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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 1970 Views
Best fantasy authors Tavi - 04/12/2009 07:01:48 AM 1668 Views
Have you read Robin Hobb? *NM* Deadsy - 04/12/2009 04:01:23 PM 839 Views
I have, and wasn't really impressed Tavi - 04/12/2009 10:08:25 PM 1482 Views
You definitely read the wrong stuff first Deadsy - 05/12/2009 12:12:07 AM 1598 Views
Agreed. unr3stricted - 09/12/2009 09:55:12 PM 1465 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 1653 Views
Interesting. Werthead - 04/12/2009 05:21:04 PM 1516 Views
Why Mieville, if I may ask? *NM* Ghavrel - 04/12/2009 08:33:43 PM 848 Views
I didn't mean that to be a reply to you, but still Werthead - 05/12/2009 03:15:36 AM 1642 Views
No worries. Ghavrel - 05/12/2009 03:52:11 AM 1538 Views
But the list was for favorite books, not favorite or most important authors A Deathwatch Guard - 05/12/2009 10:25:13 AM 1452 Views
It was for "best" books. I realize that has a lot of meanings, though. *NM* Ghavrel - 05/12/2009 08:37:01 PM 686 Views
Hm... good point A Deathwatch Guard - 06/12/2009 02:19:13 AM 1249 Views
Glen Cook is radically overrated. Werthead - 05/12/2009 04:09:07 PM 1597 Views
Well, he's at least part of the wave that humanized fantasy. Ghavrel - 05/12/2009 08:36:29 PM 1385 Views
In the US, yes. Elsewhere, no, because they didn't know about him. Werthead - 06/12/2009 04:36:31 PM 1470 Views
Interesting. Ghavrel - 07/12/2009 02:15:37 AM 1413 Views
Two years? It was published in 2000... *NM* Legolas - 05/12/2009 09:03:33 PM 596 Views
Nine years is like two. *NM* Ghavrel - 06/12/2009 12:25:49 AM 759 Views
I've yet to read a Gene Wolfe. rebelaessedai - 06/12/2009 02:26:54 AM 1405 Views
Yes, yes, yes. Ghavrel - 06/12/2009 02:35:45 AM 1360 Views
You know I directly added almost all of those Wolfe quotes there, right? Larry - 06/12/2009 05:26:40 AM 1487 Views
I just find Mieville's prose exceptionally standard. Ghavrel - 06/12/2009 07:25:05 AM 1516 Views
Isn't that almost a contradiction of terms there? Larry - 06/12/2009 07:45:47 AM 1420 Views
It's remarkable for its normalcy because so many people praise it? Ghavrel - 06/12/2009 09:11:18 AM 1339 Views
Who the heck are these people? *NM* ironclad - 04/12/2009 12:46:48 PM 823 Views
I've never heard of any of them either.... *NM* Fantasy - 05/12/2009 02:58:11 AM 1124 Views
Literati Larry - 06/12/2009 05:27:28 AM 1367 Views
Yeah you're so much better than us *NM* ironclad - 06/12/2009 12:00:27 PM 748 Views
Well, you can hardly expect a group to go around calling themselves "elitist snobs." *NM* Ghavrel - 07/12/2009 02:16:16 AM 724 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 1418 Views
Actually, several of those books have been bestsellers and/or won several genre awards Larry - 06/12/2009 05:28:18 AM 1411 Views
I'm very ambivalent about A Wizard of Earthsea AgentOrange - 04/12/2009 05:18:00 PM 1407 Views
Possibly has to do with the times in which it was written/read Larry - 06/12/2009 05:29:27 AM 1367 Views
My Best Six best fantasy novels Nolan - 04/12/2009 07:44:12 PM 1151 Views
Re: My Best Six best fantasy novels *NM* Nolan - 04/12/2009 07:45:25 PM 651 Views
oops! *NM* Nolan - 04/12/2009 07:46:34 PM 693 Views
Re: Six best fantasy novels? Aeryn - 04/12/2009 09:06:18 PM 1525 Views
I really need to get around to reading Mists of Avalon. Ghavrel - 04/12/2009 09:50:54 PM 1322 Views
Calenture Aeryn - 05/12/2009 12:44:14 AM 1283 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 1369 Views
Ooh, I need to get my hands on Calenture. *NM* rebelaessedai - 06/12/2009 02:27:34 AM 741 Views
And ha! I thought it might be you. *NM* rebelaessedai - 06/12/2009 02:29:13 AM 740 Views
I'll eventually get to those in the near future Larry - 06/12/2009 05:31:29 AM 1413 Views
I don't read or buy books anymore. Aeryn - 06/12/2009 11:45:33 PM 1406 Views
I understand that Larry - 07/12/2009 12:55:46 AM 1468 Views
Okay, I'll give it a shot Tom - 04/12/2009 10:12:47 PM 1511 Views
You might more mythopoeic material in your fantasies, don't you? *NM* Larry - 04/12/2009 11:22:33 PM 767 Views
Mythopoeic? Who...me? Tom - 05/12/2009 02:19:03 AM 1281 Views
Yes, you Larry - 05/12/2009 03:51:25 AM 1440 Views
The Blogger Seems to Agree With You. The Name With No Man - 05/12/2009 10:10:07 PM 1452 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 1465 Views
Never Read It, But All Accounts Support That View. The Name With No Man - 06/12/2009 02:44:17 PM 1558 Views
Bending the terms a bit... Larry - 04/12/2009 11:21:33 PM 1528 Views
n/a *NM* Aeryn - 05/12/2009 12:46:45 AM 681 Views
I like Grossman's list a lot more than Henry's. *NM* Legolas - 04/12/2009 11:41:36 PM 726 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 1298 Views
Have you tried any standalones recently? Larry - 06/12/2009 05:33:41 AM 1388 Views
I always end up wanting more Deadsy - 06/12/2009 05:53:11 AM 1384 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 1485 Views
The only one on his list I would think about agreeing with is Meiville. MightyYT - 05/12/2009 03:11:25 AM 1458 Views
Have you tried Mark Danielewski's House of Leaves yet? Larry - 06/12/2009 05:34:48 AM 1315 Views
No list is complete without Goodkind *NM* Choss Hauler - 05/12/2009 07:59:22 AM 781 Views
Sorry, I can't help it- no *porn* list is complete without Goodkind... *NM* rebelaessedai - 06/12/2009 02:21:22 AM 612 Views
For me....: A Deathwatch Guard - 05/12/2009 10:36:42 AM 1500 Views
He certainly has a specific kind of taste. rebelaessedai - 06/12/2009 02:20:30 AM 1319 Views
Pfft! Larry - 06/12/2009 06:54:24 AM 1231 Views
Who are you asking?? rebelaessedai - 07/12/2009 08:09:25 PM 1343 Views
Might give this a go myself... rebelaessedai - 06/12/2009 02:24:52 AM 1383 Views
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