Richard Chizmar - Chasing the Boogeyman. Never read a metafiction book before. This has been written like a true crime serial killer book, it even has photos of the crime locations and so forth in it. But apart from the author, his family and the locations it’s all made up. Like a Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon TV show. I liked it a lot. He’s written a trilogy with Stephen King, and it comes out in one edition (it’s called Gwendy) in two weeks. After reading this I ordered that, because he writes a lot like King (more so than Peter Straub did), so that might be great too.
What have you read recently?
Thought I would try a Stephen King as I haven’t read much of his stuff for ages. Picked ‘Revival’ as I liked the sound of it and the assertion, in reviews, that it had a really unsettling ending. It didn’t. Crap. 4/10
Along_the_Wire This is a thread for books that you’ve read, CJ. If you want to comment on books you’ve just started reading, can I suggest you set up your own topic on the matter? Good day to you sir!
Lol!
Millsy it certainly worked for me. I stared at a wall for 30 minutes after I finished that one. You might want to try Joe Hill’s Loaded for a real gut punch. It’s on his novella collection Strange Weather. There’s another one there too which ends in total hopelessness. His stuff makes his father’s seem totally optimistic.
Millsy Billy Summer
Stephen King horror is comically bad since about 1994 - Bill Summer isn’t a horror and I really enjoyed it - superbly written.
- Edited
The Shards was absolutely amazing.
If you like 80s nostalgia with some true crime and a LOT of hardcore gay sex thrown in I’d highly recommend it.
5/5
Heat 2. Neither shits on or does anything to improve the movie / justify the sequel. Couple of decent action sequences and it’s nice hanging with and reading the characters in the voices of the movie cast - Pacino most of all for obv reasons - with the same dialect and tone but it’s not really got much to say (heat is about being a professional and the costs / toxicity of taking it too far & what happens when you break your professional code) - and overall it borrows too heavily from the first one with the Waingrow ripoff. Canny uneven book too. Some parts drag like fuck. Some parts are unputdownable. 7/10
William Gibson & Bruce Sterling - The Difference Engine. A steampunk-novel set in 1855 where the computer has been invented in Great Britain a century before. Nice ideas and alternative history, but the plot goes all over the place, and at 380 pages it’s way too long for it. Total lack of focus too. Would not recommend it.
Jules72 Anyone read Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow? I’m a fifth way through and it’s a great read so far…. About a couple of games programmers (male and female) and their relationship…. It won a number of awards (Amazon book of the year, Goodreads fiction prize 2022) - must have done so for a reason I guess! One of those books I look forward to reading in bed before sleep….
I’m about halfway through and so far I’d say it was alright but definitely not great
did you get a chance to check out the last house on needless street?
got any strong mustread recs for me?
The Night Manager - John le Carre
There was a lot going on in this, and once I’d managed to pick up the plot it was an enjoyable read. There were sections though where I was thinking ’I’m not following this’. Lots of characters, code words etc. I’ve read 4 or 5 of his now and will seek out others .
William Gibson - Virtual Light. Published in 1993, and set in 2005 Gibson seemed to have thought the world would change pretty dramatically in 12 years. First book in the Bridge-trilogy, and so far my favorite book of his as I’m reading them chronolically.
Titanium Noir - Nick Harkaway - class noir detective murder investigation story with a mild sci fi slant. Book of the year so far for me.
Stephen King - Fairy Tale
Earlier in this thread I said I would probably avoid this, but it was £6 on paperback so I gave it a go.
It’s a shame to see an author who has such great stories in his armoury churn out guff like this. I was cringing in parts, especially the dialogue between some of the characters. Certainly one of his worst novels in my opinion.