MERCEDES-LACKEY Digest 1902 Topics covered in this issue include: 1) Re: most and least favorites by "charlotte distefano" 2) Re: HEEELP1 by Melanie Dymond Harper 3) Braid on books and Misty's writing by Kenneth Allen Hyde 4) Re: Braid on books and Misty's writing by Julia Gray 5) books/collabs by skyfire-+AT+-t-online.de (skyfire) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 11 Mar 1999 14:58:44 PST From: "charlotte distefano" To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-herald.co.uk Subject: Re: most and least favorites Message-ID: <19990311225845.1034.qmail-+AT+-hotmail.com> i thought I wold put my two cants in on the subject of fav/least fav, since I've been rather quiet while on the list. Anyway, I think that my favorite book(s) is either BTS or the LHM series. I really liked both of them. And Vanyel is just too cool (can anyone tell I'm from California?). My least favorite would definitely be Silver Gryphon. That book just bugged me a lot. Oh, my favorite char is probably Di Tregard. It's too bad there arent going to be anymore books about her, but I can understand why. Well, I'll retreat back into lurkdom for now. Talk to you all later, L Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 11 Mar 1999 22:18:32 +0000 From: Melanie Dymond Harper To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-herald.co.uk Subject: Re: HEEELP1 Message-ID: In message , MEG PORTER writes >Just a few questions: > >1) how do I get the listserver to send me all posts in one bunch, like in digest >format? > Send mail to listproc-+AT+-herald.co.uk. Leave the subject line blank. In the mail message, write: set mercedes-lackey mail digest (do not leave out "mail" or it will not work) >2) how do I get conformation that my message was rec'd by the server and not see >my original message? Can't be done from this end. (I've never investigated whether setting confirm-reading, or similar headers, works with an automated program, and I'd just as soon nobody tried to find out, as the chances are good that I would wind up getting copies of all that in the server mailbox) Mel-+AT+-home -- Melanie Dymond Harper ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 11 Mar 1999 23:55:27 -0500 (EST) From: Kenneth Allen Hyde To: Misty Lackey List Subject: Braid on books and Misty's writing Message-ID: On Wed, 10 Mar 1999, Becky wrote: re: fave book: > (sorry, Cennydd) Magic's Pawn. Huh? What's to be sorry about? MPawn is a good book. Even if I don't particularly care for Vanyel or Tylendel, I still think it's a great book. And for that matter, I think Van and 'Lendel are well-written characters. I just don't like them (although, actually, come to think of it, I don't particularly have anything against young Van. It's his older version-- MPromise and MPrice--that I don't like, and that's only as a person. > Most favorite non-Misty: anything by the great, the one, the only, Guy > Gavriel Kay. (I blame this all on Cennydd. I was perfectly content until > he had to go and mention this amazing author a couple years back; as if > I didn't already have precious little free time.) Oh, sure! Go and blame me because you have excellent taste! =) But yes, while we are on the subject of fave non-Misty authors, I have to say that GGK is up towards the top of my list. =) Dan Simmons, Steven Brust, Patricia Wrede, and Barry Hughart are right up there too. (If you've never heard of Barry Hughart, check him out. AFAIK, he's only written two or three novels--I've only ever seen two of them--but they are brilliantly comic mystery/quests set in "an ancient China that never was.") Hmmm. Oh, and for those of you who like Misty's elves in LA, try out Tom Deitz's series about Davie Sullivan and Faerie. Now, those books are *my* idea of compelling modern world Faerie stories. And on the same subject, on Wed, 10 Mar 1999, Julia Gray wrote: > Okay, the bad news... rumor has it he has a new one out ..... there goes > a weekend or two... It's called "Sailing to Byzantium" or something like that and it is out in hardback right now. Looks pretty good, but it does continue his trend of less and less fantasy, and more and more history. > I am also a big fan of his - Tigana is probably my favorite, although > I also really like The Lions of al-Rassan. Mmmmm. Lions! Although, my absolute favorite single volume novel by GGK is still, and prob always will be, "A Song for Arbonne." I love Ariane de Carenzu and all the other wondeful people in it. And the story is enough to make you weep (I know that I get choked up and teary-eyed every time I read it). Of course, needless to say, my favorite story by him is the Fionavar Tapestry trilogy (whence the caveat about Song being my favorite "single volume" novel). Hmmm. ObMisty: I'd like to see Misty take the time to really work on writing a great epic. This discussion about character-driven vs. plot-driven stories got me to thinking that Misty's biggest flaw in her recent books is that there really isn't an engaging, thoughtful, detailed plot to the story. They are *too* character-driven. And it seems plausible that that fact is due to her "churn 'em out as fast as possible" writing style of recent years. It would be great if she took the time to really work out a plot in detail, and then filled it with her usual wonderful characters. May the seas be your solace and the forests a refuge for your spirit, Cennydd Councilor of Mist Kenneth Allen Hyde | No matter how subtle the wizard, a knife Univ. of Delaware | between the shoulder blades will seriously Dept. of Linguistics | cramp his style -- Old Jhereg proverb kenny-+AT+-Udel.Edu | A mind is a terrible toy to waste! -- Me //www.ling.udel.edu/hyde/prof/ken.html ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 12 Mar 1999 08:44:09 -0600 From: Julia Gray To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-herald.co.uk Subject: Re: Braid on books and Misty's writing Message-ID: <36E92839.7C943FE1-+AT+-oakton.edu> Cennydd wrote: > Hmmm. ObMisty: I'd like to see Misty take the time to really work on > writing a great epic. This discussion about character-driven vs. > plot-driven stories got me to thinking that Misty's biggest flaw in her > recent books is that there really isn't an engaging, thoughtful, detailed > plot to the story. They are *too* character-driven. And it seems > plausible that that fact is due to her "churn 'em out as fast as possible" > writing style of recent years. It would be great if she took the time to > really work out a plot in detail, and then filled it with her usual > wonderful characters. I'm always optimistic that she is, in fact, doing this while she's writing her bread and butter books. If she's spending 80% of her writing time on works that put the bread and butter on her table, then maybe she's spending 20% on something else - perhaps what you suggested, perhaps music, perhaps something different. I'm hopeful that in a year (or two) we'll see something like what you've suggested - or perhaps one of the two that are coming out will be like that... betha'lis (or sometimes julia) ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 12 Mar 1999 20:43:42 -0800 From: skyfire-+AT+-t-online.de (skyfire) To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-herald.co.uk Subject: books/collabs Message-ID: <36E9ECFE.63F8C99C-+AT+-t-online.de> Elsa (or Ashley?) wrote: > "VIllains by Necessity" by Eve FOrward > AAAAGGHHH!!!!!! *tears at hair* I ~soooo~ want to read that, but I > can't ~find~ it!!!!! So why don't you go into a bookstore and have it ordered for you? Or don't US bookstores do orders on request? > Although we LKH List nit-pickers could probably ruin it for you. We're > very > good and drawing out plot point and making depressing, disturbing, or > demented observations. Hush, you're not supposed to scare off prospective newbies... ;) ********************************************************************** Betha'lis wrote: > is there anyone who Misty hasn't collaborated with that you'd like > to see her work with? Artist or writer or musician? Tanya Huff. I'd really like to see a Di/Vicki crossover. See both of them kick b*tts... :) -- Khenta B. ------------------------------ End of MERCEDES-LACKEY Digest 1902 **********************************