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geekyjack's Reviews (283)
"Sometimes, if I drink too much, and I'm feeling low, a part of me wants to die," ~ The Sisters Brothers by Patrick deWitt.
'The Sisters Brothers' by Patrick deWitt is a glorious Western odyssey of two infamous hired killers, Eli and Charlie Sisters, in 1850's America. Their task; to travel to California in the middle of the Gold Rush to murder a man. Their journey; one of love and loathing, self-discovery and sorrow, tragedy and misadventure.
Both brothers are killers. It's what they do and it's what they're good at. But Eli wants a change of pace. He wants to settle down, find himself a lady, enjoy a slower pace of life that's not so full of death and despair. He's a good man beneath the psychotic murdering exterior. Charlie, however, has a thirst for blood and booze and ambitions above his station.
The characters throughout this book are brilliant. From Eli and Charlie, to the whole menagerie of townsfolk, wanderers and ne'er-do-wells they meet (and often murder) along the way.
This is an excellent book that is at times funny, depressing, abhorrent, captivating, gritty, violent and a hell of a lot of fun. It makes you feel for a murderer and truly explores Eli's feelings and emotions, his love for his brother and horse and his need for something more from life.
I'm glad I discovered this little gem of a book. Now I really want to read more of deWitt's books. And maybe even some more Westerns.
'The Sisters Brothers' by Patrick deWitt is a glorious Western odyssey of two infamous hired killers, Eli and Charlie Sisters, in 1850's America. Their task; to travel to California in the middle of the Gold Rush to murder a man. Their journey; one of love and loathing, self-discovery and sorrow, tragedy and misadventure.
Both brothers are killers. It's what they do and it's what they're good at. But Eli wants a change of pace. He wants to settle down, find himself a lady, enjoy a slower pace of life that's not so full of death and despair. He's a good man beneath the psychotic murdering exterior. Charlie, however, has a thirst for blood and booze and ambitions above his station.
The characters throughout this book are brilliant. From Eli and Charlie, to the whole menagerie of townsfolk, wanderers and ne'er-do-wells they meet (and often murder) along the way.
This is an excellent book that is at times funny, depressing, abhorrent, captivating, gritty, violent and a hell of a lot of fun. It makes you feel for a murderer and truly explores Eli's feelings and emotions, his love for his brother and horse and his need for something more from life.
I'm glad I discovered this little gem of a book. Now I really want to read more of deWitt's books. And maybe even some more Westerns.
"Once, he thought, I would have seen the stars. Years ago. But now it's only the dust; no one has seen a star in years," ~ Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep by Philip K. Dick.
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Written in 1968, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? is an incredibly ambitious science fiction story set in the nuclear fallout caused by World War Terminus. The majority of humanity has fled to the stars. Animals are extremely expensive status symbols. Feelings are manipulated by technology. And Androids live among us illegally. It's Rick Deckard's job to 'retire' them.
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The post-apocalyptic world that PKD has created is the best part of this book for me, from the perpetually falling radioactive dust to the abandoned residential blocks following mass migration. This has left most animals close to extinction and therefore are worth a fortune and are seen as must haves.
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I also enjoyed the Bounty Hunter element of the story, in which Deckard has to hunt down and retire 6 of the most advanced Androids.
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From reading the blurb and from having seen Blade Runner (a long time ago), I did feel that the Bounty Hunter element of the story would play a much bigger part. While it is the overarching story, it does seem very rushed in places, with PKD seeming to concentrate more on his theological elements too much in my opinion.
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Overall, this was a good read with some fantastic ideas, but I feel PKD almost had too many ideas crammed into one book. It was also fairly rushed in some places, with Deckard managing to 'retire' two androids in about four lines, but it took him an entire chapter to buy a goat...
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3.5
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Written in 1968, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? is an incredibly ambitious science fiction story set in the nuclear fallout caused by World War Terminus. The majority of humanity has fled to the stars. Animals are extremely expensive status symbols. Feelings are manipulated by technology. And Androids live among us illegally. It's Rick Deckard's job to 'retire' them.
.
The post-apocalyptic world that PKD has created is the best part of this book for me, from the perpetually falling radioactive dust to the abandoned residential blocks following mass migration. This has left most animals close to extinction and therefore are worth a fortune and are seen as must haves.
.
I also enjoyed the Bounty Hunter element of the story, in which Deckard has to hunt down and retire 6 of the most advanced Androids.
.
From reading the blurb and from having seen Blade Runner (a long time ago), I did feel that the Bounty Hunter element of the story would play a much bigger part. While it is the overarching story, it does seem very rushed in places, with PKD seeming to concentrate more on his theological elements too much in my opinion.
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Overall, this was a good read with some fantastic ideas, but I feel PKD almost had too many ideas crammed into one book. It was also fairly rushed in some places, with Deckard managing to 'retire' two androids in about four lines, but it took him an entire chapter to buy a goat...
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3.5
