I think so. Her fans in the Sunrunner's Circle were lamenting that she wasn't going to finish her Ruins of Ambrai trilogy. The first two were published but after her mother's death she pretty much said she was unable to continue writing. Of course that could change over the years. Looks like she's involved in some new anthology and Amazon lists that third Ambrai book early next year (take that with a grain of salt).
Science/Fantasy Fiction - was part of "R J has passed away"
- Thread starter Mariner
- Start date
I think so. Her fans in the Sunrunner's Circle were lamenting that she wasn't going to finish her Ruins of Ambrai trilogy. The first two were published but after her mother's death she pretty much said she was unable to continue writing. Of course that could change over the years. Looks like she's involved in some new anthology and Amazon lists that third Ambrai book early next year (take that with a grain of salt).
Well try the rest out. I have to admit I liked them less as time went on. You may well like them more though.
I can see why you liked them less, Im about 75% through the second book and fee like the main characters are acting like idiots. Sigh, hope it improves towards the end.
Exactly! I feel that a lot of authors think making characters act like idiots make them realistic (RR. Martin comes to my mind). Any way the other parts of the trilogy of trilogies are better somewhat.
Which Martin characters are you referring to? I think Martin both likes shocking readers while hating that other writers penning world-shattering fictional events rarely kill off a realistic number of their own characters. And Martin has repeatedly stated that history is full of examples where the 'good guys' didn't win.
But, that said, Ned was just a bit too naive for my tastes. I can buy having such a sense of honor that he's completely out of his element swimming in waters driven entirely by politics and in-fighting, but meeting Cersei in the garden and telling her exactly what he knew and what he planned to do with the information when he knew the previous Hand had been poisoned over the exact same knowledge. . .utterly stupid. But Martin's story needed the Stark children scattered and that wouldn't happen with a strong patriarch guiding the family, so. . . . Ned still should've screwed Cersei when she offered it, though.
Ned is one of them.
Anyway it has been awhile since I read them (think his wife from the rivers area was silly as well, and I am sure there are others as well). I am writing a book and hopefully will get it published *crosses fingers* (actually I already wrote one book, but I wanted to start at the beginning of the tale before I submitted it). But here is my theory on the matter, yes good guys lose quite often, but it is also as applicable to say that when the good guys win against improbable odds it is a story that is told often.
Well, it is "fantasy"
In principle, I agree with him, but he takes it to a new level.
Maybe it just irks me to invest myself in a character, only to have him get axed (literally) in a paragraph of treachery. Leaving you thinking, "uhh, wtf?" Its happened so many times that I can't really allow myself to get 'into' any characters now, for fear of them getting a literary pink slip. And, of course, he doesn't bother axing the BORING characters, for some reason (I really don't care about Daenarys, for example, and was pretty dang bored with the horse faced knight-ess by the time she (presumably) bit it) The grey king is also a bit of a snoozer.
Brienne didn't bite it, she looked over at Pod and then said the word to get off the end of the rope (imo). Had she been alone her sense of honor would've killed her, but she's too much of a softie to consign Pod to the same fate. I still think her PoV chapters were a waste in the 4th book, along with Cersei.
By Grey king do you mean the Iron Isles (vikings) or the Dorne prince (sandy kingdom in the south)?
I've read the 3 excerpted Dany chapters and there's potential there. Martin has just got to move the story in the 5th book or else my interest will seriously wane, especially after the very lackluster 4th installment we got years ago. But I think the story has gotten away from him, he realizes he's writing his opus, and the pressure is giving him writer's block.
I'm not sure I remember completely. The one who was using the fire sorcereress to kill his opponents, which I'm pretty sure wasn't the vikings. It was..umm...the original king's brother? Stannis? Yeah, that's the name. I thought he was the Grey King.
Anyways, Daenary's reminded me too much of:
- The Sanchaen in Jordan's world (or maybe the Aeil would be more appropriate)
- The Emerald Empire (I think that's who they were) in Feists world
Every epic author seem to need to stuff in some orientalist drivel into their otherwise WASPy fantasy to make it seem more rounded, but it just explodes the story for not much reason beyond "ooh! they're different!"
At least in my opinion, anyways. Perhaps my fanny is just a tad chapped from him not being able to write.
I hope he gets his opus done
I found the Farseer trilogy too dark and depressing. It's not that I have a problem with dark fiction (I'm a huge Cyberunk fan, for example), it's just that reading Farseer is like to being repeatedly punched into the balls by a spastic clown or something - it's not particularly pleasant and after a while you just want it to stop.
Hobb does produce quality fiction, though. It's far better than most of the crap out there.
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I disagree. Fantasy literature, traditionally, has been modeled after a romanticised version of medieval Europe. It makes sense for other cultures in that fictional world to be modeled after cultures that existed at elsewhere roughly during the medieval era.
It's not about being different, it's about being consistent. And GRRM does a pretty good job with it, IMO, except that maybe including the pseudo-Mongolians makes it a little too close to Earth history. But at least he doesn't bore the reader to tears with cultural minutiae like Feist does at times.
I have to admit that I'm not a fan of the whole oriental stuff but I prefer it to the Chinese or Japanese culture knockoffs that some authors create (like Feist), which often end up being even more stereotype-laden.
I always thought the Dark Sun campaign setting for AD&D was great. It successfully combined cultural elements from Middle Eastern and African culture with a dying-world type of theme and avoided much of the Arabian Nights campiness.
Personally, it has always been bothering more when authors
Oh, maybe I mispoke. I don't have a problem with them modeling other lands off of other medeival lands, but many times it seems these excursions to other lands/cultures are thrown in for no good reason. Sort of the author sayign "I'm bored with medeival europe, I'm going to write about ancient china for the next book!"
Wheel of Time contains some very pseudo-Earth history things like Artur Hawkwing who basically is King Arthur (Artur Paendrag vs. Arthur Pendragon? come on! )
)Hey, I'd almost forgotten about that stuff - I read the first 5 books (which wiki tells me were collectively called the Prism Pentad) and found them quite entertaining. May have to search through my bookshelves to see if I've still got them somewhere and if they're worth a re-read even though I've been pretty much finished with Fantasy for years.
Psionics were more heavily integrated into the Dark Sun campaign world too, something I liked.
Ok, finished the 2nd of the farseer book. I must say that it did pick up towards the end. The first few chapters of the 3rd book, does actually improve my views on the 2nd one too. Trying to explain why fitz acted so stupidly through most of the 2nd book.
Anyways, let me recommend Terry brooks. His shannara series are actually quite good.
Anyways, let me recommend Terry brooks. His shannara series are actually quite good.
The Elfstones is decent, but, yea, the rest is garbage.
Tad Williams' "Memory, Sorrow and Thorn" trilogy is worth a read, and I have a soft spot for Donaldson's "Mordant's Need" duology.
Along SF lines, "Dune" is still the best I've read, though "Stranger in a Strange Lane" is up there too.
Edit: Stranger in a Strange Lane? WTF? I've really got to stop posting when I'm still waking up and can't see the screen.
Tad Williams' "Memory, Sorrow and Thorn" trilogy is worth a read, and I have a soft spot for Donaldson's "Mordant's Need" duology.
Along SF lines, "Dune" is still the best I've read, though "Stranger in a Strange Lane" is up there too.
Edit: Stranger in a Strange Lane? WTF? I've really got to stop posting when I'm still waking up and can't see the screen.
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I don't hate terry brooks like youguys do. I thought his series were fun at least. Of course I have only read the magic kingdom for sale one, and then the elfstone ones when I was in Jr. High I never even finished those, but the ones I read back then seemed entertaining enough.
I still say you should try Carol Berg. I always just go to a bookstore and admittedly look at covers of books to try and pick out a new author to try. It is a poor method, but quite entertaining.
I still say you should try Carol Berg. I always just go to a bookstore and admittedly look at covers of books to try and pick out a new author to try. It is a poor method, but quite entertaining.