Books like Control

For most of the book, I felt myself a tad dismayed. It didn't seem to be one of his better conceptions. But, happily--I was in error. I was a dope. Only a dope ever doubts William Goldman's competency. Never, ever, 'second-guess' Goldman. The dude is just OUT THERE. He never lets a reader down. Even when he temporarily fell out of favor with Hollywood--he was always a thorough, detail-oriented, and masterful craftsman. Whether screenplay or novel. Dismayed? What was I thinking? There is no way a guy who started out with dramas ('Soldier in the Rain') and screenplays ('Butch Cassidy', 'Harper') then gave us landmark thrillers like 'Marathon Man' is ever going to fumble a plot. He is just too self-respecting and conscientious a writer to offer his audience something sub-par. Still, 'Control' is deceptive at first. It seems a lackluster tale compared to some of his other successes. The story seems to lean very heavily on re-used devices from his earlier works. Slightly-threadbare ideas and some stale characters. The book is also filled with 'Goldman-isms' which he has trotted out many times before.Don't worry. Stick with it. It eventually develops into a really astounding thriller which (yes, I know you won't believe me) combines espionage-intrigue with science fiction. The last few pages will have *anyone* shaking.You can hardly believe what he pulls off here. When you follow a writer for a while, you maybe tend to imagine he will deliver the 'same goods' in the exact same way he always has done for you, before. But not Goldman. He likes to try new approaches. He gets excited by neat ideas, and makes them his own. With 'Control', he goes way, way, out of his home-range...and just when you think he's totally lost the finesse needed to craft a fine thriller... you get slammed with one of the best grand-finales ever found in the genre. Trust Goldman! So simple, so easy a rule to remember. No other American thriller writer is as solid or reliable.Love this author.