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Isn't that almost a contradiction of terms there? Larry Send a noteboard - 06/12/2009 07:45:47 AM
There are a few writers who really wow me with the use of their writing--people who make me take notice of how they're saying something, not just what they're saying.

Dostoevsky. Tolkien. Vergil. Borges (and I expect this would be magnified exponentially were I able to read it in Spanish). Wolfe. I could come up with several others if I were to think for more than half a minute.

Mieville's prose is on par with Jordan's, in my opinion. His ideas are exceptional, but his writing is just... perfectly normal.

ADDENDUM: Faulkner, Hemingway, and Eco are three more.


His prose is fine, but I never have praised it for being the (or even a) reason to consider his stories. Then again, his short fiction reads better than his novels to me. John Crowley, on the other hand, now his prose is very good. VanderMeer's is better on re-reads than it seems at first, since he changes styles so often to fit his stories. Ballard's is great.
Illusions fall like the husk of a fruit, one after another, and the fruit is experience. - Narrator, Sylvie

Je suis méchant.
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Six best fantasy novels? Larry - 04/12/2009 05:54:54 AM 2093 Views
Best fantasy authors Tavi - 04/12/2009 07:01:48 AM 1805 Views
Have you read Robin Hobb? *NM* Deadsy - 04/12/2009 04:01:23 PM 910 Views
I have, and wasn't really impressed Tavi - 04/12/2009 10:08:25 PM 1616 Views
You definitely read the wrong stuff first Deadsy - 05/12/2009 12:12:07 AM 1729 Views
Agreed. unr3stricted - 09/12/2009 09:55:12 PM 1609 Views
Only read two. Book of the New Sun definitely deserves that spot. Mieville, not so much. Ghavrel - 04/12/2009 08:06:45 AM 1767 Views
Interesting. Werthead - 04/12/2009 05:21:04 PM 1642 Views
Why Mieville, if I may ask? *NM* Ghavrel - 04/12/2009 08:33:43 PM 921 Views
I didn't mean that to be a reply to you, but still Werthead - 05/12/2009 03:15:36 AM 1769 Views
No worries. Ghavrel - 05/12/2009 03:52:11 AM 1652 Views
But the list was for favorite books, not favorite or most important authors A Deathwatch Guard - 05/12/2009 10:25:13 AM 1580 Views
It was for "best" books. I realize that has a lot of meanings, though. *NM* Ghavrel - 05/12/2009 08:37:01 PM 749 Views
Hm... good point A Deathwatch Guard - 06/12/2009 02:19:13 AM 1369 Views
Glen Cook is radically overrated. Werthead - 05/12/2009 04:09:07 PM 1715 Views
Well, he's at least part of the wave that humanized fantasy. Ghavrel - 05/12/2009 08:36:29 PM 1505 Views
In the US, yes. Elsewhere, no, because they didn't know about him. Werthead - 06/12/2009 04:36:31 PM 1600 Views
Interesting. Ghavrel - 07/12/2009 02:15:37 AM 1538 Views
Two years? It was published in 2000... *NM* Legolas - 05/12/2009 09:03:33 PM 666 Views
Nine years is like two. *NM* Ghavrel - 06/12/2009 12:25:49 AM 829 Views
I've yet to read a Gene Wolfe. rebelaessedai - 06/12/2009 02:26:54 AM 1545 Views
Yes, yes, yes. Ghavrel - 06/12/2009 02:35:45 AM 1482 Views
You know I directly added almost all of those Wolfe quotes there, right? Larry - 06/12/2009 05:26:40 AM 1620 Views
I just find Mieville's prose exceptionally standard. Ghavrel - 06/12/2009 07:25:05 AM 1659 Views
Isn't that almost a contradiction of terms there? Larry - 06/12/2009 07:45:47 AM 1540 Views
It's remarkable for its normalcy because so many people praise it? Ghavrel - 06/12/2009 09:11:18 AM 1460 Views
Who the heck are these people? *NM* ironclad - 04/12/2009 12:46:48 PM 886 Views
I've never heard of any of them either.... *NM* Fantasy - 05/12/2009 02:58:11 AM 1213 Views
Literati Larry - 06/12/2009 05:27:28 AM 1511 Views
Yeah you're so much better than us *NM* ironclad - 06/12/2009 12:00:27 PM 837 Views
Well, you can hardly expect a group to go around calling themselves "elitist snobs." *NM* Ghavrel - 07/12/2009 02:16:16 AM 793 Views
Is he trying to be cool by listing stuff that 90% of fantasy readers have never heard of? Deadsy - 04/12/2009 04:05:46 PM 1552 Views
Actually, several of those books have been bestsellers and/or won several genre awards Larry - 06/12/2009 05:28:18 AM 1530 Views
I'm very ambivalent about A Wizard of Earthsea AgentOrange - 04/12/2009 05:18:00 PM 1533 Views
Possibly has to do with the times in which it was written/read Larry - 06/12/2009 05:29:27 AM 1489 Views
My Best Six best fantasy novels Nolan - 04/12/2009 07:44:12 PM 1281 Views
Re: My Best Six best fantasy novels *NM* Nolan - 04/12/2009 07:45:25 PM 725 Views
oops! *NM* Nolan - 04/12/2009 07:46:34 PM 753 Views
Re: Six best fantasy novels? Aeryn - 04/12/2009 09:06:18 PM 1636 Views
I really need to get around to reading Mists of Avalon. Ghavrel - 04/12/2009 09:50:54 PM 1441 Views
Calenture Aeryn - 05/12/2009 12:44:14 AM 1399 Views
That... sounds so cool. I'm going to check it out as soon as I get home. Ghavrel - 05/12/2009 03:53:55 AM 1484 Views
Ooh, I need to get my hands on Calenture. *NM* rebelaessedai - 06/12/2009 02:27:34 AM 812 Views
And ha! I thought it might be you. *NM* rebelaessedai - 06/12/2009 02:29:13 AM 805 Views
I'll eventually get to those in the near future Larry - 06/12/2009 05:31:29 AM 1522 Views
I don't read or buy books anymore. Aeryn - 06/12/2009 11:45:33 PM 1523 Views
I understand that Larry - 07/12/2009 12:55:46 AM 1589 Views
Okay, I'll give it a shot Tom - 04/12/2009 10:12:47 PM 1636 Views
You might more mythopoeic material in your fantasies, don't you? *NM* Larry - 04/12/2009 11:22:33 PM 831 Views
Mythopoeic? Who...me? Tom - 05/12/2009 02:19:03 AM 1388 Views
Yes, you Larry - 05/12/2009 03:51:25 AM 1561 Views
The Blogger Seems to Agree With You. The Name With No Man - 05/12/2009 10:10:07 PM 1562 Views
Book of the New Sun is very early 80's and is almost inarguably a classic of the genre. Ghavrel - 06/12/2009 12:26:55 AM 1589 Views
Never Read It, But All Accounts Support That View. The Name With No Man - 06/12/2009 02:44:17 PM 1676 Views
Bending the terms a bit... Larry - 04/12/2009 11:21:33 PM 1653 Views
n/a *NM* Aeryn - 05/12/2009 12:46:45 AM 770 Views
I like Grossman's list a lot more than Henry's. *NM* Legolas - 04/12/2009 11:41:36 PM 794 Views
Here are mine, but I probably haven't really read enough fantasy to have a top 5 Deadsy - 05/12/2009 12:16:13 AM 1418 Views
Have you tried any standalones recently? Larry - 06/12/2009 05:33:41 AM 1548 Views
I always end up wanting more Deadsy - 06/12/2009 05:53:11 AM 1498 Views
What if there were 50 more standalones that you could read that likely would be quite good? Larry - 06/12/2009 06:12:53 AM 1609 Views
The only one on his list I would think about agreeing with is Meiville. MightyYT - 05/12/2009 03:11:25 AM 1570 Views
Have you tried Mark Danielewski's House of Leaves yet? Larry - 06/12/2009 05:34:48 AM 1420 Views
No list is complete without Goodkind *NM* Choss Hauler - 05/12/2009 07:59:22 AM 843 Views
Sorry, I can't help it- no *porn* list is complete without Goodkind... *NM* rebelaessedai - 06/12/2009 02:21:22 AM 677 Views
For me....: A Deathwatch Guard - 05/12/2009 10:36:42 AM 1621 Views
He certainly has a specific kind of taste. rebelaessedai - 06/12/2009 02:20:30 AM 1443 Views
Pfft! Larry - 06/12/2009 06:54:24 AM 1358 Views
Who are you asking?? rebelaessedai - 07/12/2009 08:09:25 PM 1474 Views
Might give this a go myself... rebelaessedai - 06/12/2009 02:24:52 AM 1497 Views
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