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anilEhilated posted:Does that make that scene any less awkward or stupid? It makes the scene more awkward and stupid, honestly.
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Aug 4, 2015 22:24
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DeadmansReach posted:I thought it had nothing to do with his sexual prowess and more to do with the fact that he was able to name her. There's a whole exchange where he says the sex is nice, she gets offended, he says he was a virgin, and she goes on this big "But you were like a summer storm! The crashing wave! Other nature events! You're too good in bed to be a virgin!"
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Aug 4, 2015 22:58
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DeadmansReach posted:I thought it had nothing to do with his sexual prowess and more to do with the fact that he was able to name her. This is how I always figured it. Dienes posted:There's a whole exchange where he says the sex is nice, she gets offended, he says he was a virgin, and she goes on this big "But you were like a summer storm! The crashing wave! Other nature events! You're too good in bed to be a virgin!" I just filed all this stuff under the category of "You're the biggest I've ever had"-type bullshit. Khizan fucked around with this message at 23:25 on Aug 4, 2015 |
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Aug 4, 2015 23:22
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Khizan posted:I just filed all this stuff under the category of "You're the biggest I've ever had"-type bullshit. If it was any other series, so would I.
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Aug 5, 2015 01:56
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Dienes posted:If it was any other series, so would I.
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Aug 5, 2015 23:27
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So this series sure is cool things, but are we supposed to know if the Maer's new wife is Kvothe's aunt by now? Did I just miss something?
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Aug 5, 2015 23:30
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darkgray posted:So this series sure is cool things, but are we supposed to know if the Maer's new wife is Kvothe's aunt by now? Did I just miss something? It's certainly been hinted heavily "oh yes my sister was kidnapped by a slavering horde of Ruh" "not tally a lot less" and all. But it has not been made 100% explicit.
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Aug 5, 2015 23:33
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Ravenfood posted:This. I was able to barely convince myself that that's what happened, right up until he goes and fucks the sex ninjas who confirm that yup, Kvothe's just the best sexhaver ever. Well he did train in sex for untold time in the fea realm. He's got to have like at least a +10 to have sex, maybe +15!
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Aug 6, 2015 20:15
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Karnegal posted:Well he did train in sex for untold time in the fea realm. He's got to have like at least a +10 to have sex, maybe +15! My theory is that the word sex means something else is Kvothe's world and this has all been a hilarious misunderstanding.
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Aug 6, 2015 20:53
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I thought the sex ninjas were so casual about sex that they were totally uninterested in Kvothe's fancy faerie moves and just wanted to get the sex over with. Am I forgetting a scene?
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Aug 6, 2015 21:14
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Zorak of Michigan posted:I thought the sex ninjas were so casual about sex that they were totally uninterested in Kvothe's fancy faerie moves and just wanted to get the sex over with. Am I forgetting a scene? Nope.
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Aug 6, 2015 21:16
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The best part of the second book was Kvothe getting his rear end kicked in the bar, and the following scene with Bast. Those felt like the most genuine scenes in the book.
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Aug 8, 2015 08:18
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Anything with Bast is going to be the best part of the book.
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Aug 8, 2015 08:37
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I decided to re-read the books and I'm struck by how actually good most of the first part of Name of the Wind is. It's really a shame it all falls apart by the middle+end of the book.
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Aug 8, 2015 09:38
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Trammel posted:The thing that bugs me about the sex-ninjas is that they supposedly speak a tonal language, but really, really quietly and discretely, assisted by hand signals. Well, that's the thing. I don't remember hearing much about tonality—the emphasis when he was learning the language was all gestures. When I listened to the audiobook, the narrator gave them a vaguely Russian accent. Benson Cunningham posted:So if the POV was from a teen in puberty, it would actually make a lot of sense and be hilarious. Unfortunately, it is adult Kvothe describing his younger self, so the idea doesn't hold up. Given the narrative to date, we are forced to believe these things really did happen. It would make sense if the special-memory-technique memories that Kvothe formed as a pubescent teen were from his perspective, and he decided to present them sans-interpretation so the audience could better understand his perception of what he was going through. This thread seems to show a surprising amount of dislike for the plot, which surprised me, but that made me think about it and I realized that what I like most about this book is its setting (the magic system complete with mostly conservation of energy, the role of Arcanists in society, the Lethani, the politics), and even if the plot were hardly more than a device for exploring that setting, that's good enough for me. I would rather not have had to sit through the sex scenes, but overall any accusation of juvenility is lost on me. Am I just horribly underexposed to good examples in the genre?
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Aug 31, 2015 22:51
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Stinky_Pete posted:
What else do you read? Preemptive Suggestions: Rajaniemi, Bacigalupi, Wolfe, Lynch, Zelazny, Mieville, Leckie, Le Guin (in no particular order). + a ton of other really excellent authors Edit: It also helps if you know what you like in a book- characterization, setting, exploration of unique ideas, prose, etc Benson Cunningham fucked around with this message at 23:56 on Aug 31, 2015 |
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Aug 31, 2015 23:51
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Stinky_Pete posted:Well, that's the thing. I don't remember hearing much about tonality—the emphasis when he was learning the language was all gestures. When I listened to the audiobook, the narrator gave them a vaguely Russian accent. I have to come to the author's defense here - it was not a tonal language, the point was that the speech was monotone but had gestures and silence-spacing for meaning, not tone. It was signifying emotions-with-hand-gestures, and the varied meaning of words,was by rhythm. As in, sentences had a cadence, and the spacing between words had meaning. To call it a tonal language is 180 degrees from what he wrote, as he says Adem speech is monotone.
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Sep 1, 2015 00:39
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Benson Cunningham posted:What else do you read? Can't speak to Bacigalupi, but this is a good list. Stinky_Pete, If you love world building stuff, Mieville knocks it out of the park - Perdido Street Station and Embassytown both have pretty fascinating worlds.
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Sep 1, 2015 08:45
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Oh, N. K. Jemisin too (One Hundred Thousand Kingdoms) Bacigalupi wrote The Wind-Up Girl which is beyond radical. Did Rothfuss announce when the second book was complete and just needed to be edited? Have we even reached the same point on the third book yet? I know at the beginning he said it was all already written, but we know now he didn't even mean first draft when he said that. Just trying to figure out when this thing is coming out, maybe 2017.
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Sep 1, 2015 15:10
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Benson Cunningham posted:Did Rothfuss announce when the second book was complete and just needed to be edited? Have we even reached the same point on the third book yet? I know at the beginning he said it was all already written, but we know now he didn't even mean first draft when he said that. Just trying to figure out when this thing is coming out, maybe 2017. We have not gotten any announcement like that. The last thing I heard Rothfuss say about the current draft of book three is that it's a bad version of the book.
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Sep 1, 2015 16:35
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Benson Cunningham posted:Oh, N. K. Jemisin too (One Hundred Thousand Kingdoms) No. Amazon kept announcing its release date, but to no avail, and he didn't release any information himself much. gently caress me the previous one started drafting long enough ago that I still paid attention to Amazon. I haven't used Amazon in at least 5 years.
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Sep 1, 2015 18:09
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Benson Cunningham posted:Bacigalupi wrote The Wind-Up Girl which is beyond radical. He also wrote The Water Knife which, so far, is my Book of the Year.
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Sep 1, 2015 18:20
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For all the fantasy I've read I've found little as compelling as these two books. They just drew me in for hours, something that 99% of books don't accomplish. That's why I personally like the books even though they do have their flaws (pacing in the 2nd book, sex ninjas). But I think that most of the flaws come from Rothfuss trying too hard to be original and not recognizing that originality sometimes brings unlikely scenarios and ridiculousness. Adem not knowing that man+woman=baby is ridiculous for example.
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Sep 1, 2015 18:40
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orange sky posted:Adem not knowing that man+woman=baby is ridiculous for example. Plus Jean M. Auel did it already. And it was just as stupid in her books too.
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Sep 1, 2015 20:34
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orange sky posted:For all the fantasy I've read I've found little as compelling as these two books. They just drew me in for hours, something that 99% of books don't accomplish. That's why I personally like the books even though they do have their flaws (pacing in the 2nd book, sex ninjas). But I think that most of the flaws come from Rothfuss trying too hard to be original and not recognizing that originality sometimes brings unlikely scenarios and ridiculousness. Adem not knowing that man+woman=baby is ridiculous for example. They are very readable books. I think our brains easily confuse good and readable. I actually met Patrick Rothfuss at Gencon when he was largely unknown (around the release of Name of the Wind). I had never heard of him or the book, but I bought it after talking to him for a little while. I read it in it's entirety that night and hunted him down at a panel the next day to discuss the book. So yeah, definitely readable. I thought it was pretty good at the time, but critically deconstructing the book later has changed my opinion. I still like the first book, and suggest it to people. I would never suggest Wise Man's Fear though. Khizan posted:He also wrote The Water Knife which, so far, is my Book of the Year. Welp, know what I am reading next.
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Sep 1, 2015 20:39
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Karnegal posted:Can't speak to Bacigalupi, but this is a good list. Stinky_Pete, If you love world building stuff, Mieville knocks it out of the park - Perdido Street Station and Embassytown both have pretty fascinating worlds. Benson Cunningham posted:Oh, N. K. Jemisin too (One Hundred Thousand Kingdoms) Thanks guys, judging by the Wikipedia articles this stuff sounds like exactly what I'm looking for. The Cthae was probably my favorite part of Wise Man's Fear, and it looks like Perdido Street Station has something similar to that, so I'll start there. Anyway, to slowly regard some silent things for a moment: Near the end of The Graceful Way to Move posted:She knew. She should have moved more gently with the world. She knew the way of things. She knew if you weren't always stepping lightly as a bird the whole world came apart to crush you. Like a house of cards. Like a bottle against stones. Like a wrist pinned hard beneath a hand with the hot breath smell of want and wine... Lottery of Babylon posted:1. Auri was raped. The exact words are wasn't wrong, which is not the same as right, especially with a capital R. The fact that it's from her perspective has already been addressed, but I would like to add that fault isn't a useful concept in her world. She seems to have a very stoic mentality, i.e. "I only have control over my own actions and the rest of the world is just something to adapt to." I'm not seeing "thank goodness I know my place because of that rape," just "dodging is the way to go because poo poo always breaks when you don't dodge." Nonetheless, though I like Auri, and don't regret listening to it, I thought Slow Regard was pretty boring, and I was confused why preparing for Kvothe's visit took up so much of her time, but I guess he is the only human being she ever talks to... I dunno. She reminds me of my ex-girlfriend, who was just as timid and cryptic. I had to break it off because she was incapable of saying no and the relationship was getting unhealthy. 
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Sep 1, 2015 22:03
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Has no one noticed how much Rothfuss just rips Wheel of Time off? Like consistently. Seriously,no one?
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Sep 1, 2015 22:13
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Don't. Ever. Compare. PSS. To. Rothfuss. edit: No, really. poo poo just ain't done. Miéville has more imagination in his little finger than Rothfuss in his entire bloated body. Of work. anilEhilated fucked around with this message at 22:40 on Sep 1, 2015 |
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Sep 1, 2015 22:35
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anilEhilated posted:Don't. Ever. Compare. PSS. To. Rothfuss. We should start a gateway to decent fantasy thread or something. The Psuedo Pretentious Fantasy Station
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Sep 2, 2015 00:29
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anilEhilated posted:Don't. Ever. Compare. PSS. To. Rothfuss. Alright, let's just say I was contrasting those elements, then 
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Sep 2, 2015 00:54
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Aquarium Gravel posted:I have to come to the author's defense here - it was not a tonal language, the point was that the speech was monotone but had gestures and silence-spacing for meaning, not tone. It was signifying emotions-with-hand-gestures, and the varied meaning of words,was by rhythm. As in, sentences had a cadence, and the spacing between words had meaning. To call it a tonal language is 180 degrees from what he wrote, as he says Adem speech is monotone. Sorry, you're right. The chapter's called "Tone", and the exact description is Patrick Rothfuss. “The Wise Man's Fear. Tone posted:“And I did hear it. It wasn’t the sound of the word itself, it was the cadence of the word. “Freaht?” I said. Still, combined with the hand-usage for emphasis, the language seems like an implausible invention, simply to make the sex-ninja's even more special and unique.
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Sep 2, 2015 06:43
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Language using hand signs? Language where rhythm carries meaning? Absolutely ridiculous constructions. Who could ever believe such things would exist? If there's one thing I can't stand about fantasy, it's the implausible inventions.
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Sep 2, 2015 07:14
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Wittgen posted:Language using hand signs? Language where rhythm carries meaning? Absolutely ridiculous constructions. Who could ever believe such things would exist? I find it really hard to tell if you're joking or not
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Sep 2, 2015 09:12
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orange sky posted:I find it really hard to tell if you're joking or not Pretty sure he's trolling. Hand signs - each country should have it's own sign language for the Deaf. Rhythm - Most Scandinavian languages loosely have this, I guess.
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Sep 2, 2015 09:59
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It's not implausible at all. It is absurd, though, mainly because the setting is so incongruous. The sex ninja no-baby culture has no cross-pollination of ideas with the other cultures in the book, despite them being a trading nation who hire out as mercenaries before settling down. Just like the university culture creates stuff that is potent, easily weaponised, and has utterly no impact outside 100 yards of the university. It follows that every detail about a culture is inherently ridiculous, as every one is presented as unique, iconic and wondrous with no signs in the world of natural generation of the concept. In a coherent setting, the protagonist who's a world-class musician, lyricist, public speaker, rumour monger and storyteller (pick one) would have heard of a rhythmic language nearby and perhaps employ some of its techniques, myths or parables. More likely, it would have integrated itself naturally into the speech patterns of good orators in Kvothe's culture, meaning he'd at least subconsciously recognise bits of it. Instead, it's this precious unique quality that's just so special. Bollocks! Rothfuss is often commended on his world-building, but it's ludicrously infantile. Every DnD campaign has the magic university town, the woods with bandits, the coast with pirates, none of which connect or are sustainable. The very basic quality of Fantasy writing involving world building should show some evidence of the inevitable intermingling, while better constructed stuff has basic economic systems that work away in the background, so the reader can accept the world as a functioning place for the story to happen within. Basically, Rothfuss' writing fails at the first hurdle of decent Fantasy, which is that the unusual setting allows the reader to suspend their disbelief. This poo poo wouldn't be acceptable in a 99p self-published kindle book, never mind a published and lauded author. It's pants. The Supreme Court fucked around with this message at 10:50 on Sep 2, 2015 |
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Sep 2, 2015 10:36
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Uh, excuse me, but I'm pretty sure Kvothe mentions at least seven types of regional currency, and does tedious conversions between them. I think that's all the evidence of a working global economy you need. Just convert your shims and ha'pennies to talents, and boom, believable Not-Europe cultural exchange. s/
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Sep 2, 2015 13:55
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Sep 11, 2015 19:48
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I like my fantasy novel cultures to have direct coorlations with real world cultures.
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Sep 11, 2015 20:38
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Well stated.
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Sep 11, 2015 21:14
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This is accurate.
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Sep 11, 2015 21:19
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