Previews and Reviews that are Z's Views
Way back in July I posted a piece on how cool the first two John Rain novels were [Rain Fall and Hard Rain]…… and that I was really looking forward to
Rain Storm, the third in the series.I ordered it.
Read it.
And found it to be the best of the three! David Montgomery of the USA TODAY
agrees.And maybe you will too.
Hurricane Jeanne came and went without causing as much damage to our area as initially predicted. Still, I spent most of the last three days helping to run a hurricane relief shelter. One of the best parts of that whole experience was that in my downtime I had an opportunity to finish Barry Eisler‘s third novel, Rain Storm.
All of Eisler‘s novels feature John Rain, a Japanese-American “struggling with his own divided nature: Japanese / American; soldier / assassin; samurai / ronin.” Rain, as written by Eisler is “a remarkable creation, a multifaceted killer with the soul of a poet.”
Eisler‘s first book, Rain Fall, put him on my favorite author’s list. His second, Hard Rain, proved that the first book wasn’t a fluke. Rain Storm cements Eisler‘s place as one of the best series writers working. Don’t take my word for it, check out what EVERYONE is saying.
Yeah, Eisler‘s that good. [So is John Rain, for that matter!]
Steve Niles is one of my favorite writers. Niles writes screenplays, novels and comic books. If that sounds like a lot of writing, it is.
But so far I’ve enjoyed everything that Niles has written [especially the Cal McDonald novels].
Steve‘s got a lot more stuff coming out in the next year.
Click HERE and you can get a peek at what he has planned.
Who knows maybe you’ll become a fan too!
Critics have praised Barry Eisler‘s first two novels, Rain Fall and Hard Rain, calling Japanese-American John Rain, the cynical, romantic, conscientious assassin, “one of the most memorable characters in recent thrillers.”
Yeah, I’d go along with that.
In fact Eisler‘s two novels featuring John Rain have been some of the best novels that I’ve read in the last few years.
So you can imagine how much I’m looking forward to his latest, Rain Storm.
And if you’d like to take a look, just click HERE.
Walter Mosley‘s eighth Easy Rawlins novel is now available and I’m putting in my order! I’ve read, and enjoyed all of the Easy Rawlins‘ stories and Little Scarlet, set during the Watts riots of 1965, looks to be a welcome addition to the series. Easy, an unlicensed PI, along with his best friend, the cold-blooded killer called Mouse, find themselves in the middle of a murder investigation which could land Easy in jail or dead.
Devil in a Blue Dress is the only film adaptation of an Easy Rawlins‘ novel, and although it didn’t set the box office on fire, it’s definitely worth a look. Denzel Washington plays Easy Rawlins, but the movie is OWNED by Don Cheadle as Mouse. Jennifer Beals, looking as pretty as ever, also co-stars in this excellent film by Carl Franklin.
Yeah, I think I’ll order the book tonight and pull the dvd off the shelf. It’s time I spent a little time taking things Easy.
Everyone loves Hellboy. What’s not to love?
He’s one of the coolest characters in comics. Each mini-series is always highly anticipated and then goes on to become a best selling trade paperback. Hellboy short story collections and the art of Hellboy books have been winners as well.
But could Hellboy be made into a good movie?
The answer is a resounding, “YES!” because everyone loves Hellboy!
I think I’ve found a great character for Sly to bring to the big screen! Ed Dee Dee introduces ex-cop, ex-prize-fighter Eddie “God help me… I love a brawl” Dunn in his latest novel, The Con Man’s Daughter.
Dunn was a decorated NY City Detective who was forced to resign in disgrace and then worked for a Russian mobster. Now in his mid-50’s and retired, Dunn must return to the mean streets of New York and go toe to toe with a variety of the worst that the city has to offer in order to save his kidnapped daughter.
If you like hard boiled heroes and stories that keep you guessing, then this one is for you… and Sly!
I just finished reading Steve Niles’ Dial M for Monster. Dial M is a book of short stories featuring his monster hunter, Cal McDonald. You’ve heard me praise Niles’ work before and this book is no exception. I love everything about the world Niles has created for Cal [and I’m especially glad I can safely visit without fear of vampires, werewolves, fiends or other creatures coming after me!]. I’d suggest that you start with Guns, Drugs and Monsters [the first novel in the series] and then follow it up with Savage Membrane [the second].
Man, I love Halloween!
As we get closer to the big night, I find myself drawn to scary books and movies. For some reason even more so this year. Maybe it’s because there are so many good ones available.
I just finished reading Steve Niles‘ Dial M for Monster. Dial M is a book of short stories featuring his monster hunter, Cal McDonald. You’ve heard me praise Niles‘ work before and this book is no exception. I love everything about the world Niles has created for Cal [and I’m especially glad I can safely visit without fear of vampires, werewolves, fiends or other creatures coming after me!]. I’d suggest that you start with Guns, Drugs and Monsters [the first novel in the series] and then follow it up with Savage Membrane [the second].
If you’d like to get a taste of Niles‘ work before commiting to a novel, then by all means check out 30 Days of Night. This award winning comic series [with art by the extremely talented Ben Templesmith] is being developed into a feature film produced by none other than Sam Raimi! Why wait for the film? The graphic novel is available now and well worth every penny!
Changing gears just a bit… on Tuesday, one of my two favorite movies so far this year, becomes available! That’s right 28 Days Later is available Tuesday! Man, I can’t wait!
If you’ve read this far, then you’re probably a real horror fan. You probably already know that a Dawn of the Dead remake starring Ving Rhames is coming out next March. But did you know that the trailer is available now? At first I didn’t think that a re-make of Dawn of the Dead was a good idea since the original trilogy [Night of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead, and Day of the Dead] by George Romero are considered cult classics. But I did like the remake of Night of the Living Dead ]… and Ving Rhames is starring… so why not?
Plus, it’ll give me one more thing to love about Halloween!
* A couple of days ago I wrote to say that LA Requiem by Robert Crais is one of the best books I’ve read this year. It is, but believe or not, his follow-up The Last Detective, is even better! I read it almost non-stop this weekend. It’s that good! If you’ve never read any of Crais’ work, now is the time to give him a shot!
