Fly Me To The Morgue/The Writing Of Robert J. Randisi

Fly Me To The Morgue. Your Nobody Til Somebody Kills You. Luck Be A Lady Don't Die. These are some of the titles of the books in the Rat Pack Series written by Robert J. Randisi.

The setting is the gritty Las Vegas of the late fifties and sixties; long before Disney tried to ravage the strip with Mickey Mouse and their pirates. This is the Vegas of High Rollers, Hustlers and WiseGuys. And for this reader, it is a pleasure to visit.

The plot is centered around a pit boss named Eddie G at the Sands who is always being to called on by the Rat Pack to solve a mystery of some sort. To help with the legwork, Eddie gets the assistance of a low level gangster named Jerry Epstein. In the process of carrying out whatever assignment Frank, Dino, or Sammy give them, the two end up getting shot at, beat up, or shaken down by the local cops. Pure hard boiled fun!

This to me this is pulp fiction at its finest and I intend to read as many of these mysteries as I can get my hands on.

Philip Jose Farmer and Riverworld

Ok I have to confess I am not an expert on Farmer's body of work. But I did enjoy the first two books of the Riverworld series and he is on my summer reading list. So I expect to read the others in the series as well. Aside from that let me say that if you  get the chance and your deck is clear, read both To Your Scattered Bodies Go and the Fabulous Riverboat. These two books are the first in Farmer's Famous Riverworld Saga.

The premise of this story is that people who have died have ended up on this world that is one long continious river. They have all been cured of whatever they were dealing with on Earth and are outfitted with a small cup that they can put on these rock formations and they get food and whatever other sustinence they need. Add to that they are naked and hairless when they first get there.

The main characters are Sir Richard Burton the explorer and Mark Twain. Mark Twain in both stories builds a riverboat with the intent to explore. Both characters, sometimes together, battle people who wish to exploit them and they have harrowing adventures.

I read the Riverworld series when I was college and wonder if it still holds up to my 43 year old scrutiny. We shall see.

reflections of the day

This is another mundane blog since I am in between books. I had a good day. It is good to mobile again. Looked at new edges and saw a red one that had my name on it. I went to the library and checked out some books--all research.

Just a quick hello and a reflection on the day

Hey folks. Just thought I'd drop in and say hello. Today my folks and I went to the St. Louis Art Museum. I would say my favorite pieces of art are on the third floor where the modern art is. I like the collection of expressionist paintings, with the exception of Max Beckman(sp)  My favorite exhibit was the room full Ian Munroe works. There will be a blog dedicated to him. He dealt with metal creations where he would paint images on pieces of sheet metal. I wouldn't mind owning one of his works but I am sure they are expensive. Well that's it for now.

Ron Fortier and Brother Grim

There is alot to say about Ron and his writing--so, I am pretty sure that I will have to write another blog dedicated soley to his literary output. I stumbled upon him and his book Brother Grim back 05. And I'm glad I did. It was like reading a golden age comic or something that Will Eisner may have wrote. Some might compare him Frank Miller but I think he is in a class all his own. His writing is pure pulp and of the muscular quality; it gets the job done. I like the fact that he does not over do the purple prose. He also does a very good job at describing atmosphere. And the atmosphere is very dark-- it better be if you are going to name your fictional city Cape Noir(sp).

His hero Brother Grim is almost a Frankenstien character in that he was created from something bad into something worse. But despite that, he is what the city of Cape Noir needs to protect them from all of the supernatural wraiths and ordinary cuttthroats and crime bosses that walk the city every day.

The first story in the anthology is called Brother Grimm and deals with his creation. The other stories deal with other characters. Brother Grimm usually makes an appearance.
This is something that I like because it gives a different perspective on the main character. I have done that in my own work.

Fortier has written other books. The one I intend to read is The Hounds of Hells. He is not a mainstream writer but that's ok. He recalls the work of Lester Dent, Edgar Rice Burroughs and other pulp greats. He is proof that pulp fiction is alive.

Mickey Spillane

Mickey Spillane is not necessarily noir, but he is hard boiled. I would say he is the quintessential hard-boiled writer. His Mike Hammer is not only tough as nails he eats them. He also peoples his stories with voluptious women and Mike's secretary is no exception. What is interesting is that even though there are all of these gorgeous women in the stories, Mike always has a hands off policy. This could be due in part to his allegience to Velda his secretary; in most of the early novels he is engaged to her. This to me is what adds to the uniqueness of the story; Mike's resistence to temptation. It also gives him a laser like focus on what he is doing, which makes the story straight forward from beginning to end.

What I also like about the stories is that every one of them with the exception of I the Jury contains a government conspiracy that involves communists. This gave Spillane's writing a definate Fascist bent which differentiated it from writers like Dashiell Hammet and Raymond Chandler.  If I had to pick my favorite books I would list them as follows:

One Lonely Night


Kiss Me Deadly


I, the Jury


The Girl Hunters


The Girl Hunters so far is unique because it shows the passage of time and portrays a broken down Mike Hammer and also shows the consequences of the choices he made in past mysteries and stories. As for Kiss Me Deadly, you must see Robert Aldritch's version which he made into a 50's Sci Fi noir that gives you chills.

In the 80's Stacy Keach stared in the series Mike Hammer which was also very good. But if I had to choose I think Ralph Meeker portrayed the best Mike Hammer in Kiss Me Deadly.

Salutations and Hellos

Not much to report. Although reecently I've been enjoying this game on Facebook called Pawn Stars. Don't worry I won't appear on your news feed saying i need help in buying the confederate sword. But, what a time waster.