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Russell Walker/Zandor Zudenigo/Nika Mandiç Mysteries #1
Very Bad Deaths
Aging baby-boomer Russell Walker wants only to retreat from the world and the shattering death of his beloved wife, into the woods of British Columbia. But the real world won't let him become a hermit. Instead, he finds himself thrust into the mystery of a series of mass murders by a monstrous sadist and serial killer who makes Hannibal Lector look like a boy scout. And he is caught in a frightening predicament: He is the only possible intermediary between a telepath called Smelly, so sensitive he can't stand to be near most people, and a skeptical police officer who needs to hear and believe what Smelly knows about the fiend. This involuntary trio may be the only ones who can catch the inhuman butcher before he kills again-if he doesn't catch them first.
352 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published December 1, 2002
15 people are currently reading
229 people want to read
About the author
Spider Robinson
197 books674 followersSpider Robinson is an American-born Canadian Hugo and Nebula award winning science fiction author. He was born in the USA, but chose to live in Canada, and gained citizenship in his adopted country in 2002.
Robinson's writing career began in 1972 with a sale to Analog Science Fiction magazine of a story entitled, The Guy With The Eyes. His writing proved popular, and his first novel saw print in 1976, Telempath. Since then he has averaged a novel (or collection) a year. His most well known stories are the Callahan saloon series.
Robinson's writing career began in 1972 with a sale to Analog Science Fiction magazine of a story entitled, The Guy With The Eyes. His writing proved popular, and his first novel saw print in 1976, Telempath. Since then he has averaged a novel (or collection) a year. His most well known stories are the Callahan saloon series.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 74 reviews
January 18, 2018
(A bit of a marathon read… er, listen...)
Mostly fun. As others have noted, there is about 20% fluff and 20% harmless proselytizing, and the only real science fiction element is telepathy. But it needed far less concentration than The Bourne Identity, so...
For SRC17Q4, Task 30.7A (modifier "very" in the title); awaiting To Say Nothing of the Dog
Mostly fun. As others have noted, there is about 20% fluff and 20% harmless proselytizing, and the only real science fiction element is telepathy. But it needed far less concentration than The Bourne Identity, so...
For SRC17Q4, Task 30.7A (modifier "very" in the title); awaiting To Say Nothing of the Dog
June 13, 2015
Robinson wowed me with Callahan's Crosstime Saloon, a collection of short stories, many years ago. Unfortunately, he hasn't done so since then. I occasionally try to find the magic, but it isn't there. Wasn't this time, either. An interesting, quite imaginative story, but he dragged it out way too long. It became a vehicle for his snarky comments about some of the ills of our society. I don't have much patience for people who can only complain without offering up a solution & this meandering narrative used up all of mine. I almost quit at the 3/4 mark.
The characters were interesting, as always. The book veers off for entire sections that were pretty good, too. I'm sure I would have liked this far better if he'd made it a set of short stories. Mashing them all together just didn't work well for me.
The characters were interesting, as always. The book veers off for entire sections that were pretty good, too. I'm sure I would have liked this far better if he'd made it a set of short stories. Mashing them all together just didn't work well for me.
June 25, 2010
2.5 stars. Set in present day Vancouver, this is more of a detective thriller with the only SF element being ESP. Main characters include Russell Walker, a newspaper columnist who stays up late and is addicted to coffee, Zandor Zudenigo, Walker's friend, who is a telepath, and a sadistic torturer/murderer whose MO is to kill his victims only after causing them as much pain as humanly possible (hence the title of the book). The basic plot involves Zandor, who is a recluse and can not stand to be near people due to his inabiity to shut out the "noise" of their thoughts, seeking Walker's help in preventing the killer from murdering his next victims (who Zandor has seen through his visions).
Cool premise, but the story was not as good as it good have been. I thought the character of Zandor to be best drawn and the description of this smart, senstive, eccentric guy trying to function in a world where he is constantly bombarded by other peoples thoughts was well done. However, the main protaganist, though set up as a really evil villian, was never really explored and so the sense of dread that should have been present was absent.
Really good potential, but the end result was just okay.
Cool premise, but the story was not as good as it good have been. I thought the character of Zandor to be best drawn and the description of this smart, senstive, eccentric guy trying to function in a world where he is constantly bombarded by other peoples thoughts was well done. However, the main protaganist, though set up as a really evil villian, was never really explored and so the sense of dread that should have been present was absent.
Really good potential, but the end result was just okay.
December 2, 2014
I've read a few Spider Robinson books now, and I think I've noticed some trends:
1) Spider writes himself into his books. He's the main character.
Not so bad, is it? But imagine if Spider had written 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. Then we'd have Captain Nemo who smokes pot and quotes Heinlein. Or what if Spider had written 1984? Then Winston would crack puns and enjoy Travis McGee novels.
Okay, not fair - Spider writes a different style than those novels. But as enjoyable as his books are, they can get kind of annoying when you realize you're getting the same character over and over again. If Spider were an actor, he'd be the type that could only play himself, and never take on a role with any differing characteristics.
It's almost preachy, in fact. Spider expresses himself (through his characters) on a variety of topics, justifying the viewpoints and preferences (lifestyle, music, art, literature, food, etc) through self-referential logic. It almost makes me feel like Spider is telling me "if only you could think clearly and analytically like me, and then you'd have the same ideas I have as well". But of course I don't, not very often.
So in this book we have Spider (oops, I mean Russell Walker) who is an aging, liberal, hippie caught up in a neat little SF hook involving telepathy. So how about the other characters? They are either props, or thought experiments.
Props? The female cop (Nika) is really only a shell. We never get to know much about her other than the details that are needed for the story to move on. What about her interests? She argues a bit with Russell, but it's almost implied that given time, she might start changing some of her thinking to be more aligned with Russell.
Thought experiments? The telepath is really interesting and memorable, but again we don't ever get to know enough about the real Zandor. It's as if Spider asked himself "what if a telepath couldn't turn the power off, and all the noise was painful?" So everything about Zandor (aka Smelly) is required to make him elusive to other people. He is exactly what he needs to be, and we never get beyond that really.
And another thought experiment that didn't go so well as Zandor was the psycho (Allen). Here's the fatal flaw in Spider's novel - Allen is just not scary. Spider tried... it seems to me that he asked himself "what's scarier than a serial killer?" And of course that would be a serial torturer who revels in pain, not necessarily killing if at all possible, but prolonging the agony. Good start, but that's all we get about Allen. So there's no sense of dread, and he's never as horrendously monstrous to the reader as Spider intended. (Certainly the other characters perceive that Allen epitomizes evil, but they didn't get it across to me). This really detracted from the overall plot, and I dropped a star from my rating for this alone.
(And can I complain about making Allen a Trekkie? C'mon, the last time I was scared of a Trekkie was... never?)
But enough about characterization... on to more Spider trends:
2) Spider's writing is an enjoyable read.
Spider's work is always fast-paced, and written in a conversational tone that is humorous but rarely silly. He does draw you in, and hold your attention, and I do plan to read more.
3) Spider writes good science fiction.
Although this book only has the telepath device, it's still good SF because Spider takes pains to make it internally consistent. That's a very good thing, and it redeems a lot of what Spider writes that might otherwise be ordinary and forgettable genre tripe. When Spider introduces any SF element, he takes great pains in determining all the resulting details that are implicit, even the minor ones. Good SF novels always do this - it's one of my main complaints with televised SF (sooner or later something contradicts what came before).
And Spider always tries to come up with a human solution to the science fictional dilemma in which the characters find themself. Theodore Sturgeon would be proud...
Final verdict - 3 stars. It's good to spend some time with Spider once in a while... I feel I'm starting to know him well. He does spin a good yarn, but it's best taken in small doses here and there.
1) Spider writes himself into his books. He's the main character.
Not so bad, is it? But imagine if Spider had written 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. Then we'd have Captain Nemo who smokes pot and quotes Heinlein. Or what if Spider had written 1984? Then Winston would crack puns and enjoy Travis McGee novels.
Okay, not fair - Spider writes a different style than those novels. But as enjoyable as his books are, they can get kind of annoying when you realize you're getting the same character over and over again. If Spider were an actor, he'd be the type that could only play himself, and never take on a role with any differing characteristics.
It's almost preachy, in fact. Spider expresses himself (through his characters) on a variety of topics, justifying the viewpoints and preferences (lifestyle, music, art, literature, food, etc) through self-referential logic. It almost makes me feel like Spider is telling me "if only you could think clearly and analytically like me, and then you'd have the same ideas I have as well". But of course I don't, not very often.
So in this book we have Spider (oops, I mean Russell Walker) who is an aging, liberal, hippie caught up in a neat little SF hook involving telepathy. So how about the other characters? They are either props, or thought experiments.
Props? The female cop (Nika) is really only a shell. We never get to know much about her other than the details that are needed for the story to move on. What about her interests? She argues a bit with Russell, but it's almost implied that given time, she might start changing some of her thinking to be more aligned with Russell.
Thought experiments? The telepath is really interesting and memorable, but again we don't ever get to know enough about the real Zandor. It's as if Spider asked himself "what if a telepath couldn't turn the power off, and all the noise was painful?" So everything about Zandor (aka Smelly) is required to make him elusive to other people. He is exactly what he needs to be, and we never get beyond that really.
And another thought experiment that didn't go so well as Zandor was the psycho (Allen). Here's the fatal flaw in Spider's novel - Allen is just not scary. Spider tried... it seems to me that he asked himself "what's scarier than a serial killer?" And of course that would be a serial torturer who revels in pain, not necessarily killing if at all possible, but prolonging the agony. Good start, but that's all we get about Allen. So there's no sense of dread, and he's never as horrendously monstrous to the reader as Spider intended. (Certainly the other characters perceive that Allen epitomizes evil, but they didn't get it across to me). This really detracted from the overall plot, and I dropped a star from my rating for this alone.
(And can I complain about making Allen a Trekkie? C'mon, the last time I was scared of a Trekkie was... never?)
But enough about characterization... on to more Spider trends:
2) Spider's writing is an enjoyable read.
Spider's work is always fast-paced, and written in a conversational tone that is humorous but rarely silly. He does draw you in, and hold your attention, and I do plan to read more.
3) Spider writes good science fiction.
Although this book only has the telepath device, it's still good SF because Spider takes pains to make it internally consistent. That's a very good thing, and it redeems a lot of what Spider writes that might otherwise be ordinary and forgettable genre tripe. When Spider introduces any SF element, he takes great pains in determining all the resulting details that are implicit, even the minor ones. Good SF novels always do this - it's one of my main complaints with televised SF (sooner or later something contradicts what came before).
And Spider always tries to come up with a human solution to the science fictional dilemma in which the characters find themself. Theodore Sturgeon would be proud...
Final verdict - 3 stars. It's good to spend some time with Spider once in a while... I feel I'm starting to know him well. He does spin a good yarn, but it's best taken in small doses here and there.
October 18, 2019
This well-done character-driven fantasy-thriller displays all of Robinson's strengths and avoids most of his weaknesses [1]. I read it based on Paul di Filippo's fine review (which has a plot-summary):
http://www.scifi.com/sfw/issue400/boo... (no longer online)
Di Filippo's rapidly becoming my favorite SF reviewer, particularly for his scifi.com reviews. Note that this one has a naked SPOILER (which I'd fortunately forgotten by the time I read the book. A bad memory does have its virtues!).
The premise is a clever nod to the Pohl & Kornbluth classic, _The Space Merchants_: with a big enough population, even a one-in-a-billion deviant-- well, there'd be six of 'em now. And the reverse-altruism genetic-sport idea is original, and horrific.
The first-person protagonist here appears to be a lightly-fictionalized alter ego of the author. I liked how he (the protag) *doesn't* fall in love with the female lead, and they *don't* live happily ever after. The "Smelly" telepath is a tour-de-force of character-building. Maybe Robinson is finally growing up as a writer?
The novel is set in British Columbia, Robinson's home, and features poetic descriptions of the gorgeous BC scenery. And amusing anecdotes (as always) of dealing with bureaucracy. The coffee maker! --which I can't find now, but is some $3000 gizmo that starts with beans at one end, and many buzzes, hisses, wheezes and gurgles later, emits a perfect cuppa at the other. Complete with make & model, if you'd like one for yourself -- another feature of Spider's writing that I've always liked. I always liked his book-reviews, too.
I read VERY BAD DEATHS in one sitting and thoroughly enjoyed it. Not without flaws, but very good. Recommended if you liked, eg, his LIFEHOUSE (1997).
_____________________
[1] OK, there are still a few horrible puns... And the ending struck me as implausible, given the setup. At least no one rises from the dead....
[Read 9-1-05 & reviewed (I think) for rasfw. Retrieved 10/18/19]
http://www.scifi.com/sfw/issue400/boo... (no longer online)
Di Filippo's rapidly becoming my favorite SF reviewer, particularly for his scifi.com reviews. Note that this one has a naked SPOILER (which I'd fortunately forgotten by the time I read the book. A bad memory does have its virtues!).
The premise is a clever nod to the Pohl & Kornbluth classic, _The Space Merchants_: with a big enough population, even a one-in-a-billion deviant-- well, there'd be six of 'em now. And the reverse-altruism genetic-sport idea is original, and horrific.
The first-person protagonist here appears to be a lightly-fictionalized alter ego of the author. I liked how he (the protag) *doesn't* fall in love with the female lead, and they *don't* live happily ever after. The "Smelly" telepath is a tour-de-force of character-building. Maybe Robinson is finally growing up as a writer?
The novel is set in British Columbia, Robinson's home, and features poetic descriptions of the gorgeous BC scenery. And amusing anecdotes (as always) of dealing with bureaucracy. The coffee maker! --which I can't find now, but is some $3000 gizmo that starts with beans at one end, and many buzzes, hisses, wheezes and gurgles later, emits a perfect cuppa at the other. Complete with make & model, if you'd like one for yourself -- another feature of Spider's writing that I've always liked. I always liked his book-reviews, too.
I read VERY BAD DEATHS in one sitting and thoroughly enjoyed it. Not without flaws, but very good. Recommended if you liked, eg, his LIFEHOUSE (1997).
_____________________
[1] OK, there are still a few horrible puns... And the ending struck me as implausible, given the setup. At least no one rises from the dead....
[Read 9-1-05 & reviewed (I think) for rasfw. Retrieved 10/18/19]
January 17, 2010
Spider Robinson is like a guilty pleasure for me. His characters are in no way related to my life, and they usually partake of drugs and "free sex" in a measure that I'd normally think of as unhealthy and unwise. If i were to meet any of his characters in real life we'd probably part ways mostly unaffected by each other, each content with the respective non-intersecting realms we inhabit.
And yet.... I LIKE Spider's books. I REALLY do. His protagonists are generally mild mannered men who have had something really dreadful happen to them and are struggling to deal with it. The characters he surrounds these men with are often wildly off-beat and endearingly strange. I'd give up a month of Starbucks for an evening of drinking at Calahan's Cross-time Salon any time. Heck I'd even ask Mike to let me pay for a round of drinks!
So... this book was a bit of a... well... let down is too strong... not disappointment... um... it was like Spider was trying too hard to write a crime thriller. It was almost there, but not quite.
I had been warned about the violence, but it wasn't gratuitous and since the story was about a maniacal serial killer it wasn't unexpected. What bothered me more was the constant diversions from the plot line... the rabbit trails i was lead on that didn't really have much to do with the plot. This book would have made a great short story.
One of the high points of this was listening to Spider narrate his own work. Normally I don't like listening to authors reading their own work, but Spider has a very conversational tone that is perfect for the story. He is Russell Walker, the main character of the story, who tells the tale.
Not bad, not great, and if you're squeemish... not your cup of tea.
And yet.... I LIKE Spider's books. I REALLY do. His protagonists are generally mild mannered men who have had something really dreadful happen to them and are struggling to deal with it. The characters he surrounds these men with are often wildly off-beat and endearingly strange. I'd give up a month of Starbucks for an evening of drinking at Calahan's Cross-time Salon any time. Heck I'd even ask Mike to let me pay for a round of drinks!
So... this book was a bit of a... well... let down is too strong... not disappointment... um... it was like Spider was trying too hard to write a crime thriller. It was almost there, but not quite.
I had been warned about the violence, but it wasn't gratuitous and since the story was about a maniacal serial killer it wasn't unexpected. What bothered me more was the constant diversions from the plot line... the rabbit trails i was lead on that didn't really have much to do with the plot. This book would have made a great short story.
One of the high points of this was listening to Spider narrate his own work. Normally I don't like listening to authors reading their own work, but Spider has a very conversational tone that is perfect for the story. He is Russell Walker, the main character of the story, who tells the tale.
Not bad, not great, and if you're squeemish... not your cup of tea.
March 26, 2023
Think Silence of the Lambs, The Sixth Sense, and A Stir of Echoes. A columnist, a Constable Friendly, and a ghost try to capture a serial killer in Canada. Tons of dialogue, and therein, information dumps. Pretty good. A little more entertaining than average, but my socks are still on.
March 31, 2012
Spider's "Very Bad Deaths" is not a true science fiction novel save for there being a telepath (Zandor aka Smelly) as a central character. However, the star of the show is Russel aka Spider Robinson.
The story is well told in the usual witty and sensitive Spider Robinson fashion. The flashbacks from the current date to 1967 and back was a nice touch.
The story itself is a mixed bad of both fun and very disturbing moments, he pulls no punches as far as lacing the plot with his very liberal ideology.
The novel is followed by a sequel "Very Hard Choices". Both books read back to back make for an entertaining (if not informative) read written the way that only Spider Robinson can.
The story is well told in the usual witty and sensitive Spider Robinson fashion. The flashbacks from the current date to 1967 and back was a nice touch.
The story itself is a mixed bad of both fun and very disturbing moments, he pulls no punches as far as lacing the plot with his very liberal ideology.
The novel is followed by a sequel "Very Hard Choices". Both books read back to back make for an entertaining (if not informative) read written the way that only Spider Robinson can.
July 29, 2014
Although he's an excellent writer, Robinson's work sometimes tends to suffer from such an over-abundance of syrupy-sweetness that it has to be taken in small doses. This novel, a crime-procedural, is something of a departure for him in that regard, and is enjoyable except for the plot depending on some pretty strong coincidences.
October 17, 2012
This is a little dark for Robinson, but had the wit and charm I associate with his work, and was warm and comforting to read.
April 23, 2015
the first part of the book raise the expectations but spider does not deliver. His style is most suited for short stories.
January 28, 2022
I don’t know why I decided to read this again (or, in this case, listen- I found it for free on Audible Plus). I guess for the sake of nostalgia? But as much as I love Spider Robinson’s Callahan’s series, and as formative as it was for me in my early teens (it wouldn’t be too much of an exaggeration to say that they changed my life, and maybe saved my sanity), this wasn’t good. I remember reading it when it came out and feeling really disillusioned and annoyed. Revisiting it, I don’t know. It wasn't as bad as I remember, but maybe it's because I knew going in.
It's like the thing with JK Rowling or Roald Dahl, the whole, don't make people into heroes. I mean, at least Spider Robinson isn’t a transphobe or an anti-semite, but…
Ok, so here’s the thing. At university, I met people like him (or at least his Mary Sues) and I couldn’t stand them. Holier-than-thou, absolutely convinced of their own rightness but confident in their own broad-mindedness and ability to adapt and change with new information. Even though they clearly didn’t. There was this one guy in particular, and the more I think about it, the resemblance is uncanny. Tall, thin, geeky, really into cannabis and other recreational substances, a lapsed Catholic turned semi-Buddhist (turned hardcore atheist, so there’s that difference) and a self-proclaimed musician, writer and wit who believed he was the smartest and most reasonable and most moral person in the room. (In fairness, Mr. Robinson is a legit writer, musician and columnist, and seemingly a decent guy, unlike my old schoolmate.) He was exhausting. And he was in my social circle. So by the time I read Very Bad Deaths, I was suffering through a poor man’s Spider Robinson for two years, and I just couldn’t work up a sense of understanding reading his latest character-as-author stand in.
I absolutely believe in separating the art from the artist, but the lines get a little blurred, here.
There were a couple of points that I found especially eye-rolling. One, the whole thing with the constable being a persecuted heterosexual. Oh man, that scene did not age well. Heck, it was iffy at the time. I cringed so hard. The author wears his ideologies on his sleeve, and sometimes it works and sometimes it just doesn't.
The other thing was the "you drive better when you've ingested some cannibis" scene. I remember thinking, well, it must be true. Spider Robinson wouldn't lie to me. I was a naif. It wasn't a matter of lying, it was a matter of believing evidence that suits your premise. I didn't even clock that the experiment was never replicated (because it was SO conclusive...) and that the results were never made public. Oof. As it turns out, there have been plenty of other studies done, especially in recent years, and the results are a lot more complicated. To quote a 2010 study from the American Journal of Addiction, “cannabis and alcohol acutely impair several driving-related skills … marijuana smokers tend to compensate effectively while driving by utilizing a variety of behavioral strategies." That's not the same as pot makes you a better driver. And that was one of the more cannibis positive studies.
It just made me feel sad.
All that having been said, though, it wasn't as bad as I remember. Sure, it was a lot of pushing ideology, and sure, the villain is kind of cheap/lazy/stupid, and sure, the female lead was (a straw man? a caricature? not very well developed or three dimensional?), and ok, yeah, the lead was a Mary Sue, but... I don't know. I liked Smelly. And the writing was familiar and comforting. It wasn't much of a mystery, but it could have been worse. Robinson wrote a lot of short stories, and that format found its way into this, as well. It kind of worked? I'm not sure.
I don't know. I guess I'm just kind of relieved that it wasn't worse.
(I do want to say that I'm not just sore because I'm a conservative or something. I'm actually very left-leaning, economically and socially, and I still found the unrelenting preaching awful.)
It's like the thing with JK Rowling or Roald Dahl, the whole, don't make people into heroes. I mean, at least Spider Robinson isn’t a transphobe or an anti-semite, but…
Ok, so here’s the thing. At university, I met people like him (or at least his Mary Sues) and I couldn’t stand them. Holier-than-thou, absolutely convinced of their own rightness but confident in their own broad-mindedness and ability to adapt and change with new information. Even though they clearly didn’t. There was this one guy in particular, and the more I think about it, the resemblance is uncanny. Tall, thin, geeky, really into cannabis and other recreational substances, a lapsed Catholic turned semi-Buddhist (turned hardcore atheist, so there’s that difference) and a self-proclaimed musician, writer and wit who believed he was the smartest and most reasonable and most moral person in the room. (In fairness, Mr. Robinson is a legit writer, musician and columnist, and seemingly a decent guy, unlike my old schoolmate.) He was exhausting. And he was in my social circle. So by the time I read Very Bad Deaths, I was suffering through a poor man’s Spider Robinson for two years, and I just couldn’t work up a sense of understanding reading his latest character-as-author stand in.
I absolutely believe in separating the art from the artist, but the lines get a little blurred, here.
There were a couple of points that I found especially eye-rolling. One, the whole thing with the constable being a persecuted heterosexual. Oh man, that scene did not age well. Heck, it was iffy at the time. I cringed so hard. The author wears his ideologies on his sleeve, and sometimes it works and sometimes it just doesn't.
The other thing was the "you drive better when you've ingested some cannibis" scene. I remember thinking, well, it must be true. Spider Robinson wouldn't lie to me. I was a naif. It wasn't a matter of lying, it was a matter of believing evidence that suits your premise. I didn't even clock that the experiment was never replicated (because it was SO conclusive...) and that the results were never made public. Oof. As it turns out, there have been plenty of other studies done, especially in recent years, and the results are a lot more complicated. To quote a 2010 study from the American Journal of Addiction, “cannabis and alcohol acutely impair several driving-related skills … marijuana smokers tend to compensate effectively while driving by utilizing a variety of behavioral strategies." That's not the same as pot makes you a better driver. And that was one of the more cannibis positive studies.
It just made me feel sad.
All that having been said, though, it wasn't as bad as I remember. Sure, it was a lot of pushing ideology, and sure, the villain is kind of cheap/lazy/stupid, and sure, the female lead was (a straw man? a caricature? not very well developed or three dimensional?), and ok, yeah, the lead was a Mary Sue, but... I don't know. I liked Smelly. And the writing was familiar and comforting. It wasn't much of a mystery, but it could have been worse. Robinson wrote a lot of short stories, and that format found its way into this, as well. It kind of worked? I'm not sure.
I don't know. I guess I'm just kind of relieved that it wasn't worse.
(I do want to say that I'm not just sore because I'm a conservative or something. I'm actually very left-leaning, economically and socially, and I still found the unrelenting preaching awful.)
May 27, 2020
DO NOT READ THIS BOOK!
I don't think I've ever made that recommendation before. I bought it on remainder and have looked at it for years lying on the shelf. I love Spider Robinson, like the characters and the warm, kind philosophy (definitely read the short story "God is an Iron"). But I was always put off by the jacket's talking about serial killers. I should have listened to that inner voice...
Spider gives us his typical "broken" protagonist, and the kind, forgiving friend who helps him to recover. There's a relationship interest that might blossom. But the villain is so unlikeable (at least in the glimpses we get thru the telepathic friend) that I can't see any redeeming value likely.
In fact, the evil is so well thought out and just plain awful (significantly worse than any real villain I can think of) I wonder what Spider was thinking about when he was writing this book? What's the most awful tortures I can think of? How could he live with the mindset of this man without permanently damaging his sense of empathy?
And then there's the central conceit. The mind reader knows what you're thinking, that's cool. But when he's showing off for the police officer, he's pulling all sorts of things from her memories that she can't be actually thinking about "now". And yet he has nothing from the villain beyond what he was rehearsing in his own mind? I get that the plot requires uncertainty, but the whole mind reading thing just seems poorly thought out.
Anyway, I'm not going to be giving this book to Goodwill or selling it on Ebay-this one gets recycled.
I don't think I've ever made that recommendation before. I bought it on remainder and have looked at it for years lying on the shelf. I love Spider Robinson, like the characters and the warm, kind philosophy (definitely read the short story "God is an Iron"). But I was always put off by the jacket's talking about serial killers. I should have listened to that inner voice...
Spider gives us his typical "broken" protagonist, and the kind, forgiving friend who helps him to recover. There's a relationship interest that might blossom. But the villain is so unlikeable (at least in the glimpses we get thru the telepathic friend) that I can't see any redeeming value likely.
In fact, the evil is so well thought out and just plain awful (significantly worse than any real villain I can think of) I wonder what Spider was thinking about when he was writing this book? What's the most awful tortures I can think of? How could he live with the mindset of this man without permanently damaging his sense of empathy?
And then there's the central conceit. The mind reader knows what you're thinking, that's cool. But when he's showing off for the police officer, he's pulling all sorts of things from her memories that she can't be actually thinking about "now". And yet he has nothing from the villain beyond what he was rehearsing in his own mind? I get that the plot requires uncertainty, but the whole mind reading thing just seems poorly thought out.
Anyway, I'm not going to be giving this book to Goodwill or selling it on Ebay-this one gets recycled.
September 9, 2021
I usually like Spider, his conversational style, his imaginative stories, and his basic humanity. This one, though, just wasn't like his other stories. The characters were a little cardboard-y, there's a whole section of flashback to a college sexual encounter that I thought was pointless and vaguely distasteful (I usually enjoy, or at the worst, don't mind, Spider's excursions into sexuality, so this section was disappointing), and a couple of premises I found to be unlikely, such as the telepath character who can rummage around in your memories when it suits the story and not when it doesn't seemed like a plot device. I think I'm mostly giving this three stars due to nostalgia and because I really like a lot of Spider's work.
February 21, 2018
I enjoy Robinson’s off kilter characters and philosophies. The outline of the novel did warn me that it involves a sadistic monster. Yes, it does, and he majorly creeped me out. I really liked Russell and Zandor.
Russell is contemplating suicide when his college roommate ( nicknamed Smelly) knocks oh his door at 3:00 a.m. to ask for his help. It’s a complex scenario involving flashbacks to college days in the ‘70’s, marijuana, Canadian sensibilities, and the logic of police forces dealing with a psychotic killer. You need a high tolerance for fairly graphic descriptions of torture to take this novel on.
Russell is contemplating suicide when his college roommate ( nicknamed Smelly) knocks oh his door at 3:00 a.m. to ask for his help. It’s a complex scenario involving flashbacks to college days in the ‘70’s, marijuana, Canadian sensibilities, and the logic of police forces dealing with a psychotic killer. You need a high tolerance for fairly graphic descriptions of torture to take this novel on.
October 23, 2018
I'm going to call this one 3.75.
I like Spider Robinson. A lot. His humor, his characters, his easy prose style have always made me reach for his books. This one, however, was challenging. It this novel Spider pits a MC (who shares most of the author's DNA) against an antagonist who is simply evil. Hannibal Lector evil, without the classical education. Hitler evil. Et cetera.
While I enjoyed most of the story, the scenes between the serial killer and the MC were hard to process, especially before bed.
There is a strong thread of humanity that redeems this story, but it was a hard slog getting there.
I like Spider Robinson. A lot. His humor, his characters, his easy prose style have always made me reach for his books. This one, however, was challenging. It this novel Spider pits a MC (who shares most of the author's DNA) against an antagonist who is simply evil. Hannibal Lector evil, without the classical education. Hitler evil. Et cetera.
While I enjoyed most of the story, the scenes between the serial killer and the MC were hard to process, especially before bed.
There is a strong thread of humanity that redeems this story, but it was a hard slog getting there.
November 30, 2021
Things I learned from this book:
-Cops suck
-Marijuana makes you a better driver
-Which is proven by a research study that COULDN'T BE replicated because it had such good results... because that's how research works
-Everyone is inept except for a main character
-It's SUPER important to go back and forth in time during tense scene's so you don't get too invested.
-Also go on and on in order to pad your book to definitely kill any kind of action or forward motion.
-America sucks
-Canada also kind of sucks
I wanted to like this book but the last half just absolutely killed me on any enjoyment.
-Cops suck
-Marijuana makes you a better driver
-Which is proven by a research study that COULDN'T BE replicated because it had such good results... because that's how research works
-Everyone is inept except for a main character
-It's SUPER important to go back and forth in time during tense scene's so you don't get too invested.
-Also go on and on in order to pad your book to definitely kill any kind of action or forward motion.
-America sucks
-Canada also kind of sucks
I wanted to like this book but the last half just absolutely killed me on any enjoyment.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 17, 2023
Newspaper columnist Russell Walker is still trying to come to terms with the death of his wife when his old college roommate Zandor "Smelly" Zudie comes to visit. Zudie asks for his help to stop a brutal murder. With little information can Russell with the help of Nika Mandic, a Vancouver policewoman prevent a gruesome crime. Spider really shows his range here. Although the traditonal humor is here, Spider creates one of the most scariest villains ever. There is some great nail biting moments in this one. Hopefully this is the beginning of a new series.
June 14, 2021
Crime stopper pick-up team for the win?
Imagine a telepath who seeks refuge on a remote island to escape the constant noise of others thoughts. Image a madman flying over that island and his thoughts are vile, evil plans of torture unimaginable. How does the telepath stop this monster if he can't be around people? Spider Robinson spins a great yarn and his characters, though odd, are well drawn. Read this book.
Imagine a telepath who seeks refuge on a remote island to escape the constant noise of others thoughts. Image a madman flying over that island and his thoughts are vile, evil plans of torture unimaginable. How does the telepath stop this monster if he can't be around people? Spider Robinson spins a great yarn and his characters, though odd, are well drawn. Read this book.
September 12, 2019
I was torn in assigning this a rating. Parts of this book are laugh out loud funny, and the writing is wonderful. The horrific, well-described and nightmarish bad guy just turned my stomach, which I guess is a compliment, since that's what I was supposed to experience. I feel like a need a mental cleanse, so I'm going to go read something light and fluffy.
March 11, 2023
Not gonna lie, I got this book for its goofy, early 80s cover that was screaming at me to read it.
What a great funny horrific novel, full of things that just have to be true in the author's. Sometimes you read passages in stories that are so detailed that they have to be based in reality.
The ending is somewhat disappointing but I'll forgive it, just glad to have found this author.
What a great funny horrific novel, full of things that just have to be true in the author's. Sometimes you read passages in stories that are so detailed that they have to be based in reality.
The ending is somewhat disappointing but I'll forgive it, just glad to have found this author.
December 20, 2020
It's fine. Its gross moments clash with its more humerous elements, but it's an okay buddy cop story when it isn't taking a detour. It just lacks the distinct touch needed to make a somewhat played-out story feel new, though the telepath angle puts a slight twist on proceedings.
March 31, 2021
I love Spider Robinson's books but I'm not keen on violent deaths. While the deaths are not as graphic as possible, they did pass my personal threshold by a bit so I didn't enjoy this one as much as I did some of his other books.
March 12, 2025
Kind of mixed here... the story is absolutely not up my alley. But the way he uses words here is so amazing that I can't give it less than 4*. And a bonus for multiple references to Charteris's The Saint. (And the author did a fine job of narration - not a universal skill amongst authors).
March 25, 2018
A good book but a bit of a downer for Spider. I suspect the writing was reflecting some of the tough things happening in his life at the time.
April 2, 2020
A quick read, fast paced story.
August 13, 2020
A quick read, and enjoyable. Good story, fast-moving plot, reasonable amount of humor.
January 6, 2021
First Spider Robinson book I've read but not the last. Enjoyed his writing as well as his reading.
May 28, 2023
Great book. Too short.
January 17, 2024
It was almost a 3 I started to read this book 3-4 times. Defining the main characters by history was boring at first. Soon enough it sucked me in.
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