writing complaints and two book reactions

The dinner party scene is written, but I don't like it at all. Still, now I can move on to the conversation between Yukiko and Naruto, and then to the next morning when the new chuunin are officially promoted and get their snazzy new vests.

The trouble is that I never had a very clear idea of what would happen if I put the various characters all together around a table, and apparently, neither did they. And I kept trying to steer the conversation away from the obvious topic -- so, now you're a chuunin; what are your plans? -- and that left some awkward holes to write around.

I'm going to go back and rewrite it completely once I finish the rest of chapter 17.

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This weekend, I read both Terry Pratchett's newest book, Thud!, and Neil Gaiman's newest book, Anansi Boys.

I liked both of them, but I liked Anansi Boys better. This is because it's Gaiman at the top of his game, whereas Thud! is merely adequate Pterry -- which is not to say it's bad, just that it's not as wonderful as it could have been. There's something slightly 'off' about the book, something about the structure and the tone. There should have been a bit more time given to certain storylines, or a bit more humor in other parts. Also, the business about shouting the children's story at the end was... I dunno... a little strained. I can see why Pterry did it, but I think it didn't really work on the page.

Anansi Boys is a sort of sideways sequel to American Gods, and I like it much better. This is because American Gods, for all the brilliance of its individual pieces, never quite came alive for me as a whole. It was like a carefully stitched quilt that I wanted to spread out over my bed, but it reeked of mothballs and was useless. Anansi Boys, on the other hand, just dances with life. (Fitting, considering its plot and characters. *grin*) It's like a good Anansi story, like the best of Aesop's fables, except it's not about animals (well, except when it is).

Also, Thud! is a really stupid title for a book. I think it might have worked better if Pterry had called it 'Koom Valley.'

writing complaints and two book reactions

The dinner party scene is written, but I don't like it at all. Still, now I can move on to the conversation between Yukiko and Naruto, and then to the next morning when the new chuunin are officially promoted and get their snazzy new vests.

The trouble is that I never had a very clear idea of what would happen if I put the various characters all together around a table, and apparently, neither did they. And I kept trying to steer the conversation away from the obvious topic -- so, now you're a chuunin; what are your plans? -- and that left some awkward holes to write around.

I'm going to go back and rewrite it completely once I finish the rest of chapter 17.

---------------------------------

This weekend, I read both Terry Pratchett's newest book, Thud!, and Neil Gaiman's newest book, Anansi Boys.

I liked both of them, but I liked Anansi Boys better. This is because it's Gaiman at the top of his game, whereas Thud! is merely adequate Pterry -- which is not to say it's bad, just that it's not as wonderful as it could have been. There's something slightly 'off' about the book, something about the structure and the tone. There should have been a bit more time given to certain storylines, or a bit more humor in other parts. Also, the business about shouting the children's story at the end was... I dunno... a little strained. I can see why Pterry did it, but I think it didn't really work on the page.

Anansi Boys is a sort of sideways sequel to American Gods, and I like it much better. This is because American Gods, for all the brilliance of its individual pieces, never quite came alive for me as a whole. It was like a carefully stitched quilt that I wanted to spread out over my bed, but it reeked of mothballs and was useless. Anansi Boys, on the other hand, just dances with life. (Fitting, considering its plot and characters. *grin*) It's like a good Anansi story, like the best of Aesop's fables, except it's not about animals (well, except when it is).

Also, Thud! is a really stupid title for a book. I think it might have worked better if Pterry had called it 'Koom Valley.'