Jim wrote:
>Reading either series in order is a good idea,
but
>it's less crucial to the Kantner books (at least
the
>ones I've read). Ben stay pretty much the same guy
in
>the same situation except for some mostly
off-stage
>realtionships.
Actually, the off-stage relationships aren't always very far
off-stage in Rob Kantner's books. And there is some growth
and development as the series progresses, particularly in the
later books and stories. If you care about his various
relationships, it probably is best to read them in order,
because by the end of the series, things have changed, in
sometimes surprising and often subtle ways. However, each
story and book is strong enough, I think, to also be read as
a standalone.
But in fact, that's one of the things I did (and do) enjoy
about the series -- the relationships between Ben and his
large assortment of friends and family. Not since Jim
Rockford has a P.I. been so much a part of his world. It's a
welcome change from some of these so self-consciously lone
wolf types hiding out in dingy apartments whose only reason
for being alone seems to be that the last cookie cutter eye
was a lone wolf living in a dingy apartment, or those running
soap operas full of cardboard relationships dressed up in
P.I. clothes but going nowhere. Somehow Kantner strikes a
balance between the hero and his world that enriches
both.
--
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