MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - When Authors should LEM their own characters

FatDog · 11-30-2012, 06:27 PM

"LEM" - Tossing a book over a cliff into the ocean like a lemming.

I have been struggling recently. For the first time in my life I am reading favorite authors or series and finding myself kind of disgusted by the recent novels. The characters are no longer interesting, the plots have holes you can drive a truck through, the scenes no longer paint pictures for me and the grammar and wording have taken a nose dive.

It's like the publishing houses no longer use copy-editors and give feedback to successful authors to polish up rough spots or fix problems.

I have been worried I was simply becoming a grumpy old man and 'new stuff ain't as good as the old'! Now I suspect the authors are getting tired of their characters, but are cranking out books to satisfy contracts.

Does anybody else feel the same?

I am going to put my specific examples in Spoiler tags because I do not want to influence anybody away from authors or series that started out very, very strong and should be read. Add your own examples and lets see if we sync up on series that have gone on too long.

Spoiler:

Kathy Reichs - The most recent book "Bones are Forever" have the main characters being petty and mean to each other. Then she brings in more tension by bringing in a disgusting third party who had a one-night-stand with Temperance. By the end of the book I really did not care what happened to the main characters.

Glen Cook - The "Garrett PI" series is a fascinating mix of Tolkien and Sam Spade in a gritty, mulit-culture city. This former marine goes up against the mafia, trolls and magic wielders over about 10 books. But the most recent book had our hero jumping at noises over the impending break up with his long time girl friend as a major drama point. It just feels ... old and like Glen has run out of ideas. His early books did a lot of descriptions and painted a good picture of the snarky detective as he interacts with the characters. The latest book describes the scenes in a terse, factual style with little of the charm or whit of his earlier books.

James Patterson and Maxine Paetro - In the recent "10th Anniversay" Womens Murder club there is a chapter when the tough detective goes and has a cry over a missing newborn. But at this point in the plot we know the baby was not left in the woods but given over to someone found through a "Craigslist" type website. The scene was out of order. Later in the book a small town desk clerk helps the detective with information, then pulls out his badge (he's the local sheriff) and then shuts up saying he may have told them too-much. Then he apparently tips off the suspects, then he arrives with 3 squad cars to help rescue the detectives. Its just several of dozens of inconsistencies throughout the book.

In the "11th Hour" - a housekeeper has reported finding human heads and is visibly shaken and the Detective notices she is about to 'loose' this witness. So she yells at the woman that she had better start telling the truth. (That's how I would calm down a witness - NOT).

The only thing in these books that is well described - is the food at the restaurants. I suspect this is so Maxine can dine out - but write off the food bills as research expenses. It's the only thing that adds color to the books.

It's like they take plot points on cards, shake them up and hand them to a room full of monkeys who each crank out 1 loosely connected chapter. Then they are sewn together and perhaps 1 person sprinkles in some color in a few spots and ships it off. Nobody at "Hachette Book Group" is proof reading or if they are - they are too afraid of Patterson to point out the obvious flaws.

Piers Anthony - I liked the "Xanth" series even if the world was based on puns. The "tangle trees" came from his weeping willow trees in his yard, the "dragon" is based on a train that runs behind his farm, etc. It was charming, funny, poked fun at things and even included fun references to sex. I have not kept up with the series, but I picked up "Jumper Cable", the 33rd novel in the series. It was dull, dried out with none of the wit or character development. Characters from earlier books show up, mouth a few lines then disappear. The sex references are gratuitous and look forced into the novel - like someone sprinkled them in later to add 'spice'. It just does not have the charm it used to. NOTE: I just spotted the reviews on Amazon - I am not alone in feeling the series has gone down-hill.

For full disclosure: I read Kathy Reichs and Glen cook on my Kindle in the evening in bed. The Patterson books were audiobooks which I listened to during my commute - which I admit I absorb differently and traffic could influence my mood. But the last 2 days traffic has been horrible, it has been raining but I am enjoying "The Fallen Angel" by Daniel Silva. So I do not think it is a 'read' vs 'hear' issue.

Anybody else want to contribute series that seem to have gone downhill?

11-30-2012, 06:27 PM	#1
FatDog Witless protection Agent Posts: 290 Karma: 1002898 Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Los Angeles Device: Kindle	When Authors should LEM their own characters "LEM" - Tossing a book over a cliff into the ocean like a lemming. I have been struggling recently. For the first time in my life I am reading favorite authors or series and finding myself kind of disgusted by the recent novels. The characters are no longer interesting, the plots have holes you can drive a truck through, the scenes no longer paint pictures for me and the grammar and wording have taken a nose dive. It's like the publishing houses no longer use copy-editors and give feedback to successful authors to polish up rough spots or fix problems. I have been worried I was simply becoming a grumpy old man and 'new stuff ain't as good as the old'! Now I suspect the authors are getting tired of their characters, but are cranking out books to satisfy contracts. Does anybody else feel the same? I am going to put my specific examples in Spoiler tags because I do not want to influence anybody away from authors or series that started out very, very strong and should be read. Add your own examples and lets see if we sync up on series that have gone on too long. Spoiler: Kathy Reichs - The most recent book "Bones are Forever" have the main characters being petty and mean to each other. Then she brings in more tension by bringing in a disgusting third party who had a one-night-stand with Temperance. By the end of the book I really did not care what happened to the main characters. Glen Cook - The "Garrett PI" series is a fascinating mix of Tolkien and Sam Spade in a gritty, mulit-culture city. This former marine goes up against the mafia, trolls and magic wielders over about 10 books. But the most recent book had our hero jumping at noises over the impending break up with his long time girl friend as a major drama point. It just feels ... old and like Glen has run out of ideas. His early books did a lot of descriptions and painted a good picture of the snarky detective as he interacts with the characters. The latest book describes the scenes in a terse, factual style with little of the charm or whit of his earlier books. James Patterson and Maxine Paetro - In the recent "10th Anniversay" Womens Murder club there is a chapter when the tough detective goes and has a cry over a missing newborn. But at this point in the plot we know the baby was not left in the woods but given over to someone found through a "Craigslist" type website. The scene was out of order. Later in the book a small town desk clerk helps the detective with information, then pulls out his badge (he's the local sheriff) and then shuts up saying he may have told them too-much. Then he apparently tips off the suspects, then he arrives with 3 squad cars to help rescue the detectives. Its just several of dozens of inconsistencies throughout the book. In the "11th Hour" - a housekeeper has reported finding human heads and is visibly shaken and the Detective notices she is about to 'loose' this witness. So she yells at the woman that she had better start telling the truth. (That's how I would calm down a witness - NOT). The only thing in these books that is well described - is the food at the restaurants. I suspect this is so Maxine can dine out - but write off the food bills as research expenses. It's the only thing that adds color to the books. It's like they take plot points on cards, shake them up and hand them to a room full of monkeys who each crank out 1 loosely connected chapter. Then they are sewn together and perhaps 1 person sprinkles in some color in a few spots and ships it off. Nobody at "Hachette Book Group" is proof reading or if they are - they are too afraid of Patterson to point out the obvious flaws. Piers Anthony - I liked the "Xanth" series even if the world was based on puns. The "tangle trees" came from his weeping willow trees in his yard, the "dragon" is based on a train that runs behind his farm, etc. It was charming, funny, poked fun at things and even included fun references to sex. I have not kept up with the series, but I picked up "Jumper Cable", the 33rd novel in the series. It was dull, dried out with none of the wit or character development. Characters from earlier books show up, mouth a few lines then disappear. The sex references are gratuitous and look forced into the novel - like someone sprinkled them in later to add 'spice'. It just does not have the charm it used to. NOTE: I just spotted the reviews on Amazon - I am not alone in feeling the series has gone down-hill. For full disclosure: I read Kathy Reichs and Glen cook on my Kindle in the evening in bed. The Patterson books were audiobooks which I listened to during my commute - which I admit I absorb differently and traffic could influence my mood. But the last 2 days traffic has been horrible, it has been raining but I am enjoying "The Fallen Angel" by Daniel Silva. So I do not think it is a 'read' vs 'hear' issue. Anybody else want to contribute series that seem to have gone downhill?