Rhom Posted July 21, 2020 Share Posted July 21, 2020 Review for Kozloff’s Nine Realms I saw this review make its rounds on Twitter over the weekend. I’m unfamiliar with Ms Kozloff; I just know that like many others, the headline for this review caught my eye for all the wrong reasons. Just another example that despite being in a golden era of fantasy in pop culture, the condescension from some corners is just as present as ever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IlyaP Posted July 21, 2020 Share Posted July 21, 2020 It's like listening to talk radio - just don't do it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inkdaub Posted July 21, 2020 Share Posted July 21, 2020 I don't know much about these books. Reviewer at Locus didn't seem to like them, though. The WSJ title...I get irritated by any implication that I cannot or should not enjoy fantasy lit for it's own sake. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maithanet Posted July 21, 2020 Share Posted July 21, 2020 2 hours ago, Rhom said: Review for Kozloff’s Nine Realms I saw this review make its rounds on Twitter over the weekend. I’m unfamiliar with Ms Kozloff; I just know that like many others, the headline for this review caught my eye for all the wrong reasons. Just another example that despite being in a golden era of fantasy in pop culture, the condescension from some corners is just as present as ever. A title like that just reveals the ignorance of the reviewer. "Grown Up Fantasy" can be defined different ways, but however you approach it, it has been around for decades. If you haven't come across it, that's on you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darth Richard II Posted July 21, 2020 Share Posted July 21, 2020 Heard good things about the books actually, though haven’t read any yet. From what I understand the author was not happy with that article. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caligula_K3 Posted July 21, 2020 Share Posted July 21, 2020 The books sound really interesting. As for the review... it's the Wall Street Journal, and this sort of thing is exactly what I'd expect from them. It doesn't matter. In general, I'd say more and more mainstream critics and publications are willing to take sci-fi and fantasy works seriously these days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zorral Posted July 21, 2020 Share Posted July 21, 2020 Can't see it because the WSJ isn't one of my subscriptions. Isn't this a game, rather than an original fiction series? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhom Posted July 21, 2020 Author Share Posted July 21, 2020 1 hour ago, Zorral said: Can't see it because the WSJ isn't one of my subscriptions. Isn't this a game, rather than an original fiction series? Says the books all came out in short order: Queen in Hiding Queen of Raiders Broken Queen The Cerulean Queen According to the article the first book came out in January, the next two in February, and the last in April. I suppose that's one answer to the persistent question of how to get readers to buy into unfinished series these days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darth Richard II Posted July 21, 2020 Share Posted July 21, 2020 Don’t think it’s based on a game. love to see the article writers reaction to Bakker Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ran Posted July 21, 2020 Share Posted July 21, 2020 Liz Bourke's review at Locus was not promising. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darth Richard II Posted July 21, 2020 Share Posted July 21, 2020 well I tend to disagree with Bourke about everything, so that’s not really a deal breaker. seems to be mostly positive reviews on good reads, but well, good reads these days Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaxom 1974 Posted July 21, 2020 Share Posted July 21, 2020 Couldn't get into the WSJ article because of the paywall...but that Locus review seems to indicate it's a series that wanders some without ever really tightening up...? I'd need to read more reviews before deciding to read this one... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darth Richard II Posted July 21, 2020 Share Posted July 21, 2020 I'll read book 1 because I picked it up during one of my whim buying sprees. I think someone recommended it at some point, but I'm not in any rush, if that makes any sense, which it doesn't...where's my soda. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Werthead Posted July 21, 2020 Share Posted July 21, 2020 Worth noting that the reviewer is Tom Shippey, the noted Tolkien academic. It's unclear if he came up with the headline, but he did write the review in which he spends some time talking about Tolkien and Robert E. Howard before moving onto the books in question, which is a bit odd. Shippey has expressed positive sentiments about recent-ish fantasy works (particularly GRRM), so I'm not sure if he would have written the headline, but he's certainly not someone who comments frequently on the state of modern fantasy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darth Richard II Posted July 21, 2020 Share Posted July 21, 2020 Hey, I think I have a book by him about Vikings *goes to shelf to check* I do! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dog-days Posted July 21, 2020 Share Posted July 21, 2020 Guardian journalists are often found apologising BTL because of the daft headlines someone else created for their article. If WSJ practice is similar, Shippey didn't write the headline. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zorral Posted July 21, 2020 Share Posted July 21, 2020 In newspapers and magazines the authors never (as far as I know, with very few exceptional exceptions) title their own pieces. This is why it appears these are a game because when plugging Nine Realms, ar of the Nine Realms into search box, this is what comes up: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/173961/war-nine-realms Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leofric Posted July 21, 2020 Share Posted July 21, 2020 1 hour ago, Darth Richard II said: Hey, I think I have a book by him about Vikings *goes to shelf to check* I do! Interesting, I just noticed that Tom Shippey is the coauthor of the Hammer and the Cross books with Harry Harrison under the pseudonym John Holm. Taking his knowledge of Vikings into fantasy ( I may have known this once, but forgot). Loved those books. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Argonath Diver Posted July 21, 2020 Share Posted July 21, 2020 3 minutes ago, Leofric said: Interesting, I just noticed that Tom Shippey is the coauthor of the Hammer and the Cross books with Harry Harrison under the pseudonym John Holm. Taking his knowledge of Vikings into fantasy ( I may have known this once, but forgot). Loved those books. Color me intrigued. Just the other day I had a conversation that A Stainless Steel Rat Is Born was one of my favorite books in high school, but I have misplaced that paperback at some point in the last quarter century. Vikings, fantasy, and Harrison's wit sound promising. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ormond Posted July 22, 2020 Share Posted July 22, 2020 6 hours ago, Zorral said: In newspapers and magazines the authors never (as far as I know, with very few exceptional exceptions) title their own pieces. Absolutely. I do not write the headlines for my newspaper column, and sometimes the headline in the actual paper is different from the one used on the website version. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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