In an effort to get to know my little sister T a bit better, I am reading a book that she likes.
"Stray" by Rachel Vincent
Hmmm...how best to say this. I'll give it a C .
Compared to "Last Man Standing", let see, I think Baldacci is a better writer, the idea hook was more interesting in "Last Man", but I enjoyed "Stray" more. Also, in credit to Vincent, the characters seemed more true to themselves, and the plot was straight forward and believable. Every turn of events was believable, except one*.
Now here is the interesting thing, I picked it up, and thought "the narrator totally talks the way my little sister T does!" Vincent has picked up the rhythm and meter of teenage speech.
"Stray" is urban-fantasy, which Wikipedia says is a subset of contemporary fantasy, which is a sub-genre of fantasy. ("Stray" is published by Mira, a Harlequin publisher.)
I think my next novel will be a rural-fantasy. About a young were-gopher torn between two lovers...one is the stable, nice-guy, human...the other is the fun, wild-n-crazy gopher. Think there's a market for that?
Alright questions for discussion.
Do boys like fantasy in fantasy lands, like Salvatore, whilst girls like fantasy based in a contemporary world, such as the slew of chick-lit vampire stories, Mira publishing...? And if so, why?
What makes a hero? I think I'll go with sacrifice and responsibility. Samwise, he trudged along with his friend, long after I would have strangled the whining Frodo. Spiderman "great power, great responsibility." Most parents are heroes.
I don't think just by having a special talent grants you hero status. (Pay attention to that SportsFans...just because A can do something cool with a ball, don't make them a hero.) It seems these days, in the movies, super-heroes are very popular. But the thing that makes them super, is their powers, not their actions, which is kinda sad.
...spoilers follow:
That said, the main character is not a hero. She's spoiled and selfish.
She wants to be independent, but papa is paying all her bills.
She only cares about what she wants, (which means having a boyfriend, then a day or two later making out with another boy you have a crush on, and a day or two later having sex with an ex-boyfriend) without regard to others feelings.
She goes out of her way to circumvent the protection her family is trying to give to her, putting herself in danger, and others that have to rescue her in danger.
Other reasons not to emulate the main character, she's always quick with the wise-crack, (which got tiresome near the end of the story in the big battle). Remember Miss Vincent, even Chandler Bing had endearing moments when he was serious.
Things that bother me that were left undone by the author.
A were-cat war should have erupted! South American were-cats invaded USA to kidnap female werecats. Maybe this is taken up in the second book, but it was so cheerful in the last chapter, it didn't look like war was on the way.
*And the main character accepts responsibility and living with family in the last chapter. Just like that, she changed. There was no development, just a flip of a switch, accepting everything that she had been fighting against.
And the brother who betrayed her, what happened to him?
And only 8 breeding female werecats in USA...uh...is there some frustration with the boys? Not much on that sociological issue of what to do when only a fraction of the men can expect to have a wife.
And...she wakes up in a cage "I could hear nothing but my heartbeat and Abby's." (pg 350) however, later, (pg 441) same cage, "In one corner of the basement, water dripped from a leaky pipe, dropping into a growing puddle on the ground." That inconsistency bothered me, why did a pipe start dripping, it reminded me I was reading a book, and I think the pipe started dripping to build up a dramatic moment.
quotes I like
"He subscribed to the Jackson Pollock theory of cooking...."
mother: "you place to little value on life. Particularly on your own."
main character: "I value my life very highly."
mother: "Then why waste it."
I LOVE Stray. And I just go ahead and call the genre "goth porn." While not strictly true, I use it to describe the entire supernatural chicklit phenonmena.
It's your fault. You are the one who went with me on my quest to find Avon's new fantasy series, and then handed me the buffy-meets-charmed-meets-Janet Evanovich, with Pixies, book. It should have been awful. Instead, it was Kim Harrison, who is one of the best authors of the genre. I've been hooked on even the mediocre-to-bad of the genre ever since.
Stray got a lot of flack for its whiny, weak heroine. I have to agree...her 'rebellion' was simply never believable, and was super-annoying because it was never adequately explained. "Oh poor me, I have to have my pick of men and head up my tribe, I think I'll get a liberal arts degree instead." Um, yeah. Sympathy overflowing. Not.
But I held out hope, because...hello??? Hot werecat action with an endless supply of extra super hot guys, and plenty of spin-off story potential with the hot brothers, too. The formula kicks ass in that I-so-wish-I'd-thought-of-that way.
The second book is slightly less annoying until near the end, but it sets up the third to have a genuine conflict. I'm hopeful.
So what are Tanya's thoughts on the character? I wondered if the whole whiny rebellion thing would be more sympathetic to a younger demographic.
Posted by: Michelle at May 26, 2008 12:39 AM...uh...I'm glad I've had an influence on your life, even though I thought the whole thing a joke. So, Harrison is a good writer? I should look into her.
Do ya think my wer-gopher rural fantasy has got a chance to be published, or has the sub-genre been played out?
And is this all Joss Whedon, or Anne Rice's fault?
Posted by: :-jon at May 26, 2008 10:51 AMoh, another thing...I think this is from Stephen King...
When the economy is good, sci-fi is more popular.
When the economy is bad, fantasy is more popular.
Agree?
Posted by: :-jon at May 26, 2008 10:52 AMOkay. I think it's time for my side of the argument for all those who haven't yet read Stray or those who have and don't really get the complex character that is our heroine: Faythe.
Also, this is Rachel Vincent's breakout novel (if I remember correctly)so in my opinion it is just the beginning of better things to come and the second book just supports my assumption.
By dear big bro's opinion of Faythe was that she is...how did he put it..."spoiled and selfish and not a hero". Dude, seriously, back up off the critic wagon for a nanosec and try to see it from a 21st century girl's perspective.
Faythe's parents are completely over the moon over Marc. He's everything they want in a son, or in this case, potential son-in-law. What girl wants her parents to love her boyfriend more than they love her?
Not to mention they were trying to marry the poor girl off at 18!! Yeah, 18 is legal age to get married, but I know plenty of girls who would rather be out at college, or backpacking around Europe than be getting married at that age. I honestly don't blame Faythe for running.
I think what Vincent is trying to portray in this is that Faythe wasn't playing the "poor me I have to get married to a guy I really love" angle so much as she didn't want to get married that young. She wanted more out of life than just being someones wife and mother, as she thought would happen to her if she tied the knot with Marc. She wanted time to grow up and figure out who she was before she tied herself to another.
Let's also remember that at the time Faythe bailed on her own wedding, she had no idea that her daddy wanted her to take over as the head of the family (the Alpha) when he stepped down.
Oh, and let's not forget the boy-toy of our heroine: Marc. Yeah, girls fall for the hot Latino thing more times than they fall over blond-haired-and-blue-eyed farm boys (and yes I'm including myself in that statement) but seriously? What self-respecting girl would want a guy with Marc's attitude, temper, and dominance issues? Seriously, the guy talks to Faythe either like a delicious piece of meat he wants to salivate over, or he orders her around like a dog or something. I give you exhibit A, an excerpt (marginally edited for trivial details) from the end of CH 6 in STRAY:
"I'd taken two steps toward the doorway when a warm, strong hand closed around my wrist. I glanced back at Marc, trying to jerk free. His fingers tightened around my arm, grinding the bones together. I whimpered, hating the sound of weakness even as I made it......He stomped out of the kitchen with one hand clamped aound my arm....He pulled me down the hall, past half a dozen closed doors, then tossed me into my bedroom with one hand..."
I, personally, would beat the hell out of any guy who did that to me, then plead guilty in front of a jury without an ounce of regret. Enough about me.
The truth is this story is more about a daughter's fight for independence and acceptance in the eyes of her parents. Her brother's are allowed to do whatever they want, so why can't she? Because she's a GIRL!!! Yeah, that's fair and not at all sexist. NOT!!
In my opinion it's weak of the parents to set different standards for her because it's her "responsibility" to marry, get pregnant, and continue the Pride. Faythe proves that she's just as capable of handling herself as the guys (better demonstrated in book 2 'Rogue') and yet her family still sees her as a fragile child because that's how they WANT to see her. They're being stubborn.
GBAtT, my beloved brother, said that Faythe was just selfish and spoiled. Yeah, maybe he's a little right. But I also know that I'm selfish and spoiled, so maybe the reason why I'm more fond of the awesomeness of this book is because of the whole "water seeks its own level" kinda thing.
That's all I have to say.
Ciao!
Posted by: Tia at May 27, 2008 08:39 PMT., thanks so much for that perspective. I lik to think that I remember what it was like to be 19/20 and that passionate about the world, but it turns out that it's hard for me to remember what is was like to feel like I had so little control. Now, I've had a few career jobs, I own my own home, I spend my free time with friends I've had for half my life, and I know exactly who I am (for better, and often worse.)
What I *haven't* managed to do is the whole marriage-and-kids-(and second income) thing, so maybe I'm a little too harsh on a young character who is struggling to define herself in the world. You've helped me to see some strength in what I also interpreted as selfish whininess, so thanks! :)
Posted by: Michelle at June 2, 2008 08:30 PM