Well known phenomenon

[threemonkeys]

I liked Nick Sagan's first novel. It had a well constructed plot in a well developed genre environment and showed good character development. In the sequel, he ditched almost all of that except the character development. Without the structure of the other components, it was just not strong enough to be a satisfying experience at all.

I liked Karin Lowachee's first novel. It had a well constructed plot in a well developed genre environment and showed good character development. In the sequel, she ditched almost all of that except the character development. Without the structure of the other components, it was just not strong enough to be a satisfying experience at all.

The Lowachee book in question was Burndive, a sequel to Warchild. It didn't help that the character development in question was of the spoiled brat slowly becomes enlightened to his responsibilities type of thing. There is a horrible inevitability about such a storyline, not to mention the "I just want to give him a good slapping" response that makes the book too easy to put down. I have read a couple of books in the last couple of years that managed this type of character pretty well, but in both cases they had a strong story and environmental development to wrap around the character. Despite many "put it down" moments, I did at least finish the book which must say something for Lowachee's writing. In fact there was a small payoff because the last 50 pages or so contained more plot than the preceding 350 and were much better for it. I'm left with a niggling feeling of wasted potential here.

Comments

[cat-i-th-adage.livejournal.com]

Hmm. Warchild. I enjoyed reading it the first time, despite the soppy bit where the protagonist goes of with the elves and learns their mighty Kung Fu - it's got interesting themes, and the writer had a knack for dragging me into the text.

It's just that when I tried reading it again, I kept thinking about the paedophilia themes and somehow... couldn't keep on with it.

[threemonkeys.livejournal.com]

My literal mind has to ask "the soppy bit where the protagonist goes of with the elves and learns their mighty Kung Fu" - are you being all ironic referring to the space pirates and their fighting or are we talking about a different Warchild (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0446610771/sr=1-1/qid=1153980588/ref=pd_bbs_1/103-3784232-8388667?ie=UTF8&s=books) than the space opera I was reading? :-}

[cat-i-th-adage.livejournal.com]

I was being sarcastic about the aliens with their advanced and peaceful culture that, nevertheless, involved strange martial arts with knives and, I think, bandages wrapped around assorted limbs so that the fighters would cut nice figures.

Sorry, as in depth discussions of books go, I'm not doing very well. Man, the way she started the book with 'You didn't see their faces from where you hid...' It just dragged me into the scene.

[threemonkeys.livejournal.com]

Sorry, as in depth discussions of books go, I'm not doing very well.

Ha. You can at least make insightful sarcastic comparisons. I can't even get my brain to properly recognise them - symptomatic of my rather blah day today. :-(

I have just gone back and read the first page of Warchild. There isn't anything anywhere near that effective in Burndive. Second book syndrome really is alive and well in this case.