While the reviewers never mentioned Glen Cook’s novels, and
while (or despite the fact that) I had not enjoyed Sweet Silver Blues, my wife started
collecting other volumes in his Garrett P.I. series. The bookstores made her task difficult by not
stocking his books. The publisher frustrated
her efforts by allowing installments to go out of print for a year or more,
before republishing them with new artwork.
As we were able, we procured what books we could, and Garrett’s presence
on our bookshelf grew. And as it grew, my
resistance to Cook’s writing lessened, and I began to wonder if I should give
the series another try.
 |
| The Garret P.I. saga encompasses (at least) three different cover designs. |
After happening upon Red Iron Nights in Lancaster, a book
that had gone out of print (and apparently won’t be reissued in Mass Market
Paperback, with another of those eye-catching covers), I decided it was
time. I needed to learn what my wife saw
in his books that I had missed the first time around. So I picked up Sweet Silver Blues, and this
time, I found that I accepted Garrett’s dry wit and understated worldview. I enjoyed the unique spin he put on
traditional Fantasy creatures. I smiled (and
yes, even laughed) at the humor inherent in his characters, but that didn’t
prevent me from taking the dramatic situations seriously. As the seemingly simple mystery grew more
complex, the danger to Garrett and his companions intensified. Each development took its toll on Garrett and
his companions physically, mentally, and emotionally. This made everything more compelling, and I
raced through the novel, struggling to slow my pace so I didn’t rob myself of
the enjoyment each scene offered. By the
story’s end, I felt the satisfaction of the personal growth that comes with
surviving a grueling adventure. More
importantly, I empathized with Garrett, and understood how what should have
been just a paying job had left him emotionally gutted.
Having read so many good books, I find it rare to bond so
completely with a protagonist, and get so swept away by a Fantasy
adventure. But, as Glen Cook asserted at
the 2006 World Fantasy Convention, “All Fiction is Fantasy.” Whatever literary genre a particular novel
falls into, it draws upon the stuff of ordinary life, and mixes it with the
imagination of its author. Bookstores
and publishers may make it difficult for you to find the novel that you really need to read. Reviewers may tell
you (or imply) that you don’t need to read it.
When you find that novel, you may stumble across it before you really
need to read it. But books like that are
out there, books that are (or will be) important to you, and if you search for
them, you will find them.
Or if you’re fortunate, they sometimes
find you.
As for me, I’ve found one of those special books. That’s right: you’ve guessed it. It’s called Sweet Silver Blues. Next week, I’ve share with you some specifics
on why I like the novel so much, but for now, just know that I count it as a blessing that it’s the first in a series, and features a protagonist I
like and care about. I look forward to
following Garrett’s adventures in the years to come, wherever they take
me. Oh, and in case you’re wondering, my
wife and I are planning on snapping up the fourteenth installment, Wicked
Bronze Ambition, when it comes out later this year. (Before the bookstores decide to no longer
stock it, and the publisher decides to let it go out of print).
There are all kinds of authors out there, and each has a
different aim with his or her Fiction, as well as a different approach to
storytelling. Without in any way wishing
to denigrate his contemporaries, there is one thing I need to state in no
uncertain terms. Regardless of how the
bookstores, publishers, or the reviewers regard his novels, don’t be fooled like
I was. Glen Cook is an important author,
and yes, that means that ought to seek out his books.
Oh, and while you’re doing that, you might take a moment to peruse your own book collection.
You might just find a few novels that didn’t initially capture your
enthusiasm, but right now, they’re just the kind of stories you need to read.
Dragon Dave
Related Dragon Cache entries
No comments:
Post a Comment