Basically, both get dubious kudos for trying something new by the dire standards of the day.
Werthead Send a noteboard - 10/09/2012 11:38:22 PM
In the case of ICEWIND DALE, Salvatore addresses the fact that in the FORGOTTEN REALMS setting dark elves/drow are considered irredeemably 100% evil by virtue of their race. For the ten years prior to that, they were treated as such in almost every gaming product and novel they appeared in. Salvatore inverted that and used it to address - in baby steps perhaps - the topics of prejudice and racism. Not very effectively, perhaps, but by the standards of D&D fiction this was a cut above - if only minuscully above - the standard fare.
Plus it helps that the dark elf in question dual-wields cool swords and his barbarian mate single-handedly kills a dragon at one point.
The DRAGONLANCE books were unusual (again, by the very moderate standards of the day) in focusing on a morally ambiguous protagonist (Raistlin) and his being pulled back and forth between the forces of good and evil, law and order, reality and delusion. It's like BABY'S FIRST THOMAS COVENANT, only without an awkward early rape scene and with the single most annoying character in the history of reading (Tasselhoff 'Jar-Jar Before There Was A Jar-Jar' Burrfoot) inserted instead.
Plus it helps that the dark elf in question dual-wields cool swords and his barbarian mate single-handedly kills a dragon at one point.
The DRAGONLANCE books were unusual (again, by the very moderate standards of the day) in focusing on a morally ambiguous protagonist (Raistlin) and his being pulled back and forth between the forces of good and evil, law and order, reality and delusion. It's like BABY'S FIRST THOMAS COVENANT, only without an awkward early rape scene and with the single most annoying character in the history of reading (Tasselhoff 'Jar-Jar Before There Was A Jar-Jar' Burrfoot) inserted instead.
This may be one of the most dire reviews you shall ever read
09/09/2012 09:12:25 PM
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A review of a D&D bestiary could be more dire.
09/09/2012 11:29:17 PM
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Perhaps
09/09/2012 11:50:20 PM
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They are popular as they are fun, easy reading books
10/09/2012 12:11:24 AM
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"Popular", "Fun," and "Easy" doesn't have to be equated with poorly-written
10/09/2012 12:16:27 AM
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Poorly written by what standard?
10/09/2012 12:29:17 AM
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By the standards of what I enjoyed as a nine year-old?
10/09/2012 01:04:12 AM
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So like I said, by the standards of Elitist Literary Snobs
11/09/2012 12:03:08 AM
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Nice attempt at sophistry, but alas, it fails
11/09/2012 12:38:24 AM
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Was that meant to make any sense?
11/09/2012 01:43:13 AM
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Re: Was that meant to make any sense?
11/09/2012 01:54:23 AM
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I'm with Wibble on this (big surprise)
12/09/2012 03:07:53 PM
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Heh.
12/09/2012 03:43:52 PM
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Pretty much so
12/09/2012 04:19:35 PM
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When did you put up that header?
12/09/2012 04:35:20 PM
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I didn't put it up
12/09/2012 04:51:32 PM
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I shall tread lightly so.
12/09/2012 06:15:51 PM
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12/09/2012 07:25:29 PM
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Re: Pretty much so
12/09/2012 08:50:57 PM
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You apparently do not read my blog/reviews much
12/09/2012 09:07:18 PM
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Actually, I read them almost never
13/09/2012 03:07:48 PM
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I think my IQ dropped a little bit when I parsed what you said
13/09/2012 04:16:21 PM
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Yep, your usual rebuttal... *NM*
17/09/2012 02:14:56 PM
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No, not really
17/09/2012 06:25:15 PM
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Yes, Yes, wrap yourself in arrogance and declare yourself correct until your opposite gets bored...
17/09/2012 11:12:17 PM
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Don't try to argue with them. They've made their judgments. They are better than you.
10/09/2012 09:36:17 PM
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Defensive much? *NM*
10/09/2012 10:31:17 PM
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Perhaps. It's annoying, because I tend to agree with you guys - you and Tom and Stephen.
11/09/2012 02:32:28 AM
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The odd thing that there wasn't any belittling on my part -see other response. *NM*
11/09/2012 03:17:36 AM
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For the record, I wasn't trying to be condescending in my response.
11/09/2012 05:52:29 PM
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He never said you couldn't enjoy it.
10/09/2012 11:10:11 PM
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He also went on to compare liking the books to having the standards of a nine-year-old.
11/09/2012 02:34:18 AM
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You didn't read what I said very well then
11/09/2012 03:16:21 AM
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You're right. In the context of this thread, I'm basically acting like a raving lunatic.
11/09/2012 02:48:19 PM
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It's not like any of us have ever been innocent 100% of the time
11/09/2012 03:49:22 PM
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I believe that they were not meant for adults.
10/09/2012 12:30:05 AM
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Very few of my friends were reading the books; some played the game, though
10/09/2012 01:06:07 AM
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Basically, both get dubious kudos for trying something new by the dire standards of the day.
10/09/2012 11:38:22 PM
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Interesting point
11/09/2012 12:41:01 AM
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Are you aware of the game's alignment rules? Some of the novels struggle with this.
12/09/2012 10:58:37 PM
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Not aware of it at all until now
12/09/2012 11:18:57 PM
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How is that possible?
12/09/2012 11:28:33 PM
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My dad was (and is) influenced by Evangelicals
13/09/2012 12:17:36 AM
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Wait, so you didn't read the Chronicles first?
13/09/2012 02:12:13 PM
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No
13/09/2012 02:18:03 PM
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Chronicles is considerably weaker
13/09/2012 11:14:38 PM
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Needless to say, once I finish reading the Icewind Dale trilogy, I'm done with D&D
14/09/2012 12:38:47 AM
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These threads are so much better than the rape threads! *NM*
12/09/2012 04:03:01 AM
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You're just waiting to see if I'll use hexameter in the next one *NM*
12/09/2012 04:32:31 AM
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And having now finished Dragonlance: Legends, its very own sonnet
13/09/2012 12:31:51 PM
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At least you didn't read the Baldur's Gate novelizations
14/09/2012 04:29:17 AM
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Sssssh!
14/09/2012 05:10:19 AM
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Baldurs Gate wooooo!
14/09/2012 04:13:34 PM
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Eh, Star Wars Expanded Universe I could see reading. Some of them are supposed to be good
17/09/2012 04:37:05 PM
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Is the review dire because of the subject or the sonnet form?
14/09/2012 04:24:37 PM
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Both
14/09/2012 04:36:59 PM
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it would be unusual for someone to just randomly pick books like that up
14/09/2012 05:05:37 PM
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Interesting scenario
14/09/2012 10:16:11 PM
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