Tag / Nathan Fillion

by admin

Prolific Authors – Fifteen Books

It is time once again to take a look at the authors I have read the most, dating back to high school.  This year, I’m once again on pace to set a new record for books read in a year, so I thought it would be nice to take a deeper dive into those books I’ve read through August of this year. Since our last check-in, I’ve read an additional 1xx books, so there should be some movement over the past two years.  Without further ado, it’s time to take another look and see if my “favorite” authors have changed much over the years.  We continue today the lone author I’ve read fifteen times, who just so happens to be a fictional character.

Richard Castle

Debuting in 2009, the television series Castle follows the lives of Richard Castle, a best-selling novelist, and Kate Beckett, a New York homicide detective, as they solve various unusual murders.  As Castle, portrayed by Nathan Fillion, wrote and released Nikki Heat novels on the show, those novels were released in the real world as well, the first of which, Heat Wave, was released in 2009.  The two most recent efforts, Heat Storm and Crashing Heat, were released after the cancellation of the show, though it appears unlikely that there will be any future installments.

Richard Castle – Driving Heat

The first seven books in the series were eventually revealed to have been ghost-written by Tom Straw. It is unknown if Straw wrote the final entries, though I highly doubt he was responsible for the last one, which had a much different feel to it.

 

by admin

Prolific Authors – 15 Books

Way back in December of 2011 (and again every other December since), we’ve taken a look at the authors I have read the most, dating back to high school.  This year, since I’ve far surpassed my reading output of any year on record, I thought it would be nice to take a deeper dive into those books I’ve read through October. Since our last check-in, I’ve read an additional 118 books, so there could be some movement over the past two years, but it’s time to take another look and see if my “favorite” authors have changed much in that time span.  Today, we continue with the two authors I’ve read fifteen times, up one from 2021.

Richard Castle

Debuting in 2009, the television series Castle follows the lives of Richard Castle, a best-selling novelist, and Kate Beckett, a New York homicide detective, as they solve various unusual murders.  As Castle, portrayed by Nathan Fillion, wrote and released Nikki Heat novels on the show, those novels were released in the real world as well, the first of which, Heat Wave, was released in 2009.  The two most recent efforts, Heat Storm and Crashing Heat, were released after the cancellation of the show, though it appears unlikely that there will be any future installments.

Frozen Heat – Richard Castle

The first seven books in the series were eventually revealed to have been ghost-written by Tom Straw.  It is unknown if Straw wrote the final entries, though I highly doubt he was responsible for the last one, which had a much different feel to it.

Stephen King

I first read King’s work during my freshman year of high school.  In fact, I remember reading Pet Sematary after finishing my Biology final at the end of freshman year, waiting for the class to be dismissed.  My total reached nine novels by 1993, but then college and other pursuits got in the way and King fell out of my favor.

Joyland – Stephen King

That changed in 2012, when the release of 11/22/63 brought me back in to the King fold.  I’ve added six of his more current work, half of which has been through the Hard Case Crime imprint, which limited, but did not completely remove, the horror elements.

by admin

Prolific Authors – 15 Books

Way back in December of 2011 (and again every other December since), we’ve taken a look at the authors I have read the most, dating back to high school.  This year, since I’ve far surpassed my reading output of any year on record, I thought it would be nice to take a deeper dive into those books I’ve read through August. Since our last check-in, I’ve read an additional 60 books from 54 different authors. There shouldn’t be much movement over the past 2 years, but it’s time to take another look and see if my “favorite” authors have changed much in that time span.  Today, we have our penultimate entry, with the fake television author I’ve read 15 times.

Richard Castle

Debuting in 2009, Castle follows the lives of Richard Castle, a best-selling novelist, and Kate Beckett, a New York homicide detective, as they solve various unusual crimes.  As Castle, portrayed by Nathan Fillion, wrote and released Nikki Heat novels on the show, those novels were released in the real world as well, the first of which, Heat Wave, was released in 2009.  The two most recent efforts, Heat Storm and Crasing Heat, were released after the cancellation of the show, though it appears unlikely that there will be any future installments.

Heat Storm – Richard Castle

The first seven books in the series were eventually revealed to have been ghost-written by Tom Straw.  It is unknown if Straw wrote the final entries, though I highly doubt he was responsible for the last one, which even I could tell had a different feel to it.

by admin

2018 New Fall Season – Tuesdays

old-tv-set1Continuing our look at the new fall season, here are the offerings that I may find myself interested in for Tuesdays.

7:00

The Conners – Following last spring’s Twitter meltdown by Roseanne Barr and the cancellation of the reboot of Roseanne, the show moves on without her.  Will it be worth watching?  I’m honestly not sure.

The Flash – The gang returns for the fifth season.

The Gifted – The series about Marvel’s mutants returns for a second season.  I still need to finish the first.

8:00

Black-ish – For its fifth season, the show moves on without creator Kenya Barris.

FBI – Missy Peregrym and Jeremy Sisto are FBI agents trying to keep New York safe.

This Is Us – The emotionally manipulative hit is back for a third season, assuming I ever go back and finish the previous one.

Black Lightning – The Pierce family returns for their second season, which I will be happy to watch once I get done with season one.

8:30

Splitting Up Together – After a successful run last spring, the show, starring Oliver Hudson and Jenna Fischer, returns for another go-around.

9:00

The Rookie – Castle alum Nathan Fillion re-teams with his former EP for this tale about the oldest rookie police officer in the LAPD.

by admin

ABC Upfronts

ABC is shaking up their lineup this fall, with changes on every night save Monday and Thursday.  The week gets off to a familiar start with Dancing With The Stars, followed by The Good Doctor.  Roseanne returns for another season to kick off Tuesday nights, followed by The Kids Are Alright, about a traditional Irish-Catholic family navigating the turbulent 70s, then black-ish and Splitting Up Together staying put.  The night ends with The Rookie, bringing Nathan Fillion back to the network in a familiar setting.

Wednesday starts the same, with The Goldbergs, American Housewife, and Modern Family starting the night, followed by Single Parents, a comedy about, well, single parents starring Taran Killam and Leighton Meester.  The night is capped off by A Million Little Things, about a group of Boston friends who re-examine their lives when one of them dies.  Thursdays stay exactly the same, with the three Shondaland shows remaining in place.  A revamped Friday kicks off with the re-located Fresh Off The Boat and Speechless, followed by Child Support and 20/20.  Sunday goes all reality, with a junior edition of DWTS sandwiched between America’s Funniest Home Videos and Shark Tank.  The night ends with The Alec Baldwin Show, the first prime time talk show since the unfortunate attempt to keep Jay Leno happy while Conan O’Brien hosted The Tonight Show.

Agents of SHIELD will return in summer of 2019, and American Idol and For The People will return at some point.  Also on the bench for mid-season are The Fix, a legal drama from Marcia Clark starring Robin Tunney, Grand Hotel, from executive producer Eva Longoria, and Whiskey Cavalier, about a partnership of FBI and CIA agents played by Scott Foley and Lauren Cohan.  The one comedy is Schooled, a spin-off of The Goldbergs.

Cancelled shows never to be seen again are Alex Inc., The Crossing, Deception, Designated Survivor, Downward Dog, The Great American Baking Show, Kevin (Probably) Saves The World, Inhumans, The Mayor, The Middle, Once Upon A Time, Quantico, Scandal, Somewhere Between, Still Star-Crossed, and Ten Days In The Valley.

by admin

Book 25 (of 52) – High Heat

high-heat

High Heat – Richard Castle

While Castle may have come to an end this spring, the novels supposedly written by Nathan Fillion’s character continue on.  In High Heat, the latest effort from Richard Castle, the murder of a journalist as part of a supposed jihad sets Nikki Heat and her detective squad on a case that puts Jameson Rook’s life at risk.

While the plot of the novel was fine, there were 2 things that bothered me.  First, the ending incorporated one of the things that everyone hated about the last season of Castle, a forced breakup of the main characters for contrived reasons.  Second, while the series of Nikki Heat novels has always included a few nudges and winks towards the show, this book leaves the winks behind and instead pulls out a sledgehammer to make sure you notice those in-jokes.  Beyond those two complaints, the book was enjoyable and the cliffhanger ending would lead one to believe there will be another installment.

by jim

Post Mortem – Castle

castleAfter 8 seasons, ABC decided to put Castle out to pasture.  Given the expected change in direction for the potential 9th season, with Stana Katic and Tamala Jones written off the show, it is perhaps for the best.  I assume this will also be the end of the road for the Richard Castle novels, which had been a mainstay of my bookshelf over the past few years.

I assume Nathan Fillion and Katic will show up on my screen, either big or small, sooner rather than later.

by admin

Book 26 (of 52) – Driving Heat

Richard Castle - Driving Heat

Driving Heat – Richard Castle

The latest Nikki Heat novel, from the Nathan Fillion-portrayed author from the television show Castle, arrives with Heat taking over as captain of her precinct, just as Kate Beckett, as played by Stana Katic, has on the show.  She teams once again with Jameson Rook, now her fiance, to figure out who is killing a group of whistle blowers and the NYPD shrink.  After the case is solved, Heat and Rook get married, just as Castle and Beckett did.

As usual, Castle, or the mystery writer using the television character as a pen name, delivers an entertaining tale for fans of the television series.  I don’t know how much one would get out of these novels if you didn’t also enjoy the show, as there are a lot of in-jokes and allusions to the characters and actors, but it is a fun trip for those who do like the show.  I’m not sure if there will be more in this series, as the show’s ratings aren’t stellar in its 8th season, so this may have been the swan song for Mr. Castle.  If so, he’s gone out on a high note.

by jim

Book 16 (of 52) – Deadly Heat

Deadly Heat - Richard Castle

Deadly Heat – Richard Castle

The latest novel from Richard Castle, played as always by Nathan Fillion on the show Castle, picks up right after the previous one, with Nikki Heat learning the identity of her mother’s murderer but not knowing why she was killed.  In this followup, Heat, the novel version of Stana Katic’s Kate Beckett character, gets the closure she has been looking for while tracking down a serial killer that has targeted her.

These novels have been an intriguing marketing tool for the television show, as they are written by the character and featured in the show’s narrative.  It would be easy for these to be trashy, but someone is obviously trying to put out a product worthy of the best selling author.  One can only hope that the story of Nikki Heat and Jameson Rook hasn’t ended with the closure of Heat’s mother’s case.

by jim

Book 2 (of 52) – Frozen Heat

Frozen Heat - Richard Castle

Frozen Heat – Richard Castle

The latest work from Richard Castle, the author played by Nathan Fillion in the television show Castle, tackles familiar territory to fans of the show: the murder of Beckett’s, or in this case Nikki Heat’s, mother.  Of course, the book takes the story in a wildly different direction, adding in some crazy spy action.

Castle’s tale, or at least the one spun by ghost writer hired to portray him, starts with a murder that ties in to the murder of Heat’s mother 10 years earlier.  While trying to solve both murders, Heat and Rook travel to Boston and Paris and learn about the secret life that put Heat’s mother on the path that led to her death.  With the mystery of who killed her mother solved, Nikki Heat is left wondering why.

The ending leaves an obvious path for the next book to pick up and run with.  Given the continuing popularity of the show, one could assume that the next installment will be out in the fall to coincide with the new season.  I’m definitely looking forward to it.