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Darwin8u's Reviews > The Force
The Force
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by
"The Fire THIS time."
This would have probaly just been another very good cop thriller without Don Winslow's race nuance (sometimes clunky, sometimes heavy-handed) and the novel's final act. Overall, 'The Force' is not as good as his Cartel series (The Power of the Dog, The Cartel), but in my opinion better than Savages. Winslow doesn't pull many punches when dealing with drug dealers, dirty cops, dirty politicos, etc. He really does deserve some major props from jumping right into the Black Lives Matter, Blue-on-Black dynamics. The novel's characters are arranged in such a way that the issues of Ferguson, NYC, Baltimore, LA, etc., are inescapable from the novel's narrative. You can't really tell a story about NYC cops and corruption and NOT step into issues of race. Winslow doesn't flinch. Which is hard to do. Often with the PoPo and the military their is this varnish of heroism that covers-up a lot of individual bad behavior. Some of my best friends are cops and grunts (or former cops and grunts) and they are just as dickish and racist as the rest of the population. Some of the smartest, hardest working folks I know are cops, but the blue uniform also sometimes wraps around some of the most insecure and stupid idiots as well.
Winslow is a helluva story teller and a decent, nice guy. I met him a couple weeks ago at a lecture and book signing and his reputation for being kind to his fans was evident. The publicity grind (books signings, lecturs, readings, etc) that all writers do more or less appears to be mostly grind, but Winslow was cheerful, funny, kind, patient, and carries a natural gift for engaging people and a real curiosity about humanity. In his work it is obvious that he is seeking first a good story, but he is also very interested in people. He doesn't give a shit if it cop or criminal, he likes finding the bends, the cracks, and the dark corners.
I did get to ask him a questions: "Which contemporary writers intimidate you? Make you feel like hanging it up? Question why you even write because they are THAT good?"
Winslow's answer:
1. Dennis Lehane
2. Richard Russo
3. Jim Harrison, RIP
This would have probaly just been another very good cop thriller without Don Winslow's race nuance (sometimes clunky, sometimes heavy-handed) and the novel's final act. Overall, 'The Force' is not as good as his Cartel series (The Power of the Dog, The Cartel), but in my opinion better than Savages. Winslow doesn't pull many punches when dealing with drug dealers, dirty cops, dirty politicos, etc. He really does deserve some major props from jumping right into the Black Lives Matter, Blue-on-Black dynamics. The novel's characters are arranged in such a way that the issues of Ferguson, NYC, Baltimore, LA, etc., are inescapable from the novel's narrative. You can't really tell a story about NYC cops and corruption and NOT step into issues of race. Winslow doesn't flinch. Which is hard to do. Often with the PoPo and the military their is this varnish of heroism that covers-up a lot of individual bad behavior. Some of my best friends are cops and grunts (or former cops and grunts) and they are just as dickish and racist as the rest of the population. Some of the smartest, hardest working folks I know are cops, but the blue uniform also sometimes wraps around some of the most insecure and stupid idiots as well.
Winslow is a helluva story teller and a decent, nice guy. I met him a couple weeks ago at a lecture and book signing and his reputation for being kind to his fans was evident. The publicity grind (books signings, lecturs, readings, etc) that all writers do more or less appears to be mostly grind, but Winslow was cheerful, funny, kind, patient, and carries a natural gift for engaging people and a real curiosity about humanity. In his work it is obvious that he is seeking first a good story, but he is also very interested in people. He doesn't give a shit if it cop or criminal, he likes finding the bends, the cracks, and the dark corners.
I did get to ask him a questions: "Which contemporary writers intimidate you? Make you feel like hanging it up? Question why you even write because they are THAT good?"
Winslow's answer:
1. Dennis Lehane
2. Richard Russo
3. Jim Harrison, RIP
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Jennifer
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Jun 24, 2017 08:49AM
Great review! I haven't read any of his books but they are on my TBR. Maybe I'll start with The Power of the Dog. :)
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Jennifer wrote: "Great review! I haven't read any of his books but they are on my TBR. Maybe I'll start with The Power of the Dog. :)"That is a great one to start with. Just clean your calendar so you can skip right to Cartel after.
Loved it! Very jealous you got to meet him...I might consider and eye tooth for the pleasure of a signed book.
Mel wrote: "Loved it! Very jealous you got to meet him...I might consider and eye tooth for the pleasure of a signed book."He seems to come to this Scottsdale bookstore after every release. I picked the book up the day before the offical release. Next time he is in town, I'll grab a couple extra of his books and get a couple signatures for you. Just for yoru eye teeth.
Thinking about pursuing him soon was pondering a social novel via procedural.
We viewed the Richard Price teleplay The Night Of last weekend and I thought I wish there was a Balzac of our city streets.
Darwin8u wrote: "Mel wrote: "Loved it! Very jealous you got to meet him...I might consider and eye tooth for the pleasure of a signed book."He seems to come to this Scottsdale bookstore after every release. I pic..."
Darwin8u wrote: "Mel wrote: "Loved it! Very jealous you got to meet him...I might consider and eye tooth for the pleasure of a signed book."
He seems to come to this Scottsdale bookstore after every release. I pic..."
I'll look awesome smiling over my new acquisition!
Jonfaith wrote: "We viewed the Richard Price teleplay The Night Of last weekend and I thought I wish there was a Balzac of our city streets."Ironically, Winslow actually threw out a Balzac quote during the book signing/lecture: "Behind every great fortune there is a great crime." I'm not sure if Winslow was reading Balzac or reading the intro to Puzo's The Godfather.
Jonfaith wrote: "Thinking about pursuing him soon was pondering a social novel via procedural."I think you would dig his Cartel series. I think in many ways Winslow has morphed into a Dickens-type of novelist. He is there to entertain, first and foremost. However, he also is following pretty close in the shadows of Hugo, Balzac, Dickens, etc., in identifying the ways the little guy(s) gest screwed by the rich, the powerful, the corrupt.
Half Price only had Savages so I will wait until after work tomorrow and swing by the library.
Interesting question and answer. Great review. I've read The Force, am listening to The Cartel.
Carol wrote: "Interesting question and answer. Great review. I've read The Force, am listening to The Cartel."I'll be interested to see what you think of both.
Jonfaith wrote: "Half Price only had Savages so I will wait until after work tomorrow and swing by the library."Lots of people LOVED Savages. I was kinda meh with it. Not my favorite. Less to redeem it I guess.
Winslow is a great writer, and it's extremely humble of him to name Dennis Lehane on the first place. But most of all it's honest. Because say what you want, Lehane is without doubt one of the very few American novelists of our time who manages to combine the crime genre with high literature in an immensely entertaining way.
Laertes wrote: "Winslow is a great writer, and it's extremely humble of him to name Dennis Lehane on the first place. But most of all it's honest. Because say what you want, Lehane is without doubt one of the very..."I'm also a HUGE fan of James Ellroy. I think late 20th Century, early 21st Century literature will need to include several major 'genre' writers. Ellroy, Lehane, et al will survive a lot longer than some of the more 'literary' dross that gets produced out of universities and MFA programs.
Darwin8u wrote: "Carol wrote: "Interesting question and answer. Great review. I've read The Force, am listening to The Cartel."I'll be interested to see what you think of both."
Hope to review The Cartel soon...so much there I'm not certain what to say. Blown away. Looking forward to reading more of Winslow's books.
I'm reading it right now and I fully share your opinion
Thanks. I look forward to seeing what your thoughts are.
I just finished The Force yesterday and posted my own review this morning. Curious if you think Winslow personally thinks Denny is 'good' or at a minimum "not bad"? I have never associated a character's thoughts/beliefs with that of it's author but my sense with Denny and Winslow is that they may be one in the same. Curious as to your thoughts on this.
Charlie wrote: "I just finished The Force yesterday and posted my own review this morning. Curious if you think Winslow personally thinks Denny is 'good' or at a minimum "not bad"? I have never associated a charac..."I was actually in a discussion where Winslow brought this up. I think clearly Denny doesn't start off bad, but he makes trade-offs to the point where he IS, in fact, bad. I think a better answer is there is complexity in all of us. We aren't black and white (no pun to the racial themes in this book). I know for certain too that Winslow is also just more of a pragmatist. He isn't exploring things from a glossy left or a glossy right perspective.
Anyway, that is a long answer to say "No". I'm positive Danny isn't just reflecting Winslow's thoughts. Anymore than Titus Andronicus reflects Shakespeare's thinking. Sometimes a flawed character is a good way to explore the nuance of the issues.
Wow! Master review that gave me insight into an author I just discovered and now LOVE! Thanks for this review
Is the power of the dog the same narrative structure. I found it very distinct and as others said, in your face. It was very refreshing and I found myself highlighting tons of pages. Great quotes in this. I dont know how they haven't made a adaption out of this yet, but I bet my life they will and I'd love to see the young and talented director of Sicerio do it!
Power of the Dog and The Cartel are my two very favorite. Similar structure, but those two are in a league of their own.
