Oct 23, 2023
What is a book you admire for something specific: world building, characters, dialogue, setting, plot twists, etc.
As a kid, I read a book a day. I slowed down in high school, but still read lots of books. But a ‘breakthrough’ read for me was The Lord of the Rings trilogy, which one of my brothers brought home from college and left behind. (I’ve mentioned this in an earlier blog, but I still have those books. They’ve put on more miles moving back and forth across the US than some people I know.) They were my introduction to epic high fantasy and fantasy in general. What a great place to start!
I’d always been intrigued by tales about King Arthur, but the adventures of the hobbits and their companions were a far different type of storytelling. The idea that it extended over multiple books was new to me.
Sure, I’d read series like Nancy Drew, but each of those was a self-contained tale and had little in the way of an overall story arc. The four hobbit books opened up a new twist in writing. But I don’t remember feeling that there were artificial cliffhangers at the end of each book. Of course, I did binge-read them and didn’t have to wait for the next book to be released. I’m not that old. (No, I don’t like cliffhangers at the end of books, and I won’t write them, either.)
I didn’t immediately delve into additional books in the fantasy genre, but I haven’t avoided them either. There may be a slight preference for women authors, but it isn’t a determining factor for the books I read. But few of them compare to the magnificence of The Lord of the Rings.
I’m looking forward to learning what books have influenced the other authors on this loop., To join me on the journey, follow the links below.
As always, until next time, please stay safe.
Oct 23, 2023
What is a book you admire for something specific: world building, characters, dialogue, setting, plot twists, etc.
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I must admit I’ve never read The Lord of the Rings trilogy, as Fantasy is unfortunately not my preferred reading genre. However, due to the kind of subject matter you write about, I can understand how you’d like these books.
It wasn’t my preferred genre either. 🙂
The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings was my introduction to epic fantasy too.
I bet that is true for lots of readers.
Tolkien was a master world-builder, with one of the finest opening lines ever, “In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit.”
I bet that line wouldn’t be approved by some editors today because it’s passive.