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LA Noir & The Age of Wonder
May. 3rd, 2010 02:30 pmLos Angeles Noir collects a number of all-new noir short stories set in LA. Akashic Books is churning out similar books for other cities.
The stories, as one might imagine, are a mixed bag, and a number of the authors don't have a good grasp of what makes something 'noir'. Of course, Timthetoon called me on that the other day, and I can't easily summarize what does in fact make something noir fiction. But like pornography, I know it when I see it.
Anyway, some good, some bad. I quite liked Patt Morrison's foray into fiction. Some of the others may have been better stories -- Susan Straight's "The Golden Gopher" won an Edgar -- but I think Morrison's had exactly the right blend of dark wit, cynicism and an important secret that made it set off my noir meter the most.
Richard Holmes' The Age of Wonder is a really excellent foray into the history of science. Holmes is best known for his biographical portraits of Romantic figures like Shelley and Coleridge. It's clear that his indefatigable research into these figures uncovered rather strange (to modern ears) connections with the leading scientific figures of the day. Holmes has thus assembled a picture of Romantic Era science as seen through a Romantic lens, which offers a really unique perspective. Holmes focuses on Joseph Banks, Humphry Davy, and the Herschels: siblings Wilhelm and Caroline and Wilhelm's son John.
( I really enjoyed the book - titbits for the interested )
The stories, as one might imagine, are a mixed bag, and a number of the authors don't have a good grasp of what makes something 'noir'. Of course, Timthetoon called me on that the other day, and I can't easily summarize what does in fact make something noir fiction. But like pornography, I know it when I see it.
Anyway, some good, some bad. I quite liked Patt Morrison's foray into fiction. Some of the others may have been better stories -- Susan Straight's "The Golden Gopher" won an Edgar -- but I think Morrison's had exactly the right blend of dark wit, cynicism and an important secret that made it set off my noir meter the most.
Richard Holmes' The Age of Wonder is a really excellent foray into the history of science. Holmes is best known for his biographical portraits of Romantic figures like Shelley and Coleridge. It's clear that his indefatigable research into these figures uncovered rather strange (to modern ears) connections with the leading scientific figures of the day. Holmes has thus assembled a picture of Romantic Era science as seen through a Romantic lens, which offers a really unique perspective. Holmes focuses on Joseph Banks, Humphry Davy, and the Herschels: siblings Wilhelm and Caroline and Wilhelm's son John.
( I really enjoyed the book - titbits for the interested )
