Gun Machine

By: Warren Ellis

Narrated by: Reg E. Cathey

Length: 9 hrs and 11 mins

Publisher's summary

Warren Ellis reimagines New York City as a puzzle with the most dangerous pieces of all: guns.

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. Someone has been killing people for 20 years or more and storing the weapons together for some inexplicable purpose.

Confronted with the sudden emergence of hundreds of unsolved homicides, Tallow soon 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, who may, quite simply, be the most prolific murderer in New York City's history.

Warren Ellis's body of work has been championed by Wired for its "merciless action" and "incorruptible bravery", and steadily amassed legions of diehard fans. His newest audiobook builds on his accomplishments like never before, announcing Ellis as one of today's most daring thriller writers. This is 21st-century suspense writ large. This is Gun Machine.

©2012 Warren Ellis (P)2012 Hachette Audio

All around excellent

I loved every second of this book. The narrator is a perfect match to the story.

Excellent

I love how Warren Ellis can describe something so well that you feel it and feel like you are there. Reg E. Cathey's voice is a perfect fit. Highly recommend!

Great Pulp Writing with a Twist of History

Where does Gun Machine rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I've listened to many, many audiobooks (I finish two to three audiobooks a month) and this was incredibly well done. I'd put this in the top 25 I've listened to.

What did you like best about this story?

I loved the interesting history that's expressed on Manhattan. The actual Gun Machine is pretty neat too.

What does Reg E. Cathey bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Loved the gritty style he brings to the book. He may not have a huge difference in voices, but that's not the case with every audiobook narrator anyway. Great voice acting.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

A detective lost his partner and now fights through reams of history to solve hundreds of cases that may have been done by one man.

Any additional comments?

If you like detective novels with a twist (such as the Dresden Files) this is right up your ally.

Modern crime noir with eccentric characters

I loved how this book weaved in so many different elements and themes. At its heart, it is modern crime noir, but it also contains a deep understanding of the Native American culture, historical and modern New York City, criminal history, and Crime Scene Unit methods. All the angles come together into one wonderful and exciting story.

During another crime, Detective John Tallow stumbles upon an apartment filled with guns. A collection of gun that spans twenty years. And each gun is tied to an unsolved homicide. With hundreds of unclosed cases brought back into the spotlight, Tallow gets assigned the task of figuring out the what, the why, and most importantly the who. The characters in the book are quirky, fun, and realistic as they behave in a manner that is consistent with real people. The CSU team is eccentric and extra fun. And even though she gets only a little "screen time", I loved First Deputy Commissioner; she's totally hard but fits the role perfectly.

While I loved the book and I look forward to reading more from Ellis, I did have a small issue. When Tallow met the wife of one of his suspects. It was a coincidental meeting and not planned by the characters, but it was also something that was a tad convenient. Coincidence happens and it was handled with subtlety, lines converging from multiple angles to make a big picture, but it was still a tad convenient. As I mentioned though, I look forward to reading more novels by Ellis.

Maybe 3 stars?

Would you listen to Gun Machine again? Why?

I am ambivalent about "Gun Machine". I won't recount the plot points, because so many other reviewers have done so already, and done it very well. PROS: I really, really liked the writing style, the author is showing his comic book roots and really knows how to plot out a story. And the story starts great, with immediate action and an eerie mystery, and some funny parts too. Finally, without revealing any spoilers, there's a plot twist involving the killer that I rather liked. Not a big surprise or a big deal, but handled in a very matter-of-fact way that just appealed to me. The narrator does a good job and definitely has a way with delivering tricky/conic dialogue. CONS: But it all collapses in the last third of the novel, which is kinda slow. When the ending finally arrives, it is abrupt and flat. Also, most of the characters are common stereotypes. I am particularly tired of the lesbian with the rapacious sexual appetite who can get any beautiful, hot young thing the male protagonist/author desires; she seems to be everywhere lately.

Great Story

The narrator was awesome and the story by Warren Ellis was one of his best. It was so good I listened to it in a few days. I can say that I'll be buying more audiobooks by the author.

Serial killer investigation with a weird edge

Structurally, this story operates much like many other serial killer investigations. A police detective inadvertently stumbles upon evidence that two decade's worth of unsolved homicides have all been the work of one psychotic but very, very careful killer. Over the course of the book, the detective gets into the killer's mindset and has a final showdown, cop vs criminal.

But it takes a turn for the bizarre with the fact that the killer's delusions are all strongly tied to the Native American history of the island of Manhattan, and the ritualistic nature of his kills demand that he use a particular, ironically chosen guy to kill each victim, and then he uses the guns in an elaborate design in his apartment. As such, the detective's path to tracking down the killer involves deep dives into local Manhattan history and legends, as well as some very specific details about firearm manufacture.

The best part of the book is the set of characters in Tallow (the protagonist), Scarly and Bat (his crime scene team dedicated to helping him manage the evidence), and the killer, who is only ever referred to as "the hunter" or "CTS" (stands for "crazier than shit").

Unfortunately sometimes the characters get in the way of a good story. I enjoyed Scarly's relationship with her spouse, and Tallow's relationship with his lieutenant, and seeing the inside of the hunter's insane delusion, but the fact is these were almost always just speed bumps along the investigative path.

What's worse, we're shown the hunter's mindset and motivations long before Tallow himself figures it out. So even though we're supposed to be excited about Tallow's deductive powers, the reader's experience of the mystery is lessened because we already know the answer. It's not a "whodunit", it's a "how are we gonna catch this asshole".

I also have mixed opinions on the narrator. His voice is super low and gravelly, and while I like that it lends an air of solemnity and grim determination to the story, it sometimes was hard to understand, especially for the first 30 seconds after I turned it on. It didn't stop me from enjoying the book, but I could see how it might be a problem for other people.

Warren Ellis thinks deeply and entertainingly

Narrator Does a fine job of delivering Ellis' work. Would listen to more of his narrations.

One toe in science fiction, one toe in police procedural, and yet another toe in social/historian commentary, this three-footed tale of deep rooted 《spoiler》 and mass murder is thoughtful and thrilling. I'm a huge fan of Ellis and this book doesn't change my opinion.

Engaging detective novel perfectly narrated.

If you could sum up Gun Machine in three words, what would they be?

Smart, perfectly narrated.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

yes, specially towards the end.

Any additional comments?

Engaging story, perfectly narrated. The ending is slightly disappointing, but this is still one of my favorite audio books.

Warren Ellis needs to write more novels

What made the experience of listening to Gun Machine the most enjoyable?

Reg E. Cathey was the perfect narrator for this story. The narrator made Ellis' writing even better.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Gun Machine?

The @#$% You robot had my sides splitting.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I laughed very much through this book. .

Any additional comments?

Ellis imagination is twisted and fun. I love his comic's especially Transmetropolitan His novels are just as visually spectacular as any work an artist has done in his funny books. I can't wait till he does more. I also wouldn't mind if he ever finished his New Universal Story..... I know its been ages but damn I need some closure.