Book Talk – by Paul Macios

RUN – Granite City High School Alum. Douglas E. Winter’s 1st novel (he has edited several popular horror collections). This WILL be made a movie (in my opinion) – think Leonard Elmore / Quentin Tarantino collaboration. There’s enough blood and guts to satiate any Hollywood producer’s $ sign appetite and enough action to make most action directors salivate. This is a bit slow to start (a gun running deal gone bad), but as soon as the shooting begins, the pages fly. This is a D.C. ‘street’ novel and the language, descriptions and depictions aren’t for the easily offended.

The Strain – Guillermo Del Toro (director of Pan’s Labyrinth) and Chuck Hogan. Not a cheesy Vampire novel. This is a classic Bram Stoker / Anne Rice type novel with a modern feel for suspense, action and readability. The Vampire ‘strain’ is actually a virus mutation and the results are more monster than bad teen love story (think Twilight). This is the first part of a trilogy and I would make a hefty bet that all will be major motion pictures.

The Mad Ones – Tom Folsom. This book has a journalistic feel to it with a unique writing style. It can be a little repetitive, but it is a must read for anyone who loved the Sopranos. The author culled old news stories and did personal interviews with some of the ‘players’. This is a crime story about Crazy Joe Gallo, the subject of Bob Dylan’s ballad “Joey”, and the film The Gang That Couldn’t Shoot Straight was a parody of his lifestyle. Joe (and his small ‘family’ of 25) was just crazy enough to take on Mafia Dons, Joe McCarthy and Bobby Kennedy.

Two for the Science Minded

Elephants on Acid – Alex Boese. Recounts bizarre experiments such as – Disembodied heads and animal resurrections as well as other slightly less dubious studies. Sure people are crazy, but who knew people could come up with some of this stuff.

Next – Michael Crichton. Slightly less of a page turner than some of his material, but equally as thought provoking. This shows his vision of how genetic engineering can go completely out of control. Some of the fictitious headlines sound like scientific tidbits we catch on the news- Genetic cures for drug addiction, natural blondes nearing extinction, tissue cultures for human ears, scientists isolate the ‘intelligence’ gene.