Outside of a Dog: Eddings, David: Belgariad series; Malloreon series

Elaine

Elaine wrote on January 1, 2004 at 8:25 PM:

I am enjoying the recent spate of reviews. Have you read McKinley's Sunshine yet? I didn't believe it when I read that she had written a vampire novel. I read it last night, obsessively. It works. Even though I had nightmares all night.

Kate

Kate wrote on January 1, 2004 at 8:47 PM:

Thanks! I should have said that I'm caught up now, but I was trying to get to bed (the last thing needs a re-read before I talk about it, but I thought I'd been done with it by this point). I should remember, in the future, that it doesn't take as long as I think to write them up when I've thought about the books for a bit afterwards.

I haven't read _Sunshine_ yet. It's moderately high on the pile. I'm hearing very contradictory reports on it--it seems to depend on what people think about the protagonist. I'm definitely interested to see her do first-person, which I don't think I've seen her do before.

Trent Goulding

Trent Goulding wrote on January 2, 2004 at 2:20 PM:

I was in a similar mood when I picked up The Redemption of Althalus a couple months ago--just give me something simple, quick, and escapist--and the fact that that didn't turn out so well has me firmly convinced that I don't want to go back and do a re-read of Belgariad or Mallorean. 'Cause I really was sort of fond of them, way back when, and more willing then to ignore the lunacies and simple wrongnesses that you point out, and I'd like to retain an echo of that fondness, at least.

Kate

Kate wrote on January 2, 2004 at 2:44 PM:

Well, I have no doubt that by the time of _Redemption_, the quality of Eddings' books had dropped several orders of magnitude--but yeah, I wouldn't risk a re-read if I were you.

Aaron

Aaron wrote on January 3, 2004 at 3:18 PM:

I'm not sure how much you should take this with because my tastes have diverged significantly with Kate's in the past (for some reason I feel more confident that Trent would like it -- not sure why), but I'll second the rec and say, go read Sunshine.

It actually motivated me to write something.

Micole

Micole wrote on January 3, 2004 at 9:11 PM:

Beauty is also in first-person, but I'm not sure McKinley's used it since, even in short fiction.

Kate

Kate wrote on January 3, 2004 at 9:18 PM:

I remember your review, Aaron, and it's one of the reasons it's currently moderately high on the pile. I'm not sure what's next--probably something in paperback to easily take to getting my car's oil changed.

Kate

Kate wrote on January 3, 2004 at 9:23 PM:

Is it? Goodness. I guess that just shows that it's much less vivid to me than either the Damar books or _Spindle's End_.

Trent

Trent wrote on January 4, 2004 at 3:14 PM:

I've been eyeing Sunshine on the New Releases pile in the local store for weeks now, and the positive word of mouth here might actually get me to pick it up sooner rather than later.

Kate

Kate wrote on January 4, 2004 at 9:11 PM:

Trent: there's been negative elsewhere, though. =>

Excerpt online if you haven't already seen it.

FS

FS wrote on December 10, 2007 at 9:11 PM:

It's a universe where one can meaningfully talk about establishing families over thousands of years, just to produce a destined individual with specific characteristics who will do a particular thing

The same is true of Dune.

Kate

Kate wrote on December 10, 2007 at 9:15 PM:

FS, I've never read _Dune_--I tried once when I was a teenager, I think, and just wasn't interested. I think I've probably missed my window for liking it.

David Tate

David Tate wrote on December 11, 2007 at 9:23 AM:

I disagree with FS's comment about Dune -- those families were established for the usual reasons, not with any single long-term justification event in mind. The [SPOILER] had a long-term breeding plan, but that's different.

At any rate, I'm not sure why you would think Dune has a window. The protagonist is a teenager, but it's not a YA book, and it certainly isn't one of those books where you have to be young and uncritical to get past the plotting or prose. I'd have expected you to like it as "SF in a mannered society".

Kate

Kate wrote on December 15, 2007 at 10:27 AM:

Because I found it really boring when I tried, I get the impression that most people read it when they were teenagers, and it has this air of fanboy-fervor about it?