Warren Ellis, �The Authority� (Multiple titles)
- Relentless (Started February 26 � Finished February 27, 2004; 192 pages)
- Under New Management (Started February 27 � Finished February 27, 2004; 192 pages)
Okay, This is getting ridiculous. I�ve shirked my duties to this site and I now have 22 books sitting in two piles on my desk waiting to be reviewed. It�s time to play catch up. I have the entire day off, a full pack of cigarettes, and a twelve pack on the floor next to me. And I have a plan.
It�s not exactly my plan. I stole this idea from an episode of WKRP in Cincinnati, which should give you an idea on how old I am. In the episode, the two outrageous DJ�s, Venus Flytrap and Doctor Johnny Fever, had a cop on the show to illustrate the degenerative aspects of alcohol on the reflexes. Every fifteen minutes, the two DJ�s took a drink. The joke started after five drinks, when the reflexes of Doctor Fever actually improved.
So here�s the plan. I just opened my first beer. Let�s see if alcohol really is the liquid inspiration I keep saying it is.
Now that I have less than 100 books left on my shelf, I have a whole lot of multiple titles by authors. There�s six more books to go by Chomsky, five by Jim Thompson, four by Neil Gaiman, three by Steinbeck and I.F Stone, and two each by Stephen King, Don Delillo, Philip K. Dick and Dave Eggers. So you�ll forgive me if I doubled up on these titles. Do you really want me to go over a quick summary every time I did another book in the series?
Not that I ever did that in the first place, but still!
It�s actually a good thing that I did read these together, actually, for if I hadn�t there would have been a whole slew of characters that I would have to try and figure out who they are once again. There are way too many characters in this series about a band of superheroes, and frankly, none of them stand out enough to make a lasting impression.
I can say this with authority about The Authority (jeez, my first beer and I�m already getting silly...) because I read it just over a month ago, and I can�t remember any of their names. I know there�s the gay superhero couple, the English bird who smokes a lot, the guy from Belfast who drinks a lot and is green for some reason, and a guy who doesn�t wear any shoes and not because he�s a hippy. Or perhaps he is. I don�t remember.
Judging from the cover illustration, I�m still forgetting seven other characters.
That, to me, is a sign that it wasn�t very good. I guess it�s a good thing that I only have one more Warren Ellis book to read on my shelf.
- Beer consumed: Half of a bottle.
- Cigarettes smoked: One
- Specifics that I actually remember about the book: Minimal.
