Favourite genre poll

[W8taminute]

This was a tough one for me but I went with Military History (non fiction).  Sci-fi is a close second.

[Centurion40]

I purchased Mountain Man last night and sat up until 2am reading it. About halfway through and pretty good so far. Only negative is that it's set in Canada kindle only. And set in Canada  8)

I wouldn't be able to read a book with that title and not think of a d-bag on another site.

[Centurion40]

^Cool man, cool. LB which WH40K omnibus are you reading? It's been a year since I finished Space Wolves...next one for me will be Eisenhorn and a nice special order WH40K artbook I picked up.

Iron Warriors. I am just a few pages in. Can't really say much about it yet.

I'm not normally a fan of reading the Chaos side of things, but the siege aspect had me curious. I'll keep you posted.

Heretic!!

[Martok]

I'm honestly curious:  For those of you who dislike and/or can't stand fantasy, does this include Tolkien?  Or have you instinctively stayed away from him (and therefore wouldn't know)? 

I purchased Mountain Man last night and sat up until 2am reading it. About halfway through and pretty good so far. Only negative is that it's set in Canada kindle only. And set in Canada  8)

I wouldn't be able to read a book with that title and not think of a d-bag on another site.

Same here.  I'm glad I'm not the only one for whom that's the case! 

[Barthheart]

I'm honestly curious:  For those of you who dislike and/or can't stand fantasy, does this include Tolkien?  Or have you instinctively stayed away from him (and therefore wouldn't know)? 

I purchased Mountain Man last night and sat up until 2am reading it. About halfway through and pretty good so far. Only negative is that it's set in Canada kindle only. And set in Canada  8)

I wouldn't be able to read a book with that title and not think of a d-bag on another site.

Same here.  I'm glad I'm not the only one for whom that's the case!

For me, I've read and liked Tolkien alot! For me, I just don't like any other fantasy stories I've tried to read. Maybe it's because I don't believe in magic....

It mostly just bugs me when I go into a bookstore and try to see what's new in SciFi that the Fantasy crap is mixed in with them. To me that's like mixing Cookbooks with Computer books.  :P

[MetalDog]

I just picked up a Sci-Fi series by Michael Moorcock of Elric fame.  It's a homage to Edgar Rice Burroughs Barsoom books.  I haven't started it yet, but we shall see what we shall see.

[Centurion40]

I'm honestly curious:  For those of you who dislike and/or can't stand fantasy, does this include Tolkien?  Or have you instinctively stayed away from him (and therefore wouldn't know)? 

I purchased Mountain Man last night and sat up until 2am reading it. About halfway through and pretty good so far. Only negative is that it's set in Canada kindle only. And set in Canada  8)

I wouldn't be able to read a book with that title and not think of a d-bag on another site.

Same here.  I'm glad I'm not the only one for whom that's the case!

I've stayed away from Tolkien.  I did manage to watch all of the movies, once.  I have no desire to ever see them again. 

[MetalDog]

Wow, dude.  You're harshing my mellow.  What's with all the negative Tolkien vibes?

[Greybriar]

I've stayed away from Tolkien.  I did manage to watch all of the movies, once.  I have no desire to ever see them again.

Don't judge Tolkien on the basis of the movies. Read The Lord of the Rings instead.

[MIGMaster]

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quote author=Martok link=topic=2512.msg54879#msg54879 date=1345660089]
I'm honestly curious:  For those of you who dislike and/or can't stand fantasy, does this include Tolkien?  Or have you instinctively stayed away from him (and therefore wouldn't know)? 

For me it does - I really thought the effects in Lord of the Rings were good, but I'd never gone to see the movie on my own - let alone read the books. I can't really put my finger on it but wizard-like and D&D stuff just doesn't do it for me. For me, it lacks the visceral thump that comes with well-written military history or military fiction (which would be my second choice). I understand what the draw to Fantasy stuff I just do get it  ;)

[TheCommandTent]

I've stayed away from Tolkien.  I did manage to watch all of the movies, once.  I have no desire to ever see them again.

Don't judge Tolkien on the basis of the movies. Read The Lord of the Rings instead.

I second that.  There movies were only based on Tolkien's work, the books are actually his work.

[Silent Disapproval Robot]

I'm honestly curious:  For those of you who dislike and/or can't stand fantasy, does this include Tolkien?  Or have you instinctively stayed away from him (and therefore wouldn't know)? 

Tolkien's Hobbit and Lord of the Rings were the first fantasy books I read when I was about 12.  I enjoyed them greatly at the time and I began to read fantasy works by other authors.  I quickly got bored because far too much of the writing seemed lazy and very derivative.   There nearly always seemed to be the threat of a great evil rising (as fortold in the prophecy!) and some inbred hick farmboy/blacksmith always turns out to be the chosen one who will defeat the evil (as fortold in the prophecy!) with the help of a magical macguffin and a hearty band of adventurers.  Fantasy racial archetypes replace real character development  (He's a dwarf.  He's surly, distrusts elves, carries and axe, and likes beer, why should I go out of my way to develop a personality for him?).  These season vetrans have all seen the world and have been through countless battles, yet they always seem to defer to the choices made by the bumpkin who knows nothing of the world beyond his front door.

There just isn't enough variety in it for me.


For Sci-Fi, I just find most of it is too intrisnically tied to the technology available at the time it was written/filmed.  I understand that much of the reason for that is that it is easier for the audience to grasp the concept of an item that is similar to something they know now, but with a futuristic spin on it than it is for a writer to dream up something unheard of and explain it to the audience in a way that's understandable and believable but I just find it goofy.  When I read sci-fi from the 1930s or 1950s, it just comes off as cornball.

[Staggerwing]

When I read sci-fi from the 1930s or 1950s, it just comes off as cornball.

That's what's so great about alt-history. Try Poul Anderson's Time Patrol books. The corny tech factor is pretty low and here are some terrific 'What if's. With titles such as 'Delenda Est' and 'Gibraltar Falls' (exactly what it sounds like for you hydrology types) or the truly remarkable 'Sorrows of Odin the Goth' you can't go wrong. Especially if you're a history geek.

[LongBlade]

Personally I found Lord the of the Rings to be a difficult read. Yes, it's iconic, but it is almost mind-numbingly complex.

My personal favorite is The Hobbit. Simple, effective, and let's face it - a helluva lot more fun. I wish he'd stuck with that and written 20 more.

[Martok]

Definitely a varied set of responses so far.  It's been more or less what I was anticipating (at least in the back of my mind), but it's still interesting to see what people think of the author who essentially set the benchmark or "gold standard" of modern fantasy literature. 

Personally I found Lord the of the Rings to be a difficult read. Yes, it's iconic, but it is almost mind-numbingly complex.

Huh, I don't know if I've heard that particular critique before.  Can I ask in what way(s) do you find it to be so complex? 

(Also, you'll probably want to avoid fantasy in general then -- if you weren't already -- as a lot of books/series are even more complex than LotR!) 

My personal favorite is The Hobbit. Simple, effective, and let's face it - a helluva lot more fun. I wish he'd stuck with that and written 20 more.

That's interesting, as you're one of the few people I know of (although not the only one) who enjoyed The Hobbit more than the LotR -- usually it's the other way around.  (As for myself, I personally like both just about equally; I find they both have their charms.)  Apparently a lot of folks find The Hobbit to be a little too childish and/or simplistic in style/tone, especially when compared to the trilogy.