(no subject)

[erastes]

GRRM says he's got to finish Dragons by June. I really hope he does. I live in constant (and very selfish) fear that the man may not live long enough to finish the saga.

I'm REALLY enjoying "The Farseer Trilogy" so far - despite my aversion to even picking it up because of Ms Hobb's rants. However - when I come to think about it, I rant a lot too, so .. It's sort of like a Mini Song of Ice and Fire, much more limited POV though, as it's first person and that's a safety net in a way because it's obvious that Fitz isn't DEAD as he's writing the book in his old age. The slashy subtext has just about turned into text now and I nearly fell out of bed yesterday when someone asked Fitz "are you his catamite?" but didn't clarify who he meant. I do like these sorts of mysteries. Fitz is certainly a lot dimmer than me though because he's already missed two major clues that I spotted and I was right whereas Fitz was going "bwuh?" on the reveal. Eek. I'm turning into a fantasy head. Not good. Next I'll be dressing as a very fat thief and going to conventions. There's no hope for me.

"My name is Earl" had prison snoggage in it too. *happy sigh*

A new protagonist leapt into my head this morning on the drive to work. I have no idea which era he belongs to yet, or what I'm going to do with him, what his name is or God knows where he came from but he's sitting in my frontal brain this morning disrupting all I do. *smites him.*

Comments

[seraphim-grace.livejournal.com]

I find with Robin Hobb, and I've read about 9 of her books now, is that one of the trilogy, every time, is terrible, the other two are unputdownable but there is one that just stinks
I could tell you which of them it is, in each series,
but the best saga is probably the live ships although there is another one with Fitz, probably because it's the first one that stinks and the third is much much better.

Melanie Rawn has open homosexuals that kiss in her exiles series but it never finished for some reason, the third book we've been waiting ten years before
Robin hobb did a novel with her and kate elliott called the golden key which is wonderful about painters
and kate elliott's series starts well but stinks after she sucks the spirit out of sanglant her wicked prince.
I read fantasy and mostly write something like it, but the novelist i would follow into the grave with no real slash in it but the most beautiful heartbreaking love stories is Guy Gavriel Kay, as far as i can tell he writes one book every five years but it's always one hell of a book.

[essayel.livejournal.com]

Robin Hobb is worth sticking with, despite weaknesses. I know nothing of her rants so her personality hasn't been able to put me off her work.

I agree about Guy Gavriel Kay - a definite three hankie guy - and would put Tigana close to the top of my 'books to read before you die' list.

[seraphim-grace.livejournal.com]

whilst doing nano with another writer, we were racing, she asked me to pick a book as her prize and she did the same for me, I got two vampire hunter d books and she got tigana
and then phoned me up saying "it's huge"
then the next day going "ohmigod it's amazing, I cried sooooo hard."

have you read Ysabel yet, it's my new bribe, and I'm told it's amazing, but I don't know because I haven't read it yet but i want to now rush through and finish my novel so i can read it
mind you I have a prologue finished surely that's worth a chapter

and would you have walked into hell for Diar? or was it just me?

[essayel.livejournal.com]

Tigana makes me cry like a girl. Well I am a girl, but I'm not prone to crying. THAT one made me sob and, yes, I think I probably would.

[erastes.livejournal.com]

No - don't tell me! I was kinda expecting that the quality couldn't stay up.

[seraphim-grace.livejournal.com]

there are some fabulous fantasy authors and believe it or not robin hobb is only good,
Stephen donaldson writes the most beautiful and dark prose, but has 8 fantasy novels in 20 plus years, his short stories are amazing though
Michael Moorcock, when you're happy to truly sample and taste the prose

I find with fantasy authors that it can be hit or miss
Terry goodkind is a rollicking good read to book 4, after that he gets really polemic and very boring about the joys of dictatorship
David Eddings writes great characters but he has one story, and he writes it well but after the third time you;re a wee bit bored, his belgariad and mallorean are fun

but as you can see by the response about GGK
start at the beginning, read the Fionavar Tapesty and just work through them, he writes wonderful political romance in worlds that never were, and there are only a few of them, and for the most part they're oneshots but linked together with silvery threads, so they make a wonderful mesh, a history of the tapestry even when it's all in different worlds.

Tad Williams is good but he pretty much stays out of sword and sorcery fantasy after his first series, but if I'd written it I'd move to another genre for fear of living up to it.

Robert Jordan can stretch an idea longer than any man can believe
I'm trying to think who else I read, I will happily vanish into someone else's world for days, i turned to fantasy because they were thick and kept me occupied longer.

[aerialscribe.livejournal.com]

The Farseer and Liveship Traders series are some of the best to be had in fantasy.
Just ignore Ms. Hobb's rants. ;-)

[erastes.livejournal.com]

Well, she's entitled, I guess. I do it a lot too, but no-one takes any notice of me.

:)

[annebrooke.livejournal.com]

Yes, wasn't Earl blissful!

:))

A
xxx

[erastes.livejournal.com]

I'd NEVER seen it before, which just goes to show that whatever I watch goes gay.

:)

[annebrooke.livejournal.com]

Tee hee! Though to be fair Earl does do a fair amount of gay themes.

:))

A
xxx

[fiona-glass.livejournal.com]

"it's first person and that's a safety net in a way because it's obvious that Fitz isn't DEAD as he's writing the book in his old age..."

You hope. I once read a book where the author had a first-person narrator die at the end of the book. She was quite put out when I asked her how the narrator had 'written' the thing, then. ;)

And you could always try setting a weevil on that new protagonist if he's being a pain. :D