17 and 18 Blowing Through - Prequels and Paddlings

I picked up New Spring by Robert Jordan at Dollar Tree for a dollar. It's a first edition first printing hardback. Boy howdy!

This book is the prequel to a very long series that I first started reading at least ten years ago. I ran through it pretty fast as this was not a new world to me, I am well acquainted with this place and these people.

This book is a "back story" meant to give some more understanding of several of the characters. I enjoyed it as I've enjoyed all of the books, but I kind of wonder what the point is, as the main character that is developed is fairly long dead in the series.

I don't know for certain, but I get the impression that there are supposed to be several of these prequels, but the problem is that the author died recently. The last book in the series was not finished, so I'm not certain there will ever be resolution that is satisfactory.

Ahem. Book 18 is The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty by Anne Rice writing as A. N. Roquelaure.

I've read everything that she's written as Anne Rice and I've heard of this story as her effort to delve into erotica. Published in 1983, this is pretty racy stuff. It's well written (Rice is an engaging writer as always) but I'm not sure if I liked it. I would say that it is mostly painful. I cringed throughout but I kept on reading. I don't know if I could handle reading any more of this stuff, but I'll pick up the next one at the first available opportunity.

Kinky would be a mild description of this book. If you like spankings, this is the book for YOU.