Mordants Need - Too Short *spoilers*

"Reflect" on Stephen Donaldson's other epic fantasy

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Harrowed
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Mordants Need - Too Short *spoilers*

Post by Harrowed »

hi, just finished MN for the first time. Brilliant book, maybe even tops Thomas covenant for me but I just feel that so many great characters go to waste in this book, it could have spanned into a trilogy at least or maybe even 5-6 books.

MN has some of the best characters iv ever read about in any book..
-Artagel
-Havelock
-Joyce
-Gart
-Vagel

Out of these 5 I feel that only maybe Gart and Joyce were added into the story the right amount, Arch Imager Vagel on the other hand.. well. After reading about him in the first book and really liking ther idea behind him I was hoping he would play a bigger part in the book rather than 'behind the scenes', sure he plays a key role in putting Eremis where he is and a showdown between Havelock and Vagel is exactly what I was hoping for the entire book but it just all ended far to fast for me.
As for the Artagel/Gart 'rivalry' im undecided, this is my favoutire part of the storyline, possibly of any book iv ever read, but again I feel it deserved more or a part in the book.

The point where Prince Kraegan and the Tor march on Esmerel should have been the end of the second book and an entire third book should have been written for events after that, including an epic battle between Havelock & Vagel.
Also Nyles blade through Gilburs back right before he kills Geredan! not a damn heart attack :P
This would also mean that he didnt have a hand in helping Artagel defeat Gart, whice is fine by me;>

Dont get me wrong, great book.. just left me wanting a whole lot more. I feel that The Mirror of her Dreams was spot on, a Man Rides Through however was two books crammed into one.

Anyways now im out of Donaldson material, just chain read The Chronicles of T C, the Gap sequence and MN for the first time, this guy has some imagination :)

Roll on Against all things Ending.
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Rigel
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Post by Rigel »

You're not out of Donaldson material; you've still got four Axbrewder books, plus the short stories :)

Anyway, yeah, I love this series, especially Havelock and Joyce :)
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Post by wayfriend »

If there's one thing MN means to me, it's characters. Donaldson surpasses himself here, including anything he's done since.
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Yeah, I think all the characters Harrowed mentions in that list could have a lot more story filled in.

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Post by danlo »

Vagel, indubitably, he's just too complex for two books...Darsint too...
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matrixman
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Post by matrixman »

Yeah, I'd love to know more of Darsint's backstory. It's like he stumbled out of another story - or rather, SRD yanked him out of another story he had floating in his head. :lol:

I can understand the disappointment over Vagel. He was built up to be a badass, but in the end was kind of a wimp. Maybe SRD was trying to make a point. Whatever that was. :P

But it's interesting - and rare - to hear from someone who prefers the first book. Most readers here seem to prefer the second book much more.

Me, I love both volumes equally. MN is just awesome through and through. :)
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Post by StevieG »

matrixman wrote:Yeah, I'd love to know more of Darsint's backstory. It's like he stumbled out of another story - or rather, SRD yanked him out of another story he had floating in his head. :lol:

I can understand the disappointment over Vagel. He was built up to be a badass, but in the end was kind of a wimp. Maybe SRD was trying to make a point. Whatever that was. :P

But it's interesting - and rare - to hear from someone who prefers the first book. Most readers here seem to prefer the second book much more.

Me, I love both volumes equally. MN is just awesome through and through. :)
Yeah, what he said :)

Agree with everything there - Vagel was probably the biggest disappointment - a character who built up a lot, to peter out. I was happy with the others though.
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If I had to choose, I'd say I wanted more about Gart.

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Post by danlo »

Yes--SRD, at least, needs to write a short story about exotic Carmag and the training that goes into becoming the The High King's Monomach.
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Agreed. Make sure you tell him in no uncertain terms. ;)

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Linna Heartbooger
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Post by Linna Heartbooger »

matrixman wrote:Yeah, I'd love to know more of Darsint's backstory. It's like he stumbled out of another story - or rather, SRD yanked him out of another story he had floating in his head. :lol:
I felt like SRD was making a joke on the whole sci-fi/fantasy genre and maybe even his own choice to deus-ex-machina Terisa in to Mordant from another world (our world). From the perspective of Imagery, if her, why not someone from a futuristic space sci-fi world?

P'raps, as you've hinted, also a piece of a story SRD would like to develop but may not get around to. But I think Darsint seemed more like a "type" than a full character.
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Post by matrixman »

I see your point about Darsint seeming to be more like a "type" than a full character. Yeah, he could almost be like some grunt out of Starship Troopers. But that tantalizing glimpse of Darsint's own world - or the alien planet his ship was stranded on - certainly fires the imagination about the possible stories he represents.
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Post by benzss »

wayfriend wrote:If there's one thing MN means to me, it's characters. Donaldson surpasses himself here, including anything he's done since.
Completely agree. I've re-read Mordant's Need more than any other series I own, including LotR which I was pretty obsessed with a few years ago. And I've found Mordant's Need easier to recommend to people than the Chronicles... only two volumes and it sucks you in far more quickly.

That said, I wouldn't have minded a little bit more of it.
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