Books discussion

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Great_Mage_Atari
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Re: Books discussion

Post by Great_Mage_Atari »

Now that you mention it Boldek...
Just finished the newest Inheritance book! Let me just say, Tolkein makes a good movie about a book I never read, but Paolini writes a damn good story!
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Re: Books discussion

Post by powershot »

I really want to read it but it hasn't gotten here. I hear good reviews all way round.
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Re: Books discussion

Post by uncleshelby »

Great_Mage_Atari wrote:Now that you mention it Boldek...
Just finished the newest Inheritance book! Let me just say, Tolkein makes a good movie about a book I never read, but Paolini writes a damn good story!
You just finished it? Lol. (I'm kidding, don't kill me).

Paolini's story is good, but his writing is not very good. And the Vault of Souls was a huge disappointment. His writing is better in the fourth book, but not spectacular.
Boldek wrote:Tolkein will be Tolkein, and you really can't mimic him. If you do, you either end up pretty cliched and mocked for it, or you perish along the way.
WHat I meant is that he writes as if he's trying to write exactly like Tolkien does in The Lord of the Rings, right down to a synopsis of the previous books...
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Re: Books discussion

Post by Boldek »

uncleshelby wrote:WHat I meant is that he writes as if he's trying to write exactly like Tolkien does in The Lord of the Rings, right down to a synopsis of the previous books...
I think he should have stuck with Star Wars.
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Great_Mage_Atari
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Re: Books discussion

Post by Great_Mage_Atari »

Boldek wrote:
uncleshelby wrote:WHat I meant is that he writes as if he's trying to write exactly like Tolkien does in The Lord of the Rings, right down to a synopsis of the previous books...
I think he should have stuck with Star Wars.
Who should have stuck with Star Wars? Thisguy?
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Re: Books discussion

Post by Joram »

I have been reborn!

Actually, I picked up the first book in The Brothers of Gwynedd Quartet, by Edith Pargeter (Sunrise in the West, The Dragon at Noonday, The Hounds of Sunset, and Afterglow and Nightfall). After reading lots of recent books, it was a breath of fresh air to go back to someone who actually could use the English language well. Her descriptions of characters and places transcend the page to a higher plane of existence. A tale told in old style, of faith and treachery, love and hate, peace and war, and above all, a man's vision for a unified country, free from the tyranny of its neighbors.

"The chronicle of the Lord Llewelyn, son of Griffith, son of Llewelyn, son of Iorwerth, lord of Gwynedd, the eagle of Snowdon, the shield of Eryi, first and only true Prince of Wales"


Not even through the first book yet, so I can't vouch that it'll continue well. :wink:
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Re: Books discussion

Post by Shinobody »

@Boldek, GMA:
Who's that Tolkein you speak of, and is he somehow related to JRR Tolkien?
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Re: Books discussion

Post by Boldek »

Yes, I misspelled his name.

GMA, no Paolini should have stuck with Star Wars. His books were much better that way, even if they were rip off from Episode 4.
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Re: Books discussion

Post by thespaceinvader »

No, Paolini should have stuck to high school. His books are not good.

On another note, recently, and in no particular order:

Reread the first two books of the Demon Trilogy by Peter V Brett, the Wise Man's Fear by Patrick Rothfuss, a couple more Horus Heresy books, currently reading Wild Swans, also read Way of Kings I, the Alloy of Law and Elantris by Brandon Sanderson, Side Jobs by Jim Butcher, The City and The City by China Mieville... any of them is basically infinitely better than Paolini. He is a lucky guy with a good publicist, like so many 'great' authors.
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Re: Books discussion

Post by Great_Mage_Atari »

thespaceinvader wrote:No, Paolini should have stuck to high school. His books are not good.
Most people hate comics, Star Wars, and The Lord of the Rings, yet here we are...
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Re: Books discussion

Post by thespaceinvader »

That sounds like an assertion you need to back up with evidence.

I'd probably suspect more that most people are ambivalent towards them.
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Re: Books discussion

Post by artisticdude »

What Paolini did is impressive given his age when he did it (at least in the case of the first book or two), but I have to say I view his books (and I only read the first two, the second of which I never actually finished) seem geared more towards middle-school kids rather than older readers. And he doesn't really attempt anything truly new, or even anything all that complex, just the same old "the really really evil and powerful emperor is trying to take over the world so the young unlikely hero gets his village burned up and ends up saving the world". There were a few minor twists IIRC, but nothing major by any means; it was a pretty linear story.

And of course, how can I forget how Paolini was describing some epic battle from the past, and he says something along the lines of how the bad guy "...kicked [the good guy] in the fork of his legs...". :roll: I mean, when you read that, it's vaguely amusing for a second, and then you realize just how juvenile it sounds.
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Re: Books discussion

Post by thespaceinvader »

I dunno, Terry Pratchett does a lot of good work with kicks inna fork. But then, he's writing comedy.

I dipped briefly into Eragon and... well, it read like it was written by a 14 year old with a good publicist. I also watched the movie, out of pure bile fascination, and... actually, I do love watching Jeremy Irons act entirely for the money. It's hilarious, in all the wrong ways. Like the D&D movie.
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Re: Books discussion

Post by Shinobody »

Great_Mage_Atari wrote:Most people hate comics, Star Wars, and The Lord of the Rings, yet here we are...
Are you somehow implying that because it is popular it is good? Then I guess Michael Bay's movies should all be masterpieces.
(I mean, this was sarcasm or whatever? I'm not quite following you here.)
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Great_Mage_Atari
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Re: Books discussion

Post by Great_Mage_Atari »

Shinobody wrote:
Great_Mage_Atari wrote:Most people hate comics, Star Wars, and The Lord of the Rings, yet here we are...
Are you somehow implying that because it is popular it is good? Then I guess Michael Bay's movies should all be masterpieces.
(I mean, this was sarcasm or whatever? I'm not quite following you here.)
It's implying that people have different tastes in books, movies, genres, what have you. Me saying that I don't like most of Lady Gaga's music doesn't mean it's bad music. It's just opinionated.
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