Thursday, January 21, 2010

London Boulevard


Happy Anniversary, Phil. (He never reads this).







I mostly stay away from reviewing current books, but I had a thought after reading this one from Ken Bruen. This was a terrific read, but on finishing it, when I thought about the upcoming movie, I said to myself-hey, how can they possibly do justice to LB's greatest asset-Bruen's voice?


This is true of all Bruen's books. What you come away with is a fast-moving plot, great characters, unique style, nice tributes to other writers and music---but most of all it's that fantastic Pied Piper voice. I will follow it anywhere, reading things that usually make me put books aside. He pulls you along with him because you want to be the guy/girl riding shotgun. Please let me ride shotgun!

What other writers have such a distinctive voice that you can't imagine any movie doing it justice?

15 comments:

George said...

Ed McBain's Voice was unique in all his work, especially the 87th Precinct series. Movies were made based on his work, but they never captured his Voice. On the science fiction side, Jack Vance. Happy Anniversary to you and Phil!

pattinase (abbott) said...

Oh, yes--boy did I like that series. And even the nursery rhyme one. Thanks, George. Hope Sherlock is a good choice. Neither of us are purists so it should work. And I won't miss the female presence with Robert and Jude.

YA Sleuth said...

I've rarely wanted to see the movie after reading a good book, though I watched Gone Baby Gone a few months ago and thought it was pretty good.

Saw some previews of The Lovely Bones, and it looks nothing like the book.

YA Sleuth said...

And happy anniversary! How many years?

Joe Barone said...

McBain and Bruen are probably the two writers I most trust to know I'm going to get what I paid for every time. I think that's one of the highest compliments you can pay a writer.

Dana King said...

I reviewed LONDON BOULEVARD a few months ago, thought it was one of the best handful of books I read all year, and my favorite Bruen so far.

McBain has already been mentioned; movies get Elmore Leonard right less than half the time. Today, I think the most distinctive voices come from across the pond. The voices of Ray Banks and Allan Guthrie would be buggers to capture in a movie.

David Cranmer said...

It sounds like I'm missing out on a marvelous read. Soon, though, that will be corrected.

pattinase (abbott) said...

43 gulp! We were nineteen and twenty-two and my mother gave it six months.
Gone Baby Gone was good-Lehane seems to transfer well.
My favorite Bruen is THE DRAMATIST, but I know I am probably in the minority--plus I haven't read them all.
Come back, David. Hoping you're safe.
Sherlock Holmes-B-.

Randy Johnson said...

Here's an embarrassing admission. I've never read Bruen. What's a good place to start?

pattinase (abbott) said...

I like the Jack Taylor novels a lot. I'd start with THE KILLING OF THE TINKERS. But others may disagree.

Todd Mason said...

Always good to have familial support! Happy happy.

Avram Davidson, indeed Jack Vance (though his John Holbrook Vance story "The Cage" was neatly adapted by THRILLER), Kafka (despite attempts), Jorge Luis Borges, Carol Emshwiller, R. A. Lafferty. Particularly those others who also take an elaborate way of explicating relatively simple matters.

pattinase (abbott) said...

Guess I need to look for Jack Vance.

Charles Gramlich said...

hum, good question. I've got to give this one some thought.

Jerry House said...

Most of my list comes from the science fiction side also: to Davidson, Vance and Lafferty, I'd add Gene Wolfe, J. G. Ballard, Theodore Sturgeon and Cordwainer Smith.

Todd Mason said...

MAN IN A CAGE by John Holbrook Vance, that is. Prose as lapidary and cynical as Evelyn Waugh's, only usually turned to situations as outre as any in Kipling, Tolkien or James Branch Cabell. Or Fritz Leiber, who at least thought in theatrical terms (much as Italo Calvino's work seems built for vocal storytellers). As Jerry House says, Gene Wolfe very comparable, and as with Borges, lifting him from the page will lose a dimension. Sturgeon also can be more effectively dramatized than some of these folks, I think.

Bill Crider was croggled when reading Vance's autobiography recently, to learn that Vance admires his work, and that Vance goes out of his way to say so.