MERCEDES-LACKEY Digest 1429 Topics covered in this issue include: 1) How long is the acceptable period for lurking? by Karen Chan 2) Re: some stuff by Yagathai 3) Re: some stuff by Riyan699 4) Re: Vrondi watchers by Ashali9928 5) RCMH/Magic's Trilogy Hardback? by Shadra 6) Re: How long is the acceptable period for lurking? by "Marie Jordan" ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 16 Dec 1997 15:20:28 +1100 From: Karen Chan To: Mercedes Lackey list Subject: How long is the acceptable period for lurking? Message-ID: <3.0.32.19971216022253.006b26d8-+AT+-ozemail.com.au> 16th December, 1997. 1:47 a.m. Hi, My name is Karen and this is my first post to this list. I've been lurking for about a week or so now and I have been really enjoying what I've been reading. I joined not only because I wanted to find out more about Misty but also to meet people who read the same sort of stuff that I do, though I must say that I have somee catching up to do. I have only read the Arrows of the Queen trilogy, the Mage Storms, "If I Pay Thee Not in Gold" and "Elvenbane", "Elvenblood". I started with "Arrows of the Queen" which has become a favourite of mine - picked it up for 50c at my local library! :) What I loved about it was that it concentrated on a female character (Thalia) who thought she was weak but in fact was very strong - who found in herself all these things she never knew she had, using her gifts for the greater good, e.g. empathy. The way that she managed to find her place in the Collegium was beautiful too - it sounds so cool!! I like it when authors concentrate on strong female characters. That's one of the things I look for in a novel when I'm going to choose what to read. Covers are nice, I have to conceed - I work in a bookstore and the way they make books now is just so beautiful - makes you want to run your fingers over them again and again. I also look for good plots and strong ideas behind the writing. But it turns me off if the writing is bad - e.g. use of repeating words (that really jars), badly constructed sentences, etc. I also quite like a bit of romance but that is not a necessarily prerequisite - adventure is fun too, though war gets a bit annoying after a while. But here is my top 5 anyway (not necessarily in order): 1. GUY GAVRIEL KAY: Read him for plot mostly - the way he can just manouevre the pieces on his chess board with such skill. "Tigana" is my favourite and unfortunately everything else he has written since is also compared to it. 2. HARUKI MURAKAMI: Quirky and almost surreal. A man has to find one particular sheep in the whole of Japan or else he will lose his life ("A Wild Sheep Chase"). A couple suffer from a hunger which will not be satisfied and so they rob a MacDonald's in the middle of the night to atone for something which the husband did years ago ("The Elephant Vanishes: The Bakery Robbery"). Definitely not your average reading material. But something deeper and more personal which is the driving force behind everything. "The Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World" left me in tears but it was impossible to explain why to anyone. "Like a Chinese box, the world of the novel contained smaller worlds, and inside those were yet smaller worlds. Together, these worlds made up a single universe, and the universe waited there in the book to be discovered by the reader." Haruki Murakami, "The Elephant Vanishes: Sleep", pg. 100. I think that's pretty apt, don't you? 3. C.S. Lewis: Being a Christian, he makes me see the world so much more clearly. I have only read the first two books of "The Cosmic Trilogy" but they took my breath away. "The Pilgrim's Regress" is my favourite even though it was very difficult to get through. As for his other non-fiction writings, they are also excellent, even if they give you a headache from thinking too much! 4. Robin McKinley: I noticed quite a number of peopele on this list like her. Why are her books so impossible to find?? I want to be a writer and I want to write like this woman! I am looking forward to reading her latest book. I like how she rewrites and reinterprets fairytales. Fairytales are a pet interest of mine - "Into the Woods", "The Uses of Enchantment", the Brothers Grimm - all sit on my bookshelf. I like the way McKinley concentrates on young female characters. I don't mean to be sexist but obviously I can better relate to female characters. She doesn't bother to make things easier for them either - e.g. "Deerskin" where the ending is not your typical happily-ever-after kind of story. 5. Emily Rodda: My favourite from when I was a kid - though perhaps I am still a kid now (I'm 19). Do you guys get her in the US? She is amazing - such an imagination. Paralleling magical worlds with the real - for example, "Pigs Might Fly" - explaining why all the exciting things always seem to happen to certain individuals; "The Best Kept Secret" - the feeling of deja vu; "Finder's Keepers" - what happens when you have merely misplaced stuff (this time "The Borrowers" don't nick off with it!) Several others include Orson Scott Card (though I haven't really read enough of his work), Margaret Mahy ("The Changeover" - now THAT is a supernatural romance!), Brian Caswell ("Merryll of the Stones" and "Dreamslip"), some Marion Zimmer Bradley and, of course, the ever-brilliant "Gormenghast" trilogy by Mervyn Peake. Anyway, I hope I haven't made this too long. I want to ask a question before I sign off. I am thinking of doing my English thesis on the rewriting of fairytales (rewriting is another one of my obsessions. I am writing a novel about "Romeo and Juliet" though it's not going particularly well) - "Beauty" (Robin McKinley - though apparently she has done it again), "Deerskin" (Robin McKinley), "The Fire Rose" (Misty!) and probably some Angela Carter too once I finally get around to reading her. I am thinking of including "Till We Have Faces" by C.S. Lewis but I don't know if that really counts. Anyway, does anyone have any other suggestions? And to make sure that we keep on topic, what did everyone think of "The Fire Rose"? (which I haven't read yet but want to!! :) Thanks for listening/reading. Karen. ================================================================== Karen Chan kkchan-+AT+-ozemail.com.au kkc02-+AT+-wumpus.uow.edu.au "...but at four o'clock in the morning, when the world is full of magic, things may be safely said that may not be uttered at any other time, so long as the person who listens believes in the same kind of magic as the person who speaks." Robin McKinley, "Deerskin", p. 189. ================================================================== ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 16 Dec 1997 01:23:19 EST From: Yagathai To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-herald.co.uk Subject: Re: some stuff Message-ID: <6a17f419.34961e59-+AT+-aol.com> In a message dated 97-12-16 01:01:50 EST, GodesCarla-+AT+-AOL.COM writes: << << Though everyone is individual, there are many common factors that make a male individual identifiable as a product of our society. Mannerisms, stereotypes, moral and ethical codes, fashion sense, emotions (or repression thereof) - all identifying characterstics lacking in Misty's males (her fictional ones, that is). >> Ahh, now I beg to differ. Withen represses emotions. Jervis represses emotions. It is mentioned that Withen wears the brown of his people, as do his sons- all except for Vanyel, who is called a "peacock" or a "clotheshorse" because he loves to find dramatic outfits. Dirk is always mis-matched and rumpled. For stereotypes, many of the straight men have definite prejudices against the shaych (Jaysen, Withen.) >> Oy! Oy! Oy! Once more I'm unclear. Dammit! I meant identifying characteristics from our society. Silly Yag! Silly! Yagathai (I won't bother with my sig this time) ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 16 Dec 1997 14:03:51 EST From: Riyan699 To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-herald.co.uk Subject: Re: some stuff Message-ID: <31d39e02.3496d099-+AT+-aol.com> In a message dated 97-12-16 01:01:50 EST, you write: << <> I've never read the Elenium, but I've read the Belgariad and the Malloreum and I thought they were just *great.* If you like Misty's characters, you'll like Belgarion. (the main character.) If you read those, don't forget to read Belgarath the Sorceror, the prequel. I read that one first, which made me read the others. You might consider reading it first. (it was slightly confusing b/c it is told in the form of Belgarath telling Belgarion the story of his life, and sometimes the characters interrupt him, but I thought it was otherwise a pretty good intro.) >> I would suggest reading Belgarath and Polgara after you've read the Belgariad Malloreon. It's a prequel, sure, but it addresses topics brought up in the series. BTW, I loved the Elenium Tamuli. If you like the Belgariad/ Malloreon I'd suggest trying thr Elenium-Tamuli again ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 16 Dec 1997 15:52:29 EST From: Ashali9928 To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-herald.co.uk Subject: Re: Vrondi watchers Message-ID: Heyla listsibs Now about this big fuss about the vrondi thing, I did a mail about this a while ago, but this is about right. In Winds when Elspeth and company met Vanyel and Stefen in sorrows this is explained. Since Vanyel knew the Valdemar border would always change he told the vrondi that the 'border' ends where the presence of on-duty Heralds ended. Roald wasn't on duty when he was with Kethry and there weren't many Heralds way out there so the vrondi didn't pay attention to them because it was beyond their border. Savarana Sappharine ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 16 Dec 1997 16:03:35 -0600 (CST) From: Shadra To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-herald.co.uk Subject: RCMH/Magic's Trilogy Hardback? Message-ID: <1.5.4.16.19971216160336.2367b60e-+AT+-mail.BrandonU.CA> >Would it be possible for you to give us the ISBN numbers for those >books???? I have been searching for Magic's trilogy in hardback >for so long.... The ISBN number is usually a 10 digit number/letter >combo (sometimes all numbers) that is usually listed at the front of >the book. > >Thanks! >Sheri > Hi Sherri, I've worked in a bookstore for five years so I can safely answer that there is no ISBN number for the 3 in 1 hardcover editions of LHM or AotQ. You cannot order them from your local bookstore, they are special editions available through the Science Fiction Book Club only. If you really want them in hardcover, I think it's worth it to join the club to get them (I did!). The cover art is different from the paperbacks, and by a different artist (not Jody Lee). Hope that helps! For anyone wondering about the status of the R.C.M.H. (the Canadian chapter of QO): Shadra was away on extended circuit and then got bit by the procrastination bug (well, it was more gryphon-sized than bug-sized). But the Collegium News is still alive and should be out before the new year. Anyone on the mailing list interested in what I'm talking about can e mail me anytime! Bright Blessings, Shadra (Acolyte to the Goddess of Music and tither to the Gods of Procrastination) ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 16 Dec 1997 14:22:04 PST From: "Marie Jordan" To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-herald.co.uk Subject: Re: How long is the acceptable period for lurking? Message-ID: <19971216222205.9409.qmail-+AT+-hotmail.com> On Dec. 16 Karen Chan wrote: > I am thinking of doing my English thesis on the >rewriting of fairytales (rewriting is another one of my obsessions. I am >writing a novel about "Romeo and Juliet" though it's not going particularly >well) - "Beauty" (Robin McKinley - though apparently she has done it >again), "Deerskin" (Robin McKinley), "The Fire Rose" (Misty!) and probably >some Angela Carter too once I finally get around to reading her. I am >thinking of including "Till We Have Faces" by C.S. Lewis but I don't know >if that really counts. Anyway, does anyone have any other suggestions? Karen- I think Jane Yolen rewrote the story of Snow White and Rose Red but I have not read it (and dont even remember the title, sorry!). I am another newbie, so i hope this comes out all right. Slainte Sunhawk =/\= =/\= =/\= =/\= =/\= =/\= =/\= =/\= =/\= =/\= =/\= =/\= =/\= Reading is fundamental, drop out of school and read all the time. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com ------------------------------ End of MERCEDES-LACKEY Digest 1429 **********************************