tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6961445666519156260.post318232033653999765..comments2024-03-28T06:13:46.092-05:00Comments on Operation Awesome: Writing You Don't SeeDena Pawlinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14444683810125395220noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6961445666519156260.post-50524531309711547492012-04-23T12:02:48.749-05:002012-04-23T12:02:48.749-05:00Great blog post, Kell, and as a one-time architect...Great blog post, Kell, and as a one-time architect major in another life, I can appreciate the notion of hidden beauty in utilitarian work. Innovative writers I read years ago and see the influence to this day include Frederick Forsyth, Philip K. Dick, and Anne Rice. I loved Forsyth for his intricate plotting, Dick for his mindtripping premises, and Rice for her mastery of language.Steven Corderohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05891598188156163954noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6961445666519156260.post-33313663391408425842012-04-23T11:53:43.035-05:002012-04-23T11:53:43.035-05:00I'm having a hard time thinking of anything on...I'm having a hard time thinking of anything on my own, but I have to agree with the Judy Blume comment. <br /><br />Well... The Hunger Games, perhaps. It's not a revolutionary concept, but it spawned countless imitators, none of which (imo) come close to capturing what makes Collins' series great.Traceyhttp://tracey-martin.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6961445666519156260.post-23305679714193811142012-04-23T11:47:37.106-05:002012-04-23T11:47:37.106-05:00Bryn, I'm embarrassed to say I haven't rea...Bryn, I'm embarrassed to say I haven't read LeGuin. I didn't read much fantasy as a kid, and I've been trying to make up for it. I've been studying recent books but now I need the ones that started it all. I'll request that from my library.Kell Andrewshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18089691866850131698noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6961445666519156260.post-72842534062337724262012-04-23T11:26:58.902-05:002012-04-23T11:26:58.902-05:00Whenever I think of the new upswing in the dystopi...Whenever I think of the new upswing in the dystopian genre - both adult and YA - I can't help but think back to Orwell's 1984. Classic.Tina Mosshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09892617933410379929noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6961445666519156260.post-76289145567032005482012-04-23T08:51:04.292-05:002012-04-23T08:51:04.292-05:00For me it's always got to be LeGuin, and in pa...For me it's always got to be LeGuin, and in particular The Tombs of Atuan. When I was 8, I read that book and LOVED it. It wasn't until I re-read it 20 years later that I realized how very skillfully written it is. It's a small book full of simple prose that paints an astounding view of a sprawling, ancient religion and the very real people who are forced into its service. Nowadays it gets filed away as a fantasy "classic," lumped in with the other books from the Earthsea series, but that book stands out like a beacon. I occasionally see some fantasy that begins to dare the sorts of things it does, but it's still practically revolutionary in its approach to a female MC in a magical fantasy series.Bryn Greenwoodhttp://bryngreenwood.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6961445666519156260.post-36056919209842184892012-04-22T22:35:29.727-05:002012-04-22T22:35:29.727-05:00I love "Neuromancer". William Gibson is ...I love "Neuromancer". William Gibson is still cranking 'em out, too, so now's our chance to see if he's still got it.<br />Rod Serling's brilliant balance of sci-fi, horror and fantasy still rings true for me (not a novelist, sorry). Elmore Leonard's clean and fast paced books kick my butt all over the place.Mario Chttp://www.mariocaiti.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6961445666519156260.post-40300652134792518272012-04-22T15:09:16.481-05:002012-04-22T15:09:16.481-05:00Marian, I haven't read that! I will put it on ...Marian, I haven't read that! I will put it on my list.Kell Andrewshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18089691866850131698noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6961445666519156260.post-41292385089901752732012-04-22T14:52:04.113-05:002012-04-22T14:52:04.113-05:00I was probably one of the few sf&F readers who...I was probably one of the few sf&F readers who managed not to read Gibson's NEUROMANCER when it first came out. I knew its place in pop culture and the cyberpunk genre, but somehow avoided it for 27 years.<br /><br />I read it in February, and it blew me away. For the first time, I saw firsthand the inspirational wellspring of so many movies, plot elements, writing styles, and even real-world scientific advances.Marianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08450815353444440745noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6961445666519156260.post-26988735297633933692012-04-22T14:45:07.687-05:002012-04-22T14:45:07.687-05:00Great examples. It's impossible to imagine fan...Great examples. It's impossible to imagine fantasy without Tolkein or YA without Blume. Their influence is pervasive within their genres and those that emerged later.Kell Andrewshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18089691866850131698noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6961445666519156260.post-38344193506461099082012-04-22T13:08:19.156-05:002012-04-22T13:08:19.156-05:00I have to say anything written by Judy Blume. She ...I have to say anything written by Judy Blume. She influenced my greatly as I was growing up. I devoured all her books. "Forever" portrays young love in such a realistic way, and if you go back and look at the writing, it's so simple, really. Yet every nuance rings so true.Tiffany N. Yorkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06708763332139753819noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6961445666519156260.post-29292239637545054352012-04-22T12:56:37.628-05:002012-04-22T12:56:37.628-05:00I think that's what I love about reading Middl...I think that's what I love about reading Middle Grade books overall. For the most part, they don't get caught up in fancy writing, and the stories really stay with you. I think that's what makes the Harry Potter series so successful--the prose is unremarkable to a certain extent, but the story, and especially the characters, stay with you long after you put the book down.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6961445666519156260.post-23343667083970947082012-04-22T11:20:33.376-05:002012-04-22T11:20:33.376-05:00I think THE HOBBIT was incredibly innovative for i...I think THE HOBBIT was incredibly innovative for its time, because Tolkien wrote the story as if he just assumed the reader would accept his fantasy world. It seems like other stories at the time were written in an obvious "I'm telling you a fairytale story" style, like Dr. Dolittle. Even though Tolkien wrote with an omniscient narrator, there's much more of a natural feel to it. His style has clearly influenced children's fantasy far more than Hugh Lofting's style. Interesting post-I've never really thought about this before.Dee Garretsonhttp://deegarretson.comnoreply@blogger.com