[Doug]

Hey all,
I just got started on the 9th Agent Pendergast adventure from Msrs. Preston and Child.
with in the 1st 3 pages they reveal that they must be serious REH fans. Or at least one of them is.

One of the best recurring character in the series , William Smithback the journalist, is relaxing at home on his wedding anniversary.
He thinking how good life is as he awaits the reutrn of his wife.
Here is what's written......

"He lounged there, in the dimly lit apartment,listening to Manhattan breath.The cocktails he'd consumed had slowed everything down just a little.He recalled a line from a Thurber short story: drowsily contentend, mistily contented.He had always felt an unreasoning fondness for the writings of fellow journalist James Thurber. Along with those of pulp fictioneer Robert E. Howard.One, he felt, had always tried too hard; the other, not hard enough"

Smithback is one of the best characters in this series after "Special Agent Pendergast".
Even had a book/adventure of his own
These books are pure pulp being dressed up as best seller thrillers.
In reality these are big time horror/weird manace pulp stories wearing fancy duds.
Doc Savage for the 21st century.
The series is great fun and sadly, IMHO, under the Radar of most genre fans.

SPOILER::





A few pages later Smithback is fighting a loosing battle against a knife welding (most likely) Zombie.
Sadly he looses the fight.
As he is dying from his wounds......

"He tried to twist away, but the knife kept rising and falling, rising and falling, the crimson gleam of its blade dimming as the light began to fail him... All fled, all done, so lift me on the Pyre; the feast is over and the lamps expire..


That's a great send off for a character who's been a major player in the series all these years and and who dies fighting bravely.
And it's a very nice nod from the authors to their own literary roots, even though most of their readers won't get it or appreciate it.
It made my day though!

Check these books out.
They have..
Lost cities.
Monsters in museums.
Cannibal mutants in the NYC subways attacking whole subway trains
Immortal serial killers.
Secret weapons
Mysterious criminal masterminds,
A band of (partialy releuctant) heroes(sometimes unwillingly)working together under the guidence of
Special Agent Aloysius Pendergast!
He's kind of like Doc Savage as written by Tennesee Williams! LOL!

[Crom]

My introduction to Preston and Child was with the novel Relic. I remember reading that in one sitting. The movie version, while not a classic, I find a guilty pleasure.

Good to see they like their REH.

[Libaax]

I have Relic at home and unread. I got it second hand two years ago.

I will give them a chance for their good taste and nice homage/reference.

This post has been edited by Libaax: 09 February 2010 - 02:41 AM

[deuce]

Crom said:

My introduction to Preston and Child was with the novel Relic. I remember reading that in one sitting. The movie version, while not a classic, I find a guilty pleasure.

Good to see they like their REH.

Pournelle did something similar in Lucifer's Hammer, having one of the characters stash away a Gnome Press edition of King Conan before the whole world goes up in flames. Pournelle's good people.

I like Preston and Child okay. They definitely write page-turners.