Re: RARA-AVIS: occult PIs

From: John Armstrong ( pachuco@telus.net)
Date: 09 Jun 2008


One of the first books I read that introduced magic into what was otherwise a normal world was Magic Inc by R. A. Heinlein. I've been a sucker for that them, done well, ever since.

Patrick King wrote:
>
> --- On Mon, 6/9/08, DJ-Anonyme@webtv.net
> <mailto:DJ-Anonyme%40webtv.net> < DJ-Anonyme@webtv.net
> <mailto:DJ-Anonyme%40webtv.net>> wrote:
>
> The book also got me started thinking about other series that overlap
> the hardboiled and occult worlds, especially loner investigators who
> bridge the two worlds. I'm thinking of series like George Chesbro's
> Mongo series, or shows like Forever Knight, Reaper, the earlier (and far
> darker, more serious, wish it would come out on DVD) Brimstone, some
> Angel, though much of it takes place only in the occult world. That
> last reservation would also rule out Charlie Huston's Joe Pike series.
> As much as I enjoy it, it's almost entirely set in the politics of the
> world of vampires, even if that world is used to satirize the real
> world.
> ************************************************************************
> My favorite occult hard boiled is FALLING ANGEL by William Hjortsberg.
> It follows an investigation by New York PI Harry Angel in search of a
> missing jazz crooner who disappeared during WWII. It gets weird very
> fast. There's an amazing scene in one of those abandoned NYC subway
> platforms.
>
> A movie based on it called ANGEL HEART, starring Mickey Rourke as
> Harry with a great supporting cast including DeNiro is worth seeing,
> too. Director Allen Parker moved the majority of the scenes to New
> Orleans for some reason. The book begins and ends in New York. The
> movie is predominantly about VooDoo, the book about ceremonial magick.
>
> Patrick King
>
>

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