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#841 | |||
Ghost Prince of Cardolan
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: In Eldamar beside the walls of Elven Tirion
Posts: 551
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"Hey! Come derry dol! Can you hear me singing?" – Tom Bombadil |
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#842 |
A Mere Boggart
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: under the bed
Posts: 4,737
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Sansa, however, is the POV character for quite a lot of very interesting chapters, and they are all narrated very well. I often think Martin was using her fondness and awareness of stories to express those chapters in such a clear way. As a character, she does change, and I don't know if you've all got to A Storm Of Swords yet, but I think that's where we start to see her realising she has been used and will carry on being used.
I feel sorry for her. Yes, she made some awful mistakes when she was so young and petulant, but she has been raised as a courtly lady without learning all the skills of cunning and intrigue that other ladies have learnt. And in her own way, Arya is just as naive and has to learn for herself. The same goes for Robb and Jon.
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Gordon's alive!
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#843 | ||
Blossom of Dwimordene
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: The realm of forgotten words
Posts: 10,359
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You passed from under darkened dome, you enter now the secret land. - Take me to Finrod's fabled home!... ~ Finrod: The Rock Opera |
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#844 | ||
Ghost Prince of Cardolan
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: In Eldamar beside the walls of Elven Tirion
Posts: 551
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"Hey! Come derry dol! Can you hear me singing?" – Tom Bombadil |
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#845 | |||
A Mere Boggart
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: under the bed
Posts: 4,737
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Gordon's alive!
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#846 | |
Blossom of Dwimordene
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: The realm of forgotten words
Posts: 10,359
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Talking of naive, Brienne beats all of them.
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You passed from under darkened dome, you enter now the secret land. - Take me to Finrod's fabled home!... ~ Finrod: The Rock Opera |
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#847 | ||||
Woman of Secret Shadow
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: in hollow halls beneath the fells
Posts: 4,511
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I also like Theon, and I pity him. I remember my thoughts when reading ACoK: "He seemed so nice, and now he's horrible... ah well he'll learn eventually; he'll be likeable again later on if he survives until then." Quote:
Originally, Sansa and Dany were my least favourite characters. Now they're my two favourites. They both have grown a lot, and show potential for further growth. Quote:
When the series ends, I want a Targaryen on the throne. Not because of the dragons, but because the Targaryens are the coolest family.
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He bit me, and I was not gentle. |
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#848 | ||
A Mere Boggart
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: under the bed
Posts: 4,737
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Gordon's alive!
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#849 | ||
Blossom of Dwimordene
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: The realm of forgotten words
Posts: 10,359
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You passed from under darkened dome, you enter now the secret land. - Take me to Finrod's fabled home!... ~ Finrod: The Rock Opera |
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#850 |
Princess of Skwerlz
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: where the Sea is eastwards (WtR: 6060 miles)
Posts: 7,500
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To go back to a previous book reference:
I read the first two books of Patrick Rothfuss' Kingkiller Chronicles this week and enjoyed them tremendously! From the first lines of The Name of the Wind, which become a theme with variations, used as bookends in both books, I was captivated. The author created a very enjoyable main character, whom the reader gets to know at two times, both past and present, and I can hardly wait for the third part of the trilogy to find out what happens. The plot is interesting, the writing is very good, with some fascinating linguistic elements and turns of phrases. On the other hand, I read the first few pages of Tad Williams' Shadowmarch and am not sure I care enough to continue... As for my small change on the above-mentioned Song of Ice and Fire, I read them a few months ago. They certainly are page-turners, written as they are from various povs, but the farther they go, the more I get the feeling that the author is losing himself in his world, getting side-tracked with too many characters and locations. I'm not sure we will ever reach the end of the story...
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'Mercy!' cried Gandalf. 'If the giving of information is to be the cure of your inquisitiveness, I shall spend all the rest of my days in answering you. What more do you want to know?' 'The whole history of Middle-earth...' |
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#851 |
A Mere Boggart
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: under the bed
Posts: 4,737
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I hope he does get it together and bring all the storylines back and finish the series. It's the only fantasy fiction series aimed at adults I've read since I first picked up Lord of the Rings that I could say I've been obsessed with (though I've tried with many others).
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Gordon's alive!
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#852 | |
Ghost Prince of Cardolan
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: In Eldamar beside the walls of Elven Tirion
Posts: 551
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IMO he lands into trouble because he's young - that's all.
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"Hey! Come derry dol! Can you hear me singing?" – Tom Bombadil |
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#853 | ||
Cryptic Aura
Join Date: May 2002
Posts: 5,990
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Rothfuss has Tolkien's sure hand at using suggestion well in storymaking. His timing is also bang-on. Just when I find myself thoroughly enthralled by an event or situation ,events change, not in a cheap way, but to keep me on my toes (fingers?) and remind me that there's nothing maudlin or sentimental about this work. Quote:
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I’ll sing his roots off. I’ll sing a wind up and blow leaf and branch away. |
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#854 | |
Dread Horseman
Join Date: Sep 2000
Location: Behind you!
Posts: 2,743
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#855 | |
Cryptic Aura
Join Date: May 2002
Posts: 5,990
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![]() This doesn't surprise me, as I once checked into Neal Stephenson's Cryptonomicon on your recommendation, but couldn't get into it, nor do I particularly like Stephen King, another of your faves. Methinks we have different tastes. (And I was much taken by William Gibson's Neuromancer, although was disappointed by his Pattern Recognition, so I don't think it's that I don't appreciate post-modern writing. And my taste is in good company, as Ursula LeGuin enjoys the language and the music of Rothfuss's words. As you say, Rothfuss is a divisive writer. But then so was/is Tolkien. I liked the suspense over the scraeling creature in the first chapter and the characters' different attitudes towards it and the mix of realism with fantasy in the entire world. The elements of medievalism aren't sentimental but hard-nosed. And the theme of names intrigued me. And the travelling troupe. Gypsies still in Europe today are given short shrift (having personally seen how they are treated in Paris and Rome) and I appreciated the depiction of a similar group or tribe. Maybe it's the sense of a post-modern take on a medieval world that I found interesting. Surely you mean Gary Stu or Marty Stu, Mister U? Here's a test for such characters, which I haven't bothered to work out: Litmus test for Mary Sue characters. ![]() I wonder what our very own Downs expert on Merisu would say?
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I’ll sing his roots off. I’ll sing a wind up and blow leaf and branch away. Last edited by Bęthberry; 01-04-2012 at 10:20 AM. Reason: correction of coding error.Is that like a coding typo? |
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#856 | |
Wisest of the Noldor
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"Even Nerwen wasn't evil in the beginning." –Elmo. |
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#857 |
Emperor of the South Pole
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: The Western Shore of Lake Evendim
Posts: 619
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Happy New Year Barrow Downs! Hoping I will be a bit more active here this year? We'll see.
What the tale end of 2011 brought me book-wise was the Steve Erikson book series "The Mazatlan Books of the Fallen'. I'm just now reading book 1 which is Gardens of the Moon'. So far I like it! |
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#858 |
Dread Horseman
Join Date: Sep 2000
Location: Behind you!
Posts: 2,743
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And to you and your tribe, Bb. Thanks for a restrained reply to a rather annoying post on my part. Apologies to you, Esty, and other Rothfuss fans for my boorishness. I think I shall give Rothfuss another try based on the high marks given by two of my favorite wights. Who knows, I may just end up eating more humble pie for a too-hasty judgment, as happened in the case of a certain sci-fi show. Perhaps I was too over-hyped as well -- Best fantasy since Tolkien! etc. Fantasy books don't generally create enough buzz to even get on my radar these days, but NotW sure did.
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#859 |
Princess of Skwerlz
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: where the Sea is eastwards (WtR: 6060 miles)
Posts: 7,500
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Happy New Year, and many merry greetings in the coming 12 months, Underhill!! I know there are a number of your favourite authors/books that don't suit my taste, so it wouldn't surprise me if you didn't like some of mine.
What I look for in a story (book, movie, TV show) is emotional warmth, and Rothfuss supplies that abundantly. The plot is not predictable, the characters have depth and breadth, and the secondary world is well-drawn and believable. I too have a series of books that I started and put away after a few pages - Tad Williams' "Shadowmarch". Can anyone tell me if it's worth tackling them again, worth the many hours it would take to read all of them? I hesitate to invest so much time without knowing the experience will be enjoyable.
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'Mercy!' cried Gandalf. 'If the giving of information is to be the cure of your inquisitiveness, I shall spend all the rest of my days in answering you. What more do you want to know?' 'The whole history of Middle-earth...' |
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#860 | |
A Voice That Gainsayeth
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: In that far land beyond the Sea
Posts: 7,431
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(That much from me on the subject of "what fantasy books you DON'T read"...)
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"Should the story say 'he ate bread,' the dramatic producer can only show 'a piece of bread' according to his taste or fancy, but the hearer of the story will think of bread in general and picture it in some form of his own." -On Fairy-Stories |
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#861 |
Princess of Skwerlz
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: where the Sea is eastwards (WtR: 6060 miles)
Posts: 7,500
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Thanks, Legate - that's a subtle hint, but helpful!
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'Mercy!' cried Gandalf. 'If the giving of information is to be the cure of your inquisitiveness, I shall spend all the rest of my days in answering you. What more do you want to know?' 'The whole history of Middle-earth...' |
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#862 |
Ghost Prince of Cardolan
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: In Eldamar beside the walls of Elven Tirion
Posts: 551
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I tried that book. Couldn't get through it. Unfortunately, there's no library even remotely near where I live (the only relatively decent one is over a thousand miles away) so each book I read must be bought. What a pain.
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"Hey! Come derry dol! Can you hear me singing?" – Tom Bombadil |
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#863 | |
A Mere Boggart
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: under the bed
Posts: 4,737
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Has anyone read The Green Child by Herbert Read? This came up as the lead item on Wikipedia the other day and I was intrigued by it.
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#864 | ||
Woman of Secret Shadow
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: in hollow halls beneath the fells
Posts: 4,511
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I know - I was mostly thinking back to my long debates about Jon Snow's nature with a certain Hookbill the Goomba who doesn't exactly agree with me.
I actually like the coldness you speak about, but I can see why it might turn people against him - his Brothers included. Quote:
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The part of my holiday that I didn't spend roleplaying was spent reading Neil Gaiman: Neverwhere and Anansi Boys. I enjoyed both tremendously. He's a truly talented writer who can create both interesting plots and many-layered characters. Don't know yet what I'm going to read after The Name of the Wind - I might try The Wise Man's Fear, or then something else. Has anyone read anything by Joe Abercrombie - another writer I was recommended?
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#865 |
Drummer in the Deep
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Next Sunday A.D.
Posts: 2,126
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I've read The Blade Itself trilogy. It was different, but I'm not sure if I liked it or not - a re-read would cement a feeling about it but I don't want to yet. That and Watchmen have been the only things I've read that made me step back and bleat "What did I just read??", so take that as you will.
I do want to read his other series(es?) in the same world though.
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But all the while I sit and think of times there were before
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#866 |
Woman of Secret Shadow
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: in hollow halls beneath the fells
Posts: 4,511
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I take back what I said about Rothfuss.
He's brilliant. Can't remember when I last lost so much sleep because of a book! It probably tells something that I've read about 600 pages on since my last post, and since I obviously read English slower than Finnish, I consider it an impressive achievement. And no, I haven't really seen it all before. It just took me a while to realise it - but then, I tend to be a tad too quick to judge everything anyway.
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#867 |
Deadnight Chanter
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Reading became easier affair ever since I treated myself to Kindle
![]() In this fashion I found myself able to reread quite a few of my favourites, like Goblin Reservation by Clifford Simak (not quite fantasy, rather sci-fi, to be precise, but still with Goblins, Trolls, Banshees and a dragon in it I hope it wan't get frowned upon as not in compliance with the thread topic) Out of ongoing fantasy reading, rereading Harry Potter series (fer meself) and reading Chronicles of Narnia to my kid
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Egroeg Ihkhsal - Would you believe in the love at first sight? - Yes I'm certain that it happens all the time! |
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#868 | |
Ghost Prince of Cardolan
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: In Eldamar beside the walls of Elven Tirion
Posts: 551
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"Hey! Come derry dol! Can you hear me singing?" – Tom Bombadil |
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#869 | |
Cryptic Aura
Join Date: May 2002
Posts: 5,990
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![]() Glad you are enjoying him. Scrooge that I am, I am waiting for the second one to come out in paperback.
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I’ll sing his roots off. I’ll sing a wind up and blow leaf and branch away. |
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#870 |
Woman of Secret Shadow
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: in hollow halls beneath the fells
Posts: 4,511
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The thing that makes not skipping morning classes possible.
![]() I finished The Wise Man's Fear today. It was fantastic. I enjoyed especially the Ademre, as you might guess. And I'm at a loss for what to read now (which means that I'm actually reading schoolbooks for once).
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#871 |
Wight
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Ohio. Believe it or not.
Posts: 145
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Fantasy books? Pratchett's Discworld series immediately comes to mind. I've read those two or three times.
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Don't believe everything you read on the interwebs. That's how World War 1 got started! |
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#872 |
Ghost Prince of Cardolan
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: In Eldamar beside the walls of Elven Tirion
Posts: 551
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I think I finally realised why I put Tolkien ahead of other fantasy writers. It's not because I read him first; it's because he did things a little more realistically when it came to his protagonist. After all, many seemingly unimpressive people have done great things - and those great things have not always been appreciated or even acknowledged by other people. Frodo, just a three-foot-tall Hobbit, goes on a quest not for glory or vengeance, but because he feels it's right (from the heart), and actually succeeds in it. And yet people in his own village have no idea that he is the reason they are still there. The only people who know about it (aside from the Fellowship, Fatty and Bilbo) are a different species and live hundreds of miles away.
I mean, Frodo can barely fight with a sword - one could say Sting does all the work for him - and yet he's a hero. I hate the way most 'heroes' these days are just tall, slim, athletic boys and girls who are perfect at archery or can read minds or do other things that hardly anyone can relate to. Frodo's a hero from the heart - where it really counts. Yeah, sorry for the sappy speech, and I'm pretty sure anyone could argue with what I've said because of my careless phrasing, but you get the general gist. ![]()
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"Hey! Come derry dol! Can you hear me singing?" – Tom Bombadil |
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#873 | |
Blossom of Dwimordene
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: The realm of forgotten words
Posts: 10,359
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Not gonna argue with you as you've just put most of my own thoughts into words.
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Am I turning into a schizophrenic, arguing with myself? ![]()
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You passed from under darkened dome, you enter now the secret land. - Take me to Finrod's fabled home!... ~ Finrod: The Rock Opera |
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#874 | |
Deadnight Chanter
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I used to have it on Nokia before that, so there was a version for Symbian OS too, they might have something in Iphone line too (fbreader.org was the site), I'm positive there was one for Mac at the very least. Hope it's not taking the thread away from it's purpose, let's say the purpose of this post is to make fantasy books' reading easier ![]()
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Egroeg Ihkhsal - Would you believe in the love at first sight? - Yes I'm certain that it happens all the time! |
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#875 | |
Ghost Prince of Cardolan
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: In Eldamar beside the walls of Elven Tirion
Posts: 551
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"Hey! Come derry dol! Can you hear me singing?" – Tom Bombadil |
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#876 |
Wight
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Ohio. Believe it or not.
Posts: 145
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What Galadriel said.
I like real books and I plan to continue reading real books for as long as I possibly can.
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Don't believe everything you read on the interwebs. That's how World War 1 got started! |
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#877 |
Ghost Prince of Cardolan
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: In Eldamar beside the walls of Elven Tirion
Posts: 551
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I'm currently reading A Wizard of Earthsea (did I mention that before?) but I'm a little surprised at Le Guin's portrayal of women - considering she herself is a woman. All the women in the first book are either old and useless or pretty and good. I was also taken aback by Le Guin's use of the phrases 'weak as a woman's magic' and 'wicked as a woman's magic' in consecutive sentences. So women's magic is either weak or evil? Wow. This book takes feminism back to the 1700s. Considering Earthsea is not set in the primary world (even if it is set a 'long time ago'), she could have easily given women at least intellectual strength.
Now, I get a bit tired of feminist arguments from time to time, but this lady really makes me want to hit her. I hear she gets really feminist in the fourth book, but that it's also really bad. Sigh. I am also reading His Dark Materials, and would like to know if anyone else thinks that Lyra is a blatant Sue. Yes, I am annoyed.
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"Hey! Come derry dol! Can you hear me singing?" – Tom Bombadil |
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#878 | |||
Wisest of the Noldor
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![]() With all that, she is still one of my favourite SF writers, and the Earthsea trilogy one of the few works of high fantasy I think really compares to Lord of the Rings– by being as different as possible. Honestly I'm really getting rather jaded about the seemingly endless supply of brick-novels that do little more than recycle the old cliches.
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"Even Nerwen wasn't evil in the beginning." –Elmo. |
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#879 |
Deadnight Chanter
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Books may be kept in several places - like I have them stored in the desktop PC, in the laptop, in both phones and the kindle - I don't think ALL my gadgets are going to break down together all of a sudden
![]() And even if they do, the e-books you purchased from Amazon are also stored on Amazon server - you can re-download them at any point you like ![]()
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Egroeg Ihkhsal - Would you believe in the love at first sight? - Yes I'm certain that it happens all the time! |
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#880 | |||
Ghost Prince of Cardolan
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: In Eldamar beside the walls of Elven Tirion
Posts: 551
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Sigh.
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"Hey! Come derry dol! Can you hear me singing?" – Tom Bombadil |
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