: You seem to be jumping around in reading the
Scudders.
I am. I read _Eight Million Ways to Die_ (#5) first, then
three of
the ones after he's sober, in chronological order. (This
skipped
_When the Sacred Ginmill Closes_ (#6), but at the time I
didn't know
how highly regarded this is.) Lately I read the latest one,
and now
I'm going back to the start so I can fill in all the gaps. I
was
hoping to find them used, but I could only find the more
recent titles
used and had to buy the older ones new, at the usual
current
outrageous prices.
: I was just wondering if you were also finding a big
contrast between
: the books before and after 8 Million?
What I've noticed most of all is that Scudder's a jerk. I
knew he'd
be boozing, but he's been nasty to harmless witnesses and -
speaking
of fingers - broke all the fingers on a mugger's hand. This
scene had
me cringing. I don't mind reading about shootings or
stabbings, but I
can imagine what having my finger bent back is like, and it
gives me
the shivers.
I'm just nearing the end of #1, but I think I can see how
he'll
progress over the next few books. It does seem like the same
Scudder,
but one who drinks himself to sleep, steals uppers and
downers from
medicine cabinets, and one who doesn't think a lot. Later,
when he's
cleaned up, he's more reflective. Same guy, very different
life.
It's nice to see all this happen to a character. Usually, as
we've
all seen, a detective can solve mysteries for book after
book, year
after year, and never change. Block - and here's the
ObWilleford,
because he does this with Hoke, as people have pointed out -
has
Scudder change a lot. I like that.
Bill
--
William Denton | Toronto, Canada | http://www.vex.net/~buff/ | Caveat lector.
"Let's keep the party polite."
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