Jmustang1968 wrote:I think tje issue is that you are dismissing a universally acclaimed great writer as being bad when you most likely should be saying you didnt care for his writing or style.
I think Tolkien is a great writer beyond just building his world.
He's accomplished 80% of what he set out to do. He created a great universe, I know I keep saying that but it's true. Im not the biggest fantasy reader but I do read it from time to time. Its just that the WAY he wrote things was just boring to me.
If that makes me a fuckwad, I suppose I'm good with that. At least I didn't complain that the book was too complex.
Jmustang1968 wrote:I think tje issue is that you are dismissing a universally acclaimed great writer as being bad when you most likely should be saying you didnt care for his writing or style.
I think Tolkien is a great writer beyond just building his world.
He's accomplished 80% of what he set out to do. He created a great universe, I know I keep saying that but it's true. Im not the biggest fantasy reader but I do read it from time to time. Its just that the WAY he wrote things was just boring to me.
If that makes me a fuckwad, I suppose I'm good with that. At least I didn't complain that the book was too complex.
I think he is more irritated by the flippant way you have argued and twisted things. Instead of discussing the points you were vwry snarky and tried to take potshots from an unrelated prior disagreement.
Ack wrote:Perhaps instead you should offer up a list of writers that you think exceled in each area?
I don't see why I "should" provide anything, but sure.
Ok, let's take a moment and stop here, because you're starting to harass people who are trying to be helpful. When I said "perhaps you should," it was a friendly suggestion for you to put forth names of authors you thought excelled. That way the rest of us could see who you felt produced quality work in the hopes that it would steer us away from an ugly insulting match and instead point us towards some sort of beneficial discussion.
As for your list, I dislike Robert Jordan's lengthy prose and don't consider the Wheel of Time a great series, just a long-winded one. But I do find Burroughs, Clarke, Anthony, and Card to be spectacular writers. Childhood's End is a personal favorite.
Ack wrote:Perhaps instead you should offer up a list of writers that you think exceled in each area?
I don't see why I "should" provide anything, but sure.
Ack wrote:Ok, let's take a moment and stop here, because you're starting to harass people who are trying to be helpful. When I said "perhaps you should," it was a friendly suggestion for you to put forth names of authors you thought excelled. That way the rest of us could see who you felt produced quality work in the hopes that it would steer us away from an ugly insulting match and instead point us towards some sort of beneficial discussion.
It wasn't meant to be taken that way. Sorry.
Ack wrote:
As for your list, I dislike Robert Jordan's lengthy prose and don't consider the Wheel of Time a great series, just a long-winded one. But I do find Burroughs, Clarke, Anthony, and Card to be spectacular writers. Childhood's End is a personal favorite.
And see, I'm not about to come in and call you a fuckwad for not liking Jordan's style. I disagree with you (to a point, since I actually did stop reading, it became tedious) but I'm not gonna lose my shit over it.
Ack wrote:Perhaps instead you should offer up a list of writers that you think exceled in each area?
I don't see why I "should" provide anything, but sure.
Ok, let's take a moment and stop here, because you're starting to harass people who are trying to be helpful. When I said "perhaps you should," it was a friendly suggestion for you to put forth names of authors you thought excelled. That way the rest of us could see who you felt produced quality work in the hopes that it would steer us away from an ugly insulting match and instead point us towards some sort of beneficial discussion.
As for your list, I dislike Robert Jordan's lengthy prose and don't consider the Wheel of Time a great series, just a long-winded one. But I do find Burroughs, Clarke, Anthony, and Card to be spectacular writers. Childhood's End is a personal favorite.
I completely disagree on Jordan. It has become the popular trend to bash the series off Book 9 when it is otherwise a very rich and vibrant world with great characters.
indecks wrote: Its just that the WAY he wrote things was just boring to me.
THAT was the key missing part. Finding it boring doesn't make you a fuckwad. Insisting that someone is a terrible writer because you personally didn't care for their writing does.
indecks wrote:At least I didn't complain that the book was too complex.
Again, I never complained that any Potter book or film was too complex. I said the films struck me as convoluted and contrived, which I am willing to chalk up to the perils of adapting a long series of books to a long series of films.
Jmustang1968 wrote:I think he is more irritated by the flippant way you have argued and twisted things. Instead of discussing the points you were vwry snarky and tried to take potshots from an unrelated prior disagreement.
No, I think he's just irritated that his argument from before made no sense. Arrogance can do that to people.
With the first six books (many say first 3-4) he really had something interesting going. I was completely hooked by the first two and the third one I would consider one of the best fantasy books I have read. After Lord of Chaos though I don't know what the hell happened, and yeah once I read Winter's Heart I angrily gave up. I don't have very much bad to say about Jordan (he does get way overboard times, ie taking 3 pages to describe the embroidery on someone's dress) or the series, but I wouldn't really talk highly off it because I think it is very inconsistent and in the end simply frustrating.
I have to admit, my distate for Jordan actually stems from his work with Conan the Barbarian. I'm an enormous fan of Robert E. Howard's original work. Jordan, not so much. So for me, it's difficult to get past previous greivances with his work involving a beloved character.
