Author: Civilian Reader

Joining in the A-to-Z Meme: Books & Comics

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A few days back, I agreed to join in a cross-blog “A-to-Z of Comics” series with Abhinav and Bane of Kings. In keeping with the theme and tradition of Civilian Reader, though, I’ve decided to expand the remit to include fiction and other books. Because, you know, I like to do things my way. And I’m difficult. Probably more the latter… A lot of the answers ended up feeling a little repetitive, but there we go. I also dropped a couple of Letters, because I couldn’t come up with anything. Let us begin.

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AUTHOR YOU HAVE READ THE MOST OF…

Fiction: Easy – Terry Pratchett. I think Bernard Cornwell is runner-up?

Comics: Huh. I’m not actually sure about this. Probably Ed Brubaker (because of his run on Captain America) or Bill Willingham (because of Fables).

BEST SERIES EVER…

Fiction: Terry Pratchett’s Discworld, Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles, Bernard Cornwell’s Sharpe, Aaron Dembski-Bowden’s Night Lords trilogy… I’m not very good at all at picking single “Best Of” anything.

Comics: DMZ. Easy. (So maybe I can pick them, sometimes…) This series is absolutely superb, and everyone should read it. I’ve reviewed it all on the blog in the past.

CURRENTLY READING…

Fiction: Lavie Tidhar’s The Violent Century.

Comics: Gregg Hurwitz’s second story-arc on Batman: The Dark Knight, featuring the Mad Hatter. [As an aside – his Scarecrow storyline is one of the best Batman plots I’ve ever read.]

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DRINK OF CHOICE WHILE READING…

Oh, this is probably the easiest question on here: coffee during the day, red wine in the late afternoons and evenings. Always.

E-READER / PHYSICAL…

Fiction: I like both, but recently I’ve been moving more towards Kindle – I have very limited shelf-space, and my 3hr-commute wrecks books (seriously – fantasy books are mammoth!), but not my Kindle.

Comics: I find it easiest to use my iPad for comics. Bigger variety, and all I need is an internet connection, and lots of issues I’d like to read are (eventually) discounted.

GLAD YOU GAVE THIS A CHANCE…

Fiction: Scott Lynch’s The Lies of Locke Lamora – I barely read any fantasy before reading this in 2008. Since then, I’ve been (quite obviously) hooked. Also Stacia Kane’s Downside Ghosts series. Dark, gritty, and thought-provoking Urban Fantasy. I still hold that Chess Putnam is a modern analog for Sherlock Holmes…

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Comics: Fables and Sandman. I am very wary of anything that “everyone loves”. So I took a while to get around to these, and loved them both. Going a bit further back, though, I suppose a number of the New 52 titles back in September-October 2011 – got me back into comics.

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IMPORTANT MOMENT IN YOUR READING LIFE…

Fiction: Chronologically? James Clavell’s Tai-Pan, Anne Rice’s The Vampire Lestat, Bernard Cornwell’s Sharpe’s Tiger, the aforementioned The Lies of Locke Lamora, Michael Chabon’s The Adventures of Kavalier & Clay. Oh, and Terry Pratchett’s Guards, Guards – but I can’t quite remember when I first read it. I must have read it eight times, now?

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Comics: DMZ, Fables, the New 52, and when Myke Cole told me to read Ed Brubaker’s Captain America. Oh, and when I finally bit the bullet and tried Hawkeye – superb.

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JUST FINISHED…

Fiction: Francis Knight’s Before the Fall.

Comics: The first four issues of Constantine and Lucifer Vol.1: Devil at the Gates. Both very good, and the latter will probably become a new addiciton.

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KIND OF BOOK YOU WON’T READ…

Fiction: Romance/Mills & Boon/Supernatural Porn. I’m a prude, when it comes to reading, I guess. I don’t like reading sex scenes. They always read like they were written by a hyperactive, sex-starved teenager who’s never experienced it. I once read a scene in which the protagonist was made to orgasm purely by being touched on their arm. Please. So, if I get the feeling a novel’s plot is just what fills in between ridiculous sex scenes, I’m out.

Comics: Hmm… I wish I could say, “Stuff written by Grant Morrison?” but he’s been involved in so many key Events/storylines that I’ve read a fair bit, now. I don’t like gross-out comics, or sophomoric, but I guess I have to read it to discover if it’s something like that. I’m pretty open-minded, when it comes to comics, actually. Perhaps more so than with fiction. Not sure what that says about me.

LONGEST BOOK/GRAPHIC NOVEL YOU’VE EVER READ…

Ficiton: Either Tai-Pan or Patrick Rothfuss’s Wise Man’s Fear?

Comics: One of the Fables Deluxe Editions, I suppose. Not sure, because I don’t pay attention to page-lengths.

MAJOR BOOK HANGOVER BECAUSE OF:

Fiction: Chabon’s The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay – I have no idea how I’m going to review this. Not a clue. Loved it. Couldn’t read anything else for over a week after finishing it.

Comics: Irredeemable #12

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NUMBER OF SHELVES I OWN/NEED…

Fiction: Not nearly enough. I actually have five where I’m living at the moment, but I also have seven massive boxes of books (haven’t unpacked from the latest move), and I have a couple shelves and boxes at Alyssa’s. I have books everywhere.

Comics: One long shelf of Hardcovers, special editions and special-to-me trade paperbacks.

ONE BOOK/COMIC YOU HAVE READ MULTIPLE TIMES…

Fiction: Anne Rice’s The Vampire Lestat and Terry Pratchett’s Men At Arms.

Comics: DMZ volume 1, The Definitive Irredeemable Vol.1 (#12 is the only comic to ever make me cry, and choke up when talking about it afterwards).

So much for “one”…

PREFERRED PLACE TO READ…

In bed, in a coffeeshop, on the sofa… But, really, it’s anywhere with Alyssa. [Gross-out-soppy-moment-alert!]

READING REGRET…

Fiction: Not reading some of the classics – of genre fiction, but also some of the classics of literature in general. Unlike most people, I was always in an “experimental” year for English classes, and I seem to have gone through life without reading many of the defining novels.

Comics: Taking so long to discover that there is one hell of a lot on offer in comics.

SERIES YOU NEED TO FINISH…

Ok. Here’s the thing about finishing series: I am terrible at it. Awful. I could list so many series – and especially trilogies – that I have failed to finish. I don’t know why, but this affliction has only grown worse since I started receiving more ARCs. Partly, I think it may be the fear of a story ending, which I know is ridiculous. It’s certainly not because I disliked the story. So, here are a selection of series I really need to finish…

Jon Sprunk’s Shadow Series

Brent Weeks’s Lightbringer Series (have to read book two before third is released)

Daniel Abraham’s The Dagger & the Coin

N.K. Jemisin’s Inheritance trilogy

Joe Abercrombie’s post-First Law novels (they’re kind of a series, right?)

Stacia Kane’s Downside Ghosts (book six is coming out soon, and only read the first two)

Mark Lawrence’s Broken Empire

And so very many more…

Comics: Ongoing series I’m not sure I should count in this, but I do definitely want to catch up on Fables, Batman, The Sixth Gun, and Skullkickers. Already complete series I need to finish include Sandman, Lucifer, and Ed Brubaker’s Captain America.

THREE OF YOUR ALL-TIME FAVOURITE BOOKS/COMICS…

Fiction: Anne Rice’s The Vampire Lestat/Queen of the Damned (I’ve mentioned before – I consider them one, and they’re always read together), Scott Lynch’s The Lies of Locke Lamora, and Terry Pratchett’s Men at Arms.

Comics: DMZ, Fables, The Sixth Gun

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Next to impossible to truly only pick three… I could maybe pick a hundred.

UNAPOLOGETIC FANBOY FOR…

Fiction: Aaron Dembski-Bowden’s Black Library fiction. He is one of the best writers today. It saddens me that people who hate/don’t like/avoid tie-in fiction, or Warhammer 40,000 fiction will never get around to his novels. Think he’s superbly talented fellow.

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Comics: DMZ – love it, love it, love it. Go! Go buy volume one, and thank me later.

VERY EXCITED FOR THIS RELEASE…

Fiction: Mark Charan Newton’s Drakenfeld

Comics: Fables Deluxe Books 7 & 8.

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WORST BOOKISH HABIT…

Fiction: Buying things for my Kindle, and then forgetting they’re on there. Bloody infuriating. Worst thing about Kindles – you can’t glance at one, like a set of shelves, and be inspired to read something. Mind you, buying more books in general is a weakness of mine. There is only so much time in the year/one’s life, after all…

Comics: Splurging on ComiXology’s sales. So many awesome ones, recently (Sweet Tooth, American Vampire most recently).

Mieville-IronCouncilX MARKS THE SPOT: START AT TOP LEFT AND PICK THE 27TH BOOK ON YOUR SHELF…

China Mieville’s Iron Council – the third in the author’s New Crobuzon series, and one I’ve never got around to reading. I thought Perdido Street Station was bloated and rather dull. The Scar, on the other hand, I have read (inhaled, really) three times, and I love it. The other week, I found this book on a Take-One-Leave-One shelf at the start of my commute. Seemed fortuitous. Hopefully I’ll get to this relatively soon.

YOUR LATEST BOOK PURCHASE…

Fiction: Holly Black’s White Cat.

Comics: Hellheim #1-6, the first story-arc for Cullen Bunn’s new series published by Oni Press (who also publish The Sixth Gun).

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ZZZ-SNATCHER BOOK…

Anything I’m reading can keep me awake well into the night. The last two books that really kept me up waaaay past bedtime, though, were Peter V. Brett’s The Daylight War and Joe Abercrombie’s Last Argument of Kings. (I think I went to sleep when my neighbour got up to go to work for both of those…)

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Guest Post: “Don’t Build Worlds on Your Doorstep” by Geoff Gudgion

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GudgionG-SaxonsBaneEvery novelist, in every genre, builds worlds. Mine aren’t on a distant galaxy but close to home, perhaps a little too close to home. I like to ground the reader in a world that they’ll recognise, then tilt the board slightly so that as the menace emerges they think, “This could happen to me.” It seems, though, that not everyone is happy with this twisting of rules they hold dear.

In Saxon’s Bane, I started by creating an English village that could trace is foundation to a Saxon warlord, Aegl. Back then, there were deer and boar to hunt in the woods, fresh water in the stream, and the ground would be fertile. It was a place for Aegl to ground his spear and plant his generations. Allingley was founded.

“Where is Allingley?” I’m sometimes asked. Readers seem to finish the book knowing the place, and want to go there. They’re disappointed when I tell them it’s imaginary. World-building comes easier to me, you see, when I take elements that I know and blend them into something fresh. The scent of an otherness, for example, in the depths of an ancient wood. Even the old language is recognisable in the traces of Anglo-Saxon that linger in modern English. Allingley would have been Aegl-ingas-leah in Anglo-Saxon, the clearing of Aegl’s people. I can also borrow from established legend, in this case the warrior Aegl or Egil and his wife Olrun, the Swan Maiden. I brought their story to life in this sleepy village on the banks of the Swanbourne, where, nearly one and a half millennia later, the peat-preserved body of a ritually-slaughtered Saxon warrior is uncovered.

World-building from legend and folklore also allows me to weave threads of reality or literature into the plot, for example the Old Norse epic poem Hávamál, when the God Odin talks of the power of runes:

Ef ek sé a tré uppi váfa virgilná,
Svá ek rist ok i rúnum fák,
At sá gengr gumi ok mælir viđ mik.

If I see a corpse hanging in a tree
I can carve and colour the runes
So that the man can walk and talk with me.

Runes are a rich source material, both as script and faith-laden symbols. I’m not a pagan, but I’ve always been fascinated by the old faiths, when people lived close to their gods, at one with nature rather than being given dominion over nature. I created a character in Saxon’s Bane, a fresh-faced, bright-eyed young pagan woman, who is part of a tradition of healers that has survived in this remote area despite the witch-finding pogroms of King James. I think by the end of the book I was a little in love with her. I researched pagan traditions and crafted a belief system around her that I called the ‘Old Way’. She is a counterbalance to an archaeologist who becomes obsessed with her project, and who doubts her sanity as she struggles to reconcile her academic discipline with her growing, preternatural understanding. Their story unfolds through the eyes of a car crash survivor, a man on his own journey to healing, who does not know whether what he saw at the edge of death was real or a product of his own traumatised mind.

So far, so good. My world-building rang true. I had a location, I had characters, I had the catalyst for a plot. I could start to bring the Dark Ages to life in present-day England, but always keeping to my principle of plausibility; a car that crashes as it swerves to avoid a stag, for example, and the discovery of a stag tattoo on the peat-preserved forehead of the Saxon warrior.

I find there’s a risk in making worlds too plausible. If you write on the principle of letting the reader think ‘that could be me’, it’s a short step to the reader thinking ‘that is me’. There’s a character in the book who finds the ‘Old Way’ too mild, and who experiments with some seriously nasty ideas of his own. As the past begins to echo in the present, he comes to believe in his own power and slides from reprobate to psychopath. All too plausible, apparently, for one practicing Wiccan. There’s an emotional rant on Goodreads from someone who is “nauseated” at the suggestion that any follower of the Horned God could be anything other than sweetness and light.

Oops. It seems I’ve blundered across someone else’s world. Perhaps I’d better start building a little further away. Gallifrey, for example. It might be safer. Meanwhile, I’ll send this off to Civilian Reader before I’m turned into a frog.

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Geoff Gudgion is the author of SAXON’S BANE, published by Solaris Books. Here’s the synopsis, to whet your appetite further…

Fergus’ world changes forever the day his car crashes near the remote village of Allingley. Traumatised by his near-death experience, he stays to work at the local stables as he recovers from his injuries. He will discover a gentler pace of life, fall in love – and be targeted for human sacrifice.

Clare Harvey’s life will never be the same either. The young archaeologist’s dream find – the peat-preserved body of a Saxon warrior – is giving her nightmares. She can tell that the warrior was ritually murdered, and that the partial skeleton lying nearby is that of a young woman. and their tragic story is unfolding in her head every time she goes to sleep. Fergus discovers that his crash is linked to the excavation, and that the countryside harbours some dark secrets. as Clare’s investigation reveals the full horror of a Dark age war crime, Fergus and Clare seem destined to share the Saxon couple’s bloody fate.

Upcoming: FORTUNE’S PAWN, HONOUR’S KNIGHT & HEAVEN’S QUEEN by Rachel Bach (Orbit)

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Rachel Bach is the science-fiction pseudonym for Rachel Aaron, the author of the humourous, fun (and therefore recommended) The Legend of Eli Monpress fantasy series – which started with The Spirit Thief. Orbit Books (who publish the Monpress novels) will be releasing Rachel’s Paradox series over the next few months. The first three novels, Fortune’s Pawn, Honour’s Knight, and Heaven’s Queen have already received covers, which are below.

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Here is the synopsis for Fortune’s Pawn:

Devi Morris isn’t your average mercenary. She has plans. Big ones. And a ton of ambition. It’s a combination that’s going to get her killed one day – but not just yet.

That is, until she just gets a job on a tiny trade ship with a nasty reputation for surprises. The Glorious Fool isn’t misnamed: it likes to get into trouble, so much so that one year of security work under its captain is equal to five years everywhere else. With odds like that, Devi knows she’s found the perfect way to get the jump on the next part of her Plan. But the Fool doesn’t give up its secrets without a fight, and one year on this ship might be more than even Devi can handle.

Also on CR: Interview with Rachel Aaron

Review: THE THOUSAND NAMES by Django Wexler (Del Rey UK/Roc)

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WexlerD-SC1-ThousandNamesUSOne of my most anticipated debuts of the year – flawed, but does not disappoint overall

Captain Marcus d’Ivoire, commander of one of the Vordanai empire’s colonial garrisons, was resigned to serving out his days in a sleepy, remote outpost. But that was before a rebellion upended his life. And once the powder smoke settled, he was left in charge of a demoralized force clinging tenuously to a small fortress at the edge of the desert.

To flee from her past, Winter Ihernglass masqueraded as a man and enlisted as a ranker in the Vordanai Colonials, hoping only to avoid notice. But when chance sees her promoted to command, she must win the hearts of her men and lead them into battle against impossible odds.

The fates of both these soldiers and all the men they lead depend on the newly arrived Colonel Janus bet Vhalnich, who has been sent by the ailing king to restore order. His military genius seems to know no bounds, and under his command, Marcus and Winter can feel the tide turning. But their allegiance will be tested as they begin to suspect that the enigmatic Janus’s ambitions extend beyond the battlefield and into the realm of the supernatural—a realm with the power to ignite a meteoric rise, reshape the known world, and change the lives of everyone in its path.

I first heard about this novel what feels like ages ago. As is usual for me, I was impatient to read it, but then ended up taking my sweet time getting around to it. It was worth the wait, though, and I think Django Wexler is definitely an author to watch. As with many highly-anticipated novels, I struggled to review it (I finished it well over a week ago). There are lots of things I would like to discuss, but they would be spoilers. There are some nitpicks that feel overly nitpicky (easy to spot in the review). So, I’m keeping this relatively short. The Thousand Names has some minor flaws, but it is nevertheless an ambitious, well-written opening act. I can’t wait for book two, and I think most readers will feel likewise after reading this. Continue reading →

Wait, Marvel’s rolling out what, now…? (This is not a joke, but it reads like one)

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AllNewMarvelNow-LogoNot so long ago, Marvel unrolled its not-a-reboot-honest Marvel NOW initiative. In their latest move of re-branding (or added-branding?), the company announced today that in December we will see… All-New Marvel NOW! I find this rather funny. Is this the “and a cherry on top” approach to branding? And I now wonder how long it will be before we see “Ultimate Marvel NOW!”…? Naturally, I meet this announcement with some mockery and sarcasm, but believe it comes from a place of endearment.

Here’s what the press release had to say about it…

“This Winter, the Marvel Universe heads in an exciting all-new direction, as the industry’s top creators like Brian Michael Bendis, Rick Remender, Dan Slott, Jason Aaron, Kieron Gillen & more,  join the top Super Heroes – Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, Hulk, Spider-Man, Wolverine and other Marvel heroes – to deliver  the best comics on the market with all-new ongoing series, AND must-read .NOW entry #1 issues for all readers!”

Avengers-24.NowThis new initiative will start in December, when Avengers #24.NOW (which is Avengers #1 in All-New Marvel NOW!), which is helmed by Jonathan Hickman (Infinity, Avengers) and Esad Ribic (Thor: God Of Thunder, Uncanny X-Force). This issue, the release say, will lead the Marvel Universe in “a bold new direction”. At least one new series will be launched every week. The publisher is going for “unique mission statements, epic scales, and bigger conflicts than ever before” in their new series. I hope this doesn’t mean story is going to take a back-seat to pyrotechnics – at least keep it a little bit more Bruckheimer and less Bay, ok? Judging by the synopsis (brief as it is), I may not get my wish. In Avengers #24.NOW,  the Avengers team must re-assemble like never before after the devastating events of Infinity. In the wake of that game-changer (and the endless, previous game-changers)…

“As a rogue planet hurtles towards Earth, only the mightier-than-ever Avengers can prevent the annihilation of two worlds!”

Hm. Rogue planet. Riiiight…

AllNewInvaders-01In January, ANMN (sorry, I feel silly writing the full title) heads “to the battlefront” with James Robinson and Steve Pugh’s All-New Invaders #1. Robinson, the Eisner Award-Winning writer of (among others) Starman and Earth 2 recently exited his roles and series for DC Comics as part of the (now-well-documented) editorial issues facing Marvel’s number one rival. Steve Pugh has come to prominence for his work on Animal Man (talented fellow). This series actually sounds pretty cool, and I’m looking forward to seeing Robinson et al meet expectations:

“Brothers-in-arms Captain America, The Winter Soldier, Namor, and the Original Human Torch re-band for an all-new, all-different kind of war! But when the Kree Empire discovers a way to weaponize Norse Gods, can these timeless allies survive the deadly cosmic trenches?”

Inhuman-01Also in early 2014, Marvel’s new initiative will be asking, “Are You Inhuman?” (This necessitated a lot of “teasing-but-not-compelling” images that simply had “Is he?” and “Are they?” written on smokey backgrounds…)

This third series, Inhuman, will be written by Matt Fraction (the writer of the incredible, near-perfect Hawkeye) and artist Joe Madureira (Avenging Spider-Man, Savage Wolverine – let’s skip over the fact that Madureira’s name is misspelled in the press-release). Fraction’s involvement makes my ears and interest prick up, certainly, so I am sure I’ll be reading at least the first story-arc. The series “thrust[s] the Inhumans into the spotlight as the newest power players in the entire Marvel Universe.” Showing my ignorance, I have no idea who the “Inhumans” are (or what makes them different to mutants), or what this is all about. Inhumans also unfolds in the wake of the cataclysmic Infinity event, as new Inhumans spring up around the globe forcing the once-secret society out into civilization:

“With Avengers-level powers and abilities, will they chose to stand with Earth’s Mightiest… or against them? As the chaos consumes the globe, discover the fate of King Black Bolt and his royal family as the world becomes Inhuman!”

I have no idea what this means for any of the old Marvel NOW titles. This endless re-branding, though, makes me concerned about following Marvel’s titles. Coupled with the flurry of cross-over events, I’m just not that interested to fork out quite as much money as would be needed to keep all the stories straight. And also because, thus-far, I haven’t been too impressed by the Events, all of which have fallen a bit flat towards the end, and not delivered on the over-hyped promise. At the moment, I’m only following three of the newer series: the aforementioned, awesome Hawkeye, and also Ultimate Comics Spider-Man (really like Miles’s story), and Ultimate Comics X-Men (rather enjoying this, too). I also recently picked up the rest of the pre-Marvel NOW X-Men series (another ComiXology sale), because I like the characters.

[And hey, CBR regurgitated the whole press-release, hyperbole and all! Seriously? No commentary?]

Upcoming: “The Violent Century” by Lavie Tidhar (Hodder)

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This is one of my most-anticipated books of the year. Which is great, because I started reading the ARC today! Hopefully, therefore, I’ll get the review up next week. Hodder unveiled the cover today, so here it is…

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I really like it, too. Atmospheric, a classic-feel, and I think the limited colour palette was an excellent Idea. Here’s the synopsis:

They’d never meant to be heroes.

For seventy years they guarded the British Empire. Oblivion and Fogg, inseparable friends, bound together by a shared fate. Until one night in Berlin, in the aftermath of the Second World War, and a secret that tore them apart.

But there must always be an account… and the past has a habit of catching up to the present.

Now, recalled to the Retirement Bureau from which no one can retire, Fogg and Oblivion must face up to a past of terrible war and unacknowledged heroism – a life of dusty corridors and secret rooms, of furtive meetings and blood-stained fields – to answer one last, impossible question:

What makes a hero?

Upcoming: “The Fifth Season” by N.K. Jemisin (Orbit)

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Another cover from Orbit’s recent mass-cover-reveal (I’m sharing a few of them today), and another for which I can’t find much other information. I’m a big fan of N.K. Jemisin’s series – I loved The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms and The Broken Kingdoms, as well as The Killing Moon. For some reason, though, Jemisin’s series are ones I seem incapable of finishing… [This is a weird, apparently pathological problem with me.]

I’ll share more information as and when I stumble across it. In the meantime, here’s the cover (it’s rather teasing, doesn’t give too much away, but I like it nevertheless):

Jemisin-FifthSeason

UPDATE: Spotted this on A Dribble of Ink, who got the info from The Mary Sue – some more information about the book:

“The Fifth Season is set in a world which has suffered frequent, repeated Extinction Level Events for millions of years, and all life (and magic) in this world has adapted to it. Hundreds of years might pass between these events — easy, plentiful years in which great cities rise, and people have the leisure for art and science and rapid advancement — but then, again and again, the cities fall. The world is littered with the detritus of these times of plenty, and this cover hints at them: past ages of decadence, now decaying; stone that endures beneath flaking gilt.”

Upcoming: “The Path to Power” by Karen Miller (Orbit)

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Spotted this over on Orbit Books’ recent mass-cover-reveal post, and I really liked the look of it (dead bodies, mysterious silhouetted figure, grand hallways…):

Miller-1-PathToPowerHC

Sadly, I couldn’t find anything about the story itself, except for this comment from Miller’s website: “Have to continue being a bit hush hush about the story, but I promise I’ll reveal more when I can!” Bugger. I’m intrigued.

Star Wars in Rolling Stone

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RS-198007-SlavesOfTheEmpireWhile perusing Rolling Stone’s website (something I do frequently), I spotted a link for “Star Wars in Rolling Stone”. It’s a collection of the articles from the magazine, beginning with an interview with George Lucas from 1977. They’re presented in reverse-chronology, so I’d start with the final page (linked above) and work from there.

One article in particular jumped out for me – partly because of the title – and that was from the June 12th, 1980 issue of the magazine (pictured): “Slaves to the Empire: The ‘Star Wars’ Kids Talk Back”, by Timothy White. The article is about (according to the standfirst):

“Five actors caught in the paradox of ‘Star Wars’ (the highest-grossing film of all time has done nothing for their careers) talk about their trap, the making of ‘The Empire Strikes Back’ and why they still want to be a part of the third installment”

It’s an interesting interview, more about their opinions about the movies, working on them, and where they came from, than about being “trapped” by the films’ success. It’s filled with some great trivia for die-hard Star Wars fans. For example: Carrie Fisher is quite mischievous, and suggests that Leia should have fallen for Chewbacca; Mark Hamill considered Luke to be the “classic thankless role”, confesses that he is a “serious collector” of Star Wars memorabilia, and amusingly bemoans the fact that the Luke dolls have been marked down in price for collectors; Anthony Daniels (C-3PO) explains why the first movie was a “miasma of pain”; Harrison Ford sheepishly admits that he’s “never been much of a film fan” but felt like Empire Strikes Back was “the first time I’ve ever seen anything I’ve done that I’m happy with”.

The piece also addresses Mark Hamill’s car accident, and is actually the first time I’ve read anything about it:

“Hamill’s anxiety about landing choice roles was tragically accelerated when his BMW ran off the freeway in 1977. Star Wars had not yet been released, and his face was sufficiently ravaged that he wondered whether he would be able to retain any part of his angular good looks, let alone fulfill the remainder of his three-picture deal with Lucas. That mental anguish was only intensified when the film proved to be an international smash.”

Reading these articles got me to thinking: has anyone written a book about the making of the movies? Not just big, photo-stuffed Coffee Table books (although, those are really nice, too), but a campaign-biography-style volume about the making of the original movies. I’d definitely read one of those.