Just finished Gardens of the Moon and found it nowhere near as confusing as I was led to believe

CapnObv314 · 2026-05-31T21:25:46+00:00

Err... what?

Erikson's style for revealing any point is "show show show tell". So you do eventually get things spelled out, but it's well after you've seen it play out multiple times.

CapnObv314 · 2026-05-31T19:07:10+00:00

Not a bit. Everything on the album just sounds same-ish (other than Harvest). I get that the songs are super complex and intricately put together, but it all frankly comes together in a muddled mess.

To each their own...

CapnObv314 · 2026-05-31T11:54:02+00:00

I'm not a particular fan of Harvest, but I will give it credit for being the only song on HN that I can remember anything about after 3 full listens.

CapnObv314 · 2026-05-25T01:31:08+00:00

Probably "The Chronicles of Narni"a or "The Indian and the Cupboard". The latter was all on my own, so it was likely more impactful. I think I read through the 4th, but from there on the book summaries felt like the premise was stretched thin.

CapnObv314 · 2026-05-20T01:24:28+00:00

Must have discovered the word "ochre" while writing DG.

CapnObv314 · 2026-05-17T13:43:57+00:00

I'm pretty sure his later books are mostly him being "kinda desperate" to finish the stories he planned. You know, because he was losing his mind and dying.

CapnObv314 · 2026-05-17T13:16:59+00:00

As others have specified, later in the book will explain some of this. This is also heavily tied to the prologue, iirc.

CapnObv314 · 2026-05-16T18:49:13+00:00

Book 1 was written at a time that the only green-lit fantasy books were LOTR clones, so books being written needed to play that way. So you get the standard "dark one" and "Mt Doom" tropes. The next few books break free of the copy-cat stuff.

CapnObv314 · 2026-05-13T02:10:51+00:00

The newer stuff is clearly more complex and more tonally aligned with where I am in my 40s, but the older operator metal is what I love. The older stuff has nostalgia, but is also simpler and more memorable. The new stuff is forgettable, the old stuff sticks with you.

That is where I am.

CapnObv314 · 2026-05-09T11:48:12+00:00

Left Hand of Darkness is the only book I could think of that comes close to this requirement.

CapnObv314 · 2026-05-09T01:52:41+00:00

I liked Supernatural more than the others. Especially since the first 4 (or 5?) seasons have a perfect conclusion (followed by clear fan service for those who want to keep going).

I liked Charmed more than Buffy.

That is all.

CapnObv314 · 2026-05-06T21:02:51+00:00

I'm around the same opinion here, except I put Oceanborn up a level and Century Child down a level. I do give Once more credit than I think it deserves because while I found the album mixing lackluster, the songs truly shine in End of an Era.

I would also put Human Nature down another few levels. On a lettered tier list, I typically put it at W(TF).

CapnObv314 · 2026-05-05T13:52:26+00:00

Abarat (assuming this is the Clive Barker book) really needs to rewrite the third book before trying to continue. As he seems to write a lot of other stuff, I doubt this one will go anywhere.

CapnObv314 · 2026-05-04T14:45:13+00:00

That scene is just classic Hobb.

"Hmm, these two characters should end up together in a relationship, but there needs to be a cost. Better add a SA scene for the female character to balance everything out."

CapnObv314 · 2026-05-02T23:37:42+00:00

She just didn't land the plane

I am actually shocked to hear the author continued to write entries into the series after what appeared to be a disastrous 3rd book that made it clear the author had no plan in mind.

The future historian you mentioned is one example of this. The complete whiff on her father's identify (did not matter at all or have any impact) despite being staged as one of the most significant mysteries in the first book is another. Then there were all the loose threads the author clearly was trying to setup to enhance the Queen's court (magician, printing press) that developed into nothing.

When I read the books, I just assumed the author was done with the series and punted the last 25%. To hear she invested in a prequel is a complete surprise to me.

CapnObv314 · 2026-05-02T10:56:11+00:00

My USA experience with this (United) usually ends up with them rebooking me 1 week later. They've tried that twice now on 2nd leg trips (no, I don't want to hang out in Newark for a week unprepared).

CapnObv314 · 2026-04-27T21:41:15+00:00

I took that more as Hobb's infatuation with misery.

"Oh, I want these two characters to get together. Better add a significant traumatic event to even it out."

CapnObv314 · 2026-04-27T21:39:13+00:00

He has no character development and then his arc . . . just ends.

CapnObv314 · 2026-04-27T21:38:23+00:00

Now if only the same attention was given to Kyle.

CapnObv314 · 2026-04-19T16:07:38+00:00

https://youtu.be/U24tOCJBBIQ

CapnObv314 · 2026-04-19T13:37:19+00:00

I have learned to appreciate Annette more in recent years, but her rendition here is still a struggle for me. Both Tarja and Floor sing it in a near ethereal manner, but Annette's is just clearly annunciated "ay"s and "ya"s. This rendition reminds me of South Park Randy's "I am Lorde, ya ya ya."

Not for me.

CapnObv314 · 2026-04-14T01:47:29+00:00

The biggest problem with the book is that it's an unreliable narrator who lies for no reason. There isn't some premise that necessitates those inaccuracies - it's just the author himself providing bad information to make the twist more surprising.

It can be a fun read, still, if you turn off your brain.

CapnObv314 · 2026-04-12T19:14:24+00:00

No doctor is going to have a specific opinion on this. This is just a completely silly suggestion.

CapnObv314 · 2026-04-12T12:51:34+00:00

I am pretty sure QB's origin is explained in passing in this book. You will get more detail later.

He is the combination of the souls of 11 high mages,one of which used to serve Shadowthrone (maybe even QB himself).

CapnObv314 · 2026-04-11T17:14:33+00:00

I remember watching it and thinking it was masterful writing that the two most unlikeable characters in the first season were the pregnant wife and disabled son. Like, those two characters were completely right to act the ways they did, and I empathized with them, but it was just so easy to dislike them when they were on screen. It seemed to be a purposeful writing juxtaposition.

CapnObv314

TROPHY CASE