Fantasy Aficionados discussion

Final thoughts for the book--warning, spoilers ahead.

Although, on further thought, there could be a 'halfway through' thread. Thoughts on that?

I've finished. It was well done, but very slow going. I started treating it like a chapter 'storybook,' since the chapters were usually fairly discrete. When I was writing up my review, I realized a lot of them were traditional boy storyhood themes: camping in the woods. A sleepover. A contest. Baseball. Bullies. Then, coupled with larger events of the 1960s.
I felt a little like the 'mystery' was sort of tacked on, as in maybe it was a short story that got expounded. The theme of it popped up again and again, but it didn't drive it.

I agree. It keeps reminding me of old American black and white films where the story begins unfolding, a kid comments 'gee mom' and you cut to the adverts. Whilst it has lots of events, I was left with a feeling that nothing happened. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed it but it was nothing like I expected.

Carol. [Unicorns and Rainbows] wrote:"I felt a little like the 'mystery' was sort of tacked on, as in maybe it was a short story that got expounded. The theme of it popped up again and again, but it didn't drive it..."

That had been a major source of annoyance for me, especially in light of the book cover blurb, but then I got to the part where Cory got to have dinner with Vernon.

I think the whole "murder mystery" in the book "Boy's Life" occured just like Vernon told to Cory when they were discussing writing. Vernon tells him about the manuscript he submitted to his publisher and that manuscript was a series of stories about a town and its people. However, the publisher said that reader demographics indicated readers wanted murder mysteries and that his town was the perfect setting for a murder mystery.

I think that might be what really happened to McCammon, – That he submitted the original draft to his publisher only to be told to revise the manuscript and insert a murder mystery.

Also, he was fairly well established as a "horror" novel writer (I know I own and have read all of his prior books), so I can well imagine that he was told that this book was "out of genre" and the murder was added in an attempt not to alienate his fans.

I would believe it happened to McCammon that way--it felt very autobiographical.

I kept reminding myself that the author has a different name to Cory, as right from the beginning it felt autobiographical.

From a 1991 Interview that focuses on Boy's Life:
http://www.robertmccammon.com/intervi...

Interestingly, he calls the book a "fictography." It's also interesting because it talks a lot about a character called "The Lady" who then insinuated herself into Boy's Life.
Since he sold the film rights to Boy's Life to Universal, he can't go back and write stories about any of the characters.

Unsurprisingly, midway through he says he framed it with the murder, but "didn't really know where it was going."

One of the other interviews talked about how he wrote a lot of short stories when he started out. I just remembered--they also reminded me a little of the The Nick Adams Stories stories.

That was interesting. I suppose they always say write about what you know so he lives locally and would have had similar experiences growing up. Has anyone read anything else by him?

I've had Swan's Song on my tbr forever but my library only has it in downloadable or audible, so I might have to try those or buy.

Helen wrote: "That was interesting. I suppose they always say write about what you know so he lives locally and would have had similar experiences growing up. Has anyone read anything else by him?"

Yes, I have all of his books prior to this one (11 horror books published between 1978-1991). "Boy's Life" and the book published after it "Gone South" are both decidedly "non-horror" so I just stopped reading him. The author then stopped writing for 10 years.

In 2002 he started a series of, believe it or not, colonial era "Sherlock Holmes" type thriller novels ( the Matthew Corbett series).

I started the first book in the series, Speaks the Nightbird, after finishing "Boy's Life". I did not like "Boy's Life", but I really wanted to re-connect with the author. Unfortunately...I really love history and I don't think I'm going to be able to suspend my disbelief at the historical errors and enjoy the fact the he finally figured out how to write about AND solve a murder mystery, lol.

Lucinda wrote: "I don't think I'm going to be able to suspend my disbelief at the historical errors and enjoy the fact the he finally figured our how to write about AND solve a murder mystery, lol. "

lol!

Talk of genre jumping!

Helen wrote: "Talk of genre jumping!"

Yes, and I think that is his problem. He thinks of writing as a mechanical, engineered process or practiced skill. He has purposefully set out to find the marketable "formula that works" for whatever he wants to write.

In an interview in 1991 (just after "Boy's Life" was published) he even admitted this:

"I am probably moving away from supernatural horror. It's kind of like a magician knowing how the trick works: I know what the tricks are like; now I'm interested in doing different things."
...
This time next year readers can expect "Gone South", a straight suspense novel with elements of black comedy. Following this, McCammon will go in yet another direction and write a historical novel with elements of mystery.

I often think of him as a modern Salieri: a "good" artist eclipsed by "greats". He is a fine wordsmith but he is missing the je ne sais quoi that elevates "good" to "great".

Hmm, interesting. Not sure that that works for most writers. They seem to lose the passion that drives a story or a character when it is conceived of in strictly technical terms.