The Company Novels - The Sons of Heaven
Sep. 29th, 2008 08:30 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mllelaurelShort version: Oh, Kage Baker no.
The Machine's Child had some (read: a lot of) aspects that bothered me a great deal, but I though I'd hold off the bile till I saw how things played out. I assumed Baker knew what she was doing.
To be more specific, I felt sick at how Mendoza was basically brainwashed and used by her so-called love interest. But I assumed that this was just Baker doing that authorial sadism thing of hers (i.e.: that she knew exactly how foul the goings-on were and would fix them.)
Not so. In Sons of Heaven, Mendoza wakes up, regains her memory - and after a brief flare at Edward acquiesses to him, in a scene I could barely read for the fury. (See pages 85-94.) As opposed to kicking him in the balls several times and taking her leave.
This is after learning that he hurt not only her (which for my taste would be enough) but the other loves of her life. (Who aren't blameless for the events of The Machine's Child, but who at least haven't done anything evil/stupid in this book, so far.)
And God help me, I can't read anymore. There are still plots unresolved and characters I care about left hanging, but I'm starting to think Baker believes her 'romance' is just hunky dory. Which makes me want to vomit.
I'm almost tempted to skim, to see what happens to Joseph and Lewis and other characters I've come to care about. But Mendoza's thread in the story is too central to ignore and I'm not sure I want anything to do with it anymore.
Now, I'm not that far into the book, so if it turns out that what I've read was deliberately misleading and the ball kicking is coming yet, please let me know, so I can laugh at myself and continue the book in peace. But if I'm right, this is the proverbial wallbanger.
Also? I'm sensing a pattern in these books of men keeping pertinent information from women 'for their own sake.' See Mendoza and boy. But it was also Victor's reaction when he and Sulleyman figured out what probably happened to Kalugin. "Don't tell Nan." Bah. Because the man's wife clearly doesn't deserve to know what might have befallen her husband, much less take an active part in his rescue. Because she might be hurt if they prove to be wrong. Bah, I say. And I've liked Victor so far, too.
The Machine's Child had some (read: a lot of) aspects that bothered me a great deal, but I though I'd hold off the bile till I saw how things played out. I assumed Baker knew what she was doing.
To be more specific, I felt sick at how Mendoza was basically brainwashed and used by her so-called love interest. But I assumed that this was just Baker doing that authorial sadism thing of hers (i.e.: that she knew exactly how foul the goings-on were and would fix them.)
Not so. In Sons of Heaven, Mendoza wakes up, regains her memory - and after a brief flare at Edward acquiesses to him, in a scene I could barely read for the fury. (See pages 85-94.) As opposed to kicking him in the balls several times and taking her leave.
This is after learning that he hurt not only her (which for my taste would be enough) but the other loves of her life. (Who aren't blameless for the events of The Machine's Child, but who at least haven't done anything evil/stupid in this book, so far.)
And God help me, I can't read anymore. There are still plots unresolved and characters I care about left hanging, but I'm starting to think Baker believes her 'romance' is just hunky dory. Which makes me want to vomit.
I'm almost tempted to skim, to see what happens to Joseph and Lewis and other characters I've come to care about. But Mendoza's thread in the story is too central to ignore and I'm not sure I want anything to do with it anymore.
Now, I'm not that far into the book, so if it turns out that what I've read was deliberately misleading and the ball kicking is coming yet, please let me know, so I can laugh at myself and continue the book in peace. But if I'm right, this is the proverbial wallbanger.
Also? I'm sensing a pattern in these books of men keeping pertinent information from women 'for their own sake.' See Mendoza and boy. But it was also Victor's reaction when he and Sulleyman figured out what probably happened to Kalugin. "Don't tell Nan." Bah. Because the man's wife clearly doesn't deserve to know what might have befallen her husband, much less take an active part in his rescue. Because she might be hurt if they prove to be wrong. Bah, I say. And I've liked Victor so far, too.
