Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Night Watch, A Darkness on the Edge of Town

Two books about which I don't have much to say.

I used to be a big fan of Pratchett's Discworld novels, then lost interest.  Now, 15 years later, I decided to give the series another go with Night Watch.  I must admit, I really enjoyed it.  Pratchett is a funny guy.  My only qualms with the book are (a) there's an odd mix between the humor and a couple of the characters who are just casually brutal, and (b) I sometimes find the mix of humor and didacticism grating, even though I tend to agree with the POV presented.  Oddly enough, the second of these is the reason I stopped reading in the first place.  But maybe it's been long enough, because I'm ready to dive back into the series again -- but this time I'll take it slow...

J. Carson Black's On the Edge of Town introduces her detective Laura Cardinal.  I found Cardinal appealing, but I didn't like the book very much.  Yet another serial killer book, this one features two serial killers, maybe more.  The serial killer sub-genre is a more than a little over-crowded now, and so it takes more than this novel has to offer to stand out.  (John Connolly's Charlie Parker novels, for example, impressed me)

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