From the Bookshelf of Warren Ellis: Q&A Experiment…

Gun Machine

Warren Ellis

Start date: January 1, 2013

Why we're reading this: Because Crooked Little Vein made my head both implode and explode at the same time.
[close] Because Crooked Little Vein made my head both implode and explode at the same time.

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Jan 02, 2013 David rated it it was amazing

I’ve been a fan of writer Warren Ellis for a few years, and I can’t recall being disappointed by anything he’s written — and I’m including his tweets, blogs, email newsletters, and sundry other scribblings in that account. So when he announced that he was working on Gun Machine, it quickly became the most anticipated novel on my very short list of books to look forward to. I had months to heighten my expectations, and I sent them soaring into the exosphere. This, I knew, would be a Great Book.

Of I’ve been a fan of writer Warren Ellis for a few years, and I can’t recall being disappointed by anything he’s written — and I’m including his tweets, blogs, email newsletters, and sundry other scribblings in that account. So when he announced that he was working on Gun Machine, it quickly became the most anticipated novel on my very short list of books to look forward to. I had months to heighten my expectations, and I sent them soaring into the exosphere. This, I knew, would be a Great Book.

Of course, you know what happens when you have such high expectations, right? No matter how wonderful the book or movie or meal or aged whisky, you often end up a little disappointed.

Not this time.

From the first page, Gun Machine grabbed me somewhere just south of my belt buckle and didn’t let go.

Ellis tells the story of NYPD Detective John Tallow, an aging cop going through the motions until he stumbles into the possibly biggest case in New York’s history — an apartment filled with guns.

The room was full of guns

Guns were mounted on all the walls. There were half a dozen guns at his feet. Turning around, flashlight at shoulder level, he saw that guns were mounted on the wall he had come in through. Some guns were mounted in rows, but the right-hand wall had them in complex swirls. Some were laid on the floor on the far side of the room, forming a shape he couldn’t quite fathom. There was paint daubed on those.

Tallow quickly discovers that this isn’t just a collection of firearms; each gun has been used in a single, unsolved murder. Hundreds of guns, hundreds of murders — one very dangerous killer. With no support from his department other than two eccentric CSUs, Tallow has to solve the case before NYPD politics force him out of the job, or the killer finds him, or both.

Gun Machine is by turns gritty and funny and gory and tense and batshit crazy — in other words, everything I’ve come to expect from Warren Ellis. And, as I’ve also come to expect, it is blindingly well written. Chapter Three stands out as a lesson in writing descriptively without stalling the story. A couple of chapters toward the end of the book are excellent examples of how to write fight scenes. The entire book could be studied for the way Ellis maintains tension throughout, easing off with humor just enough so that when he tightens the cord again, it bites even deeper.

In short, Gun Machine is a book you will find very difficult to put down.

I very rarely read books twice — too many books, too little time. Gun Machine, however, is a book I will return to again, and I am sure I will find much that I missed my first time through. ...more

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Jan 19, 2013 Jake rated it really liked it

There's a scene toward the end of Gun Machine where the main character, Detective John Tallow, is forced by his few friends to come over for dinner. It's one of those calm-before-the-storm scenes, and it's pretty perfect. The snarky banter of Tallow's co-workers, the total discomfort Tallow shows at being welcome somewhere, the feeling of desperation...it's a perfect example of what kind of writer Ellis can be when he lets go of the HOLY SHIT LOOK AT THIS FUTURE TECH BIG BRAIN SCIENCEY SCIENCE I ...more

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Nov 30, 2018 Alan rated it really liked it

Shelves: thriller

Yes, this is a flawed book, but Ellis' second novel, coming after Crooked Little Vein, is an improvement in writing and characterization.

If the reader is familiar with Ellis' comic work, yes John Tallow, Scarly and Bat do resemble the type of character that he has written before. Where he improves from Vein is some characterization is done with all three of these characters and the serial killer that they are hunting.

All three characters are damaged in various ways, but the murder of Tallow's p ...more

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Aug 04, 2013 Chris rated it it was amazing

Cemented Warren Ellis as one of my favorite writers of all time. This witty, original, tightly woven, thrill-a-minute page-turner makes for a cinematic interpretation.

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Jan 06, 2013 Mary Lewis rated it it was amazing

Warren Ellis never fails to delight with his characters and settings. New York City is its own character in the book, but it's a NYC you haven't seen before. Though i have very little in common with the lead character, I found him relatable and grew to care about his well-being as the story progressed. It is a good mystery, not in a "whodunit" sense, but in how can the hero find enough evidence of the city's best kept secret serial killer. I recommend this book for all adults. In fact, I suspect ...more

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Nov 10, 2013 Chris rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites

Love this guy!

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Jan 01, 2013 Larry rated it really liked it

Shelves: own, kindle

Lots of fun, in the grim yet thoughtful Warren Ellis manner.

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Jan 20, 2013 Garry rated it it was amazing

This one had a very unique villain and a a group of misfits tracking the killer down. Ellis has a distinctive and graphic writing style that makes for an interesting read with a very fast pace.Another great recommend from Pages Books in Calgary.

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Jan 13, 2013 Adam rated it really liked it

Crime from the dark unsettled mind of Warren Ellis. Intriguing and different from other crime novels out there. Clever and twisted.

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Oct 01, 2012 Steven rated it really liked it

Shelves: psychology, fiction, travel, history, humor, crime-mystery, language, horror, science, computers-technology

(4.5 stars) This has one of the best realized villains I've read recently. But I most enjoyed Tallow and his CSU compatriots living their lives while in pursuit of the unnamed hunter. ...more

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