Liu, Marjorie M. - The Wild Road

[oyceter]

Lannes is a gargoyle (related to the gargoyle from Liu's novella in Dark Dreamers). Despite his paranoia about being discovered and exploited by humans, he ends up helping a young woman, despite the fact that she's covered in blood, armed, attempting to carjack his Impala, and has no name or memory.

While I find this highly impractical on his part, it's nice to know that there are also heroes in romances who are Too Stupid To Live! Also, Liu manages to pull it off for reasons that I'm still trying to figure out.

Soon, both of them are trying to figure out who the woman is while assorted people are alternately shooting at them or running them off the road. Liu's prose is still a bit out of hand, particularly when it comes to descriptions, and the dialogue isn't as zingy, given that both Lannes and the woman are strong, silent types. On the other hand, I loved reading about the two of them together, particularly how both of them have to overcome a great deal of angst and fear of intimacy. Sometimes they seem to trust each other too easily, but again, I think Liu makes it work by isolating the two.

Also, I love that the two of them are silent and stoic and angsty. One of my favorite moments is when they're standing several feet apart for hours, one just waiting until the other's ready to talk.

The usual insane Liu plotting is also in evidence, although the way things come together make more sense in this book than in some of her others. That said, I enjoyed this most for the growing emotional connection between the leads.

Comments

[ladyjax.livejournal.com]

I met Liu at ComicCon and we had a bonding moment.

[oyceter]

Jealous! Jealous!

[oracne.livejournal.com]

I found this to be one of the most emotionally intense of the series, along with SHADOW TOUCH.

I didn't mind Lannes' initial act of stupidity--it was clear to me that he was ready to re-enter The World after hiding out for a while to recover from being held captive. I think he was realizing that his closest human friend was getting old, and soon he wouldn't have any friends if he didn't do something about it.

[oyceter]

Yeah, I think this is one of my favorites in the D&S series, along with Shadow Touch and Eye of Heaven.

Yeah, I didn't mind Lannes' act of stupidity, although one mean section of my brain keeps mocking him for picking the bloody, gun-wielding car jacker as his first attempt to re-enter the world ;).

[oracne.livejournal.com]

Clearly, he is a man of Interesting Tastes.

[rachelmanija.livejournal.com]

I am very taken with the fact that the hero is a gargoyle.

[oyceter]

I know! I especially love that Liu doesn't make him gorgeously handsome in his original form (he usually travels with an illusion wrapped around himself).