Dragons, Serial Killers, and Marconi

Thursday, April 29, 2010
"How to Train Your Dragon" was recommended to me, and I have to admit it was very well done, had excellent voices delivering the dialog, and certainly the animation was great. (Red-bearded Vikings -- loomed large, especially in comparison to ourhero, a scrawny young boy, introspective and inventive, obviiously not cut out to be a dragon slayer) It was even educational, if you want to learn the names of various species of dragons. The story actually had a worthwhile message: how an apparent "failure" can become a great success when he finds his proper calling -- being who he really is -- though it may not be what his father wanted him to be. My problem with the movie was that I just don't care about dragons. Never have. Probably never will. Sorry. My apologies to those who really enjoyed the 3D illusion of riding the back of a dragon. (and lots and lots of fire-breathing, swooping dragons.) I never liked roller coasters, either. That's it for the movie section.

Now, for those of you who haven't already read it, THE DEVIL IN THE WHITE CITY, a marvelously well written non-fiction book by Erik Larson, reads like fiction, a first-rate mystery thriller. Two main plots that intersect, one about the creation of the Chicago World's Fair (I think it was called an Exposition) in the late 1800s, which was a monumental success and a huge undertaking -- and the other about the murders that took place in that city at the same time. Fascinating book! Larson also wrote another, similar in style and again a comparative study in creative genius (Marconi and his tireless and frustrating pursuit of achieving wireless communication) and another serial killer who went undetected for years. This book is called THUNDERSTRUCK. It wasn't as gripping a page turner as the first book, but still a good read. (Especially appealing, I would imagine, to readers with a physics or scientific background.)