Quote:
Originally Posted by bbusybookworm
While I've not yet read the Graveyard book (Too much on the read pile) I've found that I personally find his writing a mixed bag. I actually came to read him with Good Omens and his Sandman series, though did enjoy American Gods somewhat, though not the sequel as much.
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When I was a kid, I belonged to a mail order Science Fiction book club. The best title award went to a book called
Where Time Winds Blow by Robert Holdstock. Worse book I ever read -- and I was in the like "likes everything" stage of life! Absolute garbage, said I'd never read another book by that guy again.
Fast Forward to college.
Mythago Wood was so good, I wrote a paper on it (got an A!), gave it to several people, and was introduced to the
Hero With a Thousand Faces concept. Absolutely one of my top-10 fantasy novels!
It took two years for me to realize that Holdstock was the guy who wrote that horrible book from my youth. And how did I come to this realization? The sequel to
Mythago Wood, a book that tried to incorporate Joseph Campbell's
Masks of God concept and failed miserably at that... as well as story and character! A level of awful that I had only experienced once before in life... hey... wait. a. second... The same guy!
Writers can be hit and miss.
Incredibly hit and miss. I still am surprised when someone I like produces a bad book (or someone I dislike does the opposite), but that's the way of things.
-Pie