chabot@amber.DEC (L S Chabot) (03/06/85)
At last able to put down _Cats_Have_No_Lord_ by Will * Shetterly, I can now recommend it (it's hard to type and read at the same time). It's new from Ace Fantasy (let's see, "April 1985"). This is good, fun fantasy, written with wit and charm. I particularly like this kind of telling, where things are only explained as long as you keep running as fast as you can with the characters, and this isn't easy since not all of them are heading the same direction, and then you only find out when they find out the same themselves (and you won't get any help/spoilers from me!). No mention in the author's biography, included at the end of the book, is made of Florida. * "All Cats Are Scum" L S Chabot UUCP: ...decwrl!dec-rhea!dec-amber!chabot ARPA: ...chabot%amber.DEC@decwrl.ARPA USFail: DEC, LMO4/H4, 150 Locke Drive, Marlborough, MA 01752
bobd@zaphod.UUCP (Bob Dalgleish) (03/14/85)
> At last able to put down _Cats_Have_No_Lord_ by Will * Shetterly, I can now > recommend it (it's hard to type and read at the same time). > L S Chabot ...decwrl!dec-rhea!dec-amber!chabot I must admit that the reviewers for the cover blurb (Brust and ???), put me off a bit when it was revealed that they and the author had cooperated in several workshops and publishing houses. However, I liked Brust's stories (_Jhereg_ and _Rendl_(sp)) very much. I don't know about ???. I hope that this talented group of people start a new culture of fantasy: where rules are set down so that they can be broken with anguish by the characters, where good guys (and the reader) are misled, and characters willing give up their (god-given) powers. Marvelous!!! I am always glad to see almost-mainstream quality fantasy. -- [The opinions expressed here are only loosely based on the facts] Bob Dalgleish ...!alberta!sask!zaphod!bobd ihnp4! (My company has disclaimed any knowledge of me and whatever I might say)
brust@hyper.UUCP (Steven Brust) (03/22/85)
> > At last able to put down _Cats_Have_No_Lord_ by Will * Shetterly, I can now > > recommend it (it's hard to type and read at the same time). > > L S Chabot ...decwrl!dec-rhea!dec-amber!chabot > > I must admit that the reviewers for the cover blurb (Brust and ???), put > me off a bit when it was revealed that they and the author had > cooperated in several workshops and publishing houses. However, I liked > Brust's stories (_Jhereg_ and _Rendl_(sp)) very much. I don't know about ???. ??? is Pat Wrede. I like her books. Especially TALKING TO DRAGONS and THE HARP OF IMACH THYSSAL. As for the recommandations, I am certain that Pat meant hers. I can almost guarentee that Brust meant his. Why does the relationship among the writers change this? Are you aware of the extant to which authors know each other? I'm not. Harlan Ellison recommends Heilein's FRIDAY. I wouldn't be at all surprised if they've met. Does this invalidate the recommendation? The point is that, in writing my recommendation, I felt that people who like my books will probably like Will's. Why? Because I like Will's, and I like mine. Therefore there is certain similarity in the appeal. > > I hope that this talented group of people start a new culture of > fantasy: where rules are set down so that they can be broken with > anguish by the characters, where good guys (and the reader) are misled, > and characters willing give up their (god-given) powers. > > Marvelous!!! I am always glad to see almost-mainstream quality fantasy. > -- Thank you for the adjective. If you really want mainstream quality writing in fantasy, I recommend the Gor books of John Norman. -- SKZB