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I just find Mieville's prose exceptionally standard. Ghavrel Send a noteboard - 06/12/2009 07:25:05 AM
There are a few writers who really wow me with the use of their writing--people who make me take notice of how they're saying something, not just what they're saying.

Dostoevsky. Tolkien. Vergil. Borges (and I expect this would be magnified exponentially were I able to read it in Spanish). Wolfe. I could come up with several others if I were to think for more than half a minute.

Mieville's prose is on par with Jordan's, in my opinion. His ideas are exceptional, but his writing is just... perfectly normal.

ADDENDUM: Faulkner, Hemingway, and Eco are three more.
"We feel safe when we read what we recognise, what does not challenge our way of thinking.... a steady acceptance of pre-arranged patterns leads to the inability to question what we are told."
~Camilla

Ghavrel is Ghavrel is Ghavrel

*MySmiley*

This message last edited by Ghavrel on 06/12/2009 at 07:25:41 AM
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Six best fantasy novels? Larry - 04/12/2009 05:54:54 AM 1732 Views
Best fantasy authors Tavi - 04/12/2009 07:01:48 AM 1424 Views
Have you read Robin Hobb? *NM* Deadsy - 04/12/2009 04:01:23 PM 714 Views
I have, and wasn't really impressed Tavi - 04/12/2009 10:08:25 PM 1248 Views
You definitely read the wrong stuff first Deadsy - 05/12/2009 12:12:07 AM 1349 Views
Agreed. unr3stricted - 09/12/2009 09:55:12 PM 1248 Views
Only read two. Book of the New Sun definitely deserves that spot. Mieville, not so much. Ghavrel - 04/12/2009 08:06:45 AM 1424 Views
Interesting. Werthead - 04/12/2009 05:21:04 PM 1287 Views
Why Mieville, if I may ask? *NM* Ghavrel - 04/12/2009 08:33:43 PM 726 Views
I didn't mean that to be a reply to you, but still Werthead - 05/12/2009 03:15:36 AM 1410 Views
No worries. Ghavrel - 05/12/2009 03:52:11 AM 1302 Views
But the list was for favorite books, not favorite or most important authors A Deathwatch Guard - 05/12/2009 10:25:13 AM 1242 Views
It was for "best" books. I realize that has a lot of meanings, though. *NM* Ghavrel - 05/12/2009 08:37:01 PM 567 Views
Hm... good point A Deathwatch Guard - 06/12/2009 02:19:13 AM 1025 Views
Glen Cook is radically overrated. Werthead - 05/12/2009 04:09:07 PM 1384 Views
Well, he's at least part of the wave that humanized fantasy. Ghavrel - 05/12/2009 08:36:29 PM 1131 Views
In the US, yes. Elsewhere, no, because they didn't know about him. Werthead - 06/12/2009 04:36:31 PM 1270 Views
Interesting. Ghavrel - 07/12/2009 02:15:37 AM 1201 Views
Two years? It was published in 2000... *NM* Legolas - 05/12/2009 09:03:33 PM 476 Views
Nine years is like two. *NM* Ghavrel - 06/12/2009 12:25:49 AM 649 Views
I've yet to read a Gene Wolfe. rebelaessedai - 06/12/2009 02:26:54 AM 1175 Views
Yes, yes, yes. Ghavrel - 06/12/2009 02:35:45 AM 1129 Views
You know I directly added almost all of those Wolfe quotes there, right? Larry - 06/12/2009 05:26:40 AM 1258 Views
I just find Mieville's prose exceptionally standard. Ghavrel - 06/12/2009 07:25:05 AM 1278 Views
Isn't that almost a contradiction of terms there? Larry - 06/12/2009 07:45:47 AM 1200 Views
It's remarkable for its normalcy because so many people praise it? Ghavrel - 06/12/2009 09:11:18 AM 1146 Views
Who the heck are these people? *NM* ironclad - 04/12/2009 12:46:48 PM 703 Views
I've never heard of any of them either.... *NM* Fantasy - 05/12/2009 02:58:11 AM 927 Views
Literati Larry - 06/12/2009 05:27:28 AM 1107 Views
Yeah you're so much better than us *NM* ironclad - 06/12/2009 12:00:27 PM 641 Views
Well, you can hardly expect a group to go around calling themselves "elitist snobs." *NM* Ghavrel - 07/12/2009 02:16:16 AM 608 Views
Is he trying to be cool by listing stuff that 90% of fantasy readers have never heard of? Deadsy - 04/12/2009 04:05:46 PM 1184 Views
Actually, several of those books have been bestsellers and/or won several genre awards Larry - 06/12/2009 05:28:18 AM 1182 Views
I'm very ambivalent about A Wizard of Earthsea AgentOrange - 04/12/2009 05:18:00 PM 1193 Views
Possibly has to do with the times in which it was written/read Larry - 06/12/2009 05:29:27 AM 1145 Views
My Best Six best fantasy novels Nolan - 04/12/2009 07:44:12 PM 942 Views
Re: My Best Six best fantasy novels *NM* Nolan - 04/12/2009 07:45:25 PM 542 Views
oops! *NM* Nolan - 04/12/2009 07:46:34 PM 584 Views
Re: Six best fantasy novels? Aeryn - 04/12/2009 09:06:18 PM 1288 Views
I really need to get around to reading Mists of Avalon. Ghavrel - 04/12/2009 09:50:54 PM 1071 Views
Calenture Aeryn - 05/12/2009 12:44:14 AM 1043 Views
That... sounds so cool. I'm going to check it out as soon as I get home. Ghavrel - 05/12/2009 03:53:55 AM 1152 Views
Ooh, I need to get my hands on Calenture. *NM* rebelaessedai - 06/12/2009 02:27:34 AM 627 Views
And ha! I thought it might be you. *NM* rebelaessedai - 06/12/2009 02:29:13 AM 615 Views
I'll eventually get to those in the near future Larry - 06/12/2009 05:31:29 AM 1174 Views
I don't read or buy books anymore. Aeryn - 06/12/2009 11:45:33 PM 1184 Views
I understand that Larry - 07/12/2009 12:55:46 AM 1220 Views
Okay, I'll give it a shot Tom - 04/12/2009 10:12:47 PM 1266 Views
You might more mythopoeic material in your fantasies, don't you? *NM* Larry - 04/12/2009 11:22:33 PM 655 Views
Mythopoeic? Who...me? Tom - 05/12/2009 02:19:03 AM 1063 Views
Yes, you Larry - 05/12/2009 03:51:25 AM 1199 Views
The Blogger Seems to Agree With You. The Name With No Man - 05/12/2009 10:10:07 PM 1207 Views
Book of the New Sun is very early 80's and is almost inarguably a classic of the genre. Ghavrel - 06/12/2009 12:26:55 AM 1226 Views
Never Read It, But All Accounts Support That View. The Name With No Man - 06/12/2009 02:44:17 PM 1357 Views
Bending the terms a bit... Larry - 04/12/2009 11:21:33 PM 1298 Views
n/a *NM* Aeryn - 05/12/2009 12:46:45 AM 552 Views
I like Grossman's list a lot more than Henry's. *NM* Legolas - 04/12/2009 11:41:36 PM 606 Views
Here are mine, but I probably haven't really read enough fantasy to have a top 5 Deadsy - 05/12/2009 12:16:13 AM 1081 Views
Have you tried any standalones recently? Larry - 06/12/2009 05:33:41 AM 1164 Views
I always end up wanting more Deadsy - 06/12/2009 05:53:11 AM 1164 Views
What if there were 50 more standalones that you could read that likely would be quite good? Larry - 06/12/2009 06:12:53 AM 1248 Views
The only one on his list I would think about agreeing with is Meiville. MightyYT - 05/12/2009 03:11:25 AM 1235 Views
Have you tried Mark Danielewski's House of Leaves yet? Larry - 06/12/2009 05:34:48 AM 1094 Views
No list is complete without Goodkind *NM* Choss Hauler - 05/12/2009 07:59:22 AM 667 Views
Sorry, I can't help it- no *porn* list is complete without Goodkind... *NM* rebelaessedai - 06/12/2009 02:21:22 AM 515 Views
For me....: A Deathwatch Guard - 05/12/2009 10:36:42 AM 1256 Views
He certainly has a specific kind of taste. rebelaessedai - 06/12/2009 02:20:30 AM 1099 Views
Pfft! Larry - 06/12/2009 06:54:24 AM 1004 Views
Who are you asking?? rebelaessedai - 07/12/2009 08:09:25 PM 1122 Views
Might give this a go myself... rebelaessedai - 06/12/2009 02:24:52 AM 1161 Views
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