RARA-AVIS: Motherless Brooklyn & Anonymous Rex

From: Frederick Zackel ( fzackel@wcnet.org)
Date: 22 Mar 2001


I reviewed both books in 1999 for January magazine.

Check out Motherless Brooklyn (winner of a National Book Award for fiction) at http://www.januarymagazine.com/crfiction/motherless.html Check out Anonymous Rex at http://www.januarymagazine.com/crfiction/trex.html

I heard from Eric Garcia right after my review appeared. He wrote:
"Your concerns at the end of the review, considering your sole source of information was the book, were and are completely justified.
"What does happen when people are tired of the dino thing?
"What does happen when Random House says, "enough with the dinosaurs!"
"The good thing is: I don't just want to do the dinosaurs. Random House has me doing a trilogy at the very least -- not necessarily in a row -- and although Casual Rex will be my next book, it doesn't touch on assimilation questions as much as it does more personal ones. It's also more of a "buddy" book; as it takes place before the events in Anonymous Rex, we get to see Vincent with Ernie before the... "accident." After Casual, I've got a science fiction comedy called The Repossession Mambo that's nearly done, and a bunch more where that came from. All in all, I've got a few Rex books slated, and six or seven non-Rex books on my brain at all times.
"If the dinosaurs were my only thing, you'd be quite correct: I would worry greatly for my career.
"Vincent started me off nicely -- I can't complain about it one little bit -- but I know that the old boy certainly needs his rest sometime..."

Eric studied creative writing with T.C. Bell at USC, which may or may be be a good thing. There were enough good aspects (especially how he writes action & violence) to Anonymous Rex that I think Garcia may prove his mettle to the hard-boiled eyes of rara avis. (Hmmm. Hard-boiled eyes. Why not a pressure cooker?)

But I digress.

Frederick Zackel

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