Nov 16 2008
rhiannon lassiter: hex
Good novels require the presence—and cooperation, I suppose—of a number of elements. In some cases, one or two elements may be so strong and compellingly written that they make up almost completely for the absence or shallowness of other elements. Take the Doctor Who episode “Blink,” for example, though it’s not a novel: if you think too hard about the plot or the logistics of the villains, the whole thing starts to fall apart, but the character interactions, dialogue, creepiness factor, and direction are so awesome you don’t mind, if you even notice. I certainly didn’t. Or take Diana Wynne Jones’ Dark Lord of Derkholm and Year of the Griffin: the former’s climax is a bit confusing and the latter’s is a bit anticlimactic, but both are such a fun read with such great characterization that I really didn’t care. (It’s probably a good indicator of this that I really want to own them because I want to cuddle them and read them over and over, because both leave me with a huge grin on my face. They’re just fun.)You can’t depend on that, of course, because one or two of these important elements are not meant to carry an entire story. That’s why there are several, after all. And if your story does end up depending primarily on a really cool plot or some amazing worldbuilding or a fantastic character but not more than one of the above, say, you had better hope that one element is really good.
Rhiannon Lassiter’s Hex has a fascinating premise with a lot of potential. And among all those various elements, a strong premise is the least able to support an entire novel.
The hex gene is a mutation that allows those who have it to access computers on an organic sort of level, allowing those who develop their abilities to become superhuman hackers. But they’re viewed as dangerous—and in this far-future and slightly dystopian London, with almost everything controlled by computers, it’s not hard to understand why. So there’s a law in place: anyone discovered to be a Hex will be arrested and destroyed immediately.
That’s good so far as it goes, and Lassiter does some creative things in portraying the rather alien Hex-computer interactions, but she falls short everywhere else. The plot meanders a bit and then goes in odd places in an apparent attempt to be edgy that comes across as the literary equivalent of a goth poser, and none of the main characters are as cool as Lassiter seems to think they are—certainly not cool enough to make up for the unlikable aspects of their personalities. You’ve got Wraith (yes, really), seen through other characters’ eyes as a natural leader who always knows what to do, and who gives absolutely no indication of such traits from his POV. You’ve got his sister, Raven (yes , really), who wears mostly black and is super awesome because she’s a Hex and thinks she can do anything, but instead of being awesome, she mostly seems to lack impulse-control, a moral compass, common sense, any of that fun stuff. Worse, the writing itself was little more than mediocre, making the other flaws even more noticeable.
In fairness, Hex is actually the first of a trilogy, and I haven’t been able to read the other two yet, so the characterization may well improve. Lassiter also published this trilogy when she was 19, which explains—but shouldn’t—some of Hex’s shortcomings (and also makes me jealous, because I know my writing style was at least better than hers at 19…).
Still, on the plus side? At least she’s not Christopher Paolini .
19? 19?! Bah! Such an interesting start, the idea, I mean. Thing is, if she re-wrote it ten years later, it could be amazing. I hate when I hear of a good idea that turns into a not so good book. A better writer could turn it into something special - maybe fanfiction isn’t as bad as people make out. I’m just jealous that she got published at nine-freaking-teen.