Reading, Writing and Disappointing Characters

Did everyone have a wonderful weekend? Like mine, was it just too short? Did you get a lot of things accomplished? I did! And I'm happy to say that my stress level has gone down from the red zone to the yellow. So that's good.

First news: My car is fixed! Yay! I have a working air conditioner and my car is no longer overheating. So happy! And it only cost me a boat. Yay!

Second news: Did some more work over at my mother's house. We tore down the rest of the porch and hauled it to the shop. Out of sight. Out of mind.

Third news: I went to two birthday parties this weekend. One for my second cousin (who turned one) and one for Jake's nephew, who turned nine. Fun stuff. I didn't eat nearly as much cake as I REALLY wanted to, but I'm proud of myself for resisting.

Fourth news: I've been reading again! (I haven't picked up a book in probably a couple months.) It was a bit hard to read because, I've noticed, Jake starts getting all "pay attention to ME" when I read for more than 30 minutes. I've been reading Empress by Karen Miller. It was one of those books that I found while perusing the shelves at B&N. The cover intrigued me, as did the excerpt and, finally, the first chapter.

This book is...dark. Brutal. Graphic. Let's just get that out right away. It opens with a nameless child watching her mother, whom she refers to as "the woman" get beaten and then raped right in front of her. And then the child is sold into slavery. The book gets a little more optimistic from there since Hekat, the child, looks upon her slavery as an improvement. Her new owner refers to her as "beautiful and precious" rather than "she-brat." She is treated like a pampered pet and, since the story is told so closely from her POV, the reader starts believing things might indeed go well for her. That is...if it wasn't for the 600 or more pages to go.

Needless to say, things don't go well for her. When she discovers that she is "just another slave" and will be sold as a concubine, she escapes to the warriors' barracks. She mutilates her face so that no one will ever again place value on her for her beauty alone. She catches the warlord's eye. She becomes a fierce warrior.

So far, so good, in my mind. But then...meh.

I like Hekat. She's vicious and confident and a little too full of herself despite her crude upbringing. But then she gives herself to "the god" and the story shifts from being about her to being about the god, even if its indirectly. Everything Hekat does is for the god. Everything, including mating the warlord, sleeping with a godspeaker (basically a priest) to make a baby and raising her son. EVERYTHING.

And in this process, we lose the character of Hekat. She becomes just another zealous vessel. She's not torn or conflicted about her choices, she just does what she is commanded. She doesn't even seem like a person anymore. She has no other motivation besides serving the god. And, honestly, that gets a little on my nerves. As a reader, I attach myself to characters, not plot. The plot keeps me hooked, that's a given, but if I'm not interested in the characters, I don't care what happens to them in the end.

So, at this point, I'm a little disinterested. I have about 300 more pages (maybe a little less) and I'm hoping that something happens to where we recover more of Hekat's PERSONAL motivations, rather than the god's. I'm hoping that the god wants her to do something that she cannot do. Like kill her son. A bit bloodthirsty of me, I know, but at least then Hekat would be Hekat rather than the god's vessel.

This book pushes 800 pages. I'm about 2/3 of the way through and I will finish it because I have hope that it will not all be about the god's vessel and what she must do for Mijak (the land they live in). I think the reason I haven't given up completely on the book is because of the amazing world Ms. Miller has created. As far as being a work of speculative fiction, I give Miller an A+. I just hope the rest of the book reaches its potential.

A side note: Also involving Empress, there is the whole issue of sex. While it doesn't happen frequently in the book, when it does happen it's always the same: male gets gratification, woman endures/suffers through it. Really? I know it's a harsh world, but the men who sleep with Hekat actually care for her (the warlord and the godspeaker). I doubt they would be complete ravishing beasts, mmkay? And it irritates me that Hekat is completely indifferent to everything that happens to her (including the sex). Hekat may be the god's vessel, but she is still a woman and, f'in A, we're not completely emotionless, okay? ::mutter mutter::

I'll try to finish this book this week. At this point, I can't honestly say that I would recommend it. But I won't say that I wouldn't recommend it. It's worth reading for Part I alone. The imagery and culture of Mijak is skillfully woven and worth the read. But if you're like me and characters make it or break it for you, then stay tuned for my final verdict.