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snukes 's review for:
An Easy Death
by Charlaine Harris
An easy, fun read with complex characters and decent plot dimension. This tale of an alternate America feels both like an old western and a near-future dystopia, which is kind of a fun juxtaposition.
The most unusual thing for me was the way the narrative reflected the character of Lizbeth, our 19-year-old, friend-mourning, magician-distrusting, gun-slinging protagonist. Young, slightly broken, often rash, and highly skilled, Lizbeth lives on the edge of the law and of her own safety (and sometimes sanity). This isn't unexpected for a novel in this style, but what baffled me (while occasionally being both annoying and very impressive) was the way the narrative hurtled forward at such a pace that I often found myself screeching to a halt, thinking - "wait, what??" - and then rereading the last few pages to make sure I hadn't missed something. Lizbeth has a five minute conversation with a character that seems to be going well, and then - in ONE sentence - she kills them dead. No words are dedicated to explaining the thought process that leads her to decide to do this. It just happens. Sometimes you learn afterward why she did it, sometimes not. Her reaction to the naming of Eli's position was the most abrupt and inexplicable of all her actions. I reeeeally couldn't sort that one out. Still can't, actually, but in retrospect I rather like this unusual style. It feels right for the character and does the story decent literary service, I think.
I'll keep on with this series. I think it'll be a good one for moments when life is a little tough and the thought of shooting one's way through all one's problems has significant appeal.
The most unusual thing for me was the way the narrative reflected the character of Lizbeth, our 19-year-old, friend-mourning, magician-distrusting, gun-slinging protagonist. Young, slightly broken, often rash, and highly skilled, Lizbeth lives on the edge of the law and of her own safety (and sometimes sanity). This isn't unexpected for a novel in this style, but what baffled me (while occasionally being both annoying and very impressive) was the way the narrative hurtled forward at such a pace that I often found myself screeching to a halt, thinking - "wait, what??" - and then rereading the last few pages to make sure I hadn't missed something. Lizbeth has a five minute conversation with a character that seems to be going well, and then - in ONE sentence - she kills them dead. No words are dedicated to explaining the thought process that leads her to decide to do this. It just happens. Sometimes you learn afterward why she did it, sometimes not. Her reaction to the naming of Eli's position was the most abrupt and inexplicable of all her actions. I reeeeally couldn't sort that one out. Still can't, actually, but in retrospect I rather like this unusual style. It feels right for the character and does the story decent literary service, I think.
I'll keep on with this series. I think it'll be a good one for moments when life is a little tough and the thought of shooting one's way through all one's problems has significant appeal.