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Title: Crime, Insured (The Shadow Double Novel Vol #1)
Author: Walter B. Gibson
ISBN: 1-932806-48-2
Format: Oversized Paperback
60 Pages (pages 7 - 66)
Overall Concept 8
Execution 8
Having been a fan of The Shadow in the movies (the 1994 movie starring Alec Baldwin in the titular role), comic books (The Shadow series by Howard Chaykin), and radio dramas (the snibbets of the various shows I've gotten to hear over the years), I was quite pleased to find out that Nostalgia Ventures had secured the rights to begin to reprint the 1930's novels that were originally published by Street and Smith in The Shadow magazine.
It was very refreshing to finally get to read some of the original pulp adventure stories from that era, as I've heard so much over the years.
I was very pleased to see that despite the fact that these stories take place over 70 years ago, the style and substance of the stories are not lost. One can easily see how these stories could be adapted to the modern television or movie screen. Actually, Sam Raimi the director of SpiderMan 1-3 is reputed to having secured the rights to make a movie version of The Shadow.
Pulp is often known for its over the top adventure and suspense, and I did see some of that here. However, not near enough to be considered trite or unenjoyable. Actually, I found the story to be very well told and quite the good read.
According to wikipedia.org, there were 325 Shadow novels almost exclusively written by Walter B. Gibson between the years of 1931 and 1949. Considering these were published at an average rate of 1 and a half per month, and had a word count of >50000 words each, Mr. Gibson deserves some serious respect for the speed and quality of what he was producing during this time. I am no longer in awe at the quantity of books some authors have and do produce, and if anything I wonder more towards why some authors don't produce more.
I would whole heartly suggest this read to any lovers of action movies or good mystery tales, and perhaps more people should read these stories as a way of understanding and appreciating a dead/dying genre, the adventure pulp.
Showing posts with label Mystery. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mystery. Show all posts
Monday, December 25, 2006
Monday, August 21, 2006
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Title: The DaVinci Code
Author: Dan Brown
ISBN: 0-385-50420-9
Format: Hardcover 454 Pages
Overall Concept 8
Execution 7
CAVEAT: I hate to have to spell this out, but this is a work of fiction and as such all of the ‘history’ of this book should be taken with both a question as to its authenticity and with the understanding that it has most likely been altered to best suit the needs of the author and the story he wishes to tell, despite any claims he may make to the contrary.
This is the 2nd novel with our intrepid Harvard History Professor, Robert Langdon. In this tale of history (gone wrong) our protagonist is called to a murder scene by the French police while on lecture in the city of Paris. It seems that a man he was to have met with that evening has been murdered in the Louvre and has been positioned in a way similar to Leonardo’s Vitruvian Man. This incident quickly escalates to one where Robert is on the run from the French authorities and, with the aid of a French cryptographer, on the chase to find what the Holy Grail is and where precisely to find it.
Angels and Demons, Brown’s first novel with Robert Langdon, is not only a better read but a more plausible story. Also, it would seem that Mr. Brown is rather formulaic in his writing style and therefore The DaVinci Code seems stale, after having read Angels and Demons.
With regards to the heresy this book is presenting to the world, I will say two things. Firstly, see my CAVEAT above and secondly this is not the first time this idea has been brought forward and dismissed or forgotten. If anything I think Mr. Brown is a brilliant marketer as by making the Church take a stand against his novel he has received a significant amount of free press and that has generated a lot of sales. I also believe that the way Mr. Brown is presenting the information, from a Harvard professor and with a lecture type air to it, it is being leant a great deal of versimilitude. And this versimilitude is only aiding in people becoming blind to the fact that this is a work of fiction and should be treated as such.
As with Angels and Demons, I would heartily suggest this to any one who takes entertainment out of the concepts of a good mystery, conspiracies and/or anachronistic history lessons. But for any devout Catholics or Christians, the big historical reveal of this novel needs to be assumed to be quite fanciful.
Title: The DaVinci Code
Author: Dan Brown
ISBN: 0-385-50420-9
Format: Hardcover 454 Pages
Overall Concept 8
Execution 7
CAVEAT: I hate to have to spell this out, but this is a work of fiction and as such all of the ‘history’ of this book should be taken with both a question as to its authenticity and with the understanding that it has most likely been altered to best suit the needs of the author and the story he wishes to tell, despite any claims he may make to the contrary.
This is the 2nd novel with our intrepid Harvard History Professor, Robert Langdon. In this tale of history (gone wrong) our protagonist is called to a murder scene by the French police while on lecture in the city of Paris. It seems that a man he was to have met with that evening has been murdered in the Louvre and has been positioned in a way similar to Leonardo’s Vitruvian Man. This incident quickly escalates to one where Robert is on the run from the French authorities and, with the aid of a French cryptographer, on the chase to find what the Holy Grail is and where precisely to find it.
Angels and Demons, Brown’s first novel with Robert Langdon, is not only a better read but a more plausible story. Also, it would seem that Mr. Brown is rather formulaic in his writing style and therefore The DaVinci Code seems stale, after having read Angels and Demons.
With regards to the heresy this book is presenting to the world, I will say two things. Firstly, see my CAVEAT above and secondly this is not the first time this idea has been brought forward and dismissed or forgotten. If anything I think Mr. Brown is a brilliant marketer as by making the Church take a stand against his novel he has received a significant amount of free press and that has generated a lot of sales. I also believe that the way Mr. Brown is presenting the information, from a Harvard professor and with a lecture type air to it, it is being leant a great deal of versimilitude. And this versimilitude is only aiding in people becoming blind to the fact that this is a work of fiction and should be treated as such.
As with Angels and Demons, I would heartily suggest this to any one who takes entertainment out of the concepts of a good mystery, conspiracies and/or anachronistic history lessons. But for any devout Catholics or Christians, the big historical reveal of this novel needs to be assumed to be quite fanciful.
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Title: Angels and Demons
Author: Dan Brown
ISBN: 0-7434-8622-6
Format: Hardcover 569 Pages
Overall Concept 9
Execution 8
This is the first novel staring the intrepid Harvard Professor Robert Langdon. In it, Robert, a historian with a specialty in Symbology and Religious Iconography, is approached by the head of CERN, the world's largest particle physics laboratory, to investigate the death of one of their head scientists who was killed in his locked apartment with a ambigram of the word Illuminati seared into his chest. Robert then spends the next 24 hours to keep ahead of the criminal, and his accomplices, who is planning to use some specific research of the initial victim to level the Vatican with an anti-matter bomb. All this is occurring during the time that the Catholic Church is electing a new pope.
I must admit that I was intrigued into reading this book because it is the first novel with the protagonist of the other bestseller by Brown, The Davinci Code, and that I tend to be a bit of a stickler when it comes to reading books in chronological order. But I was further intrigued by the fact that this was a modern murder mystery with its roots, and ultimately clues, in the details of common and not so common history.
First off, I hate to have to spell this out, but this is a work of fiction and as such all of the ‘history’ of this book should be taken with both a question as to its authenticity and with the understanding that it has most likely been altered to best suit the needs of the author and the story he wishes to tell.
If one can keep this above point in mind during the reading of this novel, it is a very entertaining and rewarding read, with many twists and turns that take you by surprise. It will be hard pressed for someone to ascertain the identity of the villain long before the final reveal.
My only other concern with this novel is the accelerated timeline and how much the protagonist is capable of accomplishing within a 24 hour timeframe. Fortunately, the entirety of the activity occurs within the city of Rome and the Vatican proper, so it doesn’t come off as completely impossible, just improbable.
I would heartily suggest this to any one who takes entertainment out of the concepts of a good mystery, conspiracies and/or anachronistic history lessons.
Title: Angels and Demons
Author: Dan Brown
ISBN: 0-7434-8622-6
Format: Hardcover 569 Pages
Overall Concept 9
Execution 8
This is the first novel staring the intrepid Harvard Professor Robert Langdon. In it, Robert, a historian with a specialty in Symbology and Religious Iconography, is approached by the head of CERN, the world's largest particle physics laboratory, to investigate the death of one of their head scientists who was killed in his locked apartment with a ambigram of the word Illuminati seared into his chest. Robert then spends the next 24 hours to keep ahead of the criminal, and his accomplices, who is planning to use some specific research of the initial victim to level the Vatican with an anti-matter bomb. All this is occurring during the time that the Catholic Church is electing a new pope.
I must admit that I was intrigued into reading this book because it is the first novel with the protagonist of the other bestseller by Brown, The Davinci Code, and that I tend to be a bit of a stickler when it comes to reading books in chronological order. But I was further intrigued by the fact that this was a modern murder mystery with its roots, and ultimately clues, in the details of common and not so common history.
First off, I hate to have to spell this out, but this is a work of fiction and as such all of the ‘history’ of this book should be taken with both a question as to its authenticity and with the understanding that it has most likely been altered to best suit the needs of the author and the story he wishes to tell.
If one can keep this above point in mind during the reading of this novel, it is a very entertaining and rewarding read, with many twists and turns that take you by surprise. It will be hard pressed for someone to ascertain the identity of the villain long before the final reveal.
My only other concern with this novel is the accelerated timeline and how much the protagonist is capable of accomplishing within a 24 hour timeframe. Fortunately, the entirety of the activity occurs within the city of Rome and the Vatican proper, so it doesn’t come off as completely impossible, just improbable.
I would heartily suggest this to any one who takes entertainment out of the concepts of a good mystery, conspiracies and/or anachronistic history lessons.
Friday, August 22, 2003
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Title: The Club Dumas
Author: Arturo Perez-Reverte
ISBN: 0679777547
Format: Paperback - 384 pages
Rating: Overall Concept - 8/10
Execution - 6/10
About two years ago I came upon a rather neat film called The Ninth Gate (dir. Roman Polanski). I was quite taken by the film, enough so to purchase the soundtrack. Upon mentioning this film to some friends, I was informed that it was based upon the Book The Club Dumas by Arturo Perez-Reverte and that a large portion of the story was left out of the movie. Intrigued, upon my next visit to the local big chain bookstore I found and purchased this copy.
I finished reading this book about a week ago and I have some mixed feelings about it.
It was a good read and aspects of it were very enjoyable. I learned a lot about Alexandre Dumas and his writings.
I certainly did enjoy the authors style, diction and pacing(although, being an English version of a Spanish novel I am not certain what was lost in the translation).
I think that my mixed feelings stem from the differences with the movie (isn't that always the case).
The movie focused exclusively on the story arc involving the The Nine Gates to the Kingdom of Shadows, whereas the book had the two interwoven story arcs of The Nine Gates to the Kingdom of Shadows and the possibly authentic original chapter 42 of the Three Musketeers.
The artistic license that Polanski uses, by modifying/reworking aspects of the story, in no way detracts from the overall story. In fact, his ending, which does not appear in the book, is quite satisfactory and I really liked it.
I find the way that the parallels of the Three Musketeers plot is 'wrapped up' to be anti-climatic and almost makes the previous tension frivolous. And the end of the Nine Gates story arc seems to lack the finality of the movie.
Up until the last chapter of the book, I was thoroughly enjoying it. However, the end leaves me a little disappointed.
Perhaps I would have liked it better had I seen the movie after reading the novel?
All in all, I think that Arturo Perez-Reverte deserves more reading. However, I might borrow from the library rather than purchase.
For anyone who appreciates a good intelligent and historical mystery I would recommend this novel.
Title: The Club Dumas
Author: Arturo Perez-Reverte
ISBN: 0679777547
Format: Paperback - 384 pages
Rating: Overall Concept - 8/10
Execution - 6/10
About two years ago I came upon a rather neat film called The Ninth Gate (dir. Roman Polanski). I was quite taken by the film, enough so to purchase the soundtrack. Upon mentioning this film to some friends, I was informed that it was based upon the Book The Club Dumas by Arturo Perez-Reverte and that a large portion of the story was left out of the movie. Intrigued, upon my next visit to the local big chain bookstore I found and purchased this copy.
I finished reading this book about a week ago and I have some mixed feelings about it.
It was a good read and aspects of it were very enjoyable. I learned a lot about Alexandre Dumas and his writings.
I certainly did enjoy the authors style, diction and pacing(although, being an English version of a Spanish novel I am not certain what was lost in the translation).
I think that my mixed feelings stem from the differences with the movie (isn't that always the case).
The movie focused exclusively on the story arc involving the The Nine Gates to the Kingdom of Shadows, whereas the book had the two interwoven story arcs of The Nine Gates to the Kingdom of Shadows and the possibly authentic original chapter 42 of the Three Musketeers.
The artistic license that Polanski uses, by modifying/reworking aspects of the story, in no way detracts from the overall story. In fact, his ending, which does not appear in the book, is quite satisfactory and I really liked it.
I find the way that the parallels of the Three Musketeers plot is 'wrapped up' to be anti-climatic and almost makes the previous tension frivolous. And the end of the Nine Gates story arc seems to lack the finality of the movie.
Up until the last chapter of the book, I was thoroughly enjoying it. However, the end leaves me a little disappointed.
Perhaps I would have liked it better had I seen the movie after reading the novel?
All in all, I think that Arturo Perez-Reverte deserves more reading. However, I might borrow from the library rather than purchase.
For anyone who appreciates a good intelligent and historical mystery I would recommend this novel.
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