[Dragaera] FW: A New SKZB Fan

[Eric Shupps]

I think what got her initially to read Jhereg after the first chapter was the pacing - it held her fickle attention just long enough to pull her in.  She's not much for the fantasy genre in general, she's more into the whole romantic vampire craze at the moment, but I think there's just enough magic in the beginning of Jhereg that she wanted to know a bit more.  The Paarfiad, while one of my all time favorite reads, does take some time to get going.  I doubt if those are a good place to start one's Brust adventure unless you just came off reading the original translations of the Dumas novels.  I'm hopeful she'll stick with it long enough to get there.  I'm not sure if I should let her read Taltos or not at her age - might be a bit much for her to take in (and probably generate a lot more questions than I care to answer).  On the other hand, I seem to recall starting my own Dragaeran adventure around her age, just after Jhereg was first published, so maybe it's not a big deal.

I wonder how SKZB feels about his original fan base passing the material down to their children during his own lifetime?  I suppose we don't ever expect to see our own legacy unfold before us, do we?  Seems like a question for some obscure Athyra to ponder for a millennia or two...

-----Original Message-----
From: dragaera-bounces at lists.dragaera.info [mailto:dragaera-bounces at lists.dragaera.info] On Behalf Of Jerry Alan Sayers
Sent: Monday, January 28, 2013 1:26 PM
To: Dragaera at lists.dragaera.info
Subject: Re: [Dragaera] FW: A New SKZB Fan

I first read Phoenix Guards shortly after it was published (about a year after I first discovered the Taltos novels, of which there were then five), so I was about 12 at the time, and I loved it--I doubt my 7th and 8th grade teachers appreciated the effect it had on my writing style, though.  It simply depends on her tastes in reading.

After reading that, if she likes it, Brokedown Palace would probably be fun.  It is a little bit less accessible than the other Dragaera novels, but once you know the world, it's fascinating to see an Eastern perspective.


Miguel Aja wrote:
> Long time lurker, etc etc etc.
>
> I would not force Brokedown Palace on her. I enjoyed it but it was a 
> lot harder read. Not in the sense that it was difficult to read (I was 
> bordering 30 at the time and would like to think a veteran of the 
> Fantasy genre), but that I found it more tedious. The pacing, the 
> speech patterns, the way the concepts like magic, reality, perception etc were explained...
> everything was a drag to me (I repeat: to me!). Vlad novels force me 
> to read them as fast as I can, I just cannot help myself, Brokedown I 
> finished only because I already liked the Taltos series. I am not sure 
> I would have finished if I hadn't almost exhausted every other Brust novel first.
>
> Phoenix Guards is a coin toss. If you can stand, or even better enjoy, 
> the Dumas-like prose then it might be even more engaging than Vlad's 
> because of the expectation of how things will resolve: you know (or 
> think you know) a lot of the master lines of the story because you 
> know what happens in The Three Musketeers, so finding out how the 
> author will play inside those constraints is a joy in itself. If you did not/would not enjoy Dumas...
>
> I think in any case I would let Vlad work its magic, and then the day 
> it comes up, well, did you know there are these other Dragaera novels 
> out there?
>
> (then again, I am not a father so what the hell do I know! :) )
>
>
> On 28 January 2013 16:05, Scott Schultz <scott at cjhunter.com> wrote:
>
>> It's a terrific thing if you can find any shared interest to bond 
>> with a teen over, heh. I'm a reader who prefers the original publication order.
>> The
>> time jumps are part of the charm of the overall history. If you can 
>> put your hands on _Brokedown Palace_ and you can get her to try _The 
>> Phoenix Guards_ then it would be interesting to see her take on the 
>> different viewpoints/versions of the story of Fenarr and his horse.
>>
>> Never mind the events of _Teckla_ and _Phoenix_...
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> Dragaera mailing list
>> Dragaera at lists.dragaera.info
>> http://lists.dragaera.info/listinfo.cgi/dragaera-dragaera.info
>>
> _______________________________________________
> Dragaera mailing list
> Dragaera at lists.dragaera.info
> http://lists.dragaera.info/listinfo.cgi/dragaera-dragaera.info
>
>

--
J A Dusty Sayers

Home Page http://www.sayersnet.com/~dusty/ Rescue the Princess http://www.sayersnet.com/~dusty/rescue/

'We buy things we do not want to impress people we do not like.'
      --Kiekregaard


_______________________________________________
Dragaera mailing list
Dragaera at lists.dragaera.info
http://lists.dragaera.info/listinfo.cgi/dragaera-dragaera.info