New ongoing book-reading blog

[Quatermass]

Okay, so, I've started another one of these. But this time, it will be different. Here's the rules from the previous book-reading blog...

*I must, at least for a period, review at least one book per week, at least until I get tired of doing so.

*If I have started, but not finished, a book prior to starting this thread, then I may include it, as long as I have not read it all the way through at any stage.

*I must write a review.

*The book has to be relatively substantial. That is, I will not read an individual issue of a comic or manga (though an individual collected volume is fine), or a screenplay, unless said screenplay is accompanied by a making-of book, or a children's picture book. In addition, I will not be reviewing webcomics (unless available in printed form) or fanfiction.

Now, some caveats...

*I will NOT take reading suggestions. Anyone who does so will find themselves being given a very rude answer. However, comments and dissenting opinions (NOT reviews: this is MY review thread) are welcome, as long as they are decent and well-thought out.

*One of the unofficial rules, albeit one I might break (as it is an unofficial rule) is that I don't review two things of the same sort back to back. That is, I don't read two graphic novels back to back, two Doctor Who books back to back...you get the idea. I may break it on rare occasion, depending on circumstances...

Notice the struckthrough section? I've decided to ditch having to do at least one book a week, as I was suffering from some burnout the last time I did this. While it'll still happen a lot of the time, this time, I wtill try to do things more at my own pace...

 

[Quatermass]

BOOK 1

The Making of Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining, by JW Rinzler and Lee Unkrich.

I was saddened to learn of the death of JW Rinzler, someone who has written a number of making-of books about various films, especially those by Lucasfilm. However, before he died, he collaborated with Lee Unkrich on a book about Stanley Kubrick’s take on The Shining. But how well would it fare?

In 1977, famed horror author Stephen King would publish The Shining. But a manuscript had already gotten the attention of famed director Stanley Kubrick, who would embark on an ambitious attempt at filming an adaptation, his first horror film. This, then, is the story of how this film came to be made, with all the trials and travails that came with it…

I have to say, it was more than a little exhausting reading this book. I felt like more could have been said about the book, as well as the miniseries adaptation. And the decision to dedicate another volume entirely to production photos and images feels more like a cash grab to inflate the price of the set rather than being of benefit to readers and fans.

For all my complaints, though, this book was as exhaustive as it is exhausting, giving a good insight into the making of the film. The anecdotes were enjoyable, the examination of the filming process was interesting, and some of the logic of why Kubrick chose to adapt the book the way he did was explained. And it makes no bones about many of the problems that plagued the production either.

This was a good making-of book, even if monstrously overpriced. But still enjoyable enough…


****