There is no other writer I can think of who masters dialogue like Elmore Leonard. Granted, this is my first Leonard, but wow. It's no wonder HollywoodThere is no other writer I can think of who masters dialogue like Elmore Leonard. Granted, this is my first Leonard, but wow. It's no wonder Hollywood likes turning his work into movies and TV shows.
The story was great, but it did lack a certain cohesion. The heists were fun to read, but seemed to be thrown in at random to build a word count. I still had a lot of fun reading this book, and loved the dark ending.
This will definitely not be the last Leonard novel I read....more
As always, Stark delivers a dark, terse crime story that will make you hunger for more.
Like he did in the first Parker novel, he gives you vivid imageAs always, Stark delivers a dark, terse crime story that will make you hunger for more.
Like he did in the first Parker novel, he gives you vivid images of a gritty criminal underworld, and ends it in a way that makes you need to read the next.
I own all the Parker novels, and have to force myself not to binge them as I have others I should read first.
I'm not a big Stephen King fan, so take this review with a grain of salt.
From what I've heard, this is King's first attempt at a 'Hard-Boiled DetectivI'm not a big Stephen King fan, so take this review with a grain of salt.
From what I've heard, this is King's first attempt at a 'Hard-Boiled Detective Story', and he kills it. It is fresh and unique within the genre, while at the same time feels like it belongs within its confines.
Near the end, the POV does some hard shifts that feel a bit too cinematic (Mr. Mercedes, coming to TV screens near you!), but it does help to stoke the rising action on the way to the climax.
This is the best King book that I have ever read. My usual complaints about his books are that they feel like they are written by someone who is just trying to drive up his word count for a fatter paycheque. This, however, is lean and mean and still a pretty twisted read (thanks to his oddball antagonist).
Mr. Mercedes has encouraged me to try another one of his books (11/22/63 now sits on my shelf). Here's hoping it's of the same quality....more
This was my first Christie and I thought it was great. The length and prose made it feel geared more toward adolescents (thA whole lot of fun to read.
This was my first Christie and I thought it was great. The length and prose made it feel geared more toward adolescents (there seemed to be an abundance of exclamation points), but I wouldn't hesitate to read another....more
I wasn't very familiar with the character of Jack Reacher, but whenever I walked through a used bookstore there were at least three of them on the sheI wasn't very familiar with the character of Jack Reacher, but whenever I walked through a used bookstore there were at least three of them on the shelf. The newer books are distinctly identifiable like that. Then I saw the movie (the first one) and adored it, so I immediately sought the first book of the series. And man, I was not disappointed.
This was full of action and had believable characters on all sides. I enjoyed it so much, I immediately bought the next one....more
It's between The Caves of Steel and The End of Eternity for the best Asimov book ever written--for me, anyway. That being said, I haven't read all hisIt's between The Caves of Steel and The End of Eternity for the best Asimov book ever written--for me, anyway. That being said, I haven't read all his works, and I almost certainly never will. How many did he write? Over 400?
The Caves of Steel is a fantastic early novel by one of Sci-Fi's greats. If you don't already know this, Asimov created the 3 rules of robotic behaviour, which is his bullet-proof way of taming AIs. But Asimov spent a good amount of time trying to figure out clever ways around his own 3 Laws. Caves of Steel is the first such examination on a future Earth that is choked with over-population.
The Naked Sun is a little slower, more methodical, and has a completely inverted setting on an underpopulated world.
All the Robots and Murder novels are interesting and fun to read in their own ways. Highly recommended....more
I used to hate the reading assignments doled out in school. I couldn't care less about Mr. Gatsby's pThis was a book that got me into reading for fun.
I used to hate the reading assignments doled out in school. I couldn't care less about Mr. Gatsby's parties, or the anachronistic sense of humour in Shakespeare's work, or children catching flies or whatever. Give me chases and explosions and sex and violence and vulgarity. In college you can force feed me classics. I want to want to read. And that's what TekWar did.
I was probably ten when I read this, and I couldn't put it down. It was a whirlwind of spacestations and chrome-plated robots and murder and drug dealers. Of course, the only reason I picked it up was because Captain Kirk wrote it, but maybe that was the greatest hook of all.
Even now, in my thirties, I still buy Shatner books at the thriftshops without reading the synopses. Oh Captain, my Captain!...more
This was my first foray into Sherlock Holmes, and I had a wonderful time. Doyle masterfully mixes a little supernatural intrigue into the book, lendinThis was my first foray into Sherlock Holmes, and I had a wonderful time. Doyle masterfully mixes a little supernatural intrigue into the book, lending the whole experience to an almost gothic tale....more
The prose is as dark as an alley during winter solstice. The characters, Parker in particular, are some of the coolest ever putThis book blew me away.
The prose is as dark as an alley during winter solstice. The characters, Parker in particular, are some of the coolest ever put on paper. This is how a crime noir is supposed to read.
If you've ever seen the Director's Cut of Payback, with Mel Gibson, you know what you are getting in to. After I saw that movie, I had to take a peek at this book, and after I took a peek, I bought the rest of the series.
If you don't have fun reading this, watch your back....more
This was a strange read. The narrator will sometimes make guesses at what happens next instead of letting the reader find out for himself. Still enjoyThis was a strange read. The narrator will sometimes make guesses at what happens next instead of letting the reader find out for himself. Still enjoyable, though....more