Timewaster's Guide Archive

I'll have to go back to the store and look at it more closely.  There was really bad lighting in the section I was in, but the signature did not look like any kind of ink I ever saw out of a pen.  It was dark grey like the one you see on TGS, and there wasn't any kind of impression on the other side of the page, which would be normal when you press down to sign something on a piece of paper.   For the record I don't think it's a forgery, since the book wasn't being sold as a collector's item, but just as any other used book.  At the same time I don't know what to make of the signature. 

P.S. I've since examined my own copy of TGS and noticed that the signature has jagged edges on it.  I'll compare my discovery with what I saw at the store, but I'm still skeptical of any signature written in dark grey ink. 

I recently saw a copy of Path of Daggers with the same Robert Jordan signature.  I was wondering if it was real or fake, because I thought these printed signatures only started with a Gathering Storm!

I don't know if anyones heard yet or knows anything about this but I've just seen in a well known London sci-fi store actual signed copies of the gathering storm by Robert Jordan. The books aren't actually signed themselves but they have a signed card from orbit books stuck on the page before the printed signiture. It looks like orbit must had some cards left over from a previous signing or Mr Jordan signed some in advanced before he unfortunately past away. Anyone know anything about them?     

Man, I would have loved to get me one of those copies.  I really want a Robert Jordan bookplate.

I find the story, as well as many aspects of the writing itself, to be remarkably compelling. My main issue with ASoIaF, is the characters.

As of A Feast for Crows, there are perhaps three characters left alive that I actually like. Their stories fascinate me far more than the rest, which means I have to slog through many large sections filled with characters I hate or simply don't care about in order to finally get back to a chapter with Jon or Arya or Daenerys. And Martin's habit of killing off his characters, in particular the ones that readers seem to like the most, prevents me from caring too much about someone else. I don't know of the latter has happened to anyone else while reading, but for me the violence and realism of 'anyone can die' has backfired - the ony time I care anymore is if it's one of the characters I like, and there are so few of those left.

When has Martin ever killed off a character that ppl may have really liked and grown attached to?   Even Eddie wasn't particulary interesting as far as characters go.  As for his son, Martin didn't even give him one POV page so readers barely even knew him before he was killed.  And did anyone really care that Joffrey and the Hound died?  I really don't understand where this myth got started that Martin is willing to kill off anyone.  Truth be told,  Martin hasn't killed off anyone that readers could possibly have grown attached to and a majority of the ones who are dead deserved it.

With these books, that's just unrealistic. They're big and complex beasts written by a perfectionist. If you wanted them in 1-2 years, they wouldn't be nearly the books they are, which means they wouldn't exist at all because I doubt Rothfuss would want to write them like that. Some works take time, and you can't just wave a magic deadline wand and make them go faster.

And don't bring Brandon Sanderson into this. He's at the top end of the bell curve. Very few people can write as fast as he can.

Why?  Because the book looks like it's going to end up being a thousand pages?  You know what I say to that?  Split it.   I don't believe there's anything in his contract that says he can't write more than 3 books.  Plenty of authors have ended up turning their trilogies into sagas.   I'd rather have that by far than wait endlessly for him to finish one enormous tome after another.   

Quote from: Shivertongue on March 19, 2010, 07:37:06 PM

Quote from: Moggle on March 18, 2010, 06:10:37 AM

How can you possibly have read 100 fantasy series of books when you only list over 20?

Um... clearly that's not a complete list...

Yeah thats not a complete list for one thing the star wars I have read could be considered 10+ series but I really meant over 50+ series for sure and many that aren't complete yet... or very recognizable.

Thanks for all the suggestions most are on my list to get when I next go to used book store. Thanks a lot!

My mistake.  I guess I read your post too quickly.  I'm currently have the same problems looking for new fantasy authors.  Try books by Lois McMaster Bujold, Alex Bledsoe, John Flanagan, Peter Brett, Kristin Cashore, David Gemmel and J.V. Jones.   

Meh

Because he HAS killed off important characters, he has set a precedent to kill off whomever he likes.  It seems like what you are saying is that Martin's storytelling technique only is valid when it suit your own personal preference.  You may not think certain characters are significant, but that is your personal interpretation.  Why do people make a huge deal about Martin killing off his PoV in book one?  Because at the time it WAS shocking.  At the time it FELT fresh.  There are so many characters  in his novel, that different readers place different importance on them--whether minor or major, to a point, is debatable.  That is the cool thing about Martin's work, it strikes different chords. 

If you say it's fresh then it must be.   I have no idea what's been going on in fantasy the last 20 years and beyond.  All I know is that the character of Ned was a fairly humorless, dry, one dimensional character.   These are the type of characters authors are never afraid to get rid of.   I'm sure you would admit that Martin was not writing the standard hero adventure story so why attach the typical storytelling style of those books to his?  In those books main characters can't die because they're needed to complete some quest, but GRRM wasn't writing that type of story, correct? 

You weren't shocked when Robb was killed.  Neither was I.  Because the precedent had been set.  With this in motion, I now look to see who WON'T die--who can manage to survive through the awfulness of the world they live in.  Martin can do far worse things than kill people off.  And he has.  It's all about your connection to the characters. 

But I wasn't even shocked when they killed Ned so how I can be for his son who never even had a voice in the books?   That alone was clue enough that he could killed without remorse by Martin.   Those who do have a voice and are written sympathetically will most likely live.  Although alot of them are so one dimensional it's hard to imagine them being not being expendable except for the fact that Martin still needs at least a few of them to finish out his series.

Obviously you didn't have the same reaction to the characters that a majority did.  Doesn't make you right or wrong.  But seriously, don't berate people by telling them they need to "get a grip."  They could say the same thing to you.

I didn't make a connection because the characters were not written in a way to allow me to make a connection.  What can anyone really say about Ned and Robb to say they really felt a great sense of satisfaction and joy every time they read them?  Has it occurred to anyone that Martin in all likelyhood decided not to build these characters up because he knew he would kill them off?

In any case I think what I said needed to be said, because I'm grown sick of ppl constantly praising Martin even in non GRRM related threads whether it be here or on other boards or even on review sites that are reviewing other books!  It's ridiculous. 

@Moggle: Your preference for books is the hero character you care about. That is not what Martin is doing. He is telling a story a different way. It is different, fresh, and unique.

I remember being surprised when Robb died. I figured that when Ned died that Robb was going to be the new hero character. For now I expect Dany and John Snow to be a couple. I wouldn't surprise me if John Snow dies(but I don't think he will atleast not until the very end), but I would be really surprised in Dany dies.

Well that's kind of my point.  If he creates a bunch of dull and lifeless characters that you can't even decide if you like or not, why should anyone make a big deal over their deaths?