Crystal Singer
Oct. 16th, 2006 04:56 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
beccaelizabethWell, that was a big waste of time.
Have finished reading the book. Am wondering why. Why write it, and why I read it.
There's just a whole lot of no point to it. The central character is this godawful MarySue. The 'tragedy' that launches the story is her singing teacher telling her she'll never be the best, so of course she stomps out and quits music entirely.
What a *moron*. Ten years of study, poof, because she's not a solo star. Blech. I hate her already.
And then the whole rest of the story happens *to* her. She doesn't earn it. She doesn't do anything. She's like, oh woe, I am quitted and know not what to do. I shall stay on this public transport until it ends up at the spaceport. Oh look, a famous rich interstellar singer dude wants to take me away on holiday for lots of sex. Shall let him. Oh look, now he's a vegetable. Shall be woeful and take him home. Oh look, his old job is open, shall take it. Oh wow, I turn out to be perfect! What are the odds! Without even trying she's the bestest singer person ever (although singer isn't the right word, as far as I can tell they only need to make one note, not songs). She doesn't have to suffer for it, unlike everyone else in her class. They all get fevers and convulsions, she gets mildly irritable. They all have to work off a debt, she gets a guild voucher for flying back with vegetable guy when that was already at guild expense. She gets everything right first time. And her only flaw is compassion. Bloody ridiculous. Apparently the guild frowns on salvage or saving other guild members lives, so she gets in trouble for that.
She never actually stops to observe if she has purple eyes or not, but you just know she has.
So then a guy turns up and dies, and she finds his mining claim, only it is inadequately explained how she knows it is his and not some other alive dude who would be pissed she's stealing. So then she gets teh bestest crystals ever and oh wow, looks like someone wants to buy them for the mostest money. And then she gets to go and be *famous*, though of course underappreciated, because she goes to install the crystals and everyone watches her.
She suffers for that bit. Obviously. She gets really sleep. Suffering! Woe!
From a MarySue point of view the relationships with the guildmaster makes sense. Because it isn't that he uses his authority to get her into bed. Despite the fact all she ever does with relationships is let them happen (oh look, someone fancies her, guess she'll sleep with them then). What actually happens, of course, is that MarySue is just that perfect that she attracts the guildmaster. And now the powerful guy is all hers to snuggle, because she is MarySue, and deserves it.
Blah. I'm feeling slightly queasy.
Which, okay, is unrelated to the story, but appropriate.
Its so very annoying. She apparently never had good sex before, so every guy she gets in bed with is a revelation. Apparently three revelations in a row that just get better. And then crystal is a revlations that is even more better than that, so really all she needs is her, um, personal vibrating tool... No I'm not making that up, that's what they cut crystal with... *facepalm*
She says at the start how she was always arrogant at people and that put them off. But what we actually get shown, of course, is how misunderstood she is, when she finally tries reaching out and being friends, and oh woe everyone acts like she's being snooty when it's not her fault she just happens to be better than all of them really.
*headdesk*
And the sexual politics revealed... I mean I'm sure I've read about this stuff, how good girls don't go looking for relationships but having them is having girl power so she has to be getting the guy all the time but always being passive about it. It so thoroughly creeps me out though. Because it isn't like she ever meets a guy and he chats her up and she raises an eyebrow and goes all I don't think so. No, she meets a guy, he chats her up, she snaps at him, he doesn't back off but instead puts hands on her, and then she goes all melty because now it is perfect.
See, the nausea is not entirely unrelated to the book, right there.
I want to read slash. Slash is good. And, okay, the 'oops we seem to be having sex now' part is not always absent, but with slash the point is to whap them upside the head and get them to notice it means something. And then they go and choose a thing that is not easy to choose, so it means something. And then there is snuggling and happily ever after. And, also, purely because of the characters I choose to read about, they already have a great working partners type relationship and there's none of this icky 'hi we just met OMG destiny!' crap.
Why are my books all full of the dumb stuff?
You know, aside from most of them being 30 years old and inherited from my dad.
*sigh*
Have finished reading the book. Am wondering why. Why write it, and why I read it.
There's just a whole lot of no point to it. The central character is this godawful MarySue. The 'tragedy' that launches the story is her singing teacher telling her she'll never be the best, so of course she stomps out and quits music entirely.
What a *moron*. Ten years of study, poof, because she's not a solo star. Blech. I hate her already.
And then the whole rest of the story happens *to* her. She doesn't earn it. She doesn't do anything. She's like, oh woe, I am quitted and know not what to do. I shall stay on this public transport until it ends up at the spaceport. Oh look, a famous rich interstellar singer dude wants to take me away on holiday for lots of sex. Shall let him. Oh look, now he's a vegetable. Shall be woeful and take him home. Oh look, his old job is open, shall take it. Oh wow, I turn out to be perfect! What are the odds! Without even trying she's the bestest singer person ever (although singer isn't the right word, as far as I can tell they only need to make one note, not songs). She doesn't have to suffer for it, unlike everyone else in her class. They all get fevers and convulsions, she gets mildly irritable. They all have to work off a debt, she gets a guild voucher for flying back with vegetable guy when that was already at guild expense. She gets everything right first time. And her only flaw is compassion. Bloody ridiculous. Apparently the guild frowns on salvage or saving other guild members lives, so she gets in trouble for that.
She never actually stops to observe if she has purple eyes or not, but you just know she has.
So then a guy turns up and dies, and she finds his mining claim, only it is inadequately explained how she knows it is his and not some other alive dude who would be pissed she's stealing. So then she gets teh bestest crystals ever and oh wow, looks like someone wants to buy them for the mostest money. And then she gets to go and be *famous*, though of course underappreciated, because she goes to install the crystals and everyone watches her.
She suffers for that bit. Obviously. She gets really sleep. Suffering! Woe!
From a MarySue point of view the relationships with the guildmaster makes sense. Because it isn't that he uses his authority to get her into bed. Despite the fact all she ever does with relationships is let them happen (oh look, someone fancies her, guess she'll sleep with them then). What actually happens, of course, is that MarySue is just that perfect that she attracts the guildmaster. And now the powerful guy is all hers to snuggle, because she is MarySue, and deserves it.
Blah. I'm feeling slightly queasy.
Which, okay, is unrelated to the story, but appropriate.
Its so very annoying. She apparently never had good sex before, so every guy she gets in bed with is a revelation. Apparently three revelations in a row that just get better. And then crystal is a revlations that is even more better than that, so really all she needs is her, um, personal vibrating tool... No I'm not making that up, that's what they cut crystal with... *facepalm*
She says at the start how she was always arrogant at people and that put them off. But what we actually get shown, of course, is how misunderstood she is, when she finally tries reaching out and being friends, and oh woe everyone acts like she's being snooty when it's not her fault she just happens to be better than all of them really.
*headdesk*
And the sexual politics revealed... I mean I'm sure I've read about this stuff, how good girls don't go looking for relationships but having them is having girl power so she has to be getting the guy all the time but always being passive about it. It so thoroughly creeps me out though. Because it isn't like she ever meets a guy and he chats her up and she raises an eyebrow and goes all I don't think so. No, she meets a guy, he chats her up, she snaps at him, he doesn't back off but instead puts hands on her, and then she goes all melty because now it is perfect.
See, the nausea is not entirely unrelated to the book, right there.
I want to read slash. Slash is good. And, okay, the 'oops we seem to be having sex now' part is not always absent, but with slash the point is to whap them upside the head and get them to notice it means something. And then they go and choose a thing that is not easy to choose, so it means something. And then there is snuggling and happily ever after. And, also, purely because of the characters I choose to read about, they already have a great working partners type relationship and there's none of this icky 'hi we just met OMG destiny!' crap.
Why are my books all full of the dumb stuff?
You know, aside from most of them being 30 years old and inherited from my dad.
*sigh*
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no subject
Date: 2006-10-16 05:31 pm (UTC)So what do we learn from this as would-be writers? That giving readers whatever it is that makes them want to turn the page to find out what happens next is so important that it compensates for a multitude of writing sins. (Though it's always better not to sin as well as providing page-turning tension.)