Before we start, I should just point out that while I've had the first two books for a while now, I'm only just starting
Going Under, and I've not yet bought the fourth book,
Chasing the Dragon. Sorry to stunt things that early on. ^^;
I was recently re-reading the first two books so I could follow on and finish the series with a fresh head of details. I read book one at a fairly low point in my recent transitioning though, and it struck me that Lila Black's circumstances, while fantastical, did feel familiar: feeling ill-at-home in her own body; feeling a lack of respect as a person beneath that; and having to be distanced from everyone who could see her for who she was.
I dare say that sort of comparison makes much more sense if you're feeling depressed, but what follows in the demon world is an interesting and more relevant philosophy: that of personal
Hell. All demons must embrace their Hell and come out of the other side in order to be the free and passionate people they are (all demons are taken to be voluptuous and fiery) - those who don't are doomed to despair. I found myself relating to this quite keenly.
Stage one seems to be a period of soul-searching, in order to discover just what your hell is. Then you accept it and all the reality around you, and accept what you can or can't do to fix that. Only then can you move on.
Quote"Too late [Lila] realised that when a demon talked about living in Hell it meant you were living inside the worlds of your own illusions. Demons considered this a form of victimhood - you were a victim of an inaccurate reality. This made you easy meat for anyone who could push your buttons, whatever they were. And for those who were without illusion, seeing the hotspots of other people's lies, self-deceptions, motivations and fears was simple."
Vague enough to be quite all-encompassing, but I decided to latch onto that, as accepting my transgenderism was what seems to have shifted me out of a Hell I wasn't even aware of. I'm now knowingly
inside that trial, but knowing the beast can often help you combat it.. and eventually digest it.
Has anyone else read the books in this series? What did you think, of this sort of philosophy or the more general stuff? Personally I found the multi-dimensional, fantastical beings a little much to take at times, but I reckon Robson's done an alright job giving these characters some meaning in a more philosophical storyline. Thankfully it's not
all 'pew-pew'.
