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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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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.
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And I must say, consistency is one of your major strengths in what you write. Inevitable is huge, (in length) but each chapter builds up to the next and we are never left guessing "what the hell"? we can just enjoy the ride for what it is.
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Heck, you and me both. I have a ficathon entry to get out in the next few days, then I can get back to IN! And, well, get over my Anita angst.
I'll have to dig that song up, thanks for the idea :)
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I will just be sitting her waiting, patiently, for IN 70. Waiting is good for you. It is a character building experience. It is......
Who AM I kidding. I am dying, dying to see where you go next.
O.k. now back to the waiting patiently.........................:)
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consistency is one of your major strengths in what you write
Thank you. In Inevitable, I'm trying very hard to lay the plot clues, then 30 chapters later pick it up again. My goal is to have people go WTF I remember that! and I think I'll pull it off. I like the intricacy, and it might not surprise you to hear that my main original ongoing work is a mystery :D
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But one of my favorite mystery authors has to be Nagaio Marsh. Read any of her stuff? Sometimes they can start out a bit slow, because she is all into setting the plot, but she weaves a tale like you do. Plus, her inspector is so smart, and has a smart, artist wife to boot. Ahh, the joy of reading a great mystery. Doesn't get much better than that, does it?