The Big Heat by William P. McGivern

(hb; 1952, 1953)

From the back cover

"MURDER WAS IN THE AIR. A COP HAD KILLED HIMSELF, AND EVERY CROOK IN TOWN KNEW THAT WOULD BE SURE TO BRING ON THE BIG HEAT. Why did they fear a dead man? Dave Bannion, homicide sergeant, fought for the answer to that question. The dead man was a police clerk who shot himself for no obvious reason. That was Bannion's first judgment, until a girl named Lucy presented a quite different picture of the dead man from the one he had shown to the world and to his fastidious, glacial wife. Bannion's chief, Lieutenant Wilks, wanted the case closed and speculation ended quickly and tightly. So did Max Stone and Lagana, who held the city in a sinister, underworld grip. But why? Why did they all fear a dead man?"

Review

Heat is an excellent, waste-no-words, tough-guy of a novel about love, morality and revenge. Its temperamental protagonist, a rogue cop named Dave Bannion, takes no guff and metes out violent punishments to the murderous bad guys whose greed and avarice guides them. There is little nuance in this work, but if you are looking for a slam-bang Fifties-style cop tale with memorable characters, this is a top-notch entry in that genre. This is one of the best bad guy-bruising books I have read in a long time, one worth owning.

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The film was released stateside in October 1953. Fritz Lang directed it, from Sydney Boehm's screenplay, which was (mostly) lifted -- scene for scene -- from McGovern's Saturday Evening Post serial (which later was brought together as a novel).

Glenn Ford played Dave Bannion. Gloria Grahame played Debby Marsh. Jocelyn Brando played Katie Bannion. Carolyn Jones played Doris.

Alexander Scourby played Mike Lagana. Lee Marvin played Vince Stone. Jeanette Nolan played Bertha Duncan. Peter Whitney played Tierney. 

Willis Bouchey played Lt. Ted Wilks. Robert Burton played Gus Burke. Adam Williams played Larry Gordon. Dorothy Green played Lucy Chapman. 

Dune: House Atreides by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson

(pb; 1999: first novel in the Prelude to Dune trilogy)

From the back cover

“Frank Herbert’s award-winning Dune chronicles captured the imagination of millions of readers worldwide. By his death in 1986, Herbert had completed six novels in the series, but much of his vision remained unwritten. Now, working from his father’s recently discovered files, Brian Herbert and bestselling novelist Kevin J. Anderson collaborate on a new novel, the prelude to Dune ─ where we stop onto planet Arrakis. . . decades before Dune’s hero, Paul Muad’Dib Atreides, walks its sands.

“Here is the rich and complex world that Frank Herbert created, in the time leading up to the momentous events of Dune. As Emperor Elrood’s son plots a subtle regicide, young Leto Atreides leaves for a year’s education on the mechanized world of Ix; a planetologist named Pardot Kynes seeks the secrets of Arrakis; and the eight-year-old slave Duncan Idaho is hunted by his cruel masters in a terrifying game from which he vows escape and vengeance. But none can envision the fate in store for them: one that will make them renegades ─ and shapers of history.”

Review

Atreides is a gripping-from-the-get-go, excellent book that fully captures the spirit, pacing, intrigue and tone of Frank Herbert’s original Dune series. It shows many of the characters from the original novel, Dune, when they are young and less developed: Leto Atreides, Shaddam Corrino, Baron Vladimir Harkonnen and others. If you are a fan of the original series, there is a good chance you might enjoy Atreides. Followed by Dune: House Harkonnen.

Short Eyes by Miguel Piñero

(pb; 1974: play)

From the back cover

"This powerful drama of prison life is set in a house of detention where a group of young convicts-predominantly black and Puerto Rican-taunt, fight, insult, and entertain one another in an attempt to preserve their sanity and to create a semblance of community. When a young white prisoner accused of child molesting is thrown into the cell block by a guard who says he belongs in Sing Sing because "the men up there konw what to do with degenerates like you," the stage is set for an explosive series of events; for, among prisoners, this child molester called "short eyes" is the lowest of criminals."

Review

Short Eyes is a stark, word-efficient and societally- and racially-charged fast- and brief-read work with an effective twist at its finish. Its characters’ personalities and motivations are skillfully sketched out, with hinted-at depths that further explain their actions. It is a great, sometimes disturbing play.

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The resulting film was released stateside on September 30, 1977. It received a limited release. Robert M. Young directed it. Miguel Pinero is listed as its unofficial screenwriter.

José Pérez played Juan. Nathan George played Ice. Don Blakely played El Raheem. Tony DiBenedetto played Tony. Shawn Elliott played Paco. Tito Goya played Cupcakes. Joseph Carberry played Longshoe.  

Play author Miguel Piñero played Go-Go. Bruce Davison played Clark Davis. Richard Matamoros played Gomez.

Keith Davis played Mr. Brown. Bob O'Connell played Mr. Allard. Bob Maroff played Mr. Nett. Mark Margolis played Mr. Morrison. 

Luis Guzmán had a role in it, but the name of his character is not listed by IMDb. 

Star Wars: Splinter of the Mind's Eye by Alan Dean Foster

(pb; 1978)

From the back cover

"Luke Skywalker expected trouble when he volunteered to follow Princess Leia on her mission to the planet Circarpous. But he discovered that hidden on the planet was the Kaiburr crystal, a mysterious gem that would give the one who possessed it such powers over the Force that he would be all but invincible. In the wrong hands, the crystal could be deadly. So Luke had to find this treasure and find it fast."


Review

The first Star Wars spin-off novel, published between films A New Hope (1977) and The Empire Strikes Back (1980), is fun, action-packed and has the science fiction serial feel of its source film. There are minor character and plot inconsistencies with Star Wars sequel ─ it had not that Luke and Leia were siblings, unbeknownst to each other, and, because of that, it was also not known that she had a special connection to the Force (making her a  possible Jedi practitioner). If you can overlook that, this an entertaining and well-written expansion of the franchise, one worth reading.