Born on this day – Roderick Thorp:

Roderick Thorp

Writer

September 1, 1936 – April 28, 1999

Credits:

Books:

Devlin (1992); Dionysus (1969); Hot Pursuit (2014); Into The Forest (1961); Jenny and Barnum (1981); Nothing Lasts Forever / aka Die Hard (1979); Orbit 6 (1970); Rainbow Drive (1986); River (1995); Slaves (1977); The Circle of Love (1974); The Detective (1966); The Music of Their Laughter (1970); Westfield (1977); Wives (1971).

Movies, television and video games:

A Good Day to Die Hard (2013); Deep Down (1994); Devlin (1992); Die Hard (1988); Die Hard / Video Game (1990); Die Hard 2 (1990); Die Hard with a Vengeance (1995); Easter (2023–2025); Live Free or Die Hard (2007); Rainbow Drive (1990); The Detective (1968); The Movies That Made Us (2019); Unsolved Mysteries (1996).

Recommended reading:

Nothing Lasts Forever

By Roderick Thorp.

Filmed as Die Hard (1988).

Published by Graymalkin Media.

First published 1979.

Paperback.

ISBN-10: 1935169181

ISBN-13: 978-1935169185

Description:

The pulse pounding bestseller that started it all.

Inspiration for the film Die Hard.

The greatest action film of all time. – Entertainment Weekly.

A ferocious, bloody, raging book so single-mindedly brilliant in concept and execution it should be read at a single sitting. – Los Angeles Times.

Keeps us in a state of almost unequaled suspense and excitement! – The New Yorker.

High atop a Los Angeles skyscraper, an office Christmas party turns into a deadly cage-match between a lone New York City cop and a gang of international terrorists. Every action fan knows it could only be the explosive big-screen blockbuster Die Hard. But before Bruce Willis blew away audiences as unstoppable hero John McClane, author Roderick Thorp knocked out thriller readers with the bestseller that started it all.

A dozen heavily armed terrorists have taken hostages, issued demands, and promised bloodshed – all according to plan. But they haven't counted on a death-defying, one-man cavalry with no shoes, no backup, and no intention of going down easily. As hot-headed cops swarm outside, and cold-blooded killers wield machine guns and rocket launchers inside, the stage is set for the ultimate showdown between anti-hero and uber-villains. Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good fight … to the death. Ho ho ho!

On this day in movie history - Die Hard (1988 movie & novel):

Die Hard

directed by John McTiernan,

written by Jeb Stuart and Steven E. de Souza,

based on the novel Nothing Lasts Forever by Roderick Thorp,

was released in the United States on July 22, 1988.
Music by Michael Kamen.

Cast:

Bruce Willis, Alan Rickman, Alexander Godunov, Bonnie Bedelia, Reginald VelJohnson, Paul Gleason, De'voreaux White, William Atherton, Clarence Gilyard, Hart Bochner, James Shigeta, Bruno Doyon, Andreas Wisniewski, Joey Plewa, Lorenzo Caccialanza, Gerard Bonn, Dennis Hayden, Al Leong, Gary Roberts, Hans Buhringer, Wilhelm von Homburg, Robert Davi, Grand L. Bush, Tracy Reiner, Taylor Fry, Noah Land.

Recommended reading:

Nothing Lasts Forever

By Roderick Thorp.

Filmed as Die Hard (1988).

Published by Graymalkin Media.

First published 1979.

Paperback.

ISBN-10: 1935169181

ISBN-13: 978-1935169185

Description:

The pulse pounding bestseller that started it all.

Inspiration for the film Die Hard.

The greatest action film of all time. – Entertainment Weekly.

A ferocious, bloody, raging book so single-mindedly brilliant in concept and execution it should be read at a single sitting. – Los Angeles Times.

Keeps us in a state of almost unequaled suspense and excitement! – The New Yorker.

High atop a Los Angeles skyscraper, an office Christmas party turns into a deadly cage-match between a lone New York City cop and a gang of international terrorists. Every action fan knows it could only be the explosive big-screen blockbuster Die Hard. But before Bruce Willis blew away audiences as unstoppable hero John McClane, author Roderick Thorp knocked out thriller readers with the bestseller that started it all.

A dozen heavily armed terrorists have taken hostages, issued demands, and promised bloodshed – all according to plan. But they haven't counted on a death-defying, one-man cavalry with no shoes, no backup, and no intention of going down easily. As hot-headed cops swarm outside, and cold-blooded killers wield machine guns and rocket launchers inside, the stage is set for the ultimate showdown between anti-hero and uber-villains. Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good fight … to the death. Ho ho ho!