Julia wrote: > I read the first one, and didn't see what my fantasy-reading peers saw > in it. (This was in high school.) I think my biggest problem with it > was that TC was irritating and whining. I didn't know the > word "git" at > that time. :) I didn't want to be reading a book about > someone I just > wanted to slap upside the head and say to, "Get OVER it, man!" or > something similar. I had enough such people to deal with > just being in > high school, and slapping *them* upside the head wasn't really an > option, either. > > I think that whatever else you enjoy might not be an indicator of > whether or not you'll enjoy TC. I could be wrong, though.
Fwiw, I agree with you. I am not sure what tips the balance in favour liking TC but I do think that the chances of liking the series go up if you read the books in your early twenties or later. It certainly isn't the kind of story that would appeal to a teenager. At that age we like our heroes to be enthusiastically heroic. :) TC resonates with reluctance and scepticism; subtle stands and boorish defiances; understated, almost unwilling heroism - he really isn't the kind of character who would appeal to children or teens. He reflects too many facets of the Despiser and his defiance seems to mild. > I also never really got into Eddings. I got his first book out of the > library, and it was OK. They didn't have the second book. I bought > it. I never got more than about 10 pages into it. It's > still with me, > waiting to be read. I've had friends who were *totally* into Eddings, > and friends who didn't have patience with his stuff. All a matter of > taste, and taste can be tricky. True. I didn't really have strong reactions to Eddings either way. The first Eddings I read was pleasant enough but then I got tired of meeting the same characters under different names in different books. I am really not *that* enamoured of the concept of reincarnation. :) > The fantasy I've been recommending is Elizabeth Moon's. The > neat thing > about it, IMO, is that it goes into a little bit of detail > about things > you have to think about when you're an army on the march (like digging > latrines every night) and what *really* happens when you have a > battle-wound. Not in horrific detail, but not pretending that stuff > doesn't matter. It was the most realistic fantasy I'd read > when I read > it. (I starting to read it almost by accident, but that's another > story.) These sound good. I'll see if I can find any here. Another fantasy series I enjoyed was the 'Mistress of the Empire' series by Jenny Wurts and Raymond Feist, primarily because of all the political intrigues. :) Ritu GCU Political Animal --- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.516 / Virus Database: 313 - Release Date: 01-Sep-03 _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
