Some good Summer reading recommendations
Posted By admin On 20. June 2008 @ 09:11 In Uncategorized | 1 Comment
Here are some good and some really good novels I’ve read that aren’t necessarily going to win the Pulitzer Prize, but are still definitely worth checking out:
John Rain series by Barry Eisler: This is a series of books about a reluctant assassin named John Rain. He’s good at killing for hire, but wants to get out of the business and, of course, keeps getting sucked back in. I think the series is well written and the plots keep moving along. Particularly interesting are the descriptions of his use of martial arts and his techniques for methodically planning a hit (purely of academic interest, I assure you).
[1]  |
Rain Fall (John Rain Thrillers) by Barry Eisler |
Quiller series by Adam Hall. This may be the single best series of books about a spy, other than the LeCarre books or Ian Fleming. Certainly as believable as LeCarre; James Bond is a great character, but he’s not what you would call even vaguely realistic. Quiller is an agent for the British Secret Service, and is sent into situations where he has to use his wits and his bare hands; he almost never uses a gun, believing that if one becomes dependent upon a gun, one only sees problems that can be solved with a weapon. ‘Adam Hall’ was a pseudonym for a famous author; I never found out who it was, but I think he’s quite a good writer for this genre of fiction. NOTE: this may not be the easiest series to find new, but it’s well worth reading either new or used; trust me.
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Quiller (Quiller series) by Adam Hall |
Dave Robicheaux novels by James Lee Burke. Though these books are about a detective living outside of New Orleans in the Bayou, Robicheaux is merely the focal lens through which larger issues and morality plays are worked out. Burke is a very good writer, and, though some of the novels in the series can drag in spots, he writes beautifully about people (like Robicheaux’s friend Cletus) and places. Also, unlike many novels with a law enforcement protagonist, bad things happen to Robicheaux and his family over the course of the series, which adds to a sense of realism about Robicheaux, his choices, and his afflictions.
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The Neon Rain: A Dave Robicheaux Novel by James Lee Burke |
"Altered Carbon" by Richard K. Morgan. Morgan is one of the finest science fiction writers to come along in a while, alongside such people as Iain Banks, William Gibson, John C. Wright, Neal Stephenson, Dan Simmons, and a few others. "Altered Carbon" is the first novel about a far-future detective named Takeshi Kovacs. In Kovacs’ universe, people travel from planet to planet without their bodies, and are ’sleeved’ in bodies they buy or rent or take over. This premise makes for some interesting plots and premises, but the series is far from dependent upon this one notion. Kovacs is a well-fleshed-out character (ironic, since he keeps changing bodies in every book) and one that definitely has a distinctive personality and voice. Morgan also wrote another, unrelated book, "Market Forces" which is also very good.
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Altered Carbon: A Takeshi Kovacs Novel (Takeshi Kovacs Novels) by Richard K. Morgan |
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Market Forces by Richard K. Morgan |
I’ll add some more in a future post. Try some of these–you won’t regret it.
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[11] james lee burke: http://technorati.com/tags/james%20lee%20burke
[12] dave robicheaux: http://technorati.com/tags/dave%20robicheaux
[13] john rain: http://technorati.com/tags/john%20rain
[14] barry eisler: http://technorati.com/tags/barry%20eisler
[15] rain fall: http://technorati.com/tags/rain%20fall
[16] richard k morgan: http://technorati.com/tags/richard%20k%20morgan
[17] altered carbon: http://technorati.com/tags/altered%20carbon
[18] market forces: http://technorati.com/tags/market%20forces
[19] takeshi kovacs: http://technorati.com/tags/takeshi%20kovacs
[20] iain banks: http://technorati.com/tags/iain%20banks
[21] john c. wright: http://technorati.com/tags/john%20c.%20wright
[22] quiller: http://technorati.com/tags/quiller
[23] adam hall: http://technorati.com/tags/adam%20hall
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