From: qvortrup@inf.ethz.ch (Michael Qvortrup)
Subject: Re: Blaylock and Powers (Re: Tim Powers)
Organization: Dept. Informatik, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH), Zurich, CH
Date: Tue, 17 Nov 1992 08:48:26 GMT

In article <1992Nov14.185318.22872@eff.org> write@eff.org (Glen Cox) writes:
>In article <1992Nov10.073340.21946@neptune.inf.ethz.ch> qvortrup@inf.ethz.ch (Michael Qvortrup) writes:
>
>>I guess I should clarify a bit. I found _The Last Coin_ to be very
>>wellwritten from the craftmanship point of view (and let us please
>>not start that discussion again), but that just doesn't cut it for
>>me in this case. Andrew Vanbergen *is* pathetic, and I just can't 
>>identify with a character like that, never mind how well written the
>>book is. From a clinical point of view I guess that Andrew Vanbergen
>>is a very interesting person, but a book in my opinion needs more
>>than that. I for one believe, that a story needs more than people;
>>it also needs story. And I found _The Last Coin_ sorely lacking in 
>>that regard.
>
>I have to disagree (even though you've clearly stated that this is
>your personal opinion, Michael).  I guess I should clarify.  To quote
>Blaylock himself on this matter (GC means me, JB means Blaylock):
>
>[conversation between Glen Cox and James Blaylock deleted]
>[one major point being the autobiographical nature of _The Last Coin_]

This helps explain why I didn't like the book. To be able to 
appreciate this kind of work, you need, if not knowledge about, then
at least interest in the author as a person. Which I quite simply
haven't got - and which the book in question didn't help spark,
either.

>We went on to discuss that Andrew Vanbergen was actually a more
>formidable foe for the villian in _The Last Coin_ just because
>he was so goofy.  A normal epic hero the villain could have taken;
>just wop him upside the head.  But this weird guy--well, what
>does he know, and what can he do?  To quote Blaylock one more
>time:
>[once more deleted]

A straightforward archetypical hero would not have been able to
win in the setting presented, on that I agree. On the other - this
is a religous topic in r.a.sf.w - I find that Donaldson did a far
better anti-hero with Covenant in _The Chronicles of ..._. This is
again a matter of personal taste. For a short comparison between
the two, I would say that one of Blaylocks intents was to tell the
reader about himself - and unless he is a very wellknown person
I'll tend to regard this as remarkably uninteresting, whereas
Donaldson sat down to tell a story about an anti-hero, which he
then proceeded to do in a for me very compelling manner. I don't 
especially like the character of Covenant, but together with the
storyline it gives the book the special something I look for in
books.

When all is said and done, I might go back later and read _The Last
Coin_ with the autobiographical aspect in mind. It might change
my perception of the book.

Greetings,
--Mike

-- 
#include <std-disclm.h>--"... and there is a small flaw in my character."---
Real Life: Michael Christian Heide Qvortrup      A Dane         ETH, Zuerich
e-mail   : qvortrup@inf.ethz.ch                  abroad         Switzerland
Institut fuer wissenschaftliches Rechnen  /  Inst. of Scientific Computation