Beggars Banquet
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Amazon.co.uk Review
Beggars Banquet is something of a departure for Ian Rankin and a very welcome one. Over the years, Rankin has built up an imposing portfolio of short stories. Appearing in crime magazines, written for personal appearances, or as one-off radio specials, they all resound with the singular energy and idiosyncratic characterisation of his best full-length novels. A previous collection, A Good Hanging, combined some first-rate tales with more workaday material, but this time round there isn't a single weak link, and the range of stories here is astonishing; this is a panoply of Rankin's approach to crime and mystery writing, and is that rare thing in short story collections: a book in which the tales can be read one after the other with ever-increasing pleasure.
We are taken into territory that is horrific (The Hanged Man), grimly ironic (The Only True Comedian) and even sociological (Glimmer is a hard-edged picture of how the optimism and hedonism of the 60's was swiftly eroded). And who could resist lines such as the following (in Unknown Pleasures):
He could feel the sweat, even though it was more viscous than sweat… more like a sheen of cooking oil. The tenement stairwell smelt of deep-fried tomcat…
But perhaps you're the kind of reader who fights shy of short story collections? Well, if you're any kind of a DI Rebus fan (and what crime enthusiast isn't?), there are eight--count them--eight stories featuring our favourite Scottish copper. And who could say no to a collection so rich in Rebus? --Barry Forshaw --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review
'It is a great pleasure to welcome BEGGARS BANQUET...In a collection of such diversity not every story can succeed, but Rankin's strike rate is high enough to entertain and satisfy' Marcel Berlins, THE TIMES 'Perhaps you're the kind of reader who fights shy of short story collections? Well, if you're any kind of a DI Rebus fan (and what crime enthusiast isn't?), there are eight count them eight stories featuring our favourite Scottish copper. And who could say no to a collection so rich in Rebus?' Barry Forshaw, AMAZON 'masterfully plotted, clear and succinct' THE SCOTSMAN 'Whether or not Rebus is present, the capital city's landscape still plays a brooding role and offers its rich seam of legends and history as ingredients for the Rankin master brew...if you prefer your serving of crime highly spiced, then you will savour this new Rankin take away' John Skinner THE HERALD 'Ranging from the macabre The Hanged Man to the unfortunate The Only True Comedian right back to the sinister Someone Got To Eddie they all bear the hallmark of great crime writing' TANGLED WEB 'Rankin has a sure touch, sweatily intense plots and, in Rebus, the most screwed up cop since Dirty Harry left town' TNT 'Equally as well paced and as engrossing as his longer novels' WATERSTONES BOOKS QUARTERLY 'The Banquet collection gives us some wonderful moments...Well worth investigating' EVENING HERALD, Dublin 'Rankin forays into short stories to exhilarating effect' You Really Must Read, SUNDAY TIMES 'It is fascinating to watch Rankin's narrative skills in a small compass...(he) can hold (his) own on any territory and in any genre' SCOTLAND ON SUNDAY 'Each tale is a gem. This is a great collection and essential for any crime fan' PRIZES GALORE 'With one simple idea, Rankin can still mesmerise every bit as much as with several plot strands careering towards a flashpoint over 300 pages *** Top Rankin' MIDWEEK 'A most readable collection' IRISH TIMES 'There's not a dud in the pack, with each story perfectly judged and bearing all the hallmarks of a great writer at the peak of his powers. Great summer reading' TIME OUT 'Rankin's laconic style is well suited to the short story form...Ian Rankin is on top form. A must' NEW BOOKS MAGAZINE Plus small mentions in THE MIRROR, HAM & HIGH and in GUARDIAN events listings. Regional press reviews in: YORKSHIRE EVE POST, COVENTRY EVE TELEGRAPH, BOURNEMOUTH DAILY ECHO, YORK EVE PRESS, OXFORD TIMES, BIRMINGHAM SUNDAY MERCURY, EASTERN DAILY PRESS, KENT MESSENGER (all editions thoughout Kent), INVERNESS COURIER
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
49 of 49 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Between the feasts of his major Rebus novels, Ian Rankin offers up this appetiser of a collection of short stories. Although short, many of these tales are meaty and filling, and will surely satisfy Rankin's many fans.
Eight of the stories involve Inspector John Rebus, all are excellent. The others vary in time and location between modern London and eighteenth century Edinburgh ("The Serpent's Back"), taking in an almost lyrical look at the Sixties ("Glimmer") on the way. Many of the stories show the adroit plotting and sense of place we associate with Ian Rankin, especially "The Hanged Man", "Video, Nasty", "The Scheme of Things" and "Somebody Got to Eddie", with their intelligent and well-plotted twists.
Perhaps the only problem with this collection, a lot more consistent than Rankins previous "A Good Hanging" (and that collection was a lot better than most writers' best), is that the Rebus novels are so outstanding. The novel format allows Rankin space for his excellent exploration of character (particularly the sympathetic portrayal of the flawed but resilient Rebus himself), the teasing out of often complex (but never overly so) plots, the superb sense of place (with the old city of Edinburgh an uncredited character) and, perhaps most impressive of all, the accurate and inspired evocation of modern Scotland in all its aspects.
But, before the main course, the starters, and while we eagerly await Rebus' next outing in "A Question of Blood", Ian Rankin ensures that we do not go hungry with this Beggars Banquet.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I've been a rare visitor to the short story genre since my schooldays, but the combination of Rankin and Rebus made this collection a must have.
For those of us addicted to this series, it is a rare pleasure to be able to visit Rebus' Edinburgh without seeing an entire day, or indeed weekend, disappear as we devour the latest installment from cover to cover.
And it's not just Rebus. As the "Jack Harvey" novels showed, Rankin is not afraid to mix styles and settings in this superb collection. Some of them aren't perfect, but they're all worth a read.
16 of 18 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This is a very good short story collection. Everything about it is first class, from the title and cover design, to the all-important content.
21 stories, 8 of which are Rebus, and all of which are excellent. I prefer the non-Rebus stories, though...the Rebus ones lack something the others contain, and the ones without him are nice and fresh, its good to read Rankin when hes not writing about Rebus. It showcases his talent more, giving us a bigger picture of what he can actually do.
The first story is a good opener, not too complex, with Rebus on good form. The stories that follow vary in their topic and style From the historical story "The Serpents Back", which is excellently written and evokes very well the spirit and atmopshere of old-Edinburgh, to "Glimmer" which is written in a strange, drealike, blunt, shifting style, about 60's culture.
For people who like twists, there are plenty of those to be had, in particular in "Someone's Got To Eddie" and "The Hanged Man" (even if in that one the twist is not very adequately explained)
"The Wider Scheme" also has a great twist, which considering the first line, the reader really should be able to guess. "Unknown Pleasures" is a nice, meandering peace which ably demonstrates the far reaches of crime and its networks. "Herbert In Motion" one of the two CWA Dagger winning stories in this collection (the other being "A Deep Hole") is a very well written story, with a great plot and a nice little sting in it's tail.
All in all, this is a superb collection of stories. Not a single one of them is a dud. They vary in styles and topics, and are all very enjoyable. A very nice offering to tide us over until the release of his next Rebus, "A Question of Blood".
This is a short story collection not to be missed by anyone, fan of Rankin (if you're not yet, why aren't you?) or not.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Short Sharp Rebus
Whilst this is a collection of short stories from Ian Rankin and his DI John Rebus character they lack nothing with each story still proving to be as interestingas the longer... Read more
Published on 10 Sep 2007 by L. F. Carson
Snappy, readable tales
This is a very good and sharp collection of short stories, and it's refreshing to see such a well-known novelist stretch his writing muscles a little. Read more
Published on 8 Jan 2004
I usually hate short stories but..........
This book was superb. Each story felt like it was a whole novel and the detail and suspense was very well crafted. Read more
Published on 17 Jun 2003 by Mrs. C. E. Bayley
A Must For Rankin Addicts
If you are new to Ian Rankin [can anyone still be?] then I wouldn't start with this selection of shorter pieces: go for the full-length novels first and try to read in some sort of... Read more
Published on 3 Aug 2002 by "kendalian"
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