Musings of the Obsessive Kind

Aah...what does it say about me that I rather assumed that was a part of his past? (I mean, really, just look at his relatives...)

From:

I sort of assumed it too, but I guess I never really thought about it. She is not explicit or anything (thankfully. Oh man, I am glad this is not written by the creepy Outlander lady) but it's completely beyond creeptastic and it gets worse and worse and worse.

I think we have a winner for worst fictional family ever and seeing the things I read, that's quite a feat.

From:

I wasn't big on the first Outlander book (didn't care for any of the characters, anmd couldn't help but think that the story was there for her to have an excuse to cram in as much historical detail and whatnot as she could, most of which served no purpose in the story...there's "historically accurate" and then there's "showing off." Read spoilers because it was recced so much and said "nuh uh.")

Well, the whole thing is essentially "skewed take on Greek mythology...with not!vampires!" so the screwed up family was guaranteed from the start.

From:

I hate Outlander, I confess. What a jumbled mess of a book and an author who clearly likes her s&m too much. Yikes.

"skewed take on Greek mythology...with not!vampires!" so the screwed up family was guaranteed from the start.

Yeah, Though his makes Zarek's seem like a bunch of fluffbunnies.

From:

queenofthorns.livejournal.com

*embraces you* I thought I was alone on LJ in my hatred for Diana Gabaldon and the “Outlander” series. (Also, her hero is SUCH a Mary Sue – everyone wants him, ugh!) And I second the comment about how she just crammed in all sorts of historical details because she’d researched them – people actually LIVING in the eighteenth century wouldn’t discuss all that stuff because it would be common knowledge to them. UGH UGH UGH!

(I also hate those Kushiel books. Heh!)

From:

I read the Outlander books in high school and really liked them (I still do) but then my friend tried to get me to read the Kushiel books and I was like, "No, I'm drawing the line here. I have a line, and this book has crossed it." To each their own, I guess.

From:

queenofthorns.livejournal.com

Heh! I might not have been the target audience for Outlander, because I really was expecting fantasy (given the whole time-travel thing) and I got giant historical bodice-ripper for which the time-travel was only the sketchy framework :P So I was already annoyed by page 100!

And, yeah, the Kushiel books? Really not my cuppa!

From:

I originally got Outlander from a friend who had a whole lending library of historical romances secreted away in her room (under the bed, in the closet, in the bottom of drawers) so I just thought it was one of those and the time travel part actually took me by surprise. And then I liked that she used a modern(ish) heroine and reversed a lot of the romance novel cliches. I could see being annoyed, though, if you expected more fantasy/sci-fi.

From:

I hate Outlander with burning, burning hate. The author is boring AND ahistorical and has a very creepy and severe s&m fetish. I got it in the general section of the bookstore, too, so had no idea what I was in for.

And don't even start me on Kushiel. Yikes.

From:

With Outlander, I think she wanted to write a best selling historical text, but was told fiction would sell better. At 350~ pages with someone rapping her knuckles any time her Id threatened to take over, it could have been a decent book. As it is, it's a mass of ego-driven drivel. (It's fans are so...uhm...strong minded about it that I tend to temper my opinion more than I usually would.)

Zarek's past was fairly normal in my reading habits, actually. I think what stood out to me the most was that he's the only one whose grudge against Valerius was remotely justifiable.

From:

Wow, I didn't realize Outlander was so polarizing. I think it's entertaining fluff with some interesting historical stuff thrown in. (Uh, with more and more less and less interesting historical stuff and way less entertaining fluff as the series wears on.) I read it when I was young and it's sort of permaently lodged in my brain, and I fully admit I don't have an objective opinion of it. But I'm not going to get butthurt if people don't like it. I didn't realize its fan have an obnoxious rep. That sucks. People seriously needs to calm down on the internet.

Also, I need to stop commenting on it, because I think I'm starting to sound a little crazy myself.

From:

Uhm...yes. Outlander is one of those things where, the first time I mentioned I didn't like it, one person told me I didn't know a real romance when I saw it, and another said that I obviously had no appreciation for history. It tends to attract elitists. Actually, that's true of any well selling brick. Like Harry Potter, Avatar, and Twilight (not to mention most anime/manga fandoms) there are reasonable, sane, intelligent people who read it. They just aren't the ones most who post public lack of love encounter first.

From:

didn't know a real romance when I saw it

*choke*

If this is a real romance, I hope to God I never have one!

From:

I read Outlander when I was 14. I loved it. So when I hear people going "OMG Twilight is going to mess up young girls!" I'm just like, lulz, no. In high school my friends and I were so obsessed with those Outlander books. I remember my friend and I were reading one in class and giggling and the teacher came over and he was like GIVE ME THAT and I panicked and threw it across the room at another friend who totally wimped out and gave it to the teacher, TRAITOR. And then he read parts of it outloud to the whole class and we were well and truly mortified. So the Outlander books hold a certain lulzy nostalgia for me. The more recent ones are 90% historical details that put me to sleep, though. Like, no one needs a three page description of how to roast a pig in the ground in colonial Carolina. You can just say "And then they roasted a pig in the ground" and move the fuck on with the plot.

And I still contend that the Kushiel books are creepier in terms of "author has weird S&M issues." I couldn't get through the first one, too creeped out by use of RAZOR BLADES WTF.

From:

then he read parts of it outloud to the whole class and we were well and truly mortified.

LOLOLOL. Hopefully not the sex parts :P

From:

Yeah, I tend to think that people who think a popular fiction book will completely dictate a person's life choices should step back a bit. (Now, if it's the only thing they read and they mention wanting that for themselves, that's a little different...) Despite the fact that I am categorically incapable of taking anything about Twilight seriously, people should maybe focus more on the fact that it has teenagers reading. The same is true of Eragon, even though it makes me want to scream at Paolini to get out of my first big genre.

My main concern is all the people who will come out of the woodwork to ride on her coattails, and all the established authors who will get told to change to the currently popular genre.

From:

ulkis.livejournal.com

And I still contend that the Kushiel books are creepier in terms of "author has weird S&M issues." I couldn't get through the first one, too creeped out by use of RAZOR BLADES WTF.

I started reading these about a month ago, but I started with the second trilogy, and plan on reading the last one. But I do not plan on starting to read the first trilogy, because I read on Amazon that some of the fans are disappointed that the second trilogy doesn't have enough porn! I like the books, but if this is too little porn the first trilogy must be 24/7 lovin.

From:

I tried the first and was freaked out for life.

From:

ulkis.livejournal.com

Heh. Yes. I skimmed over the sex scenes very quickly - but I think they must be no where near as graphic, because there's no S&M. I dithered over reading the first trilogy, but it sounds like the sex comes first and the story second.

From:

Is that a Sherrilyn Kenyon book??

I volunteered at Comic Con and one of my tasks was handing out free copies of "Seize the Night." After I'd handed out a couple hundred copies someone came up to me and was like "Uhhh, you know you're not supposed to give those to kids, right?" Oops. I'd never heard of these books and didn't know what they were, I just wanted to get rid of them as quick as possible and go to the Bones panel. They really should have told me that at the beginning.

From:

Yup, it's a SK book.

The Seize the Night story is hilarious (not sure which book it is, but they all have explicit sex and stuff so yeah...).

This one is pretty severe even by her standards (she usually has some angst but not something this screwed up. She put a little preface in 'Acheron' warning readers actually, which is something I appreciate).

From:

animeshon.livejournal.com

Now I really, really, really want to read the book! Damn me living at the arse of the world!

I have to admit to actually enjoying the Jacqueline Carey novels though, although the fletching are very disturbing. The romance between Phedre & Jocelin is just so sweet (and tortured).

I have no idea what these "Outlander" books are, but now I feel compelled to go look them up :)

From:

Outlander is awful, IMO, but a lot of people love them rabidly, so you never know. It does have non-con, extreme s/m with two men though, so be warned.

From:

animeshon.livejournal.com

I'm sure it can't be any worse than any of the yaoi manga I've read (and some of those pictures scarred me for life!) :) I'm sure they will be awful, but sometimes I like reading awful books, just to laugh at them.

From: