http://suvudu.com/2010/03/warriors-review-and-ministers-of-grace-by-tad-williams.html Suvudu - Science Fiction and Fantasy Books, Movies, and Games Thu, 09 Feb 2012 17:25:54 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.5.2 hourly 1 http://suvudu.com/2010/03/warriors-review-and-ministers-of-grace-by-tad-williams.html/comment-page-1#comment-8611 Shawn Speakman Thu, 11 Mar 2010 00:14:57 +0000 http://wp.suvudu.com/2010/03/warriors-review-and-ministers-of-grace-by-tad-williams.html#comment-8611 I don't know either, Adam. Is it important for him to take a stance, one side or the other? I've only read the novella once, but it seems to me Tad was moving <i>away</i> from the religious extreme angle. But the Rationalists seemed to have no redeeming culture, no redeeming personal qualities. Maybe that's the point. The truth is in the middle? I could see Tad making a stance in the middle. I really hope this is a prequel to a much larger story. I don’t know either, Adam. Is it important for him to take a stance, one side or the other? I’ve only read the novella once, but it seems to me Tad was moving away from the religious extreme angle.
But the Rationalists seemed to have no redeeming culture, no redeeming personal qualities.
Maybe that’s the point. The truth is in the middle? I could see Tad making a stance in the middle.
I really hope this is a prequel to a much larger story.

]]> http://suvudu.com/2010/03/warriors-review-and-ministers-of-grace-by-tad-williams.html/comment-page-1#comment-8610 Adam Whitehead Wed, 10 Mar 2010 23:16:38 +0000 http://wp.suvudu.com/2010/03/warriors-review-and-ministers-of-grace-by-tad-williams.html#comment-8610 I think this story is somewhat problematic. On the one hand, Tad Williams is a very good author and, as I've said before, if he hadn't gone down the epic fantasy route earlier in life I suspect he'd be now regarded as the American Neil Gaiman. He has that same versatility of settings and ideas, but I think is somewhat underrated because of his attachment to the epic fantasy genre (although I rank OTHERLAND as his best work). This story is interesting and shows that Williams should do a full-on SF space opera (or interplanetary adventure) at some point. In terms of tone and attitude the story actually reminds me of Richard Morgan, with the badass cyborg (sort of) warrior thing going on. However, the philosophical/religious angle fell a bit flat, probably for reasons of space (Williams, as we can tell, likes to sprawl a bit with his narratives), and I couldn't work out exactly what he was trying to say. Mindless religious devotion is bad? Extreme ultra-atheism is also bad? They should meet in the middle somewhere? Difficult to say. A solid story, but for me not as good as Hobb's or Martin's, or Williams' previous short story (in SONGS OF THE DYING EARTH), which was utterly brilliant. I think this story is somewhat problematic. On the one hand, Tad Williams is a very good author and, as I’ve said before, if he hadn’t gone down the epic fantasy route earlier in life I suspect he’d be now regarded as the American Neil Gaiman. He has that same versatility of settings and ideas, but I think is somewhat underrated because of his attachment to the epic fantasy genre (although I rank OTHERLAND as his best work).
This story is interesting and shows that Williams should do a full-on SF space opera (or interplanetary adventure) at some point. In terms of tone and attitude the story actually reminds me of Richard Morgan, with the badass cyborg (sort of) warrior thing going on. However, the philosophical/religious angle fell a bit flat, probably for reasons of space (Williams, as we can tell, likes to sprawl a bit with his narratives), and I couldn’t work out exactly what he was trying to say. Mindless religious devotion is bad? Extreme ultra-atheism is also bad? They should meet in the middle somewhere? Difficult to say.
A solid story, but for me not as good as Hobb’s or Martin’s, or Williams’ previous short story (in SONGS OF THE DYING EARTH), which was utterly brilliant.

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