This passage is from chapter twelve, as Jacob is trying to convince his friend Kris of the majesty of the Osprey.

They had hung out beneath the big Osprey nest, at the little peninsula the kids called “The Point,” for hours. They always went on different days of the week and at different times, in hopes of seeing something new from the bird. At dawn, at sunset, at noon. On weekends and weekdays, always for a glimpse of the majestic bird. To Jacob, it felt like they were on safari, like the guys on Wild America or those other nature shows. 

            Mostly, the Osprey just stayed there in the nest, almost mocking them. Perched in its nest, it looked out over the bay, waiting.

But every so often, if Jacob and Jon were very, very patient, the bird would stand up, spread its enormous wings, and fly from its perch out over the bay. If they were truly lucky, they would watch as it dove down to the water, stabbed out with its talons, and in an instant returned to flight with a living fish writhing in its claws. No matter how many times Jacob saw that, he was always amazed by it. The ruthless beauty of it gave him goosebumps.

            Jacob’s sketch showed the bird standing on a shore, its head turned toward the viewer, its huge eye looking out from the page defiantly. It was fierce, wild, angry. It had a small head, and enormous wings that spread out across two pages. It had a white body with dark wings and flecks of grey through the sides of its head. Its huge talons gripped a large fish struggling and failing to break free. There were fish guts dripping from the bird’s pointed beak. The Osprey was daring you to mess with it.

            It looked like a badass bird, and Jacob and Kris both knew it.

            “You said they have these things down at Indian Island?” Kris said, incredulous. “I never seen no bird that looked like that.”

            Jacob said, “That’s because you haven’t looked in the right places. C’mon and I’ll show you.”

This is from Chapter Two:

“There will never be another day like this, he thought. Tears sprang into the corners of his eyes at the idea of it. There would never be another last day of fourth grade/first day of summer when the finches land upon your hands as you hold out seed for them, when Suzie Vail asked you to her beach house, and Chaz Mancuso wanted to be your pal and offered you a job, when the streets were lined with shoppers eager beyond belief for the warm days ahead and the freedom those days promised. When those shoppers browsed the stores for beach chairs at Swezey’s and fishing line at Edward’s sporting goods and new tennis shoes at Stride Rite. When the sun blinded your eyes and the big cauliflower truck rumbled by, spewing diesel exhaust, bringing its bounty west to the big city, when the lunch counter at the Star Confectionary across the street was filled with kids getting ice cream floats, when he knew there were fifteen dates marked on his calendar for the little league season (and maybe this year his team, the Moose Lodge, would finally finish in the first division), when the Boston Terrier passing by at the end of an old man’s leash paused to consider him and then licked his hand free of pizza grease. It was an overabundance of goodness, and he wanted to savor it all, but he couldn’t.”

I finally saw this last night. The cinematography was amazing, and the team who worked on the ship design and various other props, sets and images that brought this film to life should be commended. The cast were very good, especially Oscar Isaac as Duke Leto and Rebecca Ferguson as Lady Jessica. I felt the movie really captured the look of Herbert’s world, much like Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings captured Middle-earth.

Like Jackson’s trilogy, this movie felt really rushed to me. Frank Herbert was so meticulous in planning all his ‘wheels within wheels’ that the film can’t help but gloss over certain details, and spend less time on things than the book did. The heart of Herbert’s novel lies in the political machinations, the backstabbing and double dealing between the different houses and characters, and we get very little of this in the movie. Nor do we hear much about mentats, or a lot of the other rich detail for which Herbert is so well known. I’m not knocking the movie here–it was a great achievement–but Herbert’s vision was so groundbreaking at the time, and has had such an enormous impact on science fiction, that I think it is almost impossible to do it justice, especially for fans who grew up with this book and have likely read it multiple times. As with Jackson’s movies, I enjoyed this interpretation for what it was, an amazing attempt at retelling a classic, beloved story. But I wanted more screen time for characters like Duncan Idaho and Gurney Halleck; alas, in a two and a half hour movie, there is a lot of ground to cover and it made me feel as if they didn’t quite get their due.

Certain events in the novel, like the threat of violence or the deaths of characters, are easier to read than they are to see. I think the book was more elegant in presenting some of this material, and there is something to be said for leaving it to the reader’s imagination. It is extremely disturbing to watch some of these scenes, (for example, the abduction of Jessica and Paul, and the death of Leto) and felt at times almost like a horror film. The hopelessness of what happens to House Atreides in the book, and the brutality of it, are bad enough to read about, and I felt myself cringing at some of these moments in the movie. Again, I am not really criticizing the film–this material is all in the book, and I guess I prefer the novel.

One thing I didn’t enjoy so much was the soundtrack. No doubt there is plenty of menace in Dune, but the entirety of the score for this sounded to my ears like a one note, jarring, explosive kind of thrumming bass that kept up in scene after scene. Yes, we know the material is dark. I don’t know that we needed that thunderous void of anti-music to remind us again and again. Where was Duncan Idaho’s baliset? Some of that would have been a nice break from the noise.

The ornithopters were awesome, as were all of the ships! The stillsuits, the costumes, the fight choreography, all of it was so well done. Kudos to the artists and teams of effects experts that brought this to life. I rate this movie four out of five stars, and probably five stars if you haven’t read Dune, which you really should. It may be old fashioned, but I prefer the novel as a medium. A novel requires more from an audience than a film, but the novel’s rewards are far greater. Although this movie was true to the book, its shortcomings highlight what an amazing world Frank Herbert created.

Retracing his best friend’s steps, Jacob visits the comic shop, Golden Memories, and we learn more of the Osprey Man.

In Chapter One last week, we met Jacob as he learned the devastating news of his best friend’s death. In Chapter Two, he begins to retrace Jonathan’s footsteps, and is befriended by a sympathetic older boy. Please download chapter two below, and let me know what you think in the comments, or by email.

Below is chapter one of my novel, THE OSPREY MAN, a coming of age tale about two young boys who form an unbreakable bond the summer their best friend is killed. It’s full of warmth and humor, and I hope readers enjoy it. Here is a brief description:

The time between childhood and adolescence is filled with wonder. Feelings of hope for the future, and sadness at what has been lost, are at the heart of The Osprey Man. When tragedy strikes, a young boy must find an inner strength he is not sure he has.

Jacob has been looking forward to summer all year long. As school comes to a close, he looks with anticipation to endless days of playing baseball, swimming at the beach, and writing his comic book, Osprey Man, with his best friend Jonathan.

            All that changes on the last day of school, when Jacob finds out that Jonathan has died in a car accident. Suddenly what was supposed to be the best time of the year turns out to be a summer he’d rather forget. At home, things seem nearly impossible to bear. Jacob’s brother died just a year before, and his parents are reeling and unable to help their son cope with the loss of his friend.

            Jacob wants to keep Jonathan’s memory alive. Can he make new friends while still holding Jonathan’s memory close? Can he help his family stick together even when things are looking down? By drawing new and more exciting issues of Osprey Man–the character Jacob and Jonathan created together–he tries to keep his friend’s memory alive even when it seems like everything is lost. By staying close to the things Jonathan loved, and the friends they both cherished, Jacob hopes to honor Jonathan’s memory and keep his spirit alive. And when things seem at their darkest, Jacob hopes the superhero they created might help save his summer, his friends, and maybe even his family.

            This novel is a tale of friendship, of growing up, and of the summertime between childhood and adolescence.

Please click the link below to read chapter one. Thank you for reading, and please drop me a line if you have any questions or comments. Best wishes, CT

THE OSPREY MAN, Chapter One