Chris's comments (member since Jan 28, 2009)

Chris's comments from the Fantasy Book Club group.

True enough, Collin. I meant to start discussion about the "named men" we get to meet, though anyone should feel free to talk about the north folk in general as well.

This question is intended for those that have finished The Blade Itself, but have not yet read the second and third books in the series.

What would you like to see in books 2&3? Which characters would you like to see more/less of?

So what did y'all think of the Named Men? This group of Northern "barbarians" was what was left of Logen's companions after he got separated from them.

The Dogman
Threetrees
Black Dow
Tul Duru (Thunderhead)
Grim
Forley the Weakest

I very much enjoyed the chapters that focused on them. The banter and arguing between them was quite amusing. In a fight, they simply kicked ass.

I thought it was funny how they never could seem to get a signal straight between them before charging into battle. Even when they would consciously agree to wait for the signal, they'd then realize they didn't know what the signal actually was.

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 story of that first book is pretty well self contained.

I would say the same thing about the second and third books too. After that, the story has become too big to contain in single books.

I disagree about the "going downhill" part to the series. There are some spots where that might be the case, but there are still great moments even between those.

One other note, Martin. The Wheel of Time reminds me a bit of "Ka like a wheel". I just finished the latest WoT book last night and something really stuck me the same way the DT series did. I can't get more specific without creating spoilers for both series.

But I'll wager that since you like the DT series and you like fantasy world settings, you should like Robert Jordan.

Garrett, there are a couple of chapters that really go into why Rand is the way he is, besides the obvious. It was really nice to see that.

I'll agree with you on both counts, blackrose. HP is definitely fantasy, and Color of Magic is not the best of the best of Discworld....

Martin, I'd say go for it. The size of the series had me daunted for years, but I finally jumped in last year and read them all. Though it might drag a little in spots in later books, it didn't feel like work to me. Jordan's style and language flow very comfortably and his characters are very memorable.

Based on your reading likes, I think you'll enjoy it. At least give The Eye of the World a chance to see how you do with Jordan's storytelling. If you like that, you'll probably enjoy the series.

I like Perrin, I just don't feel as emotionally attached to his storyline. Probably because it comes in small doses, with hundreds of pages between doses. I enjoy the Mat chapters best, and I like exploring the political twists and darkfriend reveals that Egwene experiences.

Charles, I would agree with you. I would predict that the vast majority of them that won't read the Sanderson books are those that gave up before completing the 11 published Jordan novels. I think that most of us that persevered through those will want to finish it.

There are two main observations I've made on this subject.

1. The loudest of the naysayers are those that gave up somewhere between books 5 and 9. I rarely see someone that has made it through all 11 and complains.

2. Those that have read or are reading TGS are enjoying it to different degrees, but for the most part seem satisfied with the way Sanderson is handling it. I believe that will be the trend as long as he continues bringing the bulk of the story towards an eventual finish, within the 3 projected novels. If he for some reason goes beyond 3 to do it, people will get restless. I think too if they start to dig up Jordan material beyond the completion of WoT, you will see the support for Tor and Sanderson crumble. Keeping it to the expected three books should be good though.

That's too cool.....I don't so much like Rahvin and Sammael though....the others fit..heh..

Honestly, though I do enjoy these fun villains, my favorite characters in the series are Mat and Egwene. Thom and Gareth Bryne are cool too. And Aviendha.

Interesting......and what if you like Semirhage, Lanfear, Graendal, Aran'gar, and Moridin?

Wow...a bunch more already...

Welcome John, Josh, Amelia, Sierra, and Donna.

We should be having some great discussions coming up as fast as this group is growing.....

Series?! oh man.....

crap....and a fourth that just can't be left out.

Roland Deschain, the Gunslinger from Stephen King's Dark Tower series.

Raistlin and Kvothe are certainly worth consideration.

Right now, I'd have to say my top three would be as follows:

Matrim Cauthon, in Robert Jordan's WoT series.
Anomander Rake, in Steven Erikson's Malazan series.
and finally,

Sandor Clegane, the Hound, in GRRM's Ice and Fire series.

I plan on reading it. I have a copy already from my BOMC2 membership. Huge fan of Mistborn, and what he's done with WoT so far.

Heather - not denying anything about the long epics. Not even about WoT, to be honest. Some of the criticism is very valid.

However, I just know how it makes me feel right now to plow thru new and uncharted WoT material, and I'm enjoying the moment.

Being just past the halfway point of the new WoT book, The Gathering Storm, I am definitely inclined to ignore all the naysayers and simply get lost in the story. This is the real deal......

Okay, nominations are now closed. The poll is up, and will run until the 24th.

Go vote here:

http://www.goodreads.com/poll/show/25972...

Welcome to the group, Maria. I'm definitely looking forward to the discussion on The Hobbit. Just ask if you need any assistance or anything with that. It's a pretty friendly group though, most of the time...

Welcome Christy, Alex, Jim, Maura, Jakob and anyone else I've missed giving a greeting to..