Working hard to finish up the latest SIR APROPOS, "TONG LASHING," by a week from Monday. Why? Because that's when Kathleen goes back to work, I become full-time daddy-with-baby, and I'd rather have the novel wrapped by that point than have to deal with both a three month old and a tight deadline.
Working up names of characters for Apropos' adventures in the far off land of Chinpan (since I couldn't make up my mind whether to send him to China or Japan.) Possible character names include Binzo Long, Itso Esi, Kan Du, Arata Ruk, Kuichi Ku, and Go Nogo.
PAD
Posted by Peter David at February 23, 2003 04:21 PM | TrackBack | Other blogs commentingPAD -
Thanks for the update on dear Apropos. Looking foward to continuing his (mis)adventures! :) August can't come soon enough....
other names:
Hung Loos
Dhai Per
Wen Do Sha Peng
Tiz Pake
You forgot about a couple of female names. Like:
Li Pah Fat - (even funnier if she has a habit of pronouncing "th" sounds as a "t")
Rei Ah Soon - (technically can be male or female, I guess)
Si Ano Si - (okay, that's stretching it a bit, but still funny)
The first time, Apropos was forced into the role of a hero. Fun reading.
The second time, Apropos was forced into the role of a villain. Miserable reading. Well, okay. Just the villain parts. The first twenty pages of "Woad" are the funniest pages I've ever read.
So the third time... ?
The first APROPOS was genius. Funny, sad, moving. Loved it.
The second APROPOS bothered me...more genius. It was darker, sure. But it was unexpected, which is hard for a sequel.
The third...well...I have to reread the DARK TOWER series for volume 5 this fall.
Just kidding. Looking forward to it.
Bill
After reading a couple of the comments on here, I'm glad to see I'm not the only one who didn't really like Woad to Wuin. Don't get me wrong. It's not that it's a bad book. It's just so markedly different from the first one that I was disappointed. I do really want to read Tong Lashing though. It'll be fun seeing Apropos in the Orient. If I were PAD, I'd have to include a villain named Lao Che just so Apropos could escape from him and say, "Better luck next time, Lao Che!"
Will Berkovitz
>>Working up names of characters for Apropos' adventures in the far off land of Chinpan (since I couldn't make up my mind whether to send him to China or Japan.) Possible character names include Binzo Long, Itso Esi, Kan Du, Arata Ruk, Kuichi Ku, and Go Nogo.<<
How about: Lo Fat ??
Hooper
Wai Mi
Xez Yu
Zhou R. Kur-tin
Long Wok
Upsa Deizi
Tse Wat
Taika Mei Toyomama
Chin Riki
Chau Dhaown
Pinki Ling
Ippei Kayokayei
Zhi Tzu Fat Fah Mee
Lim En-pai
Dadoo Run Run
This is kinda fun... could probably go on for hours.
Woo Daman
Yoo Daman (his brother)
Or you can just take Hebrew words and use them as names (as you did many times before :) )
I enjoyed the first Apropos book very much and the second until Apropos turned into a villain. My understanding is, he was tempted to become a villain but by no means forced. I saw no indication that he wasn`t completely sane either. Also the second Apropos book is very well written and his change made sense. But I can`t say that I liked it.
My enthusiasm for Apropos certainly suffered but nevertheless, I will buy the next book, mainly out of curiosity what PAD has in mind next.
I suppose I am in the minority here, but I liked the second book. Yes, it was dark - real dark at times, but it was also a reminder of what can be in the soul of any hero, willing or not. The Woad To Wuin shows the opposite side of the coin. It is bad vs worse with bad winning and making a common good.
I also keep reading the word 'trilogy' when referencing the 'Apropos' books. I have not seen anywhere mentioned that the 'Apropos' books will be a trilogy. Grozit! I hope not! - (after M'k'n'zy of Calhoun - as scribed by PAD :)
You'll generally find that the second work in a series is frequently darker and more intense than its predecessor. Look at "Empire Strikes Back" or "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" or even "Back to the Future II." There's just a tendency to take one's protagonist and bring him to extremely dark places--in "Wuin's" case, literally--before taking him out the other side.
PAD
I don't know if I made it clear in my post, but I LIKED Woad to Wuin. It is precisely because it brought me down an unexpected woad, er, road. That's hard to pull off in a world where everything has been done a hundred times, usually better.
Sounds good. I certainly don`t mind characters with grey areas. The contrary, my favourite Star Trek character Calhoun certainly has lots of them. The difference between these two characters is, so far even when Calhoun did something that went at some level against my human sense of morality or justice, I could respect his point of view or at least excuse what he did because of the circumstances involved. I couldn`t do the same when Apropos turned villain. He did things he knew very well that they were terribly wrong. And he more and more enjoyed doing them. Especially because of his personal experiences, he should have known better. Apropos turned into a character I lost respect for. He did things I am not able to simply forget and forgive.
It won`t be easy for him to regain my respect in the next book. I will make an effort to read it open minded but it will be difficult.
I haven't liked Apropos (the character not the books) from the beginning. I really can't wait for book number three!
If we're given a choice here, I pick Kuichi Ku. If you're asking for suggestions, how about Hung So Lo?
You're going to try and work while taking care of the baby during the day? Best of luck. My four-month-old doesn't allow much time for me to eat or use the bathroom. Then again, he's a bit on the hyper, anti-sleeping side of the fence.
"Woad of Wuin" is - in my opinion - the best sequel a trilogy can hope for. And yes, I think PAD mentioned in some interviews that "Apropos" will be a trilogy.
Wouldn't it be great if Hollywood got interested in the stories? How about a Tim Burton - blockbuster? That would be fun, especially if PAD wrote the script(s).
Pascal
My first thought upon reading your post was to wonder whether the characters were going to visit Chinpan Alley or cross the Chinpan-Sea.
Hello, Baerbel! As you can tell, I enjoyed your thoughts because I posted a link to 'em. However, I think you're off in saying that Apropos wanted to become the Peacelord. A part of him did, but the rational, thinking part of him, in full control of himself, would not have done so. He was under the influence of the Rockmunchers, and when that control was lifted, he looked back upon with deeds with horror and shame, and possibly without being aware of it, his character was altered for the better, from his kindness and caring for Sharee to his compassion for the dead in the Golden City.
At least that's what I think. If it wasn't for the Rockmunchers, I don't believe the Peacelord would have ever existed. Apropos, after the control is lifted, remembers the death of the mourning woman and is instantly turns his rage on Boar Tooth.
And in the end, it continued with the theme. The first book had Apropos being forced into a role he didn't want, and now he's forced into exact opposite role, and he doesn't want that either. It's a lot easier, though.
Oh here are some ideas from Hebrew
Ti Nok (baby in Heb)
Chi Tul (diaper in Heb)
Mo T'zetz (peacefier)
Hay Yu
Hu Mi
Ma Ni Chins
Doh Ble Chin
I would also like to say that it's not that I didn't like Woad to Wuin. It just wasn't as enjoyable as the first Apropos. Of course, I'll take a bad Apropos book over the top best seller any day of the week.
As for the middle part of the trilogy always being darker, I'll agree that that is usually the case. In Back to the Future, Star Wars, and Indiana Jones, the main characters basically the same or at least easily recognizable as being similar as they were in the first movie. All except for Doc Brown but that's another matter.
As for Apropos, I know that it was the shadow beings controlling him, but be that as it may, Apropos seemed markedly different for at least 3/4 of Woad to Wuin.
What makes it harder for me to buy a much, much darker middle part of a trilogy in Apropos's case is that he isn't as easily identifiable as the same character because it's a book. I'm not sure if I'm going to state this clearly, but if you watch ESB, you can see Mark Hamill and think, "That's Luke Skywalker. He's less whiny and more spiritual but it's Luke." In Temple of Doom, you can see Harrison Ford in the hat and think, "That's Indiana Jones, the lovable, gruff, action oriented hero."
In reading Woad to Wuin, you know that you're reading about Apropos but once he gets the jewel embedded in his chest, he just seems so different and since he doesn't have the visual aspect that movies have, he just seems too different.
Like I said, I'm not sure if I entirely got my point across, but there it is anyway.
How about some sort of leader with the Title Chinpan Xi (Zhi) :)
How about a crossover appearance by Skang Kee Ho?
Corey
Loved _Apropo_, #2 a little on the edgy side, but I do have to agree with Ibrhim that the first couple chapters were hysterical. Got a co-worker into Apropos, she's ready to devour _Woad to Wuin_.
When are we going to see the next New Frontier book? That's the one I'm really looking forward to since you left us hanging last, last December!
Simply can't resist just one more (assume there was an Irish missionary who married a local):
Ephda Zhu Fitzwherytte
Apropos could always meet a viscious gang leader or warrior: Fluc Yu Hup
Mun Kee Zhe
Mun Kee Du
Noh Zhit Zer Luk
skrinq, how long did it take you to come up with that one?
Obeekris, it just popped into my head as I was reading the names others had posted - and I had to get it outta there!
After more than a half century punning and cajoling (annoying?) people with wordplay, it just -- happens.
Maybe the natives are referred to as Chinpanese?
And maybe there's a section of the capitol city called Chinpan Alley?
No more, I promise.
Mr. David, I have been a reader of your work in the past and enjoyed several of your writings, but this line of humor is lowbrow, offensive, and borderline racist. I find it disrespectful and mocking of peoples of Chinese descent. Honestly, I think it is beneath you. I am sure that you will sell many copies of this book as you have many fans, but you have completely lost the respect of this one reader.