I posted this before, but I'll post it again:
The more I read Sanderson, the more I miss RJ's subtlety that Sanderson just utterly, completely lacks. He's a fine writer; he's doing a great job keeping up with characters, interweaving plotlines, and keeping the story moving forward. But what he is not fine at is giving us information: RJ was a master of telling us what was REALLY going on without actually saying it. He wrote for the intelligent reader, and left it to us to piece together the motives and actions of the players. We had to play the Game of Houses, and it adds fun, appeal, and depth to the story.
After reading Graendal's POV, I felt like I was reading a Dan Brown novel. Every last detail about the scene that anyone had questioned was directly addressed. Graendal had thoughts that were not realistic--they only existed to provide us with direct information (i.e. the rats and ravens have to report to the DO; that the TP acts differently, etc.).
I've noticed this throughout TGS, and it's an issue that has been steadily building. I can't really blame BS too much, but I wish he would spend a bit more effort not treating us like high-school readers. I'm really not looking forward to the scene where Graendal is doing dishes and thinks, "The rag she used to wipe the silver goblet reminded her of the cloth Asmodean wore around his neck when she killed him, after having waited for fifteen minutes in the storage room and using a tweeter to track his position."
The more I read Sanderson, the more I miss RJ's subtlety that Sanderson just utterly, completely lacks. He's a fine writer; he's doing a great job keeping up with characters, interweaving plotlines, and keeping the story moving forward. But what he is not fine at is giving us information: RJ was a master of telling us what was REALLY going on without actually saying it. He wrote for the intelligent reader, and left it to us to piece together the motives and actions of the players. We had to play the Game of Houses, and it adds fun, appeal, and depth to the story.
After reading Graendal's POV, I felt like I was reading a Dan Brown novel. Every last detail about the scene that anyone had questioned was directly addressed. Graendal had thoughts that were not realistic--they only existed to provide us with direct information (i.e. the rats and ravens have to report to the DO; that the TP acts differently, etc.).
I've noticed this throughout TGS, and it's an issue that has been steadily building. I can't really blame BS too much, but I wish he would spend a bit more effort not treating us like high-school readers. I'm really not looking forward to the scene where Graendal is doing dishes and thinks, "The rag she used to wipe the silver goblet reminded her of the cloth Asmodean wore around his neck when she killed him, after having waited for fifteen minutes in the storage room and using a tweeter to track his position."
mistakes sanderson makes that bug you
23/09/2010 05:38:52 PM
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Bael mentioning the Aiel Waste; characters using words that are too sophisticated or techical
23/09/2010 06:11:34 PM
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I completely agree...
23/09/2010 08:54:17 PM
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Re: I completely agree...
24/09/2010 01:57:38 AM
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Re: I completely agree...
24/09/2010 06:39:17 PM
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Oh, sh**, Moiraine! I never thought about that! The comments about her in tGS suggest you're right
26/09/2010 03:23:56 AM
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The entire Graendal scene
23/09/2010 06:27:03 PM
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I think this is the type of info that RJ never got around to revealing.
23/09/2010 08:46:51 PM
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Particularly the way he described sex. It reeked of Mormon discomfort with the topic.
24/09/2010 02:04:08 AM
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Reeked? Great word. It seemed quite in line with RJ's own dealings with the topic. *NM*
24/09/2010 03:42:28 AM
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RJ had great sexual humor--he even went a little overboard sometimes IMO
24/09/2010 11:28:25 PM
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Re: RJ had great sexual humor--he even went a little overboard sometimes IMO
25/09/2010 08:56:47 PM
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RJ said breasts all the time, but in a more clinical manner - folding arms under breasts, etc
26/09/2010 03:33:09 AM
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Actually, didn't RJ do the Forsaken infodump thing too?
24/09/2010 04:09:48 AM
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Re: Actually, didn't RJ do the Forsaken infodump thing too?
24/09/2010 05:36:23 PM
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A lot of those are reasons why I always thought she was alive..
24/09/2010 06:10:35 PM
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Re: A lot of those are reasons why I always thought she was alive..
24/09/2010 07:54:54 PM
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Re: Actually, didn't RJ do the Forsaken infodump thing too?
25/09/2010 10:02:02 AM
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Re: Actually, didn't RJ do the Forsaken infodump thing too?
25/09/2010 08:48:05 PM
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Not really a mistake, I guess
25/09/2010 09:45:54 PM
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Well...
26/09/2010 06:30:54 AM
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Thanks. I think I didn't notice it with RJ because
26/09/2010 06:35:47 AM
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