Quandry

[justalurkr]

(This is cross-posted to my orange852 lj; apologies to all who unwillingly see it twice)

Y'know how, on paperback book covers, they'll put these splashy little quotes from some better known author enthusing about the author's book in your hands? And sometimes, they even compare the author in your hands to some other author altogether?

For example, a well-known romance author compares another fairly well-known romance author currently writing sci fi under a pseudonym a less well-known sci fi author to a blockbuster, New York Times bestselling writer of...um, what are they pushing it as now? Erotic horror? Even though it's not at all erotic, and probably not a horror novel in the sense intended? It's just a horror?

Anyway, what's a really diplomatic way to tell the fairly well-known romance author currently writing sci fi under a pseudonym less well-known sci fi author to FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, STOP LETTING THEM COMPARE YOU TO A VAPID TWIT WHO WRITES PAINFULLY BAD & NIGH-UNREADABLE PORN? Because what your current fave writes is yards and heaps and miles better than anything the bad porn pimp ever put out in her best years?

Anyone?

In an almost completely unrelated matter, everyone should read Windfall, Rachel Caine's latest installment in the Weather Wardens series, paying no mind to any dumbass quotes on the cover or the single article of pettable clothing within. Well, except insofar as said dumbass quotes lead disappointed ex-fans of the painfully bad porn pimp to better stuff, I guess. I'm a couple of chapters from the end, so a full review will be forthcoming in the next day or so.

Windfall is exceptionally good stuff. There's a thing she's doing...hmmm. Pretty clever. You should all read all four of them and see if you spot it.

Comments

[gategrrl.livejournal.com]

Um...can you name names?

[justalurkr.livejournal.com]

Current favorite author = Rachel Caine

Favorite romance author back when I was reading romance: Mary Jo Putney

ex-Favorite author who broke my heart and disappointed me for all time and still foists her crap on the NY Times Bestseller list: Laurell K. Hamilton.

On the cover of Windfall, latest in Rachel Caine's Weather Wardens series, Mary Jo Putney had this to say:

"[As] swift, sassy, and sexy as Laurell K. Hamilton."

OK, about ten years and six books ago, there was a slender basis for comparison between the flavor of the two series. This could not be less true now. Anita Blake has become a heartless, souless, mindless bully getting her ashes hauled by any passing cock in a series of disjointed, breath-takingly bad attempts at pornography whose place on the bestseller list really makes me wonder about today's reader of scifi.

Rachel Caine is putting together a series that so far surpasses AB:VH in terms of plot and characterization as to beggar any possible comparison to the hollow porn LKH is putting out.

[nialla]

The only one I didn't know was the favorite romance author. ;)

[justalurkr.livejournal.com]

Mary Jo Putney rules. She's one of those authors who hits all the numbers without seeming to write by the numbers, if you know what I mean.

[gategrrl.livejournal.com]

Oh, yeah, I've heard about the Anita Blake books - you're not the only person I've read going off on them for exactly that reason.

That's a pretty incestuous reference. Takes chutzpah to write that, even if the series was still okay.

[justalurkr.livejournal.com]

The part that gets me going is the NY Times Bestseller-ness of it all. It's as if no one involved has read either series, but heard the heroines of both described as "sassy" or "sexy" and got some other NY Times Bestseller to say so.

I'm not entirely certain the two authors being compared would even appreciate it so very much.