Author |
Topic |
Dennis
Great Reader
9933 Posts |
Posted - 05 Oct 2011 : 21:09:02
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quote: Originally posted by Thelonius
quote: Originally posted by Dennis
quote: Originally posted by Alystra Illianniis [...] Let's not forget Shakespeare himself- Midsummer Night's Dream, Tempest, and Macbeth, anyone? [...]
Calling Shakepeare a "fantasist" would be far too limiting. He's the God of Literature. He invented, or rather explored the full potentials of almost all literary genres.
And they owe quite a lot to older myths from the ancient eaasterner culture and from the yet more archaic cultures from their regions.... so we could go like that for ages Maybe a "relatively modern" clarification should be added?
I thought I wrote God of Modern Literature. Quite a few other philosophers, writers and story-tellers centuries before the apex of his career did invent several genres, but it was he who polished those almost perfectly. |
Every beginning has an end. |
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Therise
Master of Realmslore
1272 Posts |
Posted - 05 Oct 2011 : 21:54:40
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quote: Originally posted by Dennis
quote: Originally posted by Thelonius
quote: Originally posted by Dennis
quote: Originally posted by Alystra Illianniis [...] Let's not forget Shakespeare himself- Midsummer Night's Dream, Tempest, and Macbeth, anyone? [...]
Calling Shakepeare a "fantasist" would be far too limiting. He's the God of Literature. He invented, or rather explored the full potentials of almost all literary genres.
And they owe quite a lot to older myths from the ancient eaasterner culture and from the yet more archaic cultures from their regions.... so we could go like that for ages Maybe a "relatively modern" clarification should be added?
I thought I wrote God of Modern Literature. Quite a few other philosophers, writers and story-tellers centuries before the apex of his career did invent several genres, but it was he who polished those almost perfectly.
Oh, I see. Modern Literature. So you're putting Shakespeare in the same class as Ezra Pound and T.S. Eliot, James Joyce, and Gertrude Stein, even though Shakespeare wrote nothing relating to industrialization or globalization.
I think the term you're looking for is Elizabethan.
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Female, 40-year DM of a homebrew-evolved 1E Realms, including a few added tidbits of 2E and 3E lore; played originally in AD&D, then in Rolemaster. Be a DM for your kids and grandkids, gaming is excellent for families! |
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Dennis
Great Reader
9933 Posts |
Posted - 05 Oct 2011 : 22:01:45
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quote: Originally posted by entreri3478
How does Robert Jordan still have zero votes but Weis has 3%? Weird.
Maybe those who want to vote for him prefer that I also include Brandon Sanderson on the same option, given his contributions to the WoT series. Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson...like Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman.
Or perhaps those who do like him voted Tolkien instead. |
Every beginning has an end. |
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Faraer
Great Reader
3308 Posts |
Posted - 05 Oct 2011 : 23:01:34
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quote: Originally posted by entreri3478 I have been meaning to try some Robert Howard for awhile now. Are the Conan books ordered or stand-alone? Could i just pick up one and read through without missing any back story?
The best Conan edition is the current volumes produced by Wandering Star and published by Del Rey, which collect the stories in the order Howard wrote them, which is mainly the same order they were originally published in Weird Tales. They move back and forward in Conan's life, and I recommend reading them in this order, as vivid episodes rather than a reconstructed chronicle. This is the most popular ordering of the stories in terms of internal chronology, should you wish to read them that way. |
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High
Australia
31701 Posts |
Posted - 06 Oct 2011 : 01:41:21
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quote: Originally posted by entreri3478
How does Robert Jordan still have zero votes but Weis has 3%? Weird.
Because many fantasy readers may feel somewhat intimated by tackling Jordan's massive masterpiece, and so they avoid it.
I know many of the fantasy-reading folk I interact with back in Australia only, unfortunately, frequent authors who don't have an extensive back-history of novels to read through. Instead, they grab the latest books by new and upcoming authors, so they're around from the beginning, should these works expand into "Wheel of Time"-like proportions. |
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Thelonius
Senior Scribe
Spain
730 Posts |
Posted - 06 Oct 2011 : 08:10:51
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quote: Originally posted by Faraer
quote: Originally posted by entreri3478 I have been meaning to try some Robert Howard for awhile now. Are the Conan books ordered or stand-alone? Could i just pick up one and read through without missing any back story?
The best Conan edition is the current volumes produced by Wandering Star and published by Del Rey, which collect the stories in the order Howard wrote them, which is mainly the same order they were originally published in Weird Tales. They move back and forward in Conan's life, and I recommend reading them in this order, as vivid episodes rather than a reconstructed chronicle. This is the most popular ordering of the stories in terms of internal chronology, should you wish to read them that way.
This is, in fact, the book I'm reading at this moment and is an interesting piece of art imo. |
"If you are to truly understand, then you will need the contrast, not adherence to a single ideal." - Kreia "I THINK I JUST HAD ANOTHER NEAR-RINCEWIND EXPERIENCE"- Discworld's Death frustrated after Rincewind scapes his grasp... again. "I am death, come for thee" - Nimbul, from Baldur's Gate I just before being badly spanked Sapientia sola libertas est |
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Ayrik
Great Reader
Canada
7968 Posts |
Posted - 06 Oct 2011 : 08:37:53
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lol, perchance did I sniff a whiff of post-modern literary cynicism some posts above?
I agree with what's been said above: polls such as this really function as little more than listings of the OP's preferences. They're also limiting and present a false dichotomy of choices.
To break it down further, I don't personally associate author name brand with anything more than the most generalized indicator of quality. Good authors - all of them - sometimes produce masterpieces and sometimes produce crap, and even then anything they produce is subject to my biased whims and judgements. In my younger days I blindly followed certain bands and musical artists ... after some years I came to realize that there was no sense in religiously purchasing every single album: there were always one or two tracks I instantly loved (and sometimes a few others I grew to like over time), along with a handful I instantly and irrevocably despised (considering them "unworthy" of their creators) and a much, much greater quantity of mediocre-grade filler junk I could just as easily do without. So, too, with authors; their names promise nothing more than a relative consistency grade which could be greatly surpassed or minimally maintained, I have higher expectations from some authors but I no longer expect them to produce perfection in every published title. I have low expectations from other authors and thus don't even bother to give them another chance unless they receive praise and commendation from a variety of critics.
Tolkien's writings were certainly amazing, as are many FR titles, but it's ridiculous to assert that every single thing so written can be rated equally. As much as I loved much of Tolkien's work I can still say it was in rather serious need of editing for length, consistency, and general readability; even the (excellent) movie adaptations were still too long.
Shakespeare's works are all classics, many are good, most are mediocre, and some few are sublimely superb. But I believe anyone who claims Shakespeare is the be-all-and-end-all god of English literature can either appreciate Shakespeare in ways I cannot fathom or just has not read enough other classic material to make any sort of informed comparison.
Just my opinions, of course. Please no flame me. |
[/Ayrik] |
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Artemas Entreri
Great Reader
USA
3131 Posts |
Posted - 06 Oct 2011 : 14:20:47
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quote: Originally posted by Faraer
quote: Originally posted by entreri3478 I have been meaning to try some Robert Howard for awhile now. Are the Conan books ordered or stand-alone? Could i just pick up one and read through without missing any back story?
The best Conan edition is the current volumes produced by Wandering Star and published by Del Rey, which collect the stories in the order Howard wrote them, which is mainly the same order they were originally published in Weird Tales. They move back and forward in Conan's life, and I recommend reading them in this order, as vivid episodes rather than a reconstructed chronicle. This is the most popular ordering of the stories in terms of internal chronology, should you wish to read them that way.
Thanks alot, i will be sure to check it out! |
Some people have a way with words, and other people...oh, uh, not have way. -Steve Martin
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Artemas Entreri
Great Reader
USA
3131 Posts |
Posted - 06 Oct 2011 : 14:23:19
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quote: Originally posted by The Sage
quote: Originally posted by entreri3478
How does Robert Jordan still have zero votes but Weis has 3%? Weird.
Because many fantasy readers may feel somewhat intimated by tackling Jordan's massive masterpiece, and so they avoid it.
I know many of the fantasy-reading folk I interact with back in Australia only, unfortunately, frequent authors who don't have an extensive back-history of novels to read through. Instead, they grab the latest books by new and upcoming authors, so they're around from the beginning, should these works expand into "Wheel of Time"-like proportions.
I admit that i have yet to tackle Jordan's series, but not because of it's length. I find it agonizing waiting years for the next book in a series to come out (as with George R R Martin's series), so i made the decision to pass on the Wheel of Time until they have all been released. Plenty of stuff to read in the meantime. |
Some people have a way with words, and other people...oh, uh, not have way. -Steve Martin
Amazon "KindleUnlimited" Free Trial: http://amzn.to/2AJ4yD2
Try Audible and Get 2 Free Audio Books! https://amzn.to/2IgBede |
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Firestorm
Senior Scribe
Canada
826 Posts |
Posted - 06 Oct 2011 : 14:40:13
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quote: Originally posted by entreri3478
quote: Originally posted by The Sage
quote: Originally posted by entreri3478
How does Robert Jordan still have zero votes but Weis has 3%? Weird.
Because many fantasy readers may feel somewhat intimated by tackling Jordan's massive masterpiece, and so they avoid it.
I know many of the fantasy-reading folk I interact with back in Australia only, unfortunately, frequent authors who don't have an extensive back-history of novels to read through. Instead, they grab the latest books by new and upcoming authors, so they're around from the beginning, should these works expand into "Wheel of Time"-like proportions.
I admit that i have yet to tackle Jordan's series, but not because of it's length. I find it agonizing waiting years for the next book in a series to come out (as with George R R Martin's series), so i made the decision to pass on the Wheel of Time until they have all been released. Plenty of stuff to read in the meantime.
Errr, the last book is due in a few months.
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Artemas Entreri
Great Reader
USA
3131 Posts |
Posted - 06 Oct 2011 : 15:19:34
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quote: Originally posted by Firestorm
quote: Originally posted by entreri3478
quote: Originally posted by The Sage
quote: Originally posted by entreri3478
How does Robert Jordan still have zero votes but Weis has 3%? Weird.
Because many fantasy readers may feel somewhat intimated by tackling Jordan's massive masterpiece, and so they avoid it.
I know many of the fantasy-reading folk I interact with back in Australia only, unfortunately, frequent authors who don't have an extensive back-history of novels to read through. Instead, they grab the latest books by new and upcoming authors, so they're around from the beginning, should these works expand into "Wheel of Time"-like proportions.
I admit that i have yet to tackle Jordan's series, but not because of it's length. I find it agonizing waiting years for the next book in a series to come out (as with George R R Martin's series), so i made the decision to pass on the Wheel of Time until they have all been released. Plenty of stuff to read in the meantime.
Errr, the last book is due in a few months.
Great. It only took 20 years |
Some people have a way with words, and other people...oh, uh, not have way. -Steve Martin
Amazon "KindleUnlimited" Free Trial: http://amzn.to/2AJ4yD2
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Alystra Illianniis
Great Reader
USA
3750 Posts |
Posted - 06 Oct 2011 : 23:43:12
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O...kay. Did not mean to start an intense debate by mentioning the Bard. I was of course, just pointing out that he could just as easily be classified as a fantasist as anyone else due to the magic and other elements in many of his works. Julius Ceasar's prophetic utterance by the fortune-teller or whatever she was comes to mind. As does much of MacBeth. Yes, it's true he draws on much of ancient mythology, history, and other lore, but then who on the OP's list DOESN'T? Myth and folklore are the basis of nearly ALL fantasy, as most concepts of fantasy writing originated somewhere in one or both. And then there are authors who mix fantasy and sci-fi, like Piers Anthony in his Incarnations of Immortality series. (Again, I think he deserves a listing for the incredible amount of work he's done, and his literary longevity. The guy is pushing eighty, I believe, and has been writing prolifically since LOONG before I was born.... And I'm over thirty, BTW.) |
The Goddess is alive, and magic is afoot.
"Where Science ends, Magic begins" -Spiral, Uncanny X-Men #491
"You idiots! You've captured their STUNT doubles!" -Spaceballs
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Dennis
Great Reader
9933 Posts |
Posted - 16 Oct 2011 : 17:43:29
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Not the greatest, but I consider Karen Miller one of the "rising stars" in the fantasy firmament. Her worlds vibrate with life and are brimming with memorable characters.
She portrays strong female characters, but unlike Melanie Rawn who takes female dominance to a whole new and bizarre level, she maintains a balance in portraying gender roles.
I like how she handles her villains. She "humanizes" them without shirking pressing and sensitive issues. |
Every beginning has an end. |
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Firestorm
Senior Scribe
Canada
826 Posts |
Posted - 16 Oct 2011 : 20:10:10
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quote: Originally posted by entreri3478
quote: Originally posted by Firestorm
quote: Originally posted by entreri3478
quote: Originally posted by The Sage
quote: Originally posted by entreri3478
How does Robert Jordan still have zero votes but Weis has 3%? Weird.
Because many fantasy readers may feel somewhat intimated by tackling Jordan's massive masterpiece, and so they avoid it.
I know many of the fantasy-reading folk I interact with back in Australia only, unfortunately, frequent authors who don't have an extensive back-history of novels to read through. Instead, they grab the latest books by new and upcoming authors, so they're around from the beginning, should these works expand into "Wheel of Time"-like proportions.
I admit that i have yet to tackle Jordan's series, but not because of it's length. I find it agonizing waiting years for the next book in a series to come out (as with George R R Martin's series), so i made the decision to pass on the Wheel of Time until they have all been released. Plenty of stuff to read in the meantime.
Errr, the last book is due in a few months.
Great. It only took 20 years
Which is not too bad for a 13 book series |
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Artemas Entreri
Great Reader
USA
3131 Posts |
Posted - 17 Oct 2011 : 15:15:42
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quote: Originally posted by Firestorm
quote: Originally posted by entreri3478
quote: Originally posted by Firestorm
quote: Originally posted by entreri3478
quote: Originally posted by The Sage
quote: Originally posted by entreri3478
How does Robert Jordan still have zero votes but Weis has 3%? Weird.
Because many fantasy readers may feel somewhat intimated by tackling Jordan's massive masterpiece, and so they avoid it.
I know many of the fantasy-reading folk I interact with back in Australia only, unfortunately, frequent authors who don't have an extensive back-history of novels to read through. Instead, they grab the latest books by new and upcoming authors, so they're around from the beginning, should these works expand into "Wheel of Time"-like proportions.
I admit that i have yet to tackle Jordan's series, but not because of it's length. I find it agonizing waiting years for the next book in a series to come out (as with George R R Martin's series), so i made the decision to pass on the Wheel of Time until they have all been released. Plenty of stuff to read in the meantime.
Errr, the last book is due in a few months.
Great. It only took 20 years
Which is not too bad for a 13 book series
I do prefer for an author to take as much time as they need to produce a quality piece of work. I can't stand when authors write 1 book per year whether they have a good story or not....Stephen King comes to mind. |
Some people have a way with words, and other people...oh, uh, not have way. -Steve Martin
Amazon "KindleUnlimited" Free Trial: http://amzn.to/2AJ4yD2
Try Audible and Get 2 Free Audio Books! https://amzn.to/2IgBede |
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WizardsHerb
Acolyte
United Kingdom
23 Posts |
Posted - 17 Oct 2011 : 15:34:42
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I'm of the opinion that this poll is unanswerable, but my opinion on fantasy work is, as Ayrik wrote, that more respect needs to go to the creators of the rich folklore that we all draw on, to whom these concepts might conceivably existed, and may have appeared to be.
Alternatively, if there is a cash prize for winning, I'll vote for myself. There's a couple of books on the Forgotten Realms I'd like to purchase... |
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Dennis
Great Reader
9933 Posts |
Posted - 17 Oct 2011 : 15:45:06
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quote: Originally posted by entreri3478
I do prefer for an author to take as much time as they need to produce a quality piece of work. I can't stand when authors write 1 book per year whether they have a good story or not....Stephen King comes to mind.
Sometimes, it's not really the author's wish that his books are published just one per year. [The publisher and some other intergalactic factors contribute to such delay.] Though in the case of Martin and Jordan, it was, as they couldn't really write that fast, or rather didn't want to sacrifice quality for speed.
[And oh! I like your new avatar! It looks like the one in the cover of The Warded Man by Peter V. Brett. Is it?] |
Every beginning has an end. |
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Artemas Entreri
Great Reader
USA
3131 Posts |
Posted - 17 Oct 2011 : 15:52:16
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quote: Originally posted by Dennis
quote: Originally posted by entreri3478
I do prefer for an author to take as much time as they need to produce a quality piece of work. I can't stand when authors write 1 book per year whether they have a good story or not....Stephen King comes to mind.
Sometimes, it's not really the author's wish that his books are published just one per year. [The publisher and some other intergalactic factors contribute to such delay.] Though in the case of Martin and Jordan, it was, as they couldn't really write that fast, or rather didn't want to sacrifice quality for speed.
[And oh! I like your new avatar! It looks like the one in the cover of The Warded Man by Peter V. Brett. Is it?]
Have not read Jordan yet, but I love Martin's books..and they are worth the wait. I hope the Game of Thones series will be released on Blu-ray becase i have heard great things about that too.
Thanks for the avatar compliments! The pic is not from Brett's book, although that one does look awesome too |
Some people have a way with words, and other people...oh, uh, not have way. -Steve Martin
Amazon "KindleUnlimited" Free Trial: http://amzn.to/2AJ4yD2
Try Audible and Get 2 Free Audio Books! https://amzn.to/2IgBede |
Edited by - Artemas Entreri on 17 Oct 2011 15:52:47 |
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Dennis
Great Reader
9933 Posts |
Posted - 21 Oct 2011 : 07:49:18
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quote: Originally posted by entreri3478
quote: Originally posted by Dennis
quote: Originally posted by entreri3478
I do prefer for an author to take as much time as they need to produce a quality piece of work. I can't stand when authors write 1 book per year whether they have a good story or not....Stephen King comes to mind.
Sometimes, it's not really the author's wish that his books are published just one per year. [The publisher and some other intergalactic factors contribute to such delay.] Though in the case of Martin and Jordan, it was, as they couldn't really write that fast, or rather didn't want to sacrifice quality for speed.
[And oh! I like your new avatar! It looks like the one in the cover of The Warded Man by Peter V. Brett. Is it?]
Have not read Jordan yet, but I love Martin's books...
Jordan’s writing sometimes tends to be convoluted and brims with trivial details, and reflects a lot of Tolkien-influences. However, I disagree with some people who call him [in some reviews I read] a “pretentious, old blabbermouth.” I cannot call him great, but he isn’t a bad author either. It takes a huge amount of talent and skill to paint a world so vividly and flesh out memorable characters.
The thing is, talking about Jordan’s magnum opus [I guess I can call the series that, since he’s dead, can’t I?], I often stumble at a quandary. I did like the first half of the WoT, but stopped at Book 8, having seen that he seemed to have plagiarized his own work. I might pick up the ninth book in some distant future, or at the very least, the installment where Sanderson first took over. |
Every beginning has an end. |
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Artemas Entreri
Great Reader
USA
3131 Posts |
Posted - 21 Oct 2011 : 13:46:23
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quote: Originally posted by Dennis
quote: Originally posted by entreri3478
quote: Originally posted by Dennis
quote: Originally posted by entreri3478
I do prefer for an author to take as much time as they need to produce a quality piece of work. I can't stand when authors write 1 book per year whether they have a good story or not....Stephen King comes to mind.
Sometimes, it's not really the author's wish that his books are published just one per year. [The publisher and some other intergalactic factors contribute to such delay.] Though in the case of Martin and Jordan, it was, as they couldn't really write that fast, or rather didn't want to sacrifice quality for speed.
[And oh! I like your new avatar! It looks like the one in the cover of The Warded Man by Peter V. Brett. Is it?]
Have not read Jordan yet, but I love Martin's books...
Jordan’s writing sometimes tends to be convoluted and brims with trivial details, and reflects a lot of Tolkien-influences. However, I disagree with some people who call him [in some reviews I read] a “pretentious, old blabbermouth.” I cannot call him great, but he isn’t a bad author either. It takes a huge amount of talent and skill to paint a world so vividly and flesh out memorable characters.
The thing is, talking about Jordan’s magnum opus [I guess I can call the series that, since he’s dead, can’t I?], I often stumble at a quandary. I did like the first half of the WoT, but stopped at Book 8, having seen that he seemed to have plagiarized his own work. I might pick up the ninth book in some distant future, or at the very least, the installment where Sanderson first took over.
I have heard the same. Not sure when i will tackle the WoT, but it will probably be one book at a time. I'm curious to see what i think of his writing style.
Speaking of long epic fantasy series: any thoughts on the Sword of Truth books by Terry Goodkind? |
Some people have a way with words, and other people...oh, uh, not have way. -Steve Martin
Amazon "KindleUnlimited" Free Trial: http://amzn.to/2AJ4yD2
Try Audible and Get 2 Free Audio Books! https://amzn.to/2IgBede |
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Firestorm
Senior Scribe
Canada
826 Posts |
Posted - 22 Oct 2011 : 01:51:22
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quote: Originally posted by Dennis
quote: Originally posted by entreri3478
quote: Originally posted by Dennis
quote: Originally posted by entreri3478
I do prefer for an author to take as much time as they need to produce a quality piece of work. I can't stand when authors write 1 book per year whether they have a good story or not....Stephen King comes to mind.
Sometimes, it's not really the author's wish that his books are published just one per year. [The publisher and some other intergalactic factors contribute to such delay.] Though in the case of Martin and Jordan, it was, as they couldn't really write that fast, or rather didn't want to sacrifice quality for speed.
[And oh! I like your new avatar! It looks like the one in the cover of The Warded Man by Peter V. Brett. Is it?]
Have not read Jordan yet, but I love Martin's books...
Jordan’s writing sometimes tends to be convoluted and brims with trivial details, and reflects a lot of Tolkien-influences. However, I disagree with some people who call him [in some reviews I read] a “pretentious, old blabbermouth.” I cannot call him great, but he isn’t a bad author either. It takes a huge amount of talent and skill to paint a world so vividly and flesh out memorable characters.
The thing is, talking about Jordan’s magnum opus [I guess I can call the series that, since he’s dead, can’t I?], I often stumble at a quandary. I did like the first half of the WoT, but stopped at Book 8, having seen that he seemed to have plagiarized his own work. I might pick up the ninth book in some distant future, or at the very least, the installment where Sanderson first took over.
You poor person. book 8 was a beginning of the downside of his series, but book 9 was amazing and a huge step up. Book 10 was probably the worst book in the series. I can say with certainty that more happens in the prologue of book 11 than all of book 10. you can almost skip book 10 and not miss a beat in the series. The books by Sanderson so far have been a huge breath of fresh air since he seems determined to get to the point. |
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Firestorm
Senior Scribe
Canada
826 Posts |
Posted - 22 Oct 2011 : 02:06:50
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quote: Originally posted by entreri3478
quote: Originally posted by Dennis
quote: Originally posted by entreri3478
quote: Originally posted by Dennis
quote: Originally posted by entreri3478
I do prefer for an author to take as much time as they need to produce a quality piece of work. I can't stand when authors write 1 book per year whether they have a good story or not....Stephen King comes to mind.
Sometimes, it's not really the author's wish that his books are published just one per year. [The publisher and some other intergalactic factors contribute to such delay.] Though in the case of Martin and Jordan, it was, as they couldn't really write that fast, or rather didn't want to sacrifice quality for speed.
[And oh! I like your new avatar! It looks like the one in the cover of The Warded Man by Peter V. Brett. Is it?]
Have not read Jordan yet, but I love Martin's books...
Jordan’s writing sometimes tends to be convoluted and brims with trivial details, and reflects a lot of Tolkien-influences. However, I disagree with some people who call him [in some reviews I read] a “pretentious, old blabbermouth.” I cannot call him great, but he isn’t a bad author either. It takes a huge amount of talent and skill to paint a world so vividly and flesh out memorable characters.
The thing is, talking about Jordan’s magnum opus [I guess I can call the series that, since he’s dead, can’t I?], I often stumble at a quandary. I did like the first half of the WoT, but stopped at Book 8, having seen that he seemed to have plagiarized his own work. I might pick up the ninth book in some distant future, or at the very least, the installment where Sanderson first took over.
I have heard the same. Not sure when i will tackle the WoT, but it will probably be one book at a time. I'm curious to see what i think of his writing style.
Speaking of long epic fantasy series: any thoughts on the Sword of Truth books by Terry Goodkind?
Sword of truth was epic and fail all rolled into one.
The first book could easily be a standalone. Kind of like the first Matrix movie. It was amazing. Book 2 was also good, but droned a bit, as did book 3. I enjoyed book 4, but it was the beginning of the downslide of the series. Soul of fire droned a lot more, and then there were several terrible books in a row, which were very hard to read(My opinion of course)
Then Chainfire came out, and I was happy again. I enjoyed that trilogy end to the series.
I did not enjoy the new book at all. |
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Quale
Master of Realmslore
1757 Posts |
Posted - 22 Oct 2011 : 14:42:00
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Tolkien
And Steven Erikson, quite the opposite style of writing, overpowered characters. Sort of guilty pleasure reading for me |
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Artemas Entreri
Great Reader
USA
3131 Posts |
Posted - 22 Oct 2011 : 14:48:16
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quote: Originally posted by Quale
Tolkien
And Steven Erikson, quite the opposite style of writing, overpowered characters. Sort of guilty pleasure reading for me
I am reading Esselmont's Night of Knives now as a prelude before i jump into Erickson's series |
Some people have a way with words, and other people...oh, uh, not have way. -Steve Martin
Amazon "KindleUnlimited" Free Trial: http://amzn.to/2AJ4yD2
Try Audible and Get 2 Free Audio Books! https://amzn.to/2IgBede |
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Quale
Master of Realmslore
1757 Posts |
Posted - 22 Oct 2011 : 14:56:02
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Have fun, he gets much better in Return of the Crimson Guard and Stonewielder. And Erikson's first book is often hard to get through. |
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Artemas Entreri
Great Reader
USA
3131 Posts |
Posted - 22 Oct 2011 : 14:58:20
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quote: Originally posted by Quale
Have fun, he gets much better in Return of the Crimson Guard and Stonewielder. And Erikson's first book is often hard to get through.
I am only about 40 pages in, and it is sort of slow. I read some great reviews though so I will continue to push through |
Some people have a way with words, and other people...oh, uh, not have way. -Steve Martin
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Dennis
Great Reader
9933 Posts |
Posted - 22 Oct 2011 : 22:23:44
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quote: Originally posted by Quale
And Erikson's first book is often hard to get through.
Agreed. I stopped in the middle, grabbed and finished a dozen other novels, then resumed some days after. |
Every beginning has an end. |
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Quale
Master of Realmslore
1757 Posts |
Posted - 23 Oct 2011 : 13:32:10
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I think it was originally from his pen and paper game, first written for a film. And I remember first two hundred pages of the second book were tiring, then it's mostly page-turning until the book 7.
There's a lot of ideas you can lift for D&D, e.g. I imagine some of the Imaskari system of magic similar to the warrens.
And I forgot about Jack Vance, I'd vote for him.
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Edited by - Quale on 23 Oct 2011 13:36:08 |
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Dennis
Great Reader
9933 Posts |
Posted - 23 Oct 2011 : 14:01:39
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Indeed. When the mages first used the Warrens, the Imaskari immediately came to mind.
My main complaint of Erikson's writing is that it tends to be "chaotic." And the way he introduces his characters is often out of the blue. |
Every beginning has an end. |
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Artemas Entreri
Great Reader
USA
3131 Posts |
Posted - 23 Oct 2011 : 15:11:05
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quote: Originally posted by Dennis
quote: Originally posted by Quale
And Erikson's first book is often hard to get through.
Agreed. I stopped in the middle, grabbed and finished a dozen other novels, then resumed some days after.
The first 50 pages of Night of Knives has failed to grab my attention. Thinking about moving on to something else and coming back it later |
Some people have a way with words, and other people...oh, uh, not have way. -Steve Martin
Amazon "KindleUnlimited" Free Trial: http://amzn.to/2AJ4yD2
Try Audible and Get 2 Free Audio Books! https://amzn.to/2IgBede |
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