At 09:23 AM 7/31/2002 -0700, you wrote:
>Thats cool that you took the time to write out your
thoughts and
>share them, John. I found your comments interesting
and insight-
>ful. I do have a few comments:
>
>John Williams wrote:
> > Moderately sucessful - though generally morally
and artistically
>bankrupt -
> > are the burgeoning ranks of the serial killer
specialists - but that's a
>US
> > blight as well (then again I suppose serial
killer novels more properly
> > belong to the horror tradition than the
h/b).
>
>"Generally" is the keyword here when you talk about
the quality of
>serial killer novels. Generally, I'll read one by an
author and then I've
>had enough. But I think that _Silence of the Lambs_
was a great book.
>For me, it rattled the foundations. I like that. I
thought that Ridley
>Pearson's (sp?) _Undercurrents_ was good,
too.
I just finished Pearson's _Parallel Lies_ , it's my first by
him. I wasn't impressed--it seemed formulaic, as if he had a
movie treatment in mind. Pearson is a friend of mine's
favorite author. Is this book typical of him, or did I just
pick a bad one to start on?
On the topic of one serial-killer novel per author, I point
out that Rex Miller's _Slob_ was scary, everything else
mediocre.
>**********
>then JW says:
> > ...especially the noir-horror crossover
as
> > written by the likes of Chaz Brenchley, Stephen
Gallagher and Iain Banks.
>
>I'll be darned! Someone mentions Iain Banks! He's an
interesting and
>innovative author. I liked _Feersum Endjin_ (once I
got past the pho-
>netic spelling) and _The Wasp Factory_, but could
have done without
>_Excession_. I'm not sure if he's hardboiled, but he
definitely gets the
>noir tag.
I loved "The Crow Road," by Banks. Bought it at an
English-language bookstore in New Delhi. Has it ever been
published in the US? It's not hard-boiled by any means,
although there's a lot of drinkin' in it :-). It does have a
murder mystery, as one of dozens of plot threads. Great fun.
Far better than any of his Culture novels.
>**********
>then JW says:
> > while newer writers - in the US just as
the
> > UK - have to struggle to emerge from the
shadows of Ellroy, Leonard et
>al -
> > and are, ironically enough, in some ways
limited by the very strength and
> > popularity of the genre.
>
>Yeah, maybe. But its been like this for quite a
while, you know. Once
>there's such a thing as a genre, you're stuck with
proceeding someone
>else. Near as I can tell, the present writers are
doing a darn good job
>of creating their own intimidating shadows for future
writers.
Yes, but in Britian the appearance of a new PD James is
always cause for celebration. And a new James Lee Burke in
the US....
Ray
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