Zadok Posted July 6, 2006 Share Posted July 6, 2006 Hopefully I'll have a chance to start reading the book tonight, I'm just finishing up The Scar. I'm trying to keep my expectations at a reasonable level given the pretty much universal praise I've seen for it around here and other places as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Werthead Posted July 6, 2006 Share Posted July 6, 2006 Lynch never once uses the phrase "Death came swirling from above." Therefore he is pwned by Bakker. But Bakker never SPOILER: LLLlocks someone in a coffin filled with horsepiss as a method of execution Thus Lynch pwns Bakker. STALEMATE! Why does Bakker use this phrase so often? He doesn't use it at all (as far as I can tell) in TDTCB, but he's used it at least a dozen times in The Warrior-Prophet by itself. He used it at the battles of Megedda and Anuwrat, the siege of Caraskand and Akka's escape from the Scarlet Spires. He even used it twice in two pages. Other than that, it's great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Linda Posted July 6, 2006 Share Posted July 6, 2006 Argh, post eaten. I finished a little while ago, and like Ran already hinted at, it wasn't really my cup of tea. Things I liked: World-building like the stuff about the past of Camorr and its previous inhabitants, the interesting fauna and the alchemy and sorcery (seems popular of late, but then again, I am probably influenced by just having finished Sarah Ash's trilogy and Sarah Monette's first book, Melusine) and the fast-paced plot of the last third or so of the book. Things I didn't like: The characters didn't really click for me. I prefer character-driven over plot-driven books, or at the very least an equal measure of both, and I prefer characters that are at least as introvert as extrovert, as that allows me to form an emotional connection to them. Because I didn't feel this happened in Lies, the first two thirds of the book, before the plot kicks into high gear, felt rather slow to me. The little interludes worked so-so. If they connected fairly directly to events in the present, or if they provided interesting background info, they blended in well. But some didn't work too well for me. I am pretty sure Ran will enjoy it quite a bit, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alarich Posted July 6, 2006 Share Posted July 6, 2006 Why does Bakker use this phrase so often? Because it accurately describes a situation in which a character is killed by an descending object. Apparently that happens a lot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zadok Posted July 6, 2006 Share Posted July 6, 2006 I think most authors have words or phrases that they use/overuse a bit. A couple more for Bakker are references to Kellhus' "leonine mane"and the word "preternatural". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xray the Enforcer Posted July 6, 2006 Share Posted July 6, 2006 A question for anyone whose read the book and is also way more well-read in all-things-historical than I: White Iron. Is this supposed to be platinum? An alloy of gold? Or something else? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olaf Posted July 6, 2006 Author Share Posted July 6, 2006 Is "white iron" a euphemism for platinum? No. White iron is an imaginary metal, found on Locke's world in conjunction with veins of gold. White iron is extremely stable and oxidizes very slowly and faintly (white iron rust is silver-colored). http://www.scottlynch.us/faq.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xray the Enforcer Posted July 6, 2006 Share Posted July 6, 2006 Clearly, I fail at Google. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ashara Posted July 6, 2006 Share Posted July 6, 2006 I've seen threads discussing Kay go over 100 posts, FWIW. And I missed it? Nooooo! :cry: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Werthead Posted July 6, 2006 Share Posted July 6, 2006 Lynch on language-creation: Hey, Tolkien was the guy that spoke seventeen languages. As for me, I... I'm, um, really good at Final Fantasy VI. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bazzlebane Posted July 6, 2006 Share Posted July 6, 2006 You've got to know your strengths as a writer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerol Posted July 6, 2006 Share Posted July 6, 2006 Cuarenta y dos Bannon de la Raza: "I'm also pleased to see that you are from the Twin Cities. Are you planning on doing any local signings? I'll be reading and signing (or so the plan is) at Dreamhaven on the night of Tuesday, July 18th. I'll be signing stock, at least, at Uncle Hugo's (working on arranging that right now, in fact), maybe some of the local B&Ns and Borders, and I'll also be at Convergence, as I have been for the last seven years... it's my summer relaxation con. Cheers! SL Damn, finally someone coming to my neck of the woods that I am actually interested in getting a signed copy from! Scott, you need to get into the actual ASOIAF forums sometime if you're the diehard the rest of us are. It's addictive as crack complete with actual physical withdrawal symptoms when your computer crashes (but stay away from the Goodkind threads, we don't want you to get infected). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aeu Posted July 6, 2006 Share Posted July 6, 2006 Scott, you need to get into the actual ASOIAF forums sometime if you're the diehard the rest of us are. It's addictive as crack complete with actual physical withdrawal symptoms when your computer crashes (but stay away from the Goodkind threads, we don't want you to get infected). I actually saw him lurking in the General Chatter yesterday Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alarich Posted July 6, 2006 Share Posted July 6, 2006 Scott, you need to get into the actual ASOIAF forums sometime if you're the diehard the rest of us are. It's addictive as crack complete with actual physical withdrawal symptoms when your computer crashes (but stay away from the Goodkind threads, we don't want you to get infected). I'd prefer if he stayed clear of the rest of this forum. It only distracts from the writing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Werthead Posted July 6, 2006 Share Posted July 6, 2006 Exactly. We want Book 3 in 2008, not 2037 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xray the Enforcer Posted July 6, 2006 Share Posted July 6, 2006 I actually saw him lurking in the General Chatter yesterday Damn! I'll be surprised if he ever comes back to this den of iniquity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nobodymN Posted July 6, 2006 Share Posted July 6, 2006 I'm just finishing up The Scar That's a tough act to follow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bazzlebane Posted July 6, 2006 Share Posted July 6, 2006 I'd prefer if he stayed clear of the rest of this forum. It only distracts from the writing. Even authors should be allowed to browse the internet. We shouldn't expect them to work 60+ hours a week just to satisfy us*. * Except GRRM. Crack the whip! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
williamjm Posted July 6, 2006 Share Posted July 6, 2006 Is "white iron" a euphemism for platinum? No. White iron is an imaginary metal, found on Locke's world in conjunction with veins of gold. White iron is extremely stable and oxidizes very slowly and faintly (white iron rust is silver-colored). BTW, there is such a thing as White Iron (the Internet defines it as "A cast iron that is essentially free of graphite, and most of the carbon content is present as separate grains of hard Fe3C. White iron exhibits a white, crystalline fracture surface because fracture occurs along the iron carbide platelets.") but is does not seem to be what the people of Locke's world call White Iron. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nous Posted July 7, 2006 Share Posted July 7, 2006 Finished LLL a while ago. I enjoyed it. The very idea of Bondsmagi creeps me out. A bunch of Kayser Soze-lite's organized and running around with magical powers. About Bakker and "Death came swirling down": a little homage to Homer, perhaps? In the translation of Iliad I read "dark came swirling down" was maybe the most common way to describe someone dying in the battlefield. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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