tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7119990365479009764.post2531948294558722943..comments2024-03-14T18:09:09.667-05:00Comments on Do Some Damage: I Can't Say Goodbye to Ross MacdonaldUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7119990365479009764.post-77243898284745802015-10-27T18:08:10.502-05:002015-10-27T18:08:10.502-05:00I first read Ross Macdonald in the 60's and 70...I first read Ross Macdonald in the 60's and 70's and a couple years ago I thought I'd reread a couple Lew Archer novels to see how they held up to a rereading. I ended up reading all 18 of the series, one after another. An excellent author.Walker Martinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16089880902426182100noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7119990365479009764.post-37686403097944762302015-10-27T14:53:25.417-05:002015-10-27T14:53:25.417-05:00Thanks, Holly.Thanks, Holly.Scottnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7119990365479009764.post-56617618408217019292015-10-27T14:50:30.905-05:002015-10-27T14:50:30.905-05:00This comment has been removed by the author.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7119990365479009764.post-37596953666823508362015-10-27T12:06:03.400-05:002015-10-27T12:06:03.400-05:00I can no longer remember which Macdonald book I re...I can no longer remember which Macdonald book I read first at the age of about eighteen, but I do know that I picked it up as a reader of science fiction and put it down as a crime fiction fan. Al Tuchernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7119990365479009764.post-18171066993154026122015-10-27T11:33:28.236-05:002015-10-27T11:33:28.236-05:00Great post! Welcome to DSD, Scott!Great post! Welcome to DSD, Scott!Holly Westhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08910436592791818527noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7119990365479009764.post-13907268952882040162015-10-27T09:42:32.553-05:002015-10-27T09:42:32.553-05:00Great piece, Scott - and it dovetails with my rece...Great piece, Scott - and it dovetails with my recent Macdonald/Archer re-read. I'm just diving into Dollar. Completely agree that Galton Case is the turning point, and while Macdonald finds his style pretty early - Moving Target is a bit stiff and you can tell he's still figuring it out - it's not until Galton that he decides what he wants these books and Archer to be.<br /><br />I think a lot of people retroactively complain about RM because Archer doesn't really evolve much - I don't think he references a previous book until midway through the series, when he discusses Puddler from Moving Target - but I find that oddly soothing in an age of required reading, continuity and tie-ins. The novels should be read in order, but are strong enough on their own that you could dive in at any point. My first Macdonald book was The Way Some People Die, and I didn't feel lost or confused. Still, reading them back to back is a fun trip, as it shows you how the writer's voice is honed and how the character of Archer, who starts off as a pseudo-Marlowe with a bit less experience, becomes something much deeper.<br /><br />And, let's face it - Macdonald was a better plotter than Chandler. That quote you mention is spot on. Chandler wrote great scenes that, strung together, made for very stylistic and visually stimulating novels. Macdonald was no slouch in the tone and style department, but his strength was plot and execution. The stories become so tangled and - when not working - a little confusing, that you find yourself wondering if Macdonald can straighten it all out and explain it at the end. He always manages to. In his best novels the big reveal feels natural and you're kicking yourself for not seeing it. The weaker ones - which are still enjoyable enough - feel like the solution was built to fit the plot holes he left behind. <br /><br />Really enjoyed reading this! <br /><br />Other authors I find myself going back to: Block, Pelecanos, Lippman, Lehane and, of course, Chandler.Alex Segurahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07173378562449185812noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7119990365479009764.post-19533628384213490152015-10-27T09:18:58.920-05:002015-10-27T09:18:58.920-05:00David - Ha. Yes, I do the same with him. David - Ha. Yes, I do the same with him. scott adlerberghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10997101672313963063noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7119990365479009764.post-53396282923587973242015-10-27T09:14:15.749-05:002015-10-27T09:14:15.749-05:00Well said, Scott. Of the classics, he's my fa...Well said, Scott. Of the classics, he's my favorite writer of detective fiction. I sometimes pull one of his titles of the shelf just to read a few pages. Like its The Bible.David Cranmerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04749857752139212888noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7119990365479009764.post-75145863299726975292015-10-27T09:01:29.149-05:002015-10-27T09:01:29.149-05:00Dana, his dialogue can sound at times like you'...Dana, his dialogue can sound at times like you're in a psychologist's office listening to people, that's true. I like going back to him in particular for the plotting and just how he captures southern California in the sixties and seventies. And something about Archer too, I like, the way he's kind of a floating mind poking around. But MacDonald does seem like a writer people either really like or not much at all, no question about that.scott adlerberghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10997101672313963063noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7119990365479009764.post-60968789651659844362015-10-27T08:19:17.448-05:002015-10-27T08:19:17.448-05:00I tried to get into Macdonald several times and ha...I tried to get into Macdonald several times and have now probably given up. He's w good study for some craft aspects--how he gets into and out of a scene, for instance--but your example above show why I don't care much for him. His dialog isn't top rate and I too often get the idea he's too interested in showing me how smart he is, having characters do things I shake my head at, but boy, does Ross know a lot of stuff.<br /><br />Who do I return to. Chandler (though less as time goes by), Hammett (more as time goes by), and, always, Ed McBain and Elmore Leonard.Dana Kinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01350344882342624735noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7119990365479009764.post-73561096355074060642015-10-27T06:54:37.896-05:002015-10-27T06:54:37.896-05:00There are a lot of writers I keep returning to. ...There are a lot of writers I keep returning to. McDonald is one of my very favorites and has been for more than 50 years.mybillcriderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02350478005243505108noreply@blogger.com