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

[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]

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

[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.

[lilisonna.livejournal.com]

Please. Stop buying them. You're only encouraging -- not Hamilton who I am convinced is beyond hope at this point -- other author who could be writing good stuff to write drek werewolf porn.

Please. Spare us all more love...hell, are we up to octangles now?

[home-of-usher.livejournal.com]

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

[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...

[logophilos.livejournal.com]

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

[home-of-usher.livejournal.com]

ahh thank you much.

[gnarlycranium.livejournal.com]

Read God Eaters. *Zim grabby motions* Read it nowwww.

I lived and breathed Anne McCaffrey books as a kid. Then she became a grandmother, and got all biddy-fied and lost her balls. The most recent books of hers I bothered to read were unmitigated soppy crap. Dragonflight was harsh, it was edgy, it was sexual-- it had dragons, and action, and coolness. And from there things went downhill, slowly... down to Anne McCaffrey going all nazi on fanworks, and screeching at everybody that green riders are OMGSONOTGAYEVER and we're Not Allowed to speak of them as if they might be having gay thoughts, nevermind what SHE actually wrote in the damn books *significant eye rolling!*. The last book of hers I bothered to read was... hell I don't even know which, but one of the Freedom series, which swings on a pendulum between pointless graphic sex with aliens with OMG big alien dicks (did I mention eye-rolling?), to sappy crap about colonists procreating, aww grandkids, lookit so cute BUT WHO THE HELL CARES???

...Not that I'm bitter or anything.

I have never read any Anita Blake stuff though. I gave up on Anne Rice after Tale of the Body Thief... actually it's been years since I found any book I could stomach to finish, most of them just seem to be crap.

Cept The God Eaters, of course.

[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.

[tanarill.livejournal.com]

Why hallo thar, person who gives informed opinions about books! How are you today?

I liked the Hiver/Telepath books, even though they were scattered. But the series kind of just ended with no resolution at all. Which made me Sad. I didn't sit still for the rest of them.

Depending on what you want to read, I can pimp other authors.

[sparkindarkness.livejournal.com]

*clings to hope*

I nearly did. I waited ages to buy the book (normally I bought them as soon as they came out in hardback) and didn't read Knife of Dreams right away. Crossroads of Twilight was so MONUMENTALLY BAD and Winter's Heart wasn't much better. But he's finally starting to END all of the pointless sub-plots. Everything from Perrin wandering around chasing Faile to Elayne in Caemlyn, even Mat in Ebou Dar - gah, WE DO NOT CARE ABOUT THEM! CAn we focus just OCCASIONALLY on the main plot and give up on all of their ENDLESS ISSUES WITH WOMEN!

I just read it and had a brief "what? there are computers now? And plastic? Just NO!"

Of course, i've read and own the vast majority of them. You mean there are people who HAVEN'T read Discworld? What fascinates me is that the Discworld series is actually getting better - it was alwasy good, but it's become far less jokey (though still funny) and actually has very strong, steely style now. Night Watch was actually dark, Thief of Time pretty deep. Night Watch, the Truth, Monstrous Regiment and even Going Postal could almost be considered political commentary with important morals.

And it's always a good thing to be able to discuss books :)

[sparkindarkness.livejournal.com]

*charges to grab book and DEVOUR it*

[sparkindarkness.livejournal.com]

I need a support group!

I hate it so much not just because she writes the endless porn, but because she is CAPABLE of more! It's so enfuriating. It's like watching Titian finger painting.

Let me think... Not an all inclusive list.

JC, Richard (occasionally), Micah, Nathaniel, Damien, Asher, Requiem, Jason (when necessary)

I think it's a love Octagon for those she REPEATEDLY sleeps with.

If we're including the one-offs we can add: Augustine, Belle Morte (metaphysically), Byron, Rafael (may be a repeater), London (may be a repeater)

And people she's all but had sex with/want to have sex with her/she needs to have sex with:
Graham, Sampson, Haven

I don't think there's a word for a shape with this many sides

[sparkindarkness.livejournal.com]

*must obey the zim grabby motions*

She did get a lot more... soft and weak. The books became a lot fluffier than they were.

And I've never known an author that included homosexuals but was so freaked by them. "OMG you're writing about the GAY ONES!" and the "blue riders are masculine gays, green riders are feminine gays." Errr, WHAT? Or prefering female green riders because they're more emotionally stabe. I think the best bit is Lytol, rider of GREEN Larth originally, until she had a brain squick "OMG LYTOL'S GAY!" and freaked and turned Larth into Brown

I've not read outside the dragonrider series -I was going to but I read the whole series and All the Weyrs, Renegades and freaking DOLPHINS (hey, let's just take Menolly, make her male and replace music with dolphins - hey, no need for a plot, i can use the old one!) put me off so much

[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.

[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

[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!

[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