Nothing about work, lots about this book I'm reading

[maderr]

(Read: Another rant on Things In Books That Bother Megan)

Guys like to kill. I'm dead serious. If you put a book in front of me, stripped of author name, I could probably tell you easy if it was male or female. There are various differences b/t the sexes - the things that are payed attention to, the way fights are described occasionally, the way women are portrayed vs. how men are portrayed, the littel details added, the ones left out. And the body count. Men seem to have this overwhelming *need* to kill off....I'd say roughly 1/4th of their characters - and that's just the major and minor. I'm not even talking the less-than-minor.

It wouldn't bug me except for the most parts the deaths seem unnecessary. Like the book I'm reading now. Stormbringer, and I don't know where my bad is so I can't tell you the author right now. Anyway - this one whole scenario where two "bad" brothers turn heroic b/c they don't like to see a woman and child killed. The older brother is all for it, the younger didn't want to get involved - but did b/c he loves his brother. Anyway (be warned of spoilers, I suppose) the younger brother dies. Now, it would have been fine if the death had made his brother or someone else realize something. But everything was already known - or told and accepted in a way that the death served no purpose. Seriously. Nothing was gained or learned by the death. It was like the writer was like "well, it's been about thirty pages. better kill someone."

An exception to the "men like to kill things" rule would be Mercedes Lackey. Except she doesn't seem obsessed with death so much as obsessed with spelling out for the reader how inherently tragic and difficult a life the Heralds have. Killing them is just a way to emphasize those facts.

I think it's obvious why I never got into English as a vocation.

Mostly I'm just pouty b/c I *loveloveheartlove* the guy whose....real name is escaping me -_-; but his 'soul name' is Stormbringer and I love him so very much and I just know he's going to die and I don't want him to die and argh. *pout* I've decided the fact that I'm reading this book is all rykaine's fault. (And if he does die Sammie? No cookie for you. Ever.)

Speaking of reading. I plan on taking in one of the HP books on audio to work - I bet I'm going to get some really weird looks when I start snickering and laughing and whatnot. I'm already getting them for my inherent geekdom that keeps me from participating in coversations about sex, booze, and gods know what else these people do on the weekends.

Comments

[stardance.livejournal.com]

I get weird looks for that too.... they come back at 8am the next morning on duty going "Oh, I have such a hangover, I feel like shit" or at night complaining about how much they hate the people they were at the club with and then wonder why I avoid their social circles.

[maderr.livejournal.com]

I've been to four clubs in my life - all of them against my will. Now, I like trying to dance, it's fun. But not when I'm surrounded by drunks and potheads and the music is so loud my head hurts. Maybe I'm just an old foggy at heart, I don't know. Been seriously drunk once in my life. I am confounded as to how people do it on a regular basis.

[raielchan.livejournal.com]

I like to kill.

Oh, you mean stories.

Well, I'm sure killing off that character served the author's purpose/plan, if for no other reason than that it was supposed to be tragic and that was the reason for the character's existence.

As an aside, I tend to find that if I like a character in an anime then that character will inevitably die or have the most tragic ending of all.

I myself prefer to write tragedy more so than read it. However, I would not easily kill off a character if I had invested much into him/her, even in Darkworld where it's easy to bring a dead character back.

[skylark97.livejournal.com]

"well, it's been about thirty pages. better kill someone."

*dies laughing* I don't read many books by men, but yes. *is still giggling* Oh yes.

I'm already getting them for my inherent geekdom that keeps me from participating in coversations about sex, booze, and gods know what else these people do on the weekends.

There's a couple of ways to look at it.

One: work is like an interactive soap opera. Or one of those 'choose your own adventures' come to life. Will person X find love despite the fact that they rampantly do drugs? Will person why ever learn how to keep their legs crossed? Will person B ever learn how not to date the nasty drunk customers? How many times can person Q go to jail and still be gainfully employed? If you hypnotize person F and suggest that they sleep with a dead carp under the full moon naked, will they?

Two: You're Jane Goodall. They're the chimps. Only they're less bright.

Still. Books on tape, that is a good idea. I always wanted to hear what the books sounded like on tape, because I know there are some play on words that she does that I'd only ever catch if I were hearing them instead of seeing them...

Anyway, best of luck with the book you're reading now! *glomps*

[maderr.livejournal.com]

Great. If I start choking on my own laughter as I watch my coworkers talking and goofing off tomorrow, I'm blaming you.

[miikarin.livejournal.com]

XD... Remember my plotline for the BM Key? XD... I kill a lot of the characters there. Hmm... Even now I'm still unsure whether I was killing them for plot or not. I have trouble making up my mind.

Stormbringer? Is it an interesting read? What genre... etc?

[maderr.livejournal.com]

Dude, that is still the creepiest key I've ever heard of. Props to you for being able to write it. And that's one of the rare exceptions - it seems as if it should be dark and unhappy at points.

My mistake, It's Stormrider, by David Gemmell. I liked some of his characters - the Moidart and Gaise Macon alone make it worth reading. But I didn't much care for the story. It's like he had all these awesome actors and gave them a crappy play to perform.

Umm...

[rykaine.livejournal.com]

I forgot about the brothers in the beginning. I was half tempted to stop reading at that point, because there was a great dichotomy between them anyway.

The only reason I kept reading though, was I liked Gaise. A lot. And then later, it was his father that kept me reading. They're both a riot.

I will say, since you're already on that level, anyway, that I was not--as a whole--much impressed by the book. I did like the dichotomy between many of the chars and their personalities in general.

But I don't know that there's a single death that I truly felt validated. And I've little doubt that you'll find the end as unimpressive as I did. (And doesn't that just inspire you to keep reading....) But I did like the characters--for the most part. So... eh, I don't know what that means, except I'm out a box of cookies at least.

Cheers.

Re: Umm...

[maderr.livejournal.com]

The brothers were great. I was so utterly pissed when they killed the younger one. I was like "wtf was the point of that?" Because yeah, the dichotomy between them was ace. There was so much potential there (and I don't even mean yaoi-wise.)

Gaise! *fangirls* Him. I love him. So very very much. And he's going to die isn't he? *cries*

Miss talking to you. Am thinking will sign on tomorrow. Going to be around?

Re: Umm...

[rykaine.livejournal.com]

I'll be around.

[raielchan.livejournal.com]

I'm familiar with being an outcast in the workplace.
Fortunately, my current job is not like that.

[flamebyrd]

And an exception to the men rule might be Mr. David Eddings, who seems to be allergic to actual permanent death of major characters... But maybe we can blame his wife for that.

(Oh, and hi, I got here from kiyoahi_chan. *waves*)

[maderr.livejournal.com]

*waves back* Hello!

I've never read Eddings. Any good?

[flamebyrd]

That's a very good question... I would say, no worse than Mercedes Lackey, definitely readable, but he seems to only have one standard plot and set of characters. (He just reuses them in various different settings.)

[maderr.livejournal.com]

Sounds at least worth checking out at some point. Too bad I didn't get this sooner, we were in B&N tonight.

[flamebyrd]

He also tends to write longer series (5 average-sized books, or 3 largeish books), so maybe hitting the library first might be best...

Wouldn't like you to go off without due warning. *grins*

Most people start with the Belgariad series. (And most people in my SF club recommend that one stops after it. Heh.)

[maderr.livejournal.com]

Good idea. Thankee muchly.

Belgariad, check. (lol)