Books by C. Paolini

[Iolaus]

Anne's son Todd has started adding to the Pern stories. I'm reading his new one, Dragonsblood, at the moment.

What do you think of his writing, compared to Anne's? I was a huge fan of the original stuff, though I've been a bit slow to keep up with the later books. Is he carrying on in the same style? Is it still heavy on the fantasy side of the genre? or has he pulled even further to the sci-fi side of things?

[Iolaus]

I liked Eragon but hated Eldest, he lost me with that one I won't be finishing the series.

I'm picky about my fantasy, love The Black Company books by Glen Cook, Charles de Lint's work, Neil Gaiman's writing, LOTR is good ,but nothing beats the original Conan stories by Robert E. Howard. Or most of his writing. Soloman Kane, Kull, Cormac Mac Art, Bran Mac Morn,etc. The man could write.


Rob

Must...resist....hijacking.....

Well, as long as we've gone this far...

The Black Company series has got to be one of the most intense fantasy series I've read since the Thomas Covenant stories. It's nothing like the Garrett P.I. stuff he writes; that stuff's just fluff & pulp for the teens.

The Black Company stories totally immerse you in the dark world of the last of the mercenary "Free Companies of Khatovar", The Black Company, which is fighting on the side of "Darkness" but still lives by its own particular code of honor. They are anti-heroes, trying desperatly to survive as a Company and still make good on the mercenary contracts they live on, and totally unaware that they are major players in the fate of their world.

The characters feel real - not black and white, but many shades of gray; as one amazon review said: "Some of its members honestly seem like they want to do the right thing. Some simply try to survive. And others will pillage, rape, or murder on occasion. This reminded me of some of the better Vietnam War films I've seen. Such harsh circumstances can lead to diminished morals in some men, and I enjoyed that element of realism."

The twists in the story line really keep you engaged. People die, people that you've come to know. If you're the type of person that really enters a story, you'll feel anger and tears, as well as the occasional grim satisfaction of revenge. It is, at times, an emotional rollercoaster.

I cannot recommend this series enough!!!

[bubba]

What do you think of his writing, compared to Anne's? I was a huge fan of the original stuff, though I've been a bit slow to keep up with the later books.

Todd has managed to stay pretty close to his mothers vision. He's picking up where she left off in the maturation of the Pernese society bearing in mind Anne started with a society that was almost medieval and has advanced and matured slowly through the series. Tos is as good a storyteller as his mother. You'll notice style differences, as there will be between two different authors, but overall their styles dovetail nicely.

[Rob Wright]

Well, as long as we've gone this far...

The Black Company series has got to be one of the most intense fantasy series I've read since the Thomas Covenant stories. It's nothing like the Garrett P.I. stuff he writes; that stuff's just fluff & pulp for the teens.

The Black Company stories totally immerse you in the dark world of the last of the mercenary "Free Companies of Khatovar", The Black Company, which is fighting on the side of "Darkness" but still lives by its own particular code of honor. They are anti-heroes, trying desperatly to survive as a Company and still make good on the mercenary contracts they live on, and totally unaware that they are major players in the fate of their world.

The characters feel real - not black and white, but many shades of gray; as one amazon review said: "Some of its members honestly seem like they want to do the right thing. Some simply try to survive. And others will pillage, rape, or murder on occasion. This reminded me of some of the better Vietnam War films I've seen. Such harsh circumstances can lead to diminished morals in some men, and I enjoyed that element of realism."

The twists in the story line really keep you engaged. People die, people that you've come to know. If you're the type of person that really enters a story, you'll feel anger and tears, as well as the occasional grim satisfaction of revenge. It is, at times, an emotional rollercoaster.

I cannot recommend this series enough!!!

Don't forget the non-western mythology especially the later books which draw heavily on indian/hindu mythology with shades of te British Raj.


Rob

[Iolaus]

Don't forget the non-western mythology especially the later books which draw heavily on indian/hindu mythology with shades of te British Raj.


Rob

Yeah, lots of that, it really adds to the exotic, yet familiar, feel to the world they operate in.