Anne Rice and I reach the end of a journey.
For years I've been trying to figure out why I can't read Anne Rice, she of fruity vampire novel fame.
This has been like a personal quest for me. With every book or author that I love or hate, I'm able to articulate why ... except for Anne Rice. And it's not just the subject matter; I've read a few of her non-vampire books -- different plots, characters, written at different points in her career -- yet each one left a weird taste in my mouth. There's something chafing about the style that I just can't put my finger on. The Anne Rice effect creeps up on me from behind.
For the longest time I thought it was just her, but when Cassandra Claire was huge back in the day (L O L if you remember her and the epic fanwank that followed) everybody was recommending her stuff. I was too put-off by her style to get past a dozen chapters. Oh shit, RICE EFFECT. Yeah, guess who she listed as her inspirations? Her prose must have absorbed the whatever-it-is.
The only other place I've noticed this is with Mary Renault, who wrote the Persian Boy historical series, though to a lesser degree. Renault especially depresses me because I was a bit obsessed with Alexander the Great for several years, and when I heard that she had novelized his life and that the books were supposed to be great I was tremendously excited. People loved these things; it was going to be awesome. Imagine my disappointment at barely being able to make it through the first book because of that. It's that weird smell leaking from under your fridge. You've been smelling it for years, and sometimes you get a whiff of it at other people's houses, but what is it? I know something is getting under my skin, but I can't identify it and it's been driving me nuts for years.
I've been analyzing the Rice Effect. At first glance I could only find two overlapping themes: flowery wording and homoerotica. But lush description can be awesome! And the blatant homo-vibe is half the draw (Rice's Armand: I was promised terrible and decadent things happening to beautiful young men. Picture high school me squatting in the book aisle of Winn Dixie, eyes bulging over my dark treasure. A TERRIBLE CHILD. And yet it's the first time I've ever literally thrown a book in the garbage; so many promises broken.)
Besides, neither of these overlaps is exclusive to those authors. Chabon, Clarke? No problem. So maybe it's the way the characters are portrayed more than the language or subject. Many times I wanted to jump into the bookverse and shake people by the shoulders, maybe box their ears a bit, and thus I think I totally figured out the problem: They all write worlds populated by "drowsy bisexual polyamorous drama queens," to steal another guy's description of most vampires. Rice's characters are all so beautiful and delicate and deep all the time, everything they did and thought was beautiful or clever in a snarky way. Then after a bout of smelling amazing, they would gaze off into the distance with an inscrutable expression. Even when people are flawed, the "flaws" make them more deep and poetic -- welcome to the Sueniverse!
Her dudes never banged each other, though a few forbidden dances of the carnal embrace were had. Same with Renault. When Alexander and Hephastion finally did the deed, Alexander wept, for he was reminded of his own mortality. This should actually be a beautiful expression, and it is, but after a book's worth of such events it was only frustrating. And gay. Not just gay, gaaaay.
These weren't real people, more like sumptuous oil-paintings based loosely on reality. I can see the appeal of being submerged into a glorious, tragic world, but I guess it's not for me. Maybe in a different context, one with a few less ethereal, too-awesome-for-thou fashion plates. A little bit of grit would be nice, and may even serve to complement the moments of poetry. I think. This still isn't very articulate, but I'm closer to figuring out than I was before.
...
Which is probably why I'm writing Go Lobos, where characters get dirty, injured, bloody, and self-conscious; they cuss and say the wrong thing, and generally make asses of themselves on a regular basis. ~~sigh<3
This has been like a personal quest for me. With every book or author that I love or hate, I'm able to articulate why ... except for Anne Rice. And it's not just the subject matter; I've read a few of her non-vampire books -- different plots, characters, written at different points in her career -- yet each one left a weird taste in my mouth. There's something chafing about the style that I just can't put my finger on. The Anne Rice effect creeps up on me from behind.
For the longest time I thought it was just her, but when Cassandra Claire was huge back in the day (L O L if you remember her and the epic fanwank that followed) everybody was recommending her stuff. I was too put-off by her style to get past a dozen chapters. Oh shit, RICE EFFECT. Yeah, guess who she listed as her inspirations? Her prose must have absorbed the whatever-it-is.
The only other place I've noticed this is with Mary Renault, who wrote the Persian Boy historical series, though to a lesser degree. Renault especially depresses me because I was a bit obsessed with Alexander the Great for several years, and when I heard that she had novelized his life and that the books were supposed to be great I was tremendously excited. People loved these things; it was going to be awesome. Imagine my disappointment at barely being able to make it through the first book because of that. It's that weird smell leaking from under your fridge. You've been smelling it for years, and sometimes you get a whiff of it at other people's houses, but what is it? I know something is getting under my skin, but I can't identify it and it's been driving me nuts for years.
I've been analyzing the Rice Effect. At first glance I could only find two overlapping themes: flowery wording and homoerotica. But lush description can be awesome! And the blatant homo-vibe is half the draw (Rice's Armand: I was promised terrible and decadent things happening to beautiful young men. Picture high school me squatting in the book aisle of Winn Dixie, eyes bulging over my dark treasure. A TERRIBLE CHILD. And yet it's the first time I've ever literally thrown a book in the garbage; so many promises broken.)
Besides, neither of these overlaps is exclusive to those authors. Chabon, Clarke? No problem. So maybe it's the way the characters are portrayed more than the language or subject. Many times I wanted to jump into the bookverse and shake people by the shoulders, maybe box their ears a bit, and thus I think I totally figured out the problem: They all write worlds populated by "drowsy bisexual polyamorous drama queens," to steal another guy's description of most vampires. Rice's characters are all so beautiful and delicate and deep all the time, everything they did and thought was beautiful or clever in a snarky way. Then after a bout of smelling amazing, they would gaze off into the distance with an inscrutable expression. Even when people are flawed, the "flaws" make them more deep and poetic -- welcome to the Sueniverse!
Her dudes never banged each other, though a few forbidden dances of the carnal embrace were had. Same with Renault. When Alexander and Hephastion finally did the deed, Alexander wept, for he was reminded of his own mortality. This should actually be a beautiful expression, and it is, but after a book's worth of such events it was only frustrating. And gay. Not just gay, gaaaay.
These weren't real people, more like sumptuous oil-paintings based loosely on reality. I can see the appeal of being submerged into a glorious, tragic world, but I guess it's not for me. Maybe in a different context, one with a few less ethereal, too-awesome-for-thou fashion plates. A little bit of grit would be nice, and may even serve to complement the moments of poetry. I think. This still isn't very articulate, but I'm closer to figuring out than I was before.
...
Which is probably why I'm writing Go Lobos, where characters get dirty, injured, bloody, and self-conscious; they cuss and say the wrong thing, and generally make asses of themselves on a regular basis. ~~sigh<3