Pulp Fiction discussion

Memory is a great existential novel, and in the end profoundly moving. It could change the way you look at life. How it could have been rejected in the 60s is beyond me; if it were not for Lawrence Block's memory, we might not have had the book to read at all.

Damnotion wrote: "Reading Stark's The Outfit now. I plan on making my way through the entire series in order (assuming the world doesn't end first). Not sure if I'll read the Grofield ones, though.

Also picked up 2..."

The Cutie I read under the title of The Smashers (it was also titled The Mercenaries). To this date it has been one of my favorite crime novel maybe ever. The story was excellent, fast paced, but the ending of the book was absolutely top shelf.

I recently finished Paul Cain's Fast One, which I reviewed at LibraryThing (where I keep my catalogue):

I am a huge fan of classic hard-boiled fiction, but damn, this is just impenetrable, full of passages like this:

--"Listen. Doc went to Perry's to see me...What for? I was with Jack Rose being propositioned to come in with him and Doc, on the Joanna. They're evidently figuring Fay and Hesse to make things tough and wanted me for a flash."--

and

--"Rose called Eddie O'Donnell and me after you left him this afternoon. He said Dave Perry had called while you were there - told him that Doc was at the joint in Hollywood waiting for you...Perry knew Rose was going to have Doc bumped - an' he knew Rose wanted to frame it for you...It looked like a good play."--

Hello, come again? Since there are no characters in this novel, only ciphers with names attached, all of this is literally impossible to follow. Although written in apparently grammatical English sentences, it might as well be Basque for all the sense one can make of it. "Fast One" has an abstract quality that some readers have championed, but I have not been able to get into it.

UPDATE: The bleak final chapter is memorable and gooses the rating a half-point. (2 1/2 out of 5)

Patrick wrote: "Memory is a great existential novel, and in the end profoundly moving. It could change the way you look at life. How it could have been rejected in the 60s is beyond me; if it were not for Lawrence..."

This novel is quite moving and although barely 1/2 through it (Cole has reached NYC) I'd consider this one of Westlake's greatest stand-alones.

I'll be interested to hear your final report.

Still wrote: "Patrick wrote: "Memory is a great existential novel, and in the end profoundly moving. It could change the way you look at life. How it could have been rejected in the 60s is beyond me; if it were ..."

I thought Memory was outstanding too. One of Westlake's best stand-alones without doubt.

Currently reading Hit Man , the first in the "Keller" series.

Patrick wrote: "I recently finished Paul Cain's Fast One, which I reviewed at LibraryThing (where I keep my catalogue):

I am a huge fan of classic hard-boiled fiction, but damn, this is just impenetrable, full of..."

Chandler might have been one of the few who liked it, since Fast One was so horribly received that he never wrote another. It's nearly always a problem when those pulp guys, no matter how good they were, tried to bring a string of stories together as Cain did there, to make it a novel. Chandler and Woolrich pulled it off, but not many others.

Patrick wrote: "I recently finished Paul Cain's Fast One, which I reviewed at LibraryThing (where I keep my catalogue):..."

I really enjoyed The Complete Slayers: Fast One and the Complete Short Stories of Paul Cain which was published several years ago by Centipede Press. I'll agree that Cain's writing is often quite spare, but I wound up giving the collection 5 stars in my review here:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Jim wrote: "Patrick wrote: "I really enjoyed [book:The Complete Slayers: Fast One and the Complete S..." I would give the stories a try, since I've gone this far and Cain's output is small.

Along with the Perry Mason novel, The Half Wakened Wife, and the David Dodge novel, The Long Escape, I'm continuing to slowly work my way through a Wildside Megapack of Fletcher Flora stories. He came late in the pulp cycle, so most of the stories are either from Manhunt, or Ellery Queen or Alfred Hitchcock magazines/digests. There are over twenty stories, so it's taking me some time, reading one every once in a while. Haven't come across a story yet that wasn't solid, and that I didn't like. As I Lie Dead is the best so far, just a fabulous and atmospheric piece that would have been perfect for a film noir tale in the late 1940s.

Fletcher Flora sounds great! A ton of his stuff is available at Scribd, which I subscribe to, so I immediately added his 1956 basketball novel The Hot Shot to my bookshelf and started the first chapter.

Patrick wrote: "Fletcher Flora sounds great! A ton of his stuff is available at Scribd, which I subscribe to, so I immediately added his 1956 basketball novel The Hot Shot to my bookshelf and started the first cha..."

I've got Park Avenue Tramp from Prologue, but wanted to at least be close to finishing his shorter stories in the Megapack from Wildside before reading that one. Not sure what's available on Scribd, but if As I Lie Dead is, definitely give that one a go! It's my favorite from the Megabuck so far.

The Megapack itself is on Scribd, as well as all the individual novels re-published by Prologue. The opening scene of The Hot Shot is a grabber that pulls you into the book straightaway, with a first-person voice that suggests a street-smart Holden Caulfield.

The Thin Man. This so far goes fairly hand and hand with the movie, which I absolutely love. I would say that the only difference (about a third of the way through) is less time given to Nora's dialogue as portrayed by Myrna Loy. However, still a treat to read.

PS: Was there a January read chosen? I have been in and out of the site and may have missed the choice.

Right now, I'm reading The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins which is really not very pulpy. But then again, it's not un-pulpy either.

I'm going to get to my library when they open on Tuesday to see if I can grab Dark Passage by David Goodis in preparation for the February discussion.

I am attempting to start The Pistoleer: A Novel of John Wesley Hardin

Finished The Drowning City .
Supposedly has something to do with Noir, though i can't see it.

ttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1857185828

Started "The Android's Dream" by John Scalzi - a futuristic, zany hardboiled investigation in which the detective must save the planet from an alien invasion after a diplomat is killed in an unorthodox way.
It's good to read a funny take on the genre after several dismal looks at the seedy side of the business.

finished Black Wings Has My Angel

Tim wrote: "finished Black Wings Has My Angel"

I'd like to read your review on this.
I enjoy other Goodreads members' takes on this novel.

Someone said this was made into a film - would anyone know the title of that movie?

I wasn't going to do one since so many others I follow had already, now that you mention it I will. Haven't reviewed very many, still new at it and am a better reader than reviewer, but I do need more practice doing them.

Well, since I am waiting for my my Postman book to arrive in the mail (some irony there), I will start another Craig Rice book. Absolutely love her Malone character, so I will go back to where it all began.8 Faces at 3

Bill wrote: "Well, since I am waiting for my my Postman book to arrive in the mail (some irony there), I will start another Craig Rice book. Absolutely love her Malone character, so I will go back to where it a..."

I love Rice, and especially her books with Malone. Screwball meets noir. No one ever pulled that off like Rice.

Bobby wrote: "Bill wrote: "Well, since I am waiting for my my Postman book to arrive in the mail (some irony there), I will start another Craig Rice book. Absolutely love her Malone character, so I will go back ..."

that sound right up my alley. must add Rice to my wishlist.

Still wrote: "Tim wrote: "finished Black Wings Has My Angel"

I'd like to read your review on this.
I enjoy other Goodreads members' takes on this novel.

Someone said this was made into a film - w..."

I don't think it's been made into a movie yet, but supposedly one's in the works:

http://www.comingsoon.net/movie/black...

Nancy wrote: "I don't think it's been made into a movie yet, but supposedly one's in the works:

http://www.comingsoon.net/movie/black..."

Thank you, Nancy!

Wow.
Check out the credits: Screenwriters: Barry Gifford, Christopher Peditto, Alfonso Pineda Ulloa

Also to star Tom Hiddleston - you gotta know Taylor Swift will either be happy or else write a mean song about it all.
Hope this is made soon.

Still wrote: "Nancy wrote: "I don't think it's been made into a movie yet, but supposedly one's in the works:

http://www.comingsoon.net/movie/black..."

Thank you, Nancy!

Wow.
Check out the credits: Screenwrit..."

I just hope they don't mess it up. Black Wings Has My Angel is an excellent novel - pretty much noir perfection, if you ask me.

The Outfit was very cool, of course. Now coincidentally I'm reading The Cocktail Waitress. Like it so far, although it's obviously not on the level of Postman.

I haven't read any of the Quarry books, but there's now a cable adaptation. I enjoyed the first episode, which can be seen gratis-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NpGH_...

I just finished Tarzan of the Apes by Edgar Rice Burroughs. Doesn't get much pulpier than that.

My 3-star review is here if anyone is interested: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Bosch #3....always a sucker for L.A. as a backdrop.

I just finished reading The Girl With The Deep Blue Eyes by Lawrence Block. I haven't read a lot of his stuff and I enjoyed it - a good story, but I find his style self-indulgent at times. He rambles and puts in irrelevant stuff and I thought some of the sex scenes were there for titillation value and not because they contributed to the story. And his female characters all tended to talk in the same way.

Robin wrote: "I just finished reading The Girl With The Deep Blue Eyes by Lawrence Block. I haven't read a lot of his stuff and I enjoyed it - a good story, but I find his style self-indulgent at times. He rambl..."

I think we picked this for our monthly group read about a year back. I remember liking the story a lot at the time, but I seem to have forgotten by now most of the plot details. I must either be getting old or reading too many similar stories.

I just finished Dark Passage, getting a jump on the FEB group read I suppose. Great stuff.

I finished The Cocktail Waitress, will be reading The Postman Always Rings Twice, from there on to Dark Passage, then I'll catch up on a monthly read I've missed, The Automatic Detective.

Reading Chandler's The High Window now. While it's not as interesting as his first two novels, it's certainly worth it for some quality banter and his loop-de-loop metaphors.

Just began reading Doll, by Ed McBain. An 87th Precinct novel that slipped by me somehow, I found a like-new paperback copy on ebay.au for a decent price and snatched it up. Gritty and tense opening, as good as any opening to an 87th I've read, so we'll see how the rest of it holds up.

Damnotion wrote: "Reading Chandler's The High Window now. While it's not as interesting as his first two novels, it's certainly worth it for some quality banter and his loop-de-loop metaphors."

I read The High Window last year and gave it 3 stars. I agree completely with you: After Farewell, My Lovely (my favorite in the series so far), The High Window was kind of a letdown but still overall well worth reading.

I'm currently finishing off a James M. Cain omnibus edition Three Complete Novels: The Postman Always Rings Twice/Mildred Pierce/Double Indemnity. Mildred Pierce is the only one of the three that I haven't yet read and I am really enjoying it a lot more than I expected to.

Randy wrote: .. The High Window was kind of a letdown but still overall well worth reading


Having completed it, I like it somewhat less now. Chandler made some puzzling decisions (the endless iterations of what had gone before), but his wit still made it readable.


Starting Grifter's Game now, by Lawrence Block (Hard Case Crime). Never read anything of his before.

Damnotion wrote: "Randy wrote: .. The High Window was kind of a letdown but still overall well worth reading


Having completed it, I like it somewhat less now. Chandler made some puzzling decisions (the endless ite..."

Read Griters Game myself recently. His first novel apparently. Originally titled Mona. HCC changed the title, as it was Block's preference.

Felt like a change, so am currently reading I Am Legend So far, so good.

Recently started the 87th Precinct series by Ed Mc Bain, only a little more than fifty of them to go..

Paul wrote: "Felt like a change, so am currently reading I Am LegendSo far, so good."

Read that a while back. I enjoy Matheson's writing style. I did think it's odd that the story I Am Legend that inspired so many zombie movies is actually about...vampires?

Randy wrote: "Paul wrote: "Felt like a change, so am currently reading I Am LegendSo far, so good."

Read that a while back. I enjoy Matheson's writing style. I did thin..."

Yeah, i can't stand zombie books or movies, with a VERY few exceptions.

Paul wrote: "Yeah, i can't stand zombie books or movies, with a VERY few exceptions."

I don't mind 'em. I like The Walking Dead a lot, both the comic book and the TV show. I'm worn out on vampires, especially the teenage variety. The last vampire film I watched was Hotel Transylvania 2. I'd enjoy seeing more like that one lol.

Used to read Horror (Vampires, etc) & things that go bump in the night, when i was a teenager. I'll still dip my toes into the genre from time to time.

Speaking of vampires though;

Charlie Huston's 'Joe Pitt' series was good. Also Brian Lumley's 'Necroscope' series. I would start with Vampire World I: Blood Brothers & read #7 & #8, maybe #9 also. Although starting with #6 in a series may seem odd, #6, #7 & #8 can be read as a stand-alone trilogy. I read some of the other books in the Necroscope series, but didn't like them as much as the 3 i have mentioned.
I've only read one zombie book & that was a stand-alone & really enjoyed it, but can't for the life of me remember the author's name or the title.

Paul wrote: "Used to read Horror (Vampires, etc) & things that go bump in the night, when i was a teenager. I'll still dip my toes into the genre from time to time.

Speaking of vampires though;

Charlie Huston..."

Thanks for the suggestions. I added them to my wish list.

I finished a couple books recently. First is Three Complete Novels: The Postman Always Rings Twice/Mildred Pierce/Double Indemnity, a great omnibus of James M. Cain's greatest novels. Here is my review.
Next is Gorky Park, the first book in the popular Arcady Renko series. My impression is that its pace was as glacial as the Siberian steppes. Here is my review.

Paul wrote: "Read Griters Game myself recently. His first novel apparently. Originally titled Mona. HCC changed the title, as it was Block's preference. "

I'm almost done with it and I can say it's very enjoyable. Enough so that I'll seek out his other Hard Case Crime titles. I've read that Block's later, more popular works are pretty different (and duller?).

Next I will try The Friends of Eddie Coyle.


As far as Matheson, I've read Legend and Hell House. Legend is the better of the 2, but Hell House isn't bad. I don't read much horror because it just doesn't typically work for me on the page. I prefer it splashed on the screen.