My 9 year old has just finished reading Eragon, and wants to read Eldest :P

Leaving aside the quality of it (She's nine, she has time to develop taste ok? Even Eragon is better than more bloody Enid sodding Blyton...) I would like to know whether there is anything in Eldest that is overtly sexual - as opposed to implied since that will just go over her head - that I should know about.

Normally I'll read the book first to make certain if it's suitable, but I'll be damned if I'm wasting two hours of my life ploughing through any more of CP's drivel. Besides which I doubt my husband could take the three months of me complaining about the book and tell me I should stick to reading what I like and stop being negative....

Any comments on my daughter's choice of reading matter will be subjected to an interrogation on what *you* were reading when you were nine. I'm sure there are skeletons in your wardrobe too ;)

Current Mood: worried

 Here'a a few links. 
Edited to explain links


http://community.livejournal.com/antishurtugal/319399.html#cutid1
(A post of letters sent to Swankivy from a self-published author. Sums up a bit of the philosophy on how Anti-Shur'tugal operates: Posted by Swankivy)

http://community.livejournal.com/antishurtugal/318022.html
(A comic strip fundamentally demolishing the romance in Twilight: Posted by Torylltales)

http://community.livejournal.com/antishurtugal/351762.html
(A comic related in some fashion to traditional fantasy cliches: Posted by enoch_corp)

http://community.livejournal.com/antishurtugal/351236.html
(a worthy question posted by ChainFyre criticizing Twilight)

http://community.livejournal.com/antishurtugal/349201.html
(A criticism posted by attack_bunny in regards to Galbatorix)

http://community.livejournal.com/antishurtugal/347802.html
(You Got Your Eragon in my Shakespear, posted by fluffy_kururu)

http://community.livejournal.com/antishurtugal/346778.html
(World Building for Dummies, posted by yours truly)

http://community.livejournal.com/antishurtugal/344726.html

(A shameless ad for Maradonia. Worth reading if only for Anti-Shur'tugal comments.)

http://community.livejournal.com/antishurtugal/337406.html#cutid1
(A post on World Building cities, posted by: Pavlov's Cat)

http://impishidea.com/criticism/298/on-tyranny?commented=1#c003558
(A critical post on Tyranny, linked from ImpishIdea, written down by Falconempress (or Lenka))

http://community.livejournal.com/antishurtugal/315306.html
(The Laughing Dead: Cool vs Logical. Posted by Torylltales)

http://impishidea.com/criticism/257/on-government
(A post criticizing various governments in fiction. Also done by Falconempress)

http://community.livejournal.com/antishurtugal/334843.html
(It Isn't Just Imagination, posted by theopenedway)

http://community.livejournal.com/antishurtugal/329989.html
(I Bid Thee Farewell. A small respite by mrmyr)

http://community.livejournal.com/antishurtugal/330340.html
(May You Practice Regular Efficient Weapon Maintenance!, posted by: syntinen_laulu )

http://community.livejournal.com/antishurtugal/322808.html
(Newsletter!, an interview of Christopher Paolini by Shur'tugal. Posted by: Torylltales)

There are quite a few here.

And this is a very good one, too.

http://community.livejournal.com/antishurtugal/314038.html
(Eragon Shadeslayer: A Sociopath. A very professional article done by Rob Oakes that critically analysis Eragon's character)
Enjoy.

Following up on derrick mace's idea, I present an article by Torylltales from way back - March 30th, 2009.

A Trend?( Read more... )

Since Livejournal's format allows for old threads to be buried easily under the weight of newer posts, I hereby call for the Old Thread Appreciation Week, where everyone links or types back a post they favor or appreciate.

Rules:
1- Original post must be more than a month old.
2- One member mustn't post/link multiple times, but post the links to their favorite threads all at once.
3- It is OK for two members to link to the same post(s).
4- The posts must be related somehow to the Inheritance Cycle, the Twilight Saga or the Maradonia...articles.
5- Write: OTAWE (Old Thread Appreciation Week Entries) as the title, followed by your name.
Example:
Title: OTAWE: Derrick_Mace.
6- Please do not forget to mention the original writer of the article.
7- It would be best to link to older posts; like ones older than a year.
8- Tag OTAW, so that we might do this again after a time.


Enjoy!

Tags: fans, writing

stepstomarrow
When granddaughter, Jada, was born with leukemia, a donor-match was located and Jada made a miraculous recovery. In honor of her grandaughter's health, Jeanna has decided to walk across the country (in the dead of winter) to raise awareness and build support for the bone marrow registry (all that's required is a cheek swab). Follow Jeanna's remarkable journey as she travels the United States by foot.

This isn't sparked by or in reference to any book in particular, but just a general genre-specific question.

What is your stance on replacing words in fantasy that takes place in other lands/worlds? I know it's not uncommon for some authors to avoid our own terminology and replace inches, meters, miles, etc, with their own words. Same can go for time, cursing, so on...

In general, do you think this helps the feel of things over all, or is it just a pain to have to flip to the back to figure out how long a 'span' is? I mean, realistically these people are probably not speaking English (or whatever language the novel is published in) to begin with, so it would make sense to assume such things were translated as well. But at the same time, a lot of our sayings and metaphors and terminology is specific to and rooted in the history and context of our world, so it can come off as out of place to hear a dwarf saying 'See you next Thursday!' or whatever.

What do you feel really needs to be replaced, if anything? When is too much too much?

Also, I'm not as well read as I'd like to be, but I recall some authors italicizing invented words every damn time they are used. Is this some sort of unwritten rule or is it a stylistic choice?

Tags: languages, writing

Normally, I would not advocate the burning of any book.

But I think someone has the right idea...

Current Mood: amused

On the Folly of Trilogies: Part One

In this two-part series, I will examine the place of the trilogy in fantasy fiction, and the problems that one faces when writing a trilogy, and what, in my opinion, is the best way to go about doing so. ( Read more... )


Tune in soon for Part Two, which unfortunately has been cancelled due to lack of interest. :P



Edited for factual errors regarding Earthsea. Sorry!

Tags: articles, literature, writing

This is being done from memory of the books since I can't be arsed to re-read them (or, in the case of Brickinger, actually read the damn thing)

Are there even any seasons in Alawhatsit?

For that matter, are dragons reptiles and how do they deal with winter?

Tags: eragon (book), saphira
Current Location: On sofa with duvet and pillows, freezing
Current Mood: cold

So, a while ago there was a conversation about Bella being psychic and nuts and Edward feeding off the misery she caused. That was a fun, fun discussion. At one point the subject turned to Illithid/Mind Flayers and I mentioned that they were great to use for psychological stuff, and mentioned the following story as my influence for how to use mind-bending creatures and foes, although I didn't have the link at the time.

http://www.gamejag.net/index.php?name=PNphpBB2&file=viewtopic&t=79106

Be warned, this is by no means a 'nice' story. It's quite frightening by the time its over. Nevertheless, I wanted to share it and maybe inspire someone else the way I was inspired.

Current Mood: creative
Current Music: Saltwater - Julian Lennon