Ser Scot A Ellison Posted May 2, 2017 Author Share Posted May 2, 2017 13 minutes ago, Leofric said: Third time's the charm *cough* Yes, I did, in fact, matriculate and graduate from an accredited University. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blank Posted May 3, 2017 Share Posted May 3, 2017 I think there's room on the shelves for a snark fiction sub-genre. Shark fiction should also have a corner. On a related note, The Corroding Empire seems to be doing rather less well. Is this also snark fiction? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maarsen Posted May 3, 2017 Share Posted May 3, 2017 23 hours ago, banjax451 said: And yet, I get the feeling from how defensive he is of them...many of his fans (perhaps the majority) absolutely hated them or were at best ambivalent. Which is a shame, since I continue to believe they are the best things he's written. I'm not opposed to a little snark now and then...but snark for snark's sake is just annoying. Humor in fiction is important. But story and character have to be first...the humor can't come at their expense.  I ended up talking about this with my wife last night. There are plenty of authors that we both like that have crutches. I love Alan Furst, for example, but the man has spent the last decade writing the same book every two years. The quality of Furst's prose keeps me coming back. Scalzi's prose isn't great enough for me to continue to read the same thing over and over again. Every writer has a crutch. And yes, I love Alan Furst. His subject matter is WWII and the time just before it. His books are about average people dealing with extraordinary situations. An SF writer does not have the same constraints and as such should have less leeway for repeating themes and recycling characters. Iain Banks, another of my favourites, did manage to follow so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ser Scot A Ellison Posted May 3, 2017 Author Share Posted May 3, 2017 I wrote a comment on this review that is critical of The Collapsing Empire. Â I've been accused of being a sock puppet. Â https://arstechnica.com/the-multiverse/2017/03/the-collapsing-empire-is-rip-roaring-space-opera-with-a-conscience/?comments=1&start=120 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darth Richard II Posted May 3, 2017 Share Posted May 3, 2017 Hahahahha oh dear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ser Scot A Ellison Posted May 3, 2017 Author Share Posted May 3, 2017 14 minutes ago, Darth Richard II said: Hahahahha oh dear. DR, Well Scalzi and Teddy Beale do have their ongoing war. Â I just really think Scalzi can write a better book than this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C.T. Phipps Posted May 4, 2017 Share Posted May 4, 2017 Well, I write almost nothing BUT snark fiction so I'm annoyed I've never read Scalzi before. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
banjax451 Posted May 4, 2017 Share Posted May 4, 2017 23 hours ago, maarsen said: Every writer has a crutch. And yes, I love Alan Furst. His subject matter is WWII and the time just before it. His books are about average people dealing with extraordinary situations. An SF writer does not have the same constraints and as such should have less leeway for repeating themes and recycling characters. Iain Banks, another of my favourites, did manage to follow so. I don't have a problem with crutches and honestly...if Scalzi (or any writer) wants to keep recycling the same themes and characters he's more than entitled to do so. His sales would indicate that plenty of people love it. But I don't have to keep reading. Part of the problem with Scalzi in particular is that, because the anti-Scalzi crowd is so loud (and awful), any legit criticism gets drowned out. I probably agree with him on a lot - I also enjoy his blog. But if you criticize at all, you get lumped in with the troglodytes who hate him personally. My criticisms aren't personal - they have more to do with his writing itself. And I think the reason I get disappointed is that I know he's capable of better - I've read it. But he seems less interested in that. Shrug Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ser Scot A Ellison Posted May 4, 2017 Author Share Posted May 4, 2017 1 hour ago, banjax451 said: I don't have a problem with crutches and honestly...if Scalzi (or any writer) wants to keep recycling the same themes and characters he's more than entitled to do so. His sales would indicate that plenty of people love it. But I don't have to keep reading. Part of the problem with Scalzi in particular is that, because the anti-Scalzi crowd is so loud (and awful), any legit criticism gets drowned out. I probably agree with him on a lot - I also enjoy his blog. But if you criticize at all, you get lumped in with the troglodytes who hate him personally. My criticisms aren't personal - they have more to do with his writing itself. And I think the reason I get disappointed is that I know he's capable of better - I've read it. But he seems less interested in that. Shrug It is interesting to be called out for offering any criticism at all. Â Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
banjax451 Posted May 4, 2017 Share Posted May 4, 2017 2 hours ago, Ser Scot A Ellison said: It is interesting to be called out for offering any criticism at all. Â Scalzi has become a lightning-rod for both sides. Both sides have become more and more polarized as the years go along creating a situation where Scalzi can either do no right, or no wrong. Both sides are horribly wrong and misguided. I just wish I (or you or anybody) could criticize from a literary point-of-view without being called alt-right or a sock puppet or anything else. Or praise without being called a "cuck" by the other side. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darth Richard II Posted May 4, 2017 Share Posted May 4, 2017 OMG, what is it with cuck? Someone called me that the other day and I almost died laughing when he couldn't explain to me what it meant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ser Scot A Ellison Posted May 4, 2017 Author Share Posted May 4, 2017 10 minutes ago, Darth Richard II said: OMG, what is it with cuck? Someone called me that the other day and I almost died laughing when he couldn't explain to me what it meant. I do know what it means and it's none too kind. Â I think those who use it are seeking to call those they use it against less than "manly". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darth Richard II Posted May 4, 2017 Share Posted May 4, 2017 Oh I know the origin of the word, I read Shakespeare. I just don't think they do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
banjax451 Posted May 4, 2017 Share Posted May 4, 2017 32 minutes ago, Darth Richard II said: Oh I know the origin of the word, I read Shakespeare. I just don't think they do. Of course they don't. That crowd is proudly ignorant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C.T. Phipps Posted May 4, 2017 Share Posted May 4, 2017 55 minutes ago, Darth Richard II said: OMG, what is it with cuck? Someone called me that the other day and I almost died laughing when he couldn't explain to me what it meant. It's an Alt-Right codeword. They're making their own language of insults. Basically, means less-than-manly men like those who don't believe women should be treated like the Handmaiden's Tale. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ser Scot A Ellison Posted May 4, 2017 Author Share Posted May 4, 2017 5 minutes ago, C.T. Phipps said: It's an Alt-Right codeword. They're making their own language of insults. Basically, means less-than-manly men like those who don't believe women should be treated like the Handmaiden's Tale. Is the sniping between Scalzi and Teddy Beale really so bad that anything less than a gushing review of Scalzi is assumed to be at attack from Teddy's camp? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Selig Posted May 4, 2017 Share Posted May 4, 2017 Just now, Ser Scot A Ellison said: Is the sniping between Scalzi and Teddy Beale really so bad that anything less than a gushing review of Scalzi is assumed to be at attack from Teddy's camp? Teddy's obsession with Scalzi is really extreme. The amount of time and effort he's spent on it is downright bizarre. It's been more than a decade since the feud started and he can't ever shut up about Scalzi. He even released the book The Corroding Empire under the alias Johan Kalzi a day before The Collapsing Empire debuted. He needs help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darth Richard II Posted May 4, 2017 Share Posted May 4, 2017 42 minutes ago, Ser Scot A Ellison said: Is the sniping between Scalzi and Teddy Beale really so bad that anything less than a gushing review of Scalzi is assumed to be at attack from Teddy's camp? Yeah it actually is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C.T. Phipps Posted May 4, 2017 Share Posted May 4, 2017 Speaking of which, should I start with this series or Old Man's War? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darth Richard II Posted May 4, 2017 Share Posted May 4, 2017 Heh, I need to read, uh, any. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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