As I've said in the past, I'd be scared if anyone agreed with me anywhere approaching 100%
Larry Send a noteboard - 12/12/2011 06:33:52 PM
It's just that I know there are some who are reluctant to accept that I can have strong opinions about something they like without judging them by it, so they are likely to respond by calling me "arrogant," "self-serving," "judgmental," and so forth. Best to permit them that comfort than to argue, I suppose.
Knowing about some of your work with children for much of the past decade, I'd find it hard to believe any of those labels came anywhere near the truth.
Maybe so, but I do keep that part of my life largely separate from online activities, which might lead to distortions, I guess.
I freely admit I disagree with you from time to time, but neither do I take umbrage about that fact.
I rarely get upset when people disagree and certainly not when it's just a difference of opinion being expressed and not ad hominems.
What I said on Twitter is that I may appear to be an asshole in being so direct (I linked to this post), but I believe that one sometimes has to "slaughter sacred cows in order for there to be progress," meaning that I am not a fan of works that slavishly emulate a particular work and that sometimes reading should be more than wanting more of the same. It's not a personal judgment against others, but rather a statement of personal taste.
Bold and underline are my emphasis, about which I totally agree. I said to Tom that I don't read much anymore - and what I do is sci fi or fantasy, but it's pretty rare for me to find a title that's both new and interesting for precisely this reason because I do want something new for my imagination to explore instead of a barrage of the same, rehashed tripe. It's one reason I do enjoy Sanderson: all the different magic systems whatever his other flaws as a writer (dialogue, I believe, is one of your sticking points with him ).
I don't think of Sanderson as anything more than a slightly more creative version of the same old, but he does know how to plot a novel fairly well. Now if only I could get more people to try reading Michael Cisco...
Also, going back to your first statement, Tolkien is a sacred cow that needs to be slaughtered to some extent. Respected as a "founder father", sure... but the story and writing of the Lord of the Rings really isn't all that and a bag of chips, either.
I replied to your reposted reviews, which you've likely seen by now - so we can discuss further in that thread, if you want.
I'll try to have something more to say later today. Have a few things to do shortly before I go buy my drugs in preps for my dental surgery tomorrow. Might not be a good idea for me to write anything the next two days
Illusions fall like the husk of a fruit, one after another, and the fruit is experience. - Narrator, Sylvie
Je suis méchant.
Je suis méchant.
Aren't the Tolkien comparisons getting a little...old?
09/12/2011 09:51:39 PM
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The comparison bothers me, but not because Tolkien isn't relevant.
09/12/2011 10:05:22 PM
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Only when shit works are being compared to him
09/12/2011 10:22:26 PM
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Larry,
10/12/2011 01:13:18 AM
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Snide dismissal that will be passed off as for his own entertainment.
10/12/2011 04:55:43 AM
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Well-deserved condescension.
11/12/2011 03:54:27 AM
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You're sure about that?
11/12/2011 04:20:26 AM
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Re: You're sure about that?
11/12/2011 05:25:08 AM
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Re: You're sure about that?
11/12/2011 06:03:02 AM
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i think you shouldn't judge a whole world's school programs on your school
11/12/2011 06:42:30 AM
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If you're arguing that children should be able to read genre fiction, fine.
11/12/2011 08:52:27 PM
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Well, I suppose it depends on the type of genre being read
11/12/2011 09:36:16 PM
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How often do you hear the challenging writers mentioned at this site?
12/12/2011 02:03:05 PM
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Only when you, me, and a couple others write reviews
12/12/2011 04:21:14 PM
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Oh, it was the same as it always is
12/12/2011 05:23:56 PM
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Much of the actual "Classics", that is, Greek and Latin originals, kids would eat up.
12/12/2011 03:13:03 AM
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You're upfront and honest about it; he isn't. The difference matters to me. *NM*
11/12/2011 05:18:42 AM
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this is a bit off topic, but out of curiousity...
11/12/2011 06:28:35 AM
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I've discussed this dozens of times at this site. Perhaps you've missed all of the posts.
11/12/2011 08:57:44 PM
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mk I'll go look. I probably did miss it (or at least don't remember it!)
11/12/2011 09:08:02 PM
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I have a successful career that was inspired by the video games I played as a child. *NM*
11/12/2011 05:52:21 PM
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Now let's get all the people who just pissed their lives away with video games and see the %.
11/12/2011 08:58:42 PM
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The majority of players neither waste their lives nor make a career out of it.
11/12/2011 11:29:29 PM
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Yeah, sorry, I don't think you could say that with a straight face in real life. *NM*
12/12/2011 04:13:52 AM
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Then you have a closed mind on the subject. Ironic, considering your stance on edification. *NM*
12/12/2011 05:47:50 AM
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No, just with respect to you. *NM*
12/12/2011 02:00:15 PM
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Tom, you pulled the "Say that to my face!" line. You lost the right to talk about respect. *NM*
12/12/2011 03:20:15 PM
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Once again, I really don't care what you think. *NM*
12/12/2011 03:37:40 PM
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Did I imply that you did? My apologies. I'd hate to insinuate that you'd stoop that low. *NM*
12/12/2011 04:13:25 PM
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As well read as you seem to be, you think you'd be smart enough...
11/12/2011 06:20:06 PM
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I thought I have made it clear that I don't care if people don't like me here.
11/12/2011 08:44:58 PM
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Re: I thought I have made it clear that I don't care if people don't like me here.
12/12/2011 04:04:37 PM
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That statement has just confused me.
12/12/2011 04:06:53 PM
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Re: That statement has just confused me.
12/12/2011 04:14:27 PM
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I never learned Hittite. I had a book on pre-order for a long time but never ended up getting it.
12/12/2011 05:41:03 PM
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What you have made clear, I think, is the fact that you deal in generalizations and stereotypes.
12/12/2011 10:12:12 PM
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There's an unintentional irony in what you say, alas
13/12/2011 12:44:26 AM
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Tom, Dick, or Larry...you may use your true first name, but you're still an anonymous entity to most
13/12/2011 04:49:35 AM
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With such comeback skills, you must have ruled the playgrounds as a kid, no?
13/12/2011 05:21:42 AM
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There are no special snowflakes, are there?
11/12/2011 09:39:21 PM
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There are many way of widening one's horizons and broadening one's mind.
11/12/2011 10:08:24 PM
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What I don't like-
12/12/2011 04:28:55 AM
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Why don't you name something, then?
12/12/2011 04:40:29 AM
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Sure.
13/12/2011 07:30:56 AM
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Mentioning Ender's Game pretty much shot your argument in the foot.
13/12/2011 02:02:59 PM
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You dismiss the entire video game medium because many games lack value.
13/12/2011 03:59:11 PM
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You're like the McDonald's paid advocate trying to say Big Macs are actually healthy.
13/12/2011 05:46:37 PM
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I'll leave it up to others to define as they wish against their self-conceptions of me
10/12/2011 10:52:54 AM
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that's alright. I really have no desire to stroke your twit-ego. *NM*
10/12/2011 04:36:56 PM
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Considering the firestorm I appear to have touched off, that may be best.
12/12/2011 12:57:49 PM
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I know, John
12/12/2011 04:27:04 PM
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Re: I know, John
12/12/2011 05:06:26 PM
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As I've said in the past, I'd be scared if anyone agreed with me anywhere approaching 100%
12/12/2011 06:33:52 PM
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Re: As I've said in the past, I'd be scared if anyone agreed with me anywhere approaching 100%
12/12/2011 07:13:37 PM
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Blurbs are not generally very original in their comparisons - would kind of defeat their purpose.
09/12/2011 10:42:17 PM
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Maybe if so much of the genre weren't crap derivative works it wouldn't be so common. *NM*
11/12/2011 03:44:24 AM
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To be fair, a lot of it isn't.
11/12/2011 04:06:07 AM
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I suspect that if it really isn't derivative it's not being compared to Tolkien in the first place.
11/12/2011 04:18:57 AM
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That's true.
11/12/2011 11:08:01 AM
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But see, that's where things start to get referred back to Tolkien.
12/12/2011 04:30:12 AM
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The Tolkien fanaticism gets old. And yes, for me it is unreadable.
11/12/2011 11:37:53 PM
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No, because the movies are very contemporary and relevant, thus he will remain so for quite a while.
12/12/2011 03:14:53 AM
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Disagree all you want, but LotR is still the touchstone when it comes to works of fantasy.
12/12/2011 03:48:20 AM
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