Just logged into D&D Beyond, and they removed Zak S, RPG Pundit and other consultants

Omega · March 05, 2019, 02:04:26 AM

Quote from: EOTB;1077645Was someone praising Gygax as a novelist? Where? I can't remember ever seeing that before.

The groggiest of grogs freely admits reading EGG novels to glean game info but not for appreciation per se. That's like replying to a post saying "I think fire is hot". Nobody's pulling for the opposite opinion.

Ive heard a few speak well of Gary's Gord series. I had the first one but for some reason the content put me off it and never got too far in. His non-fiction books though are not too bad really.

S'mon · March 05, 2019, 02:21:18 AM

Quote from: Omega;1077655Ive heard a few speak well of Gary's Gord series. I had the first one but for some reason the content put me off it and never got too far in. His non-fiction books though are not too bad really.

I think the writing in the two TSR Gord books is not too bad. Maybe he had a good editor then. He seems to get consistently worse over time. The later Gord books are pretty bad and the Egyptian detective stuff I find unreadable.

Philotomy Jurament · March 05, 2019, 02:51:22 AM

Can't say I was very impressed with Gary's fiction. I find it interesting for the gaming connections, but I doubt I would've read it if it weren't for that. (It probably doesn't help that I read it as an adult. If I'd read it back in junior high, like I did with Moorcock, Burroughs, etc., I might have had a higher regard for it.) I actually like Gary's non-fiction/gaming writing, in general (although I think some of it needed more editing).

FWIW, my all time favorite author is Gene Wolfe. So I'm not averse to dense/rich prose. It just needs to be well done (in my opinion, of course).

deadDMwalking · March 05, 2019, 08:47:59 AM

I have enjoyed several of Gygax's novels, including the Egyptian mythos detective stories.

I think that most books have a unique authorial tone; whether it is off-putting tends to be as much based on reader mood as any other factor. Pretentious isn't automatically a deal-breaker for me.

Zalman · March 05, 2019, 02:45:20 PM

Quote from: Philotomy Jurament;1077638That sums it up, IMO. You know, it makes me think of my opinion on China Mieville's writing. A lot of people like Mieville's writing, but I find it insufferably pretentious and self-aware of its "artistry." You constantly see the author at work, trying to produce art. I find that whenever I see the "writer at work" in the writing (and especially in fiction), it's distracting and detracting. Good writing doesn't do that to the reader, in my opinion.

Refreshing to see someone else who shares my opinion of Miéville. I really don't know how anyone tolerates reading stuff like that.

RPGPundit · March 07, 2019, 06:34:23 AM

Quote from: Zalman;1077742Refreshing to see someone else who shares my opinion of Miéville. I really don't know how anyone tolerates reading stuff like that.

I have the same opinion. Mieville is trash.

Darrin Kelley · March 07, 2019, 07:27:55 PM

Quote from: RPGPundit;1078007I have the same opinion. Mieville is trash.

There was a time where DC Comics actually let Mieville write comics. And the result was exactly how you would think it would be. Pretty much the same result you get from anyone who writes for their trash Vertigo line. Pretentious pablum pretending it has real artistic merit or public appeal.

thedungeondelver · March 11, 2019, 02:18:53 AM

Quote from: Philotomy Jurament;1077667Can't say I was very impressed with Gary's fiction. I find it interesting for the gaming connections, but I doubt I would've read it if it weren't for that. (It probably doesn't help that I read it as an adult. If I'd read it back in junior high, like I did with Moorcock, Burroughs, etc., I might have had a higher regard for it.) I actually like Gary's non-fiction/gaming writing, in general (although I think some of it needed more editing).

FWIW, my all time favorite author is Gene Wolfe. So I'm not averse to dense/rich prose. It just needs to be well done (in my opinion, of course).

When Gary wrote fiction I think his shorter works were better. Or at least, serialized works. It hurts my heart that we'll never have a truly complete version of The Gnome Cache, for example.

crkrueger · March 11, 2019, 07:23:55 AM

Did I think Gary was a good novelist writer? No. I liked the characters though and the plot lines via Tharizdun and the Cat Lord were good glimpses into Gary's mind about Greyhawk as a setting. If you're running Greyhawk, worth the read.

I did like how the combat and action scenes felt at home within a D&D world. Too many writers ignore the setting and have their characters do things that don't correspond to what characters can do.

Abraxus · March 11, 2019, 09:48:26 AM

Mieville is like a plate of food that is Ok in taste. It feeds you and nothing more.

Chocolate Sauce · March 12, 2019, 01:04:44 AM

Quote from: Darrin Kelley;1078111There was a time where DC Comics actually let Mieville write comics. And the result was exactly how you would think it would be. Pretty much the same result you get from anyone who writes for their trash Vertigo line. Pretentious pablum pretending it has real artistic merit or public appeal.

They probably saw him and thought they had Grant Morrison's doppleganger.

Alas...

Doom · March 12, 2019, 03:08:48 AM

Quote from: Philotomy Jurament;1077667Can't say I was very impressed with Gary's fiction. I find it interesting for the gaming connections, but I doubt I would've read it if it weren't for that. (It probably doesn't help that I read it as an adult. If I'd read it back in junior high, like I did with Moorcock, Burroughs, etc., I might have had a higher regard for it.) I actually like Gary's non-fiction/gaming writing, in general (although I think some of it needed more editing).

FWIW, my all time favorite author is Gene Wolfe. So I'm not averse to dense/rich prose. It just needs to be well done (in my opinion, of course).

I tried, I found Gygax nigh unreadable.

And Wolfe is ridiculously good, they'll be studying that guy a century from now.

RPGPundit · March 19, 2019, 09:03:41 AM

Yeah, I found Gygax's fiction pretty awful.

mhensley · March 19, 2019, 10:34:32 AM

Quote from: CRKrueger;1077418You understand what the words "literal" and "Nazi" mean, right?

They are quite fine with literal communists though. :rolleyes:

mhensley · March 19, 2019, 10:36:29 AM

Quote from: RPGPundit;1079780Yeah, I found Gygax's fiction pretty awful.

His books are still better than Ed Greenwood's.