LKH Lashouts

Today I'd like to give some acknowledgement and thanks to members of lkh_lashouts that recommended that disenchanted Laurell K Hamilton readers should try reading books by Holly Lisle. I can't say I was ever a huge fan of LKH but in her earlier books (at least in the Anita Blake: Vampire Humper series), she had laid some good groundwork by creating an alternate universe populated by fantastic mythological creatures and laws and rules, albeit one that had to be created in the mid-1980s and which apparently remains stuck there to a great degree. I found out that the curious reader can tell which books might be worth an hour or so of your free time by looking for those where she thanks and acknowledges a writer's circle / beta readers. Books that lack this nod to a circle of apprently helpful peers are, in a word, self-indulgent. (Read: excrement.) For a comparison, note the change in Anne Rice's books after she, too, decided she did not need an editor or peer reviewer.

In fact, I think I'm here mostly because I am ANGRY that LKH squandered her universe and her characters the way she has, and that she apparently no longer bothers to proofread or accept criticism and suggestions from peers OR fans. It's almost like she died and a much less-talented hack who getsd of on vamp porn took over and started using her fame and fan base to sell crap. I am REALLY angry. I am also saddened, because she had the opportunity to leave a written legacy of some worth and creativity, and the tipping point where new, bad work far outweighs old, passably fascinating work has long since come and gone. In the past few years, drawn as if by a roadside accident, I have checked some of her newer books out of the library, mostly to see if it could possibly get any worse. Let's just say that I fantasized calling her publisher and offering my services as a proofreader, as I couldn't believe they actually had one oif they'd let these books go out as is. I was underemployed at the time, which made that seem like a good idea. Upon further reflection, I realized that I would hate my job and hate myself for taking it if I did, in fact, have to wade through one of her UNproofread books. Can you imagine?! Gawd!

I read books 1-3 of the Lisle's World Gates series (and there may only BE three, but it does not say "trilogy") and Talyn yesterday and today. As for my reading habits, well, I read almost everything, and fantasy novels more often disappoint me than not, so I can't say it is a genre I love unreservedly. There are few Terry Pratchetts / Neil Gaimans and many Laurell K Hamiltons in the genre.

Lisle creates logically consistent worlds and sympathetic characters. Even the "bad guys" have depth, or are permitted to seem positive at first. Some bad guys have the chance to be redeemed. Some "good guys" have conflicted morality. Her writing style is tight and clean and engaging. Her dialogue, even when using an invented vocabulary or language, is crisp and exemplifies "show, not tell". Characters have the opportunity to grow, make mistakes, die (albeit not always permanently), make sacrifices, be noble, and to have a sense of humor. Unlike LKH, whose books have steadily become more unreadably pornographic and unsexy simultaneously as time goes on, and which have had less and less plot, Lisle doesn't use sex scenes to titillate. In fact, I may misremember, but I believe two of the four books I read had none, and one book had one that was tasteful, and the last book had a reason, a plot line, character development, crisis point and so on that made the scenes important to the plot, if not vital. I don't think the character development would have been as neatly done without writing about it.

So, there you go. Author recommendation acknowledged and appreciated.

And: hello, I'm new. I went back through August or September and commented on some old threads, but this, if accepted, is my first bulletin post.