What a Joke!, Aug 16 2004

Martin Lunn claims to be an historian, but he falls into the same traps as many of the "historians" on which Dan Brown relied for his own research, making wild leaps of logic and mortaring historical gaps with assumption and preconception.

For Brown, this was fine; he was writing fiction. But Lumm claims to be telling the "truth" - a truth no one can possibly know after two centuries of obfuscation. So what Lumm ACTUALLY does is recount Dan Brown's research without all of that confusing "plot" and none of those annoying "characters". If you want to know the contents of Martin Lunn's book, read Dan Brown and at least be entertained while you do it.

Not one of his best, Jun 21 2004

The hunt for John Bone, super-assassin, who has been hired to kill the King and Queen of England on the cusp of the US's entry into World War II, was not enough to hold my interest. Bone was not sifficiently evil to raise suspense. The subplot concerning a ranking IRA member was tedious and Bertie and Elizabeth, the victims, were portrayed awfully enough that one wished for Bone to succeed.

Especially disappointing was witnessing Hyde's giving in to the mores of popular fiction and allowing Todd and Barry to become romantically involved. I am used to Hyde following less predictable and crowd-pleasing paths.

I understand the author has taken yet another step in the direction of Selling Out - he brings Jane Todd and another character from another book back, making them recurring characters. If it works for him, I'm glad, but it is not something I'm thrilled to see.

This is a competently written and occasionally entertaining book, but not one of my favorites.

A Modest Thriller, Jun 18 2004

Years before he start making a living producing comfortable espionage thrillers, Hyde produced quirky novels about botched train robberies and giant waves washing entire cities away. He wandered the Stephen King trail with an End-of-the-World plague and this, Crestwood Heights, a techno-paranoia novel par excellence.

Kelly Rhine inherits her uncle's home in the new town of Crestwood Heights, situated in rural North Carolina, where the future is now, Big Brother is watching and boy, is he pissed. Kelly isn't in town two days before she manages to upset one of the local bigwigs and strange things start happening to her. While investigating, she uncovers a vast conspiracy of scientific evil. I can't really say more than that or I'd give the whole thing away.

Hyde has a talent for creating a few believable characters amid his cliche stock, some never seen before in pulp fiction. Robin Spenser, for example, a gay ex-marine who runs a local bakery called Aunt Bea's. Robin is gentle, heroic, strong and competent; in short, he is nothing like any gay character you'd have found in any other thriller in the 80's. Place him next to Philip Granger, the hotheaded leader of the local beautification society and Max Alexanian, the glittering, cold-hearted leader of the Cold Mountain Institute, and Robin is a towering example of originality.

Kelly herself, ostensibly the main character, is little more than a catalyst, bringing very little to the table that a paragraph of exposition might have. Throughout the novel she allows things to happen to her, rather than effecting the changes herself. Still, her gullibility moves the story forward.

This review is being written in the middle of 2004, when I have a card for every grocery store that offers me discounts in exchange for detailed reports about my shopping habits. Just a week ago I was late for work because all the traffic in my town was stopped dead due to protesters fighting against bioengineered food. We are actively working on cloning humans and harvesting stem cells. Against my reality, the spooky paranoia evoked by Hyde rarely elicits a blip of concern. But in 1988, when first read the book, I was shocked, horrified and fascinated.

Bridge of Bored, Jun 18 2004

Ostensibly this is a book about Lu Yu, nicknamed Number Ten Ox, who travels from his rural town to the big city to engage a wise man to return with him and cure the village's children of a deadly sleeping sickness (fortunately the sickness is not so deadly that the heros cannot fart around for a year or so before actually helping the sick children). The only wise man willing to work for the paltry sum offered by Number 10 Ox is Li Kao, a twinkly-eyed old drunk who has the perplexing ability to con anyone out of vast sums of money (putting into question his insistence on sleeping on the floor in a dirty old tenement in the first place). The cure takes the two on a romp through a mythical old China peopled with the kind of moronic rubes found in all fairy tales - those greedy and stupid enough to hand over their money just because someone tells them they'll be receiving some magic beans and a donkey that poops gold coins.

Hughart stretches this hoary old chestnut within an inch of its elasticity as Master Li and Ox wander from city to city collecting bits of the Great Root of Power in order to effect the cure. But at times it appears that the only real purpose in doing all this traveling is to get Number 10 Ox laid, for he winds up in bed with a woman in every town. I expect this was meant to be amusing, but eventually became merely tedious.

I am not generally prudish, but I found myself startled by the astounding amount of violence in this book. Couched in amusing anecdotes and twinkly narrative are hundreds upon hundreds of murders enacted by or caused by the two "heros". I could see in many cases that the doomed characters deserved their fate, but not all.

Bridge of Birds has its moments, but I didn't find it to be the gem of which so many reviewers wrote. Still, I liked it enough that if I come across the sequels, I will surely read them, but I won't be traipsing hundreds of leagues, murdering everyone who gets in my way, to find them. I may not even cross the street.

A Futuristic Novel about Today, Jun 18 2004

Years before he start making a living producing comfortable espionage thrillers, Hyde produced quirky novels about botched train robberies and giant waves washing entire cities away. He wandered the Stephen King trail with an End-of-the-World plague and this, Crestwood Heights, a techno-paranoia novel par excellence.

Kelly Rhine inherits her uncle's home in the new town of Crestwood Heights, situated in rural North Carolina, where the future is now, Big Brother is watching and boy, is he pissed. Kelly isn't in town two days before she manages to upset one of the local bigwigs and strange things start happening to her. While investigating, she uncovers a vast conspiracy of scientific evil. I can't really say more than that or I'd give the whole thing away.

Hyde has a talent for creating a few believable characters amid his cliche stock, some never seen before in pulp fiction. Robin Spenser, for example, a gay ex-marine who runs a local bakery called Aunt Bea's. Robin is gentle, heroic, strong and competent; in short, he is nothing like any gay character you'd have found in any other thriller in the 80's. Place him next to Philip Granger, the hotheaded leader of the local beautification society and Max Alexanian, the glittering, cold-hearted leader of the Cold Mountain Institute, and Robin is a towering example of originality.

Kelly herself, ostensibly the main character, is little more than a catalyst, bringing very little to the table that a paragraph of exposition might have. Throughout the novel she allows things to happen to her, rather than effecting the changes herself. Still, her gullibility moves the story forward.

This review is being written in the middle of 2004, when I have a card for every grocery store that offers me discounts in exchange for detailed reports about my shopping habits. Just a week ago I was late for work because all the traffic in my town was stopped dead due to protesters fighting against bioengineered food. We are actively working on cloning humans and harvesting stem cells. Against my reality, the spooky paranoia evoked by Hyde rarely elicits a blip of concern. But in 1988, when first read the book, I was shocked, horrified and fascinated.

Bridge of Bored, Jun 18 2004

Ostensibly this is a book about Lu Yu, nicknamed Number Ten Ox, who travels from his rural town to the big city to engage a wise man to return with him and cure the village's children of a deadly sleeping sickness (fortunately the sickness is not so deadly that the heros cannot fart around for a year or so before actually helping the sick children). The only wise man willing to work for the paltry sum offered by Number 10 Ox is Li Kao, a twinkly-eyed old drunk who has the perplexing ability to con anyone out of vast sums of money (putting into question his insistence on sleeping on the floor in a dirty old tenement in the first place). The cure takes the two on a romp through a mythical old China peopled with the kind of moronic rubes found in all fairy tales - those greedy and stupid enough to hand over their money just because someone tells them they'll be receiving some magic beans and a donkey that poops gold coins.

Hughart stretches this hoary old chestnut within an inch of its elasticity as Master Li and Ox wander from city to city collecting bits of the Great Root of Power in order to effect the cure. But at times it appears that the only real purpose in doing all this traveling is to get Number 10 Ox laid, for he winds up in bed with a woman in every town. I expect this was meant to be amusing, but eventually became merely tedious.

I am not generally prudish, but I found myself startled by the astounding amount of violence in this book. Couched in amusing anecdotes and twinkly narrative are hundreds upon hundreds of murders enacted by or caused by the two "heros". I could see in many cases that the doomed characters deserved their fate, but not all.

Bridge of Birds has its moments, but I didn't find it to be the gem of which so many reviewers wrote. Still, I liked it enough that if I come across the sequels, I will surely read them, but I won't be traipsing hundreds of leagues, murdering everyone who gets in my way, to find them. I may not even cross the street.

I Have Some Wild Animosity for this Book, Jun 10 2004

"Wild Animus" is a fantasy about the 60's. By "fantasy", I mean that it is a story written by someone who knows nothing about the 60's and made things up as he went along. The main characters, Sam and Lindy, are fictional hippies who speak in stilted diatribes about enlightenment, empowerment and oppression. All written by an author who apparently has never been enlightened, empowered or oppressed.

The dialog throughout reads like someone who has never heard a conversation, and has only read bad poetry in translation. The actions are those of people who have no sense.

I canot, cannot believe anyone would consider this book publishable, let alone start his own company with the intention of publishing it. Please do not read this book.

Got Two Hours to Kill?, April 23 2004

But it's still fun, dammit. Somehow, Parker always manages to engage my attention. The interaction between Hawk and Spenser still amuses, Spenser's twisted honor code still thrills and Susan's soppy shrinkiness still annoys.

In this outing, we are on the hunt for the perpetrator of a killing 30 years in the past. The actual plot is incidental, as Parker seems to be making things up as he goes. The characters are, as usualy, thinly written and heavily dependent on stereotypes. But Spenser gamely travels from Boston to New Hampshire to California and back, giving us all our two hour's worth of lively description and jaunty heroism.

If you are already a fan of the series, you've already bought this one and don't need my review. But if you are not already a fan, don't start here. Go back to the fabulous days of Ceremony, A Catskill Eagle, The Judas Goat and you will become a fan, ready to read and grouse over each new entry in the Parker oeuvre.

Depends on What You're Looking For, Mar 26 2004

If you want to use the Windows version of PGP, this is not the book for you.

Simon Garfinkel's PGP is certainly informative and is written in light, breezy language that makes it easy reading for even the least technical. But, sadly, this book is so out of date as to be entirely useless with regard to actually using PGP today.

Extreme Phantom, Mar 26 2004

This time it's the story of Father Damien at the Molokai leper colony, Erwin Rommel (famous as WWII's Desert Fox), Norwegian blood magic and a Cotts Ranec, a fisherman blown off course at the height of the Cuban Missile Crisis. Through copious research and deft plotting, Powers reveals the secret history behind Cuba's retreat behind the Iron Curtain and Polynesian Cargo Cults.

This is a remarkable book, an intriguing read by an author who deserves a greater audience. Read it. You won't be disappointed.