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I know the dude was involved in video production before he started writing books but I want to believe e: holy poo poo tables Grand Prize Winner fucked around with this message at 17:51 on Oct 30, 2015 |
# ? Oct 30, 2015 04:29 |
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# ? Jun 8, 2024 09:38 |
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What did the tables ever do to you?
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# ? Oct 30, 2015 05:32 |
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Joe posted:On the subject of change, yes, it was very much a deliberate decision. In fantasy – and maybe fiction in general – we’re used to seeing a lot of smooth, lasting and meaningful transitions: the farm boy who learns to be a great king, the used up man of violence who finds his heart, the young couple destined for perfect romance, and even on the grand scale, great battles that usher in a changed society and a new epoch for the world. In real life we often make big changes in response to some great upheaval, but when we’re back in our familiar lives among familiar people they often don’t stick, and the great wars very rarely fundamentally change the nature of things, or even of the people in power. So I wanted to offer a fantasy that sits on the other side of the scale from those simple changes, in which change seems extremely difficult, maybe even impossible, and at the end, after all the blood shed, the world seems very much the same as it was at the start... He's done this in both TFL, the Half A Series and explored the characters further in the stand-alone stuff. I've never been dissatisfied with his work but I'm not sure I could deal with another trilogy that ends "and so you see life is poo poo and will remain poo poo. Bye.". Watch This Space I guess.
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# ? Oct 30, 2015 15:55 |
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Joe has always been a character guy. Even if the world basically stays the same, the characters since the original trilogy change and have arcs. Also I got to ask my favourite author like three questions. Woo! Yay, internet. But I never asked why the lights still worked in Strokom...
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# ? Oct 30, 2015 19:22 |
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I really loving hope we get some First Law storyline continuation. It really seems like Abercrombie is trying to avoid tackling it by doing the standalones and the young adult series. The Juvens, Kanedias, Bayaz and magi mess was what was really interesting I was kind of expecting a First Law book before 6 unrelated books released.
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# ? Jan 21, 2016 08:46 |
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He's outlining the whole next trilogy before publishing anything, so it will be awhile. Long blog post here: http://www.joeabercrombie.com/2013/07/19/half-a-king/ quote:I hope to have those two books finished not long after the publication of Half a King in July 2014. Then I’ll start work on the adult trilogy in the First Law world. So that’s me kept pretty busy ’til … at least winter 2017, I’d say. Which is both rather nice and rather horrifying. Also the standalones are great and it's not like they don't involve the plot thread you mention. Jeffrey of YOSPOS fucked around with this message at 09:09 on Jan 21, 2016 |
# ? Jan 21, 2016 09:06 |
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They are good, but you just get snippets of plot thread compared to the first three. I'm just hoping he doesn't pull a GRRM somewhere along the line as 3 mostly and 3 entirely unrelated books makes it feel like he is avoiding tackling that plot. And I feel like the reason this thread has had so little activity is because his last three books especially were a little forgettable compared to his others. Destro fucked around with this message at 09:18 on Jan 21, 2016 |
# ? Jan 21, 2016 09:16 |
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I dunno, I think a political chess game of wizards is one of the LEAST interesting parts of these character-led stories. Doesn't it work better as an unknowable factor permeating the background? In other Joey Abs news, Tor posted what is presumably one of the short stories from Sharp Ends and its pretty loving good. Plus, more Whirrun! http://www.tor.com/2016/01/12/twos-company-joe-abercrombie/ And Jeff Winger from Community randomly endorsed the Shattered Sea trilogy, so that's cool. https://twitter.com/joelmchale/status/686977683691978753
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# ? Jan 21, 2016 09:28 |
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Destro posted:And I feel like the reason this thread has had so little activity is because his last three books especially were a little forgettable compared to his others. I heavy-heartedly have to agree, the Shattered series didn't quite grab me like the First Law did. Maybe it's because viking stuff doesn't do much for me, maybe it was the YA approach. Looking forward to new First Law stuff, and hoping in vain for some kind of TV or game adaptation of it which will never happen.
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# ? Jan 21, 2016 12:33 |
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"It's nice that you're broadening your perspectives with literature Jeff" "Dont read too much into it, Annie, this crap will literally take a year off my studies. Figuratively speaking"
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# ? Jan 21, 2016 12:41 |
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Mr Underhill posted:I heavy-heartedly have to agree, the Shattered series didn't quite grab me like the First Law did. Maybe it's because viking stuff doesn't do much for me, maybe it was the YA approach. Looking forward to new First Law stuff, and hoping in vain for some kind of TV or game adaptation of it which will never happen. Eh, I'm working through Half a war now and 13 year old me would have eaten these books up. Much better then the Dragonlance / Forgotten realms garbage I had in the early 90s. I have not really read any other young adult stuff and I'm old now so I don't know how it stacks up to modern YA fantasy but it's readable. Good on Joe for trying to cash in the the Hunger Games trend. He needed a break and can hopefully come back to the First Law refreshed, makes sense to me. I don't think he is going to pull a GRRM or Patrick Rothagross on us.
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# ? Jan 22, 2016 05:22 |
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spandexcajun posted:I have not really read any other young adult stuff and I'm old now so I don't know how it stacks up to modern YA fantasy but it's readable. Try Frances Hardinge. Fly by Night series (2 books), A Face Like Glass and The Lost Conspiracy. I haven't named her latest 2 books because they didn't really grip me like these 4.
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# ? Jan 22, 2016 13:25 |
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spandexcajun posted:Eh, I'm working through Half a war now and 13 year old me would have eaten these books up. Much better then the Dragonlance / Forgotten realms garbage I had in the early 90s. I have not really read any other young adult stuff and I'm old now so I don't know how it stacks up to modern YA fantasy but it's readable. Good on Joe for trying to cash in the the Hunger Games trend. YA is my guilty pleasure, and there's plenty of good stuff around - especially the Mortal Engines series by Philip Reeve, that's I think the best YA I've ever read. Abercrombie just absolutely shines when he's in full grimdark territory and can explore complex characters like Glokta. The Shattered series books are good, they just don't (understandably) have any character on a deep enough level for more mature audiences to relate to. Still my favorite fantasy writer, by far.
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# ? Jan 22, 2016 14:14 |
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I tried reading Half a a King until it became clear that it was YA fiction.
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# ? Jan 26, 2016 05:21 |
BravestOfTheLamps posted:I tried reading Half a a King until it became clear that it was YA fiction. Ok.
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# ? Jan 26, 2016 08:53 |
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BravestOfTheLamps posted:I tried reading Half a a King until it became clear that it was YA fiction. How did it become clear? I knew what it was going in and still enjoyed the ride, so I'd like to hear why you didn't.
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# ? Jan 26, 2016 09:12 |
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I remember Half A King reading like edgy YA, but then in the second book he kinda gave up and aside from teenage protagonists, it was just as fuckin' bloody and nasty as standard Abercrombie fare. I assumed the lack of Shattered Sea discussion in here was down to so few people giving the series a chance. Or down to the fact that it so closely resembles his other work. You can see paralells for almost every character.
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# ? Jan 26, 2016 10:08 |
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Grand Prize Winner posted:How did it become clear? I knew what it was going in and still enjoyed the ride, so I'd like to hear why you didn't. Instead of Abercrombie's normal pulp stuff, you get a more or less standard adventure wrapped around the tepid story of a young man's development. It didn't have any of the thrills of the First Law stories, or the intelligence and wit of something like Long Ships . It read more like Robin Hobb's lousy Assassin's Apprentice books. I've never seen the point of the "YA" label anyway. Why do you need step between "children's literature" and "normal literature"? BravestOfTheLamps fucked around with this message at 16:08 on Jan 26, 2016 |
# ? Jan 26, 2016 15:58 |
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VagueRant posted:I remember Half A King reading like edgy YA, but then in the second book he kinda gave up and aside from teenage protagonists, it was just as fuckin' bloody and nasty as standard Abercrombie fare. Waaay less cussing, though.
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# ? Jan 26, 2016 16:53 |
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Jeffrey of YOSPOS posted:He's outlining the whole next trilogy before publishing anything, so it will be awhile. I remember a couple of years ago before his YA trilogy was even out, he said that he was thinking of jumping ahead timeline wise in the First Law world and continuing the story through the children of some of the characters from the first trilogy and standalones. He also said a reason he was doing this is he was interested in exploring the industrialization of the world more deeply iirc. Has he said anything about any of this recently?
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# ? Jan 26, 2016 17:19 |
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I don't think he's said much of anything besides "okay uhh, shattered sea is done, time to get going on outlining this here trilogy".
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# ? Jan 26, 2016 17:22 |
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VagueRant posted:I assumed the lack of Shattered Sea discussion in here was down to so few people giving the series a chance. Or down to the fact that it so closely resembles his other work. You can see paralells for almost every character. Seriously though, Thorn fighting all those dudes that are trying to assassinate the princess owns so loving hard. It is one of my favorite scenes Abercrombie has written. e: also this. Grand Prize Winner posted:Waaay less cussing, though.
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# ? Jan 27, 2016 01:29 |
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BravestOfTheLamps posted:I tried reading Half a a King until it became clear that it was YA fiction. Was it the tight narrative or the well written characters that ruined it for you?
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# ? Jan 27, 2016 02:14 |
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VagueRant posted:I assumed the lack of Shattered Sea discussion in here was down to so few people giving the series a chance. Or down to the fact that it so closely resembles his other work. You can see paralells for almost every character. "Parallels," sure. But different in important ways. The one I thought most obvious is below. Yarvi gets his teeth kicked in, throughout and at the ending. Bayuz always wins. Also: Whoever you call the Logen and Ferro equivalents, the Shattered Sea variants aren't quite as set in their ways and loving their lives over as a result.
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# ? Jan 27, 2016 05:05 |
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02-6611-0142-1 posted:Was it the tight narrative or the well written characters that ruined it for you? "King's Circle" instead of "crown".
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# ? Jan 27, 2016 08:50 |
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# ? Jan 27, 2016 08:56 |
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BravestOfTheLamps posted:"King's Circle" instead of "crown". I figured it was like a tiara or something, but it'd be way to embarrassing to call a boy's hat a tiara so they needed a new word
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# ? Jan 27, 2016 09:07 |
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Grand Prize Winner posted:I figured it was like a tiara or something, but it'd be way to embarrassing to call a boy's hat a tiara so they needed a new word It's actually described as a diadem.
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# ? Jan 27, 2016 09:12 |
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BravestOfTheLamps posted:It's actually described as a diadem. Well, there you have it.
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# ? Jan 27, 2016 09:16 |
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RCarr posted:The Heroes, Red Country, and the Shattered Sea series would all adapt well to the screen. A jacked Josh Brolin.
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# ? Jan 27, 2016 13:29 |
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Grand Prize Winner posted:Well, there you have it. Words for a golden headband worn by a monarch better than "King's Circle": - diadem - band of gold - crown It's just dumb after Abercrombie has been willing to call a spade a spade for six books. The Contest, the Old Times, the High Places, Open Council, etc. If I wasn't so kind and forgiving, I would have judged the book only by its Bulwer-Lyttonian opening. BravestOfTheLamps fucked around with this message at 23:42 on Jan 27, 2016 |
# ? Jan 27, 2016 13:35 |
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I felt like the post apocalypse books using dumb post apocalypse signifiers was okay. It was YA for sure, but they weren't billed as anything else. Kind of annoyed that he had Yarvi kill the witch woman's family to get her back. It makes sense and all, but it was pretty obvious from the moment she said that her family had been killed that Mother Waxwood(?) hadn't had anything to do with it.
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# ? Jan 28, 2016 00:42 |
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spandexcajun posted:Eh, I'm working through Half a war now and 13 year old me would have eaten these books up. Much better then the Dragonlance / Forgotten realms garbage I had in the early 90s. Bite your tongue! Dragonlance was the poo poo back in the day. The Dragonlance Chronicles still rank in my top 5 favorite series of all time (could be because I read it in 5th grade). Like some others here, I could not get into Abercrombie's YA venture. I'm eagerly awaiting his next adult series though.
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# ? Jan 28, 2016 00:46 |
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Shylo Vitari, according to First Law Wiki (by Jay Sylvano)
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# ? Feb 11, 2016 14:45 |
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Hughmoris posted:Bite your tongue! Dragonlance was the poo poo back in the day. The Dragonlance Chronicles still rank in my top 5 favorite series of all time (could be because I read it in 5th grade). It's definitely because you read it in 5th grade.
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# ? Feb 11, 2016 15:01 |
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wait a minute... are these books anime...
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# ? Feb 11, 2016 16:30 |
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I hate everything about that. I always pictured the practical masks looking more like scorpion or subzero's masks.
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# ? Feb 12, 2016 03:13 |
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Never look for illustrations of things you like from books. Way better to let the theatre of the mind thing happen than to rely on someone else's imagination.
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# ? Feb 12, 2016 07:55 |
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Peztopiary posted:Never look for illustrations of things you like from books. Way better to let the theatre of the mind thing happen than to rely on someone else's imagination. there are exceptions to this, like jaime knocking over the cup is best seen live on youtube
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# ? Feb 12, 2016 09:24 |
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# ? Jun 8, 2024 09:38 |
Now that's loving horrible.
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# ? Feb 12, 2016 12:16 |