Reviews of Flight 18 16

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  Flight 18 - A Review
  A review of Flight 18
  by Michael Leath on 04/21/2013
  Just a terrific story. The beginning was very much like the waiting for the driver. I wanted the guy to come down and stop screwing around. You grabbed me from the first and I was locked into the story. Don't change a word. The tension built as it rolled along. Great pacing. A real nail biter. I never would have thought you could keep the running monolog going for twelve... Just a terrific story. The beginning was very much like the waiting for the driver. I wanted the guy to come down and stop screwing around. You grabbed me from the first and I was locked into the story.
  
  Don't change a word.
  
  The tension built as it rolled along. Great pacing. A real nail biter.
  
  I never would have thought you could keep the running monolog going for twelve pages and simply told me about the route to the airport. This was well thought out, and each beat was perfect.
  
  I am not from L.A. nor have I lived there. But I have been there quite a few times and i could see the route you were taking for the most part.
  
  The Mercedes was a terrific stroke, and gave you another character to keep the story rolling.
  
  Dialog was good. characters - both alive and with engines - were good.
  
  There was a quality to this that reminded me in a way of Spillane. matter-of-fact, no nonsense style and voice. I personally liked Spillane.
  
  This needs to find a magazine.
  
  Thanks for the ride. I cannot wait to see your other stories about Max. I like him. read
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  Flight 18
  A review of Flight 18
  by Carol Austin on 08/14/2011
  Dear Author, This has Seth Rogen written all over it. You should try to get it to him. He can make one helluva adventure out of this. Of course he will throw some monkey-wrenches in it to add conflict, and he'll probably put people in the Mercedes with an axe to grind about the limo or the people in it, and just to be really funny he'll have people chasing the limo as well,... Dear Author,
  This has Seth Rogen written all over it. You should try to get it to him. He can make one helluva adventure out of this. Of course he will throw some monkey-wrenches in it to add conflict, and he'll probably put people in the Mercedes with an axe to grind about the limo or the people in it, and just to be really funny he'll have people chasing the limo as well, but it's a fun story.
  
  I'd add a problem for the driver having a girlfriend or wife that needs him at the same time he's making this run. Maybe she's his pregnant wife who needs to go to the hospital and she's in the limo. Seth would know what to do.
  
  I am a Raymond Chandler fan and this comes off a little Chandlerish....good for you. I enjoyed it a lot. read
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  Flight 18
  A review of Flight 18
  by eiltory on 07/02/2011
  This is extremely difficult for me to review, as I was assigned the revised version previously. Therefore, what I say will be redundant. Your characters are very well-described, and the action moves nearly as fast as Number 18. Love the reference to Al, Jr. Max's determination to get his clients to the airport on time tells a great deal about him, I think - stubborn, sure... This is extremely difficult for me to review, as I was assigned the revised version previously. Therefore, what I say will be redundant. Your characters are very well-described, and the action moves nearly as fast as Number 18. Love the reference to Al, Jr. Max's determination to get his clients to the airport on time tells a great deal about him, I think - stubborn, sure of himself and his limo, cocky. Perhaps not really a nice man, yet interesting. His actions tell me far more about him than his words, which is what I suspect you were striving to achieve. read
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  Screw the Indy 500, we got Flight 18.
  A review of Flight 18
  by nick74 on 03/12/2011
  I feel like this story just sped by me, zinging through the plot under the smooth roar of an even smoother technique... as if a capable writer were at the helm. Here's your Ben. Stay cool, and great job. There is an arsenal of great tools you use to tell a story. Quality voice is in no short supply with Flight 18. Some of the lines used to express the messages inside your... I feel like this story just sped by me, zinging through the plot under the smooth roar of an even smoother technique... as if a capable writer were at the helm. Here's your Ben. Stay cool, and great job.
  
  There is an arsenal of great tools you use to tell a story. Quality voice is in no short supply with Flight 18. Some of the lines used to express the messages inside your prose are so unexpected, yet so creatively inspired, I had to read them over twice --- not because they slowed the story or broke the pace, but because I simply wanted to. I would start pointing them out (beginning with the connection made between Fate --- with a capital F no less --- and Oswald) but if I started doing that I wouldn't be able to stop. And, besides, I get the feeling you know where they're at and why thery're there.
  
  And then there's the technical aspect which is so spot on it's like reading a clinic on proper sentence formulation, especially in relation to thought and idea. You obviously know all the rules and, from time to time, to illustrate your sheer prowess, you knew when to break 'em. Man, nice job.
  
  That being said I did notice one thing and wonder if it's a creative choice. In two instances the word Al Jr. was followed by a comma when, I don't think, a comma was necessary. I'm not a comma guy, though, so a rule might be escaping me. Details...
  
  But what astounded me most was your sheer knowledge of the topic being written about. I would ask whether or not you rented a limo and then drove the course all the way to LAX before you wrote the story, but I already know the answer. Of course you did. In fact it makes me want to ask you another question, this one so random that it never would have occured to me to ask it if I hadn't been so captivated by the scene I was reading, but:
  
  Was the 'Sizzler on Manchester' the same one they celebrated over in the line "We goin' to Sizzler" in the movie White Men Can't Jump? I'd love to know, if you do.
  
  Anyway, fun ride in every sense. Great job. You keep writing, I'll keep reading.
  
  Nick read
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  Only Idiots Take Century. I resent that!
  A review of Flight 18
  by LBarbarell on 03/08/2011
  Another great Max adventure with the wonderful atmospherics, succinct character development, and spot-on authenticity. This story delivers so much in 11 pages, it's incredible. There are 5 characters in this (six if you count the limo) and we learn everything we need to know about each of them to fully experience their humanity. Max's total mastery of the driving art comes... Another great Max adventure with the wonderful atmospherics, succinct character development, and spot-on authenticity. This story delivers so much in 11 pages, it's incredible. There are 5 characters in this (six if you count the limo) and we learn everything we need to know about each of them to fully experience their humanity.
  
  Max's total mastery of the driving art comes through convincingly as he makes split-second decisions about routes, obstacles, and driving strategies. LA comes alive so vividly, we can almost see the smog, smell the asphalt and hear the radials on the pavement as Max "works the seams."
  
  My only quibble with the story is that Max's mental flashbacks tend to be show-stoppers and, though they flesh out Max's character, they hurt pacing. I think the one about Willie Nelson would be enough.
  
  In the past, I've encouraged the idea that these stories be compiled into a collection, but, while reading this, I concluded that a full novel about Max (or maybe a screenplay) could stand an excellent chance of breaking through. read
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  Number 18 Flight
  A review of Flight 18
  by AussieJulie on 01/19/2011
  I was a little confused by this story. I wasn't sure what Number 18 was and then it refered to Flight 18 in the story and then back to Number 18. I appreciate that the car itself was like a plane ride in that it moved pretty fast through the L.A. streets. I would have liked to have seen more comma's used - especially the 5 line paragraph on page 3. And more italics used to... I was a little confused by this story. I wasn't sure what Number 18 was and then it refered to Flight 18 in the story and then back to Number 18. I appreciate that the car itself was like a plane ride in that it moved pretty fast through the L.A. streets.
  
  I would have liked to have seen more comma's used - especially the 5 line paragraph on page 3. And more italics used to emphasise points and thoughts.
  
  Reading 'Tim the sound man' and 'Bob's AR' kind of got a bit to repetitive and I found this a bit much.
  
  You seem to know L.A. pretty well and showed this off in the story. Thankfully, I've been to L.A. or this would've been kind of boring and very confusing if I didn't know where and what you were talking about. read
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  Brilliant
  A review of Flight 18
  by Travis Casey on 01/06/2011
  I love the way you write. It's quirky, punchy and most of all, entertaining. You have a gift to put the reader where you want them to be. At times, I was with you in the front seat of the Caddy laughing along with you at the assholes in the back. Other times, I was in the back seat snorting coke with Tim the sound man and Bob's AR. Your descriptions are golden. Not quite as... I love the way you write. It's quirky, punchy and most of all, entertaining. You have a gift to put the reader where you want them to be. At times, I was with you in the front seat of the Caddy laughing along with you at the assholes in the back. Other times, I was in the back seat snorting coke with Tim the sound man and Bob's AR. Your descriptions are golden. Not quite as good as The Car and Candice, but that is a hard one to top. This is a free will review, but I love your writing so much it is a pleasure to read it and then to write about it. read
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  The good stuff.
  A review of Flight 18
  by Cenydd Ros on 12/27/2010
  Hi John. I have a question, because I know your a pro: The intersection with San Vicente that looks like the Mekong Delta with its very own Carl's Jr. 70 now. - is there supposed to be only one period at the end of Jr. even though it is the end of a sentence? I honestly don't know, but think you probably do. You only give one, which has me wondering. Although two periods would... Hi John. I have a question, because I know your a pro:
  
  The intersection with San Vicente that looks like the Mekong Delta with its very own Carl's Jr. 70 now. - is there supposed to be only one period at the end of Jr. even though it is the end of a sentence? I honestly don't know, but think you probably do. You only give one, which has me wondering. Although two periods would look funny, wouldn't it?
  
  You start a few sentence with But and And, and do so very well. I try to avoid this, myself - not always suceeding. Have you ever experienced any flack about doing that?
  
  I enjoyed reading another of your limo day memoires - thanks for the smooth read. I really love your short sentences and your flow - excellent style of writing. I read your stuff and I know I am reading someone who actually likes to write - such detail and clarity.
  
  KMET, the Mighty Met 94.7! Was such a great station! Then it turned into The Wave (didn't it?) and then I don't remember what. Ah, memories.
  
  A very professional piece - thnx again for giving me the opportunity to read your work here on TS. read
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  Love poem for LA
  A review of Flight 18
  by ke.courier12 on 12/27/2010
  Your story's narrator has a unique voice and I like how the story describes LA. I don't know if you ever read TC Boyle's short stories, but it reminded me of some of his narrators. In my opinion the exposition about what the narrator is doing was a bit long and there was some driving jargon that I thought didn't move story nor revealed character. I don't know if you ever... Your story's narrator has a unique voice and I like how the story describes LA. I don't know if you ever read TC Boyle's short stories, but it reminded me of some of his narrators.
  
  In my opinion the exposition about what the narrator is doing was a bit long and there was some driving jargon that I thought didn't move story nor revealed character.
  
  I don't know if you ever considered changing the core of the piece into a poem. read
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  Review for Flight 18
  A review of Flight 18
  by Wesley Levelle Dingler on 12/08/2010
  I read in another review for this story that "it doesn't break any new ground." But, personally, I don't think that's the point of storytelling--unless you were apart of some kind of avant-garde movement. I liked the fact that it was simply about a limo driver doing his job, and I really liked the way he narrated the story--with a speculative and slightly cynical voice. He... I read in another review for this story that "it doesn't break any new ground." But, personally, I don't think that's the point of storytelling--unless you were apart of some kind of avant-garde movement. I liked the fact that it was simply about a limo driver doing his job, and I really liked the way he narrated the story--with a speculative and slightly cynical voice. He wasn't afraid to point out all of the stupidity he saw and that made him excellent in my book. The thing about writing a first-person narrative is capturing the art of conventionalism, and this story did it really well--despite how short it was. My favorite line in the story was close to the end, when the narrator says Ben Franklin came out just long enough for a breath of fresh air before he went into the narrator's jacket pocket. read