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Rosemary · 5th August 2007, 06:15 PM

I’ve been reading fantasy stories for many years now and just lately have been contemplating the changes in my reading material.

Authors who have been my favourites such as Ian Irvine who had his ‘View From The Mirror’ quartet published back in 1998; Janny Wurts and her ‘Circle of Fire or Raymond Feist with ‘Legends Of The Riftwar’, now don’t seem quite so exciting or even written as well as I once thought. I can still re-read them but it is not the same somehow. Re-reading such works as Anne McCaffrey or Tad Williams with Memory Sorrow & Thorn’ series however, still bring the same ‘buzz’ as before.

Is it just because our newer authors are better with their writing, world building and characters? I seem to have no doubts when reading, say the works of Sara Douglass or Jennifer Fallon, both fairly new authors and with a few good trilogies already published. I might be having some trouble reading Steven Erikson but I do admire his writing.
Perhaps reading ‘epic fantasy’ stories have changed my taste in literature somehow!
Has anyone else noticed this happening to themselves? Is it a normal process of reading as one matures, as it was when leaving Enid Blyton behind and progressing to C.S.Lewis and Narnia?
What are your views and opinions on this?

5th August 2007, 06:15 PM	#1 (permalink)
Rosemary The Wicked Sword Maiden Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Australia, Western Australia Posts: 4,062 Blog Entries: 34	I wonder why? I’ve been reading fantasy stories for many years now and just lately have been contemplating the changes in my reading material. Authors who have been my favourites such as Ian Irvine who had his ‘View From The Mirror’ quartet published back in 1998; Janny Wurts and her ‘Circle of Fire or Raymond Feist with ‘Legends Of The Riftwar’, now don’t seem quite so exciting or even written as well as I once thought. I can still re-read them but it is not the same somehow. Re-reading such works as Anne McCaffrey or Tad Williams with Memory Sorrow & Thorn’ series however, still bring the same ‘buzz’ as before. Is it just because our newer authors are better with their writing, world building and characters? I seem to have no doubts when reading, say the works of Sara Douglass or Jennifer Fallon, both fairly new authors and with a few good trilogies already published. I might be having some trouble reading Steven Erikson but I do admire his writing. Perhaps reading ‘epic fantasy’ stories have changed my taste in literature somehow! Has anyone else noticed this happening to themselves? Is it a normal process of reading as one matures, as it was when leaving Enid Blyton behind and progressing to C.S.Lewis and Narnia? What are your views and opinions on this?