Did anyone find this series kinda lacking in writing?

[drew]

I just picked these two boks up;

Have to finish the Erikson book I'm working on right now, then I'll start MN.

One I DID notice so far, was the Chapter title (in the first book obviously) they sound, fairly, uh, childish, or, uh...Lion Witch and Wardrobe-ish..
if you know what I mean.

[rdhopeca]

I just picked these two boks up;

Have to finish the Erikson book I'm working on right now, then I'll start MN.

One I DID notice so far, was the Chapter title (in the first book obviously) they sound, fairly, uh, childish, or, uh...Lion Witch and Wardrobe-ish..
if you know what I mean.

Interesting, at no point when I first read these (or since) have I considered the titles "childish" in any respect. "The Mirror of her Dreams" fairly accurately fits into the concept of the book.

[drew]

No, not the book titles; the Chapter Titles

Things like:

• The Old Dodderer
  
  A few days with nothing to do
  
  The advantage of an early thaw
  
  At least one plot Discovered

[rdhopeca]

No, not the book titles; the Chapter Titles

Things like:

• The Old Dodderer
  
  A few days with nothing to do
  
  The advantage of an early thaw
  
  At least one plot Discovered

Gotcha, my bad.

Probably a bad idea on my part, but I never look at Chapter Titles.

[drew]

Or perhaps a GOOD idea in this book.

I notice, that A Man Rides Through does NOT have its chapters titled.

[shadowbinding shoe]

I'd they're enchanted, but not childish. The titles may relate to the tendency of the characters to fill in archetypes.

[Cagliostro]

Okay, I'm starting to read these again. And like an earlier poster said, rereading this without comparing this to Covenant makes it read a little better. Donaldson had really found his voice at this point, and starts like most of his books; a little slow as it builds up (The Gap series being the exception). I'm still in the first book and not terribly far, but I expect I'll truly start getting into it soon. I remember when I read through it before, it took me a while to get excited, but it happened, and I remember finding the ending to be very well developed.
Anyway, looking forward to continuing it and getting to the damn payoff. But it is nice that I have almost no memory of this book, yet a few of the characters I am vaguely remembering their fate.

[Relayer]

But it is nice that I have almost no memory of this book, yet a few of the characters I am vaguely remembering their fate.

When I re-read it last year it was the same for me. I really only remembered a few things, and some of those were actually wrong... my brain had mixed things up.

It was WAY worth reading again

[wayfriend]

I wish I had the power to forget any book (or movie) so that I could read (see) it again for the first time.

[Cagliostro]

I wish I had the power to forget any book (or movie) so that I could read (see) it again for the first time.

That's easy. Drink a lot every night, don't get a lot of sleep each night, and probably take a lot of drugs. My method has been lack of sleep and the occasional drunk, but I do still remember some things.

[shadowbinding shoe]

You should also read a bunch of generic trash novels that will bury your memories under

[Wyldewode]

Ew. . . I don't know if I could actually wade through trashy novels in the first place.

[Linna Heartbooger]

I decided to read Mordant's Need based on this thread.

The discussion by duchess of Terisa "opening up" after her history of neglect, the ideas of MANY SRD-written characters in one book, the intrigue and plotting within the in the castle got me...

Only read TMoHD so far, and loved it. Never thought I'd see SRD so lighthearted - it's hilarious!

[Zarathustra]

I finished this recently. The final showdown is great. The beginning of book 2 is great. But the majority of book 2 wasn't nearly as good as book 1.

And in response to the thread title, yes, I thought the writing was "lacking." I know it was intentional by SRD to change the tone from the "operatic" language of the Chronicles, but he did this a lot more successfully in the Gap. I can't tell whether it was the way the characters were written, or the language, or the description of events outside Orison (book 2), but something was definitely lacking. It left me wanting more.

[Wyldewode]

I know that the story didn't make as great an impression on me as the Chrons did, but I sorta get the feeling that SRD deliberately wrote a different sort of story and chose different language to show that he has moer than one (very good!) dimension.

[rdhopeca]

I finished this recently. The final showdown is great. The beginning of book 2 is great. But the majority of book 2 wasn't nearly as good as book 1.

And in response to the thread title, yes, I thought the writing was "lacking." I know it was intentional by SRD to change the tone from the "operatic" language of the Chronicles, but he did this a lot more successfully in the Gap. I can't tell whether it was the way the characters were written, or the language, or the description of events outside Orison (book 2), but something was definitely lacking. It left me wanting more.

The only critique I have of this story is as you describe. I wanted to see more of Fayle, and Termigan, and Domne...and even Alend. The journey through the Cares seemed rushed and not deep enough.

Still love the story though!

[StevieG]

The only critique I have of this story is as you describe. I wanted to see more of Fayle, and Termigan, and Domne...and even Alend. The journey through the Cares seemed rushed and not deep enough.

Still love the story though!

I loved the story too - I was enthralled by it. And I, too, wanted to see more of Fayle, Termigan, Domne. But isn't that SRD's style? Leaving you wanting more - whether this is evidence of the story 'lacking' or not, I don't know - not for me. Wasn't the climax gripping though!

[stockman1187]

Like you, at first I felt MN was a bit of a dissapointment. My assumption was I would dig into something as deep and intellectually satisfying as TCOTC. After reading it a second, and then a third time, my appreciation grew for its differences, rather than its similarities. MN certainly has a lighter writing prose than TCOTC but I loved it for entirely the reasons it was different. Now many of the characters are as indelibly inked in my psyche as any from TCOTC. Just as I love his sort story collections even though they eschew his character buiding for more succint prose. The underlying skill shows though. I honestly feel if all of his stories were written in the same style as TCOTC-I would see him more as I do Stephen King-a pleasant way of killing time, rather than the deep and personal connection I feel with his writing.

[Avatar]

I think it is exactly what SRD said it was. A fairy tale for grown-ups. And the style reflects that I feel. If you want deep, then the Gap is for you. (If you haven't read it already that is.)

--A

[wayfriend]

I think MN is quite a bit deeper than people give it credit for.

Kevin: Mr. Donaldson,

[...] I cannot help but notice that the Mordant's Need series is a bit more "spicey" than your other works that I have read. Poor Terisa seems to have frequent trouble with torn or missing clothing, her breasts are mentioned in almost every chapter, etc.

Not that I didn't find it enjoyable! But this inquiring mind wants to know: what were the details behind this choice?

• "Mordant's Need" is more explicitly *about* gender roles and stereotypes than my other stories. Terisa Morgan begins the story with such a frail sense of her own identity that she makes Linden Avery at the beginning of "The Wounded Land" look fully self-actualized. And Mordant itself is gripped by rigid gender stereotypes: the kind of male-dominated quasi-medieval society that we so often find in mediocre fantasy novel. Well, the subsequent story describes how Terisa discovers her own reality as both a person and a woman *while* the culture of Mordant undergoes a profound redefinition of gender roles, predominently as that pertains to the permissable/available roles for women. King Joyse (get it?) sets in motion events which eventually enable his daughters, his wife, and Terisa herself to assume unexpected roles which transform their society.
  
  In other words, "Mordant's Need" is about sex. Specifically it's about how the treatment of women as mere sexual objects breaks down in a society which is in danger of breaking down itself under pressures both external and internal; and about how the breaking down of the treatment of women as mere sexual objects actually enables their society to be both transformed and saved. So naturally the evidence that women are being treated as mere sexual objects is fairly overt.
  
  In addition, these issues also touch on the "rape" theme which is so prevalent in my writing. But "Mordant's Need" is--as I intended it to be--a *gentler* story than my usual work; and so "the evidence that women are being treated as mere sexual objects," while overt, is seldom violent. Hence your observation that the story is more "spicey" than others I've written
  
  (10/10/2004)

I think MN is the poor second child (daughter!) who is always overlooked because their elder sibling enjoys so much attention.

(Quite possibly SRD switched to sci-fi so that his next story could escape the prejudgement of more-of-the-same.)