Gore Vidal - any good?

i think gore vidal is a really good writer sometimes, and not so much others. i thought 'live from golgotha' was pretty funny - as long as you have a sense of humor about religion!!

but the books i think are his best are from "the american chronicle series" i'm thinking of "lincoln", "burr", "1876"...
there are 7 of them but i'm not sure i know which all are: "washington, dc." is one. "empire." the newer one - "the golden age." that's six...oh yeah "hollywood".
(those are not in the right order, but i think the series is just in more of a 'historical' order not a 'have to read in order to understand the next one')

Vidal is intelligent, technically competant, and knows how to put his ideas across in an accessible, entertaining form. He very much aims for a mass audience, so don't expect stylistic fireworks or virtuoso displays. The meat of his books is in the social or historical commentary, and he does that very well.

I read Julian at a time when I was reading a tremendous amount of primary source material from Greek and Roman times, and I don't recall his making any obvious blunders. It did share the normal problem of historical novels about antiquity, in making his characters a bit too modern in their thinking and outlook, but that is so unavoidable as to be easily forgiven.

i really loved his giant essay collection as well as pampliest, city and the pillar, myra and myron breckenrdige and the two recent polemics--plus his essay on tim mcveigh, and his presence in celloid closet

His memoir Palimpset is a must. Aside from Lincoln I don't care for the historical novels.

I finished Messiah about a month ago. Weird story about a death cult that usurps Christianity through intense marketing. Not his best. I really enjoyed Burr and City and the Pillar. Myra Breckenridge is hilarious.