Fantasy authors you (and I) should NEVER read - Page 2

BenG · 10-29-2009, 11:44 AM

Maybe I should remove the pictures.
(I moved them to photobucket. He has several more at his blog.)

wayrad · 10-29-2009, 12:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dr. Drib

ACK!

So much by Lin Carter STINKS, and you will too if you read his entire oeuvre.

He was a Great Editor, but my God a lot of this man's writing really, really stinks.

Still, an author with the nerve to name a major character "Herpes Zoster" deserves some sort of prize IMHO. Note that I don't specify what sort of prize.

Penforhire · 10-29-2009, 12:25 PM

Some of you will give me crap for this but I propose avoiding Stephen R. Donaldson's "Thomas Covenant" series. It wasn't badly written but I guess I just need SOMEONE to empathize with. I think all it did was give me a headache (as did some of Tolkien's meanderings but THAT at least had a payoff).

wayrad · 10-29-2009, 12:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Penforhire

Some of you will give me crap for this but I propose avoiding Stephen R. Donaldson's "Thomas Covenant" series. It wasn't badly written but I guess I just need SOMEONE to empathize with. I think all it did was give me a headache (as did some of Tolkien's meanderings but THAT at least had a payoff).

I hear it's good for clench racing, though.

jes1 · 10-29-2009, 01:06 PM

Those covers are too funny.

Dr. Drib · 10-29-2009, 02:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BenG

I read about a quarter of the first book and gave up.
Richard's brothers' speech near the beginning invoking memories of his murdered father to manipulate the crowd ruined the book for me after I realized that the speech would best be read by Jim Carrey in "Ace Ventura" mode.

Hilarity and Creativity - the two things I most admire in people - and which seem to be so absent in everyone.

Don

Dr. Drib · 10-29-2009, 08:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Slite

Robert Jordan

Wheel of Time is a huge waste of time as far as I am concerned. It just drags on, and on, and on, and on, and... well, you get the picture.

I think it's one of the most overrated fantasy series of all time.

Yeah, I'll have to agree with you on this.

I was playing with words 6 months ago, making up titles for books and films, which shook up a certain segment of the "Brainiac Mentality." I called it the "Wheelbarrow of Time," about trundling manure back and forth.

Don

JSWolf · 10-29-2009, 09:00 PM

I have to disagree with the assessment on Mercedes Lackey, Stephen R. Donaldson, and Terry Brooks. They are quite good. I'm sorry you (you know who you are) cannot see this.

emellaich · 10-29-2009, 10:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Penforhire

Some of you will give me crap for this but I propose avoiding Stephen R. Donaldson's "Thomas Covenant" series. It wasn't badly written but I guess I just need SOMEONE to empathize with. I think all it did was give me a headache (as did some of Tolkien's meanderings but THAT at least had a payoff).

How dare you! I think I will --- completely agree with you.

I know, I'm a bit simple-minded, but I like my heroes to be heroic. Thomas Covenant failed at that in my book and I didn't enjoy it at all.

emellaich · 10-29-2009, 10:11 PM

Jack Chalker's Well of Souls ( I think that is what it was) series really turned me off.

I'll read most anything in science fiction and fantasy, and the first one was average, but enjoyable. Somewhere in there however, it just got too uncomfortable for me.

In one of the books, the main character had a female companion who had no legs and no arms and was completely dependent on our hero for everything. In another book there was a female character who was physically mature but mentally deficient. She was under complete control of the lead character.

Maybe, someone who finished the series will tell me who Chalker turned it around in the end. Possibly we'll find out that these female 'slaves' were hiding super mind powers and were in control the entire time -- or some other nonsense. The bottom line for me is that even if the conclusion was good, the trip to get their was too painful.

I'm not into this complete subservience thing whether its male/female or King/peon. For me it only works is the POV is the undertrodden and we get to see them breaking free.

BenG · 10-30-2009, 12:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JSWolf

I have to disagree with the assessment on Mercedes Lackey, Stephen R. Donaldson, and Terry Brooks. They are quite good. I'm sorry you (you know who you are) cannot see this.

Don't be sorry, there are plenty of other books for me to read.
Oh, and I did like the Covenant books when I read them 30 years ago. I also liked his mirror series. I forget what they were called.

Dr. Drib · 10-30-2009, 08:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JSWolf

I have to disagree with the assessment on Mercedes Lackey, Stephen R. Donaldson, and Terry Brooks. They are quite good. I'm sorry you (you know who you are) cannot see this.

You realize, I'm sure, that he could say the exact same manner of phrase to YOU: "I'm sorry you (you know who you are) cannot see this."

Regardless, I find it fascinating that we (everyone here on this thread) can share such diverse views about books and authors, and still get along. For me, that's what's fun.

Don

sony_fox · 10-30-2009, 08:11 AM

Robert Newcomb. Formulaic dreck from start to as far as I could be bothered to read.

Quote:

can share such diverse views about books and authors

And agree that some are just truly bad.

Idoine · 10-30-2009, 11:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dr. Drib

You realize, I'm sure, that he could say the exact same manner of phrase to YOU: "I'm sorry you (you know who you are) cannot see this."

Regardless, I find it fascinating that we (everyone here on this thread) can share such diverse views about books and authors, and still get along. For me, that's what's fun.

Don

Well, if the books that bias us toward one direction or the other are different ones, it's not so strange !

Then you have to consider the gender of the reader. I think there is fantasy that will be appreciated more by women than men, and the opposite is true too...

PS : As for Mercedes Lackey, the only one I read (I have some in my TBR list, and one started) is "Tiger Burning Bright", with Marion Zimmer Bradley and Andre Norton, and I really enjoyed it !

Lemurion · 10-30-2009, 12:18 PM

I don't like Donaldson - his books are very well written but completely unpleasant to read. Terry Brooks annoys me - I liked him well enough at 13 but not now. I thought Jordan lost control of the story around the third volume. (I remember reading a passage and it felt like nothing happened for a hundred pages - and then the same nothing happened for another hundred pages to the same characters later on.)

I do have a particular dislike for Weis and Hickman - I find their prose style excruciatingly painful to read.

10-29-2009, 11:44 AM	#16
BenG Home Guard Posts: 4,729 Karma: 86721650 Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Alpha Ralpha Boulevard Device: Kindle Oasis 3G, iPhone 6	Maybe I should remove the pictures. (I moved them to photobucket. He has several more at his blog.) Last edited by BenG; 10-29-2009 at 11:54 AM.

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10-29-2009, 12:25 PM	#18
Penforhire Wizard Posts: 2,230 Karma: 7145404 Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Southern California Device: Kindle Voyage & iPhone 7+	Some of you will give me crap for this but I propose avoiding Stephen R. Donaldson's "Thomas Covenant" series. It wasn't badly written but I guess I just need SOMEONE to empathize with. I think all it did was give me a headache (as did some of Tolkien's meanderings but THAT at least had a payoff).

10-29-2009, 01:06 PM	#20
jes1 Zealot Posts: 139 Karma: 698 Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Texas Device: Astak EZReader, Dell Axim x50v, iPod Touch, nook	Those covers are too funny.

10-29-2009, 09:00 PM	#23
JSWolf Resident Curmudgeon Posts: 73,897 Karma: 128597114 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3	I have to disagree with the assessment on Mercedes Lackey, Stephen R. Donaldson, and Terry Brooks. They are quite good. I'm sorry you (you know who you are) cannot see this.

10-29-2009, 10:11 PM	#25
emellaich Wizard Posts: 1,101 Karma: 4388403 Join Date: Oct 2007 Device: Palm>Ebookman>IPaq>Axim>Cybook>Kndl2>IPAD>Kndl3SO>Voyager>Oasis	Jack Chalker's Well of Souls ( I think that is what it was) series really turned me off. I'll read most anything in science fiction and fantasy, and the first one was average, but enjoyable. Somewhere in there however, it just got too uncomfortable for me. In one of the books, the main character had a female companion who had no legs and no arms and was completely dependent on our hero for everything. In another book there was a female character who was physically mature but mentally deficient. She was under complete control of the lead character. Maybe, someone who finished the series will tell me who Chalker turned it around in the end. Possibly we'll find out that these female 'slaves' were hiding super mind powers and were in control the entire time -- or some other nonsense. The bottom line for me is that even if the conclusion was good, the trip to get their was too painful. I'm not into this complete subservience thing whether its male/female or King/peon. For me it only works is the POV is the undertrodden and we get to see them breaking free.

10-30-2009, 12:18 PM	#30
Lemurion eReader Posts: 2,750 Karma: 4968470 Join Date: Aug 2007 Device: Note 5; PW3; Nook HD+; ChuWi Hi12; iPad	I don't like Donaldson - his books are very well written but completely unpleasant to read. Terry Brooks annoys me - I liked him well enough at 13 but not now. I thought Jordan lost control of the story around the third volume. (I remember reading a passage and it felt like nothing happened for a hundred pages - and then the same nothing happened for another hundred pages to the same characters later on.) I do have a particular dislike for Weis and Hickman - I find their prose style excruciatingly painful to read.