Anita Blake poll!

[mhalachai]

In honour of Friday, an Anita Blake poll. Seriously, now, which book do you like? Dislike? Why? Discussion is key!




[Poll #555564]

Comments

poll discussion

[(Anonymous)]

First I am Anonymous from a few days ago.
I don't have a live journal or any wonderful little pictures. :(
but i sometimes just can't help but respond on this forum.

I find the poll answers interesting.
I didn't read the AB books in order. In fact I read Cerulean Sins first then Guilty Pleasures. I found the early books more simplistic. The author has grown as a writer and the later books are more complex. There is a lot more sex, but a lot of it is metaphysical as well as physical. It MEANs more.
How unique: sex as responsibility!

Could this be what bothers people?

Anita has made things extremely hard on herself by not asking the right questions. I found it frustrating in the early books that she wouldn't ask JC about the marks or in later ones the audeur. She knew what she knew and wouldn't ask for help because she was right damn it! Well she was wrong in many ways and hurt others because she didn't ask for help understanding the situation she had gotten herself into. Some of that of course is what furthers the story, but some of the information was held to close to JC's beautiful chest.

Obsidian Butterfly was my least favorite book. The humanizing of Edward was just strange. While there was more mystery there were some really odd things too. The creature that the little man made out of assorted body parts and souls was too weird. Lunatic Cafe was my second least favorite. Richard and the rest of the pack power plays left me angry. I was ever so glad when the fur flew and a few characters died.

Narcissus in Chains ranks up there as one of the best. This book was where LKH took off in directions that are causing these discussions now.
As always I wanted to cuff Richard about the ears. He is such a mess.
The rest of the characters however were wonderful. LKH gave us so many new people to play with and the ardeur to try to understand. There was a lot that would cause people to be upset though, torture, S&M, Sex, more sex, more torture, the ardeur, lots of talk about abuse, homosexual, bisexual and more than 2 in a bed at once. Geewhiz, this book was full to the brim.
Good things happened in this book too. It set Anita up for learning to trust a few people. It gave her responsibility for more than just herself.
She is starting to understand that Love is Big and it expands and that sex isn't bad or naughty if you are of age and it is consentual.

2nd favorite is Incubus Dreams. Micah and JC and the idea of unconditional love. Damian and Nathanial and the realization that Nathanial is someone to love not just a responsibility. Or perhaps that the responsibility is to love him unconditionally too. Jason was unexpected in this book. Who knew he had a brain in that beautiful body?
A friend. Jason actually replaces some of the women friends she has lost, that he can help with the ardeur if needed is a bonus. Of course we do have Nathanial morphing during sex and of course Richard has to interrupt.
We couldn't have a story without Richard freaking out.

As I said before in the last few books Sex Means something. There are reasons for Sex. Sex = Energy. Sex = Power. Sex = healing. These are strange ideas for a lot of people. It messes with their religion, it doesn't sit well with their morals. It feels good to read these books and yet it makes people uncomfortable.
Next question, if it is making them uncomfortable why are They Still Reading the Books?
To psychoanalyze: It makes people feel good, but they don't think they should feel good about these things, so then they feel guilty or 'dirty' and then they complain, loudly, because they can.

Sorry to be so long winded.

Viki
crftyspider@aol.com

Re: poll discussion

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

Glad you can stop by. Your interepretation of ID is interesting, esp on Nathaniel.

Anita has made things extremely hard on herself by not asking the right questions.

I think that it's hard for the audience to see this clearly (or at least as clearly as Anita sees Richard fsck up) because of the 1st person POV, so it takes longer to get to this conclusion. And then wanting to scream at your narrator is hard, too :)

Re: poll discussion

[(Anonymous)]

You could have a discussion on each character.
I'll start with Nathanial

I find Nathanial one of the more interesting characters in the AB books.
With his body and that hair you expect him to be in one of the Merry Gentry books. Makes you wonder what we will find out about him later in the series. The only other character that LKH has created with violet eyes is the twin trapped in the Goblin King Kurag.

Nathanial is someone who seriously needs a keeper he has some real problems and he can't say no to pain or sex.
I truely enjoyed Jason tearing the blinders from Anita's eyes about Nathanial. A lightbulb moment & I hope the Guilt she felt came through and sticks in the forefront of her mind in future books. By letting him sleep in her bed and be there for her but not having sex with him, well lets talk some serious torture or at least control issues. She almost has a responsibility to have sex with him now. His psychological well being as well as Damian's life kind of depend on it.

Viki

Viki

Re: poll discussion

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

I truely enjoyed Jason tearing the blinders from Anita's eyes about Nathanial.

This is part of why I love Jason so much. He's amazing at knowing what Anita needs (not wants) to hear.

She almost has a responsibility to have sex with him now

I don't think it's that, so much, as she refused to realize that it was okay to want what she did with Nathaniel, which was a full-scale intimate relationship. Her previous behavior, in which she talked herself into believing that it was okay to feed the ardeur off Nate, but not have sex with him, was just twisted.

Re: poll discussion

[(Anonymous)]

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<<Her previous behavior, in which she talked herself into believing that it was okay to feed the ardeur off Nate, but not have sex with him, was just twisted. >>

Very Twisted. She was having problems thinking he was still a child and he was a responsibility as a child is a responsibility. Jason helped both of them by encouraging Nathanial and opening Anita's eyes. Just because Nathanial is younger than Anita and has to have rules and limits like a child doesn't mean he is one. What Nathanial feels for Anita is just as real as what JC, Richard, and Micah feel. This is just another time that Anita has put on blinders.
I found it interesting that Jason had figured out that Anita needs the man she is with to push her to the limit before she responds intimately.(Remember when Jason fed the ardeur? He had to make the first move and push the issue to protect Nathanial.) I also find it interesting that she is willing to bite Nathanial for months to feed off of him in that way, but not to let him have release. How could she have not realized that he wasn't ever having orgasim because she hadn't told him he could! Her perceptions have been so twisted that she didn't Notice!
Micah's just there when she needs him to take care of her. He is what ever she needs him to be.
Nathanial longs to be everything for her too.
Richard hates himself and therefore can't love anyone really.
JC opens her eyes but the communication could be better.
Jason doesn't pull any punches. I truely like his character now.
Damian I feel sorry for, how can he not just feel used sometimes. He seems so lonely.
Asher is in recovery. I think he was one of the best characters added in the last few books.
Viki