Petition to Eliminate Martin Caiden Indy Books!

Johan

Active member
Caiden has done wonderful things to world of flight manuals...for that I give him respect. So...his Indy novels sucked! Nothing against him...just his novels. It's not a disrespect...it's just a review from someone that is an Indyfan. I have higher standards for a novel with the Indy name on it...and Caidens novels don't come close.
Whoever say's I can't do better...well I'm not a flippin writer and I don't attempt to be. I also wouldn't try to do better because I know that anything I do would not be good enough to have the Indy name on it...Caiden unfortunately didn't have the same view.
As for respecting Caiden...like I said...I didn't say he sucked, the novels did. Besides just because someone has died doesn't mean you have to respect them. I don't respect Hitler (not to make a comparison).

By the way....anybody looking to buy 2 Indiana Jones Caiden novels? I got them here waiting for you.
 
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ReggieSnake

New member
I'm looking forward to reading them and seeing what I think, I've only read Secret of the Sphinx because that is the only one at my library. I guess I'll have to find the others through B&N or Ebay...
 

Violet

Moderator Emeritus
I'm not a fan of Caiden, but White Witch was actually alright. Sky Pirates, I have tried over and over again, to read right to the end and to this day, have not. I would get confused from all his talk of planes, and then I'd get bored and then, I wouldn't have a clue what was going on. I have read other Caiden books, non-Indy and they're great so it's not like I disrespect him or his writings in general. I just don't like Sky Pirates. Btw, I got the whole collection and gained eleven out of twelve through ordering through my local bookstore. The last book I collected ("Peril at Delphi, the very first) was out of print and with the help of a friend, I bought it off eBay for 50c and paid the shipping fee of fourteen bucks, which is what the other books were worth when I ordered through the bookstore. They're pretty easy to get. Especially if an Aussie like me can get them, so can anybody else in the world. Besides, when the movie comes out, no doubt the series will get a re-print and flashy new covers and I'll be sighing with relief coz I'll be able to buy other stuff.
 

Blue Jay

Member
they are going to sell reprints of all some of the books.
I checked on amazon.de and almost all of the macgregor books are listed to be released in may 2008.... (y)
 

metalinvader

Well-known member
I'm in the same boat Violet...I can't even make it past the first three chapters of Sky Pirates..Believe me,I've tried a few times..I kid you not it took me 15 minutes to just get though the first chapter...I kept on thinking to myself,''What the hell did I just read?!"..White Witch wasn't as bad but it was still intolerable.....
 

Johnny Nys

Member
I like the Caidin books the least as well. They take a lot of getting used to. The aircraft stuff ... well, if a writer has a passionate love, it's gonna end up in his writing. Sure, there's a lot more detailed information than when another person had written the story, but that's not that bad in itself. Detail is important to make a story more real.

However, I always have a hard time connection aircraft knowledge with the Indiana Jones character, because Indy can't fly.

In Raiders he depends on his buddy Jock to fly the plane.
In Temple he says he can't fly when the pilots jump out (but "how hard can it be?")
In Crusade he says he CAN fly, but not land, referring to him having briefly flown the plane in Temple.

However, this chronology has always come over as pretty weird to me, since the story of Temple actually predates that of Raiders. But I digress.

Anyway, the Caidin story timelines all predate Temple, so Indy shouldn't have any experience flying a plane. Yet in these books he's actually taking lessons! (Sure, they never get the chance to seriously continue and finish those lessons, but still ...)

Another strange thing is his sudden connection to his "team". Here are a bunch of characters that literally came out of nowhere, though are said to have a history with Indy, only to vanish into thin air once the book is finished.

Also Indy's self assuredness doesn't fit the known profile of "making it up as I go" and changes it into "don't worry, I got it all covered".

Yes, these Caidin books read as if they could just as easily have a different main character.

Of course you never know whether you'll like a book until you've read it. I've read them twice now and I liked them better the second time (which I usually do with almost every book). I recognize Caidin's accomplishments and I certainly wish I had only a fraction of his achievements behind my name, though I'd prefer a different style and genre.

Every book has its faults, since writers and editors are only human as well. When people actually create something, it almost never lives up to the expactations of a reader's or viewer's fantasies. My ideal Indy novel looks far different from what Caidin has written, but I doubt an ideal Indy novel will ever be written.
 

Blue Jay

Member
i just started reading sky pirates.
well i am just at page 30 (slow reader) but i dont find it bad at all.
seems interesting, i wonder how it will go on...

I have to mention that i am fascinated with most of the airplanes from that time period so i thought i give it a read.

on the other hand, i couldnt find myself interested in the white witch. i dont like wicca stuff at all and as long as there is no sarah michele gellar in it, i wont watch or read anything of that topic ;)
She is the only reason i have ever watched buffy, i did not care about witches and stuff...but she is a hottie :p
 
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