Bookseller Chick made me snort-laugh with this entry about authors you know you should give up, but just can’t.
I have two:
- Stephen King – he started to suck the almighty hairy nut starting around Gerald’s Game, but I can’t stop buying his books. I don’t even read them. I just have them. Sometimes, I cave in and attempt to read one, like that time I tried to read Black House because I love The Talisman so damn much, but when I found out King and Straub had perverted it into yet another goddamn motherfucking Gunslinger-related book, the book dropped from my nerveless fingers and I had to break into my emergency stash of scientific non-fiction just to calm my nerves.
The books, they taunt me. I can hear them. And sometimes, I cry in the cold, unforgiving dark for the love that used to be.
- Robert Jordan – The less said about that habit, the better. No, really. I’ve stopped reading, but my heart stops and I pause dead in the bookstore every time I see a hardcover book with his name embossed on the dustjacket, and I pick it up, hope singing in my heart, and the refrain, it hums is this it, is this it, is this FINALLY it, will you finally find peace? only to find that no, the saga isn’t even close to coming to an end yet.
Deep in my heart, I know this to be true: they hurt me only because they love me. I can leave them any time. No, I swear it.
I love the entire ride from Naked right up to Conspiracy, which I wasn’t very fond of. I adore Loyalty, though, and was, perhaps, more excited when McNab and Peabody got together than I was for Eve and Roarke. Witness is also one of my favorites. Glory, Vengeance, and Holiday are the trifecta, as far as I’m concerned. At Divided, though, I was ready to file for separation, and in Visions when Eve said that after everything she kind of liked that snake Celina, my book almost hit the wall. I’m glad that Eve is starting to get some shades of gray, but that was like multiple personality disorder. IMO something more than the price and the binding changed when Remember When was published.
As for MaryJanice Davidson, how could I forget her! I will NOT buy her in hardcover now, and get her Betsy paperbacks either new or used depending on how in the mood for another Betsy soundbyte I am. Someday maybe I’ll glue them all together and have one nice reasonably sized book. It’s such a shame, too, because some of her early books were so fresh and even filling.
I haven’t read a Gabaldon book yet, and Outlander just rests its big old self on my shelf waiting to be read. I’ve picked it up a couple of times, but none of them have been THE time, I guess.
As for Sookie Stackhouse’s multiple lovers, I find that issue interesting, because I really read those books as about Sookie and the development of her independent identity. When she was with Bill, her sense of self was becoming merged with her comfort in that relationship (with being wanted and accepted at a certain level, by another outsider). Then I think she really came to a place where she was struggling between wanting to define herself and wanting the comfort of a relationship, and finding neither remedy sufficient. And, of course, so many of the supes want to claim Sookie. So she basically thought she had this choice, I think, between being an outsider to the human community, or being a sort of insider to the supe community (which is an outsider community to humans). Now, though, I think she’s finally starting to move toward a place where she’s invested in defining her own place and not trying to be feel worthy based on anyone else’s judgment or acceptance of or attraction to her. Sookie’s interactions with men are often dangerous, too. There is always the threat of sexual violence in Harris’s world, which is such an interesting and powerful aspect of her books, IMO. I love love love that she’s taking her time in working Sookie’s story, because it just feels so much more authentic that way. She’s actually one of the few fictional characters I feel protective of, you know, like a real person.
I tried Brockmann’s books, but damn, there is so much internal reflection/monologuing/dialogue, whatever, every time the characters get ready to kiss or fuck, it just plain tires me out to read some of her books. The writing is certainly competent, but it’s not, IMO, dynamic enough to survive the overnarration. I understand the TDD series is actually better than the other one (it’s the longer one I’ve tried to read).
And what can I say about Evanovich—I haven’t yet gotten to the point where that particular shell game bores me. And while I totally understand why some readers love Ranger, I can’t wrap my head around any argument that posits that he would be less possessive and controlling than Joe. I think it’s only because he keeps Stephanie in the non-mate role that he deals with her independence. Personally, I wish Evanovich would throw in some competition in the form of a woman who peaks Joe’s interest. I like watching Stephanie when she gets all whacked and jealous.
I’ve never read MaryJanice Davidson. Just don’t understand the lure of vampires really, not even Anne Rice’s first two efforts that set the world on its ear. I can’t tell you how many times someone said, “You’ve got to read this, it’s the best thing ever!”
So I finally did and was like: Huh. Best thing ever? Not in my opinion. I felt that way about the Mayfair Witches, though, and a lot of people seemed to think I was on crack. I think it’s a couple of things. First, I was ahead of the curve and was really into vampires in high school / early college. Lemme tell ya, that was quite a while ago. I got my fill then and I’ve moved on. Plus, I can’t quite wrap my head around the necro-factor of it. I just go, “Dude, he’s dead.” How is he getting that boner? Forcing the blood to his weenie via the power of his ancient mind? Pfft, whatever.
I’m lurking and howling laughing…but as a huge de Lint fan I just want to let both Discerning Reader and Ana know that Geordie and Jilly have their story in de Lint’s new book “Widdershins”. Yep, still buying de Lint.
I’ve let a lot of authors go. Sometimes it reminds me of breaking up with someone you’ve been dating….you see the new title at the bs, and you just kind of go “eh”…..just like you do when you’re about done with what’s-his-name. Or maybe that’s just me.
I won’t buy Widdershins in hardcover. *muffled sob* He’s just hurt me too often; I don’t trust him anymore.
My issue with Jilly is that de Lint writes about her like he is in love with her. I can actually feel his love and longing and tenderness and admiration gushing off the page for this amazing artist who overcame her tormented past to evolve in this generous, loving, playful, wise, kind…
You get the point. If he would just write about her and not canonize her with peceptible adoration, I might feel less like, okay, when Mr. de Lint gets done with his Jilly-gasm, the story might proceed…
No, here’s another one.
Origin in Death was my favorite – the one about cloning. I think that series just gets better and better.
This argument always cracks me up. The fact that he’s dead yet thinking/feeling/walking around talking doesn’t trip you up, but the question of blood pressure does? HAHAHA I mean, how are the muscles working without oxygen via bloodflow? What about his brain? *grin* There’s just something about that blood pressure line that people can’t cross.
But my vampires aren’t dead, so I never had to go there. Lucky me! :cheese:
Robin, I’m totally with you on Sookie Stackhouse. I just want to squeeze her till her head pops off. Then have sex with one of her exes. She’s never dated before, and she suddenly has a whole dating pool opened up for her. It’s almost like reading an adult YA as far as these new feelings/conflicts she has to go through. Plus, she’s only made out with the two were-hotties if I remember correctly. So far she’s had sex with exactly two men over five (?) books. I think.
Well, now that you mention it, I’m not a fan of that either. I do kinda think that dead things should stay in the ground. That said, my ideas about vampires render them monstrous rather than romantic.
I wrote earlier about the authors I had given up on. What I failed to mention was the authors I listed were ones I had the same problems with when I gave them up.
I bought 4 of Iris Johansen’s books before I could finally give up on her writing, I bought 3 of C. Feehan’s, I bought 3 of Kenyon’s, etc.
The only author I’m still having the same trouble with, (like Candy has with Jordan) is LKH. I’m still hoping.
Yeah, I’m not sure it’s the blood pressure tripping you up. I think it’s the having sex with a dead thing. Hee.
Yup, that’s right—two men IN HER WHOLE LIFE!
Two of my favorite scenes from the series are
1) when Sookie is in the shower with Erik, thinking about how she won’t take for granted someone who gives her some moments of ease and comfort, since the world is not always so kind to her. I think Harris’s genius is really in the understated way she portrays the bittersweet reality of Sookie’s life. Plus the allegorical quality of her work just blows me away. She is, IMO, a really incredible wordsmith and craftsperson.
2) When Sookie wanders out of the emergency room and realizes that she needed to wipe the slate clean of Bill. I know some readers thought that whole thing was contrived, but if you look back through the series, I think Harris was plotting it several books ago (remember when Pam wanted to tell Sookie something terrible about Bill—beyond what he did with Lorena?). I don’t actually think she’s done with Bill, but he had really infected her heart, and she needs to purge him so that she can take residence there herself.
I heart Sookie, and I definitely want to do Erik.
I just had to add Chelsea Quinn Yarbro’s Saint-Germain series. They aren’t really any kind of romance though. The main character is a vampire(all the comments about vamps made me think of these). The first several books were unbeliveable, but the last few just feel like rinse and repeat. The only thing that keeps me reading them is all her backgrounds are incredably well researched, and it shows. I read them, don’t buy them.
Authors that have dropped off my auto-buy list, inc. MJ Davidson (stuck on herself & stories getting tired), Freehan (a new plot pleeeaase), Lisa Kleypas, Rachel Caine, Suzanne Forrester…and many more already mentioned.
Others, like Evanovich and Putney, have been downgraded to library authors. Stephanie CANNOT eat that much without becoming an absolute fat cow.
Who’s getting better with age? Kim Harrison’s newest (#4?) IMO is her best yet. Laura Kinsale probably belongs here also.
Glenna McReynolds & Tara Janzen are the only two names I know she writes under.
PS. Agree with the rant about books in a series being published a year or more apart. For example, Gail Dayton’s blog says she completed edits for her third Rose book in late June 2006, and returned it to her editor. I believe the book is scheduled for release about March 2007…uuughh! It’s annoying and make readers want to throw the whole series out the window.
i’ve given up on quite a few series because i didn’t enjoy the sequels or where the story was going.
Kate Elliot
MJ Davidson
Terry Goodkind
Philip Pullman
Laurell K Hamilton (die Anita die)
But I don’t care what Jordan writes, I’ll read it. I’ll never give up.
(Sad to say i own every WOT book in hardback including the World of the WOT)
Kristen Britain drives me crazy, not because her books are rubbish (au contraire), but the wait between books.
Green Rider 1998
First Riders Call 2003
Book 3 Who knows!!
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh
PS. Agree with the rant about books in a series being published a year or
more apart.
I have the opposite reaction. When books in a series follow each other too quickly, I get overwhelmed and wish they would slow down. But as I mentioned before, I’m not a glommer—I like to take a break between books by the same author. I’m weird.
And re: Dayton’s books: How long do you think it takes to write a quality complex epic fantasy like hers? It’s not something someone can crank out in a few weeks. We’re talking 100-120K words, not 70-80K like the average paranormal romance. To try to write more than one epic fantasy a year would probably result in a half-assed effort.
I suppose they could save them up and release them more frequently once they’re all written, but publishers like to recoup their investment a little faster than that.
Hmmm…didn’t mean for my last comment to sound dismissive of paranormal romance, if it did. I love reading and writing PNR and epic fantasy, and can only speak for my own experience, which is that the latter takes more time, what with the worldbuilding and all.
And not being able to use profanity. That alone adds an extra 50% more time at the keyboard.
Back on subject: My husband said Tom Clancy jumped the shark with his anti-environmentalist screed, Rainbow Six. Before that, his politics were more of a background hum in his books, but now they’ve taken over the story.
Love Gabaldon, but I came to these late. Very late. Like just last year. Therefore, I didn’t have the wait that drove people nuts. There was one that I didn’t care for so much, but I loved the rest.
As far as the Evanovich threesome goes—I really don’t think Stephanie deserves Ranger. But, then, I’m not a Stephanie fan. I don’t think she deserves Morelli either.
Geeze, why am I still reading these things?!
Dang, Ana, when am I gonna stop agreeing with you? I just SO do not care for the vampire thing.
Here’s the thing: I liked _Interview with the Vampire_, which I read when it first came out and I was in high school. I dutifully read quite number of Rice’s books after that, books my mother loves enough to buy in hardcover, but after the first one, her writing just got more and more surreal and so hopeless non-linear and illogical as to be impossible to understand. I mean, I could read all the words, understand everyone, and still come out the other end thinking “What was that all about?”
I’ve decided maybe the problem is that I haven’t ingested an illegal substance since I was in college. Bet if I went back and read IWTV noiw, I’d find it almost as confusing as the others!
I’ve read the entire Kate Elliott Crown of Stars series. Every single book entertained except the last – not ONLY because they DIDN’T EXPLAIN WHO THE *^%$ ALAIN WAS, but also because of the rather silly last-minute jump into the future they showed at the ending.
Alain was a great character – why make him into the medieval equivalent of The Littlest Hobo?
I wrote this whole thing yesterday and the my internet conncection went and I lost the darn thing. Anyway! I love Sookie and I don’t think she needs a guy to make her interesting. It’s just that I see this new-guy-every-book thing getting old fast. I know she hasn’t had sex with everyone one of them, but it’s been more than two, if we’re counting Bill, because she had sex with him, Eric and Quinn. I don’t remember if she actually had sex with Alcide, but she was really considering it.
Me, I love vampire stuff, doesn’t matter if it’s romance, horror, sci-fi, fantasy, etc. I’ve had a facination with the supernatural from a young age. I blame insomnia. I remember being 7 years old sitting infront of the tv at 3am watching the classics with Bela and Lon.This is also wherefrom stems my insane love of Fred Astaire. Instead of giving me nightmares the vampires, the werewolves, the Frankenstine’s monsters, they sort of became my night time companions. So, I don’t care if vampires are dead, undead, living, genetic mutations, aliens, Atlanteans, or infected by parasites, I love watching/reading about them.
I loved Sunshine and I hope Robin McKinley comes out with something new soon. I’ve loved so many of her books. *eyes the hardcover copy of The Blue Sword that she’s had since 1989*
Damn it, Madd, stop screwing with my bad memory. I just read the last Sookie Stackhouse book, and I STILL can’t remember shit. But, no. . . I went downstairs and got the book. Sookie didn’t have sex with Quinn. They just made out. And came. She’s trying to be smart and take it slow. And stay away from dead guys. Ha.
And I’m trying to arrange for a brain transplant. I hate to think what I’ll be like when I’m seventy. On the other hand, if you need money, it’s easy to convince me that I owe you some.
Still, I wouldn’t care if she was doing all of them. Frankly, I’d be right in there. “Hmm. I wonder what it’s like to have sex with a hot weretiger? Hmm.”
Hey, if someone’s shoving it in you, cloth covered or no, you’re having sex. Plus, there was the o. In my book, if someone is physically there with you and causing you to orgasm, you’ve had some form of sexual encounter whether there was intercourse involved or no.
I don’t mind if she does them all either. I’m pro-sex for Sookie. I just don’t want to have to add another ex to the list every time a new book comes out. You know? Plus, I’m partial to Quinn at this point and I’d like to see him still involved with Sookie in the next book.
Shit. Does this mean I have to adjust my personal recordkeeping? No, no. I have to draw the line somewhere.
Btw, I was devestated by what Bill did (in the third book?). Totally didn’t see it coming despite his distraction in the previous book. I was covering my face with my hands. Made it hard to read.
I wasn’t a big fan of Quinn, but I might give Sookie a second chance, I dunno.
Jacqueline, because you agree with me so much, I am adding you to my blogrolling list, which means all four of the people who read my blog may come to yours as well. (I know, it’s too much, isn’t it?) Feel free to link me back.
Hay, Ana, thanks for linking my blog (which reminds me I really MUST post; I missed last week on account of my paying work and now I am behind schedule). I am linking to yours forthwith.
Hmmm, shall this week’s entry be about my non-love of vampires or my non-love of Forbes magazine? Decisions, decisions!
First I gave up Mercedes Lackey. I got so tired of perfect people. And of her re-arranging her character’s personalities to make them fit a new storyline.
And then came LKH… which I not only loved, but addicted two men to. I was the enabler. I have an autographed copy of Narcissus in Chains that I won at DragonCon back in 2001. (It was supposed to be an autographed ARC, but the box of them got stolen, so I got an advanced autograph copy of the hardback instead.) I gave my friend my autographed copy of Obsidian Butterfly, which I sincerely regret, because that was the last one I liked. Narcissus disturbed me, Cerulean Sins annoyed me and Incubus Dreams bored me to tears and pissed me the hell off, so I quit, cold turkey. The fact that she misspelled deity through the ENTIRE FUCKING BOOK may have had something to do with it. I also dropped Merry Gentry like a hot rock, because I am sick and tired of a book covering only one day, when you have a 6 month time period to make things happen. I still think the second book in that series is the best one. I hate when writers get lazy and start to rest on their laurels. (Yes, pun intended ;-p)
As for Jordon… never got past the first chapter despite my husband owning almost all of them (though I give him credit because he only buys them in paper back or off the bargain book rack.)
I read a chapter of Goodkind and went “You have GOT to be shitting me! Some chick running around the woods in a trailing white gown with her hair down, and not getting stuck on every twig, branch and rock? Bitch, please.”
I’m there with you. That was a big WTF?! moment for me. I was all “Noooo!Not Bill!!!” because I really liked him there at the begining and now I just want to kick his fangs in for bringing whats-her-face around Sookie all the time. We won’t even go into the Bill bomb that got dropped in the last book. *gives Bill the finger*
Ooh, my hell. Great topic, ladies.
*big, lusty sigh* Incredibly wordy rant ahead. You’ve been warned.
Sadly, many of my former-favorite authors have gone the way of the “Hell-no-never-again” phenomenon that seems to be sweeping the inhabitants of Bitchlandia. Including, but not limited to:
Steph Laurens – Now, I never met a Cynster I didn’t like. I even liked the girl ones (!), mainly because of their deliciously manly hunks. But, Stephanie, it all became a bit…well, like we’d done all that before. Over and over. I was slightly cheered by the Bastion Club books (or rather BOOK) until I read book two and me-no-likey. Hello, E-bay.
Janet Evanovich – Alas, Stephanie…once you were also great. You solved cases in your own likeable and bumbling way. Your cars blew up with astonishing regularity. You were poised on the pinnacle of a luuuuurve triangle of the most lovely proportions, supported on one end by the dark, mysterious Ranger (*drool*) and on the other by the safe-and-stable-but-still-naughty Morelli. Lula, Grandma Mazur, Sally Sweet, your taciturn father, your Meg Ryan-lookalike sister, your horsie niece, even your mother—all entertaining and funny as hell. What the fuckles happened?? I’ll tell you: you kept the triangle going about 4 books too long. I got bored. I got sad.I saw the light. I stopped buying and sold all of my Plums to some poor schmuck on Ebay who was probably delighted…until they finally realize that IT’S THE SAME GODDAMNED STORY OVER AND OVER AND OVER ad nauseum until…until when??? Vicious circle, Plum is thy name. In trying to keep everyone happy, she’s alienated me completely.
Amen, sister. Preach on! And super ditto to all infinity about the stallion dude. I got the goosebumps an inordinately large period of time when I read that shit. Hottie boombalotti, mount up and RIDE, BAYBEE!
Laurell K. Hamilton (*sob*) – Ahhh, Anita. I gave you oh-so-many chances. Book after book, I really liked you and tried to keep you close to me, but I finally just had to say no. NO MORE, and ESPECIALLY NO MORE HARDCOVERS. DM was the last. Never has para romance had such a deliciously conflicted and terminally slutty lead such as yourself. You bang, you boink, you screw indeterminately until I’m truly fearful that your vagina (and other orifices) shall never be the same, in spite of its supposedly elastic capabilities. Your once-sterling morals have deteriorated into (sadly) your unending search for the next best and newest raunchiest thing you can do with the most people (live AND dead) and/or animals (and not always in un-furry form, either). I was fascinated, but now I’m just appalled. The ardeur is a thinly-veiled excuse to scrump anything with a penis and, while initially erotic, wore a bit thin. Like hearing that you were looking in the Kama Sutra in researching your next book. Girl, please. Sex should have to be something you STUDY to write, for fuck’s sake. I shouldn’t need a damn diagram to figure out how on God’s little green earth Anita got her partner(s) of choice to insert their Tab A’s into her slots 1, 2, AND 3 over the course of EVERY FLIPPING SEX SCENE in the book. And the triumverates…one = good idea, novel even. More than one = sadly cliched and we’ve-SO-been-here-before. Solve a mystery, for crying out loud, and claw your way to the top of the pile of your lovers’ naked or partially-naked bodies so that you can EXECUTE SOME EFFING VAMPS ON OCCASION. Cat a circle. Hell, even tell us more abotu Edward and his guns for a change of pace. I’m SO done. Let me also just say that I hate that whining, asstarded, pseudo-alpha, wussified, pusshead Richard, too. And I’m still TOWERINGLY ENRAGED about you wrecking him like you have. He had promise. He had a chance.
Merry Gentry, you’re still doing ok. I’ll admit to a morbid obsession with how you’ll do the tentacled guy, because I know it’s coming. And I love me some Stallion Shapeshifter Man, too. I’ll say that Merry is on Black-List Probation. She’s got a couple more strikes to go before she’s consigned to the Ebay Pit of Despair.
Christine Feehan – Here’s a little hint as to why these didn’t fly for me: it’s the dirt. I can’t get into the Carpathian dudes crawling into the dirt to regenerate. GAK! Maybe I have Kinsey Milhone’s OCD a touch here, but DAYUM. NO DIRT!!! Add a recycled story told in a tired manner, and I’m outie. SO OUTIE. E-bay, help!
Catherine Coulter – Three letters as to why I quit reading these: FBI. That series sucked a stinky schlong. I have all her historicals, including the infamous I-raped-a-bitch-and-became-a-hero book. CC historicals (not the rapist ones) are pretty good. Love her Sherbrookes and her Legacy series. Magic ones aren’t bad either. But I can barely GIVE those FBI stinkers away.
I read about 200 pages of Gabaldon once; also, never again. Can’t see why everyone is interested in blowing the smoke of rabid fangirl-itis up her hoohah. I have things to do with my life that don’t include reading a HUGE ASS BUNCHA BOOKS as thick as treetrunks. My God, lady. Think of the puir weedle twees who unselfishly gave their lives so that your wordy, weighty fiction could go forth.
Linda Howard, Dan Brown, Brockmann (recycle much???), Anne Rice (except those naughty Beauty books), King (he’s calling one in even as we speak), and that effing Danielle Steele (Queen of the ReUsers) et al on and on and on.
Two VERY refreshing lights at the end of the tunnel for me have been Kelley Armstrong’s Elena books and the Robbs. I’m completely hooked. I’ve pared my autobuy list down to Nora, Robb, Armstrong, Kim Harrison, and a few others.
I didn’t even buy the last MJD in HC yet. Sadly, I heard it wasn’t that memorable.
Any questions?
You are evil women! You know. I was so disappointed with the way Anita wes heading when the Meredith books came out that I didn’t bother to pick them up. My brain was all “Don’t do it! She’ll just get you hooked and then you’ll be sorry!” Only all this talk of tentacles (has LKH been watching hentai?) and stallions has me mighty curious. If I pick it up and get hooked, you have onyl yourselves to blame … and you should be ashamed!!
;_;
*lol*
Ana, I think I want to be your fangirl. Feel free to blogroll me, too, so that you, too, might get inundated with spam selling you free ringtones.
I didn’t even know about
Widdershins
until I came over here. Wow. Well, I’ll wait until my local library gets it, because, yeah, he’s hurt me once too often. As for Jilly, I see what you mean. I’ve always figured that Jilly is basically his way of writing about his wife, Mary Ann Harris, who is also an artist, and, I’m told, looks like… hmmm… every one of De Lint’s heroines.
In other topics: I read
Outlander
and have copies of the rest of the series. I just don’t really feel any great need to dive into weighty fiction right now.
And I never got through even one of Jordan’s books. I read his novella in one of the
Legends
anthologies, found the plot really boring and the characters stilted and trite, and decided to move along.
Besides, George R. R. Martin is a much better writer of epic fantasy.
Complete agreement there. I really love his stuff, even though it agitates me when he swings away from characters I adore. I hated that he killed the Hound. I loved that character! But I liked that he had the balls to do it. I loved the budding storyline between the Maid and Jamie, too. I hope he doesn’t let that drop.
My first fangirl. Squee! I’ve added you to my blogroll and as First Fangirl, your obligatory Godiva chocolates are in the mail! Just give me the email you use on your Amazon wishlist.
PS – Being my fangirl could be good for you. Yesterday, an adult toy company contacted me about offering freebies in exchange for product placement in my books. Hee! Dildos for everyone!
Heeheeheehee.
If it makes you feel better, I think I’m going back in. “Where is my Darkness? Bring me my Darkness.” Oh, yeah.
Hey, I like George R. R. Martin too (he came to my town! He signed my book!), and while “A Feast for Crows” was generally good – you can sorta tell the wheels in his brilliantly complex narrative machine are starting to come a little loose.
And it’s not only that he had to cut his HUGE manuscript in half (which is what happened to the last two volumes of Kate Elliott’s “Crown of Stars” series, remember), although that’s a large part.
I hope he comes together after “A Dance of Dragons”.
Oh, I loved the storyline between Jaime and the maid. I really hope that cliffhanger doesn’t end the way I suspect it’s going to. And the hound! Man, I loved that character, and harbor some tiny shred of hope that he’s not actually dead. Of course, I’m just delusional. And, no, I didn’t think
A Feast for Crows
was nearly as good as the first three and agree that I hope he comes together after
A Dance With Dragons.
I don’t want his series to be another long, self-indulgent epic.
And in other news… Clearly I don’t remember the tentacle dude in the Merry Gentry books. But now I find myself tempted to read the latest ones because the comments about the stallion dude intrigue me. And I did kind of have a slight crush on Doyle, too, and should be ashamed.
And I did kind of have a slight crush on Doyle, too, and should be ashamed.
Doyle was descended from Hellhounds, but his grandfather was also part horse. Hint, hint,
I am in total denial about the Anita Blake series, enough that I still buy them in paperback. I read each book in the hope that Anita will come to her senses and give the Wolf King and the Master Vampire their testicles back, then they can all live happily ever after in a messy, semi-functional, ménage a trios. All those wussy girly-boys can hit the road and take their Giant Body Parts with them.
Deeper in denial than David Livingstone.
Doyle, from the Merry Gentry series, gets my vote for fairy I’d most like to be kidnapped and thoroughly used by. He’s sort of what Richard the Wolf King should have been. Doyle is sexy, tortured, competent, sexy, a genuine alpha, sexy… Sigh.
Any time now, Hamilton is going to turn him into an emasculated jerk. It’s almost inevitable.
Lurkergurl,
I came across your post and thought, “Did I post something in my sleep?” I feel exactly the same!
Books 1-3 in the Outlander series were the first books in a loooong time that I absolutely loved, was totally immersed in, and that stayed with me for weeks after I closed the back cover. I mean, I skipped class and ignored my husband and forgot to take showers I was so wrapped up in them.
I should have stopped there.
The rest of the books are just horrible, in my opinion. Absolutely no plot whatsoever, just random scenes strung together. And we all know how much Gabaldon likes to do her historical research, but talk about infodump!
And what’s up with EVERY major character being kidnapped/imprisoned AND raped/brutalized. I read another comment somewhere about Gabaldon being so obsessed with sexual perversion that the next step was exploring Ian’s very special relationship with Rollo.
And I’m getting so sick of the so very, very tender section-closing scenes. You know, the ones where she describes the nature, the sun-setting, the crickets chirping, and a main character stares off into the horizon before uttering the so very, very poignant and touching and precious and humorous last sentance. Blegh.
And the worst part about all of it is, I will probably have to finish out the series just so I’ll have closure!
PHew, I feel so much better for ranting.