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Post by Slam_Bradley on Jan 8, 2018 12:37:02 GMT -5
Haven't read any of the other writers you mention but I intend to try some of them in the future - definitely Pratchett, probably Tom Sharpe, and also a guy named Robert Rankin, some of whose books been reviewed here by Slam Bradley, I believe. Lately I've been reading some earlier English humour, 19th century stuff. Jerome K. Jerome's Three men in a Boat, which you've probably heard of, is one of my favourites. Definitely worth a try if you haven't read it yet. That reminds me - have you read the Flashman series? Historical adventures set in the High-Victorian era. It combines some of the lighter, more humorous kind of British writing with adventure-story thrills and well-researched historical interest. Highly recommended. That would probably have been me. But it would have been back at CBR because I haven't read any Rankin in some time. Rankin sits somewhere between traditional comic fantasy and bizarro writing. He can be a bit hit and miss, but when he hits he tickles my funnybone a lot. I love me some Flashman. I read the series a bit too fast though and burnt out. I need to get back to the later volumes.
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Post by berkley on Jan 8, 2018 12:45:26 GMT -5
Here's a nice sample of Jeeves and Wooster... That's really smart and impressive. Was that bit written for the show? I don't recall it from the Wodehouse stories but I haven't read all of them yet.
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Post by berkley on Jan 8, 2018 12:54:55 GMT -5
Jack of Shadows by Roger Zelazny Zelazny has a sliding scale of writing from the extremely experimental to the very commercial. When he hits a balance between the two it's classic and magic (Lord of Light, Nine Princes in Amber). When he strays too far to one end it can be a tough go on the experimental side (Creatures of Light and Darkness) or a light very fluffy commercial read (The millennial contest with Robert Sheckley). Jack of Shadows skews a tad to the commercial side of Zelazny. There are a few interesting things happening and the first third of the book is actually pretty good. But then it peters out. And the ending is wholly unsatisfying. The world that Jack inhabits doesn't turn. In the side toward the sun science prevails. The dark side is magical. Jack inhabits the border realm and has the ability to move through shadows. Which is a useful skill as Jack is a thief. None of this is terribly well defined. To avoid spoilers the story revolves around Jack seeking revenge for a pretty clear wrong. And it starts out entertaining, if not spectacular. But it peters out 1/3 to 1/2 way through and it's just a bit of a slog to get to the not terribly good ending. Probably worth a read if you're a Zelazny fan (I am). But not highly recommended. This lines up pretty closely with my memories: I recall finding it a decent read but disappointing in comparison to the first Amber series, etc. I disagree with you on Creatures, though: I think it's the most powerful piece of writing Zelazny ever did. Well, maybe disagree is the wrong word, because I can see that it might not be to everyone's taste and certainly isn't as polished as something like Lord of Light. But for me, Zelazny struck deep with that one, and the unevenness - you might even say wildness - is an integral part of the whole effect. Perhaps it was a one-off, a stroke of good fortune that could never be repeated deliberately. I thik I think I read somewhere that Zelazny himself didn't want to publish it in what he considered its unfinished state but someone (another writer?) convinced him to leave it as a it was.
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Post by codystarbuck on Jan 8, 2018 12:59:02 GMT -5
Here's a nice sample of Jeeves and Wooster... That's really smart and impressive. Was that bit written for the show? I don't recall it from the Wodehouse stories but I haven't read all of them yet. They took advantage of Hugh Laurie's musical abilities and had Bertie often playing and singing songs of the era. Once in a while they even got Fry to sing, which terrifies him.
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Post by codystarbuck on Jan 8, 2018 13:02:42 GMT -5
One of the best...
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Post by Slam_Bradley on Jan 8, 2018 13:12:29 GMT -5
Zelazny has a sliding scale of writing from the extremely experimental to the very commercial. When he hits a balance between the two it's classic and magic (Lord of Light, Nine Princes in Amber). When he strays too far to one end it can be a tough go on the experimental side (Creatures of Light and Darkness) or a light very fluffy commercial read (The millennial contest with Robert Sheckley). This lines up pretty closely with my memories: I recall finding it a decent read but disappointing in comparison to the first Amber series, etc. I disagree with you on Creatures, though: I think it's the most powerful piece of writing Zelazny ever did. Well, maybe disagree is the wrong word, because I can see that it might not be to everyone's taste and certainly isn't as polished as something like Lord of Light. But for me, Zelazny struck deep with that one, and the unevenness - you might even say wildness - is an integral part of the whole effect. Perhaps it was a one-off, a stroke of good fortune that could never be repeated deliberately. I thik I think I read somewhere that Zelazny himself didn't want to publish it in what he considered its unfinished state but someone (another writer?) convinced him to leave it as a it was. Yeah...Zelazny never intended it for publication. He wrote it as a writing experiment in perspective. It was Samuel Delany who read it and then convinced Zelazny's editor to demand it be published. I've read it once, many many years ago and only vaguely remember it. I tried to read it again recently and was only able to get through the first one or two set-pieces. Some of that may be that I just don't have time to read anything that takes a lot of thought and contemplation. I'll try one more time at some point. But it will be when I have not much of anything going on.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 9, 2018 12:16:12 GMT -5
Just finished this book. Liked the writing style as the author summarized each day with newspaper articles, radio transcripts & also what was going on in pop culture at the time.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 9, 2018 12:18:34 GMT -5
Just started this one.
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Post by wildfire2099 on Jan 9, 2018 20:50:14 GMT -5
The Black Echo by Michael Connelly
I had been planning to make my 2nd attempt to read about Harry Bosch the one that was recommended by Bearded Batman, but this one presented itself to be at a used book store... I had no idea it was the first book until I popped on good reads.
It definitely doesn't feel like a first book of a series, with Bosch being well established and having had previous adventures that I assumed were earlier books ,which is a positive. The story itself is pretty good, I really thought the characters were well done, from Bosch to his IAD foils Lewis and Clarke to his partner and sorta girlfriend. They very much felt realistic to me, and it was easy to cheer for the good guys and root against the bad ones. They were TONS better than in the later book... which makes sense, of course.
I don't have any particular relation to Vietnam myself, but I do have alot of experience from work with PTSD, so that stuff was really interesting (though I have to say, Bosch overcame it pretty easily, or perhaps his difficulties weren't laid out well)... that was pretty interesting stuff.
The mystery itself had a good mix of stuff that you could figure out easily and a twist at the end I definitely didn't see coming... the style here of having the evidence revealed to the reader as the characters learn it is the one I like the best.
The only downside was the comic book climax, complete with last minute save and villainous monologue. In fact, the 'action' part of the book was a real slog, but the characters and the actual mystery was plenty to make up for it. I could see myself getting a little bored with Bosch's rebel routine.. there's only so many ways a guy can defy orders and piss everyone off and still have his job.. so hopefully future installments don't focus on that so much.
Overall, I liked it alot more that the other one of the series I read!
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Post by Slam_Bradley on Jan 9, 2018 21:12:29 GMT -5
Dancing in the Dark by Stuart Kaminsky A gangster's moll wants dance lessons and only Fred Astaire will do. So Hollywood's favorite P.I., Toby Peters, is called in to get a gangster off the back of Hollywood's favorite hoofer. And since Peters is involved the bodies are going to start to stack up. Along the way, Toby finds what may end up being a new love. A nice entry into a fun series, though I did find one anachronism (a radio show that was mentioned didn't appear until a few years after the book was set).
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Post by wildfire2099 on Jan 15, 2018 0:14:05 GMT -5
City of a Thousand Suns by Samuel R. Delany I think my favorite part of this book is the cover. While there is a plot, its mostly just a box in which to put some (IMO) dated philosphy in... the main plot doesn't really go very far, and ends in a sudden and unsatisfying way. While Delany does turn a few cool phrases, and there's one particular exchange between Jon (the main character) and an old solider that was really profound, most of it was alot of hot air. Granted, this is apparently the 3rd of three books, but the lack of having read the other two definitely wasn't an issue. Other than vague mentions of a 'war', there was really no connection. The intro states that Delany was 22 when this was written, so perhaps he gets more coherent later, but this one is an easy pass.
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Post by wildfire2099 on Jan 19, 2018 9:27:26 GMT -5
The Child Buyer John Hersey Between the cover of the book and the quotes on the back, one would think we've got some kind of techno-horror type novel goin' on here, but what we really have is Hersey's version of A Modest Proposal. The book is entirely framed as a 'hearing' with 3 state senators. One is just a buffoon, and makes random comments throughout that are meant to be funny (though fall a bit flat to this modern reader). One is essentially McCarthyism incarnate, and the third just an average guy. In fact, just about every character is a stereotype that Hersey wishes to lampoon ,from the administrator who speaks only in useless platitudes, to the super aggressive prinicple to the meek yet passive aggressive teacher. There isn't much plot, it's really all political satire. Hersey has quite a bit to say about the educational system... he clearly felt smart kids were being held back by not being singled out. He goes on for quite a while on it, when it's really a pretty basic concept, but I guess one does that when one writes a novel instead of a short story. The Child Buyer himself isn't nearly as creepy as the cover, but really more of a snake oil salesman extolling the virtues of his company. The actual sci fi.. where the company is intending to erase the children's minds they buy to make them into Dune-like Mentats, isn't all that compelling or well developed. There are some parts that are awesome though. Senator Skypack (the McCarthyist) is hilariously obsessed, and the main character's buddy, a 60s deliquent right out of central casting, made me laugh out loud with his poor grammar and brilliant insights. As political satire of 50s middle America, this is pretty well done. Just don't expect a plot or much sci-fi, despite it's classifcation.
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Post by lobsterjohnson on Jan 19, 2018 12:13:24 GMT -5
The Black Echoby Michael Connelly I had been planning to make my 2nd attempt to read about Harry Bosch the one that was recommended by Bearded Batman, but this one presented itself to be at a used book store... I had no idea it was the first book until I popped on good reads. It definitely doesn't feel like a first book of a series, with Bosch being well established and having had previous adventures that I assumed were earlier books ,which is a positive. The story itself is pretty good, I really thought the characters were well done, from Bosch to his IAD foils Lewis and Clarke to his partner and sorta girlfriend. They very much felt realistic to me, and it was easy to cheer for the good guys and root against the bad ones. They were TONS better than in the later book... which makes sense, of course. I don't have any particular relation to Vietnam myself, but I do have alot of experience from work with PTSD, so that stuff was really interesting (though I have to say, Bosch overcame it pretty easily, or perhaps his difficulties weren't laid out well)... that was pretty interesting stuff. The mystery itself had a good mix of stuff that you could figure out easily and a twist at the end I definitely didn't see coming... the style here of having the evidence revealed to the reader as the characters learn it is the one I like the best. The only downside was the comic book climax, complete with last minute save and villainous monologue. In fact, the 'action' part of the book was a real slog, but the characters and the actual mystery was plenty to make up for it. I could see myself getting a little bored with Bosch's rebel routine.. there's only so many ways a guy can defy orders and piss everyone off and still have his job.. so hopefully future installments don't focus on that so much. Overall, I liked it alot more that the other one of the series I read! I have that book, but haven't got around to reading it yet. I have seen some of the Bosch Amazon show which was pretty good.
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Post by Slam_Bradley on Jan 19, 2018 16:13:17 GMT -5
M is For Magic by Neil Gaiman. To be fair, I read about 1/3 of this as it had a small handful of stories that weren't collected in other collections. Of the three I'd not read one was one of Gaiman's earliest stories that had not been previously published. Which made some sense as it was pretty marginal. One of the others was equally old, but a better story, a riff the nursery rhyme detective theme. The third was the first look at Bod Owens and would be incorporated into The Graveyard Book. I like the idea of the book. It's based upon idea behind Bradbury's "S is For Space" and "R is For Rocket", collections for younger readers. The problem is that I've read most of the stories in other places and the few I haven't probably don't add up to enough to make it worth it.
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Post by thwhtguardian on Jan 20, 2018 16:29:43 GMT -5
I just finished Above the Timberline by Gregory Manchess and man was it a fun ride. Set in a far flung arctic future it's a great steam punk adventure story that feels like a classic pulp adventure, and the hand painted illustrations(also by Manchess) are simply stunning:
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