I have been a fan of the Syfy Channel show Destination Truth since the first season. When I heard that there was a Destination Truth book in the works, I had certain expectations. I thought it would be a companion piece to the show (and it is - of sorts). I thought it would mostly be a fluff piece: some stuff about monsters, a little behind-the-scenes stuff; another easy media tie-in for a market that eats them like candy.

 

What I didn't expect was the astounding quality of the writing. There are two possibilities:

1. The book was ghostwritten, and the ghost writer did an incredible job of capturing Gates' "voice."

2. Gates wrote the book himself, and is just a far better writer than you might expect from a Syfy Channel TV show host.

 

About 98% of media biographies are ghostwritten, because 98% of celebrities are too stupid to write their own. But hiring a ghost writer costs money, and it doesn't seem like Destination Truth is high-profile enough to warrant it. Plus, Gates graduated from Tufts with degrees in both archeology and drama, which gives him some intellectual cred. (And would a ghost writer have the guts to drop a $20 word like "tenebrous" into the memoirs of a television personality?)

 

The book is structured as short chapters, each one an essay. Most of the essays are kind of like a director's commentary track for investigations. Gates is able to evoke locales and emotions with a few deft strokes, and all with his ever-present, good-natured humor. A few essays take a different direction: some are about travel itself, others about family, non-DT adventures, and more.

 

Many people will be reading the book for show gossip. Why did crew member so-and-so leave the show? Who is this mysterious girlfriend (referenced only as "my girlfriend")? What's the real story about the necklace? I'll just tell you up front, the book is admirably gossip-free.