Life

In the interest of supporting the cool TV shows that deserve the support, I'll put in my vote for Life as the best new TV show I've seen this year, easily. Anyone who likes NCIS should like it because the emphasis on likeable, quirky characters is similar... but Life craps all over NCIS (though I'll always have a soft spot for it, just for the characters).

'Life' has my kind of characters -- outsiders who've been through hard times and see the world from another perspective. It doesn't hit the mark all the time, but when it does, the writing manages to be funny, poignant and philosophically intriguing, all without ever once overstepping the line and showing off. It's got the brains and style of the great literary novel, but it's still proud to show the world that at heart, it's a fun paperback thriller. That's not an easy combination to pull off.

It's not Law and Order, which is good -- 'Law and Order' was always too procedural for me, pays scant attention to its characters, and dramatically is all tip and no iceberg. 'Life', if it doesn't sound too much like the cliche, is all about the journey (and I'm sure that line made it into the show's pitch to the network execs). Charlie Crews is quite possibly the oddest major character I've seen on a prime time show. Newly out of prison, he gazes at the world with childlike wonder, plays games with things that most people don't find funny, and asks rhetorical questions no one else can answer. I love that he got a huge multi-million dollar compensation payout, and still wants to be a cop, and not just because he's searching for whoever framed him. I love that he finds mundane things so fascinating. And I love Damian Lewis's slightly amazed deadpan delivery. I think Charlie Crews might just be the least boring man on TV.

The other characters are cool too, especially his partner Dani... watch it, and see.

Killswitch on Monsters and Critics

Here's a review of Killswitch on Monsters and Critics.

'Definitely a satisfying conclusion to the trilogy with enough wiggle room for more to come from this series that serves up social commentary with military action in equal doses.'

Fantasy Book Critic Interview

Robert Thompson at Fantasy Book Critic asks me a bunch of questions about a bunch of stuff. I reckon this is probably the best bunch of questions I've been asked before, and I had fun answering, so check it out.

Cassandra Kresnov Giveaway

Rob at Fantasy Book Critic is giving away the wonderful prize of the full set of Cassandra Kresnov novels. And all you need to do is pledge the soul of your first newborn.

Killswitch on SciFi.com

The SciFi Channel's website has a review of Killswitch up. I shouldn't complain when a review gives me a B- on a highly trafficked website, but I do occasionally wonder if the reviewer read the same book I wrote. Oh well, vive la diversite...

Killswitch Chapters

Pyr has put the first couple of chapters of Killswitch up on their website.

Killswitch on SF Crowsnest

Here's a review of Killswitch on SF Crowsnest by Tomas L Martin. Curiously enough, he seems to think it's the weakest of the trilogy, which would make him probably the first person I've heard who thinks so. Not to dump on his opinions at all -- I'm just happy that he liked Crossover and Breakaway so much.