First Post---hope I'm getting it right
Posted: Mon Nov 24, 2003 9:33 pm
Greetings All,
It is very heartening to know that there are so many other Thomas Covenant fans out in the multiverse. Over the past week or so I have been lurking and reading many of the interesting (or just plain wacky) explanations, theories, and digressions on the site, and I've just begun!
I first read the 1st Chronicles as a 6th grader--though I was a precocious lad, much of the subtlety went sailing right past me. Now, at age 31, and after having gone through the books at least another 4-5 times, I can say that I'm *still* finding new things, nuances, cross-connections, that I would never have gotten as a tween.
The story is rich and dense with description, and so not for the reader accustomed to fluff [one of the worst experiences of my hobby life--I recommended 1st Chronicles to a friend who dutifully read LFB, criticized it brutally, then tried to tell me how much better DragonLance was because it was more *realistic* fantasy--I've never recommended anything to him again; besides, he prefers PlayStation to reading anyway].
Interestingly, I didn't get around to reading Tolkien until I was in High School, and found the LOTR books a bit too "classical" for my taste. Now, the Peter Jackson movies are compelling--just like any other serious movie that attempts art rather than the typical Hollywood "fantasy" trifle that is little more than a series of encounters in the latest video game (anyone remember the D&D movie? It made me want to bury my dice). But I digress...
Anyway, so how long do we have to wait until we get the Thomas Covenant chronicles in a non-print format? The story is way too intense for a Hollywood treatment, though I would have said the same thing about LOTR. However, I don't think a studio would stand behind such a project, no matter how good the story is, because we would be talking about serious fantasy (read $big fx budget$) with a non-standard movie plot device (anti-hero). Further, I doubt that a movie would have the same impact, since a lot of the pivotal elements in these stories comes from the inner workings of the character's minds. But again, I would have said the same thing about LOTR.
Some old friends and I have a hobby of scripting and recording audio dramas [www.ebonstorms.com], and so I have frequently imagined what the 1st Chronicles might sound like done as audio drama... don't have to worry about your FX budget, and you would thus have a little more latitude in coming up with creative ways to get all those conflicting emotions across.
Well, rather than ramble on for days, just let me say that it's a pleasure to read the postings on this site, and I wish you all many happy readings of the TC Chronicles in the future, and I can't wait until the 3rd Chronicles make it to my local bookstore!
Cheers,
DukkhaWaynhim
It is very heartening to know that there are so many other Thomas Covenant fans out in the multiverse. Over the past week or so I have been lurking and reading many of the interesting (or just plain wacky) explanations, theories, and digressions on the site, and I've just begun!
I first read the 1st Chronicles as a 6th grader--though I was a precocious lad, much of the subtlety went sailing right past me. Now, at age 31, and after having gone through the books at least another 4-5 times, I can say that I'm *still* finding new things, nuances, cross-connections, that I would never have gotten as a tween.
The story is rich and dense with description, and so not for the reader accustomed to fluff [one of the worst experiences of my hobby life--I recommended 1st Chronicles to a friend who dutifully read LFB, criticized it brutally, then tried to tell me how much better DragonLance was because it was more *realistic* fantasy--I've never recommended anything to him again; besides, he prefers PlayStation to reading anyway].
Interestingly, I didn't get around to reading Tolkien until I was in High School, and found the LOTR books a bit too "classical" for my taste. Now, the Peter Jackson movies are compelling--just like any other serious movie that attempts art rather than the typical Hollywood "fantasy" trifle that is little more than a series of encounters in the latest video game (anyone remember the D&D movie? It made me want to bury my dice). But I digress...
Anyway, so how long do we have to wait until we get the Thomas Covenant chronicles in a non-print format? The story is way too intense for a Hollywood treatment, though I would have said the same thing about LOTR. However, I don't think a studio would stand behind such a project, no matter how good the story is, because we would be talking about serious fantasy (read $big fx budget$) with a non-standard movie plot device (anti-hero). Further, I doubt that a movie would have the same impact, since a lot of the pivotal elements in these stories comes from the inner workings of the character's minds. But again, I would have said the same thing about LOTR.
Some old friends and I have a hobby of scripting and recording audio dramas [www.ebonstorms.com], and so I have frequently imagined what the 1st Chronicles might sound like done as audio drama... don't have to worry about your FX budget, and you would thus have a little more latitude in coming up with creative ways to get all those conflicting emotions across.
Well, rather than ramble on for days, just let me say that it's a pleasure to read the postings on this site, and I wish you all many happy readings of the TC Chronicles in the future, and I can't wait until the 3rd Chronicles make it to my local bookstore!
Cheers,
DukkhaWaynhim
