William Kent Krueger Saved Me From Noir Snobbery - CrimeSpace2024-03-28T23:21:24Zhttp://crimespace.ning.com/forum/topics/537324:Topic:5074?commentId=537324%3AComment%3A5407&feed=yes&xn_auth=nosimilarly to David, I started…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2007-03-16:537324:Comment:62662007-03-16T01:00:15.631ZLaura Roothttp://crimespace.ning.com/profile/mallard
similarly to David, I started reading Agatha Christie, and other more traditional crime writers, then graduated onto the "noir" side via Patricia Cornwell, Kathy Reichs, Minette Walters etc.<br />
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Moving away from the crime genre my big discovery has been books by Phil Rickman, a writer with an interest in the paranormal, whose books fascinatingly straddle the paranormal/pagan and crime barriers, and who has a series featuring a female exorcist vicar in the welsh border country.<br />
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Further away…
similarly to David, I started reading Agatha Christie, and other more traditional crime writers, then graduated onto the "noir" side via Patricia Cornwell, Kathy Reichs, Minette Walters etc. <br />
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Moving away from the crime genre my big discovery has been books by Phil Rickman, a writer with an interest in the paranormal, whose books fascinatingly straddle the paranormal/pagan and crime barriers, and who has a series featuring a female exorcist vicar in the welsh border country. <br />
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Further away from the crime genre, I have really enjoyed Small Island by Andrea Levy and Brick Lane by Monica Ali, both accounts of the British immigrant experience, and Salmon Fishing in the Yemen by Paul Torday, a political satire about a UK fisheries scientist who is strong-armed by his political seniors into helping a wealthy yemeni Sheik introduce salmon fishing to the Yemen. Piers Anthony. Sheesh. I reme…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2007-03-14:537324:Comment:57342007-03-14T23:05:57.999ZDaniel Hatadihttp://crimespace.ning.com/profile/danielhatadi
Piers Anthony. Sheesh. I remember liking that series about the gods of time and chaos and such, but everything else, so damned tedious. I didn't catch on until I read one of the notes at the end of the novel. Piers went on and on about word count targets. Hey, targets are fine, but only if the story's working.<br />
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Richard Matheson I totally have to check out. It's not the first time I've come across his name. Actually, Charlie Huston recently admitted to pretty much 'stealing' Matheson's rules of…
Piers Anthony. Sheesh. I remember liking that series about the gods of time and chaos and such, but everything else, so damned tedious. I didn't catch on until I read one of the notes at the end of the novel. Piers went on and on about word count targets. Hey, targets are fine, but only if the story's working.<br />
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Richard Matheson I totally have to check out. It's not the first time I've come across his name. Actually, Charlie Huston recently admitted to pretty much 'stealing' Matheson's rules of vampires (check out Bat Segundo to listen to it). I can't decide if you people…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2007-03-14:537324:Comment:55832007-03-14T16:57:56.080ZToni McGee Causeyhttp://crimespace.ning.com/profile/ecouteuse
I can't decide if you people are giving me hope or depressing the living hell out of me. What I've written is comedic / caper. She blows things up (inadvertently), she can outshoot any sniper (there's a reason for that) and she's so fucking pissed off and destructive, the governor begs people to take her out of the state. Is there such a thing as dark comedic? I don't know what the hell to call it. The pub's going with 'mainstream' so I guess we'll see.
I can't decide if you people are giving me hope or depressing the living hell out of me. What I've written is comedic / caper. She blows things up (inadvertently), she can outshoot any sniper (there's a reason for that) and she's so fucking pissed off and destructive, the governor begs people to take her out of the state. Is there such a thing as dark comedic? I don't know what the hell to call it. The pub's going with 'mainstream' so I guess we'll see. I think the greatest crime my…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2007-03-14:537324:Comment:55522007-03-14T16:07:31.918ZStephen Blackmoorehttp://crimespace.ning.com/profile/sblackmoore
I think the greatest crime my dad committed, besides having cheap Hawaiian beer in the house, was leaving some of the worst fantasy and sci-fi garbage lying around. Piers Anthony. I can't beleive I read that crap.<br />
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As to Ellison, you're not missing anything. Aside from a few decent pieces most of his stuff blows. He suffers from the same problem a lot of short sci-fi and horror writers from his generation have suffered from. Instead of stories with an actual plot they're more like pointless…
I think the greatest crime my dad committed, besides having cheap Hawaiian beer in the house, was leaving some of the worst fantasy and sci-fi garbage lying around. Piers Anthony. I can't beleive I read that crap.<br />
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As to Ellison, you're not missing anything. Aside from a few decent pieces most of his stuff blows. He suffers from the same problem a lot of short sci-fi and horror writers from his generation have suffered from. Instead of stories with an actual plot they're more like pointless scenes with a twist at the end. "And then the indescribable, gibbering, gibbous man-thing leapt from the mirror and devoured the protagonist whole!"<br />
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Lovecraft, for instance. Not lumping him with Ellison, but he pretty much set the stage for the plotless narrative. I loved his stuff growing up, mostly because I was an Uber geek and that was just one more think I could be a geek about. Looking back on it now, though, he's just a xenophobic paranoiac flapping his gums about foreigners.<br />
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Richard Matheson, though. He do good horror. I can't remember the last tim…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2007-03-14:537324:Comment:55492007-03-14T16:02:13.433ZTribehttp://crimespace.ning.com/profile/TribeX
I can't remember the last time I read something "light" or "lighter in tone." Even the so-called literary stuff has dark or otherwise unfortunate undertones. <br />
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On the other hand, and somewhat related, I recently saw Sidney Gilliat's British WWII-era whodunit "Green For Danger." Far from film noir, but pretty damn good.
I can't remember the last time I read something "light" or "lighter in tone." Even the so-called literary stuff has dark or otherwise unfortunate undertones. <br />
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On the other hand, and somewhat related, I recently saw Sidney Gilliat's British WWII-era whodunit "Green For Danger." Far from film noir, but pretty damn good. That's an interesting questio…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2007-03-14:537324:Comment:55392007-03-14T15:55:37.498ZStephen Blackmoorehttp://crimespace.ning.com/profile/sblackmoore
That's an interesting question about books light in tone. I tend to focus on the dark stuff. Especially the funny dark stuff. Give me a head in a duffel bag and you own me. I loved Gun Monkeys and Very Bad Things was goddamn hysterical. The hooker on the hook. Now that was funny.<br />
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I think the quality of the writing can stand independently of the genre. No matter what, though, there's going to be some darkness somewhere. Otherwise, where do you get the conflict? It might be more off white than…
That's an interesting question about books light in tone. I tend to focus on the dark stuff. Especially the funny dark stuff. Give me a head in a duffel bag and you own me. I loved Gun Monkeys and Very Bad Things was goddamn hysterical. The hooker on the hook. Now that was funny.<br />
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I think the quality of the writing can stand independently of the genre. No matter what, though, there's going to be some darkness somewhere. Otherwise, where do you get the conflict? It might be more off white than dark black, but still.<br />
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Christopher Moore is one excellent writer whose work I would call life affirming. Granted, it's life affirming in ways where people die horrible deaths (Practical Demonkeeping) or involve ghosts and vampires (Island of The Sequined Love Nun, Bloodsucking Fiends), but he's always struck me as having a positive message.<br />
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I wonder if maybe I have a problem with books that don't t have a dark side because I think everyone has some darkness in them, just like everyone has their own kink. Not including it feels false and rings hollow to me.<br />
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I would agree that horror, noir and dark SF are just variations on a theme. The darkness is a quality that you can throw into any genre. Some genres just take to it better than others, or at the very least they have conventions that fit into many reader's expectations.<br />
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Personally, I enjoy dark novels that throw the darkness into places that don't necessarily evoke it. The dark undercurrents of suburbia, hard-boiled noir in a knitting circle. I like being surprised. When I started reading myster…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2007-03-14:537324:Comment:54572007-03-14T13:35:54.647ZDavid Terrenoirehttp://crimespace.ning.com/profile/Terrenoire
When I started reading mysteries, I devoured anything I could find, completely ignorant about sub-genres. Gradually, I drifted into the darker stuff, but not before enjoying a lot of Agatha Christie, and PD James.<br></br><br></br>I know I'm a snob about SF. And I'm a snob about Romance. But I've read a little of both and there are some classic SF that I thought were terrific, but it's still not what I'd pack for that desert island. I've yet to read a decent romance, and although I'm certain they…
When I started reading mysteries, I devoured anything I could find, completely ignorant about sub-genres. Gradually, I drifted into the darker stuff, but not before enjoying a lot of Agatha Christie, and PD James.<br/><br/>I know I'm a snob about SF. And I'm a snob about Romance. But I've read a little of both and there are some classic SF that I thought were terrific, but it's still not what I'd pack for that desert island. I've yet to read a decent romance, and although I'm certain they exist, I'm just not interested. Life is too short and the TBR stack is too tall.<br/><br/>Outside of my genre I'm a fool for Patrick O'Brian's sea adventures. I even bought a copy of The Oxford Guide to Ships and the Sea so I would know what the hell he means when he talks about mousing the horses. I also loved Lethem's Fortress of Solitude, Chabon's Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, and Gore Vidal's Burr.<br/><br/>Nonfiction, aside from reading for research, I've enjoyed The Assasin's Gate, Fiasco, Charlie Wilson's War, Fastfood Nation and Blackhawk Down. There are many more, but it's still early and the titles escape me.<br/><br/>And I'm so glad someone mentioned Andre Dubus. His stories are so goddamn good it makes you want to throw all your shit in the yard. A Father's Story has got to be one of the most powerful things I've ever read and I can't recommend it highly enough. I loved Garp so much I named…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2007-03-14:537324:Comment:54132007-03-14T12:30:54.820ZSteve Allanhttp://crimespace.ning.com/profile/SteveAllan
I loved Garp so much I named one of my children after one of his.
I loved Garp so much I named one of my children after one of his. OK, I'm not a chick either, b…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2007-03-14:537324:Comment:54122007-03-14T12:28:52.865ZSteve Allanhttp://crimespace.ning.com/profile/SteveAllan
OK, I'm not a chick either, but I loved Bridgit Jones. Occasionally I need funny books like Terry Pratchett.<br />
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Oh, and is "one-date wonder" code for something? :)
OK, I'm not a chick either, but I loved Bridgit Jones. Occasionally I need funny books like Terry Pratchett.<br />
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Oh, and is "one-date wonder" code for something? :) OK, Ellison is an asshole, bu…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2007-03-14:537324:Comment:54102007-03-14T12:25:25.123ZSteve Allanhttp://crimespace.ning.com/profile/SteveAllan
OK, Ellison is an asshole, but a good majority of his stuff is great. Plus, he wrote the best episode of Star Trek ever - <i>The Trouble with Tribbles</i>.
OK, Ellison is an asshole, but a good majority of his stuff is great. Plus, he wrote the best episode of Star Trek ever - <i>The Trouble with Tribbles</i>.