100c said:voyageur said:100c, you mentioned Stephan Donaldson (and many others) linked as acknowledgements. What influences from Donaldson are most recalled? Just interested as I've read a couple of his series including the last to its conclusion, 'The Last Dark', which concluded 30 years of writing that story (since 1977).
Look forward to the continuation of Silent Subversion.
Firstly, yes I used that word, I would just like to say that my first series will be concluded in < 30 years.
Now to the meat of your question. I was most impressed with The Gap Cycle series and how the story could capture my attention so strongly. Those experiences reading showed me how powerful of an influence a story can be. It's been a while, but I remember Angus Thermopyle and how horrible he was, but Stephen wrote from his perspective and I could actually root for him in some parts of the story. That's kind of how I experienced one of my characters and you can probably guess which one.
At a very young age, I remember hating the first book I read of his first series, The Thomas Covenant. I quit that one when the main character raped a young girl and he wrote as if it was OK, or that's what I remember at least. Who knows, maybe I would have liked the story, had I kept reading. I also liked the Mirror of her Dreams and the next book.
"I would just like to say that my first series will be concluded in < 30 years." :D
Yeah, The Gap Cycle had its interesting moments, and the Amnion reminded me of Jacobs discussion on SoTT Radio - like they are 'Walking Among Us'. How the Amnion manipulated DNA creating variations, changed beings with some exactly human-like. And as recalled, Stephan wrote; reading between the lines, of an earth that was corrupted by corporation - by the pathological types that ran them, and then humanity found the wherewithal to reel-them-in, to yoke them. Initially, this was because of their tampering with genetics (Monsanto-like), yet like now, they manipulated from the shadows. Similar to today, back then Stephan had the shadowy figures turning some people into exploding weapons against their will and knowledge - created false flags with people wherever they felt the need to put fear into others and achieve their warped aims. It was not long after reading this in his fiction - a decade maybe, that it seem to go live around our world as a tool to heighten fear, to blame others and steer foreign policy.
As for Covenant, the series was passed along to me by my brother, and the first decade of books were more or less omitted - so picked up the story along the way. And yes, the character mentioned did initially feel some sort of indifference to his horrible actions. The later books referenced this often as the character was being eaten away by his own leprosy. The story did evolve in some interesting ways involving hyperdimensional aspects and variegated understandings of the world around the many different characters etc.
As usual, I am afraid that if I read his books again I will not like them, as my tastes have changed over the years.
Hear what you are saying, there are many authors that I would not read another of their books as the words in their stories maintains certain programed thinking that lead nowhere, except to lock in the standard historical narratives always employed.
Anyway, was curious as you had that author listed.
Thanks for the reply.