Myths in love

RIP IV book 2, originally uploaded by geekgirlunveiled.

For RIP IV, my second book, I read Christopher Golden's The Ferryman. Let's get the "how was it" out of the way immediately: Meh.

I wanted to like this book, stories where mythology crosses into the mundane are some of my favorite flights of fantasy. But this book started out with some glaring idiocies. (Spoilers ahead.)

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The basic plotline is that the main character has died, but while between worlds, has cheated the Ferryman out of his fare by reviving, due to sheer force of her will. She does so in such a way that makes him very interested in her, so he comes to the mundane world to find her. Before he does this, however, he takes her baby.

This part of the story is what made this book a "don't recommend" for me. The main character loses her baby at term, yet within just a few days she is observing that she can go hours without thinking of him. WHAT??!!! Okay, I know enough people who have lost children to know this is patently ridiculous. Rather than making me sympathetic to the character, it makes me want to say "oh yeah, right." Rather more jarring than the supernatural aspects.

To continue on in that vein, she rekindles a romance with her previous flame, and within less than 2 weeks after the child is lost, she is having torrid sex of all kinds with her resumed lover. Okay, that's nice and all, but !!! um, Mr. Golden, did you never hear of postpartum lochia? I mean, really, the average guy is not going to want to put his mouth down there 10 days after you give birth. Blech. Not to mention SHE JUST LOST A CHILD!!! is on medication and is not sleeping due to constant nightmares! "oh yeah, right."

Add to that, (given that the whole book takes place within the time span of just a few weeks,) the main character is just too quick to be happy and well-adjusted, in love, and putting her "grief" in the background, within just a few weeks. I just don't buy it, and whatever else the story had to recommend it, this aspect just kept rising up to prevent me from suspending disbelief and just enjoying the idea of the Ferryman becoming obsessed with a denied passenger.

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So I'm calling book 2 of the challenge a big ol' "No."

Being Sunday, and a stay at home day, I decided to wash the bad taste away with a short story or two. Electric Velocipede is my go-to short story collection, and I just happen to have double issue 17/18 that I've been saving.



The first story was a fairy tale called Sun's East, Moon's West by Merrie Haskell. It's about a young female "dragon slayer" and her Bear-God. Well worth reading, and I won't spoil any of it.

Happy reading!

P.S. to Carl V.: I just received the most delightful package in the mail, containing two spooky books (one autographed by the author!) and a creepy Gorey lunchbox. I haven't had a lunchbox in 25 years at least, and I love it! Thanks so much!