chuqui@nsc.UUCP (Chuq Von Rospach) (03/28/85)
I have mentioned the work of Lawrence Block a couple of times before, but
I've just finished the third book in his Evan Tanner series (The Thief Who
Couldn't Sleep, The Cancelled Czech are the first two) and I found it to be
simply the funniest book I've read in a long time.
For those that aren't familiar with Tanner, he is a person who, during the
Korean War, was injured in the brain, having his sleep center destroyed.
Since then, he hasn't slept, and has used the time to join every half baked
group in the world (from the Flat Earth Society to the Free Latvian Front)
and has also spent a lot of time picking up random languages (from Latvian
and Russian to Sanskrit).
This is a spy story of epic proportions. Tanner is, mainly, a freelancer
that does things because they interest him. In this book, a friend talks
him into sneaking into Russia to sneak out his lady love, who is in
internal exile. On the way, he picks up a revolutionary manuscripts (and
author) in yugoslavia, microfilm from a revolutionary group in Hungary, the
six year old true heiress to the lituanian throne. Needless to say, he gets
all of those into Russia somehow, only to find out that the lady love has
11 friends (hence the name of the book). Before he gets them all home, it
gets even more outrageous.
If you like the gritty details of LeCarre or Greene and the flippance of a
good James Bond movie, you'll LOVE this book. This is a satire of spy
stories, and a satire of epic proportions. It is SO silly it ends up
sounding reasonable, and you'll guffaw your way through. This book (and the
whole series, actually) is worth tracking down...
chuq
--
Chuq Von Rospach, National Semiconductor
{cbosgd,fortune,hplabs,ihnp4,seismo}!nsc!chuqui nsc!chuqui@decwrl.ARPA
Be seeing you!johnnyr@ihu1m.UUCP (John R. Rosenberg) (03/29/85)
> I have mentioned the work of Lawrence Block a couple of times before, but > I've just finished the third book in his Evan Tanner series (The Thief Who > Couldn't Sleep, The Cancelled Czech are the first two) and I found it to be > simply the funniest book I've read in a long time. > > This is a spy story of epic proportions. +++ Plot Summary Follows+++ > Needless to say, he gets > all of those into Russia somehow, only to find out that the lady love has > 11 friends (hence the name of the book). Before he gets them all home, it > gets even more outrageous. But Chuq, you never told us the name of the book! Please do. It sounds like a series I'd like to read, but the way my local library works, if you don't have title, author and library of congress number :-) they have a hard time finding a book. In fact, they have the 2nd book of a Piers Anthony series, but not the first. But that's another story. John Rosenberg AT&T-NS Lisle, Il ihnp4!ihu1m!johnnyr
idg@sdcrdcf.UUCP (Irwin Greenwald) (03/29/85)
You were laughing so hard that you didn't tell us the title!?
muffy@lll-crg.ARPA (Muffy Barkocy) (03/30/85)
<chuqui posts article recommending book> yes, but...I see no name. *What* is the title of this third book in this wonderful series?
wmartin@brl-tgr.ARPA (Will Martin ) (04/01/85)
In article <363@ihu1m.UUCP> johnnyr@ihu1m.UUCP writes: >sounds like a series I'd like to read, but the way my local >library works, if you don't have title, author and library of >congress number :-) they have a hard time finding a book. In fact, >they have the 2nd book of a Piers Anthony series, but not the first. But >that's another story. > >John Rosenberg AT&T-NS Lisle, Il The local library (St. Louis Public) is as bad... they bought volumes 1, 2, & 4 of Wolfe's Book of the New Sun tetrology but have NEVER gotten number 3! Will
tonyw@ubvax.UUCP (Tony Wuersch) (04/10/85)
My nominee for funniest book of the year is "Duluth", by Gore
Vidal.
One reviewer in the book says this: "If S.J.Perelman and Max Shulman
had collaborated on an X-rated film for the Marx Brothers, it might
have been the basis of DULUTH ... outrageously, hysterically funny
... if you like burlesque at its wildest and rowdiest form, this
is for you."
Another says, "A genuine and ingenious send-up of everything stupid
in our culture ... DULUTH is good, frivolous, dirty fun.
I haven't laughed so much from a book in years!
Tony Wuersch
{amd,amdcad}!cae780!ubvax!tonyw