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ShadowJack
Senior Scribe
USA
350 Posts |
 Posted - 13 Dec 2005 : 17:48:25
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| Not to make the Great Sage mad, but... Thank you Elaine for your geat news and great novels. I have LOVED both Arilyn and Danilo, and even Elaith. Elfshadow is a FR book that I hold as one of the best FR novels. The reason for this is the interesting and detailed characters. Both of these characters are heroes in every sense of the word, without being stereotypical, fantasy type heroes. Have I ever mentioned before that I need heroes in the stories I read? |
ShadowJack |
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Winterfox
Senior Scribe
895 Posts |
Posted - 13 Dec 2005 : 18:32:24
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quote:
Originally posted by ShadowJack
Have I ever mentioned before that I need heroes in the stories I read?
Off-topic, but I'm curious: why is that? I take it you don't like, say, Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire much, then? |
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ShadowJack
Senior Scribe
USA
350 Posts |
Posted - 13 Dec 2005 : 20:59:26
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My Apologies, Winterfox,
I am not familiar with that particular tome. I am a fan of the old school fantasy, heroic fantasy, if you will. people rising above themselves to do some noble thing. I do not care much for the anti-hero that I am seeing so much of in today's fantasy. I love a noble quest to right a wrong or a person doing the right thing and striving to save the weak or oppressed. (call me a romantic) I like a character (such as Danilo or Arilyn) that strives to do the right thing, even when not sure what the right thing is... A good, somewhat on topic example of this; Danilo, (in Dreamspheres) trying to help out his half-sister, I think her name was Lily. Great scene. Danilo is a believeable hero. This is simply my preference. |
ShadowJack |
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ShadowJack
Senior Scribe
USA
350 Posts |
Posted - 13 Dec 2005 : 21:00:47
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| Although I must admit, Elaith Craulnober intrigues me more than a little... |
ShadowJack |
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Winterfox
Senior Scribe
895 Posts |
Posted - 13 Dec 2005 : 22:15:35
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quote:
Originally posted by ShadowJack
Although I must admit, Elaith Craulnober intrigues me more than a little...
See? :p
When I first read the Songs & Swords series, I liked Arilyn the most, but years after, I think my favourite's become Danilo.
I'm fairly fond of anti-heroes, but I'm fonder still of stories where there are many characters, and it's not clear who's "hero" or "villain." It makes them much more real. |
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Charles Phipps
Master of Realmslore
1425 Posts |
Posted - 05 Jan 2007 : 20:14:06
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I want to say Elfshadow is probably my favorite Realms book. It embodies all that I think is best about the Realms. Like Alias, Arilyn Moonblade is a UNIQUE heroine and that's what makes her cool. She's got a fairly crazy background but there's no sense that any of this is uncommon in the Realms. It's just one of the many countless tales that occurs in such a wonderful place as the Realms.
Let's face it, Danillo Thann isn't anything special in the Harpers but he's still Khelben's grandson and apprentice. Those connections make the characters more important and real than anything else.
I also love Kymil Nimsen better than any other villain in the Realms because he's got such a "human" motivation. Kymil hates human beings and wants to see them all destroyed if he can. It's such a simple and realistic motivation that I'm surprised it hasn't been used before.
I wonder if Kymil would get involved with the Eldath Verrunna (sp?) or whether his equal loathing of Moon Elves would get the man into trouble there. |
My Blog: http://unitedfederationofcharles.blogspot.com/
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Rinonalyrna Fathomlin
Great Reader
USA
7106 Posts |
Posted - 05 Jan 2007 : 23:18:25
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quote:
Originally posted by Charles Phipps
Let's face it, Danillo Thann isn't anything special in the Harpers but he's still Khelben's grandson and apprentice. Those connections make the characters more important and real than anything else.
How so? |
"Instead of asking why we sleep, it might make sense to ask why we wake. Perchance we live to dream. From that perspective, the sea of troubles we navigate in the workaday world might be the price we pay for admission to another night in the world of dreams."
--Richard Greene (letter to Time) |
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Charles Phipps
Master of Realmslore
1425 Posts |
Posted - 05 Jan 2007 : 23:31:31
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It helps imply that this characters don't exist in a vacuum. Danillo Thann is part of the Harpers. The Harpers books help establish that he knows not only Arilyn Moonblade but by proxy Bran Skorlsun, Bronwyn, and Khelben of Waterdeep. I wouldn't be surprised if Danillo knows Storm and others as well. These people work and live together while doing their job.
The fact that Danillo is part of Khelben's family also helps establish that the Archmages don't exist alone in the Realms but have lives that tie together. |
My Blog: http://unitedfederationofcharles.blogspot.com/
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Edited by - Charles Phipps on 05 Jan 2007 23:31:51 |
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Rinonalyrna Fathomlin
Great Reader
USA
7106 Posts |
Posted - 06 Jan 2007 : 00:06:34
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quote:
Originally posted by Charles Phipps
It helps imply that this characters don't exist in a vacuum. Danillo Thann is part of the Harpers. The Harpers books help establish that he knows not only Arilyn Moonblade but by proxy Bran Skorlsun, Bronwyn, and Khelben of Waterdeep. I wouldn't be surprised if Danillo knows Storm and others as well. These people work and live together while doing their job.
Yeah, but there are other people in the Realms besides these characters. *shrug* The vibe I got from your post, to be honest was: "If you don't have some sort of political power or rank in a secret organization, you'd better damn well be related to one of the "big guns" in the Realms, or else you aren't a worthwhile character."
And that, I would disagree with.
quote:
The fact that Danillo is part of Khelben's family also helps establish that the Archmages don't exist alone in the Realms but have lives that tie together.
That point, I do actually agree with. |
"Instead of asking why we sleep, it might make sense to ask why we wake. Perchance we live to dream. From that perspective, the sea of troubles we navigate in the workaday world might be the price we pay for admission to another night in the world of dreams."
--Richard Greene (letter to Time) |
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Charles Phipps
Master of Realmslore
1425 Posts |
Posted - 06 Jan 2007 : 00:21:51
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Well that wasn't my point.
I actually don't even think that Danillo is a high ranking Harper. Arilyn actually seemed higher ranking and she's still a grunt on the field. No, my point was that by establishing these characters ties to one another, it makes it clear that everyone who becomes a hero is part of a fairly elect group.
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My Blog: http://unitedfederationofcharles.blogspot.com/
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Rinonalyrna Fathomlin
Great Reader
USA
7106 Posts |
Posted - 06 Jan 2007 : 00:50:05
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quote:
Originally posted by Charles Phipps
Well that wasn't my point.
I actually don't even think that Danillo is a high ranking Harper. Arilyn actually seemed higher ranking and she's still a grunt on the field. No, my point was that by establishing these characters ties to one another, it makes it clear that everyone who becomes a hero is part of a fairly elect group.
But that isn't necessarily the case. At least, not in the Realms as I see it.
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"Instead of asking why we sleep, it might make sense to ask why we wake. Perchance we live to dream. From that perspective, the sea of troubles we navigate in the workaday world might be the price we pay for admission to another night in the world of dreams."
--Richard Greene (letter to Time) |
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Charles Phipps
Master of Realmslore
1425 Posts |
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Reefy
Senior Scribe
United Kingdom
892 Posts |
Posted - 06 Jan 2007 : 22:05:45
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quote:
Originally posted by Rinonalyrna Fathomlin
But that isn't necessarily the case. At least, not in the Realms as I see it.
Me neither - there's an example for every conceivable scenario and purpose, but Shandril is an obvious example of a normal person gifted with extraordinary power. It's the ancient argument on whether PCs/heroes are by definition the cream of the crop, or if they are just normal people the same as everyone else who just develop certain skills. |
Life is either daring adventure or nothing. |
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Charles Phipps
Master of Realmslore
1425 Posts |
Posted - 06 Jan 2007 : 23:44:29
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An argument not relevant to this thread though. :-)
(I swear, this argument creeps up in a huge number of threads---and I'd like to point out that I didn't bring it up or participate in this one)
Other things I liked about the book though are that Danillo is such a lovable fellow! I do admit that the fact he traveled with Arilyn without her even knowing it was hilarious. One thing I was surprised about though is the Harpers don't employ assassins yet Arilyn is pretty much exactly that.
I must confess that Danillo and Arilyn's romance also appealed to me in that they are definitely a case of opposite's attracting. The two couldn't be more different but they compliment each other very well.
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My Blog: http://unitedfederationofcharles.blogspot.com/
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Edited by - Charles Phipps on 06 Jan 2007 23:51:31 |
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Elfshadow: Prelude & Chapters 1 - 4
