'A Caress of Twilight' - trashy more than fantasy (Laurell K. Hamilton in general)

Member Name: little_pandora

Product:	Laurell K. Hamilton in general
Date:	16/02/05 (32 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Can't think of any, to be frank

Disadvantages: Belongs to the wrong genre entirely, Badly written, Pathetic attempt to resolve the supposed 'main' plot

Having JUST finished reading Laurell .K. Hamilton's 'A Caress of Twilight', I felt the immediate need to come here and warn people most strongly against it! I haven't read any of the Anita Blake novels, so I'm not quite sure whether or not Hamilton has a habit of writing novels more suited to the Mills and Boon (or perhaps something even trashier) section, or if she just took a nosedive with this one. Whatever the case, I was completely stumped by the awful quality of narrative and Hamilton's thinly veiled wish to write about perverse sexual issues.

Let's start with the plot. Whilst Hamilton wants readers to believe she is writing a serious fantasy novel about a faerie Princess and the various dangers she faces from the Seelie and Unseelie Courts, the truth of the matter is that such a 'plot' is merely a sideline in a novel that is really about the bedroom antics of one extremely sexually driven individual. Hamilton avoids her protagonist being labelled as a slut by conveniently creating a faerie court in which it seems expected for people to indulge every sexual need that pops into their minds. This then allows the main character to not only regularly sleep with her FIVE male guards, but also with a tiny GOBLIN. This perhaps would not have been quite as bad had Hamilton not continuously described these sexual antics in great detail. And believe me, this is not 'normal' sex.

The quality of this novel takes a further dive into murky depths when the (and I use the word sarcastically) 'plot' is resolved. Whereas the author devotes three quarters of this pathetic novel to describing sex, the supposed main plot climaxes (ha ha) in the space of two pages. It is jumped upon far too quickly, only further proving how little Hamilton cared about the fantasty aspect of the novel. Though she manages somewhat to include some decent descriptions of various faerie creatures, you'll find once again that each description/inclusion of such beings is for a sexual purpose.

I must stress right now that I am no prude, and if people want to read erotic novels that's fine and dandy. However, I do have a problem with authors who disguise such novels as science fiction. It seems to me that Hamilton's real interests lie in the romance/errotic genre, but she is too embarrassed to admit as such, thus disguises her sexual interests in overly trashy fantasy novels.

The only remotely redeeming aspect of this novel is, as I previously stated, the somewhat decent descriptions of faerie creatures. It is this alone that allowed such a novel to appear under the science fiction/fantasy label in libraries. I'd advise any real fan of the genre to avoid this book at all costs, unless they enjoy reading a book predominantly concerned with describing the 'mighty' thrusts of faerie men in graphic detail. To each their own, if that's the case.

Summary: