6.26.2005
Lee Child in person
I went to Prairie Lights on Friday to catch a reading by Lee Child, whose Jack Reacher novels have quickly become favorites. I first picked up a Child book earlier this year while searching for a new mystery series (the latest from the holy trinity of Pelecanos, Lehane and Connelly either had just been read or was not yet out, and the many others I read religiously, like Block, Rankin, Burke, etc. were at points where there was nothing left that didn't require the purchase of pricey out-of-print titles (Block) or were at a place where I needed to take a break.) So, Child it was, coming from a recommendation by the folks at Prairie Lights. They did not steer me wrong. Reacher is as compelling a character as they come, and the tightly plotted book was a page turner while engaging the mind.
Child was interesting to hear. He read for about two minutes, saying he wasn't in the habit of spending months dropping clues in his well-plotted books only to give things away with a reading, but was more than prepared to fill the rest of the hour with a monologue about his career and a dialogue with the readers in attendance who had plenty of questions. The reading was part of WSUI AM-910's "Live From Prairie Lights" radio show, so there was a need to fill the entire hour (the show will likely be available soon in the show archives here. A cursory look around the web reveals plenty of details of how the one-time British television producer Child came to write a series of bestsellers about an ex-U.S. military drifter, but hearing the writer tell the tale made it even more entertaining. He was gracious in answering questions from the audience of close-reading middle-aged men who clearly had put some thought into what they'd say if given the chance, and talked about what he called the luck in his getting published so quickly and finding such success.
He didn't discuss the fact that his series has been optioned for film by Tom Cruise, simply mentioning that it had been optioned. The people in attendance were more interested in talking about the books, so we missed the chance to hear his take on the world's most famous Scientologist sheparding Reacher to the silver screen.
Child was interesting to hear. He read for about two minutes, saying he wasn't in the habit of spending months dropping clues in his well-plotted books only to give things away with a reading, but was more than prepared to fill the rest of the hour with a monologue about his career and a dialogue with the readers in attendance who had plenty of questions. The reading was part of WSUI AM-910's "Live From Prairie Lights" radio show, so there was a need to fill the entire hour (the show will likely be available soon in the show archives here. A cursory look around the web reveals plenty of details of how the one-time British television producer Child came to write a series of bestsellers about an ex-U.S. military drifter, but hearing the writer tell the tale made it even more entertaining. He was gracious in answering questions from the audience of close-reading middle-aged men who clearly had put some thought into what they'd say if given the chance, and talked about what he called the luck in his getting published so quickly and finding such success.
He didn't discuss the fact that his series has been optioned for film by Tom Cruise, simply mentioning that it had been optioned. The people in attendance were more interested in talking about the books, so we missed the chance to hear his take on the world's most famous Scientologist sheparding Reacher to the silver screen.
