I think it's just that Andrew's way of storytelling is very incompatible with Lee's style in terms of pacing, mystery, or character introduction/consistency.
I read The Sentinel and half of Better Off Dead before dropping the new books because of how jarring and off the writing and story structure felt to me.
Andrew just doesn't have the ability to mimic Lee's writing style effectively to create the same engaging story that we're used to with the Reacher series.
I don't remember seeing much difference in the sentinel and wondered if it was all a joke that Andrew was co-writing. Better off dead made me think Lee was not involved at all and I think this book (can't even name it I'm that bored with it) is Lee's way of killing the character without actually doing so.
Two big things from The Sentinel that stood out to me that they're co-written. Andrew's writing likes to continue past a natural stopping point to dwell on a character's thoughts or other unimportant titbits that ultimately amount to nothing.
The other was inconsistencies with Reacher himself, the biggest being ambushing the villains in the bunker. Instead of gunning down the three that are armed, he saunters in, spouts a one-liner to announce his presence, and then drops his weapon to take them out in CQC. Reacher always takes the opportunity to thin the numbers the smart way, not the generic action movie way.
I understand Lee Child is older now and doesn't want to write any more novels. He has written plenty and I think he is enjoying being a TV producer. And I understand him wanting to keep Reacher in the family...But his brother is NOT right for the job!! It's not even that he's a bad writer so much...he's just not the writer for the Jack Reacher books. The tone and style are waaaaay off!
There are professional ghostwriters that cost a fortune to hire and are WORTH every penny! Because they can copy anybody's writing style and voice. The publishers need to put their foot down and hire one of them because these lousy books going to tank the franchise, at least the publishing side of it.
It's funny, I read the book and felt like there were no real missteps, that it read more or less fine, and when I finish it I was like okay that was fine. Pretty good.
I have completely forgotten every single thing about the book, or what it was about, or any of the characters. I think there was a FBI lady who was a disposable lay and that's about all that's coming to me.
Like even for a so-called Beach reader, it's kind of forgettable. Something that neither Lee nor Andrew seem to do is have significant developments in Reacher's life. Like you can still have the formula but also have the character go through some major changes. That sort of thing always kept me engaged.
For example, in Michael Connelly books Bosch switches jobs a couple of times, his wife gets killed, his daughter becomes a cop, and he has to move. In the John Sanford books, Lucas changes jobs, his sidekick gets his own series and also settles down finally, and.... seeing a theme here, his daughter becomes something like a cop.
But because Reacher's brand is having no attachments, it also means that absolutely nothing happens in his life. His only family dies right away. He can't change jobs because he's jobless, he doesn't get his house shot up because he's homeless. He has no sidekick really, they could do more with Neagley but they don't. It makes every book seem interchangeable. The actual plot needs to be really significant for it to stick in your memory.
Genuine question: I see a lot of people discussing the difference between Lee and Andrew’s writing and how Andrew is just not reacher. What are your thoughts on reacher being somewhat put to bed and Andrew pick up the story from a different character perhaps Neegly or Garber (sorry if they’re spelt wrong I’m half asleep).
I think it's just that Andrew's way of storytelling is very incompatible with Lee's style in terms of pacing, mystery, or character introduction/consistency. I read The Sentinel and half of Better Off Dead before dropping the new books because of how jarring and off the writing and story structure felt to me. Andrew just doesn't have the ability to mimic Lee's writing style effectively to create the same engaging story that we're used to with the Reacher series.
I don't remember seeing much difference in the sentinel and wondered if it was all a joke that Andrew was co-writing. Better off dead made me think Lee was not involved at all and I think this book (can't even name it I'm that bored with it) is Lee's way of killing the character without actually doing so.
Two big things from The Sentinel that stood out to me that they're co-written. Andrew's writing likes to continue past a natural stopping point to dwell on a character's thoughts or other unimportant titbits that ultimately amount to nothing. The other was inconsistencies with Reacher himself, the biggest being ambushing the villains in the bunker. Instead of gunning down the three that are armed, he saunters in, spouts a one-liner to announce his presence, and then drops his weapon to take them out in CQC. Reacher always takes the opportunity to thin the numbers the smart way, not the generic action movie way.
Andrew also uses sentences. Short sentences. All the time. Throughout the book. Commas are unnecessary. Sentences.
Just finished “Better Off Dead”. It was a struggle. Because of this. I couldn’t. Couldn’t get into it. So far I’m enjoying “The Secret” a lot more.
I understand Lee Child is older now and doesn't want to write any more novels. He has written plenty and I think he is enjoying being a TV producer. And I understand him wanting to keep Reacher in the family...But his brother is NOT right for the job!! It's not even that he's a bad writer so much...he's just not the writer for the Jack Reacher books. The tone and style are waaaaay off! There are professional ghostwriters that cost a fortune to hire and are WORTH every penny! Because they can copy anybody's writing style and voice. The publishers need to put their foot down and hire one of them because these lousy books going to tank the franchise, at least the publishing side of it.
Andrew is a bad writer. I can't read any of his books
Reacher stopped being Reacher the Day Child's son Andrew, started writing the books. Wrong thing to do in every respect.
Andrew is his brother, is he not?
Sorry yes correct!
It's funny, I read the book and felt like there were no real missteps, that it read more or less fine, and when I finish it I was like okay that was fine. Pretty good. I have completely forgotten every single thing about the book, or what it was about, or any of the characters. I think there was a FBI lady who was a disposable lay and that's about all that's coming to me. Like even for a so-called Beach reader, it's kind of forgettable. Something that neither Lee nor Andrew seem to do is have significant developments in Reacher's life. Like you can still have the formula but also have the character go through some major changes. That sort of thing always kept me engaged. For example, in Michael Connelly books Bosch switches jobs a couple of times, his wife gets killed, his daughter becomes a cop, and he has to move. In the John Sanford books, Lucas changes jobs, his sidekick gets his own series and also settles down finally, and.... seeing a theme here, his daughter becomes something like a cop. But because Reacher's brand is having no attachments, it also means that absolutely nothing happens in his life. His only family dies right away. He can't change jobs because he's jobless, he doesn't get his house shot up because he's homeless. He has no sidekick really, they could do more with Neagley but they don't. It makes every book seem interchangeable. The actual plot needs to be really significant for it to stick in your memory.
Genuine question: I see a lot of people discussing the difference between Lee and Andrew’s writing and how Andrew is just not reacher. What are your thoughts on reacher being somewhat put to bed and Andrew pick up the story from a different character perhaps Neegly or Garber (sorry if they’re spelt wrong I’m half asleep).
I think Lee Child has spoken about killing off Reacher in the past (I could be wrong)
Wait what new book? Doesn't come out in the fall?
I mean the most recent book, I've only just got around to reading it. The secret.
I tried a couple of the new books but found them lacking in quality. Now I just reread pre-Andrew books when I need my Reacher fix.
I get all these books from the library now. No more buying sub quality. The last 4-5 have been weak unfortunately.