| Author |
 Topic  |
|
thomas b.
Acolyte
24 Posts |
 Posted - 29 May 2005 : 22:18:50
|
ok this book was the first novel ive ever read. i found that they were awseome.but i would really like to know ho everyone else in here fells about them.
|
|
|
Shadovar
Senior Scribe
785 Posts |
Posted - 30 May 2005 : 02:04:35
|
| Well the book was no doubt an excellent novel. The books continuing after Homeland were great too. |
We have fostered trust, recruited loyalty, and gathered the faithful. We have trained thousands. Our legions can cover the land, fill the sky and travel through the darkness. We can hunt any and all that would deny our heritage. Now is our time, now is the time of the Dark Reign(Rain) of the Empire of Shadows.
- High Prince Telemont Tanthul, Lord Shadow
In a speech given to the citizens of Shade Enclave
At the celebration of the Shinantra Battle victory when he revealed that he was THE Lord Shadow of legend. |
 |
|
|
Rivalen
Acolyte
19 Posts |
Posted - 30 May 2005 : 03:11:36
|
| Aye Shadovar is right, for I read the book over and over for five times. |
Fight to win, but donlt fight too long or for glorious tales. |
|
|
|
Winterfox
Senior Scribe
895 Posts |
Posted - 30 May 2005 : 07:22:43
|
The first trilogy was a decent read, and an exploration of a new culture -- the drow -- was fascinating, although even then I was beginning to be put off by Drizzt's excessive introspection and the ham-fisted approach to pseudo-philosophical pretensions pondering. The books following that, IMO, deteriorate pretty quickly. |
|
|
|
khorne
Master of Realmslore
Finland
1073 Posts |
Posted - 30 May 2005 : 07:38:59
|
quote:
Originally posted by Winterfox
The first trilogy was a decent read, and an exploration of a new culture -- the drow -- was fascinating, although even then I was beginning to be put off by Drizzt's excessive introspection and the ham-fisted approach to pseudo-philosophical pretensions pondering. The books following that, IMO, deteriorate pretty quickly.
None of the books deteriorated in my opinion. |
If I were a ranger, I would pick NDA for my favorite enemy |
|
|
|
Winterfox
Senior Scribe
895 Posts |
Posted - 30 May 2005 : 11:33:55
|
| Hence the "IMO" for qualification. :) |
|
|
|
Tremaine
Seeker
United Kingdom
86 Posts |
Posted - 30 May 2005 : 13:21:21
|
For myself I liked all the Drizzt books up until the Passage of Dawn after that I haven't enjoyed reading any of the R.A.S Drizzt novels apart from the servant of the shard and after struggling to finish the Thousand orcs, I've not read an R.A.S novel since.
I really enjoyed his earlier works through the IWT, DET and the cleric Quintet |
|
|
|
thomas b.
Acolyte
24 Posts |
Posted - 30 May 2005 : 14:16:45
|
| yeah they kind of died out for me after the first three books they became to predictable.although ive recently picked up the daughter of the drow.its by elaine cunningham,its about the adventures of menzoberranzans archmage Gromph Benraes daghter.there pretty good. |
THOMAS BENJAMIN |
|
|
|
KnightErrantJR
Great Reader
USA
5402 Posts |
Posted - 30 May 2005 : 14:43:41
|
I loved the original Dark Elf trilogy, and the Icewind Dale trilogy. Passage to Dawn did seem to be a turning point, in my mind, that seemed to, instead of moving the characters forward and apart to develop, seemed to force them back into their old roles, and set up this "everything comes back around" philosphy that seems to dominate the books now.
Everyone in the party will fall back into their old roles, and they will look to do what they have always done, and Bruenor's new "Gauntlgrym" quest seems to be "Mithril Hall" quest number two.
I know there are a lot of scribes that disagree with me on this one, but the only book in the midst of all of that that I think showed real potential is Spine of the World, becuase Wulfgar was alone, with new surroundings, doing honest soul searching, fighting more personal fights and not saving the world or the city, etc.
Servant of the Shard wasn't bad, but then it really didn't truly deal with the Company of the Hall either, it was a new series with related characters (which is the direction I wish RAS would take for a while).
I personally think, character development wise, Bruenor should be settling down with Stumpet (there was a dangling plot thread dropped in the last trilogy), maybe leading troops but getting used to the throne, with Regis helping him administrate.
Drizzt and Catti-Brie should be either back on Duedermont's ship or wandering the northern wilds fighting monsters.
Wulfgar should be settled down as a blacksmith in some town. Dispite the Sea of Swords storyline, I think both the Crystal Shard and Spine of the World show that Wulfgar can be a man of action, but can be happy just working with his hands. If this isn't true, then what did Bruenor teach him? |
|
|
|
SiriusBlack
Great Reader
USA
5517 Posts |
Posted - 30 May 2005 : 16:09:52
|
quote:
Originally posted by khorne
quote:
Originally posted by Winterfox
The first trilogy was a decent read, and an exploration of a new culture -- the drow -- was fascinating, although even then I was beginning to be put off by Drizzt's excessive introspection and the ham-fisted approach to pseudo-philosophical pretensions pondering. The books following that, IMO, deteriorate pretty quickly.
None of the books deteriorated in my opinion.
I'm with Winterfox. I feel the Drizzt novels went down in quality as more came out. But, I'm in the minority as the books are more popular than ever as evidenced by best seller lists. |
|
|
|
Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36782 Posts |
Posted - 30 May 2005 : 16:22:37
|
quote:
Originally posted by SiriusBlack
quote:
Originally posted by khorne
quote:
Originally posted by Winterfox
The first trilogy was a decent read, and an exploration of a new culture -- the drow -- was fascinating, although even then I was beginning to be put off by Drizzt's excessive introspection and the ham-fisted approach to pseudo-philosophical pretensions pondering. The books following that, IMO, deteriorate pretty quickly.
None of the books deteriorated in my opinion.
I'm with Winterfox. I feel the Drizzt novels went down in quality as more came out. But, I'm in the minority as the books are more popular than ever as evidenced by best seller lists.
I'll agree, as well. With the notable exception of Servant of the Shard, my enjoyment of the Drizzt books has deteriorated as more books have come out. It gets to a point where they're just not as much fun to read any more.
In fact, I've still not read the Hunter's Blade books. I simply feel no urge to do so. |
Candlekeep Forums Moderator
Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
http://www.candlekeep.com -- Candlekeep Forum Code of Conduct
I am the Giant Space Hamster of Ill Omen!  |
|
|
|
thomas b.
Acolyte
24 Posts |
Posted - 30 May 2005 : 17:03:37
|
| i havent read them all yet but im trying to get my hands onto the servant of the shard.i just think RAS just started an interesting charactor(s) but didnt develop them enough. |
THOMAS BENJAMIN |
|
|
|
LordAnki
Seeker
USA
73 Posts |
Posted - 30 May 2005 : 18:13:13
|
Homeland, Exile and Sojourn were great! I loved em. Took a while to read Homeland just cuz I didn't really like reading as much at that time period. (Couple months ago) and then I sped thru Exile and Sojourn in 2 weeks together. Icewind Dale Tril was good too. I'm on Legacy and I can already predict what is gonna happen but it is still entricing. I'm gonna go ahead and read all the Drizzt books just because I can.
Well look what happened to Dragonlance books. I mena my friend who lets me borrow all the FR books has a collection of DL books as well and well. He stopped buying them when they killed all the deities. |
Tip of the Month: don't drink the dirty water. You know what i'm talking about if you know what i mean. |
|
|
|
Winterfox
Senior Scribe
895 Posts |
Posted - 31 May 2005 : 02:25:40
|
quote:
Originally posted by SiriusBlack
I'm with Winterfox. I feel the Drizzt novels went down in quality as more came out. But, I'm in the minority as the books are more popular than ever as evidenced by best seller lists.
It's kind of funny. Although best seller lists make it apparent that the books still sell by the oodleplex, I think your opinion (and mine) is shared by more and more people (on this message board, on that message board, and on and on). It just so happens that content readers tend not to be very vocal, I guess. Which is why WotC, for instance, doesn't take fan feedback very seriously. (Such as the frequently expressed desire to, say, see more Elaith, Arilyn and Danilo.) |
|
|
|
KnightErrantJR
Great Reader
USA
5402 Posts |
Posted - 31 May 2005 : 02:30:13
|
| I think part of it also is that there are some of us that did indeed like the earlier books and keep holding out hope that RAS might recapture the spark that the earlier books seemed to have. I would also point out that I have discussed similar feelins with my mother and her devotion to Stephen King. She absolutely loved his earlier work, but she has been less and less impressed with his work over the years, but she keeps reading a hoping for a return to type . . . so to speak. |
|
|
|
Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36782 Posts |
Posted - 31 May 2005 : 03:30:46
|
quote:
Originally posted by KnightErrantJR
I think part of it also is that there are some of us that did indeed like the earlier books and keep holding out hope that RAS might recapture the spark that the earlier books seemed to have. I would also point out that I have discussed similar feelins with my mother and her devotion to Stephen King. She absolutely loved his earlier work, but she has been less and less impressed with his work over the years, but she keeps reading a hoping for a return to type . . . so to speak.
I can agree with that. I'd love to see Salvatore's books go back to the more fun and freewheeling style of the original trilogy. And though I've not been reading much of King's newer stuff of late, I agree that his early stuff was a lot better. |
Candlekeep Forums Moderator
Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
http://www.candlekeep.com -- Candlekeep Forum Code of Conduct
I am the Giant Space Hamster of Ill Omen! |
|
|
|
Winterfox
Senior Scribe
895 Posts |
Posted - 31 May 2005 : 04:57:21
|
| Oh, yes, there's definitely that, too. I think it happens a lot for good authors gone godawful. Some people I know still buy Laurell K. Hamilton, Terry Goodkind, and Robert Jordan in the desperate (and often utterly vain) hope that they'll regain their former glory and produce actually enjoyable books instead of repetitive tripe. |
|
|
|
thomas b.
Acolyte
24 Posts |
Posted - 31 May 2005 : 05:06:03
|
| i heard the terry goodkind and robert jordan books were great. |
THOMAS BENJAMIN |
|
|
|
Winterfox
Senior Scribe
895 Posts |
Posted - 31 May 2005 : 05:47:04
|
| I never made it past the first book of Wheel of Time; I'm thankful my survival instinct kicked in so early. Sadly, with Goodkind's Sword of Truth, I wasn't so lucky. The series started out good. It had its share of cliches, but it was compelling, fun, and interesting. Then later it devolved into political preaching and, by book six or so, the protagonist has turned into a self-righteous, insufferable Marty Stu who can do anything, know everything, and is invulnerable to all harm. The plot starts to regurgitate itself with alarming indecency, and the series just drags on and on. I understand that the latest book, Chainfire, is the beginning of the end, though. (Two more books to go, or so.) I stopped reading at Pillars of Creation. |
|
|
|
Krafus
Learned Scribe
246 Posts |
Posted - 31 May 2005 : 13:44:25
|
quote:
Originally posted by thomas b.
i heard the terry goodkind and robert jordan books were great.
The first two Goodkind books were passable - not good, but passable. After that, it becomes obvious the author didn't have a story arc for the series when he started. And then, in book 5 IIRC from Amazon comments, he starts hitting readers on the head with political statements (communism is bad! Peace protesters are bad!).
As for Jordan, his first five books some of the best fantasy novels I've read. Unfortunately, the plot starts to noticeably slow down with book 6, and book 10, according to many, many Amazon reviews, features zero plot development.
Now, to go back to this thread's current discussion, I also feel that the quality of Drizzt novels have diminished over time. Maybe it's because familiarity breeds boredom, or because my tastes in fantasy reading have changed, but the Hunter's Blades books never came close to evoking in me the forget-everything excitement I had when first reading Homeland, The Legacy, Starless Night or Siege of Darkness. Of his recent (relatively speaking) novels, the one I enjoyed most was Servant of the Shard. Ah, well. At least I can look forward to the return of the fun duo in Promise of the Witch-King. |
|
|
|
khorne
Master of Realmslore
Finland
1073 Posts |
Posted - 31 May 2005 : 19:11:54
|
quote:
Originally posted by Krafus
quote:
Originally posted by thomas b.
i heard the terry goodkind and robert jordan books were great.
The first two Goodkind books were passable - not good, but passable. After that, it becomes obvious the author didn't have a story arc for the series when he started. And then, in book 5 IIRC from Amazon comments, he starts hitting readers on the head with political statements (communism is bad! Peace protesters are bad!).
As for Jordan, his first five books some of the best fantasy novels I've read. Unfortunately, the plot starts to noticeably slow down with book 6, and book 10, according to many, many Amazon reviews, features zero plot development.
Now, to go back to this thread's current discussion, I also feel that the quality of Drizzt novels have diminished over time. Maybe it's because familiarity breeds boredom, or because my tastes in fantasy reading have changed, but the Hunter's Blades books never came close to evoking in me the forget-everything excitement I had when first reading Homeland, The Legacy, Starless Night or Siege of Darkness. Of his recent (relatively speaking) novels, the one I enjoyed most was Servant of the Shard. Ah, well. At least I can look forward to the return of the fun duo in Promise of the Witch-King.
Well, I have read all Drizzt books and I must admit I don`t understand what you mean with "diminished". As for Robert Jordan, what do you mean slowed down? I`ve read all ten books three times(4-5 in some cases) now and in my opinion they are all great. |
If I were a ranger, I would pick NDA for my favorite enemy |
|
|
|
Krafus
Learned Scribe
246 Posts |
Posted - 31 May 2005 : 21:06:55
|
quote:
Originally posted by khorne
Well, I have read all Drizzt books and I must admit I don`t understand what you mean with "diminished". As for Robert Jordan, what do you mean slowed down? I`ve read all ten books three times(4-5 in some cases) now and in my opinion they are all great.
I mean the same thing as Winterfox and SiriusBlack. Drizzt and co. never die (or are brought back to life), plots feel recycled. As I said, perhaps in my case it's just a case of Drizzt overdose.
As for Robert Jordan... Look at book 8. It takes about a whole chapter for the women (Nynaeve, Elayne & co.) to leave Ebou Dar by gate. I wanted to scream at them "Get on with it!". The plot advancement had slowed to a crawl. Book 9 had something resembling a passable ending, but book in 10, according to many Amazon reviews, the plot practically stopped and a good part of the book is devoted to what happens before the ending of book 9. And then there's all the descriptions of clothing and all the minor characters that I can't keep track of. I really can't understand how anyone can like book 8 (and I would add book 10 if I had wasted money on it), but everyone is entitled to their opinion. |
|
|
|
Alaundo
Head Moderator
United Kingdom
5692 Posts |
|
|
Winterfox
Senior Scribe
895 Posts |
Posted - 01 Jun 2005 : 12:51:41
|
quote:
Originally posted by khorne
Well, I have read all Drizzt books and I must admit I don`t understand what you mean with "diminished". As for Robert Jordan, what do you mean slowed down? I`ve read all ten books three times(4-5 in some cases) now and in my opinion they are all great.
I'll admit that I stopped at Passage to Dawn (though I also read Servant of the Shard), so I don't know about the newer ones, ala Sea of Swords through Hunter's Blade trilogy (although the reviews and descriptions from people I trust aren't encouraging). I just feel that Drizzt and co. have stopped developing long ago. Drizzt himself wallows in the same issues for a dozen books. Neither he nor his companions suffer from genuine tragedy or make real errors. The plot's become formulaic. Who cares if there's a new threat and the fate of such-and-such hangs in balance for the umpteenth time? We all know that Drizzt and co. will breeze through it, suffering only superficial physical injuries and gaining little to no emotional development through it.
Mind you, I've never thought that the DE trilogy itself was great. It was entertaining, but no more than that. Something to go through once and never again. I've had problems with Salvatore's style since the beginning (the overuse of exclamation marks in prose that just looks silly rather than omg!TEHDRAMATIC, the feeling that all the female good guys are clone of each other ala Catti-brie and Danica, the sanitized Young Adult feel, and the increasingly dull gratuitous filler combat sequences), anyway, so it's no wonder that my opinions of the later books are even dimmer. |
Edited by - Winterfox on 01 Jun 2005 12:53:16 |
|
|
|
Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36782 Posts |
Posted - 01 Jun 2005 : 17:35:22
|
quote:
Originally posted by Winterfox
quote:
Originally posted by khorne
Well, I have read all Drizzt books and I must admit I don`t understand what you mean with "diminished". As for Robert Jordan, what do you mean slowed down? I`ve read all ten books three times(4-5 in some cases) now and in my opinion they are all great.
I'll admit that I stopped at Passage to Dawn (though I also read Servant of the Shard), so I don't know about the newer ones, ala Sea of Swords through Hunter's Blade trilogy (although the reviews and descriptions from people I trust aren't encouraging). I just feel that Drizzt and co. have stopped developing long ago. Drizzt himself wallows in the same issues for a dozen books. Neither he nor his companions suffer from genuine tragedy or make real errors. The plot's become formulaic. Who cares if there's a new threat and the fate of such-and-such hangs in balance for the umpteenth time? We all know that Drizzt and co. will breeze through it, suffering only superficial physical injuries and gaining little to no emotional development through it.
Mind you, I've never thought that the DE trilogy itself was great. It was entertaining, but no more than that. Something to go through once and never again. I've had problems with Salvatore's style since the beginning (the overuse of exclamation marks in prose that just looks silly rather than omg!TEHDRAMATIC, the feeling that all the female good guys are clone of each other ala Catti-brie and Danica, the sanitized Young Adult feel, and the increasingly dull gratuitous filler combat sequences), anyway, so it's no wonder that my opinions of the later books are even dimmer.
I'll agree with Winterfox, for the most part. I enjoyed the Dark Elf trilogy, though I didn't think it was spectacular (I will reread it, though, and have done so already).
As for the other books, yeah, the lack of development and impact is rather difficult to get passed. It's hard to continue to be concerned about characters when you know that nothing will ever happen to them, and that they will be the same people a trilogy from now that they were a trilogy ago... |
Candlekeep Forums Moderator
Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
http://www.candlekeep.com -- Candlekeep Forum Code of Conduct
I am the Giant Space Hamster of Ill Omen! |
|
|
|
SiriusBlack
Great Reader
USA
5517 Posts |
Posted - 02 Jun 2005 : 13:44:36
|
quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
It's hard to continue to be concerned about characters when you know that nothing will ever happen to them, and that they will be the same people a trilogy from now that they were a trilogy ago...
Or to pay $$$ for such static characters. |
|
|
|
khorne
Master of Realmslore
Finland
1073 Posts |
Posted - 02 Jun 2005 : 17:15:18
|
quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
quote:
Originally posted by Winterfox
quote:
Originally posted by khorne
Well, I have read all Drizzt books and I must admit I don`t understand what you mean with "diminished". As for Robert Jordan, what do you mean slowed down? I`ve read all ten books three times(4-5 in some cases) now and in my opinion they are all great.
I'll admit that I stopped at Passage to Dawn (though I also read Servant of the Shard), so I don't know about the newer ones, ala Sea of Swords through Hunter's Blade trilogy (although the reviews and descriptions from people I trust aren't encouraging). I just feel that Drizzt and co. have stopped developing long ago. Drizzt himself wallows in the same issues for a dozen books. Neither he nor his companions suffer from genuine tragedy or make real errors. The plot's become formulaic. Who cares if there's a new threat and the fate of such-and-such hangs in balance for the umpteenth time? We all know that Drizzt and co. will breeze through it, suffering only superficial physical injuries and gaining little to no emotional development through it.
Mind you, I've never thought that the DE trilogy itself was great. It was entertaining, but no more than that. Something to go through once and never again. I've had problems with Salvatore's style since the beginning (the overuse of exclamation marks in prose that just looks silly rather than omg!TEHDRAMATIC, the feeling that all the female good guys are clone of each other ala Catti-brie and Danica, the sanitized Young Adult feel, and the increasingly dull gratuitous filler combat sequences), anyway, so it's no wonder that my opinions of the later books are even dimmer.
I'll agree with Winterfox, for the most part. I enjoyed the Dark Elf trilogy, though I didn't think it was spectacular (I will reread it, though, and have done so already).
As for the other books, yeah, the lack of development and impact is rather difficult to get passed. It's hard to continue to be concerned about characters when you know that nothing will ever happen to them, and that they will be the same people a trilogy from now that they were a trilogy ago...
Not entirely true. Regis at least has developed some backbone. |
If I were a ranger, I would pick NDA for my favorite enemy |
|
|
|
Josh Davids
Seeker
57 Posts |
Posted - 02 Jun 2005 : 19:07:28
|
I got to agree with what a few have said about the overall direction that has been taken with the books over the years. It just seems to be dragged out over a long period of time to me, all because people know they will sell.
The last book I read was servant of the shard, I have the two swords series all in hardback sitting on my shelves wondering if it is even worth reading or not. I mean does anything even change at all in those two books besides the orc kingdom being set up?
My problem with the books is the way the series started out, Drizzt wasn’t the main character, it was Wulfgar and when Drizzt became popular the focus shifted to the drow. From then on the books seemed flawed, as if he didn’t know exactly what to do with the characters or how to develop them. It seems to slowly stagger along with the same theme repeating over and over again. The shame challenges, the same inner and personal battles, I mean there really is little development in the main characters.
The only two that seemed to have changed overall are Artemis and Jarlaxle, and they weren’t even main characters. Well make that three, add in Regis there but those aren’t even main characters, just side kicks.
Maybe I expected more from the series after reading the Siege of Darkness line and it just never appeared. The only one that really surprised me was Spine of the World and seemed to be the only change in the series. Then he got flak for it and went back to the same old formula, or at least that is the way it appears to this reader.
It just seems he is worried and maybe even fears change, taking a risk on new characters or new changes to the series or is that just me?
The only other problem with his style is the main character is always perfect in some way. Drizzt the perfect fighter, Cadderly the perfect and never wrong cleric, that is the only other thing that gets to me. I just can’t stand characters that are never challenged on their beliefs or ideals, specially ones that go on for as long as this one. They are always right, ug, frustrating. That is the one thing that leads the characters to never changing in my eyes, they are never wrong and never suffer any consequences for their actions.
Am I just wrong in my views and need to take a fresh look at the series through the two swords, or not even bother?
|
|
|
|
Freakboy
Seeker
USA
63 Posts |
Posted - 02 Jun 2005 : 22:28:23
|
I actually liked the Hunter's Blade Trilogy once I managed to get through it. I got really disgusted with book 2 when the Orcs were describing Drizzt as "the one" right about the same time the Matrix sequels were coming out. However, I went back and read them later and was pleasently suprised. I like Salvatore's portrayal of Obould and found the Orc's relative "victory" to be a refreshing change from the usual "all is back to normal" end we get in a lot of his work.
In fairness to Salvatore, his books are very popular. I hear a fair number of people say they don't like the direction his books are going but everything he writes hits the New York Times best seller list and often into the top 5. I believe all the Hunters Blade books made it into the top 5 and I think one made it to 1st overall. That implies that a large number of people still love his books and if anything his popularity is increasing. I still find I enjoy his work when I am in the mood for it, but feel like Drizzt's story has gotten stale. For that reason, I am really looking forward to his Jarlaxle/Entreri series. I think working with some different characters might freshen up his writing, at least to his more critical fans. Everyone I have heard speak on the issue from Elaine to Paul to Richard all say that Salvatore is a extraordinarily generous man and one of the finest people anyone could meet. His writing has opened the world of the Realms to many folks who would otherwise never have heard of them. How many FR gamers got their first exposure to the Realms through Salvatore's novels I wonder? I would speculate a large number. Besides, no matter what else happens, I will always have a fond memory of Drizzt because he was one of the earliest characters I fell in love with in the Realms. Still, I have been as critical of Salvatore's novels of late as anyone, but still consider myself a fan of his work. I would just like to see him focus on other characters for awhile. |
|
|
|
KnightErrantJR
Great Reader
USA
5402 Posts |
Posted - 03 Jun 2005 : 02:45:39
|
| I guess its a fine line to walk. I don't like his books as much as I once did, but I did like his older books and consider him a writer with a great deal of potential. I just keep reading them hoping he finds the old spark, and the closest he has gotten for me lately was Servant of the Shard. The one "recent" book that I thought was a good turn for his writing was Spine of the World, but, dispite what he says about paying attention to what his fans say about his work, he seems to have decided this one time to listen to fans and never write a book like that again, dispite the fact that it actually seemed to have some serious character development in it. |
|
|
|
Winterfox
Senior Scribe
895 Posts |
Posted - 03 Jun 2005 : 05:34:09
|
quote:
Originally posted by khorne
Not entirely true. Regis at least has developed some backbone.
Yeah, as one character out of how many? And ironically, the other day, I saw on Salvatore's board a post from a disgruntled fan. His gripe? That Regis has acquired a spine, and that Drizzt has become less perfect. (Though I can't attest to the "less perfect" part, not having the Hunter's Blade books.) Good grief.
I can see why the books are still popular, however. It's a comfort zone. The Companions of the Hall are always there, never changing, never developing and above all immortal. People are used to it like a pair of old, comfortable shoes, even if the soles have worn so thin and there are holes everywhere. Threaten the comfort zone, and the fanits start shrieking in rage.
Josh Davids said:
quote:
The only other problem with his style is the main character is always perfect in some way. Drizzt the perfect fighter, Cadderly the perfect and never wrong cleric, that is the only other thing that gets to me.
Oh, hell yes. What bothers me is that these characters do have flaws, but they are little author's darlings, and so never suffer from said flaws. Drizzt's brooding never, ever draws an "Oh, snap out of it already!" response from anyone. Cadderly is a self-righteous religious fanatic, but of course his friends all think he's wonderful and can do no wrong. And since he's a Chosen of Deneir and put in all black-and-white situations where he's pitted against tritely evil villains, of course his ideals will never be challenged. Ha. |
Edited by - Winterfox on 03 Jun 2005 06:40:22 |
|
|
|
Topic |
|
|
|
Book discussion:Homeland
