Much as I love Jeffrey Deaver... it turns out he doesn't know much about writing short stories. Not his fault, I'm sure; this is basically a promo-pie...moreMuch as I love Jeffrey Deaver... it turns out he doesn't know much about writing short stories. Not his fault, I'm sure; this is basically a promo-piece for his book coming out in June.
If you're a fan of Deaver's Lincoln Rhyme series, you know that he uses the same "tags" in every book to establish all of his main characters. In every single book, we are informed within the first couple of chapters of the following things:
- Physical appearances/abilities/relationship statuses of Lincoln, Amelia, and about 5 other secondary regulars. - Lincoln's basic philosophies regarding forensics.
In every book, this info is virtually identical, almost copy-and-pasted. As a regular reader of the series, you get used to skimming over these parts, which take up maybe 5 pages within the first 20. You understand that it's there for the benefit of anyone who may be picking up one of these books for the first time, out of sequence.
What does this have to do with this short story? Well... Deaver puts it in. All of it. A good 30% of this story is content literally copied from every other Deaver book. It's not annoying when you've got another 300 pages of plot... it IS annoying when it's a third of the content. And, for the purposes of a short story, it's all completely unnecessary.
So basically what we've got here is the bloated setup for a novel... and a very, very short follow-through. Couple of murders, one tiny twist, story over... oh and by the way, let's take up the last 15% of the document with an excerpt from my new book!
Also, it's definitely not been edited to the same standards as his other material. There were a number of run-on sentences and awkward bits and a couple of tense issues.
All in all, I would have shrugged and called it decent if it weren't for the fact that I PAID for this short story. This really, really should have been a freebie - it's basically just a promo for his upcoming book. And while I will still be buying that book and reading it eagerly... making me pay for an advertisement is just not cool. (less)
I love this book, and so does my son! This is an all-around great book. But in addition to that...
I make a conscious decision to choose books that fea...moreI love this book, and so does my son! This is an all-around great book. But in addition to that...
I make a conscious decision to choose books that feature female protagonists without promoting sexist female stereotypes. (I dunno if that sounds weird, but I don't want my son growing up thinking women or "girl" things are lesser or bad or dumb. I also don't want him thinking that girls can only be princesses and dress up.) This book perfectly fits the bill. Ladybug Girl is obviously a GIRL, but she's creative and fun and imaginative. She also plays with boys without question. My son has never been exposed to the "That's for GIRLS" or "That's for BOYS" attitude, so it ticks me off when kid's books go straight for presenting girls and boys as being at odds and needing reconciliation or understanding of some sort. This book just assumes that Ladybug Girl and Bumblebee boy should have no problem playing together, even if they have some differences about what constitutes "fun" play.
The other thing I liked - that it took me several readings to "get" - is how Bumblebee Boy is afraid of heights. At first I thought he just didn't like Lulu's choices for play, but then I realized she keeps suggesting things that involve heights, and he goes from "I don't like that" to just being silent because he doesn't want to admit it. And then once he and Lulu start playing together, he overcomes his fear! Very nice and subtle.(less)
Do you consider yourself a denizen of the internet? Are you fairly confident that Google will one day rule the world? If you answered "yes" to these q...moreDo you consider yourself a denizen of the internet? Are you fairly confident that Google will one day rule the world? If you answered "yes" to these questions, this book is probably for you.
Adjectives to describe this work: fun, cute, silly, amusing, and affectionate. Overall it's like a nice warm hug from one technophile to another.
The only annoyance I had with the narrative was minor... I really felt like the protagonist (who was more like a stand-in for the reader than a character in his own right) was female. I don't know if it was the voice or what, but every now and then I'd be reminded than he was male and it would be a bit of a jolt. It honestly doesn't matter too terribly much what sex he is, so it wasn't a big deal, but it was a bit odd.
Overall, I very much enjoyed this book. I'd call it a comfort-read for the internet generation.(less)
Can't afford airfare to China? Tag along with Ellie McEnroe... you'll see everything the "authentic traveler" dreams of: the back alleys, local dives,...moreCan't afford airfare to China? Tag along with Ellie McEnroe... you'll see everything the "authentic traveler" dreams of: the back alleys, local dives, and idyllic off-the-beaten-path towns where natives still gawk at Westerners. And since this is fiction, you also get to experience the visceral thrills of Chinese intrigue, from lowlife thugs to high rollers with so much clout in the CCP that they're untouchable.
Hour of the Rat is a weird, cool hybrid - travel narrative plus mystery. Brackmann is amazing at providing just the right little details to conjure up authentic Chinese life. Having lived there for a year myself, reading Brackmann's books is just like taking a quick trip back... except Ellie is the one who gets to deal with smoke-filled trains and annoying backpackers, not me.
I enjoyed Hour of the Rat as much as I did Rock Paper Tiger - which, by the way, yes you do need to read first. This is a direct sequel and you'll miss a lot of character setup and background if you skip RPT.
Let's see, stuff I didn't like... well, okay, this is more of a suggestion: This book could really use a map. Ellie travels all over the place, hopping on a train or plane in every other chapter. Brackmann makes each locale feel different and unique (while still patently Chinese), but my very visual brain wanted a layout of the geography. Ideally, I'd have a map graphic at the beginning of each chapter with Ellie's position updated. I think it would have been a cool, helpful addition.
Also, I know it's customary for novels to skip over bodily functions, but I'll admit to wondering about how Ellie was getting around bathroom-wise. She injures her leg pretty badly at one point in the narrative, and after that rides a number of trains. About 3/4 of the way through the book she does finally use a squatty and has issues with it - but I kept wondering, what was she doing on train rides?! Especially drinking all that beer??? My bad... Apparently soft sleepers have western-style toilets. I preferred squatties, so I never noticed!
Okay, back to the good stuff. The plot is awesome because it tackles a ton of current issues with China, stuff you may or may not have seen in the news. GMOs, poisoned food, China's empty cities, pollution, etc. etc. I stay pretty current on Chinese stuff, and Brackmann has totally done her research. Even stuff that's not central to the plot gets mentioned along the way. Altogether, it makes the book feel utterly authentic.
In short: if you want to experience the shady underbelly of Chinese life, Hour of the Rat is your read.(less)
An excellently constructed literary thriller. Mason's narrative interweaves multiple points of view and skips around in time, and never once was I los...moreAn excellently constructed literary thriller. Mason's narrative interweaves multiple points of view and skips around in time, and never once was I lost. The story is really unique, not boilerplate at all, which was delightful. I think my favorite part was that one of the point of view characters is a dog - and Mason totally makes it work.
Mason's language and metaphor is really amazing, and I would recommend this book to anyone who is into literary work. It was honestly a little too much for me, actually - I prefer really straightforward, streamlined prose which requires my brain to work by filling in details myself. This was sort of the opposite - Mason uses metaphor very skillfully throughout the book to really capture each character's state of mind, but for me it was distracting enough that I sometimes had to re-read to figure out what was actually *happening*. This is not so much a criticism as a personal preference. And to be honest it was probably good for me to read something outside of my usual rut!
For the first half of the book, I didn't really like any of the characters, but by the end this criticism evaporated. Her characters go through a lot of crap and do, in fact, develop in a very satisfying, enjoyable way. By the end, I was quite happy with the whole thing.
Another element that really pleased me was that the majority of the action, aside from the setup at the beginning, takes place over a single night. The way Mason turns each little detail into a suspenseful turning point both for the characters and the plot is really brilliant.
In short: if you appreciate skillful prose and tightly plotted suspense, you'll love this book.(less)
My three-year-old son's favored toy is a stuffed penguin wearing a scarf, and he loves to collect pine cones... so when I saw this book at REI it was...moreMy three-year-old son's favored toy is a stuffed penguin wearing a scarf, and he loves to collect pine cones... so when I saw this book at REI it was a no-brainer! To my delight, the story is absolutely wonderful. I will admit that it did, in fact, make me tear up a bit. A new favorite on our bedtime story shelf.(less)
I'm a big fan of Banks's sci fi, and since I read in a wide variety of genres I've been meaning to check out his mainstream work for some time. I got...moreI'm a big fan of Banks's sci fi, and since I read in a wide variety of genres I've been meaning to check out his mainstream work for some time. I got the Wasp Factory for Christmas and dove in eagerly... at first.
I think I may have enjoyed this book more when I was younger and more into morbid stuff, say at about 17, the age of the protagonist. "Juvenile," in fact, pretty much defines this first published work of Banks's. I'd describe it as Lord of the Flies meets Catcher in the Rye. Morbid, macabre, and shocking only in the sense that the author is clearly trying to shock us, which frankly is a bit tiresome. (He's more skillful at parceling out the creep factor in his later work, to much better effect.)
I got to the last couple of chapters and decided I didn't want to finish, because I knew what remained was absolutely going to include canine torture and mutilation, and why expose myself to that if I wasn't even getting anything out of the narrative?
Looking at the Wikipedia summary of the plot, I see the ending is rather... well... I guessed the ending on page one or two and then thought to myself, "Nah. Too obvious."
So... yeah. Rather a disappointment. Oh well; can't win 'em all.(less)
I'm a huge Banks fan, but this was not my favorite book ever. It was a fun read, but there was a lot of ship-to-ship convo that just went on for pages...moreI'm a huge Banks fan, but this was not my favorite book ever. It was a fun read, but there was a lot of ship-to-ship convo that just went on for pages and the plot was very thin. It seemed like the thematic focus of this book was physicality - whether it's better to struggle and persevere in this life or relinquish yourself to some nebulous hereafter - and Banks' answer was basically a shrug and "Hey, I dunno." There was no surprise at the ending and not much motivation for any of the characters other than curiosity, which seems a strange reason to put yourself in mortal peril over and over. Basically the plot - the whole plot, including the resolution - is presented right at the beginning and then just plays out without any twists or turns. The end.
There were some interesting space-y parts, as usual, which is why this is getting three stars instead of two. (less)
Very nice, satisfying, meaty addition to this series. I couldn't help comparing this to Jeffery Deaver's series, which I just finished reading; Cain i...moreVery nice, satisfying, meaty addition to this series. I couldn't help comparing this to Jeffery Deaver's series, which I just finished reading; Cain is much less into procedure than character and psychology. Still enjoying Archie's twisted relationship with Gretchen (and all the other women in his life), and was surprised to find that this book actually has some pretty smexy bits, too!
I think what I like most about this book and the entire series is how weird and kind of understated the relationships between characters are. I love how blank Archie is, and how the absence of reaction from him contributes so much to his character. You feel at once like he's numb to the world and also that perhaps something is going on beneath the surface that he's not admitting to anyone, even himself. Really quite compelling.
Not much to say. Oh, right: WHEN IS THE NEXT ONE COMING OUT? Hurry up, please. (less)
Looooooved this one! Probably one of my favorites in the series. Excellent plot, great twist (which I totally should have seen coming - doh!), and lot...moreLooooooved this one! Probably one of my favorites in the series. Excellent plot, great twist (which I totally should have seen coming - doh!), and lots of good personal/character moments in between. Not much else I can say - I just finished a marathon read of all the Lincoln Rhyme books and now I want more! Looks like I'm not going to get another installment until 2013, though... oh well. I'll be waiting!(less)
So one of the things I love about the Lincoln Rhyme series is how Deaver tackles a different interesting research topic in each book. This time, howev...moreSo one of the things I love about the Lincoln Rhyme series is how Deaver tackles a different interesting research topic in each book. This time, however, his topic du jour was something I am very familiar with: internet culture. Well, I guess his focus wasn't so much that as privacy issues. Anyway, geeks came to the forefront here. And... as always with any outsider's view of a culture, it was flawed.
He did a pretty good job, but it's still fairly evident that Deaver isn't terribly familiar with current technology. I'm not even a programmer, so I'm not going to nitpick on that front, but his use of the term "jewel box" made me laugh. (He means "jewel case.") He also had his internet "expert" (a teenager) state that the best way to get a locked or protected image off of the internet is to take a photo of the screen with a digital camera. Uhhh, screencap, anyone? Granted, this piece of information is setup for a clue that appears later - in a much more reasonable context.
And of course if you've ever been involved in any attempt at personal data collection (as a marketer or whatnot) you know it's far more difficult to collate information than the scenario presented by the Big Brother company in this book. Of course the level at which these folks are collecting data is absurd, but I'll chalk that up to the fictional big conspiracy trope. It works. Ish.
Nitpicking done, I'm still giving this book 4 stars (probably more like 4.5) because, as usual, I very much enjoyed it. Deaver's frequent habit is to put one or several big twists at the end of his books - there's not much of that in this one, but I don't consider that critical to my enjoyment. This book is more people-centered, and Deaver spends more time in this book than in any of the others in this series on Rhyme's personal side; it's nice to finally see some of his past. I also liked that he continued the thread of the Watchmaker as a kind of side-plot... looking forward to seeing this villain surface again!(less)
Being able to do crossovers with your major series characters has got to be one of the coolest perks to being a big-time author! I haven't read any of...moreBeing able to do crossovers with your major series characters has got to be one of the coolest perks to being a big-time author! I haven't read any of the Dance books, and honestly probably won't, but I really enjoyed her team-up with Rhyme in this volume and look forward to seeing them together again.
Usually in Deaver's books (the ones I've read, anyway) there is a twist at the end you never see coming - but when it arrives, you realize the seeds were there all along in the narrative. And then you feel like an idiot for not figuring it out! However, in this case, I felt a little cheated because I don't think there was a way I "could have" figured it out from the clues available. One of the major tip-offs comes, in fact, from an earlier book in the series! That felt a little unfair, if you will. HOWEVER, this book is clearly a setup for another Rhyme/Dance crossover, so I'm giving Deaver the benefit of the doubt in terms of not having all the loose ends wrapped up.
Overall, another fast-paced, enjoyable read!(less)
Deaver had some major guts tackling this book. White guy writes book about black characters in Harlem? There is no way he could "win" - no matter what...moreDeaver had some major guts tackling this book. White guy writes book about black characters in Harlem? There is no way he could "win" - no matter what, people were gonna criticize his handling of the characters. People always feel very protective of their cultures, which is natural, but just going into this he had to expect to get mediocre reviews at best.
Being a white girl in California, pretty much as far removed from this world as I could get, the book was both entertaining and very educational. I thought some of the dialogue felt stilted, but Deaver really took the time to legitimize and explain aspects of "black culture" that have always seemed nonsensical to me. Coming out of it, I have a lot more respect and understanding than I did going in. So overall, a very positive experience. I think people with more familiarity might find it way to over-explainy and obvious, possibly even cliche. But for me, it was enlightening.
As I think some other reviews said, the final solution here left me a bit cold. I didn't really feel like the motive behind the crimes justified all the subterfuge going on. Usually Deaver gets me to suspend my disbelief in some way, but this one was a bit over the top. Nevertheless, I enjoyed it and several of the twists along the way "got" me good!(less)
Since I've been plowing through this series at record speed, I felt like I was starting to get a handle on Deaver's brilliant plotting methods. About...moreSince I've been plowing through this series at record speed, I felt like I was starting to get a handle on Deaver's brilliant plotting methods. About 4/5 of the way through this book, I thought, "AHA! I've figured out the twist! I got it this time!"
But no. And not only that, Deaver had anticipated what I'd guess, and threw the whole thing back in my face!
Ahhhh, this series makes me feel so dumb. But in an awesome way. (less)
I looooooved this one! In a series where I like the main characters I often get frustrated by an author's insistence on spending a bunch of time on se...moreI looooooved this one! In a series where I like the main characters I often get frustrated by an author's insistence on spending a bunch of time on secondary characters or "main" characters who will appear only in a single book. However, I really like how Deaver keeps the Rhyme/Sachs personal stuff to a minimum and somehow he always gets me to care about his one-book characters.
I am also continually impressed by Deaver's research skills. I love how he picks one or two topics for each book to focus in on in great detail, so the reading experience is not just "fun" but also "educational!" In this case I already had a lot of knowledge of the subject - I lived in China for a year - so I could tell Deaver really did his homework. I was very, very impressed. I was also impressed by the fact that he didn't feel the need to make this book PC. He went with how the world (and Chinese culture) often works rather than how it ought to be.
Putting both secondary characters and stellar research together - I absolutely adored the character of Sonny and I wished he could hang around for a few more books! I wanted to see another team-up between the two master detectives. He was a great character and so many of the things he did and his attitude reminded me of people I knew in China. I laughed out loud a number of times.
This is the third book in the Rhyme/Sachs series, and I was prepared for things to start getting a little formulaic. But it's like Deaver anticipates...moreThis is the third book in the Rhyme/Sachs series, and I was prepared for things to start getting a little formulaic. But it's like Deaver anticipates this reaction and switches things up by placing Rhyme out of his element. I enjoyed the added hurdles he had to face in not being familiar with the geography of the area, and was very surprised when Sachs went rogue!
In an attempt to avoid spoilers, I shall make this review short. I spent most of the book thinking it was good, bu...moreWhoooooooah. Deaver totally got me.
In an attempt to avoid spoilers, I shall make this review short. I spent most of the book thinking it was good, but not AS good as The Bone Collector. I saw some of the stuff Deaver was laying down, and I liked it, but it just didn't have that initial zing you get from first discovering a series. I got about 3/4 of the way through the book and was about to remark to my husband about an interesting... uh... "thing" I had noticed throughout the narrative.
And then I turned a page. And Deaver slapped me upside the head with exactly the thing that had been nagging at my subconscious. Yes, that's right, it was staring me in the face the ENTIRE TIME and until that moment it hadn't clicked. Duuuuude.
And this was, like, fifteen pages AFTER I thought the climax had ended.
Yeah. Wow.
Also - even though I KNEW Rhyme and Sachs had to make it alive to the next book, I was still chewing my nails to the very end.
I've been watching cop shows and procedurals on TV for years. I have no idea why it never occurred to me that I might love them even more in book form.(less)
Loading...
