Bit of a patchy collection of very short flash fiction stories, although some of them I wouldn't really call stories just sketches with punchlines. Bit of a patchy collection of very short flash fiction stories, although some of them I wouldn't really call stories just sketches with punchlines. ...more
Quite a naff anthology. Contains five "horror" stories that are all pretty insipid fare.
1, some aging outcast at his firm goes to his office HalloweeQuite a naff anthology. Contains five "horror" stories that are all pretty insipid fare.
1, some aging outcast at his firm goes to his office Halloween party and does something completely bizarre. Just seemed ridiculous to me, and the writing was dull. 2, kids trick or treating, bullies, a school teacher and a little predictable twist. 3, about a scary-looking tree in the neighbourhood. Of course the reader knows the main character's fears will come to pass, since this is a horror anthology. But in the end it wasn't all that horrific or exciting. 4, A couple who hate eachother argue throughout and predictably one comes a cropper over pumpkin pie. Big deal. 5, Longest story in the collection. Two kids in the story obsessing over a local scary farm decide to find out why it's avoided. Suspense didn't bear any real fruit.
Overall, the writing was dull in all of the stories and I found myself skim reading, which I hate doing, just to get through them....more
I wonder how many of the one star reviewers realise that the first half of the story was taken from the real adventures/travels of the Arabic travelleI wonder how many of the one star reviewers realise that the first half of the story was taken from the real adventures/travels of the Arabic traveller Fadlan around 900 AD. The other half of the book is a retelling of Beowulf. Where this book goes wrong is in that split.
Imo Crichton loses the narrative voice of the traveller's story through Europe to the "Bulgars" in the first part when he starts to retell Beowulf with "Fadlan" as the narrator in the second part. It doesn't sound as authentic anymore. Just saying verily now and then doesn't cut it. And the descriptions of Fadlan's encounters with Turkic tribes and Vikings and how they treated their slaves which were traded between the Islamic and Pagan European tribes, the gods they worshipped, and how they lived their everyday lives (apparently soap hadn't been invented, haha) in the first part are much more interesting and a real eye opener if you're interested in history.
But as a piece of genre "fiction", it's a fairly quick and okay read.
There's also a movie version (with Banderas) which takes liberties with the original Fadlan account, and the book, as you'd expect from Hollywood. The book however got me interested in the real account, so I'll be reading the original from this book "Ibn Fadlan and the land of darkness: Arab travellers in the far north" next....more
Disappointing. The first story in this trilogy was the best, but that's not saying much, because even the first one ("Thin People") is a short story wDisappointing. The first story in this trilogy was the best, but that's not saying much, because even the first one ("Thin People") is a short story with a pretty thin plot, pun intended, and the other two that follow are sequels of sorts but both feel bloated and puffed out with awkward description simply to make the stories longer. The kind of stuff you might find in a second-rate horror mag and soon forgotten....more
Read this as part of a trilogy of books by Braly, expecting another pulp crime novel. Well it was crime novel of sorts but not what I expected. It's rRead this as part of a trilogy of books by Braly, expecting another pulp crime novel. Well it was crime novel of sorts but not what I expected. It's really about a bunch of "beatniks" who go around trying to avoid a bent copper ("Carver") who has it in for them, for one of them in particular, a horn player called "Cabinness". The novel is set in San Francisco and mostly consists of a bunch of layabouts taking drugs and playing their instruments in the jazz cafes. Not a fan of the "beat-culture" slang in the book, sounds too cringe now, but occasionally the writing is elevated by some great descriptions and characterisation. ...more
Fast read about a computer that traps a woman in a house to "breed" with her and create the perfect human. The computer is an absolute nutjob, and madFast read about a computer that traps a woman in a house to "breed" with her and create the perfect human. The computer is an absolute nutjob, and made me laugh out loud a couple of times. Koontz seemed to be having a lot of fun writing this :) Written back in the 70s and well ahead of AI, although was rewritten by Koontz at some point, which is obvious from some of the references....more
The premise of this book revolves around a drug called Can-D and later Chew-Z, which kind of predates virtual reality as a means of accessing some kinThe premise of this book revolves around a drug called Can-D and later Chew-Z, which kind of predates virtual reality as a means of accessing some kind of virtual existence with the aid of something called layouts. Typical of P.K. the book turns into a total mindphuck towards the end when Barney transfers to Mars, although it felt at times as if he was describing an LSD trip. Won't spoil it by talking about the eponymous Palmer Eldritch and who or what he actually is, in case you haven't read it. Fast read and entertaining as always from P.K.. Tons of conflict in the dialogue as usual with his books....more
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