Worst author of fantasy series?

[Gabriel]

Tolkin!, I had to force my self to finish the Hobbit and never even touched lord of the ring or Slimmeran (?). Perhaps it was the whohar about him being great but I just don't like them.

[Memnoch]

Originally posted by Gabriel: Tolkin!, I had to force my self to finish the Hobbit and never even touched lord of the ring or Slimmeran (?). Perhaps it was the whohar about him being great but I just don't like them.

Tolkien's writing style doesn't lend itself to easy reading (kind of like Anne Rice) but his writing talents are unquestioned. I too found it difficult to read the Silmarillion (the first Tolkien book I read), then again I was about 9 at the time.

Once I got to the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings, I was a total convert.

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My name is Memnoch. And your name is...destined to be a footnote in the sands of time.

[Throntar]

Originally posted by Balgin: Sorry Throntar but good old Gemmel is way up in my favourite three authors (along with Tolkien, Peter Moorwood and Stephen Lawhead, I just keep on changing my mind about wich I like the most). However the worst is undisputeably (IMO anyway) Terry Brooks!!!!! His first book The Sword of Shanara was a blatant rip off. Every scene (and I don't just mean the major ones) was taken from The Lord Of The Rings (the monster searches for Shea and his freind in the first chapter: the Black Rider incident on the road to Bree, Hendel distracts the Gnomes to allow the parties passage AND Alanon fights a demon in the boiling rooms beneath the dark lords castle(both are blatant Balrog rip offs) whilst one of the half elves escapes to act out a blatant remake or the Sam fights an Orc on the stairs whilst rescuing Frodo from the Orcish tower(just after Shelob), the gnome that he takes hostage becomes distinctly like Golum, Hendel rushes to the cities defense only suddenly noticing a blatant weak point, only slowly followed by others: Boromir defends Merry and Pippin from Orcs, and many other travesties of literature). Not only this but his second book (can't remember the title), featured another Blatant Balrog scene only a few chapters in and began to look familiar. In addition to this the chap who used to do the book review for White Dwarf (a British gaming mag, now more tabletop than in the eighties) took the liberty of describing a very bad book as "so Terry Brookish" and after that my long enmity for this writer has never allowed me to read another book of his. In all fairness Throntar, Gemmel's storylines can seem straight out of any Western but I like the style rather than the substance of his writing. He writes like a man who knows how to use weapons and I like his minimal magic system (rather like Moorwoods and Lawheads).

Hi Balgain.

I hear what you're saying, however, I still don't care for Gemmell much. My opinion is that, yes, I have authors whose writing styles I appreciate (i.e. George R.R. Martin), but if there's no substance behind the style, then what's the point?

I understand your point of his leaving magic to a minimum, and that is one aspect that I (at times) enjoy in the novels of his that I have read.

However, I still prefer some build up and explanation before I get to the climax of the story.

[Erekose]

The hobbit was pitched towards a young audience, buy i do think there is something to the theory that Hobbits were based on the English Middle Class


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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......"

[Sentinel04]

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

[Moiraine]

Hi Throntar !

I don't deny that Moorcock books may be interesting - just said that I read several of them, and the more I read, the most I hated the guy and the atmosphere - until I stopped reading them at all. My opinion only !

I like Terry Brooks ! I won't say he is the best Fantasy writer, and I agree that the first Shannara book didn't hit the top, but first books are often quite linear and borrow a lot to other writers and worlds - authors get better with time ! I found the last four Shannara books very enjoyable. Plus, Brooks alsowrote the Landover series, who is very different in scenario and atmosphere and writing style - not many writers can actually do that !

I don't know if you will agree, but the first Robert Jordan book of the WOT series was also much more linear and predictable than the following books. He also gets better at every new book !

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The world is my oyster !

[Sentinel04]

Originally posted by Moiraine: I don't know if you will agree, but the first Robert Jordan book of the WOT series was also much more linear and predictable than the following books. He also gets better at every new book !

I do agree. I just finished his second book, and am waiting for amazon to ship me the third book. His books are great.

[Gabriel]

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. I too found it difficult to read the Silmarillion (the first Tolkien book I read), then again I was about 9 at the time. Once I got to the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings, I was a total convert.

It wasn't the style of his books, I had just read Of Mice and Men so even Roger Red Hat would of been a master piece in my eyes. It was the part when the trolls turned to stone, come on how the hell did they make it if the turn to stone in sun light!, probably the worse speices ideal in the world ever.


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In the memory of a friend.

[Bleys]

Originally posted by Gabriel: It wasn't the style of his books, I had just read Of Mice and Men so even Roger Red Hat would of been a master piece in my eyes. It was the part when the trolls turned to stone, come on how the hell did they make it if the turn to stone in sun light!, probably the worse speices ideal in the world ever.

Trolls turning to stone in sunlight is all part of Scandinavian Mythology.
So he was just keeping close to the orignal mythology.



[This message has been edited by Bleys (edited 04-06-2001).]

[Gabriel]

Mythology huh..... Heck it still a dum thing it almost as bad as elves being short things with pointed hats and beards, IT A GNOME!!!!- sorry but these thing bug me, a creature is called an elf in one mythology but is something completely different in another. Some Mytholoyg would have trolls being about 4ft high and living under bridges but did he include that I don't think so.