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apprentice
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OP
apprentice
Joined: Aug 2003
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I noticed at Best Buy on the package it says there is a novel included (that is Best Buy exclusive) by the author of Beyond Divinity, however I remember it being short....I was wondering how it is?
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addict
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addict
Joined: Mar 2003
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You mean the novella, Child of the Chaos? I gave a critique of it in this thread. Personal opinions, naturally, so take it for what it's worth: The first is the tone -- I'm unsure as to whether the novella takes itself seriously or sets out to be tongue-in-cheek. Too humourous to be serious, and too serious to be humourous. The commentaries by the gods are... cute, but I feel they detract rather than add. I couldn't take the mortal characters -- Lucian, Damian, Anlokam -- seriously, since all they are doing is being chesspieces in a show to amuse divine beings. It lessens the impact of their emotions, their characters, and their struggles. I couldn't empathize with any of them. Perhaps it's the novella's length and the need to fit the plot in under certain page count limits (not to mention deadlines), but I find the character development rather lacking. When the story can't make me care about the characters, for me, all bets are off.
The prose strikes me as... bland. I'd quote specific bits, but that'd violate the copyrights stated in the inside of the front cover. Suffice to say that the words didn't draw me in, and when I came across cliches, they jumped out at me. The frequent explanations in parentheses likewise grated. This is personal preference, but for me, if something's in brackets (as far as narrative is concerned), it shouldn't be there at all. It reminds me of in-text author's notes so often seen in a beginner's fanfiction. The narrative also frequently goes on a tangent to do what I call "textbook info-dump." (Explanations of how inborn magic works, for instance. It does begin to sound a bit like an expository essay at these points, albeit an informal one.) There are some interesting descriptions here and there (such as the witty jabs at "narrative conventions"), but they don't stand out nearly enough.
It's not bad, IMO, certainly far from the worst things I've read, but it isn't particularly memorable, either. It's just... there. And of course these are all personal opinions, and my views might just be a tad colored by some of the emotionally intense, amazing fanfiction I've been reading recently.
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apprentice
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apprentice
Joined: Apr 2004
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Personally I thought it was a good read - short enough that it is finished quickly so you can get on with the game, and fills in the story between DD & BD nicely.
My only real criticism would be that you can definately see Mr Pratchett's influence in the humorous sections (though they are well done IMO).
For what the novella is though, it is definately worth a read.
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journeyman
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journeyman
Joined: Mar 2004
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Thanks Abynyir, although I'm not sure why you see the influence of Pratchett senior as a criticism. It's not really an influence as such, more that I'm very like my father and we share the same sense of humour <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />
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veteran
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veteran
Joined: Mar 2003
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Considering the vast amount of readers your father gets, some readers seem to like that kind of humour ... <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/winkwink.gif" alt="" />
When you find a big kettle of crazy, it's best not to stir it. --Dilbert cartoon
"Interplay.some zombiefied unlife thing going on there" - skavenhorde at RPGWatch
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veteran
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veteran
Joined: Mar 2003
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Considering the vast amount of readers your father gets, some readers seem to like that kind of humour ... <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/winkwink.gif" alt="" /> I know I do <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> Terry Pratchett is not the best selling living British author for nothing <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> Edit: I rather enjoyed Child Of Chaos myself. A pleasant way to add depth to the game <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />
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apprentice
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apprentice
Joined: Apr 2004
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Well, it's not really a 'bad' thing (I mean there is a reason why I have read every Discworld novel plus some of the others) - just that anything Rhianna writes will be compared to her fathers work and personally, in that situation, I would want to distance myself from that and create my own style.
Still, who am I to complain - you can't go wrong with more of that Pratchett style humour <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />
(It's easier to criticise than create too).
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veteran
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veteran
Joined: Mar 2003
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Abanyir: you can't go wrong with more of that Pratchett style humour I agree - and the prospect of having 2 authors with a similar humour to enjoy in future makes me happy (this won't go for my book shelves though, are nearly full). It may only be me - but Rhianna's humour is slightly different - has a female touch <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/up.gif" alt="" /> Kiya
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journeyman
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journeyman
Joined: Mar 2004
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Actually, that's probably JK Rowling by now Elliot <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/disagree.gif" alt="" />
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veteran
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veteran
Joined: Jun 2003
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Actually, that's probably JK Rowling by now Elliot <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/disagree.gif" alt="" /> Not for long, Leather_Raven. Let her release the 2 remaining books and wait a year or two before she'll be forgotten. J.K. Rowling = The Spice Girls of literature <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggrin.gif" alt="" />
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veteran
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veteran
Joined: Sep 2003
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I enjoyed the novella very much. I spend 2 wonderful afternoons reading it and I must admit that thank Gods Rhianna wrote it in such a way that even I could understand it and enjoy it. When I read that a novella is going to be published I was afraid that I would have to sleep with my dictionary for sometime till I finish it. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggrin.gif" alt="" />
You can have my absence of faith you can have my everything...
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veteran
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veteran
Joined: Mar 2003
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Actually, that's probably JK Rowling by now Elliot <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/disagree.gif" alt="" /> Not at the rate your father writes books, Rhianna <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> Roughly two a year - and all are guaranteed best sellers throughout the world <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> Rowling sells enormous amounts of books, sure, but I doubt she outsells Terry at the rate of roughly 6-1 - which she'd have to to have even a chance of competing for that title <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> I think the king's crown is pretty safe for now <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> (Should I be looking out for future works by yourself any time soon, BTW? There may be such a thing as too many Cooks - but there can never be too many Pratchetts <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />)
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veteran
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veteran
Joined: May 2003
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Hey, Ok, I'm the kid here! Let me in, let me in! *Big people <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif" alt="" /> * I have read a bunch of Pratchett seinor's books now, and all are hillarious IHMO. I have read the J K Rowling books, grea first read! 2nd time through, um, yea. third time through, whats a spleen do?
Terry Pratcheet. LOL!!! Next time. LOL!!! Next time. Whats a spleen do? Let me check page 72, LOL!!!
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addict
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addict
Joined: Mar 2003
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It may only be me - but Rhianna's humour is slightly different - has a female touch <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/up.gif" alt="" /> Kiya
Can you generally tell? I frequently mistake an author's gender (though, on FF.net, I assume that everyone is female until proven/indicated/stated otherwise).
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journeyman
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journeyman
Joined: Mar 2004
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I'll have to check on that, but one of the key things is that Harry Potter is huge in the States, whereas dad has taken a while to really get going there and it's only in the last couple of years with books like Maurice and Wee Free Men that things have started to pick up.
As an aside, I ended up having to pick up an award on behalf of my dad last night for ‘Best Author’ at the SFX (UK SF/Fantasy magazine) awards. The event was so badly organised they had 1) Not invited my dad 2) Not told him he’d won 3) Not told ‘me’ he’d won and therefore that I’d have to go up. I just happened to be there because I do a bit of work for the mag. Madness.
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veteran
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veteran
Joined: Mar 2003
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I'd make a satire story out of that. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/badsmile2.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />
When you find a big kettle of crazy, it's best not to stir it. --Dilbert cartoon
"Interplay.some zombiefied unlife thing going on there" - skavenhorde at RPGWatch
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veteran
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veteran
Joined: Mar 2003
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I'll have to check on that, but one of the key things is that Harry Potter is huge in the States, whereas dad has taken a while to really get going there and it's only in the last couple of years with books like Maurice and Wee Free Men that things have started to pick up. Against that though, he has a significant time advantage in the rest of the world. where he has been racking up best sellers for a long time before Potter appeared on the scene. In all that time, I don't ever remember seeing a bookshop that didn't stock his books in huge numbers <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> As an aside, I ended up having to pick up an award on behalf of my dad last night for ‘Best Author’ at the SFX (UK SF/Fantasy magazine) awards. The event was so badly organised they had 1) Not invited my dad 2) Not told him he’d won 3) Not told ‘me’ he’d won and therefore that I’d have to go up. I just happened to be there because I do a bit of work for the mag. Madness. Oh my word! A well deserved win, for sure, but somewhat tainted by the clear ineptitude of the source! A lot of elbow-wiping amongst the organisers there, I think <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggrin.gif" alt="" /> Or maybe they got carried away and tried to send an invite to Ankh Morpork? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggrin.gif" alt="" />
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apprentice
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apprentice
Joined: Apr 2004
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So, basically, the American's like the books that are aimed at a younger audience??
Perhaps they don't 'get' the humour in the others...
Can't stand all that Harry Potter nonsense by the way, though many people seem to think me crazy for not liking it.
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addict
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addict
Joined: Mar 2003
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The main appeal in Harry Potter seems to be that "It gets kids to read!"
Since I couldn't care less about kids, well... *grins* HP isn't that awful, though. It's light and fun, and... sellable, I suppose. Has all the elements people want to see. Y'know, Marion Zimmer Bradley wrote an article about publishers. She said that they don't pick manuscripts that are well-written; they just pick ones that sell.
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veteran
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veteran
Joined: Mar 2003
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It may only be me - but Rhianna's humour is slightly different - has a female touch <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/up.gif" alt="" /> Kiya
Winterfox: Can you generally tell? I frequently mistake an author's gender (though, on FF.net, I assume that everyone is female until proven/indicated/stated otherwise). I can't talk for the internet, as reading large passages on a monitor is too strenuous for me - only for books: yes, I can tell for adult ones - I'm a bit in trouble when it comes to youth books there. Kiya
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