Sometimes a lot of exciting things happen in a short span of time, and that’s the case for May.

MAY 15 

For starters, in the United States on May 15, the film adaptation of my novel FIRST BLOOD will be re-released theatrically all over the country for one day.  The film is 26 years old.  I''m proud that the movie still has life in theaters.  This showing will include the alternate ending in which Rambo dies (he dies in the novel as well, but in a different way).  There will also be an interview with Sylvester Stallone.

MAY 20 

The re-release of FIRST BLOOD is intended to promote the DVD release of the recent RAMBO movie.  In a prior WHAT’S NEW, I posted an enthusiastic review of the film.  Although the movie is extremely violent, the violence has a purpose, and Rambo’s character is presented in a way that’s consistent with my novel.  If you missed my review, it’s now on the FAQ page of this website.  In fact, my review might be printed in the DVD packet for the movie.  I spoke to the DVD’s producer, and he told me that there’ll be a lot of extra features.

Simultaneously, on May 20, FIRST BLOOD will be re-released on DVD.  I did the audio commentary for a prior edition, which was discontinued when a new distributor brought out a DVD version that had a commentary by Sylvester.  Now both our commentaries will be available along with a really good documentary about how the novel was adapted into the movie.  That documentary, too, was featured on an earlier DVD release and was then discontinued.  It’s good to have all this material available again. (I make an appearance in the documentary.  For some reason, I look orange.  I assure you I’m in good health.)

But I’m not finished.  Also on May 20, the paperback of my latest novel SCAVENGER is being released (it might be in stores a little earlier, but May 20 is the official pub date).  The book has a new cover that emphasizes the action in the story.  It's in the right hand column of this page.  I’m thrilled to see this new incarnation of the book and the quote from Booklist’s review:  “This is just a wonderful novel, a near perfect balance of thriller, horror, and historical mystery. . . . Morrell has a reputation for smart, tightly written, genre-bending fiction, but here he exceeds himself, producing a superbly entertaining novel that will attract readers from multiple genres.”

I’m still not through.  Also on May 20, another boxed set of ROUTE 66 is being released on DVD.  This set includes the first half of SEASON TWO.  The opening episode, “A Month of Sundays” was filmed in Butte, Montana, when the copper mine there was in full swing.  It’s one of the top ten episodes of the series.  A later episode features Suzanne Pleshette.  The camera sure liked her.  Alas, she is no longer with us.

As I have often said, Stirling Silliphant’s scripts for this classic TV series are what motivated me to become a writer.

Whew.  All of this takes my breath away.  I hope you get a chance to enjoy some of it.  I guess that ROUTE 66 title I just mentioned applies here.  For me, this May is a month of Sundays.

FIRST BLOOD

It’s interesting to me that the new RAMBO movie has sparked renewed interest in my debut 1972 novel FIRST BLOOD, which is mentioned explicitly in the film’s end credits.  Some long-time fans of my work had somehow not read the novel for which I’m most well-known. But the movie prompted them to finally check it out. Many got in touch with me to say how surprised they were by the difference between the novel and the film. You might want to take a look. It’s a good movie, but as I like to joke, the novel is "War is hell" while the movie is "War is heck."

Happy reading.