A fair objection. But Lovecraft is one of the pre-Tolkien fantasy authors parodied in early Pratchett (with Bel-Shamharoth).
A Gentleman in Moscow. My friend gave it to me as a birthday gift, so I really wanted to like it so I could tell her how much I appreciated her gift. Then a friend of mine who grew up in Russia suggested that we read the same book at the same time and get together to discuss it periodically, so I suggested this book.
After 170 pages, I texted my friend, and I quote, “I just started Book Three, and there’s an entire chapter devoted to describing the act of putting a pot of coffee on in minute detail. This is a bad book. I don’t want to finish it.”
Luckily, she thought it was a bad book, too, so we agreed to give up.
Jirel of Joiry.
Although, and you probably already know this, he and Howard were in frequent contact, and several Conan stories are very Lovecraftian. In that civilized modern man caves under the things beyond our understanding, but the savage refuses to do so, and fights to survive.
Absolute Beginners by Colin McInnis. I love reading books or seeing movies/TV about that era in British history, but I just couldn’t get through more than a couple of chapters. No idea why, but it felt like I was pushing a rock uphill trying to turn each page.
When I was a teenager, in the 80s, a couple of friends raved about this series. I tried to read Lord Foul’s Bane. I only made it a couple of chapters in before losing interest.
In my 20s, I thought I should give it another shot. After all, many people say these are the greatest books ever written! Made it farther than the first time, but not by much.
Then, in my 30s, I thought perhaps I should try again. I made it about halfway through the book that time. The dialogue was so ridiculous, I just couldn’t take anymore. Donaldson’s dialogue made George Lucas look like a master wordsmith.
I won’t be making another attempt.
I’m somewhere in the post-Roman era in Sarum, and it’s kind of lost its gloss for me.
Rutherfurd kind of strikes me as a half-baked James Michener, in that they both write grand scope novels about an area/people/etc… over the entire history of the place.
I’m currently in The Redemption of Althalus
by David and Leigh Eddings. I remembered liking their other stuff so I figured I’d give it a shot?
Did I like the other books? Now I don’t know. Their writing style and patterns are much the same and seem to wear after a few chapters. The snappy-ish dialogue, the same group dynamics. I might keep going out of pure obstinacy.
I did like the other books, right?
What’s funny about @Love_Rhombus’s post is that it’s so damn true. (Yes I know they edited it, but in previously had “****” for the title). And you can put nearly ANY of the Eddings works in that blank and it still works.
For the record, their stuff is lots of light fun, but it’s the same plot and (mostly) characters with the names and settings changed to protect the simplicity.
Meh, they’re still fun, and there are always a few moments in each series and book that make me LOL, but originality was taken out back, shot, buried, dug back up, burned at the stake, and had it’s ashes scattered to the four winds.
At least they had an in-world explanation of that for the duplications between the Belgariad and the Mallorean, EXCEPT they used the same damn excuse for the new series Ellenium and Tamuli.
I’m about to start Jamie MacGillivray by John Sayles. Historical novel about a Scottish renegade. Have never read any of John Sayles’ novels, but I like his scripts. The new book is a thick one - wish me luck. If I bail, I’ll let you know.
Years ago I saw all this praise for Geek Love. Couldn’t stand the writing style. Also did not get far with a book an old friend wrote. Won’t tell you the name.
Eddings and his wife/co-writer wrote a book, The Rivan Codex, in which they talked about the background behind the Belgariad/Mallorean books, as well as the formula that they had come up with for fantasy fiction.
My understanding, from reading that book, and various other articles about Eddings over the years, is that he originally had no interest in writing fantasy. He’d set out to be an author, but had been unsuccessful in writing/getting published in several genres. He was surprised to learn that The Lord of the Rings was still selling very well, and so, he set out to deconstruct the genre, and write stuff that followed the tried-and-true formula.
He turned out to be very successful at that, and I really enjoyed his novels, when I first read them, in the early '90s. When I went back to re-read them a few years ago, the formulaic nature really had become clear to me; one bit of that formula, in particular, is that every book (or close to it) had a chapter in which all of the “good guy” characters get together in a war-room situation, to discuss their plans. Every single character comes across as supernaturally smart/savvy in that meeting, and they invariably are able to predict, with uncanny accuracy, exactly what the bad guys will do.
And he (or they) use the word “sort” in conversation a lot. A lot a lot. More than most people ever have. And people are brainwashed/ forced into these huge quests and no one ever remarks on it. (That’s my personal gripe.)
I never read any of the series, but this was the impression I had formed from discussions here of the books and the tv version. Thank you for confirming my instinct. I won’t have to waste any time on them.
Hmmm. Interesting. I’m not going to judge, as another author I’ve read for the fun, rather than depth of their work made a similar point. They flat out said they wrote to get a paycheck. If someone falls in love with the setting, characters, or plot, that’s great, but at the end of the day authors need to get paid.
So it being a calculated system is fine by me, they’re right, authors need to get paid. And as said, I still enjoy that sort of thing when I’m in the mood, but doesn’t mean that @El_DeLuxo isn’t also right about the patterns, and some may feel it’s excessively cynical.
Like a lot of things, if you enjoy it great, and if not, the used bookstore / donation box could probably use a copy. For that matter, the comparative simplicity and easy to read style of those books makes them ideally suited (IMHO) for tween/YA reading. A lot easier to access for most than JRRT, but still a fun adventure for someone you want to share a love of reading with.
Which reminds me, my nephew is getting to that age…
I certainly don’t disagree with that, and more power to the Eddingses, for having been very successful at it. There’s nothing wrong with “brain candy” books, either.
That’s a good point. And, compared to a lot of modern “adult” fantasy books, it’s fairly light on explicit violence, and any sex is pretty much always only implied.
the mention of eddings reminds me of Christopher Stasheff (might have spelled that wrong ) who wrote a pretty good book called “Her Majesty’s wizard” which was about a guy from our world who gets summoned to the medieval fantasy world where biblical-type of magic and happenings are real life things and the bible it taken literally and he saves the world by using science and a bit of technology with of course"miracle" or two happening oh and also fallsin love with the queen he’s saving after endless philosophical and theological debate …
Now here’s the problem almost every other book he wrote seems to follow the basic formula/template of set up the world of one extreme philosophy and send-in savior of the world whos from a world of the complete opposite extreme with some romance and sword and sorcery type of action and endless debate…
i didn’t feel the need to read more of him …
Formulaic books where I originally liked the formula are always a little intriguing to me. Either the author really loves that formula or they have a monster work ethic, because I don’t think I could keep repeating myself like that without going a little nuts.
Tom Holt immediately comes to mind. I liked his books. Light, fun little comedic fantasy romps. But…they’re almost always the same. Mix and match modern mixed-up mythic scenarios, but with essentially the same hero with the same love interest, doing the same romantic pas de deux. At a certain point I just couldn’t anymore.
Oh, yes, “Lord Foul’s Bane.” One of my ex-boyfriend’s favorite books, ranking up there with another book I couldn’t relate to, “Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.”
My XBF gave me his copy of LFB and said, “If you can get through the first 40-ish pages, you’ll love the rest of it.” I loved the first 40-ish pages, and then it just plain old got weird.
We were incompatible for other reasons too, for which I bore equal blame.
I used to be pretty fond of the Covenant series, or at last the first six. Not so much now.
But when I mention them, I frequently get suggestions to read the Gormenghast trilogy. Trust me…I have. Peake obviously put a lot of work into them and they simply fall flat to me. I read them one time and then tried some years later to read them again. It was a no-go.
OTOH, I do enjoy re-reading David Lindsay’s “A Voyage to Arcturus,” though I couldn’t really recommend it to anyone else I can think of.
And Edgar Rice Burroughs. But I love ERB so I feel loathe to even mention him in this thread. Although I do find there are diminishing returns in some of his longer book series.
OB