>I liked and actually cared about the characters (including the talking gun). I enjoyed the action, the visceral violence and sordid sex. This is no nonsense entertainment and really you get what it says on the tin. If this were a tome delivering deep homilies about the horror of war, sexual and racial inequality or environmental issues, I’m guessing it wouldn’t be called Death’s Head Maximum Offence. I’m also guessing Gunn had his tongue firmly wedged in his cheek while writing it, probably to stop him laughing out loud with enjoyment. Once it grabbed me at about page 30, I polished off this book, with similar enjoyment, within a day.
5 comments:
intrigued by cliche? curious only. i haven't read these, but that's the impression i get.
abstract looking at these as a writer professional i wonder why you bother to readview ok, "it's, um, good" and shitty stuff. all that time picking at your garbage can you could've been picking scabs for Dexter.
a crappy LeGuin story inspired Linda Nagata to write a whole novel because of the backlash of the ending/letdown.
I read Gunn's Death Head on your recommendation and enjoyed it, so is this a sequel?
Sorry Vaude, I haven't got my Babel fish in today.
Yes, Bob, it is the sequel.
Don't sweat it, Neal- "Maximum Offense" (I read the American spelling!) was indeed hard to get in to. For some reason it just was not well organized. Problem with editing, perhaps? But it did finish strong and I look forward to the next installment.
Also, I had the same problem with Richard Morgan's last ("Thirteen") that you had with "Piano"- I know Richard's politics lean left (at least they do in all his written work). I know that going in and am willing to put up with it so long as there is a compelling story. Unfortunately, while "Thirteen" started pretty strong, by about halfway it became a soapbox for Mr. Morgan to decry pretty much everything conservative Americans stand for. The only points I could agree with him on were that the western world is indeed becoming more and more wimpy; and that fundamental Christianity is a bad thing (although I'll go a step farther and proclaim ALL fundamentalism and dogmatic religion bad). I got tired of the political lecture and did not finish. I don't mind reading an opposing view point, but at least entertain me, please!
review mo' good stuff, essentially.
are you inspired (like Nagata was) reading or watching crap?
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