Will I be able to stick this all in one comment..... o_Oms_geeketteDecember 11 2013, 00:22:52 UTC
I have a soft spot for UF, even if I don't read a lot of it. It's about the only fantasy I read these days, since I've sorta found typical high fantasy/"farmboy" of destiny to become a bit rote and boring to me, to be honest. Except for Discworld - that doesn't count, and I don't really consider ASOIAF high fantasy (it really, really reads like historical fiction to me).
Anyway, I'll throw out Amber Benson's Calliope Reaper-Jones series (no, I'm not kidding with the name), just because it's one of the few UF series I've seen with Hindu gods. (If anyone knows of any more, or any with non-typical gods in fiction, please hit me with them!) Kali is in the first book (Death's Daughter) and is pretty kickass, also Hell is interesting in that series. Well, interesting from what little I've seen...I like Benson's world-building, but I find her protagonist a bit annoying, so I haven't gotten around to reading past book 1 yet.
If you like UF dectectives, there's Kevin J. Anderson's Dan Shamble series. I've only read the first book of that series (Death Warmed Over) as well, but since there aren't really many? zombie detectives out there, I thought I'd mention it. It's more of a mild humor deal rather than a major mystery plot, from what I've seen.
And, I forgot about Thomas E. Sniegoski's Remy Chandler series. I've only read a short story from that series, but I have to say if a writer can make biblical plotlines/allusions interesting to me, as an indifferent agnostic, I think it's worth a read. The lead's a fallen angel and it's bit Chandler-esque. In that respect, it's similar to Dresden Files (by the way, did you see the Molly goodie I posted the other day?).
Also, there's Laura Gilman's various UF series. I've only read the first Paranormal Scene Investigations (Hard Magic), but felt a little lost and dropped into the story a bit, so I think if I read any more of her stuff, I'll go back to her Retrievers series or whatever her first books were.
I started Kevin Hearne's Iron Druid series, but haven't finished the first book yet (it's been a few months, so I'll probably have to restart it, perhaps). I think I'm feeling a disconnect with the long-lived/immortal druid aspect. I'm not really sure why, since everything in UF is generally improbable, but whatever. XD
And thinking back to your post about Russian SF, have you read any of Jasper Fforde's stuff (Thursday Next, Shades of Grey)? It's like a weird mish-mash of genres and I wouldn't really consider it to be UF, but I rec him every chance I get. XD
Ok, so maybe I've read more UF than I think, but there are still some popular series I haven't touched yet, like Kim Harrison's and Kelley Armstrong's, for example.
For magic...I can't really think of any contemporary ones, except, perhaps, Gilman's stuff, but I've liked some that would probably fall under historical fantasy. I'm not really sure what time period Diana Wynne Jones' Chrestomanci series falls under (it feels early 20th century, to me), but it's like magic school on a smaller scale. Also for children's /YA, there's Diane Duane and Jenny Nimmo, neither of which I've gotten around to reading yet. But some others that I've really liked are by Caroline Stevermer and Patricia Wrede. Caroline has her own series (A College of Magics) that you might like, if you haven't read it. She & Patricia co-wrote the Cecelia and Kate series, which isn't a school setting, per se, but it's magic and coming-of-age in a Regency alterna-universe. (Some other historical fantasy that I haven't gotten around to reading yet are Libba Bray's Gemma Doyle series and Gail Carriger's Parasol Protectorate.)
Re: Will I be able to stick this all in one comment..... o_Oms_geeketteDecember 11 2013, 01:38:57 UTC
Oh, I forgot some >_>
There's also Simon R. Green's Nightside and Secret Histories series. He has a really annoying writing tic - he will say some variation of "it's the Nightside" or "I'm a Drood" numerous times and it gets annoying after a while. It's a shame, b/c his world-building isn't bad, either.
Also, for something a little different, there's Kat Richardson's Greywalker series. It's not a unique premise - Charlaine Harris has a similar protagonist with her Harper Connelly series, plus there are other authors - but Richardson occasionally touches on other cultures, which I appreciate.
Aaaand Chuck Wendig's Miriam Black series (protag can touch people and see how they will die) .
Some people have highly recced Mike Carey's Felix Castor series (it apparently is also similar to Dresden), but I haven't gotten around to reading that, either. There is a newish series I that I want to try (Michael R. Underwood's Ree Reyes series)...it sounds ridiculous..."humans that derive supernatural powers from pop culture," but it's different, and at least it's not another vampire/werewolf/faerie book/series.
I probably should stop, b/c I keep on thinking of more things. XD
Re: Will I be able to stick this all in one comment..... o_OhamsterwomanDecember 11 2013, 14:22:14 UTC
Ooh, thank you for the wealth of recs! (Though, yeah, I'm starting to disbelieve your claim that you don't read a lot of UF XD)
Except for Discworld - that doesn't count,
I actually had this whole paragraph I gave up on and took out about how I feel like Discworld is really more of an urban fantasy, just one where the urbanity happens to take place in a secondary world, but that got too abstruse so I decided not to go there. But Discworld is absolutely in a class of its own regardless of where one buckets it.
Amber Benson's Calliope Reaper-Jones series (no, I'm not kidding with the name)
Ooh, I heard about this one (b/c I remember the Reaper-Jones name, lol) and is this *that* Amber Benson, as in Tara from BtVS? And, ooh, Hindu gods are a plus!
(As for non-typical gods, I'm assuming you've read American Gods? Since you mentioned Hindu, I thought of Zelazny's Lord of Light, but that's sci-fi, and, uh, vintage, and they're not exactly gods anyway... but I still really enjoyed the book, and especially Zelazny's Yama-Dharma.)
Zombie detective, really? XD I don't really share the fascination with zombies some people seem to have, but that sounds like a premise worth checking out! And humour is good! (Though I must confess that "zombie detective" made me think of Reg Shoe getting a promotion :P)
I was trying to remember why Sniegoski's name and Remy Chandler sounded familiar, and I guess I read a story by him, too, "Noah's Orphans" in Mean Streets. It didn't really work for me, in large part because he kept using "seraphim" as a singular noun (and I know just enough Hebrew for it to clobber me over the head as a plural). But perhaps his other stories would work better for me...
(by the way, did you see the Molly goodie I posted the other day?).
I haven't, so thank you for mentioning it! (I think LJ's been buggy and not all posts have been showing up on people's flists...) But actually I tried looking on your LJ and couldn't find it? Or did you post it somewhere else? Or did LJ eat it? :(
I think I tried reading something by Gilman before and didn't get very far, but it might've been a differnet Gilman? The one I'm thinking of was a Luna imprint thing...
I'd been sort of passively intrigued by what I'd heard about Iron Druid, but it wasn't anything specific, and that's good to know that the protagonist isn't working for you, because I do find that's a bigger deal for me in UF than in high fantasy, which tends to have a larger cast anyway.
have you read any of Jasper Fforde's stuff (Thursday Next, Shades of Grey)? It's like a weird mish-mash of genres and I wouldn't really consider it to be UF, but I rec him every chance I get. XD
Oh, thank you for that reminder! I haven't, actually, but had been meaning to try Thursday Next for a while, and then it sort of drifted off my radar.
Re: Will I be able to stick this all in one comment..... o_Oms_geeketteDecember 11 2013, 15:55:18 UTC
But Discworld is absolutely in a class of its own regardless of where one buckets it.
I agree, but if you polled a lot of people, they'd probably stick it in high fantasy, just because it seems "olden" and there are horses and wizards. XD When people say urban fantasy, I tend to think they are talking about *contemporary* urban fantasy, but you're right, historical-esque urban fantasy is a subset. I think it just tends to get sucked into high fantasy a lot, though. Because of the horse and wizard thing. XD If you wanted to get really edgy, you could argue that Discworld has a bit of steampunk, too. I tend to think of Pratchett like Jasper Fforde - kinda hard to put in a little box, which is a very good thing, imo, b/c I eat that stuff up. Publishers haaaaate it, though. They love their little boxes, I think, and cuddle them at night. ;-P
is this *that* Amber Benson, as in Tara from BtVS
Yep, that's her! XD She's written quite a bit, actually, and has/had some other writing collabs going on, as well. I also didn't know that she was originally from Birmingham, so like with Felicia Day (who was born in Huntsville), I feel Alabama has inadvertently cultivated some lady "geek" cred, or something. Ok, no, not really (except for Jan Davis and Mae Jemison...we are a hotbed of lady astronauts), but it amuses me when people of Alabama-origin become famous/well-known (like Condoleezza Rice) since we're usually accused of being a 100% racist hick backwater. *sigh*
I haven't read American Gods yet, but yes, I know about it. I haven't read much Zelazny (I think maybe some short stories, IIRC?). I guess authors don't like writing about gods that much since people can get uptight about it, especially if they are still worshiped in present-day, but I don't get offended by that sort of thing. I need to read Christopher Moore's stuff on the subject (someone else I forgot to mention - points to icon), since I'm sure his take on Jesus is hilarious.
If you've read Mean Streets (me toooo!), then you've read Kat Richardson. The Day of the Dead story was a part of her Greywalker series, IIRC. (I haven't gotten around to reading the series proper, but that story was a very good "seller" for it. At least it got me interested.)
The Molly goodie was in greathouses, not my journal, sorry I wasn't clear. But for others who might be interested, here's the link for the Dangerous Women anthology.
It may have been the same Gilman...looking at her books, they are with Luna. I mainly just mentioned it, b/c did doesn't seem like there is a lot of *contemporary* magic out there. There may be some "lower" tier authors writing it, but not really many "big" names...not that I consider Gilman to be a big name with UF magic, like Butcher or possibly Aaronovitch. It's hard keep track of everyone in UF, though, since there are new authors coming out all of the time. I'm sure if I sat down and thought about, I could probably think of some more with magic - there are some on the tip of my tongue, but I can't think of them right now (*blurts out* Maria V. Snyder, although she's not really UF). But Gilman explores people coming into/controlling their powers in a contemp setting, so I just thought I'd give it a mention for your magic school itch.
I don't know if I just wasn't in the mood for Iron Druid or what. Considering that I didn't love Dresden from the get go (I was very intrigued, since it was my first UF, IIRC), I shouldn't go "it's crap," because I do like Celtic lore a lot and the supporting cast seemed interesting, but I hadn't really gotten to know them yet. I had a weird drop-off in reading this year (like a black hole of nothing), so I'll probably go back and give it another go.
The Thursday Next series is delightful, imo...you should READ IT NOW! NOW, NOW, NOW! XD If you end up not liking it, you won't hurt my feelings, but it gives me a lot of feels, and that's pretty rare with me with books. Like, these are books that I'd happily reread multiple times sort of thing. There are too many books out there...I don't tend to reread.
Re: Will I be able to stick this all in one comment..... o_OhamsterwomanDecember 11 2013, 19:51:51 UTC
f you wanted to get really edgy, you could argue that Discworld has a bit of steampunk, too
True, the Moist books especially.
I like stuff that doesn't fit into little boxes also, because it generally means it's either more complex or is possibly colonising a new niche which will become a little box at some point in the future :P
we are a hotbed of lady astronauts
That is a pretty awesome thing to be a hotbed of! XD And, huh, didn't know that about Felicia Day or Amber Benson, or Condoleezza Rice for that matter (who was out here at Stanford for a while, so that's what I associate her with, before politics).
I really like American Gods -- I'm a fan of Gaiman in general, but I think this is his best. And Zelazny is interesting -- I loved Chronicles of Amber (well the first five books; the second series gets really weird really fast, and is much weaker, I think) and Lord of Light is pretty brilliant (it's supposed to be his masterpiece), but there are bits here and there where I think his writing shows its age.
I need to read Christopher Moore's stuff on the subject (someone else I forgot to mention - points to icon), since I'm sure his take on Jesus is hilarious.
I loved Lamb! I thought it was hilarious (and much stronger than the other thing by Moore I read, one of the vampire ones).
Oh, and not super-unusual, but there's also Norse Code by Greg van Eekhout for the Norse gods. And Gods Behaving Badly by Marie Phillips for the Greek pantheon. And of course Rick Riordan has the Egyptian gods series, which I haven't read but the rodents have and liked, in addition to the Percy Jackson ones.
If you've read Mean Streets (me toooo!), then you've read Kat Richardson.
Oh yeah, so I have... And apparently even liked the story better than Sniegoski's or Green's, though I guess it didn't especially grab me, if I forgot the author. Looking at my write-up, which proved to be not very helpful, I guess I did notice the other cultures thing, and also the ferret XD And no that I've been to Seattle sounds like a good time to keep an eye out for the series proper, so thank you for the reminder :)
But for others who might be interested, here's the link for the Dangerous Women anthology.
Ah, thank you! I guess I did see your post, I just spaced that there was a Molly story in the anthology... even though that was the one I was most looking to reading when I first heard about the lineup XD
Maria V. Snyder, although she's not really UF
I've heard good things about her, too! But the books of hers I keep coming across are sequels or subgenres that don't seem to be my thing... Do you have a specific rec for her?
I had a weird drop-off in reading this year
Me too, though I think I might still eke out 50 books counting kiddie books and such, which is not bad, but considering I have a really long, reading-friendly commute and that I'm usually closer to 70, it's weird. I think it's Rivers of London withdrawal... :/
Definitely thank you for the Jasper Fforde reminder -- I don't seem to be in the mood for "typical" fantasy, so maybe trying something different like that will prove to be just the ticket :)
Re: Will I be able to stick this all in one comment..... o_Oms_geeketteDecember 12 2013, 17:40:54 UTC
Yay, someone else who likes Jasper! (I am also curious to see how he goes forward with his Shades of Grey series. Write faster, dude!)
If you like weird, you may also want to try Matt Ruff's Sewer, Gas and Electric. I didn't like it remotely as much as Fforde's stuff, but apparently I find Ayn Rand trapped in a hurricane lamp mildly humorous.
Re: Will I be able to stick this all in one comment..... o_OhamsterwomanDecember 13 2013, 18:08:55 UTC
I think it's going at the top of my to-read-in-2014 list, based on the number of people who mentioned it, and so enthusiastically, in this post :) , so thank you!
Re: Will I be able to stick this all in one comment..... o_Oms_geeketteDecember 12 2013, 20:00:18 UTC
I think Alabama is kinda like what a former co-worker said about Memphis: "it's a great place to be from, but some people can't wait to leave" - striking out the "great place" part, since most famous people tend to hide Alabama origins/pretend they don't exist (I guess I don't blame them) when compared to Memphis (looking at you, Courteney Cox). This is why I will always like Charles Barkley, no matter what weird stuff comes out of his mouth, tbh. If he ever ran for governor, it probably wouldn't be any worse than some of the yahoos that have been elected.
(and much stronger than the other thing by Moore I read, one of the vampire ones)
I've only read 4 Moore books so far (I just like the Dirty Jobs cover, which is why I have it as an icon), but my favorite, so far, was the 3rd vampire novel, Bite Me. The other two were alright, but nothing spectacular. I like humor in my fiction, so I tend to forgive more than with plain fiction. For example, I am still reading Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series even though it is very repetitive.
Norse Code by Greg van Eekhout for the Norse gods. And Gods Behaving Badly by Marie Phillips for the Greek pantheon. And of course Rick Riordan has the Egyptian gods series
Thanks for the reminder about the van Eekhout series, the Marie Phillips book has been on my tbr list for a long while - I think I started it, but had to stop for some reason, and I didn't realize that Riordan's other series dealt with Egypt. I guess with non-typical, I was talking about non-European gods, which is harder to come by, it seems. Although while digging up links for the paragraph below, I came across Divine Misfortune, which sounds potentially interesting. There's also Aliette de Bodard's Obsidan & Blood series, which deals with the Aztecs, but for some reason I'm not 100% enthused by the book blurb, so I don't know if I will search those out in the future.
I don't seem to be in the mood for "typical" fantasy, so maybe trying something different like that will prove to be just the ticket
Jasper Fforde currently has 4 different series (3 adult, 1 YA), so if the premise of Thursday Next doesn't grab you (for some reason, I think it will, but I dunno), there are a few others to try.
Re: Will I be able to stick this all in one comment..... o_OhamsterwomanDecember 13 2013, 23:24:18 UTC
I read You Suck of the vampire ones (I think that's #2?) and it was fun, but not anything spectacular, I though -- I found Lamb much more impressive. But maybe I should try Bite Me, since it sounds like that might be the best of the vampire ones?
(And I'm with you on giving more of a pass to books that make me laugh.)
I liked Norse Code, but a little less than I'd been expecting to given how much I like the Norse gods (I liked them better in American Gods, e.g.), and the Gods Behaving Badly book better than I'd expected (but my expectations were pretty low, for whatever reason).
Right, I was trying to think of books with non-European gods and not coming up with much. Divine Misfortune sounds pretty cute, though!
Poison Study is what was originally rec'd to me for Snyder, I think, but I can't remember if I looked through it and it didn't grab me or if the books of hers I kept coming across where something else, and it was those that didn't grab me.
"Phillipa Bornikova"
I'm randomly amused that people are assuming Slavic-sounding lastnames as pseudonyms now :D
I've vaguely wanted to try the Rachel Caine books, too, because weatherworking is another favorite magic type of mine.
Jacqueline Carey... I've only read her Kushiel stuff (though I've heard decent-to-good things about her urban fantasy, too), and I enjoyed it, but the writing in the first trilogy really grated on me, too. Not enough to make me quit, but enough to make me kinda hate the pain character. And by "kinda" I mean "a lot". :P
I, too, expect I'll like the premise of Thursday Next, but we'll see -- hopefully we prove right on that :)
Re: Will I be able to stick this all in one comment..... o_Oms_geeketteDecember 14 2013, 01:00:27 UTC
Bite Me had a different narrator so you might like it more, I dunno. It was from the POV of Abby "Normal," the goth chick hanger-on to the main couple. I liked the voice Moore used for her, but I could see that it might not be everyone's cup of tea.
Snyder spun off her Study series or whatever it was called into the Glass series, I believe, which is related, but I'm not sure if it would be a situation like I found with Gilman of being sorta dropped into something, even though it's a separate series. I think the reason why I haven't picked it up yet is that it comes across as being potentially high fantasy to me with a bunch of made up names and maps and that sort of thing plus royal intrigue (which I don't really like in historical fiction, even), and I've found my interest in those type of stories to wane a lot over the years. Really, the only "new-to-me" one I've picked up in recent years is ASOIAF, but if GRRM were really out there with the names of the characters (Meereen is where he is starting to lose me with character names), I might not have kept going, not sure.
I think for Carey, I was going to try some of her UF (I think she has some), but yeah, I'm not sure if Kushiel will interest me or not. I kinda got the impression that it delved into paranormal/fantasy romance more, which...meh...although I've heard people speak highly of her handling of it, know someone (very vaguely) who has a Kushiel-related tattoo, that sort of thing.
I do hope you like The Eyre Affair (the first Thursday Next book). I just think the world Jasper has come up with for that series is a lot of fun, especially for book lovers who aren't allergic to whimsical things.
Re: Will I be able to stick this all in one comment..... o_OhamsterwomanDecember 15 2013, 23:30:48 UTC
The Kushiel books definitely have a romance component, but the political intrigue and mystical whatsits are more prominent, I would say. And even what romance there is doesn't feel like paranormal romance, because for most of the books the magic is actually very low touch, sort of numinous, there are (remote) gods and visions and things, but nothing like vampire or werewolf boyfriends. There's a lot of fantasy BDSM though; I found that aspect of it not very interesting (even though I like BDSM in fic just fine); I know people who love the series for that, but to me that wasn't a selling point.
But, yeah, she does have some UF, and although I haven't read it myself, I've heard good things about it. The Kushiel prose tends towards purple and stylized, so I wonder how her UF writing is -- rather different, I assume.
Re: Will I be able to stick this all in one comment..... o_OhamsterwomanDecember 11 2013, 14:22:24 UTC
I love the Chrestomanci series! There are a couple that I don't think I've read -- The Magicians of... wherever, and I should probably reread Witch Week one of these days, because that was the one I started with and it's been like 25 years.
I sort of bounced off Duane's So You Want to be a Wizard, but I hadn't heard of Jenny Nimmo, so thanks for the tip.
I read the first Sorcery & Cecelia book (and loved it! SO CHARMING!) but the second one didn't work as well for me so I think I just left it unfinished. I never read either of their solo work and had forgotten about College of Magics -- that does sound up my alley!)
I read the Gemma Doyle books (IMO, not so great as historical fantasy, but some wonderful female friendships and one character I really love; they're narrated in first person present tense, btw, in case that's a stylistic tic that would bug you; or appeal to you, alternatively) and the first two Parasol Protectorates. I have the same problem with Carriger's protagonist that I do with Toby Daye, which is that for someone who is supposed to be really clever, she way too frequently acts like a total idiot. I could kind of fanwank it through the first book, but by the end of the second it was getting really old. Plus, I feel like it tries to explain its magic (pseudo-)scientifically, except the "science" didn't make any sense to me, and that really bugged me, the way a "it's ~*~magic~*~!" explanation wouldn't have. Carriger has a YA book set in the same universe, Etiquette & Espionage, about a finishing school for spies, and I liked the protagonist of that, and the book as a whole, better than the Alexia Terabotti ones, even though it's not flawless either. Oh, but both series feature a kickass lady inventor who wears men's clothes -- I think it's worth giving a try just for her :)
I tried... something by Simon R Green, a short story or novella, and I think it was Nightside, and, lol, I know what you mean about the writing tic, because his writing style didn't work very well for me, even though the world-building seemed really neat.
I hadn't heard about Greywalker (and have heard of but not read the Harper Connelly series -- my flist's Harris fans seem less enthused with it than with Sookie) or Miriam Black.
I think I've heard the name Felix Castor but not anything more about the series (and I think the name, unfairly, just give me the giggles, because Felix makes me think of felix felices and Castor is the Latin word for beaver, so this conjures up images of a very happy beaver, yeah IDK XP), but similar to Dresden is good (provided it's similar in the "fun ensemble" and "lots of action" ways). And supernatural powers derived from pop culture (for the Ree Reyes, which I also haven't heard of) actually sounds pretty awesome -- I like stuff like that! And it reminds me of a Jim C Hines book I just finished about "libriomancers" whose magic is powered by people's imaginations being fired up by fiction, more or less.
Re: Will I be able to stick this all in one comment..... o_Oms_geeketteDecember 11 2013, 16:45:02 UTC
I wouldn't call College of Magics as charming as the Cecelia and Kate collaboration they did, but it has quite a bit of magic school stuff, IIRC, but not as epic as Harry Potter or anything (for one thing, these books are much shorter and there aren't as many). The Jenny Nimmo series kinda seemed Harry Potter-ish from the description, so you might like that one, I dunno.
I think if I was forced to pick a Simon R. Green series, I'd go with the Secret Histories one, mainly just b/c apparently I can stand his "I'm a Drood" more than his Nightside tic, I dunno. XD It's sort of frustrating when there's an author who has gobs of books on a topic that you like, but you're just not that into them. But in this case, I will not say it's me...it's HIM, lol. If he had a ruthless "evil" (i.e. someone that actually did their job) editor I think he'd be more popular that he is. Although I guess he's popular enough.
The Felix Castor thing mainly came from people who just haaaated Dresden Files, thought the writing sucked (and that Jim is a misogynistic a-hole). Clearly I don't agree, since I'm still reading the series (just am behind a bit), but then I don't really like nitpick stuff that much unless it's egregious, b/c it's exhausting. Yes, if you did a close-reading of most books, you could probably find something problematic, and when it comes to UF/fantasy, I don't think anyone is mainly reading it for carefully crafted prose. XD (For example, some people love to rave about Cat Valente and I just cannot read her stuff. It is a morass of words to me. D-:) But some people live for the sporking crap, though - at this point, about the only thing I enjoy sporking on a regular basis is GoT, but even sometimes I get tired of it.
But anyway, I haven't read any Felix Castor either, but if it's supposed to be *miles* better than Dresden (I sort of am skeptical, since I think he'd be mentioned more/be more popular), just thought I'd add it to the rec vomit. XD But from the description of the first book, here's the gist: "Felix Castor is a freelance exorcist, and London is his stamping ground." Although when I was looking for the name of this series ('cause it was on the tip of my tongue), some people were accusing it of being a Dresden ripoff, so I dunno.
Re: Will I be able to stick this all in one comment..... o_OhamsterwomanDecember 11 2013, 20:19:21 UTC
It's sort of frustrating when there's an author who has gobs of books on a topic that you like, but you're just not that into them.
Oh, I hear you on this! This is my tragedy with Seanan McGuire (compounded by the fact that I really like her writing when it's just her blog, so clearly she can write in a way that appeals to me, just... apparently that's not how she writes her books XD) -- she is super-prolific and has several series that sound entirely up my alley -- UF/mystery with fairies set in San Francisco! badass families and cryptids and magic mice! UF set around the fairy tale trope index! -- and, well, I haven't read the last one (because I want to live in hope, albeit faint, that it will work better for me) but I read the Toby Daye books with the background resentment of how much more I should be enjoying UF/mystery with fairies set in SF, and I couldn't finish Discount Armageddon at all... (I've heard awesome things about Seanan-as-Mira-Grant's Feed books, and maybe the trick will be to read the series that doesn't appeal to me in premise at all -- zombies, meh -- but I'm in that once bitten twice shy space with her writing...)
people who just haaaated Dresden Files, thought the writing sucked (and that Jim is a misogynistic a-hole). Clearly I don't agree, since I'm still reading the series (just am behind a bit),
Oh, up through which book are you? (so I can be sure not to spoil you inadvertently). I've seen no evidence that Jim is a miogynistic asshole, but there are a couple of things he does with his female characters that I really wish he wouldn't, or at least not so consistently. Like Molly's stupid crush persisting, and mind-whammying Murphy (mostly in short stories; maybe he should just not write short stories -- I don't think they are his forte), or Georgia constantly needing rescue, and gratuitously scantily clad females now and again. Other than that, and some of the world-building stuff he's been building up to lately, I really have nbo complaints about his writing or books.
some people love to rave about Cat Valente and I just cannot read her stuff. It is a morass of words to me. D-:
Oh my god, yes! I find her stuff gratuitously purple and self-indulgent and kinda impenetrable, so whatever magic it holds for the very many people I know who love her stuff, clearly doesn't for me. (I've read a couple of stories that I don't think required the embellishment she brought to them (although I did like this one), and I ran out of steam about a third of the way through The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland, and haven't even wanted to try her more serious novels after skimming a couple of pages. Just Not For Me, I guess.
Re: Will I be able to stick this all in one comment..... o_Oms_geeketteDecember 12 2013, 17:19:00 UTC
Seanan is a crazy person. I'd have to think there's something out of her insane voluminous output that you would like. Have you tried her Discount Armageddon series? I haven't read that one, either, yet, but it seems some folks don't like it as much, I dunno. Never mind. Indexing looks like it would be fun. Since she wrote it a bit differently (I assume) than her other books, it might come across unlike her other work, perhaps.
I'd have to look to see if I'm just one or possibly two books behind with Dresden. I think at this point I don't really care about spoilers with this series, so no worries. And yeah, Jim has some issues (yes let's fridge underdeveloped Susan, blah, blah blah), but I don't really see Molly's crush being extremely crazy, since I've seen some women who are old enough to be over teenage crushes to gush over things like One Direction, for example (no, I don't get it). Molly's not even 20 yet, is she?
I'm surprised more people haven't sporked Cat Valente, b/c her writing is just so sporkable. XD I don't mind "purple prose" in poetry, but pages upon pages of it, aieee! I will rec her to people who are looking for more "literary" genre stuff (I tend to think a lot of those folks are snooty and have a stick up their butt, but whatever), but when even her fans say stuff like "I loved what I read of it, but I ultimately had to set it aside. It was too beautiful" and "I found Palimpsest to be somewhat weighed down by its own poetic language -- it was so heavy with imagery that I kept losing the thread of the plot" (both of these comments came from me reccing Cat to someone specifically in a comm) I sort of roflmao to myself a bit. I was curious to try her Fairyland books (I've only attempted one of the Orphan Tales), just out a perverse fascination of how she attempted to write for a younger crowd. Maybe, (like Henry James, apparently), she's only good for short stories.
Anyway, I'll throw out Amber Benson's Calliope Reaper-Jones series (no, I'm not kidding with the name), just because it's one of the few UF series I've seen with Hindu gods. (If anyone knows of any more, or any with non-typical gods in fiction, please hit me with them!) Kali is in the first book (Death's Daughter) and is pretty kickass, also Hell is interesting in that series. Well, interesting from what little I've seen...I like Benson's world-building, but I find her protagonist a bit annoying, so I haven't gotten around to reading past book 1 yet.
If you like UF dectectives, there's Kevin J. Anderson's Dan Shamble series. I've only read the first book of that series (Death Warmed Over) as well, but since there aren't really many? zombie detectives out there, I thought I'd mention it. It's more of a mild humor deal rather than a major mystery plot, from what I've seen.
And, I forgot about Thomas E. Sniegoski's Remy Chandler series. I've only read a short story from that series, but I have to say if a writer can make biblical plotlines/allusions interesting to me, as an indifferent agnostic, I think it's worth a read. The lead's a fallen angel and it's bit Chandler-esque. In that respect, it's similar to Dresden Files (by the way, did you see the Molly goodie I posted the other day?).
Also, there's Laura Gilman's various UF series. I've only read the first Paranormal Scene Investigations (Hard Magic), but felt a little lost and dropped into the story a bit, so I think if I read any more of her stuff, I'll go back to her Retrievers series or whatever her first books were.
I started Kevin Hearne's Iron Druid series, but haven't finished the first book yet (it's been a few months, so I'll probably have to restart it, perhaps). I think I'm feeling a disconnect with the long-lived/immortal druid aspect. I'm not really sure why, since everything in UF is generally improbable, but whatever. XD
And thinking back to your post about Russian SF, have you read any of Jasper Fforde's stuff (Thursday Next, Shades of Grey)? It's like a weird mish-mash of genres and I wouldn't really consider it to be UF, but I rec him every chance I get. XD
Ok, so maybe I've read more UF than I think, but there are still some popular series I haven't touched yet, like Kim Harrison's and Kelley Armstrong's, for example.
For magic...I can't really think of any contemporary ones, except, perhaps, Gilman's stuff, but I've liked some that would probably fall under historical fantasy. I'm not really sure what time period Diana Wynne Jones' Chrestomanci series falls under (it feels early 20th century, to me), but it's like magic school on a smaller scale. Also for children's /YA, there's Diane Duane and Jenny Nimmo, neither of which I've gotten around to reading yet. But some others that I've really liked are by Caroline Stevermer and Patricia Wrede. Caroline has her own series (A College of Magics) that you might like, if you haven't read it. She & Patricia co-wrote the Cecelia and Kate series, which isn't a school setting, per se, but it's magic and coming-of-age in a Regency alterna-universe. (Some other historical fantasy that I haven't gotten around to reading yet are Libba Bray's Gemma Doyle series and Gail Carriger's Parasol Protectorate.)
Reply
There's also Simon R. Green's Nightside and Secret Histories series. He has a really annoying writing tic - he will say some variation of "it's the Nightside" or "I'm a Drood" numerous times and it gets annoying after a while. It's a shame, b/c his world-building isn't bad, either.
Also, for something a little different, there's Kat Richardson's Greywalker series. It's not a unique premise - Charlaine Harris has a similar protagonist with her Harper Connelly series, plus there are other authors - but Richardson occasionally touches on other cultures, which I appreciate.
Aaaand Chuck Wendig's Miriam Black series (protag can touch people and see how they will die) .
Some people have highly recced Mike Carey's Felix Castor series (it apparently is also similar to Dresden), but I haven't gotten around to reading that, either. There is a newish series I that I want to try (Michael R. Underwood's Ree Reyes series)...it sounds ridiculous..."humans that derive supernatural powers from pop culture," but it's different, and at least it's not another vampire/werewolf/faerie book/series.
I probably should stop, b/c I keep on thinking of more things. XD
Reply
Except for Discworld - that doesn't count,
I actually had this whole paragraph I gave up on and took out about how I feel like Discworld is really more of an urban fantasy, just one where the urbanity happens to take place in a secondary world, but that got too abstruse so I decided not to go there. But Discworld is absolutely in a class of its own regardless of where one buckets it.
Amber Benson's Calliope Reaper-Jones series (no, I'm not kidding with the name)
Ooh, I heard about this one (b/c I remember the Reaper-Jones name, lol) and is this *that* Amber Benson, as in Tara from BtVS? And, ooh, Hindu gods are a plus!
(As for non-typical gods, I'm assuming you've read American Gods? Since you mentioned Hindu, I thought of Zelazny's Lord of Light, but that's sci-fi, and, uh, vintage, and they're not exactly gods anyway... but I still really enjoyed the book, and especially Zelazny's Yama-Dharma.)
Zombie detective, really? XD I don't really share the fascination with zombies some people seem to have, but that sounds like a premise worth checking out! And humour is good! (Though I must confess that "zombie detective" made me think of Reg Shoe getting a promotion :P)
I was trying to remember why Sniegoski's name and Remy Chandler sounded familiar, and I guess I read a story by him, too, "Noah's Orphans" in Mean Streets. It didn't really work for me, in large part because he kept using "seraphim" as a singular noun (and I know just enough Hebrew for it to clobber me over the head as a plural). But perhaps his other stories would work better for me...
(by the way, did you see the Molly goodie I posted the other day?).
I haven't, so thank you for mentioning it! (I think LJ's been buggy and not all posts have been showing up on people's flists...) But actually I tried looking on your LJ and couldn't find it? Or did you post it somewhere else? Or did LJ eat it? :(
I think I tried reading something by Gilman before and didn't get very far, but it might've been a differnet Gilman? The one I'm thinking of was a Luna imprint thing...
I'd been sort of passively intrigued by what I'd heard about Iron Druid, but it wasn't anything specific, and that's good to know that the protagonist isn't working for you, because I do find that's a bigger deal for me in UF than in high fantasy, which tends to have a larger cast anyway.
have you read any of Jasper Fforde's stuff (Thursday Next, Shades of Grey)? It's like a weird mish-mash of genres and I wouldn't really consider it to be UF, but I rec him every chance I get. XD
Oh, thank you for that reminder! I haven't, actually, but had been meaning to try Thursday Next for a while, and then it sort of drifted off my radar.
Reply
I agree, but if you polled a lot of people, they'd probably stick it in high fantasy, just because it seems "olden" and there are horses and wizards. XD When people say urban fantasy, I tend to think they are talking about *contemporary* urban fantasy, but you're right, historical-esque urban fantasy is a subset. I think it just tends to get sucked into high fantasy a lot, though. Because of the horse and wizard thing. XD If you wanted to get really edgy, you could argue that Discworld has a bit of steampunk, too. I tend to think of Pratchett like Jasper Fforde - kinda hard to put in a little box, which is a very good thing, imo, b/c I eat that stuff up. Publishers haaaaate it, though. They love their little boxes, I think, and cuddle them at night. ;-P
is this *that* Amber Benson, as in Tara from BtVS
Yep, that's her! XD She's written quite a bit, actually, and has/had some other writing collabs going on, as well. I also didn't know that she was originally from Birmingham, so like with Felicia Day (who was born in Huntsville), I feel Alabama has inadvertently cultivated some lady "geek" cred, or something. Ok, no, not really (except for Jan Davis and Mae Jemison...we are a hotbed of lady astronauts), but it amuses me when people of Alabama-origin become famous/well-known (like Condoleezza Rice) since we're usually accused of being a 100% racist hick backwater. *sigh*
I haven't read American Gods yet, but yes, I know about it. I haven't read much Zelazny (I think maybe some short stories, IIRC?). I guess authors don't like writing about gods that much since people can get uptight about it, especially if they are still worshiped in present-day, but I don't get offended by that sort of thing. I need to read Christopher Moore's stuff on the subject (someone else I forgot to mention - points to icon), since I'm sure his take on Jesus is hilarious.
If you've read Mean Streets (me toooo!), then you've read Kat Richardson. The Day of the Dead story was a part of her Greywalker series, IIRC. (I haven't gotten around to reading the series proper, but that story was a very good "seller" for it. At least it got me interested.)
The Molly goodie was in greathouses, not my journal, sorry I wasn't clear. But for others who might be interested, here's the link for the Dangerous Women anthology.
It may have been the same Gilman...looking at her books, they are with Luna. I mainly just mentioned it, b/c did doesn't seem like there is a lot of *contemporary* magic out there. There may be some "lower" tier authors writing it, but not really many "big" names...not that I consider Gilman to be a big name with UF magic, like Butcher or possibly Aaronovitch. It's hard keep track of everyone in UF, though, since there are new authors coming out all of the time. I'm sure if I sat down and thought about, I could probably think of some more with magic - there are some on the tip of my tongue, but I can't think of them right now (*blurts out* Maria V. Snyder, although she's not really UF). But Gilman explores people coming into/controlling their powers in a contemp setting, so I just thought I'd give it a mention for your magic school itch.
I don't know if I just wasn't in the mood for Iron Druid or what. Considering that I didn't love Dresden from the get go (I was very intrigued, since it was my first UF, IIRC), I shouldn't go "it's crap," because I do like Celtic lore a lot and the supporting cast seemed interesting, but I hadn't really gotten to know them yet. I had a weird drop-off in reading this year (like a black hole of nothing), so I'll probably go back and give it another go.
The Thursday Next series is delightful, imo...you should READ IT NOW! NOW, NOW, NOW! XD If you end up not liking it, you won't hurt my feelings, but it gives me a lot of feels, and that's pretty rare with me with books. Like, these are books that I'd happily reread multiple times sort of thing. There are too many books out there...I don't tend to reread.
Reply
True, the Moist books especially.
I like stuff that doesn't fit into little boxes also, because it generally means it's either more complex or is possibly colonising a new niche which will become a little box at some point in the future :P
we are a hotbed of lady astronauts
That is a pretty awesome thing to be a hotbed of! XD And, huh, didn't know that about Felicia Day or Amber Benson, or Condoleezza Rice for that matter (who was out here at Stanford for a while, so that's what I associate her with, before politics).
I really like American Gods -- I'm a fan of Gaiman in general, but I think this is his best. And Zelazny is interesting -- I loved Chronicles of Amber (well the first five books; the second series gets really weird really fast, and is much weaker, I think) and Lord of Light is pretty brilliant (it's supposed to be his masterpiece), but there are bits here and there where I think his writing shows its age.
I need to read Christopher Moore's stuff on the subject (someone else I forgot to mention - points to icon), since I'm sure his take on Jesus is hilarious.
I loved Lamb! I thought it was hilarious (and much stronger than the other thing by Moore I read, one of the vampire ones).
Oh, and not super-unusual, but there's also Norse Code by Greg van Eekhout for the Norse gods. And Gods Behaving Badly by Marie Phillips for the Greek pantheon. And of course Rick Riordan has the Egyptian gods series, which I haven't read but the rodents have and liked, in addition to the Percy Jackson ones.
If you've read Mean Streets (me toooo!), then you've read Kat Richardson.
Oh yeah, so I have... And apparently even liked the story better than Sniegoski's or Green's, though I guess it didn't especially grab me, if I forgot the author. Looking at my write-up, which proved to be not very helpful, I guess I did notice the other cultures thing, and also the ferret XD And no that I've been to Seattle sounds like a good time to keep an eye out for the series proper, so thank you for the reminder :)
But for others who might be interested, here's the link for the Dangerous Women anthology.
Ah, thank you! I guess I did see your post, I just spaced that there was a Molly story in the anthology... even though that was the one I was most looking to reading when I first heard about the lineup XD
Maria V. Snyder, although she's not really UF
I've heard good things about her, too! But the books of hers I keep coming across are sequels or subgenres that don't seem to be my thing... Do you have a specific rec for her?
I had a weird drop-off in reading this year
Me too, though I think I might still eke out 50 books counting kiddie books and such, which is not bad, but considering I have a really long, reading-friendly commute and that I'm usually closer to 70, it's weird. I think it's Rivers of London withdrawal... :/
Definitely thank you for the Jasper Fforde reminder -- I don't seem to be in the mood for "typical" fantasy, so maybe trying something different like that will prove to be just the ticket :)
Reply
Reply
If you like weird, you may also want to try Matt Ruff's Sewer, Gas and Electric. I didn't like it remotely as much as Fforde's stuff, but apparently I find Ayn Rand trapped in a hurricane lamp mildly humorous.
Reply
Reply
(and much stronger than the other thing by Moore I read, one of the vampire ones)
I've only read 4 Moore books so far (I just like the Dirty Jobs cover, which is why I have it as an icon), but my favorite, so far, was the 3rd vampire novel, Bite Me. The other two were alright, but nothing spectacular. I like humor in my fiction, so I tend to forgive more than with plain fiction. For example, I am still reading Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series even though it is very repetitive.
Norse Code by Greg van Eekhout for the Norse gods. And Gods Behaving Badly by Marie Phillips for the Greek pantheon. And of course Rick Riordan has the Egyptian gods series
Thanks for the reminder about the van Eekhout series, the Marie Phillips book has been on my tbr list for a long while - I think I started it, but had to stop for some reason, and I didn't realize that Riordan's other series dealt with Egypt. I guess with non-typical, I was talking about non-European gods, which is harder to come by, it seems. Although while digging up links for the paragraph below, I came across Divine Misfortune, which sounds potentially interesting. There's also Aliette de Bodard's Obsidan & Blood series, which deals with the Aztecs, but for some reason I'm not 100% enthused by the book blurb, so I don't know if I will search those out in the future.
Do you have a specific rec for her?
Maria Snyder is one of those authors that I've been meaning to read for a long time, like Rachel Caine, Jacqueline Carey, Carrie Vaughn, A. Lee Martinez, C.E. Murphy, or, more recently, Lauren Beukes (we will see if Mur Lafferty, "Phillipa Bornikova" or Max Gladstone gets read by me anytime soon). But the book that pretty much kicked off Snyder's career, I think, was Poison Study. It's where I'm going to start whenever I get around to it.
I don't seem to be in the mood for "typical" fantasy, so maybe trying something different like that will prove to be just the ticket
Jasper Fforde currently has 4 different series (3 adult, 1 YA), so if the premise of Thursday Next doesn't grab you (for some reason, I think it will, but I dunno), there are a few others to try.
Reply
(And I'm with you on giving more of a pass to books that make me laugh.)
I liked Norse Code, but a little less than I'd been expecting to given how much I like the Norse gods (I liked them better in American Gods, e.g.), and the Gods Behaving Badly book better than I'd expected (but my expectations were pretty low, for whatever reason).
Right, I was trying to think of books with non-European gods and not coming up with much. Divine Misfortune sounds pretty cute, though!
Poison Study is what was originally rec'd to me for Snyder, I think, but I can't remember if I looked through it and it didn't grab me or if the books of hers I kept coming across where something else, and it was those that didn't grab me.
"Phillipa Bornikova"
I'm randomly amused that people are assuming Slavic-sounding lastnames as pseudonyms now :D
I've vaguely wanted to try the Rachel Caine books, too, because weatherworking is another favorite magic type of mine.
Jacqueline Carey... I've only read her Kushiel stuff (though I've heard decent-to-good things about her urban fantasy, too), and I enjoyed it, but the writing in the first trilogy really grated on me, too. Not enough to make me quit, but enough to make me kinda hate the pain character. And by "kinda" I mean "a lot". :P
I, too, expect I'll like the premise of Thursday Next, but we'll see -- hopefully we prove right on that :)
Reply
Snyder spun off her Study series or whatever it was called into the Glass series, I believe, which is related, but I'm not sure if it would be a situation like I found with Gilman of being sorta dropped into something, even though it's a separate series. I think the reason why I haven't picked it up yet is that it comes across as being potentially high fantasy to me with a bunch of made up names and maps and that sort of thing plus royal intrigue (which I don't really like in historical fiction, even), and I've found my interest in those type of stories to wane a lot over the years. Really, the only "new-to-me" one I've picked up in recent years is ASOIAF, but if GRRM were really out there with the names of the characters (Meereen is where he is starting to lose me with character names), I might not have kept going, not sure.
I think for Carey, I was going to try some of her UF (I think she has some), but yeah, I'm not sure if Kushiel will interest me or not. I kinda got the impression that it delved into paranormal/fantasy romance more, which...meh...although I've heard people speak highly of her handling of it, know someone (very vaguely) who has a Kushiel-related tattoo, that sort of thing.
I do hope you like The Eyre Affair (the first Thursday Next book). I just think the world Jasper has come up with for that series is a lot of fun, especially for book lovers who aren't allergic to whimsical things.
Reply
But, yeah, she does have some UF, and although I haven't read it myself, I've heard good things about it. The Kushiel prose tends towards purple and stylized, so I wonder how her UF writing is -- rather different, I assume.
Reply
I sort of bounced off Duane's So You Want to be a Wizard, but I hadn't heard of Jenny Nimmo, so thanks for the tip.
I read the first Sorcery & Cecelia book (and loved it! SO CHARMING!) but the second one didn't work as well for me so I think I just left it unfinished. I never read either of their solo work and had forgotten about College of Magics -- that does sound up my alley!)
I read the Gemma Doyle books (IMO, not so great as historical fantasy, but some wonderful female friendships and one character I really love; they're narrated in first person present tense, btw, in case that's a stylistic tic that would bug you; or appeal to you, alternatively) and the first two Parasol Protectorates. I have the same problem with Carriger's protagonist that I do with Toby Daye, which is that for someone who is supposed to be really clever, she way too frequently acts like a total idiot. I could kind of fanwank it through the first book, but by the end of the second it was getting really old. Plus, I feel like it tries to explain its magic (pseudo-)scientifically, except the "science" didn't make any sense to me, and that really bugged me, the way a "it's ~*~magic~*~!" explanation wouldn't have. Carriger has a YA book set in the same universe, Etiquette & Espionage, about a finishing school for spies, and I liked the protagonist of that, and the book as a whole, better than the Alexia Terabotti ones, even though it's not flawless either. Oh, but both series feature a kickass lady inventor who wears men's clothes -- I think it's worth giving a try just for her :)
I tried... something by Simon R Green, a short story or novella, and I think it was Nightside, and, lol, I know what you mean about the writing tic, because his writing style didn't work very well for me, even though the world-building seemed really neat.
I hadn't heard about Greywalker (and have heard of but not read the Harper Connelly series -- my flist's Harris fans seem less enthused with it than with Sookie) or Miriam Black.
I think I've heard the name Felix Castor but not anything more about the series (and I think the name, unfairly, just give me the giggles, because Felix makes me think of felix felices and Castor is the Latin word for beaver, so this conjures up images of a very happy beaver, yeah IDK XP), but similar to Dresden is good (provided it's similar in the "fun ensemble" and "lots of action" ways). And supernatural powers derived from pop culture (for the Ree Reyes, which I also haven't heard of) actually sounds pretty awesome -- I like stuff like that! And it reminds me of a Jim C Hines book I just finished about "libriomancers" whose magic is powered by people's imaginations being fired up by fiction, more or less.
Reply
I think if I was forced to pick a Simon R. Green series, I'd go with the Secret Histories one, mainly just b/c apparently I can stand his "I'm a Drood" more than his Nightside tic, I dunno. XD It's sort of frustrating when there's an author who has gobs of books on a topic that you like, but you're just not that into them. But in this case, I will not say it's me...it's HIM, lol. If he had a ruthless "evil" (i.e. someone that actually did their job) editor I think he'd be more popular that he is. Although I guess he's popular enough.
The Felix Castor thing mainly came from people who just haaaated Dresden Files, thought the writing sucked (and that Jim is a misogynistic a-hole). Clearly I don't agree, since I'm still reading the series (just am behind a bit), but then I don't really like nitpick stuff that much unless it's egregious, b/c it's exhausting. Yes, if you did a close-reading of most books, you could probably find something problematic, and when it comes to UF/fantasy, I don't think anyone is mainly reading it for carefully crafted prose. XD (For example, some people love to rave about Cat Valente and I just cannot read her stuff. It is a morass of words to me. D-:) But some people live for the sporking crap, though - at this point, about the only thing I enjoy sporking on a regular basis is GoT, but even sometimes I get tired of it.
But anyway, I haven't read any Felix Castor either, but if it's supposed to be *miles* better than Dresden (I sort of am skeptical, since I think he'd be mentioned more/be more popular), just thought I'd add it to the rec vomit. XD But from the description of the first book, here's the gist: "Felix Castor is a freelance exorcist, and London is his stamping ground." Although when I was looking for the name of this series ('cause it was on the tip of my tongue), some people were accusing it of being a Dresden ripoff, so I dunno.
*collapses* XD
Reply
Oh, I hear you on this! This is my tragedy with Seanan McGuire (compounded by the fact that I really like her writing when it's just her blog, so clearly she can write in a way that appeals to me, just... apparently that's not how she writes her books XD) -- she is super-prolific and has several series that sound entirely up my alley -- UF/mystery with fairies set in San Francisco! badass families and cryptids and magic mice! UF set around the fairy tale trope index! -- and, well, I haven't read the last one (because I want to live in hope, albeit faint, that it will work better for me) but I read the Toby Daye books with the background resentment of how much more I should be enjoying UF/mystery with fairies set in SF, and I couldn't finish Discount Armageddon at all... (I've heard awesome things about Seanan-as-Mira-Grant's Feed books, and maybe the trick will be to read the series that doesn't appeal to me in premise at all -- zombies, meh -- but I'm in that once bitten twice shy space with her writing...)
people who just haaaated Dresden Files, thought the writing sucked (and that Jim is a misogynistic a-hole). Clearly I don't agree, since I'm still reading the series (just am behind a bit),
Oh, up through which book are you? (so I can be sure not to spoil you inadvertently). I've seen no evidence that Jim is a miogynistic asshole, but there are a couple of things he does with his female characters that I really wish he wouldn't, or at least not so consistently. Like Molly's stupid crush persisting, and mind-whammying Murphy (mostly in short stories; maybe he should just not write short stories -- I don't think they are his forte), or Georgia constantly needing rescue, and gratuitously scantily clad females now and again. Other than that, and some of the world-building stuff he's been building up to lately, I really have nbo complaints about his writing or books.
some people love to rave about Cat Valente and I just cannot read her stuff. It is a morass of words to me. D-:
Oh my god, yes! I find her stuff gratuitously purple and self-indulgent and kinda impenetrable, so whatever magic it holds for the very many people I know who love her stuff, clearly doesn't for me. (I've read a couple of stories that I don't think required the embellishment she brought to them (although I did like this one), and I ran out of steam about a third of the way through The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland, and haven't even wanted to try her more serious novels after skimming a couple of pages. Just Not For Me, I guess.
Reply
I'd have to look to see if I'm just one or possibly two books behind with Dresden. I think at this point I don't really care about spoilers with this series, so no worries. And yeah, Jim has some issues (yes let's fridge underdeveloped Susan, blah, blah blah), but I don't really see Molly's crush being extremely crazy, since I've seen some women who are old enough to be over teenage crushes to gush over things like One Direction, for example (no, I don't get it). Molly's not even 20 yet, is she?
I'm surprised more people haven't sporked Cat Valente, b/c her writing is just so sporkable. XD I don't mind "purple prose" in poetry, but pages upon pages of it, aieee! I will rec her to people who are looking for more "literary" genre stuff (I tend to think a lot of those folks are snooty and have a stick up their butt, but whatever), but when even her fans say stuff like "I loved what I read of it, but I ultimately had to set it aside. It was too beautiful" and "I found Palimpsest to be somewhat weighed down by its own poetic language -- it was so heavy with imagery that I kept losing the thread of the plot" (both of these comments came from me reccing Cat to someone specifically in a comm) I sort of roflmao to myself a bit. I was curious to try her Fairyland books (I've only attempted one of the Orphan Tales), just out a perverse fascination of how she attempted to write for a younger crowd. Maybe, (like Henry James, apparently), she's only good for short stories.
Reply
Leave a comment