Recent Reads - November 2019

Becoming Superman is the autobiography of J. Michael Straczynski, probably best known for creating the sci-fi show Babylon 5 in the 1990’s, but whose career is much more varied. From animated series (He-Man, She-Ra, The Real Ghostbusters), live action TV (Captain Power, Murder She Wrote, Jeremiah and Sense8), films (Thor, Changeling) and comics (Spiderman, Superman), there isn’t much that he hasn’t done – and that’s not including the “Guide to Scriptwriting” which is a go to book of its kind ever since it was published in 1982.

Buy this book. Seriously, but it now!

When this book was announced earlier in the year, I mentioned it to my good lady and she kindly offered to buy me it for my birthday. Having read it over a couple of days, I can honestly say this book made me laugh, cry, cheer and despair – and that’s just the cats!

Straczynski’s life is related with humour and a degree of honesty rarely found in most biographies. Indeed, there is little varnish here at all. Beginning with how his family made its way to the United States, and then detailing the lives of his parents, it certainly feels as if nothing has been left out. Once the set up has been completed, Mr Straczynski takes centre stage for the rest of the book.

It is not an easy read and more than once, I asked myself how exactly Straczynski ever ended up being a functioning adult. Despite the knock backs and travails, he succeeded not only at that but also brilliantly in his aim of being a writer. Along the way, you’ll find out how screwed up families can be, the pitfalls of trying to make a career out of writing and the sheer unfairness of the entertainment industry. You also, however, meet some of the colleagues and friends that have helped and nourished Mr Straczynski, and how deep the human spirit can be when you find yourself in a precarious situation. Individuals (and characters) include the late Harlan Ellison, Michael O’Hare, Jeff Conaway and Andreas Katsulas.

What Straczynski does do very well is reinforce the point that if you believe in something enough and you keep trying, there is much you can achieve. This book is evidence of that and throughout the harrowing struggles of Straczynski’s life, he never gave up. Whether it be personal issues, fighting his corner at work or hangovers from his family, his self-belief and self-awareness have carried him forward. This is a very worthy read and highly recommended.

Fiction next and “Show me a Hero” by Patrick Alexander is something a lot more cynical. Set in the then future 1980’s, (being published in the late 1970’s), it posits a Britain ruled by a far left dictatorship where personal freedoms have been crushed and a weakened resistance group are trying to bring own the government. The main character, Tom Ashman, is a high level operator with the resistance, planning a gold bullion raid to fund its ongoing operations. The primary antagonist is Colonel Julian Cunningham, chief of the Secret Police.

Alexander’s writing is terse and no-nonsense. There is little frippery and, whilst most of the characterisations suffer because of this, the two foes are defined well enough to hook you into the story. With some very on-the-mark jibes about British politics (few of which have dated at all - make of that what you will), “Show me a Hero” is an engaging tale well told. Tonally, it feels very much like those typical ‘70’s TV shows The Sweeney and The Professionals. Dated, but on the mark. There are a couple of issues though: due to the lack of smaller character development, motivations for some actions are muddled, and there is a fascination with military kit and weaponry that borders on a fetish – though not to the point of the terrible Jerry Ahern written series of post-apocalyptic novels under the Survivalist banner. It is the ending, though, that gives “Show me a Hero” its biggest punch and elevates this book above similar pulpy tomes. Truly, it ends with a wonderfully British cynicism that remains timeless.

Speaking of pulpy books, this brings me neatly to the first seven Clive Cussler-penned Dirk Pitt novels. Seven??? Well, a recent holiday to the US meant a fair bit of flying and loitering around airports so I dusted off my aged Kindle and downloaded these titles to see if, what I recall were decent stories when first read in the late 1980’s, were worthy of that recollection. As L.P. Hartley (was he J.R.’s brother???) wrote, “The past is a foreign country; they do things differently there.” and boy, is that apt here.

First off, the positive points. The seven novels: Pacific Vortex, Mayday!, Iceberg, Raise the Titanic!, Vixen 03, Night Probe!, Deep Six, demonstrate Cussler’s improved writing (note – Pacific Vortex was the sixth novel published but the first continuity-wise. It was a first attempt at a novel by Cussler and published purely as a “curio”). As each book was released, it shows Cussler becoming more adept with intricate plots and action set pieces. The familiar template of historical prologue followed by “present day” action is well established by Deep Six, as is the expansion of the Pitt universe. Characters change (smoking being the prime example here – veritable chimneys at the start, with only a couple of cigar smokers by book five) and a definitive timeline is in set up, placing the action of these novels in the then-future late 1980’s. As fantastical action thrillers, these are easy reads and decent enough time fillers.

The negatives? Sigh…

The simple stuff first: Cussler’s characterisations. Essentially, villains are two dimensional and are there to be beaten. There is never any doubt that the good guys will win. Also, Cussler’s depiction of women is, at least in these novels, dire and tone deaf. Even by the time we get to Deep Six, published in 1984, he still can’t write from a woman’s point of view without coming across as more than a little sexist. Some might say old-school gentlemanly, but a lot of female characters are there to be ogled, perused and rescued. Even supposedly strong women are no match for Pitt’s sexual magnetism. As for the other male characters, well, when one (in Iceberg) remarks of a woman “She’s too young for menopause, she must be on her period”, you know he was writing to an audience. Mayday!, however, is the one that takes the prize for the most awkward handling of a woman: Pitt’s actions, if undertaken today, would land him in court. After finding a beautiful woman still grieving her husband’s death eight years prior, he gives her a hard slap about the face and then they promptly have at it on a beach!

Then there is the representation of gay characters. Reading Iceberg again left a nasty taste in my mouth as Pitt masquerades as a gay man to fool the villain of the piece. The portrayal is offensive, all over the top camp and clothing. The language used to describer Pitt’s behaviour (“a goddammed homo act” and “he thinks I am a faggot”) are just plain nasty – though I suppose period accurate if we’re going to go there. The introduction of St. Julien Perlmutter in Deep Six starts to even out the balance but even then, upon receiving a welcoming hug, Pitt’s response is asking if Perlmutter wants a kick in the crotch. I know, as I noted before, the past is a different place but attitudes really have changed since then.

The presentation of technology in the earlier tales is very 1970’s, with computer banks and seemingly omnipotent computer decision making – very Dr Who! Cussler is, though, on more certain footing when it comes to cars and diving. 

I would like to say I’ll continue the Pitt series until the end of the solely Clive Cussler penned stories, and maybe the first he co-wrote with his son, Dirk – the humorously titled “Black Wind” - purile of me, I know! For me, I find when a co-author is added, books tend to lose that certain spark that made them decent. Then again, by that point in his career, Cussler had become so formulaic. It might not make much of a difference.

You may think I have judged these a tad harshly considering when they were published, but then again, it is useful to see where the author began and where they ended up. As you can still buy newly published (co-authored) Pitt novels today, I think it is worthwhile re-reading these and calling out where they have dated extremely poorly. Not high literature by any means, they are still worth a go if you like light-hearted thrillers. Just bear in mind that political and social attitudes have changed significantly since their first publication.