"The Silent Blade" by R.A. Salvatore
Why do I keep reading books by R.A. Salvatore? Over six years ago I picked up a copy of Homeland, the first in his Dark Elf Trilogy. It was quite good. I read the whole trilogy in one week. Then I began reading the rest of his books in the series. "The Silent Blade" is book eleven. Sadly, the truth is that R.A. Salvatore is not a good author.
His characters are generally stereotypical. His attempts at humor are humorous in their lack of any comedic content. Whenever he has a character that is not acting completely one-dimensionally, he hammers it into your head so hard that you cry for his usual paper doll like characters. The fight scenes are dragged out in excruciating detail. I could go on and on about the problems with his writing. Unfortunately, the biggest problem with his writing is that for some reason I continue to read his books. Even worse, I enjoy reading his drivel. That is weird, just plain weird.
I've discussed this phenomenon with a few friends who have also read R.A. Salvatore. I have been surprised to discover that others experience the same thing. I know a number of people who hate R.A. Salvatore, but can't stop reading his books. By now, I have simply resigned myself to the fact that I will continue to read his books and continue to wonder why in the world I'm doing it. Basically R.A. Salvatore is the "Twizzler Pull'n'Peel" of fantasy literature. You know that what you're eating tastes like poo, but you just can't stop yourself.
posted by Michael Paul Bailey at Monday, March 13, 2006
1 Comments:
Interesting statement, about the fighting scenes. I found that to be one of the most interesting aspects of the books. You have stated that there is too much detail, but without details how can you make an accurate account of what happened? When you are fighting for your life,I am sure you would detail it more so than just to say "We fought, our swords rang together and then on the back draw I cut him in half". He did have characters that lacked reality in their personalities but I know pleanty of people in real life that boast the same simplicity and paper thin character. Name some characters you feel are paper thin so I may accurately be able to argue on their behalfs. Because they are part of a world that does not belong to ours and need someone to atleast argue for them.
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