Janny's comments (member since Jan 21, 2009)

Janny's comments from the Fantasy Book Club group.

Chris wrote: "Honestly, The Eye of the World does come to a neat conclusion at the end, and you could stop there with a satisfying end. It does leave off with an obvious series in mind, but the sto..."

I thought Eye of the World was stunning. Certainly it could stand very well by itself.

In my experience, when collaborators collide headlong on an issue, a push pull argument will spoil the brew. The only way to salvage the impasse is to strike out for a third option - there will be one. And inevitably, that third route not only saves the situation, but is the better one for the story.

That's how Ray Feist and I came out of our experience, still friends.

It is all about, not your way, or my way, or the highway, but in seeking, then finding that third voice that is neither one or the other.

It's not about avoiding unhappy endings - it's about endings that abandon the riches of experience and leave an aftertaste of wanton futility. Take me on a journey and leave me perhaps sadder, but the wiser for sharing the sorrow.

Marco wrote: "Janny wrote: "Marco wrote: "Size does matter. In a long book characters get developed, the plot gets interesting, there are many twists and turns. Now size for the sake of size, absolutely not. ..."

Exactly.

Epic length works can test issues in depth, from multiple angles. The ones that work best grow their characters into larger individuals, and expose their issues to new heights and depths. Short works cannot achieve this.

Short or long, the author must know their story to arrive at the ideal length.

Marco wrote: "Size does matter. In a long book characters get developed, the plot gets interesting, there are many twists and turns. Now size for the sake of size, absolutely not. Take Sword of Truth, which I..."

Size has no issue for me.

I've read short story fiction that haunts me years and years later - elegant and sweet.

I've read epic length work that in NO way could tap issues of such profound depth in a tighter format.

It's all in the telling - there is a size for every story that fits - some authors know what they are doing, some blunder a bit, some totally miss.

And whether a work resonates or not is completely an individual take.

Sturgeon's Law still applies: 95 percent of anything is "horse apples."

My five percent cream may fall on the bottom of your scale...and the time of life one encounters a story vastly shifts how it can be interpreted.

What I hate the most is debates where blanket values are shoved over ALL long work, or whatever, due to the strong feelings aroused by one or another "popular" work that creates a mass herd run toward condemnation.

All long works are not wasted space, or unfinished business. And all short works are not golden.

I will try anything and everything and meet what is on the page by individual merit.

Just finished Fool's Errand, and will probably pull my copy of Ethan of Athos to re-read between all the crazyness.

Nearly finished Fool's Errand. Took me ages to get to it, I know. Just can't ever snag enough reading time.

Barbm1020 wrote: "Talking with my daughter in law here who recommends Clive Barker's Weaveworld."

Weaveworld: what to expect.

Exquisitely vivid prose, incredible magical concept, often eerily strange events and imagery - no other book like this one to bend the imagination. It will immerse you if you have the time to sink into it.

Jane wrote: "I have also read all three and agree that they get darker, I think that I would have felt let down if it was tied up with happy endings for everyone.

Justin why did you feel betrayed?
"

I don't live and breathe for a happy ending, or enjoy saccarine books - quite the contrary, I like books that surprise and prefer a wide range of variety. But stories that bear extremely hard to the dark end or grim tone of the scale - (I call it tortured grit, without letup) - no balance there, either. This is not a comment on this book, which quite brilliantly did exactly what the author set out to accomplish - just a note to say my preferences tend to lean toward reads that encounter the full range, and unveil the bright with the dark.

Too much of one, without letup can be depressing, and too much of the other, fluff.


I do recommend this book, often, to readers whose interests lie in alignment because it excels, for what it is.

Melissa wrote: "Janny wrote: Melissa - that is a great list. Based on those names you may wish to check out Carol Berg, Barbara Hambly, and Sarah Zettel.

Thanks Janny. I've read some of Hambly (Sisters of the..."

I liked Hambly's Suncross duology and her Time of the Dark trilogy a lot better than the Raven books - which were interesting but the story didn't seem nearly as explosively dynamic.

Amazing nobody's posted here, yet.

A dedicated cynic would love this book.
Of all the characters, probably I related best to Logan 9 Fingers.

The read exhausted me, though. The inventive cleverness and the delivery of the plot twist was not sufficient to balance the overall outlook - which is my personal taste, and no fault of the book. I applaud variety and it's great to see a new author getting such nice word of mouth.

Hi Elena - you have a cool husband with great taste in books!

Jon wrote: "Until I found GoodReads, it seemed like all I did was re-read. Now, I have more books to read than I could possibly finish in ten years or more.

I do plan to re-read a couple in the next few we..."

Oh my gosh, Jon, Mordant's Need is now an OMNIBUS? That would be beyond a fantasy brick - it must be a cinderblock! I loved that duology, but cannot imagine the size under one cover.

Reading as Good Exercise - kill two birds/(books) with one stone. Wow.

I don't reread often, but some books are so rich in detail the full range cannot possibly be assimilated in one take. Other books take on a different contour, even become a whole new experience, at a different stage in life.

Other books are comfort reads - times when life holds too much rattle and shake, and I want to revisit to rest.

A few books fall apart completely - they were magical the first time, but feel ridiculously thin, seen from a more matured standpoint. You had to be just the right age to appreciate them.

Other books emerge with time - I could not read them the first try, but five or more years later - wow!

I have far less reading time than I have unread books - sadly. Those moments I can snatch, usually I reach for a new title. But if I hit a string of six or eight disappointments (yes, I finish them) I'm apt to spring for a favorite just to reacquaint myself with what makes a story I can appreciate the most.

Chris wrote: "Actually, The Hobbit was published first, in 1937. LOTR was published in 1954-55. The Silmarillion was released in 1977, gathered from pieces and notes that Tolkien had compiled over the years."

Chris, can you imagine the volume of whining, if fantasy readers today had to wait out that release schedule??? Raises a bit of a snort, doesn't it, to imagine impatient the dialogue. Well, it gave me a laugh, anyway.

Melissa wrote: "Hello all. I've been lurking about for a while, and decided to step out of the shadows for a moment.

My name is Melissa, and I live in the Northwestern U.S.-Oregon as a matter of fact. I am a ..."

Melissa - that is a great list. Based on those names you may wish to check out Carol Berg, Barbara Hambly, and Sarah Zettel.

Congratulations to Brent Weeks for Way of Shadows, and thank you to everyone for an amazing turnout and a good race.

Lochaber - you've nailed it, for me, precisely. Also, I'd like it plenty if the ending point was a bit more graceful. It's been a long wait for the next breath!

Jon wrote: "Peregrine wrote: "I'm with Madeleine L'Engle, who said, "We have been overexposed to the darker side of the human heart." ... "

Amen. :)"

I don't consider "adult read" or "mature story" to mean a book that's X rated with regard to sex.

When I use that term, I generally infer that a story has more complexity, deeper themes, is not a "coming of age/youthful hero saves his world" simplistic view that would appeal to the freshness of a teen (or older reader who wants that archtypal predicatability).

If I felt a book was X rated, or, explicit, I'd say that in straightforward language.

I'd consider "gritty" to mean realistic, and not oversimplified - stick a sword in a character and walk away whistling, that is not "gritty."

I don't like the term in its current, broad use - some fantasy (not my taste) is just plain relentlessly dark and ugly. Dark for dark's sake, that glories in sharp cynicisim, or ennoblizes violence and despair - with no balance. This may, for some, feel "realisic."

To me, such books just wallow/even revel, in the utter lack of hope. I like my dose of ugly placed and illuminated in contrasts.

The "real" world has both. I like the fact that today's fantasy is bold enough to explore, for all tastes. And take the more enlightened view, that there are many angles to pursue.

Sarah wrote: "Janny wrote: "Sarah wrote: "Hi everyone!

I'm Sarah Rose. From Israel (I think the only one here). I discovered Goodreads through SFF Chronicles (where I was a member for quite a long time), and I'..."

I'd say, the second book in the Carol Berg duology REALLY delivers, on all points. Absolutely everything opens out and there are some strange and wonderful developments you could not anticipate - and sides to the hero, not apparent. The very best authors often deliver slowly - then the punch has more flash and brilliance. I'd urge you not to give this up - though -

our tastes could be different - I found the Rai-Kirah trilogy WAS excellent. I didn't like the four book series that followed (Avonar, and not related) as well, mostly because she repeated certain plot points. It was looser knit, but still a better than average read.

Considering To Ride Hell's Chasm: that's fun, it falls on the more complex/adult read side - classic themes, but delivered with a twist - if you want to give the title a whirl, I've got excerpts posted - you can wet your feet at leisure, see if you like before the plunge. (chapter one, in text, can be read on screen, Chapters 1-3 can be downloaded in MP3 format, in audio) Look under excerpts on my site http://www.paravia.com/JannyWurts