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Steven R. Harbin's Profile
Customer Reviews: 28
New Reviewer Rank: 88,287
Classic Reviewer Rank: 17,412
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Reviews Written by
Steven R. Harbin (Southeastern USA)
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A great sequel to Pulsifer: A Fable, August 24, 2008
If possible, this sequel to "Pulsifer: A Fable" is an even better story. Rogue Pulsifer scams even when he would do better not to, blunders sometimes, outwits his foes at other times, fights heroically when he has to, runs away when he can. The only thing he is never guilty of is being boring. Author Wm. Michael Mott has created a great character, and set him in a finely realized imaginary world that I found just as interesting as Jack Vance's Dying Earth or Clark Ashton Smith's Hyperborea and Zothique, all of which Temudoth somewhat resembles, but Mott interjects much that is original. I consider these Pulsifer books among the best fantasies I've read this year, keeping company with works by Neil Gaiman, Charles R. Saunders, and Manly Wade Wellman. I recommend them to any one who likes the fantasy genre, but a warning, Pulsifer grows on you, but he is by no means a hero or even likeable, he is totally into whatever he can do for himself, even at the expense of others, but his adventures are too interesting to stop reading (at least, they were for me). 5 Stars easily.
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Pulsifer: A Fable
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by Wm. Michael Mott
Edition: Paperback |
| Price: $21.95 |
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| Availability: In Stock |
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A very good read, July 27, 2008
This is a really good read. The main character is a "rogue" in the model of other literary rogues such as Jack Vance's Cugel the Clever and George Macdonald Fraser's Harry Flashman. Many of his adventures and misadventures are the result of his own machinations. Despite this, I found myself caught up in the story and actually caring about what Pulsifer did or what happened to him, which to me is the mark of a good storyteller.
The fantasy world in which the action takes place is a continent surrounded and threatened by encroaching ice, where magic works, and science has been forgotten. The story is reminiscent of Clark Ashton Smith's Zothique and Jack Vance's The Dying Earth series, high class company indeed, but Mott pulls the whole thing off with his own imagination. I highly recommend this one to anyone who enjoys fantasy and adventure.
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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
Masterful examination of Wallace's political career, November 20, 2004
This is an excellent study on the political career of George Wallace, the former Alabama Governor famed for his stand against integration in the early 1960's and his subsequent runs for the Presidency. Carter portrays Wallace as a complex individual, who seems to have been motivated from the start more by ambition than principle. The book gives an extremely well researched and readable account of Wallace's early life, his family, friendships and formative experiences. Carter attempts to show that Wallace early on became politically ambitious for the Alabama Governor's office and that he originally adopted the stance of a moderate (for the time) southern populist, going so far as to refuse to break away from the Democratic party in 1948 and supporting Truman over Strom Thurmond and the Dixiecrat party.
In the 1958 Alabama gubernatorial election Wallace was defeated by a more blatantly racist, segregationist opponent and vowed in a famed statement of racial epithet never to be the racial moderate in any future elections. True to his word he ran a 1962 campaign on the stance of continued defiance to federal government attempts to integrate Alabama schools and extend voting rights to the state's black population. Successfully elected, he made a national name for himself by his confrontations with the federal courts (including initially trying to defy or evade the court orders of man who had once been a good friend - Federal Judge Frank Johnson) and the Kennedy Justice Department. The book doesn't shy away from the resulting violence of some of Wallace's followers and the more extreme racist comments and actions of many of those who supported him in the 1960's. I think Carter makes a good case that by his disregard for federal law enforcement agencies and civil rights protesters that Wallace in some degree bore some of the responsibility for the actions of the more extreme and violent of those opposed to integration and expanded civil rights for black citizens.
Carter also provides great detail into minds of the inner circle of those men who managed Wallace's candidacy in his state and later national campaigns for President, including talented speechwriter but also violent racist Klansman Asa Carter (no relation to the author), who would later become famous as the author of the historical novel that inspired the Clint Eastwood movie "The Outlaw Josey Wales". Biographer Carter's premise is that by Wallace's strong showings in the presidential elections of 1968 and 1972 (before he was derailed by an assassination attempt) that Wallace succeeded in moving the national political debate to the right, especially in the area of social policies and politics. Carter has gone on record in other books and speeches as trying to link the Republican policies of welfare reform, re-examination of affirmative action policies and anti-crime legislation as being directly descended from Wallace's bigoted early campaigns. While I think he stretches the point I do think that some of Wallace's populist appeal did pave the way for successful Presidential campaigns of other southerners, such as Georgia's Jimmy Carter in 1976 and Arkansas' Bill Clinton in 1992 and 1996. Carter sees Republican Ronald Reagan as more of a direct descendant of Wallace, but this reviewer sees it as a fact that most successful Presidential races since 1968 whether Republican or Democrat have taken Wallace's anti-Washington bureaucrat populist rhetoric and support for a stronger defense and lower taxes as being more important than his racial stances.
Of course Wallace himself moderated his racial stances through the succeeding years, until he was running as a populist with appeal to both blacks and whites in the 1980's and appealing for forgiveness to many of those he had wronged. Carter dutifully reports this later conversion, although he seems to question some of the sincerity behind the public conversion.
The book doesn't represent itself as a conventional biography as much as an examination of Wallace's life and the effects of his political campaigns on national and regional politics, and for that reason I can forgive what I see as a failure of the book to give as much detail and scrutiny to Wallace's life after 1972 as Carter gave the previous years. The book does a powerful job of conveying the reality of Lurleen Wallace's life and trials as George's wife as well as her fights with the cancer that finally killed her. Her stint as a successful stand in candidate for Governor in 1966 and her short term in office before her death is given a good overview. However I would have liked to have seen as much detail and information on Wallace's later family and personal life, including his other marriages and relationships with his children. I also would have been interested in finding out more about the Alabama political scene of the 1980's and 1990's and Wallace's lasting effect on those politics, but I can't argue with the fact that Carter has written a masterful portrait on both the man and his era and the waves he caused by his political campaigns. A definite 5 stars for this award winning (justly so, I might add) political biography.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Excellent political biography of Governor ahead of his time., December 29, 2002
Henderson, a college professor at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College, has done a great service by writing this scholarly and readable chronicle of the late Georgia Governor Ellis Arnall's political career. Arnall was Governor of Georgia from 1943-47, a time which saw various political controversies and accomplishments. Henderson arranges the various events of Arnall's term in a thematic manner, dealing with Arnall's fight to obtain fairer freight rates for the south, the "three governor's controversy of 1947", and Arnall's refusal to fight against the Supreme Court decision that overturned Georgia's "whites-only" primary.While stressing that Arnall was much more progressive and liberal than his political opponents, Henderson doesn't shy away from exposing Arnall's flaws and his support for much of the segregationist stance of the time. Of course, no Georgia politician in the time period could have been elected state-wide who didn't support segregation, and Arnall's failure to be as much of a rabid race baiter as Talmadge and others effectively killed off his political career after 1947. All of this is presented effectively in the book, along with Arnall's support of education, his friendship with Henry Wallace, and his post gubernatorial career as a businessman, attorney, author, speaker, and his failed 1966 campaign for governor. I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in southern history, and Georgia history in particular. As I stated earlier, Professor Henderson has penned a well written and informative biography of this important Georgia politician.
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Three Blind Mice
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by Ed McBain
Edition: Mass Market Paperback |
| Availability: Out of Print--Limited Availability |
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Hope takes on a hopeless case in the sunshine state., October 12, 2002
Ed McBain's "Matthew Hope" series is one of the more entertaining and engaging mystery series set in that most murderous of states - Florida! Well, not actually perhaps, but if one reads the vast number of murderous tomes and series set in the sunshine state one might get that impression. Like John D. MacDonald, Carl Hiassen, James Hall, Lawrence Shamus, Dave Barry, Tim Dorsey, and others MacBain makes good usage of his setting. Lead character and protagonist attorney/P.I. Matthew Hope's adventures aren't as madcap and humorous as those of some of the other authors mentioned above, but he is definitely hard boiled and suspenseful. In this novel Hope is engaged to defend Stephen Leeds, a man accused of murdering three Vietnamese immigrants who have just recently been acquited of raping Leeds' wife Jessie. When the men are found murdered and mutilated shortly after Stephen had publicly threatened to kill them, everyone assumes that he is guilty. Evidence found at the scene seems to clinch the matter, but Hope takes on the case and begins to investigate, along with his assistants. As is usual in a MacBain novel, you learn quite a lot about the various characters along the way, making them and their motives believable. I recommend all of the Matthew Hope series. While this one isn't his best, it is still a good pager turner. Recommended. Four Stars.
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Humor, danger, and an angst ridden love life among the arts., October 12, 2002
Sparkle Hayter's Robin Hudson is rapidly becoming one of my favorite characters in the sub genre that is hard boiled humor romance mystery (for lack of a better term). If you enjoy Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series then you'll enjoy this one. Hudson works for a large liberal (is there any other kind?) news network, and the double dealings and office politics from her employment situation alone make the series worthwhile. Author Hayter used to work for several such organizations, and her descriptions of life at the all news station rings true. Her love life is about as messed up as Stephanie Plum's or Casey Jones (another series I recommend), and while some of her mystery situations seem over the top, there's still enough threat of real danger and believable bad guys (and gals) to keep up the suspense.In this novel, which is the 5th in the series, Robin's apartment is burned down by one of her older neighbor's electric Ascension of Jesus display when it develops a short circuit. Taking her few rescued belongings and her grandfather's old rifle (purely for sentimental value) she moves into the famous Chelsea hotel, home to the artists and bohemian eccentrics in New York. Before she can settle into her new (borrowed from a friend) digs and start her vacation she encounters dead philandering artists, mute Zen bodybuilders, former girlfriends of her own former boyfriends, and young lovers on the lam. As usual her only choice is to jump in where others fear to tread and try to solve the mysteries involved. Definitely recommended.
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HIS NAME WAS DEATH
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by Fredric Brown
Edition: Paperback |
| Availability: Out of Print--Limited Availability |
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5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
Murder leads to murder leads to murder..., October 12, 2002
Quiet reclusive printer Darius Conn is the last person anyone would suspect of being a murderer. He is mild mannered, private, and respectable. However, as usual in a Fredric Brown noir mystery novel, things aren't always what they seem. Conn has some murderous secrets. For one thing he has gotten away with the murder of his wife, and life looks good from this point on. The formerly honest businessman has turned to counterfeiting, but a couple of mistakes on his part lead to the necessity for another murder, then another...One of Brown's most thrilling novels, in my opinion. Not every thing Brown wrote was great, but at his best none could match him. This is one of his best. Five Stars.
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The Delta Star
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by Joseph Wambaugh
Edition: Mass Market Paperback |
| Price: $7.50 |
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| Availability: In Stock |
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24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
One of Wambaugh's best., October 12, 2002
This is Joseph Wambaugh at his best, humorous, suspenseful, and sympathetic to his police characters while not shying away from their faults, foibles, and flaws. In one of his better mysteries, the cops of Rampart Station try to solve the connections between a Nobel Prize, a Russian submarine, a useless credit card, a dead hooker and a similarly deceased sleazy private eye.Detective Mario Villalobos tries to solve the murder of a young hooker named "Missy Moonbeam" by day while spending his nights drowning his sorrows with a typical Wambaugh cast of police and groupie characters at Leery's Saloon. Larger than life characters such as "The Bad Czech", "Jane Wayne", Ludwig the police dog, and the "Gooned Out Vice Cop" all make appearances. The thing is Wambaugh makes you actually care about these people and their situations. It is obvious that the former policeman turned author still understands and feels a great empathy and affection for the men and women who police our "mean streets". Villalobos is one of his better drawn characters. A burned out man who drinks too much, he still possesses some great police instincts, and he is not so far gone as some of the suicidal main characters of Wambaugh's darker novels, such THE SECRETS OF HARRY BRIGHT or THE GLITTER DOME. A mixture of serendipitous luck and good police work lead to a surprising twist of a conclusion, but as with most of Wambaugh's best books, the journey and the whacky cast of characters one encounters along the way is actually more important than the destination itself. Highly recommended. Five plus stars.
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The Far Cry
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by Fredric Brown
Edition: Paperback |
| Availability: Out of Print--Limited Availability |
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
Noirish tale of murder and obsession., September 22, 2002
THE FAR CRY was first published in 1951, and is considered one of Fredric Brown's best mystery novels, which is saying something indeed, considering how many great ones he penned. Slightly different from his famous "Ed and Am Hunter" series of novels about a uncle and nephew team of Private Eyes, THE FAR CRY is more of a downbeat noir type of thriller, dwelling as it does on the main character's growing depression regarding his own marriage and career, coupled with a burgeoning obsession on his part with the mystery surrounding an 8 year old murder of a girl he never knew, but whom he has become compulsively attracted to.George Weaver is a middle aged Kansas City real estate man, unhappily married, father of two, and recovering from a nervous breakdown. His doctor recommends a summer of peace and relaxation, away from his business and family concerns. To achieve this he rents a small primitive house a few miles outside of Taos, New Mexico. The only problem is that the same house was once the scene of a grisly murder. Eight years previously a young woman named Jenny Ames had come to meet a man who she thought wished to marry her. Instead the same man, an aspiring artist named Nelson, killed Jenny with a kitchen knife and then buried her body a quarter mile from the house, the very house that Weaver is now renting. Try as he might, Weaver can not get the events of 8 years previous out of his mind. He begins to investigate the murder and the mysterious events leading up to it. At first he believes that he will write an article and profit from it, also that investigating it will help detour his thoughts from contemplation of his own unhappy marriage, but as the summer progresses he finds himself more and more obsessed with the young Jenny Ames. To tell any more of the plot would be a spoiler, simply suffice it to say that Brown delivers as usual. I definitely recommend this one for those who like their noir dished up with believable characters and suspense.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Good vintage stuff from the pen of a master pulp writer., September 21, 2002
This compilation of six of Fredric Brown's rarer mystery stories is volume number five in publisher Dennis McMillan's Fredric Brown Pulp Detective Series. McMillan did a great service in the 1980's and 90's by reprinting a good deal of Brown's pulp fiction magazine mystery and thriller stories. This is one of the more obtainable volumes from that series. Some of the others are quite rare and expensive. Besides the title story, which is a novelette set in the world of the traveling carnival, or "carnie", there is "Double Murder", "Two Biers for Two", "See No Murder", "Fugitive Imposter", and "Client Unknown". While none of these stories rises to the level of Brown's great novels or classic science fiction stories, such as "Arena", all are interesting period pieces, still readable after 60 years. Each has Brown's trademark unusual twist or ending, and in some, such as the title story and "Client Unknown" one can see the beginnings of some of the ideas and characters that would later become the "Ed and Am Hunter" novels. If none of these names mean anything to you, I firmly suggest that you get a hold of as much Fredric Brown literature as possible and start reading. You won't be disappointed. While the novels are probably the best place to start, this collection is certainly a good intro to the early Brown.In addition to the stories themselves, all of which were originally printed in Detective pulp magazines in the 1940's and 50's, there is a wonderful introduction by Richard A. Lupoff, a famed writer in various genres, much as Brown himself was. Lupoff examines the direction the mystery story took in America after the pulp influence of Chandler and Hammett, along with Brown's own comments on how he arrived at his ideas and plots. There is also an interesting comment or two on the differences in character development in the short story vis-à-vis the novel. Once again, highly recommended.
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(Southeastern USA)
