Murder by Death

[zalena]

Schadenfruede is: a popular fantasy author who dies in the middle of the series you stopped reading long ago.

Someone actually told me he died when I was in the middle of Book 5 many years ago. I stopped reading the series, not realizing he was still alive and that there were more books. It was a joke, and now I'd like to thank whoever it was who saved me from reading the rest of the series.

Jason #3 was actually the one who got me into RJ, which has always struck me as kind of bizarre. He was a geek at heart, which is a strange thing to recall as he pursues the pathways of power. Jason #1 has also turned out to have more than a little of a dork streak, and even had his own 'dork room' in his old house in which to keep his dorky things. I'd much rather know about people's dorky secrets than their dark ones.

Yesterday was Murder by Death at movie night. It had its moments, but I've never been particularly fond of that style of comedy. It's a good question, have I liked any Neil Simon? I always feel like his work is no longer culturally relevant, and I don't understand his period well enough to get the jokes or the drama. (Kind of like Restoration period theatre.) I feel the same way about other comedy from the era, including the original Pink Panther, and I hate to admit, Monty Python.

However, Alec Guinnesses role as the butler (etc.) reminded me of one of my all time favorite Guinness comedies, which is Kind Hearts and Coronets. It's about a man who has a dozen relatives between him and being a duke. So he sets out to murder them all. They are all played by Alec Guinness. It's an Ealing studios comedy, and I've enjoyed a lot of their stuff, although its equally 'period' but in a different way. His Man in the White Suit is also a fabulous slapstick film about a scientist who invents a suit that never wears our and never needs to be cleaned. No one wants him to have it because commerce depends on things wearing out, so everyone is chasing him around to try to get to the suit. It has a surprise ending I find delightful. But for all I know, these films would bore other people.

The food was fantastic. I made garlic rubbed and studded pork shoulder, which turned out quite well. It also means that not only my house, but I reek of garlic. The recipe called for two heads of garlic. I think I used 1 and 1/2. My eyes were watering as the roast cooked, but it tasted fine, in part because garlic mellows after three hours in the oven. We also had some fabulous lasagna, spaghetti squash, and some homemade salsa and guac. I love the 'luck' part of the potluck gatherings, which means you never know what you're going to get. I also like trying out new things and having enough people to eat them.

Comments

[sachie.livejournal.com]

I'd much rather know about people's dorky secrets than their dark ones.

'Dork Room' vs. 'Dark Room.' You crack me up! It's just too perfect; the idea that you have a secret room a la "Talented Mister Ripley" but instead of housing dark sinister secrets it holds your Star Wars action figures and mylar-wrapped vingate X-men comics. It's so DORKY!!!!!

All of us like to pretend we are more sophisticated than we really are (or at least I do!). I can't decide if having an actual physical 'dork room' is healthy way to deal with it, or just rather creepy.

[zalena.livejournal.com]

I think the 'dork room' was his wife's way of enforcing housing decor. But the fact that he called it a 'dork room' (and the way you describe it, is exactly what it was) just cracked me up.

It was kind of sad, really, other than his dork room and a few random pieces of furniture she took everything: the bed, the washer dryer, the computer, most the bigger pieces of furniture. He's been traveling light ever since.

[arialas.livejournal.com]

I can't believe he died before finishing! And he wrote all those prequels, too! Argh!! Now we'll never have the end, and that's all I was waiting for. Just wanted Tarmon Gaidon to arrive and end everything so I could stop forcing myself through the series. And the first couple of books were so good, too... *sigh*

I blame vyrin for getting me to read them in the first place. So frustrating!

[zalena.livejournal.com]

I thought I'd direct you to this post for comment on the ending, and from someone who knew and cared for him.

The owner of the blog, Madeleine Robbins, has a fantastic series about a regency 'woman of inquiry' that I think you would enjoy. The first book in the series is Point of Honor.

[arialas.livejournal.com]

Interesting! I'll have to check it out - I'm in a complete Regency phase this week. Even picked up Mansfield Park and reread it since it was on my shelf... haven't read it since college.

I feel badly about RJ - seems he was sick for a long time and kept working on the final book throughout, both typing and recording himself telling the story. People shouldn't die before their stories are complete, especially when they're tens of thousands of pages in.

[kip-w.livejournal.com]

His friends say his notes for the final book were in shape, so that someone (hopefully the right someone) could finish it.