Any good books we're reading right now?

[LadyCyclone]

I wasn't aware of that, I was always under the impression he was quite encouraging of Narnia. I do know he was disappointed Lewis went C of E instead of Catholic upon his conversion to Christianity though ha.

If I remember correctly, Tolkien didn't necessarily dislike it, but he was disappointed by the fact that Lewis and some of his other contemporaries who wrote fantasy didn't sit down and flesh out their worlds more. Tolkien created entire languages, mythological backgrounds, and concrete histories of his world while he was in the process of writing his books. Meanwhile, C. S. Lewis created a fantasy realm where everybody speaks English (aside from maybe some "ancient" carvings; I don't remember); geography was created ad hoc; and the only extant history was covered in blurbs to provide background for the current narrative.

I never had any trouble with Tolkien. I think it's because I read Victor Hugo long before I ever touched The Lord of the Rings. Get through the unabridged version of Les Miserables, and Tolkien's descriptive passages will seem like the emotive text between lines of dialogue.

Tolkien and Lewis were part of a writer's circle called the 'Inklings' and Tolkien made it clear that he thought Lewis' work was pretty crap when Lewis showed it to him; apparently this was the reason Lewis put Narnia down for a LONG time afterwards and he only resumed it when another friend mentioned it was excellent. And thank god for that friend. Also, Lewis might not have gone OTT with the whole language/maps/etc etc like Tolkien did, but he did create a timeline of the land of Narnia from its creation to its destruction and he didn't even need to go into all those tiny, minute details because his imagination alone and style of writing was enough to grip everybody. Really Tolkien had no right to criticize Lewis' work, especially when there are plenty of people who believe that Narnia was better (though I admit the LoTR films are excellent and I suspect the description Tolkien put in his books is what contributed to the films being so well-done.)

[Pyriel]

Did he have a timeline? I never heard boo about such a thing, but I'm sure he had some little notes and scribblings that provided more background than was ever published. Anyway, just to make it clear, I wasn't disparaging Lewis, just explaining my understanding of why Tolkien considered Lewis's work to be beneath his standards. If anything, Tolkien was more the outlier than Lewis. I can't think of an author who works the same way Tolkien did, or had the same fascinations with purely invented minutiae. Meanwhile, Lewis worked in a manner similar to pretty much every other author on the planet, and produced something just as well-received.

[LadyCyclone]

Yes! There is a book called 'The Land of Narnia' (I suspect you could find it on amazon or ebay) and there is a whole page on the timeline of Narnia, including dates and the correlation between 'our time' and 'their time.' Well, Tolkien might have been a master at details but Lewis was brilliant in the whole 'less is more' design; I can't agree that Lewis' manner of writing was similar to every other author; after all, all authors have their own individual flair and his had a particularly special tinge to it, made even more unique because they were children's books and I believe it is harder to write a children's book than an adult novel; I haven't read any other book that has reminded me of Narnia (a bit like how a lot of people imitated the whole wizard and witch thing after Harry Potter but none could quite compare). His messages were very powerful and effective, but written in such a short space. If Tolkien considered his work beneath his standards because Lewis did not focus on intricate details, perhaps he failed to acknowledge that a great story is not necessarily about detail but about the mannerism behind the execution itself?

[Pyriel]

I'm not going to pretend to know Tolkien's thoughts. What I repeated was a summary of an account I read a long time ago.

When I said Lewis worked more like other authors, I was talking about the methods around the writing, regardless of their results. Actually, Tolkien used essentially the same methods; he just took them to almost ridiculous extremes. I tend to think of creating full-fledged languages as something separate from the usual character background, but really, creating the Elven language, etc., could fall under the heading of character background for every member of the race. I guess it's less a matter of different methods, and more a matter of degree, if you look at it that way.

[Crowley Reborn]

Vermillion Skies is a new fantasy book. I'm not gonna lie, I wrote this. It's available on Amazon, and I'm definitely going to toot my own horn here--it kicks ass.
It's the first of a four-part series, and I know anyone who loves Suikoden would love this book. I was practically raised on these games and I'd be lying if I said they didn't have any influence on me (considering my right arm is sleeved in true rune tattoos).
Here is the amazon link:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AVT48OE
And the Facebook event, where I can keep you updated on all the progress (it's only available as an ebook right now, the paperback should be available in a week or so):
http://www.facebook.com/events/316140211836348/

And then here is a synopsis:
Magic had been lost to the annals of fairytales since the Old Kingdom had collapsed centuries before. By mere willpower, Ardänia continued to survive throughout time, all the while an ancient evil grew powerful in the east. In the depths of the Fauxverite Woods, a young Ardänian named Meyral discovers a staff that may change the fate of his kingdom forever—if he can survive the night.
The Nordcross empire’s troops are fast approaching, and Meyral’s only hope is to reach the Northern Federation to find Taryn, someone who his father believes will be able to teach Meyral to use the Staff of Ardänia. Along the way he recruits his old friends, the cold and logical Maxine and her large, obnoxious brother, Alberto. As they travel north, Meyral struggles with the secrets surrounding the staff, an artifact whose immense power is as dangerous as it is mysterious.
Together the trio will find trials more difficult than they ever imagined—war, death, and even love—and eventually come face to face with Sera, a sinister woman behind the armies of Nordcross with an agenda of her own. With no more than their own manpower and a little luck, the three heroes fight for their kingdom, their people, and their lives.

PS I think Pollensalta would really enjoy this series.

[Noraibah]

I had borrowed Man in the Iron Mask from the Library; however I do have the time at all to read it because of Tenth grade, American Syllabus. How vexing.........

[dragons_descent4]

Man in the Iron Mask is an awesome book! It was one of my favorites growing up.
Right now I'm pretty hooked on Game of Thrones,even though the books are thick and intense,it's so worth it for all of that detail that comes along with it. It gives you more on the characters that the show just can't quite portray.