I'll check them out and let you know how I get along
Mark
-----Original Message-----
From: Jim Campbell [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Sent: 03 November 2003 16:05
To: CF-Community
Subject: Re: The Elder Gods
I loved the Thomas Covenant books as well. If you haven't read it - the
"Memory, Sorrow and Thorn" trilogy by Tad Williams is amazing. The
first book is "The Dragonbone Chair" - I couldn't get past the first few
hundred pages for the longest time - I think it's because I was young
and not very patient and hoping for more action or something. It's a
wonderful story, very Tolkien-esque, and he borrows heavily from Mervyn
Peake (in my opinion) in the third book.
Speaking of Peake, his Gormenghast series is very interesting. He
apparently went insane while writing it, which explains the
out-of-left-field third book, Titus Alone, but the first two are really
interesting. There's also a BBC miniseries based on the books that's a
lot of fun.
What else... My wife and I are Terry Pratchett fans - I think I've read
all the Discworld books, but I might be mistaken. Brian Jacques'
Redwall books are more on a younger level, but I've always enjoyed
reading them. There's also the usual suspects like Robert Jordan's
neverending Wheel of Time series, Terry Brooks' Shannara, Weis &
Hickman's original Dragonlance "seasons" series (my second favorite
series of books as a kid)... Stephen King actually wrote a terrific
short fantasy novel - "The Eyes of the Dragon".
Polgara is a lot like the Belgarath book. Written like you'd imagine
Polgara would write, it fills in a lot of backstory and is worth the
time if you've already read the other eleven books :)
- Jim
Mark Smyth wrote:
>Hi Jim
>
> <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"
>/>
>
>I have read the Belgariad series about 3/4 times now, its an excellent,
>excellent series. I'm 31 and first picked it up many moons ago and the
>first time I seriously couldn't put it down. I thought Belgarath was a
good
>book also, but havn't read Polgara yet (whats your opinion?).
>
>
>
>After the Belgariad he went downwards pretty quick in my opinion and I
>havn't really been able to get into his later books.
>
>
>
>I also really loved "The chronicles of Thomas Covenant" by Stephen
>Donaldson, which is another excellent series in a similar vein to the
>Belgariad.
>
>
>
>What other series like the 2 above you recommend? I'm definitely in need of
>a good read...
>
>
>
>Thanks
>
>Mark
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Jim Campbell [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>Sent: 03 November 2003 15:25
>To: CF-Community
>Subject: The Elder Gods
>
>
>I'm a guy in my late 20's so it goes without saying that I grew up with
>Star Wars, and it was, not surprisingly, my favorite movie for a while.
>I can watch it now and get past the rotten acting and stilted dialog and
>Greedo shooting first (damn you, Lucas!), but I still appreciate the
>effect it had on me as a child.
>
>As a kid, I was also a big, no, HUGE fan of David Eddings - I read the
>Belgariad over and over again, all five books in only a few days. The
>followup series - the Mallorean - was equally welcome. I knew the
>characters inside and out, I could get lost in that world in a
>heartbeat. Two followup "autobiographies" of main characters from the
>series "Belgarath" and "Polgara" are in my book collection as well,
>along with the "Rivan Codex", something of a "behind the scenes" wrap-up
>of the minutae and process of developing what, at that point was
>essentially a duodecology.
>
>So, the last statement is that I've been growing steadily more
>disappointed with the Eddings' (he writes with his wife, Leigh), from
>the second Sparhawk trilogy (The Tamuli), to the Redemption of Althalus
>to the execrable Regina's Song - a non-fantasy set in Washington State,
>filled with amalgams of every character they've ever written, put into
>impossibly frustrating characters, in a plot with all the surprises of a
>bowl of tomato soup.
>
>So, I approached the most recent work from them - "The Elder Gods" with
>some trepidation. On one hand, their writing had become routine and
>extremely predictable. On the other, the prospect of another fantasy
>series had potential - maybe they were going to clean the slate and
>start over with new ideas, and strong characters and... no, it sucks.
>
>Sucks is the best way to put it, as well. Eddings makes so much of his
>knowledge of epic fantasy and classical literature, yet can't come up
>with a unique idea anymore that's not wholly derivitave of his own
>originally interesting characters. Oh, look, it's the snippy girl-god.
>Oh look, it's the witty banter. Oh, look, a rag-tag cast of mismatched
>characters. Oh, look, it's the good guys overcoming adversity and
>suffering almost no casualties... on and on and on.
>
>Eddings, like Lucas, can't be faulted for a lack of imagination.
>They've both created rollicking, evocative, fantastic worlds that you'd
>want to be lost in forever if you had the chance. However, the other
>shared aspect of their personality is that they just don't know when to
>throw in the towel and call it quits. Eddings will trundle out the next
>three books in what will likely be the worst series he's ever written
>over the next few years. The world waits, nauseously, for Lucas' last
>Star Wars movie, knowing, despite so much optimism, we all know how it
>will turn out.
>
>Oh well. I'll always have Faldor's Farm to keep me company.
>
>- Jim
>
> _____
>
>
>
_____
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