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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 2097 Views
Best fantasy authors Tavi - 04/12/2009 07:01:48 AM 1807 Views
Have you read Robin Hobb? *NM* Deadsy - 04/12/2009 04:01:23 PM 911 Views
I have, and wasn't really impressed Tavi - 04/12/2009 10:08:25 PM 1619 Views
You definitely read the wrong stuff first Deadsy - 05/12/2009 12:12:07 AM 1732 Views
Agreed. unr3stricted - 09/12/2009 09:55:12 PM 1613 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 1771 Views
Interesting. Werthead - 04/12/2009 05:21:04 PM 1646 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 1772 Views
No worries. Ghavrel - 05/12/2009 03:52:11 AM 1654 Views
But the list was for favorite books, not favorite or most important authors A Deathwatch Guard - 05/12/2009 10:25:13 AM 1582 Views
It was for "best" books. I realize that has a lot of meanings, though. *NM* Ghavrel - 05/12/2009 08:37:01 PM 750 Views
Hm... good point A Deathwatch Guard - 06/12/2009 02:19:13 AM 1372 Views
Glen Cook is radically overrated. Werthead - 05/12/2009 04:09:07 PM 1719 Views
Well, he's at least part of the wave that humanized fantasy. Ghavrel - 05/12/2009 08:36:29 PM 1509 Views
In the US, yes. Elsewhere, no, because they didn't know about him. Werthead - 06/12/2009 04:36:31 PM 1603 Views
Interesting. Ghavrel - 07/12/2009 02:15:37 AM 1541 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 1548 Views
Yes, yes, yes. Ghavrel - 06/12/2009 02:35:45 AM 1484 Views
You know I directly added almost all of those Wolfe quotes there, right? Larry - 06/12/2009 05:26:40 AM 1622 Views
I just find Mieville's prose exceptionally standard. Ghavrel - 06/12/2009 07:25:05 AM 1661 Views
Isn't that almost a contradiction of terms there? Larry - 06/12/2009 07:45:47 AM 1543 Views
It's remarkable for its normalcy because so many people praise it? Ghavrel - 06/12/2009 09:11:18 AM 1462 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 1214 Views
Literati Larry - 06/12/2009 05:27:28 AM 1514 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 794 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 1555 Views
Actually, several of those books have been bestsellers and/or won several genre awards Larry - 06/12/2009 05:28:18 AM 1533 Views
I'm very ambivalent about A Wizard of Earthsea AgentOrange - 04/12/2009 05:18:00 PM 1535 Views
Possibly has to do with the times in which it was written/read Larry - 06/12/2009 05:29:27 AM 1492 Views
My Best Six best fantasy novels Nolan - 04/12/2009 07:44:12 PM 1283 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 1639 Views
I really need to get around to reading Mists of Avalon. Ghavrel - 04/12/2009 09:50:54 PM 1443 Views
Calenture Aeryn - 05/12/2009 12:44:14 AM 1402 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 1486 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 1524 Views
I don't read or buy books anymore. Aeryn - 06/12/2009 11:45:33 PM 1525 Views
I understand that Larry - 07/12/2009 12:55:46 AM 1593 Views
Okay, I'll give it a shot Tom - 04/12/2009 10:12:47 PM 1640 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 1391 Views
Yes, you Larry - 05/12/2009 03:51:25 AM 1563 Views
The Blogger Seems to Agree With You. The Name With No Man - 05/12/2009 10:10:07 PM 1566 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 1591 Views
Never Read It, But All Accounts Support That View. The Name With No Man - 06/12/2009 02:44:17 PM 1680 Views
Bending the terms a bit... Larry - 04/12/2009 11:21:33 PM 1655 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 1421 Views
Have you tried any standalones recently? Larry - 06/12/2009 05:33:41 AM 1550 Views
I always end up wanting more Deadsy - 06/12/2009 05:53:11 AM 1502 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 1613 Views
The only one on his list I would think about agreeing with is Meiville. MightyYT - 05/12/2009 03:11:25 AM 1572 Views
Have you tried Mark Danielewski's House of Leaves yet? Larry - 06/12/2009 05:34:48 AM 1423 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 1625 Views
He certainly has a specific kind of taste. rebelaessedai - 06/12/2009 02:20:30 AM 1446 Views
Pfft! Larry - 06/12/2009 06:54:24 AM 1361 Views
Who are you asking?? rebelaessedai - 07/12/2009 08:09:25 PM 1477 Views
Might give this a go myself... rebelaessedai - 06/12/2009 02:24:52 AM 1500 Views
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