So on to the duds. Yeah, not everything is sunshine and puppies is it? These are in roughly reverse order of reading. Some so bad I don’t even have a full review anywhere. All got fewer than 3 stars from me on LibrayThing. Avoid at all costs. Hold your nose, here we go.
Fatal Attraction – Carol Smith
Eh. Boring. Too narrowly focused on an unappealing character. The premise is played and not very interesting. Is wanting to throttle the main character the emotional connection Smith was going for? She’s done better.
Sweetpea’s Secret – Renay Jackson
The grand sweepstakes winner of the shitty books of 2008. So mind-numbingly craptacular that I could only get to page 25.
Sweetheart – Chelsea Cain
My notes while reading this book - lowest kind of pandering...oh let’s put children in danger, that’s original. No hint yet of why Gretchen is in the least way attractive. All we have is the super villain, again trying to compete with Lecter (let’s have her escape…yeah, no one’s done that before!), but without the necessary charm or intellect. Animal instinct is not that interesting in a serial killer. Archie has made no progress and shows no remorse or regret. Why do people like this jackass?
Vicious Circle – Mike Carey
So I liked the first Fix novel well enough. This one just didn’t have spark or life in it comparatively speaking. Maybe paranormal, urban fantasy just isn’t my thing, but I wanted to smack Fix over and over and tell him to get a life/brain/spine/set of balls/real job/clue.
The Brief History of the Dead – Kevin Brockmeier
What a great premise hampered by dull delivery and a lack of imagination. In the hands of someone with vision it could have been so great. Alas, we get the tedium of quotidian life as we know it. Oh and let’s not forget the most boring and unharrowing depiction of isolation in Antarctica I’ve ever had the misfortune to read. Yawn.
The Witness at the Wedding – Simon Brett
I could have sworn I wrote a review of this. Maybe I have it stashed somewhere. Maybe I’m just trying to block it out. At any rate, in this one Carole grated on my nerves something fierce. Her characterization as a set in her ways, blinkered and emotionally immature person just made me crazy. No more for me. Strange, in other outings she was far less annoying.
The World Without End – Ken Follett
Misery. Torment. Starvation. Disease. Pestilence. Unrequited love. Murder. Rape. Treachery. Betrayal. Death. Greed. Avarice. There, that pretty much sums it up.
The Wild Trees – Richard Preston
I learned a lot, but it was a struggle to get through this very choppy narrative that was badly disorganized. He has ideas; too bad one of them isn't how to present them. Unappealing characters didn’t help any. Still, those big, wonderful trees are inspiring and deserve to be cherished and protected.
First Among Sequels – Jasper Fforde
The gag has been done to death, Fforde, give it up. Very disjointed plotlines that never mesh well (many get dropped altogether, forgotten in the melee). Very few laughs or cleverness left in this series. Unsatisfying.
Phew. That’s all of them. I guess they do serve the purpose of showing up those works that are truly good. We have to read the dreck in order to recognize the excellent.
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Best First Reads of 2008
For a conversation over at Library Thing I picked the best new reads of 2008, something I don’t normally do on this blog, but what the hell; here they are –
5 stars – John Adams by David McCullough
As an American who isn’t ashamed of being so, perhaps my view is a bit biased, but this is a powerful book that documents one of the most world-changing events in history; the creation of a government by its own people. We went from being subjects to citizens and it was a difficult process requiring sacrifice and valor that probably doesn’t exist anywhere anymore. Adams was an interesting figure and his relationship with Abigail is one to envy.
5 stars – Duma Key by Stephen King
Wow. I am hopeful that Mr. King is indeed back. I haven’t liked one of King’s books this much since Needful Things. DK was published just after Lisey’s Story and isn’t as choked and forced as that one feels. This one just flows and wraps around you like a blanket. As are a lot of his books, this one is about friendship overcoming evil. It’s well paced and features characters so likable that you wish you could join them down on Duma Key. Well, not really.
4 ½ stars – The French Lieutenant’s Woman by John Fowles
Very different than I thought it would be and very enigmatic. FLW is structured in such a way that the author tells you about the tale he is relating. The commentary approach isn’t the only unique thing about it though; the multiple endings is also fairly uncommon. Some didn’t like the ambiguity of it, but I figure why should all authors tell their tales the exact same way. None of the players is entirely likeable, but that’s another thing that works in Fowles’s favor.
4 ½ stars – Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
So yeah, this is a soap opera set in the middle ages, I still liked it and found it very compelling. Overall it is a historical novel, full of details surrounding government and religion at the time as well as the intricacies of cathedral building. The way these facts were woven into the tale keeps them from falling into monologue or lecture territory. A stellar work whose follow-up fell far short of.
4 ½ stars – The Whiskey Rebels by David Liss
Again, my American status may affect my judgment, but I thoroughly enjoyed this tale connected to the establishment of a fiscal foundation for the newborn United States. The two narratives enmesh sinuously at first and then collide resoundingly with plenty of action, intrigue and violence. Again there are historical details aplenty, but very little lecturing the reader (something I can’t abide). Also, some familiarity with the characters and their places in history is assumed – I appreciated the nod although I suppose if I were more ignorant I’d probably be peeved.
These are the book that didn’t rate higher than 4 out of 5 stars, but are worth checking out. All are rated 4 stars in my library on Library Thing and are more or less in reverse order of reading.
The Likeness – Tana French (a semi-follow up to In The Woods)
Die Trying – Lee Child (damn! Jack Reacher is THE MAN.)
Chasing the Darkness – Robert Crais (well shit, Joe could give Jack a run for his money.)
The Maltese Falcon – Dashiell Hammett
Invisible Prey – John Sanford
The House of Mondavi: The Rise and Fall of an American Wine Dynasty – Julia Flynn-Siler
In The Woods – Tana French (read before The Likeness if you can.)
The Book of Air and Shadows – Michael Gruber
The Bridesmaid – Ruth Rendell
Twilight at Mac’s Place – Ross Thomas (everyone should read more Ross Thomas)
The Forgery of Venus – Michael Gruber (does art make you mental or the other way around?)
New England White - Stephen L. Carter
What The Dead Know – Laura Lippman (not a Tess Monaghan novel)
So that’s it. On to the crap of 2008 for the next post.
5 stars – John Adams by David McCullough
As an American who isn’t ashamed of being so, perhaps my view is a bit biased, but this is a powerful book that documents one of the most world-changing events in history; the creation of a government by its own people. We went from being subjects to citizens and it was a difficult process requiring sacrifice and valor that probably doesn’t exist anywhere anymore. Adams was an interesting figure and his relationship with Abigail is one to envy.
5 stars – Duma Key by Stephen King
Wow. I am hopeful that Mr. King is indeed back. I haven’t liked one of King’s books this much since Needful Things. DK was published just after Lisey’s Story and isn’t as choked and forced as that one feels. This one just flows and wraps around you like a blanket. As are a lot of his books, this one is about friendship overcoming evil. It’s well paced and features characters so likable that you wish you could join them down on Duma Key. Well, not really.
4 ½ stars – The French Lieutenant’s Woman by John Fowles
Very different than I thought it would be and very enigmatic. FLW is structured in such a way that the author tells you about the tale he is relating. The commentary approach isn’t the only unique thing about it though; the multiple endings is also fairly uncommon. Some didn’t like the ambiguity of it, but I figure why should all authors tell their tales the exact same way. None of the players is entirely likeable, but that’s another thing that works in Fowles’s favor.
4 ½ stars – Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
So yeah, this is a soap opera set in the middle ages, I still liked it and found it very compelling. Overall it is a historical novel, full of details surrounding government and religion at the time as well as the intricacies of cathedral building. The way these facts were woven into the tale keeps them from falling into monologue or lecture territory. A stellar work whose follow-up fell far short of.
4 ½ stars – The Whiskey Rebels by David Liss
Again, my American status may affect my judgment, but I thoroughly enjoyed this tale connected to the establishment of a fiscal foundation for the newborn United States. The two narratives enmesh sinuously at first and then collide resoundingly with plenty of action, intrigue and violence. Again there are historical details aplenty, but very little lecturing the reader (something I can’t abide). Also, some familiarity with the characters and their places in history is assumed – I appreciated the nod although I suppose if I were more ignorant I’d probably be peeved.
These are the book that didn’t rate higher than 4 out of 5 stars, but are worth checking out. All are rated 4 stars in my library on Library Thing and are more or less in reverse order of reading.
The Likeness – Tana French (a semi-follow up to In The Woods)
Die Trying – Lee Child (damn! Jack Reacher is THE MAN.)
Chasing the Darkness – Robert Crais (well shit, Joe could give Jack a run for his money.)
The Maltese Falcon – Dashiell Hammett
Invisible Prey – John Sanford
The House of Mondavi: The Rise and Fall of an American Wine Dynasty – Julia Flynn-Siler
In The Woods – Tana French (read before The Likeness if you can.)
The Book of Air and Shadows – Michael Gruber
The Bridesmaid – Ruth Rendell
Twilight at Mac’s Place – Ross Thomas (everyone should read more Ross Thomas)
The Forgery of Venus – Michael Gruber (does art make you mental or the other way around?)
New England White - Stephen L. Carter
What The Dead Know – Laura Lippman (not a Tess Monaghan novel)
So that’s it. On to the crap of 2008 for the next post.
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Best of 2008 – the re-reads
Every avid reader hits a slump now and again. When the TBR pile just looks bleak and nothing appeals. When the last few reads have been dismal and you're just not willing to take a chance on another book that might turn out to be a dud. Oh rejoice the re-read in situations like this.
A few months ago I had my slump and did a lot of re-reading. A couple while on vacation which any reader knows adds to the complexity of reading even when enthusiasm still reigns in your TBR pile. The danger is twofold; what if I really like the book and tear through it in record time, and the reverse; what if I hate it? So the vacation books must be chosen with care and attention as to the content and to weight and space. Trade paperbacks are my choice, but will take along a mass market paperback if I have to.
The re-read is emotionally safe, but psychologically telling I think. It shows what we gravitate to and why. Is this a comfort read? Is it something we want to revisit because our original memory is dimmed? Is it a book we think we should have appreciated more the first time around? Does re-reading it remind us of the circumstances during which we first read it? The Dead Zone is the latter for me; I spent part of a summer in my teens reading this book; largely floating on a tube in the pool.
The final thing I'll say about the re-read book is that they also help us feel good about keeping all of the books we have stuffed into every corner of our homes. By actually revisiting one of these treasures we can continue to delude ourselves that we might a get to all of them again. Heh. As if.
But anyway. Here are my re-reads for 2008 and a bit of psychological insight as to why I think I chose them.
Gorky Park, Polar Star, Red Square and Havana Bay all by Martin Cruz-Smith
I really only wanted to read Red Square and Havana Bay since I've read the first two at least ½ dozen times each and had recently read the last two books in the Arkady Renko series. The more I thought about it though the more I wanted to start at the beginning. To reacquaint myself with Arkady's early days and psychological state; all the better to watch it crumble and reassemble. I almost wish the series ended with Red Square because watching Arkady come apart in Havana Bay is almost unbearable. I had a hard time with the suicidal Arkady. The despair he feels comes across palpably and we know what he's lost. The stupidity of Irina's death is frustrating and heartbreaking. Reading over what I just wrote seems like I'm writing about a real person and that's exactly how Arkady comes across for me. He's the closest to a real person I've ever come across in fiction and I don't think I'll ever tire of reading this series.
Necroscope and Vamphiri! by Brian Lumley
Back when I was around 20 I went through a hard-core vampire phase brought on by reading the Anne Rice novels. At the time (1988 or so) there wasn't the over abundance of competing and largely redundant vampire fiction there is now. We had Rice and some Yarbro and Lumley and a smattering of other fan-fic type authors who got published because of the vampire fad. Yeah, this sad and largely uninspired obsession with vampires isn't new. Thanks Anne. I blame you.
Anyway, I like the Lumley series because these are not sexy vampires. They are not anguished or slouching in a fit of ennui. These vampires are evil. They hate humanity and are out to destroy us. Luckily we have Harry Keogh on our side and because he can talk to the dead he knows all kind of sneaky-Ninja tricks to defeat the evil bloodsuckers. Buffy need not apply.
Salem's Lot and Needful Things by Stephen King
Nothing was clicking for me lately and I thought a trip back in time would be good. Since I hadn't read SL for 10 years and had fond memories I took it down off the shelf. While reading I was greatly reminded of Needful Things. Not the direct action, but the destruction of a small town by the hands of its own residents. Fascinating little vignettes that peek into the private lives of those residents are featured in both novels, but mostly in NT. Both are great comfort reads for me and these probably won't be the last reads for either.
Carrie and The Shining also by Stephen King
So ok, Steve is a favorite, but I read these mostly to participate in an online group discussion. The goal is to get through all of his books in order reading about one a month or so. Both are excellent but I can't help see the people who were in the respective movies in my head.
The Alienist by Caleb Carr
My third or fourth read and it just never gets old. While on vacation I knew I would like this and stay interested. Enough time had passed that I didn't remember all of the details surrounding the crimes and the investigation so it wouldn't be boring. The writing is very good and the characterizations are compelling. A good choice.
The Chimney Sweeper's Boy by Barbara Vine
Another perennial favorite, Vine rarely disappoints. When I found this in a local used bookstore I knew I'd read it, but so long ago that I couldn't recall much. So what the hell. It's one of her better novels, teasing out the details slowly and building suspense page by page.
What Was She Thinking (Notes on a Scandal) by Zoe Heller
Because I enjoyed this so much the first time around I decided to buy a copy when I saw one in my local used bookstore. Even though our narrator is an evil-minded bitch, the story is engrossing. The writing is good, nothing stellar, but decent. When I couldn't get inspired to read anything new, I knew I'd enjoy this.
The Egyptologist by Arthur Phillips
The first time I read this it was an audio book and I couldn't get it out of my head. Did I hear what I thought I heard? Did it really end like that? Did it make sense? I thought it did, but wanted to read it in a print version to absorb all of the nuance I felt I might have not quite gotten the first time around. Besides, the insidious nature of this novel is deliciously irresistible.
Briarpatch by Ross Thomas
Everyone should read more Ross Thomas in my opinion. His writing is concise and he has a wonderful turn of phrase. He only wants you to know so much about the story and will tell you what he thinks you should know only one shred at a time. It's maddening, excruciating and sensational at the same time. I read Briarpatch almost 20 years ago and had no memory of it so when I saw a copy I grabbed it. You should do the same.
That wraps up the re-reads. I'll bet you're sick of that word by now. Soon I'll get to the first-read best of 2008.
Tuesday, December 09, 2008
Sweetpea's Secret by Renay Jackson, 2008
Attempted to read in 2008 - aborted due to unprecedented bad writing - received as an early reviewer copy and thankfully no dollars were harmed during the acquisition of this book.
Synopsis: Leading a double life as a mortgage broker and successful hitman, Sweetpea (a.k.a. Horace Boudreaux) doesn't kill for pleasure, though he's sadistic enough to smile while doing it; in Sweetpea's Secret he kills for revenge. Oaktown's notorious gangster Big Ed Tatum is one of his clients and normally immune from Sweetpea's wrath. But Big Ed crosses the line when he courts Sweetpea's older sister Crystal, and worse, almost kills Sweetpea's little sister Peanut. The hitman is happy to slash Big Ed's throat in a vegas parking lot. The dead don't always stay dead, as Sweepea learns. Facing death or possible jail time, Sweetpea has no choice but to take on a pair of ruthlessly amoral, baby-faced thugs working the City Center.
So wretched that I can’t make it past page 26. That’s 4 chapters of torturing my literary sensibilities and laughing my ass off. So in a way it was fun, but not so much that I’m going to finish this horrid book. Glad it was free. I think.
Instead of telling you why it’s so bad, I will show you. Part of the Writer 101 course that I suggest Renay Jackson take as soon as humanly possible.
Pg. 2
“When that happened, someone would be in trouble because it was the only way Sweetpea, assassin for hire, could exist. He had to kill."
Not only is this hilarious in its bravado, it’s TELLING. OMFG, you’re on PAGE TWO, you don’t have to tell us the main characters main character point – you have the whole rest of the chapter, gasp, even the novel to show us.
Pg. 3 features 4 paragraphs about the weather in Oakland. Here’s a snippet for your edification, in case you didn’t have time or physics basics down –
“For a brief five minutes snowflakes cascaded down onto the city, immediately melting into water the moment they touched the ground.”
Pg. 5.
“Just like Mario, the Foster brothers were twelve years young.”
Years young. Seriously. Someone wrote this. OMFG. Did this guy write the script for Cocoon?
Later…
“First he will say no, but that’s why you always go for the one with a hoe.”
Really? Because farm implements make such pansy weapons? Oh wait, no, he means something else.
“The reason is simple: A lame with a bitch on his arm will want her to think he’s in control and willing to do a little illegal shit from time to time if it saves them money.”
Oh. He means hos. Not hoes. You’d think a guy from the hood would know the difference. Ebonics fail.
Pg. 4.
“Teachers huddled in small groups, grinning from ear to ear as their charges frolicked about in glee.”
In glee? Really? Frolicking. What century are we in? And grinning from ear to ear. What wonderful imagery. I’ve never heard that one before. How innovative.
Pg. 13.
“Ocie had been blessed with the proverbial golden spoon yet could not shake the elements of his environment."
Seriously, if you’re going to trot out some kind of proverb have the brains to GET IT RIGHT. Plus, gold silverware is just so tacky.
Pg. 22
“They secretly wondered about the elderly stranger in coveralls torn at the knee, dirty beenie cap, and run-over shoes. Butter, who considered himself the landlord of the encampment, strutted over to Sweetpea as everyone sat up from their resting place, anticipating a possible rumble.”
“Butter’s six-three frame towered over the smaller Sweetpea by two inches, and whereas Sweetpea’s body appeared soft and slender, Butter’s was a rock of granite.”
Wow. Where do I begin? I had to go back and re-misspell beenie because Word kept changing it to beanie. You know, the correct spelling. And a rumble huh? What is this, 1950? Better get my switchblade. Since when is 2 inches towering over someone? Oh and thanks for clarifying that granite is a kind of rock, I thought it was a pastry.
Later on the same page…
“What the bums didn’t know was that they were in the company of a professional hit man who was using them as a prop.”
Oh man…I totally forgot that Sweetpea was a hit man who really needed to KILL. Thanks for the reminder. OMFG did anyone who can read edit this??
Pg. 24.
“Little did they know that two hundred yards behind them Sweetpea observed it all, sitting in front of the old Ester’s Orbit Room nightclub.”
Little did they know…little did they know??!!! Gak! Chortle-wortle-gag.
Pg. 25.
“A stickler for anonymity, Sweetpea neither knew nor had ever heard of Tony Russolini. Vice versa for that matter. However, being the number-one hit man in the region, Sweetpea’s reputation was legendary. Two days earlier he had received a call on his untraceable cell phone from an unknown voice.”
So which is it, legendary or anonymous? Hmmm…legendary or anonymous. Damn, better make it both. Oh and thanks for the reminder about his hit man status, I forgot again.
And within these twenty five pages we have many introductions and descriptions of the players. Notice a theme?
“Very petite, she stood five-two on a skinny one-hundred-pound frame…” (page 23)
“Instantly the hallway became silent as women stared with envy and the men devoured her frame.” (page 19)
“Butter’s six-three frame towered over the smaller Sweetpea by two inches, and whereas Sweetpea’s body appeared soft and slender, Butter’s was a rock of granite.”
(page 22) – so good I just had to make you read it again.
“Travelle Spencer resembled a tank, standing five-seven on a two-hundred-pound frame.” (page 16)
“A fitness fanatic, his chiseled, muscular, five-nine frame seemed to swell right on the spot.” (page 14)
“Standing five-feet-six on a roundish two-hundred-pound frame, Luigi was fat and jolly.” (page 14)
“Six-feet-one on a slender hundred-and-sixty-pound frame, he wore straight-leg beige Dockers…” (page 13)
“The girl was barely twenty-two, stood only five-feet-six in heels, and possessed a mouth-watering frame.” (page 10)
I can’t believe anyone would seriously consider this dreck for publication. I can’t believe that the “author” has five (yes five) other books out as well. There was also a very jarring juxtaposition of street-speak and remarkably outdated proper English that was not effective in the least. It showed a poor grasp of both instead of showcasing the writer as having a broad base from which to frame the story. Appalling.
Synopsis: Leading a double life as a mortgage broker and successful hitman, Sweetpea (a.k.a. Horace Boudreaux) doesn't kill for pleasure, though he's sadistic enough to smile while doing it; in Sweetpea's Secret he kills for revenge. Oaktown's notorious gangster Big Ed Tatum is one of his clients and normally immune from Sweetpea's wrath. But Big Ed crosses the line when he courts Sweetpea's older sister Crystal, and worse, almost kills Sweetpea's little sister Peanut. The hitman is happy to slash Big Ed's throat in a vegas parking lot. The dead don't always stay dead, as Sweepea learns. Facing death or possible jail time, Sweetpea has no choice but to take on a pair of ruthlessly amoral, baby-faced thugs working the City Center.
So wretched that I can’t make it past page 26. That’s 4 chapters of torturing my literary sensibilities and laughing my ass off. So in a way it was fun, but not so much that I’m going to finish this horrid book. Glad it was free. I think.
Instead of telling you why it’s so bad, I will show you. Part of the Writer 101 course that I suggest Renay Jackson take as soon as humanly possible.
Pg. 2
“When that happened, someone would be in trouble because it was the only way Sweetpea, assassin for hire, could exist. He had to kill."
Not only is this hilarious in its bravado, it’s TELLING. OMFG, you’re on PAGE TWO, you don’t have to tell us the main characters main character point – you have the whole rest of the chapter, gasp, even the novel to show us.
Pg. 3 features 4 paragraphs about the weather in Oakland. Here’s a snippet for your edification, in case you didn’t have time or physics basics down –
“For a brief five minutes snowflakes cascaded down onto the city, immediately melting into water the moment they touched the ground.”
Pg. 5.
“Just like Mario, the Foster brothers were twelve years young.”
Years young. Seriously. Someone wrote this. OMFG. Did this guy write the script for Cocoon?
Later…
“First he will say no, but that’s why you always go for the one with a hoe.”
Really? Because farm implements make such pansy weapons? Oh wait, no, he means something else.
“The reason is simple: A lame with a bitch on his arm will want her to think he’s in control and willing to do a little illegal shit from time to time if it saves them money.”
Oh. He means hos. Not hoes. You’d think a guy from the hood would know the difference. Ebonics fail.
Pg. 4.
“Teachers huddled in small groups, grinning from ear to ear as their charges frolicked about in glee.”
In glee? Really? Frolicking. What century are we in? And grinning from ear to ear. What wonderful imagery. I’ve never heard that one before. How innovative.
Pg. 13.
“Ocie had been blessed with the proverbial golden spoon yet could not shake the elements of his environment."
Seriously, if you’re going to trot out some kind of proverb have the brains to GET IT RIGHT. Plus, gold silverware is just so tacky.
Pg. 22
“They secretly wondered about the elderly stranger in coveralls torn at the knee, dirty beenie cap, and run-over shoes. Butter, who considered himself the landlord of the encampment, strutted over to Sweetpea as everyone sat up from their resting place, anticipating a possible rumble.”
“Butter’s six-three frame towered over the smaller Sweetpea by two inches, and whereas Sweetpea’s body appeared soft and slender, Butter’s was a rock of granite.”
Wow. Where do I begin? I had to go back and re-misspell beenie because Word kept changing it to beanie. You know, the correct spelling. And a rumble huh? What is this, 1950? Better get my switchblade. Since when is 2 inches towering over someone? Oh and thanks for clarifying that granite is a kind of rock, I thought it was a pastry.
Later on the same page…
“What the bums didn’t know was that they were in the company of a professional hit man who was using them as a prop.”
Oh man…I totally forgot that Sweetpea was a hit man who really needed to KILL. Thanks for the reminder. OMFG did anyone who can read edit this??
Pg. 24.
“Little did they know that two hundred yards behind them Sweetpea observed it all, sitting in front of the old Ester’s Orbit Room nightclub.”
Little did they know…little did they know??!!! Gak! Chortle-wortle-gag.
Pg. 25.
“A stickler for anonymity, Sweetpea neither knew nor had ever heard of Tony Russolini. Vice versa for that matter. However, being the number-one hit man in the region, Sweetpea’s reputation was legendary. Two days earlier he had received a call on his untraceable cell phone from an unknown voice.”
So which is it, legendary or anonymous? Hmmm…legendary or anonymous. Damn, better make it both. Oh and thanks for the reminder about his hit man status, I forgot again.
And within these twenty five pages we have many introductions and descriptions of the players. Notice a theme?
“Very petite, she stood five-two on a skinny one-hundred-pound frame…” (page 23)
“Instantly the hallway became silent as women stared with envy and the men devoured her frame.” (page 19)
“Butter’s six-three frame towered over the smaller Sweetpea by two inches, and whereas Sweetpea’s body appeared soft and slender, Butter’s was a rock of granite.”
(page 22) – so good I just had to make you read it again.
“Travelle Spencer resembled a tank, standing five-seven on a two-hundred-pound frame.” (page 16)
“A fitness fanatic, his chiseled, muscular, five-nine frame seemed to swell right on the spot.” (page 14)
“Standing five-feet-six on a roundish two-hundred-pound frame, Luigi was fat and jolly.” (page 14)
“Six-feet-one on a slender hundred-and-sixty-pound frame, he wore straight-leg beige Dockers…” (page 13)
“The girl was barely twenty-two, stood only five-feet-six in heels, and possessed a mouth-watering frame.” (page 10)
I can’t believe anyone would seriously consider this dreck for publication. I can’t believe that the “author” has five (yes five) other books out as well. There was also a very jarring juxtaposition of street-speak and remarkably outdated proper English that was not effective in the least. It showed a poor grasp of both instead of showcasing the writer as having a broad base from which to frame the story. Appalling.
Thursday, December 04, 2008
Night of the Jaguar by Michael Gruber, 2006
Read in 2008
Synopsis: Deep in the jungles of Colombia, an American priest is shot dead in his makeshift church.
A few weeks later an Indian shaman called Moie arrives in south Florida, armed only with a bag of totems and the fearsome power of Jaguar, his god.
In Miami, retired detective Jimmy Paz, his wife, and his seven-year-old daughter are plagued by dreams of giant jungle cats that haunt both their sleeping and waking hours.
When affluent Miami businessmen begin to die in gruesome fashion, the local police are baffled by the lack of clues -- other than the massive, catlike footprints that appear at the scene of each murder. They turn to Paz, famous throughout the city for cracking open two previous, impossible-to-solve cases, and for reasons he doesn't dare share, he agrees to come out of his self-imposed retirement to track the killer.
As Paz investigates, Moie finds refuge with a group of ecologically minded activists who treat the strange little man as a pet until they find out exactly what mission brought him to the United States and that it's somehow connected to the grisly murders that are occurring with frightening regularity.
The deeper Paz digs into the case, the closer to home the danger gets: his investigation opens the door to his mysterious and shocking past and he slowly begins to realize that the dreams he and his family are having could mean the death of his beloved daughter. To save her life -- and his own -- he must reach into the deepest corners of his soul and find the strength to hold fast against the irresistible pull of the spirit world.
After a rough start with the first Paz novel, I think I’ve got him now. The mystical side of things doesn’t really bother me anymore. It’s a schtick and I enjoy watching Paz try and reconcile his rational and his spiritual. Each installment is different in its approach, the last one followed Gruber’s then interest in multi-POV narratives and old sects/documents/secrets while this one sticks to the present and grinds the axe of environmentalism, but not annoyingly so. Paz’s domestication is predictably, weakening, but the kid is the least annoying kid I can imagine and so doesn’t grate enough to make me stop reading. Hopefully he’ll get his balls back soon and rejoin the force instead of being a nursemaid.
The mystery in this one is never fully resolved for the cops who get a frame job. But it’s a saleable frame job so they accept it and our true culprit goes to his just reward. He is a figure of sympathy so we never really expect anything bad to happen to him. There are plenty of other characters to revile and they do get what they have coming.
Jennifer’s characterization was really interesting. Both Moie and Cooksey saw something deeper in her that no one else was able to see; instead writing her off as simple and controllable. I liked how they, in their individual ways, encouraged this side of her and I’d like Gruber to write about her journey and arrival in Colombia. That would be fun.
Synopsis: Deep in the jungles of Colombia, an American priest is shot dead in his makeshift church.
A few weeks later an Indian shaman called Moie arrives in south Florida, armed only with a bag of totems and the fearsome power of Jaguar, his god.
In Miami, retired detective Jimmy Paz, his wife, and his seven-year-old daughter are plagued by dreams of giant jungle cats that haunt both their sleeping and waking hours.
When affluent Miami businessmen begin to die in gruesome fashion, the local police are baffled by the lack of clues -- other than the massive, catlike footprints that appear at the scene of each murder. They turn to Paz, famous throughout the city for cracking open two previous, impossible-to-solve cases, and for reasons he doesn't dare share, he agrees to come out of his self-imposed retirement to track the killer.
As Paz investigates, Moie finds refuge with a group of ecologically minded activists who treat the strange little man as a pet until they find out exactly what mission brought him to the United States and that it's somehow connected to the grisly murders that are occurring with frightening regularity.
The deeper Paz digs into the case, the closer to home the danger gets: his investigation opens the door to his mysterious and shocking past and he slowly begins to realize that the dreams he and his family are having could mean the death of his beloved daughter. To save her life -- and his own -- he must reach into the deepest corners of his soul and find the strength to hold fast against the irresistible pull of the spirit world.
After a rough start with the first Paz novel, I think I’ve got him now. The mystical side of things doesn’t really bother me anymore. It’s a schtick and I enjoy watching Paz try and reconcile his rational and his spiritual. Each installment is different in its approach, the last one followed Gruber’s then interest in multi-POV narratives and old sects/documents/secrets while this one sticks to the present and grinds the axe of environmentalism, but not annoyingly so. Paz’s domestication is predictably, weakening, but the kid is the least annoying kid I can imagine and so doesn’t grate enough to make me stop reading. Hopefully he’ll get his balls back soon and rejoin the force instead of being a nursemaid.
The mystery in this one is never fully resolved for the cops who get a frame job. But it’s a saleable frame job so they accept it and our true culprit goes to his just reward. He is a figure of sympathy so we never really expect anything bad to happen to him. There are plenty of other characters to revile and they do get what they have coming.
Jennifer’s characterization was really interesting. Both Moie and Cooksey saw something deeper in her that no one else was able to see; instead writing her off as simple and controllable. I liked how they, in their individual ways, encouraged this side of her and I’d like Gruber to write about her journey and arrival in Colombia. That would be fun.
A Time of Changes by Robert Silverberg, 1971
Read in 2008
Synopsis: Three thousand years after Earth's colonization of the planet Borthan, stories of self-serving hypocrisy that occurred among the first arrivals have bred a culture that forbids emotional sharing and denies the naturally human concept of 'self.' Kinnall Darival breaks the strict code of the Covenant to record the sordid details of his rebellious life from the days of his royal youth to self-appointed prophet of love.
My first Silverberg. This isn’t science fiction proper, Silverberg only uses an alien planet to illustrate an extreme societal concept – that of denial of self. Given how we’ve gone through the ‘me decade’ and morphed into a ‘me society’, it’s challenging to grasp why a society would choose to mandate a dissolution of the individual. This has both benefits and detriments and Silverberg illustrates that pretty well.
The main character tries to become a force of change in his society. Cast out of his role as 2nd son, he's never quite fit in anywhere, even in the heavily proscribed friendships assigned to him from birth. His whole life is uncomfortable to him and he's on the run a lot. Finally he ends up in a position of some power, but it is an illusion. Mentally and emotionally he is unstable, but has no outlet for his anguish. No wonder he turns to the drug that can psychically link him to another human. The disconected nature of his society has made him a beaten, desperate man. He longs for change, but has not the vision or the fortitude to be the catalyst and it is pretty sad to watch him spiral into failure and ignominy.
One thing that is sort of off-putting to me is the fact that supposedly we’ve got this future society with access to technology not using it at all (there are archaic references to ground machines, air machines and telephones still). It’s funny that a lot of future societies are set up as monarchies with agrarian civilizations and old-world politics and rules. I think it’s a two-fold symptom; the information age hadn’t yet occurred when this was written and Silverberg did not have the vision to see how society would change on a dime. Also, I think the agrarian, monarchical society is innately romantic and lends itself to extreme behavior much better than a republican or democratic society, so that’s why it works better as a vehicle for philosophy and symbology driven stories. It does ruin things for me in a sense though.
Synopsis: Three thousand years after Earth's colonization of the planet Borthan, stories of self-serving hypocrisy that occurred among the first arrivals have bred a culture that forbids emotional sharing and denies the naturally human concept of 'self.' Kinnall Darival breaks the strict code of the Covenant to record the sordid details of his rebellious life from the days of his royal youth to self-appointed prophet of love.
My first Silverberg. This isn’t science fiction proper, Silverberg only uses an alien planet to illustrate an extreme societal concept – that of denial of self. Given how we’ve gone through the ‘me decade’ and morphed into a ‘me society’, it’s challenging to grasp why a society would choose to mandate a dissolution of the individual. This has both benefits and detriments and Silverberg illustrates that pretty well.
The main character tries to become a force of change in his society. Cast out of his role as 2nd son, he's never quite fit in anywhere, even in the heavily proscribed friendships assigned to him from birth. His whole life is uncomfortable to him and he's on the run a lot. Finally he ends up in a position of some power, but it is an illusion. Mentally and emotionally he is unstable, but has no outlet for his anguish. No wonder he turns to the drug that can psychically link him to another human. The disconected nature of his society has made him a beaten, desperate man. He longs for change, but has not the vision or the fortitude to be the catalyst and it is pretty sad to watch him spiral into failure and ignominy.
One thing that is sort of off-putting to me is the fact that supposedly we’ve got this future society with access to technology not using it at all (there are archaic references to ground machines, air machines and telephones still). It’s funny that a lot of future societies are set up as monarchies with agrarian civilizations and old-world politics and rules. I think it’s a two-fold symptom; the information age hadn’t yet occurred when this was written and Silverberg did not have the vision to see how society would change on a dime. Also, I think the agrarian, monarchical society is innately romantic and lends itself to extreme behavior much better than a republican or democratic society, so that’s why it works better as a vehicle for philosophy and symbology driven stories. It does ruin things for me in a sense though.
The Likeness by Tana French, 2008
Read in 2008
Synopsis: Six months after the events of In the Woods, Detective Cassie Maddox is still trying to recover. She’s transferred out of the murder squad and started a relationship with Detective Sam O’Neill, but she’s too badly shaken to make a commitment to him or to her career. Then Sam calls her to the scene of his new case: a young woman found stabbed to death in a small town outside Dublin. The dead girl’s ID says her name is Lexie Madison—the identity Cassie used years ago as an undercover detective—and she looks exactly like Cassie.
With no leads, no suspects, and no clue to Lexie’s real identity, Cassie’s old undercover boss, Frank Mackey, spots the opportunity of a lifetime. They can say that the stab wound wasn’t fatal and send Cassie undercover in her place to find out information that the police never would and to tempt the killer out of hiding. At first Cassie thinks the idea is crazy, but she is seduced by the prospect of working on a murder investigation again and by the idea of assuming the victim’s identity as a graduate student with a cozy group of friends.
As she is drawn into Lexie’s world, Cassie realizes that the girl’s secrets run deeper than anyone imagined. Her friends are becoming suspicious, Sam has discovered a generations-old feud involving the old house the students live in, and Frank is starting to suspect that Cassie’s growing emotional involvement could put the whole investigation at risk. Another gripping psychological thriller featuring the headstrong protagonist we’ve come to love, from an author who has proven that she can deliver.
Not quite a follow up to In The Woods and one doesn’t have to read the first to understand this one. At its heart this book focuses on Cassie and her final spasms of growing up and becoming the person she wants to be. Fresh from the wreckage of her relationship with Rob Ryan her former partner in the disastrous case from the previous book, Cassie flees the harsh environment of the murder squad and hides in domestic violence. This seems safer to her. She wears grown up clothes and keeps grown up hours. She untangles reasonably straight forward cases and tries to get back to her old self; the one that didn’t jump at every stray sound or walk into furniture so often she’s just about one big bruise. Underneath this layer of complacence she wonders if the person she was proud of is lost, unrecoverable.
Then she gets an odd call that forces her to make a decision to return, in part, to her old self and see if she can command some self respect. The level of suspension of disbelief is quite high at this point and while I found myself scoffing at the absurdity of the plot actually working, I eventually let it go. French’s novels seem to be thrillers for the sake of telling complex emotional stories, not police procedurals. If I were her agent, I’d advise the same thing; thrillers sell.
Again French excels at portraying deep, intimate friendships in a way that makes the reader envious. This reminds me of Stephen King because he does the same thing. The five housemates at the center of this tale are achingly vulnerable and lonely. The way they cling to each other and create a whole and separate life is touching. Cassie’s longing for the kind of connectedness and intimacy they’ve created also comes across in a very palpable way. She’s so empty with Rob gone from her life that she looks for the reflection of that relationship everywhere she turns. I hope she can find it with Sam.
Aside from some soliloquies and monologues, it was a fairly straightforward investigation, albeit as sloppy one. There is no way Frank or Sam would have let her run so far off the beaten path, but again, these aren’t about accuracy, they’re about self-discovery and the tremendous pain that goes along with most of it. Not sure where French will take things next, if she intends to build a catalog of novels all centering around the same group of people, but if she does I hope she puts Frank under the microscope next.
One thing that I wished was resolved was how exactly Lexie got on to this latest identity. It seemed arbitrary and sloppy, but then again, it’s French and not P.D. James we’ve got here. She seems unconcerned with such details whether it’s bad writing or a style thing, I’m not sure.
Was surprised to see other LT reviews mention The Secret History and thought I was the only one whose thoughts drifted that way while reading this, but so far I haven’t seen anyone mention [A Fatal Inversion] which is even more similar to The Likeness.
Synopsis: Six months after the events of In the Woods, Detective Cassie Maddox is still trying to recover. She’s transferred out of the murder squad and started a relationship with Detective Sam O’Neill, but she’s too badly shaken to make a commitment to him or to her career. Then Sam calls her to the scene of his new case: a young woman found stabbed to death in a small town outside Dublin. The dead girl’s ID says her name is Lexie Madison—the identity Cassie used years ago as an undercover detective—and she looks exactly like Cassie.
With no leads, no suspects, and no clue to Lexie’s real identity, Cassie’s old undercover boss, Frank Mackey, spots the opportunity of a lifetime. They can say that the stab wound wasn’t fatal and send Cassie undercover in her place to find out information that the police never would and to tempt the killer out of hiding. At first Cassie thinks the idea is crazy, but she is seduced by the prospect of working on a murder investigation again and by the idea of assuming the victim’s identity as a graduate student with a cozy group of friends.
As she is drawn into Lexie’s world, Cassie realizes that the girl’s secrets run deeper than anyone imagined. Her friends are becoming suspicious, Sam has discovered a generations-old feud involving the old house the students live in, and Frank is starting to suspect that Cassie’s growing emotional involvement could put the whole investigation at risk. Another gripping psychological thriller featuring the headstrong protagonist we’ve come to love, from an author who has proven that she can deliver.
Not quite a follow up to In The Woods and one doesn’t have to read the first to understand this one. At its heart this book focuses on Cassie and her final spasms of growing up and becoming the person she wants to be. Fresh from the wreckage of her relationship with Rob Ryan her former partner in the disastrous case from the previous book, Cassie flees the harsh environment of the murder squad and hides in domestic violence. This seems safer to her. She wears grown up clothes and keeps grown up hours. She untangles reasonably straight forward cases and tries to get back to her old self; the one that didn’t jump at every stray sound or walk into furniture so often she’s just about one big bruise. Underneath this layer of complacence she wonders if the person she was proud of is lost, unrecoverable.
Then she gets an odd call that forces her to make a decision to return, in part, to her old self and see if she can command some self respect. The level of suspension of disbelief is quite high at this point and while I found myself scoffing at the absurdity of the plot actually working, I eventually let it go. French’s novels seem to be thrillers for the sake of telling complex emotional stories, not police procedurals. If I were her agent, I’d advise the same thing; thrillers sell.
Again French excels at portraying deep, intimate friendships in a way that makes the reader envious. This reminds me of Stephen King because he does the same thing. The five housemates at the center of this tale are achingly vulnerable and lonely. The way they cling to each other and create a whole and separate life is touching. Cassie’s longing for the kind of connectedness and intimacy they’ve created also comes across in a very palpable way. She’s so empty with Rob gone from her life that she looks for the reflection of that relationship everywhere she turns. I hope she can find it with Sam.
Aside from some soliloquies and monologues, it was a fairly straightforward investigation, albeit as sloppy one. There is no way Frank or Sam would have let her run so far off the beaten path, but again, these aren’t about accuracy, they’re about self-discovery and the tremendous pain that goes along with most of it. Not sure where French will take things next, if she intends to build a catalog of novels all centering around the same group of people, but if she does I hope she puts Frank under the microscope next.
One thing that I wished was resolved was how exactly Lexie got on to this latest identity. It seemed arbitrary and sloppy, but then again, it’s French and not P.D. James we’ve got here. She seems unconcerned with such details whether it’s bad writing or a style thing, I’m not sure.
Was surprised to see other LT reviews mention The Secret History and thought I was the only one whose thoughts drifted that way while reading this, but so far I haven’t seen anyone mention [A Fatal Inversion] which is even more similar to The Likeness.
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