Rating: 
Summary: strong stories; read by a fantastic actor (Paul Winfield)
Review: These stories, as read by the great actor Paul Winfield, are powerful testaments to life, love, hard times, etc.. These stories and their central character, Socrates Fortlow, are fine examples of a man, who did wrong, seeks redemption, and tries hard to make amends. The continuing theme of the crime which he committed ties them all together. Mr. Winfield's reading cuts across all racial barriers, to teach all of us, black and white, about one man's struggle(s) with his demons. His reading also adds passion and depth to Mr. Mosley's writing. I'd highly recommend these stories (in audio and print). [Refers to the audio edition.]
Rating:
Summary: strong stories; read by a fantastic actor (Paul Winfield)
Review: These stories, as read by the great actor Paul Winfield, are powerful testaments to life, love, hard times, etc.. These stories and their central character, Socrates Fortlow, are fine examples of a man, who did wrong, seeks redemption, and tries hard to make amends. The continuing theme of the crime which he committed ties them all together. Mr. Winfield's reading cuts across all racial barriers, to teach all of us, black and white, about one man's struggle(s) with his demons. His reading also adds passion and depth to Mr. Mosley's writing. I'd highly recommend these stories (in audio and print). [Refers to the audio edition.]
Rating: 
Summary: Not quite what I expected
Review: This book did'nt grasp and hold my attention like the Easy Rawlins books. I guess I was looking for a good Walter Mosley mystery, and this was'nt mystery at all. I can't say that I will follow the Socrates series as I did the Easy Rawlins series.
Rating: 
Summary: This book is hard to outgun
Review: This book has a profound emotional resonance that proves that the author has surpassed genre and produced true art. I read it in the parking lot before I went into work, it was absorbing, I was late, and the thought and flavors of the book stayed with me all that day and longer. It is bleak and inspiring, engaging and challenging in its language, its characters and its forthright moral teaching.
Rating:
Summary: One of my favorite books of the last few years
Review: This book so impressed me that I felt compelled to write and STRONLY recommend the book to anyone who will listen. I won't waste your time by reviewing the content (since most of the reviewers have already supplied such information). I will tell you, however, that Mosely's work is the best book I have read in the last few years. I am moved by his characterization; entertained by his storyline; intrigued by his personalities; and placed by his thick descriptions of context. While I am a big fan of his "Easy" series, this is far and away his literary masterpiece. READ IT TODAY!
Rating:
Summary: Socrates Strikes Back
Review: This book was quite a refreshing change from what I've recently read. I (and the other book club members) looked at our recent books. Each one was authored by an African American woman and had as its general theme strife within male/female relationships. The author of this book is an African American male (mystery writer turned novelist) and the general theme is one man's battle with himself. It was really really excellent. From a pure text viewpoint, the writing was raw and gritty. None of the glossy, drippy, name-brand references of the women writers was present here. This was all generic stuff Mr. Fortlow used or wanted or thought about. Mr. Fortlow comes from prison and eventhough he faces great opposition at almost every turn, he gets a job, helps an at-risk youth, comforts a dying friend, and most importantly learns how to control the anger that spurs his 'rock breaking hands' to action. He uses his powers for good instead of evil. This book is definitely worth reading. The sequel, Walking the Dog, is probably worth reading, too.
Rating:
Summary: True wisdom
Review: This has to come close to being the best collection of short-stories written in English during the last twenty years. At their best the taut writing and uncanny ability to explode the confusion and emptiness at the heart of many people's lives recalls Raymond Carver, but where Carver is content to leave his ethics enigmatic, Mosley is righteous and fierce. This is not to say that the central character, Socrates Fortlow is a judgemental moralist. Far from it. This burly ex-con with his huge rock-crushing hands and terrible past, is searching for truth in a world where truth is no much unfashionable as crushed out of people's souls by injustice. He is a seeker not a saviour. The stories also form the link between Mosley's crime writing and his outstanding first SF novel, Blue Light, where issues of metaphysics are brought further into the foreground. Through the stories, Socrates acquires a kind of nobility that can only come from a totally honest struggle our own impulses as well as with the environment that surrounds us. There is a sense of place in 'Always Outnumbered, Always Outgunned' that is very specific to 1980s Watts, but mythic and resonant and almost timeless at the same time. This only comes from genuine wisdom and understanding, qualities in which Mosley far outshines almost all contemporary authors. There are one or two weaker stories, notably one in which Socrates gets involved with the courts again, but this is a collection to come back to. And as with Raymond Carver, I felt compelled to stop for quite some time after each one as the subtle but powerful emotional impact percolated through my brain.
Rating:
Summary: Mouse with a conscience.
Review: This is an incredibly well written work about redemption. It actually puts you in the head of a Black man in modern day (North) American culture. I've put it on my book shelf right along side of Henry Dumas and Richard Wright. Damn, Mosley is good! I thought I had a jones for the Easy Rawlins series... I got a bigger jones for Socrates Fortlow. This is a must read for every African American man on the planet. If other folks want to hang with this stupendous read...well okay.
Rating:
Summary: Maybe Mosley ain't so bad, after all.
Review: This is another boonie dog book review from Wolfie and Kansas. When we reviewed Walter Mosley's book "A Little Yellow Dog", we complained that it was miscaninthropic. In Mosley's latest book, "Always Outnumbered, Always Outgunned", a collection of generally quite good short stories about an ex-con named Socrates Fortlow, Mosley displays an improved attitude towards canines. In a story entitled "Black Dog", Fortlow rescues a large black dog who was run over by a car. Fortlow also punches out the driver who committed the atrocious act. Now that dogs have moved from the status of evil nemesis to victims in need of rescue from benevolent humans in Mosley's writing, perhaps in the future Mosley will portray us in a positive light.
Rating:
Summary: School of hard knocks
Review: This is one of Mosley's best. He creates a heartbreaking, redemptive character in Socrates Fortlow. These chapters all connect or stand on their own as a testament to a man who has learned the hard way the lesson of redemption. His dignity and strength shine forth in all of his dealings with the people in his life. They are all connected by Fortlow's message of responsibility for one's actions. Walter Mosley has created a language that brings out the quiet strength in Socrates Fortlow. Can't wait for other Fortlow books.
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