Vanwa

Hi Emmylou. Having read the SoT series, and knowing how fast-paced and action-packed the books are, I can completely sympathise with your frustration. Here's a little bit of advice, as soon as Naked Empire arrives, order Chainfire. That way you won't get a bookless gap. Also, Naked Empire is my least favourite of the entire series (actually I thought compared to the rest it was pants), but the last 3, Chainfire, Phantom and Confessor were in my opinion the best three of the entire series.

Can't say I have Habeebi. But two further options are James Patterson (the Alex Cross novels, not the ones) and Mark Billingham. My own mum is an avid crime-thriller reader, and these are her two favourite authors from the genre.

Indeed it's been a while Katrina! Hope all is getting better than it was, per your Anxiety posts. Sorry to hear you've been having difficulties. Provincial, classical, heavily descriptive and quirky are not qualities I dislike at all, I suppose MotF is just one I've never gotten around to. Mind you, I haven't read Middlemarch either. Both are on my lists on definite future reads, I just never have been able to consider myself far enough into that future yet to read them, if you see what I mean! Read MotF quickly won't you, and then give me a nudge towards reading it when you find its pros

I see your point with regards to the bit in the middle VF, made me chuckle though, it's almost a little bit random for the genre eh?

No probs Ladymacbeth, glad I could assist

Ack. I was gifted this by a very close friend, and so far it remains untouched. I've been procrastinating since it arrived, so if you can give me a reason to cease procrastination and actually delve inside, Katrina (or anyone) I would be grateful.

In addition to the points already raised above, modern use of the English language is somewhat abrupt. Modern authors tend to go straight for the punch. For example, King (who I love by the way) opens The Stand, after the intial dialogue, thus: First she glanced at the clock on the night table and saw it was quarter past two in the morning. Charlie shouldn't even be here; he should be on shift. Then she got her first good look at him and something leaped up insde her, some deadly intuition. Immediately there is a sense of suspense and drama. But the language is basic. Look again at A Tale of Two Cities: It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way - The text here is busy, and elaborate, but it is beautiful. The English language used to the most advanced of its time. We talk of language progressing, evolving, but I think it is the opposite when you apply the theory to fictional writing. We've gone from Dickens using English in this way, to King using the very basics to form his initial first few lines. Both are skilled writers, and are justly famed and reknowned for it. Classical writing uses the text to draw in the reader, but the modern writer doesn't have the need for this. The human race has advanced tremendously since Dickens. Technology, religion, the way we percieve relationships. Dickens could never have begun a novel by having a man wake up his female counterpart. It would have been beyond controversial. Additionally, during the time when Dickens was writing, education would have been extremely basic for the poor. Only the richer would be educated enough to grasp his language, and only the richer would have the money for books in the first place. It was a matter of practicality. Dickens was limited in his target audience, where as King is far less limited. That doesn't make King any less of a writer of course. Rather than look upon classics as a chore, try to view it more as a privilege. You're getting to read something that even at its time of publication most wouldn't have been able to read, by reading the classics you're on a journey to discovery. There will be some you like, some you don't, some you love, and some you don't. But each and every book, whether modern or classic, is both an achievement and a privilege, for the writer, and for the reader.

What books have you found this with Vanessa? I have actually started an immediate reread of a few, the two that spring to mind are The Shining by Stephen King, and Shades of Grey by Jasper Fforde. There are several others but I can't recall which at the moment!

Mine is War & Peace. After 11 years I'm still not even an 1/8 of the way through!

Genesis is almost a different series altogether, because it is set in our world as it exists today, and explains how Shannara comes to be our future. So these will make sense. Additionally, each and every title in the Shannara series (barring Genesis) can be read as an individual. You may have noticed previously that each of the books you have read has a different story line, and is focussed around different protagonists from the same family, different generations. For example, with the Heritage books (Scions/ High Druid/ Elf-Queen/ Talismans) you don't even need to have read Sword. Hope that helps.