On Monday, February 17, 2003, at 08:49 AM, David Rodemaker wrote: >> The Wraeththu books; someone told me Mr. Constantine was a decent >> writer. I'm not certain precisely what variety of crack that person >> was >> on, but it must be one that makes you blind to the use of exclamation >> points and question marks in the same sentence, the phrase "different >> to", >> multiple egregious omissions of commas, and similar things. Oh, yeah, >> and >> the complete lack of interesting stuff happening didn't really >> help either. > > *Ms.* Constantine, IIRC, sort of tends to agree with you. Her website > is > somewhere around on the web, and that trilogy was, again IIRC, her > first > published work (and shows it). Very popular with the goth crowd > evidently, > otherwise an interesting read for the 'what-the-hell?' factor, neat > *idea's*, 'different' blend of new-age magic/religion and pretty-boi > sexuality, sort of fun spin at the end if you can last that long > <shrug>. > Her later stuff, like the Grigori Trilogy, is much better. > > One of those series of books to keep on the shelf to throw at people > when > they ask for something 'Different. No I mean *really* different.' <g> > I read that trilogy and thought, "What a good idea. Too bad you ruined it." I feel the same way about the Pern books: There are some good ideas there but she ruins them. My aunt copy edited Acorna's World and thought her style was stiff. >> And there's Jordan's Wheel of Time, which has also come up. This is >> what >> happens when you take a four-book series and stretch it out to three >> times >> that length. With sniffling and much adjusting of necklines. Yes! Oh I am so sick of sniffs, adjusted necklines, stiffens, etc. For a while Nyvanae's pulling of her braid got me. > > One of those series where I borrow the new book and skim it to see if > there's any point to actually reading the damn thing. I am still chugging through Book Ten. I have invested so much time in the series so far that I want to see if there is a pay off at the end.