There are points were the prose sings, but they are few and far between. There is surrealism, but again, few and far between. The characters are good, the conversations decent. But what really makes this book work is the way it handles plot and action. It gives us character development through action, a difficult thing that is botched by many writers, and is key to having action and plot being meaningful. Plot without character involvement (and I mean emotional involvement) falls flat. Action and plot needs to be sparked by emotional character tension, it needs to exist as a form of crisis and development, of friction between two characters needs.
If it doesn’t, then action and plot fall flat. It becomes tin. This is a big threat within genre fiction, which clings to it’s pulpy roots and people’s perception of the pulpy roots. Without emotional investment of the characters the reader has no emotional investment.
And Liz Williams invokes this very well. No piece of action or bit of plot is set up just in order to advance things, it always contains connotations of emotional investment, and ones as repercussions of character actions. There is no external force creating plot, but rather a series of frictions between a conflict of interests. The passions are what bring in the narrative, and these passions also fuel character development.
A complex feat. One that makes a very readable, and very creative novel all the more interesting. And it also makes it easier to overlook some flaws in the prose and narrative, and just continue on with the artifice of story.
i just finished reading this book, six bad things by charlie huston, right, and i had been stuck thinking about this part, see the main feller just ran into his friend he’s been searching for who had helped him by receieving a package and hiding it, now he wakes up and sees him and the first thing he does is shoot him straight in the gut, telling him it has to be this way he’s sorry blahblahblah. so i’m thinking right, why did he shoot him, this guy did everything he asked and helped and hasn’t even told him where he hid the package, what’s up with that, why?
our actions do define us, why we do them, why we don’t do others and give a peak into what someone is _really_ thinking yes yes? so, see this guy he no longer cared about his own life, just protecting his parents at any cost, and him not knowing where this package is hidden will insure that in some way is his twisted thinking.
i’m a firm believer in that kinda stuff, but by action we can’t limit ourselves to ideas of big actions only like the decision to fight or flee but we have to include all actions from the simple nosescratch to the detonation of suns and planets, what does it tell us when this thing happens? why is greatgreatgrammas ghost lolling her tongue at you behind the mirror with crochet hooks in her ears and no heirlooms in her hands, what is she trying to say, deprived of full intereaction with the physical realm what would you be stuck doing in those mirrors you love so? waving our arms trying to get attention or sulking or just trying to pretend you still aren’t a ghost? who could say, but our actions mostly do, and hey what’s going on anyways man? you forget about me?
benny
no,I know forget, you forget about us? hehe. I’ll give you a call later today. I think we got caught up in reality eating our souls.
Yeah, much more than action.
hey, i’ll tell you my yahoo account and my computer don’t seem to get along, actually lots of the internet seems to give my computer a case of sickliness, mind you i still refuse to pay for it so i’m always kinda hit or miss which makes it that much more interesting, i can’t just browse around as it’ll just close my internet explorer, lock-up or you know the speed is a factor as well, so youtube is a joke for me, ten minutes for 30 seconds of video doesn’t really jive with me you know. i actually have had a stable connection this morning so i can check sites and stuff.
i’d like to portray an image of some strange eclectic who surfaces from time2time with cryptic warnings and strange advice regarding cooking temperatures or methodology of fishgutting. i feel on display as all this is public which is fine i haven’t said anything i’d care if people saw or not, but i would like to discuss something with you but as i said with my yahoo and whatnot i have no privates in my email, or any i guess, maybe there is somewere here on your webspot? i don’t know anything about all this obviously so it’s up to you i guess. but hey nice with runes on the chest one and the bear brother and mombird, i can’t help but notice the recurring theme in several stories of birds and their evil natures, and maybe feel as if i have contributed to your feelings towards birds from our various encounters with my parents winged horrors, just to be clear i hate birds as well, except crows because they leave me gifts in return for my actual neutrality and ceasing of hostilities towards their cousins. mind you they stop and those fucking parrots die!
benny