(With apologies to Katherine Dunn....)
At WIRED, via Maude Newton: Lucasfilm has its very own Star Wars continuity cop. (Psst -- has George got the memo yet?)
Also, WIRED gives Neal Stephenson the full-geek love-in in anticipation of his latest novel, Anathem (A). Gee, it's only a mere 960 pages. I'll go on record and give that a better LOC than his thrice-the-length Baroque Cycle (which I've yet to finish).
Very enjoyable Wired article -- thanks for the tip -- but while I've loved Star Wars and respect the love that Chee is clearly putting into it, this obsession with continuity only reminds me again why Doctor Who is so much more fun.
ReplyDeleteIn the 40-odd years of the show, its timeline's been written over three or four times and fans laugh at how both the city of Atlantis and the Doctor's home planet of Gallifrey have each been destroyed twice!
But while Who geeks argue amongst themselves for fun, no one gets too bent out of shape about it. Does the Doctor contradict himself? He's large; he contains multitudes. ;)
Would I be right in assuming that the Star Trek universe is your favourite sandbox to play in?
Oh, geez -- how decimating for would-be Jedi warriors to brought face to face with the good Doctor within the span of a single sentence!
ReplyDeleteAs for sandboxes, TOS remains the series I reach for first. The next generation(s) were fun on original viewing, but fade with subsequent re-views. So I have to give sandbox precedence to ... Star Wars. You ask, "Why?" Answer: LEGO makes all the difference (got my own continuity, doncha know).
Out of the past, it was great to see Katherine Dunn's name come up. "Geek Love" was a particular close-to-the-bone read in our family.
ReplyDelete960 pages? Mr. Stephenson has too much imagination and staying power for one writer's brain. He should look to the distant future and meld himself into a rival.
You know, I also bought the Baroque cycle and have yet to finish it. It started out really interesting, but it represents a serious time commitment
ReplyDeleteDV - "close to the bone" is right. Did your whole family get into it? If so, incredible. As for Stephenson, the guy clearly has never suffered from writer's block. But I just want to know what sort of ancient mystical medicinal ritual he undertakes to avoid writer's cramp
ReplyDeleteJS - I was speed-reading it for a stretch, and probably could have polished the three of 'em off in about two months. But I really dislike speed reading -- there's no fun to it.
ReplyDelete