Terry Pratchett:
Pratchett is a master of satire. He takes a dig at all geeky topics: physics, economics, science fiction, role playing games, classic fantasy; and he does it all with a straight face and in the context of a fantasy series! The Discworld series is a must-read for anyone who is a fantasy fan or a geek or both, a rollicking adventure set on a world that is - what else - a flat plate mounted on the back of a giant tortoise (sex unknown) with the help of four elephants.
Robert Asprin:
If Pratchett is a master of satire, then Asprin is the King. Demons, devils, vampires, magicians, baby dragons, character assassins and multi-dimensional mafia - find them all in the adventures of the Great Skeeve (a title gained mostly through good PR) starting with Another Fine Myth.
Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman:
These authors have written novels as individual authors, but usually they write together. The first thing I noticed about their books is that the settings are very, very imaginative, almost to the point of being weird! But the depth of thought gone into the details of their fantasy worlds and people is excellent. The books are well balanced with equal doses of adventure, suspense, irony, twists, humour and tragedy. I definitely recommend them to fantasy fans, though I think a casual reader might find it hard to digest the world setting.
Robin Hobb:
I've read the Farseer trilogy, and I thought it started on a very promising note but lost direction after the first book. It is the story of a prince's illegitimate son. The prince renounces his claim to the throne to clear any confusion to the succession, as his own wife is barren. The boy is then trained as an assassin to serve the throne. He inherits the magical ability called the Skill that is strong in the royal bloodlines... and unknown to most people, he also inherits an ancient magic from the side of his unknown mother. It could have been a brilliant series, but I think Hobb's inexperience in writing reduced it to merely good.
Anne McAffrey:
I've only read one of McAffrey's books, and I enjoyed it, though it was a rather small book. I don't know why she is advertised as a children's author; I thought the book (first one in the Dragonriders of Pern series) is suitable for all ages. However, I don't think I'm qualified to pass any kind of judgement from just that one book.
David Eddings:
I don't know how this guy became so famous. I found his books extremely predictable and very average. I think I might have enjoyed them if I were twelve years old, but I would recommend all adult readers to stay away from this guy.
Planning to read: Dan Simmons, Christopher Paolini, David Gemmell, Mercedes Lackey, Piers Anthony
Not Reviewing: J.R.R. Tolkien, J.K. Rowling 'cos everyone knows about them.
Friday, December 30, 2005
Saturday, December 24, 2005
Fantasy Author Reviews: Third Set
Terry Goodkind:
Goodkind is the best of authors that I've discovered in the past few months. My blog is named for Goodkind's first novel in the Sword of Truth series. The interesting thing about Goodkind's novels is his treatment of Wizardry: it's not just about magic, but equally about people. The Wizard's Rules according to him (at least, the ones he's mentioned in the first three books) are:
Wizard's First Rule: People are stupid. Corollary: People will believe anything you tell them if you know how to tell it to them.
Wizard's Second Rule: Actions with the best of intentions may lead to the worst consequences. Corollary: Always think things through. And remember that not everyone will.
Wizard's Third Rule: Passion rules Reason. Corollary: A Wizard should always think calmly, for the rest of the world probably will not.
In Goodkind's world, there are two kinds of magic: Additive and Subtractive. The knowledge of Subtractive magic was lost almost entirely by the end of some kind of a Wizard World War, which led to the division of the world at an isthmus through spell-wrought towers that maintain a barrier of illusion, storms and perils that none but a wizard could pass once, perhaps twice; but it attunes itself to people inside the zone such that absolutely nobody can pass it a third time.
In the half that is called the New World, a great magical barrier was raised to further divide the people who, on seeing the destruction that magic could cause, chose to live in a world without magic, and the people who wanted to continue their lives just the way it was. The first book of the series starts when a power-hungry wizard takes control of practically all of the land on his side of the barrier, and plots to bring down the barrier to dominate the land beyond, as well as kill the one wizard who is powerful enough to stop him.
As you can see, Goodkind is very good at creating his fantasy world, and his skill at spinning his stories match his imagination. My favourite scene from the Sword of Truth series:
"If Master Rahl is not here, then another Wizard who serves him will command the armies. We await your orders." said the Captain of the Guard.
Zed looked at him in anger. "Do you know, Captain, that I have spent most of my considerably long life fighting Wizards who tried to rule over people?"
"That is good. Better a man who bears his mantle reluctantly than one who misuses his power eagerly."
Terry Brooks:
Brooks has written a considerably large number of novels, and I have actually read a lot of them myself, yet I can never bring myself to say he is one of my favourites. I can't quite put my finger on it, but there is something missing from his style of writing. Perhaps it is that he tells good stories, but there is nothing beyond that; nothing thought-provoking, nothing to think about. Perhaps he is too predictable. I don't know.
The earlier Brooks novels, namely the original Shannara series and the first couple of Kingdom of Landover novels are probably his best. After that everything seems a bit repetitive. Even when he tried something new in the Jerle Shannara series, it came out to me as a gross hybrid of sci-fi and fantasy with none of the synergy and harmony that people like Ursula le Guin bring out.
Yet, Brooks does have some good ideas like the Elfstones and (his) Sword of Truth. The Magic Kingdom of Landover series is initially quite delightful and very original. If all you are looking for is a nice bedtime story then I would recommend you read Brooks, but if want more than that you can expect timepass but not satisfaction.
Tad Williams:
I came across this author entirely by accident when I saw the first book of his series Memory, Sorrow and Thorn in my aunt's house. Even when I read the first 60-odd pages of the book, I found nothing special and couldn't quite understand what was happening. But then, all of a sudden, things started making sense and the pieces of a masterful tale started coming together.
Memory, Sorrow and Thorn are three magical swords forged in William's original fantasy realm. The races of his realm are extremely interesting: the Humans, with their different customs in different parts of the world; the Sitha, a dwindling race of magical folk reminiscent of Tolkien's elves; the Trolls, a short but fierce and honourable race of mountain dwellers; the Dwarrows, master craftsmen like Tolkien's dwarves but peace-loving and reticent; the Wrannamen, who are humans but I ought to call them a separate race as they live isolated in swamp land and have a completely unique character; and of course a lot of different monster-type creatures.
William's writing is compelling and original, even if not evenly paced. However, when I picked up the first book of another series by him called Otherland, I found it so disgusting that I couldn't go beyond half of it, and mind you, I'm extra tolerant to fantasy authors.
A scene from Memory, Sorrow and Thorn that I liked:
The Duke saw a Clansman fighting on his side being disarmed, and called out a challenge to his attacker before he could finish him. The man looked up, and the Clansman used the extra second to draw a concealed dagger and stab him in the gut. He leapt to his feet, retrieved his weapon and waving his thanks, rejoined the battle. The Duke felt his head spin. An Erkynlander would never behave in such a dishonourable manner. But then again, should the man have died for his honour? Where was the honour in this war anyway, waged by a mad king for an unjust cause?
Goodkind is the best of authors that I've discovered in the past few months. My blog is named for Goodkind's first novel in the Sword of Truth series. The interesting thing about Goodkind's novels is his treatment of Wizardry: it's not just about magic, but equally about people. The Wizard's Rules according to him (at least, the ones he's mentioned in the first three books) are:
Wizard's First Rule: People are stupid. Corollary: People will believe anything you tell them if you know how to tell it to them.
Wizard's Second Rule: Actions with the best of intentions may lead to the worst consequences. Corollary: Always think things through. And remember that not everyone will.
Wizard's Third Rule: Passion rules Reason. Corollary: A Wizard should always think calmly, for the rest of the world probably will not.
In Goodkind's world, there are two kinds of magic: Additive and Subtractive. The knowledge of Subtractive magic was lost almost entirely by the end of some kind of a Wizard World War, which led to the division of the world at an isthmus through spell-wrought towers that maintain a barrier of illusion, storms and perils that none but a wizard could pass once, perhaps twice; but it attunes itself to people inside the zone such that absolutely nobody can pass it a third time.
In the half that is called the New World, a great magical barrier was raised to further divide the people who, on seeing the destruction that magic could cause, chose to live in a world without magic, and the people who wanted to continue their lives just the way it was. The first book of the series starts when a power-hungry wizard takes control of practically all of the land on his side of the barrier, and plots to bring down the barrier to dominate the land beyond, as well as kill the one wizard who is powerful enough to stop him.
As you can see, Goodkind is very good at creating his fantasy world, and his skill at spinning his stories match his imagination. My favourite scene from the Sword of Truth series:
"If Master Rahl is not here, then another Wizard who serves him will command the armies. We await your orders." said the Captain of the Guard.
Zed looked at him in anger. "Do you know, Captain, that I have spent most of my considerably long life fighting Wizards who tried to rule over people?"
"That is good. Better a man who bears his mantle reluctantly than one who misuses his power eagerly."
Terry Brooks:
Brooks has written a considerably large number of novels, and I have actually read a lot of them myself, yet I can never bring myself to say he is one of my favourites. I can't quite put my finger on it, but there is something missing from his style of writing. Perhaps it is that he tells good stories, but there is nothing beyond that; nothing thought-provoking, nothing to think about. Perhaps he is too predictable. I don't know.
The earlier Brooks novels, namely the original Shannara series and the first couple of Kingdom of Landover novels are probably his best. After that everything seems a bit repetitive. Even when he tried something new in the Jerle Shannara series, it came out to me as a gross hybrid of sci-fi and fantasy with none of the synergy and harmony that people like Ursula le Guin bring out.
Yet, Brooks does have some good ideas like the Elfstones and (his) Sword of Truth. The Magic Kingdom of Landover series is initially quite delightful and very original. If all you are looking for is a nice bedtime story then I would recommend you read Brooks, but if want more than that you can expect timepass but not satisfaction.
Tad Williams:
I came across this author entirely by accident when I saw the first book of his series Memory, Sorrow and Thorn in my aunt's house. Even when I read the first 60-odd pages of the book, I found nothing special and couldn't quite understand what was happening. But then, all of a sudden, things started making sense and the pieces of a masterful tale started coming together.
Memory, Sorrow and Thorn are three magical swords forged in William's original fantasy realm. The races of his realm are extremely interesting: the Humans, with their different customs in different parts of the world; the Sitha, a dwindling race of magical folk reminiscent of Tolkien's elves; the Trolls, a short but fierce and honourable race of mountain dwellers; the Dwarrows, master craftsmen like Tolkien's dwarves but peace-loving and reticent; the Wrannamen, who are humans but I ought to call them a separate race as they live isolated in swamp land and have a completely unique character; and of course a lot of different monster-type creatures.
William's writing is compelling and original, even if not evenly paced. However, when I picked up the first book of another series by him called Otherland, I found it so disgusting that I couldn't go beyond half of it, and mind you, I'm extra tolerant to fantasy authors.
A scene from Memory, Sorrow and Thorn that I liked:
The Duke saw a Clansman fighting on his side being disarmed, and called out a challenge to his attacker before he could finish him. The man looked up, and the Clansman used the extra second to draw a concealed dagger and stab him in the gut. He leapt to his feet, retrieved his weapon and waving his thanks, rejoined the battle. The Duke felt his head spin. An Erkynlander would never behave in such a dishonourable manner. But then again, should the man have died for his honour? Where was the honour in this war anyway, waged by a mad king for an unjust cause?
One more post to go.
Wednesday, December 21, 2005
Fantasy Author Reviews: Second Set
Robert A. Salvatore:
Salvatore is one of the most prolific of contemporary fantasy authors. His most memorable works are the Dark Elf Trilogy and the Icewind Dale Trilogy, which are based on the fantasy world called Forgotten Realms, which should be familiar to RPG gamers. It was in those books that he created and developed the unforgettable characters of Drizzt Do'Urden, the dark elf, and his companions, Wulfgar the barbarian, Bruenor the dwarf, Regis the halfling and Cattie Brie the human girl. Salvatore's description of the lands in these books has been absorbed into the definition of the Forgotten Relams, especially the sinister land of the Underdark, home to the Dark Elves. Drizzt is a "renegade" dark elf who forsakes the self-destructive and evil ways of his kin and escapes to the surface world, where he finds himself constantly hunted and judged by the colour of his skin and the deeds of his kind.
Salvatore's style is easy on the readers, and he tells his tales without embellishment, while building up the plot and characters in a well-paced manner. However, his talent should not be judged by the apparent simplicity of his style, as he never ceases to surprise me with the odd point of philosophy or irony. The beginning of each chapter in most of his series is a page from the diary of the lead character, be it Drizzt in the Dark Elf series, Elbryan the Ranger in the Demonwars Saga, or young Luthien Bedwyr in the Crimson Shadow series, and provides a refreshing, thought-provoking break from the action and the adventure of his books. Salvatore's strength, however, is definitely in the battles. Even though these are books, not movies, every sword thrust, parry and dodge is described in breathtaking and vivid detail, conjuring up a picture of the actual fight in your mind, scimitars, hammers, bows, arrows, shields, spells, dragon breath and all.
Salvatore's fame led to him being invited to write the official Star Wars novels for Episodes 1-3 based on the movies. Recently, though, Salvatore has tended to stretch the Drizzt story thin with sequels upon sequels, and the Second Demonwars trilogy is totally dark and sinister and not at all enjoyable. Overall, though, he is quite brilliant and definitely one of my favourite authors.
George R. R. Martin:
I am yet to read any of this guy's older novels, but I have read the first three books of the Song of Ice and Fire series, and they are absolutely amazing. Martin's books are quite different from traditional fantasy books in that they are meant for adults and not for teenage kids, resulting in a more mature and intense reading experience. There is less of overt magic and spell casting and such; rather, the magic is inherent in the world.
Martin excels in building layer upon layer of intrigue in the plot, and even experienced readers will be left guessing as twist after twist leaves you begging for more. Each of his characters are unique and well-defined; their futures on the other hand, are far from that. An exiled princess assembles an army to sail across the ocean and reclaim the throne. The five children of the King of the West, each on a separate, sorrowful yet courageous path. A surprisingly large number of plotters with mysterious objectives and unknown sides. A huge, if ragtag army of simple folk on the run from a nameless horror, where the dead walk the earth. The return of dragons, and old magic coming back to strength. A truly fascinating web indeed!
If there is one fault I find with Martin, it is that a couple of dead characters came back to life in the third book... reminding me of Robert Jordan's tendency to bring back the forsaken to life time and again! Lets hope the trend doesn't continue! At least, Martin has promised to finish the series with the 7th book.
Janny Wurts:
When I read Curse of the Mistwraith, first book of War of Light and Shadow, I couldn't help but think it was the most brilliant book I've ever read. Find my review of that book here.
Since then, my opinion of Wurts has lessened, though only by a bit. The pace of the series slows down after the first book, but it is still tremendously enjoyable and gripping. However, on reading some of her other novels, I discovered that the "tortured hero character" as one reader put it, is one of Wurts' favourite devices. However, she seems to have perfected it only in the aforementioned series. Her standalone novels somehow seem too packed and imperfectly paced. The Cycle of Fire trilogy seems pretty good though, upto the point I have read at least.
I find Wurts to be a really talented writer, and she fills in the void I find in most contemporary fantasy authors: flair and skill in writing. Couple it with the devious plots and ironies, meticulously built original fantasy worlds, and raw emotion that she weaves into her characters, and you can see why she is possibly my favourite fantasy author at the moment.
Feist fans have additional cause to rejoice: Wurts co-authored the Daughter of the Empire series with Raymond Feist, which is based on the world of Kelewan with the story running in parallel with the Riftwar Saga. I really enjoyed reading that series, especially since it had been a long time since I read Magician.
Salvatore is one of the most prolific of contemporary fantasy authors. His most memorable works are the Dark Elf Trilogy and the Icewind Dale Trilogy, which are based on the fantasy world called Forgotten Realms, which should be familiar to RPG gamers. It was in those books that he created and developed the unforgettable characters of Drizzt Do'Urden, the dark elf, and his companions, Wulfgar the barbarian, Bruenor the dwarf, Regis the halfling and Cattie Brie the human girl. Salvatore's description of the lands in these books has been absorbed into the definition of the Forgotten Relams, especially the sinister land of the Underdark, home to the Dark Elves. Drizzt is a "renegade" dark elf who forsakes the self-destructive and evil ways of his kin and escapes to the surface world, where he finds himself constantly hunted and judged by the colour of his skin and the deeds of his kind.
Salvatore's style is easy on the readers, and he tells his tales without embellishment, while building up the plot and characters in a well-paced manner. However, his talent should not be judged by the apparent simplicity of his style, as he never ceases to surprise me with the odd point of philosophy or irony. The beginning of each chapter in most of his series is a page from the diary of the lead character, be it Drizzt in the Dark Elf series, Elbryan the Ranger in the Demonwars Saga, or young Luthien Bedwyr in the Crimson Shadow series, and provides a refreshing, thought-provoking break from the action and the adventure of his books. Salvatore's strength, however, is definitely in the battles. Even though these are books, not movies, every sword thrust, parry and dodge is described in breathtaking and vivid detail, conjuring up a picture of the actual fight in your mind, scimitars, hammers, bows, arrows, shields, spells, dragon breath and all.
Salvatore's fame led to him being invited to write the official Star Wars novels for Episodes 1-3 based on the movies. Recently, though, Salvatore has tended to stretch the Drizzt story thin with sequels upon sequels, and the Second Demonwars trilogy is totally dark and sinister and not at all enjoyable. Overall, though, he is quite brilliant and definitely one of my favourite authors.
George R. R. Martin:
I am yet to read any of this guy's older novels, but I have read the first three books of the Song of Ice and Fire series, and they are absolutely amazing. Martin's books are quite different from traditional fantasy books in that they are meant for adults and not for teenage kids, resulting in a more mature and intense reading experience. There is less of overt magic and spell casting and such; rather, the magic is inherent in the world.
Martin excels in building layer upon layer of intrigue in the plot, and even experienced readers will be left guessing as twist after twist leaves you begging for more. Each of his characters are unique and well-defined; their futures on the other hand, are far from that. An exiled princess assembles an army to sail across the ocean and reclaim the throne. The five children of the King of the West, each on a separate, sorrowful yet courageous path. A surprisingly large number of plotters with mysterious objectives and unknown sides. A huge, if ragtag army of simple folk on the run from a nameless horror, where the dead walk the earth. The return of dragons, and old magic coming back to strength. A truly fascinating web indeed!
If there is one fault I find with Martin, it is that a couple of dead characters came back to life in the third book... reminding me of Robert Jordan's tendency to bring back the forsaken to life time and again! Lets hope the trend doesn't continue! At least, Martin has promised to finish the series with the 7th book.
Janny Wurts:
When I read Curse of the Mistwraith, first book of War of Light and Shadow, I couldn't help but think it was the most brilliant book I've ever read. Find my review of that book here.
Since then, my opinion of Wurts has lessened, though only by a bit. The pace of the series slows down after the first book, but it is still tremendously enjoyable and gripping. However, on reading some of her other novels, I discovered that the "tortured hero character" as one reader put it, is one of Wurts' favourite devices. However, she seems to have perfected it only in the aforementioned series. Her standalone novels somehow seem too packed and imperfectly paced. The Cycle of Fire trilogy seems pretty good though, upto the point I have read at least.
I find Wurts to be a really talented writer, and she fills in the void I find in most contemporary fantasy authors: flair and skill in writing. Couple it with the devious plots and ironies, meticulously built original fantasy worlds, and raw emotion that she weaves into her characters, and you can see why she is possibly my favourite fantasy author at the moment.
Feist fans have additional cause to rejoice: Wurts co-authored the Daughter of the Empire series with Raymond Feist, which is based on the world of Kelewan with the story running in parallel with the Riftwar Saga. I really enjoyed reading that series, especially since it had been a long time since I read Magician.
Saturday, December 17, 2005
Fantasy Author Reviews: First Set
Here is the long promised review of fantasy authors. Since there are so many of them, I am splitting this post into several parts. The order in which I have listed them does not correlate with my ranking or any other ranking for that matter.
Raymond Feist:
This guy is one of my favourite authors. Reading his book Magician was my first exposure to good contemporary fantasy fiction, and inspired me to read more and more fantasy, so much so that I don't think I even live in the real world anymore. Feist is a very balanced author; his strength is neither in plot, nor in characters, nor in building fantastic worlds or any other aspect of fantasy writing you can think of. All of Feist's series are interconnected, so that one can almost think of them as a single series of nearly twenty novels, but in truth all are readable as separate series. The Riftwar Saga starting with Magician is my all-time favourite.
Feist has an excellent imagination and players of role-playing games will appreciate the way in which his characters develop. Though magic is central to all the books, there is a sense of adventure in all the books that will draw the readers in. The books are enjoyable for people of all ages, though.
My favourite Feist character is a magician called Nakor who has a permanent grin and insists that there is no such thing as magic. Even upto Feist's most recent book, we never know who he actually is and how he came upon his immortality, or his powers, or other things (such as the codicil of the dead God of Knowledge which he reluctantly hands over to the priests).
A scene from the Riftwar series that I vividly remember (not the exact wordings though, so don't hold me to this):
Pug and Tomas finally spotted Macros at a clearing and Tomas guided the dragon toward him. Macros was jumping up and down and waving wildly. Pug smiled and waved back, but when they landed, Macros stopped and looked at them grimly.
"Now you've done it," he said.
"Done what?" asked Tomas.
"Triggered the time trap."
"Why didn't you warn us?"
"What do you think I was trying to do?"
"Oh! We thought you were just excited to see us!"
"At my age?!!!"
Ursula Le Guin:
Le Guin is primarily a science fiction author, and my favourite book of hers is The Dispossessed, which, though supposed to be science fiction, is essentially a book on social and political philosophy. In my opinion it is infinitely better than Aldous Huxley or Ayn Rand, though.
Le Guin is most famous for her sci-fi short stories, which, like Asimov's work, are based on the same galaxy and timeline but are completely standalone and thoroughly enjoyable. A hallmark of Le Guin is that her books are very thought-provoking and dwell equally on story-telling and human nature. There is a fantasy element to all of her science fiction through the worlds the events are based on, as well as things like mindspeech and the races on the different worlds. This adds an interesting dimension to her novels which is refreshing for die hard sci-fi fans.
Le Guin's best known fantasy series is Earthsea, and some of you might have seen the miniseries on television. Earthsea is a riveting tale of a wizard's journey in which he first, inadvertently spoils the balance of magic upon the world, and then labours tirelessly to restore the balance and bring peace to the lands of Earthsea. Le Guin pays special attention to the nature of magic upon Earthsea. A scene which I liked from the first book (again, the wording may be different):
Ged approached the door and found his way barred by magic yet again. The Door Keeper told him, "One final test before you can leave the island. What is my true name?"
Ged sat down to think and pondered upon which kind of spell would be powerful enough to trick or convince the Keeper to tell him his name. After a long time he finally went to him and said, "I cannot think of any way to take it from you. Hence, I can only pass if you give it to me of your own volition. I request you, as a friend: will you tell me your name?"
The Keeper smiled. And told him his name.
Robert Jordan:
The Wheel of Time series is getting famous these days, though ironically only the earlier books in the series are really good. After the fourth book, the series gradually becomes slow and dragging, though the overall spinning of the story is still good. Jordan builds a fantastic world in which Shai'tan, the dark one, who was sealed away into the void by the Creator at the beginning of time for all time, is slowly escaping and regaining his vile grip on the world. He escaped once before, but Lews Therin Telamon (nicknamed "The Dragon") and an army of male Aes Sedai, wielders of the One Power that is the Creator's gift to the world, surprised him when he was in council with his "Chosen" ones and banished him once more. However, by Shai'tan's counterstroke at the fateful moment, the male half of the power was tainted permanently, driving insane anyone who wields it. All the men among the Aes Sedai went mad and used their power indiscriminately, resulting in what is known as The Breaking of the World. It took centuries for the world to recover, and the female Aes Sedai labour to keep peace among men and watch for the dark one's return.
The first book starts when the seals start weakening, and the Dragon is reborn as per prophecy, and the dark one's agents, as well as the Aes Sedai, are trying to find out who he is. Then starts an amazing journey of a young man and his two companions, who knew naught but sheepherding and blacksmithing, to unite the world so that they may stand against the dark one on the day he breaks free again.
Central to Jordan's tale are the prophecies describing the rise of the Dragon Reborn and his defeat of the dark one on the day of reckoning, Tarmon Gai'don. But his real strength is the way in which he describes the recovery and use of the male and female halves of the Power. The other thing which Jordan does brilliantly is in the creation of the nations that comprise his world. Each has their own culture, characteristics and beliefs brought to life in front of the reader's eyes. My favourite Jordan quote is a proverb in the Border land of Shienar, which is closest to the wastelands inhabited by the dark one's minions: "Duty is a mountain, Death is a feather."
Egad... only three authors in this post?! Looks like this is going to take a long time...
Cheers,
Prashanth.
Raymond Feist:
This guy is one of my favourite authors. Reading his book Magician was my first exposure to good contemporary fantasy fiction, and inspired me to read more and more fantasy, so much so that I don't think I even live in the real world anymore. Feist is a very balanced author; his strength is neither in plot, nor in characters, nor in building fantastic worlds or any other aspect of fantasy writing you can think of. All of Feist's series are interconnected, so that one can almost think of them as a single series of nearly twenty novels, but in truth all are readable as separate series. The Riftwar Saga starting with Magician is my all-time favourite.
Feist has an excellent imagination and players of role-playing games will appreciate the way in which his characters develop. Though magic is central to all the books, there is a sense of adventure in all the books that will draw the readers in. The books are enjoyable for people of all ages, though.
My favourite Feist character is a magician called Nakor who has a permanent grin and insists that there is no such thing as magic. Even upto Feist's most recent book, we never know who he actually is and how he came upon his immortality, or his powers, or other things (such as the codicil of the dead God of Knowledge which he reluctantly hands over to the priests).
A scene from the Riftwar series that I vividly remember (not the exact wordings though, so don't hold me to this):
Pug and Tomas finally spotted Macros at a clearing and Tomas guided the dragon toward him. Macros was jumping up and down and waving wildly. Pug smiled and waved back, but when they landed, Macros stopped and looked at them grimly.
"Now you've done it," he said.
"Done what?" asked Tomas.
"Triggered the time trap."
"Why didn't you warn us?"
"What do you think I was trying to do?"
"Oh! We thought you were just excited to see us!"
"At my age?!!!"
Ursula Le Guin:
Le Guin is primarily a science fiction author, and my favourite book of hers is The Dispossessed, which, though supposed to be science fiction, is essentially a book on social and political philosophy. In my opinion it is infinitely better than Aldous Huxley or Ayn Rand, though.
Le Guin is most famous for her sci-fi short stories, which, like Asimov's work, are based on the same galaxy and timeline but are completely standalone and thoroughly enjoyable. A hallmark of Le Guin is that her books are very thought-provoking and dwell equally on story-telling and human nature. There is a fantasy element to all of her science fiction through the worlds the events are based on, as well as things like mindspeech and the races on the different worlds. This adds an interesting dimension to her novels which is refreshing for die hard sci-fi fans.
Le Guin's best known fantasy series is Earthsea, and some of you might have seen the miniseries on television. Earthsea is a riveting tale of a wizard's journey in which he first, inadvertently spoils the balance of magic upon the world, and then labours tirelessly to restore the balance and bring peace to the lands of Earthsea. Le Guin pays special attention to the nature of magic upon Earthsea. A scene which I liked from the first book (again, the wording may be different):
Ged approached the door and found his way barred by magic yet again. The Door Keeper told him, "One final test before you can leave the island. What is my true name?"
Ged sat down to think and pondered upon which kind of spell would be powerful enough to trick or convince the Keeper to tell him his name. After a long time he finally went to him and said, "I cannot think of any way to take it from you. Hence, I can only pass if you give it to me of your own volition. I request you, as a friend: will you tell me your name?"
The Keeper smiled. And told him his name.
Robert Jordan:
The Wheel of Time series is getting famous these days, though ironically only the earlier books in the series are really good. After the fourth book, the series gradually becomes slow and dragging, though the overall spinning of the story is still good. Jordan builds a fantastic world in which Shai'tan, the dark one, who was sealed away into the void by the Creator at the beginning of time for all time, is slowly escaping and regaining his vile grip on the world. He escaped once before, but Lews Therin Telamon (nicknamed "The Dragon") and an army of male Aes Sedai, wielders of the One Power that is the Creator's gift to the world, surprised him when he was in council with his "Chosen" ones and banished him once more. However, by Shai'tan's counterstroke at the fateful moment, the male half of the power was tainted permanently, driving insane anyone who wields it. All the men among the Aes Sedai went mad and used their power indiscriminately, resulting in what is known as The Breaking of the World. It took centuries for the world to recover, and the female Aes Sedai labour to keep peace among men and watch for the dark one's return.
The first book starts when the seals start weakening, and the Dragon is reborn as per prophecy, and the dark one's agents, as well as the Aes Sedai, are trying to find out who he is. Then starts an amazing journey of a young man and his two companions, who knew naught but sheepherding and blacksmithing, to unite the world so that they may stand against the dark one on the day he breaks free again.
Central to Jordan's tale are the prophecies describing the rise of the Dragon Reborn and his defeat of the dark one on the day of reckoning, Tarmon Gai'don. But his real strength is the way in which he describes the recovery and use of the male and female halves of the Power. The other thing which Jordan does brilliantly is in the creation of the nations that comprise his world. Each has their own culture, characteristics and beliefs brought to life in front of the reader's eyes. My favourite Jordan quote is a proverb in the Border land of Shienar, which is closest to the wastelands inhabited by the dark one's minions: "Duty is a mountain, Death is a feather."
Egad... only three authors in this post?! Looks like this is going to take a long time...
Cheers,
Prashanth.
Wednesday, December 14, 2005
Zodiac signs
I hate stereotyping of any kind, especially when it comes to Zodiac signs. But somehow I keep ending up with friends who believe in Zodiac signs, and worse still, swear by their honour that I am a pukka Cancerian.
People, I am not your typical "sweet and sensitive" Cancerian. Thats two insults in one phrase. I am nasty and dangerous. I am Death. I am Destruction. GRRRRRR.... GRRROOWWWWLLLLL..... see?
People, I am not your typical "sweet and sensitive" Cancerian. Thats two insults in one phrase. I am nasty and dangerous. I am Death. I am Destruction. GRRRRRR.... GRRROOWWWWLLLLL..... see?
Saturday, December 10, 2005
Distance
What is it with distance and love? I received word that my brother has been very sick for the past few days. I find myself filled with anxiety and affection for him, more than I think I ever felt while I was at home!
I badly miss my friends from IIT. Yet I dare not call them up, for fear it will make me feel worse later. And what's more, I feel guilty that I spent more time with my books or computer games than I did with them in those days. Time that will never come back.
I guess I will never think about time and distance in the same way I used to, and Einstein be damned.
I badly miss my friends from IIT. Yet I dare not call them up, for fear it will make me feel worse later. And what's more, I feel guilty that I spent more time with my books or computer games than I did with them in those days. Time that will never come back.
I guess I will never think about time and distance in the same way I used to, and Einstein be damned.
Friday, December 02, 2005
The other side
My weekly game at the State College bridge club. On one set of boards, I chanced to be seated at a table where all three other players were faculty at Penn State. My partner, a Distinguished Professor at the Smeal College of Business, expresses his eagerness for the impending end of the semester.
Now, bear in mind that I've been in one college or the other for 5 1/2 years of my life, during which period I have the dubious distinction of chalking up a Bachelors degree, a Masters degree, and 1/8th of a Doctorate degree. Naturally, I believe that most profs are imperfect teachers, unfair graders, and do not devote enough time to students. So, somewhat annoyed that a prof be complaining about the trials of the semester, I interject, "Hey! It's the students that should be saying that, not the profs!"
My partner smiles and replies, "What, you think students are the only ones who are glad when a semester gets over?"
For the next 2 minutes, I am privy to a discussion in a world where there is never enough time away from the responsibilities of a full time professor, the students are often annoying, and the vacations are precious time spent with home and family.
My main thought was, "Hmmm.... if students as well as profs are glad when a sem gets over, then thats scope for... camaraderie?" *shudder* The horror of it! Shut that thought.
It struck me then that I was playing bridge in a room with 7 profs, three of whom were at my table, discussing deals, sharing jokes and talking about family.
If there are two sides to a coin, should they be kept separate?
A year or two ago, I would have said yes without hesitation. But I have found a marked difference in my rapport with profs in the past year and a half. I ascribe it partly to the change from undergrad to grad, and partly to the change from an Indian university to an American university. I wonder, for other grad students, is the Ph.D period like an adolescence period, when the barriers are dropped, and then the doctoral student "crosses over" to an Assistant Professor?
Cheers,
Prashanth.
Now, bear in mind that I've been in one college or the other for 5 1/2 years of my life, during which period I have the dubious distinction of chalking up a Bachelors degree, a Masters degree, and 1/8th of a Doctorate degree. Naturally, I believe that most profs are imperfect teachers, unfair graders, and do not devote enough time to students. So, somewhat annoyed that a prof be complaining about the trials of the semester, I interject, "Hey! It's the students that should be saying that, not the profs!"
My partner smiles and replies, "What, you think students are the only ones who are glad when a semester gets over?"
For the next 2 minutes, I am privy to a discussion in a world where there is never enough time away from the responsibilities of a full time professor, the students are often annoying, and the vacations are precious time spent with home and family.
My main thought was, "Hmmm.... if students as well as profs are glad when a sem gets over, then thats scope for... camaraderie?" *shudder* The horror of it! Shut that thought.
It struck me then that I was playing bridge in a room with 7 profs, three of whom were at my table, discussing deals, sharing jokes and talking about family.
If there are two sides to a coin, should they be kept separate?
A year or two ago, I would have said yes without hesitation. But I have found a marked difference in my rapport with profs in the past year and a half. I ascribe it partly to the change from undergrad to grad, and partly to the change from an Indian university to an American university. I wonder, for other grad students, is the Ph.D period like an adolescence period, when the barriers are dropped, and then the doctoral student "crosses over" to an Assistant Professor?
Cheers,
Prashanth.
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