[LMB] What is wrong with Thomas Covenant books OT:

[Azalais Aranxta]

On Tue, 11 Jul 2006, Mark Allums wrote:

> Tracy MacShane wrote:
> >> I don't really get the women/men dichotomy people observe about the
> >> books.  Aside from the r*pe that takes place in the first book, I mean.
> >
> > Well, that's exactly the event in the first book that has many women
> > throwing it at the wall. It's not the rape per se - although, as a woman,
> > you're generally more likely to find that event challenging on a
> > *personal* level - it's the self-pitying way TC went about making some
> > poor uninvolved woman the receptacle of his effed-up-ness.
>
> That event happens early enough on in the narrative that I don't
> understand why someone would quit reading because of it.

That's precisely WHY a lot of women quit reading early in the
narrative.

Because if you're only 1/3 of the way through the first book in a
trilogy and the protag is already raping people, it's probably
not going to get better; unless there's someone there to tell
you that it will get better, you're going to find something else
to do.

Women in fandom at that time had to learn, with books, movies,
and RPGs, when to cut their losses.

And nowadays, there is literally so much good reading out there
that if something has turned me off that early in the series, I
can set it aside and pick up at least four books that are waiting
in queue to be read.  Books I am quite sure are devoid of ooky
rape scenes.

(Heck, given the nature of my flist, I can pick up at least four
books that were written by someone I know!)

I plodded through the entire series because it was more or less
necessary to do so to live with one of my previous long-term
partners.  Aside from that issue, I really don't think it was
worth it.  I wish he had written the Chronicles of Linden Avery.
But it's not like there are not bushels and tonnes of other books
I'd rather read and don't have time to read as it is!

~malfoy

**************************************************************************
"That wickedness weltering around inside of you, inside of everyone, is
sacred somewhere.  There's a deity out there who digs it.  You can respect
and love your darkest side, disposing only of what is obsolete or
impractical.  It's all about giving yourself permission." --Jack Darkhand

"It is better to be cruel for love than for hate." --Thomas Burnett Swann