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Nothing Lasts Forever Sidney Sheldon 9780446354738 Books

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Nothing Lasts Forever Sidney Sheldon 9780446354738 Books

If you’re looking at this old book it’s probably because you’re like me and wanted to read the source material for the fabulous 1988 action movie, “Die Hard”, starring Bruce Willis. It’s one of my favorites. I’ve seen it at least a couple dozen times. I finally got the itch to read the book upon which it’s based and while it was enjoyable and as action-packed and fast-paced as the film, it was also inferior in nearly every way.

The book follows the basic outline of the film: Out of town law enforcement officer visiting estranged family member becomes trapped in a skyscraper during a terrorist siege and must use his wits to survive and save the day. But there are several significant differences. The hero (Leland) isn’t a cop, he’s a counter-terrorism expert. He’s also much older than John McLean was in the film. The family member isn’t a wife, it’s a daughter. The villains are not thieves masquerading as terrorists, they are actual terrorists. And the targeted company isn’t an innocent organization, it’s engaged in some seriously shady third-world corruption which has drawn terrorist ire. The flow is very similar to the film otherwise. In fact, every action scene in the film comes right from the book.

It was here that the screenwriters improved the source material. An estranged wife is more humorous and provides romantic friction that goes down like sugar for movie audiences. And making the company an innocent victim and reducing the terrorists to evil thugs out to murder and steal provides a black and white contrast not possible with the somewhat sympathetic villains of the book. Whereas the film was Cowboys and Indians with enjoyable characters, the book is too busy with subtext and its characters struggle to rise above cardboard cutouts.

But what really limits the book is the numbingly amateurish writing. One thing that drove me crazy was Thorp’s irritating habit of describing the action by saying “Leland” did this and “Leland” did that. “Leland” thought this and “Leland” knew better and “Leland was about to do this when “Leland” encountered that. There are large swaths of the book where the word “Leland” feels like it's in every other sentence. I began to consciously edit it out and rephrase sentences as I read them just to maintain my sanity. But it’s not like that everywhere. You’ll get 40 pages of it, then 20 without, then more of it. You can imagine Thorp writing sections at different sittings and using one style on one day and another on the next. It’s really hard to believe a professional writer produced this or any editor ever massaged it. Seriously, it reads like Thorp went to the cabin for a week and cranked this out as a first draft and it just got published sight unseen. I’ve read far, far better writing from self-published authors on Amazon.

...but it's still a rip roaring adventure that doesn't let up.

If you really love “Die Hard” it’s worth your time to read where it came from. Otherwise, just move along.


Tags : Nothing Lasts Forever [Sidney Sheldon] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Three young doctors-their hopes, their dreams, their unexpected desires... Dr. Paige Taylor: She swore it was euthanasia,Sidney Sheldon,Nothing Lasts Forever,Grand Central Publishing,0446354732,General,Hospitals - United States,Mystery fiction,San Francisco (Calif.),Women physicians - United States,American legal system; Surgeons; Mercy killing; Murder trials,FICTION General,Fiction,Fiction - General,MASS MARKET,Modern & contemporary fiction (post c 1945)

Nothing Lasts Forever Sidney Sheldon 9780446354738 Books Reviews

I actually prefer this book over the movie, somewhat. It takes it's ''Terrorists hijack building on Christmas Eve'' scenario much more seriously than the film does. For one thing, the terrorists in the book, are straight up ''terrorists''. It's not a robbery disguised as a terrorist act. The films director, John McTiernan, said that ''I made the suggestion to change it to a robbery, because, you can have fun. There's no fun, in terrorism.'' To that, I say. ''Well, no, its not supposed to be fun, that's why they call it terrorism'' and an act of terrorism on Christmas eve is just about one of the scariest thoughts one could think of, especially today.
I'll warn you, this starts slow. And, because this is a character that has been through a number of previous stories, Thorpe wastes a little time catching readers up on things they really don't care about. Don't let that slow start fool you --- keep reading!

This book offers a window into another time, back when terrorism within the United States was still new, and the country as a whole was still struggling with how to handle it. Everyone, even our intrepid hero, feels more innocent than your average elementary school child in the world of today. No one in the story, except the hero's grandchildren, is completely innocent, and all deserve in some way what they get. I don't care if you've seen the movie a million times, this ending will still shock you. Aspects of the movie can be found here, hints at future Bruce Willis stunts. What made that movie so great, and what makes this book so great, is that their heroes aren't perfect. Every plan they make fails and backfires, every enemy incursion leaves them barely alive. This isn't Die Hard 3/4/5, where a superhero kills all the bad guys. This is the story of a man placed in a horrible situation, struggling to survive and to save his daughter.
I bought this book because of my love for the 1988 Bruce Willis movie "Die Hard", possibly the all-time best action movie. Nothing Lasts Forever was put back into print for the 25th anniversary of Die Hard, which was somewhat loosely based on the novel. The film's central plot and setting (the whole "Die Hard scenario" of one man against impossible odds with little real help from the incompetent authorities), and several of the most memorable action scenes, are straight out of the book. Most of the characters are as well - with the notable exception of the hero. The fairly stereotypical grim, hard-boiled detective Joe Leland (played by Frank Sinatra in a film adaptation of the previous book, The Detective) shares only a few similarities with wisecracking everyman hero John McClane.

The overall tone of the story is the most significant change. The novel is mostly a downer, with Leland frequently reminiscing about his dead wife and the mistakes of his past as he slowly grows more accustomed to dehumanizing and killing his enemies, who are young (and often female) German extremists using terrorism to fight corporate greed - not a ragtag band of thieves only pretending to be terrorists, as seen in the film. In the end, the central theme is that there are no true heroes here. Don't expect a happy ending where our stars ride away into the sunset to the tune of "Let It Snow"...

While it feels almost wrong that the movie pretty much wiped out the novel's grim message about violence and replaced it with bombastic action, I have to say I prefer the 80's action flick over the 70's hard-boiled detective story. Still, I think that (despite all the terrible novel-to-movie adaptations out there) most movies benefit from having a book to provide a narrative backbone. It's probably one reason the original Die Hard stands so far apart from its lackluster sequels.

Oh, and the book is a pretty good read too. Just wish it hadn't been so depressing. But if you like that kind of thing, which a lot of readers do, then it's worth checking out.
If you’re looking at this old book it’s probably because you’re like me and wanted to read the source material for the fabulous 1988 action movie, “Die Hard”, starring Bruce Willis. It’s one of my favorites. I’ve seen it at least a couple dozen times. I finally got the itch to read the book upon which it’s based and while it was enjoyable and as action-packed and fast-paced as the film, it was also inferior in nearly every way.

The book follows the basic outline of the film Out of town law enforcement officer visiting estranged family member becomes trapped in a skyscraper during a terrorist siege and must use his wits to survive and save the day. But there are several significant differences. The hero (Leland) isn’t a cop, he’s a counter-terrorism expert. He’s also much older than John McLean was in the film. The family member isn’t a wife, it’s a daughter. The villains are not thieves masquerading as terrorists, they are actual terrorists. And the targeted company isn’t an innocent organization, it’s engaged in some seriously shady third-world corruption which has drawn terrorist ire. The flow is very similar to the film otherwise. In fact, every action scene in the film comes right from the book.

It was here that the screenwriters improved the source material. An estranged wife is more humorous and provides romantic friction that goes down like sugar for movie audiences. And making the company an innocent victim and reducing the terrorists to evil thugs out to murder and steal provides a black and white contrast not possible with the somewhat sympathetic villains of the book. Whereas the film was Cowboys and Indians with enjoyable characters, the book is too busy with subtext and its characters struggle to rise above cardboard cutouts.

But what really limits the book is the numbingly amateurish writing. One thing that drove me crazy was Thorp’s irritating habit of describing the action by saying “Leland” did this and “Leland” did that. “Leland” thought this and “Leland” knew better and “Leland was about to do this when “Leland” encountered that. There are large swaths of the book where the word “Leland” feels like it's in every other sentence. I began to consciously edit it out and rephrase sentences as I read them just to maintain my sanity. But it’s not like that everywhere. You’ll get 40 pages of it, then 20 without, then more of it. You can imagine Thorp writing sections at different sittings and using one style on one day and another on the next. It’s really hard to believe a professional writer produced this or any editor ever massaged it. Seriously, it reads like Thorp went to the cabin for a week and cranked this out as a first draft and it just got published sight unseen. I’ve read far, far better writing from self-published authors on .

...but it's still a rip roaring adventure that doesn't let up.

If you really love “Die Hard” it’s worth your time to read where it came from. Otherwise, just move along.