Wow. I had no idea there even was a level of Mary Sue beyond empathic treecat.

Jessica. May I tag?

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.

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...:)

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.)

May I tag?

Feel free!

Well, they are alien cats, with six limbs. Not just empathic, telepathic, too.

I was going to say, "Forgotten Beasts of Eld" had was great. If Mary Sueness was going on I failed to notice it.

Also I seem to remember James Schmitz's Telzy series had an intelligent empathic tree cat. When I read it I was too young to be aware of Mary-Sueness, but I never got an impression of excess perfection from Telzy, she was a superwoman, but didn't she have a tendency to get overconfident, and get into trouble for being a smartass? Too long ago but not sure.

As to Mary-Sue feedback phenomen, I do know how it happened in some specific cases. Every writer needs feedback. In some cases, once successful some writers choose to get that feedback only from worshipful adoring fans who think every word is golden and never criticize. That is they make the least discerning of their fanbase their feedback circle. I know for a fact that is part of what happened to L.K.Hamilton and one other writer who I won't name.

As to the second half of your question, I don't know that is why fans end continuing writers series, but that could be part of the explanation. On the other hand, it could also be that a fan becomes a writer, then the position of continuing the series opens, and of course a writer who has been successful on their own, but who loved the series is both most interested, and possibly most qualified.

t cough Daybreak 2250, AD t cough

I can't remember if the cats were telepathic, though, just big. In Beastmaster, definitely there was a mental link with the animals, though.

Feel Free

Thanks Jessica.

Furthermore, everybody who opposes Honor Harrington -- everybody -- is not just wrong but Eeeeeeevil.