Gun Machine

( 21 )

Overview

The bestselling thriller from "a seriously good writer with a seriously wicked imagination" (New York Times Book Review).

After a shootout claims the life of his partner in a condemned tenement building on Pearl Street, Detective John Tallow unwittingly stumbles across an apartment stacked high with guns. When examined, each weapon leads to a different, previously unsolved murder.

Confronted with the sudden emergence of hundreds of unsolved ...

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Gun Machine

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More About This Book

Overview

The bestselling thriller from "a seriously good writer with a seriously wicked imagination" (New York Times Book Review).

After a shootout claims the life of his partner in a condemned tenement building on Pearl Street, Detective John Tallow unwittingly stumbles across an apartment stacked high with guns. When examined, each weapon leads to a different, previously unsolved murder.

Confronted with the sudden emergence of hundreds of unsolved homicides, Tallow discovers that he's walked into a veritable deal with the devil. An unholy bargain that has made possible the rise of some of Manhattan's most prominent captains of industry. A hunter who performs his deadly acts as a sacrifice to the old gods of Manhattan and who may, quite simply, be the most prolific murderer in New York City's history.

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Editorial Reviews

The New York Times - Charles McGrath
…dark but pleasingly quirky…[Ellis's] writing…races along in crisp hard-boiled fashion…the book's real achievement is to create a world that is so bleakly and comically out of whack that the hunter has half a point, taking refuge in a fantasy land where civilization has yet to intrude.
The New York Times Book Review - Marilyn Stasio
…Warren Ellis has a terrific way with words. Many of the best ones in Gun Machine can't be shared here, and neither can some of the book's extraordinarily violent descriptions. But good is good, and Ellis is a seriously good writer with a seriously wicked imagination.
Publishers Weekly
Reviewed by Jason Starr. In Warren Ellis's riveting new thriller, Manhattan is under siege by the most prolific serial killer in New York City's history. During an exchange of gunfire outside an apartment on Pearl Street, NYPD detective John Tallow's partner is killed by a naked gunman. In the aftermath, Tallow makes a surprising discovery when he pokes through a wall into an apartment near the crime scene: dozens of guns arranged in what seems to be an ordered pattern. Matters are complicated when he learns that the guns are connected to unsolved homicides over the past 20 years, and one of the weapons is the Bulldog .44 used by the Son of Sam, stolen from an evidence room in the Bronx. The killer who calls himself The Hunter -- we are introduced to him early on -- is a delusional schizophrenic who believes that he lives in old New York. The chapters from the Hunter's point of view are particularly effective, as Ellis writes in a close third-person voice, letting us in on the distorted thoughts of a mad man: "Parts of New Manhattan dropped out of his sensorium. He could smell oak, pine, and sweet birch. Heard a flock of plovers clatter out of the treetops in fright." Tallow, who has fallen out of his lieutenant's favor, is given the seemingly insurmountable task of investigating dozens of unsolved murders and ultimately tracking down the Hunter. While the novel has the basic structure of a cat-and-mouse serial killer thriller, Ellis does a fine job of adding a highly unusual spin on the genre. The Hunter is obsessed with New York City's history; through his thoughts we experience glimpses into the city's past, and the explanation for the gun trophies from his crimes is inspired. Tallow's investigation of the guns is fascinating as well, and he rises to the occasion and proves to be a tough, clever, likable hero. Primarily known as a prolific writer of comics and graphic novels (Transmetroplitan, Hellblazer), Ellis makes his second foray into prose novel writing after Crooked Little Vein, and his visual skill and attention to detail is evident, especially in his depiction of violence: "The hunter drove his knife through her hard palate and twisted. She died right there, and the only sound she made was the splashing of all the blood in her head falling out of her mouth and onto the concrete floor." Ellis, a U.K. native, writes about New York and New Yorkers with no missteps, and while his vision of the city is that of an ultra-violent hellhole where vicious murders are commonplace, he peppers the narrative with humor and vivid descriptions of violence that are simultaneously beautiful and terrifying. Ultimately, the vivid violent set pieces stand out, especially in the final confrontation between Tallow and the Hunter. Gun Machine propels the multitalented Ellis, already a household name in the world of comics, into the ranks of the best crime writers in the business. (Jan.) Jason Starr is the international bestselling author of many crimes novels, including The Follower and Panic Attack, and writes the ongoing Marvel Comics series Wolverine Max. Jason Starr is the international bestselling author of many crime novels, including The Follower and Panic Attack, and writes the ongoing Marvel Comics series Wolverine Max.
Wired
"Warren Ellis's work displays a knack for mad hilarity, merciless action, dark cynicism and incorruptible bravery.
Library Journal
John Tallow is having a rough day. His partner is killed by a naked lunatic with a shotgun, and the investigation of the crime scene uncovers an unused apartment bristling with guns from all time periods. There is a pattern to the disturbing collection, however, that reaches back to a dead language of magic, incantations, and totems. The case of the hidden Manhattan steel stash is given exclusively to Tallow, who reluctantly takes it on only to discover the room’s contents are linked to hundreds of crimes.

Verdict Ellis, author of Crooked Little Vein, and winner of many comic book writing awards, has written a compact and inventive thriller mapping out murder in New York. It hooks the reader from page one and remains entertaining until the end. Fans of edgy thrillers will be impressed. [See Prepub Alert, 7/15/12.]—Russell Miller, Prescott P.L., AZ(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Kirkus Reviews
Manhattan's Native American past and seedy present merge in an inventive police procedural by graphic novelist and screenwriter Ellis (Crooked Little Vein, 2007, etc.). John Tallow is a demoralized NYPD cop who, in this book's opening sequence, has good reason to check out entirely: His partner is shot dead when they respond to a call to investigate a naked gunman in a run-down tenement. Worse, Tallow discovers a massive cache of guns in the apartment that turn out to be connected to dozens of homicides, some dating back decades. With a massive stack of newly reopened cold cases now attached to his name, Tallow is persona non grata at the precinct. But his newfound survival instinct pushes him to uncover the perpetrator and recover his good name. This book is thick with some familiar types: the brilliant but socially inept officers who help Tallow conduct his investigation, the corrupt top brass, the cocksure CEO standing between Tallow and the truth, the trophy wife hiding an important secret. But Ellis is entertainingly fixated on showing how one of the centers of civilization can't tame its wildness. The "hunter" responsible for the murders is a sociopath consumed by double visions of the city, past and present; his cache of guns was arranged in a wampum pattern, and much of the climactic action focuses on Werpoes, a former Native American settlement in what's now lower Manhattan. As serial-killer rationalizations and behaviors go, the hunter's is complicated, but Ellis' prose couldn't be more clean: His hero is a deep well of noirish bons mots, and sequences featuring police radio reports of humanity's daily degradations give the novel a grim but surprisingly poetic lift. The high concept doesn't entirely cohere, but more crime fiction could stand to overreach like this.
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Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9780316187404
  • Publisher: Little, Brown & Company
  • Publication date: 1/1/2013
  • Pages: 320
  • Sales rank: 42,109
  • Product dimensions: 5.90 (w) x 9.30 (h) x 1.30 (d)

Meet the Author

Warren Ellis is the award-winning creator of graphic novels such as Fell, Ministry of Space, Planetary, and Transmetropolitan and the author of the novel Crooked Little Vein. His graphic novel RED was adapted into the #1 hit film of the same name starring Bruce Willis and Helen Mirren. He lives in London.

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Customer Reviews

Average Rating 4
( 21 )
Rating Distribution

5 Star

(12)

4 Star

(4)

3 Star

(3)

2 Star

(0)

1 Star

(2)

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See All Sort by: Showing 1 – 20 of 21 Customer Reviews

  • Anonymous

    Posted February 26, 2013

    Tonjuax

    Fr the love of pancakes! *uses pot top to block knives.*

    1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted January 29, 2013

    Pretty good detective novel

    I'm not usually one for police procedurals but Warren Ellis brings his unique brand of weirdness to GUN MACHINE. I liked this a lot more than his previous novel, CROOKED LITTLE VEIN, and the mystery of who the killer is and what his MO is kept me turning pages.

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted January 5, 2013

    Good But Lots of Coincidences

    Warren Ellis is a superb comic book writer and knows how to create prose that sticks pokes you in the ribs like a dagger. "Gun Machine" has many of his hallmarks, a frustrated and cynical protagonist, a group of oddly endearing supporting characters and horrible people doing horrible things for unusual reasons.

    While the set-up is interesting, the reveal of the story is a bit too coincidental, a few too many people show up at just the right time with just the right information and characters go off on long'ish expositional monologues to a leading character they've just met and have little reason to talk so openly to. It doesn't kill the book but it certainly lessens the impact of what is a very clever idea for a story.

    Ellis's flair for prose is in full bloom. If only the plot were just as ripe.

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted April 23, 2013

    Awesome

    Awesome

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  • Anonymous

    Posted April 21, 2013

    Suicde note

    He never talks anymore so whats the point of liveing i give you all my hate and pain.....time for my soul to wander the earth......bye everyone

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted April 1, 2013

    Horrible

    :(

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted March 31, 2013

    Great, quick read

    I'm a fan of Ellis already, and glad to have read this. Much milder than Crooked Little Vein, but I found the characters much more developed.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted March 9, 2013

    From shwn

    Ur a bi.tch

    0 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted March 7, 2013

    Cover

    The gun on the cover is a Smith and Wesson.

    0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted January 26, 2013

    Enjoyed immensley, the CSU cast was especially interesting. Hope

    Enjoyed immensley, the CSU cast was especially interesting. Hope we see more of John Tallow someday

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  • Anonymous

    Posted January 16, 2013

    Burnstar

    Kills brackenstar

    0 out of 6 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted January 17, 2013

    Gloryshade

    Looks cunfused.

    0 out of 5 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted January 14, 2013

    Wind

    "Thnx" :)

    0 out of 6 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted January 14, 2013

    Gold heart

    The she looks at him.

    0 out of 7 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted January 30, 2013

    Brackenstar

    "That tickles!" He throws a knife at ur head." Eat waffles!"

    0 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted January 9, 2013

    No text was provided for this review.

  • Anonymous

    Posted February 4, 2013

    No text was provided for this review.

  • Anonymous

    Posted April 13, 2013

    No text was provided for this review.

  • Anonymous

    Posted April 8, 2013

    No text was provided for this review.

  • Anonymous

    Posted February 4, 2013

    No text was provided for this review.

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