Timewaster's Guide Archive
Local Authors => Brandon Sanderson => Topic started by: Peter Ahlstrom on July 31, 2006, 06:44:31 PM
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The review is here (http://www.emcit.com/emcit131.php?a=10). (Note: it contains some MAJOR spoilers, including casually throwing in one of the major things the climax hinges on, so if you haven't read the book, don't read that review.)
Wow. She really dogs on Brandon's writing style. Huh.
The philosophical stuff is sort of noteworthy, with interesting questions--if you're into that kind of thing. But I can't stand philosophy or literary criticism. Still, this is one review that is at least TRYING to look at Elantris from a philosophical/litcrit angle, which I guess is nice, if you want fantasy to be accepted as literature.
I can't tell if she liked the book, though. I guess she didn't?
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That's a pretty confusing review.
A novel with these qualities and strong writing is obviously preferable, but a novel with only the latter can still prove readable
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This sentence implies that EOUL has strong writing (the latter subject), but lacks other qualities.
After reading the review, I don't think Ms. Hoyle is a good writer herself, and thus I'm willing to dismiss her critism of EOUL's writing (if that's what she was trying to do). The review starts with mixed critism, outlines the plot, bashes EUOL's writing, discusses the characters, brief analysis of Elantris' social scene, makes vague comperisons to other liturature and ends. Not the most organized review that I read and it's a little disorientating.
Like Ookla, I can't tell if she like the book but I'm guessing that she either didn't like the book or didn't like it enough to give it a better review.
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I found a couple of things astonishing in that review. That she would carp so loudly about Brandon's bad prose while so frequently making grammatical, logical, and spelling mistakes in her own review. And that she is such a blatant pseudo-intellectual in her critique of his philosophy/economics as to assume that all her readers belive the pop-culture tripe theories of economics and leadership she excoriates Brandon for failing to adhere to in his story.
Other than that though, pretty decently written review.
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I think you have all been too critical of the criticism.
The biggest flaw in the review is an extended (over half of the review) summary of the plot. That's a poor way to review. I think that's what's confusing or inconclusive about it.
The other flaw is *insufficient* discussion of the philosophy of the book. She makes a statement and a conclusion, with no discussion of how she gets there. It's a poor thinker who finds a useful opinion based on such an argument
However, her prose is just fine, and I detected no significant problems with her language. I disagree with her conclusions about Brandon's prose, but that's a matter of opinion anyway.
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This lady is all over fantasy bookspot's forum talking about how Brandon's prose is so bad it can kill people.
Anyway, Emerald City is shutting down, don't know if anyone actually cares or not.
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Huh.
I just read her post over at fantasybookspot. I don't get how her reading experience could have been that bad. Brandon doesn't claim to be Shakespeare, but I find his writing quite transparent. It's a simple, readable style that lets the reader get into the story instead of worrying about the words.
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Brandon doesn't claim to be Shakespeare, but I find his writing quite transparent. It's a simple, readable style that lets the reader get into the story instead of worrying about the words.
I totally agree. Right now I'm reading Mr Darcy Takes a Wife and it's so flowery and over-wrought I had to put it down. Prose for the sake of prose is distracting and can ultimately be self-defeating. It's refreshing to read something straightforward.