Tentative Anita Blake defence...

[sparkindarkness]

But warily, cos I agree with a lot of the criticism being thrown round.

But I like the books, the early ones are amazing, it has a brilliant plot in many ways and the world setting is one of the best I've seen.

The fact that Anita Blake is the author planted, doesn't hit me as a problem, I don't care who or what the character's based on, just how good the character is.

I do want to throttle Richard, but that at least shows he's a character, even if he is an annoying one (I concede that Micah ISN'T a character, he's just a sex toy who happens to be capable of speech)

The power creep doesn't bother me all that much either - partly cos Anita isn't that powerful still (she doesn't know how to use half the stuff she can do), partly because she plays with "the big boys" and partly because most of the stuff she can do, she won't.

I just wish one thing - can we PLEASE drop some sex scenes!? Even if she does have to sleep with someone every 12 hours, can we take it as given now? Yeah, we get it, now move on and return to the plot. Bring me the politics (gotta love the politics) the investigation, the hundreds of loose ends left lying around, can we stop having vast intervals of her love life.

So there's my verdict - great series, great books, but unfortunately the author has started to change them from Horror/Modern Fantasy novels to basically porn. (NB, there is a difference between porno and erotic fiction. Erotic fiction has plot, that happens to have sex in it. Porn only has plot to act as a stop gap measure to fill space before the next sex scene.)

One upswing though - Cerulean Sins was much better than Narcissus in Chains, methinks the trend is reversing...

And yes, there is no excuse for the Meredith Gentry series. Great premise, even good research and world setting. Kinda, hard to tell, because every time something with depth comes near it's obscured by everyone stripping off again. Assuming they were even dressed. Oh, and the character's super powered in the first few chapters. In book two she's basically equal to most armies, and to help matters out she's got lots of allies who are only slightly weaker.

Methinks Ms Hamilton has self-esteem issues.

Comments

[phoenix-fawn6.livejournal.com]

I haven't read past _Bloody Bones_ yet. But I've heard from multiple sorces that the newer books are just drawn out sex scenes. Which will probably annoy me, 'cause I'm planning to read the rest. I do really like the books I have read. I agree with you that the plot and world setting are great. And it doesn't really matter that Anita = author, since Anita's a great character.

(One thing that does annoy me is that each book is written like you're not expected to have read the previous ones. Events and references that were seen in other books are explained and rehashed over and over again. I suppose it kind of makes sense, since a lot of people aren't going to remember everything that happened, but really. There's way to much.)

I have to wonder why you want to throttle Richard... but I suppose I'll find that out eventually (like when I finish the books.)

I'll admit that I do like a little bit of romance and/or sex in the books I read. But what I'm hearing is that there's really too much sex in the books. When it takes away from the plot, it annoys me. If I want smut minus the plot, I'll find it in other places.

(Must... finish... books... )

What's the Meredith Gentry series, by the way? I haven't heard of it.

[sparkindarkness.livejournal.com]

Anita is a gresat character - and you won't hate Richard yet - he creeps up on you, but believe me, by Blue Moon you'll dislike him at least. By Cerulean Sins your every waking moment will be involved in elaborate ways for him to die a long extremely painful death... ooooohhh yessss...

The new books are still worth a read, it's just tiresome to plough through the sex, Narcissus in Chains is worst for it (which is a shame because it also has great potential)

And yes, there is no need for a recap every time - we know what RPIT is, we know that Dolph is tall and Edward is blond.

Anita DOES become a lot colder (she frightens Edward! And there's a moment in Blue Moon that just makes me shiver, but no Spoilers) and a helluva lot more powerful, but remains good.

Romance in books is fine, sex is fine (I can ahrdly criticise use of either) but having it as an all dominant force is just extreme.

Meredith Gentry is her second series of books (now on book two), about a sidhe princess and the faeries... unfortunately it startes with sex, then there's some sex, then we discuss the plot briefly before moviong on to more sex, then look out of a window to find someone new, then there's sex with new person. Then there's sex. Then there's a dollop of ansgt. Then sex. Followed by some sex. And maybe a little sex. Then if there's time, some sex.

Ooh, and some uber powerful magick... but it probably has something to do with sex.

[phoenix-fawn6.livejournal.com]

*whimper* But I like Richard right now. Okay, not when he's being a dolt about the alpha male thing, but I can sort of understand that. I don't want to hate Richard.

Wait, Dolph is tall? (*snicker* And here I thought he was a little guy who loved to discuss the finer things in life. In detail.)

Okay, anyone who frightens Death? Gotta be scary. I'm starting to notice some of the coldness already, but from the way you're talking, it gets a lot... well, I don't want to say worse. All right, worse. (And no, no spoilers. 'cause I'm gonna read the books. But first I have to finish _Paths of the Dead._ And _Swordspoint_ (again.)

I take it you don't recommend the Meredith Gentry books?

[chibisalee.livejournal.com]

*KICKS AT RICHARD* Yeah i like him too epecially in the early books now whenever he appears i snarl... Hamilton is reimproving her series... these last few book have seem to give promise to better books.

[sparkindarkness.livejournal.com]

She's on an upswing... and it feels so GOOD to hate Richard...

*amuses self writing fan fiction involving Richard's painful death or being confined to a kennel outside Anita's house.

[sparkindarkness.livejournal.com]

*takes a deep breath and desperately tries not to spoil sotry*

Must stay silent, must stay silent, must stay silent.

[ephemera.livejournal.com]

Narcissus was definately the weakest, but the one thing I do like about the accumulating powers thing is that whtever else, Anita doesn;t dump her responsability. And I frankly don;t *care* if she's a 'mary su', because I still like her - she's kinda V.I. Warshawski with vampires, politics and were-sex. I see no bad here ;)

The Merry Gentry books, though, took a nice idea and drowned it in bad porn. Especially book 2. It's not even like I have issues with porn *innocent look* - I have issues with the fact that she has colour coded elves because there's otherwise no way you could tell them appart ... it's the badness not the porn - at least not entirely.

The world settings for both, though, rock beyond rockingness, and I'm largely there for the assembled cast.

On a related notes, a friend recently lent me the Southern Vampire series - authors name escapes me - very similar vein, but less overblown - I liked. [the last one is called 'club dead' I'm helpfully blanking on the other titles]

[chibisalee.livejournal.com]

I don't write to well but i just entertain thoughts of death and destrution whenever he appears now.

[sparkindarkness.livejournal.com]

I do like her, and yes she is powerful, but she isn;t all THAT powerful - she can do some cooky things, but look at most of the people she hangs around with - even Nathaniel could kill her, no matter how ALMOST it gets, she still isn't that strong, or tough, or fast, or as speedy a healer. She's skilled, but her magical bag'o'tricks isn't miracle making.

I don't mind sex in books, and have nothing against porn, but when I pick up a novel, I prefer the sex to ancillary to the plot, or at least for it to be clear that it's not a novel, just a great book of shagging.

Meredith gentry was such a disappointment, the rpemise is good, the potential is SO there. The world setting does indeed rock. And then...? It's like seeing some brilliant author's story proposal being ghost written by a hormone crazed nymphomaniac with little to no talent.

I;ve heard of them, I think they;re on one of my "to read" lists

[sparkindarkness.livejournal.com]

It's cleansing... whenever he shows I just seethe becasue I KNOW he's going to do something wrong.

Actually - a sign she wrote well, in the last book, Richard made me angry enough that i had to put the book down.

[chibisalee.livejournal.com]

grrr epecially when he deals with the leapards... and his own wolves... or anita... hee. I think i know which part you were talking about i ground my teeth in that part but keep on reading.

[sparkindarkness.livejournal.com]

The wya he deals with anything - he has a talent for entering the delicate world of politics, where evryone else tip-toes around in the lightest of ballet shoes, in massive great stompy boots!

The part I'm thinking of is when he... hmm, how to non-spoiler it... when Anita & JC are busy dealing with a big fight, he decides to get pissy with JC

And if he angsts out ONCE more time...

[chibisalee.livejournal.com]

I'm going to reach into the world of hamilton and strangle him... ^_^ of course with the kindest of meanings...

[sparkindarkness.livejournal.com]

Nah, if I could reach into the world of Hamilton, I'd be FAR too busy stalking Nathaniel to strangle Richard.

[chibisalee.livejournal.com]

True, true nathaniel is yummy at that... After the strangleing was done i'd stay...