mike@bambi.UUCP (Michael Caplinger) (09/18/85)
Why do people like TEA WITH THE BLACK DRAGON? I just read it recently, and to my mind, it's a mediocre mystery story, with a not-terribly- interesting computer tie-in, and a small amount of poorly explained mysticism to justify the "fantasy" label. Maybe there's something I'm missing? Since many people seem quite fond of this book, perhaps you can tell me why. - Mike
leeper@mtgzz.UUCP (m.r.leeper) (09/21/85)
>Why do people like TEA WITH THE BLACK DRAGON? I just read >it recently, and to my mind, it's a mediocre mystery story, >with a not-terribly- interesting computer tie-in, and a >small amount of poorly explained mysticism to justify the >"fantasy" label. I am not terribly fond of the book, but it was enjoyable. The basic plot could have been from a ROCKFORD FILES and the fantasy, albeit only a minor part of the story, was well done. The reason I liked it is the writing style. MacAvoy writes clear, simple prose. She doesn't throw in 35 weird names and concepts. I will get around to reviewing JHEREG soon. It has some good prose too, but it requires too darn much memory to keep straight what is happening in what ultimately turns out to be a simple story. MacAvoy is for me easy reading. Mark Leeper ...ihnp4!mtgzz!leeper
chuqui@nsc.UUCP (Chuq Von Rospach) (09/22/85)
In article <1200@mtgzz.UUCP> leeper@mtgzz.UUCP (m.r.leeper) writes: > > >Why do people like TEA WITH THE BLACK DRAGON? I just read > >it recently, and to my mind, it's a mediocre mystery story, > >with a not-terribly- interesting computer tie-in, and a > >small amount of poorly explained mysticism to justify the > >"fantasy" label. > >I am not terribly fond of the book, but it was enjoyable. Well, I AM terribly fond of the book, mainly because it is a book of mood and characterization and people. R.A. MacAvoy has evidently figured out (and this is true of Damiano as well) that you can tell a good story by simply writing about people well. After the cardboard that a lot of SF/Fantasy writers have a tendency to use to prop up their latest technical gimmickry, this is a breath of fresh air. Consider it a gentle reminder that you don't need a gosh-wow sword or magic ring or laser blaster to tell a story, as long as you're willing to give up the part of the audience that can't handle subtle stories. -- Chuq Von Rospach nsc!chuqui@decwrl.ARPA {decwrl,hplabs,ihnp4}!nsc!chuqui Take time to stop and count the ewoks...
jimb@ISM780B.UUCP (09/23/85)
I can explain my feelings about TWTBD best by metaphor. It's a nice,
delicate, fragile story, full of subtleties that compare to most fantasy
(which I also like) the way that a soap bubble compares to a baseball or
Szechuan cuisine compares to steak and potatoes.
So much writing, even by fairly decent writers, stoops to bashing the gentle
reader over the head. In TEA, MacAvoy is so understated without being
boring. It's also a story that plays nicely with ambiguities of both plot
and character instead of being cut-and-dried.
"Concerning matters of taste, there is no disputing." -- Cicero (?)
Obviously, Cicero (or whoever) lived before the days of the net.
-- Look, there's the pie in the sky now! --
Jim Brunet
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