Eric Larsen > Recent Status Updates

Resumed this book, almost finished. I think Jack gets ball-tapped more times in this book than Arnold does in Total Recall, which is quite impressive actually.

Custer speaking with Black Hills here, brings up some really interesting points.

A little disorienting to have the narration perspective shift in this way. I'm still not entirely sure if Kiriya's character is "catching us up" on Rita's backstory, or if it is Rita's perspective we are now reading from. Still a solid book.

Oh Dan Simmons, you cheeky fellow you. I spotted a reference to Charles Dickens' "Bleak House" here which another character also makes in Simmons' OTHER book, "Drood". But the reference is in two very different (almost bi-polar) contexts. Probably never would have caught that if I hadn't just recently finished Drood.

Really quick and enjoyable read so far. It's fun to see the differences between this book and the movie based on it.

Audiobook expired before I could finish this. Will resume it soon. I'm glad that after 120+ pages or so, the Richard character sounds like he might finally stop being a little bitch and do something useful.

At first I really disliked the General Custer side of this story, but it actually gets pretty good around this part.

"They say people who die in dreams are supposed to live forever." Pretty cool idea.

Actually pg 180 of ~310 pages. anyway I can see King's skill at work here and enjoy his hand at a Fantasy setting. although this book is equal parts Fantasy, SciFi, Western, and even Horror I would say. All the more interesting as it is one of the few (and well-done, to boot) mash-ups of genres that I have yet read.

I was just struck with a realization of (one of the reasons) why I love the Hap & Leonard books. This is perhaps the closest thing to "modern" fantasy, I.e. modern in setting. If I were a badass, and if I were more adventurous, and just a little less concerned with my general well-being, I would love to go on "vacations" with these guys. Less of a mystery and more of a modern day fantasy, in my opinion.

"...turned off that Flying Dutchman of a movie." I'm still pondering the meaning of this comment on The Postman.

I still haven't read much King, but one thing I have noticed about his writing in this book. At parts the writing is very PG, like here where some of the vulgar language seems almost self-censored. And then on the very same page, there is some wildly inappropriate behavior that appears to be thrown in just for shock value, or for some other reason I have yet to fathom. But nonetheless I am very interested so far.

Classic Lansdale. I will keep this at home for reading since Holli gifted me a very rare signed first edition and I don't want to expose it to the elements on my commute.

Really good main character in this book.

100% convinced of Jack Vance's writing ability as superb. It is a mystery to me why his writing is so hard to find in print these days.

Finished this one, will review soon.

Man, what a missed opportunity. Doc is hovering outside Ringo's room using the proximity-data-collector-device for 5min, with absolutely no observation as to what he can hear thru the wall, or speculation on what dead men do in brothels.

I'm not sure whether this is the author, or the steampunk element, and/or the (loosely) based on history angle, but the characters seem to just keep dancing around the plot with not a lot actually happening. Both action-wise and character-wise. still, moving along quickly and it's only my divided attention that causes me to progress slowly on this book.