bookishness

[salinea]

Finished reading Kushiel's Justice. The Kushiel books are funny, you know. I enjoy reading them, very much, the language is pretty, and the characters likeable, and I love Carey's sense of world building mixing real historic references with a sort of fantasy uchrony. Very, very pretty and shiny. And then I close the book and I think : there wasn't any plot in there.

There wasn't any plot in there. It's time passes sex scene travel travel time passes climax sex scene travel travel time passes travel climax travel travel travel travel the end. With two climaxes in the book the only two moments where something actually happen.

There were even less plot than in Kushiel's Scion, which was already pretty low on the plot quota.

Also Imriel is way too broody for my taste. Sweet kid, but he broods way too much. The book was lacking in Lucius, and too little of Mavros.

And it was still very enjoyable to read and made me feel much better.

Weird, heh?

Previous Kushiel books reviews : Kushiel's Scion, Kushiel's Avatar.

Comments

[keelieinblack.livejournal.com]

I remember some famous writer theorizing that character was more important than plot--you can have interesting characters go through the most tired plot ever (or no plot at all) and people will probably still enjoy it, but if your story if populated by cardboard people then even the niftiest plot won't keep them reading.

And, well, sometimes you just want a story that's mostly pretty and sex. Or well-dressed people saying snarky things to each other. Or ninjas and random things blowing up. It's not something that I'd want to see take over the world of published fiction, but I'm glad it exists, because as much as I love getting lost in a good story, sometimes I just don't have the mental energy to devote to a plot with much complexity. (This is, perhaps, one of the reasons why Laurell K. Hamilton continues to have a career.)

[etrangere.livejournal.com]

I think characters are more important than plot. At least I like it better :) Not that a good plot isn't enjoyable too, but...

And yes, you're totally right. I've got all these LKH books on my shelves to prove it XD It's one of the loveable thing with genre fictions. Comfort reading, format, expectations being met :) it's good too.

[quivo.livejournal.com]

*cue me wondering if I was taking the books too srsly to enjoy them much*
Perhaps this is where my plot kink comes into play. I love characters and everything, but the moment I'm bored with the plot, I start approaching the 'just put it down and walk away' moment that I sometimes reach with books I *should* like. It's a testament to Carey's talent for building the shiny that I still kind of want to find out what happens to Imriel at the end of Kushiel's Scion even though I got too bored with the Lucca battle and too busy with work and life to continue.

Also Imriel is way too broody for my taste. Sweet kid, but he broods way too much.
OhgodEXACTLY!!!

Previous Kushiel books reviews : Kushiel's Scion, Kushiel's Avatar.
Wait a second, tell me you *have* read the three that follow them, and are just forgetting to mention them. Because, seriously, THOSE are what kept me reading Scion as long as I did. I appreciated the shiny character + shiny sex, but I was waiting for the equally shiny action + plot that Carey had going in the previous books. And when it didn't happen, I just wandered away.

[etrangere.livejournal.com]

Lol, no I don't think the Kushiel book should be taken seriously. They're definitly not high brow :)

Wait a second, tell me you *have* read the three that follow them, and are just forgetting to mention them.
I'm not forgetting! I just never reviewed them, because I read them before I got this journal (OMG I'm getting old) XD
And yes! Definitly, I loved Kushiel's Dart and Kushiel's Chosen... they had plot! (and originality).

[quivo.livejournal.com]

Phew *wipes brow* For a second there, I thought you'd missed them XD

And yeah, the first three books were totally awesome. I really wish she'd stuck to Phedre as the main point of view character, and let Imriel go off into the great unknown and shit and have P deal with politis :(