Slogging Through

I'm a voracious reader. I read a lot. When I find an author I enjoy, I tend to find all their books (in or out of print) and read them in order of publication. I kind of like to see their writing grow and progress. When you come across an author who's been writing for years, finding all their books is a little more problematic than an author who's only written a few books.

I find that I love an author's 'voice'. That personal style they use when they write. It's fascinating that some authors have the ability to really use a different distinctive voice when they cross genres.

For example, I came across Jim Butcher's Harry Dresden books. Loved the character, his Quixotic need to help women, the magical setup, all of it. So I read them all in order. Then while waiting for the next Harry Dresden book, I bought Butcher's Furies books. They don't read like his other books at all. Of course, one is set in current magic filled Chicago and has a hard bitten private investigator/wizard for hire. The other is a pure fantasy that takes place in another reality. I read two books into the Furies series and then let it go. It doesn't 'catch me' like the Harry Dresden books do. I'm not sure why.

Another example is Patricia Briggs, who has written both a very interesting werewolf, the Alpha and Omega, and a great shapeshifter named Mercy Thompson who interacts with the wolves and vampires she's introduced. Both of these series are unique and interesting. And, although they crossover to a certain extent, they both stand alone. On the basis of my love for these two series, I picked up a pure fantasy series she wrote a few years ago. These two books are called Raven's Shadow and Raven's Strike. I am trying to drag myself through the first of these two books.

I can't really put my finger on WHY I'm slogging through them. Just because I love the author now, doesn't mean that I'll like their previous work, or their cross genre work. But I like fantasies. Why wouldn't I like a fantasy written by an author that I love?

I'm beginning to think that reading these books makes me impatient for the story I'm not reading. I like the new series so much that I really want to read the next installment in that character's life--not this other, new character.

But good writing is worth slogging through...right?

--Sandee Wagner