Daddydavek

The tidbit about their customers entering through a special door and then leaving through another separate door in his boss's office was tantalizing. I can't wait to hear about the customers.....

Characters can be too self-absorbed and overly drawn with a rationalization to justify any action and then they become less interesting. Plot can be the be all and end all of a story and then it isn't much of anyone's story but a happening. A good story has to have a some balance between plot and characters. The really good writers test that balance in new and novel ways to hook their audience and critics. Further, styles do change. Best sellers of the 1940's and 1950's are quite different than the 1990's and 2000's. The type of story has demands too. An action adventure story will need an exciting plot line. A romance novel will need interesting and empathetic characters and scoundrels for a little spice. Because I like all kinds of genres, I guess I don't have a particular bias toward plot or character. I just like a well told story that in some way illuminates the human condition.

Certainly a lot of fodder was served for possible plot lines. Still all very unsettled IMHO.

Court politics are certainly as dangerous as being on the high seas in a warship! Silly Billy looking smug. George seemed almost a fish out of water at St. James Palace and was certainly discomfitted. His father was not very reassuring either. Certainly a lot of ongoing plot lines....

Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope - initial release date: May 25, 1977 I was just shy of 30 years old and I thought it was the coolest movie ever! The sound track by John Williams and the cinematography were awesome.

Caroline is very calculating as well as passionate. I am prepared to be surprised. George however may not be amused....

Chapter 33 is up and George has made it to London. His report to the Admiralty went well. Caroline dropped a bombshell and Mark left us dangling at the precipice....

Great chapter but it ended in Another cliffie!

" I found a couple of pamplets that discussed gas warfare, as well as trench warfare. Those were the two big hallmarks of World War II," Tanks, trenches and gas were the big breakthroughs in the Great War. (WWI not WWII) Gas masks were crude but worked most of the time. My grandpa was in the trenches in France and was gassed and he saw some GI's who coughed up their lungs, literally. He lived to a month short of his 90th birthday and died May 19, 1984. RIP pop!

Was it dramatic enough? Well, I guess it could have been more tense, just not sure how! Good job!

Chapter 18 is up and while there is no tap dancing, there is plenty of horizontal mamba. The scene back at Escorial with Matt and Tyler and then with Matt in their room was especially done well. Still waiting for the other shoe to drop and I expect Wade's mom to provide!

Loved the heartfelt communication between best friends and lovers in the closing scene with Matt. Good job of writing.

JJ skates, but tap too?

Through Chapter 4 there is plenty of other-worldly conventions and drama to sort through and try to make some sense of it all. The good news is that maybe our protagonist's ongoing suffering is going to get some relief, but knowing Cia, maybe not....

"I think there are a few surprises headed your way. " What else would we expect? Mark's stories imitate life in that at the oddest moments, all hell breaks loose and surprises the crap out of us. Enjoy the suspense is my motto as I wait for the other shoe to drop.

And still we wait....

So we have cliffies all around. CJ is making his bid for king of Cliff hangers for next year as well with this post.

This chapter lost some of the edge that developed over the previous one. I'm looking forward to find out just what he will actually be doing and how he will interact with the clientele.

Well since she sang it at the superbowl the year you were born or there-abouts, I don't think you really understood the 'moment'. We were in Gulf War 1 under the first Bush presidency and we had the whole free world with us. It was a joyful, proud song and it resonated with a lot of people at the time, even becoming a hit on the top 40 playlist. So while you are entitled to your opinion, some of us actually lived through that period and found it uplifting. As for as Whitney's untimely demise, it is true that she had a long history of drug abuse and it is easy to jump to the conclusion that she overdosed, but that is what the coroner will determine from an autopsy. However, sad or bad her ending was, she did give us some great songs sung better than anyone else in her generation. And she had an impact on scores of singers of who came after her. So perhaps her legacy is greater than we will ever know.

Read prologue through Chapter 4 and I am certainly hooked. Lot's of hints but little firm background other than we know: Phoenix was stabbed in the chest and apparently survived. He has/had a sister. He can fly--or can he? He is into drawing, painting, sculpting and tattoes. He has some piercings. He is gay or at least curious. His would be employers are not exactly mundane....

CJ is certainly one of the outstanding nominees for King or Queen of the Cliff hangers. So if you haven't voted, please go to the lounge and get the list of nominees for all categores from Talonrider's post and then PM Talonrider with your vote in each one. Remember, you can only vote for one in each category. CJAMES is my recommendation for King of the Cliff Hangers for his repeated abuse of the literay device in just about every chapter he posted in 2011....

Mark wrote in reply to a review by another faithful follower: "Will is such a teenager. He's actually fun to write these days. Kind of like Tonto, only young and cheeky instead of old and crusty." I found that link to Tonto delightful and it would be fun to see if someone would mention it sometime in the future, perhaps during one of the famous dinner session at Escorial; perhaps by Isadore?

In my chapter review, I speculated that the next chapter could be the end of this part of the series. Mark replied: "You want it to end? So I should scrap chapters 34 and 35?" My response: HELL NO! I'll gladly read 3 more chapters or more before the next book in the saga starts!

A well written chapter 32 with a bit of a surprise as Belvidera took some hits. The ending of the chapter is bittersweet with a booty prize tempered by the apparent expectation of the crew break-up as the ship must undergo extensive repairs. It seems just another uncertainty as Granger gets ready to head to London after making port.

Finally, some Coop relief in a well written chapter! First from Spence, then CJ, then Devon and ending with a rousing fuck from Chase. The flashback worked ok, a little drawn out, but did provide some frame of reference for some of what they had in common. The big mystery remaining is Morgan, now on the loose....