Hurtloam, it is meaningless to judge the Gap series by the first book. The evolution in character and narrative within that series is just staggering.

I'd say from about midway through the second book. That's when Morn starts taking charge of her situation, and from that point she never lets go, and neither do the books.

Morn is SUCH a better character than Linden. Sigh.

The Gap series, no question.

Yes, that is absolutely my biggest problem also, but then there is much less gristle there to actually chew, so it's perhaps inevitable that any discussion veers away from that tack as soon as the first "The worm was sated! No it was not!" have been fired

Zarathistra, you said it better than I ever could. Bravo!

I'm sorry, Wayfriend, we'll just have to agree to disagree

peter wrote: "betimes some wonder...." might better have been "Most of the time some wonder..."

Or even, "every frickin' time, some wonder..."

My problems are more related to the implied contract between author and reader, which in this case, and in my own personal view, was violated. This is an interesting idea with implications wider than SRD and the LCs. To that end I've started a thread in the General Literature: The Implied Contract ...

Wayfriend, those are very different cases. In WGW the end twist is constantly beng foreshadowed. Covenant is always going on about how there's something Foul doesn't understand. Covenant might not always seem confident that he can pull it off, but he has a plan and by god he's going to give it a sho...

TheFallen, yup. Like I said in another thread, I enjoy the themes as much as the next dude, but for me the narrative also has to be on point. A distant third for me is world building and world lore, which mostly leaves me cold except where it pertains to the actual narrative.

This is all sophistry. One could debate world lore till one is blue in the face, but in a story with about as many retcons and contradictions as the Bible, that isn't very productive. My problems are more related to the implied contract between author and reader, which in this case, and in my own pe...

I do realize that people read fiction for different purposes, and perhaps moreso with Donaldson. I realize that if exploring themes of morality and philosophy is what makes you click with Donaldson's books, then I guess you are more likely to appreciate them for that, and gloss over the narrative pr...

These things don't bother me. Details tend to get garbled over the centuries and millennia, and I have no problems if some facts don't line exactly up. I just think "this is what he heard, or is willing to tell, not what actually happened".

In my best Esmer impression, I will not let this stand! :^P 3. How is it that the Elohim didnt know how to put the worm back to sleep, and the, all of the sudden, they did? It's the difference between the Worm being ravenous and devouring Elohim and the Worm being sated with Earthblood. That'd be l...

Oops, I apologize. I see now that the First Impressions thread is where this should go. From the title I gathered that that thread was for first impression starting the book, and not first impressions after finishing it. From which you may glean that I am a very literal-minded person. Which may go s...

SleeplessOne, that just seems like a monster cop-out to me. Sated? The Earthblood was supposed to have the diametrically opposite effect, in fact that was the whole point of the last two books! This rush to find some solution, because once the worm hits the earthblood, it's supercharged, and it's ga...

I absolutely agree. Far too many "rescuers-in-the-nick-of-time out of the machine", throughout the whole 3rd Chronicles. Before I started re-reading the whole series, I thought the 2nd Chronicles were my favourite. Turns out, this time I liked the 1st Chronicles the best - and The Illearth...

Ah, what about the "close-cropped" hair Donaldson is always going on about? I always pictured them much darker of skin too.

Hello! New poster here, but old, old fan of Donaldson since my junior high days when I borrowed the first chronicles from my science teacher. I guess I haven't paid my dues here on the forum to be allowed to criticize, but here goes. The last chronicles were a mixed bag for me. My biggest problems w...