FM's
ratings:
1. Premise 9
2. Prose 9
3. Plot 8
4. Characters 8
5. Overall 9
Comments (optional - but try to keep it under 3000 words!)
“Who’s your favorite novelist?” My answer to that question has changed from time to time over the years, every 15 years or so. When my favorite genre changed from Science Fiction to Supernatural Suspense, my favorites changed along with it, but they were always men. Until now. The ladies have now taken over, especially Charlaine Harris, J. D. Robb, Sue Grafton, Joan Hess, and now, Laurell K. Hamilton. It has mostly to do with the styles of humor these ladies incorporate into their writing. Stephen King’s humor is still a huge draw for me and I still find him perhaps the most impressive wordsmith of our time. But both King and, increasingly, Koontz seem to drift away from humor too much of the time. Koontz’s Odd Thomas series uses humor very well, and I still love them. But the lady writers – even in the so-called “cozy” mysteries – use humor more consistently and, often, more appealingly. In “Lunatic,” Hamilton delights us with unlikely scenarios involving supernatural monsters. Anita Blake, the heroine (you cannot help falling in love with her!) of this series – accompanied by her boyfriend who just happens to be in the first stages of changing into a werewolf during a full moon – has discovered a murder victim that was a friend of his and he is now very conflicted. “He opened his eyes and looked at me. There was sorrow in his eyes, but mostly there was darkness. His beast was looking out through his eyes. I turned away. I couldn’t hold his gaze. ‘I’ve got to make this phone call. Don’t eat any of the evidence.’” Will I end up reading a steady diet of humorists such as Dave Barry? I doubt it. The ladies also craft excellent plots and develop characters very well. I have always been something of a bookworm. But I’m in danger of becoming a book recluse under the influence of these wonderful authors!
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