JANUARY FEATURE #1: Beneath the Skin by Adrian Phoenix

[Adrian_Phoenix]

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Music4Chameleons wrote:

Thanks for writing back Adrian!  You are the best!

The thing that struck with me at the end of Beneath the Skin was how everyone who meets Dante wants to add him to their "collection."  Renata Cortini, Guy Mauvais, Gabriel, Lilith, the SB.  They all want to own him, control him.  He represents the ultimate temptation.  To know him is to desire him.  People with power look at him and see themselves becoming more powerful than they ever imagined.  And every one of them starts making plans to acquire him.

So the "haves" seek to own him.  The "have-nots" mostly want to wrap themselves around him, be consumed by his heat.  But it's also the have-nots who love him, protect him, stand by him.  With all the power in the world he remains uncorrupted.  He was born a pure soul and despite a life surrounded by madness and despair, he stays himself, untouched in his essential goodness.  How?

It makes you wonder just what a human being is.  How is it that some people are born empty inside?  Did the SB find people without souls to corrupt, or did they kill the soul? 

One more thing before I go.  I'm so interested in the Morningstar.  I've always been puzzled about how an angel with a name that means Bringer of Light, got such a bad rap.  In his novel Legion, William Peter Blatty proposed that we are all Lucifer.  That we are God, fallen to earth, to experience life in human form.  Bringer of Light, that sounds more like a gift to me.  And it also sounds like Dante.

Please, write faster!

Lisa

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Lisa,

Great observations! Not only do the "haves" seek to possess and use Dante, and the "have-nots" join with him, there are also the "play-gods" who plot to kill him because they believe him evil, or believe they know what is best for the world, or out of fear - of the unknown, of his being used by others, etc.

How has Dante remained himself despite everything he's been through? Like Von says, his heart is true. But Von also points out that Dante is at the breaking point, he needs time to heal, he needs some peace and quiet, time to understand and accept who and what he is. The question is: will he be granted that time? And what happens if Dante breaks?

As for what makes us human - a great question. In A Rush of Wings, as Heather's making love to Dante, and her thoughts flip back to what she saw him do to Etienne in the warehouse, for a moment doubt wormed into her heart.

"He's not human. But she remembered the pounding of his heart, the sound of his grief, the prickly raw smell of his pain. Remembered him spreading his jacket over Gina. Remembered the devastation on his face as he looked at Jay. If that's not human, what is?"

So many different things make us human, but even among those who are physically human, they aren't within - true monsters like Elroy Jordan, Dr. Robert Wells, Johanna Moore, Cecil "Papa" Prejean. And, yes, the SB would look to recruit those who would follow orders without hesitation or judgment. Who would do anything and everything necessary to keep the country "safe."

I read Legion too! Years ago. Awesome book. When I got to the end, it blew me away - the possibility that we are God, fallen to earth, to experience life. Amazing!!

The Lightbringer, the Morningstar, beautiful shining Lucifer got his bad rap by refusing to blindly follow God's orders. He was also jealous of God's love and preference for mortals. (Which is what led to his rebellion.) Yes, the Bringer of Light was special, but bitter. I read a book as a teenager that was a series of letters between Lucifer and Gabriel after the Fall. Reading Lucifer's perspective on things was fascinating and heartbreaking, as was his and Gabriel's struggle to hold onto their friendship and brotherhood despite the chasm between them.

I'm doing my best to write faster. LOL! I hope one day soon that I'll no longer need my day job so I can devote those hours to writing. That'd be another dream come true!

Thanks again for your great observations and questions!!

[Music4Chameleo…]

Adrian, I promise to shamelessly promote your books to everyone I know who reads the genre.  You deserve to be a full-time author!

That whole thing about blinding following orders started me thinking about the My Lai Massacre and the price of blindly following orders.  Didn't Lucifer resent humans because they had free will and the angels did not?  Yet if he was capable of resenting the fact, didn't that mean he also had free will?  I guess what I'm asking is, is free will an action or a thought?  When Dr. Wells triggered Dante, he seemed to lose free will of both.  In becoming S, he ceased to be Dante.  It somewhat saddens me to think just how probable it is that such an organization exists within our government.

So, if Lucifer already had freewill when he revolted, why revolt at all?  Blatty's premise always seemed the more realistic, as realistic as any mythology can be.  By the way, you are the only other person I know w ho has read that book.  Now if you could tell me who wrote the one you referred to?  It sounds interesting.

Heather represents the best of who we are, we mundanes.  When the time comes, she will not be the one to chose the easier, softer way.  Thanks for writing such a beautiful, strong and clever character.  She doesn't need wings, she has Dante.  Now so do I.

Lisa 

[dalnewt]

The Maker Song series is one of my favorites. I loved 'A Rush of Wings' and really enjoyed "In the Blood'. Loved the supernatural/thriller plots in both. But, for some reason I missed this newest release (probably because of the holidays),

Thanks for bringing "Beneath The Skin" to my attention. This book is on my short list. 

[Adrian_Phoenix]

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Music4Chameleons wrote:

That whole thing about blinding following orders started me thinking about the My Lai Massacre and the price of blindly following orders.  Didn't Lucifer resent humans because they had free will and the angels did not?  Yet if he was capable of resenting the fact, didn't that mean he also had free will?  I guess what I'm asking is, is free will an action or a thought?  When Dr. Wells triggered Dante, he seemed to lose free will of both.  In becoming S, he ceased to be Dante.  It somewhat saddens me to think just how probable it is that such an organization exists within our government.

So, if Lucifer already had freewill when he revolted, why revolt at all?  Blatty's premise always seemed the more realistic, as realistic as any mythology can be.  By the way, you are the only other person I know w ho has read that book.  Now if you could tell me who wrote the one you referred to?  It sounds interesting.

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Lisa, thanks so much for your support!   The books I was referring to was Dialogues with the Devil by Taylor Caldwell. It's been so many years since I read it (I think I was 14), I think it'd be interesting to re-read it and see how close it matches my memories of it.

I think the whole Lucifer angry over the free will that mortals possess bit came from Milton, but I won't swear to that. Humans were free to love God or disregard his word, but angels were not. In any case, I agree that if Lucifer was able to argue and rebell, he was capable of free will. I truly think the issue came down to jealousy. I really liked Blatty's theories a lot.They really resonated with me.

But, in any case, I've taken a very different direction.  The Morningstar refuses to take a Sleeping Dante with him no matter how much Annie urges him to, because of free will. He wants Dante to choose to go with him.

As for your question, it's a good one and there's probably no one right answer. I think free will begins within and our actions reflect our will.

With Dante, when he didn't become what Bad Seed wanted no matter what or who they took from him (or tricked him into taking from himself), they shattered his mind and programmed him, shaped him into a deadly and devastating weapon. When his programming is triggered, free will is gone. When Dante agreed to be triggered and used, agreed to sacrifice himself for Annie and Heather, that was free will. When he whispered "run" to Heather before charging her, Dante had managed to slip past S's guard, same when she saw relief flicker over his face as she tranked him.

Fascinating subject! Thanks!

[Adrian_Phoenix]

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dalnewt wrote:

The Maker Song series is one of my favorites. I loved 'A Rush of Wings' and really enjoyed "In the Blood'. Loved the supernatural/thriller plots in both. But, for some reason I missed this newest release (probably because of the holidays),

Thanks for bringing "Beneath The Skin" to my attention. This book is on my short list. 

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Thanks so much! I hope you enjoy the read!

[3monstersmom]

Oh.My.Gosh.  I just finished this series.  I have to say it's the first time a series has reached up and slapped me, and then turn me around and spanked me.  Mama liked!  Loved, loved, loved these books.  Being an Oregon chick myself, I loved the Oregon locations and references (hello Dutch Bros. Coffee, mmm..mmm).

I am wondering with Annie being Bipolar, will we ever get to see her in one of her "highs"?  I grew up in a Bipolar home and know how rare the highs can be, but how devastatingly extreme the lows that follow those highs are.  Also, where is Heather's snapping point with her sister?  When is Heather going to have one of those all so human moments where she just yells "I can't take this sh*t anymore", with regards to her sister?

Awesome books, congratulations on writing such a wonderful series. 

[3monstersmom]

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paulgoatallen wrote:

 These novels aren't the literary equivalent of Taco Bell, they're filet mignon....

Paul

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Paul, you were sooooo right!  Wowzers...

[paulgoatallen]

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3monstersmom wrote:

Oh.My.Gosh.  I just finished this series.  I have to say it's the first time a series has reached up and slapped me, and then turn me around and spanked me.  Mama liked!  Loved, loved, loved these books. 

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Ha! I love your assessment, 3monstersmom! I want to see this line – "it's the first time a series has reached up and slapped me, and then turned me around and spanked me" – on the cover of Adrian's next book!  

Paul

[Adrian_Phoenix]

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3monstersmom wrote:

Oh.My.Gosh.  I just finished this series.  I have to say it's the first time a series has reached up and slapped me, and then turn me around and spanked me.  Mama liked!  Loved, loved, loved these books.  Being an Oregon chick myself, I loved the Oregon locations and references (hello Dutch Bros. Coffee, mmm..mmm).

I am wondering with Annie being Bipolar, will we ever get to see her in one of her "highs"?  I grew up in a Bipolar home and know how rare the highs can be, but how devastatingly extreme the lows that follow those highs are.  Also, where is Heather's snapping point with her sister?  When is Heather going to have one of those all so human moments where she just yells "I can't take this sh*t anymore", with regards to her sister?

Awesome books, congratulations on writing such a wonderful series. 

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I'm so glad you've enjoyed the series! Loooove Dutch Bros. coffee! Can you say coffee junkie?

I was once involved with someone who was bipolar and that was a nightmare. I can only imagine what you went through growing up in a biploar household - something I'll show through Heather's eyes since she did the same. Yes, we'll get to see Annie in both one of her "highs" and her devastating lows. And it's not too far away before Heather loses it in regard to Annie and her actions.

Thanks so much for your comments!!

[Adrian_Phoenix]

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paulgoatallen wrote:

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 Ha! I love your assessment, 3monstersmom! I want to see this line – "it's the first time a series has reached up and slapped me, and then turned me around and spanked me" – on the cover of Adrian's next book!  

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Me too!

[FaeryQueen]

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paulgoatallen wrote:

Geez Adrian, I almost forgot! I've been asking visiting authors the following ten questions that Bravo's " Inside the Actors Studio", James Lipton asks every guest at the end of their interview. I've gotten some great responses. so, here goes.....    

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Hey Paul - Can you pull all the authors' answers to these in a separate thread?  It would be interesting to read them and easier than going through all the other threads.

[paulgoatallen]

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FaeryQueen wrote:

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paulgoatallen wrote:

Geez Adrian, I almost forgot! I've been asking visiting authors the following ten questions that Bravo's " Inside the Actors Studio", James Lipton asks every guest at the end of their interview. I've gotten some great responses. so, here goes.....    

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Hey Paul - Can you pull all the authors' answers to these in a separate thread?  It would be interesting to read them and easier than going through all the other threads.

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Hey FaeryQueen:

That's a great idea! Let me see if I have enough responses to make it intesting...

Paul

[dalnewt]

Just finished "Beneath the Skin" and absolutely loved it. I love the multiple plot lines which follow the actions of myriad individuals who want or want to use Dante. All the story lines in this book are fast and engrossing, especially the one's that follow the experiences of Dante (and Heather). I revel in Dante's quick-silver anger and impetuous decisions/actions, and root for him to overcome his tortured youth and malicious programming. This book really intensifies the ongoing story and leaves the reader anxiously wanting to know what's going to happen next. It's a great combination of thriller and supernatural fantasy with a uniquely magnetic protagonist.

The sole reservation I have about this latest book concerned the death of Simone. To me, it seemed a bit gratuitous in that it really didn't need to happen to move the plot along. Throughout the series all Dante's previous lovers/friends with benefits have been removed. His initial lover/friends were removed to further the first book's plot, but Simone's death was sort of arbitrary. I mean, if a death had to occur why not Silver or someone else living in the house? That Simone was chosen for death just seems too convenient for me. Kind of like it's part of a plan to get rid of anyone who would stand in the way of Heather having a monogamous sexual relationship with Dante. As a punk rocker/vampire Dante's lifestyle was all about having select people as lovers, and I hate to see that end simply because of Heather. I would much rather see Heather have to accept Dante's lifestyle and his occasionally romantic love of select others. But, that's just my opinion.   

[ReaderGal74]

LOL! Okay...this entire thread is why I have had to keep away from these boards! In light of my hiatus from employment...not on my terms, I haven't been able to keep up! But now I am off hiatus and I am already adding up credits on my account for all the books I have been reading about!  So they the series is on it's way! I don't feel too bad, I read through almost my entire TBR pile so I need to fill it up again!

Thanks everyone!

Jess