pietro

Favourite of all time? It would have to be Dune by Frank Herbert. It is the only book I ever re-read immediately I finished it. I literally turned from the last page back to the first and started again, and enjoyed it even more. Next would be Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, and the Silmarillian. Then Robin Hobb's books although not the current trilogy, that damned prig gets right up my nose! But he is improving as he gets ground further and further down. Asimov's Foundation series and his non-fiction as well. I will read, or at least attempt to read, any fantasy, or hard sci-fi. P

EXCELLENT! Thank you Myr P

I want the next chapter of Broken Pegasus Wings. And I wouldn't mind the first chapter of Rich Boy 2

I absolutely agree These are excellent fantasy stories, even the latest addition that is really not much more than fluffy writing - but done tremendously well for all of that. The Darshian Tales are, of course, my favourite and I really hope that there will be more of them. I thought that Remastering Jerna was also very good, inspite of the difficult content, and is definitely second favourite. Anyone who enjoys fantasy will like Darshian Tales. P

I recently came across this series - the first book of which is apparantly about to be published. It's here if you dare: Administration Series I would not recomend this to anyone faint-hearted. The setting for the stories is a future European Union - and a horribly plausible one at that - ruled by a bureaucratic/political elite where human rights have been all but decimated. The plots are fundamentally political/criminal thrillers that follow the lives of the two main characters who are in a strange BDSM reationship that binds them together. It is in a sense a love story, although definitely not love as most would understand it. The central character, Toreth, is a high function sociopath and a very well-drawn character, that for me invokes both horror and, rather uncomfortably, understanding and sympathy. If you read the stories you will understand just how uncomfortable that might be P

Ooooooppps - forgot the link. http://www.cronnex.com/

A good fantasy read, it has quite a bit of sex in it, occasionally gratuitous but never hardcore. That said, it is a good read. The basic premise is that two demi-god beings are reincarnated every 500 years to act as shepherds for a part of the world (not Earth) The story tells of two teenagers, born apart but linked by a mysterious mark, chosen by fate for a great task...if they're not first captured by a malignant and terrifying enemy determined to corrupt and destroy them both. There are several books in a series, still on-going, although the author, Trewin Greenaway, has had an unfortunate real life intrusion that has brought about somewhat of an hiatus of late. P

There are many different schools of magic in fantasy, for want of a better description. Which writer/author writes the best, most believable, or whatever, magic in your opinion? Is it Tolkien's god-based magic? Mercedes Lackey's version? Katherine Kerr's shamanism? Robin Hobb's Soldier Son naturistic? Feist? Jamie's super technological, parapsycological magic in The Scrolls of Icaria? Ann Somerville's ESP in the Darshian and Pindone worlds? Kyle Aaron's mix of D&G, RPG and native belief in his Kandric world? Hopefully someone who I have never read so that I will more fantasy deposits to mine P

I am quite happy to read fan-fics based on other literary works. I would not read a fan-fic based on celebrity, except by accident, I really, really hate the whole cult of celebrity thing. I suppose a lot depends on what you read the original for; character, plot or environment. I would probably be most displeased if the story spoilt my personal perception of a favourite character and would likely stop reading in that event. On the other hand some fan-fics can add further dimensions to a an original world or storyline. There is a fascinating Lord of The Rings alternative that I think amply displays this. I won't give any details, but here is the link if anyone wants to check it out. The whole site is a wealth of thought food for Tolkien adherents. Lord of the Rings Alternate I would certainly never try to write one. P

I think that most of the responders here have not answered the question that was posed by Comsie, which is what I was doing. Yes, of course it is alright to respond to criticism and feedback and make changes, but if you are prepared to accept the level of interference suggested in the above quote from the original question then I stand by my opinion - you are just a copywriter. P

Hey, I'm entitled to my opinion, even if it is dogmatic. My response was a personal observation, and I would certainly never, ever flame anyone for their views, except where religion or politics were involved Seriously, I stand by my comment. If you are going to be swayed by anybody else's opinion as to the content of a story then you should at the least acknowledge them as the co-author because it is no longer your work. That is fact, not dogma. P

Quite right, it is a form of torture, made much worse when CERTAIN authors keep telling us 'the next chapter is almost here'. Of course, life does interrupt when the author is amateur, and sometimes the thread of a story just vanishes from the author's mind, especially if the course of the story has not been planned. However, it is extremely frustrating for the reader, particularly if you keep having to re-read previous chapters. Would it be better for the author to wait until the story is complete, or nearly so, before publishing? Personally I think so. P

This is probably the wrong place to post this, but does anyone know if The Kandric Saga dead, or is there hope that it will be completed? P

ABSOLUTELY NOT, NEVER! That said, if there were obviously technical errors or possibly libellous or plagiaristic content, then fair enough. However, a writer has to be true to themselves in what and how they write, otherwise they are not an author anymore, they are a copywriter I know an aspiring author who submitted their manuscipt to various publishers, asking for comments if they declined the opportunity to publish. All the criticisms returned were completely different; even to the extent of one saying there was insuffucient dialogue and another saying there was too much dialogue and not enough 'scenery'. Publishers do have a certain knowledge of what sells in their field, especially in terms of length and style, but they do not have any more ability to criticise story content than any other reader. Remember that almost every famous author that has offered a manuscript under a false name has been rejected. Even by their own publisher! Personally I would never compromise, which is probably why I would never get published, but that might be because I don't actually write anymore