Underfoot Posted June 29, 2022 Share Posted June 29, 2022 Daniel Abraham isn't grimdark! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeanF Posted June 29, 2022 Share Posted June 29, 2022 12 hours ago, Ninefingers said: I always feel a little odd commenting on Abercrombie since he lurks around here but...I largely agree with you. Where he sets himself apart IMO is that he's managed to strike the right balance between gritty realism and injecting levity. The character voice that he employs for the northmen I find hilarious. This keeps the books from taking themselves too seriously and descending into the 'I'm so dark' masturbation that makes those Batman movies so unwatchable. The black humour is what makes Abercrombie’s books very readable. Grimdark without humour holds no appeal to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dog-days Posted June 29, 2022 Share Posted June 29, 2022 1 hour ago, Underfoot said: Daniel Abraham isn't grimdark! And he was here last week too with the non-grimdark news that his next book is on schedule. Completely agree with SeanF re humour. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mexal Posted June 29, 2022 Share Posted June 29, 2022 On 6/28/2022 at 5:12 AM, Tammyrex said: Not the best book, but good. Read it last year. There are lots of plotlines and themes that keep you amused. Second and third books were fantastic. Highly recommend the full trilogy from Richard Nell. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zorral Posted June 29, 2022 Share Posted June 29, 2022 22 hours ago, Rhom said: Yeah, we used to have a pretty good collection of the grimdark folks that would poke in around here. Scott Lynch, Mark Lawrence, Dan Abraham, Abercrombie, and even Bakker have had accounts here where they interacted with posters. They all prefer twitter now. Like everybody else! (except maybe me -- but then people send me All The Twit Links, so I don't have to either ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ser Not Appearing Posted June 29, 2022 Share Posted June 29, 2022 I enjoy Twitter and spend too much time on it but there's definitely something lost in the absence of the organization of a forum. There's too much going on on Twitter and too many people and you miss a lot even with good lists and following the right people. It's more instant and mirrors conversation a bit better but it's somehow less engrossing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaston de Foix Posted June 30, 2022 Share Posted June 30, 2022 15 hours ago, Ser Not Appearing said: I enjoy Twitter and spend too much time on it but there's definitely something lost in the absence of the organization of a forum. There's too much going on on Twitter and too many people and you miss a lot even with good lists and following the right people. It's more instant and mirrors conversation a bit better but it's somehow less engrossing. Twitter is the place for sick burns, short statements, and links to other people's more considered thoughts. Anyone who reads fantasy is by definition not seeking instant gratification from reading. Right now this place is a collection of the cognoscenti, but It's interesting to contemplate the counter-factual as to whether this forum would remain one of the hotspots to talk about fantasy if TWOW had come out in, say, 2012-3. That said, to respond to the OP, there is more fantasy in the last 5-6 years than there every has been before. IMHO, if these books are not "great", it is because the model of laboring in solitude for years over a manuscript to perfect it has been lost. The incentives are heavily aligned for authors to become more efficient, more Sandersonized. Sanderson himself is a case in point. The Way of Kings is the best book in the Stormlight Archive because it was written first. You can plot the deterioration of the quality of prose in the books on a graph as a downward sloping curve. To be clear, getting a first draft of indifferent quality done, having beta readers, getting constant feedback etc is a much more efficient way to write. But if you can successfully navigate the procrastination-perfectionism whirlpool, the fruits can be remarkable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ran Posted June 30, 2022 Share Posted June 30, 2022 9 minutes ago, Gaston de Foix said: It's interesting to contemplate the counter-factual as to whether this forum would remain one of the hotspots to talk about fantasy if TWOW had come out in, say, 2012-3. George could have finished ASoIaF by then and the trajectory wouldn't have changed. Social media and Reddit came into its own. Forums are something of a dying breed, which is a shame because they do offer some things that other forms of sites don't. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ser Not Appearing Posted June 30, 2022 Share Posted June 30, 2022 I tend to listen to his podcast in spurts and all jumbled up across the many different seasons but I think Sanderson often describes his writing process as (quite paraphrased) regimented and goal oriented to the point that I've often wondered how formulaic it is and how that might contribute to the speed that he produces content. ... but I've only ever actually read a couple of his books and nothing in the Stormlight Archives, so I can't really speak to his quality. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ser Not Appearing Posted June 30, 2022 Share Posted June 30, 2022 I suppose I'll ride the slow death of forums into the sunset, much like I did MUDDs (until I got married in the early 00's). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ninefingers Posted June 30, 2022 Share Posted June 30, 2022 3 hours ago, Ser Not Appearing said: I think Sanderson often describes his writing process as (quite paraphrased) regimented and goal oriented to the point that I've often wondered how formulaic it is Spend no more time wondering. It's incredibly formulaic. To the point where you could create a checklist. His worlds all have their own specific swear word. His supporting characters are all basically re-skins of the same people. Etc etc I say this every time Sanderson comes up, but he's the Nick Cage of fantasy authors. He turns out dependable summer blockbusters and you know just what you're going to get: plot driven stories that aren't very deep and never make you think very hard, but are fun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ran Posted June 30, 2022 Share Posted June 30, 2022 Nic Cage is a lot different than that. The Chris Pratt of fantasy authors may be nearer the mark. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhom Posted June 30, 2022 Share Posted June 30, 2022 1 hour ago, Ran said: Nic Cage is a lot different than that. The Chris Pratt of fantasy authors may be nearer the mark. Updated for modern times. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaston de Foix Posted June 30, 2022 Share Posted June 30, 2022 How do people feel about the Scholomance series? It is incomplete, and it is not perfect, but I found it an addictive and moving read. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mexal Posted June 30, 2022 Share Posted June 30, 2022 55 minutes ago, Gaston de Foix said: How do people feel about the Scholomance series? It is incomplete, and it is not perfect, but I found it an addictive and moving read. Enjoyable read but not epic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ninefingers Posted June 30, 2022 Share Posted June 30, 2022 2 hours ago, Rhom said: Updated for modern times. Beat me to it. Cheers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garlan the Gallant Posted July 1, 2022 Share Posted July 1, 2022 On 6/30/2022 at 12:24 PM, Ninefingers said: Beat me to it. Cheers. So what’s Sanderson’s Parks and Rec then? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerol Posted July 7, 2022 Share Posted July 7, 2022 On 6/29/2022 at 1:27 PM, Zorral said: They all prefer twitter now. Like everybody else! (except maybe me -- but then people send me All The Twit Links, so I don't have to either ) Abraham popped in not long ago with an update on his sequel to Age of Ash. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wolverine Posted August 16, 2022 Share Posted August 16, 2022 On 1/25/2022 at 3:57 PM, Iskaral Pust said: The Ash & Sand trilogy by Richard Nell is probably the most novel/interesting fantasy series of recent years. The first volume was published in 2018, and the series only concluded last year. The characters, setting (unusual combination of cultures), magic system and motivations were all quite good. I really really enjoyed that whole series. One of my favorite new authors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
butterweedstrover Posted August 26, 2022 Share Posted August 26, 2022 The genre is too long. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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