and while we're at it, I also intensely dislike reading about mains whose faces I want to punch in

[esmenet]

I really, really hate characters who don't care about anything. Like, you could give me the evilest dictator in the world and I would not hate them that much. I think it's partly a) why should I care about someone when they don't care about anything at all? and partly b) ye gods, do you even have the tiniest inkling of all the awesome things I could do with your resources? With your life? No, you obviously don't, because otherwise you would be doing them.

In related news, Penny has reappeared in The Magicians and I have something about that book to enjoy again. This is the man who just walked up and punched someone in the face because he was angry at them! That was such a departure from the rest of the book, someone actually having serious in-depth emotions and acting on them. It was very enjoyable. So you can see: SOMETHING IS GOING TO HAPPEN. Possibly even something exciting!

I think I'm going to need some A:TLA or something on hand to dose myself with, though, because this book is just so full of white people, it's disgusting. The only magical school in North America and it is like all white people. Eugh. (And don't think I didn't notice the serious lack of East and South-East Asian languages in all those magical incantations, book. Or African ones, either. Or, really, anything not European or 'Near Eastern'. When the book whose plot hinges on the total nonexistence of Native Americans is better at multicultural representation than you, you'd better believe you're doing something wrong.)

Comments

[kaigou]

It sounds to me like you also could use some Minister Faust. He's a proven antidote to WASP SFF -- and a damn crazy page-turning ride, to boot.

[esmenet]

I just went and checked, and yes that was the author you posted those amazing quotes from a while ago. If I can't find that book at one of the libraries in town, I'm just going to buy it. Or anything else by him, because I love that writing style.

[kaigou]

The voices change -- each character has a unique voice -- but the speed and the craziness remains. Faust has three books out, and I'm waiting on my own library to hand over its copy of Doctor Brain. They don't have Alchemists of Kush, though, so I'll be buying that directly -- I get the impression it may be a sequel to his first book, and if so, I really really really want it.