Authors Known For The Wrong Book

[NamelessThirteenth]

TBH Dresden Files and The Aeronaut's Windlass were pretty good, but its not like we can compare them. I mean, on one side there's a lone 600 page book and on the other is a series with, what, fifteen books and thousands of pages...

Scale breaks, right?

[Kobold King he/him]

On 9/6/2017 at 4:52 PM, Ookla the Toasted said:

So true. That one is bad.

 

Some scholars today think Romeo and Juliet was never actually meant to be taken as seriously as the literary critics of today take it. Some think it's actually a satire, with it having much flatter characters than Shakespeare was known for writing and exaggeratedly dire consequences for the two teenagers' hormonal life choices. Romances of that sort were quite common in Shakespeare's day and an exaggerated, satirical take on them would have been immediately recognized by the theatergoers of his day, while after the genre fizzled out the work would have remained to be taken seriously by later readers of the Folios.

[Mulk he/him]

13 minutes ago, Kobold King said:

Some scholars today think Romeo and Juliet was never actually meant to be taken as seriously as the literary critics of today take it. Some think it's actually a satire, with it having much flatter characters than Shakespeare was known for writing and exaggeratedly dire consequences for the two teenagers' hormonal life choices. Romances of that sort were quite common in Shakespeare's day and an exaggerated, satirical take on them would have been immediately recognized by the theatergoers of his day, while after the genre fizzled out the work would have remained to be taken seriously by later readers of the Folios.

I lost my taste for "literature" in high school because of stuff like this.  Especially when you start ripping apart works wherein the author specifically disclaims deeper meanings and things of that sort.  The one that really took the cake was Lord of the Flies (side note: I don't know the author's position on symbolism or deeper meaning in the work).  I had to write a paper on all of the color symbolism in the book. Basically I wrote five pages of utter (expletive) referencing just about every single appearance of some specific colors and got one of the better grades I got in those classes. At that point it was like "well obviously reality doesn't matter in this class."

There are days I wonder if Shakespeare was the world's first troll.  You know, just sitting around making stuff up and knowing audiences would eat it up in spite of how much utter crap he would throw in.  Does he have some wonderful scenes? Surely.  He's writely (sorry, couldn't resist, I'm a dad!) remembered for his work.  But some things like R&J just...ugh.

[elinox she/her]

1 hour ago, Ookla the Mulkfather said:

I lost my taste for "literature" in high school because of stuff like this.  Especially when you start ripping apart works wherein the author specifically disclaims deeper meanings and things of that sort.  The one that really took the cake was Lord of the Flies (side note: I don't know the author's position on symbolism or deeper meaning in the work).  I had to write a paper on all of the color symbolism in the book. Basically I wrote five pages of utter (expletive) referencing just about every single appearance of some specific colors and got one of the better grades I got in those classes. At that point it was like "well obviously reality doesn't matter in this class."

There are days I wonder if Shakespeare was the world's first troll.  You know, just sitting around making stuff up and knowing audiences would eat it up in spite of how much utter crap he would throw in.  Does he have some wonderful scenes? Surely.  He's writely (sorry, couldn't resist, I'm a dad!) remembered for his work.  But some things like R&J just...ugh.

I'm in the same boat, accept it was in college and we were asked to find the deeper, hidden meaning in the poem "Little Red Wheelbarrow" by William Carlos Williams. It's 8 freakin' lines about a wheelbarrow for cripes sake! Sometimes, the poem is just that, a POEM. No deeper meaning needed folks! *eyeroll*

My gripes with college English literature classes aside, I really dislike Romeo and Juliet. I don't think the writing is well done, the characters are unimaginative, and the whole "love story" is just stupid and unrealistic. I just don't understand why, when non-bookish people mention Shakespeare, it's always the first of his plays they reference. He's got many others that are so much better!

[MistbornAlpaca he/him]

I'm not sure if this's what you mean, but when I tell my fellow adolescents I read Brandon Sanderson, they inevitably reply, "Is that the guy that wrote Fablehaven?"

[Ammanas]

7 hours ago, NamelessThirteenth said:

TBH Dresden Files and The Aeronaut's Windlass were pretty good, but its not like we can compare them. I mean, on one side there's a lone 600 page book and on the other is a series with, what, fifteen books and thousands of pages...

Scale breaks, right?

Going along with that same idea I think that the Dresden Files really found its direction in book four. By that same logic than the Aeronaut's Windlass could actually end up being, in my opinion, better than the Dresden after another book or so. I'm excited to see the direction the series goes. 

[elinox she/her]

2 hours ago, Ammanas said:

Going along with that same idea I think that the Dresden Files really found its direction in book four. By that same logic than the Aeronaut's Windlass could actually end up being, in my opinion, better than the Dresden after another book or so. I'm excited to see the direction the series goes. 

I've heard from Jim Butcher himself that he actually really dislikes Storm Front (book #1) and wishes he could re-write it. *nod nod* I've also heard from him, and many fans, that the series really only gets going and becomes good after Summer Knight (book #4). For me personally, my favorite in the whole series so far has been Fool Moon (book #2) but then that's because I can never get enough werewolves. 

And I'm certainly going to read other books in his Steampunk series! I just didn't think The Aeronaut's Windlass was anything remarkable. 

Of course, this all depends on when, and if, he's going to write some more...it's been ages since there was a book update on his website!

[Ammanas]

3 minutes ago, Ookla the Elinox said:

Of course, this all depends on when, and if, he's going to write some more...it's been ages since there was a book update on his website!

Last I heard of the situation is that the reason for the delay was that he was going through a messy divorce, his pet dog died and having a house built (with several delays and mishaps). He like most authors is a sensitive soul and all these things really overwhelmed him. He is also one of those writers that can only write in a certain space and his life was transient for a period of time. Last I heard everything was settled in September so he has been back on a writting schedule  (supposedly). 

[thegatorgirl00 she/her]

On 12/6/2017 at 11:06 AM, Ammanas said:

I actually liked it. Not as much as Dresden, but far,far more than the Codex Alera (full disclosure I only could get through the first book).

I tried reading the Codex Alera and I only made it through the second one. I was really disappointed in the drastic tone shift. The first one was a straight fantasy, but the second with the Vord felt like much more of a horror, which is not a genre I like reading. I'm curious why you didn't like it. 

[Ammanas]

@thegatorgirl00 Well, it just felt like a really tame watered down fantasy. He combined a lost Roman Legion with Pokémon and yet, somehow, I felt like I have read this type of story many times. I just thought everything about wasn't necessary bad, but just mediocre. He didn't excel in any area and I had to push myself to finish the novel.

I also think his writing style works better with his detective novels. I enjoy the snark and cynicism (even if it is a bit much at times) that is his kind of tribute to Phillip Marlowe.

For Aeronaughts Windlass I really enjoyed the world building and the cat (the name escapes me at the moment).

[Dunkum he/him]

23 minutes ago, Ammanas said:

@thegatorgirl00 Well, it just felt like a really tame watered down fantasy. He combined a lost Roman Legion with Pokémon and yet, somehow, I felt like I have read this type of story many times. I just thought everything about wasn't necessary bad, but just mediocre. He didn't excel in any area and I had to push myself to finish the novel.

I also think his writing style works better with his detective novels. I enjoy the snark and cynicism (even if it is a bit much at times) that is his kind of tribute to Phillip Marlowe.

For Aeronaughts Windlass I really enjoyed the world building and the cat (the name escapes me at the moment).

this sound like about the reaction I had.  with the secondary complaint that the Vord make for boring enemies.

[Pestis the Spider she/her]

So there is this guy, called Eoin Colfer, known for his Artemis Fowl series (at least in Poland that's his most well known series). But one time he wrote this book called Airman. And Airman is the best YA book ever created. It feels like a fairy tale. 

[Archer he/him]

On 12/9/2017 at 2:05 AM, Pestis the Spider said:

So there is this guy, called Eoin Colfer

Unfortunately discussions about Colfer inevitably get derailed by a debate over how to say his name (It's pronounced *Owen*). But I'm with you on the Airman thing. 

What I never got was why Sanderson still puts 'chosen to finish Jordan's WoT series' on his bio. He's independently successful now, he ought to lean on his own accomplishments more. 

[NightFrost]

On 12/8/2017 at 11:05 PM, Pestis the Spider said:

So there is this guy, called Eoin Colfer, known for his Artemis Fowl series (at least in Poland that's his most well known series). But one time he wrote this book called Airman. And Airman is the best YA book ever created. It feels like a fairy tale. 

Did you know that he also finished the hitchhikers guide to the galaxy I read it not that bad.

 

On 12/7/2017 at 9:09 AM, MasterJack said:

I'm not sure if this's what you mean, but when I tell my fellow adolescents I read Brandon Sanderson, they inevitably reply, "Is that the guy that wrote Fablehaven?"

At least you have this problem no one i know has even heard of Fablehaven much less Sanderson

[NightFrost]

Also to respond to the original post Anne Mccaffrey is most known for her Dragonrider's of Pern but she wrote a lot of other sci-fi

[MistbornAlpaca he/him]

On 12/15/2017 at 7:00 PM, NightFrost said:

At least you have this problem no one i know has even heard of Fablehaven much less Sanderson

1

Really!?!?!? That's crazy!

[IndigoAjah he/him]

China Mieville, I think, is better known for the Bas-Lag books. But The City and The City is his (short) masterpiece

[IndigoAjah he/him]

Gaiman, arguably, best known for American Gods. The Sandman, though not a book, is just better in every respect (mind you, American Gods IS a brilliant novel nonetheless, The Sandman is just one of the pinnacles of fiction in any form.). Also his short story work is better than his novels.

[Farnsworth]

For Douglas Adams, Dork Gently is WAY better than Hitchhikers Guide. Also, within HG, the wrong things are emphasized. For example everybody talks about the missile that turns into a falling whale, nobody talks about the other missile that becomes a pot of flowers that says “not again!”

[Dunkum he/him]

10 minutes ago, Ookla the maladroit said:

For Douglas Adams, Dork Gently is WAY better than Hitchhikers Guide. Also, within HG, the wrong things are emphasized. For example everybody talks about the missile that turns into a falling whale, nobody talks about the other missile that becomes a pot of flowers that says “not again!”

The whale is more interesting.

speaking of Dirk gently, have you seen any of the BBC series with that name?  I'd say "based on it", but since the tv show bears pretty much no resemblance to the books, that wouldn't really be accurate.  I'm enjoying it, but it really is a completely different thing than the books.

[Farnsworth]

.

Just now, Dunkum said:

The whale is more interesting.

speaking of Dirk gently, have you seen any of the BBC series with that name?  I'd say "based on it", but since the tv show bears pretty much no resemblance to the books, that wouldn't really be accurate.  I'm enjoying it, but it really is a completely different thing than the books.

Yeah, the show is good, but you cannot beat an electric monk. It is kind of interesting though. 

How is a falling whale more interesting that a complaining pot of flowers?

[Dunkum he/him]

1 minute ago, Ookla the maladroit said:

.

Yeah, the show is good, but you cannot beat an electric monk. It is kind of interesting though. 

How is a falling whale more interesting that a complaining pot of flowers?

well, we get the whale's entire life story, which is fun.  also the flowers get a callback in a later book, and while satisfying, it just isn't all that interesting.  plus it removes any element of mystery to them.

[+Extesian he/him]

Dunno if its been said but Tolkien. The Silmarillion is his greatest work by far and if he lived to complete it himself it would've been even better. 

[Farnsworth]

3 minutes ago, Dunkum said:

well, we get the whale's entire life story, which is fun.  also the flowers get a callback in a later book, and while satisfying, it just isn't all that interesting.  plus it removes any element of mystery to them.

Don’t read beyond the Restraunt at the End of the Universe! There is so much badness I can’t even begin!

[Dunkum he/him]

8 hours ago, Ookla the maladroit said:

Don’t read beyond the Restraunt at the End of the Universe! There is so much badness I can’t even begin!

they have their moments, but the quality does drop dramatically.

Edited December 20, 2017 by Dunkum