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In Your Wildest Dreams

By Brian Prisco | Posted Under Trade News | Comments (12)

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It does my heart good going to the smaller panels and seeing these tiny rooms busting at the seams. Sure, while everyone’s clamoring for glimpses at the new Tron: Legacy trailer, there’s still folks there to hear about the newest issues of Brightest Day or to hear about the latest expansion pack for Magic: The Gathering. But not me, cause that shit’s for losers.

Instead, I decided to pile into a crowded house full of my fattest and sweatiest compatriots to hear a panel wax poetic on the state of Epic Fantasy. There were six folks there: Lynn Flewelling, Megan Whalen Turner, Brent Weeks, Christopher Paolini, Brandon Sanderson and Patrick Rothfuss. I was only there for the last two, but they were all pretty excellent speakers, especially Paolini, who’s now an awkward twentysomething instead of an awkward teenager.

It wasn’t so much a debate as one person would make a good point, and they’d all take 20 minutes to agree. Except Rothfuss, who reminded me of Dan Carlson with an even larger beard, who admitted his delight at being contrary. They all praised convention and tropes and Tolkien.

It was worth it, if only to see both the moderator and the other panelists give Rothfuss shit for missing the deadline on his latest book. A Wise Man’s Fear, which he said clocked in at a staggering 400,000 words, is going to come out March 1. And he’s said the third book is probably going to be double that.

So it should come out around the same time as A Dance of Dragons.









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Comments

Speaking epic fantasy, have you heard any updates on A Game of Thrones coming to HBO? Also, what was the concensus of the panel? What's the state of epic fantasy?

Posted by: Ulterior Motive Girl at July 22, 2010 6:57 PM

Love Love Love to Sanderson!! The rest can take a dive into an empty pool.

Posted by: DeckOfficer!! at July 22, 2010 7:04 PM

They all praised convention and tropes and Tolkien.

Especially Paolini? I just read the third in his series, and while it's better, I'm getting pretty bored. Scratch that; I was already bored, now I'm even more.

Posted by: Brenton at July 22, 2010 7:15 PM

I adore Patrick Rothfuss. I'm not as bitter about his book delay as I am about Martin. As long as book 3 of The Kingkiller Chronicle takes less than 5 years to write, I'm fine with it.

I think it's because his blog is a fun read. Where as Martin's blog is a bore.

Posted by: Scully at July 22, 2010 7:19 PM

Did Paolini say anything? I needs my 4th book in the Inheratince Cycle!

(Grammar aside, it's an awful day in the office, so, I don't care.)

Posted by: Zerath at July 22, 2010 7:26 PM

Moody Blues reference! Unreasonable happy!

I've tried to read Paolini's stuff, and I can't stand it. It's not Stephanie Meyer bad, but I just can't get through it.

Posted by: dsbs at July 22, 2010 8:00 PM

...There’s still folks there to hear about... the latest expansion pack for Magic: The Gathering. But not me, cause that shit’s for losers.

MOTHERFUCKER!

Posted by: SUPERASENTE at July 22, 2010 8:03 PM

And if you ask some people what they think of fantasy novels, they'll say the same thing about your passion Prisco.

Don't hate on your fellow geeks. Except the Twihards. Hate on them all you want because no one here is going to defend them.

Don't get me wrong. I like Martin's work and will pay homage to Tolkien but at some point we need to have a changing of the guard for fantasy. As a review of "Dragon Age Origins" pointed out, the fact that we can say standard fantasy setting without a hint of irony isn't something to necessarily look up to.

Posted by: bignick at July 22, 2010 8:31 PM

Paolini can go suck a fuck. His last book was boring as hell. The plot was thin and there wasn't enough of it because he was too busy showing us how good he is at describing inane, irrelevant bullshit in flowery and overly long sequences. Do I give a hot fuck how the Dwarfs who mine shit (Dwarves! MINING! Who saw that coming?) elect their leaders? Fuck no. I'm in this for the dragon fights and the magic power using.

Quit jerking off in your own creation because you can, and entertain me motherfucker. Detailed descriptions do NOT automatically produce good stories.

Posted by: Roaddog at July 22, 2010 9:11 PM

Pauloni looks like a smug motherfucker in the book jacket. I think that's why I dislike him so much. That and his books suck, as impressive as publishing at that age is.

Posted by: HappyGobo at July 22, 2010 9:58 PM

"Speaking epic fantasy, have you heard any updates on A Game of Thrones coming to HBO? Also, what was the concensus of the panel? What's the state of epic fantasy?"

Posted by: Ulterior Motive Girl at July 22, 2010 6:57 PM

The following website is your new best friend: http://winter-is-coming.net/

Posted by: Samuel Erikson at July 23, 2010 8:45 AM

Samuel Erikson, that link has made tolerable the intermittent time between when George "I'll get around to it" Martin (heretofore stripped of his R.R.s) finishes his book and the HBO series launches (at which point I'll have something new to bitch about).

So, do you want to get to crafting that contract in blood for exclusive rights to my first born or should I? I mean, it's the least this old uterus can do to say thanks.

Posted by: Ulterior Motive Girl at July 23, 2010 3:46 PM