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dsrtao_A Hard Day's Knight_, Simon Green
One of the problems with a fantasy series is that the easiest way out of any situation is to grant the hero new powers, or strengthen existing powers. It's hard to take those away without losing the emotional support of a large chunk of the audience, who were identifying with the hero (if you were doing it at all well). The obvious balance for new or stronger powers is a stronger villain. It doesn't take too long to build up to world-smashing or universe-smashing scenarios, and in the meantime, it's hard to understand why the Cosmic Power Protagonist bothers hanging out in his old schlubby office, in the dilapidated part of a major city, or bothering to take cases from little old ladies who have lost their cats, marbles or purses.
Harry Dresden slowly built up power, faced more and more powerful enemies, and has suffered increasingly awful consequences.
Anita Wossname slowly built up power, faced more and more powerful enemies, and has been psychologically tortured by her author, who is apparently planning on finishing the series with a magical orgy to summon Zombie Jesus (make your own second coming jokes here).
And that brings us to John Taylor, now in his eleventh book, who has already started and stopped extinction-level events twice... which just means he's doing it again.
This time with King Arthur and the Kniggits of the Round Table.
Green does it with less literary flair than Butcher or even Hamilton, but with more taste than Hamilton. Well. Who doesn't, really?
One of the problems with a fantasy series is that the easiest way out of any situation is to grant the hero new powers, or strengthen existing powers. It's hard to take those away without losing the emotional support of a large chunk of the audience, who were identifying with the hero (if you were doing it at all well). The obvious balance for new or stronger powers is a stronger villain. It doesn't take too long to build up to world-smashing or universe-smashing scenarios, and in the meantime, it's hard to understand why the Cosmic Power Protagonist bothers hanging out in his old schlubby office, in the dilapidated part of a major city, or bothering to take cases from little old ladies who have lost their cats, marbles or purses.
Harry Dresden slowly built up power, faced more and more powerful enemies, and has suffered increasingly awful consequences.
Anita Wossname slowly built up power, faced more and more powerful enemies, and has been psychologically tortured by her author, who is apparently planning on finishing the series with a magical orgy to summon Zombie Jesus (make your own second coming jokes here).
And that brings us to John Taylor, now in his eleventh book, who has already started and stopped extinction-level events twice... which just means he's doing it again.
This time with King Arthur and the Kniggits of the Round Table.
Green does it with less literary flair than Butcher or even Hamilton, but with more taste than Hamilton. Well. Who doesn't, really?
(no subject)
Date: 2011-01-28 01:23 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-02-02 12:55 am (UTC)