| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Artemas Entreri |
Posted - 07 Jan 2013 : 18:50:21
I regularly use the following site to find new books/authors to read and stumbled across the website creator's views on the Forgotten Realms/Dragonlance books.
website: http://bestfantasybooks.com/top25-fantasy-books.php
direct quotes from website:
Forgotten Realms: These, in my estimation, are pretty similar to Dragonlance books. There are a ton of them, they are easy to read, feature uncomplicated plots and cardboard cutout characters. But, they are tasty in the way that going to Mcdonald's is tasty. There's no real "nutrition" to these books, but they do have some taste. Read them, you may like or not like them. As for where to start, the crowd favorite is probably the Dark Elf Trilogy by R.A. Salvatore.
Dragonlance: These are literally everywhere in the bookstore. These are the cheeseburgers of the fantasy world. They taste good, but you get indigestion after. If you are looking for something easy to read that delivers the same experience over and over, Dragonlance is your bet. It’s good to read a couple of these books so you at least know what they are about.
I'm curious as to what other scribes here have to say about the quotes above. Thoughts? |
| 18 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Yoss |
Posted - 10 Jan 2013 : 03:36:27
I weigh the opinions of critics and other authors no differently than the opinions of friends, family, or random people on the Internet. Unless I know I generally have similar taste in literature/movies/music, I really don't care what hypothetical person has to say about much of anything. You know how many times I've discovered that a guitarist or drummer from a favorite band likes music that I find truly awful, despite the fact that they make music I enjoy? I figure books are kind of like that, so even though author X may have written my favorite novel and I didn't care much for the books Y wrote, X might be more of a nugget guy when he's going through the drive through...and...lost my train of thought and now I'm hungry. |
| Artemas Entreri |
Posted - 09 Jan 2013 : 13:52:49
quote:
Originally posted by Yoss
Um, guys? I really like cheeseburgers.
Cheeseburgers are great if that is what you are in the mood for. Sometime I just want a nice juicy filet mignon though.  |
| Dennis |
Posted - 09 Jan 2013 : 09:16:27
quote:
Originally posted by Yoss
Um, guys? I really like cheeseburgers.
As do I. As long as there's lots and lots of cheese in it.
And excellent points, Elaine. I agree wholeheartedly. |
| Yoss |
Posted - 08 Jan 2013 : 22:20:10
Um, guys? I really like cheeseburgers. |
| ElaineCunningham |
Posted - 08 Jan 2013 : 13:16:30
Most writers I know are also avid readers. Some blog about the books they read. Charlaine Harris, for example, does a Book & Blog entry every week or so which is a combination blog journal and multi-book review. She loves to read and she reads several genres--mystery, urban fantasy, romance--so you're getting a cross section of what she considers entertaining stories. If you like what she writes, chances are you'll like what she reads.
If writer talks about a book he or she really likes, you're getting the same sort of recommendation you'd get from any other avid reader. One of my current favorites is the St. Cyr mystery series by C.S. Harris. Solid writing, complex plots, intriguing characters, a much darker take on the Regency era than you'll get from Jane Austin-influenced novels. AND the history is rock solid, so you can immerse yourself in the story without fear that you'll be jarred out by anachronisms. Harris has a PhD in the history of this period, and in addition to the broad base of knowledge this accomplishment suggests, she sweats the details. I pre-order these books months before their release, and read them on the day they show up on my Nook. If you're a reader who values historical accuracy, then my recommendation of a historical novel might be worth something to you--not so much because I'm a professional writer, but because I'm a former history teacher and obsessive history geek.
When it comes right down to it, every book review is as much about the reviewer as it is about the book itself. Context MATTERS. I seldom write Amazon.com reviews, but I reviewed a young adult history of the Salem witch hysteria, and I prefaced the review by adding a perspective: as a former history teacher who has read several dozen books on this topic, I consider this particular book to be the single best introduction. Being a professional writer was entirely incidental to this review.
But since context matters, it's worth pointing out that a personal recommendation may be quite different from a blurb I've agreed to provide. There have been times when I had to resort to an Abraham Lincoln style review--a variation of "This book will probably be enjoyed by people who like this sort of thing." I won't review or blurb a badly written book, but it's quite possible to say something positive about a book that I didn't really enjoy, as long as I recognize why other people might and shape my comments accordingly. I consider it a matter of professional ethics to review a book for what it is, and recommend it--assuming I can honestly do so--to the intended audience, without letting my personal tastes and opinions influence the review.
That said, I do understand where the "no stock in professional writers' opinions" comment is coming from. A lot of people are desperate for social media exposure and there's currently a trend for writers, particularly self-published writers, to swap book reviews. I would imagine that once you've made a "You review my book, I'll review yours," commitment, it would be tough to give a bad review.
Now, backing up to the original topic of this thread. I stopped by the review site you linked, but didn't linger. The notion of compiling a list of recommendations is admirable, but in my online experience, people who bill their opinions as the One True Way tend to be self-righteous and toxic, and not the sort of people whose acquaintance I care to cultivate. This may not be the case for this particular website's creator, but the phrase "definitive guide" raised warning flags.
As for what do I THINK about the fast food insults? Not much. Literally. I opted out of the Shared-World Fiction Is Crap discussion years ago. When people ask me, "What do you say to people who dislike licensed fiction?" my response is, "I suggest that they read something else." Life is too short to read books you don't like. I respect every reader's desire to focus on books that fit their personal criteria. Conversely, life is too short to worry about people who are determined to dislike your books. |
| Dennis |
Posted - 08 Jan 2013 : 07:47:53
It was Raymond E. Feist's recommendations that made me discover the wondrous worlds of Janny Wurts. |
| The Sage |
Posted - 08 Jan 2013 : 06:17:08
quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
quote:
Originally posted by Entreri3478
I put zero stock in recommendations from professional authors.
I can't say the same thing -- it was Elaine Cunningham talking up what was then the latest release of the Dresden Files that got me into the series. I've gotten the last few books as hardcovers, on the release date, and I'm not reading another series by the same author. Had it not been for the book blog Elaine had at the time, I may have never discovered Jim Butcher.
'Twas the same for me. And I also picked up Steve Erickson's "Malazan" books after another author I regularly read took the time to recommend the series to me. |
| Wooly Rupert |
Posted - 08 Jan 2013 : 05:27:39
quote:
Originally posted by scererar
I agree and +1 on Jim Butcher. If you have not, check out the codex alera series
I've got about 140 pages left in the second book.  |
| scererar |
Posted - 08 Jan 2013 : 05:01:16
I agree and +1 on Jim Butcher. If you have not, check out the codex alera series |
| Wooly Rupert |
Posted - 08 Jan 2013 : 04:48:37
quote:
Originally posted by Entreri3478
I put zero stock in recommendations from professional authors.
I can't say the same thing -- it was Elaine Cunningham talking up what was then the latest release of the Dresden Files that got me into the series. I've gotten the last few books as hardcovers, on the release date, and I'm not reading another series by the same author. Had it not been for the book blog Elaine had at the time, I may have never discovered Jim Butcher. |
| Dennis |
Posted - 08 Jan 2013 : 01:53:17
I bet the one who wrote that is a banished elf transfigured into a toadman pet fed nothing but scraps from McDonald's. |
| Artemas Entreri |
Posted - 07 Jan 2013 : 22:41:07
quote:
Originally posted by Clad In Shadows
By the way, this site is awesome. Just what I need...more fantasy to purchase and stack my shelves with. :)
I enjoy the site too and MOST of the guy's book recommendations are pretty good. I will usually research a potential "To Read" book on Goodreads though and see what everyday readers are saying about a book. I put zero stock in recommendations from professional authors. |
| Artemas Entreri |
Posted - 07 Jan 2013 : 22:39:06
quote:
Originally posted by Clad In Shadows
None of this comes as a surprise to me. Shared world fiction is generally regarded as the lowest form of genre fiction. And genre fiction is regarded very poorly by fans of "higher literature". I get flack from friends all the time.
That being said...do I care? Not a bit. I've read Forgotten Realms books that bored me to tears, but I've also read standard fantasy that did the same. It all comes down to the author and the writing style. Admittedly, I don't read Forgotten Realms as much as I used to...simply because of my HUGE collection of unread epic series' like Malazan, Wheel Of Time, and other collections of large works that tend to take up a huge chunk of my time. But I still try to get in at least half a dozen FR books a year. And I still enjoy every one of them. I got into Fantasy through Streams of Silver, and I will never turn my back on something that lead me down a wonderful path of reading.
Streams of Silver was the first Realms book that I ever read. I picked it up because I loved the cover and the title intrigued me. |
| Clad In Shadows |
Posted - 07 Jan 2013 : 22:20:17
By the way, this site is awesome. Just what I need...more fantasy to purchase and stack my shelves with. :) |
| Clad In Shadows |
Posted - 07 Jan 2013 : 22:12:07
None of this comes as a surprise to me. Shared world fiction is generally regarded as the lowest form of genre fiction. And genre fiction is regarded very poorly by fans of "higher literature". I get flack from friends all the time.
That being said...do I care? Not a bit. I've read Forgotten Realms books that bored me to tears, but I've also read standard fantasy that did the same. It all comes down to the author and the writing style. Admittedly, I don't read Forgotten Realms as much as I used to...simply because of my HUGE collection of unread epic series' like Malazan, Wheel Of Time, and other collections of large works that tend to take up a huge chunk of my time. But I still try to get in at least half a dozen FR books a year. And I still enjoy every one of them. I got into Fantasy through Streams of Silver, and I will never turn my back on something that lead me down a wonderful path of reading. |
| Artemas Entreri |
Posted - 07 Jan 2013 : 20:08:42
quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
I don't need self-proclaimed elitists to pass judgement on something for me to enjoy it. It may not be fine literature, or high cinema, or the most critically acclaimed show on TV, or music good enough to make an audiophile weep for joy -- if it works for me, that's all that matters.
That's pretty much how I feel about it. Forgotten Realms books are entertaining and that is what I want when reading something.
That website has some pretty good recommendations, but the website creator isn't afraid to speak his mind about author's he doesn't like. It's all good though, some of his favs were crap IMHO. |
| Wooly Rupert |
Posted - 07 Jan 2013 : 19:58:15
Sounds to me like one of those people that thinks shared settings are automatically inferior to author-created and owned worlds.
If I enjoy a book, it doesn't matter if it's a shared setting or not. Interesting plots and intriguing characters are not limited to non-shared settings, and they're not limited to "mainstream" fiction, either.
I don't need self-proclaimed elitists to pass judgement on something for me to enjoy it. It may not be fine literature, or high cinema, or the most critically acclaimed show on TV, or music good enough to make an audiophile weep for joy -- if it works for me, that's all that matters. |
| 9thChapter |
Posted - 07 Jan 2013 : 19:26:42
Ouch. Nutritional value, cheeseburges and McDonalds analogies?
While there are indeed a lot of FR novels out there, and admittedly not all are award winning prose, I disagree with his claim re "cardboard characters" and "uncomplicated plots". |
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