Yes (as light entertainment). It is relaxing to read about a protagonist that is (mostly) sane rather than being constantly bogged down by completely absurdly impractical deontological morals. While not perfect she is one of the most rational protagonists I have read about. In fact, she is probably more rational (in particular instrumentally rational) than MoR!Harry, albeit less clever.
I wouldn’t recommend the series for those that use fiction as ‘morality porn’ where doing the (naive and dubious) ‘right thing’ somehow miraculously works despite all the evidence that it should fail. For that matter I also wouldn’t recommend it as actual porn, which much of the genre tends towards. The female protagonist has better things to do than acquire and manage a harem containing at least one moderate-to-high status ‘good’ mate and a series of progressively more aggressive, dominant, abusive and superhuman monsters that are somehow infatuated with her.
The female protagonist has better things to do than acquire and manage a harem containing at least one moderate-to-high status ‘good’ mate and a series of progressively more aggressive, dominant, abusive and superhuman monsters that are somehow infatuated with her,
The only books in the genre (that I’ve read) where this happens are the Anita Blake book. Most of the others AFAICT tend to involve the female protagonist being chased by several attractive men, and ending up with her One True Love.
The only books in the genre (that I’ve read) where this happens are the Anita Blake book.
Others that spring to mind off the top of my head are True Blood (The Southern Vampire Mysteries), Kate Daniels, The Red-Haired Stepchild and Mercy Thompson.
If I knew nothing about a series of books other than that it is urban fantasy I would take bets at approximately even odds that it matches “kick-ass female protagonist in a love triangle (or larger polygon)”.
The Anita Blake books are the only ones that I’ve read where the character is actually sleeping with most of the monsters chasing her. Mercy Thompson and Sookie Stackhouse have men chasing them, but they only tend to date one at once: they don’t have actual harems.
The Anita Blake books are the only ones that I’ve read where the character is actually sleeping with most of the monsters chasing her. Mercy Thompson and Sookie Stackhouse have men chasing them, but they only tend to date one at once: they don’t have actual harems.
Sometimes the relationships involve sex, sometimes they do not. Enough involve sleeping with the monsters that it would be hard to collect a large sample without encountering them.
As for Anita Blake, over the last few weeks I read the first six. So far she hasn’t managed to have sex with any of her harem. She’s too busy being a prudish Christian necromancer who thinks a lot about how her men/monsters make her wet. I understand there is a transition at some point in the direction of raw erotica. I’m not sure I’ll get that far.
Yes (as light entertainment). It is relaxing to read about a protagonist that is (mostly) sane rather than being constantly bogged down by completely absurdly impractical deontological morals. While not perfect she is one of the most rational protagonists I have read about. In fact, she is probably more rational (in particular instrumentally rational) than MoR!Harry, albeit less clever.
I wouldn’t recommend the series for those that use fiction as ‘morality porn’ where doing the (naive and dubious) ‘right thing’ somehow miraculously works despite all the evidence that it should fail. For that matter I also wouldn’t recommend it as actual porn, which much of the genre tends towards. The female protagonist has better things to do than acquire and manage a harem containing at least one moderate-to-high status ‘good’ mate and a series of progressively more aggressive, dominant, abusive and superhuman monsters that are somehow infatuated with her.
The only books in the genre (that I’ve read) where this happens are the Anita Blake book. Most of the others AFAICT tend to involve the female protagonist being chased by several attractive men, and ending up with her One True Love.
Others that spring to mind off the top of my head are True Blood (The Southern Vampire Mysteries), Kate Daniels, The Red-Haired Stepchild and Mercy Thompson.
If I knew nothing about a series of books other than that it is urban fantasy I would take bets at approximately even odds that it matches “kick-ass female protagonist in a love triangle (or larger polygon)”.
The Anita Blake books are the only ones that I’ve read where the character is actually sleeping with most of the monsters chasing her. Mercy Thompson and Sookie Stackhouse have men chasing them, but they only tend to date one at once: they don’t have actual harems.
Sometimes the relationships involve sex, sometimes they do not. Enough involve sleeping with the monsters that it would be hard to collect a large sample without encountering them.
As for Anita Blake, over the last few weeks I read the first six. So far she hasn’t managed to have sex with any of her harem. She’s too busy being a prudish Christian necromancer who thinks a lot about how her men/monsters make her wet. I understand there is a transition at some point in the direction of raw erotica. I’m not sure I’ll get that far.
Worse, there’s a transition on the direction of dreadful writing.
I’m kind of hoping there is a transition in the direction of Richard being dead. Nobody that naive in his position should live.
I stopped reading because I couldn’t take the pain anymore, so I don’t know.
Book 10 is where the characters start to have lots of sex I think.