On 1/26/2018 at 4:35 PM, DGLaderoute said:

Better start passing the hat, then, because Brandon doesn't come cheap.

It would be worth every last koku

On ‎1‎/‎23‎/‎2018 at 8:59 AM, DGLaderoute said:

While I don't pretend to speak for FFG--I'm just a freelance writer for them--I'd suggest that it has more to do with the simple practicality of writing fiction. The "six packs in six weeks" thing resulted in a LOT of fiction coming out very quickly; it kinda drained the well, which is being refilled. But there's a significant lead time to get fiction designed, assigned, contracted, written, edited, revised, potentially edited and revised again, and doing it all in a way that meshes everything into a coherent, overarching story. I can guarantee you there's more fiction coming, but I couldn't say when...that particular ball is in FFG's court!

Personally, I'd rather the fiction come too slowly than too quickly, as long as it eventually comes out. When there's a very strict schedule, it becomes easier for writers to run out of ideas, or to develop an idea poorly just to meet a deadline (as seen in several long-running TV shows). I think it's better to enforce the quality of the fiction over its quantity.

On ‎1‎/‎26‎/‎2018 at 4:24 PM, Ishi Tonu said:

Get Brandon Sanderson to write them and I would be all over that.

I'm only familiar with him through his finishing of the Wheel of Time series, but he did pretty well with that, so I'd buy that.

On ‎1‎/‎26‎/‎2018 at 4:54 PM, Coyote Walks said:

Walks off with his box of Thin Mint cereal....

Not Samoas?! I guess there's no accounting for taste.

22 minutes ago, JJ48 said:

I'm only familiar with him through his finishing of the Wheel of Time series, but he did pretty well with that, so I'd buy that.

You have some reading to do. Everything Sanderson has written, from his young adult books to his big epic series, is pretty much awesome. I just wish I had more time to read.

1 minute ago, Ishi Tonu said:

You have some reading to do. Everything Sanderson has written, from his young adult books to his big epic series, is pretty much awesome. I just wish I had more time to read.

Don't we all?

I'll have to add him to my reading list, then. Fortunately, with Audible allowing me to listen to books while driving, I've been able to start making more of a dent in my list recently (currently working through The Pilgrim's Progress ).

Sanderson seems like reaching for the stars a bit. I mean he's gotta be one of the most acclaimed fantasy writer currently writing. I will admit I have not read all his stuff because he seems to only do multi book fantasy series, and they take a certain level of commitment. I'm a patient guy but I'm currently reading so many series that are still waiting to be resolved.

I wish more fantasy authors would latch onto the single novel format. That said Sanderson is certainly better than most with pushing these books out. A lot of people like to beat up GRRM for this, but man I was a Dark Tower fan and I seriously thought for a while that King would never finish that series (then he had a near death experience). I'm still frustrated that Rothfuss hasn't finished the Kingkiller Chronicles yet, and they keep talking about the TV and picture deals for that. Robert Jordan died before he could finish the Wheel Of Time. I wonder if there is something about fantasy that makes the authors' reluctant to say goodbye to the worlds they create. Makes me really appreciate Joe Abercrombie. He pushed the three First Law books out in a couple years wrapped up that one story and alluded to the next, which at least gave us closure in a reasonable amount of time. Since then he's been giving us single novel stories that have beginning, middle and endings. I think he went about it in a smart way. If he never wrote another book in that setting I wouldn't feel like the whole thing ended in the middle.

I guess that was a long rant about the state of popular fantasy.

I think our current pool of writers for L5R are doing a really great job. I've not been really disappointed by any offering yet and they all seem to be consistent with each other so they must be pretty good at coordinating all the details.

1 hour ago, phillos said:

Sanderson seems like reaching for the stars a bit. I mean he's gotta be one of the most acclaimed fantasy writer currently writing. I will admit I have not read all his stuff because he seems to only do multi book fantasy series, and they take a certain level of commitment. I'm a patient guy but I'm currently reading so many series that are still waiting to be resolved.

I hear that. One of the many reasons why I enjoy Sanderson's books is that the leave me wanting more but I still feel like I read a complete story. He generally doesn't leave you with a cliff-hanger that takes years to resolve. The books in his various series mostly stand on their own. I mean sure I'd love a sequel to Elantris and Warbreaker and Rithmatist, and countless others but I don't feel cheated by any of those stories by being kept waiting for the next installment.

If you want to pick up a series that is complete and a really good read imo, try Daniel Abraham's Long Price Quartet. Pretty quick and extremely satisfying series.

If you're looking for one to avoid, do not get started with Steven Erickson. As cool as his series is......the scope and number of characters is somewhat daunting and seemingly never-ending. If I could control.space and time I'm still not sure I'd try to finish it.

Thanks for the recommendation. I have not read any Daniel Abraham.

Steve Erickson is exactly the type of author I was thinking BTW. I started to read the Malazan books and I just got so exhausted. They weren't bad books but it's just too much for me. It's a lot of tedious exposition in that first book (not bad, but it felt like he was dumping the world in my lap), and then I looked to see how many books were in the series and I put it down and picked up something less demanding. Judging from the books I have read by Sanderson I can safely state that Sanderson is miles away from Erickson.