Book Description
This moody, brilliantly atmospheric work of reportage is the story of three murders that took place on the Philppine island of Negros. The first victim was a wealthy landowner. The second was an impoverished farmer who was massacred, along with his wife and three children, in a barrio whose name means "the place of the ghosts." The third was a young soldier, who may have been killed by communist guerrillas or on the orders of his commanding officer. On Negros, every death has many stories.
In tracing the shadowy connections among these events, Alan Berlow, a correspondent for National Public Radio, portrays a society in which democracy is at best a hopeful fiction and everyone is a collaborator by necessity. Beautifully written, rich in ambiguity, and as riveting as any crime thriller,
Dead Season is a work of tragic depth and complexity.
"Like a tale from Faulkner or Marquez...a saga of surprisingly majestic proportions."--Laurie Garrett, author of The Coming Plague
"A passionately written tale about the chaos at the edge of the twenty-first century."--John Hockenberry, author of Moving Violations
Customer Reviews:
Hard to put down and a great historical reference.......2006-12-14
I stumbled upon this book while looking for tourism information for the island of Negros. It starts out as a very creepy and depressing tale of the murder of a peasant family by Philippine soldiers and other related homicides. In the telling of the story, however, is some of the most outstanding writing I have seen in a long time. This author has a very gifted pen. It is packed full of anecdotal information and historical accounts of the nation's history. Despite the gloomy topic there are even some great moments of wit, particularily in the descriptions of Imelda Marcos. The author also demonstrates some extrordinary analysis of human behaviour. I could almost rate this on par with some of Steinbeck's best work. It's very hard to put down. I hope to read more from this author.
A Good Fiction writer.......2005-12-09
The book is a great work of fiction. Let it be known that Berlow most probably did not spend so much time researching.
I hail from Negros Occidental and know the Gatuslaos (the family he constantly lambasts) very well. It is quite unfair that the author continuously makes up stories about incidents that never happened and describes people very wrongly. All, while he portrays everything to be factual as he promotes a very communistic and radical ideology.
Inaccurate and irresponsible.......2003-09-25
Alan Berlow is a good writer, he is detailed and you can easily picture yourself in the locations he describes. I think he can be a very good fiction writer, which is essentially what Dead Season is. I am a Philippine resident and I have read similiar accounts of the events Berlow mentioned. Yes, there are cover ups and the usual government corruption, but what I think was foul was his irresponsible descriptions of some people, which brings no value, except picture Berlow as a racist.
Heavy on Atmospherics, Light on Understanding.......2002-01-24
Having lived on Negros for a couple of years, I think that Berlow didn't understand much of what may have really been going on in the incident he describes. The provinces are very different from Manila. I got more of a sense of the author's dread and foreboding than much insight into what really happened, or into the cultural, political and economic background to the murders.
James Hamilton-Paterson writes much more insightful books about the Philippines.
A Look Into The Soul Of A Nation.......2000-06-12
What Alan Berlow found in his investigations on the Philippine Island of Negros, in a period spanning 1988 to 1992, was not too different from my own experiences while living on the island of Luzon between 1955 and 1958.
Berlow, then a correspondent for National Public Radio, uses three interrelated murders on Negros as his starting point for a discussion of capitalism gone awry, corruption in the political system, a military out of control, and revolutionary forces with murder and retribution on their mind. This book is much more than an investigation of three murders, it is a look into the soul of a nation.
A farmer with a streak of independence is killed by the military in a massacre that takes the lives of his wife and three of his children. A soldier, who took part in the massacre, but may not have fired a shot, is later murdered, possibly by his own comrades and possibly by guerilla forces. The murder of a wealthy landowner and operator of a sugar cane plantation seems to have provided the impetus for the other two murders.
Berlow's investigations into the murders led to a rather intimate knowledge, not just of the primitive lives of the poor of Negros, but also of the politics and mores of the entire nation. Not much seems to have changed since my years in the Philippines over forty years earlier. He describes the inability, or unwillingness, of President Corazon Aquino, elected on a platform of genuine land reform, to make good on her promises. This might have been because her family happened to own the largest sugar plantation in the Philippines, or it might have been some combination of knowing "on which side her bread was buttered," and concern for her own safety.
In 1957, I was in the Philippines at the time of the mysterious plane crash that took the lives of President Ramon Magsaysay and seven members of his cabinet. Magsaysay, who had been instrumental in defeating the communist led Hukbulahap guerillas, may have been the only genuinely reformist President in Philippine history. In my time, and in Barlow's, being a reformer was fraught with hazards.
Berlow concludes that the quality of life in the Philippines, for all but the wealthy, has gone from intolerable to even worse. After Aquino's failures in bringing about land reform and in negotiating peace between the military and rebel forces, over a half million members of the Philippines' poorest class were forcibly evacuated from their homes by the military. The rebels launched a campaign against U.S. citizens, murdering several. An Australian businessman who owned a rice mill on Negros was murdered. The church gave up any attempts to support the cause of the poor, stating "We must serve the poor without causing class struggle," and "there are people hungering not just for bread, but for the bread of life."
In the final analysis, Berlow says that nothing much is changing for the better, and that conditions that have kept the majority of Filipinos in virtual servitude, at least since the inception of the sugar plantation economy, show no signs of improving and therefore, "the compulsion to revolution continues to exist."
If you have compassion in your heart, this is not an easy book to read. For the same reason, you should read it.
Average customer rating:
- Spoken Like a True Roman...Thriller
- Not too shabby
- Pretty good 3.5 star book for a series starter.
- Intelligent, thoughtful, original
- Not a Bad Start to a Series
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A Season for the Dead
David Hewson
Manufacturer: Dell
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The Villa of Mysteries
ASIN: 0440242118
Release Date: 2004-12-28 |
Book Description
In a hushed Vatican reading room, the scene was shocking: a crazed professor shot dead after brandishing evidence of a grisly crime. Moments later, two bodies are found in a nearby church, each with a gruesome calling card from the killer. Thus begins David Hewson's elegant and electrifying new novel. Set amidst a bizarre killing spree in modern Rome, it is a bewitching blend of history and drama, sensuality and suspense.
As the August heat takes Rome in its fiery grip, the news of two brutal murders holds the city in thrall. And as the media gathers and Vatican officials close ranks, a young detective is sent to the forefront of the case. Nic Costa is the son of an infamous Italian Communist, a connoisseur of Caravaggio , and a cop who barely looks his 27 years of age. Thrust into the heart of a killing spree that will rattle his city down to its ancient bones, Nic meets a woman who will soon dominate both his consciousness and his investigation.
A cool, beautiful professor of early Christianity, Sara Farnese was in the Vatican library on that fateful day, a witness to her colleague's strange outburst and death. But her role will become even more puzzling as more bodies are found: Each victim killed in a gory tableau of Christian martyrdom. And each victim had intimately known Sara, whose silence Costa cannot quite crack and whose carnal history becomes more lurid and unfathomable with every revelation.
Soon, a nightmarish chase is implicating politicians and priests -- while at the heart of the matter remains the woman Costa is both investigating and guarding. Wanting to believe in Sara's innocence, Nic still cannot turn his eyes from the truths he is uncovering. Even as the secrets of a woman, a killer and a city begin to unravel...with devastating consequences.
A beguiling mystery, a dazzling treat for the senses, and a fascinating tour of the streets and alleyways of Rome, Nic Costa's relentlessly suspenseful debut is a masterpiece of suspense fiction.?
From the Hardcover edition.
Customer Reviews:
Spoken Like a True Roman...Thriller.......2007-09-14
Put me down as a devoted admirer of David Hewson. My first book was Lucifer's Shadow with fast-past intrigue running through a gamet of historical backgrounds. Superbly written. This year, I picked up his first Nic Costa novel which captivated my senses and transported me to the sights, aromas and well, being a Roman in Rome. Hewson makes you part of the city. You breathe it and inhale it's intoxication. The characters are as colorful and interesting as the city setting. This volume sets the stage for your future "theater of the mind" adventures with Nic Costa. Enjoy.
Not too shabby.......2007-05-12
Hewson doesn't hit a home run with this novel, but he at least gets to first base. Although this book has some stilted language it was pretty interesting. I can think of at least 400-500 other books I would recommend before this one, but if you are the type of reader who has read virtually every historical type thriller out there you might want to pick this up.
Pretty good 3.5 star book for a series starter........2007-04-22
No spoilers
I have never read any Hewson books before A Season for the Dead, and since I was looking for a new series to get involved in, I decided to give him a try. Because I am a fan of historical fiction, I knew I'd enjoy the setting of the book (Vatican City and Rome: endless history there), so I was just nervous about whether the book would keep me interested. I'm glad to say that this book had my interest the whole way through, but not in the typical way that mystery/thrillers of this type do.
Most books like this keep you hooked with cliffhangers and out of nowhere plot twits, but this book has none of those until the last thirty or so pages, in which the whole explanation of the plot takes place. Normally, I'd say a murder mystery with no plot twists would be boring, but this book definitely wasn't boring and even though there were no real plot shocks (until the end, like I said) I was still drawn into the story because the plot is developed in such away that you really want to know the motivations of each character and the only way to find out is to keep reading.
I'd recommend this book for a fast and fun read if you want something that has all the history of Vatican City and Rome without too much religious involved. As far as continuing the series, even though the reviews for the second book Villa of Mysteries don't look too great as a whole, I'll probably give it a try just because I've already started and hopefully it'll turn out ok.
Intelligent, thoughtful, original.......2007-04-19
I actually read the trilogy in reverse order and now wish I had started with this one and the introduction to Nic Costa. David Hewson has turned out some of the best fiction and some of the worst. These three tales of the Rome police are fantastic. Each and every story is riveting and complex and in all of them, we are dealing in shades of white, black and gray.
The rookie cop is teamed with Luca, a disillusioned older cop at the edge of a breakdown. Nic is the son of a local communist leader with a colorful past. He is hardworking, naive, sensitive, a vegetarian and above all, scrupulously honest. The tale is complex, multi-layered, and rich. It involves Vatican politics and finance, sordid sex, twisted murders and the many expressions of love. In fact, the book at times is almost a meditation on the human condition with long discussions of religion, faith, family, love and sacrifice.
The dialogue is just so good - nothing like the "Bookese" found in so many mysteries. The people themselves are unforgettable - the mysterious Sara Farese, the wily Cardinal, Nic's father, the earthy pathologist, Teresa Lupa, and last but not least, Nic himself. This has the potential of becoming one of those Hollywood Intelligent (is this possible?) films, deep and brooding with wonderful music. Especially brilliant were the ways in which Nic's love of painting served as a vehicle that drove the plot forward. My Grade - A.
Not a Bad Start to a Series.......2006-12-25
I enjoyed this book. It wasn't how I thought it would be which is why I liked it. I'm not going to write a plot summary since so many on Amazon have already did that. I enjoyed that you never knew where the twists and turns were going to be in this book. I loved all the detail about Italy and the paintings. It's not a Dan Brown want to be book. If you are looking for codes then you will be disappointed. I enjoyed the interplay between all the characters. Wasn't sure how to take some of them or how they were going to fit into the plot. I enjoyed this first book of the series. I would recommend it to anyone looking for a religious thriller or a mystery.
Average customer rating:
- Gripping, impassioned narrative. New York Times
- A worthwhile, flawed docu-drama
|
DEAD SEASON: A Story of Murder and Revenge on the Philippine Island of Negros
Alan Berlow
Manufacturer: Pantheon
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0679426647
Release Date: 1996-07-09 |
Amazon.com
A series of murders in the late 1980s on the small Philippine island of Negros prompts journalist Alan Berlow to examine the country's recent struggles toward democracy. His investigation plunges him into the morass of local and national politics at the end of the Marcos regime on through the disappointing presidency of Corazon Aquino. As Berlow comes closer to solving the murders, his story conveys the drama and character of a nation as it struggles to find focus in politics and realize its dreams.
Book Description
This gripping investigation of a savage murder on the Philippine island of Negros illuminates the tangled and violent interplay of colonialism's legacy. As Alan Berlow investigates the murder, he discovers the ultimate cause imbedded in the history and culture of a society locked into cycles of violent conflict behind a facade of democratic government.
Customer Reviews:
Gripping, impassioned narrative. New York Times.......1997-11-07
A book filled with sometimes shocking detail and personal intimacy, the kind of book about life in the Philippines that so many reproters wished they could leave their daily routines to write. Gripping, impassioned narrative worthy of the passion play that is the Philippines. THE NEW YORK TIMES. A remarkable guide to the tragedies and mysteries that pervade the Philippines. FAR EASTERN ECONOMIC REVIEW. An extraordinary work of reporting and of writing. ALEX CHADWICK, NPR MORNING EDITION. A truly impressive work of investigative Journalism. COMMONWEAL. A vivid portrait of a sad, overpopulated country, divided by class and poverty, still hostage to the legacies of American colonoialism and Ferdinand Marcos, whose patterns of violence and retribution seem unconquerable. KIRKUS REVIEWS. A chilling critique of a system indifferent to ordinary folk. The book makes abundantly clear how deeply rooted political and colonial feudalism are in Philippine society. ASIAWEEK MAGAZINE. Rich in telling detail and revealing a thorough understanding of the local culture. LIBRARY JOURNAL. Berlow's book is a well-told and compelling story of a small town and its people: the hacenderos and the villagers, how they interact and what they are to one another. Berlow finds significance in the smallest details about lives of his real-life characters, things the average person would take for granted, and gives them the importance that every life deserves. As the stories unfold, it becomes clear that the story of Negros is the story of wealth and poverty, of power and helplessness, of the lack of democracy and justice. Sadly, it is also the story of Filipino society. MANILA TIMES
A worthwhile, flawed docu-drama.......1997-08-29
Read on my first trip to the Phillipines, the home of my mother's family, this book often vibrantly elucidated certain previously unfathomable aspects of Filipino culture, such as the national obsession with cock-fighting. The murder mystery that drives the narrative is used effectively, though sometimes melodramatically, to diagnose all that is horribly wrong with the country's political and social-economic systems. In this way, Berlow's text provides an easily digestible short history and cultural analysis of the Philippines in the guise of an entertaining docudrama. At times, however, his tone of condescension and bent for heckling-like anthropologizing comment renders a one-dimensional picture of the lives of a complex, well-educated and incredibly resourceful peoples. When he could interject with notes about the progress realized in the Philippines, or give example of the genuine contentment of the family-oriented, social and generous Filipino, he instead leaves us with a dour and generalized impression of a poor, unenlightened colonial victim passive to a thoroughly corrupt government. Berlow is unabashed in his outsiderness to Filipino ways, and this shortcoming is the book's major flaw
Average customer rating:
- Review of The Dead Season
|
The Dead Season (Hardy Boys Casefiles, Case 35)
Franklin W. Dixon
Manufacturer: Simon Pulse
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0671674838 |
Customer Reviews:
Review of The Dead Season.......2000-06-19
I thought this was a very interesting book. As far as Casefiles go, it was ok. It was however a little different then some of the other casefiles. Surprise ending, and theme of the 20's. Very good.
Product Description
multiple books ship as one item. save on shipping/handling charges.
Product Description
seven mmpb books. 7 Titles By Robert Lynn Asprin Thieves' World Anthologies : Thieves' World Shadows of Sanctuary Storm Season The Face of Chaos The Dead of Winter Blood Ties Aftermath
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|
Dead Season
Alan Berlow
Manufacturer: Random House Value Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0517193426
Release Date: 1997-07-14 |
Book Description
This moody, brilliantly atmospheric work of reportage is the story of three murders that took place on the Philppine island of Negros. The first victim was a wealthy landowner. The second was an impoverished farmer who was massacred, along with his wife and three children, in a barrio whose name means "the place of the ghosts." The third was a young soldier, who may have been killed by communist guerrillas or on the orders of his commanding officer. On Negros, every death has many stories.
In tracing the shadowy connections among these events, Alan Berlow, a correspondent for National Public Radio, portrays a society in which democracy is at best a hopeful fiction and everyone is a collaborator by necessity. Beautifully written, rich in ambiguity, and as riveting as any crime thriller,
Dead Season is a work of tragic depth and complexity.
"Like a tale from Faulkner or Marquez...a saga of surprisingly majestic proportions."--Laurie Garrett, author of The Coming Plague
"A passionately written tale about the chaos at the edge of the twenty-first century."--John Hockenberry, author of Moving Violations
From the Trade Paperback edition.
Average customer rating:
|
Dead Season
J. Bradley Owen
Manufacturer: Leisure Books (Mm)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0843925930 |
Average customer rating:
|
Dead season's heritage
Hugo Manning
Manufacturer: [F.A. Colombo]
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
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ASIN: B0007J6HII |
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The Dead Season/Toxic Revenge (Hardy Boys Casefiles, Case 35 & 83)
Franklin W. Dixon
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster Childrens Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0743440978 |
Average customer rating:
- Graphic SF Reader
- Batman: Broken City
- Broken City, Dark and Menacing
- The darkest in-continuity Batman story ever told.
- An overlooked gem!
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Batman: Broken City
Brian Azzarello , and
Eduardo Risso
Manufacturer: DC Comics
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Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 1401201334 |
Book Description
BATMAN: BROKEN CITY offers a profound examination of the Dark Knight Detective and the grim metropolis he protects. While hunting the murderer of a small boys parents, Batman embarks on a journey of self-discovery that forces him to reflect on his life and the choices he has made. But when the Dark Knight becomes caught up in his own investigation and ruminations, he suddenly falls prey to a deadly new pair of killers that has been stalking him. A gritty, introspective tale, this noir-flavored book features appearances by the Joker, the Penguin, Killer Croc and Scarface.
Customer Reviews:
Graphic SF Reader.......2007-09-03
Batman is investigating a crime involving two men and a woman, and it is giving him a few problems. With the usual bunch of crazy super villains lurking in the background, the focus of this story is on unravelling the relationships between the people involved, to work out whodunnit. A noir type of dark, shadowy crime story.
Batman: Broken City.......2007-03-29
I'm impressed with this Batman tale because it is a terrific murder mystery. It reminds me of some of my favourite hardboiled detective novels like The Chill, by Ross MacDonald, or even The Long Goodbye by Chandler--wherein it may not necessarily be the solution to the crime that makes the story great, but the journey getting there. Dirty secrets get uncovered as Batman pursues Angel Lupo, prime suspect in the murder of his sister, as well as the double homicide of a married couple simply in the wrong place at the wrong time, or so it appears. But the hunt for the truth ropes in some old Batman foes, like Killer Croc, and the eerie duo known as Ventriloquist and Scarface. The can of worms Batman opens as he scours a particularly bleak and rainy Gotham hunting a murderer is, in the tradition of some great pulp detective fiction, not necessarily relevant to the main crime but, well, just as bad or worse. Crimes piled on crimes, layers of tenously connected secrets that, as they are revealed, do not flatter anyone involved. Then the flash of insight, the sudden hunch from the gut--in this case, Batman breaking free of some narrow thinking caused by the circumstances involved in his own parents' deaths--and the case is suddenly solved.
The theme is as old as pulp fiction: turn over rocks looking for one snake, and you may find all kinds of snakes. And, as usual, something that looks as pure as driven snow in a story like this often turns out to be stained the worst.
I don't see any real loose ends in this story, except for, perhaps, a clear explanation of what stolen object connects lowlife Angel Lupo with new villains in town Fat Man and Little Boy. Other than that, the role that Angel Lupo, his lover Margo Farr, car thief Jonny Billy of Little Tokyo, the Penguin, Killer Croc, Ventriloquist and Scarface, all played in the homicides, is explained. I especially liked the scene where Batman finally stands face to face with Angel Lupo--a scared, hunted Angel Lupo pointing a gun at our hero while someone else waits in the shadows for a chance to kill the man he thinks ruined his happiness.
A few problems: I think Killer Croc isn't tough enough in this story; Batman seems to push him around at his leisure--and wouldn't it take chains to keep Croc tied up? I don't think Batman is any crueler in this dreary story than he has been elsewhere, and I don't think his quick handling of Little Boy in their final skirmish is a disappointment; after taking his lumps from her (Little Boy does seem to be female) in severe fashion, he finally detects her weak spot and exploits it with a quick bit of finesse, and the tables are turned without a lengthy brawl. I kind of like it when heavily-hyped fighters go down fast--and she had cleaned Batman's clock pretty thoroughly earlier! But the Joker's scene with the Dark Knight--he summons Batman to Arkham for a chat (ie. some taunting)--could have been left out, though I guess, in his demented way, he's trying to get Batman to think outside the box. The scene ends kind of abruptly, and it seems to be the following sequence, where Batman flashes back to an intriguing detail from the day his parents were killed, and not the Joker's oblique natterings, that forces him to rethink assumed guilt and innocence.
The final unmasking of a murderer caught me by surprise, despite me having read a terrific whodunit called Night Games, by Collin Wilcox (that doesn't spoil things, does it?--has anyone here read Night Games, by Collin Wilcox?), where the solution was similar. It just shows that it's really tough to come up with an original puzzle these days. But I still loved this crime story, and I recommend that you ignore any claims that it's too confusing--goodness! it's a mystery story with multiple suspects and crimes hiding other crimes while everyone tries lying to Batman (it doesn't work) to obfuscate the truth while the real killer is protected by all these layers of deception...what do you expect, simplicity?!
It's a splendid story, and Batman remains a great, if temporarily misguided, detective. Give him time, he'll get it worked out. Still punches hard too.
Broken City, Dark and Menacing.......2006-12-29
I view Batman as the darkest of the DC heroes - a man who can be hurt, who deals in the grime and filth of humanity and whose mission is to help not just the innocent, but the not-as-guilty. It's Batman and Daredevil who are the greatest triumphs for human stories in the line.
Broken City, written by Brian Azzerello reaches to those roots of the man behind the mask. He's no friend of the establishment in this book because establishments are cesspools for corruption whether criminal or city. He's on a mission to find truths about himself and to rescue the mind of a little boy in shock after the brutal murders of his parents. The artwork, illustrated by Eduardo Risso isn't the focus, but instead the atmosphere of a well-told story. It's dark and angry and dangerous.
The traditional villians come back to earth in this story, running criminal organizations with very personal effects - drugs, theft, murder, prostitution, etc. It's a story where the detective works his way up to the truth by beating the streets, turning informants and taking wrong trails. Noir, gritty and real. I loved seeing Batman making mistakes and feeling slighted by it, taking it personally, then working new angles. He's alone, and lonely, and can't trust anyone else with the information he's got because the trail might grow as cold as the next victim he stumbles upon in a rain-drenched alley.
For my taste there are too many loose ends, but it's comics and perhaps there are stories to be told later from each thread left dangling. The dialogue is intentionally simplistic and some of it could have been chopped. One of the villians had too much build-up for too simple a fight. Those are my nits. I still recommend it.
- CV Rick
The darkest in-continuity Batman story ever told........2006-11-27
"Batman: Broken City" was created as something of an all-star event. Occuring directly after the "Hush" storyline by Loeb and Lee, this effort by the "100 Bullets" crew was DC's effort to hit a second sales homerun. In terms of both creativity and sales, they maybe didn't quite hit that second homer, but this is at least a ground-rule double, if not a triple.
Though the story originally appeared in the regular comics series and is obstensibly in-continuity, it manages to evoke the same "extra-continuity" sensibilities of projects like Miller's "Dark Knight" stories. That is clearly intentional, as Miller (and his "Batman: Year One" compadre David Mazzucelli) are clearly both influeces and references used by artist Eduardo Risso to adapt his noir style to Gotham City. One of the things that added to this sense of "non-continuity" was Azzarello's verison of Killer Croc, which was something of an about-face from the more tragic takes on the character by other writers like Doug Moench. Even visually, Croc was entirely re-designed from all previous versions. Though I much prefer the regular version of Croc as a villain, this technique of reinvention did add something to the story, I must admit.
Whether you will like this story depends on what you want out of Batman stories. Bats is an archetypal character, and there are many different takes on him. There's the detective. There's the vigilante. There's the modern-day night. There's the international swashbuckler. There's the man who can beat anyone over in the JLA, given "enough time to prepare". This version borrows heavily from the slightly sadistic Miller version, but with more of a noir detective sensibility than we've seen before, right down to the cliched noir dialogue that you expect from such stories.
If "your" Batman is the honor-driven, action hero knight of Gotham, then this one might not be to your liking. But if you can stand a more brutal take on the character (and some more realistic limitations on his abilities, perhaps), then this one might be for you. But like it or not, disturbed by it or not, there's no denying the artistic merits of the piece. This is definitely pulp, genre fiction and not fine literature, but it's very good pulp fiction.
Recommended.
An overlooked gem!.......2006-10-02
Just finished reading some editors' review on Amazon of other Batman graphic novels and was shocked at the great reviews given some mediocre books and the poor review given to this one, Broken City, which in my opinion is a masterpiece and comparable to works of Miller, Sale/Joeb! When I first bought it, I read it twice to figure out who killed who. It wasn't because the story was convoluted, which it is, but the artwork is so beautiful, so smart, that I would just study the panels and not pay attention to the story. Risso is the absolute master of using shadow and black areas to define his work. I've taken this book into several of my digital art classes, where we've dissected the shadows, panning of scenes etc. They are stunning! Every scene is drawn with meticulous care and serve as both luscious artwork and moving the story forward. My favorite scenes have to be Batman arguing with Croc reflected in the tire rims of the car, the beating Batman receives at the hand of the skinny Japanese girl where he finally graps her bracelet, and the point of view from inside Batman's mouth while he gives himself First Aid. Bruce Wayne grilling a steak while talking on the phone with the Gotham PD detective, "grilling relaxes me," has to be a new classic and provides a refreshing take of the tired old scenes from the batcave with Alfred making goofy remarks in the background. Many compare Risso to Miller and other artist, but I see a lot of Mignola in his work; dark areas with layers of meaning providing a background to Azzarello's noir story laden with biting humor. I know 100 Bullets is a popular, but I've never particularly cared for it, but this is different. Buy it for the art or for the story and even if you are not a Batman fan, you won't regret it.
Average customer rating:
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Batman - Broken City Ciudad Quebrada
Brian Azzarello
Manufacturer: SD Sticker Design
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Batman | Media | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
Spanish | Foreign Language Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Literatura y ficción | Libros en español | Formats | Books | Autores, A-Z | Cartas y Correspondencia | Clásicos | Cuentos Cortos | Drama | Ensayos | Ficción de La Mujer | General | Género Ficción | Historia y Crítica | Libros y Lectura | Literatura Mundial | Poesía
ASIN: 9872219133 |
Product Description
The complete storyline in the original six parts.
Books:
- Death in the Dark Continent
- Death of a Gossip (Hamish Macbeth Mysteries)
- Death of a Nationalist (Soho Crime)
- Death of a Poison Pen (Hamish Macbeth Mystery)
- Deep Freeze
- Deep Lie
- Devil's Waltz (Alex Delaware)
- Did You Declare the Corpse?: A Thoroughly Southern Mystery (Thoroughly Southern Mysteries)
- Die Trying
- Doctored Evidence
Books Index
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