Hello! I'm glad you popped in! I can't remember what I address in this post, so if I repeat myself, I apologize.
DEFINITELY you're right about every woman wanting to have sex with Crispin for no discernible reason. Like, the text does not provide any reason for his attraction. He's not supposed to be especially handsome, especially powerful, especially kind, especially charming so...why? Because he's the main character, that's why. Why are male writers like that?
As for the latter suggestion, I think you're on to something. There are a few of the female characters who fall into that category--why are they even here? I can't remember what her name is, but the slave girl that Crispin saves from the pagan sacrifice does absolutely nothing of further interest in the rest of the series, so why is she even kept around? It would be so easy for her to say, "I'm going to find my long lost family" or something, but it feels like she's kept around because there need to be more women? And the famous actress/dancer granddaughter of the bird sorcerer guy--again, she does little in the plot. Even the three women who do have a large affect on the plot (the empress, the empress's enemy, and the queen back in Italy) are disappointing characters. For one thing, they're all drop-dead gorgeous, which pisses me off. (Why can't women be average-looking? Or even mildly pretty? Why must they be so completely beautiful?) But for another, we never get to see anything from their perspectives. And yes, it does feel like there's lots of telling about how brilliant there are and much less showing than there would be for a male character.
I like Kay, I really do. I want to read more of his historical fantasy. But if he would only learn to write women, I think he'd be a much better writer than he is.
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DEFINITELY you're right about every woman wanting to have sex with Crispin for no discernible reason. Like, the text does not provide any reason for his attraction. He's not supposed to be especially handsome, especially powerful, especially kind, especially charming so...why? Because he's the main character, that's why. Why are male writers like that?
As for the latter suggestion, I think you're on to something. There are a few of the female characters who fall into that category--why are they even here? I can't remember what her name is, but the slave girl that Crispin saves from the pagan sacrifice does absolutely nothing of further interest in the rest of the series, so why is she even kept around? It would be so easy for her to say, "I'm going to find my long lost family" or something, but it feels like she's kept around because there need to be more women? And the famous actress/dancer granddaughter of the bird sorcerer guy--again, she does little in the plot. Even the three women who do have a large affect on the plot (the empress, the empress's enemy, and the queen back in Italy) are disappointing characters. For one thing, they're all drop-dead gorgeous, which pisses me off. (Why can't women be average-looking? Or even mildly pretty? Why must they be so completely beautiful?) But for another, we never get to see anything from their perspectives. And yes, it does feel like there's lots of telling about how brilliant there are and much less showing than there would be for a male character.
I like Kay, I really do. I want to read more of his historical fantasy. But if he would only learn to write women, I think he'd be a much better writer than he is.