Sunday 26 January 2014

ADAM STERNBERGH - SHOVEL READY


Synopsis/blurb.........

The futuristic hardboiled noir that Lauren Beukes calls “sharp as a paper-cut” about a garbage man turned kill-for-hire. 

Spademan used to be a garbage man.  That was before the dirty bomb hit Times Square, before his wife was killed, and before the city became a blown-out shell of its former self.

Now he’s a hitman.

In a near-future New York City split between those who are wealthy enough to “tap in” to a sophisticated virtual reality, and those who are left to fend for themselves in the ravaged streets, Spademan chose the streets.  His new job is not that different from his old one: waste disposal is waste disposal.  He doesn’t ask questions, he works quickly, and he’s handy with a box cutter.  But when his latest client hires him to kill the daughter of a powerful evangelist, his unadorned life is upended: his mark has a shocking secret and his client has a sordid agenda far beyond a simple kill.  Spademan must navigate between these two worlds—the wasteland reality and the slick fantasy—to finish his job, clear his conscience, and make sure he’s not the one who winds up in the ground.  

Adam Sternbergh has written a dynamite debut: gritty, violent, funny, riveting, tender, and brilliant.
 
Not my usual read in that I’m not a fan of books set in the future, albeit a future just around the corner, with enough of today’s realities present that it wasn’t a totally alien landscape. I just don’t like, get, understand or enjoy sci-fi-type fiction full of gizmos and gadgets and techno-doodahs that I can’t visualise – though to be fair on this occasion there is not a lot of that present. (I’m just having a bit of a rant.)  Why read it then? Well I do have a soft spot for hitmen and the premise would indicate that there’s a guy doing a lot of hitting here and in a noir-ish fashion.

Well it was okay in a time filling, not the worst thing I’ve ever encountered way. It started brightly and I wanted to read on and see how things played out and at no point did I feel like quitting. I just wasn’t emotionally invested in the outcome.

Our hitman was a former garbageman, like his father and in some respects he’s stayed true to his vocation, only the garbage now is of the human kind. New York – post dirty bomb, he’s lost his wife, he has no children and few friends. I couldn’t feel his motivation for his work. He’s hired for a job that he takes, until he realises that it conflicts with his rules, which then sets him at odds with his employer. The story then continues until it doesn't and we have a resolution.

Dynamite? No
Gritty? Sort of
Violent? In places
Funny? Not especially
Riveting? Not particularly
Tender? Didn’t think so
Brilliant? Nah

Verdict 2 or a 3, 2 or a 3, 2 or a 3? Hmm........3 on balance.

 A bit of credit due for trying something a little bit out of the box, and like I said I didn’t ever feel like throwing in the towel and quitting. Hopefully others enjoy this one a lot more than me.

Shovel Ready is available now for kindle and I believe is published in July in paperback.


Another Net Galley book.



12 comments:

  1. I love the idea of hitman warring with futuristic dystopia in your decision-making process. Fortunately, you've probably made the decision for me too.

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    1. Moira, I think future dystopia and me aren't going to get along. I do have a Ben Winters book to read - The Last Policeman, but after that I'm probably done.

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  2. Books like this that warrant no response - negative or positive - are just neutral. From that cover I never would have suspected this was a futuristic. Always good to try something out of the box but it sounds like it was executed all that well.

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    1. In a perverse way, I kind of prefer reading books that I don't enjoy, insofar as they provoke a reaction, which is possibly preferable to indifference? Rage, anger, incredulity........

      Dunno, I might have to think on on that one.

      I don't regret reading it, it just means I'm one book closer to my next "blowmeoutofthepark" read. And I also suppose given the number of books I read that not everything either is going to register on the rocks or sucks part of the scoreboard.

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  3. Col - Honestly, this doesn't sound like one for me. I'm rarely one for dystopian settings, and even though there's not too much techno-wizardry here, I'm not much of a one for that either. More to the point, it doesn't sound as though it was written in a really compelling way. No, I admit this one's not going on my list.

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    1. Margot thanks. It wasn't the worst written book I have ever read, it was just........flat.......for me at least. Still, I'm one step closer to my next amazing read!

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  4. Col, this one sounds like one of those Jack Higgins thrillers with their "dead man walking" kind of heroes.

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    1. I enjoyed it up to a point. If you said read a 2nd book by him or pick up a Higgins (someone I may have read only once a long, long time ago) I would choose Higgins.

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    2. Jack Higgins (Harry Patterson), as you might have guessed, is my favourite author, definitely in the top five. His heroes are all battle-hardened fighters, sympathetic to their cause, hopeless romantics, and really don't give a damn about themselves.

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    3. Here's a challenge for you then - out of his extensive list of books, please recommend me two only. Your two favourites. I will try and pick them up cheaply and read at least one this year.

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  5. Not sure about this one. Especially since you are not enthusiastic. I have liked some dystopian books blended with crime fiction, but...

    Funny though, I looked the author up on Goodreads and he was co-writer of a non-fiction book which I have: Hey! It’s That Guy! It is about all the characters actors who look familiar but you don't know their name. It was written in 2005 so some of them are better known by now.

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    1. I won#t be rushing back to this author TBH. Your book sounds a bit more interesting than I found this one.

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