Urban Paranormal of the Femslashy Kind

[watch_yer_back]

Ivy Alisha Tamwood, six feet of powerful, dangerous and beautiful living vampire perennially struggling with her instincts, and inexplicably (by this point) in love with one Rachel Mariana Morgan since Dead Witch Walking. Nine books later (and let me say that I was warned off the 8th and 9th so I haven’t read them), they’ve had a couple of

Comments

[sav8801]

Thank you for the recs. If I ever have some spare cash lying around, which doesn't seem likely considering two months of job hunting has procured a grand total of zero results, I'll be sure to check them out.

I absolutely share your reproaches to the Hollows, as I'm sure you know. There's nothing I can say that wasn't said about Rachel and Ivy that wasn't said before, but honestly, that's not even the real deal-breaker for me. Ravy fizzled out all on its own. It's the positive treatment of the antagonists that makes the books unbearable to me now, and honestly, the Hollows books aren't the sole offenders. Looking back at most UF novels I've read, I actually noticed it's a rather infuriating trend they seem to display. I've come to call it the UF golden rule; if you're male and pretty in an urban fantasy setting, it doesn't matter that you're a monster, your every crimes are forgivable and only add to the complexity and sex appeal of your character. It's almost the exact opposite for female characters, but to a lesser extent, partly because males tend to hog all the spotlight in this genre. For lesser crimes, a woman will generally receive greater punishment, unless she's the main character.

Examples from the Hollows: Trent and Al are given second chances and apologised for every atrocities they comitted. Compare them to Skimmer, who gets jailed for saving the life of the woman she loved, then character-assassinated into this selfish monster even though she sacrificed more than just about anyone for Ivy.

Even more interesting: The case of Mia VS Trent.

-Trent worked for years to find a way to cure his dying people. Mia had to watch helplessly as her people went extinct for decades.

-Trent is willing to go to any lengths, including murder and torture, to ensure the survival of his species. Mia discovered a way to dramatically increase her species' birth rate, at the unfortunate cost of killing members of other species.

-Trent, and these are KH's own words, was "always a good guy, from the start". Mia? Well, I'm sure you've read WWBC. You know how it ended for her. 25 to life.

I'm not excusing Mia, she's a murderer and belongs in jail, but so does Trent. And let's not even talk about the plight of the banshees, because really, what plight of the banshees? They're going extinct, yet that little detail was simply swept under the rug, never to be mentioned again. And, really, why wouldn't it be? They're a race of exclusively female predators, and the golden rule only applies to males. They never stood a chance in a UF novel.

Is this turning into a rant yet? Sorry... As much as I love vampire stories, I really hate that double standard cropping up seemingly everywhere. To get this comment back on track, in case you're ever looking for more UF to read, I whole-heartedly recommend Jim Butcher's 'Dresden Files' series. It won't scratch any femslashy itch you might have, but unlike most series in the genre, it's told from the POV of a man, and so it's the fair sex he ogles. I'm not sure that's a consolation, but there it is.

That said, I've found it much less sexist than most mainstream UF I've read. There's a few damsels in distress moments, but there are plenty of strong female characters to balance it out, several of which actually kick the main protagonist's ass, without taking any spotlight away from the men. It's got the best, most balanced cast I've seen, romance that is present but never overbearing, action that'll keep you on the edge of your seat, moments that will have you bawling like a toddler, others that will have you laughing so hard you'll beg for mercy. These are probably my favourite books. I have no qualms about recommending them.

Man, this turned out longer than I thought... Sorry. Thanks again for the recs and reviews. I hope you like Harry Dresden if you decide to give him a chance.

Sav

[watch_yer_back]

I've come to call it the UF golden rule; if you're male and pretty in an urban fantasy setting, it doesn't matter that you're a monster, your every crimes are forgivable and only add to the complexity and sex appeal of your character.

I think you just named the rule for about 80% of the "romantic" formulas out there. :P Take, for instance, the vampire. No one ever had trouble believing bald, ugly, bug-eyed Nosferatu was evil or that he should die at the end. Ditto Bram Stoker's Dracula (the book, not the movie), with his creepy-crawly air and hairy palms, or even the pale, unwashed vampires of 30 Days of Night. But once you get to Anne Rice's Lestat and down the line to the glittery kind, that's all out the window.

You're totally right about Mia and Trent. But alright, maybe it can be argued that there's a kind of glamorized/romanticized mob boss tradition in fiction and movies that applies to Trent. But AL?! I don't care how charming he gets, he seduced and enslaved souls like Ceri for thousands of years. Does anyone get that he's practically a slave-trader? And it's not like he's horrified at what he's done. So I don't get why he deserves a makeover.

Thanks for the rec! I'll give the Dresden Files a try one of these days.