Zone One, by Colson Whitehead

*Updated; see below*

Initially, my view on this novel was to point out that one of the worst things is to get a book that is awful but just barely not sufficiently bad to simply slam closed and not finish reading.

And that this is one of those books.

I was planning to describe it, but really, why bother. Just avoid it.

But that's not entirely fair.  The concept is pretty interesting:  in the post-zombie apocalyptic USA, the worst is over and civilian sweeper teams go through lower Manhattan to clean out any remaining zombies in preparation for the re-population of the region.   The lead character, nicknamed Mark Spitz, drives the action as a member of one of these teams.

The problem is the writing.  Or perhaps more precisely, the writing style.   I don't know how to specifically critique it; good thing I'm not his editor.  Or maybe a bad thing, because even though I don't know how to describe the bad smell, I still know what smells bad.   Clearly Mr. Whitehead's editor didn't have this aversion to loose writing.

Update:  well one man's loose writing is another man's brilliant prose!   A friend, who's literary taste I quite trust, has quite the opposite opinion.  He thought the writing was amazing and says it made him smile throughout.   So in light of this, and since I really do like the concept and plot, instead of recommending against this book let's say that if the notion sounds interesting to you, give it a shot.


Zone One

The Mystic Arts of Erasing All Signs of Death, by Charlie Huston

The hero of this novel, Web, ends up working as a crime scene cleaner.   Mopping up blood and other mess.   But the book isn't overly full of gore.   It is an interesting drama, a study of a troubled person and how he evolves as he tries to move forward in his life but ends up stumbling a bit, into some crime and intrigue and dismay.  To be clear though, this book is not a downer; Web does move forward and the ending is satisfying.   Worth reading.

The Mystic Arts of Erasing All Signs of Death: A Novel

Brainrush, by Richard Bard

This novel snuck in to my reading list when I saw it listed in an Amazon Kindle ad email and realized I could borrow it (thanks to Amazon Prime).   A mishap occurs during the hero's MRI.  (His name is Jake Bronson -- and that's a nice hero name; you seldom see heroes named Seymour Birnbaum.  But I digress.)

Prior to the MRI, Jake was dying of a brain tumor.  Post MRI, he has acquired extraordinary powers, as his mind's inherent capabilities have been awakened.   He then does extraordinary things.

The book thus far is fun.   It isn't very deep, but the plot is interesting enough, the character seems decent, and all is well.   Sure, things stretch credibility a bit during a fund raising scheme at a Monaco casino, and with the ability of the hero's buddy to acquire a full team of highly trained and well equipped mercenaries essentially overnight.  But in this kind of fiction, the need to suspend disbelief for plot advancement is practically de rigueur.

Things get a bit dicier when aliens enter the picture.

In spite of that, I do plan to read the next volume in the series.   Maybe through Amazon's Lending Library but not via purchase.


Brainrush

The Graphic Canon, by Russ Kick

This first of a three volume set is an anthology of graphic artists' interpretations of literary classics.   It is really wonderful, for multiple reasons.

First, if like me you are not completely at ease with graphic novels, this will serve as a fabulous introduction to the value that integrated graphics can lend to the written word.   When I was a kid we read comic books.  Today's graphic novels are similar, but typically with very high end artistic quality.

Second, it is fun to look at an excerpt of a classic you may have previously read or heard of and see it in the unique light of the graphic artist.  It might remind you to re-read a favorite or to try out something new.

This collection starts with "The Epic of Gilgamesh," said to have been written around 1000 BCE, and ends with "Dangerous Liaisons," written by de Laclos in 1782 and probably better known to Americans for the movie of that title.

I'm eager to read the next volumes.

The Graphic Canon, Vol. 1: From the Epic of Gilgamesh to Shakespeare to Dangerous Liaisons

Six Years, by Harlan Coben

The good news about this novel is that Mr. Coben keeps the plot running well enough to engage you in it and keep reading.  The bad news is that in spite of that, it is difficult to bother to keep going.  It is just not very interesting.  The hero is annoying.   The plot is not strong (even though you might keep hoping it will get better).   So no, I do not recommend the book.

Six Years

Criminal Enterprise, by Owen Laukkanen

This is the second novel by Mr. Laukkanen, and it is as good as his first.   He stuck with the same main characters, FBI Agent Carla Windermere, who doesn't work well with others and is a bit of a hot shot, and Minnesota state investigator Kirk Stevens, who wants to treat his job as just a job so that he can be a reliable family man - but who gets sucked into dangerous situations with Agent Windermere nonetheless.

This is a wonderful novel, although the body count did get a bit high for my taste.

Criminal Enterprise (A Stevens and Windermere Novel)

The Magicians, by Lev Grossman

Imagine a Harry Potter novel written with a Brooklyn, New York point of view, and you have some of this novel.  The characters are flawed in a deeper way than the superficial good or bad guys of a children's book.  And there are no happy endings here.   But it is a very interesting read with great characters, great plot, and a grittiness that I find appealing.

But if you're looking for a Narnia adventure, then put this novel down right now.

The Magicians: A Novel

The Hit, by David Baldacci

This is a very entertaining novel.  The hero is Will Robie, who has appeared in Mr. Baldacci's work previously.  He is a US government paid assassin.   As you might expect -- because it is almost always the case in this genre -- the plot requires you to suspend critical thinking to avoid disbelief.   Because the character development is good and the plot advances well, this is not difficult to do.

The Hit

Cold Blooded, by Bernard DeLeo

Imagine a television show about an assassin employed by a quasi government agency, whose cover is being the author of a best selling series of novels about an assassin.   As a TV show, it kind of works.  You suspend disbelief because of the entertainment.

Well, that's how to think of this novel.   The hero is Nick McCarty.   The story revolves around his relationship with Rachel Hunter, who sees him in passing in a restaurant and decides to connect with him.  This is so unbelievable as to stand out in a sequence of unbelievable scenes.  But wait, there's more.

Rachel has an (almost) eight year old daughter who speaks like a teenager and posseses sangfroid that most adults lack.  And she has a dog who instantly follows Nick's spoken and unspoken command.

Oh my.

Now in spite of all this, I enjoyed the novel.   But you have to be stuck in a waiting room somewhere with time to kill in order for this one to work.

Cold Blooded

The Diabolist, by Layton Green

I accidentally entered Mr. Green's series late in the game: this is the third novel featuring the main characters. They are Viktor Radek, a professor of occult who also investigates odd, para-normal situations, and his partner Dominic Grey, who is mostly the muscle and on the ground investigator. The book is good although the action gets periodically interrupted for detailed information about organized religion, satanists and the occult.

The Diabolist (The Dominic Grey Series)