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أمنية الموت
يخرج من خلـف جــدار الصمــت..
ذلك الرجــل المجهــول الغامـض..
حامـلاً في يـده سـلاح الانتقــام..
وبقلـب لا يعــرف الخــوف..
يجـوب الشــوارع لينفـــذ العـدالـة بيديــه..
فلا تعــرف إن كان مجرمــاً أم بطــلاً..
لكنك لن تراه سـوى قبضـة غضب لا تعـرف الرحمــة..
لثائـر يحمـل بين مخالـب انتقامـه مصيــراً واحــداً..
جعـل منـه أمنيـة واحـدة مخيفـــة..
أمنيـــــة المـــــوت!!
ذلك الرجــل المجهــول الغامـض..
حامـلاً في يـده سـلاح الانتقــام..
وبقلـب لا يعــرف الخــوف..
يجـوب الشــوارع لينفـــذ العـدالـة بيديــه..
فلا تعــرف إن كان مجرمــاً أم بطــلاً..
لكنك لن تراه سـوى قبضـة غضب لا تعـرف الرحمــة..
لثائـر يحمـل بين مخالـب انتقامـه مصيــراً واحــداً..
جعـل منـه أمنيـة واحـدة مخيفـــة..
أمنيـــــة المـــــوت!!
311 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1972
176 people are currently reading
1194 people want to read
About the author
Brian Garfield
106 books77 followersBrian Francis Wynne Garfield was a novelist and screenwriter. He wrote his first published book at the age of eighteen, and gained prominence with 1975 his book Hopscotch, which won the Edgar Award for Best Novel. He is best known for his 1972 novel Death Wish, which was adapted for the 1974 film of the same title, followed by four sequels, and a remake starring Bruce Willis.
His follow-up 1975 sequel to Death Wish, Death Sentence, was very loosely adapted into a film of the same name which was released to theaters in late 2007, though an entirely different storyline, but with the novel's same look on vigilantism. Garfield is also the author of The Thousand-Mile War: World War II in Alaska and the Aleutians, which was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for History. Garfield's latest book, published in 2007, is Meinertzhagen, the biography of controversial British intelligence officer Richard Meinertzhagen.
Brian Garfield was the author of more than 70 books that sold more than 20 million copies worldwide, and 19 of his works were made into films or TV shows. He also served as president of the Western Writers of America and the Mystery Writers of America.
Pseudonyms:
• Bennett Garland
• John Ives
• Drew Mallory
• Frank O'Brian
• Brian Wynne
• Frank Wynne
His follow-up 1975 sequel to Death Wish, Death Sentence, was very loosely adapted into a film of the same name which was released to theaters in late 2007, though an entirely different storyline, but with the novel's same look on vigilantism. Garfield is also the author of The Thousand-Mile War: World War II in Alaska and the Aleutians, which was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for History. Garfield's latest book, published in 2007, is Meinertzhagen, the biography of controversial British intelligence officer Richard Meinertzhagen.
Brian Garfield was the author of more than 70 books that sold more than 20 million copies worldwide, and 19 of his works were made into films or TV shows. He also served as president of the Western Writers of America and the Mystery Writers of America.
Pseudonyms:
• Bennett Garland
• John Ives
• Drew Mallory
• Frank O'Brian
• Brian Wynne
• Frank Wynne
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 178 reviews
May 12, 2025
"He’s come to realize that tolerance isn’t always a virtue—tolerance of evil can be an evil itself."
This was sort of a mixed bag. A solid 6/10. The writing wasn't terrible, but it just felt like it was missing something. It was slow without being boring, but there was still a lot of nothing happening in the book when our lead, Paul, wasn't out seeking revenge.
I did like diving into his head and seeing him go through the changes after the murder of his wife, though (not a spoiler). That was one of the character moments I thought was done well, along with seeing him change into a vigilante.
However, the book doesn't even really have an ending. It just sort of stops. Like there should be another chapter or so, but we don't get one.
It's the sort of book you read and, in the moment, somewhat like enough to want to check out the second book, but not one that'll stick with you for a while and recommend to others. It's just another book on the list of books read.
This was sort of a mixed bag. A solid 6/10. The writing wasn't terrible, but it just felt like it was missing something. It was slow without being boring, but there was still a lot of nothing happening in the book when our lead, Paul, wasn't out seeking revenge.
I did like diving into his head and seeing him go through the changes after the murder of his wife, though (not a spoiler). That was one of the character moments I thought was done well, along with seeing him change into a vigilante.
However, the book doesn't even really have an ending. It just sort of stops. Like there should be another chapter or so, but we don't get one.
It's the sort of book you read and, in the moment, somewhat like enough to want to check out the second book, but not one that'll stick with you for a while and recommend to others. It's just another book on the list of books read.
February 3, 2023
«Dio mio. Ma che cosa è accaduto?» «Non lo so. Sto andando là. Al telefono il poliziotto ha tagliato corto.» «Ma cosa...» «Papà, è inutile che perdiamo tempo al telefono. Ci vediamo all’ospedale.» «D’accordo.» Paul depose il ricevitore e si fissò il dorso della mano coperto di efelidi.
Il giustiziere della notte (Death Wish), film del 1974 diretto da Michael Winner ed avente per protagonista un monolitico Charles Bronson, è da sempre una delle mie pellicole preferite, nonostante il messaggio alla sua base sia una più che deprecabile celebrazione della violenza e della giustizia sommaria.
«Quando è successo?» «Non lo so.» Jack guardò l’orologio e si raddrizzò distrattamente il polsino della camicia. «Un paio d’ore fa, credo.» Paul aumentò la stretta intorno al polso di Jack. «Cosa sai di Esther? Che cosa intendeva quello, dicendo ‘ancora viva’?» Jack chinò la testa. Teneva lo sguardo fisso a terra. «Papà, devono... devono averle torto il collo come se fosse una bambola di pezza.»
Detto ciò, quando ho intravisto il romanzo omonimo di Brian Garfield del 1972 che ha ispirato la pellicola, scorrendo gli ebook del catalogo Fanucci su Amazon in occasione dello scorso Black Friday, non ho esitato un secondo ad aggiungerlo alla lista di titoli comprati a meno di un euro quel giorno e dati in pasto al mio Kindle in attesa di una loro futura lettura.
Paul scosse la testa. «Non li beccheranno mai, quegli animali. Non è così?» «A volte invece ci riusciamo.» Lo sguardo di Paul si fissò aggressivamente sulla porta che dava sul corridoio. Per amor di dio, ma quando si sarebbero decisi a dirgli qualcosa? Cominciava a sentirsi bruciare di una rabbia confusa, ma non ancora al punto di reagire violentemente.
Libro ed adattamento cinematografico narrano la storia di Paul Benjamin, Paul Kersey nel film, mite architetto di New York, che inizia a farsi giustizia da solo dopo la morte della moglie ed il ricovero in una clinica psichiatrica della figlia, avvenute in seguito ad una brutale aggressione dentro casa da parte di un gruppo di giovani malviventi.
«Quello che vorresti, insomma, è appenderti alla cintura un paio di pistoloni da cowboy e andare in giro ad ammazzare tutta la feccia, giusto?» «Proprio così» disse Paul. «Proprio quello che vorrei fare. E non sono del tutto sicuro che sia un’idea sbagliata.» «Ci sento bene, non c’è bisogno che alzi la voce.» «Scusa» disse Paul, secco.
La prima parte del libro è piuttosto lenta, con descrizioni quasi approssimative dello stato d’animo del protagonista e della Grande Mela, appesantite da tutta una serie di stereotipi pulp anni ‘70 invecchiati non proprio benissimo, e l’azione che latita fino ad un terzo del racconto quando finalmente Paul
«Non voglio più sentirti dire cose del genere.» Paul era in piedi, a gambe larghe e con il bicchiere in mano. Oscillava la testa avanti e indietro, come fa un pugile ormai sfinito nel tentativo di localizzare l’avversario. «Non sto pensando al suicidio, non mi riferivo a questo.» Ma quel pensiero gli frullava per la testa. Paul respirava affannosamente, contraendo i muscoli.
E quando il Giustiziere della Notte da’ inizio alla sua personale crociata contro il crimine, girando per le strade di New York all’imbrunire e provocando ladruncoli e teppistelli da quattro soldi, in modo tale da avere un pretesto per sparare loro a sangue freddo, questo viene raccontato dall’autore in uno stile asciutto e distaccato che sembra quasi cozzare con tema e situazioni trattati in questo racconto, basti dire che anche l’aggressione ai danni dei familiari del protagonista avviene fuori scena e descritta successivamente con pochi ma dolorosi dettagli.
Quelli non avevano mai letto un libro, non avevano mai formulato una frase intelligente, non avevano mai osservato un fiore che sbocciava, apprezzandone il miracolo. Non sapevano far altro che intralciare la strada agli altri. La loro vita era un’interminabile sequela di rabbia, di frustrazioni e di lamenti; non facevano che lagnarsi, dalla culla alla bara. Che bene potevano fare alla società? Meglio sterminarli.
Nonostante ciò la storia scorre veloce ed intrigante, tenendo incollati alle pagine o, come nel mio caso, allo schermo, facendo appassionare il lettore alle vicende di Paul Benjamin, un uomo distrutto il cui lutto e rancore lo hanno portato, in maniera distorta, ad armarsi e prendere la giustizia fra le sue mani dopo che gli ultimi suoi frammenti di fiducia nei confronti del sistema sono andati in mille pezzi.
Volteggiarono lungo la rotta e infine atterrarono al Kennedy. Al terminal, mentre si dirigeva a ritirare i bagagli, Paul si fermò a un chiosco per prendere un regalino a Carol: sua figlia aveva sempre avuto una passione per la cioccolata amara. Comprò una mezza dozzina di tavolette e le mise nella borsa, sopra le carte che nascondevano la Smith & Wesson calibro 32 e le sei scatole da cinquanta proiettili.
E quel finale brusco ma efficace, leggermente diverso ma decisamente migliore a mio parere rispetto a quello cinematografico, ha innalzato non poco godimento e valutazione finale di questa veloce, classica ed iconica lettura, a tratti intensa e ricca di emozioni, con un protagonista decisamente più sfaccettato, fragile ed interessante, rispetto alla più famosa controparte di celluloide a lui ispirata.
Quando Jack uscì, Paul tirò fuori la rivoltella dalla tasca. Era stata l’arma a impedirgli di cadere a pezzi. Il ritornello insisteva nella sua mente: gli assassini. Così, ora devo aggiungere anche questo al loro conto. Non avevano nessun diritto di farci questo. Non hanno il diritto di farlo a nessun altro. Bisogna fermarli.
Perdonatemi se per concludere non spendo più di due righe a proposito del recente remake diretto da Eli Roth e interpretato da Bruce Willis nel ruolo di Paul Kersey, ma adoro l’originale film del 1974 al punto che piuttosto che guardare quello mi rivedo con piacere lo spassoso Il giustiziere di mezzogiorno, efficace e spassosa parodia uscita nel 1975 con protagonista un Franco Franchi in forma strepitosa.
Non c’era molto da aggiungere. Ma se il dottor Perrine ha ragione – e ha fama di avere sempre ragione – allora cercate un uomo di mezza età, di idee liberali, appartenente al ceto medio e che ha appena perso la famiglia, con tutta probabilità in seguito all’aggressione di qualche criminale. Potrebbe essere chiunque. Qualcuno che io conosco, qualcuno che tu, lettore, conosci. Potresti essere proprio tu.
October 15, 2015
This one was kind of different. If I ever saw the Bronson movie, I've forgotten all about it (I do seem to recall watching one of the later ones, 4th or 5th I guess, which I remember as kind of horrible...). Even so, the film is what turns up in my head too while reading - I guess the book cover (movie poster) is enough.
I highly doubt that this is very much like the movie though, it is a quite slow-moving story (dramatic as it is) through most of the book. Much is taken up by picturing Paul Benjamin's descent into violence and non-discriminating vengeance, but it is a task that is not very good handled by the author (the short format does not help either) and I think the explanation is lacking.
Strangely enough, when we finally get around to the action/suspense scenes, these are told with apparent detachment, almost matter-of-factly. Late 70's New York is not pictured nicely and the support for the vigilante is in itself a scary part. The ending (quite abrupt) is not a very positive one.
What I really did like is that the book is very much a period piece - everything about it is so 70's and that fact alone makes it a good and fascinating read. Enough for me to want to read the sequel.
I highly doubt that this is very much like the movie though, it is a quite slow-moving story (dramatic as it is) through most of the book. Much is taken up by picturing Paul Benjamin's descent into violence and non-discriminating vengeance, but it is a task that is not very good handled by the author (the short format does not help either) and I think the explanation is lacking.
Strangely enough, when we finally get around to the action/suspense scenes, these are told with apparent detachment, almost matter-of-factly. Late 70's New York is not pictured nicely and the support for the vigilante is in itself a scary part. The ending (quite abrupt) is not a very positive one.
What I really did like is that the book is very much a period piece - everything about it is so 70's and that fact alone makes it a good and fascinating read. Enough for me to want to read the sequel.
January 7, 2008
After Paul Benjamin's wife has been killed by random muggers, he gets a gun and prowls the streets to kill people who assault him. Made into a movie starring Charles Bronson.
Both the novel and the movie are on the index of banned books. It's interesting how the official description reads: The main character takes revenge by provoking young people to attack him, so that he has an excuse to kill them.
It's been ages since I have read the novel, but in the movie, Charles Bronson provokes the young people to attack him by, for example, sitting in the subway with a grocery bag at his side, reading a newspaper. Yeah, that's really a provocation.
The sarcasm comes from the fact that here in Germany, there have been several attacks on people in subways in the last two weeks, who provoked their attackers by existing, or by asking them to extinguish their cigarettes, or other such provoking behavior.
It's an interesting lesson in perspective. How taking a walk after dark, or riding the subway can be taken as "provoking an attack" by authorities. This description of Death Wish also reveals a lot about how German authorities think. It's a revelation that destroys even the last little vestige of trust I might have had in the system.
Both the novel and the movie are on the index of banned books. It's interesting how the official description reads: The main character takes revenge by provoking young people to attack him, so that he has an excuse to kill them.
It's been ages since I have read the novel, but in the movie, Charles Bronson provokes the young people to attack him by, for example, sitting in the subway with a grocery bag at his side, reading a newspaper. Yeah, that's really a provocation.
The sarcasm comes from the fact that here in Germany, there have been several attacks on people in subways in the last two weeks, who provoked their attackers by existing, or by asking them to extinguish their cigarettes, or other such provoking behavior.
It's an interesting lesson in perspective. How taking a walk after dark, or riding the subway can be taken as "provoking an attack" by authorities. This description of Death Wish also reveals a lot about how German authorities think. It's a revelation that destroys even the last little vestige of trust I might have had in the system.
October 31, 2014
The book that inspired the film, this is a slim, thoughtful meditation on grief and loss and anger that leads to violence as the only rational response to a dangerous world. Whether it's a moral response is left ambiguous. This isn't sleazy or exploitative or even sanctimonious. Mostly it's just sad story about a man transformed into his opposite by a horrible loss.
May 29, 2012
I finished reading the book a couple of weeks back. It was a very interesting read. I enjoyed every minute and every page. I noticed the differences between the movie and the book. For one thing, you don't see the attack on Paul's family. Instead it is described afterwards. I felt there was more emotion invested. While watching Charles Bronson you see an action hero, but when you read about Paul Benjamin you read about an average ordinary person. While reading this book, you read about a man who has had the worse done to him. After his family was attacked by junkies and the police are unable to find the attackers, you see a man fill up with outrage and anger. You see a man drop ideals he once strongly believed in and plays with the idea of vengeance. If you've seen the movie then the last fifty pages are going to be no surprise, but there is only a slight alteration with the book and movie endings. As someone who is working on a project inspired by the sequel to the movie, this book really helped me out. So I recommend this book to anyone who likes to read interesting books. And also I like to add that the James Wan directed movie is closer to the message Brian Garfield was trying to incorporate in his books.
February 13, 2019
#ريفيو
#أمنية_الموت
#برايان_جارفيلد
#ترجمة_ميسون_سرور
اول مرة في ريفيو لرواية اكتب اسم المترجم
لكن هنا المترجم مش اي حد انها المبدعة ميسون سرور
اجمل مافي الامر انها نقلت الرواية بعيونها .. بمعنى اني كاني كنت اقرأ احدى روايات ميسون السرور الغاية في الروعة
حتى طريقتها في الاقتباسات ونهايات الفصول والتشويق كل هذا من ابداعها
فحقا ترجمة ولا اروع
اما بالنسبة للرواية .. ذلك الانسان الملائكي .. طبيب مجد في عمله .. زوج محب .. أب جنون .. أخ كبير حين ينقلب عالمه ليسلبه المجرمون اغلى ما لديه فلابد أن يصبح انسانا اخر
رواية اكثر من رائعة
#أمنية_الموت
#برايان_جارفيلد
#ترجمة_ميسون_سرور
اول مرة في ريفيو لرواية اكتب اسم المترجم
لكن هنا المترجم مش اي حد انها المبدعة ميسون سرور
اجمل مافي الامر انها نقلت الرواية بعيونها .. بمعنى اني كاني كنت اقرأ احدى روايات ميسون السرور الغاية في الروعة
حتى طريقتها في الاقتباسات ونهايات الفصول والتشويق كل هذا من ابداعها
فحقا ترجمة ولا اروع
اما بالنسبة للرواية .. ذلك الانسان الملائكي .. طبيب مجد في عمله .. زوج محب .. أب جنون .. أخ كبير حين ينقلب عالمه ليسلبه المجرمون اغلى ما لديه فلابد أن يصبح انسانا اخر
رواية اكثر من رائعة
February 5, 2017
Been wanting to read this book for a while as it's such an iconic story. It didn't disappoint. A book of its time, it's worth reading. It is a slow burn. More than half the book is just the character in mourning essentially. I have to the movie adaptation did a nice job speeding up the pace and was quite inventive in creating energy and depth to the story. All in all, I'm glad I finally caught up with this one.
July 4, 2018
An intense and desperately sad exploration of an ordinary man's nervous breakdown, which follows a loss that his left-leaning philosophy simply can't accommodate. All politics aside, this story is about grief in its rawest form and how it can wreak absolute havoc on one's worldview. (The 1974 film adaptation with Charles Bronson was a lost opportunity, IMHO, because it threw aside Garfield's subtle psychological themes. And ugh, don't even get me started on the remake with Bruce Willis.)
May 2, 2021
I've seen the Charlie Bronson movie adaptation and the recent remake with Bruce Willis, so I decided to read the book when I found out the movies were based on two books.
I guess I had the movie in mind (where Bruce Willis' character is a surgeon named Paul Kersey) so adjusting to the book's version of the character as a NYC accountant named Paul Benjamin took a little getting used to.
I enjoyed the descriptions of New York City and the way Garfield wrote in NYC slang and habits. I liked seeing the landmarks of the city used and was even pleasantly surprised when on page 152 Garfield mention's my family's business-- "...he had bought a copy for himself at the stationary store on Seventy-second Street with the same feeling he recalled from boyhood when he'd bought forbidden pulp adventure magazines...". That stationary store was my grandfather's shop ^_^ That alone was cool reading in the book.
The story itself is good, engaging, though the writing is sometimes difficult. Paul gets a little too into his revenge where I started to dislike him a little towards the end. He became too detached from the murders he was committing. But I will continue with the sequel, Death Sentence, and see if he redeems himself. But I liked his whole Batman persona taking to the streets at night in a lone-wolf mission to rid NY of muggers and criminals.
Enjoyable, short read. Recommended!
I guess I had the movie in mind (where Bruce Willis' character is a surgeon named Paul Kersey) so adjusting to the book's version of the character as a NYC accountant named Paul Benjamin took a little getting used to.
I enjoyed the descriptions of New York City and the way Garfield wrote in NYC slang and habits. I liked seeing the landmarks of the city used and was even pleasantly surprised when on page 152 Garfield mention's my family's business-- "...he had bought a copy for himself at the stationary store on Seventy-second Street with the same feeling he recalled from boyhood when he'd bought forbidden pulp adventure magazines...". That stationary store was my grandfather's shop ^_^ That alone was cool reading in the book.
The story itself is good, engaging, though the writing is sometimes difficult. Paul gets a little too into his revenge where I started to dislike him a little towards the end. He became too detached from the murders he was committing. But I will continue with the sequel, Death Sentence, and see if he redeems himself. But I liked his whole Batman persona taking to the streets at night in a lone-wolf mission to rid NY of muggers and criminals.
Enjoyable, short read. Recommended!
June 24, 2019
Yes, this truly is a blast of a read. For me, it was a reread, but I originally read it years ago.
It stands up over time.
It's important to keep in mind that it was written in 1972. As a result, you'll find some casual slurs that grate today, but were quite normal back then.
What I really liked, aside from our main character's righteous vengeance, is that there is some thought that goes into it. He fights himself as he starts to see all people of color as the enemy or as he stops himself from killing two gay guys, realizing that these two men are simply going on with their lives. It's vengeance, but not blind vengeance.
And while he does become a bit of a monster, he still manages to remain somewhat true to himself.
It's a good read. It entertains while giving the reader some moral quandaries.
Happy with my reread of this one!
It stands up over time.
It's important to keep in mind that it was written in 1972. As a result, you'll find some casual slurs that grate today, but were quite normal back then.
What I really liked, aside from our main character's righteous vengeance, is that there is some thought that goes into it. He fights himself as he starts to see all people of color as the enemy or as he stops himself from killing two gay guys, realizing that these two men are simply going on with their lives. It's vengeance, but not blind vengeance.
And while he does become a bit of a monster, he still manages to remain somewhat true to himself.
It's a good read. It entertains while giving the reader some moral quandaries.
Happy with my reread of this one!
July 30, 2018
Did not finish. I hate that I really do. When I invest time in a story. In a lot of ways this was well written but the plot was just monotonous. I don't recall much of the Bronson movie. But the Bruce Willis remake was bad to the bone and I just couldn't finish it after I seen Bruce Flippin Willis as the protagonist! This is another example of the movie being better. Death Wish, First Blood, and a handful of others are put in a bin in my brain where I appreciated the movie more. In a lot of ways I just couldn't relate to the character. I guess I'm getting old. I can watch a good movie and appreciate it but spending hours on the repercussions of grief and loss and revenge was just too much!
February 2, 2021
This is thrill kill proud boy jerkoff bullshit. It ends with a cop saluting the racist vigilante after witnessing him commit triple murder. Boooooooo
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 9, 2019
Who needs the five stages of grief when you can shoot small-time criminals in the face?
The author, Brian Garfield, died about 2 weeks ago (NYT obituary) so I thought I'd give his most famous book a try.
We have a pudgy, upper-middle class accountant Paul Benjamin as the protagonist, who lives a comfortable existence in New York City. His wealth divides him from rampant crime, he's a self-described liberal who donates money and time to social causes. That all changes when muggers break into his apartment while he's at work, beating his wife to death, and injuring his daugher so badly that afterwards she retreats into a catatonic state. His helplessness at the crime is replaced by anger, he buys a gun, and walks the street at night to shoot muggers, killing a few. His vigilante-ism is soon discovered, he has a few copycats, is mostly admired by the crime-sick population including many policemen.
There's a lot here that's typical US-American, vigilante-ism is part of the American psyche: how many movies, how many novels are about one guy making a difference with violence? Their most famous Christmas movie Die Hard, the majority of their Western movies, practically all superhero comic books and movies, it's all about one guy taking up the baton, reality's grey areas be damned. Garfield's characters know this and discuss this with each other.
The other novel I was reminded of was The Death of Grass, a post-apocalyptic novel where a 'politically liberal' character has to survive the downfall of civilization, and is saved by another character, a US gun-positive 'conservative', and in the course of the novel, 'converts'. Garfield's Paul isn't so flat, there's a specific sequence where he encounters other 'conservative' dogmas and is repulsed - he's only given up on the idea of criminal rehabilitation, not on abortion. And even he knows that he doesn't make much of a difference, his actions are there to help with his grief, it is implied that his actions won't change the city's overall state by much.
It's a nice quick read good for one night - it reportedly took the authors two weeks to write.
Recommended for:
Fans of gritty crime neo-noir
The author, Brian Garfield, died about 2 weeks ago (NYT obituary) so I thought I'd give his most famous book a try.
We have a pudgy, upper-middle class accountant Paul Benjamin as the protagonist, who lives a comfortable existence in New York City. His wealth divides him from rampant crime, he's a self-described liberal who donates money and time to social causes. That all changes when muggers break into his apartment while he's at work, beating his wife to death, and injuring his daugher so badly that afterwards she retreats into a catatonic state. His helplessness at the crime is replaced by anger, he buys a gun, and walks the street at night to shoot muggers, killing a few. His vigilante-ism is soon discovered, he has a few copycats, is mostly admired by the crime-sick population including many policemen.
There's a lot here that's typical US-American, vigilante-ism is part of the American psyche: how many movies, how many novels are about one guy making a difference with violence? Their most famous Christmas movie Die Hard, the majority of their Western movies, practically all superhero comic books and movies, it's all about one guy taking up the baton, reality's grey areas be damned. Garfield's characters know this and discuss this with each other.
The other novel I was reminded of was The Death of Grass, a post-apocalyptic novel where a 'politically liberal' character has to survive the downfall of civilization, and is saved by another character, a US gun-positive 'conservative', and in the course of the novel, 'converts'. Garfield's Paul isn't so flat, there's a specific sequence where he encounters other 'conservative' dogmas and is repulsed - he's only given up on the idea of criminal rehabilitation, not on abortion. And even he knows that he doesn't make much of a difference, his actions are there to help with his grief, it is implied that his actions won't change the city's overall state by much.
It's a nice quick read good for one night - it reportedly took the authors two weeks to write.
Recommended for:
Fans of gritty crime neo-noir
June 4, 2019
The book upon which the movie was based. An interesting look at mores in the early 1970s but very dated in its views. I have read that the author was unhappy with the movie and that he did not mean to glamorize vigilantism, but the book is not at all clear on what the author's own views are (I am not saying that an author's own views must necessarily be reflected in a work of fiction) and the book ends with apparent societal approval.
There is a sequel, Death Sentence, which I may pick up if it ever goes on sale for Kindle.
There is a sequel, Death Sentence, which I may pick up if it ever goes on sale for Kindle.
October 1, 2020
The inspiration for the 1974 Charles Bronson movie by the same name. The book has a few differences from the movie, but nothing that makes a significant change in the story line.
The book (after the initial introductions) picks up in pace and moves steadily as the action builds. As the tension builds for the NYPD to catch the vigilante and his attacks increase the book maintains a steady, quick pace.
A good read if you haven't seen the movie and if you have it's a great way to see the roots of the film.
The book (after the initial introductions) picks up in pace and moves steadily as the action builds. As the tension builds for the NYPD to catch the vigilante and his attacks increase the book maintains a steady, quick pace.
A good read if you haven't seen the movie and if you have it's a great way to see the roots of the film.
March 23, 2018
Disturbing and also very interesting. I read an article that led me to believe this was an anti-vigilantism book but that is not exactly clear to me. it was a quick and simple read with a very masculine, just-the-facts-maam, non-flowery writing style that matched the character and the era. it definitely harkens back to the 70s/early 80s. apparently there's at least one sequel. not sure if I'll check it out.
September 20, 2015
Much like First Blood (Rambo) released in the same year, the book has been overshadowed by the subsequent movie franchise. And much like First Blood, the literary version of the carachter is more nuanced , fragile and interesting.
November 3, 2025
Novel·la negra que és, gairebé tota, més grisa que negra, un griset bastant pàl·lid. L'acció no comença de debò fins que no n'heu llegit tres quartes parts. Per una volta hem de dir que el film, sense ser res de l'altre món, és millor que la novel·la. Només hi perdreu una hora i mitja i és més entretengut.
I pel que fa a la traducció, agafau-vos a la cadira!
Potser és que aquesta volta he trobat la versió original en anglès i he pogut comparar-la amb la traducció cada volta que trobava una frase que em grinyolava. Els casos de traducció incorrecta de falsos amics (paraules de morfologia semblant que fan la impressió errònia que volen dir el mateix) són nombrosos: sympathy traduït per simpatia (solidaritat o compassió, segons el cas); suburb per suburbi (zona residencial); crime per crim (delicte); suggest per suggerir (insinuar); strangers per estranys (desconeguts); sex offences per ofences sexuals (delictes sexuals) i miserably per miserablement (tristament).
No són els únics erros: tradueix he was unhappy with the felling that... per el féu infeliç la sensació que... (el va entristir la sensació que...); Nemserman's been hot under the collar for the past week per Nemserman s'ha estat sulfurant i sulfurant durant aquesta setmana (Nemserman ha estat molt emprenyat tota la setmana); Thelma buzzed Bill Dundee into the office per Thelma introduí Bill Dundee a l'oficina (Thelma va fer passar Bill Dundee a l'oficina).
Hi ha un error molt curiós, que hauria d'haver cridat l'atenció fins i tot d'algú que no sabés anglès: tradueix Eng put a cigarette into a stubby silver holder and lit it with a jeweled lighter per Eng posà un cigarret en un rabassut cendrer de plata i l'encengué amb un encenedor costós. No trobau molt estrany que algú posi un cigarret en un cendrer i tot seguit l'encengui? En realitat stubby silver holder s'hauria d'haver traduït per broquet curt de plata. Tradueix malament cinc voltes Fifth Avenue per Quinta Avinguda, però ho tradueix correctament una sola volta, Cinquena Avinguda, grandmother clocks per rellotges de l'àvia (rellotges de paret), hookers per lladragots (meuques), Our legal system is a shambles per El nostre sistema legal és una carnisseria (El nostre sistema legal és un desastre).
Tradueix gairebé sempre gun per pistola. El protagonista compra un revòlver, i per culpa de la traducció pistola hi ha unes quantes frases sense sentit: It was a very small gun, a compact five-shot model with a short barrel and a metal shroud over the hammer to prevent it from snagging on clothing ho tradueix per Era una pistola molt petita de cinc bales [ben traduït, cartutxos] amb el canó curt i una capa de metall sobre el percussor per evitar que s'enganxés a la roba. Extraordinàriament mal traduït. No sols hammer s'ha de traduir per martell, no percussor (el percussor és un mecanisme interior que no es pot enganxar a cap roba), sinó que les pistoles no tenen martell, són els revòlvers que en tenen. Més endavant parla del cilindre de la pistola, doblement mal traduït una vegada més: no se'n diu cilindre sinó tambor, i també són els revòlvers que en tenen, no les pistoles.
Tradueix la seva senyora (tres traduccions correctes: la seva dona, la seva esposa o la seva muller), remenar el cap per negar amb el cap, megatons per megatones, jugar solitaris per fer solitaris, la mesura d'una cadira per la mida d'una cadira, capot per capó, dissuasori per dissuasiu...
I tot això adobat aquí i allà amb adjectius anteposats, excés d'adjectius possessius, pleonasmes, i dos costums molt emprenyadors: no fa servir l'article personal en converses col·loquials, cosa que fa que el text no soni natural, i posa en cursiva cada mot que hi posa l'autor per emfatitzar-lo, sense saber que aquest recurs en català té unes funcions molt més delimitades i fa mal d'ulls que aparega en el text a cada moment. Curiosament, quan esmenta noms de publicacions, que haurien d'anar en cursiva, els posa en redona i entre cometes.
Per tant, una traducció de n'Esther Roig que és molt mediocre, encara més que la que va fer de El gran cop, que per pura casualitat vaig llegir el mes passat. Esper no haver-ne de llegir gaires més d'ella.
I pel que fa a la traducció, agafau-vos a la cadira!
Potser és que aquesta volta he trobat la versió original en anglès i he pogut comparar-la amb la traducció cada volta que trobava una frase que em grinyolava. Els casos de traducció incorrecta de falsos amics (paraules de morfologia semblant que fan la impressió errònia que volen dir el mateix) són nombrosos: sympathy traduït per simpatia (solidaritat o compassió, segons el cas); suburb per suburbi (zona residencial); crime per crim (delicte); suggest per suggerir (insinuar); strangers per estranys (desconeguts); sex offences per ofences sexuals (delictes sexuals) i miserably per miserablement (tristament).
No són els únics erros: tradueix he was unhappy with the felling that... per el féu infeliç la sensació que... (el va entristir la sensació que...); Nemserman's been hot under the collar for the past week per Nemserman s'ha estat sulfurant i sulfurant durant aquesta setmana (Nemserman ha estat molt emprenyat tota la setmana); Thelma buzzed Bill Dundee into the office per Thelma introduí Bill Dundee a l'oficina (Thelma va fer passar Bill Dundee a l'oficina).
Hi ha un error molt curiós, que hauria d'haver cridat l'atenció fins i tot d'algú que no sabés anglès: tradueix Eng put a cigarette into a stubby silver holder and lit it with a jeweled lighter per Eng posà un cigarret en un rabassut cendrer de plata i l'encengué amb un encenedor costós. No trobau molt estrany que algú posi un cigarret en un cendrer i tot seguit l'encengui? En realitat stubby silver holder s'hauria d'haver traduït per broquet curt de plata. Tradueix malament cinc voltes Fifth Avenue per Quinta Avinguda, però ho tradueix correctament una sola volta, Cinquena Avinguda, grandmother clocks per rellotges de l'àvia (rellotges de paret), hookers per lladragots (meuques), Our legal system is a shambles per El nostre sistema legal és una carnisseria (El nostre sistema legal és un desastre).
Tradueix gairebé sempre gun per pistola. El protagonista compra un revòlver, i per culpa de la traducció pistola hi ha unes quantes frases sense sentit: It was a very small gun, a compact five-shot model with a short barrel and a metal shroud over the hammer to prevent it from snagging on clothing ho tradueix per Era una pistola molt petita de cinc bales [ben traduït, cartutxos] amb el canó curt i una capa de metall sobre el percussor per evitar que s'enganxés a la roba. Extraordinàriament mal traduït. No sols hammer s'ha de traduir per martell, no percussor (el percussor és un mecanisme interior que no es pot enganxar a cap roba), sinó que les pistoles no tenen martell, són els revòlvers que en tenen. Més endavant parla del cilindre de la pistola, doblement mal traduït una vegada més: no se'n diu cilindre sinó tambor, i també són els revòlvers que en tenen, no les pistoles.
Tradueix la seva senyora (tres traduccions correctes: la seva dona, la seva esposa o la seva muller), remenar el cap per negar amb el cap, megatons per megatones, jugar solitaris per fer solitaris, la mesura d'una cadira per la mida d'una cadira, capot per capó, dissuasori per dissuasiu...
I tot això adobat aquí i allà amb adjectius anteposats, excés d'adjectius possessius, pleonasmes, i dos costums molt emprenyadors: no fa servir l'article personal en converses col·loquials, cosa que fa que el text no soni natural, i posa en cursiva cada mot que hi posa l'autor per emfatitzar-lo, sense saber que aquest recurs en català té unes funcions molt més delimitades i fa mal d'ulls que aparega en el text a cada moment. Curiosament, quan esmenta noms de publicacions, que haurien d'anar en cursiva, els posa en redona i entre cometes.
Per tant, una traducció de n'Esther Roig que és molt mediocre, encara més que la que va fer de El gran cop, que per pura casualitat vaig llegir el mes passat. Esper no haver-ne de llegir gaires més d'ella.
May 4, 2025
The Good Stuff ...
... from the movie - getting bad guys' birthdays turned off - is short, and unfortunately that's what I was looking for.
The book's Paul Benjamin is nothing like the movie's Paul Kersey. Benjamin is just a NYC soyboy and cuck with a bad temper. Kersey is Charles Bronson in my mind; a cowboy stuck in Manhattan.
The book is nothing like the movie. I guess they hired Bronson first, then found a book. Why? Because there's no way you'd ever buy CB as an opera-loving Manhattanite who'd never driven a car. You'd need to have hired Charles Grodin or Woody Allen to play the book's hero, and there's no shiksas to win in this story, so they'd have turned down the role.
Same set-up as the movie: wife murdered, daughter zombied, but Paul Benjamin is just a crackpot and a hot-head, not the cold-blooded Clint Eastwood-type that Paul Kersey is.
The ending is not like the movie's ending either. They both have happy endings and the book's ending may even be a bit better.
This is one of that handful of books that made a better movie than a book. I enjoyed waiting for the Good Part, but I don't recommend it to others. Watch the movie again instead.
PS. As for the New-Yorkers-and-Guns element of this book. I don't even wanna begin. Might as well light up a smoke in the Faculty Lounge.
... from the movie - getting bad guys' birthdays turned off - is short, and unfortunately that's what I was looking for.
The book's Paul Benjamin is nothing like the movie's Paul Kersey. Benjamin is just a NYC soyboy and cuck with a bad temper. Kersey is Charles Bronson in my mind; a cowboy stuck in Manhattan.
The book is nothing like the movie. I guess they hired Bronson first, then found a book. Why? Because there's no way you'd ever buy CB as an opera-loving Manhattanite who'd never driven a car. You'd need to have hired Charles Grodin or Woody Allen to play the book's hero, and there's no shiksas to win in this story, so they'd have turned down the role.
Same set-up as the movie: wife murdered, daughter zombied, but Paul Benjamin is just a crackpot and a hot-head, not the cold-blooded Clint Eastwood-type that Paul Kersey is.
The ending is not like the movie's ending either. They both have happy endings and the book's ending may even be a bit better.
This is one of that handful of books that made a better movie than a book. I enjoyed waiting for the Good Part, but I don't recommend it to others. Watch the movie again instead.
PS. As for the New-Yorkers-and-Guns element of this book. I don't even wanna begin. Might as well light up a smoke in the Faculty Lounge.
April 13, 2021
“All week I’ve been remembering something that happened—oh, two-three years ago. It must have been after midnight. I’d been up in midtown on some chore, something to do with a client, and it was a nice night so I was walking home. I ran into a teen-age girl outside Bryant Park. She was a wreck. It turned out she’d been gang-raped right there in the park. I gave her carfare and told her to call the police. I don’t suppose she ever did.”
“Why not?”
“She was kind of flippy. Probably being gang-raped wasn’t exactly her idea of a fate worse than death. She was sore at them, but not really mad. You know what I mean?”
“I can’t say I do, altogether.”
“What I guess I’m getting at is that so many of these things simply aren’t taken seriously any more. Or at least they’re taken for granted. Do you know what that girl said to me? She said she should have known better than to go into Bryant Park at that hour. She almost seemed to think it was her own fault. She wouldn’t have been raped if she hadn’t gone there. It’s a weird time we live in.”
While I couldn't call this a really violent or gratuitous book, the themes and ideas it brings up are guaranteed to push people's buttons. I love a morally grey revenge story.
“Why not?”
“She was kind of flippy. Probably being gang-raped wasn’t exactly her idea of a fate worse than death. She was sore at them, but not really mad. You know what I mean?”
“I can’t say I do, altogether.”
“What I guess I’m getting at is that so many of these things simply aren’t taken seriously any more. Or at least they’re taken for granted. Do you know what that girl said to me? She said she should have known better than to go into Bryant Park at that hour. She almost seemed to think it was her own fault. She wouldn’t have been raped if she hadn’t gone there. It’s a weird time we live in.”
While I couldn't call this a really violent or gratuitous book, the themes and ideas it brings up are guaranteed to push people's buttons. I love a morally grey revenge story.
January 30, 2008
Honestly? The movie was better. Brian Garfield may have created an icon when he created Paul Benjamin (renamed Paul Kersey for the film series with Charles Bronson), but as a novel, Death Wish is only mildly satisfying.
The plot is well paced, but the prose is fairly hackneyed, and the picture Garfield paints of New York in the early '70s just never seemed authentic.
I didn't hate this book; it just wasn't as good as I was hoping it would be. I suppose that if you're in the mood for some crypto-fascist '70s pulp, you could do a lot worse.
The plot is well paced, but the prose is fairly hackneyed, and the picture Garfield paints of New York in the early '70s just never seemed authentic.
I didn't hate this book; it just wasn't as good as I was hoping it would be. I suppose that if you're in the mood for some crypto-fascist '70s pulp, you could do a lot worse.
April 17, 2018
I grew up with the Charles Bronson movie which had the main character as a cross between Mike Brady and "Dirty" Harry Callahan. And the joke that a conservative is a liberal that just got mugged.
Brian Garfield writes a taut, suspense thriller with more humanity and questions about justice and revenge than the reviewers give him credit for in this novel. An accountant with liberal ideas find them tested and lacking when his wife is murdered and his daughter is driven mad by an attack from junkies?... Burglars?
Brian Garfield writes a taut, suspense thriller with more humanity and questions about justice and revenge than the reviewers give him credit for in this novel. An accountant with liberal ideas find them tested and lacking when his wife is murdered and his daughter is driven mad by an attack from junkies?... Burglars?
July 21, 2023
Paul Benjamin il protagonista di questo romanzo scopre che moglie e figlia sono state seviziate da rapinatori e in lui scatta la molla di farsi giustizia da solo. Un romanzo che tocca l'argomento scottante dell'incapacità della società di proteggere i suoi cittadini e lo fa in maniera egregia con un protagonista ancora più indimenticabile se lo si associa al viso e alla recitazione del grande Charles Bronson, protagonista del film che ne fu tratto
August 17, 2014
Accountant Paul Benjamin is not home when a home invasion occurs that leaves his wife dead and his daughter comatose. Paul then seeks to get revenge when the police are unable to catch the perpetrators. This novel serve as a basis for four movies staring Charles Bronson.
Read
January 9, 2017A really fun read. I contrasted so much of it from what I knew from the movies. I enjoyed it.
January 11, 2017
*3.5*
March 10, 2024
Excellent thriller.
December 24, 2022
Death Wish.- Brian Garfield
"He walked forward with quicker steps; but his hand in his pocket closed around the sock-wrapped roll of coins and his bowels were knotted and it was no good pretending the soul-sucking darkness wasn't alive with terrors. The beat of his heart was as loud as the echoes of his heels on the concrete. At first he did not hear the movement behind him."
Era un día normal en la vida del contador Paul Benjamin; reuniones con sus jefes, papeles y almuerzo con clientes. Un día normal hasta que recibe un llamado inesperado de su yerno: su esposa y su hija fueron asaltadas violentamente al ingresar a la casa y están hospitalizadas. Al llegar al nosocomio, el mundo de Paul se derrumba, su esposa ha muerto y su hija parece no conectar con la realidad. Ante la poca capacidad de respuesta de la policía y viéndose en el medio de una sociedad en la que nadie parece a salvo de los delincuentes, Paul Benjamin toma una determinación… y un arma calibre .32 para llevarla a cabo.
Death Wish se publicó originalmente en el año 1972. La novela fue adaptada dos veces al cine, en 1974 (con Charles Bronson) y en 2018 (con Bruce Willis). Brian Garfield (1939-2018) no quedó conforme con el enfoque que se le dió a la historia en la película de 1974, aunque se terminó convirtiendo en franquicia exitosa con 5 films en total, más la remake de 2018.
Death Wish, a diferencia de la clásica adaptación cinematográfica con el duro Charles Bronson que va más para el lado de la acción (de todas formas un gran film, crudo y violento, que representa el pensamiento de la época), es un gran análisis de la reacción del hombre común y letrado a una situación de pérdida por violencia y la soledad consecuente, reflejando a través de sus personajes las distintas corrientes de pensamiento que tienen los habitantes de una sociedad, todo esto con la estructura de una novela cuasi policial y que además tiene un gran final para analizar.
🤘🤘🤘🤘
"He walked forward with quicker steps; but his hand in his pocket closed around the sock-wrapped roll of coins and his bowels were knotted and it was no good pretending the soul-sucking darkness wasn't alive with terrors. The beat of his heart was as loud as the echoes of his heels on the concrete. At first he did not hear the movement behind him."
Era un día normal en la vida del contador Paul Benjamin; reuniones con sus jefes, papeles y almuerzo con clientes. Un día normal hasta que recibe un llamado inesperado de su yerno: su esposa y su hija fueron asaltadas violentamente al ingresar a la casa y están hospitalizadas. Al llegar al nosocomio, el mundo de Paul se derrumba, su esposa ha muerto y su hija parece no conectar con la realidad. Ante la poca capacidad de respuesta de la policía y viéndose en el medio de una sociedad en la que nadie parece a salvo de los delincuentes, Paul Benjamin toma una determinación… y un arma calibre .32 para llevarla a cabo.
Death Wish se publicó originalmente en el año 1972. La novela fue adaptada dos veces al cine, en 1974 (con Charles Bronson) y en 2018 (con Bruce Willis). Brian Garfield (1939-2018) no quedó conforme con el enfoque que se le dió a la historia en la película de 1974, aunque se terminó convirtiendo en franquicia exitosa con 5 films en total, más la remake de 2018.
Death Wish, a diferencia de la clásica adaptación cinematográfica con el duro Charles Bronson que va más para el lado de la acción (de todas formas un gran film, crudo y violento, que representa el pensamiento de la época), es un gran análisis de la reacción del hombre común y letrado a una situación de pérdida por violencia y la soledad consecuente, reflejando a través de sus personajes las distintas corrientes de pensamiento que tienen los habitantes de una sociedad, todo esto con la estructura de una novela cuasi policial y que además tiene un gran final para analizar.
🤘🤘🤘🤘
November 12, 2024
I've never seen the films, but this is still not quite what I was thinking it would be. Boiled down to its premise, it's basically a novel about a man who snaps.
It takes place in a very different New York City era, one where people were afraid to go out at night and walk around. A New York where safety was a huge concern, and drug use was rampant. However, it's themes about justice and societal violence are timeless. While I did enjoy the book due to its brisk pace and lean plotting, I did not expect to dislike the main character so much. You feel for him at first, but he essentially takes his quest for justice too far. I was expecting more of an antihero, detective by night type of story, but the result is much less interesting.
In the end, I couldn't take it more seriously than other, more well done pulp novels of its era.
It takes place in a very different New York City era, one where people were afraid to go out at night and walk around. A New York where safety was a huge concern, and drug use was rampant. However, it's themes about justice and societal violence are timeless. While I did enjoy the book due to its brisk pace and lean plotting, I did not expect to dislike the main character so much. You feel for him at first, but he essentially takes his quest for justice too far. I was expecting more of an antihero, detective by night type of story, but the result is much less interesting.
In the end, I couldn't take it more seriously than other, more well done pulp novels of its era.
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