500 plus paged books

[dickloraine]

Originally Posted by Luffy

PS - I've heard the Wheel of Time series dips in quality once the new author steps in.

To be fair, the quality dips far more in many books by jordan himself. He just lost focus somewhere along the way. But it is a good series, if you can endure his take on gender. There are bad and not that interesting books in the series, but I enjoyed it enough to read through it.

[crich70]

Originally Posted by Luffy

I have heard, one time, the arguments you have given me that are meant to cut classics' author some slack. Neither they need me, being dead, nor do I need them or their books. I may be missing something, but with each passing year that seems unlikely for me. I am a contemporaneous reader. E.g I've read 14 books that were published in 2014. Many of them got 4 stars from me.

I wasn't trying to justify the length of classic authors books, just point out that they are more likely to have 500+ page books than many contemporary authors do, and why that is.

[Luffy]

Originally Posted by dickloraine

To be fair, the quality dips far more in many books by jordan himself. He just lost focus somewhere along the way. But it is a good series, if you can endure his take on gender. There are bad and not that interesting books in the series, but I enjoyed it enough to read through it.

There are a lot of book I need to read, because during the past 2 years I've read nothing but cozy mysteries. If I begin the WoT books, it will be next year.

Originally Posted by crich70

I wasn't trying to justify the length of classic authors books, just point out that they are more likely to have 500+ page books than many contemporary authors do, and why that is.

I'm sure that before there was more likelihood of books being doorstops, but in terms of sheer numbers...I don't know. I think the thread is winding down. If that's the case, then thanks for being one of its regular patrons.

[Dazrin]

Originally Posted by Luffy

PS - I've heard the Wheel of Time series dips in quality once the new author steps in.

Strike that, reverse it.

Most people who have read the last three books (with Brandon Sanderson) think that they are MUCH better than the 3-5 preceding books. Robert Jordan got bogged down in the middle of the series and wasn't making much progress (starting at books 7-8 depending on who you ask). Brandon Sanderson came and used a lot of RJ's material and did an excellent wrap-up to the series. Not necessarily the ending some people wanted though, but it was the ending RJ had intended.

Also, Brandon Sanderson has at least three series that are excellent in their own right. The Mistborn series (recommended above), the Stormlight Archive series (VERY good so far*), and the Reckoners YA series is looking to be very good as well.

* Sanderson has it sketched out at 10 books but only two are available now, and they are both over 1000 pages. I would have recommended this as a "long book" series, but it isn't complete yet. He wrote the first in 2010 and the second came out this year. Hopefully the next won't be as much of a gap; but the gap was because he wrote the three Wheel of Time books in the middle and he has been very prolific otherwise, so I believe that he can do it in a reasonable time frame.

[Luffy]

Originally Posted by Dazrin

Strike that, reverse it.

Most people who have read the last three books (with Brandon Sanderson) think that they are MUCH better than the 3-5 preceding books. Robert Jordan got bogged down in the middle of the series and wasn't making much progress (starting at books 7-8 depending on who you ask). Brandon Sanderson came and used a lot of RJ's material and did an excellent wrap-up to the series. Not necessarily the ending some people wanted though, but it was the ending RJ had intended.

Also, Brandon Sanderson has at least three series that are excellent in their own right. The Mistborn series (recommended above), the Stormlight Archive series (VERY good so far*), and the Reckoners YA series is looking to be very good as well.

* Sanderson has it sketched out at 10 books but only two are available now, and they are both over 1000 pages. I would have recommended this as a "long book" series, but it isn't complete yet. He wrote the first in 2010 and the second came out this year. Hopefully the next won't be as much of a gap; but the gap was because he wrote the three Wheel of Time books in the middle and he has been very prolific otherwise, so I believe that he can do it in a reasonable time frame.

Brandon Sanderson looks to have arrived. The Way of Kings is the book of his that I'll read first. I get myself lost in all these unfinised sagas. I want the dust to settle a bit before dusting off my copy.

[kacir]

Have a look at following thread:
https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=205552

[Luffy]

Originally Posted by kacir

Have a look at following thread:
https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=205552

I've read the thread, and have already set my sights on the TM Nielsen books.

[BenG]

Or you could wait for Alan Moore's million word novel, Jerusalem. That's about the size of the entire Harry Potter series.

He's finished the first draft.
http://comicsbeat.com/alan-moore-has...vel-jerusalem/

[Luffy]

That's very extreme. I don't enjoy this author's graphic novels usually. So I wont be posting "shut up and take my money" memes anytime soon.

[Araucaria]

Originally Posted by crich70

Actually as I understand it Stephen King got his initial start on The Stand while trying to work up an idea based on Patty Hurst's kidnapping. That said I agree that Mr. King's books aren't to everyone's tastes. I haven't read any of his more recent books yet though I do remember reading the expanded edition of The Stand when I was in College. It took me a couple of days to finish it. How many I can't remember it's been so long ago. The Harry Potter books are fairly long. At least some of them are 500+ page books.

I thought that, thematically, there were quite a few parallels between Stephen King's The Stand and the Harry Potter books.

Could Rowling have read it before she started the HP series?

So I find it an interesting coincidence that you have mentioned both of them in the same post.

[ApK]

Originally Posted by Araucaria

I thought that, thematically, there were quite a few parallels between Stephen King's The Stand and the Harry Potter books.

Could Rowling have read it before she started the HP series?

So I find it an interesting coincidence that you have mentioned both of them in the same post.

Huh? The theme of 'Good versus Evil' hardly began with either of them. Both stories invoke archetypes.

[Araucaria]

Originally Posted by ApK

Huh? The theme of 'Good versus Evil' hardly began with either of them. Both stories invoke archetypes.

Well, add in the telepathic communication with the evil enemy, his mesmerising powers to force others to do his will, a miscellaneous and amateurish community of good characters with assorted powers facing a technologically superior enemy whose leader's major weakness is his failure to understand that there's a core of good in most people, a final battle at the cataclysmic ending involving the deaths of many of the good guys, animals with some degree of consciousness but of various (appropriate) types fighting for one side or the other, a very old (good) role-model whose support is regarded as essential but who dies well before the end of the story, dramatic events set in snow-covered scenery, the bad guy's ability to inhabit and perceive through the senses of his opponents....

ummm .....

that's about it I suppose. Just archetypes.

[ApK]

Originally Posted by Araucaria

Well, add in the telepathic communication with the evil enemy, his mesmerising powers to force others to do his will, a miscellaneous and amateurish community of good characters with assorted powers facing a technologically superior enemy whose leader's major weakness is his failure to understand that there's a core of good in most people, a final battle at the cataclysmic ending involving the deaths of many of the good guys, animals with some degree of consciousness but of various (appropriate) types fighting for one side or the other, a very old (good) role-model whose support is regarded as essential but who dies well before the end of the story, dramatic events set in snow-covered scenery, the bad guy's ability to inhabit and perceive through the senses of his opponents....

ummm .....

that's about it I suppose. Just archetypes.

You've described Star Wars. Maybe they both saw that.

[crich70]

Originally Posted by ApK

You've described Star Wars. Maybe they both saw that.

And George Lucas references Joseph Campbell's "The Hero with 1000 faces" when he talks about how he came up with Star Wars.

[Geralt]

Originally Posted by crich70

And George Lucas references Joseph Campbell's "The Hero with 1000 faces" when he talks about how he came up with Star Wars.

According to Brandon Sanderson Lucas borrowed heavily from Barsoom series by Edgar Rice Burroughs. Don't know how much of that is true. I haven't read Burroughs.