"The term 'Musrich novel' is something of a misnomer. The genre did indeed originate in Erenland but is found throughout the country, not just the rebellious south. It is believed that the novels first crept into Christoté under the auspices of the Erish Empire. After the Empire was overthrown, Christotans spent many years systematically erasing all traces of Erish influence from their culture. For some reason, though, its literature was spared. Branwen believed this to be a heinous oversight. She had recently conducting a one-woman campaign against Musrich novels, lambasting them in newsheet articles, imploring Jalkin Library not to stock them and at various times plucking them from the fingers of her sister, Lady Brightson and Marcas Jeroné. It was fruitless; the things were as durable as cockroaches. By 1334 they were still amongst the best selling novels in the Cities, far outstripping anything else by the Erish - who could be very good writers when they behaved - and even rivalling local products. Opportunistic Christotan authors often tried to emulate the Musrich style but proper ones imported from Erenland remained the most popular. It was sometimes claimed that Christotans could not get the background details right, as if devotees ever cared about that. Branwen simply felt that only the Erish psychology could capture the sheer dreadfulness of a true Musrich novel.
"For they are dreadful, of that there should be no doubt. Branwen tried reading one already published to reacquaint herself with the style. She approached it with an open mind, was prepared to be proved wrong, and was left reeling by its whole-hearted ineptitude. Reactionary messages, cardboard characters, infantile vocabulary, pedestrian plots, astonishing clichés, predictable endings – which was the worst ingredient of the mix?..."