Did anybody feel that LTROI had too many tangents?

[withinfocus]

I disagree. If you think about it, the zombie Hakan could have easily been shown without Tommy. The zombie scenes that matter to the central plot are handled by Eli. What you've described is what I see as the definition of a tangent; I don't think that commentary on Blackeburg was needed and it only added a little extra.

[God of Vampires]

If you ask me, this book cannot be too long . This being said, I still think the best parts in the book involve Eli and Oskar.

[sauvin]

Tommy added one more thing to the novel: he sold Eli blood. It wasn't taken from him, and he didn't die from his injuries. Eli bargained for what she needed and was generous with what she offered for it. The scene as I recall it suggested that Eli trusted him (although it could be argued that she'd already been in the preliminary stages of planning her sortie from Blackeberg anyway, so the "trust" wasn't such a big thing), and it strongly suggested she's done this before.

It means that Eli is using all kinds of tricks not only to try to distance herself from the death she brings, she can also try to limit and control it.

It says very positive things about her from our POV.

[withinfocus]

I'll agree that part does have some significance. We're able to see Eli getting more in touch with her human side and looking for non-lethal means of acquiring blood. However, I also feel it acts as a distraction to Eli's real story in that the more aware reader will know something like this isn't acceptable for her long-term survival. She's said that she's done it before in the past, but I can only imagine those situations were as dire as this one and only hastened her departure from wherever she was staying.

I'm not a fan of suspense which might shape my opinion of the bulk of Tommy's story at the end but to me it added too much thrill that I think stood out more than was needed to get zombie Hakan's role delivered. It was like several of the smaller stories started crashing together at the end and without Tommy I think the zombie Hakan scene would have been a little more powerful since it would be more focused on "Eli vs. Hakan" and not about some freaked out kid hiding in a dark bomb shelter across the hall.

[drakkar]

A couple of moments: johnajvide told us the zombie Håkan subplot was included to win the reader over on Eli's side before the pool scene. And then he needed someone (Tommy) to take care of Håkan, so that Eli could remain the victim. Eli buying Tommy's blood, and showing concern for Tommy afterwards, also adds to our sympathy for Eli.

[Wolfchild]

I'm not a fan of suspense which might shape my opinion of the bulk of Tommy's story at the end but to me it added too much thrill that I think stood out more than was needed to get zombie Hakan's role delivered. It was like several of the smaller stories started crashing together at the end and without Tommy I think the zombie Hakan scene would have been a little more powerful since it would be more focused on "Eli vs. Hakan" and not about some freaked out kid hiding in a dark bomb shelter across the hall.

The whole point was that in "Eli vs. Håkan", Eli lost, or very nearly lost. If Eli had been able to handle the situation, then zombie Håkan would have definitely just been a gratuitous bit of horror. In that case, he would not have been shown to be a real threat to Eli, and he would have had no real purpose in the story.

So if Eli doesn't deal with zombie Håkan, who does? The police? They have already been shown to have trouble just dealing with an ornery sheep. How then could they be shown triumphant over The Ritual Killer?

Also, the symbolism involved in Tommy beating Håkan into a mass of quivering undead flesh with the very symbol of Staffan's authoritarian ego is just, well... delicious.

[crazychristina]

LTROI reminds me a lot of Dylan Thomas' work Under Milkwood. With vampire. Admittedly it's a long time since I read that (and I even had a recording of Richard Burton reading it at one time). I think it works very well.

[PeteMork]

Also, the symbolism involved in Tommy beating Håkan into a mass of quivering undead flesh with the very symbol of Staffan's authoritarian ego is just, well... delicious.

I hadn't thought of this. But your're right. Perhaps a new essay on the novel could be titled, "A Tale told by Egos."

[withinfocus]

If Eli had been able to handle the situation, then zombie Håkan would have definitely just been a gratuitous bit of horror. In that case, he would not have been shown to be a real threat to Eli, and he would have had no real purpose in the story.

So do you think she _didn't_ handle him? For all intensive purposes, Hakan is done by time he interacts with Tommy. His heart is out, he's pretty beat up, and he's not even much of a challenge to a teenager who's never been exposed to anything like this. Zombie Hakan does a lot of things independent of Tommy and serves his purpose as a plot point with no other character interaction besides Eli's.

So if Eli doesn't deal with zombie Håkan, who does? The police? They have already been shown to have trouble just dealing with an ornery sheep. How then could they be shown triumphant over The Ritual Killer?

Despite their incompetence, they are no less qualified than a suburban teenager in my mind. Hakan could have been easily defeated by an adult with a gun. I only saw him being dangerous in that he avoided detection and the threat of him far outweighed his actual presence.

[gattoparde59]

Also, the symbolism involved in Tommy beating Håkan into a mass of quivering undead flesh with the very symbol of Staffan's authoritarian ego is just, well... delicious.

MMM! quivering undead flesh!

Actually I am not clear on your trophy as a symbol idea. I wouldn't have missed it if it had been left out of the story, or just about everything else between Tommy and his would be step father. An Oedipal symbol maybe?

To me Staffan is just another bully in this story, or if you prefer a fascist. What is a fascist anyway? Just a bully with a badge and a gun I think.