tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5516189026477178777.post6745948605260093458..comments2024-03-27T22:32:02.739+01:00Comments on Beneath the Stains of Time: So Great a Distance: "The Riddle of the Whirling Lights" (1935) by Stuart PalmerTomCathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03415176301265218101noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5516189026477178777.post-60858376113857013882022-11-27T21:08:11.133+01:002022-11-27T21:08:11.133+01:00I finished the book, and was amused to realize tha...I finished the book, and was amused to realize that The Dangling Pearl is the basis for The Plot Thickens, one of the Withers movies. As well, Forty Naughty Girls, a truly horrendous movie was made from one of these stories.<br />But I agree that the Riddle of the Whirling Lights was very good. Reminded me of a visit to the Toronto Planetarium before it closed.Chris Wallacehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07988108756268364934noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5516189026477178777.post-37231945423951690482022-11-27T13:07:14.102+01:002022-11-27T13:07:14.102+01:00Enjoy the collection and, hopefully, you'll fi...Enjoy the collection and, hopefully, you'll find <i>Uncollected Riddles</i> living up to the praise. I agree Withers is a far better character to carry a series than Rook.TomCathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03415176301265218101noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5516189026477178777.post-91928797783952318012022-11-27T13:03:53.390+01:002022-11-27T13:03:53.390+01:00You mean Nick Fuller? A quick glance at his Stuart...You mean Nick Fuller? A quick glance at his Stuart Palmer page shows he is, or was, less enthusiastic about the earlier novels, but generally more positive about some of the late 1940s and '50s novels like <i>Miss Withers Regrets</i>, <i>The Green Ace</i> and <i>Nipped in the Bud</i>. But a case can be made that Palmer was better in short story form. I recommend you try <i>Uncollected Riddles</i> first to get a sampling and idea what he was capable of as a plotter. TomCathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03415176301265218101noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5516189026477178777.post-22809465809554442042022-11-27T06:58:53.888+01:002022-11-27T06:58:53.888+01:00Thanks for the review, TomCat. I've never read...Thanks for the review, TomCat. I've never read Stuart Palmer myself. I tried to read PENGUIN POOL, but for some reason was immediately disinterested. I believe Nick's review of Palmer's work was across-the-board negative, and that further turned me away from Withers. But...<br /><br />Well, I think your tastes align more with mine than Nick's do, so if you say there are some honest-to-God gems hiding in his oeuvre, then I suppose I better trust you!L. Stumpnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5516189026477178777.post-59446666136051907912022-11-26T18:12:07.439+01:002022-11-26T18:12:07.439+01:00Thanks, found it on Kindle and bought it. I love ...Thanks, found it on Kindle and bought it. I love the Hildegarde Withrs series but not the Howie Rook.Chris Wallacehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07988108756268364934noreply@blogger.com