/lit/ - Literature

Last post for Lusty Bujold.

>>15632247
Jesus fucking christ.
So I'm making my way through the Vorkosigan Saga right? And It's going fine. Feels like it peaked it Mirror Dance. But for a few books after that, it was cruising along nicely. Still good.
The story kind of shifted gears from crazy space missions, to political tangles and intrigue. Which I was down for.

A bit of indulgent fanservice with characters getting shipped. But fine, whatever. But starting with Komarr, I've noticed a downward trend of hokey sitcom/romcom tropes. Steadily becoming worse over time. I was willing to overlook all that. but then I got to "Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen". And this it the book that made me say "Jesus fucking christ"

This old HUSSIE, is actually writing a story revolving around your parents' sex lives. The absolute TROLLOP.
Imagine coming to think of two characters as being older parental figures throughout the series. And then you're forced to learn about their sex lives. Their open relationship. Their lusts. Their bisexuality.(I'm not knocking bisexuals per se, but all of this combined is a bit much to handle.) Casually discussing how they're going to make a bunch of babies using cold medical science. And the process of gene manipulation. And the process of giving sperm samples. And how the third wheel in the bisexual open relationship is going to splice his genes in with his gay lover. Who, btw, happens to be dead already. So they're just using the DNA he left behind to have posthumous gay babies. And the book is heavily foreshadowing a romantic relationship between the third wheel in his 50s, and the mom character who is in her 70s, so she's actually more like a grandma.(Except she's aged well, so she can totally pass for 50, the book says) So there's about a 20 year age difference between the two. And it's casually mentioned that the 50yo man was 10 around the time of the war against the pretender. So it puts the idea in your mind just how severe the age gap between the characters are. About a 35-40(?) year gap between the two bisexual men. Which is super fucking gross.
And I'm sorry, but It's all just too much.

It's TOO fucking much. I know it's a super progressive sci-fi future and all that. But I don't want to read about the skeevy sex lives of these characters.
I need another book.

Doh-ho-ho. This lusty old Broad has more complexity to her than I though.
This is Lois McMaster Bujold. Author of Curse of Chalion, and the extended "World of the Five Gods" universe.

Having only read the first three books in the series, I thought her thing was older rugged experience men. But Now having read three of the follow novellas, I see her tastes extends to boys as well. Penric, the protagonist of these novellas, starts off as a young 19 year old man. But he is said to look even younger than his age. Implying a very youthful appearance. He's a pretty boy too. Tall, but slim and boyish and towheaded.(The tall and slim figure is the one constant so far. All of her male desires are lanks)

At the very start of the adventure. This young pretty boy happens to become possessed by a demon. And at first, the way it happens is very odd. The demon is inside of a dying woman. And that woman reaches up to Penric and say "so pretty", before Penric is possessed. But then you learn that the demon can actually use the mouth of the person it possesses. So in retrospect, it makes sense that the demon jumped from the dying woman to Penric, not because he was the strongest(like most demons seek), but because the demon was enamored with his beauty.

And whyyyyyy would a demon find a human boy "pretty". Well this particular demon just happens to have lived 200 years possessing various women. 12 different women in all. It retains the imprint of all the women it possessed, creating a shared identity. So you essentially have this wise 200 year old demon woman, leaping after this boy who probably doesn't look older than 14. But he's technically 19, so it's legal ;)