Anne Rice's Mayfair Witches
Posted: Thu Jul 10, 2008 4:34 pm
So, I read The Witching Hour and, despite it being rather long (I had to take a break in the middle of it to read another book), I quite enjoyed it. Especially the cliffhanger ending, which got me excited for the second book, Lasher.
Unfortunately, with the second one she really dropped the ball. Still, it's good for me to read books that aren't that great, as every now and then I wonder if Donaldson is really as good a writer as I think he is. After reading something by an author who really isn't that great, I can honestly say that yes, Donaldson is
Anyway, I will definitely not be reading the next book (Taltos). I looked it up on Wikipedia so I could see if the plot would be worth reading it for, and no, it isn't. Next up on my reading list is some more Stephen King while I wait for the next Gap book from the library.
Unfortunately, with the second one she really dropped the ball. Still, it's good for me to read books that aren't that great, as every now and then I wonder if Donaldson is really as good a writer as I think he is. After reading something by an author who really isn't that great, I can honestly say that yes, Donaldson is
Spoiler
Anyway, my major problems with Lasher are these:
1) There is no reconciliation between "Ashlar" the Franciscan monk who seeks to emulate a Saint, and "Ashlar/Lasher" the evil spirit who kills for sport and seeks to destroy not only the Mayfair family, but the entire human race. I'm not saying that the one can't become the other, only that Anne Rice gives us no reason to believe that he does.
2) There is no emotional resolution at the end of the book. Sure, they kill both the Taltos, and Rowan wakes up, la dee da, but it doesn't feel like the end of anything. I kept expecting Lasher to jump out from the shadows, saying something like "I'm back!" But instead the book just ended, and I was left feeling cheated.
3) The "resolution" was too easy. They spend all this time and effort trying to find out not only where Lasher is, but who he is. In the end, he comes to Michael and Michael kills him just like that. And also with Emaleth, who we know is out there but the characters don't. She just shows up and Rowan kills her, again just like that. It's all very Deus Ex Machina.
4) Despite throwing inordinate amounts of sex into her books, and knowing that Anne Rice is a mother, her descriptions of sex are so laughably absurd that I have a hard time believing she's ever had sex.
5) So, Taltos are a "superior" race of beings, inordinately strong, who grow to maturity in a few hours, and are "born knowing everything they need to know". They also lust after milk, cheese, and sex. In fact, they are completely incapable of controlling themselves when in the presence of a Taltos of the opposite sex, and immediately engage in a wild orgy upon seeing one. How am I supposed to take this creature seriously?
1) There is no reconciliation between "Ashlar" the Franciscan monk who seeks to emulate a Saint, and "Ashlar/Lasher" the evil spirit who kills for sport and seeks to destroy not only the Mayfair family, but the entire human race. I'm not saying that the one can't become the other, only that Anne Rice gives us no reason to believe that he does.
2) There is no emotional resolution at the end of the book. Sure, they kill both the Taltos, and Rowan wakes up, la dee da, but it doesn't feel like the end of anything. I kept expecting Lasher to jump out from the shadows, saying something like "I'm back!" But instead the book just ended, and I was left feeling cheated.
3) The "resolution" was too easy. They spend all this time and effort trying to find out not only where Lasher is, but who he is. In the end, he comes to Michael and Michael kills him just like that. And also with Emaleth, who we know is out there but the characters don't. She just shows up and Rowan kills her, again just like that. It's all very Deus Ex Machina.
4) Despite throwing inordinate amounts of sex into her books, and knowing that Anne Rice is a mother, her descriptions of sex are so laughably absurd that I have a hard time believing she's ever had sex.
5) So, Taltos are a "superior" race of beings, inordinately strong, who grow to maturity in a few hours, and are "born knowing everything they need to know". They also lust after milk, cheese, and sex. In fact, they are completely incapable of controlling themselves when in the presence of a Taltos of the opposite sex, and immediately engage in a wild orgy upon seeing one. How am I supposed to take this creature seriously?