Identification...

[xarra.livejournal.com]

Following on from thoughts provoked by missingvolume's last post, I was wondering if other people thought that LKH's characters are all losing their identity too much...

I think I prefer it when the characters are gay, or whatever sexuality, but it's not omg stated every 5 minutes... I have an aquaintance who is gay, and is very blantantly gay and makes a big deal of it, and it drives me up the wall. I'd rather read about guys (or girls) who are gay and just /are/, it doesn't define them... In LKH, Micah, Nathanial, JC, Asher, they all are more focused sexually than what they are... If I say 'Jean-Claude', you're more likely to think 'Anita's lover' than 'Master Vampire of St Louis', if I say 'Nathanial', you're likely to think 'Submissive lover of Anita' - rather than if, for the best example I can think of, I say 'Vanyel' from Mercedes Lackey, you think 'the last Herald-Mage' - not 'gay mage'.

I think it's sad when characters are reduced to their sexuality and I wish we could have a book where the characters are just themselves - I liked JC as a master vampire who used sexuality and sensuality, I liked Asher's past and how it affected him, hell, even Richard's angst over his 'normal' life & pack lfe... But now they're Anita's Lovers (tm) - and have that as a label... Which I find really very sad... While the books are sexual, seriously, most people don't think 'Oh, I'm gay!' or 'Oh, I'm straight!' every few seconds - or identify themselves by their sexuality... And, sadly, that seems to be where LKH's books are going. :(

Opinions? (If you can read the rant!)

Comments

[brightlotusmoon.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that irritated me, too. I felt like she was rushing to make excuses or something.

[brightlotusmoon.livejournal.com]

Agreed wholeheartedly.