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3.81 AVERAGE
3.81 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A lot of things unexplained and randomly thrown in.
This is a [a:Raymond Chandler|1377|Raymond Chandler|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1206535318p2/1377.jpg] detective thriller set in an SF/fantasy world. Twisty plot, but the pieces fit together at the end. There's a pervasive sense of unreality as events unfold that led me to expect some kind of major twist, but when it came I was disappointed. Still, a pretty good read with some fun [a:Philip K Dick|20394217|Philip K Dick|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] undertones. As a teenager I would have eaten up the metaphysical stuff, but today, it's just cheesy.
Ce livre raconte les aventures de Hap Thomson, looser à la petite semaine, porteur de rêves et de souvenirs récupérés chez des gens qui n'en ont plus envie.
Bien sûr, on est chez [author:MM Smith], et d'après ce que j'ai pu comprendre (en lisant la quatrième de couverture), l'ambiance se retrouve aussi dans ses autres ouvrages. Et cette ambiance, fabuleux mélange de vrai roman noir et de cyberpunk étrange, avec un peu de fantastique sur les bords, est vraiment l'un des points forts du roman. Lorsque Hap, par exemple, se rend dans un bar louche, on l'imagine très bien dans son vieux costard froissé, une immonde clope mal roulée entre les lèvres, avec une barbe de trois jours et une tête à faire fuir un chien errant. Et cette ambiance cadre magnifiquement avec ce vrai récit noir.
De l'introduction aux scènes les plus mouvementées, on est loin des scènes à grand spectacle, et toujours perchés sur l'épaule de Hap (bien aidés par cette narration à la première personne, que j'associe volontiers - en bien - à des séries comme Magnum, si, si, Mike Hammer, et autres récits un peu noirs). Et ce personnage de Hap fait un magnifique anti-héros. En effet, c'est un parfait looser, qui croit avoir un bon plan mais est en fait en train de se faire avoir à plein tubes. Bien sûr, comme dans toute histoire de ce type, il finira par s'en sortir, non sans en avoir chié un max au préalable, avec poursuites policières et tutti quanti.
Attention, voici les spoilers
Par contre, ce qui me trouble pas mal, c'est cette histoire d'extra-terrestres/anges. On les voit arriver façon gangsters de la pègre bien décidés à cartonner tout ce qui bouge (ce qu'ils font d'ailleurs dans le bar). Et on se dit que ce sont de simples gangsters. Et puis, à un moment, zou, ils deviennent des extra-terrestres. J'ai pas vraiment compris pourquoi, ni d'ailleurs pourquoi ils sont devenus à la fin du récit des anges. En fait, je trouve qu'ils nuisent à la lisbilité du récit : de simples porte-flingues auraient aussi bien fait le boulot, en enlevant certes au passage les enlèvements par les extra-terrestres, mais je ne crois pas l'histoire y aurait perdu quoi que ce soit.
D'un autre côté, ça nous aurait privés de l'apparition de Dieu en tant que vrai Deus Ex Machina : il met Hap sur la piste, il l'aide quand l'autre nul est dans la panade, et il finit carrément par venir dénouer les fils de l'intrigue, à la Dumbledore à la fin d'un [book:Harry Potter].
Un autre truc qui m'a un peu énervé, mais moins, c'est les machines domestiques intelligentes. D'accord, le réveil est intelligent, mais je ne vois pas pourqoi il aurait des jambes. Et je vois encore moins pourquoi il motiverait ses camarades accessoires domestiques pour qu'ils aident Hap dans le grand final des guignols.
Dis comme ça, ce sont des réserves sévères, mais en fait non. Elles ne gênent pas vraiment la lecture, et elles fournissent des contrepoints à une intrigue habilement ficelée (avec comme morceau de choix Statten et Quat ne sont qu'une seule et même personne ? Et la copine du flic mort est la mère de Laura ?), remplie de personnages bien agréables, quoi qu'un peu creux, comme par exemple Deck, le pote du héros, qui est un personnage assez important, mais ne semble pas avoir la chance d'avoir un caractère.
Enfin, tout ça suffit à en faire pour moi un ouvrage honnête. Pas un chef d'oeuvre, mais une bonne histoire bien distrayante, avec les vraies pensées philosophiques d'un vaurien. Une lecture parfaite pour la plage, en somme.
Bien sûr, on est chez [author:MM Smith], et d'après ce que j'ai pu comprendre (en lisant la quatrième de couverture), l'ambiance se retrouve aussi dans ses autres ouvrages. Et cette ambiance, fabuleux mélange de vrai roman noir et de cyberpunk étrange, avec un peu de fantastique sur les bords, est vraiment l'un des points forts du roman. Lorsque Hap, par exemple, se rend dans un bar louche, on l'imagine très bien dans son vieux costard froissé, une immonde clope mal roulée entre les lèvres, avec une barbe de trois jours et une tête à faire fuir un chien errant. Et cette ambiance cadre magnifiquement avec ce vrai récit noir.
De l'introduction aux scènes les plus mouvementées, on est loin des scènes à grand spectacle, et toujours perchés sur l'épaule de Hap (bien aidés par cette narration à la première personne, que j'associe volontiers - en bien - à des séries comme Magnum, si, si, Mike Hammer, et autres récits un peu noirs). Et ce personnage de Hap fait un magnifique anti-héros. En effet, c'est un parfait looser, qui croit avoir un bon plan mais est en fait en train de se faire avoir à plein tubes. Bien sûr, comme dans toute histoire de ce type, il finira par s'en sortir, non sans en avoir chié un max au préalable, avec poursuites policières et tutti quanti.
Attention, voici les spoilers
Par contre, ce qui me trouble pas mal, c'est cette histoire d'extra-terrestres/anges. On les voit arriver façon gangsters de la pègre bien décidés à cartonner tout ce qui bouge (ce qu'ils font d'ailleurs dans le bar). Et on se dit que ce sont de simples gangsters. Et puis, à un moment, zou, ils deviennent des extra-terrestres. J'ai pas vraiment compris pourquoi, ni d'ailleurs pourquoi ils sont devenus à la fin du récit des anges. En fait, je trouve qu'ils nuisent à la lisbilité du récit : de simples porte-flingues auraient aussi bien fait le boulot, en enlevant certes au passage les enlèvements par les extra-terrestres, mais je ne crois pas l'histoire y aurait perdu quoi que ce soit.
D'un autre côté, ça nous aurait privés de l'apparition de Dieu en tant que vrai Deus Ex Machina : il met Hap sur la piste, il l'aide quand l'autre nul est dans la panade, et il finit carrément par venir dénouer les fils de l'intrigue, à la Dumbledore à la fin d'un [book:Harry Potter].
Un autre truc qui m'a un peu énervé, mais moins, c'est les machines domestiques intelligentes. D'accord, le réveil est intelligent, mais je ne vois pas pourqoi il aurait des jambes. Et je vois encore moins pourquoi il motiverait ses camarades accessoires domestiques pour qu'ils aident Hap dans le grand final des guignols.
Dis comme ça, ce sont des réserves sévères, mais en fait non. Elles ne gênent pas vraiment la lecture, et elles fournissent des contrepoints à une intrigue habilement ficelée (avec comme morceau de choix Statten et Quat ne sont qu'une seule et même personne ? Et la copine du flic mort est la mère de Laura ?), remplie de personnages bien agréables, quoi qu'un peu creux, comme par exemple Deck, le pote du héros, qui est un personnage assez important, mais ne semble pas avoir la chance d'avoir un caractère.
Enfin, tout ça suffit à en faire pour moi un ouvrage honnête. Pas un chef d'oeuvre, mais une bonne histoire bien distrayante, avec les vraies pensées philosophiques d'un vaurien. Une lecture parfaite pour la plage, en somme.
Creative jaunt through the life of the main character, Hap Thompson, who rents his brain for memory storage and finds himself enmeshed in a larger intrigue between good and evil. Michael Marshall Smith spins an incredible tale, I turned through the pages like a puppy through your fur-lined slippers.
Some of the characters a little two-dimensional, and some of the plot buildup left me wanting more answers, but it was very enjoyable regardless. Looking forward to more of his work sitting on my to-read shelf.
Some of the characters a little two-dimensional, and some of the plot buildup left me wanting more answers, but it was very enjoyable regardless. Looking forward to more of his work sitting on my to-read shelf.
I've chewed on this review for a ridiculous amount of time. After two months, I'm left with a movie analogy:
I think Only Forward is the The Fifth Element, (spoiler for those who don't want images)
merged with Blade Runner (old school, not the new one).
One of Us, like the movies and Smith's other book,Only Forward, is a genre mash-up. Noir mystery, future science fiction and somewhat mystical fiction with a grim overtone. The main character is not entirely admirable, the main female isn't particularly likeable, and the villain is generally despicable. Still, there is a lot to enjoy here, particularly--and I feel certain I've never said this--the appliances.
The short version? Hap is in Mexico, looking for a woman. Not just any woman, but a client of his employer, a mostly illegal dream business that does completely illegal memory storage on the side. One of the memories Hap holds is of this woman shooting and killing a man, and some mysterious men in suits who arrive immediately after. And that's the most normal part of the story.
One of the things I like about Smith's writing is the almost thoughtless, exaggerated moments of humor, such as when he describes stopping for gas:
"The gas station claimed to be under new management, but the toilets were evidently still under some old management, or more probably governed by an organization that predated the concept of management altogether. Possibly the Spanish Inquisition."
or carries the description of the dirty refrigerator to a new level:
"Three cans of beer and some leftover Chinese in the fridge, the noodles covered in a bacterial culture so advanced, they probably had their own constitution and strong views on environmental issues."
But Smith's talent isn't just in the ironical tone. He also excels as some of the more challenging emotions:
"Sabrina didn't look like Sabrina anymore. The hardness in her face was gone, and her lips didn't look quite so airtight. I'm sure the change was only temporary, but it was an improvement. I just wish she hadn't had to be scared to allow herself to be more human, but I guess a lot of us are like that."
or
"She got over the death of her parents, in time: stopped expecting it to be her mother whenever the phone rang, or thinking of things to tell her dad. But she got over it partly by becoming something her parents would never have recognized, by untethering herself from the past they'd structured, by sidestepping into a different life."
It's an interesting, remarkable, challenging book. It does go off the rails a bit at the end, and like Only Forward, I found myself not entirely satisfied with the ending. But there is a note of hope that I appreciated.
It also left me with Joan Osborne on the brain. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yE-1s_h0TyM
I think Only Forward is the The Fifth Element, (spoiler for those who don't want images)
merged with Blade Runner (old school, not the new one).
One of Us, like the movies and Smith's other book,Only Forward, is a genre mash-up. Noir mystery, future science fiction and somewhat mystical fiction with a grim overtone. The main character is not entirely admirable, the main female isn't particularly likeable, and the villain is generally despicable. Still, there is a lot to enjoy here, particularly--and I feel certain I've never said this--the appliances.
The short version? Hap is in Mexico, looking for a woman. Not just any woman, but a client of his employer, a mostly illegal dream business that does completely illegal memory storage on the side. One of the memories Hap holds is of this woman shooting and killing a man, and some mysterious men in suits who arrive immediately after. And that's the most normal part of the story.
One of the things I like about Smith's writing is the almost thoughtless, exaggerated moments of humor, such as when he describes stopping for gas:
"The gas station claimed to be under new management, but the toilets were evidently still under some old management, or more probably governed by an organization that predated the concept of management altogether. Possibly the Spanish Inquisition."
or carries the description of the dirty refrigerator to a new level:
"Three cans of beer and some leftover Chinese in the fridge, the noodles covered in a bacterial culture so advanced, they probably had their own constitution and strong views on environmental issues."
But Smith's talent isn't just in the ironical tone. He also excels as some of the more challenging emotions:
"Sabrina didn't look like Sabrina anymore. The hardness in her face was gone, and her lips didn't look quite so airtight. I'm sure the change was only temporary, but it was an improvement. I just wish she hadn't had to be scared to allow herself to be more human, but I guess a lot of us are like that."
or
"She got over the death of her parents, in time: stopped expecting it to be her mother whenever the phone rang, or thinking of things to tell her dad. But she got over it partly by becoming something her parents would never have recognized, by untethering herself from the past they'd structured, by sidestepping into a different life."
It's an interesting, remarkable, challenging book. It does go off the rails a bit at the end, and like Only Forward, I found myself not entirely satisfied with the ending. But there is a note of hope that I appreciated.
It also left me with Joan Osborne on the brain. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yE-1s_h0TyM
The spine of this book labels it as "suspense," and it certainly does share some aspects of that genre. It is also, however, a science fiction, mystery, fantasy, speculative religious thriller. This is both the joy of the book, and its curse. The joy is simply reading it for the excitement of not knowing what Smith is going to throw at you next. The curse is wanting it to coalesce into something besides the ephemeral pleasure of a roller coaster ride, and being disappointed when the coaster car simply comes gliding back into the station.
Hap Thompson is a petty con man who has fallen into the less-than-savory business of being a dream-washer and memory-holder. This would have likely been fine, except for his character flaw of being able to turn down wads of cash hovered virtually in front of him. He agrees to do a side memory job for a client so as to see all of the cash rather than just the skimmed bit given to him by his employer, REMtemps, and instead finds himself holding onto the memory of the murder, and if he doesn't get rid of it soon, LAPD will be on him. It doesn't matter that he didn't commit the murder--just having the memory is enough to set him up for life.
Michael Marshall Smith hovers between writing like Raymond Chandler and William Gibson, and the result isn't as unpleasant as that match might seem (in fact, I've long thought Gibson's style of cyberpunk fit the early noir of Chandler, and only needed the psychological edge of James M. Cain to really perfect it). The book breaks down towards the end, however, when Smith starts trying to channel either Benny Hinn or Joseph Campbell. This is similar to the macguffin in Neal Stephenson's work, where he actually tries to make sense of all the fun and all it sounds like is pseudo-scientific claptrap.
Smith's an interesting enough writer to watch, however, and there are a number of science fiction/mystery novels that don't even come close to being as engrossing as One of Us. You could do much worse for pleasure reading, and there's not much better being published today.
Hap Thompson is a petty con man who has fallen into the less-than-savory business of being a dream-washer and memory-holder. This would have likely been fine, except for his character flaw of being able to turn down wads of cash hovered virtually in front of him. He agrees to do a side memory job for a client so as to see all of the cash rather than just the skimmed bit given to him by his employer, REMtemps, and instead finds himself holding onto the memory of the murder, and if he doesn't get rid of it soon, LAPD will be on him. It doesn't matter that he didn't commit the murder--just having the memory is enough to set him up for life.
Michael Marshall Smith hovers between writing like Raymond Chandler and William Gibson, and the result isn't as unpleasant as that match might seem (in fact, I've long thought Gibson's style of cyberpunk fit the early noir of Chandler, and only needed the psychological edge of James M. Cain to really perfect it). The book breaks down towards the end, however, when Smith starts trying to channel either Benny Hinn or Joseph Campbell. This is similar to the macguffin in Neal Stephenson's work, where he actually tries to make sense of all the fun and all it sounds like is pseudo-scientific claptrap.
Smith's an interesting enough writer to watch, however, and there are a number of science fiction/mystery novels that don't even come close to being as engrossing as One of Us. You could do much worse for pleasure reading, and there's not much better being published today.