Agreed. Even a good movie.Originally Posted by Lester Polfus
Agreed. Even a good movie.
There's nothing civil about this war.
Enigma: Road to Breaking - Book Two
5/5
This is the second book in the series. I read and enjoyed the first book, but this one is even better. I’m talking “Gone With The Wind,” good. I’d certainly recommend reading the first book, but this one will stand alone if you haven’t.
The title comes from a Native American story about the end of the world. The setting is the Antebellum Virginia of 1860. Nathan inherits his father’s wealthy plantation and Senate seat, but he is morally opposed to slavery. He’s realistic and knows that change will be slow. He has to navigate a narrow path between what is morally correct and what is attainable. To make things more complicated, a woman comes into his life.
These are well developed characters the reader will come to care for. We, as readers, know of the coming storm. It’s interesting to watch the events and attitudes that lead up to it. Clearly a “Breaking” is coming. I’ll have to read the coming books as I cross my fingers that Tom and Adilida as well as Nathan and Evelin will find their way back together. I suspect there will be several more books that will take us to, through, and past Civil war. I’ll want to read them all.
I just bought 1 and 2. They’ll join the queue of books on my Kindle which is growing yet again.
Just a dog chauffeur that used to hold the dumb end of the leash.
Mike Hammer was another one who was trading punches into his 90s. The character was a NYPD sergeant, back when it took a lot of years to get to that level, who enlisted in the Marines, fought at Guadalcanal and then got out and hung up his shingle.
Grafton did a wise thing that by keeping her series in the 1980s. But her last book or two had her carrying a gun that wasn't available in the 1980s and doing a NCIC check (ditto).
If we have to march off into the next world, let us walk there on the bodies of our enemies.
He kept changing wars that he fought in. Spenser went to fight bad guys with a lever action once, geezer. I'm getting a little saturated with the genius, fighting for good PI. Also, the flawed psycho or slightly inferior side kick.
Spenser had Hawk, Elvis Cole had Joe Pike, Alex Delaware and Milo. Now, Stone Barrington had Dino but the latter was more equal in comedy and not such an 'off' one as the others.
Lucas Davenport is really starting to show signs of aging, esp. after he managed to get himself shot.
Donald Westlake (writing as Richard Stark) very much wrapped up the Parker series after 16 books with 1974's excellent Butcher's Moon, but revived the character in 1997 for another eight novels starting with the fittingly named Comeback.
I reread the Parker books from time to time, but when I do I stop at Butcher's Moon, and I don't tend to recommend the books that follow. I may be an outlier there, as the revival was popular, and 2000's Flashfire was even adapted into the (mediocre) 2013 film Parker starring Jason Statham. But Parker belongs to an earlier time, and I can't picture him in a world with smartphones.
When Darwyn Cooke adapted the Parker books into graphic novels, he left them in the original era, and that was the right choice. And those graphic novels are fantastic.
"When the phone rang, Parker was in the garage, killing a man."
Even as a kid, I liked Conan (Howard, not Schwarzenegger) because he didn't have a trusty sidekick or a magic sword, etc.
Code Name: JET STREAM
WEB Griffin's Badge of Honor series was incredibly jarring when it jumped from the 70s to post 9/11 era. Most of the characters stayed the same age, it was just like boom same story but now its modern.
I'm re-reading the Corps series by him now. It'll be my 3rd or 4th read of the 10 book series.
I had to stop Badge of Honor due to that, it was ridiculous. I loved the Corps and the Army series, read them both at least twice. Evelyn Waugh's Sword of Honour series mentioned a few pages ago reminded me of Griffin a bit, you might enjoy it.
I liked for sword swinging the Elric of Melnibone books by Michael Moorcock. Stormbringer was quite the sword but don't trust it. It didn't work out for Elric or his sidekick Moonglum. I met Moorcock once. He moved from England to Bastrop, TX and did a reading at the local Barnes and Noble. One of my students baby sat his bets. Interesting guy.
For a new read on recommendation here - Jack Carr's James Recce books. Works for me.
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