Don't Forget to Read a Book!

Hello, Stranger. Let's talk about Peter Straub's  The Throat. The Short of It Plot:  Tim Underwood and Tom Pasmore team up to investigate a death close to Underwood.  Page Count:  692 Award:  None, final book in Blue Rose Trilogy Worth a read : No Primary Driver:  ( Plot , World, or  Character ) Bechdel Test : Fail Technobabble:  None. Review:  A decent horror thriller with interesting meta-fiction elements. However, it feels less like a culmination of a trilogy than a retread, and does not build appreciably upon Mystery . Main character work generally solid, but falls off for side characters. Writing is good, plot is messy. Pacing is alright for a 700 page tome, but the story does not justify its length. The Medium of It Spoiler Free! Spoilers for Koko  and Mystery. A preface for everything that comes: there will not be much discussion of the story itself. This is a solid suspense/mystery novel, that is a bit too long. Straub is a ...

Hello, Stranger. Let's talk about Peter Straub's  Mystery. The Short of It Plot: The best detective out there - a misanthropic bookworm - tackles corruption and violence in his own backyard. Page Count: 548 Award:  Sequel to Koko . No awards of its own. Published 1990. Worth a read : Yes Primary Driver:  ( Plot , World, or  Character )  Bechdel Test : Pass. Technobabble:  None.  Review:  A delightful if surprisingly dark mystery/adventure. Elevated above comparable stories by compelling protagonists and a clear love of books woven throughout. As is the case with many mysteries, some jumps are a bit contrived - but the suspense elements deliver, and Straub's writing shines. Excellent character work. The Medium of It Spoiler Free! There's a minor but obvious spoiler here: that the protagonist does not die at the very start of the book. This is also spoiled by the blurb, so we're just going to accept that. Through the transparent medium of ...

Hello, Stranger. Let's talk about Peter Straub's  Koko. The Short of It Plot: A series of murders over many decades point to only one person: Koko. But his former squad mates could have sworn he was dead... Page Count:  562 Award: 1989 World Fantasy Award Worth a read : No Primary Driver:  ( Plot , World, or  Character ) Bechdel Test : Fail Technobabble:  Doesn't really apply. Review:  Turns out that the Vietnam war was pretty much not a good thing. Superb use of atmosphere and mood coupled with generally good writing. Plot is not great, heavy flashbacks break flow of present-day story. Scenes of gratuitous gore and violence are at first shocking and then become dull. Most characters are flat, making it hard to stay invested in what is a heavily people-driven story. Ends up feeling more like an experience than a story. And gets relentlessly depressing. The Medium of It Spoiler Free! If one were to read this is a fantasy story, it is sorely wanting. It ...