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226th out of 616 books
—
1,337 voters
The Last Hot Time
by
John M. Ford
When Danny Holman leaves the cornfields of Iowa for the bright lights of Chicago, he expects his life to change. He just can't guess how much and how fast. A violent incident on the road brings Danny the favor of a man known only as Mr. Patrise, who gives Danny a job, a home, and a new identity.
The City is a different world from the one Danny--now called Doc--knew, and lit...more
The City is a different world from the one Danny--now called Doc--knew, and lit...more
Paperback, 208 pages
Published
November 15th 2001
by Tor Books
(first published 2000)
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This is one of those books that makes me want to go back th rough all my ratings and put everything down another notch just so I can rate this higher.
Again, I find myself loving it for what it doesn't say as much as what it shows. Definitely a true example of why it's important to show and never tell. Ford's prose always gets me. Solid, detailed, distinct and perfect for the character. I love how Danny's perspectives change, how his name changes, how he changes through the whole of it, and how t...more
Again, I find myself loving it for what it doesn't say as much as what it shows. Definitely a true example of why it's important to show and never tell. Ford's prose always gets me. Solid, detailed, distinct and perfect for the character. I love how Danny's perspectives change, how his name changes, how he changes through the whole of it, and how t...more
This isn't a Liavek novel, like Casting Fortune, but it still has a very similar feel to the Borderlands, another more broadly shared world. I found two characters of the police force that I beleive I recognized from Emma Bull's Finder. There is a strong pong of Dashiell Hammett in this fantasy Chicago and many references to the organized crime era during and following Prohibition. Sometimes the costuming seems a little strained, but some folks like to dress well, and some folks like to dress th...more
This is a new Bordertown story. It does stand on its own; nothing requires the reader to even suspect the existence of the other stories, much less have read them. Danny Holman, a young man with considerable experience as an emergency medical technician, flees his old life for the City, and along the way he gets hooked up with Mr. Patrise, who appears to be a somewhat senior gangster. Danny, with his EMT skills, becomes Doc Hallownight, and settles in, more or less, to his new life, providing mu...more
Like many of John M. Ford's longer works, the "The Last Hot Time" is, at heart, a coming of age story. Years after the gates to Faerie have been reopened, Daniel Holman is running: away from his Iowa childhood, toward something better, or at least different. A road accident throws him into the orbit of a literate, powerful patron named, appropriately, Mr. Patrise. Patrise, it seems, is one of the leaders of the world between the worlds, and Holman, now renamed Doc Hallownight, learns much about...more
In an alternate America, a young paramedic drives away from his Iowa roots to the big city. In Chicago, which (like many parts of the country) shares an uneasy boundary with a land of elves and magic. Some magic spills across the border, and some elves make their homes, or make dangerous mischief, on the human side. Our hero falls in with a powerful, but cultured, gang leader and his companions. He befriends an elf, falls in love, struggles to come to terms with his own dark side.
This sounds lik...more
This sounds lik...more
Mar 16, 2013
Alex Sarll
added it
I used to love urban fantasy, but now the field has become so oversaturated and formulaic that I tend to steer well clear. But, this one is by John M Ford - and the only other book of his I've read, The Dragon Waiting, overcame the similar reluctance I now feel about alternate histories and vampire stories, simultaneously. This is also very good, keeping the essential strangeness of elves in Chicago intact, even as we come to know individual elves. There are nods to Dunsany, who managed a simila...more
As a regular reader of tor.com, I've seen quite a few book reviews posted by author Jo Walton. Walton has a penchant for picking out books that have been out for some time--and which, consequently, are currently rather hard to find. Such is the case with John M. Ford's The Last Hot Time.
I previously knew of Ford only as the author of the comedic Star Trek novel How Much For Just the Planet?, and so was quite intrigued by the prospect of reading something entirely different by him. Originally pub...more
I previously knew of Ford only as the author of the comedic Star Trek novel How Much For Just the Planet?, and so was quite intrigued by the prospect of reading something entirely different by him. Originally pub...more
How have I missed this author?
There is a great tabletop role-playing game system called Shadowrun that was originally published in 1989. In it magic returned to the world in 2011, bringing with it mythological creatures and turning some humans into orks, trolls, dwarves, and elves. In the gaming system it's initially 2050 and it's a cyberpunk urban fantasy world that prefigures a lot of the popular fiction being written now, where mega-corporations rule the world and operate sort of like organiz...more
There is a great tabletop role-playing game system called Shadowrun that was originally published in 1989. In it magic returned to the world in 2011, bringing with it mythological creatures and turning some humans into orks, trolls, dwarves, and elves. In the gaming system it's initially 2050 and it's a cyberpunk urban fantasy world that prefigures a lot of the popular fiction being written now, where mega-corporations rule the world and operate sort of like organiz...more
A teenage boy, trained as a paramedic, runs away from his small-town Iowa home to magical gangland Chicago -- and this Chicago really is magical, as elves have returned to the world. An awesome book for the autumn, with some of the action taking place on Halloween.
I'm not sure I can say enough good things about this book, because Ford does all sorts of things I love. The main character grows to know and trust himself, and through doing so learns to know and trust others, but it's a realistic, ha...more
I'm not sure I can say enough good things about this book, because Ford does all sorts of things I love. The main character grows to know and trust himself, and through doing so learns to know and trust others, but it's a realistic, ha...more
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Elf-noir. This is one of those hidden gem books. A mystical elf-world crosses over into our own depicted as a darkly magical fantasy full smoky 1940's jazz lounges an elves carrying machine guns. If that doesn't interest you than this book probably isn't for you. A truly original novel that is far too short and will leave you wishing the author would revisit this world for another chapter.
Jul 16, 2010
Snail in Danger (Sid) Nicolaides
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Shelves:
fantasy-fiction,
wishlist
This is something I had read previously but neglected to note on Goodreads. Upon re-reading, it seems less cheesy than it did before, but one aspect of the ending still strikes a slight false note. Still, I recommend it for all fans of old-style urban fantasy. (Caution: this book is just a little bit hurtful. Not harmful, but it may well remind you of times when your heart was broken long ago. That probably sounds too melodramatic, but it's the best way I can thing of to describe the aspects of...more
This is a relatively short book in the days of scifi-fantasy publishing where most books are around 400 pages minimum. It also manages to pack in a lot behind the seemingly simple plot of gang warfare in the streets of a Shadow Chicago where elves and humans coexist in a world of twisted laws and politics. Ford's writing style, slow and a bit superficial, sets the tone, reminiscent of the old gangster movies of the Depression era. This is intelligent fantasy and Ford appears to make an effort to...more
Set in an earth where elves have punched holes into our reality and magic works intermittently near the holes. A paramedic stops to help a gunshot victim and gets pulled into a world of magic-wielding mobsters, elves, chic nightclubs, and the occasional raid (where his medical training comes in handy).
I picked this book up, purely because it's by John M Ford. I read his two Star Trek novels, How Much for Just the Planet, and The Final Reflection, and very much wanted more of his work. The Final Reflection, in particular, really impressed me.
So I didn't quite know what to expect from The Last Hot Time. I had to readjust my expectations several times, but this wasn't at all a bad thing. The book is gripping, fast-paced, powerful urban fantasy. The setting starts out real-world, and you get to...more
So I didn't quite know what to expect from The Last Hot Time. I had to readjust my expectations several times, but this wasn't at all a bad thing. The book is gripping, fast-paced, powerful urban fantasy. The setting starts out real-world, and you get to...more
This is a deeply satisfying book with a few odd moments, but the oddness is well in keeping with the overall feel and theme. I have a great weakness for books about competent people being competent, and that's exactly how this book starts.
The bulk of the plot is the protagonist, a young kid from the sticks, learning to navigate the dangerous and delightful streets of what was Chicago, and probably still is, but it got pulled into a strange halfway state between the world we know and the world in...more
The bulk of the plot is the protagonist, a young kid from the sticks, learning to navigate the dangerous and delightful streets of what was Chicago, and probably still is, but it got pulled into a strange halfway state between the world we know and the world in...more
Positively the best elves-in-Chicago book I have read. :D People who've spent any time in media fandom will find the reveal after all the protag's sexual angst a little underwhelming, though.
This is a bit of a sci-fi fantasy novel and what makes it even more interesting is how much a character Chicago is in this story.
Jan 04, 2012
Jeff Youngstrom
added it
Okay - strange enough world setup but didn't pull me in
This is a really peculiar fantasy, along the lines of Elsewhere and Nevernever, but not so YA. The setting is a somewhat (but not entirely) 30's-ish Chicago "Mafia" milieu, rather than the bohemians and teens of those books. As far the writing, it is so minimalized, kept to just the plot and no explanation, that it rather leaves me scratching my head. But it is easily unusual enough to be worth thinking over afterward. I don't much care for the main character though - a very boring "Everyman" ty...more
Fabulous book. Fits together Mike Ford's standard--excellent worldbuilding, fascinating characters, and unusual bizarre plots, with an unusual grace--the narrative is much tighter than any book of his I've read. Would definitely recommend.
The subtitle is "A Contemporary Fantasy", which leaves me to wonder if the genre "modern fantasy" should be reserved for works from 1560 to 1820.
The subtitle is "A Contemporary Fantasy", which leaves me to wonder if the genre "modern fantasy" should be reserved for works from 1560 to 1820.
John Ford has this annoying habit of obscuring what person is talking at what moment, which can make his novels hard to follow. That said, this has to be the only mainstream fantasy novel I've read which is primarily about the main character's acceptance of himself as a Dom. Set in the Teri Windling "Borderlands" universe, but he doesn't make a big deal of it.
The Last Hot Time is a non-romance paranormal style book written in 2000. It is an intelligent, well-written urban fantasy set in Chicago. The plot is solid and sensible, with a broad slash of noir slapped across the pages. When I reached the end, I flipped the pages, looking for more...unfortunately, this was John M. Ford's last novel, a shame...
Mar 05, 2009
Miss Ginny Tea
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommended to Miss Ginny Tea by:
Leah
Shelves:
read_2009
A good read. I didn't bond with it as much as the friend who loaned it to me did. It was a little preoccupied with what everyone was wearing, but they were wearing such neat clothes that I don't grumble.
Urban fantasy of the "elfland has suddenly careened into our world" subgenre. Is it a subgenre if I can think of at least one other book that does that? Set in near-future Chicago, with magic and elf gangsters and whatnot. Different and fun and thoughtful.
I'm not convinced that I actually got this book fully. I'll ponder it a bit but I'm pretty sure it'll require a re-read someday.
Interesting enough book set in an alternate reality Chicago, where magic works.
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John Milo "Mike" Ford was a science fiction and fantasy writer, game designer and poet.
Ford was regarded (and obituaries, tributes and memories describe him) as an extraordinarily intelligent, erudite and witty man. He was a popular contributor to several online discussions. He composed poems, often improvised, in both complicated forms and blank verse, notably Shakespearean pastiche; he also wrot...more
More about John M. Ford...
Ford was regarded (and obituaries, tributes and memories describe him) as an extraordinarily intelligent, erudite and witty man. He was a popular contributor to several online discussions. He composed poems, often improvised, in both complicated forms and blank verse, notably Shakespearean pastiche; he also wrot...more
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