I know you aren’t supposed to answer your reviewers, but, hey, rules are made to be broken. I have considered all of my reviews carefully, and it seems to me that it would be worthwhile to investigate some of the literary, epistomological, and political assumptions that underlie some of the things that have been said about my books over the last 31 years.
So, after much thought, here are my replies:
Okay, good point.
Bollix.
Thanks.
Did you even read it?
Your face is boring.
No, you’re wrong, you really liked it.
Thanks.
And you’re another.
Do you eat with that mouth?
Your mom is boring.
Thanks.
Compared to what?
Uh, maybe.
Really? That’s what you got out of that? Are you stupid?
Your mom’s face is boring.
Thanks.
Oh, yeah?
There, that should about cover it.
Gasp. Giggle Snort.
heh
And all a girl could think of Gazda was….it is as You wish and she hopes Your doing well.
rableani: Well I’ll be damned. Hey, sweetie! What a joy to hear from you! I hope everything is just exactly perfect. *hugs* If you want to get caught up, my email address is in the “about” section. P.S.: Doc misses you.
Enjoyed your latest book a lot Steve. While I read quickly I don’t have the time I had in the past to read everything I want. So in being choosy I wasn’t dissapointed at all in your latest effort. Thanks!! And keep writing!
Agyar is a vampire.
I challenge anyone to tell me two things that are different between Morrolan and Aliera.
It’s the best novel about angels that I’ve ever read.
The narrative flows so smoothly that there’s no way to tell which sections are by Brust and which are by Bull.
Every noble character has a widow’s peak, which makes a face more interesting.
I loved /Gypsy/.
I strongly recommend these books to anyone who liked the /Dune/ prequels.
Brust apparently sees himself as a someone exploited by capitalist profiteering.
This skewering of European aristocratic pretension will be enjoyed by patriotic Americans who understand that our country of the common man is the greatest in the world.
To judge by the frequent appearance of these issues, Brust’s mother must have been… interesting.
Dunaan is the best character ever! I’m in love with him! Squee!!!
The instability of Brust’s narratives may be compared to the mytho/logical redefinition of postcolonial romance as “analytical” frames for hermeneutic aporia.
Brust’s hero, Vlad Taltos, is a professional assassin.
In fact, Brust seems to see the Mafia as the only force for good in society.
What Brust seems to have forgotten is that Dumas and Sabatini are boring.
The scene where Vlad is tortured wasn’t sexual enough to do anything for me.
I’d like to show Brust a thing or two about knife fighting in those dark alleys his hero is so fond of.
Jerry Friedman –
Two differences between Morrolan and Aliera:
1. Morrolan is taller than Aliera
2. Morrolan is male, and Aliera is female
Jerry: That was…mmm. A lot of work, I think.
Uh, James, I think you missed what he was doing there. Take a close look at the OP, then read his comment again.
Morrolan practices and has made witchcraft a part of his life. Good luck getting Aliera to go down that avenue.
What Morrolan worships is just part of Aliera’s life: her mom is Verra and her dad was Adron. Morrolan literally worships the one and idolizes the other.
Aliera is much easier to provoke/bait. Just contrast the initial encounter Morrolan had with Sethra with the dialog Sethra and Aliera have in ‘A Discussion of Some Events Occurring in the…’, sorry, that is, dialog in ‘Five Hundred Years After’.
Morrolan appears capable of inspiring a following in a military role. Aliera, as seen through Vlad’s eyes, seems to spend more time intimidating dragons than winning them over. Compare and contrast Morrolan’s interaction with Fornia in Dragon with Aliera’s interaction with the Dragon Guard after Vlad almost dissolved himself into chaos.
There are others, but those come to mind. Of course, speaking about differences in dragons is like speaking about the difference in vintage ports–they exist, but they exist only to the connoisseur…
Steven: Thanks.
Andy Lopez: Before anyone else goes down the garden path, I’d better say that I was making an attempt at humor. See Steven’s reply to James. I like your comparison to vintage port, though.
Steven’s reply, like your post, shows all the signs of subtlety that eludes me. :-)
Sorry, Andy. What’s happening is that Jerry wrote the reviews to which my answers are a response–that is, his comments map 1:1 with the replies. EG: “Agyar is a vampire.” “Good point.”
I think that with the Morrolan/Aliera thing Jerry is making a subtle joke which works better if you are British.
However, I must admit that I don’t get ‘Dunaan’.
Yes, that was a bollocks joke. (“Balls!” said the queen. “If I had them I’d be king.”)
For the Dunaan one, I was just thinking that someone in love with him would be praising Five Hundred Years After for reasons that the author would probably find incomprehensible if not deplorable, and the only reasonable response to that would be “Thanks”.
I must admit that I had completely forgotten the character of Dunaan in FHYA – I knew there were some conspirators, of course, but their names had escaped me – which perhaps proves your point.
Jerry, that is amazing!
Thanks, Chris!