He knew the books well. He just wasnt the writer Stout was. Few are.
There are a bunch of Wolfe pastickes around, some are decent.
Ah, forgot to mention the Inspector Rebus novels by Ian Rankin. I think I read them all up through Exit Music.
If you’re into quirky fantasy, I can’t recommend Malcolm Pryce’s Aberystwyth Noir detective novels enough. Really fun and unlike anything else I’ve read.
I will try one- thanks.
Wow, I read some of those many years ago when I worked at a library, an occupational hazard.
Kind of all the same, but he writes like poetry. SO descriprive. The worst violence - sheer poetry. (he has a couple other series with other protagonists, too.)
Nitpick: Lawrence Block. Have you tried his Bernie Rhodenbarr series (The Burglar Who…)? A more lighthearted mystery series about a (quasi-retired) professional burglar.
My two favorite are the same two. I have the alphabet series and many of the Dortmunder books.
Rivers Of Time by L. Sprague De Camp.
Likewise, his Krishna/Viagens series.
Yes, but I’m not a big fan of the series. I left off Evan Tanner too.
Right now, I’d say Ben Aaronivitch’s Rivers of London urban fantasy series. I own all the books and just bought all the graphic novels last week. And speaking of urban fantasy, Harry Connolly’s Twenty Palaces series.
Block’s Keller and Rhodenbarr series.
I just started working through the Expanse books for the second time. And I regularly run through the Jeeves and Wooster series.
I recently came to the conclusion that on my death bed, reading the Vorkosigan Saga will stand out as one of the greatest experiences of my life. My son is named after the series protagonist. I respect Bujold so much as a writer because she never wastes a single moment. Every moment serves some greater purpose in the narrative. Take the character of Mark Vorkosigan, Miles’ assassin clone brother. This could have been such a throwaway plot device, but instead she used it as a springboard to create another fully realized character. The book that delves into this tortured soul’s point of view, Mirror Dance, is my favorite in the series and one of my top ten favorite books of all time. It’s certainly the greatest redemption story I’ve ever read. I’ve read Mirror Dance a few times just to try to understand how she did what she did. All I can say for certain is that I didn’t realize how special book series as a medium could be until I read this series. There are moments that wouldn’t be nearly as impactful without the books that came before them.
In a completely different direction, I greatly enjoyed, in the fun romp kind of way, the post-apocalyptic romance Earth Resistance series by Theresa Beachman. It’s steamy romance in a plot straight out of Alien, all sorts of biological horror, taut action, lovers who can’t get enough of each other. Extremely fun. It’s rare to read a romance writer who writes action that well (Carolyn Crane’s Undercover Associates series also kills it, with a more disturbing edge. The villains in her books are downright terrifying.)
I’m a huge fan of the TV series. So far the books are great. I’ve read the first two. I think I have more empathy for Holden having read the books.
I just ordered one, I will check it out.
Another favorite series: N K Jemison’s “Broken Earth” series
I re-read [almost] all of Terry Pratchett every year.
Same here along with Nero wolfe and Rivers of London.
Older series loves:
when I was in elementary school, Nancy Drew. The old old ones with the blue covers.
Travis McGee (John D. MacDonald)
Darkover (Marion Zimmer Bradley)
The Doc Sidhe novels by Aaron Allston, if two books are a “series”. I re-read them a lot.
The Vorkosigan and Sharing Knife series by Lois McMaster Bujold are others I re-read a lot.
The Belisarius series by David Drake & Eric Flint.
Jimmy Corrigan, The Smartest Kid on Earth. If your unfamiliar with it, it’s Chris Ware’s dense graphic novel documenting the lives of three generations of the titular character. It was serialized in comics and The Chicago Reader before being compiled as the book, which I’m happy to say is available to be read here, at a size that’s easier on the old eyes than the printed copy, and it’s got a ton of tiny details.
I ordered the 1st based upon your rec , etc.
Edgar Rice Burroughs’ Tarzan, Mars, and Venus series.
Michael Moorcock’s Elric series. I got into these as a teenager. Older readers tend to be less impressed.
Donald Hamilton’s Matt Helm series. Of course, James Bond is a cooler character, but I think Hamilton was a better writer than Fleming. (Or at least had more consistent editors.)