On the Third Day of Sauciness

By -

My true love gave to me:


Three Character Cities

Two Painful Endings

and

One Piece of Gandy Candy



July 2012 August Man Malaysia Magazine













Sometimes authors build the world in which their stories take place, so thoroughly that the cities begin to feel like characters in their own right. These are three cities that we feel like we know. We know our way around town, we know the culture, we know the food, we know the people. And we are just as attached to these locations as we are to the inhabitants.

1. Bon Temps, Louisiana (The Southern Vampire Mysteries by Charlaine Harris)

The only fictional locale in my list, Charlaine Harris does a fantastic job building the world where all her myriad supes live.  After twelve books I feel like I know where everything is in Bon Temps, how to get from Merlotte's to the Grabbit Quick to Sookie's old farmhouse. I know what the weather is like at any time of year, I know what kinds of things Sookie is going to have for dinner, and I know who she is going to run into when she returns her books to the library. Bon Temps is every bit as much a part of the story as Sookie, Eric, and Pam.




 

2. Chicago, Illinois (Chicagoland Vampires by Chloe Neill)


I've never been to Chicago (but I want to go. Badly.) but thanks to Chloe Neill's fantastic series I feel like I have. While I may not know where the various neighborhoods are, I have a grasp of what they are like. I know what Cadogan's Oak Park block feels like, and I can picture the gym where Merit learns to defend her House. The staples of Chicago food are described in such detail, right down to how they should be eaten, that I feel like I won't look like a total noob when I DO get to sample them. This series could not take place in any other city, and still be the same series.

 

3. Dublin, Ireland (Fever Series by Karen Marie Moning)

KMM has said that she wanted to write a series about the transition from a pre- to a post-apocalyptic world, and she did it beautifully when we watched her destroy Dublin. The Dublin that Mac fell in love with is definitely not the Dublin that Dani is enamored with in Iced. But whether it's before or after the walls crashed, Dublin is certainly as important to the Fever series as any character.

Comments

  1. Anne KenzieDecember 16, 2012 at 7:49 AM

    Yay Chicago! I may be a little biased, but I think Chicago is the best city in the world. Ms Neill does a great job overall of representing my city. And, when (not if) you come here, I'll make sure you see all the CLV sites.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Barbara BonesDecember 17, 2012 at 2:19 PM

      Oh, Anne, you are so right--it's not if, it's when! And I will certainly take you up on the personal tour!

      Delete
  2. Zee the TerribleDecember 16, 2012 at 1:26 PM

    LOVE your picks Barb!

    ReplyDelete
  3. UnknownDecember 16, 2012 at 2:11 PM

    Awesome post. I so love that Bon Temps is there. Love it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Barbara BonesDecember 17, 2012 at 2:21 PM

      I may have some other issues with SVM and Ms. Harris, but her world-building is superb.

      Delete
  4. KristaDecember 16, 2012 at 4:38 PM

    Not going to lie, if I ever visit Dublin, I would be a little hesitant to go out at night because of possible shades ;)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Barbara BonesDecember 17, 2012 at 2:22 PM

      I agree completely, Krista! A MacHalo might be a requirement for a trip to Dublin! I probably wouldn't care how goofy I looked!

      Delete
  5. Merit MacFraserDecember 17, 2012 at 8:55 AM

    Great picks,can't wait to visit these cities, even Bon Temps, I guess it is possible to find it somewhere.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

You Might Want to Read...

Black Dagger Brotherhood: Scenes That Left us Begging for More

By -
Image
Created by Olga Daniels What better way to prepare for the impending release of the next Black Dagger Brotherhood novel, Lover at Last by J. R. Ward, than to relive some of our favourite scenes in the previous books?! Some of these scenes were selected by multiple Wenches, others are just personal favourites. One is. Clearly. The. Wench. Favourite. It won't be hard to tell which one! After the jump, see which scenes made us ooh, ahh, and pant for more.
Keep reading »

A Tribute to The Fiery Cross

By -
Image
Or How I Learned to Stop, Smell the Pig Shite, and Fall in Love with the Fifth Book in Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander Series A young White Sow dreams of all the food she’ll be eating to grow into her role in this book As the wait for the new Outlander book and television series drags on (and oooooonnnnnnnnaaaarrrggghhh), many fans have been rereading the first seven books in the series. Fascinating online discussions abound as to the motivations of the characters, the nuances of meaning within various scenes, and future possibilities and foreshadowing. Amongst enthusiastic effusions about all things even remotely associated with our beloved series, I’ve seen one recurring subject of complaint. People like to pick on The Fiery Cross . “It’s too slow.” “It doesn’t have enough action.” “Where’s the mystery?” So during my recent reread, I set out to take a few notes about memorable moments. But I gave that up early on. There were far too many. Because the book was like a beautifu
Keep reading »

When The Music's Over

By -
Image
A SUPER Spoilery Discussion of Feversong by Karen Marie Moning by: Zee the Terrible and Barbara Bones By Olga. It's now been two weeks since we got our hot little hands on Feversong , the final book in the Mac & Barrons part of Karen Marie Moning's Fever series. It's almost all we can talk about in the Saucy Wenches hallways (which is really online, but you get the drift) and we have lots of thoughts and opinions so we aren't putting off our Super Spoilery Recap Extravaganza any longer!  Zee told you about how much she loved it in her Wench review, here , and it will surprise exactly no one that Barb did, too. Loved it to pieces. Thought it was pretty much perfect, exactly the kind of conclusion KMM has been promising us since she gave us Iced , leaving everyone precisely where they need to be. That said, we have lots and lots and LOTS of thoughts. So come with us through the jump where we're dishing all the dirt, in filthy, spoilery detail. We menti
Keep reading »

Dani Mega O'Malley: Superstar

By -
Image
Giddy with anticipation for the release of Karen Marie Moning's Iced , a lot of the Wenches have been thinking about Dani "Mega" O'Malley, the young sidhe -seer we first met in Bloodfever , who is poised to step out of the shadows behind Mac and Rowena and take center stage. Though Moning has recently said the three books she is writing for Dani will continue the story we've been following in the Fever books, the POV will shift to reveal the next chapters through Dani's eyes. With our heads firmly buried in Shadowfever in a frenzied effort to finish our rereads before the new release, we Wenches have been wondering what's in store for Dani. But no one has wanted to stop reading long enough to write a proper tribute to our young heroine as she prepares to take the leap to leading lady. Though we all think she's pretty awesome and deserves a big ticker-tape parade to show our support. So a sneaky Wench tried the stealth approach and asked us
Keep reading »

Review: Annihilation (Book and Movie)

By -
Image
When I read Annihilation last fall, I was intrigued, repulsed, mystified, enchanted, horrified, compelled, absorbed, and ultimately so unable to articulate what had happened that I didn’t attempt a review. But it has never stopped growing on me, new insights twining around in my brain. It’s insidious. Then the movie happened. I. Had. To. Go. I didn’t think anyone could film the book, and I was on Cloud 9 when I saw the abundance of rave critical reviews. It got compared to Apocalypse Now and 2001: A Space Odyssey ! It got called “stunning” and the “Best Sci-Fi Film in Years” that “ranks among great philosophical sci-fi”! And though there were many differences from the book, it sounded almost as batshitcrazybrilliant as the book!! Which means there are now two equally haunting versions of this story for me to wonder WTF happened. I might not have all the answers, but I’ve certainly enjoyed replaying scenes in my mind and pondering the possibilities. And I suspect that’s
Keep reading »