Quote:
Originally Posted by pdurrant
I added them to my wish list, and I think with the current 60% off sale (coupon code 021012), I must buy the first one and see how I like it.
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There's a 60% off? Whee! George Alec Effinger shopping spree, here I come!
The 1st Gideon Oliver is not really all that representative of the series although you'll get enough of a gist of the forensic anthropologist content to see if it's science-y enough if that was the main appeal and Oliver's basic personality to see if his quirks are endearing, annoying, or neutral enough to live with. Elkins kind of went in a direction in that 1st book that he'd later devote to the Chris Norgren, Intrepid Globe-Trotting Art Curator books, the 3rd of which I shall now be picking up on sale (also a recommended series if you want to know about Baroque art and how art forgeries/thefts are done, but not as good quality as the Olivers, IMHO).
I'd suggest perhaps you might want to consider picking up the 3rd or 4th as well, which are where the series direction really begins (
Murder in the Queene's Armes, the 3rd is set in England and involves an archaeological dig and
Old Bones, the 4th, is the Edgar Award-winning one which is really good) and you can read the books standalone since they don't spoiler previous cases or have much in the way of major character interaction changes (kind of like Christies, in a a way).
But otherwise, they are quite fun and educational at points.
Oh, and you may want to take a look at
George Alec Effinger's works if you haven't already. FW has added a lot to the catalogue since last year's early 60% off, and if you like a slightly quirky semi-satiric style (a little like the good Frederik Pohl stories in his Best Of short story collection) the late GAE seems to be very good indeed.
I just decided to scoop the lot of his works after recently finishing
A Thousand Deaths and starting in upon
Irrational Numbers, which I really ought to comment upon after I've gotten something to eat, and the stories were generally unusual, imaginative, varied, and enjoyable and I give a high recommend to what I've read thus far.