Mars447 Posted March 13, 2016 Share Posted March 13, 2016 12 minutes ago, Lyanna Stark said: Way too complicated a question to ask like that without giving you a ten page essay on how our culture devalues femininity. If you are interested for real and not just asking it as a rhetorical question, then read "Whipping Girl" by Serano. It lays it out clearly. Kate Daniels are definitely not among the worse examples in the genre by far, also agreed on Mercy Thompson (from what I have read of it, which is not a lot since I cba with it). I'm not sure why a woman being unable to take care of oneself and needing to rely on the men in her life is "feminine". And I'm still unclear on how the Kate Daniels series internalizes sexism. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andorion Posted March 14, 2016 Share Posted March 14, 2016 1 hour ago, Mandy said: Well, and that's the thing - I don't either. I can only assume Lyanna is talking about the difference between heroines in books being "kickass" and masculine and being... less so? As I said, I also find characters who use their intelligence as well. I enjoy a variety of books with a variety of female characters. I think as long as we are aware of the problem, we can be allowed to have varied types of books, stories, characters. Sometimes a girl likes to read some vampire porn. Some women enjoy reading about the big, masculine werewolf sweeping in to save the damsel in distress. Whatever floats your boat. I like to hear other people's thoughts, but I sometimes I think we are too fast to condemn. As far as Kate goes... I've been trying to think of when a mysoginistic put down may have been used. I think it's possible she might have said something to a "baddie" she was fighting and I'm going to go back and look for the specific example in the books I have Look at that, now I have a project for the day Me too... and I can't think of any. There was something potentially in Magic Rises, but as the book progressed the matter became far more complex... Also I don't see the problem with having kickass female characters. My rule in urban fantasy is the female character should be equal to, or more capable than the male counterpart (not villain) in at least one respect. And frankly I read Urban fantasy purely for adrenaline fuelled entertainment and slightly OP kickass protagonists are a great asset to have Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ants Posted March 16, 2016 Share Posted March 16, 2016 On 1/03/2016 at 1:56 PM, AncalagonTheBlack said: Dude,put these on your TBR pile ASAP! Felix Castor series by Mike Carey Daniel Blackland series by Greg Van Eekhout Matthew Swift series by Kate Griffin Joe Pitt series by Charlie Huston Twenty Palaces series by Harry Connolly Eric Carter series by Stephen Blackmoore Shadow Police series by Paul Cornell Sandman Slim series by Richard Kadrey Ironically, three books in that group where I couldn't finish either the 1st or 2nd book, and several more where I haven't bothered to continue the series! That said, I love Felix Castor and Twenty Palaces. Both brilliant. Such a shame Twenty Palaces wasn't successful. On 1/03/2016 at 8:01 PM, Mars447 said: I found the Peter Grant books to be pretty poor. The main character manages to be even more unlikeable than Harry Dresden, somehow. Strange, I really like him. But then, I don't mind Harry either. On 10/03/2016 at 3:36 AM, Mandy said: I'd say they're right there in the same vein as Kim Harrison and Ilona Andrews, though I'd really like to believe the Ilona Andrews books are slightly better (have been told by those in this thread I am wrong lol). But at least it's not the Vampire Diaries or the Black Dagger Brotherhood. Agree with many others, I'm not sure where the comments about Ilona Andrews come from. I'm also not sure why Kim Harrison gets such a bad rap either. After all, the main sidekick is gay, and for many books there isn't a romance. Rachel also does a significant amount of work independently, and there are protagonists of both genders, as well as friends of multiple-genders. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deedles Posted March 16, 2016 Share Posted March 16, 2016 RE the claiming of the city. Don't want to say too much. I didn't think it was too much of a problem though. With kate[\spoiler] she's connected to the city though the claiming. She can heal faster through it. She gets information from it. It feels personal and intimate. I can also foresee issues arising where she's tempted to draw excess energy from it. With Mercy [\spoiler] it feels far less magical. More like the claiming of a sports team than an incantation. Those Cubs, they belong to me! Neither side has to do anything / be aware of anything. It's more, I don't know, commercial? So, on balance, not an issue for me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lady narcissa Posted March 17, 2016 Share Posted March 17, 2016 Still haven't gotten around to the newest Mercy Thompson yet. Finished reading the 4th Others book by Anne Bishop - Marked in Flesh - and it was fantastic. Such a great urban fantasy series...although this one was more world fantasy I guess. The first book in the series started by focusing on a small neighborhood in a city. The second book expanded to encompass the city. The third book then reached out into the greater region. And now with this fourth book we are getting glimpses around the world. I love the world building and the characters in this series. After I finished I went back and immediately started re-reading the first book in the series. I suspect I'll run through them all again and then hopefully finally get to the Mercy Thompson one. Both books were edited by Anne Sowards who is also Ilona Andrews, and Jim Butcher's editor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deedles Posted March 17, 2016 Share Posted March 17, 2016 2 hours ago, Mandy said: These are being recommended to me in my Kindle recs. I think I'll look into them! Thanks Lady Narcissa speaks truth. They are v enjoyable. I'm about 1/3 through and enjoying the fourth greatly. There are a few quirks in them that I don't like but they are being ironed out as the series progresses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little Valkyrie Posted March 18, 2016 Share Posted March 18, 2016 On 3/16/2016 at 10:26 AM, Mandy said: As far as Rachel goes, well... it's almost depressing the way she makes horrible relationship decisions because of her crappy self esteem. But I finished the series even though they became more difficult to read later on in the series. The books have several redeemable qualities, though. I think the world building was done well, in that the reasoning for the supernatural beings coming to light was a good idea, the plot was carried out through the entire series, which I respect, and the characters were, for the most part, well rounded enough for you to care about them. I have a confused respect for how genuinely weird the Kim Harrison books got by the end. There was some strange metaphysics in that world. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lady narcissa Posted March 20, 2016 Share Posted March 20, 2016 On 3/17/2016 at 0:54 PM, Deedles said: Lady Narcissa speaks truth. They are v enjoyable. I'm about 1/3 through and enjoying the fourth greatly. There are a few quirks in them that I don't like but they are being ironed out as the series progresses. Oh I am curious to hear which quirks these are. There are certainly things that keep these from being perfect for me...as in my own personal preferences...such as I'm not a huge wolf fan and obviously they play a big role. But I love all the other "Others" so that more than makes up for it. Most especially the Vampires, the Elementals and their ponies, and the Harvester. I'm re-reading the whole series now, which I haven't done before, and I'm just impressed with how she had everything all plotted out and set up from the very first book. It can only be appreciated now with these later books out but everything was right back there from the very beginning. Even locations we don't get to until the 4th books are laid out in the list of locations in the first. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ants Posted March 23, 2016 Share Posted March 23, 2016 I love Anne Bishop, but don't get how anyone can use the word original for the Others after so much being a rinse and repeat of her previous books. This is, what, the 3rd/4th series with these themes? Her strength of storytelling is there, but she hasn't fixed the flaws either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darth Richard II Posted March 24, 2016 Share Posted March 24, 2016 I...do not like Anne Bishop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ljkeane Posted March 24, 2016 Share Posted March 24, 2016 Is Anne Bishop the one who wrote the series with the magic cock rings and the characters with terrible names? Because if she is I've only read the one book of hers but, yeah, that one was pretty terrible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darth Richard II Posted March 24, 2016 Share Posted March 24, 2016 Yes she is. It also has some...problematic uh, sexuality issues. And has way more issues than I can type out on a touchpad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darth Richard II Posted March 24, 2016 Share Posted March 24, 2016 Yeah the cock rings are like the least weird part too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ants Posted March 30, 2016 Share Posted March 30, 2016 Despite the rings, and some very dark elements (as in, really bad), I still love the Black Jewels trilogy and its sequels. There are a lot of light/fun scenes, and many fantastic characters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mars447 Posted March 30, 2016 Share Posted March 30, 2016 Rereading the Pax Arcana series again. I'd somehow forgotten just how snarky John is, especially in the chapter titles. Some of them are worth a good laugh. Also, John's relationship with Sig has to be the best, least annoying romantic subplot I've seen in an urban fantasy series. The male lead precludes the whole alphahole thing from happening, sure. But unlike many male led series, Sig is actually allowed to do things and be John's equal instead of just being a sidekick or supporting cast. She's the hero of her own story, with her own motivations, fears, and character development. Which is why I'm terrified that the author is going to yell "PSYCH!" and fridge her or something. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mars447 Posted March 31, 2016 Share Posted March 31, 2016 18 minutes ago, Mandy said: I just looked up the Pax Arcana series. Should a new reader start with the short stories? I'd say no. The short stories are all prequels, but the first book sets up pretty much everything you need to know. One of the short stories sets up a supporting character who appears in book 3. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andorion Posted April 9, 2016 Share Posted April 9, 2016 8 hours ago, Mandy said: I finished The Others books 1-4 by Anne Bishop. I liked them enough to read more. I started the Innkeeper Chronicles by Ilona Andrews and now I have decided that I want to be an innkeeper. Seriously. As if Gilmore Girls wasn't enough to solidify that need in me. The first few chapters of each book are online. I'm enjoying the meld of cute, fantasy inn that melds itself to the innkeeper's needs and the intergalctic travel. I recommend. http://innkeeper.ilona-andrews.com/ I agree totally about Innkeeper. The Inns are an awesome worldbuilding feature and the Innkeepers life as shown is very pleasant to read Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mars447 Posted April 9, 2016 Share Posted April 9, 2016 Just read The Girl with Ghost Eyes by M.H. Boroson. It's a pretty great freshman urban fantasy set in 1900s San Francisco Chinatown, with an Asian (predominantly Daoist) inspired magic system. Xiang Li Lin is a young widow, a low ranking Daoist exorcist-sorcerer, and a woman cursed with the ability to see spirits in the world around her. When a rival sorcerer cripples her father, a powerful exorcist, in an assassination attempt, Li Lin must use her wits to fight out who is responsible and bring them to justice. Great characters, magic system, and setting. I would have liked to see more of how "normal people" lived, and some of the pacing in the middle third of the book was a little wonky, and there's one character development that happens in the denouement that seemed to be done more to set up for a sequel rather than because it fit naturally, but overall as a debut and in general this was great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darth Richard II Posted April 11, 2016 Share Posted April 11, 2016 Black jewels is the one with magic cock rings and little girls who power level by popping their cherry during a full moon. So uh yeah, "weird". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ants Posted April 12, 2016 Share Posted April 12, 2016 Oi - that ceremony has nothing to do with levelling or the full moon! The issue is that a traumatic first experience can cause permanent damage. The birthright and final ceremonies (can't remember the name) that involve getting their jewels (and hence determining power) have nothing to do with sex. That said, yes some won't like the black jewels triology (which was a trilogy, there have just been a bunch of following books written). 17 hours ago, Mandy said: I got 81 pages into the 291 page book, "A Demon Bound", the first book in the Imp series by Debra Dunbar. I HATE leaving books unfinished, but I am not really enjoying it. The main character is a demon who stole a human woman's body and has been living on Earth for the past 40 years. The plot so far has mostly consisted of her trying to get into her neighbor's pants, shocking people around her with nudity and vulgarity, and being naively conflicted about her attachment to aforementioned neighbor. It's... meh. She's unlikable. So far it's not really my cup of tea. So much for Goodreads' list of "top urban fantasy". Looks like most of it is really paranormal romance, which is not what I was looking for. I've started back on the second Charlie Madigan book in the Kelly Gay series while I decide whether or not to finish the other one. ETA: Ack. 2 hours later and I've decided to try to finish off the Imp book. At least the plot got a bit better in the next 20 pages. The Imp series is definitely focussed on black humour. And Sam doesn't change a whole heap. If you don't find her early attempts to cause chaos funny to read, then the series probably isn't for you. Personally, that first book had me cracking up, so it might just be a taste thing. It was hugely recommended to me by several people. That said, the plot of the second part of the first book and the subsequent books does become a lot tighter. But she always maintains that same sense of humour as she tries to bring a bit of chaos into the world, and generally has terrible respect for human views of right and wrong. But she does learn from the humans around her as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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