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dr_mitch
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- dr_mitch
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(Quote) Yes! Top marks in the "Paul Mitchener's taste in speculative fiction writing styles" quiz. I bet you wish you were using that portion of your brain for something more useful... Incidentally, there are other writers whose styles I …
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To give a half serious answer, I see the Kargs as barbarian raiders, initially based loosely on Vikings, and therefore white, blonde, and absolute brutes. But like everything else in the Earthsea there are other cultural influences to make something…
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In terms of writing style, whether in fantasy or in science fiction, Le Guin's one of the very best there is- in my top three writers, who I wouldn't like to rank in order. Her use of language is efficient and beautiful, and that combination is as g…
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Thinking of world building elements...the nameless ones, the ancient discarded priesthood, they're fantastic inspiration/ In terms of more personal moments, there's the dark enclosed spaces, relying on touch and memory. That's great atmosphere, and…
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I agree with the point that they're primal forces rather than personalities. Part of their nature is fear- embodied as fear of the dark and enclosed spaces, which is part of the logic of the tombs. And they're never clearly defined, but definitely p…
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They're exceptionally vivid. And conceptually frightening, building on primal fears such as the dark and enclosed spaces. Tenar's mastery of them is something to behold.
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The two are definitely mirrors, and definitely in some ways have opposite trajectories. Throughout Earthsea (I'm thinking of book 4 here, which I know a lot of fans don't like, but I do), one gains power at the stage in their life when the other los…
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This one's complex and hard to answer, even from a personal point of view. The religion is real and a discarded political relic, working according to tradition, and placating genuine supernatural forces. And it does seem to be placating them rather …
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Sorry for being late to the discussion- even more so than usual. One part of the coming of age elements is Tenar gradually acquiring more agency- or to be fair gaining any agency at all, where she had absolutely none. Not just the relationship with …
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Thank-you! And Chris, you were right about the finish at Christmas. I agree with not letting it interfere with the monthly book club discussions.
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Thanks...I won't say no to the offer of help there!
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And the schedule: I'll edit to add in the rest of the precise dates. I've put breaks between volumes 1 and 2, and 2 and 3; there are breaks in the book's narrative between those and I wanted to mirror that as well as give us a rest. The Shadow of t…
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Google Calendar makes sense. I'll get planning; we should be able to start in about a week if that works for everyone.
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You're in a good situation...the player characters have a side, and they're heavily involved. On the Babylonian front...certainly a Babylonian agent will approach the characters, offering help for the resistance, but there's going to be a price late…
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I'm calling it...our next slow read will be Book of the New Sun. I hope we've built some enthusiasm here. It's very good, intricate, and rewards repeat reading. I also don't find it an especially "difficult" read. There is some deliberate …
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To be transparent, I'll do final totals on Thursday and then get organised!
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I was expecting more Dick love in this thread. Actually I'm reminded of an old forum discussion where the forum software really didn't like the use of the word "dick" which meant we were forced to talk about Philip K. D*ck when talking abo…
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> @rossum said: > > FATE does a lot of double-edge swords, right? Yes, it does remind me a fair bit of Fate aspects.
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This is exciting... New Sun and Dune are tied!
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(Quote) I see you've voted. :smile: But it's a very good point to link it: https://www.ttrpbc.com/discussion/185/slow-read-round-2
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(Quote) Crunch! Aargh! Thud! Gurgle.
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I started a new voting thread, because I'm like that.
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The Star Trek transporter is nonsense scientifically (like a lot of Star Trek science- and I'm saying this as someone who likes Star Trek), but it's used relatively consistently and I'm so used to it that it doesn't jangle any sense of disbelief. I…
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I agree on the settler/traveller split, both with the Wasters/Plants and in Korobe. Other themes.... A weakness actually being a strength (though I think that's adequately explored). A culture being defined by its technology. For example, the peo…
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The breakdowns in space-time worked well enough for me to suspend disbelief. Dark matter didn't really come into it. The wending, while not scientifically plausible, was just subtle enough to work within a science fiction framework (much better than…
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I liked the creepiness of the rooms being rearranged, and the inference it had happened once already. Most interesting to me was Moth's reaction to the ship, especially when she processed it through something other than vision. And of course, as Ric…
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> @rossum said: > Speaking of gripping, I found the first audio log to be rather non-gripping. Once I realized they were A Thing In This Book, I found I cared more. I agree. I thought the audio log was going to be an annoying periodic brea…
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The book didn't go where I thought it was going with any of the main characters. Sara looked like the main protagonist but in the end was more of an observer. She didn't really develop. I expected Moth to learn to see but lose her own abiliti…
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For the Wasters, having no home and being outside time was both a strength and a weakness. For the people of the planet, blindness was both a weakness and a strength. Or reversing it, being able to see is both a strength and a weakness. Or acces…
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The scientific camps remind a little of the warring scientific disciplines and grand unifier in Voyage of the Space Beagle. The book thankfully didn't go in that direction, though at one stage I feared it might. I did like the way the connection …