| Good writers gone bad |
[Apr. 3rd, 2007|05:53 pm] |
Blame it on finding a new favorite author's LJ or whatever. Now, I'm thinking more about the quality of writing as I contemplate getting started again. It may be both a delaying factor and an intellectualizing.
Thinks too much--that's my American Indian name for the day.
I've been badly burned by two fantasy authors. The first was Mercedes Lackey. While I loved all of the Diana Tregarde novels and solemnly still wish for more, I started finding myself dissastisfied with the Valdemar. Seems like too many of her point of view characters had been raped in the early novels and too much time was spent on the scenes themselves. I think there's a thin line between telling the story and the author reveling in human agony. It's hard to know when literature stops being about the tale and starts to be harmful psychologically. Vanyel's rape was almost too much for me--I think I really only needed an overview, not so much of the 5 senses there. What finally stopped me reading was the "Storm" novels. There was a lot of 'in the head' stuff and the conclusion happened so quickly, I'd almost miss it if I got bored and started 'skipping.' Sadly, I turned in three unread hardcovers by the time I realized I just didn't want to read another Lackey book.
The second was Laurell K. Hamilton. I read the first five Anita books in one sitting. I remember liking Anita and respecting her basic values. She didn't sleep with vampires, she killed them. She also didn't sleep around, because she was afraid she'd be 'easy.' First, she partnered with Richard, then Jean-Claude, which I felt was a fundamental character change not-for-the-better--I only read "Obsidian Butterfly" because I wanted to know about Edward, but by then--nothing was sacred, she even described in detail the rape of a child. Flame me if you like, LKH fans, but if you read that anywhere else but from your favorite author, you'd think the scenes were sick and disgusting. Last book I read the synop of, Anita was pregnant, and it could be one of SIX fathers. Says 'ho' to me in any language. Pity, she was admirable at first.
Now, I don't get more than one book ahead in a series. I don't want to end up stuck with something I don't want to read. |
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