Re: RARA-AVIS: Why books are over 200 pages

MT (matrxtech@sprintmail.com)
Mon, 07 Sep 1998 17:38:38 -0500 Peter Enfantino:

<<This sounds like someone who's never read Clancy and assumes that
since he sells millions, he must be bad. Read RED STORM RISING. One of
the most exciting books I've ever read.>>

I would never criticize someone for making a lot of money (unless they
break the law). Every author, good or bad, wants to sell as much as
possible. My problem is that I find Clancy simplistic in the extreme.
The intellectual level of his fiction is pathetically low (similar to
"the news", enough said). These days, the technical stuff can always be
vetted by an expert or simply farmed out (I don't know how Clancy
works). Those bloated books may as well be churned out by a robot.
Appropriately, they sell like hot cakes at supermarkets.

Now, please indulge me with a nagging question. Who the hell is Belva
Plain? My older son always picks out her name on the bookracks at the
checkout line. The name definitely sounds like something out of Chandler
or Hammett.

Regards,

Mario Taboada
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