So I read Micah

[mhalachai]

Like a dutiful fan, I went out and bought Micah on Feb. 28. After lots of consideration, I give it thumbs up. Unfortunately, before I read the book:
-My MP3 player broke;
-I got screamed at by an IR guy for a company;
-I hurt my ankle; and
-Other assorted trauma.

So, when I started to read the book, I was angry. I mean really angry. Guess what? I transferred that onto the book (which I finished in about an hour) and when I was done, I was angry at the book.

I just didn't know why.

So I nitpicked. The sex scene didn't seem to have a point. The mystery was rushed. Anita should have asked more questions, damn it. What happened with Nathaniel at the end was mean to Nathaniel.

Of course, these things weren't the problem. The problem is that since Incubus Dreams came out, I've been getting too far into my fanfic, into writing Anita Blake, so when actual canon comes out and she's not the way I see her in my head, I get snarky. (There's a bit in here that contradicts something I'm doing in Switchback, but whatever. My alternate reality fanfic, my rules).

So what was really bothering me? What was annoying me so about Anita in Micah?

She's scared to trust herself.

Suddenly, everything about Micah made sense, along with those little things in ID that bothered me about Anita's reactions at the crime scenes. She's afraid to fully develop her abilities; to love (and accept) anyone; to accept what she is. As much as she tries to push it away, she's still burdened with what she learned as a child:

You're not as good as everybody else.
People will leave you.
Careful, or you'll become evil, a monster.
Sex is bad, and if you like it, so are you.

(I'll leave the correlations between Anita's continued baggage, and LKH's comments on her blog about the issues she had with her grandmother, who raised her after her mother died in a car crash, alone. That's not the point of this. Of course, there is no point.)

Yes, Anita has made progress. She’s accepted Nathaniel and Micah into her life, and Jean-Claude has had a place there for a long time. She's dealing with Richard. Asher.. I don't know what's going on with Asher. Whatever. Anyway, she's finally starting to accept her sexuality as not being sinful or wrong. She is starting to realize that the guys in her life really do want to be there, and won't be leaving any time soon.

She's not making as much progress with herself or her necromancy.

See, other people have boyfriends. Other people have sex. And some other people kill the bad guys. No one else is a necromancer. It doesn't help that Jean-Claude seems to be alternately loving the power and fearful. There is no one else Anita can talk to about this; no one to tell her that it's okay, and so she's falling back. Finally tying this into Micah: When she was in the graveyard with Micah, at the end to raise the zombie -- not knowing what being with a lycanthrope would do to her powers is stupid, and bordering on inexcusable. After what happened with Requiem/Richard in ID, she should have sucked it up and figured it out.

But what happens if she does? What if she can't find a limit on her powers? What does that mean to her? What will it mean when the Vampire Council finds out? When the police find out? What if everything she does, makes her a little bit more different; a little stranger, removed from the humanity to which she so desperately clings?

She needs to stop playing around, and I think on some level she knows this, or will figure it out soon. Her realizing that things were getting fucked up, in the grave yard, is a good indication of that.

Now, onto the book, which, when I calmed down, I really did like.

First off: Thank you to LKH for finally giving us a background on Micah! He has a family! He was attacked badly! Everything he did here, his reactions to Anita's attitude, the way he cracked when she kept pushing him, was brilliant and made him more real than anything else I've read about him. I don't think it's any secret that I was suspicious of Micah. Hell, I still am, but it's for different reasons. Seeing that yes, it is hard on him to be everything Anita needs, made me very happy.

Again, yay for zombie mystery! I miss that about the books. Anita should be out raising them zombies every night. But anyway, I loved the mystery, the way it was laid out. I want more. More more more. When LKH writes that stuff, I'm hooked. Can't put it down.

Lesse... my big revelation in this book was the Anita trust thing. Other than that.... Oh, I know. Anita's chip on her shoulder all the cops hating her because she's female. I'm 27, female, and I work with the old boys in the brokerage business. Guys are going to think what guys are going to think -- that's par for the course. But frankly, it's 2006. It's getting a little old.

On that topic, I want to point out Special Agent Fox's quote on this, after Anita whines about how she gave Det. Ramirez a hug after a horrible crime scene in New Mexico and everyone thinks she slept with him

FOX: Now that's not fair, Marshal. If I'd hugged Ramirez or let him hold my hand, there'd be rumors too.

I'm done like dinner.

I'll break down the Danse Macabre teaser at a later time.

Comments

[deathinapinkboa.livejournal.com]

I'm glad you liked the book. You're correct that is was very enlightening about Mr. Micah, that said, this one miffed me to no end. It was far to short, she had to double space it to fake that length, there for it was over far to soon. While it was better then Icubus Dreams, which was pure porn, Micah still didn't satisfy me as much as I'd like. The Dance Macabre teaser at the end however had my absolutly drooling. I'm really rather can't wait.

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

She said that it was short. It was nice, to have a short time-frame with a single mystery. I too am looking forward to DM, to have some sort of resolution to that question.

[(Anonymous)]

Yes, I suppose I was just agrivated because it was really a much better book the her last, and I really enjoyed it, and it's always rather sad to finish a good book.

The afore mentioned question does need resolution doesn't it. That was rather cruel of her.

[houses-on-fire.livejournal.com]

Excellent! Thanks for this. I have to wait for Lent to be over to Amazon this for myself, I gave up Amazon for Lent, but I'm glad it's worth the money.

[pokes, more High Noon is up]

[houses7177.livejournal.com]

I should also add that when I was listening to CDs of HP: HBP in the car the other day, I was pulled up short, thinking--but Ron is mad at Harry about the vampire parent thing.

Whoops.

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

Ha! This means I win!

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

Gave up Amazon for Lent? Now that's thinking outside the box. But all in the vein of the .... not holiday. Religious observance? You know what i mean.

Yes, get it! It's a good read. Short. You are done feeling as if you know Micah much better.

[sabriel-0405.livejournal.com]

You should go back and reread my commentary on the book now that you've read it. I actually don't think your Anita is all that different from Laurell's. But I can understand why it's hard to read canon and your fic. I'm pretty damn caught up in your fic too and it's playing havoc with my ability to remember what is real, such as it is.

Actually, the sex scene had a lot of purpose. It was Micah and Anita without the ardeur to spark it or implode it. When she's feeding the ardeur, the sex is the means to the end. Here, it was an end in and of itself. Yes, she fed, but that was secondary. While they have probably had non-ardeur sex, in fact we see post-ardeur sex in ID, this was different, deliberate and meant to be fun.

I think Anita is much more afraid now than she has ever been. The realization that she really doesn't need ritual to raise a zombie scares her. I was thinking the same thing you were about the scene in ID when I wrote my commentary. Then I went and reread it. She hadn't done a circle of protection when she raised Edward Herman Alonzo. And she assumed that that was why things went wrong. She used Graham's blood to put the zombie back.

I get where Anita is coming from with the male/female thing. Laurell is only a couple of years older than me and I know where she is coming from. Sure, there are plenty of women in traditionally male occupations, but they still aren't accepted by the older men. The younger men understand that the world has changed. Older men (and women) do not. Anita may be 27 but I think when Laurell was 27 and in the business world, it was all worse. (Probably rambled there, sorry.)

[catherinecookmn.livejournal.com]

Are you thinking that Anita was essentially hiding behind the ritual as a way of not confronting the moral/ethical issues involved in doing what she does?

Now, Anita was reared to be Christian -- a Catholic Christian, though she's now Episcopalian. In most versions of Christianity that I've seen, power, both natural and supernatural, is thought of as coming from God, not as originating from anyone or anything else. Even the Biblical prophets and Jesus' apostles, when they did miracles, were always careful to say that the power to do them came from God, not from themselves. (And God could take away those powers as readily as He granted them.) The whole point is to emphasize that humans are helpless without God. This is what pisses off a lot of folks about the original setup of Alcoholics Anonymous: It posits that unless you believe in a "Higher Power" outside of yourself, you are powerless to control your addiction, or in fact anything about yourself.

And that's why witches were/are seen as evil -- not just because they didn't call on a single, particular deity for help, but because they didn't try to claim that their powers always came from a source outside of themselves.

Anita's tried to be a believer, because that's literally part of what her job entails: Atheists make for poor zombie-wranglers. Or so she's been led to believe.

And now, she's just been shown that she, personally, doesn't need to hide behind a lot of what she was led to believe she needed to hide behind. Her power is hers and hers alone. Can she handle this fact?

[sabriel-0405.livejournal.com]

Actually, what I was getting it is that Anita didn't understand the extent of her own power. She was taught by Manny who needed the ritual or he couldn't raise the zombie. He needed the blood, the ointment, the salt. Since this is how he told her it was done, she never questioned it. She assumed that the dog and the professor were aberrations and were a result of untrained power. This last is true. It's like in KD when she's asked if she's ever raised a zombie during the day and she said it's not possible. Why? Because that's what she was told. She hasn't questioned a lot of things because there hasn't been a need to do so. Now there is a huge need.

This is not to negate anything you've had to say. Except that I think that Anita would still claim that her power comes from God. She's a true believer in God, it just isn't the straight Christian God anymore. It's simply a monotheistic deity (or is that an oxymoron?) But at the same time, she's responsible for enhancing it. If she had just stayed in her little corner, she never would have knows what she was capable of.

In large part, it goes back to the roses. Jean-Claude doesn't provide red roses for Micah and Nathaniel because they have no tie to him. They are Anita's and hers alone. His power may have helped kick that into high gear, but it doesn't change the fact that they are her. (I've probably just agreed with you in my own long winded sort of way!

[thekams.livejournal.com]

This was so nice to read, I'm buying the book tomorrow (if the local Coles has it...if not, I have to wait until Saturday when I can go to the large Chapters) But yes, I'm all excited for the book now, I've been insanely curious about Micah ever since he showed up!

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

Yes, buy it! It does answer questions about Micah, and there is alot of stuff on his psychology, if I can call it that. We learn about him, and also some things on why he is the way he is. He's no longer Anita's nodding Yes-man. He has reasons for being the way he is.

[thekams.livejournal.com]

Eeee...I'm so excited now, only two more hours till I can read it!! =D

[goddessvicky.livejournal.com]

I feel the same way about Micah. He screwed up her radar so much. It was like he got a free in because he was her Nimah-Raj. All the other guys had to work hard to get into her defenses, and he just kinda wormed his way into her life without knowing much about him. I was always "suspicious" of him, as you so eloquently put it, and I think this may have solved a bunch of those stomach flies.

All in all, good book. I can't wait to see the other novel-lites.

AND OH MY GOD I CAN'T WAIT FOR THE NEXT BOOK!

::coughs and calms her fan-girl self::

I dilgently await your examination of the teaser.

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

With Micah, he just never waited for her to say OK, like JC had to. He was just there, doing all she said. JC was never able to bend like that, mostly because Anita didn't have that connection of physicallity with him.

Now, you know, after reading the book, I'm deathly curious as to what JC really thinks of Micah.

[sabriel-0405.livejournal.com]

I think, despite the scene we saw in NiC and again in ID, I think he's very jealous of Micah. And quite frankly, vice versa. Richard is, truthfully, out of the picture. He's never going to want Anita on her terms. And I don't mean the ardeur, I mean the violence. That means that on the top tier, we have Jean-Claude in one corner and Micah on the other and they both do things for her that the other cannot. And vice versa. It's eggshell time.

[mlady-rebecca.livejournal.com]

What happened with Nathaniel at the end was mean to Nathaniel.

How so? It sounded like Nathaniel was having fun flirting and teasing the nurses.

[practical-puss.livejournal.com]

I think he was, but the 'Marshals don't live with strippers.' thing must have gotten old real fast.

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

Exactly. Think of it: He moves in with Anita, is like her boyfriend. THings are going to change, right?

Wrong. He's still a stripper. Anita won't sleep with him. He's still submissive to everyone.

Then Anita sleeps with him, but Ronnie's in the background making snide comments about how useless he is.

Then he appeares in... wherever the book Micah was set, and Anita's all injured, and the nurses start making bets about who Anita's boyfriend is? The one person he loves in the world is unconcious, and he hears this?

Anyway, I'm rambling. I think everyone here knows how much I like Nathaniel.

[practical-puss.livejournal.com]

I've been having a recurring daydream of Nate just snapping at the people who keep treating him like a toy. Everybody really needs to stop doing that.
I think it would be interesting, and goodness knows he deserves it, poor thing.

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

When I read this, blearry-eyed at 5 am, I read "Nate snapping the people" which was, you know, kinda violent.

But man, I wish they'd cut Nate a break. Being just treated like a sex object isn't good for the self-confidence, in anyone of any gender.

[practical-puss.livejournal.com]

"When I read this, blearry-eyed at 5 am, I read "Nate snapping the people" which was, you know, kinda violent."

I actually intended to write that, but yeah; violent.

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

I think reading the teaser for DM after M coloured my thinking on Nate's reaction. As the commenter below said, it must be getting old to be the stripper boyfriend.

[mlady-rebecca.livejournal.com]

I can see where the preview chapters of DM could have colored your reaction. I guess I just got all caught up in the utter cuteness of Nathaniel pouncing on Anita like a big cat. He seemed completely happy and in the moment.

BTW, "Micah" was set in Philadelphia.

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

It was cute, really cute. Then I slipped right into the DM thing and it got a bit twisted (and yes, I've heard the file, where he and Ronnie go at it) Never say I'm logical XP

[amdsmrnitesdrm.livejournal.com]

So does LKH finally have a plot again?? Incubus Dreams drove me insane... it just felt like smut to me. I would be very excited to hear that she's getting back to storylines not revolving around sex. (OK.. so everything's involved sex since early on, but after NiC it seemed like that's ALL there was...)

Newayz, looking forward to an update from you for both Inevitable and Magnolia. *Nudge nugdge*

[(Anonymous)]

The strange thing is that Micha was relased for sale in the begining of February here.... Dunno why though

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

The official release date was Feb. 28. Some places put them out early, like when they got the shippment. With most books, it doens't really matter; but with big releases (think Harry Potter) the actual release date is very importatnt to the publishing company. They can whip up excitment for the book in the media.

[denitta.livejournal.com]

Ah, I was just telling my sister last night about the brevity of Micah. I think one of your chapters of Inevitable could have been longer. But I did like it. The stuff at the cemetery was weird and the background on Micah was most welcome, but for whatever reason, what stuck with me the most was Anita's interaction with the doctor.

She's carrying around 4 strains of lycanthropy? This was not mentioned before and I overlooked it, was it? I know Anita's abilities continue to amaze with a skill surpassed only by Princess Merry's cooter, but I wasn't expecting that their would be scientific evidence to back up some of the metaphysical stuff she's dealing with. Also, I wonder what the fourth strain is, snake perhaps?

[watcher457.livejournal.com]

I know Anita's abilities continue to amaze with a skill surpassed only by Princess Merry's cooter

*dies laughing*

[catherinecookmn.livejournal.com]

Gentle, non-ankle-hurting hug for Mhal!

Of course, these things weren't the problem. The problem is that since Incubus Dreams came out, I've been getting too far into my fanfic, into writing Anita Blake, so when actual canon comes out and she's not the way I see her in my head, I get snarky. (There's a bit in here that contradicts something I'm doing in Switchback, but whatever. My alternate reality fanfic, my rules).

Heh! Now you understand the effect of OoP on the Potter fanfic community.

See, up until then, JKR'd been cranking out books every year like clockwork. But then OoP got delayed... and delayed... and delayed... for three... long... years. Three years in which addicted fans started doing what addicted Sherlock Holmes fans started doing a century earlier when Conan Doyle was balking at writing more Sherlock Holmes stories: They started writing their own.

And just as a lot of Holmes fans believe that the quality of the SH stories fell off after Holmes was brought back from the dead, a lot of HP fans, who had spent far more time with their own and other people's fanfic than with the canon, think that Books Five and Six (and some would even include Four) are a big falling-off for the series.

And then there are others who accept both canon and fanfic, and are comfy with them both.

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

Heh! Now you understand the effect of OoP on the Potter fanfic community.


Now, let's not get carried away.

When I was reading Anita in Micah, I wasn't thinking she was OOC or anything, I was just wishing she'd stop being so damned in character. More growth as a character, damn it! But that's just me.

[catherinecookmn.livejournal.com]

When I was reading Anita in Micah, I wasn't thinking she was OOC or anything, I was just wishing she'd stop being so damned in character. More growth as a character, damn it! But that's just me.

And that's what pissed a lot of folks off about certain characters in JKR's universe. Sirius and Snape, to name two.

Let's start with Sirius: We see him in Book Three as a hotheaded guy who was somewhat chastened by life lessons learned both in Azkaban and on the run. Then in Book Four, he becomes Mister Kind and Wise Dispenser Of Wisdom (note how he tells the Scooby Gang Harry, Ron and Hermione that how you can judge a man by how he treats his inferiors, and notes that if Crouch Snr. had been a better dad, Crouch Jnr. might not have gone bad?). But then in Book Five, it's as if he never listened to his own advice: the same man who chastised Crouch Snr. for mistreating his house-elf, is himself now doing what? Mistreating his house-elf -- an act which, as Dumbledore points out in OoP, led to disastrous consequences for Sirius.

And then we have Snape. It's hard to imagine how someone can be both super-competent as a spy (whether for Dumbledore or Voldemort), with the amount of self-knowledge that would seem to require, and simultaneously so mentally fucked up as to mindlessly blame a dead man's son for things that the dead man did (and for which the dead man was truly sorry).

Ai-yi-yi!

[watcher457.livejournal.com]

you know, i've never thought about any of these, really. however, these reactions never bothered me about the characters, and here is why:

Sirius: in book three, he just broke out of Azkaban and was in a near mindless fury about how close Peter was to Harry, so he made a lot of rash decisions. not that he doesn't always, but once the severity of the situation and the limitations of being a fugitive truly caught up with him, he went into hiding and has time to do nothing but think. then his godson, whom he'd do anything for because he feels he owes him, writes him with a problem. he sits and thinks, and thinks, and thinks to give harry the best possible answer he can. it's his way of really, really trying. and it's quite probable that sirius really does feel that houseelves are treated poorly. then, he sees kreacher. he hasn't seen this elf since he was, what, sixteen? the elf is mad, and it's a strain on him to be there and locked up with kreacher, so he is tense.

Snape: i actually don't find snape's reactions to be the least bit difficult to comprehend. it is very, very common, actually, for people to be incredible capable, even gifted, at something, and yet, still be amazingly incapable of letting something go. what james and sirius did to snape was traumatic for a teenager, and snape spent a lot of time being angry about it. keep in mind, also, that while a lot of snape despising harry might be because of james, it also may be partially a defense mechanism. after all, a loyal death eater would hate potter, wouldn't he?

getting back to micah: i was going to wait to purchase the book, but now i don't think i'm going to. if it's a mystery reminiscent of her earlier books... yay!!!

[catherinecookmn.livejournal.com]

You make a lot of good points RE: Sirius and Snape, ones that have been made before. In fact, a lot of the behavior of both gents can be seen to be perfectly in character. But that doesn't keep folks from getting angry at JKR for how she writes them. ;-)

[watcher457.livejournal.com]

that is very, very true. that will happen in any series. poor authors. you can only please so many fans.

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

Now that's just not true. I can please everyone. All it takes is this shiny baseball bat :P

[watcher457.livejournal.com]

and it only took you a few days to come up with that reply. go, mhal!! hehe.