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Message started by Gary A. Markette on Oct 12^th, 2012, 1:43am

Title: Soap Opera Fantasy?
Post by Gary A. Markette on Oct 12^th, 2012, 1:43am

I am reading the Songs of Fire and Ice novels by George R. R. Martin. It's taking a while -- not because they are hard to read but because of the sheer girth of the books. I'm about a quarter of the way through A Storm of Swords and have finished the other books in the series. It's taken months, but I don't mind. Like many who have been hooked by this writer's prose, I can't wait for the next brick of text.

If I could write like this guy I'd pump out the pages too. Writers learning their craft would do worse than stuffing themselves with these novels. Soap opera? Oh yes. High fantasy soap opera but so much beyond the daytime tripe that floods TV's airways that I hesitate to use the term. These books are what Jordan's Wheel of Time should have been. Weigh in, those of you who have read this stuff. I think the series the best I've read since Tolkien. How about you?

Title: Re: Soap Opera Fantasy?
Post by Webbie on Oct 12^th, 2012, 1:23pm

High praise indeed - Haven't read him yet but with kind words like these on my list it goes.

Title: Re: Soap Opera Fantasy?
Post by ahmedakhan on Oct 19^th, 2012, 8:20pm

I tried more than once to sink my teeth into the "Songs of Fire and Ice" but could not.

My favourites among soap opera fantasy series have been:

- The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant by Stephen Donaldson
- The Twelve Houses novels by Sharon Shinn
- The DragonCrown quartet by Michael Stackpole
- The Valdemar novels of Mercedes Lackey

Title: Re: Soap Opera Fantasy?
Post by Gary A. Markette on Oct 22^nd, 2012, 1:08am

Ahmed:

So happy to hear from you, my friend. You visit us too rarely. I did read and enjoy the first Covenant series. Of the others, I am slightly familiar with Mercedes Lackey, but have not tried the others. Now you've given me more to read. Thank you and try the Fire and Ice novels unabridged on audio. I often find books I find trying in print palatable audibly (the Harry Potter novels come to mind).