Once More, A Defense For Caidin

Posted by Galacter from ts006d48.las-nv.concentric.net on May 06, 1999 at 02:01:09:

I'll never understand why there is so much bashing on this guys books when from a critical standpoint, they rank as a couple of the best.

True, Rob MacGregor was the best Indy writer - but two of his books were real snoozers: Peril at Delphi just plain didn't amount to much in spite of the cool characterizations and great sequences. And the ending: yawn. The other being Genesis Deluge - this was truly a horrible Indy story, never mind the cool first half set in Chicago.

Caidin (who BTW created 6 Million Dollar Man) is an expert technical writer, and Sky Pirates is a first rate novel that cleverly explains how Indy knew so much about flying - except, how to fly! That sets up the lines in TOD and LC brilliantly! Face it, a writer HAD to do an INDY story about UFO's eventually (did you read the synopisis of Jeb Stuart's script?) and I think Caidin did the most credible job we're ever going to see. The books ONLY weakness is that there is not enough time devoted to the villians and climactic action - the novel was heavily edited by the publisher (compare it's thickness with McCoy's slim-jims) and when the same happened on White Witch Caidin took off, miffed!

White Witch is really good too. some of the dialogue is out of character, and Caidin's left-field claim that Indy is a Civil War buff was just preposterous(how mayny fields of expertise can Indy have)? Still, he provides a smashing good read laced with scientific credibility given to magic and mysticism, and the use of Caliburn was deliberately done so that there wouldn't HAVE to be an official IJ and EXCALIBUR story.

So the field is still open if anyone thinks they can do better. McCoy obviously cannot, never mind that Dinosaurs Eggs was as good as it was!

Follow Ups:

Just my two pesos. Indiana Jerico 21:29:46 5/06/99 (0)
Rebuttal graml 08:08:39 5/06/99 (3)
- Re: But I defer... Galacter 03:03:03 5/07/99 (1)
  - meow! graml 08:49:11 5/07/99 (0)
- Re: Rebuttal dan 11:53:43 5/06/99 (0)

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: I'll never understand why there is so much bashing on this guys books when from a critical standpoint, they rank as a couple of the best.

: True, Rob MacGregor was the best Indy writer - but two of his books were real snoozers: Peril at Delphi just plain didn't amount to much in spite of the cool characterizations and great sequences.  And the ending: yawn.  The other being Genesis Deluge - this was truly a horrible Indy story, never mind the cool first half set in Chicago.

: Caidin (who BTW created 6 Million Dollar Man) is an expert technical writer, and  Sky Pirates is a first rate novel that cleverly explains how Indy knew so much about flying - except, how to fly!  That sets up the lines in TOD and LC brilliantly!   Face it, a writer HAD to do an INDY story about UFO's eventually (did you read the synopisis of Jeb Stuart's script?) and I think Caidin did the most credible job we're ever going to see.  The books ONLY weakness is that there is not enough time devoted to the villians and climactic action - the novel was heavily edited by the publisher (compare it's thickness with McCoy's slim-jims) and when the same happened on White Witch Caidin took off, miffed!

: White Witch is really good too.  some of the dialogue is out of character, and Caidin's left-field claim that Indy is a Civil War buff was just preposterous(how mayny fields of expertise can Indy have)?  Still, he provides a smashing good read laced with scientific credibility given to magic and mysticism, and the use of Caliburn was deliberately done so that there wouldn't HAVE to be an official IJ and EXCALIBUR story.

: So the field is still open if anyone thinks they can do better.  McCoy obviously cannot, never mind that Dinosaurs Eggs was as good as it was!

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