Customer Reviews

All the Little Birdies

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Back about twenty years ago, Richard Pryor had a sketch about prisons, about how it always bothered him that it was mainly black folk inside. Until he actually visited one and talked to some of the inmates. Then his view was: Thank God for prisons!

So it is with the stodgy New York publishing industry. As we aspiring writers know, the business can be brutally hard to crack. New names are automatically behind the eight ball. No one even wants to read our submissions, as publishers would rather stick with known quantities. We complain about it all the time. But now, after reading ALL THE LITTLE BIRDIES, my new view is: Thank God for the stodgy New York publishing industry!

If they keep cliche-infested drivel like this from being inflicted upon innocent book buyers, then all those risk-averse editors serve a vital role in Creation, indeed!

Perhaps the only saving grace of this book is that it IS published "on demand," so that no more trees have to lose their lives than is made necessary by foolish buyers.

Mr. Allison flatters himself with comparisons to Hiaasen and Hall. Few others will be able to make this leap of faith.

Please think twice before shelling out fifteen perfectly good dollars for this; you will only encourage him to write more. If you insist on reading it, here: have mine....

This was given to me as a Christmas present. To be charitable, I guess it's the thought that counts.

An earlier reviewer had the word exactly: drivel, is what this is. If you take away all the pointless dialogue and the self-indulgent musings, you're left with a trite plot and a bunch of self-parodying characters. There's plenty of really good Florida fiction out there without having to waste time on marginal, not-ready-for-prime-time writers.

Mr. Allison would be well advised to keep the day job.

Now that Dan Allison has his first novel out of his system, it will be interesting to see what he comes up with next. I actually enjoyed many parts of this first work and am hoping Mr. Allison's next book won't be quite so pretentious. I would actually like to see more of Jake Murdock and his adventures. Albeit, a little more planning in the area of overall plot would be in order. A good idea...just needs refining!

As a fan of "Florida Noir" or "Florida Mystery" or whatver they call it now, I stumbled uopon this author. I read both his books "All the Little Birdies" and "On the Whispering Wind".I think these are essentially self published titles, but they were very good. I can see the Hiaasen and maybe Dorsey influence, but it isn't blatant. However, if you like them, you should like these.....I enjoyed the books and would purchase other titles from this author in the future.

A deep passion for Florida's intrinsic beauty and rich history lies at the heart of "ALL THE LITTLE BIRDIES", Dan Allison's first novel (or someone please tell me where to find others by him!) Cabby Jake Murdock teams up with a wealthy yuppie to recover the yupster's frozen sperm-the Family Jewels-from twisted extortionists. Admittedly, the author doesn't break much new ground - characters like Robin, Charlene, Mac, and Bulldog fill every novel about Florida (cuz it's who LIVES here!)- but at least the narrator here has some surprises. He doesn't live on a houseboat and he doesn't get a girl. (If you have read ANY Florida fiction, you KNOW how cliche THAT is!)Frankly, we can't get enough writers telling the truth about Florida and the corruption that's killing it. I love the pace and the way this Allison guy weaves Florida folklore and culture into his story. This book is about MY stomping grounds! As a cabby, I appreciate how Dan Allison writes great scenes that paint a picture (like the NASCAR race or the strip club in Tampa) and I feel like I'm THERE (and HAVE BEEN)! Some of Allison's lines had me rolling on the floor laughing! My only complaint is that the book is not long enough. With only 2 or 3 plot twists, I kept thinking there was going to be a boat chase (a la Miami Vice), but there wasn't. I actually read the book and I love it...can't WAIT for the sequel!

Actually BIRDIES is pretty darned good. Some of the plot and scenes may be cliche -- every required element of the Florida crime comedy is here -- and some of the passages are fresh and pretty clever. The book certainly isn't drivel, as the next reviewer claims, and it's certainly not at the level of Hall or Hiaasen. Allison handles transitions well, and even handles several different narrative voices. But BIRDIES is a good read, well-plotted, and I expect Mr. Allison is capable of even greater work in the future. If you live in Florida, read this one until Hall and Hiaasen get their new volumes out.