MaesterHeisenberg Posted January 4, 2013 Share Posted January 4, 2013 So this dropped on the 1st and I haven't seen anyone talking about it yet. I thought Crooked Little Vein was excellent, not to mention his work on comics. I got mine but have to finish a couple of books before I start it. Anybody started it yet? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaesterHeisenberg Posted January 5, 2013 Author Share Posted January 5, 2013 bump Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Procrastimancer Posted January 8, 2013 Share Posted January 8, 2013 Unfortunately, it landed on the same day rent did and my purchase has been pushed back a couple weeks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Papirolle Posted January 8, 2013 Share Posted January 8, 2013 I'm looking forward to reading it, love Warren Ellis' writing in general.Crooked Little Vein is the funniest book I've read I think! :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sci-2 Posted January 8, 2013 Share Posted January 8, 2013 I have to admit I'm tempted in spite of a decent back catalogue. Ellis is very hit or miss with me, and I've not read Crooked Little Vein.Still, when Ellis is good he can be very good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaesterHeisenberg Posted January 8, 2013 Author Share Posted January 8, 2013 I have to admit I'm tempted in spite of a decent back catalogue. Ellis is very hit or miss with me, and I've not read Crooked Little Vein.Still, when Ellis is good he can be very good.Crooked Little Vein is worth your time. Absolutely hilarious. A quick read as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Procrastimancer Posted January 9, 2013 Share Posted January 9, 2013 I have to admit I'm tempted in spite of a decent back catalogue. Ellis is very hit or miss with me, and I've not read Crooked Little Vein.Still, when Ellis is good he can be very good.I've said this before, but I am not the typical Warren Ellis fan. His comics are more miss than hit for me and I don't think I've ever been excited to hear about some new project he's working on in the medium. Thanks to his blog, mailing list, and columns for various outlets, I became a fan of his before I ever picked up one of his comics. His books--Crooked Little Vein, Shivering Sands, Available Light, and Do Anything--are all worth reading and among the best he has to offer. For me, at least. I think I might be the only person who is ecstatic about Ellis starting to move away from comics and becoming more involved with books. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
polishgenius Posted January 12, 2013 Share Posted January 12, 2013 I thought this was wicked. Compared to Crooked Little Vein and most of his comics, it substantially dials down the crazy (not that there isn't crazy in it of course) and focuses on a tight-knitted plot and quirky-but-complete characters.And the one thing that Ellis doesn't get enough love for and this showcases - it absolutely nails the emotional tone needed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AncalagonTheBlack Posted January 12, 2013 Share Posted January 12, 2013 I thought this was wicked. Compared to Crooked Little Vein and most of his comics, it substantially dials down the crazy (not that there isn't crazy in it of course) and focuses on a tight-knitted plot and quirky-but-complete characters.And the one thing that Ellis doesn't get enough love for and this showcases - it absolutely nails the emotional tone needed.Is this a mystery/thriller or does it also have any fantastical elements to it ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
polishgenius Posted January 12, 2013 Share Posted January 12, 2013 It might have just the vaguest hint of SF around the edges, but no, not really. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AncalagonTheBlack Posted January 12, 2013 Share Posted January 12, 2013 It might have just the vaguest hint of SF around the edges, but no, not really.ah,ok,i read the blurb with 'old gods of Manhattan' in it so i thought it was some sort of mystery/urban fantasy hybrid,thanks for clearing that up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Procrastimancer Posted January 13, 2013 Share Posted January 13, 2013 My thoughts at around the halfway point:- I am seeing a lot of Warren Ellis in Tallow. His habits and info-overload lifestyle, at least.- The concepts are very Ellis and I have a feeling I have read some of it before in his various posts. The shaman from Crooked Little Vein would fit right in here.- I am not enjoying The Hunter's chapters all that much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Procrastimancer Posted January 15, 2013 Share Posted January 15, 2013 So yeah, I finished the book. I enjoyed it, thought it was a solid novel, but I wouldn't say it is as good or an improvement over Crooked Little Vein. The crazy has been dialed down quite a bit and though it does show up in concentrated bursts (whenever the police scanner is switched on, for instance), it doesn't come close to the outrageous shit found throughout CLV. The characters are better realized, but I feel that they are still on the weaker side. They do rise above their quirks and eccentric personalities, so there's an improvement there. Tallow is a strange one and slightly bothersome because he seems cut from the same cloth as Warren Ellis and I could see people referring to him as an author insert. Of course, the habits and lifestyle are all just static. He has his own personality and there is character growth and all that good shit. The CSU characters, Scarly and Bat, expand out beyond their quirks and I found myself actually caring for them by the end. I still fucking hate the Hunter and his chapters. The SFnal feel to them is intriguing, but otherwise his story just fails to interest me on any level.The novel has great pacing and the plot is tight. i wouldn't call it a complex story, but there's something to like about a book that doesn't hide shit from you to try and throw in a god-forsaken twist at the end that you see from a mile off anyway, which is what I am getting used to when I read any thriller-type novel these days.It is a good book. Not great, not as good as Crooked Little Vein, but worth reading. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Papirolle Posted March 2, 2013 Share Posted March 2, 2013 I loved Gun Machine!It was better than Crooked Little Vein, but very different from it. Much more serious in tone and theme, it's a straight up police investigation into a serial killer case. Very tight plot, good characters with traditional Warren Ellis-ian quirks, high pace and great ending. Damn good storytelling simply!I hope this book sells well. It could be his breakthrough to a bigger audience.I liked the Hunters chapters. They were very suspensful and exciting. The only parts I didn't like were the short bursts of ultraviolence whenever he turned on the police radio. Too disturbing for my taste.Recommended! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.