The Naming of the Beasts
question
Rafi is a weak character
Zombat
Apr 06, 2014 06:56AM
So I'm just done with this book and I don't get the Rafi persona, the author never actually explains (throughout the series) why Pen and fairly strong woman spends her time pining away on frankly this one dimensional person we are just supposed to accept that they are in love so much that Pen is willing to risk her life numerous times for him.
Same goes for Fix, fine he bound Asmodeous and Rafi but Rafi was a big boy who screwed up why the angst on Fix's part?
Its like asking the reader to accept a brick as a lovable character with lovable traits and a personality.
Its my one quibble with the book liked everything else
Same goes for Fix, fine he bound Asmodeous and Rafi but Rafi was a big boy who screwed up why the angst on Fix's part?
Its like asking the reader to accept a brick as a lovable character with lovable traits and a personality.
Its my one quibble with the book liked everything else
I totally agree that Rafi comes across as someone who totally deserves to have a demon inserted into him, and by extension I don't like Pen much either!
Having said that I love the series so I think there may be some truth in the fact that people don't make rational decision as to who they fall for. Let's face it (for the guys) we've all seen girls with blokes who are complete asses, I'm sure ladies have seen the same phenomenon with women they know. (and similarly men with dreadful women, women with dreadful women, partners of whatever sexuality, etc). Indeed, you could make the same argument about Susan with Juliet - nothing attracts like thinking you can "fix" someone, perhaps? (Pun not intended but maybe we're getting deeper into the author's motivations?)
So maybe there is a truth there that the reader recognises or, on another level, it may be that Rafi is a place holder to provide a centre piece and holding pattern for Asmodeus, still a top notch set of books, in my view.
Having said that I love the series so I think there may be some truth in the fact that people don't make rational decision as to who they fall for. Let's face it (for the guys) we've all seen girls with blokes who are complete asses, I'm sure ladies have seen the same phenomenon with women they know. (and similarly men with dreadful women, women with dreadful women, partners of whatever sexuality, etc). Indeed, you could make the same argument about Susan with Juliet - nothing attracts like thinking you can "fix" someone, perhaps? (Pun not intended but maybe we're getting deeper into the author's motivations?)
So maybe there is a truth there that the reader recognises or, on another level, it may be that Rafi is a place holder to provide a centre piece and holding pattern for Asmodeus, still a top notch set of books, in my view.
I've been thinking about this post, and I've realised I totally agree.
We get told early on that Rafi is a hyperintelligent arrogant ladykiller who is nonetheless quite lovely, but every single time it seems we're about to see an example of this, we just get told that he's a hyperintelligent arrogant ladykiller who is nonetheless quite lovely. He's pretty much a huge void, and for such a central character, it's impressive that this void didn't do more harm to the series.
I suppose we see enough of Pen's character that her infatuation kind of lets us take it on faith that Rafi's some great guy. I took Fix's guilt to be more about locking Asmodeus into the mortal world, with the Rafi connection a convenient way to stop that guilt from ever fading.
Another thing is that I have a growing feeling Carey might actually be pathologically incapable of writing a non-asshole boyfriend for any of his female characters. So who knows? Maybe he tried valiantly to write scenes of Rafi's excellence, but they kept turning to betrayal and abuse and manipulation after about three sentences.
Maybe it's what's holding up book six?
We get told early on that Rafi is a hyperintelligent arrogant ladykiller who is nonetheless quite lovely, but every single time it seems we're about to see an example of this, we just get told that he's a hyperintelligent arrogant ladykiller who is nonetheless quite lovely. He's pretty much a huge void, and for such a central character, it's impressive that this void didn't do more harm to the series.
I suppose we see enough of Pen's character that her infatuation kind of lets us take it on faith that Rafi's some great guy. I took Fix's guilt to be more about locking Asmodeus into the mortal world, with the Rafi connection a convenient way to stop that guilt from ever fading.
Another thing is that I have a growing feeling Carey might actually be pathologically incapable of writing a non-asshole boyfriend for any of his female characters. So who knows? Maybe he tried valiantly to write scenes of Rafi's excellence, but they kept turning to betrayal and abuse and manipulation after about three sentences.
Maybe it's what's holding up book six?
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Jun 18, 2014 10:41AM · flag