EP262: Cruciger

[Unblinking]

I don't know.  I actually quite liked "Elfstones."  I felt like Terry Brooks managed to make his world much more unique in that one and gave it a sense of place instead of just Middle-Earth with the serial numbers filed off.

And you can't tell me that "Druid of Shannara" and "Elf Queen of Shannara" aren't both just awesome by themselves.  That series as a whole is middling-to-fair, as the first and fourth books are mediocre at best and the overplot isn't really all there, but that stone city thing... man.  That stuff is rad.

I thought both "Elfstones" and "Wishsong" were of low quality, trying to suck more money out of a concept that he'd taken as far as he could.  I guess I was thinking of the original "trilogy" only when I referred to the followup books disparagingly.  I haven't read Druid or Elf Queen since I was a teen but I remember enjoying those very much, because the writing and ideas just seemed much better and not just rehashes of the original, the Shadowen being a cool component especially, and the stone city.  I particularly liked Walker Boh (I think that was his name).

I believe Druid was the 2nd Shannara book I ever picked up, having no money at the time and instead only able to grab whatever book was available at the library.

[Scattercat]

"Wishsong" is a bit pants, since it basically relies heavily on the Magic Omnipotence power for its plot and resolution.  I liked the implacable horror-movie of "Elfstones," though, and it was one of the earliest books I read that really subverted a trope strongly.

(What is it with "Cruciger" and spin-off discussions?  Isn't this like the third digression?)

[kibitzer]

"Wishsong" is a bit pants...

Are you English, cat?? Thought you was an USian.

[Scattercat]

"Wishsong" is a bit pants...

Are you English, cat?? Thought you was an USian.

My formative years were significantly shaped by Monty Python, Terry Pratchett, and P.G. Wodehouse.  I am prone to veering wildly from patois to patois in my speech and writing, switching from online slang to oddball Britishisms to Buffy-speak to academic papers more or less at random. 

I'm USian, but one who is widely read and fond of linguistic oddities.  I pick up my slang where I find it.  "Manky" is another excellent British word that doesn't get as much use as it should, for instance.  I do have to police myself to avoid putting "a bit" and "rather" in every sentence. 

[Wilson Fowlie]

Apropos of the Gandalf discussion.  (Note: the best part is at the bottom.)

[Prophet]

I just wanted to say this EP episode was my first. And I loved it! Good story and well read. I've been hooked on Escape Pod ever since.

Only part I didn't like? Finding out hour-long episodes are not typical. 

[kibitzer]

I just wanted to say this EP episode was my first. And I loved it! Good story and well read. I've been hooked on Escape Pod ever since.

Only part I didn't like? Finding out hour-long episodes are not typical. 

Well, good intro, then! Stick around. Hope you enjoy the ride.