The waiting of Acheron and the trend that followed

Posted February 23, 2010 by Casee in Discussions | 17 Comments

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Back in 2006 when I would read things like “OMGawd, I just started the DH series. It’s soooo good. I can’t wait for Acheron‘s book! I can’t believe I have to wait for two whole years” I wanted to cyberslap them and say bitch, please I got really annoyed. I’ve been waiting for Acheron’s book since 2000. That’s the year two thousand. I still remember talking to this friend I had that loved the series as much as I did at the time and just bemoaning over the fact that it was going to be YEARS before Acheron’s book would come out. How were we going to wait that long? We would surely die if forced to wait that long. Back then, five to seven years seemed like an impossibly long time. Holding my baby and thinking that he was going to be at least five years old when Acheron’s book finally came out was just unfathomable to me.

Not only was the publishing date sketchy (for years) but when it came to Ash’s heroine, Sherrilyn Kenyon refused to give it up. In my post about forgiving her for anything, I don’t think I would have forgiven her for an Ash/Artemis pairing. I used to make myself sick thinking about the possibility that Artemis would be Ash’s heroine. The sole voice of reason was Holly. She would tell me over and over again that there is no way it could be Artemis. Even though she was WRONG about who the heroine was, at least she was right about Artemis.

When Acheron came out, I was at the book store first thing in the morning. I took it home, started it at 10am and finished it at 5pm. There was not the sense of disappointment that I was expecting when I finished it. I was just happy that Ash finally got what he deserved. My review of it is completely biased. There is no way I could have given that book anything less than a five.

Which brings me to this new fad that authors seem to be going through.

They introduce this extremely amazing alpha hero that makes a statement from the time he makes his first appearance to when said hero gets his book. Only HE’S NOT GETTING HIS BOOK.

  1. Tohr from J.R. Ward’s Black Dagger Brotherhood. It started with Wrath and Dark Lover. It was going to end with Tohr. Then the series got popular and all of a sudden Ward pulled back and said “Tohr isn’t ready”. I have to write a gajillion books before Tohr will be ready. Look, I get that it’s an author’s creation that is bringing me reading pleasure, but I don’t care if Tohr is ready. I’m freaking ready. Tohr is the new Acheron. The only thing is that I don’t care. With Acheron, I would have waited until 2015 and still read the book when it comes out. My prediction is that Tohr’s book won’t come out until 2018. It will be the 52nd book in the series and by then the rfg’s will have turned on Ward.

  2. Hawke from Nalini Singh‘s Psy/Changeling series. Hawke was introduced in Slave to Sensation and I don’t think there is a reader among us who didn’t want his story, like, now. He was intriguing and cold, alpha yet so different than Lucas. He had a shadowy back story that only in the last few books started to reveal itself. Hawke and Sienna have the chemistry that explodes off the pages. Like Sherrilyn Kenyon and J.R. Ward, Singh has kept quiet on whether Sienna is really Hawke’s heroine. I’ve begged her (no really, I have) and she just tells me “you don’t want me to ruin it for you!”. Yes I would, but that’s beside the point. The point is that Singh has addressed Hawke’s book very openly and said it will be within the next two years. I take that to mean that Sienna has to grow up and Hawke has to miss her. So why am I not annoyed with Singh like I am with Ward? Because I like the books that are coming out before Hawke’s. I like the characters. I didn’t care about freaking Rhevenge.

  3. Alaric from Alyssa Day‘s Atlantis series. Alaric is a high priest aka celibate. In the first book, he meets Quinn and there is an instant attraction between the two. Alaric wants Quinn, but he believes in his duty as a high priest. If he isn’t a high priest, he can’t serve Conlan or Poisedon and Atlantis means a great deal to Alaric. Back when I actually checked the Yahoo Groups, Alyssa Day said that we wouldn’t have to wait years for Alaric. I believe he was actually compared to Acheron and Day shot that down. Since then, I believe she went on a hiatus for personal reasons but has since returned to the writing world. Now that Alaric has found out that high priests haven’t always been, in fact, celibate, can he be with Quinn? Day (it must be obvious by now) will not say whether Quinn is Alaric’s heroine though she does say that she’s rooting for them.

Getting so invested in one character just hasn’t turned out well for me. The only characters that I will stay invested in are Hawke and Alaric.

Which characters are you invested in? What book have you waited for the longest? Who is your “Acheron”?


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17 responses to “The waiting of Acheron and the trend that followed

  1. You called mine: Hawke! I want Sienna to do one of those soap opera time machine things where the kid goes away on vacation and comes back 10 years older.

  2. Besides Ash being my Acheron…. I waited and waited for him.

    Alaric most definitely. Can’t say Hawke since I haven’t read that series by Singh. I would have to say Torin from Gena Showalter’s Lords of the Underworld. I have been waiting since the very first novel for Torin (aka Disease) to get his story.

  3. I really do see Hawke and Sienna finally getting together, which I think Hawke’s book is set for 2012. But Nalini throws in Kit for Sienna, so there maybe quite the love triangle there.

    All I know, is Kaleb better be getting his own book.

    Aw I like Revh’s book and was glad he found a woman who loved him and got away from his incestuous sister. O.o

  4. Hawke’s!! And maybe Aleric’s if I can afford the darn thing by then.

    As to waiting for a long time for a book I think 12 years for Jean M Auel’s book 5 of her Earth Children’s series has been the longest I’ve waited.(still waiting for book 6 – 8 years and counting!)

  5. C2

    Pssst…a tweet from Alyssa today: Just found in WIP: “she made her way on silent feet” WTF? As opposed to singing feet? Next book: YODELING FEET IN ATLANTIS #edits

    I tweeted back to her to see if she would give up the heroine’s/hero’s name in her WIP but no reply so far. I hope it’s Alaric but I bet it isn’t.

    The newest Atlantis book is already shipping, too – Atlantis Redeemed (Brennan’s book).

    I’m also waiting on Hawke’s book but it hasn’t been painful or felt drawn out like the wait for Ash’s book. And it hasn’t been ages and ages. Maybe we all forget Nalini hasn’t been published all that long because all the books have been so awesome. 🙂

  6. Acheron was my Acheron! He was my most awaited hero, with Frost, L. K. Hamilton’s Merry Gentry’s series second.

    However, looking forward to Jonas Wyatt’s story in the Breeds by L. Leigh. Yeah, Natasha, coming soon!

    Another wait has been Kevin (Sean’s twin) in Shannon McKenna’s McCloud brothers series, but that comes out in May.

  7. Weirdly, Rhevenge was sort of my Acheron. I was interested in him and his bad self since Zsadist’s book, and his book ended up being decent. And I do want to read JM’s book, but after that I need Tohr. Maaaybe I’ll give a care about Quinn’s book (I think he’s getting his own?) but I really need some Tohr.

  8. great post casee! i was invested in tohr but i gave up on jr ward just because her books became too urban and too busy for my taste. but i am EAGERLY waiting for hawke’s story even though i’ve yet to read book 4 and the rest of the psy-changeling books i am pretty invested in it.

  9. Natasha

    My current Acheron is Jonas from Lora Leigh’s Breed series. But his book (finally!!) comes out in a few months!! yayness!

  10. I’m way behind on my reading because the only series I’ve read from your list is the BDB (I’m on book 5). But I hear ya on Tohr. It’s still fresh in my mind the “wtf” I felt when Wellsie bit the dust. Seriously, W.T.F.! I liked Tohr and Wellsie since book 1 and was looking forward to reading about their life. Now that that won’t be happening, I’m interested in reading Tohr’s story. But damn, it’s a bummer there are so many more characters and books in the way. I just finished Butch’s and oh holy hell did I not give a damn about him and Marissa. It’ll be hard to get back into the series after that one but if Tohr’s book comes out soon, I may skip to that one.

    Btw – Rehv was kind of interesting to me in book 3. I may pick up his book too 🙂

  11. Seneca

    I’m waiting for Hawke. HAWKE HAWKE HAWKE!!!!!!!!

    Who the hell are all these unknown character that are getting stories before Hawke? Blah!

  12. Natasha

    @Janet: I’m waiting for the author site to be updated with an except.

    Story of my life – first eagerly wait for excerpt, then eagerly wait for the book LOL!

  13. Willa

    Hawke gets my vote!! Wasn’t keen on a Sienna pairing at first but she is becoming more interesting as we see more of her.

    Like you said I can wait for Hawke, (just about – slow torture that it meay be!) As a reader I feel that Nalini’s books are meticulously plotted and that she is staying true to her original vision/story arc for the series – unlike some others I could mention :cough:Ward:cough: a series I gave up on after the Casper debacle . . . .

  14. Rowena

    Since I stopped reading J.R. Ward back in the day and I don’t know who Hawke is, I think my Acheron is or was, Acheron.

    Like you, I waited years for his book (though not nearly as long as you) and when his book finally came out, I happy danced all month long and it’s a testamant to how much I love him that I’m STILL rockin’ that Savin’ Me by Nickelback in my car. =P

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