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

[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".