In which I list for coherency's sake

[megwrites]

1. I still have no idea which idea to write for NaNoWriMo. I tried flipping a coin. I dropped it and it rolled under my desk never to be found again. I am not even kidding about this.

2. Have realized that enormity of the editing necessary on Soul Machines is epoch. As in, it will probably take me several geologic ages to wrest a coherent, marketable story out of this mess. And I'm not even done with the first draft!

3. I have an orange kitten diligently watching me type. This morning he tried to eat my copy of Crystal Rain by Tobias Buckell. At least he has good taste in literature. *badum-ching*

4. I am so behind in posting reviews. I have Thebes at War by Naguib Mahfouz, Heart of Stone by C.E. Murphy, and Personal Effects by J.C. Hutchins to review, plus the book I'm near to finishing up.

5. Since I have a few bucks left of wedding money, I'm about to purchase some books - but there are a few books I'm undecided about.

For instance, Rosemary and Rue by Seanan McGuire.

What Sounds Good:

1. The part where the heroine spent fourteen years as a fish sounds. Wonder what that would be like. Would you be more or less fond of water/swimming? What do you do while you're a human who is now a fish? Does it take time to adjust to being human again when you're not a fish. Inquiring minds want to know.

2. No leather, skimpy clothing or tramp stamps to be found on the cover. NONE! Could it be the start of a new, leather-free era for my genre? Is there hope on the horizon? Should I buy this book just to encourage publishers to keep up the de-tramp stamping of urban fantasy?


What Sounds Terrible:

1. The book is written in first person narration by a white, straight, able bodied heroine with special powers/heritage who is as a private investigator. Which is like Every Urban Fantasy Novel That Has Annoyed Me ever. Seriously. Enough with the private investigators, cops, bounty hunters, and other law enforcement positions. You'd think someone who got turned into a fish and wants to avoid faerie things would become, I dunno, a teacher or a clerk or a salesperson in an office.

2. It's about about Faeries and the Faerie court and a heroine trapped between two worlds, forced into a conflict she wants no part of. I think I read this book before. It was called Blood and Iron.

3. It takes place in a major U.S. city and the only mythology mentioned is Celtic faerie mythology. Why is it that all the books about faerie I have ever read are about white authors deciding that people of color don't count and the stories, legends, myths, and tales from their heritages are completely powerless/non-existent in the face of Euro-centric mythology? So far every Faeries-In-The-Big-City type book I've read involves a complete erasure of all other mythologies and the people that go with them. I've been burned by this before, so it's a subgenre I deeply distrust.

4. It's recommended for fans of Jim Butcher and Kim Harrison. Neither of whom I liked. Kim Harrison's "Dead Witch Walking" was the most appalling piece of garbage I've had the misfortune to lay eyes on this year.

So, if anyone has recommendations one way or the other - and I'm willing to be surprised. I just want to know that there's a surprise worth getting to.

Comments

[chomiji]

I was going to recommend a review of Rosemary and Rue by another flister, but then I recalled that she had taken the (for her) unusual step of f-locking the review because she disliked the book very much and the author was a friend's friend.

So your apprehension may be valid ... .

[fiction-theory.livejournal.com]

Ah, thanks for the heads up about that. Would you mind asking said friend if she'll friend me long enough for me to read her review? If not, that's cool.

[oneminutemonkey.livejournal.com]

You raise some good points.
I'm working on a piece now that involves Faerie as a major plot element, and I'm going to definitely be explaining why it's the Celtic/Germanic/Euro-flavored Fae that are involved. (As other flavors of Fae, including those traditionally considered native to the area in which it's set, point, snicker, and go back to their own business.)


In response to your questions about R&R:
1. I don't recall the fish thing being much of an influence on the heroine's actions and behavior. The fish thing is almost totally off-screen between prologue and first chapter.
2. Don't buy it just to de-tramp-stamp the genre. There are lots of other books you can buy that will send the same message. If I think of any that fit your standards, I'll let you know.

1. Yeah. You're pretty much dead-on, there. Though at the start, she's working in a grocery store rather than go back to her old life as a P.I. Hey! That's new and different!
2. I never did read Blood and Iron, but it's a fairly common theme.
3. I want to say there's non Euro-Fae involved ... but I can't be certain. There's a lot of Fae that come and go, but the emphasis is definitely on the Euro.
4. Eh, you got me there. Either you like Jim and Kim, or you don't.

It sounds to me like you've already made the decision not to like the book. If you go to the author's LJ, you'll see her link round-up where she collects the eight gazillion reviews of the book. But given your tastes, I'm not so sure you'd like Rosemary and Rue anyway.

Have you looked at Night Child, and A Flash of Hex, by Jes Battis?

[fiction-theory.livejournal.com]

I'm working on a piece now that involves Faerie as a major plot element, and I'm going to definitely be explaining why it's the Celtic/Germanic/Euro-flavored Fae that are involved.

My problem with most of the previous modern-Faerie stories is that authors who set them in modern, major cities don't explain (or seem to consider the problems of) why a population with significant amounts of non-white, non-European would be completely beholden to only European mythology.

If the Faerie Queen is real, then why isn't White Buffalo Woman or Guanyin or Bastet or Mamlambo real? What's so special about Faerie that it's real when nothing else is? Or, if they are real, what's so special about Faerie that it is powerful enough to control the fate of the world when other mythologies aren't?

For instance, in Bear's Blood and Iron, a good point was raised by deepad that Carel (a character in the book) comes from a non-European background. She is not white. So why is she enveloped in a European mythos? Why is she not participating in adventures from her own heritage (which, btw, Bear never goes into any detail about and leaves troublingly vague).

I don't expect someone to try to include every single world myth EVER in their story. No one could do that. But I do expect them to have a reasonable explanation for these things. That can be as simple as stating that these other myths are real and that they're out there having their adventures elsewhere and they're just Not Appearing In This Story. That, too, has it's problems - but it's far better than erasing or invalidating other people's tales.

Or having them interact (in positive and negative ways) much as people of different heritages do in real life is also another option that could use some exploring by clever, talented writers.

It sounds to me like you've already made the decision not to like the book. If you go to the author's LJ, you'll see her link round-up where she collects the eight gazillion reviews of the book. But given your tastes, I'm not so sure you'd like Rosemary and Rue anyway.

Well, that's the thing. I haven't decided anything, but I am being honest about my reservations given what I've read in other books of it's ilk. That's why I'm asking around to see if anyone has strong opinions or recommendations either way. I didn't know the author had an LJ, but I'll check that out.

I hadn't looked at either of those, but upon a quick googling, may I ask what makes you recommend them? I like that someone mentioned in the reviews that the author did a lot of research for the forensics (my husband works for the NYPD as a forensic scientist, so I am REALLY nitpicky about that kind of stuff - also when your spouse is a member of service, it takes the shine off of a lot of cop dramas and procedurals because know how WRONG they are) - and I am intrigued to know if you think that the author got it right or wrong.

[oneminutemonkey.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I'm trying to take into account that there are as many lands of Faerie as there are stories to tell about them. Shakespeare alone namedropped at least two different queens of Fairy... :>
I just need to do more research to make sure that what I do touch upon in the non-Euro traditions is accurate and respectful. Oh no, research, whatever will I do. :>


I suggested Jes Battis' work because I enjoy his writing, and because I'd be interested in seeing how his stuff fares on your assorted scoring charts. Battis includes a number of LBQT characters in assorted levels of importance, and, I think, he does so with respect. (The author specializes in gender and queer studies, which helps.)
I'm no forensics expert - I barely watch the shows in which that field plays a heavy part, but it seemed convincing to me.

[fiction-theory.livejournal.com]

I just need to do more research to make sure that what I do touch upon in the non-Euro traditions is accurate and respectful.

That attitude alone, my friend, puts you way ahead of most writers. Because I've seen a lot of very clumsy attempts, so at least you know and respect that other people's stories deserve your top effort.

I suggested Jes Battis' work because I enjoy his writing, and because I'd be interested in seeing how his stuff fares on your assorted scoring charts. Battis includes a number of LBQT characters in assorted levels of importance, and, I think, he does so with respect.

That is very interesting. I'll have to see if I have room on my to-buy list for him.

[quivo.livejournal.com]

Were you the one that recced me A Madness of Angels? If not, go. Read. NOW. The magic system in that book, I have so much love for it still that I almost forget how the treatment of the female characters in the book wasn't the best. For an entrancing, gritty read, definitely try there.

For something to break your heart and also be an absolutely fantastic read, try The Sunbird by Elizabeth Wein, as well as it's two sequels.

[cericonversion.livejournal.com]

I've been thinking about that "why this mythology and not that?" question lately. I'm pondering a story where there is one (1) true pantheon and mythos, and it's one nobody has ever heard of for centuries or millennia, and apart from that there's at best just limbo. It would be fairly horrific, I think.