Bloodlist - Chapter Eleven - Finale

[kalinara]

So last time, Jack got whacked in the head and had a chapter long flashback to how he died, and we learn that really, it's kind of a miracle he's as together as he is, because that was not pleasant.

Now we're on the last chapter. This should be fun!

( Also, winner of the MVP Award: Bobbi Fucking Smythe )

Bloodlist - Verdict

[kalinara]

So, does Bloodlist withstand the test of time?

Oh god, yes. I LOVED IT. I want to read more right now. But I'm not, because I've got other things on my list. I'll be starting up with the next Pern book soon. I'm going strict publication order, so it'll probably be Dragonsong as opposed to White Dragon, but I plan to get them all eventually.

Still, it's good to have a series to set aside for when I need a break from ranting and raging and just want to review something fun.

It's not perfect, by any means, and I really wish that that whole Escott wears a blackface disguise part wasn't in the story at all. It really didn't add anything, and I feel like there could have been other ways to get him involved. It's not like Jack needed him to open the door or anything.

The plot is reasonably simple. I can understand the Goodreads reviews that say it's more of a noir detective story than a vampire novel. But as I said in my intro, that's kind of a selling point for me. I'm not really a fan of the standard Anne Ricean vampire tropes, though I have fun seeing how different authors explore the concept and the rules that they establish within their universe. In this universe, vampirism has a lot of clear advantages, but also a lot of disadvantages. The fact that Jack isn't just housebound but completely inactive during the daytime really does cut into his ability to do much of anything (Angel from Buffy could at least use the time to do paperwork!), while the wood vulnerability is enough to create the occasional genuine peril in the hands of a knowledgeable adversary. And right now, I really appreciate having a knowledgeable adversary.

Mob-torn Chicago during the Great Depression is not a usual setting for vampire stories, so that adds a flair as well, and I wonder what Jack will do with himself in the long run.

I love the characters. Jack is a great lead: he's straightlaced and moral, but dry and likable. He might be a bit more modern when it comes to interacting with women and people of color than I'd expect from his time period, but such things are rarely so simple. And well, part of fiction is escapism. If I'm willing to suspend my disbelief for vampires, then I'm definitely willing to suspend my disbelief to have a main character that I actually like.

Charles Escott is a great sidekick/foil. He's got one of those open-ended roguish backstories that can basically accommodate any sort of weird talent, contact or expertise that the plot requires. He's like enough to Jack that their easy camaraderie seems very believable, but he's also different enough that he brings much needed perspective to Jack's issues. Pragmatism vs. practicality. Deep down, beneath the British civility, Escott comes across as colder and harder than Jack is, which is interesting to explore.

And of course there's Bobbi fucking Smythe. It takes three quarters of the book before we meet a major female character, but Bobbi's so great that it's actually worth it. Noir, as a genre, tends to be more than a little misogynistic in my experience. Most of the time, women are either damsels in distress or sexy but dangerous femme fatales, no middle ground. Bobbi isn't either of these things though. Bobbi is introduced as a villain's girlfriend, and the relationship is tumultuous. But it's also consensual. Bobbi makes it clear to Jack early on that she is this relationship for her own reasons and on her own terms. She has her own goals and her own perspective and its never invalidated by the narrative.

And then there's that fucking ending.

I mentioned a few times in the book that there were little touches that gave away, to me, that a woman wrote it. Like when Jack goes to the club and notes that he's receiving female attention, but not because he's particularly good looking: they were sex workers pursuing their trade. I can think of a lot of examples of similar beats in stories written by men, but they tend to have a different tone. More of a "yes, these are sex workers, but our hero is so virile that these women are attracted to him anyway."

Jack is attracted to Bobbi, but he never sexualizes her. We actually don't get that much of a physical description at all: (small, slim, platinum blond hair). But we don't really need one. Jack is able to get across his attraction without one mention of "curves in all the right places".

And I love the way their romantic relationship develops. I'm not completely great with the idea of the characters having sex before she knows what he is, but that's a genre convention. And I suppose that few people go into a one night stand expecting to know everything about their partner. I love that one night with Jack doesn't make Bobbi up and declare that she's done with Morelli or anything like that. She had fun, she would do it again given the opportunity, but she has no intention of giving up what she already has. And I like that Jack doesn't expect her to, or judge her for it. If she told him she wanted out, he'd help her. He's not completely at ease with the situation, but he respects her decision.

I feel like Jack Fleming is the character that Harry Dresden of the Dresden Files was supposed to be, but Jim Butcher couldn't quite pull it off.

I've said before that the one thing I go back and forth on is Jack's tendency to go "well, I COULD use my vampiric powers here to make her say yes, but I absolutely don't want to do that.' He does seem to think about that a lot, and sometimes I do kind of want to be like "...so do you want a cookie for being a decent person?". But at the same time, I've read plenty of vampire or superpower type stories where the "heroes" never seem to be aware of their advantages at all, even when they're running roughshod over people. And I think I'd rather have a hero who is aware of the awful shit he can do and actively decides not to.

But I hope Ms. Elrod is a little less heavy handed about it next book.