Comments on: Diagnosis Murder: The Past Tense http://www.bookgasm.com/reviews/mystery/diagnosis-murder-the-past-tense/ reading material to get excited about Fri, 29 Aug 2008 19:38:30 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6 By: Bookgasm » Mr. Monk Goes to the Firehouse http://www.bookgasm.com/reviews/mystery/diagnosis-murder-the-past-tense/#comment-911 Bookgasm » Mr. Monk Goes to the Firehouse Wed, 29 Mar 2006 14:50:37 +0000 http://www.bookgasm.com/?p=405#comment-911 [...] Based on a character by Andy Breckman, Shalhoub plays Monk perfectly. But there’s a little something missing in an hour-long show devoted to both an intricate mystery and the character’s oddness. There usually isn’t enough time to explore Monk and why he’s doing what he’s doing. So enter Lee Goldberg and another excellent TV tie-in book, the first in the series, entitled MR. MONK GOES TO THE FIREHOUSE. A book-length exploration of Monk is just so much more satisfying because we get to see more of the detective’s odd little world. [...] [...] Based on a character by Andy Breckman, Shalhoub plays Monk perfectly. But there’s a little something missing in an hour-long show devoted to both an intricate mystery and the character’s oddness. There usually isn’t enough time to explore Monk and why he’s doing what he’s doing. So enter Lee Goldberg and another excellent TV tie-in book, the first in the series, entitled MR. MONK GOES TO THE FIREHOUSE. A book-length exploration of Monk is just so much more satisfying because we get to see more of the detective’s odd little world. [...]

]]> By: Christopher Sharpe http://www.bookgasm.com/reviews/mystery/diagnosis-murder-the-past-tense/#comment-463 Christopher Sharpe Tue, 14 Feb 2006 18:17:42 +0000 http://www.bookgasm.com/?p=405#comment-463 Back when I was a kid, I was crazy about "V" and I read a bunch of those novels. But those books really pissed me off because they contradicted the continuity being established in the television series. And then a bunch of them featured non-TV characters in other parts of the country fighting off the aliens. As a young geek this really bugged me, but I still read them for some reason or another. Some of them were actually decent. But this reminds me of another embarrassing juvenile reading addiction: EXECUTIONER novels. I imagine they were terrible, but the combination of the tough guy hero, gratuitous violence and lots of sex made them just the ticket for my 5th grade mind. The Punisher can't hold a candle to Mack fucking Bolan, bitch! Back when I was a kid, I was crazy about “V” and I read a bunch of those novels. But those books really pissed me off because they contradicted the continuity being established in the television series. And then a bunch of them featured non-TV characters in other parts of the country fighting off the aliens. As a young geek this really bugged me, but I still read them for some reason or another. Some of them were actually decent.

But this reminds me of another embarrassing juvenile reading addiction: EXECUTIONER novels. I imagine they were terrible, but the combination of the tough guy hero, gratuitous violence and lots of sex made them just the ticket for my 5th grade mind.

The Punisher can’t hold a candle to Mack fucking Bolan, bitch!

]]> By: Rod Lott http://www.bookgasm.com/reviews/mystery/diagnosis-murder-the-past-tense/#comment-455 Rod Lott Mon, 13 Feb 2006 20:15:30 +0000 http://www.bookgasm.com/?p=405#comment-455 Lately I've caught myself experiencing some tie-in fever, spending part of this weekend blowing some of my PayPal balance by ordering some (both in- and out-of-print) off Amazon. I'm not so much interested in novelizations as I am original novels set within that universe. Lately I’ve caught myself experiencing some tie-in fever, spending part of this weekend blowing some of my PayPal balance by ordering some (both in- and out-of-print) off Amazon.

I’m not so much interested in novelizations as I am original novels set within that universe.

]]> By: Brian M. Thomsen http://www.bookgasm.com/reviews/mystery/diagnosis-murder-the-past-tense/#comment-454 Brian M. Thomsen Mon, 13 Feb 2006 17:52:12 +0000 http://www.bookgasm.com/?p=405#comment-454 Even back in the heyday of such things there were occasional gems in the TV tie-in business. Walter Wager did some tie-in for THE MOD SQUAD series under his John Tiger moniker, Ted Sturgeon did A VOYAGE TO THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA novel and Tom Disch did THE PRISONER. I also have a warm spot in my heart for some of the Kung Fu novels that were done by Ron Goulart (writing under the house pseudonym of Howard Lee); you could tell that he wasn't taking the more zen aspects of the show too seriously and a former editor of the series mentioned that they had to excise the words "bullshitting chinaman" on more than one occasion. Also the Dan Ross (writing as Marilyn Ross) series of DARK SHADOWS novels helped to fuel a highly successful gothic readership way before the current era of supernatural romances. Even back in the heyday of such things there were occasional gems in the TV tie-in business.
Walter Wager did some tie-in for THE MOD SQUAD series under his John Tiger moniker, Ted Sturgeon did A VOYAGE TO THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA novel and Tom Disch did THE PRISONER.
I also have a warm spot in my heart for some of the Kung Fu novels that were done by Ron Goulart (writing under the house pseudonym of Howard Lee); you could tell that he wasn’t taking the more zen aspects of the show too seriously and a former editor of the series mentioned that they had to excise the words “bullshitting chinaman” on more than one occasion.
Also the Dan Ross (writing as Marilyn Ross) series of DARK SHADOWS novels helped to fuel a highly successful gothic readership way before the current era of supernatural romances.

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