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An Anita Blake Danse Macabre retrospective
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.
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.
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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
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It's the only way for me to still love the series, honestly. I've been writing an alternate version of events (what few there are) in DM as catharsis. (I'll try to post it soon.)
Before the book was released, I had kept a file stating what the possible outcome of the pregnancy situation could be... I was betting that if she wasn't pregnant, it was because Anita was going through some sort of metaphysical menopause. I'd like to see her actually get pregnant and be forced to think about someone else first for a change...
Oh, and Ronnie? Bitch leaves and there is no further confrontation with her throughout the whole book. That bugged me. I'd be ripping her a new one. I don't like her, but I think she has more potential than this.
Nathaniel and Micah? Ripped my heart out. I couldn't fathom why she would cop out and blame it on the ardeur instead of challenging herself to write about love. I could handle things progressing a certain way because I figured, she loves them both. I celebrated Nathaniel's digs at Richard about marking his territory.
By small increments, I loved the book. As I whole, I truly hated it. There were a few excellent examples of good writing mixed in there, but most of it seemed pointless. I've never wanted to cheer for the "bad guys" more. If vamps killed necromancers on sight back in the day, I think they might have been on to something... The only plot I could see is that Anita has become a monster and Edward will have to kill her. Because he is her only real friend...
I would love to see what he would think about all of this ardeur shit.
I'm off to read the blog for July 31st. Wish me luck.
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if the werelion's wife is supposed to have been having a baby, then What about Narcissus? He was pregnant at the end of NIC... nearly six months of storyline has passed...
So many loose ends, Laurell...
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(Anonymous) 2006-08-03 07:18 am (UTC)(link)I noticed that too! Probably because it was right at the end of the book, and you didn't have too much else happening to distract you from it. That line, and the fact that LKH has suddenly decreed that the ardeur can manipulate people/emotions/whatever the hell it wants, plus the brief mention of Anita's disappointment at finding out she's not pregnant have given me the idea for a fic. I haven't written in this fandom before, and the idea is still the ghost of a plot bunny and needs substance, but it's there.
General premise would be that the ardeur takes Asher's and Anita's subconscious wants for a baby and gives them what they ask for. I don't know when I might start it, since we have a while until the next AB book comes out, plus I've also got a non DM compliant HP/AB:VH crossover in the works (first chap written, rest still in planning stages).
Blackbirdie
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That's why there's fanfic. But yeah, I would have loved to see the old bad guys come back, or see Where They Are Now.
Olaf
I'm guilty of that as well... but it's just such a huge plot thread that it's hard to pass up.
Rants are okay. They help us deal with things that dissapoint us so very much.