52 in 2011

[lumineaux]

46.   Foundation by Mercedes Lackey
47.  Intrigues by Mercedes Lackey

I remember fondly the days when I picked up a new Mercedes Lackey book with undisguised glee.  Those days are long past.  Lackey is so far off her game that she seems to be playing an entirely different game these days.  She was never a deep writer, but she used to be able to plot well and create compelling characters.

Foundation and Intrigues are part of a planned trilogy that deals with the founding of the Heralds Collegium in Valdemar.  Potentially interesting stuff, but, like so many authors who have created a successful world, I think Lackey has gone to the Valdemar well one too many times.  The first book is a mildly diverting mediocrity.  Boy from highly traumatic background is Chosen by Companion, has trouble adjusting to learning to be a Herald, makes true friends, does something that saves the Kingdom.  Check  check check and check.  Whatever.    

The second book, Intrigues, is utter and unmitigated crap.  Roger Ebert speaks of movies that have Idiot Plots -- plots that require every character to be a complete idiot in order to work.  To call the plot of Intrigues an Idiot Plot would be an offense to idiots.  And to plots.   Even getting to the plot requires a lot of unnecessary slogging through Lackey's attempt to create her own version of Quidditch (she did this before and better in the Exile's Valor and Exile's Honor books).   

Thank goodness I finally booted up and started using my Kindle.  I believe these books will have the honor of being the first things to be deleted from my Kindle.  I would be kicking myself right now if I had wasted valuable paper and bookshelf space.

Comments

[hlwoods.livejournal.com]

Thank you. While I have a copy of Foundations (it looked interesting), I was dismayed by the exceptionally sloppy ending.

I don't think I will bother with book 2.

I've noticed that some of her collaborations are still readable, but the Lackey-only books are no longer worth the price of admission. (The recently written ones, that is. The older ones were fine.)

[mariedeblois.livejournal.com]

About four years ago, I ditched almost every Lackey book I owned because every time I read them I turned into a melodramatic teenager for a couple days (UGH) ... and that the plot of the Winds trilogy was a bit too obvious by the end of chapter three and they really didn't get better. The only stuff I kept was the Tarma/Kethry books and the only ones I've gotten since were the Exile ones.

Thanks for the warning. :)

[lumineaux.livejournal.com]

I still have an enormous affect for the first Valdemar series about Talia, the Vanyel books, and the Tarma & Kethry books. After that, anything set in that world seems to be crap.

[lumineaux.livejournal.com]

that should be "enormous affection" - can't seem to type today

[mariedeblois.livejournal.com]

I read fluent typo. (I even have the tshirt (http://www.cafepress.com/techsupporthell/2250578). (If I can be possibly forgiven for self-promotion here.))

[goldsquare.livejournal.com]

Years ago, I got tired of her work - I got tired of being evil.

In her books, men are either gay: or evil.

It got boring.

[lumineaux.livejournal.com]

I don't completely agree on the anti-men thing, but her books do follow several incredibly predictable tropes. I can be endlessly patient with an author who repeats herself in interesting ways. Lackey can't manage that.

[rtropeano.livejournal.com]

I did not find her as bad about this as others in the same genre. I can think of any number of male characters who did not fit these two.

[goldsquare.livejournal.com]

That there are worse, doesn't obviate my point. :-) I probably don't read them, either. (Who did you have in mind?)

I'd only read her work when she was actively creating the Heralds of Valdemar. That was also when I quit.

If there are other works of hers worth seeking out, I would appreciate a recommendation.

[lumineaux.livejournal.com]

I agree so far as she writes women better than men.

Burning Water, the first of her Diana Tregarde series, has an excellent male co-lead, Mark Valdez

Children of the Night, the second of that series, introduces Diana's boyfriend, Andre Le Brel, also an awesome character

She has novels about Herald Alberich, who is neither gay nor evil: Exile's Honor and Exile's Valor (can't recall which one is first and which is second). The character of Alberich is interesting. The novels are adequate.

Going back to the very original Valdemar novels, I found Dirk, Alberich, Kris and Skif to be heroic not-gay males who were also well-drawn enough to be interesting.

The otherwise Godawful Mage Storms trilogy had three solid heroic male characters: the old Karsite priest, the young Karsite priest and the military guy from the Eastern Empire who ends up becoming King of Hardorn. I can't recall any of their names right now.

[rtropeano.livejournal.com]

Good to know. Rosemary saw new Valdemar books and wanted me to buy them for the kindle/nook app. At least I know not waste paper on them. I usually try and finish series I have mostly in paper that way.

Are they lendable? Some Kindle books are, and some are not.

[lumineaux.livejournal.com]

Hmmm. I will have to see about that before I delete them. "Foundation" is worth a few bucks if you find it in the bargain section. "Intrigues" should be used to fertilize gardens.

[lissa510.livejournal.com]

Its very sad when a good author goes bad...she is just one of many authors whose early books I have liked, but I cant read anything recent by her...aren't authors supposed to get better and more skillful over time...maybe she is just being lazy....people will still buy her books, why should she have to put forth effort....

[beckishadow.livejournal.com]

Interesting idea that hadn't occurred to me. I'm loathe to throw out books because they're... books. There's a wrongness to that. They can be given away, resold, etc.

With e-books, there isn't any of that hesitation for me.

[rlg.livejournal.com]

Have you read any of her Elemental Mages books? Those didn't suck (at least I thought so).