The culmination of multiple volumes of 'The Loner' series is worth the wait. Wasn't sure if this was going to drag to the end of the series at times aThe culmination of multiple volumes of 'The Loner' series is worth the wait. Wasn't sure if this was going to drag to the end of the series at times and a few volumes could have been done without. In the end, the volumes were were the reading.
This finally pitches the star and his side kick into San Francisco, where the main character alters his ways. In other instances, when a threat is leveled, he pulls his gun and discards the threat. In this episode, he doesn't. Many times. Some of which include convenient times he doesn't have a gun. Obviously this is all to get the story wanted. The irregular character as a story device was disappointing. Though does make the character more realistic.
There's a cacophony of activity included. Quite a load of characters and locations. The approach is more pulp than western, which is refreshing, but inconsistent from the previous books.
Overall this is a fine tale and a step above the previous entries.
Bottom line: I recommend this book. 7 out of ten points.
Merged review:
The culmination of multiple volumes of 'The Loner' series is worth the wait. Wasn't sure if this was going to drag to the end of the series at times and a few volumes could have been done without. In the end, the volumes were were the reading.
This finally pitches the star and his side kick into San Francisco, where the main character alters his ways. In other instances, when a threat is leveled, he pulls his gun and discards the threat. In this episode, he doesn't. Many times. Some of which include convenient times he doesn't have a gun. Obviously this is all to get the story wanted. The irregular character as a story device was disappointing. Though does make the character more realistic.
There's a cacophony of activity included. Quite a load of characters and locations. The approach is more pulp than western, which is refreshing, but inconsistent from the previous books.
Overall this is a fine tale and a step above the previous entries.
Bottom line: I recommend this book. 7 out of ten points....more
This is one of the best written Johnstone Clan books I've ever read. It's like a couple other Johnstone books I've read this past year breaking from tThis is one of the best written Johnstone Clan books I've ever read. It's like a couple other Johnstone books I've read this past year breaking from the Johnstone format in style of writing and construction. It's more structured as a sprawling Michener or du Maurier novel. As, clearly, the Johnstone Clan have had their books stretched in length and most of the ghost writers are stumbling by needlessly padding their tales, this ghost writer demonstrates the ability to pace the plot and writing to fit the extended length.
The writing is very tight and well done. Better than the original William Johnstone written books. There's the snap in the prose. Not even sure in the few hundred Johnstone Clan books I've read such. It's a shining direction for the Johnstone Clan to take, if they can keep the writer writing at the ridiculous amount of books being pumped out.
The actual plot is pretty simple, once the book gets to it: Go get characters. The vast complications and all it takes to get to the plot are well connected. Another oddity of the book are the large amount of individuals that are come across. THAT I've never read in a western book - fiction or non-fiction. There are so many people wandering around, it's like a paired down Grand Central Station in the late 1800s.
The resolution to the book is a complicated labyrinth that gets all together in a very interesting way to finish the book. Nicely done.
There is a bunch of history laid out throughout. I'm a Florida historian. i know of our U.S. history west of the Mississippi, but much written I'll have to rely on the writing to know of what they write. One thing mentioned I know to be wrong is one character to be written in their 20s spouting Darwin. That's mighty impossible in the late 1800s. Especially as the character is written as a late 1800s hippie. Apparently access to libraries out of the question. Even those with access to libraries would have had trouble knowing what the character stated in the book, conjuring views of Henry Wallace and Herbert Spencer. Part of what is written was slow to cross the pond to reach the U.S., much less the hidden dusty corners of the U.S. & Mexican border at the setting of the novel. Another issue being that the ideas not only not being accepted to pass around the U.S. at the time. It does, then, raise question as to other history included. I'll let those wiser than me of U.S. western history respond to that.
Bottom line: I recommend this book. 10 out of ten points. Access to the book to review is via Netgalley.com...more
As focused as Hill writes one should be could only move one forward while keeping the list of 10 in mind. Re-reading/listening every few months is alsAs focused as Hill writes one should be could only move one forward while keeping the list of 10 in mind. Re-reading/listening every few months is also essential. I first read this some 35 years ago. I shoulda been re-reading since. i did not.
The book and others of hill and others did get me going at a young age. Marriage, children and life has a way of dislodging the greatest focus. Now workign through a 6th decade, I best revisit this volume more often.
For those younger, heed my note. Re-read or listen occasionally. The focus will get you far.
Bottom line: I recommend this book. 10 out of ten points....more
This newest volume from O'Reilly and Dugard is a culmination of biographies of the entire line of U.s. Presidents. This is approached in the same stylThis newest volume from O'Reilly and Dugard is a culmination of biographies of the entire line of U.s. Presidents. This is approached in the same style as the 'Killing' books. I'm not nutty about the style in creating the 'Killer' books. In this case, it works very well. There's just enough to bring the reader to learn bits they not likely not knew and intriguing enough to have the reader want to search for more resources to learn more.
Each president is handled evenly. There are a couple tacked with extraneous gossip that might've been best left out. Otherwise, the lot are well worth reading and learning from. Taking the book in it's entirety really brings to the reader how American life has altered over the centuries. Further, it demonstrates the will and wants of the American people from president to president to president.
I heard o'Reilly state readers could read of the presidents they wanted or jump from one to another. I believe best to read this as a whole to get a true perspective of the time span involved and the great span of presidents the United States has experienced due to voting by the American people.
This book was listened to in this case. I usually can't get through audio books well. Again, the presentation worked for me to listen. The audio version was made avialble via netgalley in exchange for a review.
Bottom line: I recommend this book. 10 out of ten points. Review copy available via NetGalley.com...more
Prologue's cover makes this book sound far better than it was.
This is my first Richard Deming novel, I believe, I found it written by the numbers: GuPrologue's cover makes this book sound far better than it was.
This is my first Richard Deming novel, I believe, I found it written by the numbers: Gun play, sex, mob, try to make hero sound between the law. The plotting is clunky with the main character being written following a certain credo and then same character is written not to follow credo. Sloppy stuff.
With a predictable plot, sloppily written with a predictable ending, I end with....
Bottom line: I don't recommend this book. 4 out of ten points....more
I admit to being very busy and more distracted than usual. I missed something that i wouldn't have missed if I'd been paying more attention. Good way I admit to being very busy and more distracted than usual. I missed something that i wouldn't have missed if I'd been paying more attention. Good way to kick me in the pants to wake up. Thus, the book caught me off guard with the conclusion, though it's a plot element often used. I thought I'd see more reviewers anticipate the ending, but , apparently, not. Could it also that McBain was putting us chain readers to such comfort we aren't trying to get ahead of him?
The plotting and storytelling are expertly handled. The dialogue is even better than usual. The pitter-patter of Bert Kling and the saucy dame is perfect. Just a really solid novel.
Bottom line: i recommend this book. 10 out of ten points....more
This is one mish-mash disaster. I haven't read the book that preceded this one and, likely, not to. Seems it's retold in this volume anyway. I do belieThis is one mish-mash disaster. I haven't read the book that preceded this one and, likely, not to. Seems it's retold in this volume anyway. I do believe the Johnstone Clan need to consider having multiple stories in a volume to meet their new expanded length. However, this is not what I meant. This volume has two and a half stories smooshed together in a hard to decipher pool of icy mess. I get that the 2 1/2 stories have characters related, but the stories otherwise aren't related and become excess baggage to wade through.
There's a story in the present that, according to another review I read, is a repeat of the first book. Worse, to me, this is a poor telling of a kidnapping. The Johnstone ghost writer seems confused as to writing of the 1800s or the 21st century. The story set in current times is an oddity as the characters are cut off due to a snow storm and are written as if dazed and confused as a set of Florida natives in the same setting. Yet, as it is written, they've been through all this before. Not just the snow, but a kidnapping. There's odd handling of characters written as if bad guys but not handled as such and ... I was getting confused with it all.
Making it worse is then another story stepping back 100+ years in the same place and more understandably confused souls as to winter goings on. Me confused is that the names are the same as the story set in the present, but with the ones written as bad guys are actually good as with the ones in the present who are good, but are they bad and don't know how to travel in winter, but do know how to and the Canadian border and sheriff's offices where schools were...
THEN there's still another-kinda, sorta- story set even further back with the same names that are good, but bad, but there's winter and this one goes that way and this one goes....
I really wanted to throw the book out a window!
Something of the same names: The same LAST names of main characters. It's the first names that further screw things up: Keme, Samoset, Chogan, Powaw, Grubstake and more ridiculous names that the writer must have known would frustrate a reader trying to plow through 2 1/2 stories to the end. I wanted to escape to the Canadian border! There's one sentence in the book where 5 names are written in the narrative. Was this ghost writer out to plunder us all and is laughing in their ghost writing room?
Further making this worse is the length of all this mush. A better idea would've been to have 3 - separate - stories in one volume. Though, the writer still is not in the upper echelon of Johnstone Clan writers.
Bottom line: i don't recommend this book. 2 out of ten points. This book was available to review via NetGalley. I admit there have been a number of bad Johnstone books out recently to review. The largest set I've come across in the few hundred I've read. Coming across two outstanding Johnstone Clan books, had me feel better to turn in a set of bad reviews....more
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