Inside Straight

Before I write about the first book I finished in February, a little background.

Back in August, my high school held an all-class reunion for its 40th anniversary celebration. Now, my closest friends from high school are not from my graduating class, and it was great seeing all sorts of people, most of whom were the folks I hung out with graduated a year before me. However, I saw no more than maybe five other people from my class, and none of them were people I hung out with except maybe a little for marching band. One I was really glad to see because she has cystic fibrosis and I had wondered upon occasion about how things might be going for her, but other than that, none of the folks I really hoped to see turned up. This inspired to me to start Googling a few names of people I wish I hadn’t lost touch with. It feels a little weird to do this sort of thing, but it can lead to happy results.

Of course, this works better for some names than others just based on how common the name might be, but “Ian Tregillis” managed to find a surprising number of hits. Some I wasn’t surprised about, things related to his work or his education. But there were other links to click on too, like one related to a short story published at Trabuco Road, a blog entry mention by someone I would later find is a writer and friend of his, and finally a mention on a page that also included a picture, so I realized I really was tracking down the right person.

I’m normally not great about this sort of thing, but there was an email address at the bottom of the page that short story was published on, so I decided to drop a note to Ian. A few weeks later I got an email in return, and we’ve exchanged a few emails since then.

All this to explain how I learned of Inside Straight, which Ian was a writer in. It’s sort of a difficult book to explain, so I’ll just refer you to the Wild Cards website, the series that Inside Straight is the latest volume of. I had no idea what I’d think of Inside Straight going in, but how could I not enjoy a book that incorporates a reality show into its plot? I haven’t read any of the previous books, but I certainly hope to because I found the Wild Cards universe fascinating. I’m also looking forward to the next installment, which I understand is coming in December. Who knows, perhaps between now and then I’ll get better at writing actual reviews instead of just “I liked it!”

If you Google Ian these days, the first hit will be his recently launched website. It is beautifully designed, has a good bit of humor, and you can learn a bit about his forthcoming trilogy, The Milkweed Triptych.