I don't know what the heck to call this thread!

[Slam_Bradley]

The Garden of Unearthly Delights by Robert Rankin

Lightweight Rankin. In that it is not by any means his best work. Heaven knows that Rankin is always lightweight...and I like that.

There's an interesting premise here dealing with the march of history and the collision of worlds with different rules, but the plot, such as it is is so episodic that it does little help the premise. Rankin can frequently allay that problem with interesting characters. But not this time, but the premise is strong enough and the running jokes high enough quality to...more

[The Green Condom]

Oblivion by Anthony Horowitz.

The last "Gatekeepers" book. And kind of a let down.

Spoiler : The book is long but during 70% of it nothing much happens simply because of the author decision to separate the five just when they finally were together. So now he must spend more than half the damn book to get them together once again. That's crazy. Just crazy. And you can't help to think "what was the point of the 4 previous books ?". Ah well, that's so weird. It's like if the author is just trolling the readers you know, some kind of very elaborate middle finger.

Good series nevertheless. The others books are really great.

[Slam_Bradley]

The Mourner by Richard Stark.

The fourth Parker novel is the weakest thus far. Parker is forced to steal a statue to get back a gun that has the potential to put him in the pen. The story is OK. It just doesn't rise to the level of the last three books. Parker is much more subdued and there isn't really the feel to peril that he usually has. The mid section of the book cuts away from Parker (somewhat like The Outfit did) and simply isn't very interesting at all.

Worth a read, but be aware that this isn't going to set the world on fire.

[Moriarty]

Wishful Drinking by Carrie Fisher

[Libaax]

The Mourner by Richard Stark.

The fourth Parker novel is the weakest thus far. Parker is forced to steal a statue to get back a gun that has the potential to put him in the pen. The story is OK. It just doesn't rise to the level of the last three books. Parker is much more subdued and there isn't really the feel to peril that he usually has. The mid section of the book cuts away from Parker (somewhat like The Outfit did) and simply isn't very interesting at all.

Worth a read, but be aware that this isn't going to set the world on fire.

I felt exactly the same when i read this book. It was almost a shock it wastn as good,as hardcore as first 3 books. The bad Guy it cut to wastn as well done.

[Infectious Pants]

Dune Messiah (Frank Herbert)
Dune book, does Dune things. A good time.

Catch-22 (Joseph Heller)
Possibly my second favorite book. For me, it's all about the way that it's written. It might lose momentum towards the end, but it is still what I am all about.

The Sun Also Rises (Ernest Hemingway)
I keep on liking this book, in spite of myself. It's all the characters being awful and having an awful time and getting drunk and arguing all the time that keeps me interested.

[Moriarty]

Star Wars: Darth Plagueis by James Luceno

[Nico Olvia]

Tiger's Curse by Colleen Houck.

Guilty pleasure. It's not by any stretch of the imagination a great book (or even a really good one) but i found it to be a fun read anyway. The author really does a good job at selling a quite charming, romanticized version of India.

The ambiance is good, the exotic adventure angle sure works nicely, but the story not really.

[Moriarty]

Star Wars Dark Tide I: Onslaught by Michael Stackpole

[Moriarty]

Star Wars Dark Tide II: Ruin by Michael Stackpole

[Nico Olvia]

Legend by Marie Lu.

Not bad, quick and fun read. But i can't say that i'm really all that impatient for the sequel to be released. For being honest it's a pretty basic story in a quite cliché universe.

[Libaax]

I just read for the first time The Glass Key which dosent have the rep of Red Harvest, The Maltese Falcon but i found it to be almost his best, great lead character in Ned Beaumont.

It is really a companion piece to Red Harvest because its also set in a small town ruled by corruption and political corruption instead of outright criminal gangs. I like how matter factly Hammett explores a social ill like that one. This time there is no tough PI looking to bring down the ciminals that own the city, the local law. Ned Beaumont is an political henchman, part of the corruption that own the city and he works for a man The Op would bring down in Red Harvest for his crimes.

[Slam_Bradley]

I just read for the first time The Glass Key which dosent have the rep of Red Harvest, The Maltese Falcon but i found it to be almost his best, great lead character in Ned Beaumont.

It is really a companion piece to Red Harvest because its also set in a small town ruled by corruption and political corruption instead of outright criminal gangs. I like how matter factly Hammett explores a social ill like that one. This time there is no tough PI looking to bring down the ciminals that own the city, the local law. Ned Beaumont is an political henchman, part of the corruption that own the city and he works for a man The Op would bring down in Red Harvest for his crimes.

The Glass Key was Hammett's personal favorite. I didn't like it the first time I read it, but with a re-read I recognize that it really is a great book and I don't think it gets recognized for its importance. The lack of a private investigator really sets it apart and as a result it progenitor of the literary noir that later see from Jim Thompson, Charles Williams and the like. There's no question that Hammett set the tone for the modern PI work. But The Glass Key makes it clear that he, along with James M. Cain, also gave birth to non-PI literary noir.

[Slam_Bradley]

The Bloody Red Baron by Kim Newman.

The follow up to Anno Dracula finds Graf Dracula leading the Central Powers' troops in World War I and the book's namesake becoming...something more than just a pilot.

This one started out slowly though it was a slow burn to a pretty darn good ending. I don't think I liked it as much as the first book, but it's still a great read with the wonderful Wold Newtony pleasure of finding the character. I loved The Heap and particularly the appearance by Snoopy.

[Moriarty]

Star Wars Agents of Chaos I: Hero's Trial by James Luceno