User:Michael Kurland

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Welcome to the world and works of author Michael Kurland.

In commenting on his novels, various reviewers have said:

That such material entertains for page after page is a tribute to Kurland's remarkable talent. Multiple plots leapfrog across chapters in a perfect pace. Surprises abound. --- Publisher's Weekly

Kurland demonstrates a keen ear for dialog, comedic scenes and witty personalities. -- Chicago Tribune

Kurland has the talent to create and sustain interesting characters and he paces his fiction so well it sails along with the reader in tow -- happily in tow. A good read. -- Science Fiction Review

And reviewers of his non-fiction have enthused [Bill Pronzini hates the word "enthused." It's used here just to annoy him.]:

"...a valuable contribution to the field... Congratulations again on this very nice publication." -- Lawrence Koblensky, PhD. (Prof. Forensic Science, John Jay College of Criminal Justice) This is absorbing stuff, a literate walk on the shady side of the street. -- Jackie Loohaus, The Milwaukee Journal

And the author, this Michael Kurland, what sort of fellow is he? A plump, middle-aged man with greying hair and mild, hazel eyes looking out from behind wire-rim glasses, Author Michael Kurland has the perpetually nervous look of a rabbit invited to lunch at the Lions' Club. He has been a teacher of obscure subjects to uninterested children, the editor of a magazine even more idiosyncratic than himself, a seeker of absent persons, an explainer of the obscure to the befuddled, and guest lecturer at numerous unrelated institutions and events. But he has never wandered far from his chosen profession of scrivener for very long, since he finds the fawning idolatry of his fans a useful counterbalance to the disinterest of landlords and the disapproval of bank managers.

      When asked why he writes, Kurland quotes Robert Burns:

                   Some rhyme a neebor's name to lash;
                   Some rhyme (vain thought) for needfu' cash;
                   Some rhyme to court the country clash,
                      An' raise a din;
                   For me, an aim I never fash;
                      I rhyme for fun.

Kurland is mainly known for his fiction, but in his numerous non-fiction works he has had a chance to thoroughly explore his fascination with the miscellaneous. He has written on topics as diverse as forensic science, criminal law, memory, espionage, amateur radio, and the history of crime in America, and his non-fiction books have been selections of the Military Book Club, the Readers' Digest Book Club and the Writers' Digest Book Club, among others. Kurland also bears some responsibility for The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Search for Extraterrestrial Life, and The Complete Idiot's Guide to Unsolved Mysteries but not for the titles. In The Complete Idiot's Guide to Improving Your Memory, written with Richard Lupoff, Kurland successfully conceals the fact that he can seldom remember what day it is or where he put his glass eye.