J. Jason

Show don’t tell

Revisado: 03-16-25

In the first twenty-five minutes of chapter one, as far as I got, We are introduced to the cast of thousands by name. The universal POV skips through a robbery, jumping from one action to another, each jump the start of a new cast of characters. Apparently, a gun fired because the author mentioned a wounded robber. None of the cast expressed any sensations, only actions, as if the writer were sitting in a theater describing a movie playing on the imaginary screen, instead of giving the reader a chance to experience the action first hand from the POV of a participant. There could be a story down stream from the robbery, but without a clue about who any of the characters are, I had no one to root for or dread. I’m not wasting any more of my reading time on this work.

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An emotional powerhouse

Revisado: 02-28-25

It has non-stop action as you get to know the people. Then the reader worries about them, and roots for them, and dread their fates. The bittersweet ending is life-affirming.

I’ll re-read this one soon.

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READ THIS BOOK!

Revisado: 05-08-23

Indispensable writing advice. The fun part is translating typewriter technology into the age of word processing. The good part is the wordsmithmanship. The author’s snarky delivery is reminiscent of a hard boiled detective working a Cold War era murder case.

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DEEPLY MOVING

Revisado: 01-29-17

Makes you stop and think.

I look around at strangers in a whole new light.

Possibly not a good light.

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UNDERAPPRECIATES the FLIP SIDE

Revisado: 01-29-17

First off, I recommend this book. It's good to see the bright side of tomorrow's promise. However, please bare in mind that I found the title and premise fail to take into account the underside of the cyberworld.

The facts as of 2017 appear to be that the high side of technology may be headed for the stars, but the currents of malware, spyware, identity theft, hacking, and cyber warfare may topple the whole shebang.

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HOLY COW!

Revisado: 01-29-17

I love "Story," McKee's book from 20 years ago. Of my 19 books on writing, this is in the top 3. I've listened to it over a dozen times to glean every ounce of wisdom I could from it. But I still had a few questions. I didn't catch the complete sense of every passage.

This new book, "Dialogue," is now my number one writing book with a bullet. First of all it cleared up those nagging mysteries from "Story." But that was just the beginning. It delves into the art of storytelling past the mechanicals and reveals the secrets of its heart.

One listening (and only the first of many) has transformed my writing of dialogue and my concept of story.

If you're a writer with any concerns that your writing isn't the best it could possibly be, do yourself a favor. Give "Dialogue" a listen.

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COULDN'T GET THROUGH CHAPTER ONE

Revisado: 06-10-16

The book is written and read in British English, not American. I couldn't get all the words and I didn't want to. The story was all description and atmosphere. If it was ever going anywhere, I no longer cared. It was more trouble than it was worth.

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RENT the DVD

Revisado: 05-15-16

The book only hints at the Bourne story. It raised my respect for the script doctors in Hollywood to see what they were able to make out of this rambling book.

Among the lapses in writing etiquette that stood out for me were the paragraphs burned showing the hero wrestling with decisions. A hero, right or wrong, should act boldly. It ramps up the excitement to see the hero trying to fix his mistakes on the fly. Ludlum, unfortunately, fixes Bourne's mistakes with lengthy dialog before he takes decisive action resulting in the readers' expectations being fulfilled. (How fun can a book be when you can figure out the ending in advance?)

The movies are better.

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A REAL PAGE TURNER

Revisado: 03-14-16

A good story that is laid out well. The characters are fully developed including an autistic teen. The author did a terrific job of making him sympathetic with sparse and stilted dialog. I liked the hero right off the bat because he was just a regular guy instead of the Hollywood movie star type.

I listened to it in a single sitting which is rare. It made the time sail by. And it left me with a good feeling in the end.

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THE WRITING IS BETTER THAN THE STORYCRAFT

Revisado: 07-05-15

Gregg Hurwitz's writing is astoundingly good. In particular his description of the physical world. So much so that it justifies the investment in time and money spent on this book.

However, there are three weaknesses that can't be overlooked. One is the number of descriptions, more per page than any book I can recall. Clever wording or not, if it interrupts the story, it's still an intrusion into the readers' trance.

Another is the denouement that drags on. Please get to the end of the story before I have to get you off the stage with a hook.

And the worst was an eight-year-old who sounded like a an eighteen year old. She was the centerpiece of the plot and if you don't buy her character -- and I didn't -- the story sagged. (Scott Brick's reading of her character didn't help matters, even though he did an outstanding job with the other characters.) Frankly, when she was threatened by the villains, I found myself rooting for the bad guys.

Denouement: if you like description, get this book. Otherwise, keep shopping.

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