not the best of fantasy novels

[daedalus_x]

Had an interesting view of a bad fantasy, this weekend.  I'd spotted a book called Den of Thieves by David Chandler at Norwescon, but didn't end up buying it.  Got it from the library the other day, however.  Since I finished Gardens of the Moon on Saturday, I thought I'd start on it.  Felt like something light, and I figured this might be a go.

Not

Comments

[derekl1963]

"Nobody should ever be thinking of that sword at their belt as just "a magic sword" in this way. That treats magic as something mundane, just as common as a horse."

Why shouldn't magic be as common as a horse?

[daedalus_x]

If a "magic sword" is so common-place as to be almost unremarkable (as presented here), then it's nearly meaningless. Works fine for a D&D adventure, but not for a novel

[derekl1963]

"The story problem is based in the fact that "story" is based on conflict, and if everyone has the ability to do just about anything, you can't have effective conflict

[daedalus_x]

You're absolutely right in that it is dependent on limits of the magic, etc. My issue is not with high-magic worlds -- my issue is with magic being so prevalent that it's everywhere and thus ho-hum

[lady_annika]

I'm like that two. If in the first 5 pages or so (and sometimes not even that) the writing is really bad, I just put the book down. A good plot isn't enough to get me through, not even if you have a "magic sword" :)

[daedalus_x]

I'll admit that I'm not impressed with his writing in any case, and that's a pretty big touchpoint for me -- I've got so many things on my To-Be-Read list and so little time, I don't have time to waste on crap.

But clear evidence that he hasn't thought through things (or is wildly inaccurate) is a killer. Although I'll admit that the mail shirt thing annoyed me more than the "magic sword."