Lead Adventure Forum
Miniatures Adventure => Fantasy Adventures => Topic started by: Doug ex-em4 on August 14, 2014, 03:56:56 PM
-
Just reading Joe Abercrombie's "The First Law" trilogy and previously read "The Heroes" and I must say, as well as being an excellent read, they'd make a great background for anything from rpg through skirmish to Fantasy Warriors massed battles. Examples of all three of those game types appear in the books. Great individuals suitable as rpg characters or "specials" in skirmish or battles. A subdued form of magic. A variety of human and semi-human races. For the first time in many years, I'm tempted to break out my figures and Fantasy Warrors rules and set to.
Anyone else read him?
Doug
-
Only read The Heroes. Good read and interested in picking up the others at some point.
-
I could never figure out what sort of "era" it was set in. I have only read The Blade Itself but all the talk of officers, uniforms, sabres and duelling made the military of the main nation sound at the least renaissance level. I know it's a fantasy land and doesn't have to follow trends of our history but I had a tough time envisioning what the soldiers would look like etc.
-
I read the First Law quite recently - couldn't quite decide if I enjoyed it or not.
It started off pretty well - but I wasn't so sure by the end.
I could never figure out what sort of "era" it was set in. I have only read The Blade Itself but all the talk of officers, uniforms, sabres and duelling made the military of the main nation sound at the least renaissance level. I know it's a fantasy land and doesn't have to follow trends of our history but I had a tough time envisioning what the soldiers would look like etc.
This too - as there are also mentions of soldiers being in full armour.
-
I think ultimately it stopped me being able to fully immerse myself into the world, which is why I only read the first one. I also, and this is just me I think, got the feeling that the author was trying too hard to make his characters so edgy/dark/grizzled/trope avoiding that they all became a little dull.
-
I've been wondering recently, what's the difference between a trope and a cliché?
Doug
-
I figured they were the same thing.
-
I've read his books and plain forgot about them. I couldn't really identify with the characters and their whole well-being was of no consequence for me. That's not to say, they are bad books - I'd rather say they are not my kind of book.
-
I've read them all and apart from "Best Served Cold" - which was nihilism personified - I've thoroughly enjoyed them!
-
trope
trōp/
noun
1.
a figurative or metaphorical use of a word or expression.
"he used the two-Americas trope to explain how a nation free and democratic at home could act wantonly abroad"
cli·ché
klēˈSHā kli-,kli-,ˈklēˌSHā/
noun
1.
a phrase or opinion that is overused and betrays a lack of original thought.
"the old cliché “one man's meat is another man's poison.”"
synonyms: platitude, hackneyed phrase, commonplace, banality, old saying, maxim, truism, stock phrase, trite phrase; old chestnut
"a good speechwriter will steer clear of clichés"
a very predictable or unoriginal thing or person.
"each building is a mishmash of tired clichés"
Ask and you shall receive...
Gracias,
Glenn
2.
PRINTINGBRITISH
a stereotype or electrotype.
-
I've read the trilogy, Best Served Cold, The Heroes, and Red Country. Excellent books and I certainly hope he keeps writing. If you enjoyed them, I also recommend the Traitor Son cycle by Miles Cameron. I've read the first two books, The Red Knight, and The Fell Sword. The third book in the cycle has just been published.
-
Read all his stuff, and very much enjoyed it. Some of it is a bit of a slog but it's usually worthwhile. I Imagine the universe is a bit over the place, Talins and Adua being renaissance Europe, the north still stuck in the dark ages and the south a sort of medieval middle east. I do prefer the world in his new book 'half a king' which is set in a fantasy dark age setting.
-
Joe Abercrombie is probably my favourite currant fantasy author. Personally I found his world completely immersive, and the characters very real, a lot of them are neither hero nor anti-hero.
The trilogy didn't quite tie everything up the way I would gave liked, but then some of these loose threads have carried on through the stand alone books and he plans to finish the series with another trilogy, so hopefully by the end everything will be sorted.
-
Joe Abercrombie is probably my favourite currant fantasy author. Personally I found his world completely immersive, and the characters very real, a lot of them are neither hero nor anti-hero.
The trilogy didn't quite tie everything up the way I would gave liked, but then some of these loose threads have carried on through the stand alone books and he plans to finish the series with another trilogy, so hopefully by the end everything will be sorted.
-
A certain LAF moderator put me on to them,great read; and these days I endlessly quote ; Logen "you have to be realistic" and as I'm a chef I find "you can never have too many knives" amusing.
-
my favourite currant fantasy
a currant fantasy?
My blood sugar just blew off the meter! ;)
Okay, seriously, haven't read them but the whole mixed history aspect is where a lot of of current trend towards alternate history fictional works break down because people don't really get a good grasp of historical relationships. Did you find elements from mixed historical periods breaking your suspension of disbelief or were they really minor anachronisms?
Gracias,
Glenn
Edit: I blame the chef comment for randomly pushing my 'skew' button... "Chef' - 'currant' - 'fantasy'... all it lacked was chocolate...
-
No, it didn't 't break my suspension of disbelief. I don't tend to read fantasy from an historical point of view, there was nothing that really jarred for me and felt like it couldn't exist. The real world has always existed with a variety of technological levels
-
No, it didn't 't break my suspension of disbelief. I don't tend to read fantasy from an historical point of view, there was nothing that really jarred for me and felt like it couldn't exist. The real world has always existed with a variety of technological levels
Okay, thanks.
I guess all that training as a historian has warped me. ;) I may take a copy out of the library to read.
Gracias,
Glenn
-
trope
trōp/
noun
1.
a figurative or metaphorical use of a word or expression.
"he used the two-Americas trope to explain how a nation free and democratic at home could act wantonly abroad"
cli·ché
klēˈSHā kli-,kli-,ˈklēˌSHā/
noun
1.
a phrase or opinion that is overused and betrays a lack of original thought.
"the old cliché “one man's meat is another man's poison.”"
synonyms: platitude, hackneyed phrase, commonplace, banality, old saying, maxim, truism, stock phrase, trite phrase; old chestnut
"a good speechwriter will steer clear of clichés"
a very predictable or unoriginal thing or person.
"each building is a mishmash of tired clichés"
Ask and you shall receive...
Gracias,
Glenn
So, the word or expression that is used figuratively or metaphorically would need to be well known and well used for it to be of value as a trope. In short, it would be a cliché. Possibly. What do you think?
I have a sneeking feeling that "trope" is one of those words that are often employed to give an extra veneer of importance to s statement. It's been around a long time but in recent years has really made its mark.
I reckon if one was gaming Abercrombie, you could get away with using orcs as Shanka. To me, they sound like a more believable version of the semi-human spawn of evil.
Doug
-
So, the word or expression that is used figuratively or metaphorically would need to be well known and well used for it to be of value as a trope. In short, it would be a cliché. Possibly. What do you think?
I have a sneeking feeling that "trope" is one of those words that are often employed to give an extra veneer of importance to s statement. It's been around a long time but in recent years has really made its mark.
I reckon if one was gaming Abercrombie, you could get away with using orcs as Shanka. To me, they sound like a more believable version of the semi-human spawn of evil.
Doug
I think the difference is clear. Like Red and Scarlet, there is an appropriate place to use each.
Gracias,
Glenn
-
....there is an appropriate place to use each.
Gracias,
Glenn
I'm sure there is - it's the inappropriate use that I'm interested in....
Doug
-
my poor amazon.com shopping cart is now creaking under the weight of these books.
thank you for mentioning them