I just finished reading a sci-fi novel called The Mercy of the Gods. The story was interesting and if you like sci-fi that has mysterious aliens and obscure science this could be your thing.
My problem is that the writers handbook just can’t keep out of the way of the story. Modern writers have so much woke nonsense demanded that it is hard to weave a good tale. Corey does a decent job of keeping it on the sidelines. Sure, we have the women who is overcome with sorrow and because the war leader. You will find most ethnic groups involved. Genuine Christianity is not mentioned. Then you get to the nonsense.
On page 342 I came across this impossible grammar.
“He wanted to meet a stranger in the library and spend an hour flirting with them.”The only way to write this way is to confuse the issue of whether this guy is a homosexual or not. He didn’t flirt with them. “Stranger” is singular. “Them” is plural. Either he flirted with her or he flirted with him. This is why I find it so hard to read fiction today. I reject the homosexual lifestyle as being normal but I know it exists. Is it too much to have the author be clear in what he is trying to say?
I guess so.
I finished the book. The story hung together in spite of the politically correct demands of the editors. It makes me wonder, though, if I will bother with the next book in the series. What generally happens is they keep the wokeness in the background until you get involved with the characters and then they start the overwhelming doses.
This is why I am focusing on older non-fiction.
Corey, James S.A. The Mercy of the Gods. New York: Orbit Books, 2024.
homo unius libri
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Comments are welcome. Feel free to agree or disagree but keep it clean, courteous and short. I heard some shorthand on a podcast: TLDR, Too long, didn't read.