May's Meanderings in Fabulous Fiction...

[Rothgar]

Finished Erikson's The Bonehunters which was excellent. Taking a break for a bit with Heinlein's The Star Beast.

 

[AE35Unit]

Not much melodrama in good Noir in books or film noir.

They are dark,lean,cool. Watch a Humphrey Bogart film like The Big Sleep or The Maltese Falcon. The Detour(1945), Le Samurai(french film noir)

Plus Hammett isnt traditional,more romantic with damsels that seduce the hero PI Noir like Chandler,Marlowe.

Good crime fiction is as important as Science fiction for me and more important than fantasy. Noir are perfectly to my taste. Its darker,less drama,typical heroics,awesome characters.
I almost hate cosy mystery alà Christie and her kind. Sherlock Holmes,C.Augustine Dupin is the only really old classic crime that works for me.

Plus all Noir isnt about detectives. My favorite kind are about criminal,sickos,heist like Donald Westlake,Jim Thompson,Elmore Leonard.

Never seen the Maltese Falcon,tho it is featured in a Vangelis song I have(friends of Mr Cairo)
Why are all such films made in that era,are they no longer in fashion with Hollywood? I tend not to like films from that era because of the music and cliched look.

 

[GOLLUM]

Never seen the Maltese Falcon,tho it is featured in a Vangelis song I have(friends of Mr Cairo)
Why are all such films made in that era,are they no longer in fashion with Hollywood? I tend not to like films from that era because of the music and cliched look.

True but the Maltese Falcon is an out and out classic. You must check it out.......

 

[AE35Unit]

True but the Maltese Falcon is an out and out classic. You must check it out.......

Duly noted! Will look out for it. I have enjoyed other films with Bogart in(the African Queen is truly brilliant!) And I love Peter Lorrie in those horror films

 

[GOLLUM]

Yes Peter Lorrie is a favourite actor of mine. I think he was great and in some ways underrated.

 

[soulsinging]

Never seen the Maltese Falcon,tho it is featured in a Vangelis song I have(friends of Mr Cairo)
Why are all such films made in that era,are they no longer in fashion with Hollywood? I tend not to like films from that era because of the music and cliched look.

Yeah, but nobody can match Bogart for style. Thus my avatar... featuring the man himself with the actual Maltese Falson

 

[AE35Unit]

Yeah, but nobody can match Bogart for style. Thus my avatar... featuring the man himself with the actual Maltese Falson

Yea i noticed that. Bogart was definitely a class act!

 

[dask]

Maltese Falcon is a must see. I love movies from the 30s and 40s. Personally I enjoyed Casablanca more. Highly highly highly recommended. Really!

 

[soulsinging]

Maltese Falcon is a must see. I love movies from the 30s and 40s. Personally I enjoyed Casablanca more. Highly highly highly recommended. Really!

Casablanca might be my all-time favorite movie. I'm a big fan of the 30s-40s noir, Bogart, and the like. Not so keen on the cheesy epics or whatnot of the era.

 

[Grimward]

Starting Vol. II of The Collected Stories of Roger Zelazny: Power and Light. Hope it's as good as the first....see ckovacs' thread here for more details.

 

[j d worthington]

Having finished that issue of Lovecraft Studies (some very, very good stuff in there), I've now begun Charles Skinner's Myths & Legends of Our Own Land, vol. I (1895)....

 

[AE35Unit]

Casablanca might be my all-time favorite movie. I'm a big fan of the 30s-40s noir, Bogart, and the like. Not so keen on the cheesy epics or whatnot of the era.

Hmmm not sure about Casablanca,certain elements of it are ok but on the whole not my cup of tea. But then its been a while since I watched it,and then it was under duress.
I'm pretty sure the title means White House tho

 

[Lobolover]

J.D , is that a folklore colection ?

 

[j d worthington]

J.D , is that a folklore colection ?

Indeed it is... and quite an extensive collection of American legendry of various types:

Myths and Legends of Our Own Land, by Charles M. Skinner

As someone who enjoys Lovecraft, you might be particularly interested in the following items:

Myths and Legends of Our Own Land, by Charles M. Skinner

In connection with Fungi from Yuggoth #12: "The Howler"; and

Myths and Legends of Our Own Land, by Charles M. Skinner

in connection with "The Shunned House"....

 

[clovis-man]

Hmmm not sure about Casablanca,certain elements of it are ok but on the whole not my cup of tea. But then its been a while since I watched it,and then it was under duress.

You definitely have to be in the right frame of mind for such films. Since this is a book thread, I'll mention that I recently (much overdue) read Raymond Chandler's The Big Sleep. I had always liked the Bogart/Bacall film version, but never really "got it". After reading the book, it made more sense. Then I watched the 1970's film version starring Robert Mitchum. The film-makers tried to replicate the novel in rigorous fashion. But.......... it just didn't work. With all its faults, the Bogey version just has the panache to carry it over. Something to do with the era.

 

[soulsinging]

You definitely have to be in the right frame of mind for such films. Since this is a book thread, I'll mention that I recently (much overdue) read Raymond Chandler's The Big Sleep. I had always liked the Bogart/Bacall film version, but never really "got it". After reading the book, it made more sense. Then I watched the 1970's film version starring Robert Mitchum. The film-makers tried to replicate the novel in rigorous fashion. But.......... it just didn't work. With all its faults, the Bogey version just has the panache to carry it over. Something to do with the era.

Chandler himself has candidly said that he had no idea who committed some of the murders in that book... the plot always kind of took a back seat to the style in his books.

Anyway, so as not to derail further, I finished Before They Are Hanged. I liked it SO much better than the first. I also stole back my copy of Brothers K by David James Duncan. I can't decide if I want to read that or dive into Royal Assassin by Hobb. I like the first Farseer book pretty well, but I can't decide if I want to carry on with the series. I hear each book feels longer and slower as they go on.

 

[ratsy]

Chandler himself has candidly said that he had no idea who committed some of the murders in that book... the plot always kind of took a back seat to the style in his books.

Anyway, so as not to derail further, I finished Before They Are Hanged. I liked it SO much better than the first. I also stole back my copy of Brothers K by David James Duncan. I can't decide if I want to read that or dive into Royal Assassin by Hobb. I like the first Farseer book pretty well, but I can't decide if I want to carry on with the series. I hear each book feels longer and slower as they go on.

As soon as I read Assassins apprentice I was hooked and read everything Robin Hobb had written within a few months. *sad face**.. now I am caught up and wanting more. Good thing I discovered Brandon Sanderson...and he pops out books like there is no tomorrow.

 

[Hypnos164]

I can't decide if I want to read that or dive into Royal Assassin by Hobb. I like the first Farseer book pretty well, but I can't decide if I want to carry on with the series. I hear each book feels longer and slower as they go on.

The seconds book is probably the best of the three, if you got through 1/2 a book of Fitz moaning about his terrible childhood in book 1 it seems a shame to stop now.

I'd agree that the third book is just too long - there are about 300 pages in the middle where it feels like the characters are milling about in a waiting room for someone to announce that the ending is ready to start ...

Now that sounds like I really didn't like them ... but the fact is that Hobb's writing makes me
willing to forgive what i see as the structural issues with the trilogy.

I read book 2 & 3 back to back in a week or so and really enjoyed the experience

I'm planning to pick up more of Hobb's books in the future but my TBR pile if pretty big and contains a higher proportion of fantasy than normal at the minute so i'm trying to restore some balance...

 

[Esioul]

Reading the three muskateers on my DS!

 

[AE35Unit]

Reading the three muskateers on my DS!

Oh you have the Classic 100 books on your DS too! Its handy in bed at night as you don't need a light on so can read without disturbing t'other half!