Favorite Fantasy & Mystery Books

Awhile ago I posted my list of favorite fantasy books. Recently I posted my list of favorite mystery books. Take a gander and feel free to disagree, as long as you do it publicly.

Another Round-up

I doubt that I'll be writing anything else in 06 so here is the last round up of reviews and interviews.

My interview with Jason Starr

My review of 47 Rules of Highly Effective Bank Robbers by Troy Cook

My review of Blitz by Ken Bruen

My review of Probable Cause by Theresa Schwegel

My review of Red Baker by Robert Ward

An interview with Ken Bruen

Here is an interview that I recently conducted with Ken Bruen over at Mystery Book Spot.

Some highlights include:

-specifics about some of his books

-what we can expect in 2007 as I try to pry some specific information out of him

-what he liked in 2006

-what art we can expect in a post 9/11 world

and much more.

Enjoy.

Mid December Review and Interview Round Up

I read books at a faster rate then I can write about them. So my goal is to be completely caught up and out of the hole by the end of the year. So its likely that there will be a purge of reviews over at Mystery Book Spot from now until then.

I just posted my interview with Jason Starr in conjunction with the contest that we are running for Lights Out. The interview is here.

The reviews that I've posted in the last week or so are:

Ex Machina

The White Trilogy - Ken Bruen

Darkness Take My Hand - Dennis Lehane

Fags & Lager - Charlie Williams

The Killing of the Tinkers by Ken Bruen

American Skin by Ken Bruen

and

No Dominion by Charlie Huston

Book Give Away Contest: Jason Starr's Light's Out

Mystery Book Spot is holding it's first book give away contest and it's a good one. We are giving away a copy of Jason Starr's Light's Out. Entry into the contest is very easy. Sign up at the site and send me a private message. That's it.

There will be other contests so keep checking back.

The Rising by Brian Keene - review

Here is my review of The Rising by Brian Keene over at Fantasy Book Spot.

The Impossible Bird by Patrick O'Leary - review

Here is my review of Patrick O'Leary's The Impossible Bird over at Fantasy Book Spot.  The mission to kick O'Leary out of the shadow cabinet continues.

A Drink Before the War by Dennis Lehane - review

Here is my review of A Drink Before the War by Dennis Lehane over at Fantasy Book Spot.

My interview with Patrick O'Leary

Here is my interview with Patrick O'Leary over at Fantasy Book Spot.

Kiss Her Goodbye by Allan Guthrie - review

Here is my review of Allan Guthrie's Kiss Her Goodbye over at Mystery Book Spot.

Drive by James Sallis - review

Here is my review of Drive by James Sallis over at Mystery Book Spot.  A modern masterpiece.

Lights Out by Jason Starr - review

Here is my review of Jason Starr's latest Lights Out over at Mystery Book Spot.  It is his first hard cover release and he is well deserving of it. 

 

 

 

Resume With Monsters by William Browning Spencer - review

Here is my review of Resume with Monsters by William Browning Spencer over at Fantasy Book Spot.

To the Power of Three by Laura Lipmann - review

Here is my review of To the Power of Three by Laura Lipmann over at Mystery Book Spot.

A Simple Plan by Scott Smith - review

Here is my review of A Simple Plan by Scott Smith over at Mystery Book Spot.

Chance Fortune & The Outlaws by Shane Berryhill - review

Here is my review of Chance Fortune & The Outlaws by Shane Berryhill over at Fantasy Book Spot.

The Gun Seller by Hugh Laurie - review

Here is my review of The Gun Seller by Hugh Laurie over at Mystery Book Spot. 

A review of Bust by Ken Bruen & Jason Starr

Here is my review of Bust by Ken Bruen & Jason Starr over at Mystery Book Spot.

Three Days to Never by Tim Powers - review

Here is my belated review of the incomprabale Tim Powers' latest, Three Days to Never over at Fantasy Book Spot.

Chasing the Dead review

Here is my review of Joe Schreiber's supernatural thriller Chasing the Dead over at Fantasy Book Spot.

Jennifer Government by Max Barry - review

Here is my review of Maxx Barry's Jennifer Government over at Fantasy Book Spot.

A Dangerous Man by Charlie Huston

Here is my review for Charlie Hustons
conclusion to the Hank Thompson trilogy over at Mystery Book Spot.

The Night Gardener by George Pelecanos

Here is my rview for The Night Gardener by George Pelecanos over at Mystery Book Spot.

Creepers by David Morrell - review

Here is my review for the quite enjoyable Creepers by David Morell over at Mystery Book Spot.

The Gift by Patrick O'Leary

Here is my review for the criminally unread The Gift by Patrick O'Leary over at Fantasy Book Spot.

No Dominion by Charlie Huston

I recently recieved and read Charlie Hustons No Dominion. The second Joe Pitt casebook. Already Dead, the first book in the series was reviewed by me over at Fantasy Book Spot. I'm happy to say that No Dominion does not disappoint. It is a little more streamlined then Already Dead , with at least one glaring omission from it readily addressed. Plus, tons more questions are asked with the answers meted out to us leaving us always asking for more.

Patrick O'Leary update

After posting my review of Door Number Three over at Fantasy Book Spot I continued my relentless search for Patrick O'Leary.  Well I'm happy to report that it was a success.  I found him and he agreed to an interview.  He has big news for the future.  He has a collection due out from PS Publishing sometime on 2008. 

 

Stay tuned for more info.  Hopefully the review will posted soon

Godspeed - update

I heard from Julie at McAdam/Cage.  She informed me that the release date of Will Christopher Baer's Godspeed has been pushed back to March 2007 with ARCs going out by the end of the year.   

Thoughts from my reading of Children's Hospital

I've started reading Children's Hospital by Chris Adrian a few of days ago and I'm only about 50 pages deep.  Its not that the book is bad its just a very deliberate book that demands you to take your time.  It's an odd reading experience so far.  Most paragraphs feel as if they could be journal entries, because they are so complete in their miniaturized existence in a larger frame work.  It's hard to explain but maybe when its been read I'll have a better understanding of my gut feeling.

Tumbling After by Paul Witcover - review

Here is my review of Tumbling After by Paul Witcover over at Fantasy Book Spot.

The Wheelman by Duane Swierczynski - review

Here is my review for The Wheelman by Duane Swierczynski over at Mystery Book Spot. For a fuller appreciattion of his upcoming The Blonde in november one should read this book too. There are some links that establish them as being in the same universe.

Already Dead review

Here is my review for an over looked modern classic, Already Dead by Charlie Huston, over at Fantasy Book Spot.

Hell's Half Acre reviewed

Here is the review for the conclusion of the Phineas Poe Trilogy over at Fantasy Book Spot. Like its main character its a flawed work.

Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor - review

Here is my review for the flawed but interesting Looking Glass Wars over at Fantasy Book Spot.

Door Number Three

Here is my review for Door Number Three by Patrick O'Leary over at Fantasy Book Spot. This book is brilliant and its time for it to be re-discovered.

The Guards by Ken Bruen - review

Here is my review for The Guards by the always brilliant Ken Bruen over at Mystery Book Spot.

Bubba Ho-Tep

Here is my review for Bubba Ho-Tep, the story, over at Fantasy Book Spot

Shotgun Opera by Victor Gischler - review

Here is my review for Shotgun Opera by Victor Gischler over at Mystery Book Spot.

Penny Dreadful review

My review for Will Christopher Baer's 2nd book in the Phineas Poe trilogy, Penny Dreadful is up at Mystery Book Spot here. I think it is the strongest book if the three. Take a look.

Over at Fantasy Book Spot there was recently areview posted about The Girl in the Glass by Jeffrey Ford.

In the forum section there is an interesting debate taking place as to the reliability of Diego as the narrator. I think thats its an interesting subject that hasnt really been broached anywhere else.

I'm one of the participants and would love to hear what other readers of this fine story think.

Genre Fiction Awards

Any reasonable person can see why a publisher would want to make sure everyone knows that a book or an author has won an award.  Noting it on a books cover, an authors bio, on his/her web site, at a convention, wherever really.

 

But what I'm curious about is the designation "nominated for..." or "...nominee" 

 

Are genre fiction publishers more inclined to include these designations then there more mainstream counterparts.  If so, then why.  Are genre publishers scrambling for acceptance and recognition in an attempt to say "see, see, it was nominated for an award it must be good..."

 

When reading a book that was nominated for an award does one immediately have the knee-jerk reaction of asking "who won"?  I personally don't. 

 

Or in the case of some awards that have a lot and I mean A LOT of categories, do the amount of categories devalue the award.  Like the Hugo, there are so many damn categories that it seems like everyone in the field has one.  Does the fact or more importantly the perception that EVERYONE has a Hugo diminish the award.  I think it does to some degree. 

 

Does a large amount of nominees devalue the award.  If 20 books are nominated and the award has been around for awhile then that's a lot of nominees.  Theoretically then everybody would be a nominee.  If everyone is advertised as a ______ nominee then its a level playing field right. 

 

If the genre is small in terms of the reading community and sales and there are a large amount of awards isn't that the equivalent of getting a participation trophy in little league. 

Kiss Me, Judas by Will Christopher Baer review

My review for Kiss Me, Judas is here, over at Fantasy Bookspot. There's tons more to say about this book.

Allusions, references and parallels abound. Keep an eye out for reviews of the other two books in the trilogy and an extended criticism in the near future.

Because enough can't be said about the movie Snakes on a Plane. Here is Swiercznyski's brilliant analysis of the theme song.

Come Closer by Sara Gran - review

My review for Sara Gran's Come Closer over at Fantasy Book Spot is here.

Kids talk

We're eating dinner and talking about dinner when my aunt says anything can be good for you in moderation.  My daughter says "except coke and chicken pox"

Pistol Poets by Victor Gischler - review

My review for Pistol Poets by Victor Gischler over at Mystery Book Spot is here

Boyos - review

My review for Boyos over at Mystery Book Spot is here

Will Christopher Baer's new book Godspeed

I just finished the first book of the Phineas Poe trilogy, Kiss Me, Judas.  I'll be posting a review of it soon over at Fantasy Book Spot. I went to the authors site and hey he has a new book coming out soon.  Check out this description

--from the publisher
According to Milton, heaven and hell are but a hand's breadth apart. In GODSPEED, there is no heaven or hell. There is only "the presidio," a lawless noir purgatory populated by fugitive souls, fallen angels, demon children, immortals, and the undead. Moving among them is a complicated hero in Ryder Fell.mercenary thief, repentant womanizer, and sometime savior of lost children--afflicted with the "godspeed," a dizzying array of paranormal talents he can neither control or explain. The worst of these are nightmare visions of black doors All hell breaks loose when an exiled undead soul, in the body of a young girl, borrows the godspeed from Ryder and plunges through the wrong door...Milton had one thing right--the next world is a heartbeat away from this one, an easy jump for the lucky few who know how to secure passage. For the rest of us, the real hell is in the journey. 

Sounds original and very interesting.  Cant wait to give it a try!

Setting the bar too low

This is my promised response to an earlier blog post by Sara Gran. I love her books I just don’t always agree with her blog posts is all. I linked to it yesterday so please read it first.

Chick-Lit vs. Romance

I don’t agree with the way that you are using the terms Romance Novel and Chick-Lit interchangeably. They are distinct genres; a quick visit to Wikipedia bears that out.

1) “A romance novel is a novel from the genre currently known as romance. The genre has two strict criteria:

* The story must focus on the relationship and romantic love between two people [1];
* The end of the story must be positive, leaving the reader believing that the protagonists' love and relationship will endure for the rest of their lives.

If a novel does not fulfill those conditions, fans of the genre are likely to claim that it belongs to a related genre, such as women's fiction or chick lit, or that it is just a mainstream fiction novel.

Some romance novel readers would claim that the genre has additional restrictions, from plot considerations such as the hero and heroine meeting early on in the story, to avoiding possible themes, such as neither hero nor heroine committing adultery in the course of their relationship developing. However, these are not hard-and-fast rules, and some writers deliberately write stories that may put off some readers in order to push the genre's boundaries.”

2) "Chick lit" is a term used to denote a genre of popular fiction written for and marketed to young women, especially single, working women in their twenties. The genre's creation was spurred on, if not exactly created, in the mid-1990s with the appearance of Helen Fielding's Bridget Jones's Diary and similar works; it continued to sell well in the 2000s, with chick-lit titles topping bestseller lists and the creation of imprints devoted entirely to chick-lit.

Chick-lit features hip, stylish female protagonists, usually in their twenties or thirties, in urban settings (usually Manhattan), and follows their love lives and struggles in business (often in the publishing, advertising, public relations or fashion industry). The books usually feature an irreverent tone and frank sexual themes.

They aren’t the same. Chick-Lit is a bit harder to define because it is newer but some examples are Megan McCafferty’s "Sloppy Firsts" and "Second Helpings"; Read Between the Lies; Mrs. Mourning Glo; Candace Bushnell's Sex and the City; The Girls Guide to Fishing and Hunting by Melissa Bank; Helen Fielding's Bridget Jones's Diary; Devil Wears Prada and Animal Husbandry. Whereas we all know what a Romance novel is, after all we have all seen the section at the bookstore regardless of the store.

So, with that said I don’t think that Romance novels will ever attain a level of critical acceptance or re-appraisal. I think as a genre it will always remain in the critical basement. I think that one of the biggest reasons for this is the Romance genres inability to produce what others outside of the genre or even those inside the genre would call a classic. All other genre fiction has laid claims on certain titles and authors who are regarded as classics.

Name me one Romance writer. You can’t. In fact the average persons knee jerk reaction to hearing the phrase Romance Novel is probably Fabio. That right there exists as one of the prime indicators of the superficiality of that genre when the most prominent figure is a male model who poses for pictures that are usually drawn, not even a photograph!

Lowest Common Denominator

Good fiction is good fiction regardless of genre. But just because a book is written by a woman isn’t enough of a reason to champion it. If that becomes your sole reason, or your top reason for recommending a book then you considerably lower your baseline for comparison. The bar becomes lowered as you play to the lowest common denominator. If you recommend a book to me simply based on the fact that a woman wrote it then that becomes the blind date equivalent of “Well, she’s nice…”

To hear your argument put another way just change the word woman to brown hair. So now you’re saying that a book should be read because the person who wrote it has brown hair.

In other words, quality needs to come into the discussion at all times. Quality doesn’t mean that the high walls of academia approve of it and let it romp freely inside their high walls. After all there are different types of quality, no one is going to say Ken Bruen writes like Dante but they both are quality writers.

"To suggest that another woman's ostensibly literary novel is chick lit feels catty, not unlike calling another woman a slut -- doesn't the term basically bring down all of us?" -- Curtis Sittenfeld in the New York Times [1]

Laughing All the Way to the Bank

Romance novels are most popular in the United States and Canada, where it is the best-selling genre. In North America in 2002, sales of romance novels generated US$1.63 billion and comprised 34.6% of all popular fiction sold - by comparison, general fiction comprised 24.1% and mystery, detective and suspense fiction comprised 23.1%. Over 2000 romance novels were published, and there were 51.1 million romance novel readers.

Romance novels are doing just fine the way that are and the above stated statistics bear that out. They don’t need our critical approval when they are getting our dollars. In fact given the inherent superficiality of the genre the statistics speak bibles full of truth about readers’ habits.

The 70’s Reappraisal

I’m not too sure even where to start with her contention that of the so called 70’ reappraisal of other genres of fiction. It feels mis-informed at best so it may aggravate me I’m not offended by it. She even admits her own un-interest in other genres. So it may warrant a response but I don’t feel it’s necessary at this time.

Sara Gran's recent thoughts on fiction and women

Sara Gran recently had a blog post that aggravated the piss out of me. It seems as her basic premise was to say that gender should play a role as to whether fiction is good or not. I was going to post a comment to it on her site but I never seem to get responses over there. I am going to post a response to it here soon.

By the way if you havent been reading her books you should be.

I'll be posting a review of her Come Closer soon over at Fantasy BookSpot.

A Blonde walks into a blog

Duane Swierczynski posted a link to the review that I wrote for his new book The Blonde over at Mystery Book Spot here

Thoughts on genre fiction experimentation

John Connoly recently posted some interesting thoughts about experimentation in genre fiction here.

Note to Self

Is it possible that St. Christopher was a werewolf?

Tapestry Novels

I find myself increasingly interested in the idea of what I call the Tapestry Novel. Over the course of an authors career it will always become obvious that there were certain themes that were visited and revisited. In a select few bodies of work though it becomes apparent that there is something larger going on. You not only have the reappearance of themes, but words, phrases, objects and most importantly characters. A large cast of characters that don't all appear in all of the books but make frequent appearances. This has the effect of creating a real world. Some of the greatest practitioners of this are Edward Whittemore, Robertson Davies, Russell Hoban (in his latter works) and Jonathan Carroll. Its Carroll's works that I'm concerned with now. My hope is to explore this concept in greater.