If I'm going to keep on target for the read 50 books in 2009, I need to get to 25 books by the end of the month. So I thought that reading all weekend would be a better use of my time than writing.
Well, I thought it was a pretty good excuse for not finishing "Cult of the Butterfly."
Anyway, I read Foundling by D.M. Cornish, which was good--amazing worldbuilding, likable main character, interesting plot--but frustrating because it's just the setup for the sequel. I was going to download the sequel to my ereader, but of course it's not available as an ebook. Since I'm not that into the book, I doubt I'll buy the sequel anytime soon, or ever, so the publisher just lost a sale. Idiots.
Now I'm reading Murder on Astor Place by Victoria Thompson, and I wish I'd known ahead of time about its little point-of-view problem. I have seen this so often: first one POV, then a section break to start the second main character's POV, and then the author seems to think it's okay to just wobble between the two POVs after that without section breaks. I'm not sure I'll continue reading, since every time the POV changes without warning I'm jerked out of the story, which I don't find especially interesting anyway.
Showing posts with label viewpoints. Show all posts
Showing posts with label viewpoints. Show all posts
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Step one to broaden my scope
With racefail '09 surging back into life again (if it ever really died) with MammothFail (I link to Leigh Dragoon's blog because she's keeping up with the whole thing and adding links to that post), I've noticed something happening in my writing.
When I describe a new character, quite often now I mention their shade of skin. As in these two lines from the new project: "A small, round woman with brown skin appeared from behind a rack of coats" and "Justin was talking to someone new, a slender man with pale skin and dark hair." The second I do that, I signal the reader (and me, the writer) that this is not a world in which everyone has the same color skin. And hurrah for that!
For me, this actually started with my in-depth revision of The Weredeer. I'd always imagined Kristof as having brown skin (to me he looks sort of Greek), but somehow I'd never put that into the book. I guess I never thought of it until the whole racefail issue came up, and when I went back in to revise, it was on my mind. That book's told in first person, so Kristof started describing people who didn't look like him as having either lighter or darker skin than he does. I guess I just got in the habit of thinking about it.
I'm really happy about this turn of events. For one thing, I feel oddly that I've made Kristof's voice truer with that one little change, and for another, my fantasy worlds are now that much richer. In Little Sparrow, for instance, I know why Hildy is very pale-skinned while most of the people in her city are either mid-brown or dark brown (it's because there are three different regions people immigrated from in the recent past), and although that detail may never come up in my writing, it subtly influences me as I write. Anything that makes worldbuilding stronger, and characters more interesting, is a good thing.
I'm not saying this is a solution to racefail, but it's got to be a step in the right direction.
When I describe a new character, quite often now I mention their shade of skin. As in these two lines from the new project: "A small, round woman with brown skin appeared from behind a rack of coats" and "Justin was talking to someone new, a slender man with pale skin and dark hair." The second I do that, I signal the reader (and me, the writer) that this is not a world in which everyone has the same color skin. And hurrah for that!
For me, this actually started with my in-depth revision of The Weredeer. I'd always imagined Kristof as having brown skin (to me he looks sort of Greek), but somehow I'd never put that into the book. I guess I never thought of it until the whole racefail issue came up, and when I went back in to revise, it was on my mind. That book's told in first person, so Kristof started describing people who didn't look like him as having either lighter or darker skin than he does. I guess I just got in the habit of thinking about it.
I'm really happy about this turn of events. For one thing, I feel oddly that I've made Kristof's voice truer with that one little change, and for another, my fantasy worlds are now that much richer. In Little Sparrow, for instance, I know why Hildy is very pale-skinned while most of the people in her city are either mid-brown or dark brown (it's because there are three different regions people immigrated from in the recent past), and although that detail may never come up in my writing, it subtly influences me as I write. Anything that makes worldbuilding stronger, and characters more interesting, is a good thing.
I'm not saying this is a solution to racefail, but it's got to be a step in the right direction.
Monday, May 4, 2009
Genderfail, otherfail
Aaron Polson posted about genderfail recently, counting up the protagonists in his stories and making a spreadsheet to see how he did with male vs. female vs. neuter/other protags. That made me think even more about my own writing. I'm not as thorough as Aaron, but I took a look through my stories this evening (published, unpublished, novels, shorts, and works in progress) and I think I'm going to have a long talk with myself.
Going by viewpoint characters alone--that is, the main character through whom we see the story events unfold--I came out about even, with 24 male and 23 female. That's good, especially since if a character appeared in more than one story, I counted him/her more than once.
But if I break this down further and look at non-human characters by gender (counting were-creatures and trolls as non-human but elves as human), 14 were male and only 3 were female. Even taking into account that weredeer Kristof Hart appears five times in the male side (one short story, three completed novels, one novel-in-progress), that's still a big disparity. I can count him only once and still get 10 male, 3 female.
I mentioned in my reply to Aaron's post that I found male characters more interesting (and challenging) to write because I have to work harder to see things through their POV. Apparently I like to take that to extremes. I'm not sure why I think maleness is more challenging to write than alien-ness.
On the other hand, I'm not writing about, say, weredeer just because weredeer are cool (weredeer are by definition uncool); I'm approaching human problems from a fresh perspective. How does a weredeer fit in among a society that is mostly human? Kristof's not always comfortable, even when he's at home. One of the issues I address over and over in my writing is belonging: as a family member, as a friend, as a part of society, and so forth; and one of the big issues that keeps coming up lately in my writing is the idea of race (and, since I write fantasy, species) and how that affects belonging. In The Taste of Magic, for instance, Ana (female!) is a half-breed elf in a society that considers half-breeds second-class citizens--but even half-breeds have things good compared to trolls; I got so into that aspect of the plot that I made it a big focus in the sequel, Blood and Taxes, where Ana and her friend Ash (male troll) keep having to face their society's assumptions and prejudices. I find this fascinating.
And yet, apparently, I also find it overwhelmingly male. Those three non-human females are two dragons and another weredeer, Rose of White Rose, and if you are playing along at home you may remember that White Rose isn't even a real project--it's just an exercise in writing a bad epic fantasy (the one where the elf lord mage has a foot fetish, because I got bored with him and decided to spice things up a little). I actually address gay issues more than I do women's issues even though all those main characters are straight too, since Kristof has to come to terms with his best friend (male human) being gay.
I'm not sure why this is. I have to think about it. I'd love to hear your thoughts on the issue of otherness and character gender.
Going by viewpoint characters alone--that is, the main character through whom we see the story events unfold--I came out about even, with 24 male and 23 female. That's good, especially since if a character appeared in more than one story, I counted him/her more than once.
But if I break this down further and look at non-human characters by gender (counting were-creatures and trolls as non-human but elves as human), 14 were male and only 3 were female. Even taking into account that weredeer Kristof Hart appears five times in the male side (one short story, three completed novels, one novel-in-progress), that's still a big disparity. I can count him only once and still get 10 male, 3 female.
I mentioned in my reply to Aaron's post that I found male characters more interesting (and challenging) to write because I have to work harder to see things through their POV. Apparently I like to take that to extremes. I'm not sure why I think maleness is more challenging to write than alien-ness.
On the other hand, I'm not writing about, say, weredeer just because weredeer are cool (weredeer are by definition uncool); I'm approaching human problems from a fresh perspective. How does a weredeer fit in among a society that is mostly human? Kristof's not always comfortable, even when he's at home. One of the issues I address over and over in my writing is belonging: as a family member, as a friend, as a part of society, and so forth; and one of the big issues that keeps coming up lately in my writing is the idea of race (and, since I write fantasy, species) and how that affects belonging. In The Taste of Magic, for instance, Ana (female!) is a half-breed elf in a society that considers half-breeds second-class citizens--but even half-breeds have things good compared to trolls; I got so into that aspect of the plot that I made it a big focus in the sequel, Blood and Taxes, where Ana and her friend Ash (male troll) keep having to face their society's assumptions and prejudices. I find this fascinating.
And yet, apparently, I also find it overwhelmingly male. Those three non-human females are two dragons and another weredeer, Rose of White Rose, and if you are playing along at home you may remember that White Rose isn't even a real project--it's just an exercise in writing a bad epic fantasy (the one where the elf lord mage has a foot fetish, because I got bored with him and decided to spice things up a little). I actually address gay issues more than I do women's issues even though all those main characters are straight too, since Kristof has to come to terms with his best friend (male human) being gay.
I'm not sure why this is. I have to think about it. I'd love to hear your thoughts on the issue of otherness and character gender.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Favorite characters!
I think Danielle Ferries started this meme, but everyone I know has picked it up and run with it, and now me too. I've been thinking about which of my characters are my favorites, and I've settled on some mildly surprising choices.
Of course I love all my characters, even the most despicable bad guys. But some characters intrigue me more than others, in a writerly way. These are the characters with a lot of surprises up their sleeves, one way or another, the secondary characters who are as vibrant as the main characters, the ones who for whatever reason make me want to write about them forever and ever and ever. Here they are in no particular order:
Kristof Hart--Viewpoint character of The Weredeer, who also appears in the short "The King's Messenger" (which appeared in Renard's Menagerie #5, although I think I have the reprint rights available now and may do something with it). He's not the shiniest spoon in the drawer, but he's ferociously loyal to his family and friends, and he's a good person besides. I feel kind of bad at the awful things I make happen to him.
Ash Cutsaw--Ash is a troll, and he was only supposed to be a minor character in The Taste of Magic. He sort of took over. He's a musician, and a damn good one, and he makes a great foil for Ana, the main character. Ana is talkative, impulsive, warm-hearted, and a little unsure of herself; Ash is cautious, quiet, and knows his place in the world. He's also been in jail!
Rone--Rone doesn't have a last name because he wasn't supposed to have a name at all. In Stag in Velvet, the (um, second) sequel to The Weredeer, he's a market thief Kristof catches and lets go, because Kristof feels sorry for him. He turned out to be useful to the plot so I kept him around--but he's also a fascinating character to write. He's the kind of guy you want to hug one second and smack the next. Kristof isn't sure what to make of him.
Tavrax the Lich--In Evil Outfitters, Ltd., Tavrax is a former warlord lich who has settled down to run Evil Outfitters. He's not a central character in the first half of the book, but I got so fascinated with him that he ended up with a much more important role in the second half. He's intelligent, well-mannered, rather smitten with Madeline Muir, one of his employees (who is also the viewpoint character for the second half of the book), and he also still loves committing the occasional murder.
Of course I love all my characters, even the most despicable bad guys. But some characters intrigue me more than others, in a writerly way. These are the characters with a lot of surprises up their sleeves, one way or another, the secondary characters who are as vibrant as the main characters, the ones who for whatever reason make me want to write about them forever and ever and ever. Here they are in no particular order:
Kristof Hart--Viewpoint character of The Weredeer, who also appears in the short "The King's Messenger" (which appeared in Renard's Menagerie #5, although I think I have the reprint rights available now and may do something with it). He's not the shiniest spoon in the drawer, but he's ferociously loyal to his family and friends, and he's a good person besides. I feel kind of bad at the awful things I make happen to him.
Ash Cutsaw--Ash is a troll, and he was only supposed to be a minor character in The Taste of Magic. He sort of took over. He's a musician, and a damn good one, and he makes a great foil for Ana, the main character. Ana is talkative, impulsive, warm-hearted, and a little unsure of herself; Ash is cautious, quiet, and knows his place in the world. He's also been in jail!
Rone--Rone doesn't have a last name because he wasn't supposed to have a name at all. In Stag in Velvet, the (um, second) sequel to The Weredeer, he's a market thief Kristof catches and lets go, because Kristof feels sorry for him. He turned out to be useful to the plot so I kept him around--but he's also a fascinating character to write. He's the kind of guy you want to hug one second and smack the next. Kristof isn't sure what to make of him.
Tavrax the Lich--In Evil Outfitters, Ltd., Tavrax is a former warlord lich who has settled down to run Evil Outfitters. He's not a central character in the first half of the book, but I got so fascinated with him that he ended up with a much more important role in the second half. He's intelligent, well-mannered, rather smitten with Madeline Muir, one of his employees (who is also the viewpoint character for the second half of the book), and he also still loves committing the occasional murder.
Monday, April 13, 2009
Worst book ever. A rant.
I just finished reading Return to Quag Keep by Andre Norton and Jean Rabe. It was published in 2006 by Tor in hardback (although I bought it at a used book store for six bucks) with a cover price of $24.95.
I hope no one paid $24.95 plus tax for this book. Because it is the worst book I have ever read and ever will read.
Here's why:
Item A) I read Quag Keep by Andre Norton (published in the late 1970s) when I was in middle school, which was just the right age to appreciate Andre Norton. I've reread Quag Keep many times--it's sort of a guilty pleasure now. It would be hard to match that sort of personal cult classic feel in any case, even by Andre Norton at the top of her game.
Item B) This book is badly written. It is badly written. It is BADLY WRITTEN. And not, I suspect, by Andre Norton. It doesn't feel like Norton's writing at all--and I believe Norton died right about the time this book was published, so I suspect she wasn't physically capable of writing and that in her collaboration with Jean Rabe she was probably as more of an idea person. I could be wrong, of course: Norton was an uneven writer, sometimes brilliant and sometimes not very good. But lordie, she was never this bad. I blame Rabe completely.
Item B1) The characters are virtually interchangeable. They all speak alike, act alike, react alike, and are all Too Stupid To Live.
Item B2) The characters are nothing like the original characters in Quag Keep.
Item B3) The writing is so clumsy, stilted, awkward, and amateurish it's actually painful to read. And the headhopping is so out of control that sometimes even the author seemed uncertain as to whose eyes she was looking out of in any given paragraph.
Item B4) Infodumping! About things that aren't important! Like when the song "Danny Boy" was written and how big Mammoth Cave is!
Item B5) Passive voice. Constantly.
Item C) The plot of Quag Keep felt like a D&D adventure run by a really good, inventive gamemaster. The plot of Return to Quag Keep felt like a D&D adventure run by a lame gamemaster who can't think past all the cliches she's steeped herself in. And no, it wasn't parody. Let's see: Characters get drunk and start a fight in a tavern, end up working as guards in a caravan (no, seriously--that's like Cliche #1 in the Big Book of Cliches), get attacked by skeletons, get attacked by brigands--and it just keeps going on and on and on, without getting any better. And don't forget the deus ex machina teleport spell!
Item D) The character I liked best in Quag Keep was the lizardman, Gulth. I even had a stuffed animal alligator I named Gulth who sat on top of my jewelry box to guard it (look, I told you I was in middle school when I read the book). Gulth appeared in chapter one of Return to Quag Keep, long enough to tell the others that he was dying and was going to travel somewhere to try and find help. Then he disappears from the book entirely until literally the last three pages.
Items E-ZZZ) The issues clumsily raised over the course of the book ARE NOT RESOLVED AT ALL. The ending SUCKS. There is NO CLOSURE. I HATE THIS BOOK.
In short, everything about this book is gratingly bad. That it was released in hardback by a major publisher is simply appalling. It's an insult to Andre Norton's career, an insult to people who enjoyed Quag Keep, and--worst of all--it's an insult by Tor Books to their readers, since the implication is that Tor assumes that their readers will buy anything with Andre Norton's name on the cover, regardless of quality.
I hope no one paid $24.95 plus tax for this book. Because it is the worst book I have ever read and ever will read.
Here's why:
Item A) I read Quag Keep by Andre Norton (published in the late 1970s) when I was in middle school, which was just the right age to appreciate Andre Norton. I've reread Quag Keep many times--it's sort of a guilty pleasure now. It would be hard to match that sort of personal cult classic feel in any case, even by Andre Norton at the top of her game.
Item B) This book is badly written. It is badly written. It is BADLY WRITTEN. And not, I suspect, by Andre Norton. It doesn't feel like Norton's writing at all--and I believe Norton died right about the time this book was published, so I suspect she wasn't physically capable of writing and that in her collaboration with Jean Rabe she was probably as more of an idea person. I could be wrong, of course: Norton was an uneven writer, sometimes brilliant and sometimes not very good. But lordie, she was never this bad. I blame Rabe completely.
Item B1) The characters are virtually interchangeable. They all speak alike, act alike, react alike, and are all Too Stupid To Live.
Item B2) The characters are nothing like the original characters in Quag Keep.
Item B3) The writing is so clumsy, stilted, awkward, and amateurish it's actually painful to read. And the headhopping is so out of control that sometimes even the author seemed uncertain as to whose eyes she was looking out of in any given paragraph.
Item B4) Infodumping! About things that aren't important! Like when the song "Danny Boy" was written and how big Mammoth Cave is!
Item B5) Passive voice. Constantly.
Item C) The plot of Quag Keep felt like a D&D adventure run by a really good, inventive gamemaster. The plot of Return to Quag Keep felt like a D&D adventure run by a lame gamemaster who can't think past all the cliches she's steeped herself in. And no, it wasn't parody. Let's see: Characters get drunk and start a fight in a tavern, end up working as guards in a caravan (no, seriously--that's like Cliche #1 in the Big Book of Cliches), get attacked by skeletons, get attacked by brigands--and it just keeps going on and on and on, without getting any better. And don't forget the deus ex machina teleport spell!
Item D) The character I liked best in Quag Keep was the lizardman, Gulth. I even had a stuffed animal alligator I named Gulth who sat on top of my jewelry box to guard it (look, I told you I was in middle school when I read the book). Gulth appeared in chapter one of Return to Quag Keep, long enough to tell the others that he was dying and was going to travel somewhere to try and find help. Then he disappears from the book entirely until literally the last three pages.
Items E-ZZZ) The issues clumsily raised over the course of the book ARE NOT RESOLVED AT ALL. The ending SUCKS. There is NO CLOSURE. I HATE THIS BOOK.
In short, everything about this book is gratingly bad. That it was released in hardback by a major publisher is simply appalling. It's an insult to Andre Norton's career, an insult to people who enjoyed Quag Keep, and--worst of all--it's an insult by Tor Books to their readers, since the implication is that Tor assumes that their readers will buy anything with Andre Norton's name on the cover, regardless of quality.
Friday, March 27, 2009
Point Counterpoint
After yesterday, I was very grouchy today and spent all my free time reading "D" reviews over at Dear Author. That cheered me right up. I also got some work done on Little Sparrow at lunch, which made me even happier.
When I first started Little Sparrow a few weeks ago, it was going to be told from Hildy's* point of view. Then I realized I needed to explain certain things in a way that only made sense from Sparrow's point of view, so I decided to swap out POV characters from section to section. Then I stopped and did a rethink of the plot, and while I was working on it I got so into Sparrow's POV that I considered dropping Hildy as a POV character entirely. But now that I've started back in writing, I think telling the story from both points of view is absolutely necessary and--I'll admit it--a lot of fun.
*Yes, I can't leave the awful name of Hilda alone. At least Hildy sounds a lot cuter than Hilda, and I may change the name anyway. She just seems like a Hildy, what can I say?
When I first started Little Sparrow a few weeks ago, it was going to be told from Hildy's* point of view. Then I realized I needed to explain certain things in a way that only made sense from Sparrow's point of view, so I decided to swap out POV characters from section to section. Then I stopped and did a rethink of the plot, and while I was working on it I got so into Sparrow's POV that I considered dropping Hildy as a POV character entirely. But now that I've started back in writing, I think telling the story from both points of view is absolutely necessary and--I'll admit it--a lot of fun.
*Yes, I can't leave the awful name of Hilda alone. At least Hildy sounds a lot cuter than Hilda, and I may change the name anyway. She just seems like a Hildy, what can I say?
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
of two minds
I finished the stupid, awful, horrible, stinking time travel story at last. It's almost 8,000 words long, which will give you an idea of how out of control it got. It just flopped all over the place, and now I have to cut some three thousand words and tighten the story up and basically make it stop stinking.
But I'll do that tomorrow. Tonight I'm indulging myself by working on my new project. I haven't started writing it, but I expect to get at least a few thousand words in tonight. I know what I want to do with the first chapter.
I was thinking about that first chapter and realized, with a great jolt, that I may end up telling the story from two alternating points of view. I am slightly aghast at myself. Then again, such a thing seems to be more and more common lately, and it will free me up to let the two main characters get separated during parts of the plot. It's just that I'm so vocal in my dislike of writers who switch viewpoints during a book! No one will take my ranting seriously anymore now.
But I'll do that tomorrow. Tonight I'm indulging myself by working on my new project. I haven't started writing it, but I expect to get at least a few thousand words in tonight. I know what I want to do with the first chapter.
I was thinking about that first chapter and realized, with a great jolt, that I may end up telling the story from two alternating points of view. I am slightly aghast at myself. Then again, such a thing seems to be more and more common lately, and it will free me up to let the two main characters get separated during parts of the plot. It's just that I'm so vocal in my dislike of writers who switch viewpoints during a book! No one will take my ranting seriously anymore now.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
STOP THAT! No more characters!
Because I don't have enough to read already, I picked up Patrice Sarath's Gordath Wood today at B&N. It has horses in it.
The viewpoint character started out as Lynn. Then a few pages in, it switched to some guy named Crae. Then at the beginning of Chapter 2, Joe became the viewpoint character. Then it was Kate. Now, on page 30, it's a new guy named Colar.
Enough already! The book is in the pile now to go to the used book store. Am I the only person who gets flat out furious when an author keeps switching between tight-third points of view? Two characters I can handle. Three, maybe. More than three and I stop reading. If you need more than three viewpoint characters to tell your story, A) it's probably an epic fantasy, and B) you should be writing in omniscient.
By giving me-the-reader five fricking viewpoint characters in thirty pages, Sarath has asked me to throw in my lot with five people who may or may not be important ultimately, and who aren't given enough page time for me to get to like and trust. Plus I don't know how many more viewpoint characters will pop up in the next thirty pages. I see why she's doing it--she's giving the reader the story in broken pieces of mirror, which when all put together will reveal the plot. But I don't care about the plot, I want to know about the character. One character, not five.
The viewpoint character started out as Lynn. Then a few pages in, it switched to some guy named Crae. Then at the beginning of Chapter 2, Joe became the viewpoint character. Then it was Kate. Now, on page 30, it's a new guy named Colar.
Enough already! The book is in the pile now to go to the used book store. Am I the only person who gets flat out furious when an author keeps switching between tight-third points of view? Two characters I can handle. Three, maybe. More than three and I stop reading. If you need more than three viewpoint characters to tell your story, A) it's probably an epic fantasy, and B) you should be writing in omniscient.
By giving me-the-reader five fricking viewpoint characters in thirty pages, Sarath has asked me to throw in my lot with five people who may or may not be important ultimately, and who aren't given enough page time for me to get to like and trust. Plus I don't know how many more viewpoint characters will pop up in the next thirty pages. I see why she's doing it--she's giving the reader the story in broken pieces of mirror, which when all put together will reveal the plot. But I don't care about the plot, I want to know about the character. One character, not five.
Thursday, November 6, 2008
picky picky
I went back to the eye doctor and got my contacts today! And then I came home and immediately put on makeup, because now I can see my face. It looks all naked and vulnerable without glasses. And I have those pale circles around my eyes that glasses-wearers often get in the summer.
I bought a paperback in celebration, Fairie Wars by Herbie Brennan. I couldn't find anything else that looked even remotely interesting in B&N. Last week I bought Summon the Keeper by Tanya Huff and took it with me to read in the eye doctor's waiting room, and it was a real disappointment. She kept changing POVs for one thing, initially breaking to new sections to do so, but then she just gave up and wobbled back and forth from paragraph to paragraph. That's not omnicient, that's sloppy. For another thing, the supposedly 27-year-old main character acted and spoke like a 40-year-old. That made it vaguely creepy(er) that she was all about the other main character, a 19-year-old kid. Cradle robber much? Not to mention that the pace seemed really slow and I didn't actually like the characters, and the talking cat did not actually act much like a cat. Cats don't frown.
I know, I'm horribly picky. While I was browsing the shelves, I kept adding to a mental list of what I don't want to read:
too much hard SF, or indeed much SF at all
epic fantasy
most urban fantasy
retold fairy tales
retold myths
anything about Roman times
anything about King Arthur
anything about Robin Hood
anything Celtic
[because look, those themes have been mined WAY too much]
anything based on a game or a movie
wolves or werewolves
vampires (mostly--I do make rare exceptions)
political machinations (see epic fantasy)
twee fairies (a la The Good Fairies of New York, which is pretty much unreadable)
evil fairies (sorry, E. Bear, I just can't get into it)
heavy-handed humor (i.e. most humor)
And I could go on and on. And on and on and on. It's a wonder I can ever find anything to read.
I bought a paperback in celebration, Fairie Wars by Herbie Brennan. I couldn't find anything else that looked even remotely interesting in B&N. Last week I bought Summon the Keeper by Tanya Huff and took it with me to read in the eye doctor's waiting room, and it was a real disappointment. She kept changing POVs for one thing, initially breaking to new sections to do so, but then she just gave up and wobbled back and forth from paragraph to paragraph. That's not omnicient, that's sloppy. For another thing, the supposedly 27-year-old main character acted and spoke like a 40-year-old. That made it vaguely creepy(er) that she was all about the other main character, a 19-year-old kid. Cradle robber much? Not to mention that the pace seemed really slow and I didn't actually like the characters, and the talking cat did not actually act much like a cat. Cats don't frown.
I know, I'm horribly picky. While I was browsing the shelves, I kept adding to a mental list of what I don't want to read:
too much hard SF, or indeed much SF at all
epic fantasy
most urban fantasy
retold fairy tales
retold myths
anything about Roman times
anything about King Arthur
anything about Robin Hood
anything Celtic
[because look, those themes have been mined WAY too much]
anything based on a game or a movie
wolves or werewolves
vampires (mostly--I do make rare exceptions)
political machinations (see epic fantasy)
twee fairies (a la The Good Fairies of New York, which is pretty much unreadable)
evil fairies (sorry, E. Bear, I just can't get into it)
heavy-handed humor (i.e. most humor)
And I could go on and on. And on and on and on. It's a wonder I can ever find anything to read.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)