Bishop, Anne - Dreams Made Flesh

[oyceter]

This is a compilation of four short stories (actually, three short stories and a novella) that take place in the world of Bishop's Black Jewels trilogy. I suspect it won't be interesting to anyone who isn't already familiar with the world

Comments

[ginny_t]

It's all true, and that's why we love it even as we feel slightly wrong doing so.

On the subject of slightly (or not so) wrong, I think I'll have to check out this Sebastian thing of hers. (On the subject of romance novel clichés… nice name. *rolls eyes*)

[oyceter]

HEE! I know! Oh oh oh! The best thing is, the second book is called Belladonna, which I am trying to get ILLed despite the Den of Iniquity and dismembered breadsticks just because it's about a cold, icy, powerful heroine who sekretly long for looooove.

[hysteriachan]

I really do enjoy the Black Jewels books (and therefore liked Dreams Made Flesh reasonably well), but... yeah. ^^ I like your interpretation very much. (Have you read The Invisible Ring? It didn't work as well for me, but it built on my established fondness for the world.)

I tried reading her second trilogy, and I think I *might* have read the second one--but I honestly can't remember, since my only remaining impression is of how unspeakably DULL the series was. Everything about it. o_o

[oyceter]

I have indeed read The Invisible Ring! It was ok, but I cheered when Daemon showed up and the foreshadowing (backshadowing?) of the end of Queen.

The second trilogy really bored me, and Sebastian quite clearly didn't work. I think part of it is because it isn't as crazy! I mean, if you are going to have incubi and witches and whatnot, may as well go all the way!

[hysteriachan]

I have Sebastian on order from the library (I'd heard it wasn't as good as the Black Jewels set but much better than the second trilogy), and now I'm wondering if I should cancel it or read it anyway for sporking purposes. Ah, decisions...

[oyceter]

Hey, if you end up finishing it, let me know what happens! I am curious, but not curious enough to wade through the thing.

[oyceter]

Yes to the gender stuff! I managed to be ok with it this time around by saying it was romance tropes turned into biological imperatives, but sometimes it goes a little too far. Ditto with the misunderstandings and misinterpretations of actions.

[redrose3125]

I like the fact that it's not just about the primary male-female lover relationships, there's all the parent-child and sibling and friend stuff in there too.

It really is feel good fiction, to me.

[oyceter]

I read the books in high school, and most of the ironies flew over my head too!

I'm still sad about how boring Sebastian was; I feel books starring incubi should be chock-full of id-y goodness. And yet...

[oursin]

For the sort of thing Sebastian sets out to be, dull is just not the way to go - I have just about given up on it, yawning like mad.

On recent reread of the Black Jewels trilogy I found it had faded considerably, something I also found with Storm Constantine's Wraeththu trilogy. Perhaps id monsters are one-shot only?

[oyceter]

Sebastian really is boring, isn't it? And it shouldn't be!

I am wondering if the BJ trilogy will fade for me or not; I had expected to want to throw Dreams Made Flesh against a wall, but apparently I'm not done with the world yet.