Return of the Book Thread

[Hawkbit]

I enjoyed 1, but 2 was a slog-fest.  It's the writing style that jumps all around; I just can't read it.  That, and any character I became mildly interested in will die three chapters later, so I just kinda gave up. 

[HaemishM]

2 was very weak in comparison to the first. 3 was better by an order of magnitude. I found that 2 worked better with the changes they made to the TV show than it did in book form.

[Cyrrex]

I sorta skimmed through books 6-9 of WoT and then read a bit more in depth in the last ones, all to get ready for January.

Damn you people! 

But anyway, I doubt it.  I takes a whole fucking lot to rile me up.  I mean, I have read all 12 of the Wheel of Times books, all the Sword of Truth books and even all the Drizzt books.  Maybe I just like crappy books, actually. 

I'm so very sorry for you.  Really, really sorry.  I couldn't even get through one of those.  The Drizz't books are just pure pulp though.  I loved them as a kid but the thought of reading them now just kind of makes me cringe for all the cliches in them. 

Yeah, the thing about the Sword of Truth books...he was terrible at coherent plots and uses a lot of ridiculous plot devices to advance his stories (and then conveniently abandoning them when he needed to create tension)...but I actually really liked several of his characters.  It was like finding little lumps of gold into giant, stinking piles of shit.

The Drizzt books - yeah, I actually like them, I will admit.  Horribly derivitive and cliched as you say, but again I liked some of the characters.  And that guy can write swordfighting scenes like nobody else, and I fucking LOVE me some swordfighting scenes.  He is good at writing battle in general, I thought.  I imagine I will actually re-read these at some point.

[Ingmar]

Are the Sword of Truth ones the libertarian nutbag or am I thinking of something else?

[Reg]

That's right. It doesn't show so much in the early books though.

[lamaros]

That's right. It doesn't show so much in the early books though.

I umm.. I only read the first one and it was too much... You just blew my mind.

[Reg]

There was libertarianism in the first book?  I was probably distracted by all the leather and S&M.

[Ironwood]

Wait, is this the books that got made into a bad TV series and featured a blonde assasin woman with red leather ?

I liked looking at stills of that show.

[Reg]

Hah, yep that's the one.

[Chimpy]

There was libertarianism in the first book?  I was probably distracted by all the leather and S&M.

The Randian wankfest stuff doesn't really get turned up to 11 for the first couple books. But it is there.

[RhyssaFireheart]

I sorta skimmed through books 6-9 of WoT and then read a bit more in depth in the last ones, all to get ready for January.

Damn you people! 

But anyway, I doubt it.  I takes a whole fucking lot to rile me up.  I mean, I have read all 12 of the Wheel of Times books, all the Sword of Truth books and even all the Drizzt books.  Maybe I just like crappy books, actually. 

I'm so very sorry for you.  Really, really sorry.  I couldn't even get through one of those.  The Drizz't books are just pure pulp though.  I loved them as a kid but the thought of reading them now just kind of makes me cringe for all the cliches in them. 

Yeah, the thing about the Sword of Truth books...he was terrible at coherent plots and uses a lot of ridiculous plot devices to advance his stories (and then conveniently abandoning them when he needed to create tension)...but I actually really liked several of his characters.  It was like finding little lumps of gold into giant, stinking piles of shit.

The Drizzt books - yeah, I actually like them, I will admit.  Horribly derivitive and cliched as you say, but again I liked some of the characters.  And that guy can write swordfighting scenes like nobody else, and I fucking LOVE me some swordfighting scenes.  He is good at writing battle in general, I thought.  I imagine I will actually re-read these at some point.

I haven't tried to reread them in a long time actually, wonder how that would go?  I really liked the whole concept behind a dark elf going against this upbringing and culture to be a good guy and at first they were interesting books, but then it got popular and became his cash cow that was milked to death.  It was annoying to see something that was a good concept get pimped out like that.  Now I'm curious to see how many of those books I do still have.

[Evildrider]

I love the Drizzt books.  I actually just started the reading the new Neverwinter books and am enjoying them.  Salvatore is just fun easy reading, but he makes you care about his main characters.

[proudft]

I agree - the original Drizzt books are perfectly fine.  They're rough and breezy, but charming.  TSR hadn't cracked down on the gore/nudity yet, either, which helps.  The next three (Dark Elf trilogy or whatever it's called) are ok.  I decide to cut my losses there and not read any of the others and sully my liking for the characters.  

Sword of Truth - I read the first one and decided it was the worst fantasy book I have ever read, and I have read a lot of terrible books.  I keep threatening to lend it to Ingmar, but he has thus far wisely refused.   I read it every once in a while to use it as inspiration whenever I feel like writing my own terrible stories, in a 'jesus, at least they're not this bad' kind of way.

[ghost]

The Sword of Truth was pretty bad.  I read a few of them, but don't recall anything much about them.  My wife read them, I think to be a completionist, but she's still reading Terry Brooks' Shannara stuff as it comes out.  

I honestly don't remember anything about libertarianism in the Sword of Truth novels, but then again I don't look for it so maybe it was there.  I'm actually halfway interested in re-reading it now to see if its really there.

[lamaros]

The Sword of Truth was pretty bad.  I read a few of them, but don't recall anything much about them.  My wife read them, I think to be a completionist, but she's still reading Terry Brooks' Shannara stuff as it comes out.  

I honestly don't remember anything about libertarianism in the Sword of Truth novels, but then again I don't look for it so maybe it was there.  I'm actually halfway interested in re-reading it now to see if its really there.

I really can't remember it well as it has been a while, but I think from about 'mud people' onwards I was constantly cringing. I'm not sure I was familiar with 'libertarianism' as a word then, but my hindsight makes the association.

"Wizard's First Rule: people are stupid." Richard and Kahlan frowned even more. "People are stupid; given proper motivation, almost anyone will believe almost anything. Because people are stupid, they will believe a lie because they want to believe it's true, or because they are afraid it might be true. People's heads are full of knowledge, facts, and beliefs, and most of it is false, yet they think it all true. People are stupid; they can only rarely tell the difference between a lie and the truth, and yet they are confident they can, and so are all the easier to fool."

 

[ghost]

You know, I read stuff like that and think, "it's a book".  I felt the same way about Atlas Shrugged.  It's a book of fiction.  So many people get worked up about that stuff and it's really just not worth my time. 

That doesn't mean that I think the Sword of Truth was good, however.  I couldn't make it past book 3.     I remember it having an awfully strong "emo" feel to it. 

[lamaros]

Yeah, not getting worked up but not reading any more of the books sums up my response. Just thought it odd that some didn't notice it in the first book as it seemed strong to me. Each to their own and all that.

[Cyrrex]

Wait, is this the books that got made into a bad TV series and featured a blonde assasin woman with red leather ?

I liked looking at stills of that show.

The hotness of the women in the TV series is probably what made me read the books in the first place.  Soooooo hot.

[Ironwood]

Didn't they shoe in Charisma Carpenter in there at some point as a lesbian red leather wearing love interest ?

Again, I haven't seen the show or read the books, but the trailers always interest me strangely.

[Cyrrex]

Yeah, that they did.  But to be blunt with you, it was Tabrett Bethell - who plays a regular red leather clad dominatrix type in season 2 - who really steals the scenes.  That was one hot chick.

[Ironwood]

She was the blonde I mentioned I think ?

Or was there ANOTHER one ?

 

[Cyrrex]

There were several women in the red leather!  I don't remember Charisma Carpenter in there other than maybe a few minutes in an episode or two.  Not noteworthy.

There was also Denna, played by Jessica Marais.  She was in several episodes, and was also particulary bone-worthy.  It is possible you are thinking about her.  But Tabrett stole the show in more ways than one.  Just painfully hot.

And this avoids the subject of Bridget Regan, who plays one of the main characters.  So plump, so yummy.

[ghost]

Yeah, not getting worked up but not reading any more of the books sums up my response. Just thought it odd that some didn't notice it in the first book as it seemed strong to me. Each to their own and all that.

Yeah, I wasn't saying that you were.  I was more thinking about the frothing anger that Atlas Shrugged seems to cause in a couple of my friends.  I think it's pretty funny, myself. 

[WayAbvPar]

People are praising the Drizz't books. I think I am done with this thread. Jesus wept.

[RhyssaFireheart]

People are praising the Drizz't books. I think I am done with this thread. Jesus wept.

Uh, I don't think anyone is praising the books so much as saying they enjoyed them.  There is a difference.

[Ingmar]

People are praising the Drizz't books. I think I am done with this thread. Jesus wept.

I'll say this: they were much better than the Dragonlance ones.

[Evildrider]

People are praising the Drizz't books. I think I am done with this thread. Jesus wept.

Uh, I don't think anyone is praising the books so much as saying they enjoyed them.  There is a difference.

Yeah they aren't literary masterpieces, but they are fun easy reads.  Its also way nostalgic for me as a D&D and Forgotten Realms DM. 

[Ironwood]

People are praising the Drizz't books. I think I am done with this thread. Jesus wept.

I'll say this: they were much better than the Dragonlance ones.

Cancer.  I'd rather have it than AIDS.

I loved both those books when I was young.  I grew up.   

[ghost]

If you're expecting any fantasy to be Hemingway or Faulkner you're in for a serious disappointment. 

[proudft]

Yep - if you restrict yourself to literary masterpieces of fantasy, you'll be out of books before Christmas.  If you're a slow reader.

[Ironwood]

Oh, I dunno, I read The Black Company.

...


And it was fairly shite.

[lamaros]

Have I said they new Alex Bledsoe Eddie Lacrosse books are good?

Because they're pretty good.

Midnight Kingdom was an interesting read. I'd recommend it. It's not pyrotechnic, but it has stuck with me a little.

[ghost]

Oh, I dunno, I read The Black Company.

...


And it was fairly shite.

You shut your Scottish mouth......

[Sky]

I don't put a lot of books down early; the Sword of Truth I may have made it 10% of the way in before ditching it. Wretched.

Reading the second Eric Flint (now with 100% more David Weber!) time travel fantasy book, 1633. These are fun books. I'm not real picky. Which is what makes it remarkable that Goodkin utterly repulsed me for some reason, especially as I have libertarian leanings (except the anarchy parts). One of my favorite light fantasy authors, Modesitt, did the same thing with the one-off Haze.

[Abagadro]

Latest Culture novel (Hydrogen Sonata) dropped early in the U.S.  I had it pre-ordered and it just shipped today instead of in mid-October as originally scheduled. Just FYI for those interested.