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Really? Have you read this one?
No, not yet. I read a lot of crime fiction and a good bit of true crime books, mainly about organised crime in Québec.
Interesting. I don't know nothing about organized crime in Canada, though I remember reading in the news some years ago that a capo was killed in his bedroom with his goomar.
He was far more influencial than most Presidents, and he left a legacy few can equal in US history. I can only think of Lincoln himself, Washington, US Grant, Teddy and Franklin Rosevelt and JFK.
I would say he is most famous for almost dying in a plot concerning the planned deaths of Lincoln and also his vice president, Andrew Johnson. To think, if the man sent to kill Johnson hadn't chickened out how different our history would be today.
Cheers
I don't know why but I never managed to find IT scary.
And what was the reason? Was it a conflict over succession? Did they struck back?
We are not certain who did it yet or the specific reasons. The adversaries of the Rizzutos were divided and are still, so it is difficult to know who did what. As Vito was in jail in the US at the time it seemed that they wanted to destabilize the Rizzuto and their power was challenged, however when Vito Rizzuto finished his sentenced he regained control of Montreal's underworld fairly easily, backed up by people from inside the mafia and by other criminal groups. Some criminals died, but we are not sure whether they were killed because they took part in the murder of the patriarch or because they simply remained neutral.
Interesting. Could you recommend me a book on Canadian mafia?
Mafia Inc is maybe the best:
http://www.amazon.ca/Mafia-Inc-Bloody-Canadas-Sicilian/dp/0307360407
I am currently reading the Rizzoli & Isles series by Tess Geritssen & two books by Hakan Nesser with Inspector van Veeteren.
I have also heard that Ludlum was and likely still is common reading on airplane rides, found in abundance in airport bookstores.
I am reading my long awaited biography (3rd vol.) of Churchill by William Manchester and Paul Reid: excellent in every way! Highly recommend it.
I do prefer the books.
By H.G. Wells
My second Wells book, after the incredibly fascinating The Time Machine, proves even more of a thrilling experience for a Sci-Fi fan like myself. This book, The War Of The Worlds, is the granddaddy of all alien invasion fiction but remains to this day the very best in its kind. Let it be said that Wells, despite having written the book over a century ago, perfectly understood how to strike fear into our hearts and include little to purge those fears. The entire book reads like an uncomfortable tale, told by the unnamed central character, of terror and horror. Close encounters with horrific scenes, described in detail, tend to take my breath away. It happens only rarely that I get sucked into a story to this extent but TWOTW makes it happen for sure. Fascinating, ghastly at times, The War Of The Worlds hasn't lost a single bit of its power since its publication. Several films and TV series were based on this book but few were able to capture the tension presented by Wells. Huge recommend.
I am not big into Sci-fi, but read The Invisible Man by Wells and thought it was okay. It doesn't stack up to the other classics I have read, but was an interesting read nonetheless. I have yet to watch the film with Claude Rains, unfortunately.
I strongly recommend the film, if only for its surprisingly effective special effects.
Also, I think The Time Machine and The War Of The Worlds are mandatory reading, regardless of one's taste for Sci-Fi. ;-)
I just finished my third Wells' novel:
The Island Of Dr. Moreau
TIODM first came to my attention when I watched the Frankenheimer film while studying for a biology test. Funny thing aside, the test was about genetics... Anyway, I didn't much care for the film and, incidentally, had little or no knowledge about Wells or his extensive legacy. My Sci-Fi awareness was restricted to a number of very famous, mainstream films too. A lot changed in the years to come after this. I focused on sciences and got from knee-deep to neck-deep into the world of Sci-Fi, even moving far beyond the obvious Summer blockbusters. Films I had previously rejected, mainly out of ignorance or lack of interest, suddenly returned to my to-do lists. TIODM was one of those. Still somewhat uninspired by the film, I turned to the 1977 Don Taylor version, only to find myself, again, left more or less cold by the story.
And so I was pleased to find TIODM included as a novel in the collection of Wells books I recently purchased. For perhaps the book would finally be able to make me a fan? Well, to tell the truth, I find it lacking the magic of The Time Machine and The War Of The Worlds, two novels for which my praise has grown beyond finite. That, however, doesn't mean I don't like it. In fact I do like it, but on the level of warm and good, not of hot and great. Well written and told in a fascinating manner, the book nevertheless sets out on a moralising journey which is effective only in that sense. However, I'm fond of reading Sci-Fi principally as an adventure, sorting out the moral subtext or biting satire when I feel like it. You see, sometimes I simply want escapist fun or horrifying fantasy without being reminded of the troubles of the real world. This is where the book fails to meet my needs. Peel off the thin adventure and there's social criticism abound. But if the adventure is what I seek, I am confronted by how mightily thin it really is.
So overall it behoves me recommend the novel for bright minds who enjoy uncovering the pervert side of society or students in dire need of paper material but I find the book lacking the purely fictional richness of some of Wells' other books.
Ludlum had retired the character at the end Ultimatum. David Webb was done as Bourne. Mission accomplished.
Then EVL comes along 20 years later, with permission from the estate of course, and yanks the poor guy back into the fray to fight a whole new round of Jason Bourne battles, with apparently no going back this time. He's now resigned to the "Bourne Identity".
I refuse to read Lustbader's Bourne books, considering he has basically
This book is probably best known as the inspiration for two films: The first made in 1987 starring Scott Glenn, the second in 2004 with Denzel Washington. Alas, I haven’t seen the Glenn version, but I did enjoy the latter film, even if I thought the last third or so had some serious story flaws.
Unlike the 2004 movie, the 1981 novel takes place in Italy and around the Mediterranean. One thing in particular I liked about the book is how it describes the hero, Marcus Creasy, getting back into shape after being seriously wounded in a gunfight. He doesn’t do anything fancy. Creasy instead retreats to a small island of Gozo in Malta, where he spends his time going on long ocean swims and helping villagers with projects such as building stone walls out of heavy rocks.
Incidentally, Man on Fire is the first of a series featuring the character of Marcus Creasy. I can’t comment on the rest of the books as I haven’t read them, though at some point I will. Also, the book is even darker and more intense than the Denzel Washington film.