Jon Taylor > Recent Status Updates

This is so much better than Gardens… really delivering on the promise of that book. Except I don’t yet feel an overriding narrative that would bring a true sense of the epic fantasy. That said, the action is fantastic and the little moments of lore and philosophy intelligent and satisfying.

Really enjoying this now - I like the Arabian stylings and the action is constant. Much more of a drive than the first book, a more coherent and focused plot. Epic stuff.

Definitely enjoying this more than the first one. I like all the new characters and look forward to them all coming together. Felisin has been clocked by the captain so shit will hit fan shortly, I suspect.

Already enjoying this one more than the first. Everything feels more organised and direct. Erikson writes nice prose and his characters, especially the tough ones, are more engaging.

Like the tower in the fissure and the servant - more to see there I think.

Lots of lore - loads of new history. I like this more Arabian type of civilisation.

The section on Klaszner was interesting as an insight into the Jewish mindset post-War that may help to explain Israel today. The desire to be strong and independent is reflected in the anger against Klaszner and those who did not actively ‘fight’ the Nazi’s and it seems to me that it is this mentality that drives the Israeli right wing.

The escape. A kindly Polish woman. Surprised how often they were spotted / communicated with.

The tone has shifted into an exciting adventure story with all the suspense and dramatic twists of a thriller. What is most touching is the camaraderie and sacrifice of others to keep the hiding place a secret.

Interesting take on humanity’s ability to take in life threatening situations. What Walter saw suggests that humans will blindly accept even the worst consequences rather than face truth. That they will cling onto hope rather than accept reality and act. What they need is hope. Hope is what preempts action. Without hope, there is no action.

So many moments that make the reader catch their breath; the moment the Jews on the platform see the bodies spill from the truck, for example. I am struggling with the idea that the Nazis knew that what they were doing was shameful and went to great lengths to hide it - and yet seemed to revel in it too. What does this tell us about ourselves?

This brought home the cold, functional approach the Nazi’s took to the extermination of the Jews. Freedland’s writing, focusing as it does, on the practical decisions and solutions they found to the logistical problems but combining this with young William’s realisation whilst working at Kanada, forced me to confront the inhumanity in a cold, unsparing light.

The style is simplistic - almost like a children’s story. But the content is, at times, heart-wrenching. Perhaps the style makes this all the more shocking when a reminder of the horror these people endured filters in. Most frightening is, I think, that this happened by degrees, so that behaviour became normalised, even for Jews. As is happening now.

Ok - here we go again. Entirely new cities, entirely new characters. Let’s see how we get on…

Looks like we are going to get a denouement. New line of questioning has opened up a sudden rush of leads. What is going on with the ‘Hollywoodland’ sign? Love the way Ellroy mixes real history with fiction.

I’m slowly realising I am in the hands of a huge intellect. This is incredibly detailed with a clear sense of place, complex, multi-layered characters, real depth to the psychological insight and authentic. Requires huge knowledge of all sorts of things to do this. The plotting is intricate and structured like a cantilever bridge. Nasty, racist and misogynistic too. Deliberately?

Messy, complicated lives messed up. Once again I think the plot has nowhere left to go to find another 100 pages… Christ knows what else needs tying up - or can possibly go wrong.

Truly surprising ’outcome’ to the case - one I did not see coming. Wondering now why there are still 130 odd pages still to go?.. what had LB got to do with it all?

Dulange - a truly awful creep of a man. Today’s equivalent would be that Tait bloke. All muscles and misogyny. Very satisfying when Bucky punched him out. Elroy’s view of men is dark. And the manipulation of the press is another really interesting facet to this, along with Elroy’s historical details (Fatty Arbuckle).

The psychology here is interesting. Bucky has become as obsessed as Blanchard was. The confusion on Madeleine and Betty (with Kay thrown into the mix) is weird, unsettling.

Exciting couple of chapters concerning Bobby de Witt and Blanchard. Wondering now if Blanchard killed the Dahlia… but that’s a massive reach. Elliot’s ‘tough guy’ stuff feels real enough - nobody’s 100% heroic or even decent and honest. Bucky closest. There’s mucho sexism, racism. But it is real and it is gripping.

Grimy, sleazy and disturbing. Blanchard is losing his mind and Bucky is withholding information. No idea how this is all going to work out and fear it will be grim.