From: seawasp@vm2.cis.pitt.edu (Sea Wasp)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.written
Subject: Re: Upcoming in June
Date: 13 Sep 92 17:26:34 GMT
Organization: University of Pittsburgh
Originator: seawasp@pmax1.cis.pitt.edu

In article <9209131036.AA50205@faraday.clas.Virginia.EDU> lhb6v@FARADAY.CLAS.VIRGINIA.EDU (Laura Hayes Burchard) writes:
>In article <b#gnyjl.dani@netcom.com> dani@netcom.com (Dani Zweig) writes:
>>Adams, Douglas, Mostly Harmless, Random House HC, Nov

>Ech.  Probably be worth reading, but not buying.

	I'd agree. Especially if it's in the HHGTTG universe. I've found
that Adams is very  similar to Piers Anthony, in the sense that the FIRST
book in his series are at least somewhat amusing, but the subsequent
stories are boring and just repetitions of the first. Ugh.

>>Bradley and Lackey, Rediscovery:  A Darkover Novel, DAW, Apr
>>	This is the kickoff to Lackey's assumption of the Darkover
>>	universe from Bradley.

	My GOG, you mean they're STILL writing Darkover?
	And I thought ANTHONY had a tendency to beat things to death...

>Much as I like Lackey's stuff, I can't imagine her writing anything as
>subtle and nicely balanced as the mid-period Darkover novels.  And I
>really don't think I'm looking forward to Regis Hastur and the crew all
>starting to talk in italic emphasis.

	Well, I always found the earlier Darkover to be the best. MZB's
writing did improve to some extent with time, but then the radical feminist
overtones started to become overwhelming, to the point where I, at least,
found myself feeling as though I ought to be ashamed of my sex. At that
point I stopped reading Darkover. I haven't looked at one in years.
Maybe she toned it down?
	I've run into worse radical writing (in both directions) since
Darkover (la(latbut I'd never seen such a good example of "slow
creep" in an author's writing before and maybe not since.

>>Brooks, Terry, The Elf Queen of Shannara, BB/DR, Mar
>>	The Talisman of Shannara, BB/DR HC, Mar

>I've always been mildly mystified as to who buys this stuff.  I know 
>quite a few people who will admit, under pressure, to still be buying
>Piers Anthony, but not one who claims to read Brooks.

	Count one in here. I like the Shannara books. I also like his
Magic Kingdom series. So sue me. I think Terry has done a marvelous
job of maturing -- the first part of "The Sword of Shannara" DID
seem very much like a xerox of Tolkien. Toward the end, there were signs
of a departure.
	Then, with Elfstones, suddenly Brooks had created an entirely
separate mythos of his own, and he has continued to carry it through all
of the Shannara series. If you don't like epic fantasy, you'll hate
it, but In My Completely Godlike Opinion, the world of Shannara is
one of the most interesting and well written sequences of the genre
available. 

	If you form your opinion solely on a read of "Sword", then
you don't have a clear picture of Brooks' creation.

>>Duane, Diane, The Door Into Sunset, Tor HC, Mar
>>	I can't wait that long!

>Want.  Want *now*.  Want _Door into Starlight_ before the end of
>the millenium, too.  Except that it's probably going to be really
>depressing, as I suspect a good portion of our cast isn't going
>to make it to the end.

	Funny... I've heard people objecting to Duane in the
same exact terms as they do to Brooks. 

	Anyway, the small amount of Diane Duane I've read seems
pretty good; maybe I'll try this one.

>>Kay, Guy Gavriel, A Song for Arbonne, Random House/Crown HC, Jan
>>	Kay's new book takes place in a Europe in which Christianity
>>	never took hold, and the classical past was lost.

	Sounds absolutely bizarre. Wonder what kind of culture 
that means? Can't be based off the Roman empire (classical lost) and
the standard societies we know of were all strongly shaped by the Christian
movement... Maybe I should try this.

>>Pratchett, Terry, Witches Abroad, Penguin/Roc, Feb

	THIS is the stuff that *I* don't understand. ONE of the
Discworld books was funny. But MORE than one? It's like the HHGTTG..
the major funny stuff can be done in one book. Equal Rites was good
for a few chuckles or so, but after that...


					Sea Wasp
					  /^\
					  ;;;