Hi, I'm in the middle of reading the Repairman Jack series, currently on Crisscross, and I'm starting to wonder is I should take a break from Jack and read the Adversary Cycle.

Should I stop now and go read the adversary books? Or should I finish all the jack books and go back later? And if I should stop and go read those, should I stop immediately? Or is there a certain book I should stop at?

Sorry if this has been asked and answered elsewhere. A friend told me the Adversary Cycles and Dark At The End's stories merge, and I just want to make sure I don't miss out on anything.

So I’m sitting there watching the November 4 episode of Fringe (title: “Novation”) and slowly my jaw drops as I realize how much of it is stolen…from Matt Costello and me.

In case you missed it, Fringe is developing a story line about beings from alternate Earth called shapeshifters who possess a special cellular structure. With the help of an implanted disc, they can sample anyone’s DNA and become a perfect copy (down to the base-pair level) of that other person. The disk stores the various genomes and can switch between them.

Flashback to 1998: Warner Aspect publishes a novel by Matt Costello and me called Masque. It centers around secret agents called “mimes” who have a special mimetic DNA (mDNA) that can be programmed to copy anyone else’s DNA. All they have to do is slip in a template disk encoded with that genome and their bodies change into a perfect copy of that person down to the molecular level. They also have blank programmable disks that can copy a DNA sample, allowing them to “steal” anyone’s genome on the fly.

Notice any similarity? Come on. Just a little?

They say you can’t copyright an idea. Fine. But this is a lot more than a mere idea, this is a process, this is a whole technology. It’s also the same plot – using these beings to infiltrate a rival group.

And it’s not as if Hollywood has never seen Masque. It’s been floating around since Tom Cruise’s production company (Cruise-Wagner) optioned it for Polygram Pictures immediately after publication. When Polygram folded, so did the deal, but numerous game companies have been interested in adapting it to interactive form (which was how we’d originally conceived it).

Am I angry? Sadly, no. I say sadly because this seems to be the way writers work these days. Disheartened is more like it. Where I come from, writers honor each other’s work. But the second-raters are always with us. They’ll rip you off without so much as a by-your-leave because odds are they’ll get away with it. (Not always: Just last week Little, Brown yanked the Q. R. Markham novel, “Assassin of Secrets,” for plagiarizing dozens of writers, including Robert Ludlum.)

Since TV is such a collaborative process, the writers of this particular script might well be clueless as to the origin of the technology. But whoever introduced it into the story conferences had to have read Masque. It’s too…damn…close.

I’m not the litigious sort, and don’t keep lawyers on retainer like Fox, but, you know, a little tip of the hat would be nice.

If you want to check out what I’m talking about, the episode, “Novation,” is here and the novel is available as an ebook under its preferred title, DNA Wars.

Judge for yourself.

FPW's recent creation of the Abe's Bookshop brought a question to mind.

How do you know what edition of a book you have? I have Legacies and Conspiracies with the same coverart as what's in Abe's Bookshop. Also, I recently acquired a hardcover copy of The Select with coverart that I haven't seen before.

Any thoughts?

Has anyone seen this movie yet? It's a Brit film about a group of kids that grow up and have quite an end. We watched it the other afternoon and I can't stop thinking about the idea of people as cattle for the slaughter. It was disturbing and thought provoking at the same time.....I can't stop thinking about it.

Ok, I know we have some Who fans here and I just started. We had a massive 4 season marathon over the past 10 days and my head is spinning!

So who's up for some discussion?

I'll start. Do you think the Doctor knows he has some sort of mesmerizing effect on earth girls? They all seem to fall for him, even that crazy Donna.

Last night I saw Contagion, Steven Soderbergh's new film. Starring Gwyneth Paltrow, Matt Damon, Laurence Fishburne, Jude Law, Marion Cotillard, Kate Winslet, Elliott Gould, etc, etc...Wow!

Contagion is a pandemic panic movie. A lot of people die by unknown virus. But it's not like "28 days later..." or other zombie movies. Steven Soderbergh's fast-paced medical thriller 'Contagion' has many suspense and drama. But there were no creepy or bloody scenes. Coughs, fever, then die. That was very realistic, so scary.

Either Amazon has a glitch or its a really good special. Kevin J. Anderson's new book Hellhole - hardback for $1.77! I don't know how long it will last!

http://www.amazon.com/Hellhole-Hell-Tril...-1-catcorr

[INDENT]So I caught the debut of the latest AMC offering and it was almost great; my biggest complaint is the lead actor-he wasn't terrible but far from great. I hope he develops a better screen presence as the show goes forth. I thought Colm Meaney was a bit too heavy-handed but I like him so it was a wash. I thought it looked great, the story decent and the violence realistic. This could turn into something really good. If you missed it, the pilot is airing a couple of more times this week. [/INDENT]

I have been singing the praises of this film. It is a zombie-esque film with a unique twist as to how the "virus" is spread.

In addition to being an incredible and creepy film, it has one of the best opening dialogues (Monologues) of any horror movie.

[video=youtube;ioAk3EfZMAg]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ioAk3EfZMAg[/video]

Here is the sign that greets you when you enter Shoreham, NY on Long Island. "Conspiracies" fans will appreciate the Tesla connection. The sign was put up as one of our Scout's Eagle projects. The hard part was convincing the town board that Tesla was a claim to fame for Shoreham. The board wanted a picture of Bluffs - the bluffs they wanted weren't even from Shoreham's shores. The Scout prevailed and the result is a unique welcome sign.