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The Seven Deadly Sins Series: Speaking Of ... #2
Speaking of Greed: Stories of Envious Desire
The second volume in the Seven Deadly Sins Series, Speaking of Greed is a collection of short stories on the destructive deadly sin known as greed. In addition to being the title of this anthology, Speaking of Greed"" is also the title of Lawrence Block's original novella that leads off this unique collection. ""My task as an anthologist in this series"", Block writes in the introduction, ""is first, I have to pick the stories; then I have to write a langoish novella with my four series characters, whom we know only as the priest, the doctor, the soldier, and the policeman; finally, I have to hammer out an introduction"". The stories Block has chosen are delightful. His novella delivers what he promises. And the introduction is a heads-up plea for authors to ensure that their work will continue to be read after they are no longer around to write any more.""
360 pages, Hardcover
First published August 1, 2001
2 people are currently reading
39 people want to read
About the author
Lawrence Block
756 books3,002 followersLawrence Block has been writing crime, mystery, and suspense fiction for more than half a century. He has published in excess (oh, wretched excess!) of 100 books, and no end of short stories.
Born in Buffalo, N.Y., LB attended Antioch College, but left before completing his studies; school authorities advised him that they felt he’d be happier elsewhere, and he thought this was remarkably perceptive of them.
His earliest work, published pseudonymously in the late 1950s, was mostly in the field of midcentury erotica, an apprenticeship he shared with Donald E. Westlake and Robert Silverberg. The first time Lawrence Block’s name appeared in print was when his short story “You Can’t Lose” was published in the February 1958 issue of Manhunt. The first book published under his own name was Mona (1961); it was reissued several times over the years, once as Sweet Slow Death. In 2005 it became the first offering from Hard Case Crime, and bore for the first time LB’s original title, Grifter’s Game.
LB is best known for his series characters, including cop-turned-private investigator Matthew Scudder, gentleman burglar Bernie Rhodenbarr, globe-trotting insomniac Evan Tanner, and introspective assassin Keller.
Because one name is never enough, LB has also published under pseudonyms including Jill Emerson, John Warren Wells, Lesley Evans, and Anne Campbell Clarke.
LB’s magazine appearances include American Heritage, Redbook, Playboy, Linn’s Stamp News, Cosmopolitan, GQ, and The New York Times. His monthly instructional column ran in Writer’s Digest for 14 years, and led to a string of books for writers, including the classics Telling Lies for Fun & Profit and The Liar’s Bible. He has also written episodic television (Tilt!) and the Wong Kar-wai film, My Blueberry Nights.
Several of LB’s books have been filmed. The latest, A Walk Among the Tombstones, stars Liam Neeson as Matthew Scudder and is scheduled for release in September, 2014.
LB is a Grand Master of Mystery Writers of America, and a past president of MWA and the Private Eye Writers of America. He has won the Edgar and Shamus awards four times each, and the Japanese Maltese Falcon award twice, as well as the Nero Wolfe and Philip Marlowe awards, a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Private Eye Writers of America, and the Diamond Dagger for Life Achievement from the Crime Writers Association (UK). He’s also been honored with the Gumshoe Lifetime Achievement Award from Mystery Ink magazine and the Edward D. Hoch Memorial Golden Derringer for Lifetime Achievement in the short story. In France, he has been proclaimed a Grand Maitre du Roman Noir and has twice been awarded the Societe 813 trophy. He has been a guest of honor at Bouchercon and at book fairs and mystery festivals in France, Germany, Australia, Italy, New Zealand, Spain and Taiwan. As if that were not enough, he was also presented with the key to the city of Muncie, Indiana. (But as soon as he left, they changed the locks.)
LB and his wife Lynne are enthusiastic New Yorkers and relentless world travelers; the two are members of the Travelers Century Club, and have visited around 160 countries.
He is a modest and humble fellow, although you would never guess as much from this biographical note.
Born in Buffalo, N.Y., LB attended Antioch College, but left before completing his studies; school authorities advised him that they felt he’d be happier elsewhere, and he thought this was remarkably perceptive of them.
His earliest work, published pseudonymously in the late 1950s, was mostly in the field of midcentury erotica, an apprenticeship he shared with Donald E. Westlake and Robert Silverberg. The first time Lawrence Block’s name appeared in print was when his short story “You Can’t Lose” was published in the February 1958 issue of Manhunt. The first book published under his own name was Mona (1961); it was reissued several times over the years, once as Sweet Slow Death. In 2005 it became the first offering from Hard Case Crime, and bore for the first time LB’s original title, Grifter’s Game.
LB is best known for his series characters, including cop-turned-private investigator Matthew Scudder, gentleman burglar Bernie Rhodenbarr, globe-trotting insomniac Evan Tanner, and introspective assassin Keller.
Because one name is never enough, LB has also published under pseudonyms including Jill Emerson, John Warren Wells, Lesley Evans, and Anne Campbell Clarke.
LB’s magazine appearances include American Heritage, Redbook, Playboy, Linn’s Stamp News, Cosmopolitan, GQ, and The New York Times. His monthly instructional column ran in Writer’s Digest for 14 years, and led to a string of books for writers, including the classics Telling Lies for Fun & Profit and The Liar’s Bible. He has also written episodic television (Tilt!) and the Wong Kar-wai film, My Blueberry Nights.
Several of LB’s books have been filmed. The latest, A Walk Among the Tombstones, stars Liam Neeson as Matthew Scudder and is scheduled for release in September, 2014.
LB is a Grand Master of Mystery Writers of America, and a past president of MWA and the Private Eye Writers of America. He has won the Edgar and Shamus awards four times each, and the Japanese Maltese Falcon award twice, as well as the Nero Wolfe and Philip Marlowe awards, a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Private Eye Writers of America, and the Diamond Dagger for Life Achievement from the Crime Writers Association (UK). He’s also been honored with the Gumshoe Lifetime Achievement Award from Mystery Ink magazine and the Edward D. Hoch Memorial Golden Derringer for Lifetime Achievement in the short story. In France, he has been proclaimed a Grand Maitre du Roman Noir and has twice been awarded the Societe 813 trophy. He has been a guest of honor at Bouchercon and at book fairs and mystery festivals in France, Germany, Australia, Italy, New Zealand, Spain and Taiwan. As if that were not enough, he was also presented with the key to the city of Muncie, Indiana. (But as soon as he left, they changed the locks.)
LB and his wife Lynne are enthusiastic New Yorkers and relentless world travelers; the two are members of the Travelers Century Club, and have visited around 160 countries.
He is a modest and humble fellow, although you would never guess as much from this biographical note.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
June 1, 2015
This is the second anthology in what was supposed to be a 7-volume series, one for each of the seven deadly sins. Apparently either the publisher or the editor decided to call it quits. Fans have been waiting fruitlessly for the third volume (Speaking of Wrath) for 14 years now.
The title story "Speaking of Greed" by Lawrence Block is the highlight of the collection. It consists of a framing story--a doctor, a policeman, a priest, and a soldier sitting around a poker table and sharing their stories and opinions of the sin of avarice. The stories they tell each other--vignettes within the larger frame--each illustrate some shade, complexity, or twist on the subject of greed. Like most of Block's writing since the early 1980's, the prose seems to float effortlessly off the page, as if the author is simply talking out loud off the top of his head, but there is a crafty subtle art going on. While it entertains, this story forces you to ask philosophical questions and perhaps redefine some of your preconceptions.
Unfortunately, I was not overly impressed with the other stories in this collection (not surprising, since neither was I fond of most of the stories in the first volume Speaking of Lust). Several stories such as “One Hit Wonder” and “Rotten to the Core” were just predictable and unoriginal. “Come Down From the Hills”, “A Taste of Paradise” and “Deadly Fantasies” had potential, a good opening hook and meaty offbeat characters, but the authors seemed in a hurry to wrap up the action too quickly and so never let the plot develop any satisfying depth.
On the bright side, I did enjoy a few of them:
[“the answer”] by F. Paul Wilson – OK, this is not really a great story, but it is a great idea. The actual title is literally unprintable (written in some sort of overlapping wing-dings font). This is part of the story; it is a special secret word that rewards you with the perfect answer to any question. It can only be pronounced verbally, never communicated in writing. It is very dangerous.
“Inside Job” by Ed Gorman – An amusing character piece driven almost entirely by dialog. I should have seen the end coming a mile away, but instead I got so wrapped up in the characters I was taken by surprise.
“The $5,000 Getaway” by Jack Ritchie– A traditional 1950’s era pulp piece that hit all the right notes and was particularly satisfying.
“My Heart Cries For You” by Bill Crider – A dark, funny tale about what happens if you marry for money instead of love
“Goodbye, Sue Ellen” by Gillian Roberts – A laugh out loud, slapstick crime tale about a marriage on the rocks and a family fortune in the balance
Will we ever see Speaking of Wrath? Who knows? Lawrence Block is still writing and anthologizing. Cumberland House Publishing still has a Facebook page. I won’t be too disappointed if this anthology series is not resuscitated, but I would like to see Lawrence Block write the remaining five novellas and sequence them into a single collection.
The title story "Speaking of Greed" by Lawrence Block is the highlight of the collection. It consists of a framing story--a doctor, a policeman, a priest, and a soldier sitting around a poker table and sharing their stories and opinions of the sin of avarice. The stories they tell each other--vignettes within the larger frame--each illustrate some shade, complexity, or twist on the subject of greed. Like most of Block's writing since the early 1980's, the prose seems to float effortlessly off the page, as if the author is simply talking out loud off the top of his head, but there is a crafty subtle art going on. While it entertains, this story forces you to ask philosophical questions and perhaps redefine some of your preconceptions.
Unfortunately, I was not overly impressed with the other stories in this collection (not surprising, since neither was I fond of most of the stories in the first volume Speaking of Lust). Several stories such as “One Hit Wonder” and “Rotten to the Core” were just predictable and unoriginal. “Come Down From the Hills”, “A Taste of Paradise” and “Deadly Fantasies” had potential, a good opening hook and meaty offbeat characters, but the authors seemed in a hurry to wrap up the action too quickly and so never let the plot develop any satisfying depth.
On the bright side, I did enjoy a few of them:
[“the answer”] by F. Paul Wilson – OK, this is not really a great story, but it is a great idea. The actual title is literally unprintable (written in some sort of overlapping wing-dings font). This is part of the story; it is a special secret word that rewards you with the perfect answer to any question. It can only be pronounced verbally, never communicated in writing. It is very dangerous.
“Inside Job” by Ed Gorman – An amusing character piece driven almost entirely by dialog. I should have seen the end coming a mile away, but instead I got so wrapped up in the characters I was taken by surprise.
“The $5,000 Getaway” by Jack Ritchie– A traditional 1950’s era pulp piece that hit all the right notes and was particularly satisfying.
“My Heart Cries For You” by Bill Crider – A dark, funny tale about what happens if you marry for money instead of love
“Goodbye, Sue Ellen” by Gillian Roberts – A laugh out loud, slapstick crime tale about a marriage on the rocks and a family fortune in the balance
Will we ever see Speaking of Wrath? Who knows? Lawrence Block is still writing and anthologizing. Cumberland House Publishing still has a Facebook page. I won’t be too disappointed if this anthology series is not resuscitated, but I would like to see Lawrence Block write the remaining five novellas and sequence them into a single collection.
Want to read
September 28, 2009AKA: Sheldon Lord, Jill Emerson, Paul Kavanaugh, Chip Harrison, Lawrence Block
June 15, 2012
If you don't have time to read a full-length novel, this is a great piece to pick up. It's a very enjoyable and insightful story that will keep you thinking long after you've finished it.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews