Liked the book. Lost track of all the chapters, but I couldn't put it down. Enjoyed the Life of an Events Photog parts, and thought the ending was the most appropriate way to wrap things up. Elmore Leonard should not feel threatened (he's dead, so he won't), but I hope you do more.
Another copy-editing pass would be a good idea before you go to a paper version. Things like "camera's" for a plural.
Scott, Thanks so much for the feedback. I'm very glad you like the story and couldn't put the novel down. As to copy-editing I have to apologize. I'm a lousy editor. I did have several people go through it but there's always something more. One kind reader on the blog has offered to give me his corrections and I have a suspicion that he is thorough! We'll keep correcting. The nice thing about Kindle is that you can remove your current copy and re-load a new copy. With that in mind I'll make announcements every time we update for errors.
I recall reading “The Exorcist” one night (back when it first came out – the early 70’s), and I just could not put it down. Page after page, tension mounting, my heart racing, I pushed through to the end. At about 3 AM!
“The Lisbon Portfolio” got to me the same way. I began reading on the plane from Philly to Dallas. (To about 20%, according to the Kindle reader app’s little gray note on each page.) We were visiting with some of my wife’s family, but there were periods when I had time to myself, so I’d open the Nexus tablet and plow on. All were amused by my periodic “percent complete” reports. I finished it by the end of the second day.
If you have followed Kirk Tuck’s Visual Science Lab blog for any length of time, you can get a sense of who the man is. And I think Kirk Tuck is “The Lisbon Portfolio” protagonist Henry White. But, Henry White is not Kirk Tuck, even though they both hail from Austin, Texas. Not unless Kirk has been keeping his NSA and CIA adventures a secret from us. Just today (Monday), Kirk describes his gig at the RLM Math Conference in Denver, and it could easily have been a passage out of the book, as Henry Smith describes how he plans to shoot the Global Data Systems (GDS) 4-day international conference in Lisbon. He even brings in references to his Leica cameras. (Hint: a film Leica plays a significant role in an exciting scene in the book.)
Having spent the last several decades in the Corporate IT world, I could relate to his depictions of the GDS annual sales conference, aka “the dog and pony show,” intended to entice current and would-be customers to take the chance on the next (buggy) software release. More interesting to me is the depiction of GDS itself, (which seems to conflate both IBM and Ross Perot’s EDS), as the kind of amoral and controlling transnational corporation ably portrayed in Kim Stanley Robinson’s epic “Red Mars,” “Green Mars,” “Blue Mars” trilogy. The minor notes also ring true; for example, GDS’s ability to remotely access the hardware it sells, and reconfigure it on the fly. I can attest that that’s not fiction.
This is one of those stories where I wish I had taken notes of each new character as the plotline moved forward. Good guys, bad guys (and gals), who they work for, or against, or both at the same time. And an increasing body count. The timeline jumps back and forth, with rapid scene changes typical of an action movie. The narrative flow reminds me of Tom Clancy’s “Red Storm Rising.”
Do I recommend it? You only get one guess. And remember to look up from the page every so often to catch your breath.
Scott, I screwed up! Can you re-post your comment. Just walked into the studio from a downpour and I hit the wrong button. A classic "Henry White" move....
Mike, Henry and I cried for joy when we read your review. Thank you very, very much. Yours, Scott's and Michael's review mean a lot to me since you've been here at the blog through thick and thin. I've started on the next one!
Can't recall quite what my second comment, now washed away, was but as a Leica fan I was struck by the awful tho useful fate which Henry's Leica met, loaded with Semtex or the like and used to eliminate some of the bad guys (but not all of them). I found his act of carefully removing the Summilux 50 was touching and understandable, but then found the last act, in which he replaces his Leica with a loved, brassed M4, plus a redundant Summilux 50, felt a little awkward. Why not let him end up with a 35 of some description, since that also sings on an M4.
BTW, in response to a comment in a more recent post, I don't have a Leica shrine. The boxes ARE stowed away but they come out when I deaccession an older M digital on E-Bay. Recreating the complete unboxing experience can add several hundred $$ to the auction result. I still have my original M2, which has introduced both kids to shooting with film, but it is wrapped up in a plastic bag and stowed in a dust-free cabinet.
10 comments:
Liked the book. Lost track of all the chapters, but I couldn't put it down. Enjoyed the Life of an Events Photog parts, and thought the ending was the most appropriate way to wrap things up. Elmore Leonard should not feel threatened (he's dead, so he won't), but I hope you do more.
Another copy-editing pass would be a good idea before you go to a paper version. Things like "camera's" for a plural.
scott
Scott, Thanks so much for the feedback. I'm very glad you like the story and couldn't put the novel down. As to copy-editing I have to apologize. I'm a lousy editor. I did have several people go through it but there's always something more. One kind reader on the blog has offered to give me his corrections and I have a suspicion that he is thorough! We'll keep correcting. The nice thing about Kindle is that you can remove your current copy and re-load a new copy. With that in mind I'll make announcements every time we update for errors.
Did you enjoy the "alternate" use of Leicas?
I recall reading “The Exorcist” one night (back when it first came out – the early 70’s), and I just could not put it down. Page after page, tension mounting, my heart racing, I pushed through to the end. At about 3 AM!
“The Lisbon Portfolio” got to me the same way. I began reading on the plane from Philly to Dallas. (To about 20%, according to the Kindle reader app’s little gray note on each page.) We were visiting with some of my wife’s family, but there were periods when I had time to myself, so I’d open the Nexus tablet and plow on. All were amused by my periodic “percent complete” reports. I finished it by the end of the second day.
If you have followed Kirk Tuck’s Visual Science Lab blog for any length of time, you can get a sense of who the man is. And I think Kirk Tuck is “The Lisbon Portfolio” protagonist Henry White. But, Henry White is not Kirk Tuck, even though they both hail from Austin, Texas. Not unless Kirk has been keeping his NSA and CIA adventures a secret from us. Just today (Monday), Kirk describes his gig at the RLM Math Conference in Denver, and it could easily have been a passage out of the book, as Henry Smith describes how he plans to shoot the Global Data Systems (GDS) 4-day international conference in Lisbon. He even brings in references to his Leica cameras. (Hint: a film Leica plays a significant role in an exciting scene in the book.)
Having spent the last several decades in the Corporate IT world, I could relate to his depictions of the GDS annual sales conference, aka “the dog and pony show,” intended to entice current and would-be customers to take the chance on the next (buggy) software release. More interesting to me is the depiction of GDS itself, (which seems to conflate both IBM and Ross Perot’s EDS), as the kind of amoral and controlling transnational corporation ably portrayed in Kim Stanley Robinson’s epic “Red Mars,” “Green Mars,” “Blue Mars” trilogy. The minor notes also ring true; for example, GDS’s ability to remotely access the hardware it sells, and reconfigure it on the fly. I can attest that that’s not fiction.
This is one of those stories where I wish I had taken notes of each new character as the plotline moved forward. Good guys, bad guys (and gals), who they work for, or against, or both at the same time. And an increasing body count. The timeline jumps back and forth, with rapid scene changes typical of an action movie. The narrative flow reminds me of Tom Clancy’s “Red Storm Rising.”
Do I recommend it? You only get one guess. And remember to look up from the page every so often to catch your breath.
Good job, Kirk!
Scott, I screwed up! Can you re-post your comment. Just walked into the studio from a downpour and I hit the wrong button. A classic "Henry White" move....
Sorry!
And THANK YOU.
Mike, Henry and I cried for joy when we read your review. Thank you very, very much. Yours, Scott's and Michael's review mean a lot to me since you've been here at the blog through thick and thin. I've started on the next one!
Mike, would you consider writing a review of The Lisbon Portfolio on Amazon? Thanks.
And Scott?
Kirk - I just posted this review on Amazon. It's also on TOP. (I wrote it over 2 days, so I want to get some mileage out of my work.)
Can't recall quite what my second comment, now washed away, was but as a Leica fan I was struck by the awful tho useful fate which Henry's Leica met, loaded with Semtex or the like and used to eliminate some of the bad guys (but not all of them). I found his act of carefully removing the Summilux 50 was touching and understandable, but then found the last act, in which he replaces his Leica with a loved, brassed M4, plus a redundant Summilux 50, felt a little awkward. Why not let him end up with a 35 of some description, since that also sings on an M4.
BTW, in response to a comment in a more recent post, I don't have a Leica shrine. The boxes ARE stowed away but they come out when I deaccession an older M digital on E-Bay. Recreating the complete unboxing experience can add several hundred $$ to the auction result. I still have my original M2, which has introduced both kids to shooting with film, but it is wrapped up in a plastic bag and stowed in a dust-free cabinet.
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