Is The Ax a revenge novel? Whom was he avenging? I saw it as a very practical means to an end, coldly pursued.
Mark
> To: rara-avis-l@yahoogroups.com
> From: jacquesdebierue@yahoo.com
> Date: Thu, 19 Aug 2010 21:07:32 +0000
> Subject: RARA-AVIS: Re: Moratorium on serial murderer mysteries?
>
>
>
> --- In rara-avis-l@yahoogroups.com, "Ron Clinton" <clinton65@...> wrote:
> >
> > > From: rara-avis-l@yahoogroups.com [mailto:rara-avis-l@yahoogroups.com] On
> > > Behalf Of jacquesdebierue
> > > > I found Red Dragon far superior to Silence of the Lambs in this respect.
> > > >
> > >
> > > Me, too. With Silence of the Lambs, I was conscious of reading some sort
> > of
> > > concocted story with a super villain. Red Dragon felt more real.
> >
> >
> > I've heard that a number of times, and while I still believe SILENCE is the
> > better of the two for a number of reasons, I would agree that RED DRAGON is
> > itself a remarkable work and would probably immediately follow the three top
> > serial killer works I mentioned earlier (THE COLLECTOR, SILENCE OF... and BY
> > REASON OF INSANITY). Ellroy's KILLER ON THE ROAD (aka SILENT TERROR) might
> > take up the fifth spot...but I haven't yet reconciled if it's as good as I
> > think it is or not.
> >
>
> The problem is that somebody like Hannibal Lecter cannot exist. He's a fantasy. Perfectly acceptable as a fantasy story, but not as a realistic one. Dave Zeltserman, in his novel Bad Thoughts, went Harris one further and achieved what I suspect is a comic sendup of the entire genre.
>
> > Actually, I take that back...Ellroy can have the sixth spot. I just
> > remembered a terrific serial killer book: Bradley Denton's BLACKBURN. Loved
> > that book. Since BLACKBURN stretches the thematic confines of the serial
> > killer novel, I'll throw out another one that does as well and, like
> > BLACKBURN, is highly recommended: Westlake's THE AX. Like Jimmy Blackburn,
> > Westlake's protagonist kills for reasons that he sees as perfectly
> > legitimate...reasons that also become all too comprehensible for the reader.
> > For that reason, these latter two might be the most frightening books of the
> > bunch.
> >
>
> I agree that The Ax is frightening because it is realistic. No fantasy there, just a pretty sensational revenge, you might say...
>
> Best,
>
> mrt
>
>
>
>
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