White Plains and Urban Fantasy
Sep. 15th, 2008 02:35 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
morrigirlI have decided that I want to move to White Plains. Most people don't realize that I've been having a one-sided love affair with the place for the last twenty years or so. I remember a time, back when I was still in the single digits, when my mother and I rode the train back to New York, probably heading home from a weekend in Connecticut with Joan. We passed through White Plains, and even though it was dark outside, I remember looking out the window and thinking it looked like a nice place to live. There were nice stately houses mixed in with tall buildings. I thought it looked cool and told myself I'd live there one day.
Now that I spend a lot of time in Westchester County I've actually taken several trips up to White Plains, and I really love it. I like the downtown area with the Galleria and the Mall. I love the luxury apartment buildings. I like that there are lots of people walking around, but not too many. I adore their Barnes & Noble which is way better than the one in Bay Plaza. These days if I want a book I'm more likely to trudge all the way up there rather than over to Co-op City.
Unfortunately, rents in White Plains is on par with those in Manhattan, so I ain't moving up there anytime soon unless a pet-free roommate materializes out of thin air or I get a really humongous raise. Still, one day, I will live up there even if it's just for a year. I also want to live on Rockaway Beach at some point in my life. Things to aim for.
You may recall that I asked for fantasy book recommendations back in June. Since then I've been exploring the world of urban fantasy. Of all the fantasy sub-genres that's the one that is most in line with my sensibilities. I like my fantasy dark and modern. I like cities and vampires and girls who slink around in skin tight black jeans.
I've only been reading these books for a couple of months and I already feel like I've exhausted the genre. All of the books and series that fall under the urban fantasy heading tend to revolve around the same formulaic premise - hot, intelligent, beautiful ass kicking woman fights evil, falls in love, and has gratuitous sex inthe process. They also tend to follow a specific set of rules. For instance, there is no such thing as an urban fantasy heroine under the height of 5'7. (The only exception to this rule that I've found is Paige Winterborne from Kelley Armstrong's Women of the Otherworld series.) There must always be a love interest and at least one graphic sex scene. (I tend to skip over the sex scenes. I firmly believe that it is next to impossible to write a sex scene that isn't cringe inducing. Beside, I read these things for the action, not the sex.) Couples are never referred to as boyfriend and girlfriend, but "lovers." Every author must use the words "guts" and "bile" as often as possible. The heroine must be snarky and sarcastic, a la Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Though I've given up on finding fresh and new urban fantasy, I have managed to become attached to a number of writers and series. Kelley Armstrong's Women of the Otherworld series is one of my favorites. I think I plowed through all seven books in a month. What's great about them is that Kelley Armstrong REALLY knows how to write. I used to assume authors of genre fiction had no real writing ability, and while my foray into fantasy-land has yet to prove this assumption incorrect (I have read a lot of writing just as bad as I always imagined it to be,) I have discovered some incredibly gifted writers, Armstrong being one of them. Not only can she write, but she excels at world building, a gift that were serve her well now that she has been commissioned to write the Angel: Aftermath comic books.
I've also gotten into the Summoners series that Justine Musk refuses to actually call a series because she's afraid of pressing her luck. Again, really well written, believable characters and situations. Can't wait for her to write the third book.
Right now I'm waiting with baited breath for the third book in Justina Robson's Quantum Gravity series to come out. I really loved the first book, "Keeping it Real," but was bored to tears by the second one, "Selling Out." The reason I found the second book so dull was because none of the primary characters were allowed to interact with each other. Lila, Zal, and Malachi all went off and had their own individual adventures and didn't hook back up with each other until the end of the book. One of the many joys of reading is observing interesting characters interact. When all of them were together, the book was fun, lively, and fast moving. When they were apart it d r a g g e d. The scene between Zal and Malachi when they were playing cards was so delightful. I wish there had been more of that in "Selling Out," and I hope the third book, "Going Under," will allow the characters more of an opportunity to interact.
I'm also into Rachel Caine's Weather Warden series. There's another series comprised of seven books that I wolfed down in a matter of weeks. Caine isn't the best writer to ever pick up a pen. The first couple of books display a stunning lack of craft and technique. However, the premise was so original and engaging, I found myself continuing to read despite the poor writing. And it's a good thing too because Caine's writing improves with each book. By the time I reached the fourth book it was clear she had a strong understanding of her characters and how their story should be told.
While in Seattle I picked up the first Dark Days novel. The first 3/4 of the book were nothing special, then the final thirty pages got obscenely good, and now I'm hooked. Plus, I have to tip my hat to Jocelynn Drake for getting through the novel without writing a single full fledged sex scene. I appreciated that.
And then there is the Greywalker series, a series I have no idea why I continue to read. Kat Richardson couldn't write her way out of a paper sack. All of the characters, save Quentin, are shallow, stock characters with no personality. The stories are slow moving and dull, not to mention convoluted. Yet, for some reason I cannot quit them. Maybe it's because I genuinely like Quentin and want him to get the girl in the end, even if the girl has zero depth. Maybe it's because I just love the cover art. More likely, Richardson has found the recipe for literary crack and generously laces her text with it before sending the manuscript off to the printers.
One of my big complaints about fantasy books is they always seem to be part of a series. Why can't anyone just write a 300 page one-shot, huh? Sometimes, I don't want to get submerged in a series, I just want to read a single book containing a single story with a definite ending.
All complaints aside, I am enjoying myself. These books are light, airy, and don't require a lot of thought. They are action, adventure, and shit that goes boom in the desert. After years of reading and analyzing text it's nice to sit back and let the fun pour over me.
Now that I spend a lot of time in Westchester County I've actually taken several trips up to White Plains, and I really love it. I like the downtown area with the Galleria and the Mall. I love the luxury apartment buildings. I like that there are lots of people walking around, but not too many. I adore their Barnes & Noble which is way better than the one in Bay Plaza. These days if I want a book I'm more likely to trudge all the way up there rather than over to Co-op City.
Unfortunately, rents in White Plains is on par with those in Manhattan, so I ain't moving up there anytime soon unless a pet-free roommate materializes out of thin air or I get a really humongous raise. Still, one day, I will live up there even if it's just for a year. I also want to live on Rockaway Beach at some point in my life. Things to aim for.
You may recall that I asked for fantasy book recommendations back in June. Since then I've been exploring the world of urban fantasy. Of all the fantasy sub-genres that's the one that is most in line with my sensibilities. I like my fantasy dark and modern. I like cities and vampires and girls who slink around in skin tight black jeans.
I've only been reading these books for a couple of months and I already feel like I've exhausted the genre. All of the books and series that fall under the urban fantasy heading tend to revolve around the same formulaic premise - hot, intelligent, beautiful ass kicking woman fights evil, falls in love, and has gratuitous sex inthe process. They also tend to follow a specific set of rules. For instance, there is no such thing as an urban fantasy heroine under the height of 5'7. (The only exception to this rule that I've found is Paige Winterborne from Kelley Armstrong's Women of the Otherworld series.) There must always be a love interest and at least one graphic sex scene. (I tend to skip over the sex scenes. I firmly believe that it is next to impossible to write a sex scene that isn't cringe inducing. Beside, I read these things for the action, not the sex.) Couples are never referred to as boyfriend and girlfriend, but "lovers." Every author must use the words "guts" and "bile" as often as possible. The heroine must be snarky and sarcastic, a la Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Though I've given up on finding fresh and new urban fantasy, I have managed to become attached to a number of writers and series. Kelley Armstrong's Women of the Otherworld series is one of my favorites. I think I plowed through all seven books in a month. What's great about them is that Kelley Armstrong REALLY knows how to write. I used to assume authors of genre fiction had no real writing ability, and while my foray into fantasy-land has yet to prove this assumption incorrect (I have read a lot of writing just as bad as I always imagined it to be,) I have discovered some incredibly gifted writers, Armstrong being one of them. Not only can she write, but she excels at world building, a gift that were serve her well now that she has been commissioned to write the Angel: Aftermath comic books.
I've also gotten into the Summoners series that Justine Musk refuses to actually call a series because she's afraid of pressing her luck. Again, really well written, believable characters and situations. Can't wait for her to write the third book.
Right now I'm waiting with baited breath for the third book in Justina Robson's Quantum Gravity series to come out. I really loved the first book, "Keeping it Real," but was bored to tears by the second one, "Selling Out." The reason I found the second book so dull was because none of the primary characters were allowed to interact with each other. Lila, Zal, and Malachi all went off and had their own individual adventures and didn't hook back up with each other until the end of the book. One of the many joys of reading is observing interesting characters interact. When all of them were together, the book was fun, lively, and fast moving. When they were apart it d r a g g e d. The scene between Zal and Malachi when they were playing cards was so delightful. I wish there had been more of that in "Selling Out," and I hope the third book, "Going Under," will allow the characters more of an opportunity to interact.
I'm also into Rachel Caine's Weather Warden series. There's another series comprised of seven books that I wolfed down in a matter of weeks. Caine isn't the best writer to ever pick up a pen. The first couple of books display a stunning lack of craft and technique. However, the premise was so original and engaging, I found myself continuing to read despite the poor writing. And it's a good thing too because Caine's writing improves with each book. By the time I reached the fourth book it was clear she had a strong understanding of her characters and how their story should be told.
While in Seattle I picked up the first Dark Days novel. The first 3/4 of the book were nothing special, then the final thirty pages got obscenely good, and now I'm hooked. Plus, I have to tip my hat to Jocelynn Drake for getting through the novel without writing a single full fledged sex scene. I appreciated that.
And then there is the Greywalker series, a series I have no idea why I continue to read. Kat Richardson couldn't write her way out of a paper sack. All of the characters, save Quentin, are shallow, stock characters with no personality. The stories are slow moving and dull, not to mention convoluted. Yet, for some reason I cannot quit them. Maybe it's because I genuinely like Quentin and want him to get the girl in the end, even if the girl has zero depth. Maybe it's because I just love the cover art. More likely, Richardson has found the recipe for literary crack and generously laces her text with it before sending the manuscript off to the printers.
One of my big complaints about fantasy books is they always seem to be part of a series. Why can't anyone just write a 300 page one-shot, huh? Sometimes, I don't want to get submerged in a series, I just want to read a single book containing a single story with a definite ending.
All complaints aside, I am enjoying myself. These books are light, airy, and don't require a lot of thought. They are action, adventure, and shit that goes boom in the desert. After years of reading and analyzing text it's nice to sit back and let the fun pour over me.
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Date: 2008-09-15 08:50 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-09-16 04:10 am (UTC)M.