Worst author of fantasy series?

[Erekose]

I believe oriental vampires have no trouble with sunlight perhaps because they are invisible. Cheers

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"You all wished me to arouse the blade and use it. Now, I think, we begin to understand the consequences. The Black Sword must be fed. It will feed on friends if it cannot feed on enemies......"

[Balgin]

To clarify a point. In Norse mythology the words Dwarf, Dark Elf, Light Elf, Elf and Troll (Dvergar, Dock Alfar, Dock, Lios Aflar, Alfar, and Troll in Old Norse) all refer to the same type of creature. They are mere geographical variants. They refer to two distinc variants of the same creature: the light elves who where magical creatures of the air and effectively minor elemental creatures, and the dwarves or dark elves who where earth dwelling craftsmen who had little to do with the affairs of men (possibly based upon the Sami, a tribe of Lappish traders and craftsmen who claim that the huge vikings called them dwarfs) and are therefore considered to be made of earth and stone. It is therefore possible to consider that since these creatures where never seen during the day that they only recieved the power of movement at night. In The Lay of Alviss, the dwarf Alviss stomps up to Asgard, over the Bifrost bridge, in oirder to claim a debt from Thor. The promise that he requires to be kept was one of marriage to Thor's beautiful daughter, Thrud. Thor, unwilling to keep his side of the bargain, informs Alviss that he shall not have his desire untill he has named all the different names that all of the different creatures use for all things. Alviss nammes all things according to the men, the gods, the giants, the saxon men, the dwarfs, the men of various parts of europe (not often) and many others. By the time that he has finished the sun rises and turns him into stone.

Now, Tolkien was a lecturer in Old Norse at Oxford University so he'd probably come across this old tale and taken to it. Concerning Vampires (a recent breed of monster outside eastern europe), I believe that the sunlight banishes the threat of their feeble, sustanceless cadavers. I prefer to think of them absorbing life energy by mere touch as oposed to the drinking of blood. The blood of more powerful individuals tasting sweeter is therefore savoured (hence the reason why high level character can take more level drains that lower level ones). Incidentally in Winter Warriors, David Gemmel includes a band of evil Vampire Knights who ride about in the day wearing full black plate armour to avoid the blistering light of the sun. Also the "Blood Eaters" of the third Brak the Barbarian book (the only one that I have) are blatant vampires (who make an incision with their sharp tongue, grip with the two fangs, and suck everything out of the skin). However, they can only drain blood in mist form and as such are an interesting anomaly. I hope that this has cleared a few things up.

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Balgin, the Dwarf

[Drake]

Originally posted by Sentinel04: Yeah, I don't like Terry Brooks much at all. It does seem that he rips other popular books off...

I personaly like Terry Brooks a lot. He's not the best out there but I find it wearth while to by his books.

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Drake A.K.A. bocaj

[Moiraine]

Originally posted by Drake: I personaly like Terry Brooks a lot. He's not the best out there but I find it wearth while to by his books.

Ditto, mate - not the best, but far from being the worst. The Landover series is very refreshing after any WOT book !



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The world is my oyster !

[Drake]

Originally posted by Rikard: Well I liked everything so far

Ditto, although if I had to choose, I would choose Ed Greenwood. I don't think him all that bad, he's just the least of my favorates.

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Drake A.K.A. bocaj

[Tancred]

Stephen Donaldson... I enjoyed the Chronicles of Thomas Covenant - except for the first book, 'Lord Foul's Bane'. Reading said book, I found myself to be wading through a thesarus, trapped in a universe where even the lowliest, ill-educated pesantfolk know seven-syllable words. It was like trying to walk through a waterfall of verbal porridge, like Frank Herbert on a very bad day. If there was ever a candidate for chronic long-word overusage, it is the Chronicles of Thomas Covenant. Donaldson compensates for this in the later books with cool plot, but the first is truly a test of patience and endurance.

Tancred

Frank Herbert - 'nuff said.

[Sir Taliesin]

Actually I didn't like Donaldson much either. I never got through the first hundred pages of Lord Fouls Bane. Ugh!!!

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Sir Taliesin


Meddle not in the affairs of dragons
if you are crunchy and good with ketchup!

[Fljotsdale]

Originally posted by Memnoch: Tolkien's writing style doesn't lend itself to easy reading (kind of like Anne Rice) but his writing talents are unquestioned.

Oh NO! You are not putting Tolkien and Anne Rice in the same category are you? Please!

Ok, Rice tells agood, gripping story - sometimes - I can't put some of 'em down, (but she sure has no idea how to end a story does she?) - but NOT in the same class as Tolkien, lol!



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Smile! Life is too short for bitching!

Fljotsdale

[Axterix]

Of the ones I've read, I'd have to say Donaldson. Gave up on him a few books into one of his series. Characters weren't interesting, writing style was boring. A rare time I haven't bothered to finish reading a series I started. Mind you, while many people may like Donaldson and there are no doubt worse authors, I'm pretty picky in what I decide to pick up and read... generally, what I decide to get I like... and I avoid much junk that way.

As for Moorcock, he's hit and miss. His writing covers so many areas. Kane of Old Mars is written to be like the Tarzan books. Other books blend fantasy with some science. The main thing I like about his books is that the characters aren't perfect. They have flaws, weaknesses. They do things they regret later, they wipe out entire races, they, at times, ruin themselves and all they believe in (the Ice Ships, for instance). They are, in short, much more believable than the pure heroes other people have. Moorcock's characters are how heroes are, in their own time. Most other people's are how the heroes are portrayed a few generations down the line, with all the bad traits cleaned out of the story.

And, his dark elves make TSR's drow look like the pansies they are. Moorcock's dark elf society (Elric's people) is more evil, more believable, more decadent, and much scarier (probably because of the first 2) than the dark elves in D&D. If nothing else, read Elric for that reason, especially if you are a GM who uses Drow in his campaigns. The description of the slave choir alone, that single paragraph, blows away anything you read on dark elves elsewhere.

But with Moorcock, keep in mind that he won't write down to the reader (that's something he slams Tolkien for), so he can be a bit heavier reading than most are used to. He's not going to pretty it up for you. It's a dark world and his heroes aren't always good. They are people in circumstances, doing what they believe is best according to their own beliefs. And that, much like Howard's Conan, often makes them that much more compelling. And he's interested in the writing process as well. He deliberately uses different styles, covers different topics. That's what makes him hit and miss. He's a writer that strives to stretch himself and explore different avenues of writing.

[Fljotsdale]

I tried hard to read a Moorcock novel once. Someone who's opinion I respected highly recommended him. I struggled through 2 chapters, but it was AWEFUL! DREADFUL! His use of language was ... what's the word...? contrived... and oh... irritating! He was trying to be 'mythic' and failing dismally. I think he is quite the worst writer I have ever read - and I have read some rubbish in my time, lol! (His STORIES are probably ok. It's just his WRITING!)

Donaldson takes some reading, but its worth it in the end - I think. Main problem with the Thomas Covenant series is the overpowering urge you have to kick Covenant in the behind and scream at him to "DO SOMETHING, for heaven's sake!"

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Smile! Life is too short for bitching!

Fljotsdale