Quality Discussion Thread

[thom_merrilin]

Loved it. Cried, several times. Whooped for joy. Read it fairly quickly. I am pleased with it though.

[CTGryffindor]

I dont think he would have gone beyond these three books at all. There is plenty of room in these three to wrap things up. Just look at how the first half is mostly entirely useless and mindless trolloc fighting.

 

I think RJ could have done it in 2.

Jordan planted the seeds for all of the complaints about the quality of this book, which I believe are on the whole unbelievably uncharitable and unfair to Sanderson. Not to pick on you, but your suggestion that Jordan would have been more pithy and used each page more productively than Sanderson is a quintessential example. Jordan created a great world, a great story, and a great series. But no other author in my lifetime, not even GRRM, lost control of a series more than Jordan. There is simply no reason to suspect that he could have wrapped it all up more succinctly than Sanderson. None.

 

To the contrary, Sanderson's "failures" in this book all come down to the fact that he was finally forced to wrap every loose thread up as best as possible. He did an admirable job in the first two books moving everything forward to a potential culmination by avoiding the mess created by countless meandering storylines in Jordan's original eleven books. He actually produced two books worthy of the original canon. But this last book had too much to do to satisfy everyone's every expectation. Jordan built too much for that to happen, and expectations to the contrary were silly and constitute an unfair standard by which to judge Memory of Light.

 

Did the book give me everything I wanted? No. Did it give me as much as could be expected under the circumstances? Yes, and more so if considered as part three of the single book originally promised.

[nolirion]

 

Did the book give me everything I wanted? No. Did it give me as much as could be expected under the circumstances? Yes, and more so if considered as part three of the single book originally promised.

For what it's  worth I like what you say and feel a  bit the same .

[MarkDiLillo]

 

I dont think he would have gone beyond these three books at all.  There is plenty of room in these three to wrap things up.  Just look at how the first half is mostly entirely useless and mindless trolloc fighting.

 

I think RJ could have done it in 2.

Jordan planted the seeds for all of the complaints about the quality of this book, which I believe are on the whole unbelievably uncharitable and unfair to Sanderson. Not to pick on you, but your suggestion that Jordan would have been more pithy and used each page more productively than Sanderson is a quintessential example. Jordan created a great world, a great story, and a great series. But no other author in my lifetime, not even GRRM, lost control of a series more than Jordan. There is simply no reason to suspect that he could have wrapped it all up more succinctly than Sanderson. None.

 

To the contrary, Sanderson's "failures" in this book all come down to the fact that he was finally forced to wrap every loose thread up as best as possible. He did an admirable job in the first two books moving everything forward to a potential culmination in the final book by avoiding the mess created by countless meandering storylines in Jordan's original eleven books. He actually produced two books worthy of the original canon. But this last book had too much to do to satisfy everyone's every expectation. Jordan built too much for that to happen, and expectations to the contrary were silly and constitute an unfair standards by which to judge Memory of Light.

 

Did the book give me everything I wanted? No. Did it give me as much as could be expected under the circumstances? Yes, and more so if considered as part three of the single book originally promised.

 

Nope.

 

The problems that I am complaining about are not the fault of RJ.  He wasn't perfect and the series wasn't perfect, but my disappointment has to do with quality of writing, planning and staging of plots, and execution of scenes to tell the full story.  We have 11 books where Jordan did this nearly flawlessly.  In fact, seemlessly weaving together plot details may have been his greatest strength.

 

If anything, Sandersons failures appear to come from a total and complete lack of planning and organization.  Just flat out running out of room to give certain plot points the pages they required, and entirely forgetting others.

 

I agree that it was a momumental task to tie up all of the loose ends that RJ left, but it was not impossible.  It's his job and he has been or will be paid handsomely.  Getting the voice wrong on characters, writing in poor prose, and messing up small things here and there are things that most readers can and will ignore.  Only picky critics like myself will really pitch a fit over that stuff.  But flat out forgetting to wrap up major plot points that SANDERSON HIMSELF SETUP is really unforgivable.  If he worked for me I'd be letting him go for this massive of a fail.

 

- Brandon Sanderson left the Alanna cliffhanger.  He resolved that very poorly - barely resolved it.

 

- Brandon Sanderson wrote the ending of the Moiraine/ToG sequence where she talks about her wishes.  He did not even attempt to resolve that.

 

- Brandon Sanderson wrote the Rand vs DO battles.  It is his fault that there are massive logical holes there.

 

I could go on and on, but the point is that he didn't wrap up HIS OWN WORK appropriately.  This is his third book now and it's fair for him to take responsibility for it.

[Suttree]

 

 

 

 

I dont think he would have gone beyond these three books at all. There is plenty of room in these three to wrap things up. Just look at how the first half is mostly entirely useless and mindless trolloc fighting.

 

I think RJ could have done it in 2.

Jordan planted the seeds for all of the complaints about the quality of this book, which I believe are on the whole unbelievably uncharitable and unfair to Sanderson. Not to pick on you, but your suggestion that Jordan would have been more pithy and used each page more productively than Sanderson is a quintessential example. Jordan created a great world, a great story, and a great series. But no other author in my lifetime, not even GRRM, lost control of a series more than Jordan. There is simply no reason to suspect that he could have wrapped it all up more succinctly than Sanderson. None.

You must be joking. KoD showed quite clearly that RJ knew where he was going and had things pointed in the right direction. There was an absolutely appaling amount of filler in these last three books and quite clearly zero need to have split it up into three(I think one book two volumes would have been best). Their are numerous very real issues with these last books. Unpolished prose, blunt plotwork and poor characterization run rampant, that is without getting into the numerous mistakes. This was a highly flawed book from a literary perspective mand that has nothing to do with RJ. If anything Brandon was handled with kid gloves for far too long after the release of TGS and it hurt the series in the long run. Team Jordan has admitted the issues and they changed Brandon's writing process in an attempt to gain more polish. I am always astounded when despite this people try to pretend as if the issues don't exist.

[CTGryffindor]

I dont think he would have gone beyond these three books at all. There is plenty of room in these three to wrap things up. Just look at how the first half is mostly entirely useless and mindless trolloc fighting.

I think RJ could have done it in 2.

Jordan planted the seeds for all of the complaints about the quality of this book, which I believe are on the whole unbelievably uncharitable and unfair to Sanderson. Not to pick on you, but your suggestion that Jordan would have been more pithy and used each page more productively than Sanderson is a quintessential example. Jordan created a great world, a great story, and a great series. But no other author in my lifetime, not even GRRM, lost control of a series more than Jordan. There is simply no reason to suspect that he could have wrapped it all up more succinctly than Sanderson. None.

You must be joking. KoD showed quite clearly that RJ knew where he was going and had things pointed in the right direction. There was an absolutely appaling amount of filler in these last three books and quite clearly zero need to have split it up into three(I think one book two volumes would have been best). Their are numerous very real issues with these last books. Unpolished prose, blunt plotwork and poor characterization run rampant, that is without getting into the numerous mistakes. This was a highly flawed book from a literary perspective mand that has nothing to do with RJ. If anything Brandon was handled with kid gloves for far too long after the release of TGS and it hurt the series in the long run. Team Jordan has admitted the issues and they changed Brandon's writing process in an attempt to gain more polish. I am always astounded when despite this people try to pretend as if the issues don't exist.

 

Let us not throw around arguments based on alleged literary standards. I may not be an academic, but I know that no one would recommend the WOT as an example of high art. It is, and was, a great story created by Jordan. But it is also true that after The Shadow Rising, or arguably The Fires of Heavan, Jordan lost control. Before his death, most on boards like this complained of as much. Attempts now to pretend otherwise, regardless of the faux sophistication attached to the series, are silly.

[CTGryffindor]

 

 

 

I dont think he would have gone beyond these three books at all. There is plenty of room in these three to wrap things up. Just look at how the first half is mostly entirely useless and mindless trolloc fighting.

 

I think RJ could have done it in 2.

 

Jordan planted the seeds for all of the complaints about the quality of this book, which I believe are on the whole unbelievably uncharitable and unfair to Sanderson. Not to pick on you, but your suggestion that Jordan would have been more pithy and used each page more productively than Sanderson is a quintessential example. Jordan created a great world, a great story, and a great series. But no other author in my lifetime, not even GRRM, lost control of a series more than Jordan. There is simply no reason to suspect that he could have wrapped it all up more succinctly than Sanderson. None.

To the contrary, Sanderson's "failures" in this book all come down to the fact that he was finally forced to wrap every loose thread up as best as possible. He did an admirable job in the first two books moving everything forward to a potential culmination in the final book by avoiding the mess created by countless meandering storylines in Jordan's original eleven books. He actually produced two books worthy of the original canon. But this last book had too much to do to satisfy everyone's every expectation. Jordan built too much for that to happen, and expectations to the contrary were silly and constitute an unfair standards by which to judge Memory of Light.

Did the book give me everything I wanted? No. Did it give me as much as could be expected under the circumstances? Yes, and more so if considered as part three of the single book originally promised.

Nope.

 

The problems that I am complaining about are not the fault of RJ. He wasn't perfect and the series wasn't perfect, but my disappointment has to do with quality of writing, planning and staging of plots, and execution of scenes to tell the full story. We have 11 books where Jordan did this nearly flawlessly. In fact, seemlessly weaving together plot details may have been his greatest strength.

 

If anything, Sandersons failures appear to come from a total and complete lack of planning and organization. Just flat out running out of room to give certain plot points the pages they required, and entirely forgetting others.

 

I agree that it was a momumental task to tie up all of the loose ends that RJ left, but it was not impossible. It's his job and he has been or will be paid handsomely. Getting the voice wrong on characters, writing in poor prose, and messing up small things here and there are things that most readers can and will ignore. Only picky critics like myself will really pitch a fit over that stuff. But flat out forgetting to wrap up major plot points that SANDERSON HIMSELF SETUP is really unforgivable. If he worked for me I'd be letting him go for this massive of a fail.

 

- Brandon Sanderson left the Alanna cliffhanger. He resolved that very poorly - barely resolved it.

 

- Brandon Sanderson wrote the ending of the Moiraine/ToG sequence where she talks about her wishes. He did not even attempt to resolve that.

 

- Brandon Sanderson wrote the Rand vs DO battles. It is his fault that there are massive logical holes there.

 

I could go on and on, but the point is that he didn't wrap up HIS OWN WORK appropriately. This is his third book now and it's fair for him to take responsibility for it.

My only specific critique of your criticism is the suggestuon that the most meandering author of my lifetime would have been more efficient with his words than Sanderson. I obviously do not think MOL was perfect, as I am making "excuses" for some failures. To acknowledge just one, I have never liked how Sanderson wrote Mat. He made him into a caricature of Jordan's Mat, in my opinion. Nevertheless, I think the general criticisms are misplaced and fail to recognize that no one could have completely rescued a series Jordan himself had already failed.

[Suttree]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I dont think he would have gone beyond these three books at all. There is plenty of room in these three to wrap things up. Just look at how the first half is mostly entirely useless and mindless trolloc fighting.

I think RJ could have done it in 2.

Jordan planted the seeds for all of the complaints about the quality of this book, which I believe are on the whole unbelievably uncharitable and unfair to Sanderson. Not to pick on you, but your suggestion that Jordan would have been more pithy and used each page more productively than Sanderson is a quintessential example. Jordan created a great world, a great story, and a great series. But no other author in my lifetime, not even GRRM, lost control of a series more than Jordan. There is simply no reason to suspect that he could have wrapped it all up more succinctly than Sanderson. None.

You must be joking. KoD showed quite clearly that RJ knew where he was going and had things pointed in the right direction. There was an absolutely appaling amount of filler in these last three books and quite clearly zero need to have split it up into three(I think one book two volumes would have been best). Their are numerous very real issues with these last books. Unpolished prose, blunt plotwork and poor characterization run rampant, that is without getting into the numerous mistakes. This was a highly flawed book from a literary perspective mand that has nothing to do with RJ. If anything Brandon was handled with kid gloves for far too long after the release of TGS and it hurt the series in the long run. Team Jordan has admitted the issues and they changed Brandon's writing process in an attempt to gain more polish. I am always astounded when despite this people try to pretend as if the issues don't exist.

Let us not throw around arguments based on alleged literary standards. I may not be an academic, but I know that no one would recommend the WOT as an example of high art. It is, and was, a great story created by Jordan. But it is also true that after The Shadow Rising, or arguably The Fires of Heavan, Jordan lost control. Before his death, most on boards like this complained of as much. Attempts now to pretend otherwise, regardless of the faux sophistication attached to the series, are silly.

Why on earth not? This is the quality thread after all. Further there is no "alleged" I was a lit major but one doesn't need a degree to see the problems in TGS, ToM, and AMoL. No one is holding RJ up as some literary giant and I have no idea what you are referring to when you say "faux sophistication"? He was in the top tier of fantasy writers however but his work doesn't hold up outside of genre when you start talking about people such as DeLillo, Pynchon or McCarthy. The reality is the quality of writing has fallen off a cliff. You can't just pawn off these problems by saying well "RJ lost control". All the issues listed are very real and readily apparent and these books do not hold up under any careful scrutiny. Look at the prose of other in genre authors such as Bakker, Erikson, Wolfe or Peake. Compared to those one must "read down" to these last three books.

 

As for losing control, yes RJ was criticized heavily. I was one of those who did so. To say it happened after TSR is absurd. BY most acounts the issues started at TPoD at the earliest(which still has some of the finest writing in the entire series, so when talking quality RJ is a huge step up from BS) and culmnated in CoT. Fans were in almost unanimous agreement that KoD changed things and RJ knew what he was about. It is quite clear he knew where he was going.

 

Edit: As for how many books RJ would have taken, again there was an incredible amount of filler in these last three books. It could have been done in much less if there was no split. RJ could be very concise and not meander when he needed to. If one had judged him on pace after TSR it would have said to have been a strength. The increased pace under Sanderson was a fucntion of where we were in the story arc more than anything esle. We have no idea if it is a strength for him until we see his own large series at a comnparable place to CoT. As for him being "more efficient" if that's what we call lack of subtlety and blunt plot work these days give me meandering every time.

[Malivis]

I've not had any major issues with the first two Sanderson novels either. I finished them thinking they were a good effort - they were bringing the story where they needed to be better than I could reasonably expect.

 

This one seemed off to me though. I don't want to go terribly in depth but:

1) The only lingering problem I've felt seemed exacerbated here. The PoV's shift TOO frequently. While reading it was like "was I really not meant to have figured out something was wrong with the great generals 400 pages ago?" - the storyline seemed to jump merely to avoid a complete resolution at any of the four battlegrounds. Keeping timelines at the same point across everyone seemed pointless and impeded my enjoyment of the book. The storyline would have been just as - if not more compelling - if we knew for sure something was wrong with one of the major captains and could read each of those battlefronts with the complete knowledge of what had happened - rather than being left to work out what was obvious early in the book and fragment the storyline so much.

 

2) Moiraine. The only explanation I can have for how underwhelmed I was here is that Jordan didn't leave enough notes on what was meant to happen with her. Her resurrection did nothing. We didn't get any answers to what her questions were - it was even Nyn that did all of the work with Alanna inside the Pit. Her lack of involvement in the book saddens me to no end - she's probably the single most badass character in the series.

 

3) His Mat seemed to be more off than ever - maybe I haven't done a reread in a long time, but Uno was bad too. Cringeworthy. He seemed to be swearing just for the sake of it, not because he actually wanted to.

 

4) A little too much dues-ex-machina. "It's just a weave" isn't foreshadowing for a reverse balefire. 

[CTGryffindor]

 

 

 

Did the book give me everything I wanted? No. Did it give me as much as could be expected under the circumstances? Yes, and more so if considered as part three of the single book originally promised.

For what it's  worth I like what you say and feel a  bit the same .

It's worth a lot, considering no one else agrees. :)

[Amandera]

3) His Mat seemed to be more off than ever - maybe I haven't done a reread in a long time, but Uno was bad too. Cringeworthy. He seemed to be swearing just for the sake of it, not because he actually wanted to.

Really? I thought Mat was better in AMoL. Mind you that's not saying much because I thought he was horrible in tGS and ToM but still better. And Uno does swear in pretty much sentence. I have a friend like that. He can swear 3 or 4 times in a single sentence. I think it becomes a habit after a while.

[CTGryffindor]

Why on earth not? This is the quality thread after all. Further there is no "alleged" I was a lit major but one doesn't need a degree to see the problems in TGS, ToM, and AMoL. No one is holding RJ up as some literary giant and I have no idea what you are referring to when you say "faux sophistication"?

Why not? Because it is ludicrous to suggest that what preceded or was produced by Sanderson should be judged on a "literary" standard. Robert Jordan didn't produce great literature. Robert Jordan produced great stories that those who know the difference between great literature and good stories read with a bit of guilt and embarrasment. Arguing that Jordan's successor failed to create high art suggests that you can't see the difference between a good story and a story told well.

 

Creating a good story is sufficient in my eyes for accolades; Jordan deserves them to the umpth degree. But just like I don't judge J.K. Rowlings based on the quality of her prose, I could care less about criticisms of Sanderson's work based on the fact that the sophisticated criticisms are from "lit majors."

[Viperswhip]

All that trolloc fighting would be replaced with sniffs, skirt smoothing and braid tugging.

Ya, Nynaeve discovers that her hair is a ter'angreal and wipes out mass numbers of Shadowspawn when tugged. Elayne sniffs and like Superman blows away Mellar and all her enemies heh

[Suttree]

 

 

 

Why on earth not? This is the quality thread after all. Further there is no "alleged" I was a lit major but one doesn't need a degree to see the problems in TGS, ToM, and AMoL. No one is holding RJ up as some literary giant and I have no idea what you are referring to when you say "faux sophistication"?

Why the hell not? Because it is ludicrous to suggest that what preceded or was produced by Sanderson should be judged on a literary standard. Robert Jordan didn't produce great literature. Robert Jordan produced great stories that those who knew the difference between great literature and good stories read with a bit of guild and embarrasment. Arguing that Jordan's successor failed to create high art suggests that you can't see the difference between good story and a story told well.

This is an absurd argument. You obviously didn't read my entire post where I differentiated between Jordan and great literature.

 

Regardles Jordan's prose, plotwork and story telling was far superior(again this is before we even start discussing the numerous mistakes and timeline issues). There is forshadowing, set up and one isn't hammered over the head every other page to get points across. All subtlety has completly disappeared Sanderson takes "tell don't show" to an entirely new level. If you don't notice a difference in the prose and polish there really is little need to continue the discussion.

 

As for the rest no idea what Rowling has to do with it but it is pretty sad you seem to be suggesting fantasy can not also be great literature. For all that it was quaint and slightly juvenile that is what set the WoT a part from other books in the genre when it was released. Sadly that is no longer the case and people like Bakker and Rothfuss have far surpassed in quality what we now have in these last three books.

[Zefram]

Its not the questions that Robert Jordan wrote a great prose, he wrote a good story and he wrote in conservative language - none of modern acronysms or ways of speaking. Most writers in 80s and 90s wrote that way nothing special. Brandon seems in love in modern turn of phrase that sometimes is not even grammatically correct, at very least he might have attempted to just write conservatively without use of modern words or 2000s style of speaking. I wonder why editors didn't point that out. In fact, those phrases seem an effort to go out of the way and be modern 20-year-old speak. "Saidared" still kills me, and institution, surgeons, homocide (instead of simple murder) just seem so jarring to me (Especially after re-reading original 11 books before going on further).

 

 

 

I just feel Sanderson for some reason did it on purpose and editors just let him. I don't know why but it seems very purposeful instead of just his own way of speaking. (He doesn't seem to write his blog that way)

[CTGryffindor]

If you don't notice a difference in the prose and polish there really is little need to continue the discussion.

If you don't already know that I am correct, there really is no reason for me to point out why you are wrong.

[Mario Cole]

 

 

 

 

Did the book give me everything I wanted? No. Did it give me as much as could be expected under the circumstances? Yes, and more so if considered as part three of the single book originally promised.

For what it's  worth I like what you say and feel a  bit the same .

It's worth a lot, considering no one else agrees. :)

 

Oh I agree. I'm glad you put it in the way you did because I'd probably get more antagonistic.

[Zefram]

 

 

If you don't notice a difference in the prose and polish there really is little need to continue the discussion.

If you don't already know that I am correct, there really is no reason for me to point out why you are wrong.

That wasn't my quote!

[Viperswhip]

2) Moiraine. The only explanation I can have for how underwhelmed I was here is that Jordan didn't leave enough notes on what was meant to happen with her. Her resurrection did nothing. We didn't get any answers to what her questions were - it was even Nyn that did all of the work with Alanna inside the Pit. Her lack of involvement in the book saddens me to no end - she's probably the single most badass character in the series.

Rand is walking out of the tent, walking out of the Dragon's Peace meeting altogether when Moiraine shows up. I mean, Rand still fights the DO, but likely loses because of no cohesion of the light side forces.

 

Then she jedi mind tricks everyone into signing. Then she is one of the extremely few Aes Sedai Rand trusts absolutely, enough to take her into see the DO. Why? Because she will kill him if he turns, or try to. That's not stated, but he knows it.

 

She and Nynaeve are involved in saving the world, just like many of the other things they do, they will not get sufficient credit for their involvement. They didn't fight the DO, but they helped bind him out of the pattern.

 

Yes we could have seen more of her, but she is not, and never has been a Green Ajah fighter, her goal was always to see Rand to his meeting in SG, so fighting in the trenches is not her style, but she can do it if she needs to.

 

Did we need more? She has some interactions with Rand, where she acknowledges working him, and he acknowledges that maybe he should have let her in a little bit more. They really made peace, not some weird subservience. Also, it was made pretty clear that Nyn still sees her as a bit of a rival, even though she respects Moiraine greatly. It's a mirror of Amys and Sorilea, just as Moiraine mirrors that with Cadsuane a bit.

 

I guess I would also like to have seen more, but when you bullet point her actions in this novel, it matches many of the earlier books for effect. I think we've only ever had 2 or 3 PoVs from her, and she was not particularly revealing in any of those, she's a mysterious woman.

 

I have a few complaints about the short shrifts of characters in this book, and though Moiraine along with Nynaeve, Min and Amys are my favourite female characters in the books, I feel that they all did fairly well in AMoL.

[Suttree]

 

 

 

 

 

If you don't notice a difference in the prose and polish there really is little need to continue the discussion.

If you don't already know that I am correct, there really is no reason for me to point out why you are wrong.

That wasn't my quote!

LoL classic.

 

Would like to see you address the actual points Gryff. Bummer that's how you view fantasy as a genre. Essentially you seem to be saying well it's just fantasy, I don't care that Team Jordan addressed these issues, I'm just going to close my eyes and ignore them because fantasy can't also be quality literature(if you want to pm me I can send you some books that might change your mind). Guess people read it for different reasons. Shrug...all good.

[CTGryffindor]

 

 

 

 

If you don't notice a difference in the prose and polish there really is little need to continue the discussion.

If you don't already know that I am correct, there really is no reason for me to point out why you are wrong.

That wasn't my quote!

Sorry if I f*d up somehow. I know it wasn't your quote. My tech skills suck. Just learning this forum....

[CTGryffindor]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you don't notice a difference in the prose and polish there really is little need to continue the discussion.

If you don't already know that I am correct, there really is no reason for me to point out why you are wrong.

That wasn't my quote!

LoL classic.

 

Would like to see you address the actual points Gryff. Bummer that's how you view fantasy as a genre. Essentially you seem to be saying well it's just fantasy, I don't care that Team Jordan addressed these issues, I'm just going to close my eyes and ignore them because fantasy can't also be quality literature(if you want to pm me I can send you some books that might change your mind). Guess people read it for different reasons. Shrug...all good.

I feel that I did. I love fantasy. Started reading WOT in 1991, and it wasn't anywhere near my first series. But I know the difference between a good story and good literature; it's vast, to say the least. Only the Lord of the Rings spans the two.

[Suttree]

But I know the difference between a good story and good literature; it's vast, to say the least. Only the Lord of the Rings spans the two.

None of that addresses the drop in quality between RJ and Sanderson however, nor does it preclude one from using literary analysis to critique these works.

 

As for saying only Lord of the Rings spans the two, see links below for just a few examples that show you to be off on that take.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gormenghast_(series)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Book_of_the_New_Sun

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little,_Big

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_of_Nothing

 

The first three have one major literary awards. Famed critic Harold Bloom has called "Little Big" a "neglected masterpiece" in the Western Canon.

 

Bakker is an example of a modern fantasy writer who has certainly bridged the gap and works in philosophical themes. I suggest you give some of them a shot. Might change your mind a bit.

[CTGryffindor]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Did the book give me everything I wanted? No. Did it give me as much as could be expected under the circumstances? Yes, and more so if considered as part three of the single book originally promised.

For what it's  worth I like what you say and feel a  bit the same .

It's worth a lot, considering no one else agrees. :)

 

 

Oh I agree. I'm glad you put it in the way you did because I'd probably get more antagonistic.

 

The forum needs a "like" function. Perhaps there are sufficient "lurkers" to constitute a silent majority? :)

[lsm]

this was so overused:

 

[ pov speculation on what's going on ] ... well, it's [ clever description! ]

 

tinkers, olver, probably even demandred, they all think about something ... three little dots ... and "well its like this!"

 

unlike the use of tempest of amyrlins anger, which i didn't mind at all, that started to get annoying after the hundredth time. it's usage felt... well it felt repetitive!