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[sluissa]

Actually, I do generally hate Tolkien's style of writing. I can't get into it, I can't enjoy it, I can't read it. I don't like his characters, I don't like his plots and I don't like his worlds. And don't even get me started on the movies. nine hours of sweeping New Zealand landscapes.

I'm willing to accept that other people are going to draw inspiration from it though and I don't mind that.

[scriver]

Tolkien is a rather bad writer. The LOTR setting is great, and the story in itself is good enough, but he just can't tell that story very well. He has other strengths that makes the books readworthy, I think.

[ChairmanPoo]

The latter books get worse in no small measure due to piss-poor editing. Really, they may say whatever they want about their clever strategy of "cutting books in half", but the end result is that the story loses it's harmonicity.

The fake cliffhangers are getting annoying, too.

[DJ]

Tolkien is even worse than Stephen R. Donaldson, longwindedness-wise.

[Zrk2]

I really enjoy them and agree with whoever it was that brought up The Malazan Book of the Fallen. The two series are probably my favourites, along with The Black Company.

[Urist Mcinternetuser]

A song of Ice and Fire is my favorite series, or at least tied with The Hitchhiker's Trilogy. And I have to agree, Tolkien was not a great writer, LOTR was written terribly... The Hobbit was okay though.

[RedKing]

I guess I'm the only one who likes his style. It's archaic. I especially love the Silmarillion, which is the one book that even most Tolkien fans don't care for, because it reads like the Old Testament. Which is more or less what it is as pertains to Middle-Earth.

[micelus]

Besides the Discworld series, this is definitely my favourite book series. I like the uniqueness of the setting and the focus on politics rather than a band of heroes or saving the world. What interested me the most is how their isn't really a main protagonist nor antagonist; everyone's a bit of both. The lack of "good" and "evil" in the setting interested me as well.


And yeah, LOTR was incredibly hard for me to read...I understand the significance of the series, but it's simply not my type.

[Urist Mcinternetuser]

Besides the Discworld series, this is definitely my favourite book series. I like the uniqueness of the setting and the focus on politics rather than a band of heroes or saving the world. What interested me the most is how their isn't really a main protagonist nor antagonist; everyone's a bit of both. The lack of "good" and "evil" in the setting interested me as well.


And yeah, LOTR was incredibly hard for me to read...I understand the significance of the series, but it's simply not my type.

I agree. I like the mixed feelings I have as to who should win.... but of course I have to go with the Starks.

[Africa]

I love it. I liked that anybody could die (although of course I was pretty upset every time somebody I liked died) but I started to get the feeling towards the later books that, despite deaths being teased, most main characters would NOT die.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

 Tyrion's multiple brushes with death are a good example; the fact that Dany's entire storyline would be pointless if she were to be killed off; the fakeout with Bran and Rickon's "deaths," and of course Jon Snow "escaping" into his wolf's body have all convinced me that, contrary to the impression created by Ned and Robb/Catelyn getting whacked, there are actually characters that are necessary to a story arc and thus can't die, at least not until they've completed a clear purpose.

I also like the moral greyness, and the amount of focus on politics as opposed to world-saving quests (although I guess it's just a matter of time till that changes).

[Urist Mcinternetuser]

I love it. I liked that anybody could die (although of course I was pretty upset every time somebody I liked died) but I started to get the feeling towards the later books that, despite deaths being teased, most main characters would NOT die.

I disliked how in A Storm of Swords...

*Major Spoilers*

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Arya and Catelyn both fake die.
But I suppose Robb/the northern kingdom's dramatic deaths were good enough.

I for one am rereading all of them so I can read the newest one, I'm on the second one.

[Jopax]

But Catelyn didn't fake it.

[Africa]

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

 Yeah, Catelyn was a real death. The fact that she came back doesn't mean the old Catelyn is still alive. She seems to be basically just some angry revenge-zombie.

[Jopax]

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Well she is her old self but perhaps without some memories (as seen with Berric), but tell me, wouldn't you be a revenge hungry zombie if all your kids got killed at the hands of traitors?

[Urist Mcinternetuser]

I know she did die, but the coming back from the dead part was weird. MAybe my opinion will change once I read the newest one.