A Catskill Eagle, by Robert B. Parker

This book is classic Parker with his hero Spenser joining Hawk to save Susan Silverman from the bad guy.  Parker keeps things moving, always putting obstacles in the way and having the heroes use both smarts and strength to overcome them.

I don't think Parker uses the normal four-part structure in his books.  The goal was set early one--rescue Susan--and after that the plot was a steady progression of events to achieve that goal--rescue Hawk, look for Susan, flee from the authorities, infiltrate training base, rescue Susan, kill boss.

Perhaps one reason I don't put Parker in the category of great literature is that he doesn't use a mid-point plot event which changes things dramatically and forces the main character to make a choice.  The result is that the suspense isn't escalated during the book.

This book was no different than Parker's other books--an enjoyable read, good but not great.

The Fall of Hyperion, by Dan Simmons

(Notes while reading, 30%)

This book got off to a slow start.  It's really just the continuation of Hyperion which essentially was just a giant set-up for this book.  However, since they are separate books published a year apart the second one needs to review a lot of material from the first, and this takes up most of the first quarter of the book.

It's not until after about the 25% mark that we learn that CEO Gladstone has engineered the war with the Ousters which she hopes will both destroy most of the human race and lead to its eventual survival.  Now I'm finally interested!  But in a normal book, this hook should come early on around five or ten percent.  There's a reason most stories aren't told over the course of two books--it really messes with structure.

(Book finished)

I can sum up this book in one word:  tedious.  Stuff happens, but most of the time the reader doesn't know why so it's tough to care.  And then when a key part of the plot is revealed--the rationale for all the stuff that happened earlier--the point is introduced but then quickly dismissed and more random stuff happens.

Simmons had some good plot events in this book and some cool ideas, but his decision to split the book into two long novels killed any suspense and made it a chore to finish.