Old Laurie Marks books.

[snarp]

I'm re-reading Watcher's Mask - which I like - and a few years ago I read Delan the Mislaid - which I didn't. And it occurred to me that man, Marks's earlier stuff was way grimmer than the Elemental Logic series. And it's not like Elemental Logic is exactly unicorns and fluffy bunnies and Mercedes Lackey when she's not being edited! It doesn't approach Carol Berg or Susan R. Matthews levels of cruelty, but there are definitely places where it creeps up on Barbara Hambly.

Whereas I think Watcher's Mask actually shoots past Berg. (Matthews still reigns as champion.) Maybe something happened just before Fire Logic? Or maybe I should read Dancing Jack to confirm that the shift didn't happen somewhere in there.

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In an unrelated literary mystery, I've read four-and-a-half of her books now, and at this point I've got to admit that I just don't get C. J. Cherryh. She always seems to have a clear picture of where she wants to go with a book, and I think she gets there - but I rarely have any idea what she found compelling about the locale. It's similar to my reaction to Akihabara.

The half-a-book is Regenesis, which I'm reading now. If it were any other writer, I'd be beginning to suspect that our protagonists would be safer if they read more fiction and knew how to recognize the villain. Since it's Cherryh, I've got no idea what the hell she's doing. Maybe the whole cast'll turn into bats next chapter. There'll be some obvious thematic reason for it.

Comments

[jinian]

I was gonna say. I don't think any of Regenesis is her strongest, but unless you've read Cyteen I really wouldn't start it.

Not sure what I'd recommend. Foreigner but skip the prologue, maybe?

[azurelunatic]

Regenesis seems like a bridge book, setting up all the dominoes that are supposed to fall over in book 3, which sadly isn't out yet. It's the tip of the long spear; the handle is in Cyteen. I love Cyteen with a great deal of passion and not much restraint, and it's ... it's really not for everyone. It's very much a book of concepts, and I was lucky enough to find all the characters that they hang on compelling. But all the necessary setup for Regenesis and the characters is in Cyteen.

Foreigner! Yes! I think that is the most accessible of her series. I like the prologue as well, but it's also a historical infodump with people who won't be seen later.