Ian Fortytwo
A Poet, Writer and eclectic Reader.
I'm reading Sharp Ends, by Joe Abercrombie. An excellent group of short stories.
February 2020 Reading Thread
- Thread starter The Judge
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It is his only book I haven’t read yet. I am a big fan, and read everything else. Don’t know what I’m saving it for.........
Thanks for the wonderful and concise analysis. Although many might thoroughly enjoy it, this is a book I will avoid like the plague!
Ian Fortytwo
A Poet, Writer and eclectic Reader.
What are his longer novels like?
Ian Fortytwo
A Poet, Writer and eclectic Reader.
What are his longer novels like?It is his only book I haven’t read yet. I am a big fan, and read everything else. Don’t know what I’m saving it for.........
The First Law Books are excellent, IMHO. Grimdark fantasy, full of political maneuvering, memorable characters and lots of sarcastic humour. No good vs. evil here--it is all grey.
J-Sun
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DannMcGrew
Back of the bar, in a solo game
Interesting! I just finished that. Not what I was expecting but a thoughtful period piece. It segued nicely with my second ramble with Laurie Lee. As I Walked Out One Morning which I'm very much enjoying.
tegeus-Cromis
a better poet than swordsman
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I liked it more and more as I got deeper into it, so I think I'd like to read it again. I'd probably appreciate it more from the beginning. I'm now more than halfway through his next book, The Battle of Pollock's Crossing.
(continuing my recent streak of just going on and on and ...)
The Tiger in the Smoke by Margery Allingham
In this, the 14th in the series of Albert Campion mysteries, Campion spends much of his time in the background. For readers of pre-War Allingham looking for one of her jaunty adventures, the darkness of this may disappoint. For readers doubting if writers during the “Golden Age of mysteries” could write something substantive, this might be a revelation.
First published in 1952, the novel begins with war widow Meg Elginbrodde worried about her upcoming wedding. A series of grainy photos sent to her anonymously suggest her husband, Martin, is still alive and in London. Campion, a family friend, and Inspector Luke accompany her at the train station where she expects to see Martin, but the man she sees runs from her and turns out to be an imposter in a coat once owned by Martin. Luke suggests this kind of operation has not been unusual since the war, a ploy for hush money. But both Campion and Luke are puzzled by the timing and expect there is something more to come.
From here the fairly complex plot weaves around Meg and Geoffrey Levett her fiancé, but more so around her father, Canon Avril, and an escaped convict, a murderer who calls himself Jack Havoc. (Note his preference of a knife; another novel inspired by London’s history, but not directly related to the Ripper.) Havoc’s escape comes during an especially dense, long-lasting fog disguising his actions and covering his movements. (Not entirely scene setting; London in 1952 had the worst fog in its history, which is estimated to have caused up to 6,000 deaths.) If Havoc is the tiger, the fog is “the smoke,” a nickname for London in some of its quarters, which Allingham notes before the beginning of the novel.
The plot, while twisty and interesting, is something of a connivance for Allingham to spend time on building both Canon Avril and Havoc. The former a decent man trying this best to understand and empathize but also seeing temptation to sin in even some seemingly minor decisions and gently steering his flock toward grace. As I read, I was reminded of G. K. Chesterton’s Father Brown, not as detective but as someone who could pierce the heart of motivation and offer compassion even to the gravest of sinners. Havoc, in search of a treasure he learned of during the War, offers cohorts his philosophy of life and his belief in never doing the “soft” thing which usually translates to leaving no witnesses behind. (And still he has cohorts; Havoc recognizes the power of avarice.)
Ultimately, the novel comes down to an examination of good vs. evil, but Allingham offers shades of understanding and compassion, not allowing her novel to portray the conflict in black and white; her characterization of the Canon, for instance, is nuanced and he comes across as a real person, not too idealized to believe in.
What I found most interesting, and which ties in metaphorically, I think, with “the smoke,” is the hovering presence of the Blitz during World War II and its consequences, a sort of social PTSD, especially early on in the book. The events that precipitate the novel began during the war, Havoc learning of the treasure as a member of a commando team. Even earlier in the book Allingham describes Canon Avril’s home in negatives: The square in which he lives doesn’t show signs of bombings, presumably unlike other London neighborhoods, and the metal railings of its sidewalks were not scavenged, melted and used for the war effort. There seems to be the implication that he lives a somewhat charmed life, somehow shielded from the worst effects of the war. Meanwhile, away from that urban haven, there are also bands of men, some disabled, some faking it, in the streets making music (though not well) hoping for handouts, claiming to have been servicemen now down on their luck.
When this was published Allingham was on a par with Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers and Ngaio Marsh as one of the major mystery writers in England, part of the “Golden Age” of the detective puzzler. It’s surprising to see her push her main, recurring character toward the background – he and his wife have moments but are by no means the featured players – in favor of the Canon and Havoc. It’s almost shocking for Allingham to recognize Havoc as a necessary evil during the war, someone capable of atrocities in the service of preserving the country, a capability his superior officer, unable to do what was required, recognized and put to use. (There is a sense of class undergirding this that is somewhat uncomfortable.) Untamed, unrepentant and now rampant after the War, Havoc still is understandable in a way and none the less frightening for it; Allingham is not exactly sympathetic but seems to clearly understand and convey the man’s motives and even his philosophy.
What prompted me to read this, besides fortuitously finding a 1970s paperback copy (complete with misleading and ugly photographic cover – ah! The ‘70s!) for free at the local Post Office, was recently coming across discussion of the novel in P. D. James’ Talking about Detective Fiction, H. R. F. Keating’s 100 Best Crime & Mystery Books, and Books to Die For edited by John Connolly and Declan Burke which presents short essays by current writers of their favorite mystery/crime books, the Allingham chosen and discussed by Phil Rickman. I now see why they, and Julian Symons in Bloody Murder singled it out for discussion.
Randy M.
The Tiger in the Smoke by Margery Allingham
In this, the 14th in the series of Albert Campion mysteries, Campion spends much of his time in the background. For readers of pre-War Allingham looking for one of her jaunty adventures, the darkness of this may disappoint. For readers doubting if writers during the “Golden Age of mysteries” could write something substantive, this might be a revelation.
First published in 1952, the novel begins with war widow Meg Elginbrodde worried about her upcoming wedding. A series of grainy photos sent to her anonymously suggest her husband, Martin, is still alive and in London. Campion, a family friend, and Inspector Luke accompany her at the train station where she expects to see Martin, but the man she sees runs from her and turns out to be an imposter in a coat once owned by Martin. Luke suggests this kind of operation has not been unusual since the war, a ploy for hush money. But both Campion and Luke are puzzled by the timing and expect there is something more to come.
From here the fairly complex plot weaves around Meg and Geoffrey Levett her fiancé, but more so around her father, Canon Avril, and an escaped convict, a murderer who calls himself Jack Havoc. (Note his preference of a knife; another novel inspired by London’s history, but not directly related to the Ripper.) Havoc’s escape comes during an especially dense, long-lasting fog disguising his actions and covering his movements. (Not entirely scene setting; London in 1952 had the worst fog in its history, which is estimated to have caused up to 6,000 deaths.) If Havoc is the tiger, the fog is “the smoke,” a nickname for London in some of its quarters, which Allingham notes before the beginning of the novel.
The plot, while twisty and interesting, is something of a connivance for Allingham to spend time on building both Canon Avril and Havoc. The former a decent man trying this best to understand and empathize but also seeing temptation to sin in even some seemingly minor decisions and gently steering his flock toward grace. As I read, I was reminded of G. K. Chesterton’s Father Brown, not as detective but as someone who could pierce the heart of motivation and offer compassion even to the gravest of sinners. Havoc, in search of a treasure he learned of during the War, offers cohorts his philosophy of life and his belief in never doing the “soft” thing which usually translates to leaving no witnesses behind. (And still he has cohorts; Havoc recognizes the power of avarice.)
Ultimately, the novel comes down to an examination of good vs. evil, but Allingham offers shades of understanding and compassion, not allowing her novel to portray the conflict in black and white; her characterization of the Canon, for instance, is nuanced and he comes across as a real person, not too idealized to believe in.
What I found most interesting, and which ties in metaphorically, I think, with “the smoke,” is the hovering presence of the Blitz during World War II and its consequences, a sort of social PTSD, especially early on in the book. The events that precipitate the novel began during the war, Havoc learning of the treasure as a member of a commando team. Even earlier in the book Allingham describes Canon Avril’s home in negatives: The square in which he lives doesn’t show signs of bombings, presumably unlike other London neighborhoods, and the metal railings of its sidewalks were not scavenged, melted and used for the war effort. There seems to be the implication that he lives a somewhat charmed life, somehow shielded from the worst effects of the war. Meanwhile, away from that urban haven, there are also bands of men, some disabled, some faking it, in the streets making music (though not well) hoping for handouts, claiming to have been servicemen now down on their luck.
When this was published Allingham was on a par with Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers and Ngaio Marsh as one of the major mystery writers in England, part of the “Golden Age” of the detective puzzler. It’s surprising to see her push her main, recurring character toward the background – he and his wife have moments but are by no means the featured players – in favor of the Canon and Havoc. It’s almost shocking for Allingham to recognize Havoc as a necessary evil during the war, someone capable of atrocities in the service of preserving the country, a capability his superior officer, unable to do what was required, recognized and put to use. (There is a sense of class undergirding this that is somewhat uncomfortable.) Untamed, unrepentant and now rampant after the War, Havoc still is understandable in a way and none the less frightening for it; Allingham is not exactly sympathetic but seems to clearly understand and convey the man’s motives and even his philosophy.
What prompted me to read this, besides fortuitously finding a 1970s paperback copy (complete with misleading and ugly photographic cover – ah! The ‘70s!) for free at the local Post Office, was recently coming across discussion of the novel in P. D. James’ Talking about Detective Fiction, H. R. F. Keating’s 100 Best Crime & Mystery Books, and Books to Die For edited by John Connolly and Declan Burke which presents short essays by current writers of their favorite mystery/crime books, the Allingham chosen and discussed by Phil Rickman. I now see why they, and Julian Symons in Bloody Murder singled it out for discussion.
Randy M.
Azoraa
Well-Known Member
I just finished "City of Illusion" by Ursula K LeGuin yesterday. Really liked it!
It's partly the familiar theme of a stranger adapting to an alien culture, but then it gets all mixed up in the end. pretty nice
It's partly the familiar theme of a stranger adapting to an alien culture, but then it gets all mixed up in the end. pretty nice
Excellent review, Randy.
Thanks, Judge. What was odd was I'd just read about it in the Keating book and had decided to order it. I was not expecting to find it in a leave-one-take-one trading bin.
Hard bargain to beat but, man, some '70s covers are hard to tolerate.
Randy M.
Hard bargain to beat but, man, some '70s covers are hard to tolerate.
Randy M.
Extollager
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That really is an off-putting cover, Randy, but I’m thinking I may look up that novel before long.
Ian Fortytwo
A Poet, Writer and eclectic Reader.
Just started reading Emma, by Jane Austen. I've wanted to read this for sometime, and here is my chance.
Simbelmynë
Well-Known Member
Started Britain Begins by Barry Cunliffe - a book about prehistoric Britain. I read Home by Francis Pryor a year or so ago and this is a slightly older book in the same vein. Drawn to ancient history lately.
I loved The Left Hand of Darkness and The Dispossessed, noticed you mentioned those earlier. So thought provoking and deep. I plan to read more of her sci fi.
I read a short story collection called The Wind’s Twelve Quarters last year which was great. It included a story called The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas. Have you come across that one yet? Quite a few other gems there too.
I just finished "City of Illusion" by Ursula K LeGuin yesterday. Really liked it!
It's partly the familiar theme of a stranger adapting to an alien culture, but then it gets all mixed up in the end. pretty nice
I loved The Left Hand of Darkness and The Dispossessed, noticed you mentioned those earlier. So thought provoking and deep. I plan to read more of her sci fi.
I read a short story collection called The Wind’s Twelve Quarters last year which was great. It included a story called The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas. Have you come across that one yet? Quite a few other gems there too.
Ooh! I read both last year and enjoyed them, though I did prefer Pryor's homely people-centered focus, but Cunliffe provides an essential overview. I have other books from both to follow with.
Azoraa
Well-Known Member
I've heard about it and read about it, but haven't actually read the story yet, myself.
I've started another one of her short story collections which I found... mhheh. I think it's called The Compass Rose, and feels like a completely arbitrary collection.
Just started the new 'Rivers of London' book by Ben Aaronovitch - Lies Sleeping.
If you haven't read any of this series, they have my strongest recommendation - in fact, the author is one of the very, very few on my pre-order-a-new-book-as-soon-as-there's-a-publication-date list.
If you haven't read any of this series, they have my strongest recommendation - in fact, the author is one of the very, very few on my pre-order-a-new-book-as-soon-as-there's-a-publication-date list.
I mentioned Chesterton in part because I thought it might catch your eye. As I was finishing the novel it occurred to me you and Pastor might find it of interest.
Randy M.
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