[quote="Damelon" Oh sure just tease us about Gardens of the Moon[/quote]
It is good that you have a sense of humor.
But you might note that I did not find the book all that impressive when I first read it. It was simply too complex. It was only after I finished the Deadhouse Gates that I began understanding what had been going on in the first book. It might be that I did not pay attention to the book the first time, though.
It was much the same with LFB, actually, although I did not have to read that far to get into it. I still remember now that it was very difficult to get to "The Celebration of Spring", but after that I was well and truly hooked.
"Und wenn sie mich suchen, ich halte mich in der Nähe des Wahnsinns auf." Bernd das Brot
Sometimes it's tough getting into a story, for whatever reason. I restarted Atlas Shrugged recently, the first time I got about 250 pages into the book when I got sidetracked. I've been told that I put the book down just before it got good. Well anyway, I restarted reading it but I picked up A Game of Thrones and got sidetracked again. This time though I will get back to the book and finish it.
Damelon wrote:Sometimes it's tough getting into a story, for whatever reason. I restarted Atlas Shrugged recently, the first time I got about 250 pages into the book when I got sidetracked. I've been told that I put the book down just before it got good.
About the time when Hank Rearden was introduced was when I understood why Atlas Shrugged was a classic. I will admit that I did skim lightly through "This is John Galt speaking" though.
"Und wenn sie mich suchen, ich halte mich in der Nähe des Wahnsinns auf." Bernd das Brot
Come on Damelon, give it up...Who's your contact at Amazon?!?! I ordered Gardens of the Moon on December 20th!
Ryzel, what did you think of the Fire and Ice books? I'd put them behind Covenant but ahead of everything else including Tolkein. I just love Martin's style. He doesn't shy away from any subject matter and isn't afraid to axe a character or two. What a refreshing change of pace from the formulaic drivel that abounds.
For me Tolkein didn't resonate as strongly on an emotional level as mush TCTC. LOTR was beautifully crafted and was the first in the genre but it didn't approach the level of gut-wrenching melodrama present in the Chronicles. I think the emotional rush, the highs and lows I experienced during the reading of TCTC has formed the keystone of my addiction to the series and is now what I seek whenever I read anything new.
I can only assume that the infirm old lady who I'm certain is busily transcribing my copy in longhand will be finished shortly. I'm praying her arthritis doesn't act up so that the good folks at Amazon may begin loading it onto the pony express shortly.
Brinn wrote:
Ryzel, what did you think of the Fire and Ice books? I'd put them behind Covenant but ahead of everything else including Tolkein. I just love Martin's style. He doesn't shy away from any subject matter and isn't afraid to axe a character or two. What a refreshing change of pace from the formulaic drivel that abounds.
Actually I have only read the first one, although I have all of them sitting on my shelf. I seem to remember it as being quite good, but that is all I remember about it too.
"Und wenn sie mich suchen, ich halte mich in der Nähe des Wahnsinns auf." Bernd das Brot
Anything by Clive Barker esp Imajica & Weaveworld. Appeals especially to us Brits cos a lot of them are set in England, not all though
THe King of all fantasy/sci if has to be William S Burroughs, most accessible start point is his last trilogy starting with CIties of the Red NIght. The man was an absolute genius. And a smackhead.
I've read both Hamako. I'm a big Clive fan. Funny that you mention this because I was just thinking of buying (I lost my copy) and reading Imajica again.
I've never read Burroughs but I did see Naked Lunch (I think that was by Burroughs?). It looked like a movie based upon a book by a man that was on smack! If his writing is that bizarre I'm not sure I'd enjoy it. I'm more into melodrama and emotional impact when I'm reading.
P.S. I'm halfway through GG Kay's "Tigana" and it's tremendous. The writing has a literary almost poetic quality and the story and characters are spectacular! I hope it remains as good as it's been thus far. I'll give a strong recommendation!
Naked Lunch is way out, and so's the film. Not a good point to start at. Cities of THe Red NIght, Place of Dead Roads and The Western Lands are excellent. Written by the guy when he was in his 70s and incredibly imaginative. Not everyones cup of tea though.
I'm reading Lord of the Rings at the moment - never read it before. It's good but doesn't live up to the hype. Comparisons to TCTC are unfair. I think they are totally different books. There's hardly any character development in LOTR and you don't really get attached to any of them. I don't think it's a patch on the chronicles. Maybe all the hype comes from the fact that LOTR was really the making of the fantasy genre. But then Henry T Ford's cars shouldn't be compared to a Ferrari should they?
Well said! My thoughts exactly. I admire the man for the pioneer that he was and I appreciate the world he's created for it's richness but it just didn't impact me the way that the chronicles have.
Years ago I read a trilogy - Damiano, Damiano's Lute & Raphael, by RA MAcAvoy. Pretty good, about angels, the Devil mortality etc. I'm no god squadder, but enjoyed the symbolism, rich characters etc. Think I still have them in the cellar, might get them out at some point.
Worth a read definitely, very different. You can get them on Amazon , v cheap
Rereading the Hitchhiker's Guide and loving it....one of the few books that makes me laugh out loud (except for Dave Barry)....just thought I should mention it..
"Well of course I understand. You live forever because your pure, sinless service is utterly and indomitably unballasted by any weight or dross of mere human weakness. Ah, the advantages of clean living."
TC to Bannor, LFB
FMI, have you read any of Terry Pratchett's books?
Speaking of, he's got a new book out. I read the dustjacket blurb, and it sounded quite different from the discworld books.
"It is not the literal past that rules us, save, possibly, in a biological sense. It is images of the past. Each new historical era mirrors itself in the picture and active mythology of its past or of a past borrowed from other cultures. It tests its sense of identity, of regress or new achievement against that past.”
-George Steiner
Nah, I haven't...but I just checked out a Neil Gaiman book, Sandman I think it was....someone recommended him. Have you heard of this guy or his books? Discworld, huh....gotta check that out...
I read Gaiman's Stardust a little while ago. Pretty good, a lot like Pratchett (considering they wrote Good Omens together, not surprising).
"It is not the literal past that rules us, save, possibly, in a biological sense. It is images of the past. Each new historical era mirrors itself in the picture and active mythology of its past or of a past borrowed from other cultures. It tests its sense of identity, of regress or new achievement against that past.”
-George Steiner
Thank you for the recommendation of AA Attansio's "Last Legends of Earth". I'm only about 80 pages in but I'm absolutely and irrevocably hooked. If the rest of the book continues the momentum thats already built up I can see this one landing on my list of true classics! Thanks again!
Danlo,
Being a fan of Sci-fi, I think you would appreciate this one tremendously. I'll let you know once I've finished.
War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse. The person who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself.John Stuart Mill
A lot of recommendations since you started this thread in december (got to get my hand on this Erikson) and here I add a few.
Since I read TCTC in the mid 80's and they made a huge impact on me, well you know...every other fantasy/SF I read is consciously or unconsciously compared to them(for good or bad?) No writer has been, for me, able to reach that emotional intensity that The Chronicles gave me but some have been close...
Jack Vance's Lyonesse series is great. It has great ideas and concepts, of which some leads to nowhere(good because it surprises you. Think of the First Chronicles and the seven keyes, they found two, the second and the last and no mention of the others ever), great hero, strange wizards and strange magic and really fastpaced. Michael Scott Rohan's Winter of the world series has a lot of hardship and misery but also moments of pure bliss. Patricia McKillip's Riddle-master trilogy is good too. SRD speaks well of her. And i loved the Golden Compass trilogy by Phillip Pullman
As mentioned earlier in this thread The Alvin Maker series by Orson Scott Card especially the first three. More OSC, his one-volume masterpiece Songmaster, beautiful and tragic and strong. It will tear you apart. More SF, the Seafort Saga by David Feintuch, great strong storytelling, especially the first four.
I happen to think Tolkien is still the undefeated master of fantasy, as one might guess from my alias, which I try to use across boards. I think his greatest masterpiece is The Silmarillion which indeed is very dense but incredibly rewarding, at least if you like mythology and epic history.
SRD was long my #2 author, but just lately Erikson has surpassed him in my eyes with Memories of Ice, the third book in the Malazan Book of the Fallen. I thought the former two were very good (particularly the second), but the third was even better. I've been trying to find House of Chains, but my local bookstore doesn't seem to stock it and I have no credit card.
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Amazon probably doesn't either.
