Ed Gorman's Blog, page 147

American Movies are Not Dead: They are Dying

Ed here: This is an excerpt from a long piece on American movies by David Thomson that appears in the current The New Republic. An amazing piece of work.

"THOSE FILMS from the late 1950s had another sour attitude in common: they seemed to wonder whether the movies have gone on and on for long enough, so don’t we know every story by now? If you look at Rio Bravo (and this held even in 1959 when it opened), it offers a whimsical, affectionate example of a “suspenseful” Western. (Will the sheriff win? It was intended as a corrective to  High Noon .) But that is perfunctory compared with its witty and digressive parody of such a Western, and its cheerful admission that this is really some actors, writers, and a director questioning and mocking the cockamamie routines and rituals of a Western. It isn’t a story, it’s a movie commentary, edging toward pastiche and camp. Similarly, Anatomy of a Murder is less an authentic trial story than variations on the hackneyed theme of the courtroom film. North by Northwest and  Psycho  tease us for believing in their absurd stories while delighting in the trickery that prompts that belief. As for Billy Wilder’s  Some Like It Hot , it was the first candid admission that movies came out of a madhouse, stupefied by inside references, but unaware and uninterested in any external reality.""How far did those directors understand the abandonment of narrative earnestness? I’m not sure, but it hardly matters. Film has always had a technological drive and a money habit that undermine the artistic solemnity of its auteurs. So when it comes to regretting the death of the movies and the way digital imagery and projection have put a blue-steel armor on the passion of light in photography, I have to insist that we were killing the medium long ago by grinding story down to sawdust, and encouraging the self-consciousness of disbelief, and undermining the innocence of sincere sentiment."

For the rest go here:
http://www.tnr.com/print/article/book... [image error]

Tom Piccirilli

Tom Piccirilli e mailed me last night with the following information: Doctors have found a tennis ball-sized cancerous tumor  on his right frontal lobe. Apparently a very aggressive cancer but a good spot to have it  on because  it shouldn't interfere with memory, reasoning, creativity or motor skills.  He will be operated on (I believe) on Monday. This will be followed by weeks of chemo and radiation. And then physical rehab.
I don't have to tell you how serious this is. Tom has been one of my best friends for years. One of the nicest and funniest people I've ever known, After years of paying his dues he's only lately been recognized (widely) as one of the major new voices in crime and horror fiction. Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers.

-------------------------------------------RICHARD JESSUP

An agent wrote me asking me if I knew how to contact anybody involved in the estate of deceased writer Richard Jessup. I always liked Jessup's wprk and was glad to see it when books such as his The Cincinnati Kid became big hits. Can anybody help with  this?

------------------------------------------KAREN DOWNES

A woman named Karen Downes wrote me an actual letter asking me to point her to an agent. I've misplaced the envelope so can't get back to her but invite her to write me at ejgorman99@aol.com

THE INNOCENT MRS. DUFF

TUESDAY, MAY 22, 2007
I'd also add to that criticism the various addictions common to the genre, namely alcoholism and drug addiction. Only Lawrence Block and a few others have taken us into the real world of recovering alcoholics. For the most part addiction has become just another keystroke common to the world of mystery fiction.

I've read three novels in my life that have described accurately--in my experience as an alcoholic--the horrors of being drunk most of your life. Certainly Under The Volcano by Malcolm Lowry, After the First Death by Lawrence Block and a novel you've probably never heard of, though alcoholic Raymond Chandler pushed it as one of the finest suspense novels of his time.

For some reason, much as I've pushed her here, I'd never read THE INNOCENT MRS. DUFF by Elizabeth Sanxay Holding. It is remarkable in many ways, not least because the protagonis. Jacob Duff is drunk for virtually the entire novel. And we see 95% of the book through his eyes. Functionally drunk for most of it but also falling-down drunk in places. Holding's genius was to sustain a sense of dread that I don't think even Ruth Rendell has equaled. There are times in her novels when I have to put the book down for a few minutes. They are that claustrophobic in mood and action.

That's the first most remarkable aspect of the book. The second most remarkable is the fact that we see the book through the eyes of one of the most arrogant, self-invoved, cold and self-deluded man I've ever encountered in fiction of any kind. I hated the bastard so much--I'm not enamored of the upper-classes, alas, and Duff embodies everything I loathe about them--I almost gave up after chapter three. I wasn't sure I wanted to learn anything more about this jerk,

But Holding has the voodoo, at least for me. She makes me turn pages faster than any best-seller because what you're rushing to discover is the fate of her people. All the good folks in this one are women, especially Duff's younger, beautiful and very decent wife. He constantly compares her unfavorably to his first wife, though we soon learn that he didn't care much for his first wife, either. At age forty he's still looking for his dream woman. God have mercy on her soul if he ever finds her.

As always with Holding, as with much of Poe, what we have is not so much a plot (though she's as good as Christie) as a phantasmagoria of despair, distrust and suspicion that consumes the protagonist. Is his wife cheating on him? Is she setting up his death so she'll inherit his estate? Is she turning his young son against him? Has his wealthy aunt, his life-long mentor and mother confessor, taken the side of his young wife? Has his drinking disgraced him in his small town and are all those smirks aimed at him? And finally, is he a murderer? And why does he have to sneak around these days to drink?

If you're curious about Holding, this is a good place to start. Anthony Boucher always said that she was the mother of all psychological suspense novelists. What's intresting is how few, fifty-some years after her death, have come close to equaling her enormous powers.posted by Ed Gorman @ 3:59 PM

Forgotten Books: An Accidental Novelist by Richard S. Wheeler

An Accidental Novelist- Richard S. WheelerEvery once in a while somebody says to me that they're thinking of writing their autobiography. I try to ease on out the door and run screaming across the prairie until I can find a suitable place to hide in the woods.

Yes, I know YOU'RE fascinating. And so am I. God, I'm fascinating. The trouble is that for most of us, that fascination doesn't travel very far. In my case, if I published an autobiography it would sell only to my blood kin and our cat Tess, though in her case it would take some nudging. She prefers romance novels about horny vampires and vampirettes. I guess all her graduate work on Chaucer (which we had to pay for) was for naught.

But you know what? Richard S. Wheeler has written an emminently readable, interesting, entertaining memoir about how he stumbled into becoming a writer of fiction after having a very rough time trying to be a) a newspaper writer and b) an actor in Hollywood. and c) a real impoverished guy wondering what to do next. Well, thankfully for all of us, he struggled through a first novel he ultimately threw away and then hit the premiere western imprint of the time, the Doubleday DD brand.

This is the real story of a real writer. I've never read a a clearer fever chart of the ups and downs of a person who tries to sustain himself financially and emotionally as a full-time writer. We meet other writers, editors (a very warm tribute to the late Sara Anne Freed); agents (an equally warm tribute to Ray Puechner who was my first agent and who had in his stable at that time Joe Lansdale, Loren Estleman and Gary Paulsen among many others); and even Hwood windbags (who may well have stolen one of his movie ideas).

Into all this is tucked the story of Richard Wheeler human being. Life hasn't always proved easy for him and (if I'm not overreading) you sense a real loneliness in the man, a loneliness that has driven him for much of his life. He's the F. Scott Fitzgerald hero--the man who looks but never quite finds. Until, as in the ending of Fitzgerald's "Winter Dreams," he realizes that his life has been richer than he imagined.

I really recommend this thoughtful and rewarding memoir.posted by Ed Gorman @ 3:09 PM

Talented Newcomers

SATURDAY, JANUARY 06, 2007Talented newcomersMost writers get far too many requests to read the manuscripts of unpublished authors. There just isn't time in most circumstances.
But the other side of this is discovering somebody who really can write and helping them get started--as Max Allan Collins helped me.
There was a time when I put in appearances at writers' groups and spent evenings talking about aspects of professional writing. Over the course of two or three years of this I met four people who went on to publish both short stories and novels in a variety of genres.
To a person they were shy about asking me to read samples of their work. I always said I'd read two chapters of a book or one short story under five thousand words.
My first discovery told me that here was a story that probably wasn't that good, that in fact after he'd finished it, he'd just stuck it in a drawer. That was a year ago or so. I read it that night and soon enough it was not only sold but Roger Zelazny himself was on the phone telling him what a wonderful piece of work it was.
Since then, as I said, I've met three other people who showed me short stories that were sold within a fairly short amount of time.
It's a good feeling when you see their first few pieces in print. You can kind of relive your own first sales through them. Whoever said that you can never equal the joy of your first was right.

MASTERS OF THE GALAXY by Mike Resnick

Jake Masters is the spiritual descendant of Philip Marlowe, Sam Spade, and all those other fallen angels who wander down today’s dark alleys. They know they’ll be lied to by their clients, betrayed by their friends, hunted by their enemies, paid late if at all – and yet they stick to it, because they possess what all around them have lost: a sense of justice.In Jake’s case, some four millennia from now, those dark alleys have become dark spaceways, and his allies and enemies aren’t always human, but like his predecessors he’s got an urge to cut through all the lies and corruption in search of the truth, no matter the consequences.Come join him as he becomes the “Guardian Angel” of a criminal kingpin’s son; watch him tackle the puzzle of “A Locked-Planet Mystery”; learn how a man in his business sometimes has to deal with “Honorable Enemies”; and watch him do whatever’s necessary “If the Frame Fits…”Rounding off his adventures is a never before published tale, “Real Jake”. 

Ed here: Yes there have been numerous attempts to write private eye science fiction stories, some notably more successful than others. I've always thought Mike Resnick's Jack Masters stories managed this fusion of genres best of all. He's got the characters, the mystery elements, the attitude and the pacing of all those p.i. novels of the Fifties and Sixties down just right along with shiny new sf adventure inventions and worlds that lend an exoticism to the milieu.
But I want to emphasize what knock-out tales these are. Mike is a master storyteller and if you've never read him here is a good place to start. The man can work in numerous genres and sub-genres and work well in them. I'd only read two of the stories here so this was a particularly enjoyable book for me. I should note here that Mike lists me as one of his p.i. references. I appreciate the shout out. But given the iconic names that fill out the list make me wonder wonder a bout him. I said he was a great storyteller--I didn't say he was sane did I?
A fail-safe book for p.i and sf readers alike. It comes with the Gorman Guarantee of Full Reader Satisfaction.

Details on "Doctor Sleep," sequel to Stephen King's "The Shining"

The sequel to The Shining, Stephen King's classic horror story turned into a movie starring Jack Nicholson, will be released on September 24, 2013, the author announced on his website today.According to King's website, the book, called "Doctor Sleep," is about a grown-up Danny Torrance, the child from the original story, and his friendship with a twelve-year-old girl.

On highways across America, a tribe of people called The True Knot travel in search of sustenance. They look harmless—mostly old, lots of polyester, and married to their RVs. But as Dan Torrance knows, and tween Abra Stone learns, The True Knot are quasi-immortal, living off the “steam” that children with the “shining” produce when they are slowly tortured to death.
Haunted by the inhabitants of the Overlook Hotel where he spent one horrific childhood year, Dan has been drifting for decades, desperate to shed his father’s legacy of despair, alcoholism, and violence. Finally, he settles in a New Hampshire town, an AA community that sustains him, and a job at a nursing home where his remnant “shining” power provides the crucial final comfort to the dying. Aided by a prescient cat, he becomes “Doctor Sleep.”Then Dan meets the evanescent Abra Stone, and it is her spectacular gift, the brightest shining ever seen, that reignites Dan’s own demons and summons him to a battle for Abra’s soul and survival. This is an epic war between good and evil, a gory, glorious story that will thrill the millions of hyper-devoted readers of "The Shining" and wildly satisfy anyone new to the territory of this icon in the King canon.

Nearly a year ago, King read a chapter of the book at an awards ceremony at George Mason University. You can watch that video above.Are you excited to read 'Doctor Sleep'?go here for the very cool trailer:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09...

Michael Connelly Reviews THE COCKTAIL WAITRESS by James M. Cain

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From the New York Times by Michael Connelly



When you strike a match the flame burns blue closest to the source of combustion. For most of his prolific career James M. Cain had the blue flame burning in his explorations of greed, passion and murder. Novels like “Double Indemnity” and “The Postman Always Rings Twice” sizzled with it. And Hollywood always came calling. His work drew the best and brightest talents, and the results were classic. As recently as last year “Mildred Pierce” was produced for the second time in 60-plus years, in an Emmy-winning television run. Cain expertly mined the fine line between desire and lust and the consequences incurred by crossing it. And that skill is timeless, whether on the page or on-screen.Now along comes the author’s “lost” and last novel, “The Cocktail Waitress.” While this story of a femme fatale with a gut-turning cosmic comeuppance at the end smolders and burns bright at times, it doesn’t quite sustain the blue-hot source of human combustion found in the author’s earlier work. It certainly entertains, but it also disappoints.Cain died in 1977 at age 85, his immense popularity long on the wane. “The Cocktail Waitress” was the manuscript he labored over in his final years. Or perhaps manuscripts is a better description. The published novel was drawn together by the editor Charles Ardai from multiple manuscripts and notes found in places thousands of miles apart. Set in the early 1960s, the story follows the travails of a beautiful young mother, Joan Medford, who finds herself with nothing but the suspicions of police and family when her abusive husband dies in the crash of a borrowed car.

For the rest go here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/23/boo...

The Life & Times of Bob Randisi

“Everybody seems to be looking for the next Louis L’Amour. To me, they need look no further than Randisi.”—Jake Foster, author of Three Rode South

“[Randisi] doesn’t waste a phrase or plot turn…his prose is supple and never flashy.” —Publishers Weekly

“The Western genre needs more writers like Randisi, an original voice who’s still going strong.”—Bookgasm 

“Each of Randisi’s novels is better than its entertaining predecessor.”—Booklist

Ed here: By the time I  finish typing this sentence Bob Randisi will
doubtless finish a novel that will put him very close to the five hundred 
mark. Yes, five hundred novels written and published in virtually 
[image error] every genre though his main concentration has been crime and western.

Amazing as the number is what's much more startling is how consistently
good and sometimes GREAT his work is. The Gunsmith series, one of the
oldest and most revered of western series, would tucker most writers out
after book thirty or so. Not Bob. The series, written as by J.R. Roberts, 
has just notched number three hundred and sixty-eight. 

And the hooks are just as strong as the writing. In the new Bullets And Lies, 
Talbot Roper helps prove that a man he knows, a man who 
stands accused of lying about his record in the Civil War, is telling the truth.
Never thought of that before. I guess all wars produce men who lie about 
their courage and honor.

Fast-paced and action-packed, rich in humanity and lore, this is a fine 
sample of Bob's work. If you like realistic adventure, you'll want this book.   

Robert Randisi posted in Western Books
Robert Randisi3:03am Sep 21Speaking Volumes LLC lowered the prices
of the Gunsmith ebooks from $9.99 to $2.99. The same goes
for my Angel Eyes, Tracker and Mountain
 Jack Pike books. Finally, they are affordable!
 Big Adult Western. Here's your chance
to get in on Gunsmith right from #1.

Forgotten Books: The Handle by Richard Stark

I hope The Handle by Richard Stark was a pleasure for Donald Westlake to write because it sure is a pleasure to read.

The Organization has decided that it's tired of this German guy running his big casino on an island in the Gulf of Mexico. He's beyond the jurisdiction of the Feds and it's unlikely Cuba will do much about him. Thus Parker is hired to take the casino and its other buildings down--literally. To blow them up.

Now while The Handle is every bit as tough as Dick Cheney's heart, the hardboiled aspect is played off against the sorriest group of human beings Parker may ever have had to work with. And the sardonic way Westlake portrays them had me laughing out loud at several points.

Take your pick. There's the alcoholic hood who talks as if he's auditioning for a Noel Coward play; the mob gun dealer who had to quit drinking several months ago and has increased both his cigarette intake (four or five packs a day) while maintaining both his cancer cough and his enormous weight; the pedophile who turns out to be a ringer sent to spy in Parker and his friends; the Feds who are so inept both Parker and Grofield play games seeing who can lose their tails the fastest. And then there's the the married Grofield, Parker's professional acting buddy, who never passes up a chance to impose his charms on willing women. In this case he endeavors to put the whammy on the very sexy blonde Parker himself has been shacking up with. Isn't that called bird-dogging?

And then we have Baron Wolfgang Freidrich Kastelbern von Alstein, the man who owns the island and the casino and who, over the years, has managed to make The Third Man's Harry Lime look like a candidate for sainthood. Westlake spends a few pages on the Baron's history and it becomes one of the most fascinating parts of the book, especially his days in Europe during the big war. 

The book is filled with the little touches that make the Stark books so memorable. My favorite description comes when Parker and the sexy blonde sit down to a dinner that Westlake describes as "viciously expensive."

A fine fine novel.