Ammanas

Perhaps this isn't the correct thread to ask this question, but I am going to throw caution to this wind and do it! I have noticed their seems to be a somewhat small, but vocal part of the WoT fans that seem to dislike (or at least feel disapointed by) the final three books of the series. Do you think that the main reason of this is for the following reason. 1) The value of prose over plot developmen. I feel like Brandons writing style is kind of plain and doesn't have the flourishes of other writers. Robert Jordan is also a little more subtle about certain scenes. 2) The decline and fall of Matt Cauthon. From what I understand a lot of people feel that despite Brandons best efforts he failed to really understand and portray this character. To be perfectly transparent I gave up on this series on Crossroads of the Twilight. I will not go into the reasons why for fear of further derailing this thread. I am just basing this upon what I know about both authors and what I've heard.

Hah I first have to work on not complaining; after that I will try for the more optimistic outlook. Baby steps...

I wonder how long this thread will be open before one of the Moderators have to shut it down hah hah! Sorry I would contribute to your thread, but one of my goals is to be more positive.

I thought there was a contract dispute, but I could be wrong about that (I can't remember where that information came from).

@Kidpen Some of the drivers are real grumps and couldn't care about anything, but for a lot of us simply saying good morning or "Thanks for the ride" really makes a difference.

I have fully embraced being a thestral (Harry Potter reference) as a part of my job being a bus driver. I try to greet and engage the students, but the only thing they have ever said is when one asked if I got a haircut; when I replied yes another student piped up, "I just assumed we got a new driver." Seriously I see them twice a day for weeks, but a haircut is a impenetrable disguise haha!

Sam should of remained in the pit with Michael and Lucifer. I really liked the series until that point and it would of been a great ending. I heard later on that they got a new director after that point and I can believe it...the show always felt a bit off after that point even though I still gave it another couple of seasons to really give it a shot. Apologies if it derailed the thread; I just wanted to get that off my chest.

Let us know your final thoughts when you finish. Look for the cyclical ending too; I recommend reading the prologue to Gardens right afterwards. The first and last sentence about Mock's weather vane (with the vane being a metaphor for the current state of the empire). Also a young boy coming up to a grizzled veteran and saying "I want to be a Soldier"

@tmnsquirtle @RhapsodyAs a member I can give you some more details that may satisfy your curiosity, but not go into details that would make anyone uncomfortable. What some members may not realize is that we can talk about it, but not certain specific details. Basically one of the rituals performed at the Temple is receiving your own "Endowment". Many ancient religions and cults had these rituals and origins stories. This is similar. We learn about the creation of world and our purpose of life. We also learn about signs and tokens that will allow us to pass by heavenly sentinels (some mormons take this literally. I personally believed Joseph Smith was influenced by masonry...he was a mason and saw the benefits of ritual and repetition in coming closer to god. Ask devout catholics about their services and rosary beads and how they experience touching the divine through repetition). As we learn these signs and tokens we promise things to God in return; to basically remain of strong moral character. In the end we enter into a room that symbolizes heaven or our ultimate goal in life. Several prominent church leaders have talked openly about these things so I follow their examples. We are not supposed to talk about the specific signs and tokens. I feel like it would be appropriate to go into more detail about what it means "to remain of strong moral character" but will not in case others don't feel as I do.

Does every aspect of a novel has to have a purpose? Read Breakfast of Champions by Vonnegut; its just a bunch of random encounters and thoughts. Sometimes books are driven by more than plot. My two cents anyways...

I think Simon Vance really added to Lightbringer and Marsters to the Dresden Files as well. Speaking of Slogs what to Baker fans mean when they reference "The slog of slogs?" That phrase was starting to apply to the Malazan army in the desert...I was starting to think they would never get out of there in The Crippled God! Once they do get out however its starts to get really good for their storyline.

If I understand things correctly the editor Sean Speakman is the secretary for Terry Brooks and has a lot of connections with other fantasy authors, but has some very serious medical conditions. Terry Brooks suggested collecting stories from different authors and publishing them to help with the bills. A lot of authors, like Brandon have some story scraps laying around that they donate to Sean to help him out.

I also struggled a bit with Dust of Dreams. I personally found the "Ghost" and "Snake" storyline to be the least interesting of the series to me. I loved the giant skykeep battle at the end which really saved the book imo. The Crippled God begins with the typical Erikson "throat clearing" and then you get a great book. Erikson doesn't neatly tie up every plotline, but there is resolution and I feel like it was appropriate and surprising in a few ways.

So I will provide a link to the previous book, Reapers Gale, to show what I mean. Once they are sold out they do not print anymore...that's what makes them so expensive and exclusive. Every once in a while I will see people who offer their guaranteed number through their agreement with Subterranean Press because they can no longer afgord to collect them. If you do not have one of these its iffy that you will be able to get a copy; even if you can afford them. I think their are a few places to see just the pictures if you are willing to do some google searches. https://subterraneanpress.com/reapers-gale Edit: if you want to get the previous books its my understanding they show up on ebay on occasion I just did a quick ebay search and found they were selling the special efitions of book 4, 7, and 8. Here is the link to House of Chains: https://m.ebay.com/itm/Steven-Erikson-SIGNED-House-of-Chains-Malazan-4-Subterranean-Press-Limited-VF/302648220923?_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIM.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20180213162448%26meid%3D8b3e34d328624f929667d966d0f42fa7%26pid%3D100930%26rk%3D8%26rkt%3D8%26mehot%3Dlo%26sd%3D302412659082%26itm%3D302648220923&_trksid=p2056116.c100930.m5375

The pictures are from the Subterranean Press editions which have a limited print run, are all signed by the author, on premium paper etc. Each book, if you are able to get ahold of one or get on their list, costs about $350. They are high-end collector editions. It's kind of like what Brandon is doing with his special editions of Elantria and Mistborn, but even more expensive and exclusive.

One of the fantasy bloggers I follow, Wert, left some interesting comments about Malazan on another forum. Some interesting stuff about how a tv show fell through at the last minute, how Kharkanus and Dancers Lament are viewed by many in the fan base, and some great insight into Karsa: To be clear, the 10-book core series has sold very, very well (3.5 million copies now and rising), enough that at TV company did option the books. Unfortunately, it was Harvey Weinstein's company. Fortunately the last contract wasn't signed, so it got dropped when Weinstein started his "troubles" (as Erikson has said, they dodged a bullet on that one). The problem was much more specific to the Kharkanas books. Forge of Darkness sold mediocrely, which surprised everyone as it came out only a year after The Crippled God, and Fall of Light sold even worse (perhaps less surprisingly, as it came after Forge of Darkness and after a four-year delay with relatively little fanfare accompanying its release). At the same time Esslemont's sales were continuing and gathering pace, and jumped up a notch between Assail and Dancer's Lament. Apparently, "read this short novel about how the Malazan Empire was formed and the Bridgeburners met and Tayschrenn showed up and you get to see Dancer kicking arse in his prime" was a better sell than "read this dour and introspective tome on the inevitability of cynicism in a race that lives forever" or something. Karsa Orlong is a character I think Erikson struggles with, in that he really didn't want to write Karsa as a kick-chull barbarian warrior (Conan turned to 11), but as a psychopathic lunatic no-one would want to cross paths with who gradually becomes aware that that is exactly what he is, struggles with it, and basically leans into it which does save the world but at a dubious cost (which is where the Witness trilogy will pick up). He is a complex and dangerous character. Obviously that didn't happen and a lot of fans wet themselves over Karsa whenever he showed up. He is not a nice guy, but gets mistaken for that because sometimes his goals coincide with those of our more relatable protagonists (that of course is Erikson's fault, having Karsa kill several of the most detestable characters in the series does make you kind of warm to him a little bit).

Sigh...I feel like Brandom is already way behind schedule with the the whole Reckoners sequel trilogy fiasco and doesn't need another tour to delay him. I also realize I sound like a whining baby right now and appreciate Brandons openess of his process and work ethic.

Arcanum Unbounded is full of, what I believe, to be mispronounciations (although others can speak with more knowledge than I can on the subject) . I noticed Kramer pronounced several things differently than Jack Garrett for the Elantris short story. Even the very best of narrators sometimes just guess with names they are unfamiliar with or things unique to a particular fantasy world. I noticed Simon Vance, while reading the complete Sherlock Holmes stories referred to the angel Moroni, but he pronounced it like Moroney (rhymes with money).

Kaladin (after helping Adolin in the Shard Duel in WoR) shouts, "Are you not entertained?!)

Not much of a gamer but I am replaying the original Starcraft and was reminded how much I enjoyed The Emperor Mengsk coronation speech. That would be my vote! Makes proud to be a Terran! If you want to participate in this thread please provide a link a little background. In this video the player was a participant in events the lead to a coup and a change of government. It's not much on graphics, but a lot of fun!

Cover art available for Kellanved's Reach! Also confirmation on cover blurb! http://thewertzone.blogspot.com/2018/08/cover-art-for-kellanveds-reach-next.html?m=1

Hah Fisher...I love it. It's a shame that practically everone on the water will not get it :). People have a tendency to exagerate size in their catches so maybe when you meet other people fishing you could ask them, "When a fisherman speaks of truth to another fisherman , what hope has truth? Let me ask this, then. Does one find memory in invention, or will you find invention in memory? Which bows in servitude before the other? Will the measure of greatness be weighed solely in the details? Perhaps so, if details comprise the full weft of the world; if themes are nothing more than the composite of lists perfectly ordered and unerringly rendered; and if I should kneel before invention, as if it was memory made perfect. Do I look like a man who would kneel?"

Anime can get really dark and scary so it would make a good medium for the story. I am by no means a anime expert, but I did watch the series called Claymore and that one was really gritty.

Lots more about Moon Spawn and Bridge burners in Orb, Sceptre, Throne; can't remember if you have read that one or not.

If anyone is a member of audible they are giving out a free audiobook of The Silver Linings Playbook. To be honest I never saw the movie (and it looks very different than the stuff I usually read) but it looks interesting and worth it to give it a try when it doesn't cost anything. I am in the U.S. and don't know if this offer is for all regions or not.