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review 2018-09-08 00:00
The Invisible Code
The Invisible Code - Christopher Fowler If The Invisible Code is an example, Mr. Fowler and I are well on our way to being good friends.

This book is a delight. It's about two old guys (Bryant and May) — detectives with the Peculiar Crimes division in London. Toss in a few deaths and three "witches" and precocious children and ... well, you get the idea. But storyline aside, what caused me to laugh out loud was Fowler's use of language, particularly the dialogue he wrote for the detectives. He simply nails it.

Now, I'm a fan of the elderly anyway and have spent many hours listening to my eighty-five-year-old Dad. I know lots of "vintage" characters — sweethearts and curmudgeons (and several who are both simultaneously). But I think Fowler beautifully conveys the idiosyncrasies, flaws, and value of Bryant and May (and their generation as a whole), and portrays the relationship between the long-time friends and police partners believably. He also treats the characters with respect, but not in a patronizing way.

This was such a good read that when I finished it last night about 11:00, I promptly ordered the rest of the series — all nine or ten of them.

Highly recommended.
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review 2018-07-11 10:54
"Full Dark House - Bryant & May #1" by Christopher Fowler - DNF - reluctantly abandoned at 37%
Full Dark House - Christopher Fowler

The premise behind this book was intriguing: a Peculiar Crimes Unit, set up during the Blitz quietly to handle crimes that might undermine civilian morale, leaving lots of room for Mulder-meets-British-stiff-upper-lip humour.

 

The Unit is led by Bryant: an eccentric, ostentatiously intuitive, tactless, scarf-wearing, driven twenty-two-year-old who is more comfortable with exotic books than with ordinary people. His newly-hired first-day-on-the-job side-kick is the enthusiastic, scientifically-minded, charming, good-looking nineteen-year-old May, brought in as a detective despite his lack of experience because all the experienced people have left to fight the Germans.

 

The overall effect was that of a frenetic young "Dr Who" meeting "Endeavour".

I liked the spirit of it. It would make great television. It didn't hold my attention as a book.

 

The opening, in London in the 1990s when Bryant and May are still serving officers although they are both beyond the normal retirement age, didn't quite work for me. It asked me to care too much about characters I'd barely met. I had no context and so didn't get the emotional impact of the devastating fire-bomb.

 

Once the story flipped to London during the Blitz it hit its stride. The writing was strong on visuals, a little predictable on dialogue and way out there on the weirdness of plot.

 

The problem I had was that this retrospective visit to London felt a little too cosy and too nostalgic, a feeling that was amplified by the "Mystique of the Theatre" riff. The murder was surprisingly gruesome but carried little emotional impact.

 

I abandoned the book when my irritation with the changing points of view, sliding timelines and self-consciously look-how-clever-but-quaint-we-were-back-then technology innovations overwhelmed my interest in who had what to whom and why.

 

I'm sure many people will enjoy this. Maybe I'd have ridden with it more easily if there was an all-cast audio version but the text by itself didn't hold me.

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review 2018-07-11 00:00
Full Dark House (Bryant & May, # 1)
Full Dark House (Bryant & May, # 1) - Christopher Fowler The premise behind this book was intriguing: a Peculiar Crimes Unit, set up during the Blitz quietly to handle crimes that might undermine civilian morale, leaving lots of room for Mulder-meets-British-stiff-upper-lip humour.

The Unit is led by Bryant: an eccentric, ostentatiously intuitive, tactless, scarf-wearing, driven twenty-two-year-old who is more comfortable with exotic books than with ordinary people. His newly-hired first-day-on-the-job side-kick is the enthusiastic, scientifically-minded, charming, good-looking nineteen-year-old May, brought in as a detective despite his lack of experience because all the experienced people have left to fight the Germans.

The overall effect was that of a frenetic young "Dr Who" meeting "Endeavour".

I liked the spirit of it. It would make great television. It didn't hold my attention as a book.

The opening, in London in the 1990s when Bryant and May are still serving officers although they are both beyond the normal retirement age, didn't quite work for me. It asked me to care too much about characters I'd barely met. I had no context and so didn't get the emotional impact of the devastating fire-bomb.

Once the story flipped to London during the Blitz it hit its stride. The writing was strong on visuals, a little predictable on dialogue and way out there on the weirdness of plot.

The problem I had was that this retrospective visit to London felt a little too cosy and too nostalgic, a feeling that was amplified by the "Mystique of the Theatre" riff. The murder was surprisingly gruesome but carried little emotional impact.

I abandoned the book when my irritation with the changing points of view, sliding timelines and self-consciously look-how-clever-but-quaint-we-were-back-then technology innovations overwhelmed my interest in who had what to whom and why.

I'm sure many people will enjoy this. Maybe I'd have ridden with it more easily if there was an all-cast audio version but the text by itself didn't hold me.
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review 2018-07-11 00:00
Full Dark House (Bryant & May, # 1)
Full Dark House (Bryant & May, # 1) - Christopher Fowler The premise behind this book was intriguing: a Peculiar Crimes Unit, set up during the Blitz quietly to handle crimes that might undermine civilian morale, leaving lots of room for Mulder-meets-British-stiff-upper-lip humour.

The Unit is led by Bryant: an eccentric, ostentatiously intuitive, tactless, scarf-wearing, driven twenty-two-year-old who is more comfortable with exotic books than with ordinary people. His newly-hired first-day-on-the-job side-kick is the enthusiastic, scientifically-minded, charming, good-looking nineteen-year-old May, brought in as a detective despite his lack of experience because all the experienced people have left to fight the Germans.

The overall effect was that of a frenetic young "Dr Who" meeting "Endeavour".

I liked the spirit of it. It would make great television. It didn't hold my attention as a book.

The opening, in London in the 1990s when Bryant and May are still serving officers although they are both beyond the normal retirement age, didn't quite work for me. It asked me to care too much about characters I'd barely met. I had no context and so didn't get the emotional impact of the devastating fire-bomb.

Once the story flipped to London during the Blitz it hit its stride. The writing was strong on visuals, a little predictable on dialogue and way out there on the weirdness of plot.

The problem I had was that this retrospective visit to London felt a little too cosy and too nostalgic, a feeling that was amplified by the "Mystique of the Theatre" riff. The murder was surprisingly gruesome but carried little emotional impact.

I abandoned the book when my irritation with the changing points of view, sliding timelines and self-consciously look-how-clever-but-quaint-we-were-back-then technology innovations overwhelmed my interest in who had what to whom and why.

I'm sure many people will enjoy this. Maybe I'd have ridden with it more easily if there was an all-cast audio version but the text by itself didn't hold me.
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review 2017-12-03 15:38
Im abgefahrenen Horror-Zug
Der Höllenexpress - Horror-Roman: Spannung, Abenteuer, Fantasy (German Edition) - LUZIFER-Verlag,Christopher Fowler,Stefan Mommertz

Eine Zugreise in Osteuropa während des ersten 1. Weltkriegs. Vier Passagiere steigen in einem Zug um den herannahenden Truppen zu entgehen. Doch sie ahnen nicht, dass auf dieser Reise der Horror erst seinen Anfang nimmt. 

Es handelt sich um einen Horror-Roman, der die typischen Filmelemente des Genres zu einer abgefahrenen Reise vermischt. Christopher Fowler spielt mit sämtlichen Elementen, die man aus Filmen kennt. Er nimmt eine Prise Dracula, mischt menschenfressende Käfer dazu, lässt Geister auferstehen und stiehlt mit einem Grinsen dem Teufel den Kochlöffel aus der Hand.

Die Rahmenhandlung ist in der Blütezeit der klassischen Horrorfilme angesiedelt. Ein Drehbuchautor stellt sich bei den Hammer-Film-Studios vor und wird aufgefordert, einen neuen Film zu schreiben. In diesem Abschnitt erlebt die Welt der alten Horrorfilme eine Wiedergeburt. Man sieht, wie Filmkulissen kreiert und umgestaltet werden, erfährt, wie in den 1960er-Jahren Schauspieler und Filmschaffende familiär zusammengearbeitet haben, und wie sich der Horror-Film langsam schon schwer getan hat, weil es an frischen Ideen gemangelt hat.

Kernstück der Handlung ist natürlich das Drehbuch, also die Fahrt im Höllenexpress. Hier steigen vier Passagiere in das dampfende Ungetüm ein, weil sie sich vor Soldaten retten wollen. 

Isabella ist eine osteuropäische Schönheit vom Land, die vom britischen Gentlemen und Abenteurer Nicholas errettet wird. Thomas wird von seiner herrschsüchtigen Frau Miranda - die sich von ihrem Eheleben mehr als die Tristesse an der Seite eines Pfarrers erträumte - in den Zug geschleift, wodurch alle auf der gleichen Reise sind, die in den Schlund der Hölle führen wird.

Diese Reise ist von altbekannten Monstern, schaurigen Käfern und einer ausweglosen Situation geprägt. Das Mysterium des Zuges schlägt zu. Die Passagiere können nicht entkommen. Und der Zugführer zeigt sich an deren Elend nur leidlich interessiert.

„… das hier ist mehr als ein Zug. Es ist eine Sammlung von Schrecken, die sich bis in die Unendlichkeit entfalten können.“ (S. 85)

Durch das Aufflammen klassischer Horror-Elemente hat mir die Reise sehr großen Spaß gemacht. Der Stil und die Handlung ist an die alten Horror-Klassiker aus der Filmwelt angelehnt und ich habe mich ausgezeichnet unterhalten gefühlt. Es dauert bis die Passagiere ihre Misere begreifen, bis sie das Geschehen verarbeitet haben und man weiß beim Lesen, dass wohl bald Endstation ist. 

„Der Höllenexpress“ ist ein wahnsinnig unterhaltsames Werk, das durch das hohe Tempo und seine horrormäßigen Figuren brilliert. Christopher Fowler hat sich mit seinem „Der Höllenexpress“ von der Masse abgehoben und die Zugfahrt hat mir sehr großen Spaß gemacht!

Wer also alte Filme und Monster mag, sich auf eine abgefahrene Reise begeben will und keine Angst vor Ekelszenen hat, sollte den nächsten Zug nehmen. Es ist eine Fahrt, die man nicht so schnell vergessen wird.

Source: zeit-fuer-neue-genres.blogspot.co.at
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