Outside of a Dog: Wells, Martha: Element of Fire, The

Kate

Kate wrote on March 13, 2002 at 5:41 PM:

I've also posted this to rec.arts.sf.written.

Trent Goulding

Trent Goulding wrote on March 13, 2002 at 6:38 PM:

Hmm, what are the other Wells books that you've read? If Wheel of the Infinite is one, I take it that you didn't care that much for it? I have City of Bones sitting on my to-read pile at the moment, how was that one?

Kate

Kate wrote on March 13, 2002 at 7:39 PM:

_City of Bones_ was the only other one, which just did nothing at all for me. I may try _Wheel of the Infinite_, but I'm not in any rush.

I particularly recommend you see if your library has this one, though.

Erica

Erica wrote on May 7, 2002 at 2:12 PM:

I loved City of Bones and enjoyed Death of a Necromancer, but I simply cannot get into Element of Fire. I've had this book on my nightstand since it was published and I read about a page or two every six months, but I just have been unable to dive in and be surrounded by it.

Kate

Kate wrote on May 7, 2002 at 3:36 PM:

Since 1993? Your nightstand pile must be orders of magnitude worse than mine...

I begin to suspect that The Element of Fire is just a different kind of book, appealing to different kinds of readers, than the rest of Wells's books. As far as diving in, I think that if the opening chapter doesn't hook you, the rest won't.

(Have I mentioned that I love the e-mail notification for BlogKomm? I'd never have seen this, otherwise.)

David Tate

David Tate wrote on September 26, 2007 at 10:04 PM:

It appears that the entire (revised) text of The Element of Fire can now be seen at
Martha Wells's website. Maybe now I can finally see whether I like it, too...

Kate

Kate wrote on September 26, 2007 at 10:35 PM:

Oh, yes, another electronic version that I should've mentioned here. Thanks.

David Tate

David Tate wrote on September 26, 2007 at 11:57 PM:

I've just finished chapter 3. Promising, but she just flagrantly ripped off a plot twist from Dumas's Twenty Years After. I haven't decided whether that bothers me...

David Tate

David Tate wrote on August 1, 2008 at 10:35 PM:

...OK, I've decided it doesn't bother me. :-)

It took me a while to come back and finish it, but all in all well worth the wait. I'm sorry to hear that her other books don't have the same flavor.

Kate

Kate wrote on August 2, 2008 at 8:56 AM:

David, people speak highly of her most recent trilogy, but I haven't tried it yet.

David Tate

David Tate wrote on August 2, 2008 at 11:36 AM:

Ah, thanks for the update.

BTW, is it possible to explain without spoilers how the title The Element of Fire relates to the book? I've read it, and I have no idea.

Kate

Kate wrote on August 2, 2008 at 11:42 AM:

It may be, but not on my present level of recollection.