# Trust me! The story's better than it sounds! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 9, 2010, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trust-me-the-storys-better-than-it-sounds/546141 "2010-07-09T19:53:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2010, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trust-me-the-storys-better-than-it-sounds/546141/41 "2010-07-10T16:12:28Z")
> [@olivesmarch4th](#): > > Stephen King’s novel _Gerald’s Game_, which is probably one of my all-time favorite works by Stephen King, is really difficult to do justice with the description: > > There’s this woman, see, and she ends up being handcuffed alone to a bed in a cabin in the middle of the woods. And the entire book is about the things she thinks about while she’s laying there. > > Yeah. Also King’s The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordan. "Thee’s a 10 year old girl lost in the woods who really loves Boston Red Sox pitcher Tom Gordan. Time After Time. Jack ther Riper goes to the 1980’s in H G Wells’s time machine, and Wells follows him. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2010, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trust-me-the-storys-better-than-it-sounds/546141/42 "2010-07-10T16:19:00Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > Also King’s The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordan. "Thee’s a 10 year old girl lost in the woods who really loves Boston Red Sox pitcher Tom Gordan. My husband keeps telling me to read this one, but the plot sounds so boring. Hmm, maybe I should look into it after all. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2010, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trust-me-the-storys-better-than-it-sounds/546141/43 "2010-07-10T16:22:34Z")
I highly recommend it. King is excellent at writing stories with only one character. ---
**Author:** ![runcible\_spoon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9fc29f/32.png) [@runcible\_spoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/runcible_spoon)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2010, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trust-me-the-storys-better-than-it-sounds/546141/44 "2010-07-10T17:13:11Z")
Janji Joni - A film delivery boy promises to get the last reel of a film to the theater on time, then gets his scooter stolen, and… a bunch of other stuff happens. With Indonesian indie music. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2010, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trust-me-the-storys-better-than-it-sounds/546141/45 "2010-07-10T17:34:56Z")
I used to talk regularly online with Harry Turtledove. When he published his novel _Between the Rivers_ I asked what his publishers had said when he told them his new novel was about ancient Mesopotamian theology and trade relations. He said they took it pretty well. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2010, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trust-me-the-storys-better-than-it-sounds/546141/46 "2010-07-10T17:38:21Z")
Quoth **multimediac17** : > [@](#): > > Explaining Rent (one of my favourite musicals/films) is hard too. > > “Well it’s about all these people living in New York City… and half of them have HIV… and there isn’t really a strong plot it’s more just about what happens to them over a year… and they sing a lot.” > > Sounds AW-ful. You forgot the part about how they’re all losers who hate anyone who isn’t a loser, but other than that, the description captures it exactly. **Autolycus** , the way I’d describe _Last Airbender_ is something like this: “There are these four martial arts which can be used to control the four classical elements, with a nation corresponding to each. The only one who can use all four is the Avatar, who’s continually reincarnated and is tasked with keeping the peace between the nations. But the Avatar has been missing for a hundred years, and the Fire Nation is conquering the world, so now the new Avatar (a twelve-year-old boy) must stop them. It’s a kids’ show, but adults can enjoy it too.” ---
**Author:** ![Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/malleus_incus_stapes/32/3293_2.png) [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malleus_Incus_Stapes)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2010, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trust-me-the-storys-better-than-it-sounds/546141/47 "2010-07-11T03:24:29Z")
> [@Toxgoddess](#): > > Any Christopher Moore novel. The Stupidest Angel: A Christmas zombie story. Fluke: An undersea civilization built of living organic goo with cyborg whales and Amelia Earhart… > > I love Christopher Moore. “So there’s this book called _Island of the Sequined Love-Nun_… No, it’s not a porn novel! Yes, it has a bra on clothesline on the cover, but she’s an _evil_ sex-priestess. Sure, there’s lots of lewdity and nudity and groinal injuries, but there’s also cannibals and talking fruit bats. So it doesn’t entirely run on dirty humor. And the transvstite prostitute is actually a very sympathetic character who… oh, never mind. Excuse me, I’m going to get a Sharpie and black out the bra on the clothesline.” > [@Lamia](#): > > The Tim Powers novel _The Stress of Her Regard_ is about how Lord Byron, Shelley, and an obstetrician teamed up to fight vampires. > > No, really. > > Depending on your perspective this is either going to sound pretty dumb, or like a potentially humorous blend of campy horror elements with classic literature (a la the more recent _Pride & Prejudice & Zombies_). It’s neither. I’ve described it as “Stephen King for English majors”, and I think it is a good supernatural thriller that is also surprisingly well-researched when it comes to the lives of the Romantic poets. Some of Byron and Shelley’s historic actions actually make _more_ sense in this book, where they’re given an invented secret agenda. Powers also managed to tie a lot of myth/legend together and explain how these stories were all based on the same vampiric beings. He even finds a plausible-sounding scientific explanation for many of their powers while still keeping them mysterious enough to be scary. I take it you got your username from there? I have _The Stress of Her Regard_ on my bedroom floor (along with a zillion and a half other books). Tim Powers just has this genius where he can take little details of historical figures’ lives and weave them into a connecting mythology. ETA: It just occured to me- Tim Powers’s lamias are technically sparkly vampires… ---
**Author:** ![Barking\_Dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Barking\_Dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barking_Dog)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2010, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trust-me-the-storys-better-than-it-sounds/546141/48 "2010-07-11T04:59:51Z")
> [@Kobal2](#): > > Glen Cook’s _Black Company_ > > It’s about this band of has-been medieval mercenaries who sell their services to the highest bidder, they don’t really care who. There’s, like, prophecies and ancient wizards and revolutions going on, but the mercs don’t really care about that either - they’re mostly interested in surviving, getting paid, eating and finding ways to deal with the boredom of day-to-day military life. It’s really brilliant. Funny, but after that I’d like to give those books a go. I’ve seen them in the store and, despite being a fan of some of Cook’s other series’, those books never really grabbed my attention. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2010, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trust-me-the-storys-better-than-it-sounds/546141/49 "2010-07-11T05:07:54Z")
Dune. It’s about spice, and worms, and Fremen. And shit. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2010, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trust-me-the-storys-better-than-it-sounds/546141/50 "2010-07-11T05:54:06Z")
> [@](#): > > Dune. It’s about spice, and worms, and Fremen. And shit. And the spice is worm shit. ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Nader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Darth\_Nader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Nader)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2010, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trust-me-the-storys-better-than-it-sounds/546141/51 "2010-07-11T05:56:46Z")
> [@Tangent](#): > > It’s hard to do any Joss Whedon show (like _Firefly_… You love Heinlein, right? Here’s the best you’re ever gonna get on tv. ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Nader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Darth\_Nader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Nader)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2010, 6:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trust-me-the-storys-better-than-it-sounds/546141/52 "2010-07-11T06:02:13Z")
> [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](#): > > " > ETA: It just occured to me- Tim Powers’s lamias are technically sparkly vampires… Wait, do any of them have some sort of injury to their hand? 'Cause as far as I can tell, someones _gotta_ have a ruined hand to make it in a Powers novel… ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2010, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trust-me-the-storys-better-than-it-sounds/546141/53 "2010-07-11T06:05:52Z")
> [@Tangent](#): > > It’s hard to do any Joss Whedon show (like _Firefly_, _Dollhouse_, or the aforementioned _Buffy_) justice by describing the premise because the genius of these shows is dialogue, characterization, and individual moments that defy cliches and surprise the viewer. I think that’s why I have to drag people into watching _Chuck_. When RL friends have talked about good TV shows, I’ve often mentioned _Chuck_, and they’ve responded ‘oh yeah. That’s that show about a geek who becomes a spy?’ Coupled with a curled lip and eyeroll. I think that summary’s fine, but apparently they think it’s cliched and cheesy. But it’s really well-acted and the characters are believable and the dialogue’s brilliant and you just have to watch those fight scenes! Then there’s _Dexter_. ‘Yeah, Dexter’s the main character, and he’s a serial killer, but you really root for him, and, no, honestly, I’m not a sociopath…’ This actually put me off _Dexter_ to begin with. I’m not sure there’s any way to summarise it that would tell the uninitiated what _Dexter_’s really like. Eponymous series seem to be a common theme here. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2010, 7:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trust-me-the-storys-better-than-it-sounds/546141/54 "2010-07-11T07:02:54Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > People didn’t know what _The Wizard of Oz_ was about? **American** people? I was asked that during a re-issue of the film. The caller didn’t seem to be pranking me. ---
**Author:** ![Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/malleus_incus_stapes/32/3293_2.png) [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malleus_Incus_Stapes)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2010, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trust-me-the-storys-better-than-it-sounds/546141/55 "2010-07-11T15:09:08Z")
> [@Darth\_Nader](#): > > Wait, do any of them have some sort of injury to their hand? 'Cause as far as I can tell, someones _gotta_ have a ruined hand to make it in a Powers novel… I’d have to go back and check, but I don’t think so. Eye, yes, and leg. But I don’t remember any hands. ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2010, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trust-me-the-storys-better-than-it-sounds/546141/56 "2010-07-11T15:16:13Z")
> [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](#): > > I take it you got your username from there? A reasonable guess, but I’ve been using some variant on the username “Lamia” since before I’d ever read _The Stress of Her Regard_. In fact, I might never have read the book at all if I hadn’t heard it had lamiae in it! ETA: This was another book that was going for ridiculous prices secondhand, but luckily a new edition came out within the past couple of years so I now own my own copy at last! ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2010, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trust-me-the-storys-better-than-it-sounds/546141/57 "2010-07-11T15:17:28Z")
> [@scifisam2009](#): > > Then there’s _Dexter_. ‘Yeah, Dexter’s the main character, and he’s a serial killer, but you really root for him, and, no, honestly, I’m not a sociopath…’ This actually put me off _Dexter_ to begin with. I’m not sure there’s any way to summarise it that would tell the uninitiated what _Dexter_’s really like. My wife told me “he’s a serial killer who only kills other serial killers”. I wouldn’t say that fully summarizes it, but it sidesteps _ **part** _ of the “sociopath” tag right off the bat. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2010, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trust-me-the-storys-better-than-it-sounds/546141/58 "2010-07-11T17:40:52Z")
On the subject of Powers, I recently reread _On Stranger Tides_. It’s a brilliant idea - take the two things the colonial era Caribbean is best known for, pirates and voodoo, and combine them. I realize this doesn’t really fit in with the theme of the thread because this is a really easy story to describe. “Dude, you gotta read it, it’s about voodoo pirates!” “Voodoo pirates? Hell yes, I’m gonna read it!” ---
**Author:** ![iftheresaway](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/ecae2f/32.png) [@iftheresaway](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iftheresaway)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2010, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trust-me-the-storys-better-than-it-sounds/546141/59 "2010-07-11T18:49:18Z")
Katherine Dunn’s _[Geek Love](http://www.amazon.com/Geek-Love-Novel-Katherine-Dunn/dp/0375713344/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1278873983&sr=8-1)_. First of all, the title refers to circus geeks, not computer-obsessed geeks, so there’s that hurdle to clear. And then you tell people that it’s about a family of circus freaks, including midgets, mind-readers, conjoined twins, and boys with flippers, but it’s also about family, and there’s a sort of evil doctor-person, and… But really, it’s awesome, I promise! ---
**Author:** ![Trepa\_Mayfield](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/edb3f5/32.png) [@Trepa\_Mayfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trepa_Mayfield)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2010, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trust-me-the-storys-better-than-it-sounds/546141/60 "2010-07-11T20:15:48Z")
“Okay, so there’s this [webcomic](http://www.mspaintadventures.com/?s=6), and it’s about these 4 kids who are best friends even though they’ve never met except online, and they’re playing a video game…no, it’s not a Penny Arcade clone, not even close, honest! It’s an epic story, because they go in the game, sort of–they go to an alternate universe when they start playing with meteors and salamanders and then the earth explodes, kind of like SimCity except for a lot higher stakes…I think. it’s really hard to follow because the author skips through time and space often, and without warning, and everything you see has significance somehow. Anyway, they have to beat the game and kill the king to…well, to something, we don’t know yet, it’s not finished. Also there’s a bunch of subplots involving the kid’s guardians, 4 exiles on future earth, and a bunch of kids playing the same game in an alternate universe.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trust-me-the-storys-better-than-it-sounds/546141.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trust-me-the-storys-better-than-it-sounds/546141.md?page=4)