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Author
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Comment
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Munin
Registered User
(10/21/02 5:07:13 pm)
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Laurel K Hamilton chat on Sci Fi
At 9pm est Oct. 22 the author will be doing a chat at the following link.
www.scifi.com/chat
Just thought some people here may be interested.Sorry to be off topic. =)
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Majicou
Registered User
(10/22/02 9:02:06 am)
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...
A shame the last book in the Anita Blake series was so.. degenerate.
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Helen
Registered User
(10/22/02 10:51:07 am)
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Farie books ...
The Merry Gentry books are even worse ... and I had such high hopes for them, too. Her basic premise has a great deal of potential, but, as in the Anita Blake books, she seems to keep going off on romantic/sexual tangents. Are the particular proclivities of otherworldly creatures interesting? Well, yes, I suppose so, but she's not publishing books on the mating habits of the Sidhe, vampires, or were-creatures. She's (supposedly) publishing works based on the exploits of characters who are quite interesting in their own rights, set in an utterly fascinating universe which could definitely stand a bit of exploration. No wonder her publishing company is simply reprinting everything ... it's the last of the good material. Perhaps the next one will be a return to the days of yore? One can hope. There are actually some very interesting parallels between the degeneration of Hamilton's work and the downward spiral that was last season's Buffy. Do you suppose that there's something in the source material that simply appeals to the baser instincts?
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JaNell
Registered User
(10/22/02 11:13:13 am)
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The Body Parts Books
<laugh>
My friend Ziggy calls the Merry Gentry series "the body parts books" because of the cover art...
But I have to confess that I got hooked on that series after I picked one up at the freebie table at WorldHorror.
Fairies! Hot Sex! Fashion!
Wonderful stuff; my husband even reads it now. Fantasy that I can relate to...
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BlackHolly
Registered User
(10/22/02 12:08:18 pm)
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faery sex, etc.
My mother has been pimping the Merry Gentry books to me. I've only read the first one but I had very mixed feelings about it.
What I really liked: It was set in a modern Unseelie Court that was quite nasty. I'm all about that. Hamilton also allowed her faery races to interbreed, which is brilliant. Why shouldn't they? Why shouldn't their ethnicity be as confused as ours?
What I really disliked: Every male in the book wanted to sleep with Merry and all the women were jealous of her. It started to grate on my nerves.
Of faery detective books, I rather preferred Melisa Michaels' Cold Iron.
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Maria
Unregistered User
(10/22/02 12:39:20 pm)
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1st Gentry book
I was highly disappointed with the first Gentry book, as there are several scenes that could be right out of Emma Bull's War for the Oaks. I also found so much sex distracting from any storyline! But the Anita Blake novels are a lot of fun.
Maria
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MarkS
Unregistered User
(10/23/02 5:51:09 pm)
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I couldn't disagree more.
The first Merry Gentry book was great. It was also innovative and Byzantine - much better than the stale Buffy snoozefest so popular these days. Hamilton comes up with a lot more interesting ideas than most writers in the dark horror genre these days. I've only read the first two Anita Blake books, and I think they are terrific as well. Sorry I missed the interview.
I understand we are living in neo-Victorian times, but I'm not a prude about eroticism in fiction. I will admit that when something starts resembling a porno novel more than fiction it can wear thin after a while. I think Hamilton's stuff borders this territory, but after all, she is writing for a particular audience, and her books are very popular. Not having read the later Blake books, I don't know how overboard this gets. As long as her characters and ideas stay good, I will keep reading.
Poppy Brite, as far as I'm concerned, writes porno novels. On top of it, it is gay porno, which is fine for those who enjoy such things, but not I. And yet she is heralded as "brilliantly cutting edge." I'd rather read Hamilton any day.
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Helen
Registered User
(10/23/02 8:12:19 pm)
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Which Brite books?
Just out of curiosity, which Brite books have you read? I admit to being less than fond of _Plastic Jesus_ and _Are You Loathsome Tonight_, but _Drawing Blood_ is still one of the better ghost stories that I've ever read - well plotted, possessed of highly original characters, and putting forth an accurate depiction of the scene in question. Even _Exquisite Corpse_ is well written (though I admit that, given the subject matter, in this case, her wonderfully descriptive style can be a bit much - empathizing with a monster is a very uncomfortable feeling).
I liked the first Merry Gentry book fairly well (though it got a bit repetitive towards the end), but found the second one to be rather, ah, one-note. What I'd always loved about Blake was her ability to bring her universe to glowing life ... and here, the universe seemed to end at the bedroom door. This isn't an objection to the sex; it's just that, well, shouldn't the plot come first?
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