Two Envelopes And A Phone > Recent Status Updates

Capek always gives me a unique, off-kilter reading experience. What's he up to? Can I truly work it out, the strange jagged lingering on odd moments and moves? And then there's whatever Science Fiction concept he's dabbling in - this time he seems to be getting nuclear, early...

Courtney, at work, strikes again, with one of her too-tempting recommendations. The cover further convinced me to give this a go - plus it only leads to one more book to get the full story, plus I like moths (and crimson).

I had forgotten that Atlantis had been featured, briefly, in Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea…but it’s the first book I remember reading…y’know, like when I was about 8 years old. Meanwhile, as a young reader, I also loved the version of Atlantis presented in the early Perry Rhodan novels - plus Atlan himself. Aquatic SF was the earliest temptation for me - Undersea Fleet, was another childhood read.

I’m reminded of Mo Hayder…with a whiff of Girl 4, by Will Carver.

The stories are fun and pay off nicely.

The major SF work by him I not yet gotten to. Remedy at hand!

So far…I hate to say it, but I’m coming up a little unimpressed. There are a lot of pages left, though. As Horror novels go, this has been a very calm, Horror- free example. I also feel that I have not gotten to know the characters. And the amount of talk seems to be ever-increasing. I do get the feeling that the better sequences are coming up…

Really looking forward to this.

I like it a heck of a lot more than I expected I might. Tough-guy action-oriented SF from the 1970s that was written by, and marketed to, male readers is a mine-field of problems, as of 2025. And I’m just hitting a section that might sour me (though the latest chapter ended without going in the horrible direction I saw coming, maybe). I think it’s his other book that I have handy, that is gonna be trouble.

I'm drawn to these obscure Mack Reynolds novels, because he was friends with Fredric Brown when they became neighbours in...was it Arizona, or New Mexico? Anyway, they did collaborate on a few things, and even had a similar style. I read Looking Backward, From The Year 2000, because it was on a '100 Best SF Novels' list, but it's probably one of the books I personally would replace with something else; it was ok.

Alright, that's enough for the morning session - I'll wrap it up later. I like it. On the other hand, I may need my next 50 whodunits to feature Death by Anything But a Gun.

Enjoying this immensely. I have to say, though - Piper is intent on mentioning just about every gun that ever existed. Several gunrooms are actually in play, here - proud owners giving tours, discussing gun histories, condition of guns, it’s borderline disturbing if one isn’t in to gun culture. But okay, it is called Murder in the Gunroom, and Piper was an expert. Jeeves got mentioned, so that was cool!

After I spotted this book, bought it, and salted it away, I somehow got the notion it was from Philip Jose Farmer, not H. Beam Piper. Got a surprise when I went to get it for reading. Next - I did not know Piper's life details at all, and the Introduction was a sobering, saddening short version. Finally - off to a decent start, so I'm back to happy. I don't think Piper has other books like this. Oh well.