Fundamental Error - A Katla KillFile (Amsterdam Assassin Series) by Martyn V. Halm | LibraryThing:
I'm usually not a fan of short fiction. Authors often have difficulty building character and scene in a limited number of pages. There are lots of exceptions, I know, and Halm is one of them. I have read two others in his KatlaKillfiles series and enjoyed both. I was about to start on his longer fiction when I noticed someone had given this book one star over on GR with no review, only marked as an author-I-don't-want-to-read. Well, that's like waving a red flag in front of a bull. I just had to find out if perhaps the problem was too many "fucks" or perhaps some atheistic bent (both good signs for me.) After reading the novella, I think this reviewer was just peeved about some remark or another. I have no idea.
This story is less linear than the other two I read. The time frame jumps back and forth between the present, where a fundamentalist terrorist has plans to detonate a bomb in a crowded mall. Katla is hired by the brother of the terrorist to prevent the bombing. I won't give away anything other than to say it's a different kind of assignment for Katla even though it does earn a fat fee. Good story.
I went poking around the author's web site and discovered some interesting stuff about his home city. Apparently the vehicle of choice is a Vespa and as there are so many it's a logical choice for Katla to move around on. Bicycles are ubiquitous and appear to always be in the right in case of an accident. It would seem nothing you say as the driver of a car that has hit a bicycle will get you off the hook. Sounds like a hazardous place for pedestrians, too. Read more at http://amsterdamassassin.wordpress.com/2012/06/03/ride-bicycles-like-an-amsterdam-native/. More about Vespas at http://amsterdamassassin.wordpress.com/2013/10/25/katla-faq-why-does-katla-ride-a-vespa-motor-scooter/
'via Blog this'
No comments:
Post a Comment