Round Trip by W. R. Burnett

Originally published 1929 in Harper's; this edition 1995

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Collected in: Hard-Boiled: An Anthology of American Crime Stories (ed. Bill Pronzini & Jack Adrian)

PG

(D, L)

Drug Use (PG) {Tobacco and alcohol}

Coarse Language (PG) {Not strong, I suppose not too frequent for so short a story}

Representations

Gender:

Tight third-person on male protagonist, only men have speaking parts.

Sex:

Vaguely heterosexual, in the sense that dancing with girls happens.

Race & Ethnicity:

Italian Mafiosi vs Irish cops.

Disability, Physical Diversity and Health:

The protagonist catches a random cold. That is all, I think.

Awards

Found no sign of any. Don't expect to find any before the second half of the century.

Notes

This was very short. Kind of darkly amusing with the contextually innocent Mafioso being turned around by the police.

The Scorched Face by Dashiell Hammett

Originally published May 1925 in Black Mask; this edition 1995

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Collected in: Hard-Boiled: An Anthology of American Crime Stories (ed. Bill Pronzini & Jack Adrian)

MA15+

(V, S, L, D)

Violence (MA15+) {Mostly obscured, too frequent and in some places I think too nasty to get away with M)

Sexual References (M) {Sexual activity implied}

Coarse Language (PG) {Mild, infrequent, only in instances of strong emotion}

Drug References (PG) {Qualifications for this don't change between PG and MA}

Representations

Gender:

Narration is first-person from a male perspective. Other characters almost exclusively male, except interviewees.

Sex:

Sexuality is hetero male oriented, any implication of sexual interaction between women in context of male-centred group sex. Said orgies being depicted as sufficiently shameful to ruin the participants' lives.

Race & Ethnicity:

West-coast US, almost entirely white. Some characters referred to by ethnicities of European origin, e.g. Italian. Small number of black characters appear in servant / bodyguard role, referred to alternately as 'black' or 'Negroes'.

Disability, Physical Diversity and Health:

None noticed.

Awards

Unknown, presumed none.

Notes

I started reading this story on a short break during my one of my shifts. Even reading just a few pages I was impressed by Hammett's technique. Feels like I could learn a lot about brevity in mystery construction. Very taught, effectively written. Can see why he would have been such an influential figure.

Thought briefly today about conducting my life as if I have only a short time left to live. But, I decided that for me this is incompatible with living as if I might have a longer term future. What I'd do for one would sabotage the other, and if I'm to gamble on one I'd rather aim for the more desirable possibility.

I don't know what I would do, anyway. I take the goal as to finish without regrets ([1]). I have always thought that if I discovered I had some short time left in which to live I would use it to write as much as I could, to leave as much story behind as I were able to. That has been my standing plan.

These days I would not be able to carry it out. I have shed my stories and I have vastly less to write now than I did ten years ago. The same ideas still around if I want to call them up, more or less, but they have ceased to be compelling. Even though I have no literary aspirations I would want what I write to be executed well and these days I find neither spark of that nor urge to place it. Most - not all - of what I have of recent is porn, and while I don't mind that being my legacy, I do not think I would feel a need to fill my final days with its feverish typing. Perhaps I no longer think myself so significant the world must not be denied my work to marvel at.

Let's not be morbid. I think these days my effort would be spent on the presence of my loved ones. There is no accomplishment to be had. How would I decide which tale most urgent to tell, or which books are too important to miss out on? Nothing else, just company.

I am apart from them now because I believe we have a long future, not a brief one, by human scales, and because I believe by doing so I will be better equiped to contribute to our long-term financial security and comfort in life (and not least to minimise my avenues for self-hatred in a life shared). This is not compatible with the alternative, so I am hoping we do not get unlucky.

[1] Do I say minimal regrets? Do I say regret is bound into making decisions, choosing one thing and not another? Maybe, but right now the ones I remember with weight seem like if I'd done different there'd be nothing to regret. Mostly I am regretting the paths which have left me more damaged or less functional in this society. Delayed functionality, at best. And at the time, I did not understand.

The Saints of the Sword by John Marco (Tyrants and Kings #3)

Originally published 2001; this edition 2002

Publisher: Gollancz

MA15+

(H, S, L, V)

Supernatural Themes

Sexual References {G}

Coarse Language

Violence {MA 15+}

Drug References {PG}

Representations

Gender:

A few POVs, all men. A bisexual character from the first book is described increasingly androgynously as the series continues. A trans person is described in historical context as having been driven to mass murder by her dysphoria.

Sex:

Continues to be only one character who is not heterosexual. I continue to wonder who he actually has sex with, if no other men are shown as being interested.

Race & Ethnicity:

Most characters white. One character is biracial.

Disability, Physical Diversity and Health:

text

Tropes:

War is Hell

Colonel Kilgore

Category Traitor

The Dragon (somewhat of a Smug Snake this time)

Hurting Hero (Healing Hero, at last)

The Empire (Industrial Roman flavour)

The Dark Side Will Make You Forget (actually listed on the site)

Utopia Justifies the Means (likewise mentioned above)

Super Serum

Psycho Serum (multi-function serum!)

Conflicting Loyalty (back to the original person, plus some new folk)

Past Victim Showcase (different victim, different target, same guy behind the package)

Fantasy Counterpart Culture

Crystal Dragon Jesus (where the crystal dragon is Yahweh?)

Mighty Whitey

Fire Breathing Weapon

The Extremist Was Right

Obligatory War Crime Scene (have some more)

Older Thank They Look

The Chessmaster

Insane Admiral

General Ripper

Heel Realisation

Heel Face Turn

Redemption Quest

0% Approval Rating

Revenge Before Reason

Bring Help Back

Kick the Dog

Puberty Superpower

Healing Hands

Telepathy

Lethal Harmless Powers

Heroic Bastard

Earn Your Happy Ending

Awards

None of note.

I overlooked one from last week, too: Restrained Revenge.

This book I ordered when I started The Jackal of Nar, way back in February. And I finally, finally get my happy ending here. George Lucas has been known to say that Star Wars is really the story of Darth Vader's fall and redemption, but I think the Tyrants and Kings trilogy tells a similar story much better. The Emperor's sinister and feared Dragon, who abruptly murders various people in his displeasure, commits heinous acts and sinks to the depths of depravity in pursuit of revenge on the young hero who foiled his master's plans. (said young man having also turned down an offer of We Can Rule Together) But, spurred by the example of his defeated rival and the arguments of others around him, including pawns in his revenge scheme, he turns away from the dark side, fighting his addiction in resolute determination to become a better person and rule what is now his empire for peace and the betterment of the empire itself. But everyone thinks he is still a monster.

I suppose everyone else would have to decide for themselves whether the terrible things he has done are forgivable (and they made me weep, although others have their atrocities too), but I at least feel I got my happy ending. After three volumes of wartime brutality, more than 2300 pages of interpersonal conflict, scheming, rivalry and revenge, the (surviving, recurring) characters finally put aside their differences to work together. Maybe it wasn't quite the friendship ending I was hoping for, but we are invited to consider the beginning of a better, more peaceful era for this world.