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Old 07-12-2015, 07:44 AM   #17
pwalker8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by HarryT View Post
There is, however, a significant difference between "using certain plot conventions", and using the same story, point for point, which is what Brooks did. I read "The Sword of Shannara" soon after it first came out in 1977, and even I, as a teenager, instantly recognised that it was a rip-off of LOTR. It really is that blatant, to my mind.
One can take any two stories in the same sub-genre and find a whole bunch of similar plot situations, especially if one is looking for them. For example, trying to compare the Mist Wright with the Barrow-wight is a huge stretch. Many of the other comparisons listed in the wiki article are at best superficial. Balinor isn't remotely like Boromir. I could go on. Yes, it obviously inspired by LOTR, but that doesn't make it a rip-off. I still spot plot devices and locations that were obviously lifted from LOTR in all sorts of books. It's what authors do. That's one of the reasons you can't copyright plot devices.
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