> > BTW: Does anyone have numbers to back up the 'she's lost a lot of readers > > over this' or are we waiting for the next book to actually see? I've heard > > it, but I've heard darn near as many people say that they really like her > > books still and it also seems that alot of people are picking them up now > > when they hadn't before. Possibly a readership change. I remember when David Eddings' first series came out (Belgariad) and I enjoyed it. The second series came out (Malorian) and I thought I was merely a rehash of the first book but I made allowance because part of the plot was about history repeating itself. Then I read the Ellenium and gave up. Same characters just different names and locations. Nothing new. As for LKH I've not read any of the Merry Gentry books as I'm not sure whether to bother. > I was thinking more like actual sales/publishing numbers. > > My wife's rather interesting comment on the whole discussion was along the > lines of how many of the lost readers are men (and women), who hate the fact > that Anita is moving away from a strong character who nontheless relies upon > the even stronger men in her life to protect her and is sexually insecure to > becoming an even stronger character who is sexually confident and treats the > men in her life the way most men treat women *and* who is rapidly becoming > somebody who is truely an equal of the men in her life (if not more > powerful). I would never have considered Anita to have been someone who relies on "stronger men" to protect her (unless Sigmund falls into that group). Yes the will-she-or-won't-she-plot is annoying but mainly because I know some real people who had similar problems with trying to decide between picking one and it shat me off quite frankly. What really annoys me is her "power of the month" (as someone called it). She's already a Vampire Exicutioner and a Necromancer. AND she miraculously becomes head of one Lycanthrope group while dating the head of another. AND she gets Vampire Marks which prevent her from succumbing to a Vampire's gaze. AND she's got unofficial police channels that she can use. And let's not forget the whole Triumverate thing... And of course then there's Edward :-) And he's 100% human. > We all know it's all right for men to have harems, but for women to have > (what her writing group evidently calls) hisims just doesn't go over well. Hardly. There are apparently some men who think Pamela Anderson is gorgeous. I think she's hideous! > For every person lost because of this, LKH will probably gain 1.5 strident > feminists, she'll lose out on the bull dykes only because Anita is staunchly > het. > > This is not a losing game. Depends on whether you're in it for the money or not.