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ccollard58's review against another edition
5.0
my favorite book this year. the author has performed a masterful fusion of elements that generally don't go together.
dark<->funny
depressing<->uplifting
violent<->wistful
throw in some wonderful characters and intriguing history of old Mannahatta and you have something great.
dark<->funny
depressing<->uplifting
violent<->wistful
throw in some wonderful characters and intriguing history of old Mannahatta and you have something great.
dubsington's review against another edition
4.0
This was my first novel by Warren Ellis, and I'll probably look into his other novels. Gun Machine is a relatively straight forward cop/case/killer novel but packs a good amount of extras, intrigue and great writing within the book.
The main character, John Tallow, is a fairly common anti-hero who is a sad sack that you can't help but root for. The real magic comes from his two associates, Scarly and Bat, who are the crime scene lab techs. They provide the levity that Ellis uses expertly to balance the sombreness of Tallow.
The plot kicks off when Tallow stumbles into an apartment that is filled with guns. Guns of every kind and every nature. One of the best parts of this book is how Ellis slowly creates and pulls threads through the entire book. I found myself making connections just before they were laid out and never feeling like anything was offered too easily.
Once or twice it seemed like Tallow and friends made a fairly illogical jump to information that we as the readers have already found out, but for most of the read their search made sense.
The main character, John Tallow, is a fairly common anti-hero who is a sad sack that you can't help but root for. The real magic comes from his two associates, Scarly and Bat, who are the crime scene lab techs. They provide the levity that Ellis uses expertly to balance the sombreness of Tallow.
The plot kicks off when Tallow stumbles into an apartment that is filled with guns. Guns of every kind and every nature. One of the best parts of this book is how Ellis slowly creates and pulls threads through the entire book. I found myself making connections just before they were laid out and never feeling like anything was offered too easily.
Once or twice it seemed like Tallow and friends made a fairly illogical jump to information that we as the readers have already found out, but for most of the read their search made sense.
jmoses's review against another edition
5.0
This was an excellent novel. Characters, dialog, writing, plot, all amazing and highly interesting. It was hard for me to stick with, but I've been in a fantasy rut lately, which I'm sure was the major contributor to that. An excellent read.
thewallflower00's review against another edition
3.0
I was hooked by the beginning excerpt (the trailer and endorsement by Wil Wheaton didn't hurt either).
However, the story fizzles after the first 33%. It's a fantastic draw-in, just like any good comic book writer should do. There's no real twists or gotchas through the plot. Everything you thought was happening is what's happening. I guess my problem was that the promises set up by the beginning don't reflect the ending.
And what you think might be bizarre or supernatural turns out to be normal realism. It's called "Gun Machine" but there is no machine, much less one made of guns. Big locked door, guns in circles. You're thinking aliens? Cult ritual? Something ethereal (at least based on the trailer). And it turns out to be mundane.
That being said, the characters (especially the CSI forensics team) are fantastically written, as are the antagonists and the smart protagonists. It's a crime thriller written by a comic book writer, one who subscribes to the Neil Gaiman school of writing. That means it's sharp, short, and witty. I think it's worth a try.
However, the story fizzles after the first 33%. It's a fantastic draw-in, just like any good comic book writer should do. There's no real twists or gotchas through the plot. Everything you thought was happening is what's happening. I guess my problem was that the promises set up by the beginning don't reflect the ending.
And what you think might be bizarre or supernatural turns out to be normal realism. It's called "Gun Machine" but there is no machine, much less one made of guns. Big locked door, guns in circles. You're thinking aliens? Cult ritual? Something ethereal (at least based on the trailer). And it turns out to be mundane.
That being said, the characters (especially the CSI forensics team) are fantastically written, as are the antagonists and the smart protagonists. It's a crime thriller written by a comic book writer, one who subscribes to the Neil Gaiman school of writing. That means it's sharp, short, and witty. I think it's worth a try.
carriethis's review against another edition
5.0
I don't know about all three star ratings here...I thought Gun Machine was great. I listened to Reg E Cathey read it on audiobook, and his deeeeep rough voice was perfect for the gritty rampage of this novel. This is noir noir with a hint of the uncanny and snappy dialogue. I want more of John and his CSU pals.
algae429's review against another edition
4.0
Fantastic. I thought this was s tense thriller with interesting characters.
tobinlopes's review against another edition
5.0
Wow. Early in my reading of this one the little voice in my head started saying "theeeseeeee eeeeeeeiiiiissssss goooooooooooooohhhhdddd" over and over again. By p. 68 my frontal lobe had relented - this was a great book.
Ellis is a great comic writer and produces some of the most original stories the medium has ever seen. Some are ultra-violent or ultra-demented. His first novel, Crooked Little Vein, had a lot of it and probably limited its sales because of it. It was great to see him move past that. Gun Machine is different. Ellis avoids the ultra stuff, although he hints at it through police band accounts intermittently through the main story.
Simply put, this book drips noir, drips crime, drips cop shows, drips evil, drips conspiracy, drips humor...it's wet with excellence.
I strongly recommend this book for anyone.
I gave it 9.5/10 on my personal scale.
-tpl
Ellis is a great comic writer and produces some of the most original stories the medium has ever seen. Some are ultra-violent or ultra-demented. His first novel, Crooked Little Vein, had a lot of it and probably limited its sales because of it. It was great to see him move past that. Gun Machine is different. Ellis avoids the ultra stuff, although he hints at it through police band accounts intermittently through the main story.
Simply put, this book drips noir, drips crime, drips cop shows, drips evil, drips conspiracy, drips humor...it's wet with excellence.
I strongly recommend this book for anyone.
I gave it 9.5/10 on my personal scale.
-tpl
erkefiende's review against another edition
5.0
Loved this. It's fast-paced, pulp-y, fun, but Ellis is a really good, underestimated and under-appreciated as well, writer, with such a wonderful take on people and how they fuck up and how it effects everyone, and with such compassion for the inhabitants of his works.
zach_collins's review against another edition
2.0
Better than the juvenile Transmetropolitan, but this will probably be my last time to read Ellis. Some great dialogue (swearing is truly a lost art, and Ellis is one of the few writers I know of who can still get some mileage out of those tired four-letter words) but the characters were just blah and the the mystery/investigation was anything but thrilling. When it became obvious what the killer was doing and why (spoiler alert, creating gun art because he was crazier than a snow-cone salesman in Siberia) I hoped Ellis would focus more on the humor, but nope, just steadily trudging toward the end with very few surprises and about as many laughs. Oh well.
misterjay's review against another edition
4.0
Warren Ellis' novels read a lot like his comics, which is to say, fast, angry, high tech, and full of guns. And may all the gods bless him for that. Gun Machine starts with the tried and true story of a cop who has settled so deeply into his job that he may never again see the light of day. Until the day his partner is gunned down in front of him and a chain of events is set in motion that leads our hero on a quest through Manhattan in chase of a serial killer that has been at work for over two decades.
It's fun. Read it.
It's fun. Read it.