| From: | Paul Wieser <paulmifl@**.NETCOM.COM> |
|---|---|
| Subject: | Smith's Novels |
| Date: | Tue, 12 Sep 1995 07:56:41 -0700 |
lately. The discussions have moved me to send my first post to this
server.
Smith took on a difficult subject in Stripper Assassin. We have no
frame of reference for the feelings or actions of a Weretiger. The
fact that many of us could not relate to Striper is really a testament
to Smith's ability. His second novel gave us an ending that was
uncharacteristic of the Shadowrun series. It was unnerving and
unexpected to say the least, but it did introduce one of the more
interesting characters in the series, namely Bandit, the Raccoon
shaman. In his third novel, Smith was able to bring elements of
the first two stories together in a fairly plausible way but left
possible hooks for future novels (what is the water dept. up to for
example?). We are not dealing with Pulitzer Prize caliber fiction, but
pure escapist literature which should be strong on action. There is
plenty of other fiction around with in depth characterization and
complicated plot lines (try anything by Julian May!). It is a little
unfair to compare Smith with Zeslaney(sp?). Let's see where Smith is
in 10 or 20 years. At the risk of being roasted over a slow fire I
would suggest that while the late Nigel Findley produced some
fantastic sourcebooks his novels, especially the last, were the weakest
in the Shadowrun series. I for one am happy that there
are plans for more novels in the future.
Anyway that's my opinion.
Paulmifl
