Primus Trigente
1. Tell us about your favorite project/universe that you've read and why.
Gah. There are so many! Hmm…I think what I’ll do is narrow it down to my top three that don’t also fall into the world-building question (#12), that way I can cover numerous favorites! In no particular order:
Discworld - Terry Pratchett
Light and airy on the surface with deep, dark thinky undercurrents. It’s like cheesecake! Delightful and rich all at the same time. The whole series is a sometimes all too accurate satirical account of the modern era (& politics!) wrapped up in a wonderfully nuanced world with exciting characters in something that resembles the late 19th century. Each book addresses issues that are pertinent to our world: the press & truth, letters in an age of high-speed communications, beliefs & how they affect society, women in the military, etc., and of course my favorite, the struggle between good & evil. I am particularly fond of the Night Watch collection, especially Samuel Vimes, for just that reason. But more on that later…
The Dresden Files - Jim Butcher
I stumbled across the seventh book in this series and only decided to read it b/c the name of the book was Dead Beat and the authors name was Butcher. (The conjunction was just too much for me to pass up.) Best decision of my life. This series is where I get my dark fantasy, magic, anti-hero/bryronic hero fix, not to mention the prerequisite good vs. evil fix. I don’t usually go in for urban fantasy since it tends to either be vampires!/demons!/sex! or portal fantasy, which I find distinctly unrewarding, but Dresden surprised me. The alternate-modern world is well researched and nuanced, obeys the laws if physics and logic, and above all has realistic character interactions and wound recovery times. Characters are intelligent and competent, the fantastical creatures and places fit well within the world and the narrative, the plots are exciting and realistic, and there is wit and banter and sarcasm and absolutely wonderful dialogue! I could reread this series forever and never get bored.
The World of Eugenides - Megan Whalen Turner (Does this series have a name?)
The Attolia books are quite possibly the best I have ever read in terms of…guh, I don’t even know where to begin. The dialogue, the characters, the plot, the interactions are all fantastic. The books seem so simple at first, so straightforward, but there is so much complexity, so many undercurrents and competing narratives that are woven together seamlessly. I love how the basis is essentially post-classical Greece/the Mediterranean but doesn’t feel like that era. It’s new and exciting, yet comfortably familiar. Additionally it is YA friendly while still including the darker elements and complexity that makes it so satisfying for more mature readers. It really is impressive.
❧
I should mention that these are what I consider my “comfort” series. That is, I turn to them when I’m depressed, stressed (and procrastinating!), bored, in a dark mood, need to read something dark, have nothing else to read, stayed up late, or generally need a pick-me-up. They contain everything I’ve ever wanted in a series: action, violence, the main character being captured/tortured for doing what is right, excellent plot and character interaction, wit/sarcasm, and intelligent characters. What more could you ask for!
[The Question Repository is Here.]
Gah. There are so many! Hmm…I think what I’ll do is narrow it down to my top three that don’t also fall into the world-building question (#12), that way I can cover numerous favorites! In no particular order:
Discworld - Terry Pratchett
Light and airy on the surface with deep, dark thinky undercurrents. It’s like cheesecake! Delightful and rich all at the same time. The whole series is a sometimes all too accurate satirical account of the modern era (& politics!) wrapped up in a wonderfully nuanced world with exciting characters in something that resembles the late 19th century. Each book addresses issues that are pertinent to our world: the press & truth, letters in an age of high-speed communications, beliefs & how they affect society, women in the military, etc., and of course my favorite, the struggle between good & evil. I am particularly fond of the Night Watch collection, especially Samuel Vimes, for just that reason. But more on that later…
The Dresden Files - Jim Butcher
I stumbled across the seventh book in this series and only decided to read it b/c the name of the book was Dead Beat and the authors name was Butcher. (The conjunction was just too much for me to pass up.) Best decision of my life. This series is where I get my dark fantasy, magic, anti-hero/bryronic hero fix, not to mention the prerequisite good vs. evil fix. I don’t usually go in for urban fantasy since it tends to either be vampires!/demons!/sex! or portal fantasy, which I find distinctly unrewarding, but Dresden surprised me. The alternate-modern world is well researched and nuanced, obeys the laws if physics and logic, and above all has realistic character interactions and wound recovery times. Characters are intelligent and competent, the fantastical creatures and places fit well within the world and the narrative, the plots are exciting and realistic, and there is wit and banter and sarcasm and absolutely wonderful dialogue! I could reread this series forever and never get bored.
The World of Eugenides - Megan Whalen Turner (Does this series have a name?)
The Attolia books are quite possibly the best I have ever read in terms of…guh, I don’t even know where to begin. The dialogue, the characters, the plot, the interactions are all fantastic. The books seem so simple at first, so straightforward, but there is so much complexity, so many undercurrents and competing narratives that are woven together seamlessly. I love how the basis is essentially post-classical Greece/the Mediterranean but doesn’t feel like that era. It’s new and exciting, yet comfortably familiar. Additionally it is YA friendly while still including the darker elements and complexity that makes it so satisfying for more mature readers. It really is impressive.
❧
I should mention that these are what I consider my “comfort” series. That is, I turn to them when I’m depressed, stressed (and procrastinating!), bored, in a dark mood, need to read something dark, have nothing else to read, stayed up late, or generally need a pick-me-up. They contain everything I’ve ever wanted in a series: action, violence, the main character being captured/tortured for doing what is right, excellent plot and character interaction, wit/sarcasm, and intelligent characters. What more could you ask for!
[The Question Repository is Here.]