----- Original Message ----- From: "Bradford Holden" <holden at oddjob.uchicago.edu> To: <dragaera at dragaera.info> Sent: Thursday, February 19, 2004 12:59 PM Subject: Re: Seen the other night.... > Quoting dragaera-digest-help at dragaera.info (dragaera-digest-help at dragaera.info): > > > From: Joshua Kronengold <mneme at io.com> > > Date: Thu, 19 Feb 2004 08:46:37 -0600 > > To: dragaera at dragaera.info > > Subject: Re: Seen the other night.... > > > > Matthew Hunter writes: > > >On Wed, Feb 18, 2004 at 04:42:21PM -0600, Bradford Holden <holden at oddjob.uchicago.edu> wrote: > > >> I saw a sign that said, "If you like Robert Joran, you might also like > > >> Steven Brust." > > >And you take issue with this assertion why, exactly? > > > > My question as well. Now, the other way, I don't see, but that's not > > what was suggested. > > I am puzzled as to what Jordan and Brust have in common. One writes long > complicated epics about good versus evil. The other writes books with > sardonic protagonists undergoing journeys of self-discovery. At least > that is how I see it. > > If you like Robert Jordan you might like: > George R. R. Martin > Terry Goodkind (caveat emptor) > Terry Brooks > J. R. R. Tolkien (Cart...horse...) > > and maybe some equivalent epic space opera > > David Brin > E. E. "Doc" Smith > > but Steven Brust? I guess they both (sometimes) write books about > guys with long pointy metal things. I hate to think what would happen > if the Jordan fan picked up the recently reissued "Cowboy Feng's Space > Bar and Grille" expecting complicated epic fantasy. > > They seem really different to me. Hence the clean up in the SF and Fantasy > aisle. > > -- > Bradford Holden > "And goalies can only play net wearing an apron and holding a live > largemouth bass." > - One of John Buccigross's suggestions for improving the NHL. > I wouldn't put Martin in with Jordan. I managed to slog through six or so of the Wheel of Time. While Martin's current work is definitely an "epic" it is nowhere near a "good vs evil" set. All of the characters have bad as well as good in them. The books are more like a sociopolitical drama. The fantastic elements at times almost fade away and you are left with character development amidst a chaotic power struggle. In addition, many of the characters who start out important wind up dead. In Jordan's works it seemed that the main characters survived. Of course, I did stop after the sixth book or so. warbi