I'm glad I'm not the only one who found Ash Puttle disturbing (and, ew, gross). In fact, I nearly didn't finish the remaining stories afterwards, because they were all described as "dark" or "disturbing" in some manner, just as Ash Puttle had, and I wasn't sure I could take more of that. Overall, my views of the stories, likes and dislikes, are similar to yours. Perhaps a slightly different ranking, but there wasn't anything in there you loved and I hated or vice versa. So - pretty good match, once again. :)
Yeah, "Ashputtle" was quite disturbing -- I think I might have just skimmed it on the original read, 'cos I feel like if I'd read it closely I would have remembered it. (I remember skimming one of the stories in the "Rose Red" collection, because it was too dark for me, so I might have done that in this one, too.) I actually googled about "Ashputtle" a little, because I wanted to confirm that I wasn't just imagining some of the stuff, and found one of the collection's editors mentioning that when Straub reads the story aloud you can tell it's a funny story, albeit with very dark humour. I... have a hard time imagining that. And I'm a bit torn, because on the one hand I admire the craft and would ordinarly want to go back and reread to see how it's put together, but on the other hand, NOT GOING BACK IN THERE, KTHX
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Your thoughts about Ista are interesting. I think her bitterness was actually what I liked about her. It's part of what made her feel so fresh and real to me. Partly I think it's because - regardless of her part of blame - I felt like she had some big reasons to be angry.
I liked the two brothers and their family drama as well, I admit, even though for me they were overshadowed by other parts of the story.
trickster gods to which he seems to be somewhat related are definitely my favorite kind of deity Hear, hear!
I don't think Bujold was ever very good at killing characters. She does it so rarely and even when she does it's always in their due time, not a shocking and senseless moment.
and I did like Hazel and Foxglove I do adore these two, we get more of them in the Death books and here and there elsewhere. Agreed Game of You is one of the weakest of the series, which is odd given that the whole fantasy dream world theme had much to interest me
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I keep forgetting how many fandoms we have in common (and didn't realize you read the Stackpole books -- I don't think I'd encountered anyone else who read the series)! I was... not so much disappointed as just plain boggled by New World, but there were parts of it I still liked. So.
I do adore these two, we get more of them in the Death books and here and there elsewhere.
Oh, good! I should check out the Death books now that I've finished up Sandman (except for Endless Nights), especially as I like Death a lot more than Morpheus anyway...
I think her bitterness was actually what I liked about her. It's part of what made her feel so fresh and real to me. Partly I think it's because - regardless of her part of blame - I felt like she had some big reasons to be angry.Oh, she had every right to be angry, at the gods and at dy Lutez and at Ias and lots of other folks! And I agree that her bitterness was one of the big things that made her a very interesting character -- it's just that bitterness makes it difficult for me to appreciate
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I can't say I'm much fond of Morpheus either, he's pretty whiny XD But I adore Del, Death, Destruction, Desire and others of the quirky cast.
Hah, you've just named all of my favorite Endless (only I'd probably order them Desire / Destruction tied for first, Delirium, Death). And, yeah, Morpheus is way too gloomy and emo for me. Though I love it when the other characters mock him for it. :D
Also, I totally concur with you on Cyron/Pyrust slash. ;)
usually thinking how I would relate to them in real doesn't enter all that much into it. [...] Often I find myself liking them and hating them a little bit at the same time when they're really ugly persons as well as compelling characters
I have a tendency to like villains and some pretty ugly people, and it doesn't seem to be based on whether I would like the character in real life -- I love Tywin without any of the reservations I have with Tyrion (or even Ista), and Saruman is one of my favorite characters in LotR, and I rather liked Lord Ferris in the Swordspoint books (well, in
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I'm not much of a short story reader, but you've made me want to find the fairy tale anthologies.
I ODed on LMB a couple of years ago. Got about halfway through the Vorkosigan series and couldn't hack Miles any more. Although, just about the point where my brain said no more, he had become a much better character. Maybe next year....
I haven't read all of the Vorkosigan saga, but, yes, I can't read too much of it at a stretch (and I've heard the same complaint from other people), and I like a number of the supporting players (Aral, Mark, Gregor, and I wish there was more Cordelia in the books because she is a pretty rare kind of character) more than I like Miles. I haven't read some of the earlier books, and I haven't gone out of my way looking for Memory because I'm kind of afraid to, and I was a bit underwhelmed by Diplomatic Immunity. But I love A Civil Campaign -- it's my favorite! So if you haven't read it yet, that might be a good place to dip back into the series.
he’s so … I dunno, BOROMIR-ish in that particular, anyway
*blinks* Whoa, I kind of missed this parallel but it's blidningly obvious now that you've brought it up. A large part of what appealed to me SO MUCH about him just fell into place. XD (I think it's more than just in that particular, btw -- the brother dynamic between him and Illvin feels similar to me in some ways, at least to some of my Boromir & Faramir head canon.
I really liked the mutual absolution scene! I just somehow emerged from Curse of Chalion as a dy Lutez fangirl, so I was a tad irrationally defensive of him when we got Ista's post-madness POV. (He kind of hits my kink for capable Grand Viziers, much like Tywin does... :P)
there’s no real sense of dread or jeopardy for me, so there’s less suspense (although I did hold out a foolish hope that Arhys might, perhaps, survive or revivify or something!) I had that foolish hope, too! :( I think, in the Vorkosigan books, while there's really no fear for significant character "good" death (other than Bothari and Count
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Your thoughts about Ista are interesting. I think her bitterness was actually what I liked about her. It's part of what made her feel so fresh and real to me. Partly I think it's because - regardless of her part of blame - I felt like she had some big reasons to be angry.
I liked the two brothers and their family drama as well, I admit, even though for me they were overshadowed by other parts of the story.
trickster gods to which he seems to be somewhat related are definitely my favorite kind of deity
Hear, hear!
I don't think Bujold was ever very good at killing characters. She does it so rarely and even when she does it's always in their due time, not a shocking and senseless moment.
and I did like Hazel and Foxglove I do adore these two, we get more of them in the Death books and here and there elsewhere. Agreed Game of You is one of the weakest of the series, which is odd given that the whole fantasy dream world theme had much to interest me ( ... )
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I do adore these two, we get more of them in the Death books and here and there elsewhere.
Oh, good! I should check out the Death books now that I've finished up Sandman (except for Endless Nights), especially as I like Death a lot more than Morpheus anyway...
I think her bitterness was actually what I liked about her. It's part of what made her feel so fresh and real to me. Partly I think it's because - regardless of her part of blame - I felt like she had some big reasons to be angry.Oh, she had every right to be angry, at the gods and at dy Lutez and at Ias and lots of other folks! And I agree that her bitterness was one of the big things that made her a very interesting character -- it's just that bitterness makes it difficult for me to appreciate ( ... )
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I revewed (sorta) the Stackpole books here. You're the second person I know online who's read them too! I was surprised as well ( ... )
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Hah, you've just named all of my favorite Endless (only I'd probably order them Desire / Destruction tied for first, Delirium, Death). And, yeah, Morpheus is way too gloomy and emo for me. Though I love it when the other characters mock him for it. :D
Also, I totally concur with you on Cyron/Pyrust slash. ;)
usually thinking how I would relate to them in real doesn't enter all that much into it. [...] Often I find myself liking them and hating them a little bit at the same time when they're really ugly persons as well as compelling characters
I have a tendency to like villains and some pretty ugly people, and it doesn't seem to be based on whether I would like the character in real life -- I love Tywin without any of the reservations I have with Tyrion (or even Ista), and Saruman is one of my favorite characters in LotR, and I rather liked Lord Ferris in the Swordspoint books (well, in ( ... )
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I'm not much of a short story reader, but you've made me want to find the fairy tale anthologies.
I ODed on LMB a couple of years ago. Got about halfway through the Vorkosigan series and couldn't hack Miles any more. Although, just about the point where my brain said no more, he had become a much better character. Maybe next year....
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*blinks* Whoa, I kind of missed this parallel but it's blidningly obvious now that you've brought it up. A large part of what appealed to me SO MUCH about him just fell into place. XD (I think it's more than just in that particular, btw -- the brother dynamic between him and Illvin feels similar to me in some ways, at least to some of my Boromir & Faramir head canon.
I really liked the mutual absolution scene! I just somehow emerged from Curse of Chalion as a dy Lutez fangirl, so I was a tad irrationally defensive of him when we got Ista's post-madness POV. (He kind of hits my kink for capable Grand Viziers, much like Tywin does... :P)
there’s no real sense of dread or jeopardy for me, so there’s less suspense (although I did hold out a foolish hope that Arhys might, perhaps, survive or revivify or something!) I had that foolish hope, too! :( I think, in the Vorkosigan books, while there's really no fear for significant character "good" death (other than Bothari and Count ( ... )
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