NPR compiled a list of top 100 Fantasy & SciFi books and another website turned the list into a flowchart. I think the path to get to the Wheel of Time series is both accurate and lines up with how Rym keeps describing it as he explains why he continues to read the books.
The only reason I got through this series was the audiobooks. I have limited use of my hands (the tendons and nerves are delicate fucking flowers and refuse to put in a full day's work), so I generally do not choose to use that time/energy for holding up books. The audiobooks are done by multiple narrators, both of whom are great, and I didn't approach it as a thing to get through. I originally bought the books because they were the longest entertainment for the cost of an Audible credit, so the unit price of entertainment per hour was lowest. I was LOOKING for extended media to consume.
Also, who the fuck actually recommends the Drizzt books to anyone?
Do you want the stoic silence of Golgo 13, but he's an elf? Do you want the heroism of a fantasy world, but want it to be as utterly simplistic as possible? Are you exactly 13 years old?
Also, who the fuck actually recommends the Drizzt books to anyone?
Do you want the stoic silence of Golgo 13, but he's an elf? Do you want the heroism of a fantasy world, but want it to be as utterly simplistic as possible? Are you exactly 13 years old?
I have read everything on the science fiction half except two Neal Stephenson books (Diamond Age and Cryptonomicon).
Still to read from the middle part: The Road Handmaiden's Tale Cat's Cradle Outlander Timetraveler's Wife
In the middle but not on my to-read list: The Eyre Affair - my girlfriend says I shouldn't bother with this one. A Clockwork Orange - never heard anything appealing about this one.
I've not read so much on the fantasy side. I'll probably just keep working my way through Malazan books for now.
Neal Stephenson has a low hit rate for me. Anathem was very, very good, Snowcrash was pitifully and pathetically bad, and Seveneves was just unfinishably bad. If his books weren't so chunky I'd be more likely to give them a go.
Neal Stephenson has a low hit rate for me. Anathem was very, very good, Snowcrash was pitifully and pathetically bad, and Seveneves was just unfinishably bad. If his books weren't so chunky I'd be more likely to give them a go.
Snow Crash is the odd one out, since it's so over the top and not so serious.
I get that it is more satirical and unserious, but that didn't make it any less frustratingly inconsistent and so tedious in parts that I skipped forward pages at a time.
Hard to say on this one. A lot of people enjoy it, there's quite a lot of good stuff in there, and a minimum(which still manages to be a mildly irritating amount at times) of the I-wish-I-wrote-textbooks-instead Stephenson. But it suffers a bit from the same problems as Snow Crash, where he builds an interesting world, has a leisurely, senic wander through it, starts weaving some interesting plots in, then seems to realize he's running out of pages and goes for the finish like Phar Lap on amphetamines.
Good concepts(Absolutely love the idea of the Primer), some strong characters, interesting world, but some of the side-stories are fun, but seem pointless and kinda vanish halfway to three-quarters through, and the ending is abrupt and unsatisfying. There's incredible potential in the ideas and the well-paced swell of the story(despite the usual digressions), but it all just comes together with a resounding shrug.
There's incredible potential in the ideas and the well-paced swell of the story(despite the usual digressions), but it all just comes together with a resounding shrug.
Thank you for this excellent summation of my feelings about Stephenson. He's full of great ideas, but he's so underwhelming as a writer that I can't get behind any of them.
"Update: Wanted to share with you exciting news about The Wheel of Time. Legal issues have been resolved. The Wheel of Time will become a cutting edge TV series! I couldn’t be more pleased. Look for the official announcement coming soon from a major studio —Harriet "
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Source: http://www.sfsignal.com/archives/2011/09/flowchart_for_navigating_nprs_top_100_sff_books/
Also, I think I've read literally everything on the sci-fi half.
Also, who the fuck actually recommends the Drizzt books to anyone?
Still to read from the middle part:
The Road
Handmaiden's Tale
Cat's Cradle
Outlander
Timetraveler's Wife
In the middle but not on my to-read list:
The Eyre Affair - my girlfriend says I shouldn't bother with this one.
A Clockwork Orange - never heard anything appealing about this one.
I've not read so much on the fantasy side. I'll probably just keep working my way through Malazan books for now.
Good concepts(Absolutely love the idea of the Primer), some strong characters, interesting world, but some of the side-stories are fun, but seem pointless and kinda vanish halfway to three-quarters through, and the ending is abrupt and unsatisfying. There's incredible potential in the ideas and the well-paced swell of the story(despite the usual digressions), but it all just comes together with a resounding shrug.
Wizard of Earthsea read by LeGuinn and Harlan Ellison. It's over of the best read audio books I've heard to date.
"Update: Wanted to share with you exciting news about The Wheel of Time. Legal issues have been resolved. The Wheel of Time will become a cutting edge TV series! I couldn’t be more pleased. Look for the official announcement coming soon from a major studio —Harriet "
Unrelated, Khahil and I are doing a WoT podcast special at PAX West.
I know what happened to Rand.
And that's that.
Also the compendium book is questionable in consistency, but does have new information, such as an Old Tongue dictionary.
I don't know if you know quite as much as anyone COULD. Just sayin'. ^.~
Anything outside of the canon of the actual books is bullshit to be ignored, as is the case with all things.