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nebris~Last September I wrote an 'epitaph' for my Colonial Union fan-fic novel, the one based upon John Scalzi's “Old Man's War” universe. However, now that I have read the sixth volume in that series, I'm ready to resurrect the thing.
Said sixth volume, “The End Of All Things” is certainly just as good as the preceding five books and I cannot fault it as such. Scalzi is, as ever, 'on his game'. And yet, I am...unsatisfied.
Of course, this can be dismissed as some form of 'sour grapes'. I had my own vision of his universe and obviously he would have his own – his bloody work after all – and that should, by right, superseded anything I come up with.
However...what left me unsatisfied was that it all felt...overoptimistic, all wrapping up a little too neatly. I understand that. We live in a time of profound pessimism, most of it totally justified, not that such makes it any easier to deal with. And Scalzi has produced six books and a number of free standing short stories on the subject, so I could see wanting to go all Reichenbach Falls with it, though in reverse.
Fair enough. And I personally do not have to accept that. My vision of the thing has clearly not let go of me. It has its own level of Optimism, but the process takes quite a bit longer and there is a good deal more blood and fire.
So, I shall keep chipping away at it. Won't earn me a penny, but I suspect it will feel like taking a wonderful shit. And that is something that money cannot buy.
Said sixth volume, “The End Of All Things” is certainly just as good as the preceding five books and I cannot fault it as such. Scalzi is, as ever, 'on his game'. And yet, I am...unsatisfied.
Of course, this can be dismissed as some form of 'sour grapes'. I had my own vision of his universe and obviously he would have his own – his bloody work after all – and that should, by right, superseded anything I come up with.
However...what left me unsatisfied was that it all felt...overoptimistic, all wrapping up a little too neatly. I understand that. We live in a time of profound pessimism, most of it totally justified, not that such makes it any easier to deal with. And Scalzi has produced six books and a number of free standing short stories on the subject, so I could see wanting to go all Reichenbach Falls with it, though in reverse.
Fair enough. And I personally do not have to accept that. My vision of the thing has clearly not let go of me. It has its own level of Optimism, but the process takes quite a bit longer and there is a good deal more blood and fire.
So, I shall keep chipping away at it. Won't earn me a penny, but I suspect it will feel like taking a wonderful shit. And that is something that money cannot buy.
