Ye of little faith........

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Pendragonswoe

New Member
Dec 27, 2017
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Having just finished Sleeping Beauties, I found myself slogging away at the last few chapters as if fighting my way through a storm of shallow and half developed characters with no redeeming qualities. There was also a distinctly anti-humanity feel about the book, as in a matter of only a few days the male half of the human race degenerated into thuggish behavior worthy of a stereotypical caveman, which inexplicably rotated from concern about the long-term effects of losing half of the species, to behavior such as attempted rape and outright murder of those so-called "loved ones". Frank Gearey, who is built up to be a caring father with an anger management problem, turns into a power hungry despot, determined only to capture and (if necessary) torture the only female who seems not to be affected by the disaster. And the only justification I could glean from anyone's attitude was "we don't understand what's going on, so let's kill something".

In a polar opposite however, the authors simultaneously took it upon themselves to portray the female cast as victims of their circumstances with no hope of salvation. Dissatisfied in their supporting roles as punching bags, housekeepers, and drug abusers, they eventually took matters into their own hands and executed their oppressors thus ending up in prison. However when offered a chance to remake the world in their matriarchal image, all but one chose to return to their former lives. Even the Sheriff seemed to revel in a schizophrenic split personality of indecision: First accusing her spouse of harboring a secret love child, followed almost immediately by "saving the world" through a return trip to reality, only to yet again distance herself from everything she felt obligated to go back to, without a single ounce of regret.

Had this been written in the 60s or 70s, I could understand the message of unburdening oneself from the inequalities that sparked the feminist movement, however being that it is 2017, instead I took away a sense of weak parody and lack of direction and focus that truly disappointed me, as I have been a lifelong fan. I guess the bottom line would be a request that future efforts not be written as a thinly veiled political and/or social commentary. To me, fiction is meant for enjoyment not psuedo-lecturing about this ills we have as a society either real or perceived. Or at the very least, make some attempt to weave the message into a larger tapestry, allowing the reader to marinate and ponder the ideas rather than be beat around the head and shoulders with how bad it is to be alive............
 

GNTLGNT

The idiot is IN
Jun 15, 2007
87,651
358,754
62
Cambridge, Ohio
Having just finished Sleeping Beauties, I found myself slogging away at the last few chapters as if fighting my way through a storm of shallow and half developed characters with no redeeming qualities. There was also a distinctly anti-humanity feel about the book, as in a matter of only a few days the male half of the human race degenerated into thuggish behavior worthy of a stereotypical caveman, which inexplicably rotated from concern about the long-term effects of losing half of the species, to behavior such as attempted rape and outright murder of those so-called "loved ones". Frank Gearey, who is built up to be a caring father with an anger management problem, turns into a power hungry despot, determined only to capture and (if necessary) torture the only female who seems not to be affected by the disaster. And the only justification I could glean from anyone's attitude was "we don't understand what's going on, so let's kill something".

In a polar opposite however, the authors simultaneously took it upon themselves to portray the female cast as victims of their circumstances with no hope of salvation. Dissatisfied in their supporting roles as punching bags, housekeepers, and drug abusers, they eventually took matters into their own hands and executed their oppressors thus ending up in prison. However when offered a chance to remake the world in their matriarchal image, all but one chose to return to their former lives. Even the Sheriff seemed to revel in a schizophrenic split personality of indecision: First accusing her spouse of harboring a secret love child, followed almost immediately by "saving the world" through a return trip to reality, only to yet again distance herself from everything she felt obligated to go back to, without a single ounce of regret.

Had this been written in the 60s or 70s, I could understand the message of unburdening oneself from the inequalities that sparked the feminist movement, however being that it is 2017, instead I took away a sense of weak parody and lack of direction and focus that truly disappointed me, as I have been a lifelong fan. I guess the bottom line would be a request that future efforts not be written as a thinly veiled political and/or social commentary. To me, fiction is meant for enjoyment not psuedo-lecturing about this ills we have as a society either real or perceived. Or at the very least, make some attempt to weave the message into a larger tapestry, allowing the reader to marinate and ponder the ideas rather than be beat around the head and shoulders with how bad it is to be alive............
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