Comments | hamsterwoman: Reading roundup: League of Dragons, + Deadpool

hamsterwoman

Reading roundup: League of Dragons, + Deadpool

Jun 19, 2016 01:05

43. Naomi Novik, League of Dragons (Temeraire #9 and last) -- non-spoilerly: I enjoyed it a lot, though to a large part, I think due to my expectations being VASTLY lowered by Blood of Tyrants, a book that disappointed me quite strongly (and my feelings actually became more negative as time went on -- it was actually my answer to the most ( Read more... )

a: naomi novik, fic rec, movie, reading, temeraire

Comments 33

gelsey June 19 2016, 08:50:29 UTC

Hmmm. Maybe I'll give the rest of the series a chance now. I really just haven't been able to move on from the beginning of that fucked up amnesia thing. At least there's some happy...

Though I did so love him and Jane...

Hm.

hamsterwoman June 19 2016, 19:56:15 UTC

Honestly, I think you can just skip the amnesia part of BoT. There is all of one paragraph in the last book which has any connection at all to that whole plot. OK, maybe two.

The Laurence and Jane reunion is wonderful (if not long enough for my taste -- or theirs, I would imagine ;)! If you're a fan of the pairing at all, I would definitely encourage you to read League of Dragons.

just_ann_now June 19 2016, 12:14:10 UTC

I really wish I could have loved League of Dragons! I wish I could have loved most of the series, to be honest, more than I did. The incredible ingenuity, wit and joy of the first book did not seem to carry over. It felt to me that her book contract outlived her attention span. *sad face*

That being said, I liked many of the same things you did about this last book; I howled with laughter over the dragons learning about banking and interest rates and busily discussing among themselves the benefits of one type of investment over another. And I thought Laurence going off to live happily with Tharkay so that Temeraire could take a seat in Parliament was quite neatly done. Oh, and the egg! Temeraire's brains with Izkierka's disposition! I laughed SO HARD every time she showed up.

hamsterwoman June 19 2016, 20:03:21 UTC

It felt to me that her book contract outlived her attention span.Yeah, I felt the same, with the last couple of books. I do think Victory of Eagles is marvelous, the best book in the series, if not nearly so cheerful and fun as the first one, but it's been downhill from there for me ( ... )

_profiterole_ June 19 2016, 14:13:17 UTC

Deadpool was a lot of fun! The superhero jokes were my faves. Also, all the hints at his pansexuality, although I would have preferred them to be less easily taken as mere jokes.

hamsterwoman June 19 2016, 20:07:46 UTC

Ha, yes, the superhero jokes (beyond the actor references, too) were great! And the pop culture references in general. I know what you mean about the pansexuality references/hints, but at the same time, I think pretty much everything he says could be taken as a joke-or-is-it? in the same manner, so I'm not sure what it would have to have been to not be dismissable as a joke, other than actually showing him with people (of assorted genders) other than Vanessa, and not only would that have probably been harder to sell from a rating perspective, but I do think it would have probably genuinely distracted from the 'love story' aspect of this particular movie. In the sequel, maybe?

_profiterole_ June 19 2016, 21:35:20 UTC

He could have explained he's pansexual to Vanessa (so few shows actually use the word "bisexual" or the word "pansexual", it's all we-don't-do-labels and it kinda sounds like bi/pan erasure), what it means... they would have been watching a movie and found a certain actor hot (which on its own could probably fall into the is-it-a-joke category). He could have had a former boyfriend. He and Vanessa could have had a threesome with a guy... come on, the rating is already R, I know there's a LOT of homophobia in Hollywood, but R is high enough.

hamsterwoman June 19 2016, 22:10:53 UTC

"Pansexual" as a label in dialogue would've felt at odds with the tone of the movie to me, but I do like the threesome-with-a-guy idea -- it would've fit into the holiday montage quite nicely.

Thread 6

orangerful June 19 2016, 15:38:19 UTC

We watched 'Deadpool' yesterday too and I enjoyed it. I don't know if I would watch it again but it had lots of great moments. I am looking forward to a sequel because I felt like the slowest part of the movie was the origin story and I really just want Deadpool being a murdering disgusting asshole who fights for good kinda for 90 minutes next time.

hamsterwoman June 19 2016, 20:11:23 UTC

Yeah, I don't think I need to watch it again because it really feels like a movie that works best the first time around -- the funny bits are funny in the way jokes are, where once you know the punchline you don't get much from repeat performance. Or at least I think I wouldn't.

Agreed on the origin story slowing things down, although I did also enjoy those bits -- or at least the pre-cancer Wade, not so much the Weapon X stuff.

Definitely looking forward to the sequel!

rahirah June 19 2016, 16:11:00 UTC

I was deeply disappointed that we didn't get to see the political wrangling which led to Parliament accepting Perscitia's bill -- that is, after all, the culmination of a major subplot, and to have it disposed of off-stage was very unsatisfying. I did enjoy this book better than the last one, but to me it had an air of the author being tired of the whole thing, and wanting to be done with it as quickly as possible.

hamsterwoman June 19 2016, 20:25:55 UTC

I did enjoy this book better than the last one, but to me it had an air of the author being tired of the whole thing, and wanting to be done with it as quickly as possible.I agree with this statement in all parts. I do think she was tired of the series and wanting to wrap it up as quickly as possible, but maybe because she could see the light at the end of the tunnel, I do think it was a better book than the previous one. ("Dobby is free ( ... )