New Anita Blake book - Harlequin

[sparkindarkness]

As usual, got book, retreated to my room. Read and snarled at anyone who tried to disturb the reading. No spoilers, not needed

Done now.

*sigh* and I'm just very very very disappointed. It had some nice moments, it had some really nice moments, it managed to emotionally engage me several times - but I reached the last page and the first thing I thought was "is that it?"

As is becomming depressingly the case now, the book is 75% relationship issues (sex, angst et all), 15% magic issues (shiny new powers or issues with old powers, usually involving sex, angst et al) leaving desperate 10% of the book for the plot.

The main antagonist in the book isn't there most of the time, just hanging in the background until its time to prompt another magical shiny or relationship issue, then they politely fade into the background again. Hells, the antagonists actually sit back and do bugger all when physically confronting the main characters so the characters can have an angst session together! I'm sat there wanting to yell "hello? Bad guys, RIGHT THERE guys, in the same room. NOT the time to be discussing your sex life, 'kay?" They just never really made any presence in the book at all, it didn't develop the sense of threat or danger you needed because Anita et al DIDN'T SEEM TO CARE. No time for life and death conflicts, we're too busy with out sex lives!

It derailed what plot there actually WAS to a horrendous degree. You ever read slash stories where the author is concentrating on the plot so much and loves the story that when they drop in a sex scene it feels like they've written {insert sex scene here} and come back to it after the book has finished, and the sex scene feels false or inserted or just doesn't fit? Well this book feels like LKH has done the same thing with the plot. "sex, relationship, sex, sex, angst, magic... bah {insert plot here} back to the sex, relationship..."

It wouldn't be so bad if we actually ever got ANY closure on ANY of the relationship issues but we NEVER DO. She just piles on more and more. And each one needs attention just to keep it simmering (not dealing with it, just to remind you that it's still there) leaving no room.

The big bad confrontation at the end was so full of magical slush and sickeningly twee emotions (in between the bad guys taking a time out while Anita et al indulge in some emotional analysis. It's like Anita yelled "kings! Time out for our issues please!") that I had to reread pages several times to actually pluck the action and the actual fighting from within the text. It's like *blink* Someone's dead now? How did that happen? Oh, they've won... when? What should have been the most gripping scene in the book left you feeling her enemy was over before you even realised it started.


All in all, the book felt like a grandparent's Christmas present. You get a wonderful big package, you peel away the wrappings and you get... socks. It had SO much potential, past books have been so good and it's just disappointing.

Comments

[makarov.livejournal.com]

i know, it's a hell of a letdown, and the series started out so well, sadly she started having Anita nail anyone who stood long enough for her to nail them, makes me glad i switched to reading the Harry Dresden series by Jim Butcher

[sparkindarkness.livejournal.com]

It is killing me because I know how good the books CAN be, how good they were and now... bleh

When was the last time she was in a police case?

When was the last time she raised a damn zombie?

And now it's all about her having sex with every male in the books (not even just male now). EVERY LAST ONE. She's even hitting old characters who were never supposed to be on the radar. And then every man has his own angst - between entire CHAPTERS of Richard angst

[jrho.livejournal.com]

My favorite book of the series is the 7th because it introduced Asher, my favorite character. After the 9th book, I just couldn't make myself care any more because of all the stupid relationship crap LKH was writing in place of plot.

[sparkindarkness.livejournal.com]

Circus of the Damned was nifty.

I keep buying them in hope, after all, we had Obsidian Butterfly.... but no it's not picking up.

[tanarill.livejournal.com]

I personally have never read Anita Blake, and don't plan to, now. The general consensus seems to be that it's a paycheque the woman's writing, not a novel.

With that said: you do realize that by buying the books you're just encouraging her, right?

I've encountered series like this, though. I liked Wheel of Time. I liked The Richard Dahl books. I liked the Dragonriders of Pern, and the earlier books in that series rank highly still. But there's only so long you can drag a series out before the plot dies. Or becomes painfully stupidly redundant. Whatev.

And as an alternate to those "insert sex here" or "insert plot here" stories, might I suggest Jesse Hajicek's The God Eaters? Or possibly Edward M. Sledge's Mage series?
[/pimp]

[sparkindarkness.livejournal.com]

Part of me says I should stop buying them. They've gone downhill. They've crashed. They've burned.... but I still hope.

Wheel of Time was the same - great books that just got so damn bogged down with side plots that they became painful (Crossroads of Twilight? BLECK!) But they did get some improvement with Knife of dreams (admittedly only some). It's the lack of resolve

Dragonriders I have dropped - I loved them, then they kind of lost their focus and should have stopped. All the Weyrs was weird but not bad, if a little unfocused - but anything after that was just unnecessary


I haven't seen either of those I will have to snaffle them

[tanarill.livejournal.com]

[pats] Yes, we need our hope.

Honestly, I gave up on Wheel of Time entirely, and now I can't remember much beyond "Sir DUMB goes off to save the world."

I agree soundly. It felt to me like she went to make a fantasy-based series and then decided that she wanted technology too. There are few series I've met that can do that convincingly, and sadly they didn't manage it. Of course, McCafferey's other work is pretty good.

Also also, have you read Pratchett's Discworld series?

(So good to have someone who's READ these books to discuss them with!)


I can guess from context what the word snaffle means, but just to make sure . . . Oh, and make sure you have a HUGE chunk of time free before reading The God Eaters.

[logophilos.livejournal.com]

Can second "The God Eaters" - such a fabulous novel.

[brownkitty.livejournal.com]

Oh, I don't know. She might actually stick to getting Richard to fuck off. And in around the edges, Nathaniel's becoming interesting.

Not nearly enough to compensate for anything else. But there are a few bright spots.

Oh wait...migraine aura. Never mind.

[sparkindarkness.livejournal.com]

There were good moments. The best for me was that they finally said to Richard to take a hike. About bloody time. He's been crippling them for the past 4 books or so and having big emotional shitfits in front of the bad guys. I am SO sick of him.

Nathaniel is becoming interesting (and it's not just my BDSM love saying that) but I worry that we're going to approach a whole new wave of angst because of it.

[home-of-usher.livejournal.com]

Must ask you out of curiocity, .... What is 'Twee'?

[logophilos.livejournal.com]

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/twee

[sparkindarkness.livejournal.com]

Extreme sweet sacchirine BLEH! Like Twu Lub and fairies and soft sweetness everywhere

Anything that makes you want to reach for the insulin

[gnarlycranium.livejournal.com]

You remember, like when Neil Gaiman said that about the housing development I did CG for.

[sabine791110.livejournal.com]

Obsidian Butterfly was the last good Anita Blake book. At least with the Merry Gentry series, she never pretended like it wasn't all about the smut with the barest hint of plot thrown in to keep it out of the Romance section.

The Dresden Files are a good fix if you want modern magic 'n' policing. Also good for pure fantasy magicness is The Name of the Wind, which I cannot recommend highly enough.

And now, I step away from the computer before the tequila causes me to type even more inaccurately than I already am. Seriously, my backspace key has not seen this kind of loving in weeks...

[sparkindarkness.livejournal.com]

Merry gentry didn't lie - these are porn books. The elves are colour coded because it's the only way to distinguish between one sex object and another.


Now I've got more books on my to read list


what, you mena people type without tequila? Will no-one think of the backspace key!

[being-here.livejournal.com]

Obsidian Butterfly was the last one I enjoyed (probably because it got her away from the men), yet with each new release I face the triumph of hope over expectation. This is the first one I haven't bought, and I probably will eventually.

I think the frustrating thing is that earlier books were so good - and still could be if she had an editor who actually edited. I rather get the impression from her blog that she now lives in an increasingly self referential world, which does her writing no favours really.

[sparkindarkness.livejournal.com]

Aye, with hope I reach for it, i get all excited and then... disappointment. *sigh*

That's the thing, if she'd started crap I'd have dumped her by now, but she was SO DAMN GOOD.

I think that's it, she doesn't have the same support net she used to have to prevent her writing endless relationship, angst and porn

[hanks-lil-pit.livejournal.com]

You know, I enjoyed her for a really long time. Got hooked when I worked part time at a library, snagged Blue Moon just because of the cover art. Then backtracked on everything she had in print at the time, then forward with the new publications.

And I liked her, I really did.

Then I got super tired of knowing what color socks everyone was wearing, and jesus christ get over yourself and get it together with Richard, and quit being such a goddamn woman about everything...and before long I gave up. Your review is no surprise, and likely a similar response to mine had I bothered with her anymore.

Amongst the slashers she's seen as quite the Mary Sue artist.

*laughs*

Hank

[danikitty182.livejournal.com]

you pressed the button. oh noes, you pressed it.

neat stuff to read, by author:

octavia butler: especially the xenogenesis trilogy, but all of them, really
stephen brust: the jhereg novels
c j cherryh: pick a book... no really
diane duane: the young wizards series and the feline wizards series (if you like the young adult kind of book. i didn't find them twee, myself.) also, if you can find them at all, the doors books (the door into fire, the door into shadow, etc.)
raymond e. feist (and janny wurtz): the riftworld universe, pick any
keith laumer: the retief books
spider robinson: the callahan books (if you REALLY like puns)
melanie rawn: the dragon prince and dragon star books
sheri s. tepper: pick a book, i have yet to read a truly bad one of hers
david weber: oath of swords, the war god's own, and wind rider's oath (i understand he wrote a whole series of honor harrington but i have not read any of them yet)
tad williams: memory, sorrow and thorn series (for the fantasy inclined) and the otherland series (for the more sci-fi inclined)
simon green: blue moon rising, beyond the blue moon, and the associated adventures of hawk and fisher series
jack l. chalker: pick a book/series, he has many many good ones
mary brown: the dragonnes books
kevin o'donnell, jr: the journeys of mcgill feighan series
michelle west: hunter's oath, hunter's death, and the sun sword series
philip pullman: his dark materials series (about to be a movie of the first book, also young adult but not twee)
guy gavriel kay: tigana, a song for arbonne, and the fionavar tapestry series
robert asprin: the myth series (again, only if you REALLY like puns) and the thieves' world books
stephen donaldson: the thomas covenant series and the mordant's need series
harry harrison: the stainless steel rat series
david eddings: the belgariad and the malloreon (if you can slog thru wheel of time, you can read these and possibly like them)
robin hobb: farseer, tawny man, and liveship traders series

i have left out a number of things that i assume anybody who likes to read would have already read (or have already been mentioned). i have also left out anything i have not read myself...i have been told of a number of other books and authors that i "really ought to read!"

and yes, i too grew up reading anne mc caffrey...and wondering why larth went from green to brown...and why rider relationships changed so radically from book to book...and what the big deal was?

[sparkindarkness.livejournal.com]

I loved her books, absolutely worshipped them...

Which is why it's so bitterly disappointing that they're so bad now.

She is Queen Mary Sue, BUT she makes it work. It is possible to have a Mary Sue that doesn't destroy the story, depending on how Suey she is

[danikitty182.livejournal.com]

dammit, i KNEW i'd forgotten someone. i have read and loved elizabeth moon's deed of paksenarrion. l.e. modesitt is the one series i've tried to read and just couldn't get into it, i dunno why. i've even temporarily forgotten the name of the series, i just remember a title or two. the one that leaps to mind is the soprano sorceress....?

i just got out of the shower, read this, and decided to name a few more. be warned however, some of these may fit the "twee" definition. i can only say in my defense that i quite literally read anything if it's in front of me, including cereal boxes and the back of cans.

s.m. stirling, shirley meier, karen wehrstein, and i can't remember if anyone else wrote in this stuff: the different and various novels of the fifth millenium (i understand that s.m. stirling has written a LOT of other stuff too, i just haven't read any)
starhawk: the fifth sacred thing (i was told there is a prequel called walking to mercury, but i can't find it to read it)
elizabeth ann scarborough: song of sorcery, the christening quest, the unicorn creed, and suchlike etc. never got behind the acorna crap myself.
gregory maguire: wicked i have yet to read son of a witch or any of the rest, but DAMN if wicked wasn't good!
tanith lee: tales from the flat earth, and a few others that were so long ago i don't remember
ursula k. leguin: pick a book
jennifer roberson: please don't kill me, really. it's like the fantasy equivalent of bodice-rippers, i know. there's the sword-(whatever) series (sword-dancer, sword-maker, sword-breaker, ad infinitum) and the chronicles of the cheysuli.
patricia c. wrede: i grew up reading daughter of witches, i realize it's a bit dated now, but hey. and she's written more, and better stuff.
alan dean foster: just stay away from the movie novelizations if you have a short temper like me. grr.

and i know there's more but time is short. and this is just my fantasy with a little sci-fi button. there's more genres....
i said, you poked the button.

[sparkindarkness.livejournal.com]

More books for the to read list

This is going to keep me going forever more.

I shall have to poke the book button more often. 'tis a good button

I think i've read one Ursula Leguin, but I can't remember it well - the others I don't know very well at all.


And arent movie versions the worst thing EVER?

[sethgraham.livejournal.com]

I actually borrowed the entire Anita Blake collection from a friend of mine. I'm up to Cerulean Sins, and I'm having a hard time keeping going. I loved most of the first 8 or so books, especially the Edward book, but now with the Aurdeur (sp?) it's become ridiculous. And now with the news that it doesn't really get any better, I'm discouraged further from continuing.

[sparkindarkness.livejournal.com]

It gets to that point, it becames a slog, work.

I wish I could tell you it gets better, but I'd be lying. You have more sex, less baddies, less police work, less zombies, more angst from everyone and Richard becomes more and more of a prat with every passing page