tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12158536.post2299554055191315828..comments2024-03-17T03:17:43.229-04:00Comments on David Anthony Durham: The Steel RemainsDavid Anthony Durhamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13885922955551669016noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12158536.post-88504087725704659022010-06-09T12:35:30.815-04:002010-06-09T12:35:30.815-04:00Ah, yes, Mr. Morgan pulls no punches and does not ...Ah, yes, Mr. Morgan pulls no punches and does not tread lightly with his opinions. I tend to be a bit milder myself.<br /><br />Of course, some authors that ostensibly write for adults DO write stuff that's pretty much YA. I'm not against that. Mr. Morgan, however...David Anthony Durhamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13885922955551669016noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12158536.post-66116658650811445572010-06-09T12:24:17.870-04:002010-06-09T12:24:17.870-04:00If it weren't for Mr. Morgan trying to sell hi...If it weren't for Mr. Morgan trying to sell his fantasy novel by announcing that Tolkien wrote children's books, the recommendation might have teased me. But as things are like they are...<br /><br />And this is not a disgruntled <i>LotR</i> fan speaking. It's someone holding the conviction that you NEVER criticize an author by saying she/he writes children's books.Anubishttp://www.hermanstadt.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12158536.post-17879999000590874902010-06-01T10:07:24.797-04:002010-06-01T10:07:24.797-04:00Yeah, but... the thing is I can't always accou...Yeah, but... the thing is I can't always account for my tastes. I do like Morgan's work, and I know a lot of other folks - very good writers included - that do also. But I also know other people who didn't dig it - or who actively disliked it. <br /><br />So... as for my mention of it, please know that's just me saying that his work interests me. It's no more complex than that. This is not a case of, for example, assigning Beloved or Moby Dick because I KNOW the book is a work of genius. This is a lighter recommendation than that.David Anthony Durhamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13885922955551669016noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12158536.post-75410138957206667952010-06-01T06:44:20.803-04:002010-06-01T06:44:20.803-04:00I have just begun "The Steel Remains" b...I have just begun "The Steel Remains" because I decided I wanted my fantasy reading to be challenged. The first few pages of the book, however, have done little yet to do that. (Big hero, fancy sword, mystical "other" race, little backward village, clear but prosaic prose) Your review, however, leads me to conclude that not all stories need to grip from the first to hold at the end. I'll continue.Child of Albionhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15114390746523568154noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12158536.post-77813772093025830882010-05-17T16:42:04.443-04:002010-05-17T16:42:04.443-04:00David,
Yes, I can see TSR being thought of as sci...David,<br /><br />Yes, I can see TSR being thought of as sci-fi. I was surprised, in a way, how the rustic trappings do relatively little in terms of changing the core Morgan-ness of it. <br /><br />Blaster? Bad ass-sword? Not so different, apparently...David Anthony Durhamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13885922955551669016noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12158536.post-83744279516773216452010-05-16T11:37:53.603-04:002010-05-16T11:37:53.603-04:00Count me in as a HUGE fan of Mr. Morgan's work...Count me in as a HUGE fan of Mr. Morgan's works as well. I was absolutely hooked on his brand of SF the moment I first read Altered Carbon. Wow! Completely opened my eyes and showed me the type of stories I myself wanted to and should be writing.<br /><br />I thought Thirteen was a masterpiece. But now The Steel Remains, besides me having some initial doubts, is at the top of my list of favorites. Morgan certainly created a unique and wonderfully nuanced character in Ringil Eskiath, every much as flawed yet dynamic as his Takeshi Kovacs.<br /><br />Is it me, or is TSR leaning more toward sci-fi than fantasy? I started to pick up on this halfway through the tome, and then certainly by the end. Morgan seems to be operating very heavily under Clarke's third law of prediction in the handling of the background story. Which is just all kinds of awesome from my perspective.David Batistahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16447011239238933425noreply@blogger.com