The really interesting thing to me about Melusine is that I haven't read a single review or response mentioning the major problem that I had with the book (the dungeon-crawl-y feel). And then the really interesting thing becomes that I think that would be some degree of true for whatever my major problem with the book had turned out to be; the variety of response is strikingly broad.
(Leaving aside the folks who liked it; most of them seemed to like much the same things. And admitting that the only responses I've seen were those that turned up on my friendslist, which was not exactly a small number.)
Anyway. I'm of mixed opinions re: the necessity of speculative elements in a story. I think that _most_ stories, at their core, can still be told if you strip out the magic (or sfnal element). And I think that there's something to be said for magic that isn't essential but that makes it possible to make a point more elegantly or even just from a different direction than the straight-up realist version.
But I do, at the same time, notice myself getting crankier about world building, and about the magic (or whatever) being, if not 100% required, at least _looking_ organic to the story. So.
Can't tie this into Melusine, I'm afraid. I didn't finish it. I did give my copy to a friend who I thought would love it; she did, and promptly picked up the Virtu. So that was nice.
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Date: 2007-02-27 01:20 pm (UTC)(Leaving aside the folks who liked it; most of them seemed to like much the same things. And admitting that the only responses I've seen were those that turned up on my friendslist, which was not exactly a small number.)
Anyway. I'm of mixed opinions re: the necessity of speculative elements in a story. I think that _most_ stories, at their core, can still be told if you strip out the magic (or sfnal element). And I think that there's something to be said for magic that isn't essential but that makes it possible to make a point more elegantly or even just from a different direction than the straight-up realist version.
But I do, at the same time, notice myself getting crankier about world building, and about the magic (or whatever) being, if not 100% required, at least _looking_ organic to the story. So.
Can't tie this into Melusine, I'm afraid. I didn't finish it. I did give my copy to a friend who I thought would love it; she did, and promptly picked up the Virtu. So that was nice.