Books: The Fall of Io by Wesley Chu (2019)

"When Ella Patel's mind was invaded by the Quasing alien, Io, she was dragged into the raging Prophus versus Genjix war. Despite her reservations, and Io's incompetence, the Prophus were determined to train her as an agent. It didn't go well. Expelled after just two years, Ella happily returned to con artistry, and bank robberies. But the Quasing war isn't done with them yet. The Genjix's plan to contact their homeworld has reached a critical stage, threatening all life on Earth. To complete the project they need Io's knowledge - and he's in Ella's head - so now they're both being hunted, again."

Much like the The Rise of Io, The Fall of Io is grand, goofy, action-adventure book that blends science fiction with thrills of old-fashion spies vs spies, with quick escapes and people doing sort-of magical things in pursuant of the goals of the plot (the mobilization of men and equipment seems to come together very fast here).

Wesley Chu remains great at creating interesting characters, with Ella being a wonderfully designed, complex, yet dumb heroine. A lot of her adventures seem overtly contradictory to survival when she is being perused both Genjix and the Prophus, but sometimes just watching blunder into her own issues is amusing.  Nice to see Roen back in action as well, as he remains my favorite character.

The further development of Io and her actions gets a back seat here, and the fighting between the alien and Ella becomes a bit repetitious and the book goes on way too long (both Shura and Roen’s team can’t seem to keep a handle on Ella, which seems rather odd considering the power both seem to have), but there is still plenty of humor and a lot of violence to get through to distract you from that fact.

While I faced walking pneumonia for the last week or so, I did complete this book in the last day, so it does have some great pacing. Which is good, because I’m so far behind in reading already for 2019.

Books: Night Relics by James P. Blaylock (1994)

“Seventy years ago in southwest California, Dr. Landry killed his wife's lover when he found them together; she then flung herself and her illegitimate son over a nearby cliff. Dr. Landry disappeared. Unaware of the bloody murder, architectural draftsman Peter Travers now lives in the Landrys' old cabin. When his ex-wife Amanda and their son David disappear just before the two are to go on a vacation to Hawaii, Travers's anguish is exacerbated by the appearance of ghostly apparitions, some of whom seem to be Amanda and David, while others are the figures of those involved in the earlier tragedy. Also plagued by spectral visitations are Lance Klein, a real estate developer with a shady past and Bernard Pomeroy, a deeply disturbed salesman with an eye for blackmail.”

Much like his long-time friend and fellow Southern California based author Tim Powers, James P. Blaylock (known for his fantasy novels of the late 1980s) is attempting a Gothic style (but not dark fantasy) ghost story set within the present day foothills of Orange County. But Night Relics –the first of a trilogy of ghost tales set with-in SolCal- works for a while, and then it sort of falls apart. I felt that the whole disappearance of Peter’s wife and child –which was why I wanted to read about) and the subsequent search for them took a back seat to the very unappealing and annoyingly dumb Pomeroy and his interactions with Lance Klein.  I also found it interesting that the disappearance of a white woman and child did not raise suspicion of the police. I mean today when this happens, its huge news. And granted, this book was released in 1994, long before 24/7 news and social media, but husbands’ making their spouses disappear is a believable, if overused plot trope.  So the fact that the police seem almost apologetic Travers wife and sons has virtually vanished off the planet and seem so unconcerned is very weird. Then again, should I be happy Blaylock did not go there?

So yeah, while I enjoyed Blaylock’s prose and fine descriptions of the area, but the plot wears thin because it’s a bit overlong, and because of that problem, we learn what’s happening well before the characters do.

Books Read in 2018

Another year winds down. I have no prophetic words, no great wisdom to part, no thoughts about one year ending and another beginning. As always, I try to move forward, look to each day not as a burden, but something to be happy for. I don’t always succeed in that and most days blend together.

Books have been my one constant in my life and remain, in some ways, my best friend. They are always nearby, always waiting, never complaining. They teach me new words, make me laugh, make me cry, and fill me with wonder. They are fantasy, a universe to escape to when the real world is pounding on my door, trying to break down the walls.

I live for them. And will continue into a new year…

 

Books read in 2018:

01. Persepolis Rising by James S.A. Corey

02. Origin by Dan Brown

03. The Job of the Wasp by Colin Winnette

04. The Wrong Stars by Tim Pratt

05. Altered Carbon by Richard K. Morgan

06. The Cheese Monkeys by Chip Kidd

07. The Learners by Chip Kidd

08. The Case of the Missing Books by Ian Sansom

09. Mr. Dixon Disappears by Ian Sansom

10. Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan

11. Star Wars: The Last Jedi by Jason Fry

12. The Unhappy Medium by T.J. Brown

13. Contact By Carl Sagan

14. Noir By Christopher Moore

15. Less by Andrew Sean Greer

16. Off To Be The Wizard By Scott Meyer

17. Surrender the Pink By Carrie Fisher

18. The Outsider By Stephen King

19. Expecting Someone Taller By Tom Holt

20. Meddling Kids By Edgar Cantero

21. Spell or High Water by Scott Meyer

22. The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Aged 13¾ by Sue Townsend

23. The Growing Pains of Adrian Mole by Sue Townsend

24. Bazaar of Bad Dreams by Stephen King

25. Lovecraft Country by Matt Ruff

26. Doctor Who: Fear of the Dark by Trevor Baxendale

27. Doctor Who: The Romance of Crime by Gareth Roberts

28. The Cabin at the End of the World by Paul Tremblay

29. Star Wars: Thrawn By Timothy Zahn

30. Doctor Who: The English Way of Death By Gareth Roberts

31. Feeder By Patrick Weekes

32. Star Wars: Thrawn: Alliances by Timothy Zahn

33. We The Animals By Justin Torres

34. How To Stop Time By Matt Haig

35. Booked to Die By John Dunning

36. Storm Front By Jim Butcher

37. Shadow Man By Margaret Kirk

38. The Dreaming Stars By Tim Pratt

39. Small Spaces by Katherine Arden

40. A Map of Days By Ransom Riggs

41. Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard: The Sword of Summer by Rick Riordan

42. Groucho Marx, Master Detective By Ron Goulart

43. Elevation By Stephen King

44. Labyrinth of the Spirits by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

45. Douglas Adams’s Starship Titanic by Terry Jones

46. Somebody Owes Me Money By Donald E. Westlake

47. Help I Am Being Held Prisoner by Donald E. Westlake

48 The Hot Rock by Donald E. Westlake 

49. Bank Shot by Donald E. Westlake

Books: Bank Shot By Donald E. Westlake (1972)

"Encyclopedias are heavy, and John Dortmunder is sick of carrying them. While in between jobs, the persistent heist-planner is working an encyclopedia-selling scam that’s about to blow up in his face. The cops are on their way when his friend Kelp pulls up in a stolen Oldsmobile, offering a quick escape from the law and a job that’s too insane to turn down. Kelp’s nephew is an FBI washout who’s addicted to old-time pulp novels and adventure stories. He tried being a cop, and now he wants to be a robber. His target: a Main Street bank that has temporarily relocated to a large mobile home. Breaking in is impossible—there are seven guards and a police station down the street—but mobile homes were meant to be driven. Dortmunder just has to drive the bank away."

Whatever can go wrong in Dortmunder’s elaborate attempts at larceny invariably does, and in the most amusing and unexpected ways possible. Bank Shot is more nutty and much better than The Hot Rock –which is pretty witty in it of itself. The best part of the book is once his gang steals the trailer, they have to hide it from the police (which involve stealing a few cars and trucks, along with a hitch and some water-based paint), whom are –thankfully- comically too inept to see the bumbling criminals are within their grasp.

The ending, as well, is perhaps one the most vivid and memorable parts of the book –a purely absurd and hilarious string of set pieces.

There was a 1974 film based on this 1972 novel, but for whatever reasons, the film version is only loosely based on Westlake’s book. It would be interesting to see a faithful adaptation of the book, but it would have to be a “period” comedy, as there is no way this plot would work in modern times, not with the GPS technology and all the CCTV that is around.

Still, it’s a very funny book and a quick read. More Donald E. Westlake is in my future for 2019, so watch out!

Books: The Hot Rock By Donald E. Westlake (1972/2012)

Supposedly The Hot Rock, began as another Parker novel (to be released under the pen name Donald E. Westlake often used, Richard Stark), with the idea of a thief having to steal the same thing over and over. Alas, it kept coming out funny, something apparently that is not to be associated with the hard boiled, grim, no-nonsense Parker novels, and so a new hero was born.

"John Archibald Dortmunder is the thief and after being released from his latest stint in prison he is quickly drawn into a caper by his friend Kelp; it’s a plot to steal the $500,000 Balaboma Emerald. The Akinzi have the stone, the Talabwo want it back, and their UN rep will pay for retrieval. The stone - of at least as much symbolic importance as monetary value – is currently in the U.S. on a museum tour. With Dortmunder’s brilliant plan set, the team successfully steals the emerald. But circumstances prevent them from holding onto it, leading to a number of more complicated and more elaborate capers."

What Donald E. Westlake created here –by accident at first- is a wonderful mixture of plot and gimmicks, with some lively, hilarious dialogue and well rounded, believable (but amoral) anti-heroes. It’s obvious that Dortmunder is a criminal genius here, who seems to have the worst bit of luck. I kind of felt sorry for him as the novel progressed –he seemed to think of every detail to plans, but something seemed to go wrong each time. While the plot is pretty funny, a lot of the laugh out loud stuff comes from the mutual misunderstandings between the characters, as well as getting on each others' nerves.

A very funny, very cheeky novel with eccentric New Yorkers, most who are not the brightest bulb on the Christmas Tree.