Jump to content

Must Read for GRRM Fans...... according to him anyway.


Stego

Recommended Posts

Sounds very interesting indeed! I believe I'll start something related to this over at wotmania's OF section to see others are interested. Somehow, I expect they will be ;)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have to chime in with Ashara and Calibandar. The quote from Publisher's Weekly doesn't sound very promising. And his first novel? He has to start with a multi-volume epic, has he? That's exactly what GRRM keeps advising against. And it's published by Tor... :sick: Definitely not something I'll read any soon.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

He has to start with a multi-volume epic, has he?

Because it certainly didn't work for Bakker?

That's exactly what GRRM keeps advising against.

The same GRRM who is praising the novel? At any rate unlike many authors that publishers just throw contracts too, Abraham is a veteran short story writer, including collaborating with Martin and Gardner Dozois on a project.

And it's published by Tor..

Who this year is actually signing talent, with Abraham, Tobias Buckell, and Jeff Vandermeer, and last year published Gene Wolfe.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Wow, my signature got noted. Well, Baldur's Gate 1 is my favorite game of all times, and I adore this quote; nope, I don't find it silly, especially in the context of the game.

Now, back to the book in question. The blurb presents yet another world to be saved from the evil ligue of abortionists slash agriculture pro's, and a love triange with two males and an exceptionally gorgeous female. Uhm... it just does not sound interesting to me. Library trial does sound like the best bet. ;)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ashara, I just googled it, and it appears your signature comes from Forgotten Realms. Not only that, but from a video game.

Boring and silly you say?

*is considering the source*

I'm confused here. The Forgotten Realms is indeed a somewhat cheesy and unconvincing setting for fantasy stories, although some good books have been written in that setting nevertheless. However, the computer game you 'criticise' in that comment (Baldur's Gate, I believe) is widely acknowledged as one of the finest computer role-playing games ever created, regardless of the world in which it is set. So I don't get your point. Unless your point is that ALL computer games are boring and silly, in which case fair enough. It's just not a very widely-held opinion.

This books indeed sounds very interesting and I shall pop it onto my list of books to read next year.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

First of all, while GRRM advises against starting your career as a writer of multi-volume epics....... this does not fit Abraham at all.

Abraham began as a short story writer, and has been published in all sorts of years best collections for quite some time.

GRRM isn't giving lip service here, he trusted Abraham enough to collaborate with him, something he is loathe to do in most circumstances.

As for TOR being his publisher......it means exactly nothing to anyone with the slightest inkling of genre writing or the history of TOR.

While TOR is guilty of the travesties that are Lustbader, Goodkind, McGarry, Douglass, Modesitt, and Haydon.....

It is also the publisher of Orson Scott Card, Jack Vance, Gene Wolfe, John M. Ford, Jeff VanderMeer, Ted Chiang, Yves Meynard, John C Wright, David Marusek, and a slew of the absolute elite writers in spec fiction.

Werthead.....

Perhaps I'm coming off as an asshole or some sort of elitest, but if the quote you wish to be known by is something said by a vendor in a video game, you should be keeping your mouth shut on forums about books. You might actually learn something.

BTW, I'm a gamer to some extent. Baldurs Gate was ok, and BG2 was far better. Neither were Neverwinter, and NWN is no WoW.

As much as I enjoy games, I see them for what they are.....completely mindless entertainment. (keyword = mindless)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

:huh:

So your point is that if you are posting on a forum about books, your signature has to be a quote from a book, otherwise your opinions on any book-related matter are automatically invalid? Whereas others might hold the view that your signature can be anything you damn well like it to be. Right.

OTOH, your opinion about computer games is one that I respect, but totally disagree with. There are plenty of games around with plots and moments rivalling the best films. Maybe nothing comparable with the best novels I've read, but some haven't been far off. It's a young art form but one that continues to grow.

But back to the point of this thread. Has anyone read this guy's short stories or Shadow Twin? What did they make of him?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Perhaps I'm coming off as an asshole or some sort of elitest, but if the quote you wish to be known by is something said by a vendor in a video game, you should be keeping your mouth shut on forums about books. You might actually learn something.

Astounding. Just astounding. It might come as a surprise to you, but I will not keep my mouth shut on a board that I frequent because it is dedicated to one of my most favorite authors. I engaged into reading books at the tender age of four, and was an avid reader ever since; I also started to have my opinions about books at about the same age; that's good 25 years of experience. Everything you say sounds like sour grapes to me. Why, a book Martin had recommended does not cause everyone to experience an instant drool in their mouth. If you are so intent on advertising it, do provide more incentive for others to read it by the way of clever discussion, instead of throwing a hissing fit about Baldur's Gate, as amusing a tactic as it may be. Why, don't you know that Baldur's Gate opens with a quote from Nitzsche?

As much as I enjoy games, I see them for what they are.....completely mindless entertainment. (keyword = mindless)

Er... no, not really. I spent the last four years working with a group of like-minded guys and gals to bring as much content in BG1 as there was in BG2. With the brilliant fan-made software that changed BG1 gameplay to BG2, and with all the frills of BG2-like character development written and produced by our team of 60+ fans, BG1 shines. I am currently starting to add characters and Player1 story into IWD2. So, nope, gaming had never been a mindless entertainment for me, rather an excersise in project management, writing, editing and public relationships.

I also respect deeply the writers that work at BioWARE. I have read through pretty much every dialogue in Baldur's Gate 1 and the quality and versatility is astonishing. It is a different writing craft entirely, to create multiple path, interactive dialogues, the world around the player. The dialogues can be funny, touching, stimulating, and sometimes quite deep. I call to witness the "What can change the nature of man?" dialogue from Torment.

The quote I have in my signature expresses the teasing and quite true sentiment; I like it, and I consider it an adequate representation of my view of the world. And I don't care if it was D.Gaider who wrote it, or F.M. Dostoyevskiy.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Perhaps I'm coming off as an asshole or some sort of elitest, but if the quote you wish to be known by is something said by a vendor in a video game, you should be keeping your mouth shut on forums about books. You might actually learn something.

That's a load of bull.

Because you like video games and choose to have a quote from one as your sig doesn't mean you can't comment on books? Or that your opinions may therefore be less "worthy"?

You're right, that does sound like elitest nonsense, and the other thing too.

As for videogames being mindless, I would hazard a guess that you would have less of a problem had the quote been from a film. And given that you can watch a film with your brain far more "offline" than you can whilst playing a videogame I would seriously question your assumption that they are mindless.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

[mod] The discussion of the merits or lack thereof of Ashara's sig is irrelevant to the main discussion and getting into the territory where people say things I might make them regret. I would suggest all sides drop it. Just a gentle hint. ;) [/mod]

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Actually Planescape Torment has a very, very good claim on best RPG of all time, mainly due to its extremely rich and witty dialogue and the highly philosophical nature of the game, which at times comes across as a treatise on the nature of character and identity. Very thought-provoking.

On the other hand, I think perhaps we should agree to disagree with Stego and accept Mormont's advice. Thread digressions can be entertaining, but not when they descend into pointless arguements.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I would really appreciate Jay chiming in with something of a longer description.

Briefly, because I hate giving people summaries on a book I'm going to write a 3-4 page review on in a month.

Essentially the setting is of different city states, some more militarily powerful, others by commerce. Military powers however is held in check by a monastic group that's members range from third, or fourth sons etc who train for the opportunity to be 'poets'. Andats are powers that are givens shape by these 'poets', a shape that poet's bind to there will, if failing to do so, you suffer the Andat's price - whatever that may be. Note that the andat's themselves wish to kill themselves, and to escape their form, and because of this, they hate their masters. The binding is like a prison to them. Different andats have different abilities, and these abilities could be overwhelmingly powerful, or something most irrelevant. Seedless can wreak habit on humanity. No city states with a poet and powerful andat at his side will make an overt move against them, as Seedless can wipe out generations of a population (killing all babes in presently in a womb). That powers also grants him an ability to maximize a city states's commerce/agriculture. Why a poet? The andats have to be named something they haven't been named or described as before (that is apt), thus each time one is imprisoned the harder it gets. Don't think this is some magic 'fairly land' full of andats, while they speak of a past where poets had multiple andats binded, with great power, it is not customary anymore, and seedless is the only one in the city state.

The story shifts POVS, the second in command of a major house, who is an elderly woman, that decides to go out and form her own house, A gifted poet in training who walked away from has training to become a laborer, a poet in training with Seedlees's Poet, Seedless himself etc.

As mentioned before the elements Abraham introduces the communciation via poses, the andats themselves and their relationships with the poets, is rather fascinating. This is not epic rehash in any way, people may not enjoy it, but it won't be because it's part of a tired formula. Another aspect is that is really noticeable, is that the book gave no feeling of being a 'set up' novel, a trap even veteran writers find hard to avoid.

Abraham himself, can write. The narrative isn't sloppy or sophomoric, he integrated the poseing where it becomes second nature to you to read, has shown in his first book that he is capable of writing more than one type of female character.

Weaknesses? "It's not Martin, Bakker, or Erikson", but if you're reading any other epic fantasy (along with Kay) you aren't reading something lesser by looking into Abraham in my mind.

Its just a real solid, and creative effort. I don't think it's a world beater, but I do think it has the potential to be an excellent epic fantasy series, and after reading him, quite frankly this effort is as good as anything currently in terms of a epic fantasy series besides Bakke, Martin, and Erikson IMHO, impressing me more than Jones, or Keyes, or Hobb's latest. I really hope it does well, because thoughtful and well written, and creative epic fantasy is more of what I want to see in the future. I enjoyed it about as much as I enjoyed Stross' Merchant Princes.That said, everyone has different opinions, but for fans of a sub-genre who are known to bitch and complain about haveing nothing new to read, well, here is a quality new series. I'm not sayng everyone will like it, hell, I'm not saying anyone will, and frankly I don't really care, but I just don't find too many epic fantasies readable unless reading to my children, so when I find one that is interesting, I will jump through some hoops I usually wouldn't jump through, to let it be known.

For the record I don't care about anyone's sig or its source. :)

(EDITED)

had a lot of errors becasue I'm rushing to take a shower, because I'm going out - deal with it! Hope that helps, will answer any more specific questions tomorow.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

No city states with a poet and powerful andat at his side will make an overt move against them, as Seedless can wipe out generations of a population (killing all babes in presently in a womb).

They will have to work hard for years to wipe out a generation. Babies are placed in the womb quite frequently. They would have had more success if they could either render all women born to date bare, or all males born to date impotent. ;) Now, that would have been a genocide. A mass misscariage/stillbirth? Tragic, but hardly epic.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

They will have to work hard for years to wipe out a generation. Babies are placed in the womb quite frequently. They would have had more success if they could either render all women born to date bare, or all males born to date impotent. wink.gif Now, that would have been a genocide. A mass misscariage/stillbirth? Tragic, but hardly epic.

Maybe not in Faerun. :)

Forgive me not being more clear - a generation of still births. And there apparently is no time limit that the andat is stipulated to in terms of limit to his power, only at the behest of the poet., and just one offered in conversation. I want to be sure, but I think there is a conversation where it said 50 years of still birth, but I could be wrong (could have said 15 or 10), I will recheck and post tomorrow, either way that's epic in every sense of the word and would cause to cripple a country - gotta run.

Would it help if i said he had magic missles? :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Now, locking the wombs for 50 years sounds more like an ancient power to be afraid of. But truly, anyone who controls fertility that way can be a king, or a black-mailer of kings, instead of bothering with cotton. I am sorry, I just don't find myself sold on the premise. It's just such a weird combination of Biblical curse with the Orient and Turkmenistan it makes me laugh instead of finding it tragically appealing.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...