I think that particular post is more severe Tolkien fanatic brain damage (hee!)
It's terrible affliction. I'm sure there are support groups. (lol) For the record, I view the movies exactly as you do - can't get enough of them, don't think they're accurate in the nth degree. So, yeah, we'll live and see.
though I was taken aback by the percentage of "ew, fanfic!" reactions in the comments
Maybe it's the fans of 'classic' fantasy/sci-fi? It's really hard but very fascinating trying to determine the kind of readership an author gets.
Re: ereader: I think that's a problem for the 3G model only, there is a Kindle Touch Wifi that seems to be working fine this side of the world, judging by people's reviews. I am, at the moment, feeling increasingly daring and wanting to try working the touchscreen (there's only one button! wah), since reviews say the multitouch is fast and nice, but I wanted to ask you again, based on your experience, how user-friendly is the keyboard? (I found a different brand model with a keyboard, though the keys on it look more like regular keyboard keys not round buttons like on Kindle - I wonder if there is really any difference.. And I do want an eInk/ePaper gadget, I feel my eyes will thank me). Anyway, if you can tell me anything about how soft/rigid the keys are, do you type with thumbs only or what, I'd be grateful, since I can't really get to touch either (the other brand is relatively non-mainstream, big stores don't carry it). Sorry for hijacking the discussion, too.
I feel like I really have to reserve judgement until I've seen how the whole thing ends... which is not normally a consideration for me for WIP series that grow more organically, like ASOIAF.
Exactly my feeling, as well. And I think because I enjoy the journey/geekery, I am disposed to feel optimistic about the kind of delivery Rothfuss has in store.
Cthaeh aside, there's such a thing as a self-fulfilling prophecy, and Kvothe/Kote seems utterly convinced that a) his life is over and b) everything he tries will lead to disaster.
Absolutely. Personally, I am of the Chronicler's opinion; I have a hard time believing in any sort of butterfly effect scheme when presented as such a black-and-white notion. It might be that my mind simply boggles...
Now I'm kind of hoping we'll see some subversion of that (though I would fully expect Kvothe to try to justify whatever actions in some manner)
It would be interesting, yes. I think it's enough to suppose that the Edema Ruh will be somehow tied in into the wider mythology explanation if Kvother ever does find out whatever there is to find out about the Chandrian/Amyr and the rest.
The whole fight just seemed manufactured, which stuck out in a book where, for the most part, actions and consequences flowed together pretty well.
Yes, this is what's worrying, especially in connection with Rothfuss potential Nice Guy-ness. There was another instance, in that conversation when Kvothe is complaining to Fela and Sim, and says "She confuses me like no other thing in the world, <> I hate not understanding a thing", - while at the end of NotW he is perfectly capable of explaining her to Sim when the latter calls her cruel etc. The shared understanding of where they come from and the need for independence, the likeness of yourself seen in the other is what made them like each other in the first place, I always found, and now.. The dynamic between them is not much changed. Apparently, Kvothe's libido has been ~awoken, Denna is so ~confusing. Warning bells everywhere, tbh, and, again, quite OOC for Kvothe. It's like Rothfuss doesn't know where he's going with those two, and that's translating into really awkward handling of Denna on the page. Again, sometimes. The scene where Denna is consoling that other girl in a tavern and Kvothe is following her was rather good. Denna was the right kinds of cruel there :P
re: eReaderhamsterwomanSeptember 4 2012, 15:49:58 UTC
You might be right about the web-browsing on Touch being different with 3G or WiFi... I will say that all my web-browsing experience is with 3G, as I never bothered to configure the WiFi anywhere but at home, as the 3G kicks in with much less hassle. (Also around here the WiFi networks one encounters while traveling all tend to be locked, so WiFi wouldn't do me much good. Of course, Whispernet for book buying works pretty much wherever, so that's not a concern, just using it as a smartphone-substitute for browsing.)
how user-friendly is the keyboard?
I like the keyboard! The round keys look a little weird but feel nice, and I like that they're spaced pretty far apart -- I like the kb on my texting phone, and it's very well designed with slopes and grooves and stuff, but I still constantly have the feeling that I'm pressing the wrong key even when I'm not because it's so crowded. I like keys you can really feel when you depress them, and the Kindle has those. I wouldn't want to type a thesis on it, but for entering in urls and typing 3-line comments, it's pretty spiffy, I'd say.
I type on it by holding it with my left as I would when reading and hunt-and-pecking with my right index finger. I generally never learned the thumb-texting thing so I wouldn't naturally try it, but I tried it out just now, and it feels awkward to me on the Kindle, because the keyboard is way at the bottom and when you hold it like that it feels top-heavy, like it's about to slip out of your hands.
And I do want an eInk/ePaper gadget, I feel my eyes will thank me
Yeah, I was really happy with this aspect, because there really is no glare and it feels no different than reading a book once your brain adopts the different page-turning motion.
And hijack away! My f-list was really instrumental in helping me choose an eReader last year, so the least I could do is carry that on :)
For the record, I view the movies exactly as you do - can't get enough of them, don't think they're accurate in the nth degree
Yep. I'll happily watch ten movies worth of The Hobbit if they were to make them, basking in the Middle-Earth sets and gleaning the bits I like while ignoring anything else. I can sort of understand why people are upset if/when the adaptations are not more faithful, but unless it's an outright perversion of the story, gimme more! (I watched the Bakshi LotR, too, and even liked it in bits.)
Maybe it's the fans of 'classic' fantasy/sci-fi? It's really hard but very fascinating trying to determine the kind of readership an author gets.
That's a very plausible point! I could see NotW attracting both the oldschool LotR crowd (due to the depth of worldbuilding) and the weaned-on-GRRM's-fic-hatin'-ways crowd (due to sheer heft... and masochism of the "when is the next book coming out?" variety, I suppose), which might account for the "ew, fanfic!" thing. Not just in his blog's comments, either. I was poking around on FFN, and there are a couple of Kvothe/Bast stories there, and like half the comments are "it was a good story except for the icky slash! I will read more if you take out the slash next time". I dunno, maybe this is common for FFN, I don't go there very often, but bit of a cultural shock, that.
I am of the Chronicler's opinion; I have a hard time believing in any sort of butterfly effect scheme when presented as such a black-and-white notion
I admit, I lol'd at "butterfly effect" in relation to the Cthaeh :D
I agree with you (and the Chronicler) that it feels silly to accept Bast's superstitions at face value (also, Kvothe is plenty capable of screwing up his own life, tyvm). Besides which, as the Chronicler illustrates, even if somehow true, it's not in any way a useful belief, so why would one worry about it.
especially in connection with Rothfuss potential Nice Guy-ness
I meant to say on the subject of that that while Kvothe avoids being a Nice Guy, it reads almost like someone (older!Kvothe or Rothfuss) feels like he ought to get a medal for it, and that's the part that I find the most disconcerting.
"She confuses me like no other thing in the world, <> I hate not understanding a thing", -
Yes -- I'm not sure it would've stood out to me as it did if I hadn't read your review before I got to that part, but I noticed that, too; it really seems like artificial tension being injected into the Kvothe-and-Denna story -- and it wouldn't surprise me if, as you say, Rothfuss didn't know what to do with them. Kvothe's libido being ~awoken is a good in-universe explanation, though!
The scene where Denna is consoling that other girl in a tavern and Kvothe is following her was rather good. Denna was the right kinds of cruel there
Yes, I liked that scene also. Or, at least, I liked Denna in that scene. The scene itself still felt a bit weirdly inserted. As far as character arc infodumps go, it was a pretty elegant one? But still felt kind of infodumpy. There are limitations to a first-person narrator, of course, but it still feels awkward when you have to have a scene of a character overhearing another character talking to a bit player who never appears again in order to learn something about their past. But I did like Denna in that scene.
It's terrible affliction. I'm sure there are support groups. (lol) For the record, I view the movies exactly as you do - can't get enough of them, don't think they're accurate in the nth degree. So, yeah, we'll live and see.
though I was taken aback by the percentage of "ew, fanfic!" reactions in the comments
Maybe it's the fans of 'classic' fantasy/sci-fi? It's really hard but very fascinating trying to determine the kind of readership an author gets.
Re: ereader: I think that's a problem for the 3G model only, there is a Kindle Touch Wifi that seems to be working fine this side of the world, judging by people's reviews. I am, at the moment, feeling increasingly daring and wanting to try working the touchscreen (there's only one button! wah), since reviews say the multitouch is fast and nice, but I wanted to ask you again, based on your experience, how user-friendly is the keyboard? (I found a different brand model with a keyboard, though the keys on it look more like regular keyboard keys not round buttons like on Kindle - I wonder if there is really any difference.. And I do want an eInk/ePaper gadget, I feel my eyes will thank me).
Anyway, if you can tell me anything about how soft/rigid the keys are, do you type with thumbs only or what, I'd be grateful, since I can't really get to touch either (the other brand is relatively non-mainstream, big stores don't carry it). Sorry for hijacking the discussion, too.
I feel like I really have to reserve judgement until I've seen how the whole thing ends... which is not normally a consideration for me for WIP series that grow more organically, like ASOIAF.
Exactly my feeling, as well. And I think because I enjoy the journey/geekery, I am disposed to feel optimistic about the kind of delivery Rothfuss has in store.
Cthaeh aside, there's such a thing as a self-fulfilling prophecy, and Kvothe/Kote seems utterly convinced that a) his life is over and b) everything he tries will lead to disaster.
Absolutely. Personally, I am of the Chronicler's opinion; I have a hard time believing in any sort of butterfly effect scheme when presented as such a black-and-white notion. It might be that my mind simply boggles...
Now I'm kind of hoping we'll see some subversion of that (though I would fully expect Kvothe to try to justify whatever actions in some manner)
It would be interesting, yes. I think it's enough to suppose that the Edema Ruh will be somehow tied in into the wider mythology explanation if Kvother ever does find out whatever there is to find out about the Chandrian/Amyr and the rest.
The whole fight just seemed manufactured, which stuck out in a book where, for the most part, actions and consequences flowed together pretty well.
Yes, this is what's worrying, especially in connection with Rothfuss potential Nice Guy-ness. There was another instance, in that conversation when Kvothe is complaining to Fela and Sim, and says "She confuses me like no other thing in the world, <> I hate not understanding a thing", - while at the end of NotW he is perfectly capable of explaining her to Sim when the latter calls her cruel etc. The shared understanding of where they come from and the need for independence, the likeness of yourself seen in the other is what made them like each other in the first place, I always found, and now.. The dynamic between them is not much changed. Apparently, Kvothe's libido has been ~awoken, Denna is so ~confusing. Warning bells everywhere, tbh, and, again, quite OOC for Kvothe. It's like Rothfuss doesn't know where he's going with those two, and that's translating into really awkward handling of Denna on the page. Again, sometimes. The scene where Denna is consoling that other girl in a tavern and Kvothe is following her was rather good. Denna was the right kinds of cruel there :P
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how user-friendly is the keyboard?
I like the keyboard! The round keys look a little weird but feel nice, and I like that they're spaced pretty far apart -- I like the kb on my texting phone, and it's very well designed with slopes and grooves and stuff, but I still constantly have the feeling that I'm pressing the wrong key even when I'm not because it's so crowded. I like keys you can really feel when you depress them, and the Kindle has those. I wouldn't want to type a thesis on it, but for entering in urls and typing 3-line comments, it's pretty spiffy, I'd say.
I type on it by holding it with my left as I would when reading and hunt-and-pecking with my right index finger. I generally never learned the thumb-texting thing so I wouldn't naturally try it, but I tried it out just now, and it feels awkward to me on the Kindle, because the keyboard is way at the bottom and when you hold it like that it feels top-heavy, like it's about to slip out of your hands.
And I do want an eInk/ePaper gadget, I feel my eyes will thank me
Yeah, I was really happy with this aspect, because there really is no glare and it feels no different than reading a book once your brain adopts the different page-turning motion.
And hijack away! My f-list was really instrumental in helping me choose an eReader last year, so the least I could do is carry that on :)
Reply
Yep. I'll happily watch ten movies worth of The Hobbit if they were to make them, basking in the Middle-Earth sets and gleaning the bits I like while ignoring anything else. I can sort of understand why people are upset if/when the adaptations are not more faithful, but unless it's an outright perversion of the story, gimme more! (I watched the Bakshi LotR, too, and even liked it in bits.)
Maybe it's the fans of 'classic' fantasy/sci-fi? It's really hard but very fascinating trying to determine the kind of readership an author gets.
That's a very plausible point! I could see NotW attracting both the oldschool LotR crowd (due to the depth of worldbuilding) and the weaned-on-GRRM's-fic-hatin'-ways crowd (due to sheer heft... and masochism of the "when is the next book coming out?" variety, I suppose), which might account for the "ew, fanfic!" thing. Not just in his blog's comments, either. I was poking around on FFN, and there are a couple of Kvothe/Bast stories there, and like half the comments are "it was a good story except for the icky slash! I will read more if you take out the slash next time". I dunno, maybe this is common for FFN, I don't go there very often, but bit of a cultural shock, that.
I am of the Chronicler's opinion; I have a hard time believing in any sort of butterfly effect scheme when presented as such a black-and-white notion
I admit, I lol'd at "butterfly effect" in relation to the Cthaeh :D
I agree with you (and the Chronicler) that it feels silly to accept Bast's superstitions at face value (also, Kvothe is plenty capable of screwing up his own life, tyvm). Besides which, as the Chronicler illustrates, even if somehow true, it's not in any way a useful belief, so why would one worry about it.
especially in connection with Rothfuss potential Nice Guy-ness
I meant to say on the subject of that that while Kvothe avoids being a Nice Guy, it reads almost like someone (older!Kvothe or Rothfuss) feels like he ought to get a medal for it, and that's the part that I find the most disconcerting.
"She confuses me like no other thing in the world, <> I hate not understanding a thing", -
Yes -- I'm not sure it would've stood out to me as it did if I hadn't read your review before I got to that part, but I noticed that, too; it really seems like artificial tension being injected into the Kvothe-and-Denna story -- and it wouldn't surprise me if, as you say, Rothfuss didn't know what to do with them. Kvothe's libido being ~awoken is a good in-universe explanation, though!
The scene where Denna is consoling that other girl in a tavern and Kvothe is following her was rather good. Denna was the right kinds of cruel there
Yes, I liked that scene also. Or, at least, I liked Denna in that scene. The scene itself still felt a bit weirdly inserted. As far as character arc infodumps go, it was a pretty elegant one? But still felt kind of infodumpy. There are limitations to a first-person narrator, of course, but it still feels awkward when you have to have a scene of a character overhearing another character talking to a bit player who never appears again in order to learn something about their past. But I did like Denna in that scene.
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