Now back to books
Feb. 7th, 2010 08:57 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
impyWhen historians look back on this moment in time, they will be left with many unanswered questions, which is remarkable considering how often we explain ourselves to no one at all. But one of the bigger mysteries may be this fixation on 'real.' As in the annoying phrase "keeping it real" and any variation thereof. There's a Hallmark ad they play at work and there's some moment when they mention real and it breaks my brain every time I hear it and am paying attention. It's just so... stupid.
I would like this phrase and sentiment burned from record thank you.
Moving right along, I spent a decent portion of the week reading The Scarpetta Factor. I subscribe to the theory that right around Black Notice, the Scarpetta books took a massive nosedive. I think I actually can stand Black Notice while a lot of others can't because it was the first Patricia Cornwell book I read. I then circled back and read the rest of the series in order and pretty much every book thereafter got progressively worse.
I can't read the Andy Brazil novels (and still think of them as the Judy Hammer books because that's how they were marketed and I remember this so you can just shove this revisionist history up your arse!) because they suck. They suck so much that the combo of this and the dual Sue-ness that is Anita/Merry means I am too afraid to try Jim Butcher's other series for fear that it will not live up to the awesomeness that is the Dresden Files.
All that said, we return to the point. Way back when, I was jazzed to have Scarpetta move to Charleston. Then I was pissed that yet again Charleston was name-checked and yet so little was done with it. And then she fucking set fire to Marino and my head just went explody! I... and.... grrr! Killing Benton was probably the biggest mistake she made up until that point. Bringing him back just fucked it all to hell. I don't know if she originally had it all planned out or if she just realized she'd fucked up and needed a fix, but in the end, bringing him back seems to have lit a fuse on every character, and not in a good way.
Lucy used to be awesome and the price for her awesomeness was that she was fantastically flawed. But somewhere along the lines her flaws outweighed her awesomeness to the point that they tipped the scale over and erased past awesome behavior. I don't even know how that's possible, but she managed it. Scarpetta lost the warmth she used to possess and became a little too perfect even with her flaws. It's difficult to describe, but when the voice of the books changed, the quality suffered. We shall not dwell on Marino because the man has always had his flaws, but what he did was so... no. Just... no. Cannot say this enough times. NONONONnonononononnnnnnnnnnoooooooo. You got that? No.
And truthfully Benton pisses me off something fierce. He's a tool.
It's been slow moving trying to recover the series from the wreckage she made of it ever since Scarpetta lost her ties to Virginia. But the last couple of books after Charleston have begun repairing the damage a little at a time. Her other series helped as well, since it wasn't nearly as annoying as the Andy novels. Still, I'm always a little wary of opening any new Scarpetta book because I've been burned bad. TSF gifts you with an annoying character to loathe, but doesn't keep parading them around on-screen for long. So refreshing because usually you're stuck dealing with someone you want to throttle for entirely too long.
If you read the book quickly, it works for the most part. You don't get too bogged down by things because you're moving right along, and after some of the previous books, I can't understand why anyone would label this as one of the gloomier books for Scarpetta herself or even Marino. Lucy and Benton, however, have issues.
Lucy needs some damn therapy because she's spun so far out of control that her girlfriend seriously thinks she's the murderer they've been looking for. And you can understand why she'd think so. Lucy, honey, get some help. Rage-a-holic might also be fitting. But mixed in with this is genuine regret over things she's done in her life and that is what kept the book from being too weighed down in her sections. Also, it helps that Scarpetta finally called her on her actions.
Benton, however, continues his trend of coming across like a world-class asshole. Well played?
Truthfully, as a mystery, it falls short because I'm not really sure you're supposed to be able to figure it all out. I think you're supposed to just strap yourself in for the ride. I don't remember if the one big clue is revealed before or after Benton clues us in to who he believes is the cause of the current round of misery, partly because I was skipping around at times. (I'm a bad reader, I know. No cookie for me.)
But if this is what was needed to get rid of what's been holding everyone back/down, then I am all for it. I will have to add that it always seems exceptionally out of character when Scarpetta, and even Benton, start swearing. Lucy and Marino? No problem. I expect it. But the other two? Umm... Benton is a little less on the OOC side, but still it doesn't flow as well, at least in my head.
Overall, good times. Better than expected.
I would like this phrase and sentiment burned from record thank you.
Moving right along, I spent a decent portion of the week reading The Scarpetta Factor. I subscribe to the theory that right around Black Notice, the Scarpetta books took a massive nosedive. I think I actually can stand Black Notice while a lot of others can't because it was the first Patricia Cornwell book I read. I then circled back and read the rest of the series in order and pretty much every book thereafter got progressively worse.
I can't read the Andy Brazil novels (and still think of them as the Judy Hammer books because that's how they were marketed and I remember this so you can just shove this revisionist history up your arse!) because they suck. They suck so much that the combo of this and the dual Sue-ness that is Anita/Merry means I am too afraid to try Jim Butcher's other series for fear that it will not live up to the awesomeness that is the Dresden Files.
All that said, we return to the point. Way back when, I was jazzed to have Scarpetta move to Charleston. Then I was pissed that yet again Charleston was name-checked and yet so little was done with it. And then she fucking set fire to Marino and my head just went explody! I... and.... grrr! Killing Benton was probably the biggest mistake she made up until that point. Bringing him back just fucked it all to hell. I don't know if she originally had it all planned out or if she just realized she'd fucked up and needed a fix, but in the end, bringing him back seems to have lit a fuse on every character, and not in a good way.
Lucy used to be awesome and the price for her awesomeness was that she was fantastically flawed. But somewhere along the lines her flaws outweighed her awesomeness to the point that they tipped the scale over and erased past awesome behavior. I don't even know how that's possible, but she managed it. Scarpetta lost the warmth she used to possess and became a little too perfect even with her flaws. It's difficult to describe, but when the voice of the books changed, the quality suffered. We shall not dwell on Marino because the man has always had his flaws, but what he did was so... no. Just... no. Cannot say this enough times. NONONONnonononononnnnnnnnnnoooooooo. You got that? No.
And truthfully Benton pisses me off something fierce. He's a tool.
It's been slow moving trying to recover the series from the wreckage she made of it ever since Scarpetta lost her ties to Virginia. But the last couple of books after Charleston have begun repairing the damage a little at a time. Her other series helped as well, since it wasn't nearly as annoying as the Andy novels. Still, I'm always a little wary of opening any new Scarpetta book because I've been burned bad. TSF gifts you with an annoying character to loathe, but doesn't keep parading them around on-screen for long. So refreshing because usually you're stuck dealing with someone you want to throttle for entirely too long.
If you read the book quickly, it works for the most part. You don't get too bogged down by things because you're moving right along, and after some of the previous books, I can't understand why anyone would label this as one of the gloomier books for Scarpetta herself or even Marino. Lucy and Benton, however, have issues.
Lucy needs some damn therapy because she's spun so far out of control that her girlfriend seriously thinks she's the murderer they've been looking for. And you can understand why she'd think so. Lucy, honey, get some help. Rage-a-holic might also be fitting. But mixed in with this is genuine regret over things she's done in her life and that is what kept the book from being too weighed down in her sections. Also, it helps that Scarpetta finally called her on her actions.
Benton, however, continues his trend of coming across like a world-class asshole. Well played?
Truthfully, as a mystery, it falls short because I'm not really sure you're supposed to be able to figure it all out. I think you're supposed to just strap yourself in for the ride. I don't remember if the one big clue is revealed before or after Benton clues us in to who he believes is the cause of the current round of misery, partly because I was skipping around at times. (I'm a bad reader, I know. No cookie for me.)
But if this is what was needed to get rid of what's been holding everyone back/down, then I am all for it. I will have to add that it always seems exceptionally out of character when Scarpetta, and even Benton, start swearing. Lucy and Marino? No problem. I expect it. But the other two? Umm... Benton is a little less on the OOC side, but still it doesn't flow as well, at least in my head.
Overall, good times. Better than expected.