ase | July Reading (2 of 4): LRK and CSL

Locked Rooms (Laurie R. King): In all my griping about plausibility and suspension of disbelief, it's easy to forget is how fun the Holmes/Russell books are. Deep? Reflective? Heck no. On the other hand, feng shui as a tool for finding lost boxes and car chases through San Francisco. I'm glad I had an inkling that Mary was going to be absolved of all guilt in her family's deaths, because huge retcons are much easier to take when you know they're coming. Intellectually, I think LRK's cheating - la la la, crushing family guilt which is a major factor, la la la, let's retcon and relieve that guilt eight books later - but she's found a very fun way in which to cheat. Dashing about SF and having family angst in expensive venues is fun, right? Also, King's never played fair with Russell; her attempts to work in her chosen field have been subordinated to Holmes' antics with depressing regularity. I've been irritated by this since A Letter of Mary, when this theologically revolutionary document is set aside in favor of a whodunit. I tend to mistake the Russell/Holmes novels for something much more significant and thoughtful than the author seems to be aiming for. But sometimes frivolous and thoughtless is fun, like when you include Dashiell Hammett as a significant secondary character. Should I know Rick Garcia? I vaguely associate the name with the rock scene, but I'm reasonably sure that's Jerry Garcia.

Someday, there may be WWII!Russell books. Scary thought. And that's as profound as I'm going to get. (7.13)

Four Loves (C. S. Lewis): Nonfiction. Lewis examines several categories of human interaction - affection, friendship, romantic love, charity - with an eye to their similarities to and impediment of relationship with the Divine. Several years ago I saw the book mentioned in someone's attempt to clarify character relationships and decided I wanted to try reading it. Stalled three pages in on someone else's copious underlining and my complete incomprehension of Lewis' central thesis. I think my personal history with God (or rather, the complete lack thereof) continues to explain most of my difficulties with this book, a state of events that says more about me than about Lewis' thoughtful and reasonably readable work. Lewis' control of his words, sentences, paragraphs and chapters awes me, since I can't consistently start and end livejournal entries where I intend to. (7.16)

Posted and backdated August 4th, 2005

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Google shows many Rick Garcias. Even many Garcias in San Francisco. But all appear to be contemporary. Barring more context King's is probably an OC.

I really hope our library gets this book soon. I'm on the waiting list already.

P.S. Kage Baker has _another_ short story collection out. Mother Aegypt. When did this happen??

Kage Baker has _another_ short story collection out. Mother Aegypt. When did this happen??

Last year. (http://www.livejournal.com/users/ase/164957.html) *Is smug*

I really hope our library gets this book soon. I'm on the waiting list already.

I'd offer you a copy, except... library copy. How long does it usually take for your library to process new books?

I'm actually not sure if it's in yet or not. It probably is, but I'm the 3rd of 8 people waiting for a copy.

It could be worse. I'm 17th of 24 for "Dance of Death" the latest installment of Agent Pendergast's adventures (Relic, Reliquary, etc.) from Doug Preston et. al.

*finds this entry via your recent link*

I, too, have a nasty habit of mistaking the Russell novels for serious writing, but I've decided to just sit back and let the fangirlishness take me where it will. It's a fun universe to write fic for, what with the larger-than-life protagonists living in my favourite decades of the 20th century. (World War II is highly ficcable. Not sure I can account for the Chalionverse crossover, but at least I'm having fun.)

*finds this entry via your recent link*

Oh, good, people got the hint. Usually doing an end-of-the-month roundup is adequate, but not during summer. *shudders*

I read the Russellfic you posted after Locked Rooms - I've got to ask. Why Johnathan, as a name? It's small and it's petty and I keep thinking Russell would want to name any kids after/in honor of her deceased family members.

LRK/Chalion. Wow. Details?

I read the Russellfic you posted after Locked Rooms - I've got to ask. Why Johnathan, as a name? It's small and it's petty and I keep thinking Russell would want to name any kids after/in honor of her deceased family members.

Why Jonathan? The fandomlet is full of kiddies named for Russell's parents -- well, generally her mother, since we only just got a name for her father -- and I wanted to separate myself a bit. Plus, even though I know it's common in real life, I'm always a bit weirded out by fandom's insistence on naming offspring after existing characters. "Jonathan" riffs on "John", for Watson, but is also Jewish.

His middle name is probably Levi, though, for her brother. And if it looks like I've been thinking about this too much, well, I kind of have several much-longer drafts featuring him. *eyedart*

LRK/Chalion. Wow. Details?

*grin*

Random, isn't it? But

cesario and I were talking about the Chalion novels, and the appeal of a universe where characters have a patron deity. We started sorting people from other books, as you do, and she suggested that Russell would be of the Father. Which made sense in a lot of ways, but also raised questions, and the more we discussed it, the more a narrative started to emerge. So I started writing, although I'm not entirely sure how well I can pull it off, since moving a character like Holmes into a universe like this one is ... tricky.

Why Jonathan? The fandomlet is full of kiddies named for Russell's parents

Aha. (There's a fandomlet? Beyond the, like, three people I know online who get excited when a new Russell book comes out? Cool.) I can understand where the Russell ficcers are coming from. In a lot of fandoms it woiuld probably be cheating a bit, and be associated with Really Cute Offspring Antics, but in the Russellverse (there's got to be a better name) it follows a little more logically from the characterization. YMMV, obviously.

Random, isn't it?

Just a bit. Assigning universe characteristics to characters from other works (Miles Vorkosigan the Gryffindor, etc) is something everyone does a bit of, but plotting crossovers usually doesn't follow. My brain is seizing up around the time Holmes is forced to deal with actual divine presences influencing his investigation. (Because there's got to be an investigation - right?) If you manage to write it, I'd love to see it - it sounds like something out of

ithurtsmybrain. Which occasionally comes up with Crazy, Yet Good Fic.

Finally got "Locked Rooms", inhaled it in a day-and-a-half. Very fun stuff. It was interesting to see Holmes' POV for once...not something Doyle ever showed even. And could Russel have _been_ more mentally blocked? Talk about stubborn. I loved the expression of glee Holmes got when she broke through and burst into the room point the gun. I kept expecting him to say "Finally! I've been waiting for you here (at these conclusions) for _weeks_!"...but of course, his sense of self-preservation is _much_ too finely honed for an outburst like that;-)

July Reading (2 of 4): LRK and CSL

Rick Garcia

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