Chandler is so not better than Hammett. He's more fun, but Hammet's flinty coldness is amazing.
And what's the fun in becoming an immortal demon if you're not regular, am I right?
The Mayor ,'End of Days'
We're Literary 2: To Read Makes Our Speaking English Good
There's more to life than watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer! No. Really, there is! Honestly! Here's a place for Buffistas to come and discuss what it is they're reading, their favorite authors and poets. "Geez. Crack a book sometime."
Jim - Feb 03, 2005 10:23:18 pm PST #6992 of 10002
Ficht nicht mit Der Raketemensch!
Nutty - Feb 04, 2005 4:32:08 am PST #6993 of 10002
"Mister Spock is on his fanny, sir. Reports heavy damage."
it has no interiority whatsoever
Yes, you've got the right book in mind. Totally surprised me, when I read it. I would venture it's almost the sole source of suspense, not not-knowing how to get the falcon, but not-knowing how to feel about the viewpoint character.
I understand what Erika's about, too. When you compare Spade to Chandler's Philip Marlowe, you'll definitely like Marlowe more as a character. Because you can know him, and he's entertaining (and, rarely, moving), and because you can reasonably expect he's a right guy. Spade, you can't ever really be sure, and that's fascinating, but it's also very uncomfortable.
DXMachina - Feb 04, 2005 4:37:11 am PST #6994 of 10002
You always do this. We get tipsy, and you take advantage of my love of the scientific method.
Spade, you can't ever really be sure, and that's fascinating, but it's also very uncomfortable.
True that. I spent most of my read of TMF really disliking Spade.
Betsy HP - Feb 04, 2005 6:18:53 am PST #6995 of 10002
If I only had a brain...
They didn't list Jack Vance's The Moon Moth, so I refuse to vote.
DavidS - Feb 04, 2005 7:41:47 am PST #6996 of 10002
"Look, son, if it's good enough for Shirley Bassey, it's good enough for you."
They didn't list Jack Vance's The Moon Moth, so I refuse to vote.
They had several Dying Earth stories, though.
Chandler is so not better than Hammett. He's more fun, but Hammet's flinty coldness is amazing.
I concur with this. I remember Wm. Gibson plumping for Hammett over Chandler too. I like Chandler - the similes, the snarky descriptions and snarky dialogue - all juicy fun. Hammett's very evocative but hard. It's especially notable with him when he backs off the hardness just a little - the effect is big. Like the famous last line of Red Harvest.
Matt the Bruins fan - Feb 04, 2005 11:26:49 am PST #6997 of 10002
"I remember when they eventually introduced that drug kingpin who murdered people and smuggled drugs inside snakes and I was like 'Finally. A normal person.'” —RahvinDragand
I was just thrilled that they included both Peter Beagle's "Come Lady Death" and the best of C.L. Moore's Jirel stories. There were enough really good stories I remember from my youth that LeGuin and Lovecraft didn't make the cut.
billytea - Feb 05, 2005 1:46:05 am PST #6998 of 10002
You were a wrong baby who grew up wrong. The wrong kind of wrong. It's better you hear it from a friend.
Heh. Since returning to Australia, my reading matter has been almost entirely Doctor Who novels. About thirty of them, I think.
No, really, I can quit anytime I want.
Jesse - Feb 05, 2005 6:07:50 am PST #6999 of 10002
Sometimes I trip on how happy we could be.
Hey, y'all, this week's This American Life has a segment at the Romance Writers of America conference.
Pix - Feb 05, 2005 6:18:26 am PST #7000 of 10002
The status is NOT quo.
I've been rereading all the Narnia books. Sometimes it nice to go back to the classics. Plus, how often do you get to read a seven-book series in a week?
Jesse - Feb 05, 2005 12:01:07 pm PST #7001 of 10002
Sometimes I trip on how happy we could be.
I just started reading Chandler's Farewell, My Lovely, and it's so fun! I'm not sure this is the right word, but it feels baroque to me, the amount of time he takes with everything -- I mean, it took four pages to park and get out of the car, practically! So evocative and detailed. And it actually kind of reminds me of this Pelecanos I just read, Shoedog. The first forty pages just talk about the main character's life up until now -- little bits of him traveling the world, jobs he had, women he slept with. Totally unnecessary for the story per se, but just fabulous. It's not about any of Pelecanos's other characters, but someone does go by Derek Strange's office, and of course the "good guys" are big tippers. Good stuff.