George Kelley

FORGOTTEN BOOKS #82: STRANGER IN TOWN By Brett Halliday

george — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 06:01:17 +0000

If memory serves me correctly, Stranger in Town was the first of dozens of Mike Shayne mysteries I read. The tough redheaded private eye would always get beaten up, knocked unconscious, end up in bed with a beautiful woman, and still manage to solve the murder after drinking a bottle of cognac. I’m sure the wonderful Robert McGinnis cover on Stranger in Town factored into my decision to spend thirty-five cents to buy this DELL paperback when it was published in 1961. I was 12 years old.

NIKITA

george — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 06:18:27 +0000

This is at least the fourth incarnation of La Femme Nikita that I’m aware of. Luc Besson produced the original stylish French film in 1990. The American remake was called Point of No Return. (1993) and starred Bridget Fonda. The Canadian TV series was first telecast in North America on the USA Network in 1997, and ran for four and one-half seasons. The first two years La Femme Nikita was on USA, it had the highest ratings on basic cable. Now, the CW Network brings back Nikita, a rogue spy and assassin, in a series with the same name. Nikita (played by Maggie Q), a woman with a troubled past, was recruited by a super secret organization called Division which trains young people to be spies and killers. Nikita escaped Division and now wants to destroy the evil organization. Expect plenty of explosions and gun-play. Hey, a woman who looks like a super-model who knows how to handle an Uzi…what’s not to like. I’ll be watching tonight at 9 P.M. Check your local listings and the trailer below.

THE AMERICAN

george — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 06:06:46 +0000

As I mentioned yesterday, The American is based on Martin Booth’s arid novel, A Very Private Gentleman. In the novel, the protagonist is NOT American. But, that’s just the beginning of the changes Clooney and company have to come up with to breathe life into this movie. The movie begins with a scene taken from the middle of the novel: an ambush in Sweden where Clooney is almost killed. Clooney flees to Italy, but the stalkers aren’t fair behind. The movie creates a “handler” who negotiates Clooney’s commissions to create weapons for assassins. In the novel, the Clooney character worked for himself. Gone are the two sexy college students from the novel: the movie gets along with just one. And, the most drastic change of all is a new ending. Despite the lovely photography and atmospheric soundtrack, the bleakness of this movie won’t excite audiences. In fact, the crowd I saw The American with just sat there, waiting for more, after the final scene. GRADE: B

A VERY PRIVATE GENTLEMAN By Martin Booth

george — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 06:51:51 +0000

The latest George Clooney movie, The American, takes its inspiration from Martin Booth’s bleak novel, A Very Private Gentleman. The gentleman in question, who narrates the novel, makes customized weapons for assassins. This latest commission, to make an automatic weapon for a woman, is to be his last. Retirement beckons. But, of course, the gentleman’s past intrudes. Much of this discursive novel concerns the gentleman’s life in a small Italian town. He makes some friends, sleeps with two college students who sell sex to pay their tuitions, and dreads the inevitable “shadow-dwellers” who come to threaten him. There are long conversations with the village priest. You’ll find about five pages of action in this novel. Clearly, Clooney and company will have to jazz up the movie version to keep audiences from snoozing. My review of The American will be my posting tomorrow. GRADE: B
(Thanks to the Holley Community Free Library for providing this book.)

HAPPY LABOR DAY!

george — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 06:59:48 +0000

PREJUDICES: THE COMPLETE SERIES By H. L. Mencken

george — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 06:54:16 +0000

In the six volumes of Prejudices (1919-1927), iconoclast H. L. Mencken attacked American provincialism, the dumbing down of education, political hypocrisy, and general foolishness. I wish I could write like H. L. Mencken. Mencken’s prose is unique with his ability to write clearly yet blister the targets of his wrath. No topic escaped Mencken’s attention: literature, journalism, American culture, petty politics, outrageous religious practices, sex, marriage, food and drink, music and painting, American higher education, and language. These two Library of America volumes look great inside the accompanying slipcase. If you haven’t read Menken’s Prejudices, you’re in for a treat. If you’ve read these wonderful books, you’ll want these permanent, attractive volumes. GRADE: A

PENGUIN 75 Edited By Paul Buckley

george — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 06:17:05 +0000

With the demise of the book seemingly imminent, it’s fun to look back on the Golden Age of publishing. I’ve purchased a thousand Penguin Press books or more over the years. From the bland covers in green or orange, to the Penguin Classics with their wonderful covers with lovely classical artwork, to their more avant-garde cover designs, Paul Buckley presents 75 years of book cover artwork in this handy volume. There are hours of browsing fun here. If you love books, you’ll love Penguin 75. GRADE: A

FORGOTTEN BOOKS #81: DETOUR TO OTHERNESS By Henry Kuttner & C. L. Moore

george — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 06:29:32 +0000

In 1961, I bought Ballantine Books Bypass to Otherness, a paperback collection of some of Henry Kuttner’s and C. L. Moore’s best short stories. I loved it! Some of my favorite stories were selections from Kuttner’s popular series such as the “Hogbens,” funny otherworldly hillbillies living in America, “Gallegher Galloway,” the scientist who invents incredible machines only when intoxicated (whose adventures have been collected in Robots Have No Tails), and the “Baldies” stories eventually collected in another Ballantine Book: Mutant. Bypass to Otherness was projected as the first of three “Otherness” collections of Kuttner’s short fiction. Ballantine published Return to Otherness in 1962. Another great collection! The third “Otherness” collection never appeared. Now, 50 years later, Haffner Press has published DETOUR TO OTHERNESS: a grand collection that includes both Bypass to Otherness and Return to Otherness, with eight additional stories. Robert Silverberg provides an informative Introduction and Frederik Pohl writes a nostalgic Afterword. If the cover looks unfamiliar, it’s because this is a formerly unpublished painting by Richard Powers that matches the striking Powers covers on Bypass to Otherness and Return to Otherness. It’s great that Haffner Press has brought these wonderful forgotten stories out in such an attractive package. All in all, DETOUR TO OTHERNESS is one of the best books published in 2010.
Table of Contents
Introduction by Robert Silverberg
Bypass to Otherness
Cold War
Call Him Demon
The Dark Angel
The Piper’s Son
Absalom
The Little Things
Nothing but Gingerbread Left
Housing Problem
Return to Otherness
See You Later
This Is the House
The Proud Robot
Gallegher Plus
The Ego Machine
Android
The Sky Is Falling
Juke-Box
Detour to Otherness
Open Secret
All Is Illusion
Rite of Passage
Baby Face
Happy Ending
The Children’s Hour
Dream’s End
Near Miss
Afterword by Frederik Pohl

For other excellent FORGOTTEN BOOKS check out these contributors: (Patti Abbott will return next Friday to be the “hostess with the mostest”)
Joe Barone
Paul Brazill
David Cranmer
Bill Crider
Scott Cupp
Martin Edwards
R,J. Ellory
Glenn Harper
Randy Johnson
Rob Kitchin
B.V. Lawson
Evan Lewis
Steve Lewis
Todd Mason
James Reasoner
Richard Robinson
Kerrie Smith
Paul Bishop
Kevin Tipple

I BOUGHT IT FOR THE COVER #1: THE VAMPIRE DIARIES

george — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 06:47:23 +0000

Hey, I Bought It for the Cover is a constant refrain heard among collectors. I’m guilty of buying books (and CDs and DVDs) with no intention of reading them (or listening to them or watching them); I bought them simply because I liked the covers. This came up on two web sites I visit regularly. The first is Paul Bishop’s fine blog. Paul loved the cover on Sacrifice. The second instance was that weird statue with the bat. Bibliophile at Reading in Reykjavík discusses that problematic book cover. My guilty pleasure, The Vampire Diaries, speaks for itself. What books (or CDs or DVDs) have you purchased because you bought it for the cover?

BEFORE THEY WERE GIANTS Edited by James L. Sutter

george — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 06:41:30 +0000

I’m a sucker for a book like Planet Stories wonderful Before They Were Giants. James L. Sutter collects the first published stories of Piers Anthony, Greg Bear, Ben Bova, David Brin, Cory Doctorow, William Gibson, Nicola Griffith, Joe Haldeman, China Mieville, Larry Niven, Kim Stanley Robinson, Spider Robinson, R. A. Salvatore, Charles Stross, and Micahel Swanwick. If you’re a science fiction fan, you’re going to want this book. If you’re an aspiring writer, you’ll find plenty to learn from the initial efforts of these now established writers. If you just want to read some solid SF stories, Before They Were Gaints will provide you with hours of enjoyment. GRADE: B+