Thursday, May 10, 2007

Plot Problems....

Ughhhhh....

Stayed up last night reading a book. It was a futuristic that was really pretty good, throughout. I should have started asking myselt WTF about the time I realized I was almost all the way through the book without a consumating love scene. Now, normally, this wouldn't have mattered, but the spine said "erotic" so, I was a little curious as to why the hero and heroine hadn't even tried to have hot monkey sex yet. Hmmmm... weird, but the way the conflict was set up, I could kind of see the reluctance of the characters to consumate. However, I don't understand the categorization by the publisher that made the book erotic. But that's a separate issue.

So, I'm reading along and the mystery aspect of the book was really pretty intriguing, so I'm trying to figure out the "whodunit" and am getting into the story. Suddenly.....the love scene happens. But it's not just any love scene.....

Ughhhhhhhhhhhh..... I can't stand it.

The hero and heroine have to make love so they can kill off the villian. Yes, you heard it here first. When they finally got to it...it was so frantic and emotional the villian exploded! Exploded!!! And not in a good way. Blood and guts everywhere. Death and destruction. Dogs and cats living together. Mass hysteria. (Ok that last bit was borrowed from Ghostbusters, but you get the drift.)

Now, I'm a sci-fi buff. I love it. I love paranormals and futuristics. Put one in front of me and I'll devour it in one sitting. And for a book that had so much promise, and had such a great plot, and interesting intricacies of world-building, I was shocked that this resolution was allowed to have a stamp of approval.

Which brings me to this point...

What?????

My enjoyment of the book took a sudden nosedive and I put it down. Turned out the light and fell asleep. I couldn't help it.

Now, to the rest of you out there...have you ever read something that you were enjoying very much and then all of a sudden the plot folded in on itself and winked out of exsistence? Didn't someone take this author by the hand and say, "I don't see this happening, not even with the way you've set your characters up. It's going to pull your readers right out of the story."

Now, I'm not claiming to be the Mistress of Perfect Plots, but come on.... the villian exploded!!!

(If you wrote this book, I'm sorry if these comments upset you. But if you need a critique partner who won't steer you wrong, my email is located on the side of the blog.)

-Kat

7 comments:

Rhonda Helms said...

Um, wow. Yeah, I would have put that down, too. There needs to be a certain plausibility factor that should NOT be ignored.

Making villains explode by having sex doesn't do it. If it did, trust me--a lot of ex-husbands would be blown-up pieces of meat by now, I'm sure. LOL

I've read books like that, too. Well, I guess I should say I've STARTED books like that. I won't waste time finishing a book that takes a nosedive. Life's too short.

Romantic Heretic said...

*blink* *blink*

The villain exploded?

Perhaps this book would have done better in comedy or satire.

Thanks for the smile.

Anonymous said...

Well that made me smile, thanks!

L.K. Campbell said...

Oh, I can't stand it when stuff comes out of left field, and I don't know how in the world the author came up with it. When I come across a book like that I think that the author never had a clear vision of where his/her story was going and just threw the ending together as an afterthought. It makes for poor reading.

Antonia Pearce said...

Rhonda, LOL!

Okay, I can honestly say I've never read anything as yucky as the bad guy exploding as a result of the main characters' lovemaking. So not sexy. Somehow, you do make it sound funny, though.

When I buy an "erotic" romance I expect something other than just one clinch at the end--no matter how explosive it is. But, that's just me.

Two Voices Publishing said...

Let me get this straight, the act of the hero and heroine having sex made the villain actually explode??

Was there some kind of science behind this? Was it the friction, perhaps, or were they doing it on the trigger button of a bomb he was sitting on? I just can't picture a way that it makes sense.

Shai said...

The villain exploded!

I -have- to read this book!

I -really- have to read this book!

Please e-mail me the title of this book, for my brain needs some bleach. I got ten pages into an erotica this weekend that I just can't make myself pick up again. Now if the blurb said that the -heroine- exploded, and the book started over with another one? Sure!