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64th out of 155 books
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133 voters
L.A. Noire: The Collected Stories (L.A. Noire: The Collected Stories)
by
Rockstar Games,
Megan Abbott (Goodreads Author), Lawrence Block (Goodreads Author), Joe R. Lansdale, Joyce Carol Oates, Francine Prose, Jonathan Santlofer, Duane Swierczynski (Goodreads Author)
,
more…
L.A. Noire: The Collected Stories features eight short stories from renowned authors Megan Abbott, Lawrence Block, Joe Lansdale, Joyce Carol Oates, Francine Prose, Jonathan Santlofer, Duane Swierczynski and Andrew Vachss, many of which revisit the characters and cases in the game, providing a new spin to tell the tales of emotionally torn protagonists, depraved schemers an...more
Kindle Edition, 180 pages
Published
(first published January 1st 2011)
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I expected a lot more from this, than what I got; but it was free, so I won't complain. The game has a good story line and I was hoping for a bit more of that, but this felt too rushed
There is nothing quite like the hard-boiled detective story. I like to think of them as brain candy. These tales are never going to be great literature, no matter how literate the writer who may tackle noire, but they will continue to provide enjoyable reading for as long as they are around.
I must confess, I have seen some trailers for the L.A. Noire video game (also from Rockstar Games), and I am hooked on getting that game. I gave my WII system to my son and his family (along with all that I h...more
I must confess, I have seen some trailers for the L.A. Noire video game (also from Rockstar Games), and I am hooked on getting that game. I gave my WII system to my son and his family (along with all that I h...more
The ads for the game, LA Noire, look fun. It’s not available on PC though so I guess it’ll be a while before my guys start playing it. Still, the idea of a fictional LA, noir and as filled with stories as the movies I remember, is certainly intriguing. Even more intriguing was finding a book of tales built to go with the game; getting hold of a free ecopy to review was the icing on the cake.
Reading these tales is like a retreat into old noir movies. The Black Dahlia tells her side of the story,...more
Reading these tales is like a retreat into old noir movies. The Black Dahlia tells her side of the story,...more
There's some good writing here but....umm...most of these stories aren't actually of the "noir" genre. (Sort of makes me wonder what the authors' mandate was. I don't think they were offered very much direction.)
You know how when you're given an assignment, and it's something you're totally not interested in, so you try to think of ways to make it about what you're interested in? Author of Blonde
Joyce Carol Oates' story is largely about Marilyn Monroe (compare/contrasting her with The Black...more
You know how when you're given an assignment, and it's something you're totally not interested in, so you try to think of ways to make it about what you're interested in? Author of Blonde
Joyce Carol Oates' story is largely about Marilyn Monroe (compare/contrasting her with The Black...more
The eight stories in L.A. Noire: The Collected Stories are penned by eight different authors: The Girl, by Megan Abbott; See the Woman, by Lawrence Block; Naked Angel, by Joe R. Lansdale; Black Dahlia & White Rose, by Joyce Carol Oates; School for Murder, by Francine Prose; What’s in a Name?, by Jonathan Santlofer; Hell of an Affair, by Duane Swierczynski; and Postwar Boom, by Andrew Vachss.
The book contains ”eight thrilling tales of crime, deception and murder”, if you believe the front cov...more
The book contains ”eight thrilling tales of crime, deception and murder”, if you believe the front cov...more
It would be tempting to dismiss L.A. Noire: The Collected Stories as a marketing gimmick if only the stories were not so good. The stories, after all, are based on Rockstar Games' 'L.A. Noire', a mystery and crime video game centered in Los Angeles in the nineteen forties. As such, the idea of having a volume of crime stories set in the same world and based on some of the same characters and plot points might seem a little heavy handed.
However, in assembling the volume, Rockstar Games pulled in...more
However, in assembling the volume, Rockstar Games pulled in...more
I've come to feel that Noir has more of a cool factor than it really deserves. People, especially authors, have a tendency to drop the term all too readily.
But when you get down to it, the snappy patter and stylized writing style is all that really separates in from the crime fiction your mother reads when she's bored.
The only stories that truly stuck out for me were the ones that attempted to show a slice of life from the era. It's more interesting to me to read about the struggles of an actre...more
But when you get down to it, the snappy patter and stylized writing style is all that really separates in from the crime fiction your mother reads when she's bored.
The only stories that truly stuck out for me were the ones that attempted to show a slice of life from the era. It's more interesting to me to read about the struggles of an actre...more
L.A. Noire is a collection of short stories all based on the new Rockstar Games video game of the same name. There are some major authors here -- Megan Abbott, Lawrence Block, Joe R. Lansdale, Joyce Carol Oates, Francine Prose, Jonathan Santlofer, Duane Swierczynski, and Andrew Vachss. I’ve read most of these authors before, so I was excited about this collection. All the stories are set in 1947 Los Angeles, the perfect noir setting with movie stars, gangsters, and crimes like the Black Dahlia m...more
This book was offered as a free eBook download from Rockstar Games when they released the game of the same name. I do not have, and have never played the game so this was just sitting on my Kindle until I realized that the short stories contained therein are from renowned authors. From what I have read, the stories do not tie into the game much and I could not tell that they related to anything else. Worked as a stand alone read just fine.
The eight short stories are from authors Megan Abbott, La...more
The eight short stories are from authors Megan Abbott, La...more
A wonderful collection of (very) short noir stories set in late '40s L.A. While collected under the title of a video game, there was only one story that felt like it might have been directly linked, and even then I didn't get the sense that I was missing anything by not have played it (though I will get to it, eventually.) Fans of the game will hopefully find this to be a good "gateway drug" to the full-length works of the anthology's authors as well as other notable noir/hard-boiled authors lik...more
Aug 23, 2011
Cheryl
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
goodreads-challenge-2011
Anyone that enjoys Noire should give this collection a read. Anyone that would like to know what all the fuss is about should give this collection a read.
Forget for the moment that this collection was meant as a tie-in to the video game of the same name (L.A. Noire) by Rockstar Games. [I have also had the pleasure of playing through the game and was pleasantly entertained.] This collection of short stories are what Noire is all about. Dark, gritty, hopeless...If you are expecting a happy ending,...more
Forget for the moment that this collection was meant as a tie-in to the video game of the same name (L.A. Noire) by Rockstar Games. [I have also had the pleasure of playing through the game and was pleasantly entertained.] This collection of short stories are what Noire is all about. Dark, gritty, hopeless...If you are expecting a happy ending,...more
Prelim Review: My father and I are currently playing the L.A. Noire game, of which this draws its inspiration from. We're Noir fans in general, were excited for the game and I was excited for these short stories from some of crime fiction's leading names.
Well sort of.
The editor's note, from Charles Ardai, really got me thinking. I love Raymond Chandler, I love noir films, but I don't love mysteries per say. Or crime fiction. Its all about the characters and its not often I feel drawn in during m...more
Well sort of.
The editor's note, from Charles Ardai, really got me thinking. I love Raymond Chandler, I love noir films, but I don't love mysteries per say. Or crime fiction. Its all about the characters and its not often I feel drawn in during m...more
LA Noire is a collection of crime stories written in the older style of police-detective novels and pulp fiction. These stories were compiled by Rockstar Games as they were preparing for production of a new video game. The stories were entertaining and some were thought provoking. My favorite was The Black Dahlia and White Rose, a story dealing with Marilyn Monroe and Elizabeth Short, the Black Dahlia.
L A Noire is an enjoyable collection of crime stories written by some of the best crime writer...more
L A Noire is an enjoyable collection of crime stories written by some of the best crime writer...more
The Girl, by Megan Abbott (Queenpin, Die a Little)
See The Woman, by Lawrence Block (Sins of the Father, 8 Million Ways to Die)
Naked Angel, by Joe R. Lansdale (Bubba Ho-tep)
Black Dahlia & White Rose, by Joyce Carol Oates (Give Me Your Heart, A Widow's Story)
School For Murder, by Francine Prose (Blue Angel, My New American Life)
What's In A Name?, by Jonathan Santlofer (Death Artist, Anatomy of Fear)
Hell Of An Affair, by Duane Swierczynski (Expiration Date, Fun & Games)
Postwar Boom, by Andr...more
See The Woman, by Lawrence Block (Sins of the Father, 8 Million Ways to Die)
Naked Angel, by Joe R. Lansdale (Bubba Ho-tep)
Black Dahlia & White Rose, by Joyce Carol Oates (Give Me Your Heart, A Widow's Story)
School For Murder, by Francine Prose (Blue Angel, My New American Life)
What's In A Name?, by Jonathan Santlofer (Death Artist, Anatomy of Fear)
Hell Of An Affair, by Duane Swierczynski (Expiration Date, Fun & Games)
Postwar Boom, by Andr...more
Worried about spoilers, I didn't start this anthology until I was finished with the game. In the end, I don't think it really mattered. The stories in this collection takes place in the world of L.A. Noire, but none of them were really directly related, though I liked how couple stories provided a little background information into some of the cases.
I liked most of the stories, some more than others. Nevertheless, my guess is that fans of the noir genre probably won't think much of this book, b...more
I liked most of the stories, some more than others. Nevertheless, my guess is that fans of the noir genre probably won't think much of this book, b...more
This is a little hidden gem of a book I stumbled upon through a Noir recommendation thread over on the Kindle Boards. It was created as a marketing tool for the L.A. Noire video game. That said, some of the best of the best noir murder mystery writers are in here. It is a series of short stories set in 1940s Los Angeles. It is dark and gritty, hard boiled detective storytelling. In my opinion, there is only one weak story in the bunch, and the rest of the stories make up for it. Totally worth th...more
Started reading this ebook and wasn't sure I was going to like it. Megan Abbott's opening story really didn't hit my noir button, not that it was a bad story or anything. Lawrence Block's story came a lot closer, hitting the subject matter straight but with a little twist in the telling. Then I got to good ol' Joe Lansdale and BANG, that's what I'm talking about when I think noir. That's as far into it as I got on the first foray but at about 30% through it's so far, so good.
Update: now that I'...more
Update: now that I'...more
It seems I'm one of the rare few that pretty much hated most of this book. In truth I think my actual rating is 2.5 not a 3. Thankfully each story was short so I knew I could finish it but I wish I could have finished it faster so it would have been over. Don't get me wrong I really enjoyed the video game, but these stories were just difficult to follow at times. A few of them were good and I enjoyed them but most had me wondering what the heck the narrator was yapping about. Just glad it's over...more
I was very dubious about this collection, which was released as part of a tie-in to a video game. I'm not a gamer but I do love noir, so I sprung for the e-book when I saw the authors featured (Megan Abbott, Lawrence Block, Joe R. Lansdale, Joyce Carol Oates, Francine Prose, Jonathan Santlofer, Duane Swierczynski and Andrew Vachss). At worst, I figured it would be a gathering of previous published work, some of which might be new to me. Thankfully, happily, entertained-for-three-nights-ly, I was...more
1 like · like · see review
Ah LA Noire... this was one of my most anticipated games of this year, and (though not perfect) was an excellent addition to my games library.
So when I saw that a collection of short stories was being produced inspired by the game, I jumped at the chance to get it on the kindle. However, rather like the game, there were good and bad points in this. at times I heard the bad choice music playing in my head. no hint points for me!
The collection starts well enough in Megan Abbott's "The Girl", a s...more
So when I saw that a collection of short stories was being produced inspired by the game, I jumped at the chance to get it on the kindle. However, rather like the game, there were good and bad points in this. at times I heard the bad choice music playing in my head. no hint points for me!
The collection starts well enough in Megan Abbott's "The Girl", a s...more
This is a fantastic collection, made better by a great game to serve as a canvas for the authors to draw upon. 5 stars - a must read for fans of noir.
1. THE GIRL by Megan Abbott - 5 stars
June is a once starry-eyed woman with glitter and golden dreams for elaborate promises and finer things. Hollywood as a lifestyle takes a turn to the obscene via overtly yet covertly sexualised activity. Abbott instils a sense of apprehension long lost and an easy innocence given way to manly pleasures for a gli...more
1. THE GIRL by Megan Abbott - 5 stars
June is a once starry-eyed woman with glitter and golden dreams for elaborate promises and finer things. Hollywood as a lifestyle takes a turn to the obscene via overtly yet covertly sexualised activity. Abbott instils a sense of apprehension long lost and an easy innocence given way to manly pleasures for a gli...more
4 likes · like · see review
My boyfriend bought the LA Noire game and I was completely into it because I love this genre. When he told me that there were going to be stories to go with the game, I was ecstatic. The stories were great, they really captured the feel of the time. My favorite was "What's in a Name?" by Jonathan Santlofer. I had read it online and it stayed with me for over a month. These stories are haunting and you wish for a better outcome, but you know it can't happen. Great read, even if you have no intere...more
This short, gritty collection of tales that tie in to Rockstar's game of the same name reads like an inverse bell curve: the initial stories are solid, they drop in quality in the middle, then are lifted by the final two tales.
I'll admit my lack of familiarity with most crime writers so the authors are unknown to me, save Oates who I recognize by name only. The stories stand alone but woven together together form a pastiche of post-war LA, warts and all; retreads of well-known figures (The Black...more
I'll admit my lack of familiarity with most crime writers so the authors are unknown to me, save Oates who I recognize by name only. The stories stand alone but woven together together form a pastiche of post-war LA, warts and all; retreads of well-known figures (The Black...more
Jun 10, 2011
Valerie
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Noir fans, mystery/thriller fans, short story fans
Recommended to Valerie by:
Amazon
Shelves:
reading-on-kindle
A great collection of noir short stories set in LA of the 1940's--shady dames, soiled cops, lost souls. There are works from authors I know well (Joyce Carol Oates, Lawrence Block), some I know a little (Duane Swierczynski, Andrew Vachss) and others I'm going to get to know (Megan Abbott, Joe Lansdale, Francine Prose and Jonathan Santlofer)--all of them stylish, chilling, and memorable.
This is a tie-in for the video game, LA Noire, but don't let that put you off.
This is a tie-in for the video game, LA Noire, but don't let that put you off.
Apparently this is a collection of tie-in fiction for the game that Rockstar put out earlier this year. I've never played the game, and likely never will, but that didn't impact my enjoyment at all. Instead I was just able to enjoy it as a collection of noir stories set in LA in October of 1947, by some of the hottest names in crime fiction, including Megan Abbott, Lawrence Block, and Joe Lansdale. So for a free promotional item this was a great collection.
A mixed bag of noir short stories, some directly related to cases in the video game and some not. I thought Lawrence Block's "See the Woman" was the best story in the book, and Joe R. Lansdale's "The Naked Angel" is also solid. "Jonathan Santlofer's "What's in a Name?" is good, as well; I would have liked more of the story, though. None of the stories were bad, although a couple were either anticlimactic or predictable. Fans of this genre need not be familiar with the video game.
As a collection of short stories based on a video game, I expected very variable quality. As such, my expectations were met.
Some stories were cliched beyond repair, while others were decent within the genre (kind of).
Not surprisingly, the standout story was by Joyce Carol Oates, the most merited writer among them. Her haunting narrative is voiced in part by The Black Dahlia after her death (!) and in part by the woman later to become Marilyn Monroe, and it is sure to stay with you long after you...more
Some stories were cliched beyond repair, while others were decent within the genre (kind of).
Not surprisingly, the standout story was by Joyce Carol Oates, the most merited writer among them. Her haunting narrative is voiced in part by The Black Dahlia after her death (!) and in part by the woman later to become Marilyn Monroe, and it is sure to stay with you long after you...more
I was enthralled with the game. I've read novels by most of these authors. Vachss always leaves me thinking.
Love the cover art for each story! Nice Introduction.
The game may have inspired and funded this project, authors get read & paid, but playing the games will only show you where these stories link to the game and sadly adds very little to the stories. So read it for a good read, the game gimmick is inconsequential.
A perfect Kindle Fire read.
Love the cover art for each story! Nice Introduction.
The game may have inspired and funded this project, authors get read & paid, but playing the games will only show you where these stories link to the game and sadly adds very little to the stories. So read it for a good read, the game gimmick is inconsequential.
A perfect Kindle Fire read.
Lansdale hit the mark precisely. Mr. Duane S. also captured the right noir feel of a man in trouble and running out of options. Other stories were decent but often lacked the right noir feel. We are talking femme fatales, crooked cops, a broken political machine, and social upheaval that colors the narrative. So for the price and experience, this was a winner even though some stories weren't 100%. Do I want to go on now and read my James m. Cain? You bet!
This was a free Kindle book and I picked it up because I've always liked noire. The stories are pretty fantastic, have killer tone and frankly the collection made me want to pick up the game. Well done, Rockstar! The reason I gave it four stars is because Joyce Carol Oates' contribution was a bit Oatesian for my taste and (for me) the only off note in the book.
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Sep 10, 2012 07:05am
Sep 10, 2012 07:07am