Escape Artists

The Arcade => Polling Place => Topic started by: Ocicat on July 15, 2010, 05:41:54 PM

Title: Fantasy Literature Poll - Group J
Post by: Ocicat on July 15, 2010, 05:41:54 PM
American Gods joins the second round, along with the Iliad.  I guess our voters really do have appreciation for both new and old works of fantasy.  Coming in tied at a respectable if distant third place were Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

This week, we finally have the first classic of 20th century Fantasy, that redefined the genre and inspired and informed everything that's come since.  It's the origin of our modern conception of fairies and elves, not to mention the popular view of pirates.  Yes folks, we have Peter Pan!

And some other stuff too.
Title: Re: Fantasy Literature Poll - Group J
Post by: Ocicat on July 18, 2010, 05:20:11 PM
Wow, you guys are quiet this week.  Everyone must be over at the EP Flash contest.  But I wanted to put in a good word for Tim Power's Fault Line series. 

Tim does magic with consistent rules better than anyone.  He sets up how it works, then plays within it's bounds - and then brings in odd bits of history and shows how they could be interpreted in light of the fantasy element.  This series takes place in the modern day up and down the West Coast, involving ghosts and people who want to eat them, the last breath of Thomas Edison captured in a jar, the hands from Houdini's tombstone, the Fisher King in Las Vegas, and Dionysus in the California wine country. 

These are pretty dense books, even for Powers.  It just isn't light reading, so be warned.  Also, the first and second books are more or less stand alone, with different sets of characters.  The third book combines both sets of characters and plot threads from the previous novels, so there is a lot going on there.  Don't go in expecting the traditional trilogy format. 

But if you want to try some urban fantasy that's unique and smart, give it a try.  If you want your urban fantasy to have vampires or elves, look elsewhere.
Title: Re: Fantasy Literature Poll - Group J
Post by: eytanz on July 18, 2010, 06:00:56 PM
Last Call is one of my favorite books. But I don't like the other two books in the fault line series nearly as much. The second I found good and not great. And the third, good on its own merits, I disliked because I didn't like the intrusion of the second book's characters into the lives of the Last Call cast.

I think it's mostly that Last Call really read as a beutiful, self-contained story, and I didn't really want to see it revisited. However, I like it enough that I voted for the series on its merits alone.
Title: Re: Fantasy Literature Poll - Group J
Post by: Scattercat on July 18, 2010, 06:39:06 PM
Honestly, I haven't read most of these.  I got sick of Piers Anthony back in high school before I found out just how big of a weirdo he is, and Tim Powers has just never grown on me despite repeated efforts from me to become interested.  Don't know "Mythago" or "Book of the New Sun."  Didn't really like "Peter Pan" when I read it as a youth.  Couldn't ever even get through the Thomas Covenant series, mostly because of his reaction to the "dream world" in the first one.  "Oh, hey, nothing I do has consequences, so now I can let out my inner desire for violent rape!"  Ew.  Srsly ew. 

I voted for China Mieville because he's an awesome writer as well as being kind of a douchebag, and I voted for Tolkien because he's TOLKIEN, fer gawsh sakes.
Title: Re: Fantasy Literature Poll - Group J
Post by: lowky on July 19, 2010, 03:06:36 PM
I read many but not all of these, I enjoyed the Thomas Covenant Chronicles minus the rape.  I read the incarnations of immortality about two years ago, after having all but given up on Xanth etc.  LotRs is what it is.  I reread it last before the movies came out.  Tolkein is both to be praised as the source of much good reading as well as blamed for much derivative crap. 

Title: Re: Fantasy Literature Poll - Group J
Post by: Scattercat on July 19, 2010, 04:24:09 PM
I don't think you can blame someone for being so awesome that stupid people looking to jump on a gravy train try to imitate the mere form of his work in the belief that they too can be as awesome as their object of envy.
Title: Re: Fantasy Literature Poll - Group J
Post by: lowky on July 20, 2010, 12:05:25 AM
I don't think you can blame someone for being so awesome that stupid people looking to jump on a gravy train try to imitate the mere form of his work in the belief that they too can be as awesome as their object of envy.
blame is too strong a word, but you understood what I meant.