MERCEDES-LACKEY Digest 2109 Topics covered in this issue include: 1) Re: MERCEDES-LACKEY digest 2108 by Peter Allen 2) stupid question... (Re: MERCEDES-LACKEY digest 2108) by "alix ciel" 3) Re: MERCEDES-LACKEY digest 2108 by "Alex boyd" 4) Nerbiefest, Swan & Owls by Yvonne 5) Re: Nerbiefest, Swan & Owls by "Jenny H." 6) Re: by "Adieu McClane" ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sat, 16 Oct 1999 12:02:11 -0700 (PDT) From: Peter Allen To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-herald.co.uk Subject: Re: MERCEDES-LACKEY digest 2108 Message-ID: <19991016190211.2591.rocketmail-+AT+-web1105.mail.yahoo.com> Teddy wrote: > You know...it just occurred to me...how come the > abbrevation "misty"? IIRC, "Misty" comes from when ML was a councilor at a summer camp. At the time, her last name ended in a 'D', so the kids called her Miss D. A little bit after that, it morphed into Misty :). > Can you believe it? Misty at her best put together > in the same genre as the > sweet valley twins? Talk about insulting. Unfortunately, Misty's first books were quite YA in genre, even if ones like LHM are more 18+ in scope (no offense to advanced readers). Also, most of the libraries that I've been in haven't at all distinguished Sci-Fi/Fantasy as a separate genre. Any librarians on the list can tell me why that might be? *curious* And re Skitty: > Are they just short stories? 'cos they seemed like > excerpts from a series to > me. Hmm... AFAIK, they're a series of short stories, fi that helps :). Just like the Tarma and Keth ones were before they were bound together in Oath's Blood. Oh, for all of those that are wondering what the sheep references are for on the list, you might want to check out the NewbieFest for that and other questions. Bright be thy day in the sun and shadow, Wintershard Councilor of Mist ===== __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Bid and sell for free at http://auctions.yahoo.com ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 16 Oct 1999 12:54:40 PDT From: "alix ciel" To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-herald.co.uk Subject: stupid question... (Re: MERCEDES-LACKEY digest 2108) Message-ID: <19991016195440.64036.qmail-+AT+-hotmail.com> >Oh, for all of those that are wondering what the >sheep references are for on the list, you might want >to check out the NewbieFest for that and other >questions. Uhmmmmm.... What's the NewbieFest? ;) BlueWinds -- "I run off where the drifts get deeper Sleeping beauty trips me with her frown... I hear a voice... 'you must learn to stand up... for yourself, cause i can't always be around... When you gonna make up your mind, when you gonna love you as much as i do.....?'" --tori ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 16 Oct 1999 13:49:40 PDT From: "Alex boyd" To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-herald.co.uk Subject: Re: MERCEDES-LACKEY digest 2108 Message-ID: <19991016204940.58860.qmail-+AT+-hotmail.com> > Unfortunately, Misty's first books were quite YA in >genre, even if ones like LHM are more 18+ in scope (no >offense to advanced readers). Also, most of the >libraries that I've been in haven't at all >distinguished Sci-Fi/Fantasy as a separate genre. Any >librarians on the list can tell me why that might be? >*curious* I'm not a real librarian, but I do work in a library. my best guess would be that it's something budgetary. Good YA books are kind of hard to find, so lots of libraries buy things that are not necessarily just for kids, but that don't have any graphic sex and would interest young people, out of their YA budget. That includes a lot of science fiction and fantasy. Alex Boyd ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 16 Oct 1999 14:41:44 -0700 From: Yvonne To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-herald.co.uk Subject: Nerbiefest, Swan & Owls Message-ID: <3808F118.751A-+AT+-planet.eon.net> Heyla all! Well, it snowed again yesterday. *grumblegrumble* Sometimes I really dislike living in the 'Frozen North'. Ah well - I've had my 'fluff' () for the week now. ;P Oh, and for anyone looking for the newbiefest like BlueWinds was, it's at http://www.ling.udel.edu/hyde/pers/misty/newbiefest.html and it contains lots of handy info like things on sheep, Councilors and other odd beasties. ;P Anyways, the rest of my conversation is going to be about The Black Swan, (Thanks again, Sionen!), and the first two Owl books. This is the beginning of a spoiler space, so those that haven't read either can stop reading if they choose. I'll talk about the Black Swan first, then the Owls. So... B L A C K * S W A N I have to say that I really enjoyed the Black Swan, aside from the end, which was a little *too* pat, IMO. (All the 'Please stay's got on my nerves) Misty's imagry was exellent - I could really feel the piney forest, see the black lake, and watch the various people as they went on with their lives. It was a sort of feathery, faerie touch I normally associate with Charles de Lint and the book 'Tam Lin' and a skill I highly admire. :) Odeil was very well done, but I did find Odette a little 2-D - we get told all about her, but we don't really get to see why she is the way she is. And as far as I can remember, she really didn't have any faults, except for being a little stand-offish. I found the little swans more human (human used lightly here) than she was. Sigfred was a little like that too, almost. And did anyone else get the sense at the end, when Odeil is going around like Superwoman and killing her father and saving Odette and Sigfred when they jumped into the lake that she was a little tired, and this was more of a chore than anything else? I didn't feel like there was too much of an emergency there. And, for a change, I *love* the cover artwork!! Odeil looks as mysterious as she should, and her Father's 'mask' was wonderful, if a little too cliche. That, and there were no hideous pink&purple horses. ;P O W L * B O O K S Well, now I remember why I stayed away from buying them. And whoever said that that picture of Kero in OwlSight makes her look like a milkmaid on valium should be awarded a prize. It was a truely accurate discription!! (I never much liked Larry's artwork, although he has had a few very nice peices put into the books, but that picture was an all-time low.) However, the second book was better, esp about Keisha's life in the village. She has a nice, *normal* type life, really. And I liked the way that Misty showed how a family copes with 'losing' a child who's Chosen. But again, I have to complain about Kero. *She* became a sterio-type - the All-Wise-Sharp-Tounged-Merc-Captain/Herald!!! Nooo!!!!!<- see how many, and now you know the depth of my disgust. And she lost a lot of her flexibility when it came to new ideas. The old Kero (as in BTS) would have reluctantly agreed witht he Healers, seeing it a wise choice, if not one she agreed in. She's more of a humanitarian than she was shown in OS. That, and Firesong was ... tame. Dare I say it - plain? He had none of the flamboyance or wit that he had in Winds, and IMHO he lost a lot of what I liked about him. (Even though I did think he was an arrogant ass) Eldan was more of a cardboard cut-out than a character. And that's my thoughts on that. WttW, Yvonne Councilor of Mist Goddess of Selkies, Kelpies, and the Water-Borne Carrier of the Enchanted Bucket (tm), Knight of Fluff, Lady of the OoUH Head of the Albertan CfWD Faction ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~"For centuries, people thought the moon was made out of green cheese. Then the astronauts found that the moon is really a big hard rock. Well, that's what happens to cheese when you leave it out." - Anon ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 16 Oct 1999 18:52:44 -0500 (CDT) From: "Jenny H." To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-herald.co.uk Subject: Re: Nerbiefest, Swan & Owls Message-ID: <215-38090FCC-5036-+AT+-storefull-243.iap.bryant.webtv.net> I completely agree w/those reviews of the Owl books and Black Swan. Believe it or not, I read Black Swan before I read any of the Velgarth books, and had no idea who the H-E-double hockey sticks Misty was. At the time i didn't know when that book had came out, and (like any 12 y/o) wondered if "The Swan Princess" an animated movie, or Black swan came out first. I wasn't expecting that story in the book, and it really shocked me when i read the first chapter and saw the name "Odette" I'm serious, it really jacked me up. I had to read it twice before i could stop comparing it to the movie. IMHO the book was much better then the movie, but i didn't like it very much. (that doesn't say to much in favor of the movie does it??) Zhai'helleva! from Brightsong k'Shala and her red-tail Lore (PS I just ordered By the Sword from Waldens in my town. so if someone if gonna post spoilers please put a warning in it!) ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 16 Oct 1999 19:54:38 CDT From: "Adieu McClane" To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-herald.co.uk Subject: Re: Message-ID: <19991017005438.61947.qmail-+AT+-hotmail.com> Drake said, >Can't find the Diana Tregard series in the libraries tho. >Hmm. > Try the young adult for that...thats where they stick in my library.....peeved me too Always Looking for a Gun Adieu "Time flies when the Devil drives" ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com ------------------------------ End of MERCEDES-LACKEY Digest 2109 **********************************