Voice on tape…Your mission Mr. Big Honkin’ Blogger, if you choose to take it; is to write a review of the new Elmore Leonard book, Raylan, without out using the following terms: the master, masterpiece, genius, the Dean, the King, the greatest, best, maestro, and legend or legendary.
It seems that at some point during his 40+ book career that each of those prohibited terms have been have been applied to Mr. Leonard and/or his writing. Along the way he has created not only a legion of memorable characters, but also a massive group of fans that follow these quirky, occasionally twisted and often flawed folks.
This collection of shorter novellas features U.S. Marshall Raylan Givens, popularized by actor Timothy Olyphant in the TV series Justified. While Leonard amerces his readers in easy rolling dialog and off the beaten path settings, these abbreviated approaches tend to come up a little short in delivering a complete story; in short, they read more like a TV script than a book.
While this approach may leave some longtime Leonard fans unhappy, the pure poetry of his dialog should be absorbed by anyone who wants to take on the challenge of creating timeless fiction and drawing full-blooded characters.
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