Wolfe has been a very fun writer since the 60s and many literary people cannot ...
348980
Wow - if you always had the feeling that the whole art scene was basically a scam, a PR enterprise, a hot air furnace, then this is the book for you. Wolfe has been a very fun writer since the 60s and many literary people cannot forgive him his glibness so they pretend he's a lightweight - but he's not. Bonfire of the Vanities is one of the best sociological studies of the New York scene that you'll ever read. And Painted Word is the product of an amazing amount of knowledge and familiarity about the art scene and its protagonists. From that basis, he simply pulls back the proverbial curtain to reveal that, as I've been maintaining since I reached the age of reason, Bulls*** Reigns Supreme!
BTW - I'm in the middle of "From Bauhaus to Our House" and when I'm finished I'd love to go back to the university with my new ammunition!
2882970
Wolfe expresses the richness of American culture from a perspective not many authors could pull off. His writing style is almost harried but comes with such breadth it flows like honey..
684232
Gene Wolfe loves to write stories that can be rather complex. Take&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/There-Are-Doors/dp/0312872305/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">There Are Doors</a>&nbsp;which can be read as either the tale of a man traveling to alternate Earth, or can be read as the fantasies of a madman.

Pirate Freedom, while still containing some mysterious and unexplained elements, is fairly straightforward for a Gene Wolfe novel. It might be a good "beginning" novel for people wishing to start exploring the works of this fantasy/science fiction genre master.

There is plenty of action and adventure, a good romance, a strong heroine, and a quite likeable hero in Chris.

Wolfe deconstructs the myths and legends of pirates, showing us the "reality" of pirate life - the multicultural nature of the crews, the difficulties and dangers of the life (as well as how in many ways it was easier than serving on a merchant or military ship for the common sailors), and even how some pirates were female.

I really enjoyed this book, but am knocking it down to four stars as the author did get too talking a bit too much about his views on current affairs (such as issues involving Catholic priests preying upon the young)for my personal tastes. A lot of authors seem to be inserting their political views in their fiction these days, and I find it to be a turn off, as I read to escape.
766880
I found the descriptions and the way of Mr. Wolfe's writing to be entertaining and fun.  His book did not teach me much in the way other books have.  But it did make me read its lengthy pages with its gripping  story.  A Man In Full is a storyteller's book.  A nice comment on society  of the upper class, but nothing catostrophic revealed.  Sometimes overly  verbose and repetitive.  But even with a minor fault (and what book doesn't  have them?) it was a fast and interesting read.
4827280
If Monty Python had taken their Novel Writing Sketch, sprinkled it with zombies, and set it in the age of independent publishing, they mightve come up with Hugh Howey Must Die! Written in under 30 hours as part of the #NaNoWriWee (National Novel Writers Weekend), HHMD is a fun romp that lampoons familiar faces (Piers Morgan, J.K. Rowling), turns the notion of mindless zombies on its literal (and literary) head, and tickles the funny bone on just about every page.

Lovers of literature (and pretty much anyone with a sense of humor) will get a kick out of this farcical look at some of the current trends in popular culture. The zombie craze, how we puff up celebrity authors of questionable talent, conspiracy theorists, and military stereotypes (think Pythons silly colonel or Dr. Strangelove) all get doused with a little satire and set on fire. The author, Michael Bunker, is well known for injecting his fiction with honest (and not always popular) conviction, and some of thats evident here too. But the laughs are so frequent and good naturedBunkers lampooning hit me a bit like seeing my favorite celebrity icon rendered in an artists caricature, with self-evident features exaggerated to comedic effectthat its hard not to laugh along with him.

One of the nice things about the piece is that it reads like an extended short story. At 30,000 words its actually novella length, but the laughs and quick prose stylethe last, no doubt, an attribute of the 30-hour writing deadlinekeep the action moving quickly. A reader can easily knock this out in an afternoon, and the single-session read only helps compound the laugh-riot effect.

If you like satire, literature, popular culture and, oh yeah, zombies, give this a read. Id be surprised if you got through the free sample before deciding to buy the whole book.
4832515
A better-than-average plot combined with some well-drawn peripheral characters (including a woman who is older and plumper than Archie's usual tastes, but who impresses him with her brains and character) make this an unusually good Wolfe novel. Even the introduction is interesting.
2787240
"Most writers look like writers whether they want to or not. It is hard to say why - for they model their exteriors whimsically on Wall Street brokers, cattle kings or English explorers - but they all turn out looking like writers, as definitely typed as 'The Public' or 'The Profiteers' in the cartoons."

This collection of humorous stories would be 5 star if written by anyone else. F. Scott Fitzgerald has done so much better that I could only give this a 4 star.

Pat Hobby is a 49 year old screen writer who has been in pictures for 19 years. He is on the outs with most of the studios and is lucky to get $250 a week and an office every once in awhile. These stories were written when Fitzgerald was trying to make a living at the studios so this is partially autobiographical, but mostly a satiric take of what working in Hollywood was like.

My favorite stories are "Two Old Timers" and "Pat Hobby and Orson Welles".

The Old Timers are Pat and Phil Macedon an aging film star, who have a car accident and get picked up and put in jail to check on their alcohol content. It's quite funny and displays the special treatment "movie stars" enjoyed in Hollywood.

The Orson Welles story is very good. Welles at this time was known as the boy wonder and his arrival in Hollywood with a $150,000 paycheck was making screenwriters and studio heads worry over his changes to studios and movies themselves. Pat is having a tough time even getting on a studio to pitch a storyline so he gets talked into dressing like Orson and the reactions from people are hilarious.

These stories are a great diversion and originally appeared in the 1940's in Esquire magazine. Pat is a very likeable character even if he was a bit of a drunk and slacker.
729748
I liked Back to Blood a lot, but I didn't love it as much as some of Wolfe's others.  Among Wolfe books, it was far better than I Am Charlotte Simmons, not as good as Bonfire of the Vanities (but, Bonfire is one of my all time favorites, so is a bit hard to match) or The Right Stuff, and about on par with A Man In Full.

Back to Blood is typical Tom Wolfe - both in the writing style (which is over the top at times with all the repeating repeating repeating repeating words) and in his satirical skewering of social phenomena.  In Back to Blood, his poison pen focuses on cigarette boats (and their owners), the high end art world (particularly Art Basel Miami, the contemporary art show), TV doctors ("shloctors"), and reality TV.  Wolfe also added a billionaire art collector and his psychiatrist, Russian oligarchs, and a Haitian brother and sister to his two primary characters (a young, Cuban cop and his hometown girlfriend) to spice things up.

This book is a true caricature of a city - but is a little light on plot.  I personally didn't mind the slim plot because I enjoyed learning about the political and racial dynamics in Miami, found the city caricature fascinating, and thought his character development was exceptional.  But, readers should take Back to Blood for the city caricature that it is and go in with their eyes open.

I would recommend this book to previously established Tom Wolfe fans, but, if you're a Wolfe rookie, don't make this one your maiden voyage.

For more reviews, check out my blog, Sarah's Book Shelves.
765685
Ernest Hemingway was the writer I idolized the most when I was going to school and reading the great writers. It was Hemingway and Faulkner at the top, and nobody else quite ascended to their lofty perch. Hemingway developed a style of writing stripped of excessive descriptions combined with the deft, almost unnoticed repetition of key words. His contribution to literature as a stylist is incalculable. He taught twentieth-century authors how to write dialog, and his influence on famous writers around the globe outshines perhaps that of anyone else. This simple yet power-packed method of writing has aged well over the years, and the stories don't seem dated at all to modern readers. Although he wrote several highly regarded novels, many believe Hemingway's terse, no-frills writing style was best suited for short stories, and the evidence in this volume is hard to argue with.  I'll highlight a few of his most famous stories:

The Snows of Kilimanjaro

Harry, a failed writer, ruminates on his wasted literary talent while on safari in Africa. His leg has become infected and he awaits a plane to take him away for medical treatment before his health becomes critical. After he reminisces about many things in his life he could have written about but didn't, the plane finally arrives to pick him up, and what a ride it is! This is an example of what Hemingway called the "wow" ending, and this just may be the best that was ever written. I can't imagine anyone interested in literature not having read this story.

The Short, Happy Life of Francis McComber

Did she or didn't she? McComber and his wife are on safari in Africa, led by a veteran guide who knows how to hunt and how to accommodate tourists looking for a bit of adventure. Like Snows, the ending is shrouded in mystery as the reader is left wondering why things ended the way they did, and who's to blame.

The Killers

Hemingway often wrote according to the principles of his famous "iceberg theory": "There is seven-eighths of it underwater for every part that shows," he said. "Anything you know you can eliminate and it only strengthens your iceberg." This iceberg method of writing is showcased in "The Killers," of which Hemingway said he left out more than just about any other story he wrote. On one level, the story is about a boxer who got on the wrong side of the mob in 1930s Chicago; on another, it refers to Hemingway's literary battle with his mentor, Sherwood Anderson. The scholarly critics are still scratching their heads over this masterpiece.

Big Two-Hearted River

Nick Adams, back home from the war, fishes and eats in a ritualistic manner that suggests he has suffered some sort of psychological trauma that he needs to overcome. But was the problem induced by the barbarism of war or by earlier family-related ordeals?

This is one of a handful of the best short story collections out there. Don't miss it.
4161021
Michael Andre-Driussi needs no introduction to anyone who has so much as dabbled in the world of Wolfe scholarship and criticism (and oh, what a world it is!) thanks in large part to his indispensable companion to the Book of the New Sun, Lexicon Urthus. This short collection of some of Andre-Driussi's other writings on Wolfe runs the gamut from book reviews to scholarly essays, some of which are still available to read online, while others appear only in out of print or hard to find volumes.

Of particular excellence are the essays further exploring BoTNS itself, "A Closer Looks at the Brown Book,""Gene Wolfe at the Lake of Birds,""Posthistory 101," and "Lions and Tigers and Bears ... of the New Sun." The last essay especially, with its examination of the symbolism of bears as threshold guardians and felines as benign or helpful figures, makes me want to race back and read BoTNS all over again. Indeed, while some of the material in this collection might be only of interest to completists, the core articles and musings on Wolfe should offer a great deal of insight to any more-than-casual fan of Gene Wolfe. And, while this collection may be aimed at a rather specialized audience, Andre-Driussi's writing is accessible and polished, and he makes his points with a clarity that is often lacking in literary criticism.

Highly recommended for fans of Wolfe and BoTNS in particular; and possibly a nice place to start one's reading *about* Wolfe for those looking to take the plunge into the dazzling world of lupine scholarship.
718407
In 1975, not long before he died, ninety-four year old P. G. Wodehouse wrote of Rex Stout:  "He passes the supreme test of being rereadable.  I don't know how many times I have reread the Nero Wolfe stories, but plenty.  I know exactly what is coming and how it is all going to end, but  it doesn't matter.  That's writing."
I have just finished reading  Anne George's book MURDER SHOOTS THE BULL.  I had already read this book  twice {in manuscript} and while it changed dramatically between the first  and second manuscript, there was very little change in this reading.  I  could hardly put the book down.  I did know what was coming and how it was  going to end, but the writing compelled me to read as if it were new.
For  those of you who have not yet read it:  be certain that you do not miss  this book.  I think you  will like it better that the earlier ones.  It has  all the elements they have -- well developed and interesting characters;  vividly drawn settings; realistic conversations (convincingly Southern with  no attempt to be phonetically so); pleasing, elegant language, and  exhilarating humor (LOL funny).  In addition, SHOOTS THE BULL has lots of  plot.  I have never missed the plot as I read the Southern Sisters' books,  but it is gratifying to have one this time.
I don't want to give away  that plot, but a few hints may be all right.  Patricia Anne and Mary Alice  are just as busy here as they have been on previous outings.  They join an  investment club at the suggestion of Mitzi, Patricia Anne's next door  neighbor.  Before long they are involved in another murder--one they  witness in a Chinese restaurant.  The murderer, police believe, is Arthur,  Mitzi's husband.  The girls cannot believe that Arthur, who is almost  unbelievably naive, is guilty and set about "helping" solve the  crime.  There are many family distractions, as usual.  Mary Alice has a new  friend and "may" be engaged.  Bubba Cat still sits on his heating  pad; Muffin is making herself at home; and Woofer -- well, Woofer is bit by  a possum and has to go to the hospital, but he recovers well and retreats  to his igloo dog house as soon as he gets home.  Of course everything works  out just so, and the girls prevail again.  All that is missing is the  recipe for Henry's chicken pot pie.
Anne George loves words.  She likes  puns.  She tells a good story.  She enjoys humor.  Read MURDER SHOOTS THE  BULL to enjoy the subtlety of a superior wordsmith.
3297272
A premise: I love Tom Wolfe's essays, I consider him brilliant. He's introduced a whole new style to very serious fiction, making it light and engaging. Very clever. And in this book, he's true to himself, as always giving us a light, engaging, fun read. Pity it's outdated, which I why I can't give it 5 stars. It really is incomplete and there are many aspects of contemporary art that are not properly taken into consideration. The fundamental variance between Picasso and Duchamp is missing, body art is not included as are many other current forms of contemporary art. Perhaps this is not so surprising considering he wrote this essay back in the 1970s...And it still manages to be highly relevant which is why it fully deserves its 4 stars!
391063
If Gene Wolfe's BOOK OF THE NEW SUN stood alone, towering over a vast field of L. Ron Hubbard "blockbusters" and the latter works of Piers Anthony, surrounded by the worst of the Star Trek and Star Wars  novels, the existence of science-ficton would be justified, and its glory  established forever.  Wolfe's four-volume work is, of course, one novel.  It is also one of the finest works of 20th century literature.  As usual,  Wolfe brings the powers of a Dickens, a Proust, a Kafka, (in other words, a  unique genius like and yet unlike every other unique genius) to bear on his  subject matter, and here the subject matter is memory, space, time, sin and  redemption, God and Man.  This is the Book of Gold, and its beauty and  strength is great.  It is worthwhile to note the high praise given to  Wolfe's work even (perhaps especially?) by critics who profoundly disagree  with his moral and metaphysical aims--Ian Watson, roughly, said that Wolfe  has re-written the New Testament, only with better prose and a nicer sense  of structure.  I disagree--but imagine the kind of book that can bring  forth such claims when ideological sympathy is not a contributing factor.  Read Wolfe!
1754835
Rex Stout is a genius---I loved this book.  It's tight, fast-flowing, seamless, and tension-filled.  I read it in a day or so, and enjoyed the diversion it provided.  The characters are distinct and colorful (especially Stout's alter-ego, the 350-pound private detective, Nero Wolfe), the clues are tantalizing, and the drama is excellent.

For a book written sixty years ago---this is a real winner.

As a kid I used to love the Encyclopedia Brown stories.  Now I have Rex Stout's Nero Wolfe mysteries to fill an adult version of the same niche...
2126357
This is a very funny book, and very well written.  Westphal is clearly a skilled and witty writer.  In the interest of full disclosure, I know Chris Westphal.  He and I met while working on a joint activity having nothing to do with books.  Upon hearing I was an avid reader, he gave me a copy, as I had no idea he was a writer.  I resisted reading it for a few weeks fearing I wouldn't care for it and would not know what to say to him, so I read it with some trepidation.  It turned out to be hard to put down, and very funny besides.  It also sounds rather well researched, with background material about international politics and Hollywood that rings true to the era (the early '80s).  I am happy to recommend this book to anyone, and would have said the same even if I didn't know the author.  And I'll tell him this the next time I see him!
914193
MIKE NELSON'S DEATH RAT is the story of an aging history writer who decides to write a thriller after being inspired by the assembly line of Tom Clancy hardware-stories.  But in order to appeal to today's discriminating book-reader who bases their purchases on what the author's bio picture looks like, author Pontius Feeb decides to hire a young, rugged-looking young man to claim authorship of the work.  Naturally, hilarity ensues when the publishers accidentally market the book as a non-fiction tome, which is complicated by the fact that Feeb has a written a story about a supernatural giant rat.  This short summary should give you at least a glimpse into the madness that lies within this book.
I was a fan of Mike Nelson's first two collections of essays (MIKE NELSON'S MOVIE MEGACHEESE and MIKE NELSON'S MIND OVER MATTERS) as well as his work on the late, great "Mystery Science Theater 3000".  Nelson's distinctive style is all over this book, which is most welcome.  His narrative voice is unmistakable; I could imagine some of the paragraphs coming straight from an unused skit or riff on MST3k.
Remember during the MST3k host segments how every secondary character was played by the same handful of actors?  There's something similar going on here, but it's more concentrated than that.  All the characters act like aspects of Mike Nelson.  There's Mike Nelson as the confused old man; Mike Nelson as the young college boys; Mike Nelson as a country yokel; Mike Nelson doing a Jesse Ventura impersonation; etc.  This, of course, isn't a bad thing, just a little confusing at times.  Mike Nelson is a funny, funny man, so anything that brings more of him into the novel can only be considered a good thing.
Nelson's prose style is highly amusing.  He has a wonderful knack of taking small ordinary pieces of human interaction, blowing them up to cosmic proportions, and then deflating them with a clever turn of phrase.  He's so effective at this, that I actually found it a bit distracting at first.  It seemed to me that the humorous plot was being tripped up and slowed down by the language quirks and the diversions.  After a few chapters though, I settled in and was able to adjust to Nelson's writing style.
The plot is entertaining, the prose is grin-inducing, the characters are hilarious and the satire is wonderful.  I get the impression that because I don't live in or near Minnesota, I may have missed a few of the celebrity skewerings.  However, there's more than enough funny material here to keep me happy.  I laughed out loud many times while reading this, which is the best judge of whether a comedy book has succeeded.
4231983
L. Ron Hubbard is well known in the Science Fiction community as "the world's most prolific dead author," but perhaps his greatest contribution to the genre is the Writers of the Future contest.

This program is open to new writers only, and all work is reviewed by noted SF authors, anonymously (the submissions are numbered & coded.) The best from each quarter are chosen, and there are monetary prizes for the quarterly and annual winners. Part of the prize is that the work is published at the end of the year in that years book. Another part is that the winners are flown to LA for the awards ceremony.

Thus, each volume is completely full of new, unpublished work, by new authors chosen by the best writers in the field.

This is great for readers, because it ensures that nearly any fan will find a good proportion of the volume to be of interest to them, and the entire volume is full of well written stories. Interspersed in the book are how-to tips for new authors, so the book functions as a mini-textbook on SF writing, with articles about the business and well-written stories to demonstrate good writing.

But that is not the best part, the best part is that the program encourages new writers in the best possible mannerit pays them well for their work and publicizes it.

Over the 2+ decades that the program has run, it has launched a sizable number of new SF authors into their careers.

Any volume of this series is full of good reads, and they are often very fresh views in a field which has, over the decades, ranged from fresh and experimental to stodgy and hidebound. If you haven't read a particular volume, you cannot go wrong in reading it.

Algis Budrys, the editor for the past few years, is well known as both a writer and editor in the SF field.