Posts Tagged ‘crime’

Plotwise, Dexter’s got himself a new baby and it’s forcing him to reevaluate his concept of what he is. He’s wondering if he can just give up his old ways and be a normal Dexter Dad. I wasn’t so disappointed by this thread because it wasn’t as limp as the previous book’s attempts to weaken the character. The few references to Dexter’s Dark Passenger are lovely, and I really wish Mister Lindsay would pump those up some more. I love the near-dialogue between Dexter and his Passenger.

Mister Acevedo’s style is easy to follow and light rather than grim. He fits in closer to the crime genre than the horror genre, and while it’s a big trend to mix the two these days – especially as our hero is yet another vampire – it’s done without the usual yawn-along romance twaddle the genre carries like a backpack full of dirty undies. Mister Acevedo’s chosen to follow a more crime-focussed plot and kept his action rolling along to keep readers like me tuned in without trying to be overly clever or treat me like the moron I know I am. He gives me a little more credit than your average writer of these kind of novels – something I find peculiar from a man whose books include the cheeky titles of The Nymphos of Rocky Flats and The Undead Kama Sutra.

Ms De Bodard has written a book I was very excited by. It’s obvious she’s done more than a few bucketloads of research, and it helps give a very authentic and solid feel to the book. The system of Gods and Magic she’s used is flawless in both its vibrancy and unique-to-fantasy feel. In fact, the magic system of her book is the big thing for me. I was totally knocked over by her deft use of Aztec history and legend to totally rivet me from the opening to the end. It has a fresh and unique feel which is very hard to describe.

It was hard to discern, too, how much was Dexter’s imagination, and how much was the reality. In giving Dexter his Dark Passenger, Mister Lindsay gave him the “voices” many killers claim is their reason for killing. He’s almost offering a fantasy reason for why such people are born and created. It’s a wonderful idea, and one which I feel was working so well.

Until the TV fans came along and with their vitriolic tongues spread nonsense about the place.