It isn't any one thing: more like all the little things, the background, the... mindset, I suppose.
The way that cruelty and violence were so frequently indulged in, even by the protagonists; the way that men wanted or needed a 'Queen' to serve - which triggers my twitch reflex: I'm really uncomfortable with the idea of a natural urge for subservience, or loyalty, or whatever you want to call it.
Added to the fact that Jaenelle was in the right because she was Witch and immensely powerful, and that to me her position and actions seemed morally ambiguous, but there seemed no hint that the author recognised or admitted of that moral ambiguity. There is recognition of moral ambiguity for Daemon, Lucivar, Saetan, Surreal, though not a lot of it: but not for Jaenelle, or not as far as I can see.
Also the villains? Much evilness, but I'm not really prepared to believe in power-hungry sadists who are power-hungry and sadistic for the sake of being power-hungry and sadistic. 'They came that way' doesn't really cut it, for me.
A distinct tendency to play up sex and pain and sex-related pain is not something I'm fond of, either.
I mean, I thought the characters were very compelling (at least the protags: not so much the villains), and it was an interesting, if confusing, cross-dimensional set of worlds, but I get this general feeling of discomfort when I look at it too closely.
That's just about the long and the short of it. What about you?
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branchandroot
no subject
Date: 2006-08-15 11:19 am (UTC)The way that cruelty and violence were so frequently indulged in, even by the protagonists; the way that men wanted or needed a 'Queen' to serve - which triggers my twitch reflex: I'm really uncomfortable with the idea of a natural urge for subservience, or loyalty, or whatever you want to call it.
Added to the fact that Jaenelle was in the right because she was Witch and immensely powerful, and that to me her position and actions seemed morally ambiguous, but there seemed no hint that the author recognised or admitted of that moral ambiguity. There is recognition of moral ambiguity for Daemon, Lucivar, Saetan, Surreal, though not a lot of it: but not for Jaenelle, or not as far as I can see.
Also the villains? Much evilness, but I'm not really prepared to believe in power-hungry sadists who are power-hungry and sadistic for the sake of being power-hungry and sadistic. 'They came that way' doesn't really cut it, for me.
A distinct tendency to play up sex and pain and sex-related pain is not something I'm fond of, either.
I mean, I thought the characters were very compelling (at least the protags: not so much the villains), and it was an interesting, if confusing, cross-dimensional set of worlds, but I get this general feeling of discomfort when I look at it too closely.
That's just about the long and the short of it. What about you?