Strands of Darkness

[Mattias Westlund]

(02-23-2022, 05:03 PM)Terry93D Wrote: I would second this. Read widely! Read widely within your genre, and if you can, read widely outside of it.

I have probably said this before, but it warrants mentioning again: I'm not exactly new to either reading or writing books. I have read a metric crap-ton of fantasy through the years, somewhat less of other genres (horror is up there, though), but as I age I grow more discriminating. Is [Book X] really worth my time since I'm apparently getting so little out of it?

(02-23-2022, 05:03 PM)Terry93D Wrote: Ah, it breaks my heart to hear you say that! I love a lot - well, some, anyway, of modern fantasy. I have a copy of the illustrated Earthsea that came out a few years ago, because I've enjoyed other stuff by Le Guin, but it's that and Tolkien (one day) and that's probably about as far back as I'm going to go with my fantasy reading.

I'm halfway through Tad William's The Witchwood Crown right now and so far I love it. Not sure if that counts as strictly modern fantasy though, since it builds on a book series that is decades old, and moreover Williams has been one of my favorite writers since I discovered Memory, Sorrow and Thorn in the mid nineties so I'm heavily biased towards his writing. Last "modern" fantasy book I read that had an impact on me was probably Robin Hobb's Assassin's Apprentice, which I read for the first time only a couple of years ago, but the book is from 1995, so...

Anyway, I don't mean to whine. I know there are good books out there. I don't actively seek them out, I just pick up things I happen to come across at thrift shops and whatnot, so it's no wonder my perspective is all skewed. People will hang on to good books, only the meh and crap ones go to charity

[Mattias Westlund]

Going somewhat back on topic, here's an experimental Aeon thing I've been hacking away at for a while now (along with half a dozen other tangential stories). This preview is only 12 pages long and features just the intro of the story, though a large chunk of the rest has been written or at least outlined.

This might seem really weird for some people I guess. But if you're of a certain age, and of a certain inclination, you will know what this is

[Terry93D]

(02-25-2022, 12:23 AM)Mattias Westlund Wrote:

(02-23-2022, 05:03 PM)Terry93D Wrote: I would second this. Read widely! Read widely within your genre, and if you can, read widely outside of it.

I have probably said this before, but it warrants mentioning again: I'm not exactly new to either reading or writing books. I have read a metric crap-ton of fantasy through the years, somewhat less of other genres (horror is up there, though), but as I age I grow more discriminating. Is [Book X] really worth my time since I'm apparently getting so little out of it?

Apologies Mattias, I certainly did not mean to imply that you didn't and it didn't occur to me when writing that that that's how that would sound.

I second what you say absolutely on reading books that you're not getting anything out of. 

(02-25-2022, 12:23 AM)Mattias Westlund Wrote:

Quote:Terry93D

---

Ah, it breaks my heart to hear you say that! I love a lot - well, some, anyway, of modern fantasy. I have a copy of the illustrated Earthsea that came out a few years ago, because I've enjoyed other stuff by Le Guin, but it's that and Tolkien (one day) and that's probably about as far back as I'm going to go with my fantasy reading.

I'm halfway through Tad William's The Witchwood Crown right now and so far I love it. Not sure if that counts as strictly modern fantasy though, since it builds on a book series that is decades old, and moreover Williams has been one of my favorite writers since I discovered Memory, Sorrow and Thorn in the mid nineties so I'm heavily biased towards his writing. Last "modern" fantasy book I read that had an impact on me was probably Robin Hobb's Assassin's Apprentice, which I read for the first time only a couple of years ago, but the book is from 1995, so...

Anyway, I don't mean to whine. I know there are good books out there. I don't actively seek them out, I just pick up things I happen to come across at thrift shops and whatnot, so it's no wonder my perspective is all skewed. People will hang on to good books, only the meh and crap ones go to charity 

One of my favorite writers has occasionally been compared to Robin Hobb, so I might eventually read her books. 

I think another thing is that different readers want different things out of the books they read, of course. Much, maybe even most, of classic fantasy wouldn't scratch my particular itches - which is not the fault of those books anymore than it's the fault of the books I like for not scratching another's itches. I know I've read books that are good but for which I'm completely the wrong reader. And I've read books seemingly written to scratch my itches. I'd bet money that both are experiences that most readers have had.

[Mattias Westlund]

(02-25-2022, 10:43 PM)Terry93D Wrote: Apologies Mattias, I certainly did not mean to imply that you didn't and it didn't occur to me when writing that that that's how that would sound.

No worries at all, I just wanted to make clear that when I complain about reading and writing it's not coming from a place of being unacquainted* with either. Sometimes I think I'm just being too picky, and sometimes I just like to complain.

(02-25-2022, 10:43 PM)Terry93D Wrote: One of my favorite writers has occasionally been compared to Robin Hobb, so I might eventually read her books.

You totally should. I've been hovering my finger over the BUY button on the Farseer Trilogy bundle on Kobo.com for weeks now. I've only read the first book so far.

(02-25-2022, 10:43 PM)Terry93D Wrote: I think another thing is that different readers want different things out of the books they read, of course. Much, maybe even most, of classic fantasy wouldn't scratch my particular itches - which is not the fault of those books anymore than it's the fault of the books I like for not scratching another's itches. I know I've read books that are good but for which I'm completely the wrong reader. And I've read books seemingly written to scratch my itches. I'd bet money that both are experiences that most readers have had.

I definitely know what you mean. I've read good books that shouldn't technically appeal to me (Dennis Lehane comes to mind) but still do because they're written in a way that gets me engaged in the story. At the same time, I've read SOOO many books in my preferred genres of fantasy, sci-fi and horror where it feels like I should love them but yet I don't.

Honestly, if someone put a gun to my head and said "Name your three favorite writers in three seconds or you die!", I would say Stephen King, Clive Barker and William Gibson. Not one of them a fantasy writer per se. So I guess I like the idea of fantasy fiction but I am very picky about how said fantasy fiction should be told.

* Unacquainted is probably one of the weirdest and clunkiest words in English when it comes to spelling. I typed it four times, all of them looked wrong, so I had to look it up.

[Terry93D]

(02-25-2022, 11:21 PM)Mattias Westlund Wrote: At the same time, I've read SOOO many books in my preferred genres of fantasy, sci-fi and horror where it feels like I should love them but yet I don't.

Oh my god that is just the worst experience. It's one thing if I'm recommended something and try it out just because I'm curious, but reading a description of a work and thinking "ah, this is really geared to me!" and then reading it and coming away with "wow! that was boring!" is... urgh. I'm not a fan of that experience at all.

[Mattias Westlund]

(02-26-2022, 11:48 PM)Terry93D Wrote: Oh my god that is just the worst experience. It's one thing if I'm recommended something and try it out just because I'm curious, but reading a description of a work and thinking "ah, this is really geared to me!" and then reading it and coming away with "wow! that was boring!" is... urgh. I'm not a fan of that experience at all.

Yeah, exactly that. Even worse are the books where it feels like they are written solely to appeal to a certain demographic rather than having an identity of their own or even telling an engaging story. It's almost as if you can feel the boxes being ticked as you read it. Cliché 1: Check. Cliché 2. Check. Cliché 3... and so on. It's a bit disgusting, especially when you come across works like that in a genre that you normally like.

[Mattias Westlund]

I'm doing some housekeeping on the Aeon world resource again. The Miscellaneous page is getting a little unwieldy and I'm trying to figure out what can be moved over to a separate subpage. The main candidate right now is a number of entries dealing with food, drink, spices, drugs, plants and poisons. The question is... what would you call such a category? "Food and Drink" feels a little weird since there's a few outright lethal things in there. And there's not enough of each type to motivate having separate "Food and Drink" and "Drugs and Poisons" categories.

Suggestions?

[Mattias Westlund]

(02-25-2022, 02:08 AM)Mattias Westlund Wrote: Going somewhat back on topic, here's an experimental Aeon thing I've been hacking away at for a while now (along with half a dozen other tangential stories). This preview is only 12 pages long and features just the intro of the story, though a large chunk of the rest has been written or at least outlined.

This might seem really weird for some people I guess. But if you're of a certain age, and of a certain inclination, you will know what this is

Oh, yikes. Posted this on a Fighting Fantasy gamebook forum on FB. I removed the post again after 24 hours because the responses were largely very negative and I don't feel like wasting people's time with commenting on things they're inevitably going to dislike.

On the upside, someone mentioned LitRPGs which is a gamebook/CYOA subgenre I was completely unfamiliar with. And yes, Shadewreath Tower does lean more toward that, if we absolutely need to label things.

[Nayrb]

(03-01-2022, 11:43 PM)Mattias Westlund Wrote: I'm doing some housekeeping on the Aeon world resource again. The Miscellaneous page is getting a little unwieldy and I'm trying to figure out what can be moved over to a separate subpage. The main candidate right now is a number of entries dealing with food, drink, spices, drugs, plants and poisons. The question is... what would you call such a category? "Food and Drink" feels a little weird since there's a few outright lethal things in there. And there's not enough of each type to motivate having separate "Food and Drink" and "Drugs and Poisons" categories.

Suggestions?

Consumables?

[Mattias Westlund]

(03-02-2022, 03:24 PM)Nayrb Wrote: Consumables?

I thought about that, but it feels a little weird having things like poisonous mushrooms and plants in that category. Technically they are consumable, of course...