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DEAD SEA - Brian Keene

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Category: Writer/Book Forums
Forum Name: The Book Club
Forum Discription: Numerous authors and types of books discussed here.
URL: http://www.neo-forum.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=12954
Printed Date: March/28/2024 at 4:42am


Topic: DEAD SEA - Brian Keene
Posted By: pattirose
Subject: DEAD SEA - Brian Keene
Date Posted: February/22/2009 at 5:23pm
We are going to do a quick mini-read of DEAD SEA before starting the "official" March read. Who all wants to join us??

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"Where there is cake, there is hope. And there is always cake" - Life Expectancy



Replies:
Posted By: FinalExam
Date Posted: February/23/2009 at 12:13am
It's one of my favorite Keene novels, so I will definitely join in the discussion.

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We are not strangers to ourselves, we only try to be. --Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz


Posted By: Belladonna
Date Posted: February/23/2009 at 1:22am
First I need to find it, and will start reading DEAD SEA today.

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Posted By: pattirose
Date Posted: February/23/2009 at 4:27am
I'll finish Catcher in the Rye today on my commute to work, I only have 80 pages left and it's a fast read.



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"Where there is cake, there is hope. And there is always cake" - Life Expectancy


Posted By: Belladonna
Date Posted: February/25/2009 at 2:32pm
I'm about 100 or so pages in. They just sailed off on the boat...

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Posted By: pattirose
Date Posted: February/25/2009 at 6:58pm
How did you get so far so fast??
How do you like it so far?
I've just started it, I'll post more tommorrow.

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"Where there is cake, there is hope. And there is always cake" - Life Expectancy


Posted By: FinalExam
Date Posted: February/26/2009 at 12:24am
Originally posted by Belladonna Belladonna wrote:

I'm about 100 or so pages in. They just sailed off on the boat...


It is a damn fast read, isn't it?

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We are not strangers to ourselves, we only try to be. --Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz


Posted By: Belladonna
Date Posted: February/26/2009 at 12:33am
Originally posted by FinalExam FinalExam wrote:

Originally posted by Belladonna Belladonna wrote:

I'm about 100 or so pages in. They just sailed off on the boat...


It is a damn fast read, isn't it?


Very much so!

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Posted By: FinalExam
Date Posted: February/26/2009 at 9:44pm
I must admit, when I first heard he was using a gay African American as a main character, I groaned, figuring it had "gimmick" written all over it, but I was really pleasantly surprised with how he handled it. Neither aspect of the character overwhelmed him, he wasn't defined by his sexuality or his race, they wree just background facts that helped inform who he was without becoming the focus.

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We are not strangers to ourselves, we only try to be. --Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz


Posted By: Belladonna
Date Posted: March/02/2009 at 8:51am
I finished today, I really liked this story, much better than The Rising. I thought Lamar's character was different in a refreshing way, not typical. And I liked not having any idea of how it would end.

Have you read Castaways FE? I think when I'm ready for another Keene it'll be Conqueror's Worm, I've heard a lot of good things.

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Posted By: pattirose
Date Posted: March/02/2009 at 10:09am
I'm at the part where they are just sailing off in the boat. I know, I know, I'm slow!

I think Lamar is a great character, I like the kid, Malik too. It'll be interesting to see how all these diverse people live on that boat.


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"Where there is cake, there is hope. And there is always cake" - Life Expectancy


Posted By: FinalExam
Date Posted: March/02/2009 at 8:12pm
Originally posted by Belladonna Belladonna wrote:


Have you read Castaways FE? I think when I'm ready for another Keene it'll be Conqueror's Worm, I've heard a lot of good things.


I did read Castaways, t hought it was nice B-movie fun. Written as a homage to Richard Laymon (but better written than a Laymon novel), it is fast-paced and fun.

I do really like Conquerer Worms.

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We are not strangers to ourselves, we only try to be. --Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz


Posted By: pattirose
Date Posted: March/06/2009 at 5:41am
I've managed to lose this damn book somewhere, somehow! I can't believe it, I've never misplaced a book before, especially while I was reading it, lol! I've looked everywhere, oh well!


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"Where there is cake, there is hope. And there is always cake" - Life Expectancy


Posted By: FinalExam
Date Posted: March/06/2009 at 11:11am
How do you lose a book??? Find it, I want to hear your thoughts. What part were yo uat?

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We are not strangers to ourselves, we only try to be. --Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz


Posted By: pattirose
Date Posted: March/06/2009 at 2:03pm
I found it a little while ago, it was hiding under a kleenex box and a bunch of papers. I had lifted up the papers twice yesterday looking for it but never thought to look under the kleenex box. lol! I need to clean house. I should finish it this weekend.

I like it alot so far, it's a little more graphic than his other books I've read but I like the characters and the storyline and the pace of the book. There are no extra words or unneccesary scenes in it and it moves quite quickly.

A friend is reading Boy's Life, still, it's been months now (since September) he says he likes it but there is alot of clutter in there but he figures it has to be like that to move the story along and fill up the pages. I'm going to give him this book when I finish it.



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"Where there is cake, there is hope. And there is always cake" - Life Expectancy


Posted By: FinalExam
Date Posted: March/06/2009 at 5:17pm
Clutter in Boy's Life???? My heart is breaking a little.

I do agree about Dead Sea, it has a very fast pace and moves along quite swiftly.

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We are not strangers to ourselves, we only try to be. --Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz


Posted By: pattirose
Date Posted: March/06/2009 at 5:45pm
He reads mysteries, maybe they are more consise? I dunno - that's one genre I don't read, well, aside from Nightbird, that was technically a mystery.

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"Where there is cake, there is hope. And there is always cake" - Life Expectancy


Posted By: FinalExam
Date Posted: March/12/2009 at 9:52am
Okay...has anyone finished this book?

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We are not strangers to ourselves, we only try to be. --Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz


Posted By: Belladonna
Date Posted: March/12/2009 at 11:58am
I finished it awhile ago...I think I posted that. I'll go look.

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Posted By: pattirose
Date Posted: March/12/2009 at 2:17pm
I also finished it, it was a good quick read.
Right when I thought it was starting to get repetitive and wondering where it was going and how he was going to tie it up, which was around the last 2 chapters - he managed to end things quite nicely.



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"Where there is cake, there is hope. And there is always cake" - Life Expectancy


Posted By: FinalExam
Date Posted: March/12/2009 at 10:20pm
I liked the open ending. I mean, you pretty much knwo it's hopeless, he doesnt' have to say it. I thought he managed to write a fast-paced book that kept me hooked the whole time, and I read some criticisms that the characters were all paper thin but I found them engaging and interesting.

What did you guys think about all the archetype talk? I thought it was a good idea but Keene used it TOO much, that it started to get annoying and people didn't really sit around and talk about things like that.

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We are not strangers to ourselves, we only try to be. --Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz


Posted By: pattirose
Date Posted: March/13/2009 at 5:07am
I wrote out this long $*&^%&*&!! reply then the forum ate it - sheesh!! Bet it doesn't eat this one.

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"Where there is cake, there is hope. And there is always cake" - Life Expectancy


Posted By: FinalExam
Date Posted: March/13/2009 at 10:11am
patti, that's why I always copy my response before I get "Post Reply" now. I want to hear your long reply...

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We are not strangers to ourselves, we only try to be. --Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz


Posted By: pattirose
Date Posted: March/14/2009 at 4:44pm
SPOILERS
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I don't even remember what I wrote I was so mad!

Basically I thought it was a great quick read and right about when I started thinking it was beginning to get repetitive and wondering how he was going to end it all (about 2 chapters from the end) - he managed to tie it all up nicely. I enjoyed the pace of the book, it never got boring, not even for a second, although it was a tad graphic for my taste and I did skim over the vivid descriptions after the first few chapters.

I actually thought the archetype conversation was interesting and certainly plausible considering the circumstances. I'm sure they had discussed the situation at hand to death (no pun intended) and they wouldn't be chatting about who was voted out on American Idol or Dancing With The The Stars, no current baseball or football games to discuss, so after awhile philosophical conversations would come into play, plus the older professor guy was a father figure to Lamar so it makes sense he would want to impart some of his wisdom on him.

It was also a perfect opportunity for Keene to introduce Joseph Campbell to the readers.

What I don't get is how there was only one guy on the oilrig, it doesn't make any sense to me, unless I skimmed over the part that explained it.




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"Where there is cake, there is hope. And there is always cake" - Life Expectancy


Posted By: Belladonna
Date Posted: March/15/2009 at 12:20am
I also liked the archetype talk was good. I thought it was an interesting addition to the story.

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Posted By: FinalExam
Date Posted: March/15/2009 at 6:24am
I thought it was interesting, but I thought it went on way too long, and I know a lot of really intelligent people who know about this stuff, but the way it was worked into the story in the dialogue seemed really unrealistic to me. But one of my things is realistic dialogue so I'm often harder on that kind of stuff than others.

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We are not strangers to ourselves, we only try to be. --Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz



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