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Post by Slam_Bradley on Sept 10, 2021 10:58:10 GMT -5
The War Lord of the Air by Michael Moorcock.  I've read the vast majority of Moorcock's work up to about 1985-86, but haven't revisited any (except Behold the Man) since then. One of these days I'll get another look at them. I do remember the Bastable books being divisive among my friends, probably because they were more used to Moorcock's straight up fantasy work. |
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Post by berkley on Sept 10, 2021 12:54:41 GMT -5
I read that first Bastable book, but so long ago I don't recall much about it, other than at the time I found it an enjoyable read but not so much that I ranked it with my favourite Moorcock books. It's one that I'll want to re-read someday, though, before going on to the rest of the series.
Moorcock also edited at least a couple of anthologies of SF actually written during that late-19th-early-20th century period, Before Armageddon and England Invaded.
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Post by Slam_Bradley on Sept 12, 2021 11:55:57 GMT -5
 Butcher's Dozen by Max Allan Collins
Collins returns to Eliot Ness during his time as Safety Director for the City of Cleveland as Ness takes on the most important criminal case in Cleveland history, The Torso Murders. Ness was historically involved in the Torso Murders and Collins does a good job of weaving historical fact in with the fictional narrative. The murders went unsolved, though Ness believed he found the murderer, but would have been unable to have obtained a conviction. Here, Collins uses a fictional proxy for Ness' preferred killer, one that is almost as politically connected as the individual that Ness believed was the killer. Collins is a master at the historical detective novel. And while the Ness books aren't on par with his Heller novels, they're still a good read that deftly blends history and fiction. |
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Post by wildfire2099 on Sept 12, 2021 19:51:31 GMT -5
Guns Along the Rio
by Jack Stanley
For the first time in quite a while, I had a need to grab something to read on a car trip on my device, and this looked pretty interesting.
I don't really have any knowledge of the history of the Rangers... so I'm not sure if this is actually depicting a real event with a POV character added in, or if they historical figures are just name dropped in. Based on the level of detail, I suspect it's a real (probably time condensed) event.
It was definitely a good story... it focuses on Trace LeFon, a young Ranger who signed up to keep out of trouble, and his partner. The book does a great job with the setting and relations between the different groups of people (both ethically and ethnically). The story itself is kinda slow, and it seems awfully easy for the Rangers to win in the end... the bad guys have serious Stormtrooper Syndrome, but at least it makes sense since they're outlaws with bad equipment.
Overall, I definitely wanted to finish it and would be happy to read the next one on my next trip. Hopefully the formatting issues (in more than one chapter the last paragraph of one was repeated in the next one) and typos (there were several) will be better.
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Post by EdoBosnar on Sept 13, 2021 12:18:19 GMT -5
The Empty ChairDiane Duane, 2006  The conclusion of the Rihannsu saga (the initial books of which I covered in a review on the preceding page). Picking up where the preceding novel, Swordhunt, left off, the Enterprise is now deep in Romulan space and Capt. Kirk and the rest of the crew, are now closely working with the renegade Commander Ael and her crew on the Bloodwing to assist a full-blown rebellion by the Romulan outer colonies against the homeworlds. Ael has become something of a symbol and focus for many of the rebelling Romulans. The Enterprise is meanwhile in a rather odd position of aiding their former enemies, and becoming deeply involved in Romulan internal politics, while Capt. Kirk is also acting on sealed orders from the very highest instances in the Federation (so that pretty much nobody in Star Fleet Command is entirely sure what he's up to). Again, this is a very enjoyable book. In fact, even if the Star Trek elements were stripped away it would still work as an action-packed space opera tale peppered with a few pretty solid hard SF elements. As someone who occasionally geeks out about Trek continuity, I'd say my only criticism would be the conclusion, which sees relations between the Romulan Empire and the Federation placed on a rather positive footing - so it doesn't quite square with the way Federation/Romulan relations are portrayed in TNG, even though Duane herself stated in the afterword to the aforementioned Rihannsu omnibus that wanted to reconcile events in her novels with the portrayal of the Romulans we see there. However, I can't really hold that against this saga, because it's just so masterfully plotted and well written. Otherwise, there's also more title page fun here (well played, Pocket Books, well played): 
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Post by wildfire2099 on Sept 16, 2021 22:33:43 GMT -5
Island of the Squined Love Nun
by Christopher Moore
I decided to pick a different book for my 2nd foray into the world of Christopher Moore, instead of going with the next Pine Cove book... I just didn't really think I needed to know more about the other characters.
Who knew a fruit bat could be a cool character? This book put me in mind of Douglas Adams more than anything, which is a good thing. Tucker Case is a classic lovable loser who, of course ends up trying to bumble his way into being a hero. It kinda works. with the help of the spirit of an old WWII pilot, Roberto (the fruit bat) and an old Cannibal who one actually manages to root for.
I definitely would to find something about real life cargo cults now, too.. that's my next internet search... the concept is intriguing, and definitely just begs for good stories. This is one of them... not great (it was 100% predictable and more than a bit over the top). but definitely entertaining with alot of great lines to make you smile and think at the same time.
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Post by Slam_Bradley on Sept 17, 2021 10:36:16 GMT -5
 Confess, Fletch by Gregory McDonaldFletch is back and this time he's matching wits (sort of) with Boston Police Inspector Francis Xavier Flynn. Fletch has flown from his villa in Italy to Boston to look for some paintings that have been stolen from his fiancé's family. As he returns to the apartment he's obtained through a trading service, he finds a young lady who has been murdered in the apartment. Fletch, of course, is the prime suspect even though he has no motive and called the police. Inspector Flynn, who is assigned the case, is a character, as is Fletch, so the interplay between them is excellent. While attempting to avoid being charged with murder (and doing his own investigation of the death) Fletch also tries to track down information about the stolen paintings, which include an unknown Picasso. So we have another Fletch mystery that's really two mysteries. We also have an interesting twist on the classic noir theme of the innocent man who is accused of murder. Because, while Fletch is suspected of murder, Flynn is a canny enough investigator not to charge him without having a case that can withstand scrutiny at trial. Fynn is another great smart character that McDonald spun off in to a short series of novels. Another fun somewhat breezy novel that doesn't drop off in quality from the original. |
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Post by wildfire2099 on Sept 19, 2021 7:50:19 GMT -5
Lethal Pursuit
by WIll Thomas
My wife recently read the first book of this series, so I was reminded that 2 more books had come out since I read it. I wasn't sure the book would still work with Llewelyn married and made a partner, but it did.
Granted, he's still clearly the assistant (which was a bit disappointing), but it did make sense in the context of the story, both due to the stakes, and the sub plot with the Templars.
Rachel was woven in seemlessly, and managed to be part of the story without either dominating it, or changing the general vibe of the book. Sure there was alot of times characters said 'remember, you have a wife at home', but it was, for the most part logical.
The story itself was quite fun... Barker and Llewelyn are asked by the Prime Minister to assist in couriering a manuscript, which may or may not have been stolen from Germany, and which may or may not be a lost Gospel. EVERYONE wants it, and the 'secret' that the agency is transporting it is., of course, known to all.
A very fun, fact paced entry to the series, which has a fantastically clever resolution and opens the door for a pretty big change to the status quo that could be really interesting.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 21, 2021 22:15:10 GMT -5
 Pick Up on Noon Street by Raymond Chandler. This is the first time I've read Chandler's short fiction. I'd only read novels of his before. Of course, the novels made me a big fan, but sometimes writers who excel in the long form don't fare as well with shorter fiction. This is not the case with Chandler, as all four stories were very good here. I'd say I like the novels a bit more because Chandler has more room to explore and develop the characters, but I still like the shorts quite a bit. -M |
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Post by berkley on Sept 21, 2021 23:20:34 GMT -5
Pick Up on Noon Street by Raymond Chandler. This is the first time I've read Chandler's short fiction. I'd only read novels of his before. Of course, the novels made me a big fan, but sometimes writers who excel in the long form don't fare as well with shorter fiction. This is not the case with Chandler, as all four stories were very good here. I'd say I like the novels a bit more because Chandler has more room to explore and develop the characters, but I still like the shorts quite a bit. -M
I should check this to make sure, but I think a lot of the short stories were written earlier in his career when he was still developing his style. And some of the ones with Marlowe as the protagonist were actually older stories with some other character whose name was changed later on to cash in on the popularity of Marlowe. Anyway, by the time he started doing the novels, he had honed his style to perfection, so they are generally superior, or more consistent. But I agree, there are lots of nice things to be found in the stories too.
I like the covers on those Ballantine paperbacks, forget the artist's name, if Iever knew it. I think they capture the right mood for the books and the period, though if that's meant to be Marlowe he's probably a bit too smiley for the character.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 22, 2021 0:38:32 GMT -5
Pick Up on Noon Street by Raymond Chandler. This is the first time I've read Chandler's short fiction. I'd only read novels of his before. Of course, the novels made me a big fan, but sometimes writers who excel in the long form don't fare as well with shorter fiction. This is not the case with Chandler, as all four stories were very good here. I'd say I like the novels a bit more because Chandler has more room to explore and develop the characters, but I still like the shorts quite a bit. -M I should check this to make sure, but I think a lot of the short stories were written earlier in his career when he was still developing his style. And some of the ones with Marlowe as the protagonist were actually older stories with some other character whose name was changed later on to cash in on the popularity of Marlowe. Anyway, by the time he started doing the novels, he had honed his style to perfection, so they are generally superior, or more consistent. But I agree, there are lots of nice things to be found in the stories too.
I like the covers on those Ballantine paperbacks, forget the artist's name, if Iever knew it. I think they capture the right mood for the books and the period, though if that's meant to be Marlowe he's probably a bit too smiley for the character.
None of the four stories in this collection featured Marlowe. the four were: Pick Up at Noon Street (Pete Anglish is the protagonist) Nevada Gas (Johnny DeRuse) Smart-aleck Kill (Johnny Dalmos) Guns at Cyrano's (Ted Carmady) -M |
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Post by Slam_Bradley on Sept 22, 2021 9:24:55 GMT -5
I should check this to make sure, but I think a lot of the short stories were written earlier in his career when he was still developing his style. And some of the ones with Marlowe as the protagonist were actually older stories with some other character whose name was changed later on to cash in on the popularity of Marlowe. Anyway, by the time he started doing the novels, he had honed his style to perfection, so they are generally superior, or more consistent. But I agree, there are lots of nice things to be found in the stories too.
I like the covers on those Ballantine paperbacks, forget the artist's name, if Iever knew it. I think they capture the right mood for the books and the period, though if that's meant to be Marlowe he's probably a bit too smiley for the character.
None of the four stories in this collection featured Marlowe. the four were: Pick Up at Noon Street (Pete Anglish is the protagonist) Nevada Gas (Johnny DeRuse) Smart-aleck Kill (Johnny Dalmos) Guns at Cyrano's (Ted Carmady) -M It's been eons since I've read any of Chandler's short stories. He's obviously one of the guys who came up through Black Mask and the other detective pulps so he was a very good short story writer. He used a lot of his short stories, in whole or in part, in his novels, so some of them can definitely promote deja vu. I believe all four of these, along with four others and a couple of essays were printed in The Simple Art of Murder, which I read almost 10 years ago. |
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Post by Prince Hal on Sept 22, 2021 10:56:19 GMT -5
Pick Up on Noon Street by Raymond Chandler. This is the first time I've read Chandler's short fiction. I'd only read novels of his before. Of course, the novels made me a big fan, but sometimes writers who excel in the long form don't fare as well with shorter fiction. This is not the case with Chandler, as all four stories were very good here. I'd say I like the novels a bit more because Chandler has more room to explore and develop the characters, but I still like the shorts quite a bit. -M
I like the covers on those Ballantine paperbacks, forget the artist's name, if Iever knew it. I think they capture the right mood for the books and the period, though if that's meant to be Marlowe he's probably a bit too smiley for the character.
Richard Waldrep. He did these, too, among many others:   |
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Post by Slam_Bradley on Sept 22, 2021 14:19:39 GMT -5
 The Elephant of Surprise by Joe R. Lansdale. Lansdale is one of my two favorite current authors (Gaiman is the other and Lansdale is far more prolific). And I love most of his work. And I've been a huge fan of Hap & Leonard since they first appeared almost 35 years ago. And while the series has had its ups and downs I thought the previous two books had been a great return to style. So I really looked forward to The Elephant of Surprise. Unfortunately it was probably my second least favorite of the series, slightly better than Honky Tonk Samurai. This one just really didn't feel like Hap & Leonard. It felt like Hap & Leonardesque characters put in to a Die Hard film. And not the original, but one of the later sequels where John McClain had become a Superman and the writers just weren't trying any more. Part of it is the re-appearance of the "Dixie mafia" which as, in my opinion, always brought out the worst in the series. It also reinvigorates the "escalating threat level" which has also been a problem at times. This one had that in spades. The heart of the series has always been the interplay between the main characters and, to a lesser extent, their interplay with the extended cast. Here, the interplay between Hap and Leonard seemed subdued, and the interplay with their friends and family was almost non-existent. So that was a problem. Which is not to say that the book was without redeeming value. Even not so good Lansdale is generally pretty good. And it was definitely nice to see that, at least Hap, was coming to the conclusion that maybe they're "too old for this shit." Which does raise and issue, if you're of a mind to think about it. The early novels, Savage Season, in particular, were very rooted in their time. Leonard was a Vietnam vet. Hap had done time for failing to report to the draft. So, unless the new novels are set somewhat in the past or there's some kind of time compression the boys are at least in their late 60s. So...they're too old for this shit. Mostly I just let it slide...but it pokes at a guy's subconscious. For all that, the books okay. I just really wanted to like it more. It's weak Hap and Leonard. And as I read it in the wake of the death of Michael K. Williams that hurt a little more. But I still love those characters. |
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Post by EdoBosnar on Sept 22, 2021 14:59:47 GMT -5
(...) Which is not to say that the book was without redeeming value. Even not so good Lansdale is generally pretty good. And it was definitely nice to see that, at least Hap, was coming to the conclusion that maybe they're "too old for this shit." Which does raise and issue, if you're of a mind to think about it. The early novels, Savage Season, in particular, were very rooted in their time. Leonard was a Vietnam vet. Hap had done time for failing to report to the draft. So, unless the new novels are set somewhat in the past or there's some kind of time compression the boys are at least in their late 60s. So...they're too old for this shit. Mostly I just let it slide...but it pokes at a guy's subconscious. (...) Yeah, he can't very well claim there's a sliding time-scale like in the Marvel U. That's one thing I like about Max Allan Collins' approach to Quarry when he started writing novels featuring the character in the mid-'00s after an almost 20 year break: he just sets them in various points in the Quarry's past in the 1970s or 1980s.
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