AARRRGGGGHHH!!!!

[meganbmoore]

I just read a review of Patricia Briggs's latest Mercy Thompson book, by someone whose comments on the first two book line up with my opinions on them .  Not only does it include my absolute least favorite theme in fantasy fiction, but apparently, authors are contractually obligated to include my least favorite part of urban fantasy.

I think 

Comments

fair enough, but by the third book in this series I can overlook it

[estara]

*Spoilerific*

With the backstory in the first two books and considering that these books are supposed to be additional takes on "strong female with more than one alpha love interest" (which subject you have to like in the first place to like them) I was able to get over that part of it (probably because the obedience magic spell that made the rape possible had already made another male character kill himself, so it was equal opportunity nasty).

If the fact that the protagonist was saved by one of the alpha males had made her decide to be with him then, it might have been an instant dealbreaker, but she had realised/decided before this turn of events that she wanted him, so (within the whole wolf/coyote pack idea) it made sense to me that she would be in shock and ashamed first and then overcome it (I did think that went rather fast, but I believe in her as a strong person so maybe she can handle it faster?).

I thought her favourite alpha was rather thick when he thought she was afraid of him (her provoking him across all three books), but when one of his male pack pointed out the symptoms, obliquely admitting to having been a victim of rape as a child himself, it again made me consider this an adversity NOT aimed at only females.

To sum up, I'll continue to follow the series until a deal-breaker comes along or it finishes, whatever comes first.

Re: fair enough, but by the third book in this series I can overlook it

[meganbmoore]

The thing is that rape is no longer used as a legitimate trauma, but as a shorthand. It's brought out when one of two things is needed: 1) To give a character, male or female, an excuse to be hard, angry, angsty, or some combination 2) to show the "dangers" in the world by having the character "pay" for their lifestyle. Rape itself is a legitimate, scarring trauma and the reason I have minimal tolerance for it in fiction is because it is cheapened by simply being used as an excuse to have characters act in a stereotyped way, or as a shorthand for "dangerous life."

Everything I've rad about this book, good and bad, makes me think that the rape of one character fits intothe former, and the other into the latter.

There's is also the equally unpleasant factor of the fact that Adam TOLD her not to go. This adds the element of "paying the price for not obeying your man." Had she "obeyed" she would not have been raped, therefore, it was "wrong" of her to make her own decision to do what she wanted with her own life. This is a theme I have even less of a tolerance for than the rape shorthand.

Re: fair enough, but by the third book in this series I can overlook it

[estara]

You have a point, just as in your post. Still I think Briggs may redeem her cheap shot. She didn't use the cheap way out before. If she should go the way of Laurell K. Hamilton I'll reconsider, or if more rape = dangerous life show up.