The Shambling Guide to New York City by Mur Lafferty: Book Review

Last month I finished The Shambling Guide to New York City by Mur Lafferty and I thought it was high time I did a review.  

Urban Fantasy is one of my favorite genres, and I was excited to find The Shambling Guide book. It struck me as something different.  UF tends to take itself way too serious at times.  I love finding quirky, tongue-in-cheek books to smooth out the dark and devious ones I so often read.   Lafferty’s book definitely did that for me.

Premise:

The Hero of the story is a human, Zoe, who stumbles into the hidden world of monster (coterie) hidden among us. We get to follow her as she applies for a job to edit a travel guide for the coterie, and learns all about the world most normal people are unaware exists.   This helps transition the reader into the world Lafferty has created without it being too forced. 

High Points:

What I find most refreshing is that, while not without ‘skills’ of her own, Zoe isn’t a kiss ass ‘strong independent woman’.  She’s fairly normal; with a list of screw ups that has landed her back home in NYC.   I really appreciate this. Not only is the character relatable, she can be strong without having to be bad-assed.  I give Lafferty very high marks for this.

Nothing says: 'strong, independent woman' like a skin tight leather suit and high heels.

 

I also enjoyed the dialog.  Lafferty style is face pace and cheeky.  There were several places I laughed out loud. The story moved along at a nice pace and the characters were entertaining.

I would be amiss not to mention the ‘guide’ itself. The idea that and URBAN fantasy be centered on a series of guide books is genius!   Between chapters there are short excerpts from the Shambling Guidebook.  They made for fun and reveling asides between the narratives….

Low Points:

…however, near the end of the book I found the excerpt to be intrusive.  I wanted the story to move on and found the little asides slowed the pace.

Speaking of the end of the book, this is where things started to come apart.  The Big Ending revealed a villain that is a bit to inconvenient.   By the end of the book ALL the loose ends get tied up too neatly. (heck even Zoe commented about how tidy this was).  Outside of that the events were way too big to just be missed, and somehow they all get rationalized in the media.  I found that to be the hardest to swallow. I would have liked it more if the author used some of the standby tropes of the genre (mist or veils… the fog of the human mind to ‘forget’ the supernatural).

But as it stand, the humans are stupid and will buy what most media tells them…Okay, so maybe it’s not that farfetched.  Just saying!

picture credit: ~victormancuso

 

Conclusion:

I really enjoyed the book and have plans to put the next guide (New Orleans) on my reading list.  While it has some issues, there’s nothing I couldn’t overlook, and I LOVED the premise.  I can’t wait to see where Lafferty take this!

 

On a side note: I listen to the audiobook.  It was narrated by the author herself, and while I’m usually weary of self-narrated titles (come on authors… you’re writers not actors, leave the narration to the professionals) I didn’t hesitate with Mur Lafferty.  Lafferty, geek girl, essayist, and longtime Podcaster, is well suited for the job. She’s been working with voice recordings for years, and I thought her narration was done well.  

50 Shades of Grey: Erotica and Truth in Fiction.

 

If you know me at all, you’ve probably seen my rants about sexism in science fiction and fantasy, and how superheroes, comic books, and games all tend to sexualize females instead of portraying real women. This got me thinking about what responsibility of writer has to portray realistic relationships in their writings. Particularly in the romance/erotica genre.  One of my biggest complaints about the romance/erotica genre is the unrealistic relationships between most of the women and men.  But what does the responsibility of the writer come down to? Should a writer be responsible for portraying real and healthy relationships?

I just finished two series of books, both erotica, both about dominance and submission (D/s). They both painted very different pictures of that kind of relationship. I’ll get to my review of them this week (I promise), but first I’d like to start with a popular series of books on D/s relationships that most people will at least know of, if not read: 50 Shades of Grey.

In full disclosure I did not read past the first book of 50 Shades. Please don’t email me and to tell me that the books got better or the dynamic between the two main characters changed. After the first book I knew I wasn’t terribly interested, because I felt that while it may have been a hot and steamy book, the relationship was unhealthy at best.

But was it the author’s responsibility to portray a real D/s relationship?

Maybe?

A lot of people really liked those books. Some people even said they improved their sex life. My rub is these books have been the first introduction to kink for a lot of people, and the picture it paints isn’t very flattering. Even more, the books perpetuated terrible stereotypes.

My issues aren’t with the exchange in power or the acts of submission and dominance portrayed…My issues with the book are the mental health of the characters. Christian Gray is a broken man with serious stalker tendencies, and because he’s damaged he’s into sadism and domination (at least that’s the conclusion the book seems to draw).

To be honest I think Anastasia was an idiot to give him control when it was clear the man needed to see a therapist. But perhaps this was the author’s purpose, if pure, virginal Anastasia can ‘fix’ him, he won’t need to be into BDSM.

The book furthers the impression that BDSM relationships are wrong and people who enjoy them have issues. The DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorder) has listed sexual sadism and sexual masochism as a “paraphilia” for years. Putting these into a mental health manual tells society there’s something wrong with people who enjoy it. The view in the Psychiatric community has changed over the years. The American Psychiatric Association website posted updates to the paraphilic disorders and actually said that "most people with atypical sexual interests do not have a mental disorder."

As a matter of fact a published study in the Journal of Sexual Medicine has found that people who participate in BDSM have better mental health then people who only practice ‘vanilla’ sex. The report says BDSM participants were “less neurotic, more extraverted, more open to new experiences, more conscientious, less rejection sensitive, and had higher subjective well-being.” Perhaps it’s because the BDSM community encourages open communication and honesty. In order to participate in a healthy BDSM relationship, there’s a lot of give and take.

But back to 50 Shade…The portrayal of Christian goes back to these old notions that Doms must have control issues. There has to be something wrong with them in order to enjoy the dominance and sadism.

Fantasy is fantasy and I’d like to think readers can identify that this is not a manual to kink, but with the movie coming out there’s a new drive to say 50 Shades is just a book that romanticizes an abusive relationship.

Bullshit. 

When I hear things like:

Mass book burning of 50 Shades:
'I do not think I can put into words how vile I think this book is and how dangerous I think the idea is that you get a sophisticated but naive, young women and a much richer, abusive older man who beats her up and does some dreadful things to her sexually. 'My main objection is that at a time when local authorities are making cuts to outreach and refuge services for women experiencing domestic violence, we have libraries wasting and grossly misusing public money to buy a book which says: "domestic violence is sexy".

or

Leaning in and submitting, whether in life or in fantasy are not "hot" -- they are belittling. These actions erase us as women, as people.
But, the solution. Let's stand up straight, we can bounce at the knees for a stronger stance and flexibility as we stand, but we must refuse to kneel. The farther we lean in, the faster we're going to end up down and down is the last place we want to be. a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/vanessa-garcia/why-i-wont-lean-in_b_3586527.html">Huffington Post

These recent articles are the reasons I care. That a book...(and not one I find very accurate) has the power to make women ashamed for their fantasies  (or the opposite, men to feel like abusers because they have the desire to be dominate), is a load of crap. 

I don't mind being whipped, as long as she handcuffs me first.

 

Hey, if it’s not your thing fine, but we should stop shamming people who are in consensual relationships that exchange power.  We need to stop shamming women and men for fantasizing or enjoying sex that out of the norm. As long as it’s safe, sane, and consensual why does it matter?

While I agree fiction is an escape, there should be some responsibility in the author's hands.  Just like I scream that there needs to be more balance in the sexism presented in comics and games, I believe there needs to be balance in books.  Let me enjoy my smut.  Give me real characters. Don't perpetuate stereotypes. Shade my fantasies with TRUTH not Grey.

If you’re interesting in learning what a D/s relationship can be like, the author of Diary of a Submissive has a wonderful article about what 50 Shades got wrong. This is just one view...there are many different types of BDSM relationships out there.

Monster by A. Lee Martinez, Book Review

 

As promised, my review of Monster by A Lee Martinez.

The Main character is Monster, a crypto-biological animal control agent…AKA the dog catcher of the magical world) isn’t a lovable character.  Heck, Monster is not even a very likable character. He borders on being a sociopath, with an apathetic attitude towards life.  And he has good reason. He’s in a dead-end job, has a dysfunctional relationship with a succubus who doesn’t enjoy sex with him, and barely makes ends meet. But hey, can’t many of us relate? 
 

So What's it about?

The story start when monster is called into help Judy: a cynical, unmotivated woman who’s stuck in a going nowhere life. Judy, who’s not part of the paranormal world, finds a Yeti eating ice cream out of the store freezer where she works. Once the job is done Monster goes on with his life, but Judy keeps popping back up with more issues. They are thrown together to save the world from events completely out of their control.

Not everyone will enjoy Monster.  Even readers who have enjoyed Martinez’s other books. While it does have the witty, sometimes dry sense of humor he’s known for, Monster has a deep thread of sadness that seems to run through the book.  It starts with the characters and their complete apathy, almost as if they themselves have given up on life, and continues with the theme of magic dying in our world (a fact that most people just can’t see).
 

My Take?

For me, I liked Monster.  It was a fun read, probably because I love unlikable characters, but I also appreciated a UF without a romantic subplot. (Judy and Monster don’t even particularly like each other).  Monster was a fast read and the plot moves along at a nice pace. The secondary characters were interesting. Chester, a paper gnome and Monster’s partner.  Monster’s succubus girlfriend. Even Judy’s alpha female sister, who ends up having to fend off a sphinx on her commute into work one morning. I’d love to see some short stories by Martinez with these characters.

So, while I would recommend this book to people who love UF but might be looking for a change from the series and romantic plots, please be aware...you might hate it. 

“BUT…what about the ending?  You said the ending had issues in your last post…”

No I didn’t forget.

The Ending. Yes the ending left a lot to be desired. The main drama of the book…you know the fate of the universe didn’t have enough drama to it. I’m not sure if it was the apathy of the main character infecting my own psyche by the end of the book or the fact that the ‘conflict’ seemed anticlimactic.  Whichever it was, by the end of the book I found out that I didn’t really care if they achieved the goal and saved the world.

 

photo via: Jake Waage

But if you’re on the fence about whether to read this book, don’t let the idea of a disappointing ending stop you.  I enjoyed the ride, and found the story fun and funny. Martinez did a wonderful job in world building and I became engaged with the world. I did go out and get Gil’s All Fight Diner, so we’ll see how that one goes.   I’ll have to wait and see if A Lee Martinez becomes one of my go to authors.

Married with Zombies, Book Review.

Approaching the end of my WIP, I was very dissatisfied with with the ending and decided my issue was chapters back (read half the book).  I went back seven chapters (25,000 words) and started rewriting, changing the plot, and abandoning the majority of the work I’d already done.  This has been particularly hard, but just as the beginnings of books are important to sell the story to your reader, the ending is equally important to sell your next book.

Oddly enough, my writing issues seemed to line up with my recent reads. The last two books I've read both had some ending issues, both for different reason.

The first book was Married With Zombies by Jesse Peterson.

I’m quite the connoisseur of zombie media, and Married With Zombies is  written as a ZomRomCom in the manner of Shaun of the Dead or Zombieland. It’s cheeky and fun, but with plenty of gruesome, violent details that make the zombie genre fun.

The main characters, Sarah and David, a married couple with serious relationship problems, find themselves at the epicenter of the start of a zombie apocalypse.  One of the things I found charming about Peterson’s book was the start of the book.  Sarah and David are on the way to their weekly marriage counseling appointment, both contemplating the possibility of divorce when they encounter their therapist eating the couple that had the appointment before them (a fact that’s especially rewarding since the couple with the appointment before them are annoyingly perfect).

photo by Hang_in_there

At the beginning we find our couple fight zombies and each other, but as the book progresses they come to appreciate each other more and rekindle the love they once shared.  The book is written with humorous chapter titles straight out of relationship guides, but with a zombie twist.  Practical advice such as: Build mutual friendships. Just be ready to end them when your friends start trying to eat you.

I really enjoyed the book and look forward to reading the others in the series. I was with Peterson every step of the way, until the ending. The ending was more of a non-ending. There’s a dramatic arch and a conclusion to their primary goal (getting out of town and finding David’s sister), but after that it wide open. 

I understand the reasoning…This book was written as a series, and the ending leaves things wide open. There was very little explanation about how the outbreak occurred, but enough to know that it spread fast (toppling major West Coast cities within three days). We are left with the idea that more rural areas of the country would be safer, and that’s where our couple head off…riding into the sun set (well maybe sunrise since they are heading East), but not before setting up a humorous and yes, gimmicky plan that sets up the next few books. 

But my preference for solid endings had me screaming.  I wished the author would have had the couple settle down with a “now that we were safe” type ending, but instead we’re left with the “tune in next time and see what happens when this zany couple hits the Midwest”.

Don’t get me wrong. I liked the book and will definitely get the next one.  It was campy and fun, and while very predictable it was nice to see the zombie apocalypse happen around a married couple with common problems. Just because zombies are trying to eat you doesn’t mean that all your relationship problems are going to disappear.

I highly recommend this book, especially if enjoy campy humor along with your blood and gore.

Next up will be of Monster by A. Lee Martinez.

Quickie Book Review Geekomancy

Quickie Review...

Unfortunately I didn't finish Geekomancy. I should have loved it. I wanted to love it. It's cheeky and geeky. It's filled with all the random references that I love, but I found it to be too cliche. There is a lot for fellow geeks to love in the book, but I found the everything and the kitchen sink approach too much to handle. Once the author mentioned Firefly getting canceled I started to feel like he was working off a list of geek trivia and wanted to see how much he could add in a single book/chapter...heck sentence.

I'm going to give it another try...some time later, but for now I have to say I'm not feeling the love.

Not Your Everyday Zombie Apocalypse

So I’ve been in a bit of a reading slump.  My focus has been on finishing my first draft, all other things be damned!  But I needed a break, before my brain melted, and took some books off my reading list.  I was looking for something fun.  Something that would be a quick read, so I picked up Ex-Heroes by Peter Clines.

My first impression was:  REALLY?  Just when I thought I’d read every imaginable zombie book out there, here comes Ex-Heroes.  I was expecting it to be campy and funny… I mean zombies and super heroes, but I was wrong.  Ex-Heroes had everything you’d expect from a good post-apocalyptic zombie novel just with capes and battle armor!

The book was better than I expected.  The main characters, the super heroes, had all the things I love from a good comic book; dark beginnings, murky pasts and complicated relationships.  Clines managed to build a dark and complex story around these characters while setting up a rich world and traditional zombie plot.

The book is told in alternating time lines, THEN and NOW.  This type of storytelling isn’t for everyone, but I enjoyed hearing about the back stories of the Heroes…even the Ex-Heroes.  To be honest I wish Clines would have made these two separate books.  I found the THEN parts far more compelling and wanted to learn more about the outbreak and the Heroes. 

A word of warning about format.  I started Ex-Heroes as an audiobook.  I almost stopped listening because the dual male/female narrators were so horrid it totally ruined the story for me.   It wasn’t the voice talent, it was the fact they insisted the female narrator say all the female dialog… DON'T LISTEN TO THE AUDIOBOOK!

 

I decided to give the book another chance and downloaded the ebook.  I’m glad I did.

Over all I’d recommend it for a fun summer read.   It was entertaining and defiantly not your average zombie book.  I will be checking out the next in this series… I need to know what happens next!!

The End

So after putting it off for weeks I finally picked up Dead Ever After by Charlaine Harris.  I'll admit, I've been a fan of the Sookie novels.  I've read each one and enjoyed the cast of character, so when I heard that this was the end of the series, I hesitated to read it.   I hate when my favorite series ends.  I hate endings in general. 

But before I get to my review I just want to give three cheers to Charlaine Harris.    Charlaine was terribly bulled over this book, and I don't think it's right.  So let me just say, THANK YOU! for hours of entertainment.  And on behalf of fans everywhere, I want to apologize for the horrible way you've been treated. There come a point where fandom just turns ugly and I think we've reached that point.  Someone grab the fire hose!  People all over the internet cried foul and threaten her, threaten to hurt themselves and even cancel book orders if the book didn't end they way the fans wanted.  (most notable with Sookie and Eric together)

I honestly think Neil Gaiman's wisdom can be applied here when I say "Charlaine Harris is not your Bitch."

Get over it.  When you give your free time over to an author and their characters, you start to develop a strong attachment to them.  (I still have hopes that K. Harrison will find a way to bring back Kisten... but that's another series and another post.)  But it's particularly sad to see people take fandom to this nasty place.  Charlaine even canceled her book tour.  It's sad when an authors feel the need not to engage with fans because they're scared.  Seriously people... take a good long look at where you belong in the whole creative process.

With all that said...Now on to the review. 

 

Unfortunately, I have to say I was grateful for 'The End'.  I really feel she didn't give her most beloved series a fitting farewell.  Sure it seemed like she managed to drag out or at least mention every character that ever appeared in one of the previous book, but the story line was forced.  Furthermore, the story lacked all the things that made the other books work.  The wit.  The danger.  The hot sex. 

 Poor Sookie seemed to be right back where we started in the first book.  Taking care of the house, going to church and working at the town bar.  The whole twelve book series just seemed to be about Sookie sowing her supernatural wild oats, and now she's ready to resume life in her small town.

If you hare a fan of the series... well she does wrap everything up with an nice little bow, but if you are a lover of the written word.... it will be hard to get through.    I'm glad I read it.  I'm also glad it's over.  I can tell Charlaine Harris has grown tired of Bon Temps and her inhabitants.