From: "Tartan Collier" 
Date: Sun, 9 Mar 1997 03:02:50 -0900
Subject: Book Reviews...

Doug,

I really, really like your 'library' collection with reviews!  It's very
interesting to see how perceptions differ between individuals (though I
can't say that personality type has *everything* to do with it; Naomi is
also INFJ and she absolutely *detested* Donaldson...)

A few comments from an ENFP perspective...

It's interesting that you didn't much care for Eddings at all.  Behind
"Lord of the Rings" - the '10' mark by which all others are measured - I'd
probably rate both the Belgeriad and the Mallorean as next in line with 9.5
each.  (This was the only series that I've fallen into the trap of
absolutely *having* to buy hardback for the last two books in order to
finish it - like you did with Donaldson.)  In contrast, I absolutely could
NOT read the next series (Ruby Knight, etc, etc); this may have been due to
his shift from 3rdPOmniscient to 3rdPObjective perspective.

I also very much enjoyed Kurtz's "Deranyi" books, though it's been a while.
 Perhaps as facinating as anything was the obvious progression of her
writing skills as time passed.  The second series was much more mature from
a literary perspecive than was the first set.

Card's "Ender's Game" and "Speaker for the Dead" were books that I picked
up so I'd have something to read on a three-day business trip to Houston.
I had to go out and buy "Xenocide" before I got back on the plane...

Feist and Riftwar was just kinda there.  "Mind Candy" describes it very
appropriately.

Brooks and Shannara was tedious.  Worse than tedious.  Frentic.  And he
must have used a computer: such skill with global search and replace!   I
think the only reason I managed to finish the entire series was for the
same reason I didn't walk out of Asimov's "NIghtfall" at the theater.  I
was most likely thinking "There *must* be some point to all of this..."  I
was wrong.  A definite 0 of 10.

Cherryh... OK, so there IS something worse than Shannara.  On a scale of 0
to 10, I'd have to rate her as -1.

Donaldson.  Thomas Covenant.   Ah, here's a conundrum.  A series that was
repulsive, yet compelling.  How can a series of books be centered around a
protagonist with no redeeming qualities whatsoever?  I found myself hoping
against hope that he would fall off a cliff or something.  But no.  Book
after book...  no progress.  No hint of redemption.   Not even a glimmer of
a clue.  *Sigh*  Oh well, at least I liked it better than Naomi did.  :-)

Clarke and Rama: Naomi loved it; I lost interest somewhere about the middle
of the first book.

Maybe I'll follow up with another message one of these days with some more
comments on other books and/or authors.  Right now, I'm just too tired to
even think.

Tartan