Melusine

[mandragora]

I nipped into Forbidden Planet last week and picked up a few (*cough*) books. Among them is one called Melusine and well, anyone know if the author is a slash fanfiction writer?

Because this book reads like Original Slash. Oh God, does it ever. One of the (male) protaganists is a beautiful, haughty, long-haired immensely powerful wizard, who is the lover of the city ruler's brother and...

was a teenage prostitute (yes, really), who is enslaved to another, evil wizard. The evil wizard rapes our beautiful protaganist as part of his nefarious scheme to bring down the city and then sets up the beautiful former-whore to take the blame. And of course everyone loathes him and hates him and he Suffers Horribly.

The other protaganist is a cat burglar, who may have a Connection to the beautiful wizard (am not sure as yet, as I haven't finished the book, through lack of time).

It's glorious, glorious stuff and reads very much like a (very good) slashy fanfiction epic. If the author, Sarah Monette, doesn't write fanfiction herself surely she must have read a truckload.

Comments

[mandragora1.livejournal.com]

Oh, yes, I wasn't thinking of them being lovers, but obviously related in some way, when I mentioned the Connection.

I did know about the sequel, but will probably wait to read it when it comes out in paperback. I do a lot of my reading when travelling to court/travelling from court/waiting around at court for my case to be called on etc. I usually have a load of legal papers to hump around, so the additional weight of a hardback book is pretty unwelcome.

[cyberducks.livejournal.com]

I deleted my comment because I realized I had spoiled you with it. Sorry.

There is a sequel out already.

And yes, I did wonder whether I know the writer from lj...

[mandragora1.livejournal.com]

*g* Oh, no worries. I'm the type who reads the back of the book before buying it, so I don't mind being spoiled.

[derryderrydown.livejournal.com]

One of my favourite 'novels that reads like original slash' is The Still, by David Feintuch. I suspect it may well have got even slashier (and possibly into threesome territory) but it didn't sell well enough for a sequel and now, regrettably, Feintuch is dead.

If you haven't read it, do you want me to bring it along to Connotations?

[mandragora1.livejournal.com]

Hmm, you know I think I own The Still. Is it the one where the spoiled brat of a prince takes his male companion as a lover, because (I think) he can't have sex with women until he gets married (or something along those lines)? And he begins to learn how to be a Real Ruler, in the course of suffering Trials and Tribulations?

If that's the one, I have it somewhere (I have thousands of books and can't keep track of all of them) and read it many years ago. If it isn't, yes please!

[derryderrydown.livejournal.com]

Yep, that's the one! Having sex with a woman will make him lose his mystical powers. And there's all this stuff about how, no! he doesn't love his male companion! It's just necessity! And friendship! He doesn't love him in *that* way, really he doesn't!

In short, a lot of time spent drifting down a river in Egypt.

[mandragora1.livejournal.com]

*g* Ah, but De Nile is such fun. I must see if I can find my copy and re-read, although it is a pity the story was never finished.

[fides.livejournal.com]

Could you bring it along to connotations anyway? I suspect even though mandragora1 has read it there will be other there who would be interested.

:-)

[derryderrydown.livejournal.com]

I will certainly try to remember. Though knowing my memory...

[kaseido.livejournal.com]

...she's on lj as truepenny, and, I think, yeah -

[mandragora1.livejournal.com]

Bingo! And, thanks.

[cyberducks.livejournal.com]

I knew it! I just knew it....

[isiscolo.livejournal.com]

Cruising in from friendsfriends to tell you the author is truepenny on lj. I don't know if she writes or reads fic, but I am certain she's aware of it.

[mandragora1.livejournal.com]

Oh, hey, thanks. Must go and check out her LJ, for sequel hints. *g*

[liviapenn.livejournal.com]

And funnily enough, you're only three degrees away from her on LJ.

Small world, innit? :D (http://www.livejournal.com/tools/sixdegrees.bml?from=truepenny&to=mandragora1)

[mandragora1.livejournal.com]

Tiny! Actually, it does show how much fandom is interconnected. Plus, if my suspicions are correct, it's always a pleasure to see another published author who started off writing fanfiction.

[liviapenn.livejournal.com]

I'm not even an acquaintance of hers, so it feels presumptuous to speak for her, but having read a lot of meta on "that side of the tracks" (the part of LJ where published authors hang out) I don't think she's very comfortable with fanfiction, actually. (Or maybe she said she wouldn't be comfortable reading fanfiction of *her* work, which is fair enough. I don't remember.) So I don't think she's ever written it herself.

But she definitely knows how to tap the id vortex!

[mandragora1.livejournal.com]

I can certainly understand not being comfortable reading fanfiction of her own work. It's a legal minefield in any event, and most definitely not a good thing to do from that perspective.

If she's not comfortable with fanfiction per se, fair enough. I still think she's read some original slashy stuff, though. Or, as you write, knows how to tap the id vortex. And how! *g*

[raincitygirl.livejournal.com]

Wait, that sounds familiar. That's truepenny! I've had that book on my Chapters.ca wish list for a while, feeling like I ought to buy it because I vaguely know the author (well, through LJ). If it's good, slashy stuff, I'm going to order it TODAY!

[mandragora1.livejournal.com]

Well, I'm enjoying the hell out of it so far. If it keeps up as it starts it will probably go into my favourite novels file (albeit with a slightly shamefaced smile, simply because, oh my God, how many of my kink buttons is she pushing?).