What do I read first?

[Lacedaemonian]

Ebay? I will have to purchase the first book now.

[Alia]

Lacey, Do you like battles? Intrigue? Beautiful women?

[Lacedaemonian]

Battles and Beautiful Women yes.

I have bought the first book now, so I have part one and two. I will leave some feedback as I am working my way through them.

[GOLLUM]

Originally Posted by Lacedaemonian

Battles and Beautiful Women yes.

I have bought the first book now, so I have part one and two. I will leave some feedback as I am working my way through them.

We look forward to your feedback on this excellent series. To answer a previous enqiuiry, for me Crown Of Stars is on a similar level to Tad William's Memory, Sorrow and Thorn trilogy, Greg Keyes Kingdoms Of Thorn and Bone quartet and possibly JV Jones current Sword Of Shadows trilogy although I think it may be better than that. So you're talking a fairly high standard here IMHO.

[Culhwch]

Okay, I recently started reading King's Dragon after seeing the praise here, and here is my question to you: Does it get any better?

At the moment I am maybe thirty or forty pages in and I have stalled. I'm tossing up whether or not to press on in the hopes the series gets better, but at the moment I dread the thought of wasting any more time on it. The writing is average to less-than-average (some of the dialogue so far has been woeful, to say the least), the story is not in the least engaging, to me, anyway - it seems a little overwrought and slightly cliched. A stranger, a prophecy, a king's bastard, swirling mist, shadowy string-pullers, a death-sentence. An orphan boy, dreaming of adventure and excitement, instead stuck in a drudge of an existance, just waiting for fate to deliver all those things he longed for...

I don't know. It just doesn't seem to be for me. Try and convince me otherwise, if you feel the need. I have gotten the feeling lately, in my search for a fresh, exciting new fantasy writer to devour, that I have been ruined by the likes of Martin, Gaiman, Pratchett, Cornwell, and even Williams - writers gifted in both technical artistry and imagination - so that now the run-of-mill blandness that so chokes the fantasy market holds no attraction for me. Or maybe I'm just being overly dramatic....

[Rahl Windsong]

Well I enjoyed it so I don't know what I could say beyond that to help you to enjoy it also.

Rahl

[Lacedaemonian]

You listed Terry Pratchett by mistake Culhwch.

It gets better, though a little confusing. I am almost finished the first book and I feel that there is enough originality amongst the cliche. The cliches are what make the fantasy genre the safest escapism available.

[Culhwch]

I listed Pratchett as an example of a high-quality writer who can immerse you in his created world, not as a serious fantasist in the order of Martin. Even though his most recent books don't stack up to his earlier Discworld work, he always delivers technically accomplished prose.

I ditched Elliott. Just couldn't get into it, and couldn't be bothered wasting the time on trying to get into it. Grab me in the first few pages or grab me not at all, I'm afraid...

[AryaUnderfoot]

Culhwch- look at your little quote there: "It is the courage to continue that counts." I say, open that book again, and give it another try. It gets better, and you never know what you might be missing. If I can slog through ten lousy books by Robert Jordan, you can certainly handle one to five Kate Elliott books.

[Lacedaemonian]

I listed Pratchett as an example of a high-quality

I forgive you this once on account of your undoubted good taste in Cornwell. Let's face it we all have a "Celine Dion" CD hidden amongst our CD collection.

Terry Pratchett is the most shop lifted author in the UK. Now there's a stat for you!!! Gives you an insight into his main reader group too..... scuzzy thieves.

[Culhwch]

I don't have a Celine Dion CD in my collection, and I stand by my Pratchett-likin'. But just for you, Lace, I'll take him out of that list. I shouldn't have listed him alongside Cornwell, at the very least.

I might give Elliott another go down the road. It took me three or four attempts to get into Robin Hobb's Farseer books before they gripped me, so I won't rule it out altogether. But it might be some time.

[GOLLUM]

Originally Posted by Culhwch

I don't have a Celine Dion CD in my collection, and I stand by my Pratchett-likin'. But just for you, Lace, I'll take him out of that list. I shouldn't have listed him alongside Cornwell, at the very least.

I might give Elliott another go down the road. It took me three or four attempts to get into Robin Hobb's Farseer books before they gripped me, so I won't rule it out altogether. But it might be some time.

From one aussie to another don't give up just yet!! The series does improve for me. It's on a similar par with Wiliams, Keyes, JV Jones current trilogy etc.. In other words one level below the best which for me is GRRM and Erikson.

BTW you checked out Steven Erikson's Malazan series? I only mention it here because it was not in your top list. The best I've read in 25 years of the Genre.

Over and out..

[Lacedaemonian]

I really have to read Erikson, and would have had I not lost the first book. Where the F is it???

I think that sometimes you have to be in the mood to read certain authors Culhwch. It may be that you will come back to this one in the future, perhaps when you have naught else to read.

[Culhwch]

Very possibly Lace. I haven't been in much of a fantasy mood lately, to tell you the truth.

And I did try Erikson, Gollum, but likewise couldn't get into it. The writing was great (which really made me want to like it, cause that's so rare these days), the story promisingly different and original, but I just couldn't make myself go any further than the first fifty to a hundred pages. I just didn't care about any of the characters and couldn't be bothered seeing what happens. No desire to go on. But I promise I'll try again sometime down the track.