In a message dated 12/12/02 9:58:13 AM,
Robison_M@crane.navy.mil writes:
<< I guess, for one thing, I didn't find the main
protagonist
compelling. >>
I haven't read this one, Miker, but
my experience with Ross Mac is that he often kept his main
characters in the shadows. He outChandlers Chandler
(but perhaps not Hammett) in that regard. The reader must
follow someone he/she doesn't get to know all that well. It's
interesting (at least to me) that you chose to compare the
styles and effectiveness of the two MacDonalds
- I remember when John D. sued Ross over the use of his name,
young mystery fans I knew at the time lined up on one side of
the lawsuit or the other on the basis of the work they
enjoyed reading. There wasn't much crossover among the real
devotees; you were either an Lew A. aficionado and found John
D. too purple and full of hot air, or you loved old Travis
and thought the Archer books were repetitive and dull. I
enjoyed Travis (and the other MacDonald books) as much as I
enjoyed anything I was reading at the time, but I believe I
learned more about writing from paying attention to how Ross
nailed his boards together.
Jim
Blue
Jim
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