Serious Callers Only Posted June 4, 2013 Share Posted June 4, 2013 His other series is bad though (that roman empire thing). Pretty strange when you think about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikkelinski Posted June 4, 2013 Share Posted June 4, 2013 Huh, you're the first I've come across who thinks Dresden is good and Alarea is bad. So far I've seen people who like both, or none or just Alarea (which I get because you're not stuck with the viewpoint of one character which you may or may not like).I find both series very good, but I have a clear preference for the Dresden files. They share many of the similar qualities, in that they are fast paced, witty (or tries to be, if you think it succeeds is of course personal preference, I think it does), and not to mention, action, action, action. He has a thriller-like buildup, only with action instead of tension, in all the novels which to me made them all such pageturners (I only started at the release of Ghost Story, and read all the then 13 books in two weeks, since I had the time to spare (or in this case, made time))In terms of fantasy, I'd rank them far higher than most I guess, but I just find Dresden in particular so enjoyable and cool to read. Maybe it's a Malazan thing, the malazan boards feel alot more positive towards Dresden than here heh.For the first book, yes, it's worse than the rest. But only to the extent that if you're hedging, then reading on will be worth it, but if you actively disliked it, there's no point in continuing. They change, but not that much.iRamble Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Errant Bard Posted June 4, 2013 Share Posted June 4, 2013 the malazan boards feel alot more positive towards Dresden than here heh.It really is not surprising in the least. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikkelinski Posted June 4, 2013 Share Posted June 4, 2013 How so? If I can ask that without derailing this topic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Errant Bard Posted June 4, 2013 Share Posted June 4, 2013 How so? If I can ask that without derailing this topic.They share a style that appeal to youngish people who like superpowers, explosions and "badass" characters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dornish prince Posted June 4, 2013 Share Posted June 4, 2013 I've read the first three, with fool moon being the weakest, IMO. grave peril, book 3, really begins to hit stride. I enjoy them for what they are...summer blockbusters. No love from the academy but loads of fun along the way. I certainly plan to continue reading Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BLU-RAY Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 I find the Dresden Files to be a ton of fun - they're a really entertaining, pulpy read, and the synthesis of pop culture and various real-world mythologies is fun. Unlike Myshkin, I do enjoy the overarching plot more than the mystery-of-the-week format, but that format worked out as a solid way to introduce the characters and the bigger arcs. They aren't great (in terms of writing), though as mentioned they do improve over the course of the series, but I at least find them fun.That said, Storm Front does not hold up on reread. I have some memory of enjoying it the first time around, but... eh. I actually picked it up recently and was only able to flip through it (I treat Dresden books as comfort food - I reread them out of order for kicks in bookstores while drinking coffee).EB- ever consider that the accusations of hipsterism and elitism are more to do with your condescension than your opinion? You might consider dialing it back some. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shryke Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 I would never compare Dresdan to Malazan. Whatever you say of Butcher's writing, his plotting is actually coherent and competent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Errant Bard Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 EB- ever consider that the accusations of hipsterism and elitism are more to do with your condescension than your opinion? You might consider dialing it back some.This when your above paragraph ends with "They aren't great [...], but I at least find them fun."? I don't see anything I am doing that you are not, except I was not using ad hominem. Watch that beam. What's your problem in admitting Dresden relies heavily on superpowers, badassery and explosions, exactly? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikkelinski Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 I find it relies more on popculture references and witty dialogue (I guess you're labeling it under badassery here). I must say though, the similarities between Malazan and Dresden you mentioned could just as well be applied to ASoIaF (except Explosisons, but hey, visceral carnage, plenty of that). I'd call 'em quite general, for a whole lot of lit (Wot, lynch, abercrombie you name it. Positing that it's only for the "younger" generation, well...). As a sub-point, of the two (MbotFand ASoIaF), in my experience (limited sample size for this experience I'll admit), ASoIaF is the only series they are able to plow through because of Erikson's somewhat heavy hand on the philosophizing.I won't comment more on the topic though, it might be better suited in the malaz thread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BLU-RAY Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 First, the age generalization combined with the tone of your post on page 1 and badass in quotes heavily connotes condescension. I would hope that my post comes off as an assessment of the books (and if it doesn't, then I've made a mistake somewhere); yours reads as a snide commentary on the people who like the books.Further, I would say that I generally skim past the action scenes, as what I enjoy about the books are Butcher's attempts to integrate a ton of different mythologies, and the conflicts that result. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sansa_Stark Posted June 18, 2013 Share Posted June 18, 2013 Finished Stormfront and thought it was mediocre. Dresden's character hit home a little bit too hard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
polishgenius Posted June 18, 2013 Share Posted June 18, 2013 Huh, you're the first I've come across who thinks Dresden is good and Alarea is bad. So far I've seen people who like both, or none or just Alarea (which I get because you're not stuck with the viewpoint of one character which you may or may not like).I'm in that boat. Well, not bad but I found Alera to be very average. And even though it's not first-person, there is a main character in the series that you have to stick with for a lot of it and he is so annoying.He has a thriller-like buildup, only with action instead of tension, Pacing his novels is definitely one of his strengths (maybe that's why aSoIaF fans have a lower opinion of him :P). They do become a bit samey across books - the format is generally the same for most of them which is why it may be wise to not read them all in one go but take a break every few no matter how addictive they are - but it's a structure that works.What's your problem in admitting Dresden relies heavily on superpowers, badassery and explosions, exactly?The implication is that people like Dresden Files (and indeed Malazan) purely because of superpowers, badassery and explosions. This has its appeal, of course, but lots of things do that without being actually good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazydog7 Posted June 20, 2013 Share Posted June 20, 2013 If I had started with Storm Front I probably wouldn't have continued with anything by Jim Butcher. I started with Proven Guility which is still I think the best book in the entire Desden Files. Things really don't get going until Grave Peril. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Howdyphillip Posted June 20, 2013 Share Posted June 20, 2013 I started at the beginning of the series a year ago on recommendations from this board and I read the entire thing outright one after another in a matter of days. This along with Joe Abercrombie's novels (which are nothing alike) are probably my favorite reads that I discovered through the board. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Howdyphillip Posted October 17, 2013 Share Posted October 17, 2013 I am starting a reread of this series and am enjoying it just as well the second time around. Does anyone know any inside information about when Skin Change might be released? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guy Kilmore Posted October 17, 2013 Share Posted October 17, 2013 I am starting a reread of this series and am enjoying it just as well the second time around. Does anyone know any inside information about when Skin Change might be released? No, but we are getting close to his usual publication, as I understand it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spockydog Posted October 17, 2013 Share Posted October 17, 2013 Anyone got an opinion as to whether these books are as good as Mike Carey's Felix Castor novels? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedEyedGhost Posted October 18, 2013 Share Posted October 18, 2013 Anyone got an opinion as to whether these books are as good as Mike Carey's Felix Castor novels? I've only read Carey's first book, and it's better than the first few Dresden books, but after that there's a pretty marked improvement in quality where I would say Dresden is much better (and obviously I can't say whether or not the Castor books have that same jump in quality). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AncalagonTheBlack Posted October 18, 2013 Share Posted October 18, 2013 Anyone got an opinion as to whether these books are as good as Mike Carey's Felix Castor novels? Joe Pitt series>Felix Castor>Dresden Files Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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