course, no one can say for sure whether Dallas QB Tony Romo wouldn't have found a way to pull out a victory with a lot less time to work with, but the percentage play for the Giants was to run, not pass. Head Coach Tom Coughlin took responsibility, but that doesn't accomplish anything. More is expected from a veteran coach and quarterback. I'd expected the G-Men to be routed. Their performance surprised me but now it is just a squandered opportunity. Perhaps they're not as mediocre as I think. Then again, the NFL has become completely unpredictable week to week. Even the Patriots, Seahawks, Steelers and Packers occasionally look bad... Kudos to the Jets.

Since there is a heavy Jewish presence celebrating the holiday at both my regular nook and on Bay Parkway, I decided to take the floating book shop to Park Slope. At first it seemed a dumb move, as I had to lug the crates a long way. And there was a stiff wind blowing along the shade on 7th Avenue. The warmth of the sun didn't make its way toward for an hour-and-a-half. I was feeling stupid, then back to back customers came along to make everything better. A gentleman bought the Gunter Grass Reader, and another purchased The Quotable Einstein, a book on the subconscious, and one on the thoughts of Marcus Aurelius. As I was packing up, a sweet middle age woman picked out a couple of chick lits. Thanks, folks. It made the long, strenuous trek back up the slope of 4th Street easier to bear.

Vic's 5th Novel: http://tinyurl.com/okxkwh5Vic's 4th novel: tinyurl.com/bszwlxh

Vic's 3rd Novel: http://tinyurl.com/7e9jty3

Vic's Short Story on Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/k95k3nx
Vic's Short Story Collection: http://www.tiny.cc/Oycgb
Vic's 2nd Novel: http://tiny.cc/0iHLb Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/kx3d3uf
Vic's 1st Novel: http://tinyurl.com/l84h63j

Vic's Rom-Com Screenplay: http://tinyurl.com/kny5llp

Vic's Horror Screenplay: http://tinyurl.com/cyckn3f

Vic's Blog: http://vicfortezza.blogspot.com/

Vic's Web Site: http://members.tripod.com/vic_fortezza/Literature/