Fever Dream ARC reactions

[drworm]

I got back from my trip to Memphis on Thursday and I'm totally going to put up an entry about that sometime soon, because it was crazy and awesome. But first, I'm just sharing my dumb reactions to the Fever Dream ARC, as I've been sending them to kleenexwoman as I move slowly forward. I'm about a hundred pages in and, yes, there are spoilers and a lot of my

Comments

i'm mostly commenting on stuff you actually sent me to show off my new icon

[kleenexwoman]

awww yay your crazy e-mails :*

I used to reread the early Pendergast books to calm myself down when I was stressed because the dude could handle anything while being the hottest thing in the room.]
this just makes me want to hug you. but it's so true. I never realized how weirdly soothing it was to read about how Pendergast infallibly knew exactly what to do until I started with Fever Dream and he was all going crazy and it freaked me out.

Also, man, fuck rich white people.
thissss. I liked it better when I assumed they were going to be doing some kind of secret mission or Peace Corps shit.

Also, there was an Audubon place in Memphis and I grabbed a pamphlet because there was a very tiny hummingbird in it.
awwwwwwww tiny bird.

"Hey, can I go back to New York, I'd like to see my girlfriend?" "Sorry, no."
yes. this part made me lol so hard.

Re: i'm mostly commenting on stuff you actually sent me to show off my new icon

[drworm]

lol what is that icon, where did you find it, it is so amazing.

Re: i'm mostly commenting on stuff you actually sent me to show off my new icon

[kleenexwoman]

it is J.C. Leyendecker's Arrow Collar Man, I just shooped the tie and the flower. He used his boyfriend, Charles Beach, as the model.

[bullwinky]

I usually love it when a character is developed, and you learn things about their personal lives that help define that character. I hate this process with Pendergast. He is the only character I liked better as two-dimensional. I guess that is because the ways they have chosen to flesh him out all seem... wrong for what I understood of the character. Wheel of Darkness ruined pretty much the whole series for me.

Do you think this book is even worth reading? Or is it another Wheel of Darkness?

[drworm]

Yeah, I'm not entirely sold on Pendergast's character development. They're making him creepier and creepier, which I sort of... like, but don't like? I don't know, I like Pendergast having flaws and all, but it's verging on him having a serious moral grey area that can't be covered up any longer.

Anyway, this book is not as ridiculous as WoD (although I personally find that book to be hysterically funny) and it's not as traumatic as Cemetery Dance. Still, it's not an old school Pendergast novel. Helen is not what you'd probably expect, which I enjoyed--I also think their relationship is not all lovey-dovey perfection, which I also like. Still, I was not especially pleased with Pendergast's grief, since it took some odd turns. Also they seem to have literally thrown a major plot point overboard, which is disappointing.

But yeah, the book had some fun bits. I think it's worth reading if you still care about the series, but then I'm the sort of person who enjoys reading things I can then complain about.

[bullwinky]

I like reading to complain too, don't get me wrong, but I do that with books like Twilight or most things by Anne Rice. I actually had a little respect for the Pendergast series because they never gave in to "It's ACTUALLY a ghost that's doing it!", instead choosing to go for the "It's an amoral troll-man-baby!". They always backed up the absurdity with some attempt at not copping out. WoD is just so awful I couldn't find it funny while reading it. I've been reading through the series again though, so hopefully I'll be able to take your attitude and enjoy it for the hilarious piece of shit that it is.

Also yay! I'm glad you think it's worth reading. I usually agree with your opinions. I'll not let myself get too hopeful, but anything they do will be better than their last two novels.