Bangkok 8 novel by John Burdett

[Nervous_Dog]

Stan - then I suggest you read the book suggested, it describes a fucking, whoring, scene far bettr than any one has written about Bangkok.

 

Change the names of the city and the people, and you have a perfect bangkok book

 

DOG

[stanlaurel]

God, Dog,

Catching up late, I did read "tropic.." in my late 10s and maybe it's time to re-read as I can't remember much since at that time I was too keen to get a hold on Borroughs and Thompson (Jim & Hunter S.) and Bukowski and Nietzsche and de Sade - and Miller seemed to sit between all these chairs.

 

Bangkok Tatoo is still a fun book. So was Bangkok8. Did you read one of them?

 

There are a few other decent dedicated BKK nightlife titles out (Leathers' "Private Dancer, Youngs' "The Scribe", Moore's first book) and of course a lot of trash but my favourite BKK novel is still an early Colin Pipprell piece: "Kicking Dogs".

 

I am afraid my favourite Bangkok books might be not so much about the fuck-for-money mindframe in particular (dug into that scene in real life and found it generally...erhh...dull)...maybe more about whoring in human technicolor.

 

Stan aka Max

[rchapstick]

Nervous_Dog said:

Trouble with most if not just about all Thai books the ends suck. Only one I like was the first David Young book.

 

DOG

 

In the case of Bangkok 8, the end REALLY sucks. Which was too bad, becuase I thought the first half of the book was quite good. About 3/4 of the way into it, I kept waiting (and waiting) for the book to get better again. By the end, I concluded that the author had gone off his medication at some point ...

[carew66]

LOL!

 

I think most of this genre sucks. The writing is usually pretty juvenile stuff, overstuffed with lazy cliche and cringeworthy in the extreme ('almond eyes and coffee coloured skin' anybody?)

 

'What I did on my Holidays' with a plot-by-numbers tagged on as an afterthought.

 

They always have rather pretty covers though...

[Central Scrutinizer]

Stan,

 

I loved Pipperel's 'Kicking Dogs'. Very funny stuff and well written I thought. Amusing writing. Just came across it a couple months ago. You're right, of the lot of this genre his was one of the best I've read so far.

 

I've gotten ahold of a good one that takes place in Laos. he book is titled 'Thirty-Three Teeth' by Colin Cotterill. I have an advance copy, the book should be out this August. Very amusing and different. There's another book by Cotterill that received much acclaim was his 'The Coroner's Lunch' which also takes place in Laos.

 

ISBN # for the latest 'Thirty-Three Teeth' which I highly recommend is: ISBN 1-56947-388-9

Distributed by Soho Press, www.sohopress.com

 

Check it out.

 

Cent

 

Cent

[Central Scrutinizer]

Nervous_Dog said:

Read the tropic of Cancer, Henry Miller ,

 

Set in Paris, but apart from the weather, it may as well have been bangkok, the way he discribes the sex, cunts, whores, fucking, etcc.

 

DOG

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dog,

 

Try 'Return to Paradise' by James Michner. He does his usual, but this is old stuff for him. Written a bit after he became famous with his other Polynesian stories. The similarities of the people in the islands and atolls is uncannily close to Thai behavior and family dynamics. He does a story on a number of islands, as well as NZ and even something on the land down under. His Yank viewpoint and the time's prejudices are/can be off-putting at times if you let it, but the stories and writing are excellent. A good read. I recommend this one. Reminds me of Melville's 'White Jacket' done after Moby Dick, a modern version. (I believe 'Return to Paradise' was written in the late 50's.) James Michner wrote some great stuff and has tons of books out, but his older books on the South Seas are among his finest I feel. He spent the 2nd world war in the area as a marine I think. Returned to the islands to write after the war.

 

Cent