Comments for Keeping the Door http://www.keepingthedoor.com All you can eat sci-fi and fantasy books Sat, 11 Jun 2011 17:55:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Comment on Iain Banks’ Transition gets mixed reviews by Vitor http://www.keepingthedoor.com/2009/09/08/iain-banks-transition-gets-mixed-reviews/#comment-22281 Vitor Sat, 11 Jun 2011 17:55:00 +0000 http://www.keepingthedoor.com/?p=524#comment-22281 I have seen more "confusing". I read a novel not long ago from portuguese writer, Antonio Lobo Antunes. I took the entire book to realise we were jumping between 6 diferent narrators and to find their identities. Was so odd that the writer would switch between narrators during a dialogue between the previous and the next narrator. Guess that opened my mind to follow the much easier Bank's twisted plot. I have seen more “confusing”. I read a novel not long ago from portuguese writer, Antonio Lobo Antunes. I took the entire book to realise we were jumping between 6 diferent narrators and to find their identities. Was so odd that the writer would switch between narrators during a dialogue between the previous and the next narrator.
Guess that opened my mind to follow the much easier Bank’s twisted plot.

]]> Comment on Banks’ Use of Weapons: A Review by Andrew http://www.keepingthedoor.com/2009/09/06/banks-use-of-weapons-a-review/#comment-22271 Andrew Fri, 10 Jun 2011 04:03:00 +0000 http://www.keepingthedoor.com/?p=481#comment-22271 The structure of Use of Weapons might be a bit confusing, but it isn't at all random. The chapters alternate between ones moving forward in the "present" plotline (chapters "One", "Two", "Three" through "Fourteen") and ones moving backward through the "backstory" plotline (chapters "XIII", "XII", "XI" through "I"). They are bookended by a prologue and epilogue which (it should be clear after reading chapter "Fourteen") both occur after the main plot of the novel. So the chronological order is something like: childhood, war, the chair, the long voyage and cold sleep, the iceberg planet and recruitment by SC, the nomads and the desert tent, various adventures on different planets, a beheading, the Winter Palace, the "main plot", and then the prologue and epilogue. As for the confusing habit of dropping the reader among a cast of characters without calling them by their names: it's a very calculated part of the style of the book. The structure of Use of Weapons might be a bit confusing, but it isn’t at all random. The chapters alternate between ones moving forward in the “present” plotline (chapters “One”, “Two”, “Three” through “Fourteen”) and ones moving backward through the “backstory” plotline (chapters “XIII”, “XII”, “XI” through “I”). They are bookended by a prologue and epilogue which (it should be clear after reading chapter “Fourteen”) both occur after the main plot of the novel. So the chronological order is something like: childhood, war, the chair, the long voyage and cold sleep, the iceberg planet and recruitment by SC, the nomads and the desert tent, various adventures on different planets, a beheading, the Winter Palace, the “main plot”, and then the prologue and epilogue.

As for the confusing habit of dropping the reader among a cast of characters without calling them by their names: it’s a very calculated part of the style of the book.

]]> Comment on Katherine Kerr finishes Deverry series by Malena http://www.keepingthedoor.com/2009/10/21/katherine-kerr-finishes-deverry-series/#comment-20065 Malena Wed, 11 May 2011 12:30:29 +0000 http://www.keepingthedoor.com/?p=931#comment-20065 Dallandra, let´s hope for the best ! I´m still to reed The Silver mage,and my guess is that Rhodry will be back to his orginial self, for one thing. But by your comment I understand that there´s a lot more question arising in the final (as far as we know) book. Isn´t that also a very common way to close a story these days, by saying sort of - "well we don´t know aboat the rest"-like and leaving some questions unanswered ? In the classical stories everything was unwinded, and they all ended " And they lived happily ever after". I dare not say until I´ve read the last one. I´ll get back then. I´ve searched for comments and such by Katharine herself, but her website (deverry.com) isn´t active it seems. Anyone who knows another website that´s recommenable ? Bye/Malena Dallandra, let´s hope for the best ! I´m still to reed The Silver mage,and my guess is that Rhodry will be back to his orginial self, for one thing. But by your comment I understand that there´s a lot more question arising in the final (as far as we know) book. Isn´t that also a very common way to close a story these days, by saying sort of – “well we don´t know aboat the rest”-like and leaving some questions unanswered ? In the classical stories everything was unwinded, and they all ended ” And they lived happily ever after”. I dare not say until I´ve read the last one. I´ll get back then. I´ve searched for comments and such by Katharine herself, but her website (deverry.com) isn´t active it seems. Anyone who knows another website that´s recommenable ? Bye/Malena

]]> Comment on Katherine Kerr finishes Deverry series by Dallandra http://www.keepingthedoor.com/2009/10/21/katherine-kerr-finishes-deverry-series/#comment-20057 Dallandra Wed, 11 May 2011 08:03:42 +0000 http://www.keepingthedoor.com/?p=931#comment-20057 i know what you mean about it seeing to be rushed. silver mage wasnt up to the excellence that the others in the series were. i loved them all so much that i was quite dissapointed. i know what you mean about it seeing to be rushed. silver mage wasnt up to the excellence that the others in the series were. i loved them all so much that i was quite dissapointed.

]]> Comment on Katherine Kerr finishes Deverry series by Dallandra http://www.keepingthedoor.com/2009/10/21/katherine-kerr-finishes-deverry-series/#comment-20055 Dallandra Wed, 11 May 2011 07:58:25 +0000 http://www.keepingthedoor.com/?p=931#comment-20055 the silver mage CANT be the last one. There has to be more. It cant end like that. im not happy. why did the dwarves hate the elves. what happened to hwilli? How did they they create hean marn? what was nevyn doing in bardek for 60 years? what hapened with galrionos? the questions are endless. what finally happened with the horse kin? There has to be one more book to answer al these questions. the silver mage just left too many to ignore. the silver mage CANT be the last one. There has to be more. It cant end like that. im not happy. why did the dwarves hate the elves. what happened to hwilli? How did they they create hean marn? what was nevyn doing in bardek for 60 years? what hapened with galrionos? the questions are endless. what finally happened with the horse kin? There has to be one more book to answer al these questions. the silver mage just left too many to ignore.

]]> Comment on Katherine Kerr finishes Deverry series by Malena http://www.keepingthedoor.com/2009/10/21/katherine-kerr-finishes-deverry-series/#comment-19993 Malena Sun, 08 May 2011 19:12:14 +0000 http://www.keepingthedoor.com/?p=931#comment-19993 I´ve waited for the story to continue after The Gold falcon, there was a very long wait since I´ve just recently just realised that there will not be translated to Swedish.Of which I disappove very much, and why would the publisher break up a series of books like that ? Puzzles me indeed. Isn´t the genre good enough, is that it ? Anyway, I´m now (finally !) reading no 14, The Silver Wyrm. I do not understand all the English words,and some of the genre fantasy and would have preferred them in my native language. The bottom line is; I can´t recommend anyone reading them having to state "Yes, there are 15 books all in all, but the last three are just available in English" Still, I do love Salamander !! My favorite guy <3 <3 <3 Love to you all readers of the Deverry series. Will go there right now ! Bye/ Malena I´ve waited for the story to continue after The Gold falcon, there was a very long wait since I´ve just recently just realised that there will not be translated to Swedish.Of which I disappove very much, and why would the publisher break up a series of books like that ? Puzzles me indeed. Isn´t the genre good enough, is that it ? Anyway, I´m now (finally !) reading no 14, The Silver Wyrm. I do not understand all the English words,and some of the genre fantasy and would have preferred them in my native language. The bottom line is; I can´t recommend anyone reading them having to state “Yes, there are 15 books all in all, but the last three are just available in English” Still, I do love Salamander !! My favorite guy <3 <3 <3 Love to you all readers of the Deverry series. Will go there right now ! Bye/ Malena

]]> Comment on Iain Banks’ Transition gets mixed reviews by Jerry Cornelius http://www.keepingthedoor.com/2009/09/08/iain-banks-transition-gets-mixed-reviews/#comment-19987 Jerry Cornelius Sun, 08 May 2011 13:33:40 +0000 http://www.keepingthedoor.com/?p=524#comment-19987 I also thought of Moorcock whilst reading Transition. I loved it but if you like everything tied up a neat bow, maybe this isn't for you. I also thought of Moorcock whilst reading Transition. I loved it but if you like everything tied up a neat bow, maybe this isn’t for you.

]]> Comment on Iain Banks’ Transition gets mixed reviews by David http://www.keepingthedoor.com/2009/09/08/iain-banks-transition-gets-mixed-reviews/#comment-19849 David Tue, 03 May 2011 13:03:05 +0000 http://www.keepingthedoor.com/?p=524#comment-19849 I think this is Banks' 'Lost'. Whether intentional or not, this story sets you up expecting a lot, posing a many questions and instead of grabbing hold of and biting into these topics and ideas he's hinting at, the story like the characters, flit across the surface and then get hastely tied together in a very obvious way. But then again, writing about endless parellel universes you can't help but contradict yourself (the uniqueness of Calbafraques!) and not be able to delve too deeply into the concept. Because if you did, surely there would be as he hints at, endless Concerns, each with slightly different intentions and you'd have a book where countless d’Ortolans and Mulverhills battled each other. This felt like an introductory novel for a series and I hope it is. Pity he killed Adrian though, I liked that character! I think this is Banks’ ‘Lost’. Whether intentional or not, this story sets you up expecting a lot, posing a many questions and instead of grabbing hold of and biting into these topics and ideas he’s hinting at, the story like the characters, flit across the surface and then get hastely tied together in a very obvious way. But then again, writing about endless parellel universes you can’t help but contradict yourself (the uniqueness of Calbafraques!) and not be able to delve too deeply into the concept. Because if you did, surely there would be as he hints at, endless Concerns, each with slightly different intentions and you’d have a book where countless d’Ortolans and Mulverhills battled each other. This felt like an introductory novel for a series and I hope it is. Pity he killed Adrian though, I liked that character!

]]> Comment on The Left Hand of God: Review by emmett http://www.keepingthedoor.com/2010/06/15/the-left-hand-of-god-review/#comment-19051 emmett Wed, 13 Apr 2011 19:50:18 +0000 http://www.keepingthedoor.com/?p=1452#comment-19051 i disagree with your review , you totaly slate it without reason sounds to me like your have some problem with the author . i had never heard of book and picked it up for a read in work and i thought it was great , i could not put it down after i started . cant wait to read next book . keep up the good work mr. hoffman thank you for a great book i disagree with your review , you totaly slate it without reason sounds to me like your have some problem with the author . i had never heard of book and picked it up for a read in work and i thought it was great , i could not put it down after i started . cant wait to read next book . keep up the good work mr. hoffman thank you for a great book

]]> Comment on Is Margaret Atwood a science fiction writer? by Charlie http://www.keepingthedoor.com/2009/08/29/is-atwoods-the-year-of-the-flood-science-fiction/#comment-18925 Charlie Sat, 09 Apr 2011 18:53:58 +0000 http://www.keepingthedoor.com/?p=451#comment-18925 If you consider 'Oryx and Crake' and 'Year of the Flood' as extended metaphors for society (past, present and future) then they seem much less like science fiction. I think this is why Atwood does not agree with that particular classification. If you consider ‘Oryx and Crake’ and ‘Year of the Flood’ as extended metaphors for society (past, present and future) then they seem much less like science fiction. I think this is why Atwood does not agree with that particular classification.

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