I have only read one book authored by Sidney Sheldon who died Tuesday out in the desert at Rancho Mirage. It was his 1991 novel, The Doomsday Conspiracy, on the subject of UFOs. The plot and characters invovled the usual Sheldon formula applied to a global cover-up of a crashed UFO, complete with murdered witnesses and the like. Even though I hadn't read his other work, it still felt like maybe he'd stretched a little too far afield. But then, because I've done a lot of fiction-writing myself in the world of UFO's and aliens, I guess I'm a picky read.
In an author's note at the end of the book, he discusses the research he conducted in order to write the book. He really took no definitive position, preferring to couch most of his thoughts this way:
I have read a dozen books that prove conclusively that flying saucers exist. I have read a dozen books that prove conclusively that flying saucers do not exist.
Still, the last thing Sheldon said on the subject was a quote from Jill Tartar, an astrophysicist and Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence (SETI) project scientist at NASA's Ames Research Center. She said:
There are 400 billion stars in the galaxy. We're made of stardust, really common stuff. In a universe filled with stardust, it's hard to believe that we are the only creatures who could be.
Sheldon, in his writing career, preferred a more Earth-bound creature anyway. As the New York Times put it in today's obituary, he preferred to write about "stalwart women who triumph in a hostile world of ruthless men." Here's how Sheldon put it:
''I like to write about women who are talented and capable, but most important, retain their femininity. Women have tremendous power -- their femininity, because men can't do without it.''
One thing I always admired about Sheldon though was how he had achieved success in film and television and even on Broadway when, at the age of 50, he decided to try a life-change and turn his attention to writing novels. I guess by doing that he proved that you really are the author of your own life.
