chipperTHERE WILL BE SPOILERS.
Seriously. If anyone comments here at all, THERE WILL BE SPOILERS. So please don't read and then yell at me because you encountered spoilers. You were warned.
You can also start a book discussion at my website forums, with less need to be concerned that I will see everything you say! In case you wanted, you know, discussion free of authorial influence. I will probably answer a great many comments. I may not answer all of them.
Have fun!
June 9 2011, 10:37:30 UTC 6 years ago
May as well tackle the big one first: The incest. Oh dear. Well. I have complicated feelings there. I'm adopted, and have a near-age brother. A lot of culture seems to take on the view of real family = biologically related. (I even noticed a some of it in this very comment section, which was a bit distressing.) I've had multiple people on multiple occasions say/imply that it would be okay if I... you know with my brother because we don't share the same genetics. And of course they're horrified if I turn it back around on them with their own siblings, because that's gross! That's their brother/sister! ... yeah. So, in short, I am definitely leery of the simple "they're not related, it's okay" arguments.
But, within the story-verse, I think I am okay with it. Probably won't be making up "OTP" t-shirts, but I think I can see how it works. The narrative itself does push them more towards "life-mates" rather than "sibling pair." A lot of their dialogue/interactions did ping my settled-couple-radar in the first book. And I trust you as a writer, so I'm sure you'll keep this rolling. I am hoping there's some more illumination into their family relationships/various flavors of broken in this last book, though, to really cement the departure from a traditional family.
Now for the rest of the book! I really enjoyed the plot and pacing. There were a lot of squee moments at the witty moments (like Maggie's calm death threats :D), and even more freakouts at all the plot twists you laid down. I had to put the book down for a bit and mouth "no" silently to myself after the "new strains of KA" revelation. I don't care if they have "good reasons." That's just plain EVIL. And the insect vector! Oh dear lord that was scary. What makes it even worse is that I finished the book right before going to hang out near a swamp. BAD IDEA. Every fifteen seconds I'd squish another mosquito and have an "OH GOD I WILL BE ZOMBIED" twitch.
Can't wait to see the stone-cold bastards behind this. (And hopefully to see them burn). And Georgia 2.0. And more science! I am very looking forward to next one.
(Oh, and is Dr Abbey you? She "felt" like you a LOT.)
June 14 2011, 19:16:29 UTC 6 years ago
Dr. Abbey is not me; she's actually my friend Brooke, even down to the name of her husband. Although the real Joe isn't dead. Or a dog.