Mithran wrote on May 30^th, 2012 at 11:13am:


Apparently you are missing the point that the first of his novels that you read was good enough to get you to read 19 more.

Invelios wrote on May 30^th, 2012 at 11:28am:


This is how I feel about James Patterson.  Personally, I find his novels simple and predicable after about half way I have already figured out the twist.  However, he's wildly successful and people love his work.  Everyone has their own idea on authors and what is good to try and pigeon hole an author as bad because you personally don't like it is shortsighted.  There are critics who trash everything Steven King writes.

Mithran wrote on May 30^th, 2012 at 11:13am:


90% of everything is crud.

Salvatore is still a better writer than an overwhelming percentage of the authors whose books are published (not even counting vanity publishing or self publishing).

Are there better writers?  Of course!  But that's very different than saying he's not a good writer.

I'll even go so far as to say that Mortal Combat was a good movie.  It wasn't a classic for the ages, but if you look at what that movie was made to do, it successfully achieved its objective and more.  It was entertaining and fun and that's better than most movies that are made.  That sounds like enough to qualify as a "good movie" to me.

And if someone can call Mortal Combat a "good movie" without literally rolling on the floor with laughter, then Salvatore certainly qualifies as a good author.  He's not Gabriel Garcia Marquez.  He's not Twain.  He's not Asimov.  But he's still good.


Edit Why do I care enough to post?  Mostly because I don't think that Mithran has demonstrated that he's good enough at anything to decide for other people whether someone else is "good".

Schmoe wrote on May 30^th, 2012 at 12:23pm:


It was an estimate of the four or five volumes re Drizzt. I can say that I think I've read most published Fantasy/Sci-Fi.
I don't think I've recommended any, Eladiun, but I've been very specific in not speaking for anyone but myself. Despite your warning, I think I've already recommended "American Gods" so I can't abide by your recommendation.

Eladiun wrote on May 30^th, 2012 at 11:50am:


Another wildly successful author with questionable talent (imo) is Dean Koontz.  I loved Watchers and still reread it occasionally.   I read 3 or 4 others because they were in my mother's library and I was stuck in bed and as far as I could tell, the rest of his books are pretty much the same story without the dog, very formulaic.  And here's the important part... I didn't enjoy his writing so I stopped reading his books.

RA Salvatore, like both Patterson and Koontz, writes brain candy.  If you're expecting a life changing read, you're peering up the wrong bookspine.  If you're basing an opinion on the Drizz't/FR drivel, keep in mind that even he got tired of writing those novels but the demand (and the contract) was there so we got a glut of those.  Even being a fan of RAS, I never finished reading the final series of trilogies.  Outside of FR, he still writes a decent story.  The Spearwielder's Trilogy, The Demonwars Saga and The Highwayman are all books I would recommend to fans of the genre.

Peechie wrote on May 30^th, 2012 at 1:37pm:


I can agree he is off and on.  I like his Odd Thomas stuff and the Frankenstein series.  Intensity is also one of my favorites.

I should probably allow that my own taste in writing isn't mainstream. I've also read five or six Steven King novels and don't think he's a good writer, either. The first few went quickly enough that I'd have recommended any of them, then I read "Pet Sematary," and decided that there was just enough good material in his books to make a movie out of. I read his last, well-received novel and didn't have any problems getting through it, but I wouldn't have called it 'good.'

For that matter, even my favorite writer, Philip K. Dick,  had a writing style that was frenetic and uneven. It probably had to do with his super-fast desire to put his ideas on paper where his typing speed (manual typewriter, mind you) was over 110 wpm and his use of powerful stimulants.

This style has nothing to do with my love of his writing, however. His characters are reminiscent of Dostoevsky's.

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Ok, so maybe you guys never said that, but please try to come up with some better arguments.  The one you guys are on now is just boring.  Bottom line, all of you are right.

Since this thread is about writers now, I recently picked up William Gibson's Zero History, although I haven't cracked the cover yet.  Once I saw it contained characters from Pattern Recognition and Spook Country I decided to reread those first.  Just finished Pattern Recognition again.  Every time I read (or reread) his work, I get more out of it.  In my opinion, he is supremely talented.  In comparison, after borrowing the first three xXxDrizztxXx books I returned them all after reading the first and have no desire to ever read Salvatore again.

Inkblack wrote on May 30^th, 2012 at 3:32pm:


Mithran said:
I read 20 of his books he's a bad writer.

...you are apparently smarter than Mithran by a factor of 20.

Inkblack wrote on May 30^th, 2012 at 3:45pm:


I only read stuff that is directly related to me, or factually incorrect. Generally I don't read any of your posts, since they don't fit that criteria.

Inkblack wrote on May 30^th, 2012 at 3:49pm:



Bless your heart.

Oh, and if you want D&D fiction what are your options?

Salvatore
Gygax's early Gord the Rogue books
Hickman & Weis's first two Dragonlance trilogies

And?  A huge drop off.

Ed Greenwood? Troy Denning?  Terrible.  Awful.  Being a good DM or Module Writer does not make you a good novelist.