Well, Valdemar is uneven. I agree about the single books being better, but those are the later ones as well, and she has been improving and writing to a more mature audience, much as Marion Zimmer Bradley did over the years. Take a Thief and Brightly Burning were both excellent.
Pratchett has had many ups and downs for me. I really enjoyed Going Postal but nothing since then has seemed as good. Small Gods and Pyramids might be my next favorites, closely followed by The Truth and Thief of Time. I tend to like the supporting cast more than the main characters: Granny Weatherwax, Carrot, Angua, Gaspode, Ridcully, and so forth. Some of his jokes, like the "Scone of Stone," for instance, are hilarious even at the third or fourth reading, but others fall flat the first time through. The concept of Igors is great, but his vampires are stereotypically dull. ;D
I guess there are some areas in North America that resemble The Chalk, but nowhere around here. They'd probably be in the southwest or out in the great plains. The native legends have less to do with fairies and little people and a lot more to do with intelligent and powerful animals and even trees. I rather like that but we don't see nearly as much literature about them. I've tried writing drips and drabs myself, but of course if it isn't erotica it doesn't find much traction in the furry world and it's too exotic for the mundane world.
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Date: 2010-10-13 12:36 am (UTC)Pratchett has had many ups and downs for me. I really enjoyed Going Postal but nothing since then has seemed as good. Small Gods and Pyramids might be my next favorites, closely followed by The Truth and Thief of Time. I tend to like the supporting cast more than the main characters: Granny Weatherwax, Carrot, Angua, Gaspode, Ridcully, and so forth. Some of his jokes, like the "Scone of Stone," for instance, are hilarious even at the third or fourth reading, but others fall flat the first time through. The concept of Igors is great, but his vampires are stereotypically dull. ;D
I guess there are some areas in North America that resemble The Chalk, but nowhere around here. They'd probably be in the southwest or out in the great plains. The native legends have less to do with fairies and little people and a lot more to do with intelligent and powerful animals and even trees. I rather like that but we don't see nearly as much literature about them. I've tried writing drips and drabs myself, but of course if it isn't erotica it doesn't find much traction in the furry world and it's too exotic for the mundane world.