Dragaera

proofreading

Mon Apr 26 23:15:02 PDT 2004

---------- Original Message ----------------------------------
From: "Casey Rousseau" <casey at the-bat.net>
Date:  Mon, 26 Apr 2004 10:34:44 -0400

>Chris Olson wrote:
>> MJ postulated:

... I have been accused of many things, but never of postulation.  AWESOME!  I am expanding my repertoire.

>> > Then again, I think I'm the only one here who likes _all_ 
>> > of Steve's books, even the thing that gets no love and even
>> > the other thing that gets LESS love.  
>
>MJ, to which volumes are you referring?  Are you talking about _Cowboy
>Feng's_ and _Yendi_? 

Actually, I was thinking of CFSB&G, and _Teckla_.  I am so very sad that _Teckla_ gets as little love as it does, when it's one of my favorites.  It's a complete DRAIN book, the sort that you can only read if you chase it with some Wodehouse and possibly some of the less icky Saki.  _Teckla_ had no Morrolan, Aliera, OR Daymar, and yet I LOVED IT TO PIECES; that's when I first realized that Brust was not just awesome, he was SUPER awesome, because - well, REALLY - no Daymar OR Morrolan and yet I couldn't put it down.  And cried.  And wanted to kick/smack/hug Cawti and Vlad and Noish-pa, except that I wouldn't have smacked or kicked Noish-pa.  

Ahem.  Anyway, I'd been under the impression that _Yendi_ got more love than _Teckla_, at least on-list, because _Yendi_ has, as you say, that spiffy opening monologue, plus the Sorceress in Green speaking of newts, and Morrolan acting super-swish (er than normal), whereas I seem to recall that most reactions to _Teckla_ included the phrases "ew gross Cawti" and "ew gross Kelly".

>us would transcribe quotes from favorite books an post them on our dorm
>room doors.  

Really?  With us, it was Elvish heraldry.  My door was stuck with Finarfin, who was a swell guy but whose device just sucked.  I sulked because across the hall was Thingol.  And Thingol is UNF.

>My door had a sprinkling of quotes from Heinlein 

Say what you will about Admiral Bob, but he's very quotable.  I think I like his "Specialization is for insects" best.

>second was the wisecracking remarks of our favorite Easterner assassin
>about onions and Dragaeran Houses.     

HURRAY.

>Likewise, although I am ashamed to admit that I have not attempted to
>read three of Steve's books (_Agyar_, _The Gypsy_, and _The Sun, the
>Moon, and the Stars_) 

They're likeable.  And _The Gypsy_ is chilling.  Maybe moreso than _Agyar_, come to think of it.

>nor most of his short stories.  Perhaps I'll get
>to them after _Sethra Lavode_

A FINE FINE GOAL!  Short stories are neat.

>> And I am in complete agreement with Booklist: 
>> "Brust is incapable of writing a dull book."
>
>Oh, I think he could do it if he had to.  

Personally, I bet that Paarfi would be better at writing a dull book than SKZB would be.  

¬
mj