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melodon's review
5.0
I was very excited to read this book, and it did not disappoint. All of the stories were great noir tales that felt as if they could have happened in the game itself. It took advantage of the anthology set up nicely; if this had been a novel length story, I doubt I would have been as interested. Again, this anthology set up made it feel as if I were reading episodes right out of the game. I only wish there had been more stories. Of course, I can always read more noir anthologies if I need to.
misterjay's review
4.0
It would be tempting to dismiss L.A. Noire: The Collected Stories as a marketing gimmick if only the stories were not so good. The stories, after all, are based on Rockstar Games' 'L.A. Noire', a mystery and crime video game centered in Los Angeles in the nineteen forties. As such, the idea of having a volume of crime stories set in the same world and based on some of the same characters and plot points might seem a little heavy handed.
However, in assembling the volume, Rockstar Games pulled in some of the best crime fiction writers around (including one of my favorites, and the reason I bought the book, Joe R. Lansdale) to produce these stories. And they are good.
Although there are only eight stories, and they are different in tone and in style, they work together to showcase the world of the game. What kind of people inhabit this environment and end up in these situations? How do these crimes come about? The book answers these questions without ever stooping to unnecessary exposition, or, worse, marketing speak.
In short, this is a volume of crime stories that any fan of the genre will want to read regardless of whether they have played the game on which the stories are based.
However, in assembling the volume, Rockstar Games pulled in some of the best crime fiction writers around (including one of my favorites, and the reason I bought the book, Joe R. Lansdale) to produce these stories. And they are good.
Although there are only eight stories, and they are different in tone and in style, they work together to showcase the world of the game. What kind of people inhabit this environment and end up in these situations? How do these crimes come about? The book answers these questions without ever stooping to unnecessary exposition, or, worse, marketing speak.
In short, this is a volume of crime stories that any fan of the genre will want to read regardless of whether they have played the game on which the stories are based.
sassyporcupine's review
1.0
I did not enjoy this book at all. I played through LA Noire and was hoping for the same quality of story telling. Not at all. Most of the short stories made very little sense and didnt complete.
laden_bookshelf's review
4.0
This was a free Kindle book and I picked it up because I've always liked noire. The stories are pretty fantastic, have killer tone and frankly the collection made me want to pick up the game. Well done, Rockstar! The reason I gave it four stars is because Joyce Carol Oates' contribution was a bit Oatesian for my taste and (for me) the only off note in the book.
dangerousnerd's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
mad_about_books's review
4.0
There is nothing quite like the hard-boiled detective story. I like to think of them as brain candy. These tales are never going to be great literature, no matter how literate the writer who may tackle noire, but they will continue to provide enjoyable reading for as long as they are around.
I must confess, I have seen some trailers for the L.A. Noire video game (also from Rockstar Games), and I am hooked on getting that game. I gave my WII system to my son and his family (along with all that I had accumulated in the way of games and accessories), and I have bought a PS3 from a friend of that same son. I am not a big online gamer; I played the old PC first person shooters back in the day, but very cautiously, and definitely not against other people.
As long as we are talking WII and PS3, I found the WII controllers to be too awkward and annoying. Since my main reason (at least now) for having a game system is to be able to watch Netflix on my television, I started thinking about getting rid of the WII a while ago. I think WII is for kids and not for us old folks.
OK. This is a book site. So why a 4 for my brain candy read? Well, one of the stories, Black Dahlia & White Rose, by Joyce Carol Oates, was written from the point of view of a wannabe starlet, using rather poor English and without much punctuation (at least no punctuation that really made sense). I don't expect literature in every tale I read, but this story was all but unreadable. All the rest met my expectations of noire.
I must confess, I have seen some trailers for the L.A. Noire video game (also from Rockstar Games), and I am hooked on getting that game. I gave my WII system to my son and his family (along with all that I had accumulated in the way of games and accessories), and I have bought a PS3 from a friend of that same son. I am not a big online gamer; I played the old PC first person shooters back in the day, but very cautiously, and definitely not against other people.
As long as we are talking WII and PS3, I found the WII controllers to be too awkward and annoying. Since my main reason (at least now) for having a game system is to be able to watch Netflix on my television, I started thinking about getting rid of the WII a while ago. I think WII is for kids and not for us old folks.
OK. This is a book site. So why a 4 for my brain candy read? Well, one of the stories, Black Dahlia & White Rose, by Joyce Carol Oates, was written from the point of view of a wannabe starlet, using rather poor English and without much punctuation (at least no punctuation that really made sense). I don't expect literature in every tale I read, but this story was all but unreadable. All the rest met my expectations of noire.
booktothefuture's review
dark
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
tinabaich's review
3.0
L.A. Noire is a collection of short stories all based on the new Rockstar Games video game of the same name. There are some major authors here -- Megan Abbott, Lawrence Block, Joe R. Lansdale, Joyce Carol Oates, Francine Prose, Jonathan Santlofer, Duane Swierczynski, and Andrew Vachss. I’ve read most of these authors before, so I was excited about this collection. All the stories are set in 1947 Los Angeles, the perfect noir setting with movie stars, gangsters, and crimes like the Black Dahlia murder all around.
Most of the stories in L.A. Noire are good, but my favorites were "See the Woman" by Lawrence Block and "Naked Angel" by Joe R. Lansdale. In Block’s story, a retired cop recounts a story of his early days on the force that shows the dark side of being a police officer. Lansdale follow a beat cop as he unravels the truth behind a series of murders and almost ends up a victim himself. Both were wonderful, page-turning stories.
Megan Abbott’s story was a bit too dark for me and there was one other that I couldn’t get through, but, on the whole, L.A. Noire was definitely worth the read. It’s also a brilliant tie-in with the game. I hope it will introduce a brand new audience to these fabulous authors and the noir genre. I would definitely recommend this collection to any noir or mystery fan. L.A. Noire is a quick read that packs quite a punch.
http://iubookgirl.blogspot.com/2011/08/review-la-noire.html
Most of the stories in L.A. Noire are good, but my favorites were "See the Woman" by Lawrence Block and "Naked Angel" by Joe R. Lansdale. In Block’s story, a retired cop recounts a story of his early days on the force that shows the dark side of being a police officer. Lansdale follow a beat cop as he unravels the truth behind a series of murders and almost ends up a victim himself. Both were wonderful, page-turning stories.
Megan Abbott’s story was a bit too dark for me and there was one other that I couldn’t get through, but, on the whole, L.A. Noire was definitely worth the read. It’s also a brilliant tie-in with the game. I hope it will introduce a brand new audience to these fabulous authors and the noir genre. I would definitely recommend this collection to any noir or mystery fan. L.A. Noire is a quick read that packs quite a punch.
http://iubookgirl.blogspot.com/2011/08/review-la-noire.html
bloodonsnow's review
5.0
Don't thumb your nose at this because it was inspired by a game; Joyce Carol Oates has a story in it, as well as my favorite professor EVER, Joe R. Lansdale.
nikchick's review
3.0
Started reading this ebook and wasn't sure I was going to like it. Megan Abbott's opening story really didn't hit my noir button, not that it was a bad story or anything. Lawrence Block's story came a lot closer, hitting the subject matter straight but with a little twist in the telling. Then I got to good ol' Joe Lansdale and BANG, that's what I'm talking about when I think noir. That's as far into it as I got on the first foray but at about 30% through it's so far, so good.
Update: now that I've finished I have to say I really ended up being of two minds about the collection. Was left with the impression that several of the stories really weren't noir stories at all. Still, as a free anthology add-on for a video game, it was surprisingly solid and I feel almost bad rating it as a 3 but in the end I just didn't like several of the stories too much.
Update: now that I've finished I have to say I really ended up being of two minds about the collection. Was left with the impression that several of the stories really weren't noir stories at all. Still, as a free anthology add-on for a video game, it was surprisingly solid and I feel almost bad rating it as a 3 but in the end I just didn't like several of the stories too much.