tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post5119283116313351634..comments2024-02-12T17:59:33.534-06:00Comments on RAZORED ZEN: Forgotten Book Friday: The Rat Bastards series: #4. Charles Gramlichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02052592247572253641noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-87073654554477436272016-02-27T20:45:46.051-06:002016-02-27T20:45:46.051-06:00Tim: I personally didn't think that element wo...Tim: I personally didn't think that element worked very well. I'd have preferred to have it left out. <br /><br />David, I go through periods, but I was also once far more interested in war books.<br /><br />Prashant, probably a good description of it.<br />Charles Gramlichhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02052592247572253641noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-11011165404639353682016-02-24T03:39:06.250-06:002016-02-24T03:39:06.250-06:00Charles, I have heard of Len Levinson though I hav...Charles, I have heard of Len Levinson though I have never read his fiction. I enjoy reading WWII novels too but sex, I think, would put me off. To put it mildly, the series sounds like war pulp.Prashant C. Trikannadhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16079354501998741758noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-37381626252742948542016-02-23T05:25:08.172-06:002016-02-23T05:25:08.172-06:00My interest in war books has waned but there was a...My interest in war books has waned but there was a time when I would have consumed this in one sitting. Enjoyed reading your opinion as always.David Cranmerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04749857752139212888noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-62394832556223911482016-02-22T14:15:39.871-06:002016-02-22T14:15:39.871-06:00Huh? Really? "Love starved little gazoo"...Huh? Really? "Love starved little gazoo" and "hairy canary"? Well, at least those are original metaphors, but I cannot imagine anyone really talking that way. I spend 25+ years in the Navy and never heard that kind of banter. Perhaps the language works better within the context of the narrative. You had me interested in the book(s) until I read those phrases. RTDhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17113953356514605424noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-74247645506445696812016-02-20T14:29:41.616-06:002016-02-20T14:29:41.616-06:00Elgin, haven't read Battle Cry. I saw Full Met...Elgin, haven't read Battle Cry. I saw Full Metal Jacket, which I liked <br />Charles Gramlichhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02052592247572253641noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-52412855400153475982016-02-20T14:28:50.769-06:002016-02-20T14:28:50.769-06:00I've heard about Letters from Iwo Jima but not...I've heard about Letters from Iwo Jima but not seen it. I've never written any WWII fiction. Have considered it a time or two.Charles Gramlichhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02052592247572253641noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-25823783169492039392016-02-20T12:02:14.812-06:002016-02-20T12:02:14.812-06:00Thanks for the review. Along with THE NAKED AND TH...Thanks for the review. Along with THE NAKED AND THE DEAD and THE THIN RED LINE, another good novel about the Marines in the South Pacific during WW2 is BATTLE CRY by Leon Uris. A Marine himself, Uris was at Guadalcanal and Tarawa. His novel has the ring of truth about it, and the boot camp chapters might remind you of Kubrick’s FULL METAL JACKET. Elgin Bleeckerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08417587392887691664noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-88446099639599470452016-02-20T04:15:49.702-06:002016-02-20T04:15:49.702-06:00“…touches his fingers lightly against her precious... “…touches his fingers lightly against her precious love-starved little gazoo,” or “…pressing her hand against his hairy canary.” <br /><br />Seriously, my old man was a sailor in the pacific during WWII and I think he would have shot himself if he described sex like that or at least ripped his tongue out. I doubt recon rangers were any less vulgar than sailors, even in my time 30 years later. The thing I find about non historical accounts about the Pacific theater was there was so little to almost no sex documented (we did tend to mutilate some of the enemy dead), until after the Japanese capitulation in late '45. MacArthur wasn't going to go for that post war spoils ideal either. <br /><br />Any book a novel especially, about the era should at least stick to the significant historical records to be somewhat entertaining. I am not saying one can't write a "Devil's Brigade" type of story because all of that Island hopping in the Pacific would have lent itself to that kind of a yarn, but at the same time--I am curious how many of his characters did he kill off?<br /><br />That theater of war was nearly non stop until we destroyed their air and sea power. with nearly 4 million enemy dead and 110,000 allied I doubt any unit could remain in tact through 16 tales, just for realities sake.<br /><br />have you seen Eastwood's "Letter's From Iwo Jima?" Highly recommend that.the walking manhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10058913927297370740noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-79548048660901822262016-02-19T19:53:01.166-06:002016-02-19T19:53:01.166-06:00Cloudia, I like the feeling as well.Cloudia, I like the feeling as well.Charles Gramlichhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02052592247572253641noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-54692167662249026882016-02-19T17:36:25.483-06:002016-02-19T17:36:25.483-06:00Glad your good feelings about writing have returne...Glad your good feelings about writing have returned. It is cyclical as all else I suppose. This was a good useful review too, CharlesCloudiahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05853753108637831069noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-29885395712220411362016-02-19T15:10:56.466-06:002016-02-19T15:10:56.466-06:00Bernard, it was. I'd probably enjoyed it more ...Bernard, it was. I'd probably enjoyed it more with those scenes left out<br />Charles Gramlichhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02052592247572253641noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-33714712050196505622016-02-19T14:09:12.799-06:002016-02-19T14:09:12.799-06:00Interesting series. I like some erotic romance sce...Interesting series. I like some erotic romance scenes in novels, but the 'gazoo' and 'hairy canary' would be difficult not to trip over while reading. :)BernardLhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09722619048888613647noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-59327744302007961922016-02-19T12:37:21.661-06:002016-02-19T12:37:21.661-06:00Tom, Different men's adventures series clearly...Tom, Different men's adventures series clearly have different demands for the sex. I know some folks who have written for these and many have rule books saying how often you should have sexual encounters in the work.<br /><br />Sage, probably my favorite war book of that area and era would be "the Thin Red line."<br /><br />Oscar, I imagine those real life reports would be fascinating reading. Charles Gramlichhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02052592247572253641noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-9937181224479055542016-02-19T11:32:31.919-06:002016-02-19T11:32:31.919-06:00Having personal experience with wounded Marines fr...Having personal experience with wounded Marines from Nam, the sex between them and nurses did happen to a real small minority with one even getting married, but I can see that throwing this into a novel in a too slangy way would not add much to the story. I've read the actual reports of the Tarawa and Saipan island battles and they contain a lot of material for novelists interested in fictionalizing war stories. Oscar Casehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10328166606910469945noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-47912408468330885712016-02-19T10:27:38.686-06:002016-02-19T10:27:38.686-06:00Sounds interesting--I assume you've read Norma...Sounds interesting--I assume you've read Normal Mailer's "The Naked and the Dead". Another within the war genre (that also links to your home turf), is Campbell's "Glad River"sagehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17499891950639742366noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-2341786382520001592016-02-19T09:48:19.239-06:002016-02-19T09:48:19.239-06:00Interesting thoughts about the sex. Having read a...Interesting thoughts about the sex. Having read a fair number of MA books from various series, I find that the ones that focus too much on sex are the weakest of the lot, whereas the ones with virtually no sex (if it's there, it's implied "off screen") seem to be much better, such as in the Mack Bolan universe books. I'd wager that the authors (or more accurately, their editors) are trying to 1) appeal to what they perceive as what men want to read, and 2) add some fluff to the word count that isn't just boring exposition.Tom Doolanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03451129317759266295noreply@blogger.com