September 7, 2013 – Finished Reading

ReviewExcellent for the historical stuff (everything that the TV series is inspired by) and completely dull and uninteresting for everything that happened after 1970, which is a disappointment after I enjoyed both the series and the first two thirds of the book so much. 

Can anyone recommend a good book on the rise of the Casino Empire that supplanted the boardwalk empire?

Covering the four decades between the end of the Civil War and the discontinuation of indirect Senatorial election in 1911, this is an in depth, detailed, masterful work. Scarily enough, most of the inside pool and political hijinks that were seen as shameful then are rounding into fashion again now that the original abusers are merely names on tombstones and public schools to all but a handful of scholars. A must read for any political junkie.

Gorgeous artwork cannot make up for absolutely horrendous stories. veering from silly, to stupid, to preachy to overtly (AND stupidly) political, none of these is worth wasting your time reading the words.

Short fiction, a bit pie-eyed toward the opinions of discredited environmental doom-meisters, but enjoyable none the less.

Childish to the point of absurdity.

Autobiographical stories about the authors time living as a poor dishwasher in Paris and as a homeless tramp around London.
While a modern reader will find it un-relatable in the specific, the general observations about the nature and futility of poverty are both interesting and still applicable.

Third in a series of adventure novels set aboard tramp steamers. Dated but fun.

A nice change of pace from his seafaring tradition. The adventure takes place entirely on land, with a plausible MacGuffin driving the plot and set in an interesting time and place (pre-WWII Mexico).          

Another in a Depression-era adventure series taking place on Tramp Steamers. Dated language and some of the most homoerotic descriptions I've ever read in a children's book don't detract from a fine story.

Unusual for two reasons. First it is a collection of short stories, while all of Pease's previous works have been novels (or serialized novels). Secondly, In all of the editions I've seen of his works, this is the first of any of Pease's books with an introduction that implies ala Flashman that Tod Moran and Captain Jarvis are real people simply being chronicled. Coming so far into the series it is an odd change of pace.

The author's personal views also bleed over into the tales more so then they have in any novel so far (except possibly The Black Tanker). Tod Moran at various points is smugly superior during a South American regime change, hostile to the victim of a lynch mob during said revolution, critical of Mexican politics, and sympathetic to the Japanese interned during WWII.  

Written in the late 1930's and harkening back to the early 1850's, this was already historical fiction from a forgotten time when it was printed. Now it is a relic, a window into the past.

The time is the early spring of 1850, gold was discovered less than a year before and California is barely a territory let alone a State. As one of the characters says early on "This was a part of Mexico less than two years ago." little details like that bring the time and place to life in a way that more recently crafted tales cannot.

Beyond the setting, this a typical Pease coming of age tale. the neat twist is that rather than sailing away to adventure, the protagonist is left behind to guard the ship when the rest of the crew - including his father the captain - jumps at the chance to skip off and try their hand at mining.

As his final published work, its nice to see Pease go out with a bang. The story, set on the hills of San Francisco, has the expected cast of characters but is told in a decidedly new fashion. Pease repeated switches viewpoints in the story, changing between Captain Jarvis, Toppy and Tod Moran; a stylistic approach Pease has not used before but which makes the story move along faster than his previous novels.
A few bothersome details: Somehow between the previous book and this one Tod was promot As his final published work, its nice to see Pease go out with a bang. The story, set on the hills of San Francisco, has the expected cast of characters but is told in a decidedly new fashion. Pease repeated switches viewpoints in the story, changing between Captain Jarvis, Toppy and Tod Moran; a stylistic approach Pease has not used before but which makes the story move along faster than his previous novels.
A few bothersome details: Somehow between the previous book and this one Tod was promoted to Second Mate, a promotion that goes unexplained. The main plot twist is...a bit dated, even for a book set in the 1950's? (exact dates are nonexistent but the presence of pervasive television prevents it from being dated earlier.)

Adventure on the high seas like they just don't write anymore. Looking forward to the rest of the series.

Of all the tales one could tell about a mate on a tramp steamer during WWII, why would your first choice be setting him ashore in occupied France? Making this a Tod Moran story is forced at best.

While there is some interest in the phrasing of the work and in the settings and characters, the constant lapses into Spanish, the obscure musical references and the general sameness made all of the stories blend into a bland, unremarkable mess.

Hit or miss collection of short stores.

A bit repetitive with the back-story but still entertaining.

Zombies, Vampires and Magic in Post-Victorian London.

Disappointing, but still entertaining.

A short work telling the story of a lone British soldier trapped behind French lines in occupied Portugal.