creative [kree-ey-tiv]: adjective. Synonyms: clever, cool, innovative, inspired, prolific, stimulating.

criticism [krit-uh-siz-uhm]: noun. The act of passing judgment as to the merits of anything.

19 May 2010

Burning Water - Mercedes Lackey

A sexy witch who writes romances and a police detective who sees more than mortal man team up to battle an ancient Aztec god!
I lifted this from the back cover of this book, and it sums it up pretty nicely. The "sexy witch" is Diana Tregarde (the girl on the cover with the floating see-though Van der Graaff generator), a really kick-ass character who can not only magically pwn pretty much anyone, but is also a karate black belt and all-around awesome.
This 330-pages novel is really good, not only because of the general kickassery that takes place, but also because there's a bibliography at the back, for people who want to learn more about Aztec civilization and mythology; of course, it's not 10 pages long as a Michael Chricton bibliography would be (I kid you not: State of Fear had a longer bibliography than some reference manuals.), but it seems pretty comprehensive. Yay for authors doing research to write awesome novels!
Also, this novel raised some ethical issues regarding the murders that take place: mostly for the first ones, the murder victims were, to be honest, some pretty horrible people - I was especially pissed off at the jerkface who not only refused to help his wife raise his own spawn because it was "woman's work. He hadn't married her just so he could become a babysitter," but also bullied his employees at work and took all the credit for their work. I really did NOT like him; but did that mean that he deserved the gruesome death that he got? Surely not. Right?
Now, this novel was written and set in the late eighties, and predictably enough I got a bit of a laugh from some blasts from the past, such as:

  1. When sushi is treated as this strange, exotic food thing. (What's up with being awed by sushi in the 80's? Was it just introduced to the US or something?)
  2. The "tofu is weeeeeeeeird" attitude. (Really? I consider it a basic foodstuff, on the same level as peanut butter or chicken.)
  3. Diskettes!
  4. Modems; the newest computer invention.
  5. A quarter = a phone call, using a public phone. In a booth.
So yes, this novel was really good. And made me want to learn more about Aztec, Mayan, Incan and Toltec civilizations (I want to see the pyramids! And not those in Egypt!).

No comments:

Post a Comment