Clockwork Angel - Sporking One, Part Two

[hoppytoad79]

It’s stated clearly in, IIRC, City of Ashes that the reason Simon became a vamp is because when he was a rat and bit a vamp, he ingested some of the vamp’s blood.  Unless CC has neglected to mention her halfbreeds can’t be turned, Will has to be turned or she’s violated the rules of her own canon. 

Comments

[dbshaw]

“Say it.”

The vampire raised his head. “Say what?”

I think what she meant to put here is "What do you want me to say?" instead of "Say what?" Though I still think that a vampire who stands around talking instead of knocking everyone to the floor and killing them and/or trying to escape if outnumbered is pretty lame.

Will probably won't be turned because Raphael gave some explanation about Simon only drinking a little bit of blood and taking on some vampy aspects which would have been temporary had Simon not decided to be all emo and walk into the vamp hotel and get his arse bitten all over again and turned into a vampire for real.

I am ashamed that my brain has retained that much info from those books.

I don't suppose it occurred to her to have an English person read through her book before sending it to the editors or a historian familiar with Victorian era Britain or maybe a semi-decent beta reader from the pit of voles?

The gun kicked back, hard, into her hand, and Alexei fell sideways, blood streaming from his shoulder.

Five minutes worth of research on google and wikipedia says that guns of that time, pistols specifically had barely any recoil and those which did were apparently very gentle. Critical research failure, Cassie.

*headdesk*

[hoppytoad79]

Simon was bitten twice? I seem to have forgotten about the second time. Will has bitten a vamp more than once, however, so he's had more than one exposure, just like Simon. He won't be turned, though, because that wouldn't fit CC's plans so a) she'll write the novel as if she never said a thing about ingesting vamp blood and what that does to you or b) Will will just 'happen' to have some extraspeshulness that makes him immune to the effects of vamp blood, or there will be a way to keep him from turning, or something that conveniently explains why the rules don't apply to him.

guns of that time, pistols specifically had barely any recoil and those which did were apparently very gentle. Critical research failure, Cassie.

Critical research failure, indeed. *snickers* What did her 'research' consist of, reading lots of Dickens and a guided tour of London (as she says she walked the same streets her characters would have)?

[dbshaw]

Will's extra speshulness will probably have him be either a Jace/Draco expy so nothing has lasting consequences unless it makes him more badass/cool or maybe in a shocking plot twist he will get turned into a vampy and get to be all emo and wangsty about it for the remainder of the book. I doubt it though.

I really hope her research consists of more than that, hell for one nano novel I wrote I bought and read about 5 different books on sailing boats and swords even though that I knew it didn't need to be in the story but because I knew my character needed to know the info therefore I did.

I swear if 'the moors' turn up anywhere near London I'll be writing a letter to her publisher and asking if they paid for this so called 'research' trip. They're like 300 miles away from London, despite what every Dracula movie going might have tried to portray.

Why the hell anyone would use London as a template for Victorian era Britain in the first place is beyond me. There's half a dozen open-air museums around the country with period streets and buildings that would have been much better for those purposes. Hell, one is the size of a small village because they've bought up a ton of land and just keep adding buildings to it. It's even got working period buses and trains to carry you around the place.

[hoppytoad79]

She went to London because that's where the trilogy is set. I totally agree with you that contemporary Greater London is not the best place to go if you want to get 'in the mood' and get a sense of things. This is CC we're talking about, though. What we consider doing research and what she considers doing research are apparently two very different things.

[dbshaw]

Word.

I'm not sure if I can get away with saying 'word' with a ridiculously strong, northern accent but I'll try anyway. Probably comes out my mouth more like 'werd' but this is the internet and luckily this font doesn't display accents all that well.

I'm in two minds whether to get the book or not when it comes out, the sick part of my brain wants me to buy it so I can go through it with a pencil and a stack of post-it notes and see how many modern Americanisms came out in the final draft.

[hoppytoad79]

I'm thinking now "Say what?" is VampMan asking what Will wants him to say, as opposed to uttering a modern Americanism. It should be rephrased.

[dbshaw]

It's one of the more minor offences in the whole thing but I did have to read it twice myself to confirm in my brain about what she was trying to say. That said these are the least eloquent Victorians to ever exist.

[hoppytoad79]

Consider the source. You're not going to get filet mingon from Burger King and you're never going to get accuracy and good characters from a mediocre writer.

[dbshaw]

Too true, my friend, too true.

[tryxkittie]

I actually got that right away so I don't think it should be rephrased. I think there are a lot worse things in the passage actually.

[hoppytoad79]

Ain't that the truth