I remember that shortly after Thomas's death, some magazine
(I'm thinking it was the Atlantic, but I could be wrong)
published a real nice appreciation of him. I remember the
author said something like "you always feel wiser after
reading a Thomas book" and I think that's true.
There's a kind of painless "instructional" quality to
Thomas's work, and it's one of the reasons he's one of my
favorite hb writers. Whenever I read a Thomas book I feel
like I'm a guest who's being given a priviledged tour of a
world that's usually hidden. Of course, all good hb fiction
should give you some version of this tour, but Thomas is just
so damn well-informed that his tours seem more believable
than others. Basically, I think the world operates pretty
much according to Thomas's specs.
The other thing I really like about Thomas's work are his
heroes, who without a doubt are some of the most appealing in
the genre. They're tough, supremely competent men and women
who have a wonderfully wry, knowing attitude about the world.
It's like they've seen it all and can't do anything but laugh
at it all.
Whenever I'm really stressed or depressed I pick up a Thomas
book and it never fails to cheer me up. I guess there's just
something powerfully reassuring about Thomas's vision. I
mean, if Wu and Durant can handle being triple-crossed in the
Phillippenes, maybe I can handle whatever junk's being tossed
at me.
Guess I'm waxing a little poetic here, huh? :) But Thomas is
one of my favorite writers in the genre, and I wish he was
better known and appreciated.
doug
===== Doug Bassett
dj_bassett@yahoo.com
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