Tbh, the enduring thing that struck me at the time was how, like I mentioned in above post, The Road and BM had similar lush visuals and rhythms to the journeys. I find The Road seems to not be nearly as revered as BM though if I read his general fandom right.
What are you reading?
- Thread starter Bone2pick
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Tbh, the enduring thing that struck me at the time was how, like I mentioned in above post, The Road and BM had similar lush visuals and rhythms to the journeys. I find The Road seems to not be nearly as revered as BM though if I read his general fandom right.
See though, most people don't use phrases like "lush visuals and rhythms" when they talk about it. They say it's dark and depressing and can't see past it. I like your version.
Stuart Dren
Active Member
I loved how hostile and weird the metro was.
I'm currently reading The Gone World by Tom Sweterlitsch. Navy explores new space and forward time travel, but discovers a time where the world ends. What's more concerning is the end of the world keeps moving backwards in time. It's otherwise gritty crime fiction, though. Not an unwelcome juxtaposition.
charlottegarbett
Member
Finally finished The Testaments. Thinking Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson next.
Doing research, so am back with Laurence Klauber's Rattlesnakes. Fiction: Catherine Gaskin, A Falcon for a Queen, circa 1972.
takadote26
Member
I'm trying to read "A Twisted Tale: Nobody gets Left Behind" (a lilo and stitch dark AU), buuut since I have high myopia (-16) it's a bit of a struggle
Dante Dases
Member
I have a couple of Sandersons sitting, waiting on my device. Worth it? (Bearing in mind both were 99p impulse purchases).
GrahamLewis
Active Member
Just finished The Postman Always Rings Twice
Stuart Dren
Active Member
Finished The Gone World. I thought I had the twist figured out, but I was a bit off. Good story in all, and some surprisingly good prose-nuggets.
I've started The Stars Are Legion. I don't know. It seems edgy with its meat ships and.... sigh, amnesia, but I'll give it time. Another space horror where men no longer exist. Apparently biopunk.
I've started The Stars Are Legion. I don't know. It seems edgy with its meat ships and.... sigh, amnesia, but I'll give it time. Another space horror where men no longer exist. Apparently biopunk.
I read this last year. I never understood why Cain picked that title, but it's a classic roman noir (and I enjoyed both Hammett and Chandler, so I thought I'd give Cain a try).
I have to say that Frank Chambers is a frustrating character. He is audacious, selfish, and has no ambition, foresight, or self-control. He's an aimless drifter, not exactly villainous but wafts into villainous behavior because he has no goals. He lacks a moral compass that would prevent him from hurting other people. He's interesting because of his flaws.
Cora Smith/Papadakis has been called 'sleazy' by some, but I prefer to think of her in terms of her ambition, desperation, and melancholy. Her unhappiness in her loveless marriage is palpable. This isn't Nick's (her husband's) fault; he's a nice guy, not too bright, but he loves his wife, likes Frank and has small dreams for his diner.
On their own Frank and Cora aren’t saints, but neither is malicious. Frank’s a petty crook and womanizer, but nothing worse. Cora is smoldering frustration in a dress, but she’s resigned to the life she chose. Together they have a chemistry, a connection with each other. But Nick is in their way, so they have to get rid of him. They plan the perfect crime. But of course nothing is perfect in noir.
This is as much a psychological novel as a noir one. Are Frank and Cora in love, or just in lust? Nick loves Cora and counts Frank as a friend, so how can Frank and Cora trust each other, given that they each know the other is perfectly capable of killing someone who wanted nothing but good for them?
That’s perhaps the most noir thing about Postman. It's a black hole of a novel where weak people do terrible things because none of them have the strength to resist their situation. This is a novel of an ugly crime carried out by small people. It’s brilliant, and if you have any interest in the noir genre, you owe it to yourself to read it.