You're totally right.Quoting megladon8 (view post)
"Sent a chill down my spine." WOW! That's so vivid! And I totally identify with that turn of phrase, because I, too, often get chills that run down my spine! That author really gets me.
You're totally right.
"Sent a chill down my spine." WOW! That's so vivid! And I totally identify with that turn of phrase, because I, too, often get chills that run down my spine! That author really gets me.
And "lit up like the fourth of July" is a phrase I have never once read or heard before in reference to bright lights. I can't think of any other description that could possibly do that scene justice.
I've been lightly reading some Robert E. Howard. Two short stories so far. "People of the Dark" and "The Valley of the Worm." Both are stories about men in the present who flash back to previous lives when they were jacked, fearless ass-kickers who travel to the darkest recesses of the natural world and battle unholy beasts. It's all very slight, but the stories are overstuffed with forward momentum, greased with the blood of men and monsters in constant battle, and it's hard to not smile and go along with the "noble savage" silliness. The sincerity is naive, sure, but it's so genuine.
I need to read more Howard.
I'm embarrassed by how long it's taken me to understand the title gag.
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It may be "slighter" than "The Divinity Student", but I am still finding "The Tyrant" astounding.
This idea of a man who is more alive than most, so is able to actually die "more" than the rest of us, is really cool.
My line was going to be, "I'm looking for that book about the evil license plate."
Hill's book continues to be good. It's a super light, breezy read; the pages practically read themselves. Lot's of cool things, although it gets just a little too close to Neil Gaiman territory, but that could simply be because of the protagonist. I'm liking it a lot, but I want it to go deeper, and I hope it does.
I find Hill to be much like his father in how smooth and easily read his prose are.
And I mean that as a huge compliment towards them. They have some incredibly complex ideas and images that they communicate effortlessly. That's great skill.
I absolutely love the turn "The Tyrant" has taken, becoming a love story.
I doubt I'm going to finish the Hill book - Meg, it's yours if you want it. I owe you something for Hitman.
There simply isn't enough there to warrant the length, and it completely looses steam by mid-point. The characters are paper thin, relying on tired cliche, and there is also a problem with the way Hill describes a character's emotional state when compared to how the character acts. At certain points I've had to go back and re-read sections to see if I was reading stuff in the wrong tone, but I wasn't.
There are moments in which I know I'm supposed to be scared, or say "WOW! That's so cool!" but Hill has trouble with the set-up; he knows how to knock 'em down, but the set-up is weak and there is no dramatic pay off because I'm not invested at all. Not to compare him to his father, but King gets the set-up part better than just about any other author I know of, and so when stuff happens it carries a lot of weight.
There are far too many coincidences without any set-up, and too many times when it feels like something happens just because it would be neat, rather than elevating the story or the characters.
So yeah....there's that.
Already own it, but thanks!
Sorry it was disappointing.
RIP Jack Vance.
Thanks for inspiring so many stories and games.
http://www.locusmag.com/News/2013/05...nce-1916-2013/
What!? NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
I have nearly finished Laird Barron's "The Light is the Darkness" (having started it yesterday afternoon), and I am completely taken with it.
A beautifully written noir tale of cosmic horror.
Davis, you should really check this one out.
"All right, that's too hot. Anything we can do about that heat?"
"Rick...it's a flamethrower."
Been on my shelf for about a year.
Finished it. That was great. Goes totally bonkers at the end and has an awesome little mind bend.
Rich characters and story that felt ripped from the pages of Hammett or Chandler, if Hammett or Chandler had been smoking opium with H.P. Lovecraft.
Very strongly recommended, and requires no knowledge of Lovecraft mythos (for those of you who may be looking for a piece of cosmic horror that doesn't require a breadth of knowledge on the subjects).
"All right, that's too hot. Anything we can do about that heat?"
"Rick...it's a flamethrower."
Next book I'm tackling is "The Pilo Family Circus".
The author is a diagnosed schizophrenic, and wrote the book while abstaining from his medication and during periods where he would go more than 48 hours without sleeping.
"All right, that's too hot. Anything we can do about that heat?"
"Rick...it's a flamethrower."
"The Pilo Family Circus" is, so far, a fiendish nightmare. Not outright horrifying, but unsettling enough in its blend of terror and black comedy to leave an impression.
Elliott writes with clarity and precision. Subtle in the style department, but communicates his idea clearly and concisely.
I imagine this would be outright terrifying to people with a fear of clowns.
"All right, that's too hot. Anything we can do about that heat?"
"Rick...it's a flamethrower."
Flying through this book. Page 191 of 300. Hope to finish it tomorrow.
It's really more of a dark fantasy than a horror. Like a darker, edgier Neil Gaiman.
"All right, that's too hot. Anything we can do about that heat?"
"Rick...it's a flamethrower."
That was very good. Again, much more dark fantasy than outright horror. Reminds me of much of the dark-fantasy-edging-on-horror of the mid-to-late 80s, by authors like Gaiman and Barker.
Elliott has a clean, crisp voice with which he is able to communicate his ideas very clearly. Perhaps a touch low on style, but concision more than makes up for that.
The parallels to drug addiction and mental disorders are pretty on-the-nose, but it serves the story well as it all feels very much like an elongated fable. Characters' morals and intentions are worn on their sleeves (unless deemed necessary by plot convenience) and any blurring of right and wrong is nullified by the idea that someone can legitimately be two different people.
One moment in the book that totally lost me, though, was an attempt to explain away the Holocaust as some supernaturally fueled accident. It didn't sit right, and felt cheap. The mere mention seemed pulled out of thin air, and I wish the book had kept itself contained to the events within its own timeline. Hinting at a larger conspiracy was fine and dandy, but outright saying "the Holocaust isn't what you thought it was!" was silly.
Overall, though, I liked it a lot. A tad simplistic (but again, this worked for the fable/fairy tale feel of the story), and Elliott certainly has a striking imagination.
"All right, that's too hot. Anything we can do about that heat?"
"Rick...it's a flamethrower."
If "Mandibles" continues as strong as it has begun, I think I may have found a new favorite author in Jeff Strand.
Some of the funniest stuff I've read in a long time.
"All right, that's too hot. Anything we can do about that heat?"
"Rick...it's a flamethrower."
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