Reading roundup

[hamsterwoman]

3. Steven Brust, The Phoenix Guards -- I enjoyed it more than I thought I would, though I still definitely prefer the Vlad Taltos books. Paarfi's style is something I find more frustrating than funny, especially when it comes to dialogue, a deterrent rather than a bonus when it comes to this series. But, OK, it was not too bad.

Comments

[firebluespinel]

OMG Side Jobs! So glad you read and commented. There's a lot of good stuff there, and I liked a lot of the same things you liked. (Cobs were great, Thomas' POV was enjoyable, and garlic spitting FTW!) But as far as your main complaint goes...I gotta be honest here. I'm a guy. And Jim Butcher is a guy. And unless I miss my guess, at least half (if not a lot more) of his readers are probably guys. And guys like to hear about boobs/naked chicks/damsels in distress/sexy mind magic/etc. Even intelligent, mature guys like me, who appreciate how much Murphy, Gard, Charity, Luccio, Susan, Elaine, Lara, Molly and the Leanansidhe are by and large very deep, well-thought-out, awesome characters who kick tons of ass in their own right, and don't always (or even often) need men around to help with it, like to hear about those things at the same time. You're right that there are a lot of female kidnap victims, gratuitous female-body descriptions and visualizations, and I can see why it might bother you in a way that it doesn't bother me. You're also right that there's probably some fanservice there (see above comment about what guys like). But I feel like Butcher does a really good job balancing that out with women who are much more than a pretty face and a nice figure. (Plus the whole initial premise of Small Favor was the rescue of Marcone, a man's male character if ever I've seen one.) So I have to say the repetitions that tweaked you, while I agree they are repetitive, didn't bother me much, and I don't really feel like they should have.

Also, now that I think about it, Butcher really does a lot with visualization of character's physical forms. I think some of that is Harry's neglected hormones, sure, and I think some of it is human observation put to paper (people check each other out ALL the time), but I also think some of it is meant to emphasize how beauty and sexuality are heavily tied in with magic and power, especially with the Sidhe and the vampires. I think there's a part of Harry that gets gobsmacked by how ridiculously hot everyone in the supernatural world is, especially when he himself does not feel attractive or sexy. And it's not just Harry, though we're used to that b/c it's usually his POV we read. Did you catch Murphy doing it in Aftermath? Not only does she pointedly describe a male character's muscled physique, she also compares it to Harry's in some detail.

(Okay, upon rereading your comments, I will allow that these things you disliked happened more in the short stories than in the novels by a decent stretch, so your point about the short story not being the best medium for Butcher makes sense to me in that light. And yes, Last Call was kind of dumb. I didn't dislike it for the reasons you did, and I actually enjoyed getting to see more of Mac and his brew--he's one of my favorite minor characters--but it was definitely the silliest and most farfetched of all the stories.)

[hamsterwoman]

But I feel like Butcher does a really good job balancing that out with women who are much more than a pretty face and a nice figure. (Plus the whole initial premise of Small Favor was the rescue of Marcone, a man's male character if ever I've seen one.)

I *loved* that aspect of Small Favor! One of the reasons I loved that book as much as I did :)

I do think Butcher is very capable of writing awesome women: I love Murphy, I greatly respect Charity (I think he handled her very well in a role that could've easily been the nagging wife), I think he's got a very interesting set-up with Molly, the Faerie Queens are excellent examples of their kind, and Lara, quite simply, kicks ass. (And in the Codex Alera books, there's Kitai, who is probably Butcher's best female character, and quite amazing.) In a way, though, it feels like, he ought to know better, then, so it's especially disappointing when he generates female characters that are just there to be scantily clad damsels in distress or takes the great female characters he has and tosses them into scenes or stories that don't do them justice.

The thing is, I think I'm a relatively forgiving reader when it comes to things like fanservice and damsels in distress, so if it bothers me, as Side Jobs did, it's got to be pretty bad. And this stuff generally doesn't bother me in the novels, because it's diluted by Harry being in over his head, or the ladies of the series kicking ass, or various other things that balance it out, and I can just ascribe it to Harry being a guy with a stupid chivalrous streak who really need to get laid and move on. Hardly anything balanced it out in this collection, though, and that, I think, is why it grated on me so. But it's also possible that I've been reading such a high percentage of books by female authors, and/or with female POV characters, and/or in settings with different gender dynamics, that this stuff in Side Jobs came as a greater shock than it would have otherwise.

There's definitely fanservice in the novels, too, but while I notice it, I generally find that I don't object to it. Morgan ogling Molly in Turn Coat? I thought it was an interesting bit of character development. Anything to do with Lara (or even non-White Court vamps) and the Fearie Queens? Your point about magic and beauty is well made. I think it's just... done better there, is all.

I think for me the bottom line is... I felt the fanservice in Side Jobs was detrimental to the story (or series) in more than one place. I realize it's not for me, and that's fine, but if it's making me go, "You've got to be kidding me" and roll my eyes, I think it's a genuine flaw in the writing. Also, I think I wouldn't have minded a couple of kidnapped naked damsels in distress if there was a story or two about Murphy (or Molly, or Luccio, or, hey, Thomas or Kincaid, it doesn't *have to* be a woman) getting to rescue naked whammied Harry (or Billy, or whatever) :P Not because I want to see Harry naked (Thomas or Kincaid or Ramirez is much more my type ;), but for the sake of fairness.

And it's not just Harry, though we're used to that b/c it's usually his POV we read. Did you catch Murphy doing it in Aftermath?

I did notice it in Aftermath, though I think Murphy mostly looked at things from the perspective of danger (can I take him on, that sort of thing).

I did like seeing a bit more of Mac! Although I think I liked him more in "Heorot" than "Last Call".