I just thought he meant that power unearned somewhat presumes important cautionary lessons were skipped that would have otherwise been encountered and learned. A sort of extension of respect for great force. You're not supposed to fear or dismiss the severity of a sawblade, you're supposed to respec...

5. Minor points of inconsistency. While the company emerges desperately thirsty from Lost Deep, Galt's needs are virtually ignored for something like 24 hours as he keeps the Croyel prisoner and everybody else drinks, eats, and bathes. I guess he's just tough and doesn't have needs. But along the s...

Nice post, I definitely connect with what you're saying here. The chapter "Private Carrion" really got on my nerves, not only due to SWMNBN's drawn-out 'attack', but also because of SRD's constant reference to the imaginary bugs and creepy-crawlies that She's presence inflicted upon Linden...

SRD sometimes chooses names for his characters with care and deliberation - Martiihr, Stave etc obviously both having a double meaning. For the same reasons, the Ramen Cord who you're referring to is VERY definitively Pahni, and NOT Phani... He he, that may have been a Freudian slip on my part beca...

I'll restrict myself to a short answer. Once you accept the notion that all of these characters find their genesis in Covenant's mind, the explanation is clear. Naturally they know all the words he knows. This does not imply it's a dream or hallucination, at all to me. That would stand to reason in...

A reluctance to spill blood? Okay, maybe in ROTE and FR (in these, pretty much the only character of any interest/depth that buys the farm is the Mahdoubt and even then of her own choosing). But in AATE??? Surely SRD becomes the Grim Reaper all of a sudden and abruptly scythes pretty central charac...

I don't like them. Well, it's really not that I don't LIKE them. It's just that they're boring and there are too many of them. I can't keep them straight. I loved Foamfollower in 1st chronicles. I've said many times over the years that he's one of the best characters in fantasy. I loved the Giants ...

I strongly urge everyone who does not like this book to give it another reading. I think this is the best book in the entire series. I'm riveted. Donaldson is in top form. Every character is vivid and human in ways that teach many lessons about the struggles of life. As per usual, the reader will b...

That's why I love this show. It's my favorite on TV right now, and has been since the pilot. Even 'Lost' couldn't take that spot. This show has done this for me several times now. Totally shocking me without betraying character motivations. Walt's move last night is consistent with his character, th...

Ok, well I've been following this thread for months, to help put the pieces together from week to week. Personally, I loved the finale, the whole battle between Locke and Jack was great, the closing of the eye to end the series. I even kind of like the dead afterlife flash sideways mess - gives us a...

Oh jeez, my son thinks Jim Carrey would be a good Foamfollower. (Don't worry, I'll ground him...)

Actually, I still think the best Covenant would be Russell Crowe, but Hugh Laurie is definitely number two for me.

Another important factor that neither of us has really accounted for is where power fits in, situations where female preference has little or no impact. Rape during war, slavery and other situations, the killing off of competetive males, aristocrats or chiefs with choice of a woman, or multiple wom...

Oh yes, parsing [sp?] occurs, both for the pattern and difference recognition hardwired aspects. But the place the lines are drawn...maybe better: the categories they are placed under, are conditioned/environmental. Ok, I can dig that. To me, this is the same as saying in/out group psychology is ha...

Richard Dawkins has a very good (in my opinion) take on this set out (I think) in the Ancestor's Tale. The point is that our brain is wired to find distinctions and groupings (ingroups and outgroups, if you like) and especially group opposites (black/white, hot/cold etc) as it does tend to help mak...

Essentially, yes...I think there are a couple other instincts, but not many. And I agree we are 'pack-like' to some extent, but not born with a preference for a particular pack [like race, for example]. I'll be interested in what you have to say. Well, I actually couldn't find anything that just co...

I don't think this is innate either...I think it's learned/cultural. Are you saying ingroup/outgroup sociology is learned/cultural? One has to wonder where the line between that and genetic adaptation lies. I think it's instinctive and I think it has everything to do with a genetic imperative to ev...

I may be out on a limb, but considering in-group/out-group instincts, perhaps racism is nothing more than the dying whimper of our innate resistance to racial homogenization. I don't think this is innate either...I think it's learned/cultural. Are you saying ingroup/outgroup sociology is learned/cu...

I may be out on a limb, but considering in-group/out-group instincts, perhaps racism is nothing more than the dying whimper of our innate resistance to racial homogenization.

Do we really need to see Lucy Lawless in her birthday suit?

I forgot all about this show, though I was excited to check it out. I think I'll dump my expectations before I see this...

Ok, well you two made me feel a bit better. I have heard they eventually make it off the island, only to return again. I'm anxious to discover how that plays out, and what compells the characters to return. John Locke's motivation to return would seem obvious (that is, if ever even leaves in the fir...