Horror, Fantasy, and other non-sci-fi genres...

[D_Davis]

Zoo by Otsuichi

Damn, what a twisted book! The writing is nothing special, and some it is downright bad (not sure whether to blame the original Japanese author, or the translator), but the stories are awesome. One I've read so far really got to me. It's about this dude who is abused as a kid. He moves into a forest where he builds a house out of the bodies of people he murders. It's really messed up. Another story is about a guy who gets stabbed. However, he can't feel any pain. And so he's bleeding to death while his POS family stands around arguing about how long it'll take him to die, or who will get his inheritance, the last night's dessert, and other such nonsense.

I really want to see the anime anthology based on this; I bet it's pretty good.

[D_Davis]

Zoo it a collection of short stories by a young Japanese author. The Japanese author is called Otsuichi. This short review will be written in a style similar to the one used in the book. That is to say, this review will be somewhat mocking in tone. I'm not sure who to blame for this. Should I blame the original author? Or should I blame the translator? Everything is written in such a simple manner. That is to say, there are no complex sentences or thoughts. What's more, the dialog is truly terrible. Characters say things like, "It's not that I believe them completely. If I were to express my curiosity as a pie chart, I would probably give it about 120 degrees," and "I think whoever it is has no intention of letting us out of here."

However, it's not all bad. And this makes things frustrating. A few of the stories are quite good. That is to say, the author has some good ideas. The better stories are also haunting. One in particular, "In a Park at Twilight, a Long Time Ago," is very good. It's very short. It is only four pages long. It is about a girl who digs her arms into a sandbox and discovers something gross. Another is a story called "The White House in the Cold Forest." This one is my favorite. It is about a boy who is abused. The boy runs away into the forest. He then murders many people and makes a house our of their bodies.

Everything in the book is stated in a very matter-of-fact tone. I don't know if this is done on purpose. Is this a style often employed by Japanese authors? I don't think so. Ultimately, the book is not that good. But, it might be worth it to borrow a copy just for the few good stories it contains. In addition to the ones mentioned above, "Song of the Sunny Spot" is also good.

[D_Davis]

Next up...

[D_Davis]

"Jody and Annie on TV"
Well, now I've read the story on which QT based Natural Born Killers. Jody and Annie go on violent crime spree simply because they love watching themselves on television after the fact. Shirley captures the essence of the Hollywood media-frenzy experience with great skill.

"I Want to Get Married, Says the World Smallest Man"
And so he does. To a crack whore. Then they both realize they've been duped. Remember, in Hollywood, no one ever tells you what they do, they tell you what they want to do. "I'm an actor," someone might say. But what they mean, unless you've heard of them, is that they're working some shit job, or they're flat broke living in some rundown hotel in the valley. Shirley knows southern California culture. It's like reading some crime short story from Bukowski filtered through Joe R. Lansdale. Violent and twisted, and incredibly funny.

[D_Davis]

"Equilibrium"
here is a secret society called The Composers, tasked with restoring equilibrium to an imbalanced world fraught with chaos. Or maybe there isn't. Our narrator is unreliable, and completely bonkers. Shirley crafts a story on par with Ligotti here in its exploration of human depravity and weirdness. So good.

[D_Davis]

New Noir - John Shirley

Story for story, word for word, this short volume just barely over 100 pages is one of the strongest collection of short stories I've ever read. Shirley is an author with an edge - that is a fact. The stories here are punk rock - apocalyptic-punk, crime-punk, drug-punk. Shirley knows the culture and writes with an authoritative voice. He's not a tourist, or merely an observer. One get's the feeling that he was in the trenches. I'd easily mention this right along side Ballard and Bukowski, or Burroughs and Ligotti. It's counter-culture through and through.

There's not a bad story in the bunch. There is a common theme of urban-horror pocked with ultra-violence and depravity. His characters are long past the ends of their ropes, miles deeper than desperation. Heroine fiends, crack-whores, midgets with star-complex, and amateur criminals addicted to modern media populate his dark creations.

It's a good thing this collection is short, because I don't think I could take much more. You can only be punched in the gut and kicked in the teeth so many times before you just can't take any more. Next up, something lighter, something more positive. However, I never got the sense that Shirley was being misanthropic here; I was not reminded of Ellison, in other words. Shirley is clearly writing about a particular subset of humanity, and not casting a wide net with which to trap us all in the gaze of his authoritative judgment.

[D_Davis]

Oh yeah, and the last page of New Noir says:

THE MOTHERFUCKING END

[D_Davis]

Went to a bar tonight, got a little drunk, and read about 100 pages of Vanilla Ride. Goddamn Hap and Leonard never fail to crack my shit up. Why haven't these been made into movies yet? They'd be freaking HUGE!

[megladon8]

Went to a bar tonight, got a little drunk, and read about 100 pages of Vanilla Ride. Goddamn Hap and Leonard never fail to crack my shit up. Why haven't these been made into movies yet? They'd be freaking HUGE!

I cannot read drunk or high.

I mean...I can...but I might as well have my eyes closed because I am not going to remember ANYTHING.

[D_Davis]

The pub was actually at a bookstore. Really cool. Upstairs is the bookstore with a cafe, and then downstairs is a really nice little pub. It's underground, so it's dark with striking lighting, and big tables. Good beer selection, and they serve Greek food.

[kuehnepips]

Sounds good.

Yesterday I had German beer in an Italian ristorante and read Rankin's Knots and Crosses in English.

[D_Davis]

Vanilla Ride, by Joe R. Lansdale

Lansdale killed it. He took aim, and hit the target straight up. Again I ask - WHY AREN'T THESE MOVIES YET? Someone give me a few million dollars and I WILL return the investment on a film series. The Hap and Leonard books are practically already written to be films, and they'd be the single best series of crime films ever made.

A full review should be coming. But let me just say a few things:

1. This book is so good that today at lunch I thought I was having an old memory of somewhere I had been. However, I wasn't remembering anything that actually happened to me, I was remembering something in Vanilla Ride. Lansdale is that good of a writer. Word for word, he's probably the best writer working in the genre today. Although I probably shouldn't make that claim. However, if someone thinks I'm wrong, please point me to a better writer so I can be enlightened.

2. Hap and Leonard are two of the best realized and funniest characters in all of the world of genre fiction. No doubt. These guys are hilarious, And ruthless. Wise crackin' killers with hearts of gold and dirty mouths.

3. Vanilla Ride has some of the best action set pieces I've ever read. I usually skim action in books because it's just not all that interesting. However, Lansdale writes it with the skill of a visual master. The four major set pieces in this book are exciting, tense, and full-on entertaining.

So yeah - if you like crime fiction and you aren't reading the Hap and Leonard books, or Lansdale in general, do yourself a favor and rectify that problem pronto.

[Marley]

Vanilla Ride sounds awesome. Would it matter if I jumped straight into this one or should I read the others in the series first?

[D_Davis]

Vanilla Ride sounds awesome. Would it matter if I jumped straight into this one or should I read the others in the series first?

There isn't an on-going narrative, but there are on-going character arcs. I've read reviews from a couple people who started with this one, and they seemed to like it, although I'm sure you would get more out of some of the humor and characterizations if you had read them in order.

Although I'm sure there is a series synopsis out there that would clue you in enough.

Basically, Hap Collins is a straight, liberal white dude. His best friend, and partner in trying to fight crime, is Leonard Pine, a gay, more right-leaning black dude. They live in Eastern Texas, and the motto of the entire series is "no good dead goes unpunished." They're always trying to help people solve problems, and they wind up getting involved in all kinds of crazy messes.

[Marley]

The reason I ask is because my school library only carries "Vanilla Ride" but then I checked my public library and surprisingly, they actually happen to carry a whole bunch of other Lansdale works: Bad Chili, Savage Season, etc. From your enthusiastic praise of Lansdale, I am eager to dive into his extensive body of work, starting with Vanilla Ride. It just sounds so freakin' cool.

In addition, I'm a huge fan of your insightful and well-written reviews which have provided me a plethora of recommendations, so please keep em' coming! I haven't explored much genre literature and after stalking your posts in all of these literature threads (sorry if it is creepy), I've recently discovered a new passion for science fiction, horror and fantasy. So yeah, I'd just like to thank you again for inspiring me to seek out works that I never would have done so myself. I assure you, the time and effort that you put into your reviews are not in vain! ritch:

I recently breezed through "I am Legend" which was a compelling and fresh take on the vampire mythology. I particularly liked Matheson's simple and direct style of writing. With only 200 pages he manages to paint a terrifying and thought-provoking post-apocalyptic world with a strong central character. I'm not sure if the novel is to be interpreted as allegory even though there are strong hints of it but the way it ironically subverts the traditional mythology of the vampire is brilliant. That ending was just...wow. My only complaint is that I wish the novel was longer or there was a sequel (especially concerning what happens at the end since there is opportunity to explore so much more in this new world).

Now to figure out what to read next until "Vanilla Ride" is available...

[D_Davis]

Lansdale is amazing. I've been saying it for years - he's the hardboiled, Texas Mark Twain. He is a brilliant author - genre or not. And he writes everything from horror (The Drive-In) to mystery/crime (Cold in July, Freezer Burn), and from comedy (Bubba Ho-Tep, Godzilla's Twelve Step Program)to shit you just can't believe (Drive-In Date) and pure Americana (The Bottoms, A Fine Dark Line, The Boar), in and out of genre fiction. He starts where every other author stops in terms of the places he goes when he goes dark.

But he also has a heart, and he's written a couple of YA novels.

And he's just a cool dude. He invented his own style of martial arts which he teaches at his dojo, and he's in the martial arts hall of fame.

He is the modern day Hemingway or Twain (although I like his stories a lot more, and his writing is just as good) - a man's man who is also a brilliant author with an insightful mind, and one who is not afraid to just tell a rippin' story. Basically, if anyone loves to read fiction of any kind, and they're not reading Lansdale, they're missing out on a living national treasure.

[D_Davis]

Are you on Goodreads, Marley?

[kuehnepips]

Basically, if anyone loves to read fiction of any kind, and they're not reading Lansdale, they're missing out on a living national treasure.

I don't like the word "national" here.

[Marley]

Are you on Goodreads, Marley?

Yes, I do have an account on that site but have not updated my reading profile or browsed its database for quite a while. Perhaps I shall do that now.

[Mr. Pink]

Although I probably shouldn't make that claim. However, if someone thinks I'm wrong, please point me to a better writer so I can be enlightened.

I really like F. Paul Wilson's Repairman Jack series, but Hap and Leonard are still better. Still, while I'm waiting for new Hap and Leonard stuff, I usually read Repairman Jack in the meantime.

You liked Vanilla Ride considerably more than I did, it looks like. I remember saying it was mediocre to a buddy of mine who also loves Lansdale, but even mediocre Lansdale is better than most.

And when I say mediocre, I only mean it didn't make me want to stop doing other things until I finished the book, which is usually the case with others in the series.

[Mr. Pink]

The reason I ask is because my school library only carries "Vanilla Ride" but then I checked my public library and surprisingly, they actually happen to carry a whole bunch of other Lansdale works: Bad Chili, Savage Season, etc. From your enthusiastic praise of Lansdale, I am eager to dive into his extensive body of work, starting with Vanilla Ride. It just sounds so freakin' cool.

In addition, I'm a huge fan of your insightful and well-written reviews which have provided me a plethora of recommendations, so please keep em' coming! I haven't explored much genre literature and after stalking your posts in all of these literature threads (sorry if it is creepy), I've recently discovered a new passion for science fiction, horror and fantasy. So yeah, I'd just like to thank you again for inspiring me to seek out works that I never would have done so myself. I assure you, the time and effort that you put into your reviews are not in vain! ritch:

I recently breezed through "I am Legend" which was a compelling and fresh take on the vampire mythology. I particularly liked Matheson's simple and direct style of writing. With only 200 pages he manages to paint a terrifying and thought-provoking post-apocalyptic world with a strong central character. I'm not sure if the novel is to be interpreted as allegory even though there are strong hints of it but the way it ironically subverts the traditional mythology of the vampire is brilliant. That ending was just...wow. My only complaint is that I wish the novel was longer or there was a sequel (especially concerning what happens at the end since there is opportunity to explore so much more in this new world).

Now to figure out what to read next until "Vanilla Ride" is available...

I'd say just start at the beginning. It's not essential, but if you have the option, I'd start from Savage Season onward.

[Marley]

I'd say just start at the beginning. It's not essential, but if you have the option, I'd start from Savage Season onward.

Done. In the mean time, I've been reading some Lovecraft stories in between study sessions. Good stuff.

[Winston*]

Reading the abridged version of Journey to the West - Monkey. He is such a rascal!

[D_Davis]

Reading the abridged version of Journey to the West - Monkey. He is such a rascal!

Yes he is. Monkey is awesome.

[Winston*]

Yes he is. Monkey is awesome.

When he gets the Dragon King to give him that staff and then is like "Give me some awesome armour or I'll hit you with this staff you gave me" - too good.