|
Post by Slam_Bradley on Sept 10, 2018 17:02:53 GMT -5
Miles to Lost Dog Creek by Ron Scheer Gideon Miles is on vacation to see an aunt he hasn't seen in years. But he gets drawn into a jailbreak and a vendetta that leaves him assisting the local sheriff and trying to save a young black teen from continuing to make very poor choices. This is a relatively weak entry in the series. It's not that there's anything inherently wrong with it. It almost certainly suffers from its very short length. None of the antagonists really have any discernible personality and their motivations are paper thin. There just isn't enough happening here for me to recommend it unless you're looking for a quick free read. It does include the added story “Origin of White Deer” by series creator Edward A. Grainger and Chuck Tyrell. I read this one in one of the collections of Grainger's stories of Laramie and Miles and recall it being pretty decent. Since Grainger's books have inexplicably disappeared from the Kindle store this is a decent way to read the backstory of Cash Laramie. Otherwise you can probably pass on this one.
|
|
|
Post by Slam_Bradley on Sept 10, 2018 17:34:19 GMT -5
Chuck Amuck by Chuck Jones. This book is a bit hard to classify. It's mostly a memoir. It's certainly not an autobiography. Jones delves into his life (though not in great detail or in any real order). He talks about his work (though there are large blanks). He talks about the evolution of the Warner Cartoon characters...a little bit. And some about his theories of art...kind of. Largely it's an almost stream of consciousness look at Chuck Jones. And that's okay. Because there was a lot of interesting stuff in Chuck Jones' head. I'd read this one before but it had been a long time. This time around I read it in little bits here and there as I had a bit of time. And it worked pretty well that way. Kind of like a Looney Tunes cartoon. Jones' cartoons were ubiquitous in my youth...his Warner work and his later work both at MGM and for his own production company. Because of the way the Warner cartoons were packaged Jones work, along with that of Friz Freleng and Bob McKimson were more readily accessible that those of Tex Avery, Bob Clampett and Frank Tashlin. I would dearly love a good biography of Jones (I'd say one is far overdue) with a serious look at his directorial style and his influence on popular culture. But I really did love this look into Chuck's mind.
|
|
|
Post by wildfire2099 on Sept 10, 2018 23:10:48 GMT -5
That certainly sounds interesting... Chuck Jones will always have a special place in my heart.. he was the first artist who's work I recognized when watching cartoons. Frightby Cornell Woolrich No PI or smoky office here.. just a guy, Preston Marshall. He makes a mistake one day, and tries to keep it a secret from his fiancée, until it comes home to roost on his wedding day. He thinks he takes care of it.. but it haunts him, as he flees to 'a faraway city' to try to start over with his new wife.. but are the authorities on his trail? While I can see why this book isn't for everyone, the timing of quite a few of the scenes is just brilliant.. it's a great look inside the head of a man trying to deal with what could be considered an eternal struggle... does he tell his wife what's happened, and risk losing her, or keep it a secret and risk losing her because of his erratic actions? Things got a little weird at the end, and took more of a turn than I expected, but it made sense once all was made clear. Also, the irony of the postscript was awesome. I was able to get another little lot of Hard Case crime books on Ebay (10 in this one).. so I've got a few more that I'll be reading soon
|
|
|
Post by Slam_Bradley on Sept 10, 2018 23:36:26 GMT -5
That certainly sounds interesting... Chuck Jones will always have a special place in my heart.. he was the first artist who's work I recognized when watching cartoons. Frightby Cornell Woolrich No PI or smoky office here.. just a guy, Preston Marshall. He makes a mistake one day, and tries to keep it a secret from his fiancée, until it comes home to roost on his wedding day. He thinks he takes care of it.. but it haunts him, as he flees to 'a faraway city' to try to start over with his new wife.. but are the authorities on his trail? While I can see why this book isn't for everyone, the timing of quite a few of the scenes is just brilliant.. it's a great look inside the head of a man trying to deal with what could be considered an eternal struggle... does he tell his wife what's happened, and risk losing her, or keep it a secret and risk losing her because of his erratic actions? Things got a little weird at the end, and took more of a turn than I expected, but it made sense once all was made clear. Also, the irony of the postscript was awesome. I was able to get another little lot of Hard Case crime books on Ebay (10 in this one).. so I've got a few more that I'll be reading soon I have that one on tap to read soonish. Maybe I’ll move it up. How much Woolrich have you read?
|
|
|
Post by wildfire2099 on Sept 11, 2018 14:25:35 GMT -5
This was the first... most of my previous Mystery/detective stuff I'd read was more modern... it was only recently (after see you guys post and review stuff) that I started looking into the older Noir stuff.
I'd definitely read another if I came across it.
|
|
|
Post by Slam_Bradley on Sept 11, 2018 14:36:35 GMT -5
This was the first... most of my previous Mystery/detective stuff I'd read was more modern... it was only recently (after see you guys post and review stuff) that I started looking into the older Noir stuff. I'd definitely read another if I came across it. I've read about half of his stuff but it's been a while for most of it. I binged on his work about six or seven years back. Very atmospheric with frequently nonsensical plots.
|
|
|
Post by berkley on Sept 11, 2018 16:45:34 GMT -5
This was the first... most of my previous Mystery/detective stuff I'd read was more modern... it was only recently (after see you guys post and review stuff) that I started looking into the older Noir stuff. I'd definitely read another if I came across it. I've read about half of his stuff but it's been a while for most of it. I binged on his work about six or seven years back. Very atmospheric with frequently nonsensical plots. I was a shade disappointed the one Cornell Woolrich book I've tried - The Bride Wore Black - not that it was all that bad, just not quite as special as I'd been hoping for. Which do you recommend?
|
|
|
Post by Slam_Bradley on Sept 11, 2018 17:44:17 GMT -5
I've read about half of his stuff but it's been a while for most of it. I binged on his work about six or seven years back. Very atmospheric with frequently nonsensical plots. I was a shade disappointed the one Cornell Woolrich book I've tried - The Bride Wore Black - not that it was all that bad, just not quite as special as I'd been hoping for. Which do you recommend? I guess I'd probably recommend Rendezvous in Black. It's generally regarded as his best work and I remember really liking it when I read it. But then I liked The Bride Wore Black. You should probably avoid Black Alibi (also highly regarded) as it is quite similar to The Bride Wore Black, particularly in its structure. The thing with Woolrich, is that you read it for the atmosphere. His structure of his works tends to be similar and it's fairly formalized. And his conclusions frequently make little to no sense. It's all about the dark atmosphere he he creates along the way. If you don't like Rendezvous it's very likely he just ain't gonna be your cuppa.
|
|
|
Post by Slam_Bradley on Sept 12, 2018 15:43:09 GMT -5
Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke In which Slam courts controversy. This is a re-read. But It's been every bit of 35 years since I last read this. And let me preface by saying that I've read a LOT of classic science fiction. I've read more than representative amounts of most of the masters, from pulp through golden age through new wave. Even the ones I don't love I can at least appreciate. But...DAMN...I don't get Arthur C. Clarke. The only thing of his that I've ever actually liked is The Star and it's been at least 25 years since I've read it. And it was a pretty short short-story. It's not the hardness of the SF. While I don't love Hal Clement, I appreciate his work and it doesn't get any harder than that. Clarke just leaves me completely cold. But I'm re-reading (or reading for the first time) a lot of classic SF. And this is generally viewed as the pinnacle of Clarke's early work. It's a re-working and expansion of a short work, which is pretty standard for any SF "novel" from before at least the early 60s. And overall I don't have a problem with that. I grew up with that. So fine. The plot is fairly simple. Alien overlords intervene in Earth for...reasons. They leave them a mystery until the end. And okay. I guess that's fine. The first part of the story (originally a short story) is about that intervention and why Earthers can't be allowed to see the Overlords until they're ready with just a tiny bit of wanna be rebellion thrown in. Ultimately we get the big reveal...and...neat-o. We then segue into a few storylines that include an attempt by a man to reach the stars (forbidden by the Overlords for...reasons), a internal short-story about a party, and an attempt to build a Utopian island within island Earth that ultimately gives us The Golden Child(ren). All of which ultimately adds up too...not very damn much. Even more unfortunate is that Clarke seems to eschew science about halfway through to give us a metaphysical twist that doesn't make a hell of a lot of sense. There are those books that I just can't put down. Then there are those books that are challenging and take some time because you need to chew over them...and that's fine. This one just drug. I had to force myself to finish and I still just skimmed the last chapter and a half to get it the Hell done with. I suspect I'll revisit Clarke again and try to find out why he's so revered. But it's going to be a while. And this one. This one won't get another re-read.
|
|
|
Post by codystarbuck on Sept 12, 2018 22:01:26 GMT -5
Chuck Amuck by Chuck Jones. This book is a bit hard to classify. It's mostly a memoir. It's certainly not an autobiography. Jones delves into his life (though not in great detail or in any real order). He talks about his work (though there are large blanks). He talks about the evolution of the Warner Cartoon characters...a little bit. And some about his theories of art...kind of. Largely it's an almost stream of consciousness look at Chuck Jones. And that's okay. Because there was a lot of interesting stuff in Chuck Jones' head. I'd read this one before but it had been a long time. This time around I read it in little bits here and there as I had a bit of time. And it worked pretty well that way. Kind of like a Looney Tunes cartoon. Jones' cartoons were ubiquitous in my youth...his Warner work and his later work both at MGM and for his own production company. Because of the way the Warner cartoons were packaged Jones work, along with that of Friz Freleng and Bob McKimson were more readily accessible that those of Tex Avery, Bob Clampett and Frank Tashlin. I would dearly love a good biography of Jones (I'd say one is far overdue) with a serious look at his directorial style and his influence on popular culture. But I really did love this look into Chuck's mind. Read this when it came out (used to own the hardcover) and his follow up. There are tons of great, amusing stories, about Termite Terrace and the people who worked for Schlessinger and Eddie Selzer (who took over). I have also heard some criticism of Jones, from Bill Menendez, with John Krikfalusi, who said Jones and his animation team could be rather arrogant. For the most part, it seems like the teams and the directors got along; but, there were egos at play. A more comprehensive, outsider perspective would be nice, including his time running his own animation company, when he was making specials for ABC, in the 70s (Cricket in Times Square, A Christmas Carol, etc...). Mel Blanc had a very fun memoir, talking about Jack Benny, Warner Bros and Hanna-Barbera.
|
|
|
Post by codystarbuck on Sept 12, 2018 22:08:16 GMT -5
Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke In which Slam courts controversy. This is a re-read. But It's been every bit of 35 years since I last read this. And let me preface by saying that I've read a LOT of classic science fiction. I've read more than representative amounts of most of the masters, from pulp through golden age through new wave. Even the ones I don't love I can at least appreciate. But...DAMN...I don't get Arthur C. Clarke. The only thing of his that I've ever actually liked is The Star and it's been at least 25 years since I've read it. And it was a pretty short short-story. It's not the hardness of the SF. While I don't love Hal Clement, I appreciate his work and it doesn't get any harder than that. Clarke just leaves me completely cold. But I'm re-reading (or reading for the first time) a lot of classic SF. And this is generally viewed as the pinnacle of Clarke's early work. It's a re-working and expansion of a short work, which is pretty standard for any SF "novel" from before at least the early 60s. And overall I don't have a problem with that. I grew up with that. So fine. The plot is fairly simple. Alien overlords intervene in Earth for...reasons. They leave them a mystery until the end. And okay. I guess that's fine. The first part of the story (originally a short story) is about that intervention and why Earthers can't be allowed to see the Overlords until they're ready with just a tiny bit of wanna be rebellion thrown in. Ultimately we get the big reveal...and...neat-o. We then segue into a few storylines that include an attempt by a man to reach the stars (forbidden by the Overlords for...reasons), a internal short-story about a party, and an attempt to build a Utopian island within island Earth that ultimately gives us The Golden Child(ren). All of which ultimately adds up too...not very damn much. Even more unfortunate is that Clarke seems to eschew science about halfway through to give us a metaphysical twist that doesn't make a hell of a lot of sense. There are those books that I just can't put down. Then there are those books that are challenging and take some time because you need to chew over them...and that's fine. This one just drug. I had to force myself to finish and I still just skimmed the last chapter and a half to get it the Hell done with. I suspect I'll revisit Clarke again and try to find out why he's so revered. But it's going to be a while. And this one. This one won't get another re-read. I've never warmed much to Clarke, other than the story you cite, either. His novelization of 2001 certainly helped clarify things from the movie and 2010 was decent, though I thought Peter Hyams humanized it far more than Clarke (or Kubrick had, in 2001). really, that is the problem for me, as the human element seems rather cold, in what work of his I have read. Bradbury, by contrast, is filled with humanity and I have always been more drawn to his work. Asimov is another that has never pulled me in, though I do greatly enjoy the original Bicentennial Man short story. I have read Foundation's edge, which was okay, but never got very far with Foundation and had little desire to try again or read the rest. I have a tendency to gravitate more to fantasy and space opera, as they feed my adventure appetite more than "hard sci-fi." It varies, though, as I have, generally, enjoyed the Henlein I have read and all of the Haldeman.
|
|
|
Post by codystarbuck on Sept 12, 2018 22:17:59 GMT -5
Just found out, reading Greg Hatcher's column, at Atomic Junk Shop, that Titan has reprinted the Planet of the Apes movie novelizations, as well as the books based on the tv series and animated series, which are harder to come buy, on the used market (for decent prices, for decent condition). There is also a newer anthology of Tales From the Forbidden Zone, which he gushed about, just for the sheer enthusiasm. The original novelizations were quite good, with people like John Jakes and David gerrold involved. i never read the tv-based ones; but, Greg speaks well of them and I find that his interests overlap quite well, with mine. The new films are great; but, I still recall watching the tv show, when I was a kid (before ever seeing any of the films). These are also from the era where they really knew how to write tie-in series, which helped you revisit and expanded favorite shows and films. It is a lost art (they are barely created, anymore) and a lot of the writers knew how to create a punchy story, with favorite characters, just from a sheer volume of work that many modern writers have never developed. I also see that Glen Cook has a new Black Company novel out. I love the original trilogy, mostly enjoyed the subsequent books, until the whole Glittering Stone thing. It was heavily delayed in coming out, then turned out to be more than one book, which left me greatly confused when I tried to start up the series again, after it arrived. That original series had a tight focus and wonderful characters and the subsequent boks had the characters; but, the focus seemed loss, with Glittering Stone (with its multiple parts).
|
|
|
Post by wildfire2099 on Sept 12, 2018 22:27:45 GMT -5
Childhood's End is the Clarke book I really like... I never liked the 2001 series. I don't remember it dragging at all, but it's definitely been a while since I read it. I remember liking the combination of the hard science Clarke usually gets into with the metaphysical/religious bits. I also recall it being well-steeped in the cold war era, which was fun. I also liked Imperial Earth and Hammer of God a lot... the 3 of them are kinda similar in my mind.
|
|
|
Post by brutalis on Sept 13, 2018 8:05:07 GMT -5
Finished off Book 12 of Bernard Cornwell's heroic series: Sharpe's Battle. Wherein it is 1811 with Captain Sharpe still fighting near the Portugal/Spain border this time at Fuentes de Onoro. A grand stylish villain to be found in Brigadier-general Guy Loup and Sharpe is placed with the duty of drilling an unwanted royal bodyguards of the King of Spain called Real Compania Irlandesa in hopes that they will feel insulted to encourage desertion. Of course our man Dickie finds that he truly likes the mean of the squadron and it is not their blame for having an insufferable group of ignorant leaders.
Sharpe is on the outs with Wellington from an earlier confession that he killed 2 men of Loup's that he had found raping a spanish villager. Loup has an agent within the Real Compania Irlandesa: the beautiful and deadly Dona Juanita de Elia who is rumored to have a uniform fitted for her from every soldier she has ever conquered (slept) in her travels. She is mistress to Lord Kiely the Compania's commander who eventually commits suicide when Sharpe uncovers the Dona's as spy and lover of Loup.
Sharpe has to find a way back into good graces with Wellington so knowing you are only as good as your last battle he volunteers in the coming attack on Fuentes de Onoro. Sharpe has a duel with Loup in which he wins but is wounded by the Dona who is killed by Sergeant Harper. The case against Sharpe becomes dismissed by his bravery and the fact that anyone who could provide evidence against him has ended up dead.
Cornwell provides a bit more detailed characterization for everyone involved this time around. He also spends much more time detailing the actual battle in Fuentes de Onoro giving it all the attention and descriptiveness which has become Cornwell's trademark. Very good indeed!
|
|
|
Post by Slam_Bradley on Sept 13, 2018 10:19:24 GMT -5
Chuck Amuck by Chuck Jones. This book is a bit hard to classify. It's mostly a memoir. It's certainly not an autobiography. Jones delves into his life (though not in great detail or in any real order). He talks about his work (though there are large blanks). He talks about the evolution of the Warner Cartoon characters...a little bit. And some about his theories of art...kind of. Largely it's an almost stream of consciousness look at Chuck Jones. And that's okay. Because there was a lot of interesting stuff in Chuck Jones' head. I'd read this one before but it had been a long time. This time around I read it in little bits here and there as I had a bit of time. And it worked pretty well that way. Kind of like a Looney Tunes cartoon. Jones' cartoons were ubiquitous in my youth...his Warner work and his later work both at MGM and for his own production company. Because of the way the Warner cartoons were packaged Jones work, along with that of Friz Freleng and Bob McKimson were more readily accessible that those of Tex Avery, Bob Clampett and Frank Tashlin. I would dearly love a good biography of Jones (I'd say one is far overdue) with a serious look at his directorial style and his influence on popular culture. But I really did love this look into Chuck's mind. Read this when it came out (used to own the hardcover) and his follow up. There are tons of great, amusing stories, about Termite Terrace and the people who worked for Schlessinger and Eddie Selzer (who took over). I have also heard some criticism of Jones, from Bill Menendez, with John Krikfalusi, who said Jones and his animation team could be rather arrogant. For the most part, it seems like the teams and the directors got along; but, there were egos at play. A more comprehensive, outsider perspective would be nice, including his time running his own animation company, when he was making specials for ABC, in the 70s (Cricket in Times Square, A Christmas Carol, etc...). Mel Blanc had a very fun memoir, talking about Jack Benny, Warner Bros and Hanna-Barbera. I read that book by Blanc about a decade or so back. I remember liking it. Pretty sure that I got it out of the library so it's not likely I'll get to it again. Jones is one of those people who, to me, scream for a scholarly biography and don't have one. Jack Kirby is another. Both of them had a huge impact on American culture in the 20th Century.
|
|