Reviews for Lay down My Sword and Shield

The average rating for Lay down My Sword and Shield based on 2 reviews is 4 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2015-11-06 00:00:00 Tovise Haynes James Lee Burke has a hard on for all things moist and dripping in this, the first Hackberry Holland book, which was released in the early seventies and would not see a sequel until 2009. And people give George "Ricky Ricardo" Martin the business over how long it takes him to write a sequel! Jaysus! Anyway, back to all things moist and dripping. Every chapter had at least one instance of something moist or dripping with condensation: glasses, air conditioning units, foreheads, walls, windows, you name it. It was awkward that Burke would pick such text to focus on and repeat throughout the book. Hearing Will Patton, who by the way does a fabulous job on the audiobook, moan and groan and gruffly narrate all these moist and dripping sequences gave this reviewer an uncomfortable trouser situation. I thought I was reading some o' dat smutty smutness Kells and Shelbs are always reading wrong. Come to find out, there was no subtext. James Lee Burke simply likes pointing out all things moist and dripping. Rock the fuck on, old timer. ERMAGERD! Did E. just use an image in his review??? Totes McScrotes he did. I like changing shit up from time to time and referring to myself in the third person, which is super not pretentious at all. Anygoo, that picture is worth a thousand Transformer movies and never fails to get the par-tay crizz-unk! PRAISETOMCRUISEandSHIALEBEOWULF! I really need to stop writing reviews on only two hours of sleep and cold meds. I haz the vile and villainous man-flu, so I'll likely be dead before the end of this review. Did I enjoy Lay Down My Sword and Shield? Damn straight I did. What I thought would end up a bit of civil-rights-era judicial theater turned out to be not that at all. I would have been fine with it had it been that. But it wasn't that, and I was fine with that too. In fact, I liked that it changed gears halfway through. Someone I didn't expect to die died and I like it when that happens. And because it's bound to be brought up, yes, this book is a product of the 1970s. There is language throughout the book that will make some people uncomfortable due to its archaic and offensive nature. I don't like these words. You don't like these words. But they were used ad nauseum in this time and place. Seeing that this book takes place in Texas, I would hazard a guess that these words are still used quite frequently. In summation: A dated but readable experience. I'd put this Burke book up there with the likes of Steinbeck and Flannery O'Connor. If you dig those two, you'll likely dig this. Recommended. Final Judgment: Positively dripping with moisture.

Review # 2 was written on 2014-08-14 00:00:00 David Caron Hackberry Holland or Hack to his friends is quite possibly one of the most compelling characters I’ve ever come across, I was riveted to everything he said and did, and in the same breath he was also one of the most infuriating. He listens to absolutely no one, does pretty much whatever he likes, he doesn’t just burn the candle at both ends, no he’s way past that, he burns every candle in the candle making factory at both ends, then burns the factory down and if ever a character pissed you off, Hack will piss you off even more. Lay Down My Sword and Shield was released in 1971, so it’s a year older than me and set in Texas amid the backdrop of the civil rights era, whether it’s terminology is now politically correct, I wouldn’t like to say, probably not but it portrays the era wonderfully well, there’s Cadillac’s, hard ass deputy’s, the oil business, striking farm workers and copious amounts of jack Daniels, jacks (which I think is American lager), beer, bourbon and cigars. Hack is a lawyer with a solid reputation on a path to greater things, he finds himself almost pushed towards political office and even though he does his damnedest to derail the train of office. It just doesn’t happen, he can seemingly do nothing serious enough to curtail the ambitions of his family and his political backers. Hack is tortured by memories of his brutal past as a POW in Korea and when his friend from the army is arrested for involvement in the Farm Union strikes, that’s where he goes with all good intentions to help but pretty soon he’s drunk, spending a night in a cell and things just go from bad to worse. Apart from meeting a woman his wife certainly wouldn’t approve of, he soon finds himself on the picket lines, an altercation with a law officer and things start to look seriously fucked up for the Texan. What a character though, he puts you through a degree of emotions from WTF, completely pissed off, to hating him right up to desperately needing to know how his story pans out. He’s got more depth than your deepest depth charge and it just leaves you waiting for everything to explode. Lay down my Sword and Shield shoves the atmosphere down your throat with some incredibly powerful and descriptive prose, it’s not a thriller as such, more the story of one man’s battle’s with himself, with his past, dissatisfaction with his life and finding love in the most unexpected place. This is my second read by James Lee Burke and I picked this due to the third novel Feast Day of Fools, featuring Hack, being recommended by someone whose opinion I rate highly but JLB has been one of my top discoveries of the year so far and I liken him to one of my favourite authors John Connolly.