An Anita Blake Danse Macabre retrospective

[mhalachai]

The Anita Blake Danse Macabre retrospective - Thanks and So Long to the Plot

I think by now, anyone who's been reading my LJ has noticed that I didn't like the latest installment in the Anita Blake series, Danse Macabre. After all, the book came out a few weeks ago and I haven't said anything about it. At first, I wasn't sure why I was so annoyed by DM. After all, I liked Cerulean Sins and Incubus Dreams, in spite of their numerous flaws. I couldn't figure out why halfway through the book I wanted to throw the thing across the room, burn all my AB fics and never read another word by LKH again.

ETA: I should add that I really, *really* wanted to like this book. Maybe that's why I'm so disappointed.

I've recently re-read the book and finally figured out the reasons why I disliked DM so very much.

1. No plot

I like stories (movies or books) that contain a whole story. There has to be some kind of movement for the overall story. If there isn't; if the book is one long space filler, I get annoyed at having spent $30.

Okay, yes, there was a plot. I just can't figure out what it was. Was it the baby? Was it Auggie? Was it Richard proving that he can sink to further depths of dick-dom? Nothing had a resolution, not even the baby thing. The entire book had a long set-up and no resolution. Instead of making me want to read the next book, I experienced the opposite effect. You can throw whatever you want at me in fiction, but if there's no story, I'm not buying. And next time LKH puts a book out, I can't say I'm at all interested in reading. She lost me as a reader and if her recent trend continues, I'm not interested in going back.

2. Anita the slut

I'm sure there's a reason that LKH is making Anita into a slut in the eyes of law enforcement and even her own body guards. I just can't figure out what purpose it's serving. It can't be "sexual choices are one's own" and female empowerment (ignoring the issues of making a formerly chaste strong woman have to have sex with strangers to survive, which bothers me the more I think about it). At least twice in this book, the bodyguards were ogling Anita and she basically said that she'd passed into a piece of tail in their eyes. Why do this to your main character? Why reduce a formerly strong woman into the stereotype held by misogynists that all women are weakened by sex?

3. The Mary Sue syndrome

I am loath to bring this phrase into it, but it's time. Let's review Anita's growing Mary Sue-ness:

-Super powers growing exponentially for no reason? Check.
-She's the most beautiful girl in the land? Check. In earlier books, Anita was pretty, but not beautiful. Now, as either Sampson or Auggie said, when Anita was busy with Mrs. Mermaid, all the men in the room were looking at Anita as the epitome of desirability.
-All the men want to do her? Check.
-All the women hate her because she's so perfect? Check. This can also be titled "The character assassination of Ronnie Sims", and include Meng Die and Belle Morte in this little 'Anita Hate" club, previously populated by Tammy Arnet.
-Nothing can stand in her way: Check.

Incidentally, I took the Mary-Sue Litmus Test for Anita. She's at a whopping 92 and counting, folks. The test only goes up to 100.

4. Chapter 30

The first time I read this book, it was at chapter 30 that I actually slapped the book closed and walked away. It's the chapter in which Anita breaks down, tries to break away from the men, getting all cold and almost killing Damian and Nathaniel in the process. Sounds fine on paper, sure, but it's just the whiniest chapter ever, and negates all the character building Anita has done in the last few books where she accepted Nathaniel and to an extent Damian as part of her life.

And the worst part is, for all she almost kills Nathaniel and Damian in chapter 30, they’re all fine and dandy by chapter 33, and it's an excuse for Anita to have sex with yet another stranger.

5. Asher

My problem with Asher isn't Asher per say, it's how he was used to bring the book to a jarring end. The scene at the end in Jean-Claude's office of the club felt like a lame cop-out to the end of the book. Instead of the party, with all the Masters and the highly intricate plot machinations this might have inspired, we have Anita+Asher=Near Death because neither one of them bothered to recall the last time they had wild sex, Anita also almost died.

At this point in the book, I no longer had any questions about Anita’s insanity, but now I'm starting to seriously wonder about Jean-Claude leaving those two alone.

6. Richard

Until this book, I was okay with Richard. But all my issues with him aside, what bothered me most about how Richard was used in this book was how he continuously diverted the story. Anita would get moving on something, then Richard derails her.

My problem here isn't with the character. It's with the writing. I've had characters run away with me. All authors do. But you pull back, delete six or seven pages, and take control of your story again.

7. Micah and Nathaniel

Ah, yes. The ardeur "gave" Micah and Nathaniel to Anita, and vice versa.

*sigh*

The fact that Anita was beginning to love again, beyond Jean-Claude, was the great character building moment of the last few books. Anita was loving, she had accepted people into her life... Oh wait. That was all the arduer seeking power sources for Anita, brainwashing not only Anita but the men?

Perfect. Thanks so much.

Here endeth the rant. I didn't like the book. Sure, I'll use various angle from it in my new AB/BtVS crossover (in which I attempt to deal with the baby issue for my own sanity) but the rest... well, writing pre-DM seems like a good idea now.

Feel free to debate the issue.

Comments

[az-anneliese.livejournal.com]

The fact that it wasn't a whole story was what ticked me off the most. If she would have just finished the darn thing maybe some of the crap that was irritating me while reading it would have been ironed out. Now I'm forced to read the next book (maybe, maybe not) to find out if things end up okay. And that's also debatable because she might screw things over for me even more and I'll just get more ticked. *sigh* I guess I'll just have to see if I want to bother when the next one comes out.

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

I hear ya. I'm a sucker for plot in all I read and watch. Mostly, because I love a good story. I need resolution. Even the promise of resolution will do it for me.

Yeah, we'll see.

[emeraldswan.livejournal.com]

Oh my.

I'm not buying it. That's it. I've seen one too many reviews like this. I'll just have to pretend that the series ended with ID or something, because I am *not* going to waste my money on that crap.

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

I could mail you my copy. I'm not using it.

But yeah. Email for you in your inbox :)

[deepfishy.livejournal.com]

At the risk of stating the obvious...you're back! And you brought fic and discussion!

I haven't read DM yet (and won't for quite a while - waiting for the paperback), but it sounds like most of its events will become apocrypha for you? Much like, say, Richie's death in Highlander or anything post-towerjump in Buffy have become for some fans? In other words: denial; a swell river in Egypt, and a neat place for a houseboat :).

I'm still holding out the hope that Edward will drag the next book back from the shark-jumping precipice, rather than getting chewed up a la Quint in Jaws.

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

Yup, I'm back and as oppinionated as ever.

Not apocrypha for me... I'm just annoyed. Also, there's really nothing to disregard in this book (except #7 above) because *nothing happened*. Well, Anita had sex several times. Since I don't write sex into my stories, it's all moot to me.

I'm still holding out the hope that Edward
I read something in LKH's blog that terrified me about Edward coming back. Do you read her blog? Try the July 31 entry.

[needlessnoodles.livejournal.com]

I don't think I could have said it any better myself. It kind-of reminds me of the last book in the Merry Gentry series (Stroke of Midnight) only worse.

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

SoM didn't really bother me, but that might be due to lowered expectations. I mean, I remember the old plots in AB land... like Circus of the Damned. Now there was some fiction.

Hrm. Maybe I should take out my anger on DM on Switchback.

[elle-blessing.livejournal.com]

I believe I agree with you on most of your gripes about the book. Especially number 1. That's kind of what I felt about the last Merry book too. A shitload of stuff was introduced to the table and absolutely nothing was resolved. Kind of like the latest Pirates of the Caribbean movie. The thing about both Laurell and the movie is that I'll definitely keep coming back for more, even though I was disappointed this time around. I love both and I can't help but hope that things look better.

♥

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

PotC was like the Empire Strikes Back: Even though we are left saying WTF, there was at least enough to tease you along to the next movie. In DM, I found that there was nothing left in a way I cared about.

But as an aside, best PotC2 quote ever: Undead Monkey!

[necromancer5.livejournal.com]

Wow. Was wondering what you would say once you finally said it. I couldn't agree with you more. I think a major part of the letdown was that the first three chapters that were posted on her site were not too bad. It had a great lead in for so many possibilities and then we were left to crash and burn in the flames of what is DM. By the time I got to the no baby part I felt way beyond cheated. After waiting forever to see how Anita would deal, with everything, to have such a cop out was a major letdown. So unsatisfying,frustrating, depressing because we all knew the possibilities the story could have held. Not to make excuses for her but someone was reading a review from someone who had gone to see her at a book signing. She had said that she has not read the last few books after she had written them. Also said that Auggie is a character that she has had on the back burner for some time and she has this whole history of him with Jean Claude written down in notes that were never used. Sounds like she needs to actually read her stuff after she has written it and she might see Anita as we do. The only saving story piece I got out of DM was the part about the mermaids. I think that could be kind of cool. Not the way she has to try to make him come into his own- but mermaids- I still think that might have some possibilities. And Ohhhhhh, please, please, get some of your angst out in Switchback. That would be toooooo great of a read :-)

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

The thing is, the first three chapters were a very different story from what ended up coming out.

As much as I didn't want Anita pregnant, I wanted her to at least deal with the idea that she could get pregnant by any of the many men she's sleeping with. They don't use condoms, and really, with all the strangers she's doing, you'd think the idea might spur her into... I don't know. Something. Anyway, that's partly why I started "Dawning Light", I had to make Anita deal with the issue of children and being responsible for someone who couldn't protect themselves (and maternal love and all that jazz too).

Sounds like she needs to actually read her stuff after she has written it and she might see Anita as we do.
I find that, as an author, I find new things and am reminded of interesting ideas every time I go back to read my stories. With Inevitable and its many chapters, I often have to step back and see what has come before to keep consistant.

And man, Switchback. I really want to write chapter 12 in the second part of Switchback (Switchback: The Killing Dance) in which I slam the ardeur and what it makes its people do in order to survive... mainly JC, and having Anita realize that maybe JC's really not as into casual sex as the ardeur forced him to be... but I digress. All things in their order.

[houses7177.livejournal.com]

Word.

You already saw my list of plusses and minuses, with many more minuses than plusses. I'm disappointed is too mild.

I don't mind the MG books, I have to say. The continuation nature of the story seems to fit better there, or at least I was expecting that level of quality. Dunno, let's see if she assassinates Merry next.

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I did. I was tempted to look for the good in this book, because there were a few tiny hints of the good; the reason I'm such an Anita Blake fangirl, but I was too tired and at the point I posted this, angry at myself for caring so much.

The MG books... well, they started off as sex and politics. So at least they're consistent. I dunno. I'm pretty turned off all LKH writing at the moment. We'll see how I'm doing once the next MG books comes out. (Although I'm still a huge fan of MG fanfic *hinthint*

[slythhearted.livejournal.com]

Points two and three sum up why I (and quite a few of my friends) stopped reading the series. My pet theory on a Mary Sue character is that it allows the reader insight into an authors pet fantasy of how they would like to be. When you put the AB and the MG books side by side (central female character, lusted after by everyone who spends a good portion of the day screwing large numbers of attractive men in a societal construct that removes the knee jerk 'slut' reaction of the readers) I am left with a feeling that I now know more about LKH's sexual fantasies than I ever wanted or needed to know.

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

I'm usually okay with Sue characters, as long as their sexual activities isn't part of it. Maybe I'm a prude. But really, things are so much more *interesting* when Anita's not having sex or talking about sex or worrying about sex.

*sigh* This is why I write my AB fic sans sex. I find it boring and distracting.

[faith1922.livejournal.com]

Well, here's a big fat AMEN to that. I think I had at least half a dozen times during reading when I just threw the book down and left the room because I was so frustrated.

I really can't tell you how much I agree with every single word you wrote and I had a similar rant attack a few weeks back. Gah!

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

Yeah, it's just some days, I wish I was in charge of the universe. Since I'm not, I'm reduced to whining about it on LJ. Oh well :)

And it's that I know LKH can write well. She got us all this far. I just wonder what the hell is going on now.

[deannawol.livejournal.com]

I have to admit that when I was reading it, I was sitting there wondering "Where's the plot?" With every page turn, I kept wondering if the plot would be on the next page or if there was a plot. It started off well. Mwa ha! There are lots of vamps coming into town... This should be good for a bit of fun. Wonder who'll try to kill her this time. As the book progressed, I dispaired about plot and settled without it.

The whole thing reads as a set up for something but whether I wanna read the something or not bother is the question. It spent the time putting theories out there and then dropping them. Richard turned into a complete waste of character.
ID: "I'll try to get over my issues!"
DM: "Angst! Angst! Slut! Angst!"

The whole thing smacked of 'I have a deadline and I have no idea what to do with my characters' syndrome, so she threw in some new characters and lots of sex as page filler. Fair enough, she set up increased power levels and introduced more knowledge about Mother of all Darkness. But there was no development, no reason to turn the pages, no reason to actually pick up the next book. For me, she has one more chance with this series but if there is nothing in the next book or she slips further into Mary Sue-ness then it's Bye Bye Ms. Blake!

But thinking about it, the same is happening with the Merri Gentry books. It started out with a bit of plot, a bit of porn but the mix has changed to "Ooops someone is trying to kill me. Queen likes me. Queen doesn't like me. Have sex. Racial comments from the peanut gallery. Someone is trying to kill me...." Right we get the message, Merri isn't the most loved in court - or maybe she is, depending on your definition - but you can't hang a complete storyline on that!

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

I hear ya on the lack of plot. And on Richard. He *devolved*, which was just annoying as all hell.

The MG haven't actually changed that much, IMO. You can say that the storyline is slow, but at least it started out that way. I don't mind it, meself.

[liz-ddraig.livejournal.com]

I've got to say I agree with all your points to some degree. Reading the book felt like treading water -there was no real structure to it, and i didn't feel I'd got anywhere when I got to the end.

And your point 7? I felt my heart sink when I got to that particular revelation. Whilst on reflection there was some logic in the ardeur seeking out powerful meals, the fact that it can also induce love (or whatever) felt like the straw that broke the camels back. Can this woman actually have an emotion for herself please? Her anger is written like a beast she can't control, and any strong emotion is tied to her multiple were-beasts. Lust and jealousy (and now love) is the ardeur. For God's sake, no wonder Anita is so screwed up.

I agree upto a point about the sex. Its degrading Anita. She's written as this woman consumed by the need to have loud, public sex with strangers. But to be fair, it was set up right at the beginning that the ardeur was a terrible thing when you first got it. LKH wrote that one of Jean-Claude's worries was that Anita not be degraded in the way he had when he first got the ardeur. So, I can see why, up to a point, its necessary to have the degrading sex.

But please. It would be so much more powerful if we didn't get a blow-by-blow account (excuse the pun) everytime. Less is so definitely more. And it would also be nice to get some resolution to this issue(i.e. PLOT!!!) soon. I'm not sure how to resolve that, but at least some of the characters acknowledging this is what's happening would be good. Except the thing is, I don't think this is how LKH sees/justifes it. *sigh*

I have some other thoughts, but I think I've ranted enough....

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

I was so man when I read the explaination about Micah and Nathaniel. I had spent most of NiC and ID thinking Anita was beginning to get her head on straight, realizing that love was to be cherished and to take what she had... but no, it's the equilvalent of metaphysical force, taking away the person's will.

I see your point about the ardeur, which is very similiar to my own opinion, but in my view, it's no longer being presented in that manner, as a negative thing.

It's all good re: rant. I'm sleepy and will sign off now, but good points on all things.

[spoonfuloftears.livejournal.com]

That about sums it up. You know, I kept reading and kept waiting for the plot and when I figured that there wasn't going to be one, I kind of wondered what on Gods green earth made her publish a book full of filler scenes. I'm one of those hoping that Edward will lift the next book, but the July blog was kind of scary. Right now he's more or less the only thing that will make me read the future book(s) I think. But yeah, disappointed is a good word. Character assassination indeed

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

I kind of wondered what on Gods green earth made her publish a book full of filler scenes.

Money? Maybe it was a real book before she cut so much stuff out.

And I really hope she can put Edward in without turning him into a pansy. Really, keep him tough and I'll read. Make him ardeur food and I'm leaving.

[lizey.livejournal.com]

I'm still holding out hope for Edward. And trying to think of people Anita has never had sex with who are not Edward, given the July 31 entry. Reading the entry, though, I don't think she is doing Edward/Anita. She always swore blind that they weren't getting together. I wouldn't be particularly shocked if she went back on that, but I think she'd talk about it differently.

I've been feeling the Sue syndrome coming on for a few books now. I think we had a major drop in book quality after 9 but I was still happy to read them. However, this is the first one with an absolutely laughable excuse for a plot. Also, I have no idea what she's doing with Anita the slut, but I think she needed to wrap up this ardeur plotline long ago.
Get Anita in some control. I don't care if she has sex five times a day, don't describe it all. Laurell made a comment about how the camera shouldn't go off for sex and not violence, but the camera always goes off for the boring shit that isn't relevant to the story. That's necessary for good writing. Sex doesn't usually fall into that category, but when it's five times a day, the reader neither needs nor wants to know.

This is already a ridiculously long comment, so I'm not even going to start on all of the Richard/Nathaniel/Micah/Jean-Claude/Asher/Damien angst other than to say I'm sick of it and it's going in frustrating circles.

[lizey.livejournal.com]

OK, I can't shut up.

One more thing about the ardeur - if she won't wrap it up, she can quit spending thousands of words on Anita having to have new partners and Anita angsting about being a slut. She could and should be giving us some resolution on those issues, then taking this thing somewhere new.

[(Anonymous)]

Oh my sweet sweet public library. I'm thinking about buying the first five books and retending that's all that was ever written.

On another note this review reaffirms my view on buying books. Read it before you try it. Go to the library, if they don't have it Inter-library-loan it and read to your hearts content or hatred, depending on the book. :)

Much love,
Me

P.S. Glad to have you back Mhalachai it felt like years.... Much Glomp-age.

[celsia.livejournal.com]

Read it before you try it. Go to the library, if they don't have it Inter-library-loan it and read to your hearts content or hatred, depending on the book. :)

And that's exactly what I'm doing with this book, and all her future ones. I don't trust her enough to pay for her books anymore. So, I'll be taking advantage of the local library's online reservation system. I've got this book reserved, and after all the reviews I've read, I'm glad I went ahead and did that.

[not-croaker.livejournal.com]

Indeed, I have to agree. DM was a deep disappointment.

I stopped buying the series with 'Cerulean Sins', when I realized that the sex scenes and discussion related to them were pretty much literally more than 50% of the word count.

[catherinecookmn.livejournal.com]

I had a feeling that DM had killed your fondness for writing AB fic. Ah, well -- your crossover stories depart from AB canon anyway, simply by being crossovers; why not go whole hog and refuse to acknowledge the existence of DM?

Is Hamilton under a contract she can't break? I have a feeling she got heartily bored of AB ages ago, so much so that she can't be bothered to try to keep things straight by going back to re-read her old books to check for story coherence.

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

Usually after new canon, I'm all about writing new fics. Not so in this case, and it's depressing.

Speaking of story coherence, JC's age changed three times in this book. It was a little grr-worthy.

[catherinecookmn.livejournal.com]

What's really irritating is that even as Hamilton turns Anita into a Mary Sue, she simultaneously makes it so that Anita loses status in the eyes of those around her and becomes yet another Piece Of Meat. (Of course, LKH would use this as a way to say "See?! She's NOT a Mary Sue! She's not perfect!")

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

she simultaneously makes it so that Anita loses status in the eyes of those around her and becomes yet another Piece Of Meat.

Maybe she's trying to make the reader sympathize with Anita? There has to be a reason for it all. I hope.

Anyway, I'm planning to ignore Anita's descent into slut-dom, as I desparately want Anita to be a respected member of the law enforcement community in St. Louis. That would be true female empowerment.

[shallanelprin.livejournal.com]

Well, you summed up my feelings on DM just beautifully. Completely agree - points one, three and seven annoying me the most. Weirdly, especially seven. I adore Micah and Nathaniel and this book treated them like crap.

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

I loathed #7. I too love Micah and Nathaniel, and the relationship they've developed with Anita. It's unconventional and real, and then all of a sudden it's nothing.

Grr, I say.

[cissasghost.livejournal.com]

Nothing had a resolution, not even the baby thing.

Okay, thank you for noticing that! HOW many times did she have unprotected sex in the course of this book? There's the very great possibility that the baby thing is more postponed than resolved. Also, the biology of this book annoyed me. To recap the various points that annoyed me:

a.) I sure as hell hope her doctor looked for an ectopic pregnancy, especially considering her very-recent near-shifting episode that involved the re-arrangement of her guts. This was not mentioned specific. This bugs me. No embryo in the uterus does not, unfortunately, necessarily equal no pregnancy.

b.) The false positive pregnancy test was a lame-o plot device to begin with. To fully understand the lameness of this, you must understand how the test works - it's looking for HCG (human chorionic gonadotrophin) - which will simply not be present in your body unless you're pregnant, period. It's produced by the embryo. No embryo = no HCG = no positive pregnancy test. The only possible way to get a false positive is if the test itself is faulty. What point this had in the story, I'm not sure, unless the point of the story was supposed to be "boy does it suck to be Anita, the random badness follows her".

c.) Anita testing positive for Mowgli's Syndrome actually makes some sense (and that, incidentally, was one of the few things I liked about this book) - she is, biochemically, a lycanthrope. Her lycanthropy doesn't fully express itself because of something to do with her bond to Jean-Claude (though I begin to wonder whether it would have, had she been infected with wolf first - his animal to call). Anita testing positive for Vlad's syndrome makes NO sense. She's not biochemically or physiologically dead. Let's keep our biology and our metaphysics straight here, y'know?

d.) So Auggie's bad mean lions were going to come in and take over the local pride and kill all the kids just like real lions would, as is apparently traditional in werelion politics.

. . um, except the part where lycanthropes can't carry a pregnancy to term, remember?

Well, maybe Joseph's wife did, she was pregnant as of NiC, five months and counting as I recall, with the full moon of that month having just come and gone, and if she threw herself into labor at the next change (~6.5 months along) the baby would have a semi-decent chance of survival. So, perhaps there's one kid who's a werelion. There may be other kids whose fathers are werelions, but I wasn't under the impression that lycanthropy was be inherited from the father. Which would mean whatever kids belong to the pride members . . would be mostly human unless they were intentionally infected which is illegal and if Anita knew about it she'd be having serious fits, and she wasn't, so I'm guessing that's not the case. So . .. huh?

(Also, I gotta ask, with the advent of Mowgli's Syndrome .. why can't wererats carry to term? Gestation for a rat is 21-23 days. Space between full moons is 28 days. If you time it right, no problems.)

At this point in the book, I no longer had any questions about Anita’s insanity, but now I'm starting to seriously wonder about Jean-Claude leaving those two alone.

Uh, yeah. Seriously. And as of the end of the book, as I recall, they're not allowed to be alone again.

. .. so what this books needs is for me to re-write it with Michael and Selene in it and Anita really being pregnant. *nod*

- Sonya

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

baby thing
I was actually referring more to the emotional issues, because Anita sure was quick to push that out of her mind, but yeah. Either her birth control works and she's not pregnant, or etopic pregnangy as you said.

Unless she's stpiud enough to stop taking her pills because of this.

c) I figure that she's got the same panwere thingy as Chimera, and the mysterious strain of lycanthopy is vampire lycanthropy, as she's been bitten very often by vampires. I think this because it's just insane enough to seem attractive to certain authors at this point.

d) How dare you point out plot inconsistancies from book to book!

Also, I think the doctor mentioned something about serious birth defects with Mowgli's syndrom, but I can't be sure.

. .. so what this books needs is for me to re-write it with Michael and Selene in it and Anita really being pregnant. *nod*

Exactly.

[askani.livejournal.com]

i love that the nearest library is online so you can order books online through the website from any library in the county.

i want to buy this book just because i have all the other ones and i want to read it [im not quite sure why from all the reviews ive read so far] but i want to read this terrible writing and see just how bad its gotten since the very first book.

and honestly, any author that writes two different series [or more]really NEEDS to go back and read all the books from the series they are writing, or at least 2 or 3 of the books that are the newest. otherwise its just going to be the same old crap and nothing really new.

i know that if im reading a fic and it hasnt been updated in a long while when a new part comes out ill go back and re-read the whole thing and pick up/remember new little tidbits i didnt notice the first time around that makes the new part that much better.

LKH just needs a few slaps upside the head to get her brain jump started once again so shell get off this sex kick. she has the merry series! isnt that enough sex for one person to write the same scenes over and over again [insert new names here and there]?

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

any author that writes two different series [or more]really NEEDS to go back and read all the books from the series they are writing, or at least 2 or 3 of the books that are the newest.

Hell, any author needs to be constantly re-reading. Otherwise you can contradict yourself so easily, even if it's a short piece.

I'm frankly bored of the sex. I want plot movement, damn it! I want zombies and guns and vampires, not more tab-A-into-slot-B.

[iamabee-buzz.livejournal.com]

I'm with you for every word you just said. I just get more and more disappointed with each book in the series...though I continute buying and reading for the sake of the little moments of pure adorability (like the Anita-Nathaniel-Jason cuteness near the end of DM). Personally I like it when books in a series can stand alone on their own value, but fit seamlessly into the series arc as well. It's as though LKH figures that her readers are hooked and we're not going to go away no matter what, so she doesn't bother to try for real plots anymore. I just roll my eyes everytime Anita's power goes up a notch because it's so pointless now.

And I'll just choose to ignore any and all information pertaining to #7 on your list, because it just about broke my heart.

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

I can't figure how there are all these little bits I like (The Jason and Nathaniel thing, things I crave and love, and then there's the plotting issues. Actually, I know what it is. It's a great writer who's just not paying attention to the story.

And I'll just choose to ignore any and all information pertaining to #7 on your list, because it just about broke my heart.

That's what I'm planning on doing as well. Or, rather, instead of Anita ignoring it, I may make an angsty thing where she wonders if she's unlovable. Because really, Anita angst (and then *solving* said angst) is kinda fun.

[moiraines-dream.livejournal.com]

Repeating everything everyone else has said previously seems rather pointless . . . argh! I think that book will the gaping hole in my collection. ID I could tolerate - what I've heard about DM makes me so . . . so . . . frustrated! Anyone up to rewriting the entire book? Use what few plot points were there, same metaphysical . . . issues, but . . . better character development? An actual plotline? Addressing some of the still unresolved issues and potential threats still left hanging from the other books? (Not the Olaf angle - that one has been overdone as a central plot point in fan fiction)

I think Inevitable made me forget just exactly where Anita was headed at the end of ID. Here I was, used to Mhal's living, breathing, metaphysically strong yet humanly flawed Anita . . . and now I'm hearing about how she's really working to less than a slutish cardboard cutout.

Oops. Mini rant. XD

[catherinecookmn.livejournal.com]

Oh, Mhal's not only a better writer than LKH, she's much more conscientious. And she's not obviously bored with her subject matter.

[catherinecookmn.livejournal.com]

Bottom line: There's no need to read any more LKH. The better fanficcers (like Mhal) have long since surpassed her, and she's spiraling into the ground.

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

but *why* is she doing that? Why isn't someone stepping in and telling her this stuff? I know she doesn't hear anything from her fans (except at signings) and Darla et al filter her fan mail, but it's insane.

*cries a single tear*

[page-r.livejournal.com]

This makes me so, so very sad. I love all the characters of AB so much, but LKH seems to have just become completely retarded.

I've actually been saying for a while that LKH has been regressing the characters ever since book 10, (Narcisuss in Chains). That book ends with Anita fairly happy and sleeping with almost everyone (who is important) and she kinda has a handle on things. Then in 11 and 12 suddenly Anita is COMPLETELY freaking out about stuff that she wasn't too bothered by in 10. I HATE the way LKH has turned Anita in Miss Slutzor and I really don't understand where the author thinks she's going with all of this!? I mean, is her master plan to say to the world that all women should sleep with as many people as they can or something? According to the way she's set up the anita character, Anita should surely be going insane by now - or just shutting up and dealing with her life, instead of having the SAME FUCKING ISSUES come up again and again!

It's all trust, right? Surely by now, Anita either trusts her men, or she doesn't, and if she doesn't then I don't think the character who is portrayed in the first - oh, 5-10 books, would stay with them. Has LKH's publishers just said to her, 'keep writing until people stop buying' so now the story and characters are completely irrelevant?

It all makes me feel kinda sick, to be honnest.

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

Anita either trusts her men, or she doesn't

Actually, I see it as either Anita trusts herself or she doesn't. And right now, she doesn't. I always write Anita from this angle, moreso after the advent of the ardeur. Either she trusts herself and her growing power and her ability to love and be loved... or she doesn't.

I wish I knew what was going on, really. It doesn't make much logical sense.

[watcher457.livejournal.com]

you know what i think saddens me the most is the bit with richard. the plot was annoying and, like i mentioned before, i was left feeling like asher's revelation at the end was the only important thing, but my biggest bit was Richard. He annoys me so much in the series because he won't grow up and see what he's doing. Finally, it seemed like he was going to act mature, but Laruell didn't want him in the way of the lovefest, and so threw in the same old fights from before, almost verbatum, and destroyed what little chance he had at character growth.

I had an insight, just now. There is a point, after Anita has fed on Jason and Nathaniel at the end and they are all back in the ballet, that Anita realizes that she had removed J&N from witnessing something that is their passion. She has literally stolen a very precious moment from them. Instead of this realization solidifying her resolve to get everything under control, she tosses it aside and ignores it.

Anita, honey, that's a 911 call in to tell you that you're FUCKED UP!!!

[lunalovegoddess.livejournal.com]

Thank you!
I was very upset that Anita would do that to Jason and Nathaniel. In fact, in my current companion piece Danse Macabre: Pas De Deux, I'm writing a conversation between the pair about how fucked up things have gotten and how basically Anita needs therapy in general. Nathaniel vows to drag her to therapy if it kills everyone on her metaphysical shit list... He's feeling confident enough to give it to her both barrels. Also, Jason has a little surprise in store for her on the wicked stepmother front.