Customer Reviews

Atmosphere

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

As a fan of the Leisure Books line, I always pick up the new ones each month. So I picked this up and wasn't sure what to expect. "Atmosphere" is one of the best new sci-fi books from the last few years and it was never boring. When Detective Frank Ballaro steps in a stream of blood, he investigates and finds a mutiliated man. From there, he finds another body and realizes something very horrible and strange is going on. The only clue to the abnormal is the sight of a strange black object and the whispered word "atmosphere" from the dying man.

From there, its a race to find the killers and the two detectives realize that there is more than just murder. A strange cult of techno obsessed bald men in black begins to reek havoc in New York City. When Frank's daughter is kidnapped, the story begins.

This is one of the best premises for an alien invasion story I've read in a long time. With the added mix of intrigue and the great plot, this one will keep you turning pages until the very end. This has conspiracy theories, murder and aliens which mix to become a satisfying read. Its exciting and extremely well-written. A definite A+ read.

Take a chance on a new author and pick up "Atmosphere". You'll never think of bald men and techno music the same!

This novel was my introduction to Mr. Laimo's beguiling literary talents and, I must tell you, I was left breathless by this debut novel. It combines my favorite types of midnight reading delights, a hybrid of horror, science fiction, mystery and police procedural. This novel hits the ground running, opening with short-timer Detective Frank Ballaro's accidental discovery of a horribly mutilated young man who sprints past the shocked detective and directly into the path of a speeding taxicab. As the young man lay dying, he clutches a bizarre object in his torn hands and whispers his last word into Detective Ballaro's ear: "Atmosphere". And the game is afoot. Detective Ballaro finds himself investigating a string of grisly deaths suddenly plaguing his town, New York City. What he uncovers is far more dangerous to mankind than a bloodthirsty serial killer, although the killings are as brutal as anything he could imagine. Mr. Laimo has constructed an intense, visceral rollercoaster ride of terror and violence that doesn't let up until the last page. An absolutely stunning first novel from a writer from whom I have come to expect, and have received, great horror fiction. Nominated for a Bram Stoker Award!

In his debut novel, Michael Laimo, has created a bizarre world filled with the unexplained murders of young males in New York City. As lead protagonist, Detective Frank Ballaro, and his friend and former partner, Police Captain Hector Rodrequez, try and sort out the reason(s) for these grisly murders, they soon find themselves with clues that lead them to believe that the killers might not be from this planet. The plot thickens when Frank's only child, daughter Jaime, is kidnapped by one of the many "bald men with sunglasses" that are under the control of the aliens.

Sounds pretty bizarre doesn't it? Laimo somehow tries it all together at the end of the book, but between a few great opening pages and the expected climax, there's a lot of repetition and downtime throughout the body of the novel. Oh, don't get me wrong, it's a quick read and there's plenty of violence and descriptive scenes of blood and gore, it's just that there's not enough character development and plot setting for my liking. I would have liked to know more about the Ballaro family and certainly would have liked a little more about why the aliens landed in NYC in the first place.

For a first novel, however, it's not bad. If I could, I'd give it 2 and one-half stars, but that's not part of the Amazon grading system. Fans of Richard Laymon, David Lozell Martin, Rex Miller, and Michael Slade will probably enjoy "Atmosphere", they just shouldn't go into it with a lot of expectations.

When I first started reading this novel, I didn't have high hopes for it, as the writing was awkward and needed a rewrite or three to get just the right effect. However, the plot was sufficiently novel to keep me reading. Though the story really didn't begin to take off until halfway through, I stuck with it, and found that he brought all the elements together quite nicely. It's too bad he didn't take more time to develop the characters or the, um,*atmosphere*-- a good deal more of Lovecraft or, better yet, William Burroughs would have made this novel a lot more memorable. Better than most, but not worth cancelling any appointments or taking the phone off the hook for.

Michael Laimo, Atmosphere (Leisure, 2002)

The first hundred fifty or so pages of Michael Laimo's debut novel are your typical kidnapping-murder-mystery with a twist, nothing we haven't seen before, with somewhat subpar writing thrown into the mix. There were a few times I'd have been flirting with just not finishing it at all, were not the pace so quick. But it hits critical mass, and suddenly becomes one of the finest premises in a thriller in recent years. Almost enough to forgive the subpar writing.

Frank Ballaro is a New York City homicide detective a couple of years from retirement. On his way home early one morning after twelve hours of paperwork on a recently-finished case, he gets out of his car and steps into a puddle of blood. Investigating, he finds a horribly mutilated teen, who runs past him in terror straight into the path of a taxi. As they wait for help to arrive, the kid whispers one word to Ballaro: "Atmosphere." Ballaro and his longtime friend Hector Rodriguez are quickly drawn into one of the oddest cases of kidnapping and murder anyone's ever seen.

The first half of the book is unabashedly setup, and can be a little difficult to get through. Laimo makes it as easy as possible by keeping the pace rapid. Once things take their right turn at suspension-of-disbelief, there's nothing you haven't seen before in a number of TV shows and movies, but Laimo cribs together so many disparate ideas and works them into a narrative whole that it's hard not to just sit back and wonder what sort of twisted mind came up with such a wide-ranging bunch of ideas to throw into this melting pot.

There are a few extreme bits, but for the most part Laimo is more from the Charles L. Grant school of horror than the Robert Devereaux school; not much in here is going to make the reader of modern horror (especially that from Leisure Books) cringe much. This is more straight thriller than horror novel, and should appeal to fans of the genre who are willing to let belief fly out the window.

Aside from some deadwood (cliches, badly-written sentences, oddly out of place words, that sort of thing), Laimo's first novel is a stand up sit down bang up ride, well worth the price of admission. *** ½

Atmosphere is being marketed as Horror ,and while this is true to some aspects of the book ,it only tells part of the story.There are overtones of the police procedural ,while its ambience and edge evoke a distinctly film noir mood.Stir aliens and a government cover up into the mix and you have a literary stew with a mulitplicity of tasty ingredients .
Frank Ballaro ,the protagonist,is a New York City cop who encounters a dying teenage boy ,who is running naked from an alley when stuck and killed by a car ,He expires in Ballaro's arms whispering as his final word "atmosphere"
The case proves linked to the death and disappearance of several younh males ,all tied in with bald ,sunglasses wearing men and techno music.
It is not revealing too much to say there is an involvement with extra-terrestrials ,and the FBI are less than co-operative to the ongoing police investigation.
Written in a propulsive and energetic prose the novel manages to balance its multi genre influence superbly and only a somewhat rushed ending strikes an unconvincing note

An author to keep an eye out for nonetheless and I would urge people wanting something a bit left field but acceesible to try this promising start.

Having read and enjoyed the horror novel, "Deep in the Darkness", by this author, I decided to take a look at this other novel by him. Well, I was not disappointed by this highly original, plot driven, alien invasion thriller. Although there is little character development, the book's intriguing plot is sufficient to satisfactorily carry the reader through to the end.

When a New York City police detective discovers a grotesquely injured, naked man running out of an alley, leaving a trail of blood in his wake, the detective is intrigued. When the man runs out blindly into the street, an oncoming car hits him. With his dying breath, the man whispers just one last word. It is a word that is to lead Detective Frank Ballaro on a merry chase, especially after discovering a second, similarly injured man in the alley. This one, however, has a strange, foreign object clutched in his hands.

What that object is and what the puzzling last word of a dying man means are at the heart of the problem facing New York City, as a phalanx of bald men in black leather, wearing sunglasses, begin to blanket the city. What is their purpose? That is what is at the crux of this exciting and unusual alien invasion story. Read it and find out for yourself. You will not be disapointed. The powerful storyline overcomes any of the shortcomings in the writing and keeps the reader turning the pages of this book.

Michael Laimo's Atmosphere feels like a noir thriller. It also feels like sci-fi yarn. And, most of all, it's also a horror book. That's why I enjoyed reading this one so much; it gives you the best of all worlds!

Here, we find Frank, a detective who, during his weekend off, stumbles upon one heck of a conspiracy. It all starts when he follows a trail of blood that leads him to a mangled corpse. And then, right in front of his very eyes, a bald man wearing sunglasses comes to steal the body away.

Frank starts investigating with the detective given the case, Hector, who also happens to be his old boss. Together, they stumble on an age-old mystery involving aliens and a great deal of murders. Saying any more than that about the plot would be giving away too much. To enjoy Atmosphere, you have to go in without knowing much about the plot and about the characters.

Laimo knows how to grab his readers from the start. After reading the very first page, I just couldn't put the book down. The story is fast-paced and so entertaining that you'll find yourself reading long past your bed time.

I love books that take a familiar story and makes it new again. People have been writing about aliens for years; but this one puts a neat twist on it that involves young males and techno music. And Laimo does not shy away from the gore; although the book is never too graphic, it does have many moments of high tension that usually result in a lot of blood being shed.

Atmosphere is a very entertaining read that will keep you guessing until the end. It has vivid characters and a very intricate plot. It has comic scenes, scenes of tense horror, and very touching moments. What more could you want fom an escapist fare?

It was okay, but not very compelling - but okay doesn't cut it when there are GREAT books out there to be read. I read about 50 pages. Look elsewhere.

Michael Laimo is a writer I've become familiar with through the list of short stories he's had published. He certainly doesn't dissapoint with his debut novel ATMOSPHERE. The story is a thrill ride from page one all the way to the end, non-stop action and suspense filled with gut wrenching horror elements. A great police procedural plot with buckets of gore!! This is a truly electrifying read. You won't be let down. Just make sure you have time to read this, because you won't be able to put it down.

His characters a very real. Frank Ballaro is a believeable character that we can all associate with. Teamed with his ex-partner Hector Rodriguez, we are led all through Manhattan as they uncover clue by clue the horrific cause to a series of cult like serial murders. The ending is truly genius, a twist that'll keep you smiling. I truly recommend this book!!