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Once upon a time, a boy read Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game. By sheer coincidence, he later ran across Steven Brust's The Book of Jhereg solely by the virtue of its proximity to Card's books. So the boy took home that book, and eventually wound up loving Brust's fun works (Brust's Taltos series is fun as hell to read, if not that deep; but it's To Reign In Hell that comes in a close second to Agyar as Brust's true masterpiece.) Brust had collaborated with an author named Megan Lindholm, author of Wizard of the Pigeons, on an obscure book titled The Gypsy (an decent book, even if Brust got carried away with his own fantasies of romanticized gypsy life) which the boy also enjoyed.
By then the boy was a man. So one day, that man found out Megan Lindholm, presumably because her true name sold few books, now wrote under a pseudonym of Robin Hobb. The man read Hobb's Assassin series, and is currently tearing himself away from the third book in the trilogy to write this plea for help.
That man had once written off all non-Tolkien fantasy (except Brust) as the usual troll-and-unicorn crap, on par with the crap known as the romance novel. Now that man is entranced with Hobb, and has sworn to read the rest of her works. He's also ordered George R. R. Martin's Storm of Swords series, or what currently exists of it. What else is that man missing? What books out there has the man foolishly written off as bullshit?
It took a lot for the man to get past the corny title of the first book (Assassin's Apprentice), largely because of his own ignorance. (As a side note, it's not that Hobb's writing is flawless -- Regal's too obvious a villain, almost Disney-esque, and the inter-kingdom politics of the Six Duchies are rather cliched; what redeems her is the sheer humanity in FitzChivalry, coupled with her brilliant characterization among the "good guys." But the book, overall, is easily on [and, in some ways, above] par with Tolkien's works.) Help that man learn the foolishness of his ways. Tom, I'm especially looking at you -- I know you've read half the books available to the English world. But all Hatrackers, I beg you, show me the error of my ways before I leave on Sunday.
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Just as a side point, I thought that the third book in the Assassin's Apprentice series totally sold out the promise of the first two books. I hated it with a passion, after having loved the first two so much.
If you want to know why, ask me when you are done reading.
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The man absolutely must read China Mieville's Perdido Street Station. Following that, the man should read The Scar by the same writer. He would also be unlikely to regret trying out Gene Wolfe's Book of the New Sun tetralogy (plus one).
An important piece of information would be whether or not the man is interested in short story collections or just novels.
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I, too, am recently discovering extra-Tolkien fantasy. My favorites of all time are Ursula K. LeGuin's Earthsea Series (A Wizard of Earthsea, The Tombs of Atuan, The Farthest Shore are the original trilogy). All other fantasy has for a long time seemed too lightweight to me. Even Robin Hobb's Liveship Traders series, which I did read, I felt was good but just not a match to JRRT or UKL. The Hyperion series may have come close.
But recently I've read the Chronicles of Thomas Covenant by Stephen Donaldson, and it's truly great. I'm still looking for someone with whom to talk about these six books. They have made such an impression on me. They've meant more to me than any books I've read in a long long time. I feel sure I'll read them more than once.
On a different note, I've just finished the first Artemis Fowl book, and I was going to start a thread about it but it will go nicely here (thanks, Daed). I found it funny and completely charming. Has anyone else read it? I don't recall seeing it discussed here, but it's very inventive and quite hilarious. I really like all the characters, too, though they aren't meant to be real in other than a playful sense. Something about it really tickles my fancy, but it almost has more of a science fiction feel than fantasy. I guess there's a blurry line between the two.
[ July 11, 2003, 05:23 AM: Message edited by: ak ]
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Hyperion is, I think, quite clearly science fiction rather than fantasy. It still is damn good, though.
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LeGuin's Earthsea trilogy (not counting the later, soggier books) Tad Williams' Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn George Martin's Song of Ice and Fire China Mieville's Perdido Street Station and The Scar Donaldson's Chronicles of Thomas Covenant Card's Tales of Alvin Maker Jasper Fforde's The Eyre Affair Dave Duncan's A Man of His Word and King's Blades Mervyn Peake's Gormenghast Joel Rosenberg's D'Shai books Stephen King's Dark Tower series Steve Brust's Taltos Cycle, and his hysterical Dumas parodies (The Phoenix Guard and others) Terry Pratchett's Discworld series Greg Keyes' The Briar King (although this feels a bit like a Martin rip-off, so the jury's out until he releases the follow-up)
And for children's fiction: Susan Cooper's The Dark is Rising Lloyd Alexander's Chronicles of Prydain C.S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia
(And as a side note, AKA, Christy just picked up the first Artemis Fowl book the other day, and we both enjoyed it a great deal. It's a fun read -- kind of like Harry Potter crossed with Tom Clancy novels. *grin*)
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Guy Gavriel Kay wrote the Fionvar Tapestry, which is interesting, but where he really shines is The Lions of Al-Rassan. Now that is an epic. He's definitely one of Canada's best current authors.
"The deeds of men are as footprints in the sand."
Edit: And I love Steven Brust, but I haven't been able to get my hands on any of the later books or on any of his non-Taltos books.
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I loved Artemis Fowl but hated the Thomas Covenant series. AE, I would love to discuss it with you, though, because I am still not sure why I hated it. Mainly, I hated Thomas himself, and when you dislike the main character, it makes for a long series.
There are lots of great recommendations on the "good books" thread.(It's on page 6. I don't know how to do that link thing)
You should try Sean Russell's fantasy series, "The Swan Wars," but wait until book 3 comes out or you will be angry with me. He leaves you right in the middle of the story.
I enjoyed David Eddings' "Belgariad." I also enjoyed a two-book series called "The God Wars," but I forget the name of the author, and I thought he may have borrowed a bit from Eddings.
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I agree with twinky about Guy Gavriel Kay's brilliance, but I would argue that Tiagara is his true masterpiece.
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quote:Edit: And I love Steven Brust, but I haven't been able to get my hands on any of the later books or on any of his non-Taltos books.
Twinky, Amazon's amazing when it comes to finding used material. While they'll charge you $2-5 in shipping per item (if you buy it used), it's worth it when you can buy books for $1.50 apiece (and in damn good condition). It's a better idea to shop your local used bookstore first, but for rarities like Lindholm's Wizard of the Pigeons, you can't beat Amazon.
Here's the hardcover version of Agyar, and here's the paperback version. While I'll defend Agyar to the death as Brust's masterpiece (if only for its amazing use of minimalist writing), you may also be interested in To Reign In Hell; incredible re-telling of the struggle between Yahweh and Satan.
quote:The man absolutely must read China Mieville's Perdido Street Station. Following that, the man should read The Scar by the same writer. He would also be unlikely to regret trying out Gene Wolfe's Book of the New Sun tetralogy (plus one).
An important piece of information would be whether or not the man is interested in short story collections or just novels.
The man's going to pick up both those books today. Thanks for the recommendation.
I tends to be interested more often in novels than in short stories. When I read fantasy, that often includes some fairly major world-building -- and if I'm going to put the time into understanding the intricacies of a society, I'd prefer the plot to last longer than a few pages. As, I believe, do most people. It's probably a major reason why Card's reverting to the Shadow series; the world he's created already rests comfortably with many people, so he's less bound to world-building and more to character development. [snob]No matter how stiff that character building happens to be.[/snob]
Thanks for the recommendations, Tom and Anne Kate. I'll put them to good use.
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For fantastic characterization alone, the Assassin's Apprentice/Farseer trilogy are on the top of my list of favorites. I’ve been trying to get friends to read it a number of times, but unlike with Enders Game, none of them ever got past a hundred pages. For me, it even beats Ender's Game, Harry Potter and Game of Thrones by a long shot- and that‘s saying a lot.
Man, I can’t get enough of The Fool, Fitz, Burrich, Patience- they’re all great and memorable characters.
The book got me crying a lot which is a large feat considering that well, I don’t cry much with fantasy books. Many people didn’t like the third book but well I thought it was good. I was a bit disappointed with what happened with Fitz and wincing at all Hobbs had put him through but well that’s not the end of it- there’s always the Tawny Man Trilogy- set fifteen years after the Farseer Trilogy, to wrap up all the loose ends. I still found the ending to the third book satisfying enough and would have been just as content if the Tawny Man had not been released.
I don’t think it compares to the first three books but they’re (Tawny Many Trilogy) still very good. In fact, just last week I reread the second book to that trilogy- The Golden Fool- and I can’t wait for the next installment (which is out in January of 2004).
I had the Ship of Magic on my bookshelf for two years now but haven’t been able to get myself to read it. From what I see though and from the reviews, I guess it should be good. ---
On a side note, I'm absolutely baffeled as to why books like The Wizard’s First Rule and the Eye of the Beholder (Wheel o’ Time) has such a large fan base. I’m a big fantasy buff myself but I could never see what people ever saw in these books.
[ July 11, 2003, 09:59 AM: Message edited by: Hi ]
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I read Dave Duncan a few years ago and really loved it; but I've never seenhis name on a good fantasy author list. Anyone else have any opinions?
For Brust, you might try checking you're library. Mine as the first books in the Taltos cycle, and the last ones, but is missing the middle two. I'm currently reading them in Barnes and Nobles and hoping I finish before someone catches me.
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Elizabeth: I think you're addressing the wrong person re: Donaldson.
Lalo:
quote:The man's going to pick up both those books today. Thanks for the recommendation.
Always a pleasure to spread the word.
quote:I tends to be interested more often in novels than in short stories. When I read fantasy, that often includes some fairly major world-building -- and if I'm going to put the time into understanding the intricacies of a society, I'd prefer the plot to last longer than a few pages.
Thing is, not all fantasy requires the sort of worldbuilding you're talking about. Case in point would be Gene Wolfe's absolutely classic collection The Island of Doctor Death and Other Stories and Other Stories (not a typo) or Harlan Ellison's Angry Candy.
quote:It's probably a major reason why Card's reverting to the Shadow series; the world he's created already rests comfortably with many people, so he's less bound to world-building and more to character development. [snob]No matter how stiff that character building happens to be.[/snob]
I hear you.
Oh, another fantasy novel you might try is Matthew Woodring Stover's Heroes Die. It's down-and-dirty fantasy that's as subtle as a tonne of something very dense--and that applies to both the chop-socky action and the symbolism--but it works. I'd put it rather lower down on the list than the other books I mentioned, but only because the others are that good, IMHO.
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I would be remiss if I didn't point out my love for Robin Hobb's books. I was not disappointed with the third book of the Assassin Trilogy . I thought it played out well, and provided a good segway into the Tawny Man Trilogy . Part three of said trilogy will probably come out December of 2003, or January of 2004. I can't wait.
If anyone else mentioned it, I will second Tad Williams' Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn trilogy. Almost any books by Gene Wolfe as well.
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Raymond Feists series looks and was marketed like fantasy fluff, but the series he wrote with his daughter, traveling into the Easter world (Daughter of the Empire) are well worth it.
His "Fairie Tale" is also a good read.
Charles De Lint has some good urban fantasy. They will have you looking at your down town streets a bit differently.
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quote: I had the Ship of Magic on my bookshelf for two years now but haven’t been able to get myself to read it. From what I see though and from the reviews, I guess it should be good.
You oughta read it. It ties in with the Assassin and Tawny Man trilogies, and there might even be a character you recognize from those books. I believe they will be especially important, as I've heard that some of the main characters from the liveship books will be in the last part of the tawny man. Besides, they're great books!
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Tom, you mentioned The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper, I just wanted to point out my 10 year old has been reading the series and *loves* it, at her urging I just began the first book last night.
I was impressed - Cooper is a good writer. I'm looking forward to reading the whole thing.
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Well, most of my recommendations have been mentioned already.
But I will state that Susan Cooper's Dark is Rising set is mandatory reading. Go. Now. Read. Books. Absolutely stunning to me each time I read them.
Wizard of Earthsea is also one of these essentials.
Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels are very good. Lots of dragons and elfs and wizards and such, but so wonderfully written. Oook.
Eddings is great. Lots of archetypes but just plain fun to read. I like him.
For some reason, I also enjoyed Thomas Covenant. I'm still not sure why, but I did. And I always enjoy a good Book discussion, ak.
Avoid Terry Goodind or Robert Jordan. They really aren't that great books. DEFINITELY not even close to par with Tolkien, despite what the dust-jackets say.
I was sadly disappointed with Memory, Sorrow and Thorn. It felt very un-creative when I read them. I read the first two and had no desire to read the third.
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*drumroll* *dancers cancan across the stage*
It is my pleasure to welcome you to . . Daniel's first post !
That man should most definitely read David Gemmell. Grim fantasy, and written in such a way that you get the feeling with a little change of circumstance the baddies could have been good, and the goodies bad.
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The Guy Gavriel Kay book is called Tigana, and it IS fascinating. I think it is his best work to date.
The Curse of Chalion by Lois McMaster Bujold is also wonderful. It is a stand alone novel but a sequel of sorts is coming out in October called Paladin of Souls.
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Everything I would have mentioned has been said, except for Roger Zelazny's Amber series. The first five are better than the second five, but all ten are quite good. It makes more sense, and makes me think more, every time I reread it.
From what I have read of his other stuff, it is very good as well.
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If your looking for something different in fantasy I would recommend Roger Zelazny's Amber series. You can find The Great Book of Amber on Amazon. That's a collection of the ten books in the series.
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AE: Sorry! It was AK, and I was SURE I had typed in the right person.
One of my favorite all time fantasy trilogies was CJ Cherryh's "Fortress"series. I read book one of the Morgaine series, and it was OK, but I haven't had the impetus to keep reading the other two.
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*just remembered this forum doesn't support signatures*
Every forum I post at, I use this nick and the following signature:
"Give a man fire, he'll be warm for a night. Set a man on fire, and he'll be warm for the rest of his life." --Terry Pratchett
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I could of sworn that I had once registered under your screen name! I recall attempting (I can only assume that I was not sucessful) to register earlier this year or late last year. I guess I either decided to register as some form of "The Fool" instead or had got some error message through the process of registration.
Ah well, my mind grows forgetful with old age. I must concede, the name is infinitely better with you than with me. I would have made a terrible Fitz. Not only because of gender complications but because I would probably have lost the password as I had thought I did.
[ July 11, 2003, 04:38 PM: Message edited by: Hi ]
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I've never read any of GGK's books but he has Really Nice Covers, which is a great asset and oddity among the fantasy genre.
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Random question: Why are fully half of modern fantasy authors' named Terry?
For the same reason that fully half of the characters in the American literature that you read in eleventh grade English are named "Tom."
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quote:Tom, you mentioned The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper, I just wanted to point out my 10 year old has been reading the series and *loves* it, at her urging I just began the first book last night.
I was impressed - Cooper is a good writer. I'm looking forward to reading the whole thing.
:::temporarily emerging out of lurker status::: I read that series when I was 10 or 11, and I loved it... until I got to the end. I thought the ending was exceedingly lame, and it seemed to negate the need for most of the rest of the plot. I don't think I've heard anyone else have my reaction, so I've always wondered whether the end was really as lame as it seemed or if I just didn't get it. I'm afraid to reread it because that's a lot of time to spend rereading something with a bad ending, but it would be worth it if I "got" it the second time around.
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I also read the series when I was ten or eleven, and I reread it three or four times. I loved it, and I don't remember thinking the ending was lame. I'm pretty sure that you just didn't get it, Taygeta. Posts: 9945 | Registered: Sep 2002
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I believe the correct plural form of Vala is Valar.
<---Has only read The Lord of the Rings once, and didn't think it was that great until halfway through the trilogy
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Slash, you were right. Hobb went and ****ed her entire trilogy up. The bit about the dragons was inventive, but it hardly fits the setting of Hobb's world. And with the intricate plot Hobb had weaved, I was looking forward to so much more than a "God's Wrath" ending.
Jesus. See, people, this is why I write off most modern fantasy as troll-and-unicorn crap.
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I'm curious, are you going to continue with the Tawny Man Trilogy then? I can't really comment with the ending, mostly because I can't remember it that well and would rather not talk about it, without completely having it fresh in my mind (I might make a mistake). I remember thinking that it was wrapped up well enough for me though.
Still, I recommend you continue on with reading the next trilogy. That third book is still not in a sense, the "end". Give it a try, you might, eh- have a change of heart...?
--- {edited to add) Oh, and on the Dragon thing, I had felt the same way. I didn't think it fit into the world well at first but I think if you continue reading more and Hobbs world gets more developed- it works.
Or at least it did for me.
[ July 11, 2003, 05:45 PM: Message edited by: Hi ]
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Some interesting, somewhat applicable words from China Meiville:
quote: "Two untrue things are commonly claimed about fantasy. The first is that fantasy and science fiction are fundamentally different genres. The second is that fantasy is crap.
It's usually those who claim the first who also claim the second. The idea is that where SF is radical, exploratory and intellectually adventurous, fantasy is badly written, clich餠and obsessed with backwards-looking dreams of the past - feudal daydreams of Good Kings and Fair Maidens.
It's easy enough to distinguish the writers at the far edges of the spectrum - Asimov versus Eddings, for example. But the problem with the 'sharp divide' argument is the number of writers - often very brilliant ones - who fall in the middle, who blur the lines. David Lindsay, William Hope Hodgson, Jane Gaskell, H.P. Lovecraft, Clark Ashton Smith, Gene Wolfe: the list could go on. These are writers for whom the 'fantastic' is not ethereal and wispy but tough and real, where 'magic' operates like science or science magic, and where the sense of subversion, of alienation, of sheer strangeness that saturates their work defies easy categorisation as SF or fantasy.
That's the tradition that I'm interested in - I see myself as writing Weird Fiction. And as soon as you see that as your foundations, then the idea that fantasy is crap disappears.
When people dis fantasy - mainstream readers and SF readers alike - they are almost always talking about one sub-genre of fantastic literature. They are talking about Tolkien, and Tolkien's innumerable heirs. Call it 'epic', or 'high', or 'genre' fantasy, this is what fantasy has come to mean. Which is misleading as well as unfortunate.
Tolkien is the wen on the arse of fantasy literature. His oeuvre is massive and contagious - you can't ignore it, so don't even try. The best you can do is consciously try to lance the boil. And there's a lot to dislike - his cod-Wagnerian pomposity, his boys-own-adventure glorying in war, his small-minded and reactionary love for hierarchical status-quos, his belief in absolute morality that blurs moral and political complexity. Tolkien's clich鳠- elves 'n' dwarfs 'n' magic rings - have spread like viruses. He wrote that the function of fantasy was 'consolation', thereby making it an article of policy that a fantasy writer should mollycoddle the reader.
That is a revolting idea, and one, thankfully, that plenty of fantasists have ignored. From the Surrealists through the pulps - via Mervyn Peake and Mikhael Bulgakov and Stefan Grabinski and Bruno Schulz and Michael Moorcock and M. John Harrison and I could go on - the best writers have used the fantastic aesthetic precisely to challenge, to alienate, to subvert and undermine expectations.
Of course I'm not saying that any fan of Tolkien is no friend of mine - that would cut my social circle considerably. Nor would I claim that it's impossible to write a good fantasy book with elves and dwarfs in it - Michael Swanwick's superb Iron Dragon's Daughter gives the lie to that. But given that the pleasure of fantasy is supposed to be in its limitless creativity, why not try to come up with some different themes, as well as unconventional monsters? Why not use fantasy to challenge social and aesthetic lies?
Thankfully, the alternative tradition of fantasy has never died. And it's getting stronger. Chris Wooding, Michael Swanwick, Mary Gentle, Paul di Filippo, Jeff VanderMeer, and many others, are all producing works based on fantasy's radicalism. Where traditional fantasy has been rural and bucolic, this is often urban, and frequently brutal. Characters are more than cardboard cutouts, and they're not defined by race or sex. Things are gritty and tricky, just as in real life. This is fantasy not as comfort-food, but as challenge.
The critic Gabe Chouinard has said that we're entering a new period, a renaissance in the creative radicalism of fantasy that hasn't been seen since the New Wave of the sixties and seventies, and in echo of which he has christened the Next Wave. I don't know if he's right, but I'm excited. This is a radical literature. It's the literature we most deserve"
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After reading Meiville' article I like to add, that I don't like Tolkien fantasy either. I never liked elves, unicorns and gnomes and stuff like that, particularly if they're cliché. I can tolerate it but I'm not the biggest fan.
I just have to say it- I'm no big fan of Tolkien either, but mainly because I stopped right when I got to the part with the elves- I wasn't that attached to the characters much at that point too so I had not felt any need to continue at that time. I do plan on continuing on eventually. If it has a good plot then I‘ll like it regardless of the elves, gnomes and trolls.
I’m not a large fan of that type of fantasy but I enjoy fantasy as somewhat realistic with fantasy not simply being “magic” but something different from the norm, not reality as Meiville had stated, “Weird Fiction.”
Fantasy as in fantasy
I never liked hardcore science fiction but I always like science fiction that were similiar to fantasy fiction. Examples are Snow Crash, Ender's Game and Hyperoin.
I consider these books more fantasy rather than science fiction. Notice they don't have magic or fall into fantasy in a traditional sense, but they still kind of fall into the category of fantasy nonetheless.
I like books along the lines of Game of Thrones and Tigana (Which *are* traditional fantasy novels but still somewhat a realistic element to them) as well as Weaveworld, Vampire Chronicles, Meivilles stuff, Stephen King, Neil Gaiman, Golden Compass and probably the best example is Ray Bradbury type stories.
I liked the Game of Thrones not only because of it's brilliant plot, but also because it seemed very realistic. There was little magic thrown around in fact, I don't think I saw any outright magic until the third book (although my mind could be playing tricks on me).
That's the reason I liked the Farseer trilogy as well. Sure they had a clichéd plot, but she twisted it into something original and something that seemed “real“. Aside from the Wit and the Skill, there was not any magical elements or creatures, were there? At least, not until that third book to the trilogy, when dragons popped up. I was a bit miffed with that at first, but then as I read on, I believed it only expanded and enriched the world she created.
[ July 11, 2003, 07:05 PM: Message edited by: Hi ]
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The Keltiad Series by Patricia Kenneally Morrison - hard to find unless found in the used book store or ordered -
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The Dark Tower series by Stephen King is absolutely excellent. It also gives life to the idea that there are dimensions just doorways from each other: "there are other worlds than these", to quote Jake Chambers. The idea of the last solitary knight, or gunslinger - wielding sandalwood guns, rather than a broadsword - has made my opinion of Stephen King reach a plateau. He is one of the best storytellers in the world, and The Dark Tower is his epic.
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now it has been a while but I remember having a fondness for The Far Kingdoms by Allen Cole and Chris Bunch. there is 3 or 4 books in the series and sparked in me a love of collaborative works. also I don't rember the name but Morgan Llywelyn and Michael Scott started a series, umm not sure if it got past 2 books though. Posts: 122 | Registered: Jun 2003
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I'd also recommend M. John Harrison's Viriconium sequence, but I'm not sure if it's available in the US.
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Steven Brust co-wrote a book with Emma Bull which is just wonderful – Freedom and Necessity. After reading it I picked up Finder, Falcon, and War for the Oaks all by Emma Bull. I recommend all of them, but War for the Oaks is the best.
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I had a very hard time getting through the first one. It was quite hard to like Thomas, as he seemed determined to be bitter and miserable no matter what, and when he raped Lena I almost put it down right then, but because I'd already bought the whole series, and because I'd heard such good things about it, I persevered. But how could he ever redeem himself from that?
But I loved Foamfollower and also Lena herself, and I loved Andelain and the Ranhyn<sp?> and the stonedowners and the woodhelvennin. Particularly Foamfollower, and from the second series Pitchwife. I loved those Giants so much! They were just absolutely wonderful! I want to be like them. I loved the ritual of the caamora, which gives me a way to explain something that otherwise seems crazy... i.e. why it is that when your grief is so intense that it threatens to tear you loose from your body, that submitting yourself to some intense physical pain can be a great relief.
So I loved all the other people in the book. It seemed like Thomas himself was the only one who refused to be like he should.
Does anyone know if the stuff about leprosy is true? I had thought that it was curable now, and therefore nonexistent outside the third world and not a problem to those who were cured. Is it true that it can be contained but not ever cured? That once you have it you have to live your life as Thomas did, with slowly dying extremeties and being careful of every bump and cut? I found that part very interesting, especially since as a diabetic I have something of the same thing in my future, with the slowly deadening hands and feet and possible amputations if I'm not careful, and I have to examine my feet every day for any blisters or cuts or damage.
Though before the end, Thomas's blend of determination and refusal to hope seemed to be just what was needed. I do think the series goes deeper than Tolkien into examining despair. It's so very hard to get through the series, almost like six whole books filled with Frodo-and-Sam-in-Mordor (which is the hardest part of LotR for me each time I read it), yet it has something very important to say about the struggle against despair, I think.
Frodo and Sam fought despair, yet they were so pure themselves... and there's no question that purifying yourself, finding and maintaining a sense of purity... is of great efficacy in fighting despair. But Thomas, like the rest of us human beings, is hopelessly compromised from the start. He's guilty and up to his neck in it. All his possible choices only mire him deeper in responsibility for everything that happens. He despairs yet still is determined, still fights on. It's like he holds the contradiction of despair and hope simultaneously inside himself.
I found it very inspiring in what it had to say about despair. To anyone who hasn't struggled against despair for large portions of their life, I don't think I would recommend it. It is just too dark to be enjoyable to someone like that. Yet for those of us who have, there is a light there to shine through the deepest darkness. I can't even say what it is. But it mattered a lot to me. I will certainly read it again and again.
I'm very curious to see how other people liked this series, and to hear their thoughts about it.
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I am saddened to see that no one has mentioned T.H. White's 'The Once and Future King'. I recommend it highly to any humanists on the board.
Posts: 13123 | Registered: Feb 2002
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I'm currently reading them in Barnes and Nobles and hoping I finish before someone catches me.
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I believe they will be especially important, as I've heard that some of the main characters from the liveship books will be in the last part of the tawny man. Besides, they're great books!
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I recall attempting (I can only assume that I was not sucessful) to register earlier this year or late last year. I guess I either decided to register as some form of "The Fool" instead or had got some error message through the process of registration. ![[Confused]](confused.gif)
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