Books: Dr. Dimension by John DeChancie and David Bischoff (1993)

“Dr. Demetrois Demopoulos had a dream – and a lot of burned-out parts. But, despite far too many experiments that had blown up his lab at Flitheimer University, Dr. D. was certain he was on the brink of building a working spacetime machine. And, of course, his arch-rival, the voluptuous Dr. Vivian Vernon, was determined to see that he failed – or else steal his invention. But neither of them reckoned on an unknown benefactor who shipped a crateful of future technology that would soon see Dr. D., Viv, and three of their colleagues off on a round-the-universe jaunt. Lost in spacetime, caught in the middle of a war between two super-races of aliens, and allied with a computer construct who sounded like a bad Borscht Belt comedian, was there any hope for the five humans to ever get back home- and would home still exist if and when they got there?”

I have a lot of respect for both DeChancie and Bischoff, as both have written several humorous fantasy series I read in the late 1980s and early 1990s. But here, in what seemed in 1993 of a start of a new series, comes a somewhat comedic attempt of merging pulp sci-fi (and set in 1939, the period works) with something-like The Hitchhikers Guide of the Universe style of humor. It works here and there, but it has a fairly high rate of failure with the gags.

I remember buying both this and its sequel back when they were first released. I never read them and ended up donating them – only to find them about a decade ago at a used bookstore. For some reason, I bought them again. They’ve sat in a box since then. And recently, I decided to go and read some of the books that have been in my Forever TBR pile.

But I find this book ridiculously cartoony, with it’s barely there plot, abysmal stereotypes (written way before the METOO movement), horrible puns, and atrocious wordplay. The two human villains are poorly developed and not as interesting as the three heroes. To be honest, I’m unsure what their true purpose was for being in the book. So if they were aiming to make fun of science fiction, they missed the boat here.

Also, the various aliens are remarkably goofy, and some of them could be fun. Not believable at all, but almost fun. Not sure if I’ll get to book two…maybe save it for a palate cleanser sometime in the future. 

Books: Welcome to Pawnee by Jim O'Heir (2024)

“For seven seasons, Leslie Knope and the Parks and Recreation gang charmed millions of viewers with their quirky antics and unwavering positivity. The sitcom continues to be a fan-favorite for streaming services today, nearly a decade after its finale. Now for the first time, Jim O’Heir, who played the lovable Jerry (or, well, Garry/Larry/Terry/Barry, depending on the episode), invites readers back to Pawnee for an exclusive look behind the scenes. Joined by his Parks and Rec pals, including Chris Pratt, Retta, Rob Lowe, and showrunners Greg Daniels and Mike Schur, Jim reveals how this “little show that could” came to be, thanks to the tireless dedication and comedic genius of Amy Poehler, Nick Offerman, and the rest of the gang. As the show found its footing, the cast quickly bonded into a tight-knit family. Jim shares all his favorite unforgettable memories both on and off camera, from hilarious unscripted moments and epic dance-offs in the hair and makeup trailers, to iconic birthday parties at Rashida Jones’s house and quiet bonfires in Nick Offerman’s backyard.”

One of my favorite series, next to 30 Rock, this is a pleasant little book, but really not a detailed or comprehensive behind-the-scenes look at the NBC sitcom. The book covers O’Heir’s life from his birth in suburban Chicago (my home town) to his years in radio in Indiana, Second City in Chicago and his eventual move to Hollywood. Here he talks about how him and co-star Retta started out as recurring characters (though both appeared in every episode) and how the writers, showrunner Mike Schur and star Amy Poehler gave them more to do and really fleshed out their characters backstories. O’Heir goes a bit overboard at times with the high praise of his fellow cast members, but I supposed I too would be in awe of these people, as all seem like genuine nice people.

But I did learn a few things, like how NBC wanted a spin-off of The Office and how co-creators Mike Schur and Greg Daniels sort of decided the show really should have little to do with The Office, beyond the basic mockumentary format and set in just in an office (the show would have an equal amount of location shooting). Also how they learned that Leslie Knope (Poehler) should be less of an idiot than Michael Scott. He does not divulge much into the reason Paul Schneider’s Mark Brendanawicz’s exit from the show in season two; beyond the obvious that he was meant to be Knope’s love interest, yet there was no chemistry there.

It’s not a deep dive into the show, and I hope someday we do. Like 30 Rock, there’s got be a lot of interesting stories about how each episode came about.

Welcome to Pawnee is worth checking out if you’re a fan of the show, mostly for the some great behind-the-scenes photos. It also has a great cover.

Books: Buying the Farm By Chad Darnell (2022)

“Welcome to Liberty, Georgia. Population 2,424. Sweet old Ruth Chambers passed away after a lengthy illness, so that number might be off by one or two. The sign hasn’t been updated in a while. Everybody knows everybody and their business. There’s a town square and two traffic lights. One on the way into town and one on the way out. Nothing bad ever happens here. Frances Hunt is at her breaking point. She has a hellraising teenaged son and a mother, who is nearly eighty going on eighteen. Thanks to a failed chicken house business, Frances and her mother are about to lose the farm, which has been in the family since the Civil War. With mounting medical bills, a surprise grandchild on the way, and foreclosure looming, Frances discovers a new opportunity to harvest. And it’s going to cost her an arm and a leg to save it. An opportunity in which she (her mother, and her senior citizen friends) could make a killing... selling dead body parts on the black market.”

 Chad Darnell’s Buying the Farm is a hoot of a black comedy, a sometimes dark (but mostly hilarious) gothic southern tale of a dysfunctional family who accidentally find themselves over their heads and, well, God appears to answer some their prayers. What makes this book work –because there is some violence, a lot of death, and some questionable morals- is the characters are so well drawn, so developed, and so damn funny, that even the most conservative people wouldn’t mind hanging out with them.

Frances is not a great mother to Kevin, nor a great daughter to her mother Bird. But she is smart and able to work on her feet, make quick decisions and understands how the universe works. She sees opportunities, despite the gruesomeness of the job and like all mothers, will do what she can to help her son and family (as Hector calls them, Baby Dexter and The Golden Girls). There are a lot of twists and turns here, and the book runs fast and furious, and I would be remiss not mention how many times I laughed out loud here. This is just a delightful fun ride.

Thanks the heavens, there is a sequel…

According to the author, he pitched a pilot, then called BODY FARM, to Hazy Mills, a production company in Los Angeles run by Sean Hayes and Todd Milliner. “The day we were set to pitch to the studio, the Writers' Strike began. Eight months later, we began pitching the show all over LA, but the notes came back, ‘we're not looking for shows with women.’ ‘We're not looking for shows old women.’ ‘We're not looking for shows set in the South.’ ‘We're not looking for shows with an anti-hero.’ Every few years we would take the project back out, and it would draw some interest with the powers-that-be asking, ‘could the characters be younger? and ‘could it be soapier?’ ‘What if it's set in Chicago!?’ The story, set in the Deep South, is about four women (of a certain age), who accidentally fall into selling dead body parts on the black market. So no, they can't be younger, soapier, or in Chicago. We were set to take it back out again in March 2020, and the world shut down the day we were expected back to the studio. After a year and a half with no movement, I decided to take my ladies and tell their story in book form. The resulting novel became known as BUYING THE FARM.”

All Books Read in 2024

Well, here it is, the 49 novels I got through in 2024. It's about 10 less than last year. I don't think much stood out this year, which is probably why the list is smaller. I got bored and doom-rolled too much on Instagram. 

2025 looks to be unpredictable and I won't set any goals in reading. But who knows, if tRump can keep us out of a civil war, if we don't end up killing ourselves over trans issues and what not, maybe I can get through more.

But no promises.

01. Doctor Who: Rebellion On Treasure Island by Bali Rai

02. The Boy Who Was Buried This Morning by Joseph Hansen

03. A Country of Old Men by Joseph Hansen

04. How to Sell a Haunted House By Grady Hendrix

05. The Busy Body by Donald E. Westlake

06. Backtrack By Joseph Hansen

07. Childhood’s End By Arthur C. Clarke

08. Death is a Lonely Business By Ray Bradbury

09. A Graveyard for Lunatics by Ray Bradbury

10. Let’s All Kill Constance By Ray Bradbury

11. Rendezvous with Rama By Arthur C. Clarke

12. Lincoln’s Dream By Connie Willis

13. Winter’s Gift by Ben Aaronovitch

14. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Price of Freedom By A.C. Crispin

15. Shades of Grey By Jasper Fforde

16. Red Side Story by Jasper Fforde

17. Forsooth By Jimmy Matejek-Morris

18. You Only Call When You’re in Trouble by Stephen McCauley

19. Stringers by Chris Panatier

20. The Celebrants By Steven Rowley

21. Doctor Who: The Well-Mannered War by Gareth Roberts

22. Faerie Tale By Raymond E. Feist

23. Baby, Would I Lie? By Donald E. Westlake

24. The Guncle Abroad By Steven Rowley

25. The Grave Tattoo By Val McDermid

26. Cop Hater By Ed McBain

27. The Atrocity Archives by Charles Stross

28. Trust Me on This By Donald E. Westlake

29. Conclave By Robert Harris

30. Icerigger By Alan Dean Foster

31. Money For Nothing By Donald E. Westlake

32. Doctor Who: In Wonderland By Paul Magrs

33. Nicked by M.J. Anderson

34. The Man Who Died Twice by Richard Osman

35. The Ipcress File By Len Deighton

36. Slow Horses By Mick Herron

37. The Devil and Mrs. Davenport by Paulette Kennedy

38. My Brother’s Keeper By Tim Powers

39. The Jennifer Morgue By Charles Stross

40. The Bullet that Missed By Richard Osman

41. The Librarianist By Patrick deWitt

42. The Last Devil to Die By Richard Osman

43. The Dead Are Discreet By Arthur Lyons

44. The Detective and Mr. Dickens By William J. Palmer

45. I Gave At The Office By Donald E. Westlake

46. The Star Beast By Robert Heinlein

47. Secret Dead Men by Duane Swierczynski

48. The Masquerades of Spring by Ben Aaronovitch

49. Star Trek: Lost to Eternity By Greg Cox

Books: Star Trek: The Original Series: Lost to Eternity by Greg Cox (2024)

 

"2024: Almost forty years ago, marine biologist Gillian Taylor stormed away from her dream job at Sausalito’s Cetacean Institute—and was never seen or heard from again. Now a new true crime podcast has reopened that cold case, but investigator Melinda Silver has no idea that her search for the truth about Gillian’s disappearance will ultimately stretch across time and space—and attract the attention of a ruthless obsessive with his own secret agenda.

"2268: The U.S.S. Enterprise’s five-year mission is interrupted when Captain James T. Kirk and his crew set out to recover an abducted Federation scientist whose classified secrets are being sought by the Klingons as well. The trail leads to a barbaric world off limits to both Starfleet and the Klingon Empire—and an ageless mastermind on a quest for eternity.

"2292: The Osori, an ancient alien species, has finally agreed to establish relations with its much younger neighbors: the Federation, the Klingons, and the Romulans. A joint mission involving ships from all three powers, including the Enterprise-A, turns explosive when one of the Osori envoys is apparently killed. Each side blames the others, but the truth lies buried deep, nearly three hundred years in the past."

While I liked the tale, it does have problems –mostly the 2268 time period. The 2024 setting is the best, if only because Star Trek fans knows what happened to Gillian Taylor. So using the format of the a true crimes pod-cast was an inspired choice to see how Melinda and Dennis piece all the parts together. With this being a loose sequel to Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, this section gave fans and readers a chance to revisit (almost) some characters from that era that are still around in 2024.

It took me a while to figure out who the mysterious man in the 21^st Century was who was trying to hinder Melinda and Dennis’ investigation, but eventually I guessed (rightly) there was a connection with Project Chrysalis, which was part of the backstory of Cox’s Eugenics War books. So the villain is human and tied to the Augments.

Meanwhile, in 2268 we get the trope filled story of a "scientist captured: must rescue without breaking prime directive” blah, blah, blah. While probably the most classic aspect of Star Trek, and was somewhat entertaining, the only thing really going for it was knowledge it was set in and around season three of TOS. And putting Kirk and crew in danger was anti-climatic at best.

We skip to 2292, set after Star Trek V: The Final Frontier but before Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country and is the other good part of the novel. Here we get more traditional Star Trek plot territories, along with understanding whom was behind all of it. It’s the second best of the tree time periods, as Cox ties a lot of continuity together –which has what these Extended Universe Star Trek books are really about.

I mean the 2268 time period was just filled with continuity references –sometimes to the point of annoying. Like the 1990’s Doctor Who novels, the writers tended to go overboard trying to connect so much unintended continuity, that the books lost something. Hard-core fans enjoyed, I guess, but here –like Cox’s Eugenics War series- tries too hard to make it line up perfectly. But it sometimes hurts the flow of the narrative. In the end, I felt the 2268 TV era part was unnecessary. 

We do get a resolution to what happened to Gillian Taylor, who pops up (in, I guess, a cameo) in the final chapter. We learn what she is working on, which will eventually become part of the animated Star Trek series Lower Decks, but I would admit as well, it was disappointing she showed up so late in the book.

It’s a fine book, but it’s a reminder why I eventually gave up reading a lot of these Star Trek novels. Long gone in one of these franchise books is a creditable villain.