Books 35

[subplotkudzu]

First week on the new job = not having a lot of reading time

35) The Secret of the Pink Carnation: Laura Willig wrote a series of these chick lit meets romance novel meets 1800's continental espionage. The premise? A somewhat hapless 21st century Harvard grad student is researching the heirs of the Scarlet Pimpernel, the Purple Genation and the Pink Carnation, the latter of whom has never been properly identified. She finds a treasure trove of old documents with the heir of the Purple Genation's line, jealously guarded by an infuriatingly attractive heir to the family estates. The book switches between the 21st century events and our graqd student's recreation of 1803 events from the discovered journals and letters - that story is half romance novel and half Scarlet Pimpernel riff. Willig wisely (in my opinon) doesn't try to do the 1803 bit as an espistolary novel despite the record being letters and journals, so everything flows smoothly, keeping the book as frothy fun. ctwriter  recommended this to rachel, who passed it along to me. I'll likely be reading the rest of the series as well.

Spurred by a conversation with Cambias I also pulled out and read the first 8 issues of the 1980's Blue Beetle comic. Len Wien was trying so hard to get extensive sub-plotting while under the strictures of time (every issues must be totally comprehensible to every new reader) that the book is an exercise in frustration. Every issue includes 1 page letting us know that a) a rival archeologist is invstigating the island of Dan Garrett's death and the current Blue Beetle's origin that holds a hidden lab with killer robots b) Ted Kord's secretary is stealing equipment from the office for her mysterious and criminal 'uncle' b) a Chicago police detective has opened the cold case file on Garrett's death and is hounding Ted Kord for details on same, d) Kord Industries chief chemist is being blackmailed by someone for something e) Kord Industries currently has a chunk of Dayon Lab's super-metal Prometheum and people want to steal it and f) Ted is dating Melody, another Kord Industries employee (HR Alert!) who has secrets in her past that mean she won't consider marriage. Add in a page for Ted to think about his origin story and a page to show how his Bug, costume waldoes and other secret base gear work and that's 8 pages of each 24 page issue dedicated to sub plots. None, I repeat NONE of these sub-plots are resolved in the first 8 issues. Yes, someone tried to steal the Prometeum, but people will _always_ be trying to steal the prometheum, so that plot doesn't go away. Sub plots are one thing, but this is madness!

Comments

[kriz1818.livejournal.com]

I read the first two of that series, but didn't find enough of interest in the second one to go on with it! Let me know if it gets less repetitive.

[brianrogers.livejournal.com]

Rachel - who has read all four - said that the second is the weakest in the series. So that might explain your issues.

[whswhs.livejournal.com]

Are you referring to the flower known as a "gentian"?

[brianrogers.livejournal.com]

Yes. And I didn't bother to spell check, because I was in a hurry.

[whswhs.livejournal.com]

Sure. I know that your spelling is erratic if you don't have time to spell check. Mostly I don't bug people about that. But this time I (a) was in doubt and (b) actually wanted to make sure I got the joke. No intent to harass!

[brianrogers.livejournal.com]

No worries - it's the only thing that makes the pimpernel referance make sense.

To be perfectly clear, my spelling is "lamentable". This was pointed out by my Freshman year English Comp teacher.