http://easol.livejournal.com/ ([identity profile] easol.livejournal.com) wrote in [community profile] lkh_lashouts2007-12-05 10:10 pm

PRO reviews?

You know, I'm a bit curious -- what kind of professional reviews does LKH get? As in, from newspapers, genre mags, zines?

I know amazon (which often doesn't mirror the pro tastes) is basically filled with A) snarkers, B) troos, and C) people who consider this literary baloney on white bread, and read it because they aren't too demanding.

So has anyone seen professional reviews for LKH's books, and do they tend to be positive, "hateful" or sort of middle-of-the-road? (Particularly in St. Louis?)

(PS, on a slightly OT note, the ghastly "Talia Gryphon" is coming out with a sequel to that ghastly book)

[identity profile] summersdream.livejournal.com 2007-12-06 05:44 pm (UTC)(link)
... Actually, there are some good comparisons- Joe's scar switches sides of his face constantly, Stephanie's mother's name changed in between books at least once, Ranger grew like 6inches mid-series...

Granted, none of those are quite as severe as having your main love interest forget how old he is (JC) or someone's skin color changing from purple to brown, but JE does have some consistency problems just like LKH.

And those intense mysteries often get sacrificed for the humor just as much as LKH's mysteries get sacrificed for sex. It's really frustrating to read the Plum books and see Stephanie get into some dark, horrendous situation and be saved... by slapstick. And then the next book, after her umpteenth near-death-experience or kidnapping, she STILL won't learn how to use a gun or get serious defense training or remember her mace or... yeah. How many books in is it now?

It's a little like Anita constanly deciding she will learn to control the ardeur but never actually learning to control the ardeur.

All that aside, I do love the Plum books. They are fluff and fun and all that, but sometimes their lack of follow-through really does remind me an awful lot of LKH.

[identity profile] frabjously.livejournal.com 2007-12-07 02:46 am (UTC)(link)
And those intense mysteries often get sacrificed for the humor just as much as LKH's mysteries get sacrificed for sex.

I read SP more for humour than the mystery (if I wanted hardcore mysteries I'd read Agatha Christie or something) so I don't see how that's a problem. Unlike LKH's sex, the comedy is actually done well (although LKH's sex is quite comedic). The book is marketed as a crime/comedy and I think it contains enough of both to merit the genre labels. LKH on the other hand...