[Gabriele]

I just started writing one night. I was supposed to work on my PhD but instead I wrote a fight scene. It developed into a novel within the year to follow - a very sucky one with all the beginner's mistakes, but I got the bug and since then I'm writing. Stories with lots of action and battles.

[Terez]

I finally decided on a favorite battle scene from WoT. Lanfear vs. Rand and Moiraine at the docks in Cairhien.

[frookenhauer]

Gabriele;363864 said:

I just started writing one night. I was supposed to work on my PhD but instead I wrote a fight scene. It developed into a novel within the year to follow - a very sucky one with all the beginner's mistakes, but I got the bug and since then I'm writing. Stories with lots of action and battles.

Okay, Dr Gabi, or is it prof? I'm more frightened of War and peace than ever, sounds like its a boffin only club, but I might take up the pen, or stab a few keys.

Terez;363897 said:

I finally decided on a favorite battle scene from WoT. Lanfear vs. Rand and Moiraine at the docks in Cairhien.

Care to elaborate?

[Terez]

I shouldn't have to elaborate on the awesomeness of that scene if you've read it.

[Gabriele]

frookenhauer;363899 said:

Okay, Dr Gabi, or is it prof? I'm more frightened of War and peace than ever, sounds like its a boffin only club, but I might take up the pen, or stab a few keys.?

Lol, my still unifnished PhD is not about War and Peace but about Mediaeval epics - which have a lot of battles as well.

Believe me, you don't need a degree to enjoy War and Peace. Or to write a book, for that matter.

[frookenhauer]

Terez;363901 said:

I shouldn't have to elaborate on the awesomeness of that scene if you've read it.

Are you saying my memories perfect? Or even moderately serviceable? And is awesomeness a real word?

Ok gabi, WaP is back on the list and so is writing, cheers. have some rep

[Terez]

Spoiler

TITLE - The Fires of Heaven
CHAPTER: 52 - Choices

Wiping the blood from her mouth, Moiraine crawled out from beneath the tail of the wagon and rose unsteadily to her feet, the sound of a man's laughter in her ears. In spite of herself, her eyes darted, searching for Lan, found him lying almost against the foggy gray wall of the dome that stretched overhead. He twitched, perhaps trying to find strength to rise, perhaps dying. She forced him out of her mind. He had saved her life so many times that by rights it should have belonged to him, but she had long since done what she could to see that he survived his lone war with the Shadow. Now he must live or die without her.

It was Rand laughing, on his knees on the stones of the quay. Laughing, with tears streaming down a face twisted like a man being put to the question. Moiraine felt a chill. If the madness had him, it was beyond her. She could only do what she could do. What she must do.

The sight of Lanfear hit her like a blow. Not surprise, but the shock of seeing what had been in her dreams so often since Rhuidean. Lanfear standing on the wagon-bed, blazing bright as the sun with saidar, framed by the twisted redstone ter'angreal as she stared down at Rand, a pitiless smile on her lips. She was turning a bracelet in her hands. An angreal; unless Rand had his own angreal, she should be able to crush him with that. Either he did, or Lanfear was toying with him. It did not matter. Moiraine did not like that circle of carved age-dark ivory. At first glance it seemed to be an acrobat bending backwards to grip his ankles. Only a closer look would show that his wrists and ankles were bound together. She did not like it, but she had brought it out of Rhuidean. Yesterday she had taken the bracelet from a sack of odds-and-ends and left it lying there at the foot of the doorframe.

Moiraine was slight, a small woman. Her weight did not disturb the wagon at all as she pulled herself up. She winced as her dress caught on a splinter and tore, but Lanfear did not look around. The woman had dealt with every threat except Rand; he was the only corner of the world she acknowledged in the least right then.

Suppressing a small bubble of hope – she could not allow herself that luxury – Moiraine balanced upright a moment on the wagon-tail, then embraced the True Source and leaped at Lanfear. The Forsaken had an instant's warning, enough to turn before Moiraine struck her, clawing the bracelet away. Face to face, they toppled through the doorframe ter'angreal. White light swallowed everything.

Moiraine rocks.

[frookenhauer]

Terez;363918 said:

Moiraine rocks.

And so do b1tch fights! if you'll pardon the expression. Not exactly what I had in mind when starting this thread, but everybody loves a good, (dare I say it again?) b1tch fight.

I was right about my memory, definitely don't remember all this.

[Terez]

That was only part of why that scene was awesome...but awesome it was.

[Illuyankas]

Spoiler

Rand: My batshit ex will kill all my friends unless I kill her, but I can't kill a woman, even if she is an evil nutcase bunny boiler. Time to laugh maniacally and let everyone die! Mwahahahaha!
Lanfear: This'll teach you to look in a direction that may contain another woman eventually!
Moiraine: *sigh* Man the fuck up, Rand. I'm getting my one-and-only-competent-Aes-Sedai ass out of here in the most tactful fashion I can.
(She rugby tackles Lanfear through the magical orifice of dreams. And then the ter'angreal)
Readers: Sweet, she really is the best female character.
(A respectful silence is held, broken only by the occasional braid-tugging. Simultaneously every surviving female character sniffs)
Readers: Wait, what's the cast list now? ...OH SHI-

[Darkwatch]

The Siege of Capustan.
Pure and simple. I felt as if I was there. The atmosphere, the descriptions everything was just perfect. Best battle sequence in MBotF imho.

Prince of Nothing.
-First Battle of the Holy War
-First Battle of Caraskand
-Siege of Shimeh.

The Battle of Sulingen.
In the Darkness series by Harry Turtledove, it was a fantasy version of Stalingrad. Very well executed.

[Dr Trouble]

illuyankas;364161 said:

Spoiler

rand: My batshit ex will kill all my friends unless i kill her, but i can't kill a woman, even if she is an evil nutcase bunny boiler. Time to laugh maniacally and let everyone die! Mwahahahaha!
Lanfear: This'll teach you to look in a direction that may contain another woman eventually!
Moiraine: *sigh* man the fuck up, rand. I'm getting my one-and-only-competent-aes-sedai ass out of here in the most tactful fashion i can.
(she rugby tackles lanfear through the magical orifice of dreams. And then the ter'angreal)
readers: Sweet, she really is the best female character.
(a respectful silence is held, broken only by the occasional braid-tugging. Simultaneously every surviving female character sniffs)
readers: Wait, what's the cast list now? ...oh shi-

THIS.
a

[Use Of Weapons]

Moiraine rocks -- and all the signs are that

Spoiler

She'll be back in time for Tarmon Gai'don, if Mat and Thom and Noal get to the Tower of Ghenjei in time -- ideally in the Prologue!

[frookenhauer]

This thread is becoming seriously WoT heavy...There must be bodacious battles written by others that no-ones heard of

[Gabriele]

Well, you can always go back all the way to Homer.

Pressfield's Gates of Fire is more or less one big battle, and I'm looking forward to Paul Kearney's The Ten Thousand based on Xenophon's Anabasis which promises some fine battles as well. Also fun are Scott Oden's Men of Bronze and Memnon. Scott is a great RE Howard fan and esp. Men of Bronze shows that. In a good way.

[acesn8s]

Non-fantasy, Bernard Cornwell's Sharpe's novels have incredible battles. I prefer his Saxon novels, but the battles in the Sharpe's novels are incredible.

[frookenhauer]

Gabriele;364900 said:

Well, you can always go back all the way to Homer.

Pressfield's Gates of Fire is more or less one big battle, and I'm looking forward to Paul Kearney's The Ten Thousand based on Xenophon's Anabasis which promises some fine battles as well. Also fun are Scott Oden's Men of Bronze and Memnon. Scott is a great RE Howard fan and esp. Men of Bronze shows that. In a good way.

Do you find time to eat between reading? And is sleep something dimly remembered, in the misty times before Erikson? hmm.. B.E. I must remember to use this...

Your knowledge of the writers on the fringe (If thats what they are) is pretty impressive, and have you thrown in some history (Not really sure, but go with this) in there as well? Xeno phone? :confused: Who opened the lateral door and let the brainy people in? Answer me! [They won't let me give you rep! Apparently I must spread myself around...]

acesn8s;365224 said:

Non-fantasy, Bernard Cornwell's Sharpe's novels have incredible battles. I prefer his Saxon novels, but the battles in the Sharpe's novels are incredible.

Thats more like it, I feel I''m on more solid ground again. I can dig Sharpe.

[Gabriele]

frookenhauer;365491 said:

Do you find time to eat between reading? And is sleep something dimly remembered, in the misty times before Erikson? hmm.. B.E. I must remember to use this...

I eat while I read.

Quote

Your knowledge of the writers on the fringe (If thats what they are) is pretty impressive, and have you thrown in some history (Not really sure, but go with this) in there as well? Xeno phone? :confused: Who opened the lateral door and let the brainy people in?

Well, Pressfield has been around some time, and since I like historical fiction, esp. based on Ancient and Medieaval times, I've come across his books at some point. The Ten Thousand is a new book I found out about while reading some Fantasy review blogs, and it sounds like right up my alley - it is Fantasy based on an historical event. You can blame Homer and Xenophon on my parents who kept that sort of books on their shelves and never told me I was too young to read something (not even erotic poetry at 13).

I know Scott Oden from his blog and I'm one of the beta readers for his newest book about ... well, I think I can say that much, an assassin in an alternate Orient during the times of the Crusades. I recommend his novels because they are fun romps with good battle descriptions, intrigue and engaging characters.

[Adjutant Stormy~]

Quote

You can blame Homer and Xenophon on my parents who kept that sort of books on their shelves and never told me I was too young to read something (not even erotic poetry at 13).

Yeah, my first conquest as a literate human being: the Lord of the Rings. I blame bad parenting too.

I really enjoyed Ender's Game, not for blood-and-guts battles, but for strategy, etc. (I read it, and later was confused: "Wait, there's character development?")

And for space battles- (a valid subsection of this thread?) the Lost Fleet series by Jack Campbell. Each book is basically 1-2 battles, but they're more of one running battle. And they're short reads.
David Brin's Startide Rising, The Uplift War. Wicked subject, Interesting battles (Think energy pulse using a moon-resonator). But not enough of them. His other books are OK, but the end of Heaven's Reach (last book of the last trilogy) was EPIC.

[frookenhauer]

Aah! Its funny, now that I've got a limited amount of time on my hand to do any reading, I'm getting better informed on what to read, but the list is growing at an alarming pace. I don't want to learn to speed read, and I can't afford to quit my Job. well at least I got plenty to look forward to...The power of positive thinking!

Back to topic. I'm working my way through Bakkers' the darkness that comes before, and I've had my first battle, it was interesting enough, but here could have been more substance to it (Conphas versus the Scylvendi), well it aint over yet, so I'm hoping for some more blood to be spilled before the tale is done.

Adjutant Stormy;365543 said:

David Brin's Startide Rising, The Uplift War. Wicked subject, Interesting battles (Think energy pulse using a moon-resonator). But not enough of them. His other books are OK, but the end of Heaven's Reach (last book of the last trilogy) was EPIC.

Yep, quality reading and the resonator was a frikkin awesome idea, and so was the doublecr- I think I'll stop there