Excellent and free, fantasy in the style of Robert Jordan

[kaas]

I don't know if you have heard of www.sennadar.com but the Author, Fel, has written an eight book long saga, able to compete with the best ones out there.

Follow Tarrin Kael through a journey filled with danger, magic, and an incredible developement of events. But beware, it is addictive

A must read if you liked robert jordan - especially since the first books precede him!

cheers,
kaas

[rhadin]

The only problem I see (besides the limited format offering, that is) is that you have to download each book chapter by chapter. I would be interested in trying this author but I would much prefer to be able to download a complete book at one time so I can easily convert it to the Sony format.

[IceHand]

It's possible to download the books in MS Word doc format: http://www.sennadar.com/downloads.htm

[HarryT]

Hmmm. If it's so great, why doesn't he have a publisher?

[kaas]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Hmmm. If it's so great, why doesn't he have a publisher?

honest to god, I don't know...
I have been following Fels stories since 2001. They kept me enthralled through the last year of Highschool and than through College. I the beginning I, and a few other people, had to beg him to open a paypal account- he would not accept any donation nor anything else.
Since he took up college again and couldn't afford the webspace, he finally started accepting donations, but by no means lives off them nor asks for them.

This series (and subjugation, an SF book) is definetely good enough to be published and you will not regret some time spent on checking it out.
I also would like to mention that he neither asked me to praise him, nor does he know that I post here, so no need to look for the hidden hook

Give it a try, you won't regret it.

cheers,
kaas

p.s.: I am quite picky in what I praise, but this deserves it (this work got me hooked on ebooks and was the cause that I got my first ereader- a casio pocket viewer

[HarryT]

I will check it out. Thanks for the recommendation!

[Redcard]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Hmmm. If it's so great, why doesn't he have a publisher?

Because getting published isn't a measure of greatness in writing

The Eragon kid got published because Mommy and Daddy were rich and could afford to do it. They spent and lost a ton of money flying him around the US to schools and libraries and basically forcing the book on anyone.

It was only AFTER this movement and this large investment that a division of Random House bought the rights.

In writing, nowadays, it's not about how good you are. It's about how many people you know and how well you wish to schmooze them.

[llasram]

Originally Posted by Redcard

Because getting published isn't a measure of greatness in writing

On the other hand, not getting published isn’t a measure of greatness in writing either . After checking out a chapter I’m afraid that I don’t share kaas’s enthusiasm for this author, but I certainly have seen worse stuff which made it into commercially-sold dead trees.

[kaas]

Originally Posted by llasram

After checking out a chapter I’m afraid that I don’t share kaas’s enthusiasm for this author, but I certainly have seen worse stuff which made it into commercially-sold dead trees.

Actually, I was sceptical for several chapters.
Please don't get me wrong, the first few chapters aren't bad, just nothing special. This soon changes

I am not trying to convert anybody, just pointing towards something I greatly enjoyed.
cheers,
kaas

[Lemurion]

My brother recommended this series to me a year or two ago, and while I can understand why people like it, I can also understand why it hasn't been published.

One big reason is that most publishers don't want an eight-volume series from an unpublished writer. They want a track record before entering into that sort of commitment. Robert Jordan had written and published a number of books before Wheel of Time.

Another is that many would be leery of accepting a series that has already been released in its entirety on the web.

Then there are some technical points about the writing. Modern usage is to replace other dialog tags with "said" whenever possible, and use action rather than an adverb to imply emotional content. He uses other tags much more often than said, and often with modifiers. The other aspect is POV or point-of-view. Most modern fiction is written in either third limited or first person, which means restricting the author to one point of view character in a scene. He doesn't do this but tells us the thoughts and feelings of multiple characters in a single scene.

All these factors put together are enough to make this series a hard sell to a publisher regardless of quality or how devoted the fanbase is.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by Lemurion

Then there are some technical points about the writing. Modern usage is to replace other dialog tags with "said" whenever possible, and use action rather than an adverb to imply emotional content.

Could you elaborate on that a little? It sounds interesting, but I don't understand what you mean!

[Lemurion]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Could you elaborate on that a little? It sounds interesting, but I don't understand what you mean!

I can't guarantee it will be good as it's spur of the moment, but here you go.

"I can't stand it anymore," John said, slamming the book down on the table.

vs.

"I can't stand it anymore," John exclaimed frustratedly.

In the former, I'm not telling you how John's feeling, I'm letting his action of slamming the book tell you he's angry and frustrated. In the latter I'm telling you how he said the words and what he felt.

[zelda_pinwheel]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Could you elaborate on that a little? It sounds interesting, but I don't understand what you mean!

yes i would be interested as well, maybe you could give some examples taken from the text ?

[EDIT heh, i was too slow... thanks, that was what i wanted.]

[JSWolf]

From what I have seen so far, the writing style is rather rough. It needs someone to help the author polish it up.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by Lemurion

I can't guarantee it will be good as it's spur of the moment, but here you go.

"I can't stand it anymore," John said, slamming the book down on the table.

vs.

"I can't stand it anymore," John exclaimed frustratedly.

In the former, I'm not telling you how John's feeling, I'm letting his action of slamming the book tell you he's angry and frustrated. In the latter I'm telling you how he said the words and what he felt.

I see. Thanks - you're right; your first example is a lot better than the second.