[Morgoth]

Macros, on 12 September 2018 - 09:13 AM, said:

By that measure Twilight is a masterpiece

Absolutely. I got my little sister into reading through the Twilight series.

It's not like you didn't read Eddings and Goodkind and Brooks and Jordan and that whole lot back in the day.

[Abyss]

Morgoth, on 12 September 2018 - 01:07 PM, said:

...It's not like you didn't read Eddings and Goodkind and Brooks and Jordan and that whole lot back in the day.

[QuickTidal]

Decided to stay in Michael J. Sullivan's Elan, and dive straight into book three of his First Empire series, with AGE OF WAR. Now I LOVED book 1, AGE OF MYTH, but I only liked book 2 AGE OF SWORDS as I had some pretty major issues with some of the plot points....but the third book so far is a return to all the things I loved about book 1.

[Macros]

Morgoth, on 12 September 2018 - 01:07 PM, said:

Macros, on 12 September 2018 - 09:13 AM, said:

By that measure Twilight is a masterpiece

Absolutely. I got my little sister into reading through the Twilight series.

It's not like you didn't read Eddings and Goodkind and Brooks and Jordan and that whole lot back in the day.

eddings and Jordan yeah I guess. Bad kind nope (beyond a later age foray into book 1 which I couldn't finish) have never read any Brooks either, did I miss anything with Brooks?

[End of Disc One]

QuickTidal, on 12 September 2018 - 02:34 PM, said:

Decided to stay in Michael J. Sullivan's Elan, and dive straight into book three of his First Empire series, with AGE OF WAR. Now I LOVED book 1, AGE OF MYTH, but I only liked book 2 AGE OF SWORDS as I had some pretty major issues with some of the plot points....but the third book so far is a return to all the things I loved about book 1.

I just started Age of War as well and am enjoying it. This series is definitely slower than Riyria but not in a bad way. It's more about spending time with the characters and getting in their heads.

[Abyss]

Macros, on 12 September 2018 - 03:25 PM, said:

Morgoth, on 12 September 2018 - 01:07 PM, said:

Macros, on 12 September 2018 - 09:13 AM, said:

By that measure Twilight is a masterpiece

Absolutely. I got my little sister into reading through the Twilight series.

It's not like you didn't read Eddings and Goodkind and Brooks and Jordan and that whole lot back in the day.

eddings and Jordan yeah I guess. Bad kind nope (beyond a later age foray into book 1 which I couldn't finish) have never read any Brooks either, did I miss anything with Brooks?

Yes and no.
At an early stage in your fantasy reading life, Brooks is great. His characters are very much familiar archetypes done well (brave farmboy, mysterious cranky wizard, taciturn dwarf, loveable rogue, etc etc)... his badass-not-quite-grim-heroes-with-swords are classic.... his battle scenes are glorious affairs. Until you've read SIF, or Malazan, or Abercrombie, and so on... then it all feels very very YA basic fantasy. Also, if you stick with him, you start to see that he has a bout six character types and three plots that he just reuses.

If you're curious, I'd reco ELFSTONES OF SHANNARA. Probably his most original and best written early stuff. It's actually the second Shannara book but stands just fine on its own, and bk 1, SWORD, rips off LotR fairly painfully for its time.

[QuickTidal]

End of Disc One, on 12 September 2018 - 03:36 PM, said:

QuickTidal, on 12 September 2018 - 02:34 PM, said:

Decided to stay in Michael J. Sullivan's Elan, and dive straight into book three of his First Empire series, with AGE OF WAR. Now I LOVED book 1, AGE OF MYTH, but I only liked book 2 AGE OF SWORDS as I had some pretty major issues with some of the plot points....but the third book so far is a return to all the things I loved about book 1.

I just started Age of War as well and am enjoying it. This series is definitely slower than Riyria but not in a bad way. It's more about spending time with the characters and getting in their heads.

Very much so. I find that there is a nice, and slow unravelling of the inner depth of character with everyone in the cast.

I also know that in this series Sullivan very intentionally has history eventually record Brin, as Bran, and turns her into a guy (this is noted in THE DEATH OF DULGATH)...to show how unkind history can be to great female leaders. It's little things like that which I notice while reading the main series of books. Solid and interesting world building.

[Tiste Simeon]

Just found my old battered copy of Legend by Gemmell... I know what I'm reading after TCG.

[Morgoth]

Abyss, on 12 September 2018 - 04:59 PM, said:

Macros, on 12 September 2018 - 03:25 PM, said:

Morgoth, on 12 September 2018 - 01:07 PM, said:

Macros, on 12 September 2018 - 09:13 AM, said:

By that measure Twilight is a masterpiece

Absolutely. I got my little sister into reading through the Twilight series.

It's not like you didn't read Eddings and Goodkind and Brooks and Jordan and that whole lot back in the day.

eddings and Jordan yeah I guess. Bad kind nope (beyond a later age foray into book 1 which I couldn't finish) have never read any Brooks either, did I miss anything with Brooks?

Yes and no.
At an early stage in your fantasy reading life, Brooks is great. His characters are very much familiar archetypes done well (brave farmboy, mysterious cranky wizard, taciturn dwarf, loveable rogue, etc etc)... his badass-not-quite-grim-heroes-with-swords are classic.... his battle scenes are glorious affairs. Until you've read SIF, or Malazan, or Abercrombie, and so on... then it all feels very very YA basic fantasy. Also, if you stick with him, you start to see that he has a bout six character types and three plots that he just reuses.

If you're curious, I'd reco ELFSTONES OF SHANNARA. Probably his most original and best written early stuff. It's actually the second Shannara book but stands just fine on its own, and bk 1, SWORD, rips off LotR fairly painfully for its time.

I loved Brooks when I was 12 or so. The library had his first couple of books in Norwegian, but I soon had to move onto the English stuff. He's one of the reasons why I am decently proficient in the language today. I am confident thought that if I were to take a peak at The Sword of Shannara today I would cringe so bad. Like how I felt trying to reread Eddings.

[Maark Abbott]

Started 'In The Ruins' (Crown of Stars #6). The foreword is absolutely beautiful, where Elliott says "I could have trimmed this down but fuck you I'm telling a story and I'm not leaving bits unfinished".

Truly the work of a god.

[Maark Abbott]

Abyss, on 12 September 2018 - 04:59 PM, said:

Macros, on 12 September 2018 - 03:25 PM, said:

Morgoth, on 12 September 2018 - 01:07 PM, said:

Macros, on 12 September 2018 - 09:13 AM, said:

By that measure Twilight is a masterpiece

Absolutely. I got my little sister into reading through the Twilight series.

It's not like you didn't read Eddings and Goodkind and Brooks and Jordan and that whole lot back in the day.

eddings and Jordan yeah I guess. Bad kind nope (beyond a later age foray into book 1 which I couldn't finish) have never read any Brooks either, did I miss anything with Brooks?

Yes and no.
At an early stage in your fantasy reading life, Brooks is great. His characters are very much familiar archetypes done well (brave farmboy, mysterious cranky wizard, taciturn dwarf, loveable rogue, etc etc)... his badass-not-quite-grim-heroes-with-swords are classic.... his battle scenes are glorious affairs. Until you've read SIF, or Malazan, or Abercrombie, and so on... then it all feels very very YA basic fantasy. Also, if you stick with him, you start to see that he has a bout six character types and three plots that he just reuses.

If you're curious, I'd reco ELFSTONES OF SHANNARA. Probably his most original and best written early stuff. It's actually the second Shannara book but stands just fine on its own, and bk 1, SWORD, rips off LotR fairly painfully for its time.

Garret Jax is the OG fantasy edgelord badass.

[Macros]

Morgoth, on 13 September 2018 - 06:32 AM, said:

Abyss, on 12 September 2018 - 04:59 PM, said:

Macros, on 12 September 2018 - 03:25 PM, said:

Morgoth, on 12 September 2018 - 01:07 PM, said:

Macros, on 12 September 2018 - 09:13 AM, said:

By that measure Twilight is a masterpiece

Absolutely. I got my little sister into reading through the Twilight series.

It's not like you didn't read Eddings and Goodkind and Brooks and Jordan and that whole lot back in the day.

eddings and Jordan yeah I guess. Bad kind nope (beyond a later age foray into book 1 which I couldn't finish) have never read any Brooks either, did I miss anything with Brooks?

Yes and no.
At an early stage in your fantasy reading life, Brooks is great. His characters are very much familiar archetypes done well (brave farmboy, mysterious cranky wizard, taciturn dwarf, loveable rogue, etc etc)... his badass-not-quite-grim-heroes-with-swords are classic.... his battle scenes are glorious affairs. Until you've read SIF, or Malazan, or Abercrombie, and so on... then it all feels very very YA basic fantasy. Also, if you stick with him, you start to see that he has a bout six character types and three plots that he just reuses.

If you're curious, I'd reco ELFSTONES OF SHANNARA. Probably his most original and best written early stuff. It's actually the second Shannara book but stands just fine on its own, and bk 1, SWORD, rips off LotR fairly painfully for its time.

I loved Brooks when I was 12 or so. The library had his first couple of books in Norwegian, but I soon had to move onto the English stuff. He's one of the reasons why I am decently proficient in the language today. I am confident thought that if I were to take a peak at The Sword of Shannara today I would cringe so bad. Like how I felt trying to reread Eddings.

So Brooks wrote in an American accent, interesting

[Mentalist]

Got to the second half of "The Two Towers" , and as usual, the Sam & Frodo travelogue is starting to drag a bit.

Meanwhile, Glen Cook has a 200 year old magical cardinal bring dwarves back to our world to hunt down a 400 year old descendant of a valkyrie (moonlighting as the grey eminence of the HRE), to free the Norse Gods from a pocket warren so that they can re-imprison and even older and nastier evil God thing.

This series is awesome.

[Macros]

What series is that??

[Abyss]

Maark Abbott, on 13 September 2018 - 07:34 AM, said:

Abyss, on 12 September 2018 - 04:59 PM, said:

Quote

... Brooks?

... his badass-not-quite-grim-heroes-with-swords are classic.... ...

Garret Jax is the OG fantasy edgelord badass.

Agreed 100%. Probably one of Brooks' bestest characters, who actually fell outside of his usual six or so archetypes.

[Mentalist]

Macros, on 13 September 2018 - 01:35 PM, said:

What series is that??

Instrumentalities of the Night.

I mean, Cook makes up weird names for every country in this world, but it's basically Europe and the Middle East.

This post has been edited by Mentalist: 13 September 2018 - 02:07 PM

[TheRetiredBridgeburner]

Maark Abbott, on 13 September 2018 - 07:28 AM, said:

Started 'In The Ruins' (Crown of Stars #6). The foreword is absolutely beautiful, where Elliott says "I could have trimmed this down but fuck you I'm telling a story and I'm not leaving bits unfinished".

Truly the work of a god.

Interesting. I remember liking the first book (King's Dragon?) and then not getting on with the second Prince of Dogs (although I can't remember why) and I never revisited the series. Might give it another go.

[Salt-Man Z]

Crown of Stars is one of those series I slowly collected in paperback (and since I don't have acquisition date cataloged, that puts it at pre-2008!) but have yet to read. My wife did read them once, and enjoyed them.

[Macros]

Finished Davinci Code.
What a load of pants.

[Abyss]

Macros, on 13 September 2018 - 05:26 PM, said:

Finished Davinci Code.
What a load of pants.

Incorrect.
Jesus never wore pants.