Quote:
Originally Posted by mjh215
Thank you, I had read the first denouncement of TT and was going to reply, but you described it better for me. I always said, Tolkien described the scenery so beautiful in that book, I swear he even bothered to detail an individual blade of grass at some point. Though I must admit, years later I reread the trilogy and didn't find it as long winded as I once did.
In response to another couple users comments on a long winded tale. I have to admit, Atlas Shrugged is a mediocre work of fiction, but perhaps the best ever work of personality studies ever done. Anthem and The Fountainhead were much better 'read's of fiction.
Someone mentioned American Gods, I haven't gotten around to it yet. I happen to love a few of Gaiman's works but couldn't get past Good Omens with Pratchett. I love dry and dark humour, but after a hundred or so pages into it I hadn't once caught a smirk from the text. I think the prose was parched.
From my young adult years, I have to mention Alan Dean Foster. So many people at that stage would include him on their list of must reads that I forced myself to try novel after novel. I read about 5 or 6 before settling on my opinion. I absolutely detest the books I read by him. A summary of everyone of them is this. Group of charactors have to get to a place, they are going, they are going, they are there, fin.
The Harry Potter series I felt was a great series, written for the pre-teen/teen market, and the story can easily be appreciated by adults. I wonder perhaps if several people in here became biased against it because of the hype. (Happens to the best of us)
And the Old Ones' frown upon your Lovecraft comments.
Hey Don, you're a poopy head. Analyze that. 
-MJ |
Ok, I'll try: It means rolling around on the floor laughing so hard my bowels hurt, and then poopy has to come out somewhere!!
About
Good Omens, I actually read this when it first came out. Unfortunately, I can't recall anything about it, except that the humor was somewaht dry for me, as well. I think - and I could be wrong on this - it was the first novel by Gaiman.
I also find agreement with you on
Atlas Shrugged. For me, it was one of those must-reads - along with Herman Hesse's work and Carlos Castaneda - that I devoured while in my mid-twenties. At the time, I was more fascinated by the ideas rather than the writing.
In the mid-to-late 60s I discovered Tolkien. For me, Tolkien was a natural progression from Burroughs [Edgar!], then onward to L***c***, and progressively toward what I term more "sophisticated" horror.
I've never read Foster. I know the name quite well; I've just never been compelled to read anything by him.
Don