The Sorcerer's Progress (Page 46 of 62)

Lost it in the first throe?

Who's writing Arthurian Tales? I'd like to see that.

New Jersey,

I'm reading Patrick Rothfuss' book, 'The Name of Wind'

Just a thought, but this book bears remarkable similarities with your story about Merran. Format starts in the beginning, goes into the training of the MC, and takes the character to a school/ university where people are trained in the arcane and something called, "Sympathy".  (Insert Sorcery)  Also, the MC is wicked smart and precocious, picking up just about everything he attempts to learn.

You might consider this as a comp when describing your book.  In other words, "The Name of Wind' meets Doctor Strange.  (Last comp is a poor choice, but I'm tired and my eyes are crossing. Pick something about crossing dimensions and you'll be set.)

It's worth checking out of the library if you are interested in using it as a comp.

Ahh! This is on my shelf, along with 'The Wise Man's Fear', and I am seriously dying in anticipation of book three.

Fangirl squealing aside, these books are more of a fantasy biography and they focus less on the magic than you might think. In fact, there's a whole section where the MC is learning martial arts and another where he's learning politics and medicine (can't recall which of these are in which book). My favorite part about these books is the various cultures the MC explores. One considers it rude to express emotions on your face (expressing them through hand gestures instead) while another has this intricate system of exchanging coins with messages to show one's status.

Ok, I'm done fangirl ranting now...

Elisheva,

I thought the story would speak to 16-20 year old boys/ men. It's a surprise that you are such a fan, but a good surprise.

The writing is fabulous. The scene setting is top notch. The character is consistent. I love the story and the world. I enjoy the author's sensory descriptions. I really feel the difference between the city and the woods...the poor side of town and the rich. I like the damaged kids and the man who tends to them (there, there, hush, hush).  I really liked when Kvothe found the bully's hidey-hole and destroyed the remnants of that boy's past. It was just, and a fair turn-around.

Me being me, I have to critique, knowing that this guy is published and I am just a worm.

Here's the thing...the MC is perfect. Kvothe is never the problem. He has a perfect memory, without the baggage of emotional deficits that I've seen in real people. At the age of fourteen, he passes the first year at the University in three days, plays the harp well enough to make people weep, can act, stealth, pick locks, pick pockets, survive in the wild for six months, survive major assaults without any severe injury other than concussions and rib fractures, barter, out-think every adult, perform self-medical care as well as an apprentice physician, learn an entire spoken language in two days, play cards well enough to earn his entire tuition, tie knots, perform Sympathy with an unprecedented return of power, and can recite a thousand years of arcanist science/ math/ logic/ and history. So far, all the plot is about the world-against-the-man. Other than depression, Kvothe has no flaws, and he discards this disadvantage as soon as it becomes convenient to the story.

It doesn't surprise me that he becomes a master martial artist. It does, however, make my eyes roll. But then, I'm like a bobble-head.

I have the urge to start calling Kvothe a new name that begins with K. And I keep my husband updated on the story by listing off whatever new skill Kvothe has each chapter. I consider that to be a bonding experience for both of us.

And despite my misgivings, it is still a great comp for you, NJC. The magic isn't the focus. The MC is. The sympathy (sorcery) is just a means to the end. The MC starts off at the beginning. His home is described and the background material is introduced to us at the same time as the MC learns it. He has a traumatic event that sends him off without his parents. He wanders until he gets to the University. Then he runs afoul of some of the teachers. The University building is older than the current civilization.

And your story has the intersecting dimensions within the school. It has the mystery of the gems and the Patricide. I consider your book different enough that the two stories are distinct.

If you want my copy, I'll send it off to you when I'm done with it. I sent Janet a care package. Could be it's your turn:-) Nothing is better than being gifted with books.

Fun is always good. I'm prepping to write about Jaylene activating the shield when 64 people lock in for the defense. Good times.

To be fair, I'm only 23 and I generally get along with men better than women. Also, I absolutely love clever characters, male or female. I can see your point with the MC having next to no faults, though. Most of his hardships are situational or by outside influence. Still, it's one of my favorite novels.

Ok, I'll stop hogging NJC's thread now.

Aargh!  Research!  How long to cook a whole, adult boar on a spit  to some kind of toothsomeness?  Answer: twelve to sixteen hours.  Good.  That's just what Count Lundersot's adventure needs.

Whilst struggling with framing and voice on Count Lundersot's little adventure, I got ideas for a scene and an episode between Maurand's home and the GoEaB.  Let's see what I can do tonight.

I should do a couple of reviews after.

...and no characters left to off

His favorite scene: A statue of Kwan reaching up to the heavens in an unspoken plea after humanity is ash.