Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

Posted March 18, 2013 by Michael @ Knowledge Lost in Historical Fiction, Romance / 0 Comments

Title: Outlander (Goodreads)
Author: Diana Gabaldon
Series: Outlander #1
Published: Dell, 1991
Pages: 870
Genres: Historical Fiction, Romance
My Copy: Audiobook

Buy: Amazon, Book Depository, Kindle (or visit your local Indie bookstore)

Claire Randall found herself time travelling from 1945 to 1743. She was just back from the war and reunited with her husband on a second honeymoon but then she walks through an ancient stone circle and finds herself in the midst of a war torn Scotland being raided by the Highland clans. She finds a young Scot warrior and becomes a woman torn between fidelity and desire.

Contrary to popular belief, I didn’t read this book along with the Vaginal Fantasy book club; I did it because this is my wife’s favourite series and I needed a romance novel for the Literary Exploration challenge. I’m not really a fan of romances (Wuthering Heights is still the greatest Romance of all time) so I wasn’t sure what I was getting into here but be warned, even though I want to talk about all the things that didn’t work for me, it doesn’t mean this wasn’t an enjoyable read.

First of all I want to talk about Claire Randall; here is this strong former combat nurse that finds herself in the past. While she is scared and confused I never felt that her desperation was believable; I felt like the inner turmoil of Claire never really played out and I was left to believe she wanted to be there. Also she is suppose to be portrayed as a strong independent woman but all I saw was a loud mouth nag that put up no fight and just married Jamie with no reluctance at all.

Jamie Fraser suffers from instalove; as soon as he saw Claire he was madly in love with her. Then when they finally got married, the virgin becomes the greatest lover known to man; how is that possible? Also Jamie is supposed to be this great Scottish warrior but all I ever see him do is get into trouble and winding up caught or with severe wounds. Not to mention the abuse towards Claire; sure it was a sign on the time to discipline his wife but this isn’t sexy and is just over done.

Finally the plot; I tend to think this book goes in a repetitive circle, which consists of sex, more sex, conflict, sex, being caught, wife beating and then more sex. This is the entire plot arc and it keeps repeating itself for over 800 pages. Makes me wonder what makes a romance novel, I never felt there was an ounce of romance or love; just lots of sex.

I know this is a series of a great love between Jamie and Claire and there was a flicker of this from Jamie but never felt that come through from Claire. I wonder if sex is a substitute for love here or does this reflect more in the books that follow. Apart from everything I didn’t like about the book, the characters and the writing was pretty good. I wanted more inner conflict from Claire as0 the narrator but that is just a personal preference. I’m always interested in the inner thoughts of a protagonist, especially when they find themselves in an unusual situation.

I’m not sure if I will continue the Outlander series but I would like to think that the romance starts in the next book. I’m curious to know if this is the case; I’m a little hesitant to invest in another 800 pages if it’s just more of the same. Romance novels are not really my thing, but I did like the slight speculative fiction element with the time travel. I hope that aspect of the plot gets explored in greater detail with the other books. Now I’m curious to read The Time Travellers Wife and see how it compares.

Bodies are Where You Find Them by Brett Halliday

Posted January 20, 2013 by Michael @ Knowledge Lost in Pulp / 0 Comments

Title: Bodies are Where You Find Them (Goodreads)
Author: Brett Halliday
Series: Mike Shayne #5
Published: Dell, 1941
Pages: 188
Genres: Pulp
My Copy: Personal Copy

Buy: Hard to find visit your local Indie bookstore to order it

Mike Shayne is back, and yet again he finds himself unable to say no to a beautiful rich woman asking for his help. But maybe he will change his tune when she winds up dead in his bed and his is being accused of a crime he did not do. With the girl’s political stepfather eager to see Mike fry, will he find out just who is trying to frame him?

Bodies are Where You Find Them is the fifth (of over seventy) Mike Shayne book by Brett Halliday, but it is the first I’ve read. Shayne is a heavy drinker, heavy fisted but a quick thinker. However the thing that really stood out with this character was the fact that he was a real anti-hero. I find with hard-boiled detectives they normally blur the line between good and evil but they always seemed to always be a hero; well in all the ones I’ve read, I’ll be happy to be proven wrong. But with Mike Shayne he often crossed the line, not particularly into evil but he was a deeply flawed detective that found me groaning at some of his actions.

The novel is a typical hard-boiled plot, with some political thriller aspects thrown in; Shayne has backed one candidate to be mayor and now he finds himself being framed. With the help of a reporter, he uncovers political corruption and dead bodies. You are never really sure exactly what is happening, I think this is because Shayne’s thought process really throws the reader off.

The Robert Downey Jr. movie Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is apparently based on this novel but I think it must be very loosely based; there are glimpses of a resemblance but nothing really that stands out apart from the idea of being constantly sidetracked by the protagonists thoughts and unexpected bodies.

While this book wouldn’t be high up in my recommendations for pulp novels, it was an enjoyable read. There are some parts of the book that felt like they have been done to death but I do think Mike Shayne will go on to be a great protagonist; one I’ll love to hate. One thing that stayed in the back of my mind was the amount of cognac Shayne drank; seriously I kept imagining just how hard it would be to be a private investigator if you are plastered all the time. I wonder if anyone have written or filmed a satire about a PI that is too drunk to solve or do anything. Bodies are Where You Find Them is worth reading for pulp fans but if you are new to this genre maybe check out these recommendations.

Publisher: Dell