MJD's writing has gradually become erratic and disappointing. I know this is just a short prequel, but it still manages to display some of the most annoying characteristics of her more recent books. Characters are caricatures. The humour is too forced, too over-the-top, tries too hard to be hip, is not funny, and overall it insults her fans and former fans. In short, it bombs.I used to buy her books as soon as they came out. Then I started trying them out first from the library, as soon as they came out. Then I started eventually getting around to reading them from the library, when I had nothing else new to read. Now, I'm not sure I will even bother reading any of her new books. I don't know what happened, or why her editors let her get so far off-track, but this short piece, like some of her recent longer works, was painful to read.
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