It’s becoming apparent that there is a direct parallel between not only the frequency of my blogging but how interesting the subject matter is, and the amount of activity going on in my life.
Nevertheless, here it is.
I have just finished clawing my way through the 750 PAGES that make up The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets’ Nest and I have to say I’m bitterly disappointed. Both in this one and in the second book. I like the characters, but the storyline hasn't by any means lived up to my expectations based on the first book. There were disappointing revelations and disproportionately small portions of action; as each page went by I felt I was just waiting for something to happen. There were some interesting bits, don't get me wrong, but the books were so completely under-edited that these parts were surrounded and suffocated by descriptions of interior design, or the five cups of coffee a character had, or some pointless dinner and the pointless drinks that followed. Larsson also has an obsession with putting a name to the technology being used, like ‘power book’ or whatever. I guess some people like that, but I find it exhausting and boring and think it's a big mistake. Before we know it technology will have moved on, leaving the book well and truly behind, like reading about an Acorn as being 'cutting edge' today.
I’ve decided that approximately one in every two words was of interest to me, which is why I couldn’t give up on it, but equally why it took an eternity to get through. My editorial suggestion would've been to do just that—cut out every other word. The results could hardly have been worse.
I think possibly the reason that the books are under-edited is because of Larsson’s untimely death before publication. Perhaps it felt like editing would be dishonoring his memory, or maybe it was a case of there simply being no-one to ask for permission. In a way that’s fair enough, but on the other hand I’m sure Larsson would’ve preferred his books to be snappy and action packed.
There is definitely a trend of under-editing within fiction; there has to be a reason why the fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh Harry Potter books are much bigger than the first three. It’s probably that once J. K Rowling became a big star, no-one wanted to be the one to say, “Sorry love, but this part has got to go. It's totally shit.”
On another note, I fear I’m going to have to read Fifty Shades of Grey at some point. I didn’t want to but the pressure is getting to me. I’m curious, I can’t help it, I want to know what ‘mummy porn’ looks like. God help me.
Nevertheless, here it is.
I have just finished clawing my way through the 750 PAGES that make up The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets’ Nest and I have to say I’m bitterly disappointed. Both in this one and in the second book. I like the characters, but the storyline hasn't by any means lived up to my expectations based on the first book. There were disappointing revelations and disproportionately small portions of action; as each page went by I felt I was just waiting for something to happen. There were some interesting bits, don't get me wrong, but the books were so completely under-edited that these parts were surrounded and suffocated by descriptions of interior design, or the five cups of coffee a character had, or some pointless dinner and the pointless drinks that followed. Larsson also has an obsession with putting a name to the technology being used, like ‘power book’ or whatever. I guess some people like that, but I find it exhausting and boring and think it's a big mistake. Before we know it technology will have moved on, leaving the book well and truly behind, like reading about an Acorn as being 'cutting edge' today.
I’ve decided that approximately one in every two words was of interest to me, which is why I couldn’t give up on it, but equally why it took an eternity to get through. My editorial suggestion would've been to do just that—cut out every other word. The results could hardly have been worse.
I think possibly the reason that the books are under-edited is because of Larsson’s untimely death before publication. Perhaps it felt like editing would be dishonoring his memory, or maybe it was a case of there simply being no-one to ask for permission. In a way that’s fair enough, but on the other hand I’m sure Larsson would’ve preferred his books to be snappy and action packed.
There is definitely a trend of under-editing within fiction; there has to be a reason why the fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh Harry Potter books are much bigger than the first three. It’s probably that once J. K Rowling became a big star, no-one wanted to be the one to say, “Sorry love, but this part has got to go. It's totally shit.”
On another note, I fear I’m going to have to read Fifty Shades of Grey at some point. I didn’t want to but the pressure is getting to me. I’m curious, I can’t help it, I want to know what ‘mummy porn’ looks like. God help me.
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