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Travis McGee
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Checkman
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May 10, 2012 07:53AM
At the age of 44 I'm just now getting into this series. I found ten of the books at a local thrift shop in town. On a whim I bought all of them for a whopping $4.50. While they might not be super hard-boiled they are actually pretty good. I'm enjoying them. Almost finished with The Dreadful Lemon Sky which I have seen listed in the top 100 lists of American mystery novels. It's a fast read and it hold my interest.
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Checkman, I agree and consider MacDonald one of the best writers of the day. Having read them all once randomly, a few years ago I went back and read them in order. The evolution of the character and writing was fascinating.John
I recently listed to the first couple of these in audio book format. I remember reading A Tan and Sandy Silence years ago, too. Well done. John D. MacDonald also wrote a couple of SF novels, I think. One might have been the same novel under two names, Ballroom of the Skies. The Girl, the Gold Watch & Everything was fun & also turned into a movie.
I got the second TM book few month ago because i found the first one to be really dated despite i have read many similar books that was much older. Im hoping the second book is better.MacDonald is respect by authors i rate highly why im giving his series a second chance. Second strike im out.
I bought The Deep Blue Good-by as it was listed in Crime and Mystery: The 100 Best Books but haven't read it yet. The best part about the series is that if I like it my local secondhand shop has dozens at the moment.
Tfitoby wrote: "I bought The Deep Blue Good-by as it was listed in Crime and Mystery: The 100 Best Books but haven't read it yet. The best part about the series is that if I like it my local secondhand shop has do..."He was a popular crime author and lists prolly say Mike Hammer is up there with the best.
Kidding aside i hope you like the first book better than i.
I had to get my second hand copy from bookmooch both of them, he isnt so popular second hand shops in Sweden.
Mod
I don't normally like buying books with lists like that; I much prefer to refer to lists online, like this http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Top_...
I didn't think the McGee books were too dated. Possibly that dates me...;-)
Jim wrote: "I didn't think the McGee books were too dated. Possibly that dates me...;-)"
I agree, Jim. They were/are "of their time." And I have enjoyed following the evolution of this iconic character (and author!).
Michael wrote: "I don't normally like buying books with lists like that..."Generally I don't go in for this kind of thing at all but reading articles from Keating (but not his own detective novels) I find I have a lot of respect for his opinion on the genre (as do most crime writers of the time it seems) so thought it might be a fun challenge. I like that he actually acknowledges that no one other person would have put those particular 100 books together. It's all personal opinion afterall. As we see just from Mohammed and JW on this page.
Looking at the wiki list you pointed me to I see quite a lot of the same books listed that Mr Keating chose anyway.
This is almost certainly something for a different page but I'm here and I've started now. Looking at those two lists I find it very odd that the CWA lists neither John or Ross MacDonald titles. That kind of close mindedness to great Americans (who aren't Hammett and Chandler) makes me think the Keating list was more honest and perhpas exhaustive in its research.
Mod
Michael wrote: "It is rather weird lists, I'm surprised some books never made the both the british or american list"I wouldn't even know where to start if I made my own but I know my favourite Ellroy might not be somebody elses for example and where do you draw lines? Does Graham Greene deserve to be on them? What about Night Train by Martin Amis, does it count? Enough highjacking of the Travis McGee thread I think!
Mod
I wouldn't even know where to start if I made my own but I know my favourite El..."
Was it American Tabloid?
Michael wrote: "Tfitoby wrote: "Michael wrote: "It is rather weird lists, I'm surprised some books never made the both the british or american list"I wouldn't even know where to start if I made my own but I know..."
Haha yeah, so far.
Well I finished the book and I liked it. I read several years ago that as a young man (and possibly as a old very wealthy man) Stephen King was a big fan of the Travis McGee books. Actually he was just a fan of McDonald in general. So much so that McDonald wrote the introduction to Night Shift. Anyway having now read my first McGee novel I can see certain things that King has incorporated into his writing. The observations on how developers are ruining the enviroment, in-depth characterizations, a similar way of setting up a situation and so on. Those are the things that I like about King and I find I like the McGee books as well.
Checkman wrote: "Well I finished the book and I liked it. I read several years ago that as a young man (and possibly as a old very wealthy man) Stephen King was a big fan of the Travis McGee books. Actually he was ..."No possessed dolls though, right Checkman?
Nope. Not yet at least. What was that????
Checkman wrote: "Nope. Not yet at least. What was that????"it's sort of a King joke that stems from that x-files episode he wrote about a posessed doll in New England. Doesn't he always write about possessed dolls in New England cos it certainly feels that way! 8 books a year about evil toys.
That episode creeps me out big time and reminds me of his Bachman novel The Regulators
He also has a thing about clowns. For a change of pace have you ever read his Bachman novel Roadwork? While it might not be a mystery novel I would classify it as a pulp fiction novel of sorts. Dark and grim with a bad fate awaiting our "hero".
JW wrote: "Jim wrote: "I didn't think the McGee books were too dated. Possibly that dates me...;-)"
I agree, Jim. They were/are "of their time." And I have enjoyed following the evolution of this iconic ch..."
I've recently begun to reread the series in order and would agree that Deep Blue Goodbye does have a dated feel that most of the other books do not have. That doesn't make it a bad book. It just is what it is.
I also learned of this series just recently and find it to be comfort food. Highly recommended if you like Magnum P.I. and The Rockford Files (TV comfort food for me). I feel both those shows owe a debt to McGee. One thing I find cheesy: how he's like catnip to the ladies and always has to sexually liberate his damsels in distress, but I forgive it, as a product of the pulp market John D. was coming from.
Adrien wrote: "I also learned of this series just recently and find it to be comfort food. Highly recommended if you like Magnum P.I. and The Rockford Files (TV comfort food for me). I feel both those shows owe a..."Yes the sex angle is dated. But I just remind myself that was the time and the audience he was writing for.
Good comparison to Magnum P.I. and the Rockford Files.
Very much worth reading, as are MacDonald's non McGee novels. My favorites in this series are Bright Orange for the Shroud and The Long Lavender Look. MacDonald was a very clean writer and knew how to hook a reader.
My latest read in the series:Some years back an old friend of mine, now sadly passed on, advised me: "The Travis McGee novels are all pretty much interchangeable--until you get to THE EMPTY COPPER SEA, when things really begin to shift." As I've been reading this series in order, slowly savoring each one, I admit I was looking forward to seeing what mysteries COPPER would hold.
On a narrative level, the differences are not significant, and in fact, in many ways, the plot of COPPER mirrors that of its predecessor, THE DREADFUL LEMON SKY: Trav and Meyer work themselves into the social fabric of a small Florida town (one of JDM's favorite themes) in order to clear the name and salvage the reputation of a friend who can't do so for him/herself.
However, in the case of COPPER, Meyer takes more of a lead on the investigation, which gives McGee time to . . . reflect. And mull. And think about his life, and what it all means, and opportunities missed, and what might have been. We've seen philosophizing before (readers have written the series off due to a dislike of it), but for the first time the interior monologues seem to be more McGee's than MacDonald's--it's as if McGee is starting to come off the page as a three-dimensional character.
The novel is not slow, but the mood is melancholy, and there is a very different sort of ending [SPOILER ALERT]--the lead female character doesn't die in the end. So, will she be back in the next episode? And is that one of the real markers of the change in the series's direction?
Some Travis McGee novels are Superb, and some are merely Good. I'd rate this one Very Good, and am restraining myself from ripping right into GREEN (hah): I promised I'd only read Travis in warm climates, so it will be late January in Key West.
And, as always, some examples of JDM's wonderful prose style:
I woke up at two in the morning with the light still on and the Guide open and face down on my chest. I stayed awake just long enough to be sure I didn't sink back into the same dream that awoke me. I had been underwater, swimming behind Van Harder, following the steady stroke of his swim fins and wondering why I had to be burdened with tanks, weights, and mask while he swam free. Then he turned and I saw small silver fish swimming in and out of his empty eye sockets.
and
The world is full of contention and contentious people. They will not tell you the time of day or day of the month without their little display of hostility. I have argued with Meyer about it. It is more than a reflex, I think. It is an affirmation of importance. Each one is saying, "I can afford to be nasty to you because I don't need and favors from you, buster." It is also, perhaps, a warmed application of today's necessity to be cool. . . . If I were King of the World I would roam my kingdom in rags, incognito, dropping fortunes onto the people who are nice with no special reasons to be nice, and having my troops lop off the heads of the mean, small, embittered little bastards who try to inflate their self-esteem by stomping on yours. I would start the lopping among post-office employees, bank tellers, bus drivers, and pharmacists. I would go on to checkout clerks, bellboys, prowl-car cops, telephone operations, and U.S. Embassy clerks. By God, there would be so many heads rolling here and there, the world would look like a berserk bowling alley. Meyer says this shows a tad of hostility."
I have always liked John D. and have read all of his books. I go back periodically to read them over. My favorite of the Travis McGee books is The Lonely Silver Rain. Some of his stand alone novels could easily compete with Jim Thompson and Donald Westlake. I have also listened to the McGee audible books read by the actor Darrin McGavin who does and excellent job.
"I have also listened to the McGee audible books read by the actor Darrin McGavin who does and excellent job."I didn't know he read them. That was a good choice. One of my earliest memories of television is McGavin as Kolchak in "The Night Stalker" and his narrative.
KOLCHAK: THE NIGHT STALKER is an all-time classic and still holds up pretty well today, for its age. I had no idea there were Travis audiobooks. Does anyone have a source (ideally MP3)? Were all the titles done as audiobooks? Unabridged?
I'd like to know who did the audiobooks as well. (by "who" I mean what company and when)
Audible.com has all the Travis McGee books unabridged read by Robert Petkoff. Ive enjoyed the two I've heard Darker Than Amber and One Fearful Yellow Eye. You may be able to borrow them from your local library along with the abridged McGavin versions.
No, I had not heard that about DiCaprio, thanks for the information. I have not seen the movie Darker Than Amber. I haven't been able to find it. Have your read Randy Wayne White? He writes about florida and I think he tries to emulate John D.
Great conversation, guys.I'm on my third time around for TM series, reading the first one about 1970, then caught up and read them as they came out. Lemon is up next and on my dining room table.
One of the reasons I've read all of Randy Wayne White's Doc Ford series (and all else RWW has written) is because to me, he has the 'tone' of JDM. And he readily admits the influence JDM has had on his writing.
As a native Floridian, I love books based in Florida.
Last I read, the film was still on and moving forward.
this is great info. I'm still feeling my way around Good Reads. This month's read means what? Is there a group book read?
David wrote: "this is great info. I'm still feeling my way around Good Reads. This month's read means what? Is there a group book read?"Hi David...it depends on what group you're in but I'll let someone like Tfitoby (our moderator) explain more. I'm a member of only a few groups, just happened to see your question.
I do know that The Deep Blue Good-By is this month's read in the Pulp Fiction Group. Blue is the first in the Travis McGee series (JDM) which is this thread, of course.
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One Fearful Yellow Eye (other topics)Darker Than Amber (other topics)
The Long Lavender Look (other topics)
Bright Orange for the Shroud (other topics)
Roadwork (other topics)
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