Anybody up for some CRISSCROSS discussion?

Seeing as I just finished it this weekend, sure!

I'm getting pretty rusty at picking up all of the connections, but I was delighted to see "Syzygy" mentioned.

Seeing as I just finished it this weekend, sure!

I'm getting pretty rusty at picking up all of the connections, but I was delighted to see "Syzygy" mentioned.

Just start a subject and I'm game.

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Or I'll start: wasn't that some good thinking on Jack's part to have a crisscross of his problems? A bit opposite of how things were for him in, say, (the-soon-to-be-retitled-) Rakoshi, where the two seemingly separate "fix-it" situations were actually tied together, 100%. In Crisscross, he MADE the tie himself.

Something I enjoyed was the way Paul manipulated the feelings of the reader (in a good way).

I think it is a book all aspiring writers should read to understand how to get your characters into the right place where anything can happen.

MAJOR SPOILER!

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I'm talking about the dark place Jack goes to. If the victim of blackmail had been a middle aged accountant who'd had an affair, and subsequently was murdered by the blackmailer (sorry names are eluding me at the moment) then would we, as readers, have felt Jack's actions were justified?

I think it would have been harder. As it was, Paul loaded the dice by making her a nun who slipped up, and not because she was selfish but because she was trying to do something for others, and she wasn't just murdered, it was much worse.

And I loved every minute of Jack's wrath because it felt right, and no legal system on the planet could have provided justice for what the guy did to that poor woman.

Terrific. One of my favourites so far.

Dave

Something I enjoyed was the way Paul manipulated the feelings of the reader (in a good way).

I think it is a book all aspiring writers should read to understand how to get your characters into the right place where anything can happen.

MAJOR SPOILER!

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!

!

I'm talking about the dark place Jack goes to. If the victim of blackmail had been a middle aged accountant who'd had an affair, and subsequently was murdered by the blackmailer (sorry names are eluding me at the moment) then would we, as readers, have felt Jack's actions were justified?

I think it would have been harder. As it was, Paul loaded the dice by making her a nun who slipped up, and not because she was selfish but because she was trying to do something for others, and she wasn't just murdered, it was much worse.

And I loved every minute of Jack's wrath because it felt right, and no legal system on the planet could have provided justice for what the guy did to that poor woman.

Terrific. One of my favourites so far.

Dave

I found it interesting that this novel's "lady with a dog" in named Herta. That's an anagram for "Earth." And remember Anya Mundy from GATEWAYS? The Latin word "Mundus" can be translated as "World." So are these women-of-mystery manifestations of the Earth itself? That would explain a few things. And I agree, Dave, Richie got off far, far too lightly.

I found it interesting that this novel's "lady with a dog" in named Herta. That's an anagram for "Earth." And remember Anya Mundy from GATEWAYS? The Latin word "Mundus" can be translated as "World." So are these women-of-mystery manifestations of the Earth itself? That would explain a few things. And I agree, Dave, Richie got off far, far too lightly.

I agree with this all, HOWEVER...I don't think these women are representations/personfications of "mother earth." Not in the normal sense, anyway. I think that they are more representative of this particular world in the vast scheme of things. Like, they are all representative of this "card" in the deck. And when Herta showed the hole that went right through her body...which was a result of Anya's death...well, need I say much more?

I agree with this all, HOWEVER...I don't think these women are representations/personfications of "mother earth." Not in the normal sense, anyway. I think that they are more representative of this particular world in the vast scheme of things. Like, they are all representative of this "card" in the deck. And when Herta showed the hole that went right through her body...which was a result of Anya's death...well, need I say much more?

Well, the ladies say, several times in fact, "I am your mother." And didn't the scars on Anya's back match the "crisscross" pattern on the Dormentalists' globe? I don't quite understand your distinction (but then, I just got up after a long night of film-watching and beer-drinking in the zombie-haunted wilds of PA. Not fully awake yet. But man, how I love to watch them zombies dance!) BTW, Barry, I see you're an HPL fan. Have you seen the current FORTEAN TIMES? Cover story on the great man. In fact, I think I'll start a thread on it.

This was without question the best RJ books so far, at least in my mind. The entire story arc is really escalating and each of the books seems to get tenser and tenser. I've always enjoyed FPW's work, and I'm so glad that his return to RJ has been more than just an endless rehashing of the same story. Which is kind of funny, since we all know where the story is going to end up, but I still feel like I'm on the edge of my seat as I read these books. And the actual writing is so smooth. It just flows so naturally. I can't get enough of it. It's such a pleasure. The worst part about getting a new RJ book is knowing that I have to wait another year for the next.

--Matthew

I don't quite understand your distinction (but then, I just got up after a long night of film-watching and beer-drinking in the zombie-haunted wilds of PA.

DAMN! I grew up in PA and never saw a zombie. Well, actually, some Monday mornings in an 8:00 a.m. class at dear old Duquesne U., but not THAT kind of zombie. Where the heck are you? And are zombies in season right now? The best beer to drink whilst zombie-hunting is Rolling Rock, of course, the "official beer of zombie-hunting season in PA". Now, remember that after three or four "Rocks", headshots may become more challenging, but hey, as long as you have plenty of ammo, and as long as you are not situated too near a cemetary or a major metropolitan area, messin' with the zombies by wingin' 'em first is just plain fun!

DAMN! I grew up in PA and never saw a zombie. Well, actually, some Monday mornings in an 8:00 a.m. class at dear old Duquesne U., but not THAT kind of zombie. Where the heck are you? And are zombies in season right now? The best beer to drink whilst zombie-hunting is Rolling Rock, of course, the "official beer of zombie-hunting season in PA". Now, remember that after three or four "Rocks", headshots may become more challenging, but hey, as long as you have plenty of ammo, and as long as you are not situated too near a cemetary or a major metropolitan area, messin' with the zombies by wingin' 'em first is just plain fun!

I'm sojourning with my pal Dan Melbourne and his family in the prosperous town of La Plume, a little bit outside of Scranton. And, Biggles, you're quite right about Rolling Rock being the brew of choice with anything connected with zombies. But wouldn't ya know it? The clownboys and foolgirls of PETA have won another victory over all us right-thinking Americans:

In this part of PA, zombies are now a protected species.