Books I Read November 2010-Late

Horace McCoy-They Shoot Horses Don't They?

McCoy's murder tale of a young couple and the dance marathon they entered doesn't really justify even the short length of the novel. This story could easily have been told in far fewer pages. The dance marathon routines become tedious, and I found it hard to believe the male protagonist found it necessary to "put her down."

Robert Kirkman-Invincible Vol. 3 & 4

The tone of this superhero series continues to become grimmer and grimmer after a somewhat light-hearted beginning. I like it.

Philip K. Dick-Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
I tried to read this when I was 13 after sneaking in to see Blade Runner, but couldn't do it. It only took me 29 years to finally get back around to it. Dick's novel is quite different from the film, as to be expected, but no less successful. The thing I appreciated most about this book is that it helped me understand the movie better. This is actually one of Dick's better novels, but it is pretty straight-forward and doesn't contain the mind-fuckery he likes to play with in his greatest works.

Wilkie Collins-The Woman in White
The Woman in White was a far better read than The Moonstone, which I read last month. The characters were more interesting and far less annoying and the suspense was sustained to a far greater degree. I have more of Collins novels and will be checking them out sooner or later.

Ted McKeever Library Book 3-Metropol
Image comics has collected some of McKeever early creator-owned series and republished them in handsome hardcovers. I read all of these series in the 90's, but it's cool to have them all bound in a single volume and the stories are well worth a second read. This apocalyptic tale of battling angels and demons is pure McKeever; distinctive art, good storyline, and engaging characters. Indie comics don't get better.

Stephen King-Full Dark, No Stars
It has been awhile since King has really hooked me, but these four stories all succeed. These stories are lean and mean and show that King, when working within a limited palate, can still bring it.

Brian K. Vaughn-Y The Last Man Deluxe Hardcover 4

Volume 4 of 5 starts to bring many of the storylines together. Still engaging, fun stuff.

Books I read June 2010

Alastair Reynolds-Thousandth Night/Minla's Flowers

Subterranean Press released these two novellas back-to-back in the fashion of the old Ace double novels. Finish one, flip it over, and start the next. In my humble estimation, Reynolds is the best sci-fi writer going today, albeit I don't read

a ton of sci-fi. In these two stories Reynolds is in solid from. Thousandth Night is the genesis of Reynolds' novel House of Suns. In Minla's Flowers Reynolds shows mankind, even under the threat of annihilation, unable to work together to

resolve our issues. Good stuff.

Jonathan Lethem-The Wall of the Sky, the Wall of the Eye

This is the first book I have read by Lethem, and I after finishing this collection of short stories I think I would like to try one of his novels. These stories were strange and insightful, not quite gripping, but very entertaining nonetheless.

Joe Gores-Spade & Archer The Prequel to Dashiell Hammett's The Maltese Falcon

My mom knows I love vintage crime novels, so when my wife and I were going out of town, and she came over to get her grandsons, she gave me this book to read on the trip. I was dubious at first. I can be snobbish about books, film, and music (my friends all know this) and this 'contemporary' crime novel didn't really fit into my idea of the classic crime oeuvre. But, being the dutiful son, and not wanting to seem unappreciative, I read the damn thing. It was pretty good after all. I'm not going to go out and get any more Gores novels, but the overall effect of this book was a positive one.

Various-The SFWA European Hall of Fame

This collection of sci-fi short stories features 16 stories from across the European continent. I was not familiar with a single contributor to this book, but it was a fantastic read. I really enjoy short story collections and this was as eclectic and varied, yet strong in quality, as they come. Not one of these stories was a bomb and all of them were quite entertaining. I have my eyes open for a number of these writers now, and hope I can stumble across some other volumes of their work.

Alexandre Dumas-Georges

If you've read these posts before, then you know I love Dumas. When I saw that Modern Library was releasing this I was very excited. I finally got a copy and was not disappointed. If you've never read Dumas this novel of pride and racial inequality is probably not the place to start, but for the well-read lover it is like sweet music. I guess you can tell I enjoyed it.

Stephen King-Blockade Billy

It is hard giving up something that has been with you through thick and thin. I have been reading Stephen King since middle school, trust me, a long time ago, and even though I haven't really loved a novel of his since, hmmmmm, hold on, let me think...since I don't know when, I still read everything he publishes. I don't buy them anymore, but get them from the library, I've learned that much. Blockade Billy is a short somewhat grisly story about baseball. There is also a second story included called Morality, a...correct! moral fable. Again King can still keep my interest, he was pushing it though with Under The Dome, but just.

Stanislaw Lem-The Futurological Congress

In this slim volume Lem imagines a future society where drugs and hallucinogenics are more real, or at least more appealing, than reality. Lem is one of my favorite writers, but this was not his strongest work. Read it after you've read The Cyberiad and others.

Robert Kirkman-Invincible Vol. 1 Family Matters

I like a good graphic novel, and am an avid follower of Kirkman's Walking Dead series (looking forward to the AMC series), so when I came across a cheap copy of volume one of Invincible I thought I'd give it a try. Nice, easy, entertaining, unchallenging read that I will follow assuming I can continue to find used copies.

Zoran Zivkovic-Steps Through the Mist

This is my first book by Serbian fantasist Zivkovic and I'd like another please. This collection of stories are linked thematically by the idea of the future, the mist of the title, and the possibilities it holds.

William Beckford-Vathek

Another seminal work of the gothic tradition. Beckford's arabesque is essential if you are a fan of the gothic novel. Other readers will probably find it boring and melodramatic.

See you next month.