Oddly, the tree cat didn't bother me. It was the pages and pages of description of battle maneuvers that led me to decide I didn't have any interest in reading the rest of the series.
Angel's lame. His hair goes straight up, and he's bloody stupid!
Buffybot ,'Dirty Girls'
Literary Buffistas 3: Don't Parse the Blurb, Dear.
There's more to life than watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer! No. Really, there is! Honestly! Here's a place for Buffistas to come and discuss what it is they're reading, their favorite authors and poets. "Geez. Crack a book sometime."
Sheryl - Mar 25, 2006 4:49:05 pm PST #246 of 28061
Fandom means never having to say "But where would I wear that?"
Ginger - Mar 25, 2006 5:12:28 pm PST #247 of 28061
"It didn't taste good. It tasted soooo horrible. It tasted like....a vodka martini." - Matilda
The tree cat was fairly minor, although annoying, and I'm okay with battle manuevers. I eventually gave up on the series because the Mary Sue-ness increased exponentially.
DXMachina - Mar 25, 2006 5:21:10 pm PST #248 of 28061
You always do this. We get tipsy, and you take advantage of my love of the scientific method.
Lately, I've been much happier with the side books and novellas in the Honorverse, mostly because the bizarre soap that HH's personal life has become is way off stage. I just finished the latest HH book, and it was better than the previous one. It did need to have its battle scenes edited down a lot, but except for a lot of painful eye rolling about her personal stuff (which there was less of this time out, fortunately), I enjoyed it well enough.
Jessica - Mar 25, 2006 5:21:19 pm PST #249 of 28061
If I want to become a cloud of bats, does each bat need a separate vaccination?
I eventually gave up on the series because the Mary Sue-ness increased exponentially.
Wow. I had no idea there even was a level of Mary Sue beyond empathic treecat.
DXMachina - Mar 25, 2006 5:25:02 pm PST #250 of 28061
You always do this. We get tipsy, and you take advantage of my love of the scientific method.
Wow. I had no idea there even was a level of Mary Sue beyond empathic treecat.
Well, now Harrington is also empathic via her link with the cat. Also, the cats turned out to be sentient, and they've been teaching them sign language.
Dana - Mar 25, 2006 5:26:39 pm PST #251 of 28061
"I'm useless alone." // "We're all useless alone. It's a good thing you're not alone."
Do the cats have violet eyes, perchance?
Typo Boy - Mar 25, 2006 5:27:18 pm PST #252 of 28061
Calli: My people have a saying. A man who trusts can never be betrayed, only mistaken.Avon: Life expectancy among your people must be extremely short.
Wow. I had no idea there even was a level of Mary Sue beyond empathic treecat.
Jessica. May I tag?
DavidS - Mar 25, 2006 5:28:52 pm PST #253 of 28061
"Look, son, if it's good enough for Shirley Bassey, it's good enough for you."
Well, now Harrington is also empathic via her link with the cat. Also, the cats turned out to be sentient, and they've been teaching them sign language.
Whoa.
Is it wrong of me to think there's some kind of bizarre Mary Sue feedback loop which afflicts certain sci-fi, fantasy and horror writers?
I'm still trying to puzzle out the whole Circle of Accolytes ghost-writes the later novels dynamic which crops up more than once.
meara - Mar 25, 2006 5:29:58 pm PST #254 of 28061
Oh dear. That sounds a little...frightening.
Y'know, there was a time when I would've LOVED that, i'm sure. What with being a fan of big white telepathic not-horses, and telepathic dragons, and so on and so forth. And yet, somehow, I've gotten to a point where reading an old favorite is one thing, but the reason I've gotten into space operas is that picking up the thousandth book of "Aerdreth was supposed to be a king, but her uncle stole the throne, and only her telepathic companion animal Sthellren and the stable boy Tath can help her find the magic sword that can win the kingdom back" was making me retch...:)
DavidS - Mar 25, 2006 5:31:26 pm PST #255 of 28061
"Look, son, if it's good enough for Shirley Bassey, it's good enough for you."
Btw, did Andre Norton initiate the empathic cat meme with Daybreak 2020 (aka The Beastmaster)?
I know there have been talking animals since forever in human folklore, but as it plays out in the Mary Sue narratives, it seems like that's where I first encountered it. Then The Forgotten Beasts of Eld. (Which I was re-reading a little bit in the last year and held up surprisingly well.)