Adapting! Happy! Sonofabitch!

Posted under Le Blog

Well, the Cubs season is over, and with the exception of a rooftop game, I didn’t go to a single game this season.

Along with a bunch of very fun friends, I have been a season ticket holder for what I think is 6 or 7 years (…?)

As I’ve mentioned a few times here before, I made a life changing decision by leaving my job a couple of years ago in order to push myself harder on the artistic part of my life.

So for financial reasons, a lot of sacrifices had to be made, and my season tickets were sadly one of these sacrifices.

I missed going to the games, but I missed hanging out with my fellow season ticket holders more. Like, a LOT.

My decision a couple of years ago has changed a lot of things in my life and has often left me wondering about a lot of things in my life. From what I gather, a lot of my fellow Improvisors have gone through the same and are either in the same boat as me or have had better luck getting work in our field.

But knowing I’m happy and confident in what lies ahead keeps me sane.

A couple of weeks ago after a show, we had a Q&A with new students and a question was asked regarding our decisions and life style. Fellow improviser and friend Steve Waltien gave an answer that made me smile and reassured my sanity.

He said something to the effect that he often questions decisions he’s made that have had an impact on his life. And that he’s never quite sure about will and or can happen, which can lead to more questions and doubts about what is currently going on in his life, but one thing he knows for sure is that he’s happy when doing this thing we do. That that’s the only thing he knows he has no doubts about. And that knowing that, somehow makes him feels better about his current place in life.

His answer made me feel better about the internal questions I have often found myself asking, well…myself.

So yeah, the sacrifices I’ve had to make have affected a lot of things in my life, especially my quality time with friends and family. (Because she doesn’t recognize me, my newest niece cried when I tried to hold her, and that broke my heart.) But I know one day it will get better and I will more than make up for it.

*

Although I like to read, I’m not good at expanding my horizons. So I know of only a limited number of authors. One of them is Dean Koontz, and he happens to be my favorite.

But last week, Mr. Koontz pissed me off and yup –I gave him his membership card to the douche-bag club.

See, a while back, Koontz decided to write a trilogy on the classic Frankenstein story and give it a modern update. His first book of the series was co-written with Kevin J. Anderson and was titled “Prodigal Son”. It was published in 2004 and it was great.

The second book was co-written with Ed Groman and titled “City of Night”. It was published in 2005 and it was great.

We were promised the third installment. 2006…nothing. 2007…nothing. 2008…nothing. No updates or anything.

I went about my Koontz reading and to date have read every book he’s written. Although I often thought about the conclusion of the Frankenstein series, I stopped trying to find out information on it.

About a month ago I was walking down an aisle in CVS and from the corner of my eye saw a paperback that caught my attention.

Book Three!!!!!

I had no idea he was working on it! And here it was! In….CVS! ….whatever! Buy it!

I was in the middle of a John Grisham book (another favorite author) and decided to finish this book before starting on the long awaited conclusion.

In the meantime I decided not to look up any info on the newest book because I didn’t want any spoilers. Then, because I was shady on the details, I decided to re-read the first two books in order to get reacquainted with the characters and the story, and to build some nice momentum.

When I was finally ready to start reading the third installment, I was a bit disappointed that Mr. Koontz didn’t include an apology or explanation for the delay at the beginning of the book. Eh…maybe it was at the end. I can wait.

That sonofabitch.

It quickly became apparent that he was writing this by himself. The characters had a different voice, a different attitude, and the story seemed to have a different arc and focus. Characters were forgotten and new one’s introduced that, in my opinion, were not necessary.

I had to finish it. Had to. But the more I read the more pissed I got. In typical Koontz fashion, the end seemed a bit rushed. For a story that had so much richness, he destroyed it by trying too hard to make it a book that he is known to write alone.

And that’s not too much of a knock on him. Again, I love his books and know his style. But I could tell that he was trying to shove his style down this story’s throat and to me, in the process left out the anticipation and scariness of the first two books, destroyed how we came to know the characters, and left out some characters that were clearly supposed to be part of the story only to be briefly mentioned in a rush ending.

Basically, you can tell he had some very good ideas that maybe weren’t accepted with his co-writers and so he decided to try to incorporate them all in one book while ignoring a lot of the main characters in the process.

I’m sure the series would have been great if he had written all of them by himself, but in my opinion he should have stayed the course and not have been so greedy.

I read somewhere that both Groman and Anderson were supposed to be part of the third installment, but things didn’t work out and Koontz went at it alone. It’s a shame because I’m sure they all could have come up with a killer conclusion.

Instead I was treated to a conclusion that although had good intentions, destroyed the story and characters I had come to know in the first two books.

He’s got a new book coming out soon and I’m sure I’ll like it. But I couldn’t let him slide on this one. Oh, no Mr. Koontz. Please take your membership card and have a good time at club douche. I’ll let you know when you’re free to leave.