The size of current-day companies

[Sirtel]

Thank you for the suggestions.

I've actually sampled most of the authors you mentioned, at one time or other, but I've not read them extensively. I wasn't too impressed with "The Sword of Shannara", but I'll try "The Elfstones", since you say it's much better. Salvatore, unfortunately, wasn't quite my cup of tea either (I read the Homeland trilogy, but was not interested enough to try more books from him). And I couldn't finish "Lord Foul's Bane", because of the unpleasant protagonist. I know, of course, that he's depicted that way intentionally and I plan to return to the books one day. I also plan to read the rest of Hambly's trilogy some day, since the first book, while not jawdropping, was quite ok. Ditto for Eddings.

So many plans and so little time... But I'll certainly put "The Elfstones" on my soon-to-be-read list. Thanks.

[pwalker8]

Originally Posted by Sirtel

Thank you for the suggestions.

I've actually sampled most of the authors you mentioned, at one time or other, but I've not read them extensively. I wasn't too impressed with "The Sword of Shannara", but I'll try "The Elfstones", since you say it's much better. Salvatore, unfortunately, wasn't quite my cup of tea either (I read the Homeland trilogy, but was not interested enough to try more books from him). And I couldn't finish "Lord Foul's Bane", because of the unpleasant protagonist. I know, of course, that he's depicted that way intentionally and I plan to return to the books one day. I also plan to read the rest of Hambly's trilogy some day, since the first book, while not jawdropping, was quite ok. Ditto for Eddings.

So many plans and so little time... But I'll certainly put "The Elfstones" on my soon-to-be-read list. Thanks.

Some of my favorites from the time period

Michael Moorcock - The Eternal Champion series. (I personally like the Corum books, the Count Brass books and the Elric books).

Brian Daley - His Coramonde duaology and A Tapestry of Magics are among my favorites.

Barbara Hambly - you already have

Katherine Kurtz - the Deryni series opened up a new style of fantasy. Really quite good.

Roger Zelazny - Lord of Lights was his masterwork, but the Amber series may have been his most popular. Creatures of Light and Dark, and the Dilvish the Damned stories were my favorite. His Changeling books were also good.

Raymond Feist - The first three books of the Riftwar saga (first published in 1982 - Magician, Silverthorn and A Darkness at Sethanon) was excellent.

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by pwalker8

Some of my favorites from the time period

Michael Moorcock - The Eternal Champion series. (I personally like the Corum books, the Count Brass books and the Elric books).

Brian Daley - His Coramonde duaology and A Tapestry of Magics are among my favorites.

Barbara Hambly - you already have

Katherine Kurtz - the Deryni series opened up a new style of fantasy. Really quite good.

Roger Zelazny - Lord of Lights was his masterwork, but the Amber series may have been his most popular. Creatures of Light and Dark, and the Dilvish the Damned stories were my favorite. His Changeling books were also good.

Raymond Feist - The first three books of the Riftwar saga (first published in 1982 - Magician, Silverthorn and A Darkness at Sethanon) was excellent.

Thank you, I'd never even heard about Brian Daley. His books sound interesting and are available as e-books, yay!

The Riftwar Saga has over 20 books, are the rest of them not good? Or just not quite as good as the first three?

[Apache]

Originally Posted by pwalker8

Brian Daley - His Coramonde duaology and A Tapestry of Magics are among my favorites.

Roger Zelazny - Lord of Lights was his masterwork, but the Amber series may have been his most popular. Creatures of Light and Dark, and the Dilvish the Damned stories were my favorite. His Changeling books were also good.

Originally Posted by Sirtel

Thank you, I'd never even heard about Brian Daley. His books sound interesting and are available as e-books, yay!

Yes those three by Brian Daley are well worth reading.

Lord of Light has always been my favorite Zelazny book.
Apache

[Katsunami]

Originally Posted by Sirtel

Thank you for the suggestions.

You're welcome

I've actually sampled most of the authors you mentioned, at one time or other, but I've not read them extensively. I wasn't too impressed with "The Sword of Shannara", but I'll try "The Elfstones", since you say it's much better.

Yes, it's still obviously a Shannara book, but it doesn't try to be "Tolkienesque" anymore, like "Sword."

(A grumpy magic user, a tracker/ranger-like person who gets split off of the party, a talisman that has to be carried to the East... eh... North, mosters scattered throughout the world, flying henchmen, a crazy once-halfling... eh... gnome who is after said talisman, and a bad guy in a big, impenetrable fortress. It feels I've seen that before OK, good story, but still somewhat similar )

"Elfstones" has its own, unique story. It's a bit of a pity that there are two very annoying (to me) characters in the book.

Salvatore, unfortunately, wasn't quite my cup of tea either (I read the Homeland trilogy, but was not interested enough to try more books from him).

He mainly writes in the (A)D&D / Forgotten Realms universe, so his stories read like role playing games with long action scenes, described in detail. You have to like that, of course

And I couldn't finish "Lord Foul's Bane", because of the unpleasant protagonist. I know, of course, that he's depicted that way intentionally and I plan to return to the books one day.

Really? It's not a goody-two-shoes-he's-the-perfect-guy protagonist? Might he actually be somewhat evil or something? I must read it

[Katsunami]

Originally Posted by pwalker8

Raymond Feist - The first three books of the Riftwar saga (first published in 1982 - Magician, Silverthorn and A Darkness at Sethanon) was excellent.

Oh yeah, forgot that one. I have all of his books, but never read beyond the third. I must pick up that series one day, as it's now (finally) finished.

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by Katsunami

Really? It's not a goody-two-shoes-he's-the-perfect-guy protagonist? Might he actually be somewhat evil or something? I must read it

No, he's not evil. He's just unpleasant. I'm all for charming-villains/antiheroes-as-protagonists (I like Jaime Lannister and the Hound in ASOIAF and the TV series, for example) , but I just couldn't stomach Thomas Covenant. He was too annoying. No charm whatsoever.

Of course, I read "Lord Foul's Bane" about 20 years ago, so my memories of him are not too fresh.

[Apache]

Originally Posted by Sirtel

No, he's not evil. He's just unpleasant. I'm all for charming-villains/antiheroes-as-protagonists (I like Jaime Lannister and the Hound in ASOIAF and the TV series, for example) , but I just couldn't stomach Thomas Covenant. He was too annoying. No charm whatsoever.

Of course, I read "Lord Foul's Bane" about 20 years ago, so my memories of him are not too fresh.

This.
Apache

[Fiat_Lux]

Originally Posted by Katsunami

How big it would be by comparing it to current-day companies, I don't know. It *was* huge, that's true enough.

VOC did not keep track of its sailing vessels. I'm torn between that being an indication of how big it was, or how incompetent management was.

In terms of tonnage shipped per year, one CapeSize container ship carries more in one trip, than their entire fleet could carry in a two year period. However, VOC had the monopoly for most Asian ports.

Although the Dutch also did some things during that time that were... uh... somewhat less ethical.

All of the trading companies followed the same basic practices. Sonme of them were better at hiding the results of their policies than others.

but him or her not being at company B is sometimes such a huge advantage to Company A that they steal/entice him/her away anyway.

The ideal reason to be hired, is becuase the organization hiring you does not want you to work for their competitor. I've known a couple of people in that enviable position.

Amber

[Sweetpea]

I'd add Julian May to the list as well. Especially the Many Coloured Land and related series. I lost count how often I borrowed those books from the library ...

While it may not be a real fantasy book (there are no elves, trolls, ogres in the traditional sense in them, but rather in more hidden way), they are still awesome.

[Katsunami]

One of the must-read fantasy books from the 70's is The Neverending Story, by Michael Ende, published in 1979. I have an e-book version, bought at Kobo, with perfect make-up as in the original edition, but it has since been taken down. Can't find it anywhere anymore.

[Sirtel]

As for "somewhat evil" protagonists, two excellent examples spring to mind immediately. "Prince of Thorns" (and the rest of the trilogy) by Mark Lawrence and "Black Sun Rising" (and the rest of the trilogy) by C. S. Friedman.

There are others, of course. I have a feeling this really needs its own thread...

[Katsunami]

It's gone a bit off-topic, indeed, but if that's the way it is... I for one don't know every old fantasy series. I've seen a few that I didn't know of already

[Sirtel]

One of my own favorites from the 80's and 90's is Tad Williams. The Memory, Sorrow and Thorn trilogy (fantasy) and the Otherland series (SF, most of the action takes place in a virtual-reality fantasyland). Be warned that his books are really hefty 1000-pages doorstoppers and the first trilogy has pretty glacial pacing.

[Katsunami]

If you like Tolkien, glacial pacing shouldn't be a problem