Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time as science fiction?

[XMan]

This is kind of weird, I started reading the series out of anythig else to read . . . A Feast For Crows won't be out till around Christmas, and Goodkind just released his latest.

So I remember in parts of one of the books in the series they had talked about glass bulbs that used to give off light . . . ie, lightbulbs. And then I'm reading Eye of the World and I notice this . . .

"Tell us about Lenn," Egwene called. "How he flew to the moon in the belly of an eagle made of fire. Tell about his dauther Salya walking among the stars."

Now maybe I'm reading too much into this, or maybe it's the fact that I read at 5:30 this morning, but couldn't you take that as John Glenn and Sally Ride? OK, far fetched, I know, but what the hell . . . one of the most interesting things to me about Terry Brooks' Shannarra series is the fact he intimates that their world is our own - in the first book, Shea and his companions fight a mutant robot, and one of the most fearsome weapons in the book is called the Stihl (chainsaw) and is referred to something in the old world that was changed when the world did.

Anybody else catch anything like this?

 

[BigNeko]

Saberhagen did the same thing in the Lost Swords books.
McCaffrey also did the same thing in The Dragonriders of Pern.
Left out the details in case someone`s going to read these.

 

[XMan]

McCaffrey also did the same thing in The Dragonriders of Pern.

That's true, I had forgotten about that. Heck, I thought Dragonsdawn (the prequel to the rest of the Pern books) was better than any of the other Pern books. 😉

 

[BigNeko]

Didn`t read that one. She lost me with the Dragondrummer, Dragonsinger stuff. Oh well, amazon.com to the rescue.

Little dragons + man = Big dragons

 

[samgau]

there are a few more references to our world in that series.... i've read it 3 times... the whole series.. well nearly... hte first time i read it book 5 wasn't out yet... the second time book 7 was on the point of coming out... and the last time was after book nine came out... my wife and her friend are also into this series... makes for interesting conversation.. 🙂

 

[Fraggle]

Not really related to the topic, but: Anyone else disgusted with Terry Goodkind?

Wizard's First Rule was a good'un, and maybe one or two of the sequels. But MAN, does the rest of series SUCK. He needs to let the series die, but I guess he's in a rut without any other inspiration. "Weak, sappy, & crappy" is how I'd describe the last couple I read from him... no, I don't buy his stuff anymore & that's about all I can do. But since his first couple were good, I feel that he's wasting his talent.

I pray Robert Jordan doesn't go that direction & that he finishes relatively strongly... hard to maintain a 10 book series and be ALL solid, but he's got about as much of what it would take as anyone.

George R.R. Martin is king for me right now, but we've gotta wait until September or later for his next Fire & Ice installment. Whatta master!

sorry for OT - OTing.

 

[BettyBoop]

I agree with Fraggle about George R.R. Martin. He has spoiled me, and everything else in the genre looks thin and wan by comparison.

Funny story about Martin. I saw him speak at an SF convention a few years ago.

One of the questions he was asked: "What does the R.R. stand for?"

His answer: "Railroad."

(That could apply to Tolkien, too!)

 

[DaveSimmons]

<< I agree with Fraggle about George R.R. Martin. He has spoiled me, and everything else in the genre looks thin and wan by comparison. >>



Have you looked at:
Elizabeth Moon - The Book of Paksenarrion

L. E. Modesitt Jr. - The Magic of Recluce (actually The Magic Engineer and Towers of the Sunset are better, but the series really should be read in publication order)

Steven Brust - The Book of Jhereg

Moon and Modesitt in particular are far better than "thin and wan."

 

[XMan]

Not really related to the topic, but: Anyone else disgusted with Terry Goodkind?

Wizard's First Rule was a good'un, and maybe one or two of the sequels. But MAN, does the rest of series SUCK. He needs to let the series die, but I guess he's in a rut without any other inspiration. "Weak, sappy, & crappy" is how I'd describe the last couple I read from him... no, I don't buy his stuff anymore & that's about all I can do. But since his first couple were good, I feel that he's wasting his talent.

You obviously haven't read "The Pillars of Creation" yet. I think Richard and Kahlan were in it for all of 25 pages. That takes guts - I'm surprised his publisher didn't go apopleptic.

 

[Fraggle]

Xerox Man:

<< You obviously haven't read "The Pillars of Creation" yet. I think Richard and Kahlan were in it for all of 25 pages. That takes guts - I'm surprised his publisher didn't go apopleptic. >>



True, I haven't read it. As I mentioned, my last couple Goodkind books made me too annoyed to get anymore of the $25 hard-covers he seemed to be pumping out every year. I'm not the type to hold a grudge & certainly not with someone who doesn't know I exist, but I've lost enough faith in him that I'm not likely to buy anymore of his work or spend time reading them... If a writer can write & sell, that's great. The complaints I have are relatively minor in the scheme of things.🙂

DaveSimmons:

<< L. E. Modesitt Jr. - The Magic of Recluce (actually The Magic Engineer and Towers of the Sunset are better, but the series really should be read in publication order) >>



Yeah, I've heard good stuff bout the Recluse series and I've got copies laying around from when my siblings read them. Just gotta get around to reading them... but if I pick a good SF or Fantasy novel up, the reading I'm supposed to do for my Literature courses simply doesn't happen; Jane Eyre simply doesn't stand a chance... If only someone would axe someone else, or shoot them with a damn laser...something! I guess the 19th century was boring. 😉

I read a couple of Steven Brust's books... one or two Vlad Taltos-related ones and one or two Jhereg ones. I enjoyed them pretty well, but I think I got tired of the situational & character-interaction comedic style that Brust always likes to employ... funny, but not quite enough for a whole book of reading. Too stilted maybe? But still good stuff.

 

[XMan]

True, I haven't read it. As I mentioned, my last couple Goodkind books made me too annoyed to get anymore of the $25 hard-covers he seemed to be pumping out every year. I'm not the type to hold a grudge & certainly not with someone who doesn't know I exist, but I've lost enough faith in him that I'm not likely to buy anymore of his work or spend time reading them... If a writer can write & sell, that's great. The complaints I have are relatively minor in the scheme of things.🙂

I don't have a problem with Goodkind releasing his books frequently, that's what most publishers are looking for. Unless your name is Robert Jordan, Stephen King, or Jean Auel, it's hard to get away with a hiatus from writing. Readers tend to forget. Interestingly enough, I believe the first four books of WOT were released in a two year span!

 

[AndrewR]

I pray Robert Jordan doesn't go that direction & that he finishes relatively strongly...

He dropped the "strongly" part about book four or five. He's milking the story IMO. I stopped at eight and sold them to someone. 🙂

 

[Fraggle]

<< He dropped the "strongly" part about book four or five. He's milking the story IMO. I stopped at eight and sold them to someone.


agree. strongly isn't the right word... he could easily have cut out 2 of the most recent books (maybe more, but i really do just enjoy reading his writing & character interaction). "gracefully", maybe? ya, prolly just milking it. it'd be even more of a damn'ed shame if R.R. Martin were to do the same, but i don't yet have any reason to suspect him of it. >>

😕