7: Target Steele J.D. Masters (Simon Hawke)

#6 Steele

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Wanted for Murder: Steele!

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gellaho

There are at least 3 television networks

not actually a Dr Mithritic

How many news stations are running and what floor of the UN building do they work out of?

Old Man Brendan

All Steele does is save little girls who grow up to be big girls he has sex with.

not actually a Dr Mithritic

What is that? He needs to cut that out.

Old Man Brendan

what is he 1 for 3?

gellaho

Your reminder that Steele cannot cry

not actually a Dr Mithritic

I think his real life wife cheated on him and left him with a purity thing.

Old Man Brendan

Requiem for masculinity.

not actually a Dr Mithritic

But wait? That wouldn't explain them all being rape victims.

gellaho

So much of this book is about the fucking news

And endlessly repeating information

Old Man Brendan

It's very simple, Mithras. All women are either pure, or whores. Unless it's you personally, and then they're either frigid or your property.

gellaho

This is an interview about the interview earlier in the book

with the same information as the first interview, which is just the plot of the last book

Old Man Brendan

hahahaha, Perry Street is pretty luxe. It's about as pastoral as you can get below 200th st

not actually a Dr Mithritic

He couldn't bank on us reading all the books. Why would he.

gellaho

I hope Donna gets arrested

Old Man Brendan

Steele is decommissioned for the crime of not answering his cell phone / elbow.

Donna is really ride-or-die for a lady forced to listen to her husband's corpse bang a child-woman on her futon.

not actually a Dr Mithritic

If Donna gets arrested then far more of this story will be dialogue with Donna and Carman.

Carman is a stand in for Masters really not having got over something

So is Donna

Old Man Brendan

"Oh no, my dear," the Senator licked his lips, lizardlike, "I'm afraid YOU have a much GREATER purpose." The tank began to fill with water as Donna cried for Steele to help her: "Steele! Steeeeeele!"

gellaho

Bryce is apparently under orders from some shadowy group

Old Man Brendan

Widows are required to mourn their husbands ad infinitum since she had no funeral pyre to leap upon.

gellaho

I don't know who or what is powerful enough in this post apocalypse to control this Senator who seems to control New York's government by himself

somehow

Old Man Brendan

it's the UN

gellaho

The senator is going to try and threaten a computer program

Old Man Brendan

Think back eight years and then compare how close this book came out to the awesome Matrix.

My life was exactly the same eight years ago except I hadn't seen Captain America and my dick wasn't yet cyborg.

gellaho

The Matrix had a bunch of payphone business too, right?

Old Man Brendan

They also stole a chopper!

No payphones below the Midtown (border?!)

What the shit kind of Mad Max world is the LIE?

gellaho

This is about the 1,000,000th time he's asked Raven to stay behind

Old Man Brendan

Dudes telling women it's too dangerous is the old Dudes showing women how guns work. zzzzzzzzzz

gellaho

I wonder where they are headed

Old Man Brendan

This society sucks

"Midtown was a tire fire. Times Square was still vibrant with porn."

gellaho

The Matrix is capable of the kind of basic work police should be able to do

Old Man Brendan

Matrix is the Steele we DESERVE.

Steele is the Barrett we GET.

gellaho

You should have thought of that, Steele? How would you have thought of that

gellaho

That high speed phone connection we are all familiar with

Old Man Brendan

Is this masturbation or sex?

Wait, I just read the second image, it's sex.

gellaho

Definitely sex

Old Man Brendan

"Steele uploaded the 1.2MB (megabytes) of information to his digital self. With his advanced capabilities it was done in under 10 minutes."

gellaho

I'm almost 100 pages in and no mention of the dick. This is highly irregular

Old Man Brendan

I'll be honest, this seems like really good sex.

gellaho

This is endless

"He couldn't describe the experience, I'll use a couple of pages to say that"

Old Man Brendan

Awwww, they're in LOVE!

gellaho

Moisten those lips

Old Man Brendan

I think moistening the lips is shorthand for emotional vulnerability in Steele's world.

Why doesn't Matrix call all three news channels simultaneously with its recordings and say "first past the post wins"?

gellaho

What!? I haven't been given this information before! So shocking

gellaho

What the fuck are you talking about JD

Clothes and style from WHERE

Old Man Brendan

But Midtown is on FIRE

Steele is a cyborg with a rifle who gets approached MULTIPLE times by malcontents.

Also, this is more of an Upper East Side characterization.

gellaho

I don't like where this might be going

Old Man Brendan

Frame Steele by shooting the reporter who said he was innocent of the frame job with the kind of gun anybody can get.

gellaho

So, wait, they could already check the voice

They just decided not to, because fuck it?

Old Man Brendan

Good job, Carman, you dumb fuck, you turned a fugitive with nowhere to go into a fugitive with nowhere to go except your office to exact the truth.

Old Man Brendan

Honestly, this is the one part that squares with NYC cops.

gellaho

This matrix has endless access to information

basically making all of these issues pointless

Old Man Brendan

hell of a leap, Hardesty.

Matrix is the machina that needs no deus.

...I think we lost everyone.

gellaho

people come in and out

A lawyer named Sharky

How do you come up with this shit, Simon? It's so good

Old Man Brendan

Cops can't stand this one defense attorney

gellaho

Yay, more news

gellaho

Everyone in these books is an idiot

gellaho

Oh, this can only go well

JD has a great track record with black people and women

not actually a Dr Mithritic

Sharky, the entirely adequate defense lawyer who works for the people who can afford to pay the least. In the apocalypse? So mutants. She defends mutants.

Old Man Brendan

Screamers

ha ha ha ha, Battery Park, that's the danger zone?

Battery park's biggest problem was shutting down at 5pm until about ten years ago.

not actually a Dr Mithritic

She had her own practice, in the UN building. Just guilty ass screamer and Simpsons Italian monsters knocking on the president's door by accident.

gellaho

And her advice is to go to the press

gellaho

JD had one idea for this book

MEDIA

Old Man Brendan

RIP Andy the sleepy gossip

Jesus christ, JD, Sharky is "exotic" yet "intelligent."

gellaho

Everyone is dying

Old Man Brendan

Sharky is gonna end up our new Ice, the one character you can respect.

not actually a Dr Mithritic

She's gonna be Foxy Brown. Ace lawyer

Old Man Brendan

Linda died OFFSCREEN?

This is reprehensible.

not actually a Dr Mithritic

Betting Linda's been kidnapped.

gellaho

It's his move, he's gonna use it

Cars are still being manufactured?

He has completely given up on the post apocalypse

Old Man Brendan

So I'm getting a real '80s NYC vibe where midtown bustles, but you'd better clear out by 6pm. I had bosses who were aghast I'd go to Hell's Kitchen in 2005, which was like...broadway dining and gay bars by then.

gellaho

Are these cars getting transported to fucking dealerships? Or do you have to actually go to Detroit?

not actually a Dr Mithritic

No, this makes perfect sense. Post globalisation America would revert to manufacturing all cars in Detroit again...

Old Man Brendan

Incidentally, this "sundown danger" is my theory on why Billy Joel rose to fame. If you're in the bar after a certain hour, you're staying there.

not actually a Dr Mithritic

Everyone who is driving, drives a civilian hummer.

Old Man Brendan

I love how society's gotten so bad, every jumpy yuppie has weapons.

These cars come straight out of harlan Ellison.

not actually a Dr Mithritic

How far is it from Detroit to New York.

gellaho

Two cab companies

not actually a Dr Mithritic

Steal a bus.

gellaho

not actually a Dr Mithritic

That may be his most unforgivable effort so far.

I mean it's worse than all the skirting barely legal shit.

What the fuck are you talking about Masters?

Old Man Brendan

I tried to drive to Columbus once and 10 hours was not the recommended time.

gellaho

Old Man Brendan

But maybe roads are clear in the apocalypse.

Cyborg steals a pimp cadillac, here we go.

not actually a Dr Mithritic

The women were obviously finishing up...wiping cum off their shoes. While the pimp checked the takings against his fuck abacus.

gellaho

Stealing a pimpmobile

the first action in the book

on page 118

Old Man Brendan

Steele paused. "HOW fine are your foxes?"

not actually a Dr Mithritic

Take your bitches inside to do your books man.

gellaho

Count the uses of the word "pimp"

Old Man Brendan

Glad you had Raven NOW, aren't you?

not actually a Dr Mithritic

Owning a Cadillac in post apocalyptic New York seems opulent even for a pimp

gellaho

Steele is struggling mightily against this pimp

Old Man Brendan

In his defense he's dodging at least two guns.

not actually a Dr Mithritic

I'm team pimp. Steele is the villian in this interaction

Old Man Brendan

"Accidentally strangles pimp while stealing his car"

not actually a Dr Mithritic

Breaks car.

gellaho

RIP Raven

Old Man Brendan

RAAAAAVENNNNN

gellaho

I guess cop cars have machine gun turrets!?

That's so not raven

Old Man Brendan

ENTER THE WAITRESS

Old Man Brendan

ENTER THE WAITRESS

not actually a Dr Mithritic

Raven is going cyborg surely

gellaho

What a way to kill off a character

"A police car showed up and killed her. The end"

It's better than her introduction, though

not actually a Dr Mithritic

Steele makes it up with Donna.

gellaho

Like a million times better

not actually a Dr Mithritic

Raven had to be gotten out of the way.

Old Man Brendan

"Raven's newly Nysteel vagina was capable of high-speed coupling up to speeds of 77mph."

All that threat to her, and she's just gone in a terribly executed plan.

gellaho

It's a little hard to take seriously when it's followed by "pimp car"

Sorry, "pimp's car"

Old Man Brendan

Steele, come back!

"Sorry, but the saying is leave no MAN behind."

gellaho

He remembered his laser cannon

Old Man Brendan

Ooh, that's going to play badly among our belligerent police union.

not actually a Dr Mithritic

Now the cops are gonna be pissed

All that reporting, wasted. With it this whole book so far.

gellaho

At least half these deaths aren't his fault

Old Man Brendan

Steele has no supporting cast left.

It's Dr. Stone and Donna n--Ohhhhhhh

He went into the sewer via the front door?

not actually a Dr Mithritic

This better not lead to reconciliation with Donna

not actually a Dr Mithritic

How do you get in? Through a manhole cover like a turtle?

gellaho

He covered a lot of ground in his grief

Old Man Brendan

He has BAT-GRAPPLING HOOKS?

gellaho

Long-ass press conference!

not actually a Dr Mithritic

Wait, is this out of chronology or is this a different sewer.

gellaho

He had darts as his primary weapon in the second book

gellaho

I skipped that part initially

Old Man Brendan

Well, JD got one thing right: More words = bigger lies.

not actually a Dr Mithritic

I will hate him like you didn't

gellaho

This is the 9th or 10th time this has been mentioned in this book

This entire book has been "Steele has gone crazy like that other cyborg!"

not actually a Dr Mithritic

Hawke/ masters is sick of his own shit.

gellaho

More lip action

gellaho

Seriously, all this murder should be pointless if everyone knows that the voices were faked

gellaho

Why are these anonymous reporters handing Carman his ass?

gellaho

You had a reporter set up for that express purpose, but you killed her

Why

Seriously

not actually a Dr Mithritic

Is the coastal transport company just a welded death bus?

Secret banking in the apocalypse with what? Internet access.

Old Man Brendan

Ted Cruz right now.

not actually a Dr Mithritic

I feel masters should have taken a break until he felt engaged with his material again

gellaho

He had spent books setting up a reporter, then murders her, right before reporters go on to tear down his main villian

baffling

Old Man Brendan

It's 1989. Jd hawkemasters Yoruminov lies on a couch in Houston, smoking a fat J. He gestures to the screen, playing Robocop 2 on HBO, and says to no one at that late hour, "He should fuck."

gellaho

By the way, the secret organization that controls Carman is called "The Organization"

10/10 writing

Old Man Brendan

When you're that high up you don't need names.

True power is calling your conspiracy "Our thing."

not actually a Dr Mithritic

Someone should be called "The Conspirators" misinformation overload alone would protect you.

gellaho

Everyone is an idiot

Old Man Brendan

It never occurred to you?

gellaho

Here's another Italian. Outta nowhere

no idea who this is

Old Man Brendan

Matrix is on it.

The REAL hero here.

not actually a Dr Mithritic

Just putting O's and I's on names here.

John Smithitini

Dave Raviolio

gellaho

I guess Romano is how he contacts Borodini?

not actually a Dr Mithritic

Get the warrants from who

Old Man Brendan

Nothing suspicious about THAT kind of exchange.

not actually a Dr Mithritic

Issued fucking where?

gellaho

Moisten those lips!

not actually a Dr Mithritic

Masters cartoon idea of speaking on a bugged phone.

Old Man Brendan

I think Raven died so Steele can continue phone-fucking Matrix.

not actually a Dr Mithritic

Steele should have 3 wayd raven with dial up.

gellaho

Looks like Steele is ahead of the game for once

Old Man Brendan

Does Romano not get that Borodini is going to die?

gellaho

The Matrix is a mimic now

gellaho

Victor Borodini was hiding in a hole and now he's too good for a meeting with a senator

Old Man Brendan

He's gonna fly from midtown east to western Long Island?

I guess chopper, stolen or otherwise

gellaho

I still don't understand why Carman needs Borodini at all

Old Man Brendan

Or vice versa?

Is Carman fucked yet?

wait higgins was in bed with Borodini?

gellaho

no, higgins was an enemy of Borodini

This is a ridiculous description

But I don't think it's supposed to be funny

not actually a Dr Mithritic

Just addressing the problems he can see as obvious.

Because the author is insane.

gellaho

This is just a mess of words

not actually a Dr Mithritic

Clanking around like a Skyrim character.

gellaho

I have no idea what's going on

not actually a Dr Mithritic

Masters decided he'd had enough and would just drink til 5am hitting words.

He wrote this book in 16 hours with a bottle of whiskey, a picture of his ex wife and a copy of the previous book.

While the news was on

Old Man Brendan

If you wear your spare hands on your belt, you're always groping/lasering your still-human penis.

gellaho

What's this Scooby Doo nonsense?

Old Man Brendan

The Steele novels are SO CLOSE to every animated series of my youth but not safe for kids.

gellaho

I wish there was some sexy business in this book

This has been so dry

not actually a Dr Mithritic

Response of the night.

gellaho

take that however you want

not actually a Dr Mithritic

There hasn't been so much of what we love to hate. Someone must have sent the author a letter, asking for more and it must have disgusted him.

gellaho

I actually don't know what is happening

Are these guys trying to capture Borodini or are they helping him?

not actually a Dr Mithritic

Borodini was bait. They are helping Carman.

But wait? Matrix Steele set the meeting up. Didn't he?

gellaho

He's literally repeating himself now

not actually a Dr Mithritic

Nah, it's the same scene from Steele's perspective. It's like a clever perspective trick.

gellaho

Okay, this is straight ripped from Robocop

not actually a Dr Mithritic

Riot gear? Rather than tactical.

Ok.

gellaho

Steele shot out all the lights, and now everyone is shooting everything

gellaho

Jesus

not actually a Dr Mithritic

What's Steele after here

gellaho

Stabbin'

This got really violent, really quick

not actually a Dr Mithritic

The limo engine was connected to the drivers brain.

gellaho

Some homophobia

not actually a Dr Mithritic

Weird that the author wrote Paulie into this horror and also judged him.

gellaho

RIP Borodini

Also, kiss what goodbye?

not actually a Dr Mithritic

Aim for his head Borodingus, or his dick.

gellaho

Borodini had some kind of super limo

not actually a Dr Mithritic

Such laconic wit. Do you think for a second he mentally cast Arnie into the role.

Did he ever use the Cadillac? He didn't did he. Good to know Raven died for no reason whatsoever

gellaho

I forgot about the lawyer

gellaho
gellaho

I guess the police commissioner was in on it too? And prostitutes

Also, Citibank still exists

Lip moistening action

gellaho

Jennifer Stone, sexy scientist is also dead now

gellaho

I'm skipping a whole bunch here because it's boring as hell. A bunch of people tell the media they believe Steele and Steele saved their lives

That lawyer has somehow filed a lawsuit for Steele without meeting with him

gellaho

Steele still can't cry

gellaho

This is a very long list of people Steele wishes he could cry for

A requiem for Ice

gellaho

Hey, I have a date for when this is happening now

gellaho

Now Carman is dead

I think that makes everyone dead

Citreks

Anyone read a novel so painful it makes them lose enthusiasm for books

Science God Q Alchemy

Yes

Bike Dancin' Greg

JD is such a bad writer

gellaho

What? Never. So anyway, Steele's in Miami with the Brood biker gang

and they are going to get Raven tattoos

Bike Dancin' Greg

I can't even fathom how stupidly they spent Raven's death

gellaho

The Brood knows about The Organization

gellaho

The End

Everyone is dead

Citreks

The Twist by Richard Calder fucked up a teenage me. I hated having to use a dictionary to look up words I didn't know on every page.

Recently, the Redemption of Althalus by David Eddings put me in a funk.

Bike Dancin' Greg

"Just watch you don't get raped by my old lady lol." Also in the same paragraph "funeral preparations"

gellaho

JD Masters Completed

Boy, that one was boring as hell

Citreks

What the fuck is this book

Bike Dancin' Greg

That had to be the worst Steele in terms of logical plot development?

Everyone died in the least exciting way possible

And for dumb reasons

Science God Q Alchemy

I was at dinner with my brother so I missed this one, i miss anything important?

gellaho

Everyone is dead

Raven died, Senator Carman died, Dr. Jennifer Stone died, Linda Tellerman died

gellaho

http://gellaho.com/books/steele

Bring on S.L. Hunter

Bike Dancin' Greg

Borodini died, Rick Borodini died

gellaho

Yeah, the only remaining Borodini is Paulie the twink

But, yeah, JD decided to end his portion by killing everyone and sending Steele to Miami

Citreks

Hahaha Jesus

Bike Dancin' Greg

Also "Tears for Ice, the powerful black giant whose real name Steele never knew"

That just makes Steele a shitty friend

gellaho

Ice was the best

Things went really downhill after Jagged Steele

Hopefully a new author and the new lady robot ninja will spice things up

sensitive New Age jakesy

God dammit, I just caught up with all of this and I agree that this was the worst one so far. The main thing I got out of it is in our novel we need to throw in some onomatopoeia when using weapons

He “snickked” the knife open. The bullets “spanged” off the car

At least Peacemaker is back

Alpha Scientist Javo

genuinely surprised we didnt get robo Ice

gellaho

That would be too cool

Bike Dancin' Greg

We might get Robo-Raven

Steele didn't actually see her die

For any normal author that would mean she is 100% alive

Alpha Scientist Javo

for some reason I never even realize the books change authors

Do you think so many characters died because this was supposed to be the end of the Steele series but another author was given the rights

gellaho

Kind of seems like Simon Hawke went scorched earth

sensitive New Age jakesy

Fortunately most of the characters were shitty so it might be for the best

Bike Dancin' Greg

Was the ending as awkwardly written as it sounded? We missed some between pages

"The organization is in Miami"

"Guess I'm going to Miami"

"That should be fine as long as you have cash"

"I... I dont have money"

"Well... you always have a home here?"

Science God Q Alchemy

How did raven eat it, I'm having trouble finding

gellaho

I honestly don't know where the Brood are. It might be Long Island, but that's not how you get to Florida

gellaho

Alpha Scientist Javo

thats so raven

Science God Q Alchemy

I think maybe it was a mandate, like revamping the series because they where unhappy with the direction it was going, or sales or something

gellaho

A cop car showed up while they were fighting a pimp

Science God Q Alchemy

And shot the first teenage girl they saw

Alpha Scientist Javo

Do you have an archive for all of these if I ever want to revist them?

gellaho

That seems like it would be some work to do

I have the pictures, but that's missing a lot of context

Bike Dancin' Greg

Would they even have time to be unhappy with sales? He wrote these every two months

gellaho

I've th about it, but I'd have to figure something out. I cou get the discord links I guess

Alpha Scientist Javo

I know discord eventually loses stuff so I just figured it might be a worthy project

even if just the photos and your comments

Science God Q Alchemy

I don't know, it just seems like a move to revamp to me

New tone, new setting and characters

sensitive New Age jakesy

This like mostly passive, weirdly detached 3rd person narrative style is classic JDM. It’s never like “the cop fired at raven” it’s “he saw raven get hit with bullets and die”

sensitive New Age jakesy

The obvious answer is to hire an intern to scan all the books into PDFs

Pay them in valuable experience

Science God Q Alchemy

I can sort of justify it in trying to keep it in Steele's perspective of her death.

sensitive New Age jakesy

I just feel like most of the writing in Steele is not like, characters doing things, but rather things just happening to the characters

I’m not smart enough to explain why it’s bad but I know enough to know that it’s bad

Science God Q Alchemy

As a general rule passive voice is meant to be avoided but you can break rules if you're clever enough. I think the problem with the writing is less the specific prose and more that the characters don't feel defined. The plot feels like it's happening to them because their motives aren't very believable and certain events aren't properly set up, or the actions don't seem to make a lot of sense but hawke needs something to happen. He may use passive voice too much, I can't remember and these books feel unedited.

But I think it's more an issue of just, amateurish writing with no editor

nanomano

If you edited them you would never make they money back on sales

Like paying an editor to fix this would put the project in the red

Science God Q Alchemy

Yeah, I love how hawke still seems proud of them

I'd be like "please never ask me about my terrible for the money projects"

Old Man Brendan

I'm proud of you. We kept that line on the shelf, and you played it like an ace in the hole when it would finally be funny.

Old Man Brendan

"The knife went into meat like a hammer hitting meat."

Old Man Brendan

He definitely got bored with everyone and cleared the table.