What are you reading?

[smittycl]

Atmospheric WWII espionage novels sounds nice (sometime in the late 70s, early 80s I read all the Alistair MacLean my library had to offer).

My Dad was a big Alistair MacLean fan so I read them all as well. That guys could write a tight story.

Lots of paperback in our house. Funny how his Harold Robbins books always opened to the same pages when set on the spine…

 

[Kaplan]

Richard Stark: The Hunter, 1962.

"If I know you, you want him for something he won't like."
"I'm going to kill him," Parker said.
She smiled, nodding. "There," she said. "That's something he won't like."

As Richard Stark Donald E Westlake wrote more than 20 Parker novels, this being the first. A revenge story, it interestingly changes its POV from the hunter to the hunted and back to the hunter. And uncharacteristically for a modern printing of an older book, this one comes with a rather attractive cover design, from The University of Chicago Press:

The ruthlessly efficient, highly amoral heist specialist inspired several movie adaptations (some French). Just from this one there was Payback with Mel Gibson from 1999 (kinda trashy but rather entertaining) and Point Blank with Lee Marvin from 1967 (a personal neo-noir favourite).

 

[Kaplan]

Robert E Howard: Kull, Exile of Atlantis, 1929-30.

"Kull might be the king of Valusia and the Pict might be an emissary to her courts, but there in the throne hall of kings, two tribesmen glowered at each other, fierce and wary, while ghosts of wild wars and world-ancient feuds whispered to each."

While an earlier text by Lord Dunsany might claim to be the source, it is with the stories of King Kull that Howard creates sword & sorcery - though the genre wouldn't get its name for another 30 years. Predating Conan, these stories are more experimental, showing Howard's interests in dream psychology and Shakespeare, but lacking some of the kinetic energy that came with Conan. This book collects everything Howard wrote about Kull: about 10 short stories, unfinished drafts and some poems. Only three Kull stories were published; one of the unsold ones (the awesome - and awesomely titled - By This Axe I Rule!) was later rewritten by Howard as the first Conan story The Phoenix on the Sword.

Like with Conan, the best edition to get is from Del Rey, an imprint of Penguin Random House, formerly Ballantine Books. This one is illustrated by Justin Sweet.

 

[smittycl]

Robert E Howard: Kull, Exile of Atlantis, 1929-30.

"Kull might be the king of Valusia and the Pict might be an emissary to her courts, but there in the throne hall of kings, two tribesmen glowered at each other, fierce and wary, while ghosts of wild wars and world-ancient feuds whispered to each."

While an earlier text by Lord Dunsany might claim to be the source, it is with the stories of King Kull that Howard creates sword & sorcery - though the genre wouldn't get its name for another 30 years. Predating Conan, these stories are more experimental, showing Howard's interests in dream psychology and Shakespeare, but lacking some of the kinetic energy that came with Conan. This book collects everything Howard wrote about Kull: about 10 short stories, unfinished drafts and some poems. Only three Kull stories were published; one of the unsold ones (the awesome - and awesomely titled - By This Axe I Rule!) was later rewritten by Howard as the first Conan story The Phoenix on the Sword.

Like with Conan, the best edition to get is from Del Rey, an imprint of Penguin Random House, formerly Ballantine Books. This one is illustrated by Justin Sweet.

Read all those as a kid. Loved the pulps too. Doc Savage, The Shadow, etc.

 

[smittycl]

When my all time fav novels. Article outside the paywall.

Edit: link not showing preview. Book is Bulgakov’s The Master and Margarita.

https://www.wsj.com/arts-culture/bo...jz41zclf7fu&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink

 

[Kaplan]

When my all time fav novels. Article outside the paywall.

Edit: link not showing preview. Book is Bulgakov’s The Master and Margarita.

https://www.wsj.com/arts-culture/bo...jz41zclf7fu&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink

Interesting. I've seen it mentioned a couple of times by now - by my two favourite booktubers and by Adam Roberts in his The History of Science Fiction 2nd Edition, which I recently finished.

Folio has a handsome edition.

 

[smittycl]

Interesting. I've seen it mentioned a couple of times by now - by my two favourite booktubers and by Adam Roberts in his The History of Science Fiction 2nd Edition, which I recently finished.

Folio has a handsome edition.

Mind the translation. Some are apparently poorly done. It’s a great novel and one that sticks with you.