:Patting self on the back:

[musiquenoir.livejournal.com]

Well, I've never posted to this journal before, but I do read it religiously. Normally, despite being fed up with the direction the Anita Blake series has taken, I still buy the new books when they are released in the vain hope of perhaps catching a glimpse of the old AB. This time, when Blood Noir came out, I had read all the reviews and skimmed the book in the store. I honestly could not continue reading past the first few pages. I continued to skim through the book, disenchanted, but I just didn't see the point. The whole thing was boring. YAWN. I suppose this means Laurita's hold on me has finally been broken! Last night, I decided to sell my entire Anita Blake series on Half.com. I can no longer continue reading something that bears no resemblance to its original form. As far as I'm concerned, Anita, Jean Claude, and all the other characters I enjoyed died after Obsidian Butterfly (not to mention the writing style and plot direction). Although I continued to read the books past OB, I can no longer live in denial. Just wanted to let everyone know that I have SEEN THE LIGHT.

Comments

[knowthyself.livejournal.com]

I'm curious about something. I've only read up to Blue Moon Cafe, and after that saw things online that warned me I should just stop there. But a lot of people seem to point to Obsidian Butterfly as the 'death' of the series, or the point where they truly stopped reading. Why is that? What exactly happens there that makes it so god awful in particular? I would've thought it would be Narcissus in Chains, since that's where the ar-don't shows up.

[musiquenoir.livejournal.com]

Obsidian Butterfly marks the last book that was written "true to the series." After that, starting with Narcissus in Chains, it's like you're reading a totally different series/author. So, basically, the series dies with Obsidian Butterfly.

[knowthyself.livejournal.com]

Ahh...okay. So, OB comes *before* NiC? I thought it was the other way around, hence my confusion.

Yup

[musiquenoir.livejournal.com]

OB was the last book before NiC.

[knowthyself.livejournal.com]

the end was weird to me, in Blue Moon. Jean Claude starts being all "Well, Richard's a 'monster' but you'll date him, that means you have to give me the same chance and date me even though I'm a monster." And Anita's all, "Sigh, fine, I guess you're right." Um, no, actually, it doesn't mean that! If someone doesn't want to date you--they don't have to, for any reason whatsoever! I was a little surprised by her caving on that point, but...well, I guess we see why, books and books later. So she can get stupid powers that suck!

[roguetailkinker.livejournal.com]

Well, Obsidian Butterfly seems to be popular among many LKH fans (or ex-fans) but I personally didn't care for it. I thought Cerulean Sins was much better. (It helped that Cerulean Sins was lighter on sex scenes than many other post-NiC books.)

[ephemeralthings.livejournal.com]

Welcome to the disenchanted side. Be careful; it is snarky here. Of course by telling the world that you are no longer in love with 'her lady the-great-darkity-darkness-sparklypoo' you have just opened yourself up to attacks from poor grammar and spawning commas. "Diety" help you. :)

I have nothing to "loose." :P

[musiquenoir.livejournal.com]

Sounds like fun to me! :Rubs hands together: Since I myself happen to be a grammar aficionado, I will gladly welcome any poorly written/constructed feeble backlash attempts from "troos."

[nyteshade.livejournal.com]

I had a very similar experience but it was with The Harlequin instead. I bought it started reading it and then put it down and haven't picked it up sense. Normally I could finish the books in a day or two and that one I didn't even make it to the second chapter.

It made me a little sad at first, but I got over it =)

[musiquenoir.livejournal.com]

I'm not even sad about it anymore. I've finally accepted that AB is dead. I still read Merry Gentry, oddly enough. Maybe because with MG, LKH didn't decide to turn the characters/series into something completely different (yet)?

[gothgoddessrhia.livejournal.com]

I had my moment of hurling the book across the room with DM. That is when I gave up all hope and sold the series at Half Price Books and took my husband to dinner with the money.

OB is definitely the last book of the series for me. At the end, it appeared that Anita would finally choose between the two men in her life or even choose both. I thought she was going to make her life less complicated and get her act together.

Instead...

I have never hated a characters as much as I have hated Micah. The second he appeared and raped Anita, I knew it was over.

I have lived in denial a few more books, but in my heart, I knew the series was dead.

What a mess the series has become...

[musiquenoir.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I have to agree that the "introduction" of Micah was pretty much the end for me. From that point on, I knew AB was doomed. That scene was the first time that it became obvious to me that the author seemed to be trying to live out her own fantasies through her "avatar." BLEH.

[gothgoddessrhia.livejournal.com]

It took until NiC to realize that Anita was her avatar. Then it became crystal clear.

[musiquenoir.livejournal.com]

Yeah, pretty pathetic. I'm not sure how I didn't see it coming earlier in the series, and why it was so obvious in NiC, though.

[gothgoddessrhia.livejournal.com]

Weirdly, I think it is when I actually saw that really old picture of her with her hair over one shoulder that I accepted Anita was her (not just an avatar). Then when a fan site had Stuart Townsend as Jean-Claude and LKH as Anita in some weird photoshop thing, I realized that others had realized it before me and embraced it!

There is no fine line between LKH and Anita. They are one and the same.

I think that is why I can't read any of the old Anita books anymore. I "see/hear" LKH as Anita now.

[musiquenoir.livejournal.com]

Hmm. I guess once the books became all about non-stop sex scenes, it became pretty obvious. Not that I have any problem with the sex; I certainly can appreciate unusual and creative, stimulating sex scenes. The problem is they're written like technical manuals. And also that I would prefer not to imagine LKH when I read them. Therein lies the problem: with another book, when the characters are created and not simply representations of the author, you can appreciate such things because you don't have a disturbing mental image of the author every time you read an erotic scene. BLECH.

[drygo.livejournal.com]

The Harlequin was also my last book. Like many of us, I kept hoping that things were going to change. It's obvious, due to the author's attitude mostly, that is never going to happen. It's the first series I've ever started and won't be finishing, so it is kind of a weird/sad feeling. But, brand loyalty only gets you so far. Eventually despite my desire to complete a series or be loyal to an author who gave me a lot of enjoyment at one time, there comes a time where enough is enough and you're finished giving people second chances...and third, fourth, fifth, and sixth chances. I still have all of the books on my book shelf, but I'm considering getting rid of them as well. Honestly, probably the only reason that I haven't is because I'm too lazy to bother. But, that space could be used for authors who actually deserve my respect and readership.

[musiquenoir.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that's pretty much the point I reached. I'm through giving LKH another chance. I also can understand the feeling of not wanting to give up on a series that you once liked so much. :(

[prettyfate.livejournal.com]

Unfortunately I just can't completely give up on Anita. I hate the direction that LKH has pushed her in, but she was the first character that I completely devoured. I HATED DM, the Harlequin was a little bit better. I've not picked up Blood Noir, and will probably just wait until I get it from the library (#30 and counting). Did any of you enjoy BN?

[musiquenoir.livejournal.com]

I was going to read BN when it comes out at the library, but I don't think I can even do that anymore. I'm just not interested in reading about LKH's voyeuristic fantasies anymore. There's nothing of the old AB for me to hang onto anymore. :(

[prettyfate.livejournal.com]

my BF said there's only 3 sex scenes in the entire book, and only 2 of them were described. I just wish we could get our old Anita back, you know? Give us a crime scene already!!! lol

[musiquenoir.livejournal.com]

I guess it's not just the sex scenes, but the fact that so much of the book is taken up with talking about sex, or the constant soap-opera dialogue and no plot movement whatsoever. Sigh.

[prettyfate.livejournal.com]

I completely agree. Anita's over thinking things far too much. And when was the last time she raised a zombie? I thought she said in one of the earlier books that if you don't use the power it will do it on it's own, hence her dead dog on her bed when she was younger. When's the last time she pulled her gun and shot something?? She's not the "Executioner" anymore...and I miss it.

[musiquenoir.livejournal.com]

It doesn't look like things are going to change anytime soon, either. :/

[prettyfate.livejournal.com]

Not unless you have a time machine and we can take LKH back to before she married Jon. I think he's a big reason as to why Anita's become so..."friendly" with everyone.

[musiquenoir.livejournal.com]

Thereby adding a further "EWW" element to the mental imagery when reading the "erotic' scenes.

[prettyfate.livejournal.com]

I didn't actually mean it like that lol, I meant that once LKH became happy in her life Anita started her downward spiral

[musiquenoir.livejournal.com]

I know, I was just commenting on how her new husband seems to have influenced the amount of sex/type of sex scenes in her books. I mean, EWWW.

[prettyfate.livejournal.com]

seriously...I've never seen him and would like to keep it that way.

Don't worry :P

[musiquenoir.livejournal.com]

I wouldn't subject you to that. I, however, have had the unfortunate experience of seeing pics of her, her husband, etc. :/

Re: Don't worry :P

[prettyfate.livejournal.com]

you poor thing!!! ::hugs:: hopefully that horrible image will go away someday!!!

[lucky-ninja.livejournal.com]

I think I'm the only person who liked NiC. D:

Everything after that was ghastly, including Blood Noir.

But welcome to the disenchanted flock.