Doctors and Demons
Just got home from my doctor's appointment. I have to go for a pelvic ultrasound. Which all sounds well and good, except that beforehand I have to take like 6 pills/drinks that act as laxatives and then spend a day on the toilet while drinking 87 gallons of water and then being up all night and then drink another 17 gallons of water in the morning without peeing before they press all over my bladder and this is not going to be fun. Who comes up with this torture?
Today's Blogtober topic is Demonic Characters. Oooh, I loves me some dark characters, some anti-heroes, some bad guys who don't have to be redeemed. There's so many options I could choose for this topic, but the first one who came to mind is Azrael in R. Lee Smith's "Land of the Beautiful Dead". Now, first, Smith's books are not for everyone. They are long, very dark, and very graphic. But she is a master worldbuilder. In this story, Azrael -- a being who cannot be killed and who can control and raise people from the dead -- has taken over the world. Small pockets of the remaining humans live in isolated communities beset by Azrael's risen dead, but this is not a zombie tale. It's the story of Lan, a young woman who travels to Azrael's kingdom to plead with him to release his hold on the dead and let the humans live in peace. Azrael agrees to hear her out, but only if she stays and becomes his courtesan. Now Azrael cannot be killed but he can be injured, and the result is a slow-to-heal body that is horrific. But Lan is smart and savvy, and she has nothing to lose. And as the story goes on we learn why Azrael is the way he is, and... maybe he's not so evil after all? (Well, okay, he destroyed the world. That's pretty drastic. But still, I love him.)
If you're looking for something really different, "Land of the Beautiful Dead" may be for you.
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Today's Blogtober topic is Demonic Characters. Oooh, I loves me some dark characters, some anti-heroes, some bad guys who don't have to be redeemed. There's so many options I could choose for this topic, but the first one who came to mind is Azrael in R. Lee Smith's "Land of the Beautiful Dead". Now, first, Smith's books are not for everyone. They are long, very dark, and very graphic. But she is a master worldbuilder. In this story, Azrael -- a being who cannot be killed and who can control and raise people from the dead -- has taken over the world. Small pockets of the remaining humans live in isolated communities beset by Azrael's risen dead, but this is not a zombie tale. It's the story of Lan, a young woman who travels to Azrael's kingdom to plead with him to release his hold on the dead and let the humans live in peace. Azrael agrees to hear her out, but only if she stays and becomes his courtesan. Now Azrael cannot be killed but he can be injured, and the result is a slow-to-heal body that is horrific. But Lan is smart and savvy, and she has nothing to lose. And as the story goes on we learn why Azrael is the way he is, and... maybe he's not so evil after all? (Well, okay, he destroyed the world. That's pretty drastic. But still, I love him.)
If you're looking for something really different, "Land of the Beautiful Dead" may be for you.
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