hutch@shark.UUCP (02/13/84)
I spent some time on Sunday discussing with a friend the notion that
Chalker books ALL have the same set of basic features, and that if you
want to write a Chalker book, just pile them into place, and with a bit
of judicious stylistic imitation. . .
For instance, there will ALWAYS be a transformation of some kind in any
Chalker story. There is a strong tendency for this to be at least a
subliminally erotic transformation.
There is always an element of the underdog in the "hero" even when the
hero is super-competent, with the "mysterious forces of an unknowable
fate" controlling and manipulating the hero.
Women and men have essentially the same personality.
There will usually be at least one character (or society) who is evil not
necessarily because of corruption, but because of a mistaken notion that
what they think is "good for everyone else" is their right to impose.
There is usually magic in the Sturgeon sense: Sufficiently advanced
technology. This will often not be truly believable because of some
basic misunderstanding of physics.
There will be a tendency to put the female heroes into some kinky sort
of bondage situation, no matter what.
Anyway, about River of the Dancing Gods being a trilogy.
>From the last paragraph (quoted from memory):
You may regret calling this an epic. . .
Rule 35bii: All epics will be at least trilogies.
As spoken by the Archimage Ruddygore.
Hack hack,
Hutch