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Post by berkley on Oct 21, 2023 2:19:47 GMT -5
Battle Cry by Leon Uris
This was a massive nostalgia rush as I read it at least two or three times when I was school age. It had been easily 40 years since I'd read it, so I was unsure how it would hold up. I was pleased to find that it held quite well for me. This was Uris' first novel and was a major best-seller. It's a bit of a pot-boiler and was probably a bit risque for 1953 with its fallen women and pre-marital relations. Tame stuff, now, but I've read enough novels from the time period to say this was bolder than most. It was also based on Uris' experiences as a radioman with the 6th Marines during World War II where he served in Guadalcanal and Tarawa. That gives the training and battle portions of book a definite air of authenticity. The book follows members a Marine radio squad from the train ride to basic, through basic training, radio school and on to combat and the time in between. There is certainly emphasis on the personal lives of the members, to greater and lesser extent depending on the individual. Our narrator (though it switches to third person where he could not be present) is an old regular salty Marine who watches his boys become men. There seems to be a lot of stereotypes here...the All-American football player, the Indian, the Texan, etc. But then I remember that this was written in 1953...were they already clichés at that point? Ultimately this is just a major page-turner and it was the right remedy for a fairly serious bout of readers block.
I've never read any Leon Uris but I was very aware of the name growing up in the 1970s. Don't think I heard of this one until now, I might add it to my list. I've been thinking of trying a couple other WWII best-sellers from around that time: James Jones's Some Came Running and Irwin Shaw's The Young Lions. I remember liking the movie of Some Came Running when I saw it on tv as kid. Also Jones's From Here to Eternity and Norman Mailer's The Naked and the Dead.
That's the trouble - as soon as you start thinking about something you remember a bunch of other related things. And if you start looking into it you find out there's a bunch more you never heard of that you'd like to look at.
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Post by EdoBosnar on Oct 22, 2023 3:28:06 GMT -5
A Night in the Lonesome OctoberRoger Zelazny, 1993 (illustrations by Gahan Wilson)  Been wanting to read this forever, and rather recently found a good deal on a pretty battered used copy and rather than putting it on my ever-growing “to read” pile (a.k.a. the shelf of shame) I decided to read it right away – it’s October after all, and knowing myself, I’d probably have otherwise waited until next year at least to finally pick it up. And I have to say, I’m so glad I did: it’s a wonderfully enjoyable tale of the occult that includes homages and/or hat-tips to the classic horror tales and thrillers of the 19th century and the Universal horror films, as well as the Lovecraftian mythos. For those who may not be familiar, it’s set on the outskirts of London some time in the late Victorian era, where an odd group of people assemble to participate in something they call ‘the Game’, which will transpire on one of those rare nights when the moon is full on October 31. The ‘players’ include, among others, a mysterious but apparently quite powerful mage only known to readers as Jack, a witch (called ‘Crazy Jill’), a druid, a pair of grave-robbers, a scary gentleman everyone calls ‘the Count’ and an alcoholic Russian monk.  And there are also some apparent non-players interested in these goings-on, like the ‘Great Detective’ and a mysterious American named Larry Talbot. All of the players have animal familiars with human intelligence, i.e., the witch – obviously – has a cat, the Count a bat, the monk a snake and so forth. Jack’s familiar is a dog named Snuff and he’s the one who narrates the entire story. I highly recommend this one, and would suggest that if possible, you find an edition that includes illustrations by Gahan Wilson. 
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Post by Slam_Bradley on Oct 22, 2023 8:51:59 GMT -5
A Night in the Lonesome OctoberRoger Zelazny, 1993 (illustrations by Gahan Wilson) Been wanting to read this forever, and rather recently found a good deal on a pretty battered used copy and rather than putting it on my ever-growing “to read” pile (a.k.a. the shelf of shame) I decided to read it right away – it’s October after all, and knowing myself, I’d probably have otherwise waited until next year at least to finally pick it up. And I have to say, I’m so glad I did: it’s a wonderfully enjoyable tale of the occult that includes homages and/or hat-tips to the classic horror tales and thrillers of the 19th century and the Universal horror films, as well as the Lovecraftian mythos. For those who may not be familiar, it’s set on the outskirts of London some time in the late Victorian era, where an odd group of people assemble to participate in something they call ‘the Game’, which will transpire on one of those rare nights when the moon is full on October 31. The ‘players’ include, among others, a mysterious but apparently quite powerful mage only known to readers as Jack, a witch (called ‘Crazy Jill’), a druid, a pair of grave-robbers, a scary gentleman everyone calls ‘the Count’ and an alcoholic Russian monk. And there are also some apparent non-players interested in these goings-on, like the ‘Great Detective’ and a mysterious American named Larry Talbot. All of the players have animal familiars with human intelligence, i.e., the witch – obviously – has a cat, the Count a bat, the monk a snake and so forth. Jack’s familiar is a dog named Snuff and he’s the one who narrates the entire story. I highly recommend this one, and would suggest that if possible, you find an edition that includes illustrations by Gahan Wilson. I absolutely adore that book and used to read it almost every October with my boys (along with Bradbury’s The Halloween Tree). An edition with the Gahan Wilson illustrations is a must. And I love the pun at them very end. |
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Post by Slam_Bradley on Oct 22, 2023 13:50:54 GMT -5
 Drowned Hopes by Donald Westlake
Sometimes bigger isn't better. This was, by far, the longest Dortmunder novel thus far. And it was too long. It felt padded and just too far too long to get to where it needed to go. There were too many "side-quests." And it also just wasn't as funny as I want my Dortmunder novels to be. Dortmunder comes home to his apartment to find an old cellmate there. Tom Jimson has been released on a life sentence due to over-crowding and his age. He wants Dortmunder to help him recover the proceeds of an armored car job that he'd done before he was sentenced to prison. The money, $700,000, was buried in a town that has since been covered by the water from a reservoir. Dortmunder isn't really interested, except that Jimson's plan is to dynamite the dam to clear the water an allow him to get the money, thereby killing thousands of people downstream. Dortmunder can't live with that so he tries to find another way...and ultimately Andy Kelp, Stan Murch, Tiny Blucher and Murch's Mom (we actually find out her first name) become involved. And there are clearly the makings of a very good caper here. But it's just soooo long. And it's very very dark for a Dortmunder novel. And there are parts of it that just haven't aged well. There's a trollish-looking computer geek who has a computer that is pretty much magic. It's clear that Westlake really didn't know much about computers or AI, because this machine is doing stuff that it shouldn't be able to do 33 years later. Ultimately it's readable. But it's very very disappointing. |
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Post by wildfire2099 on Oct 29, 2023 22:02:54 GMT -5
Billy Boyle James Benn  This book grabbed my attention when we went to the Wright Museum in New Hampshire (which is great... well worth the trip!)... the gift shop had a few books from the middle of the series and the covers were all great, so I thought I'd give it a shot... I do love Foyle's War. This main character is about as different as you can get from that... Billy is a stereotypical Irish cop from Boston gone to London to help his 'Uncle' Ike, which his family set up to keep him out of the front lines. The sets the scene of the war really well. but the actually mystery bit was a bit meh.. I had the bad guy pretty early on. The characters were quite good (even down to the minor ones,, and as this was just the 1st one, I'll give him a pass on doing better on the mystery next time. (Of course it helps when it's historical and you know what is happening). Then there's the last scene, which is very silly, but I guess necessary.. I really wish the author could have come up with a better was to set the series up going forward, it was very YA. Very enjoyable overall though, definitely going to continue the series. Also from the weird connections file, this book starts with a quote from the Edda... what are the chances of reading a sci fi book then a WWII mystery and both referencing 9th century Norse Mythology? Gotta love when that sort of thing happens!
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Post by Prince Hal on Oct 30, 2023 12:24:13 GMT -5
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Post by wildfire2099 on Nov 4, 2023 22:28:25 GMT -5
Dragon's Island by Jack Williamson  The cover and the title really have nothing to do with the story for this one... it's really about genetic Engineering.... according to the internet this book was the first use of the term. The book talks about 'mutants' but the definitely are not of the type you expect.. they just sort of perfected humans. The story is mostly a mystery, where the main character is in search of his father's partner, who seems to have invented genetic engineering. It's definitely a weird little book, the genetic engineering involved is... not really scientific at all, nor does it make any sense. It does have some interesting historic value (written in 1951!), but otherwise there's a reason it has so few reviews.
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Post by wildfire2099 on Nov 11, 2023 22:26:19 GMT -5
Pennant Race
by Jim Brosnan
This was one of those books that sort of just happened. I had no idea it existed, but was looking for something new to do with APBA, and I remembered I had the 1961 season on the computer version of the game that I never did much with. Then low, and behold, here is this book in my good reads feed, so I had to get it and read it.
Perhaps it was because it was on kindle (the physical copy was more that I wanted to spend and the library system was a no go.. used all my free points), but it definitely dragged some. There were definitely a few great stories, and some funny on going themes, but there was also a whole lot of simple play by play of the games, and the style by the middle felt somewhat repetitive.
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Post by Prince Hal on Nov 11, 2023 23:11:51 GMT -5
Pennant Race by Jim Brosnan This was one of those books that sort of just happened. I had no idea it existed, but was looking for something new to do with APBA, and I remembered I had the 1961 season on the computer version of the game that I never did much with. Then low, and behold, here is this book in my good reads feed, so I had to get it and read it. Perhaps it was because it was on kindle (the physical copy was more that I wanted to spend and the library system was a no go.. used all my free points), but it definitely dragged some. There were definitely a few great stories, and some funny on going themes, but there was also a whole lot of simple play by play of the games, and the style by the middle felt somewhat repetitive. ends anti-climactically (at least it did when it came out... not sure if more recent editions do), without an account of the World Series to which the season led, b/c Brosnan's account of the Series had already been published in Sports Illustrated. You might give his previous book, The Long Season, a try, though. Both of them were groundbreaking, however tame they may appear today. Nobody in the game had ever done anything close to pulling back the curtain on baseball, and though Brosnan said he didn't care for the language and raunch in Jim Bouton's Ball Four, he also had no love for the sanitized versions of baseball that for decades had been the only insight into the game readers ever got. (But no Brosnan, maybe no Bouton.) And he made no bones about the hypocrisy and sanctimony of the owners. HIs last team the White Sox, forbade him from writing or publishing during the season. How the former could be enforced I don't know, but the team was clearly exerting its authority and proclaiming its disapproval. Brosnan refused to go along with this in 1964, the White Sox cut him, and -- Surprise, surprise! -- no one else was interested in one of the better relievers in the game. Brosnan was a fine pitcher, and an odd duck for a professional athlete. He was a gifted musician, an inveterate, voluminous reader, and very bright. (Though his wife called him "Meat.") The famous story is about him quoting the French battle cry, “ Ils ne passeront pas!” to a confused batter. Another pitcher's account of baseball life is Pat Jordan's "A False Spring," but it focuses on the author's struggle to get out of the minors and into the big leagues. Like Brosnan, Jordan became a writer after his baseball career. |
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Post by berkley on Nov 12, 2023 2:41:41 GMT -5
Pennant Race by Jim Brosnan This was one of those books that sort of just happened. I had no idea it existed, but was looking for something new to do with APBA, and I remembered I had the 1961 season on the computer version of the game that I never did much with. Then low, and behold, here is this book in my good reads feed, so I had to get it and read it. Perhaps it was because it was on kindle (the physical copy was more that I wanted to spend and the library system was a no go.. used all my free points), but it definitely dragged some. There were definitely a few great stories, and some funny on going themes, but there was also a whole lot of simple play by play of the games, and the style by the middle felt somewhat repetitive. ends anti-climactically (at least it did when it came out... not sure if more recent editions do), without an account of the World Series to which the season led, b/c Brosnan's account of the Series had already been published in Sports Illustrated. You might give his previous book, The Long Season, a try, though. Both of them were groundbreaking, however tame they may appear today. Nobody in the game had ever done anything close to pulling back the curtain on baseball, and though Brosnan said he didn't care for the language and raunch in Jim Bouton's Ball Four, he also had no love for the sanitized versions of baseball that for decades had been the only insight into the game readers ever got. (But no Brosnan, maybe no Bouton.) And he made no bones about the hypocrisy and sanctimony of the owners. HIs last team the White Sox, forbade him from writing or publishing during the season. How the former could be enforced I don't know, but the team was clearly exerting its authority and proclaiming its disapproval. Brosnan refused to go along with this in 1964, the White Sox cut him, and -- Surprise, surprise! -- no one else was interested in one of the better relievers in the game. Brosnan was a fine pitcher, and an odd duck for a professional athlete. He was a gifted musician, an inveterate, voluminous reader, and very bright. (Though his wife called him "Meat.") The famous story is about him quoting the French battle cry, “ Ils ne passeront pas!” to a confused batter. Another pitcher's account of baseball life is Pat Jordan's "A False Spring," but it focuses on the author's struggle to get out of the minors and into the big leagues. Like Brosnan, Jordan became a writer after his baseball career.
It seems odd that later editions of Pennant Race wouldn't add on the SI article about the World Series, but perhaps there are rights issues. Has the SI article ever been published in any other book, e.g. a collection of Brosnan's shorter pieces (assuming there is one)?
I've never been a huge baseball fan but through tv it was part of the general background when I was growing up - unlike pro basketball and NFL football, which I wasn't exposed to until my late teens or early 20s. But as I grow older I'm becoming more interested in anything from the years around my early childhood, whether I was aware of it at the time or not, so I might have a look for this one of these days.
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Post by Slam_Bradley on Nov 12, 2023 11:28:09 GMT -5
I've been having a bit of reader's block, but I've also had a hard time finding time to sit down and actually write up reviews of the few books I've managed to read. So we shall have a few "drive-by" looks at what I've managed to read since Drowned Hopes.
Some Slips Don't Show - A.A. Fair (Erle Stanley Gardner). The 17th Cool and Lam book. You'd think by this time that Gardner would be slipping, but these mid-to-late 50s entries are as good as the series has been since the very first books in the series. The formula is there, but Gardner is hitting on all cylinders. Even though you know the structure they just compel you along until the finish. I've read a few entries toward the end of the series and they do run out of steam, but at this point they are still great reads.
Death in the Peerless Pool by Deryn Lake - This is the fifth entry in the John Rawlings historical mystery series. I read the first four some time back and was able to pick up the rest for next to nothing in e-book omnibuses. When I struggled with the Cadfael book I was reading I pulled this out an it was the right answer. Rawlings is a young apothecary in Georgian London, who sometimes assists Lord Magistrate John Fielding in investigating murders. They're solid historical mysteries in an era that isn't really my forte, so they tend to lead me down rabbit holes of research...which is fun.
Myth Adventures 1-4 by Robert Lynn Asprin - Over the last bit I decided to re-visit the magical misadventures of Skeeve and Aahz and company. I picked up the first omnibus back in early high school from the Science Fiction Book Club and fell in love with them. I continued until the series slowed down, but haven't read them since the very late 80s. They honestly hold up pretty well. Light-hearted, but with a little bit of heart. Punny but not excessively so. They're nice palate cleansers. Unfortunately I know I'm getting close to the point of diminishing returns with them.
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Post by Prince Hal on Nov 12, 2023 13:47:34 GMT -5
Pennant Race ends anti-climactically (at least it did when it came out... not sure if more recent editions do), without an account of the World Series to which the season led, b/c Brosnan's account of the Series had already been published in Sports Illustrated. You might give his previous book, The Long Season, a try, though. Both of them were groundbreaking, however tame they may appear today. Nobody in the game had ever done anything close to pulling back the curtain on baseball, and though Brosnan said he didn't care for the language and raunch in Jim Bouton's Ball Four, he also had no love for the sanitized versions of baseball that for decades had been the only insight into the game readers ever got. (But no Brosnan, maybe no Bouton.) And he made no bones about the hypocrisy and sanctimony of the owners. HIs last team the White Sox, forbade him from writing or publishing during the season. How the former could be enforced I don't know, but the team was clearly exerting its authority and proclaiming its disapproval. Brosnan refused to go along with this in 1964, the White Sox cut him, and -- Surprise, surprise! -- no one else was interested in one of the better relievers in the game. Brosnan was a fine pitcher, and an odd duck for a professional athlete. He was a gifted musician, an inveterate, voluminous reader, and very bright. (Though his wife called him "Meat.") The famous story is about him quoting the French battle cry, “ Ils ne passeront pas!” to a confused batter. Another pitcher's account of baseball life is Pat Jordan's "A False Spring," but it focuses on the author's struggle to get out of the minors and into the big leagues. Like Brosnan, Jordan became a writer after his baseball career.
It seems odd that later editions of Pennant Race wouldn't add on the SI article about the World Series, but perhaps there are rights issues. Has the SI article ever been published in any other book, e.g. a collection of Brosnan's shorter pieces (assuming there is one)?
I've never been a huge baseball fan but through tv it was part of the general background when I was growing up - unlike pro basketball and NFL football, which I wasn't exposed to until my late teens or early 20s. But as I grow older I'm becoming more interested in anything from the years around my early childhood, whether I was aware of it at the time or not, so I might have a look for this one of these days.
My edition doesn't have it. Try this link to the SI Archive; can't be sure if it will work, but give it a shot: vault.si.com/vault/1961/10/23/43357#&gid=ci0258bfcfa00a26ef&pid=43357---030---imaget: |
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Post by wildfire2099 on Nov 12, 2023 16:58:32 GMT -5
It did end with the end of the season, the version I had, which was freshly purchased from Amazon. I think I liked Ball Four better, but clearly with it being written so many years later it was a bit more acceptable to be a little more 'raunchy'.
I also thought Broz's overall feel was a bit too pesimistic for being on a pennant winning team. I'm definitely glad I read it, and I agree it broke some ground. I do think it's especially interesting he retired early because the White Sox wanted 'no book' in his contract (though, based on Pennant race perhaps he was about ready anyway, that being 3 years later
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Post by wildfire2099 on Nov 12, 2023 17:14:02 GMT -5
It seems odd that later editions of Pennant Race wouldn't add on the SI article about the World Series, but perhaps there are rights issues. Has the SI article ever been published in any other book, e.g. a collection of Brosnan's shorter pieces (assuming there is one)? I've never been a huge baseball fan but through tv it was part of the general background when I was growing up - unlike pro basketball and NFL football, which I wasn't exposed to until my late teens or early 20s. But as I grow older I'm becoming more interested in anything from the years around my early childhood, whether I was aware of it at the time or not, so I might have a look for this one of these days.
My edition doesn't have it. Try this link to the SI Archive; can't be sure if it will work, but give it a shot: vault.si.com/vault/1961/10/23/43357#&gid=ci0258bfcfa00a26ef&pid=43357---030---imaget:Thanks! the link totally worked! I didn't really think about it so much, but National League players of Brosnan's time (Until the next year) would actually never go to NY except for the World Series, very interesting to think about! |
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Post by Prince Hal on Nov 12, 2023 20:51:28 GMT -5
Thanks! the link totally worked! I didn't really think about it so much, but National League players of Brosnan's time (Until the next year) would actually never go to NY except for the World Series, very interesting to think about! Yes! So weird to think that for four seasons there was no NL team in New York. |
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