Sunday, February 10, 2008

Books You Should Be Reading Number 41 Of A Bunch

Apathy Jack writes:

The Straw Men by Michael Marshall

Every now and then you’ll see a tattered piece of 1950s signage, something exuberant that harks back to flash bulbs and frozen glamour. Most have been torn down now, replaced by brutal information boards stamped out in Helvetica, the official typeface of purgatory. Helvetica isn’t designed to make you feel anything good, to promise adventure or gladden the heart. Helvetica is for telling you that profits are down, that the photocopier needs servicing and by the way, you’ve been fired.

...

This book was recommended to me by an old student, and I liked it enough that I’ve immediately started on the sequel, which contains the following piece of wisdom:

Forests in the day are friendly places. They remind you of Sunday walks, swooshing leaves, holding a parent’s big, warm hand, or providing that hand yourself. At night the woods take the gloves off and remind you why you’re nervous in the dark. Night forests say “Go find a cave, monkey-boy, this place is not for you.”

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Glad to see this author finally made it to your attention... book two was a bit disappointing and book three was almost as good as the first... at least that is how the majority of people I have discussed them with have viewed it.

I prefer his Sci-fi stuff (under the name Michael Marshall Smith), especially his debut "only forward"

We have discussed them before, but I know how big you book stack gets.