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cyphomandraI've written up to volume 8 (and read to volume 14), but a) my notes, even when typed, are not that coherent and require time for further polishing, b) I am sampling the rarified atmosphere of regular posting and c) I am still procrastinating on finishing reviewing all the 2008 books, and at least this particular strategy gives me some sense of accomplishment.
Max takes a phone call; from Jessica. The guys holding her and Michael want Ash, and he and Max head out with some old guns the professor (they're still at Dawson's place) happened to have lying around. This leaves Shorter in charge of Ibe and Eiji, and Yau Si is quick to take advantage of this, drugging Ibe with tea and paralysing Eiji with accupuncture in a rather unlikely fashion that I am prepared to interpret as deliberately playing on sterotypes of Eastern mysticism (for which also see Dino, later). When Max and Ash get to Jessica the police are there and the gang's gone; Jessica and Max share a tiny moment, while Ash takes Michael, but when Michael identifies the attackers as an Asian gang Ash realises who must be responsible.
Shorter takes care of a paralysed Eiji for Yut Lung, but promises to protect him (Eiji) as well; when Yut Lung talks about giving Eiji to Dino to play with Shorter says he'll kill him first. They head for NY by private plane while Ibe struggles to move (there's a really nice frame where he's fallen to the floor, still struggling), and manages to gain enough strength to tell Ash where they've gone.
In NY Yut Lung's dodgy (and quasi-incestuous) brother is impressed by Yut Lung's achievements. They try to dump Shorter, but he threatens to kill Eiji if they separate them, and I like that Yut Lung finds this whole thing deeply amusing, laughing at Shorter - and Shorter still sticks to his guns, or in this case knife. Back in LA Ash is startlingly understanding of Shorter's apparent betrayal, as apparently "the Chinese follow rules we don't understand"; Max, more prosaically, points out that Shorter's sister is in NY and is likely to have been threatened to ensure Shorter's co-operation. At this point in a completely unexpected development Professor Dawson is found lurking behind the couch.
Dawson (this is Alexis) treats Ibe and then shows them his secret research room, and, leaping forward as there's a lot of intercutting between characters/places in this volume (predictive text gave me "intercitying" the first time, which I feel would involve more public transport and possibly cups of non-poisoned tea), tells them how the drug works as a form of mind control. Max and Ash argue over who gets to hit Dawson first (Max wins, followed in another surprising development by the restored Ibe) and then the same gang who attacked Jessica break in and start taking hostages before torching the place.
Elsewhere, Nadia and Charlie exchange a lot of rather doomed sounding dialogue, and Charlie is taken off the case. Politicians die in mysterious apparent suicides. Yut Lung lies to his brother about the purpose of Banana Fish, saying it's for assassination only, and his brother, who's kind of pissed at him anyway, hands him and Eiji over to Golzine, although saying that his brother will just be a short term hostage for good behaviour.
Dino comes to pick up his hostages, and Shorter gets dragged away from Eiji. Dino is rather taken by Yut Lung, who he thinks looks like a woman (Dino actually uses the line "Is this an artful trick of the mysterious Orient?", which again makes me think that at some level this is a deliberate spoof). Yut Lung wakes up Eiji, who rather touchingly refuses to believe Shorter could have betrayed him and is also concerned that Yut Lung's been caught.
Shorter is prepared for the night's activities in the lab by being injected with Banana Fish by the younger and more twitchy Dawson brother, and is told that Eiji is now his enemy and must be destroyed in as bloodily final a manner as possible.
Ash arrives at Dino's, where top hairdressers/stylists/whatever are waiting to spruce him up for the evening, and even Max and Ibe end up with tuxes. When Dino takes the call to say Ash has arrived, he's in bed with a topless Yut Lung with Eiji tied to the bedrail next to them; inevitably I hit these sort of scenes when I'm on the bus. Apparently, however, Eiji has not been further compromised, and when Yut Lung unties him they have a conversation about Ash; Yut Lung obviously feels he should be closer to Ash that Eiji is (given the context of this conversation I should say that this doesn't come across as sexual jealousy exactly) and continues to try and make Eiji feel inadequate.
Dinner. Ash is fashionably late and very stylish, and he also has a ridiculously expensive jade earring. He then identifies a random wine and, quite possibly, selects just the right item of cutlery from the vast assortment. Dino talks about Ash's past, and his (original) plans for Ash's future, and then Ash is taken at gunpoint downstairs for the next item of business.
Outside, Sing - Chinatown's new boss, who I like a lot - shows up to tell Ash's gang that Ash is back, and to team up for an attack on Dino. Yut Lung breaks out from wherever they're keeping him to eavesdrop on events in the basement. Ash meets Abraham, and then they bring out Shorter - and Eiji.
Max takes a phone call; from Jessica. The guys holding her and Michael want Ash, and he and Max head out with some old guns the professor (they're still at Dawson's place) happened to have lying around. This leaves Shorter in charge of Ibe and Eiji, and Yau Si is quick to take advantage of this, drugging Ibe with tea and paralysing Eiji with accupuncture in a rather unlikely fashion that I am prepared to interpret as deliberately playing on sterotypes of Eastern mysticism (for which also see Dino, later). When Max and Ash get to Jessica the police are there and the gang's gone; Jessica and Max share a tiny moment, while Ash takes Michael, but when Michael identifies the attackers as an Asian gang Ash realises who must be responsible.
Shorter takes care of a paralysed Eiji for Yut Lung, but promises to protect him (Eiji) as well; when Yut Lung talks about giving Eiji to Dino to play with Shorter says he'll kill him first. They head for NY by private plane while Ibe struggles to move (there's a really nice frame where he's fallen to the floor, still struggling), and manages to gain enough strength to tell Ash where they've gone.
In NY Yut Lung's dodgy (and quasi-incestuous) brother is impressed by Yut Lung's achievements. They try to dump Shorter, but he threatens to kill Eiji if they separate them, and I like that Yut Lung finds this whole thing deeply amusing, laughing at Shorter - and Shorter still sticks to his guns, or in this case knife. Back in LA Ash is startlingly understanding of Shorter's apparent betrayal, as apparently "the Chinese follow rules we don't understand"; Max, more prosaically, points out that Shorter's sister is in NY and is likely to have been threatened to ensure Shorter's co-operation. At this point in a completely unexpected development Professor Dawson is found lurking behind the couch.
Dawson (this is Alexis) treats Ibe and then shows them his secret research room, and, leaping forward as there's a lot of intercutting between characters/places in this volume (predictive text gave me "intercitying" the first time, which I feel would involve more public transport and possibly cups of non-poisoned tea), tells them how the drug works as a form of mind control. Max and Ash argue over who gets to hit Dawson first (Max wins, followed in another surprising development by the restored Ibe) and then the same gang who attacked Jessica break in and start taking hostages before torching the place.
Elsewhere, Nadia and Charlie exchange a lot of rather doomed sounding dialogue, and Charlie is taken off the case. Politicians die in mysterious apparent suicides. Yut Lung lies to his brother about the purpose of Banana Fish, saying it's for assassination only, and his brother, who's kind of pissed at him anyway, hands him and Eiji over to Golzine, although saying that his brother will just be a short term hostage for good behaviour.
Dino comes to pick up his hostages, and Shorter gets dragged away from Eiji. Dino is rather taken by Yut Lung, who he thinks looks like a woman (Dino actually uses the line "Is this an artful trick of the mysterious Orient?", which again makes me think that at some level this is a deliberate spoof). Yut Lung wakes up Eiji, who rather touchingly refuses to believe Shorter could have betrayed him and is also concerned that Yut Lung's been caught.
Shorter is prepared for the night's activities in the lab by being injected with Banana Fish by the younger and more twitchy Dawson brother, and is told that Eiji is now his enemy and must be destroyed in as bloodily final a manner as possible.
Ash arrives at Dino's, where top hairdressers/stylists/whatever are waiting to spruce him up for the evening, and even Max and Ibe end up with tuxes. When Dino takes the call to say Ash has arrived, he's in bed with a topless Yut Lung with Eiji tied to the bedrail next to them; inevitably I hit these sort of scenes when I'm on the bus. Apparently, however, Eiji has not been further compromised, and when Yut Lung unties him they have a conversation about Ash; Yut Lung obviously feels he should be closer to Ash that Eiji is (given the context of this conversation I should say that this doesn't come across as sexual jealousy exactly) and continues to try and make Eiji feel inadequate.
Dinner. Ash is fashionably late and very stylish, and he also has a ridiculously expensive jade earring. He then identifies a random wine and, quite possibly, selects just the right item of cutlery from the vast assortment. Dino talks about Ash's past, and his (original) plans for Ash's future, and then Ash is taken at gunpoint downstairs for the next item of business.
Outside, Sing - Chinatown's new boss, who I like a lot - shows up to tell Ash's gang that Ash is back, and to team up for an attack on Dino. Yut Lung breaks out from wherever they're keeping him to eavesdrop on events in the basement. Ash meets Abraham, and then they bring out Shorter - and Eiji.
