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I'm reading Corambis. As usual, I'm desperately wishing they'd switched main character sexual orientations, as this would all be so much more interesting if the gay brother were straight and the straight brother gay. This novel has some serious problems, including, but not limited too: not enough Mildmay, the lack of diversity, prurient prostitution and rape scenes, flimsiness of plot, way not enough Mildmay, new self hating gay character, a shortage of interesting female characters, definitely not enough Mildmay. Seriously, Mildmay's her best character, yet he spends most of this book un-or semi-conscious. She's teasing me by making it look like this time Felix is growing up, but she does this periodically and he always reverts and that's boring. I realize that makes him realistically abusive, but I'm four books in and I kind of feel that if you are trying to make a sympathetic character instead of a villain, there should really be some character growth by now. Yes, I know there is a female character in the book, not counting the hysterical female stereotype that wanders through occasionally, but she doesn't have much voice and she's no Mehitabel, who's voice I find I'm missing. It is kind of cool that the new narrator is a second disabled character, given how few main characters or characters at all for that matter are disabled in books, but I rather wish he weren't also straight out of Boys in the Band. It's the 21st century, damn it. Given how many gay and bisexual men are in this series, why can't we have one in this book, who is both fleshed out and not a stereotype at the same time? I'm not asking for a Gary Sue here; I'm just saying that if Mildmay can be both damaged and hugely sympathetic, why can't one of the gay men? The other books at least had Gideon, who while not a narrator, and thus a touch undeveloped was at minimum likable. The thing is, I think the new political and cultural setting is interesting, and I do think there's a lot of potential here. I'll let y'all know if I'm still cranky when I've ready the whole thing. One amusing note: I read "My Lady of Fogs" as my "Lady of Frogs" not once or twice, but repeatedly for something like 50-70 pages. I still like my version better.
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