Ketchup

These guys totally rock! If I was blurbing Riptide, I'd say it was "Engrossing and unique, a vertical adventure full of lethal traps and surprises!" Love the pirate history. Love the engineering. Love the mission. Great fun. Love it. Go read this book if you haven't already.

In the meanwhile, I thought I'd try a walk on the other side of this dynamic duo. Deep Storm is the solo novel that I found first from Lincoln Child... and HOLY FREAKING BALLS OF FIRE, BATMAN! This guy is insane! Talk about your wild science fiction ideas wrapped in a present-day burrito of tension, technology and explosive finales!!! Yeah, that's my blurb. "This book is a fat burrito of pleasure!" That oughta sell some copies.

I don't want to give anything away, so once again I won't speak to the plot, but this is one pulsing-pounding high concept thriller. Wow.

Labels: Deep Storm, Douglas Preston, Lincold Child, Recommended Reading, Riptide

I’ve also managed to read a few books this summer, and lately I’ve been on a tear for Douglas Preston. I guess I’ve been living under a rock! This guy’s books are awesome good fun.

First we have The Codex. I won’t get into plot descriptions except to say I had to wonder if Preston has actually visited the interior jungles of Honduras. This book literally reeked of swamps and bugs. It was fun but didn’t hit me as hard as Blasphemy. There were a few threads in the narrative that only barely tied together or faded suddenly into nothing, which left me to the book an overall grade of a “B.” There was never any question that the hot feisty heroine and the cool-headed hero would fall madly in love — that’s just a given — but there were two other characters in the line-up who were especially original and fantastic, Borabay and best of all Don Alfonso. When a character's dialogue makes you laugh out loud, you know it's being done right. In my mind, these two carried the book.

Next up was Tyrannosaur Canyon, which I liked even better than Blasphemy. A+. What I’m noticing about Preston’s work is that his books are remarkably accessible and straightforward despite the unique, high concepts involved in each book. I admire that a lot. At least 60% of Tyrannosaur Canyon is straight-out action, and yet it’s loaded with science, paleontology, geology, and cutting-edge military tech. Perfect. As someone who grew up steeped in science fiction, I had to smile when one heroine declared that the big surprise at the end was so unexpected that even generations of science fiction writers never imagined such a twist... I mean, at least 100 pages before the big twist was officially revealed, I was thinking of books and films like Calculating God, Assemblers of Infinity, and Invasion of the Body Snatchers, but honestly: A+. This is great stuff. Highly recommended.

Labels: Douglas Preston, Recommended Reading, The Codex and Tyrannosaur Canyon

For anyone (like me!) who hasn't read Douglas Preston yet, jeez, people, get out there and get into his stuff.

I picked up a copy of Blasphemy at the behest of an online friend. Naturally it sat in my to-read stack for months. You all know how much leisure reading I'm doing these days... nearly zilch... but I had the chance to bring a book with me on a short vacation last week.

Whammo! Talk about your high-octane big idea tech thriller! He's got God. He's got science. Romance. Politics. Explosions. Dark caves and burning deserts. Just as important, he's got readability. The eye moves easily through every page & there's no surprise why this guy's on the top of the NYT bestseller lists.

I guess I'm done gushing now. But I'm going out to read more asap.

Labels: Blasphemy, Douglas Preston, Recommended Reading, wow

Last week I had the pleasure of reading Marsbound by perennial Nebula- and Hugo-winner Joe Haldeman, whom I consider one of my major stylistic influences Joe's writing is deft and evocative. This guy can accomplish in one line what many writers need several paragraphs to express. Marsbound isn't one of his larger books, but it was great sci-fi fun. It's been compared to a modern-day Podkayne of Mars, which I think is accurate, and of course there's plenty of sex and violence. And strange aliens. Danger. Politics. Family. Friendships at risk.

Joe's done it again. Two thumbs up.

Labels: Joe Haldeman, Marsbound, Recommended Reading

Most of you know I'm not much for fantasy. It just don't speak to me. Magic is such a slippery thing, and the epic plots often drag. So it may surprise you that among my All-Time Best Library is The Gandalara Cycle, a seven-volume set of swashbuckling swords-and-sorcery. Why? Partly because these books are old school. They're high fantasy adventure with sf guts and sensibility, written in the 1980's (and out of print now, I believe), but these are classic fan favorites, still widely available online and in used book stores. Highly recommended.

Interesting side note. The Cycle was written in collaboration by the esteemed, seasoned pro Randall Garrett and his bride-to-be Vicky Ann Heydron. Garrett fell seriously ill after they'd completed the first book and a detailed outline. Heydron went on to finish the series alone... My secret is that I've always wanted to write a second Cycle, picking up after the first set of books ended. It would be an insane career choice, of course. We'd need to secure permissions and clear every legal hurdle. The first books would need to be re-released first with a big splash. But I've already sketched out the plot and some titles. The characters and the setting are that powerful to me.

In the first Cycle, the sixth installment is entitled Return To Eddarta. This phrase only makes sense and is thus far more captivating if you've read the series, but, secret number two, I would call the first book of my Cycle by the same evocative name.

Return To Eddarta.

Labels: Randall Garrett, Recommended Reading, The Gandalara Cycle, Vicky Ann Heydron

Here’s a freak twist of fate for you. I can see Alan Jacobson’s house from my front yard. He lives on the street across from us, and, through bad fortune, is also much closer to the new construction than I am. The 5000 sq. ft. monster-mansion is basically done… but the shack on the next property down the hill has also sold, and someone else is knocking it down as well as cutting out a lot of brush and trees. Welcome to the war zone! Chainsaws! Bulldozers! Hammers in the sky!

In the meantime, Alan is writing kick-ass, bestselling, twists-and-turns murder suspense novels -- no doubt in response to the nonstop antagonism directly over his back fence. I mean, you wouldn’t want to run into Alan in a dark alley.

The funny part is that we lived here for years without meeting. I only learned about him because one of my neighbors, who knows I’m a novelist, reported that there was another writer in the area after his teenage sons were caught whacking apples with a bat into the side of Alan’s house. My neighbor and Alan got talking. My neighbor relayed Alan’s occupation to me. But I never quite got around to knocking on his door. What do you say? “Hello. You write, I write, we… write?”

I read his books, though. False Accusations was particularly good, like John Grisham meets Fatal Attraction. Fun. Scary!

Then we met by coincidence in the local B&N. I’d come in to sign stock and recognized the manager with some guy. I stopped to say hello, and she introduced us — two miles from our homes, which are probably two hundred yards apart. Life is funny.

Long story short, if you’re up for some nail-biting suspense that luminaries such as James Patterson and Nelson DeMille call “compelling“ and “an impressively researched novel about serial murder packed into a tightly twisting plot,“ Alan is your guy.

The 7th Victim is gruesome, gripping, and lightning-paced. How’s that for a nice jacket blurb!?! ;)

Labels: Alan Jacobson, Recommended Reading, The 7th Victim

Pimping other people’s work is something I’d like to do more on this blog—a lot more. The irony is that I first started to write because I love to read and wanted to play, too, but as a full-time pro I barely read at all anymore. I’m too busy trying to keep up with my own projects, life, etc.

For anyone who isn’t reading Crais, you’re missing out! I was lucky enough to discover him when he was still in mass market paperback (ahem) way back in the mid-1990s. He was good then. He’s gotten outrageously better, even though I don’t think it’s unfair to say that his detective thrillers are fairly straightforward. For example, his best hero, Elvis Cole, is a wisecracking P.I. who’s a dead shot and good with the ladies. Where have I seen that before? Sure, he gives great action and reversals and dialogue, but where Crais truly excels is with VOICE. Voice is not dialogue. Voice is how the narrative flows and how the pages turn. Holy cow, are these books a lot of fun!!!!

The most recent Crais novel I’ve read is The Watchman. It’s your typical Kung Fu Terminator Meets Paris Hilton, Paris Falls In love, Terminator Kicks Ass On Bad Guys sort of detective novel. Wait. What did I just write?

Seriously, this was the rare book that I could not put down and I was pleased as heck that I brought it with me to Denver for WorldCon so that I could read it uninterrupted on both plane flights. Yes, that was in August. I’ve been meaning to bang out 500 words of high praise and finally made time for it.

Go. Go forth and buy Crais. It’s for good reason that they’re making Bruce Willis movies out of his stuff, you know… ;)

Labels: Recommended Reading, Robert Crais, The Watchman, topnotch