Kevin's Watch

Posted: **Mon Dec 29, 2003 2:37 am**

Just got my final Earthsea book: The Other Wind (and The Da Vinci Code) with my B&N Xmas gift certificate!!!! Will begin right after Martin's Tuf Voyaging, which I'm almost done with...it's a very good and fun book, btw...

Posted: **Mon Dec 29, 2003 6:00 pm**

I'm reading David Gemmell's Dark Moon. This is one of his few stand-alone epic fantasies. Pretty good - Gemmell can always be relied upon to deliver a solid well-told story. He won't blow you away, but he will provide an entertaining read.

Posted: **Tue Dec 30, 2003 5:27 am**

I'm reading LEGENDS II ed. by Robert Silverberg. So far, so good.

-Neil

Posted: **Tue Dec 30, 2003 5:46 pm**

Legends II is up next for me. Too bad Donaldson doesn't have a Covenant story in there. What a wonderful appetizer that would be for us.

Posted: **Tue Dec 30, 2003 6:25 pm**

Roland, that's an interesting topic in and of itself--it appears that Robert Silverberg (the editor for the Legends series) is either an idiot or has something against SRD. U'll notice in his intro 2 (the 1st) Legends that his "history" of fantasy jumps from Le Guin and McCaffrey straight to Jordan, Card and Martin--completely omitting Donaldson. (McCaffrey's more popular stuff isn't "strictly" fantasy anyway) I've never liked Silverburg's stuff and I don't like him here!

Grrrrrrrr! Doesn't even mention Moorcock--seems like his "tastes" are all based on mass market sales figures...

Posted: **Tue Dec 30, 2003 7:06 pm**

danlo, I could not agree more. I too, am a big fan of Moorcock and the Elric books. And not mentioning Donaldson in his forwards is indeed a gross omittance. Even if you do not like Donaldson's writing style and use of big words, there is no denying that the Chronicles and the Gap books are extraordinary works of fiction.

Fist and Faith, I have fallen in love with the Earthsea books and already finished the first one, in the middle of the second one now, which I find moves a bit slower then the first. But still very enjoyable. I agree with Furls about the peaceful serenity of books as well.

Posted: **Tue Dec 30, 2003 7:37 pm**

Danlo, it's been a long time since I read that introduction in the original Legends collection. If Silverberg was writing the introduction as mainly a framework for the stories in the book, then I can understand his jumping from LeGuin and McCaffrey to Card, Martin, etc., because these writers were the ones included in the book.

However, if the introduction was an essay on the genre's development, then you're right, omitting Donaldson was a terrible oversight.

As for a "feud" or something similar between Donaldson and Silverberg, who knows? Does anyone know if Silverberg even solicited an original entry from Donaldson? And if so, did Donaldson turn him down? Demand too much money? Want to write a Mordant's Need story instead of Covenant? There are too many intangibles.

I'm coming across as some sort of defender of Silverbob, which isn't really the case. I just feel an editor sometimes has a pretty thankless job.

As for Silverberg's own entry, I've never been that big of a Majipoor Chronicles fan, anyway, and I thought his story was the second worst of the entire collection. It really felt like he was just mailing one in - slow-paced and went nowhere.

Posted: **Tue Dec 30, 2003 8:32 pm**

The Illearth Wars baby!

(yeah, I know i'm slow -_-)

Posted: **Wed Dec 31, 2003 6:47 pm**

I'm excited 2 announce the creation of a Michael Moorcock topic in General Fantasy at Ahira's Hangar!! While it centers on the Elric books, I plan to have lots of web resources and other Moorcock books reviewed there 2. So if you dig decrepit ol' Elric and the AWESOME sword Stormbringer...get yer butts on over there! (click my www, below, 2 get there, right away)

Posted: **Wed Dec 31, 2003 9:14 pm**

Bishopp's Heir - Katherine Kurtz

Posted: **Wed Dec 31, 2003 9:54 pm**

ROdAN wrote:Bishopp's Heir - Katherine Kurtz

*GASP*

Seriously???

Those were my very first real fantasy love! I read them before TCTC, before Tolkien.....they were the ones that got me hooked for life. Not to mention taught me everything I know about the historical Catholic Church...

In 16 years I've never met anyone else (who wasn't related to me) who ever heard of them or Kurtz!

So....YAY!!

Posted: **Wed Dec 31, 2003 11:23 pm**

feel free 2 make Kurtz topic at Hangar too...

Posted: **Wed Dec 31, 2003 11:31 pm**

*sigh*

I fear it wouuld just be me and RodAN all by our lonesomes in there....

Posted: **Wed Dec 31, 2003 11:35 pm**

No it wouldn't all sort of weird fantasy fans (not just weird Watchers) pop in there from time to time MsMary moderates and she may have read Kurtz--duchess has read everything under the sun--and tho I haven't read any I'd pop in occasionally, just 2 b silly!

Posted: **Wed Dec 31, 2003 11:37 pm**

Well, ok.....twist my arm a little harder....

Ok, ok, ow! uncle!!

*goes to start a Kurtz thread at the Hangar....*

Posted: **Wed Dec 31, 2003 11:38 pm**

Are you suggesting, Sir, that I am a weird Watcher?

Posted: **Wed Dec 31, 2003 11:49 pm**

if the pointy elvish boot fits...

Posted: **Thu Jan 01, 2004 3:39 pm**

Just be aware that when you post the topic, Shatterskull will whine about how the book reads like vcr instructions. He's such an idiot; I wonder if he ever reads his own crap? "Dark of the Dead" read like step one of vcr instructions, over and over and over and over again. Like, how many times do I need to plug the darn thing in, anyway?!?

Just pickin' on ya, cromass!

Posted: **Thu Jan 01, 2004 6:33 pm**

Don't worry--I delete like heck over there!

Posted: **Fri Jan 02, 2004 3:50 pm**

I read the first three Deryni novels way back in the mid-seventies. Pre-Covenant, but not pre-Tolkien. I liked them, but wasn't blown away. Perhaps I should give Kurtz another look.

Kevin's Watch

What fantasy/science fiction book are you reading RIGHT NOW?