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Grex > Books > #79: The Mysterious Quote - Winter 1999 Edition | |
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| Author |
Message |
| 25 new of 195 responses total. |
mcnally
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response 84 of 195:
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Feb 4 02:33 UTC 1999 |
Astute readers will note that I've already identified the author as male..
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davel
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response 85 of 195:
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Feb 4 02:36 UTC 1999 |
Doesn't sound the least like Mary Stewart to me. (I reread/read all 4 of the
Arthurian ones about a month back, having discovered that I never read the
last two at all way back when.) Presumably if jep's right the A___ is Arthur.
I'll guess vaguely at L. Sprague de Camp; the diction sounds a bit like him,
and he might have done an Arthurian job that I've never read.
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davel
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response 86 of 195:
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Feb 4 02:38 UTC 1999 |
mcnally slipped in ... but I had just remembered this, cutting off a guess
of Marion Zimmer Bradley (whom it sounds not at all like but who definitely
did something Arthurian I never read).
The fact that he slipped in probably means he won't respond to my guess of
de Camp before I'm off line.
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sjones
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response 87 of 195:
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Feb 4 04:49 UTC 1999 |
half-florins? arthur?...
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davel
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response 88 of 195:
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Feb 4 12:39 UTC 1999 |
Well, "crofter" and "Cwyd" point in directions consistent with Arthur, so I
followed jep's lead. I admit half-florins made me wonder, too. I don't
exactly withdraw my guess of de Camp, but note that mcnally said the author
is still living, & I don't think de Camp is. Mike, we could really use a
couple more hints, I think.
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jep
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response 89 of 195:
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Feb 4 14:41 UTC 1999 |
I got as far as searching the WWW to verify that florins and
half-florins are some sort of monetary unit. It's true, they are; I
found coin-collector references to them. "Cwyd" is almost certainly
Welsh.
In the last 20 years, at least 50,000 writers have written fantasy
novels with a Welsh background. To my mind, 49,686 of these were
identical, and I have long since given up finding the rest. (Some that
I did read were good, to be sure, but finding any that are
distinguishable from the rest seems as difficult as finding an original
disco song.)
Maybe this author one-upped Mary Stewart's misogyny. It's a common
technique; find a good, successful author, and copy some of what they
did, while trying to go a little further. This thought doesn't doesn't
help to identify the author.
Maybe more clues and quotes are in order.
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janc
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response 90 of 195:
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Feb 4 17:32 UTC 1999 |
Maybe Terry Pratchett. Could perhaps be a Ringworld book.
I don't read it as exactly misogynistic. It suggests beating your wife
will get you beat worse.
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flem
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response 91 of 195:
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Feb 4 22:41 UTC 1999 |
L. Sprague de Camp was at least alive in 1992, which is the latest book
of his available to me at the moment. It would surprise me if he were
dead.
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aruba
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response 92 of 195:
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Feb 4 23:23 UTC 1999 |
I suppose it could be Jack Chalker, so I'll guess him.
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mcnally
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response 93 of 195:
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Feb 5 06:32 UTC 1999 |
+ None of the answers so far are correct.
+ This particular author has probably published more works of science
fiction than of fantasy but his fantasy works may possibly be better
known. Perhaps I should quote from one or two of the science fiction
works as well..
+ "A___" is not short for Arthur, though that would be a great guess
if the story were, in fact, set in Wales.
+ Although Cwyd is undeniably Welsh-sounding, the story I've been
quoting does not take place in Wales, but in a fictional setting
that is a hodge-podge of elements taken from various European
traditions (in other words, don't strain yourself trying to
reconcile "Cwyd" with "florins".)
A few words about the setting, which should give it away if anyone's
read and remembers the work from which I'm quoting..
"South of Cornwall, north of Iberia, across the Cantabrian Gulf
from Aquitaine were the Elder Isles, ranging in size from Gwyg's
Fang, a jag of black rock most often awash under Atlantic breakers,
to Hybras, the 'Hy-Brasill' of early Irish chroniclers: an island
as large as Ireland itself."
If that doesn't tip someone off I'll enter another quote in a day or
so from another one of this author's works.
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sekari
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response 94 of 195:
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Feb 5 08:42 UTC 1999 |
FYI terry pratchet writes the Discworld books, Larry niven writes Ringworld.
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remmers
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response 95 of 195:
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Feb 5 12:22 UTC 1999 |
Haven't read this kind of stuff for years and years, but I'll add
another and probably wrong random guess to the pile anyway: Jack
Vance.
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void
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response 96 of 195:
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Feb 5 13:28 UTC 1999 |
hmmm. shot in the semi-dark: c.s. lewis?
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sjones
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response 97 of 195:
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Feb 5 13:42 UTC 1999 |
tend to agree with resp:89
and have run out of ideas...:(
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remmers
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response 98 of 195:
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Feb 5 17:37 UTC 1999 |
(Jack Vance came to mind from McNally's "more works of science fiction
than of fantasy" hint.)
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janc
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response 99 of 195:
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Feb 5 18:40 UTC 1999 |
Fritz Leiber? Or is he dead?
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mcnally
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response 100 of 195:
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Feb 5 19:12 UTC 1999 |
Remmers is correct, our mystery author is Jack Vance..
I was pretty sure that one of those clues might give it away though I'm
surprised nobody identified it from his writing style (which I find very
distinctive..)
The quotes were taken from his "Lyonesse" trilogy -- an entertaining
treatment of traditional fantasy that's less well known than his primary
fantasy works (the "Dying Earth" stories..) or his many science fiction
novels. The first book of the series, "Suldrun's Garden" is a little slow,
burdened with establishing the many parallel story lines, but once things
get going the story picks up and the other two books of the series,
"The Green Pearl" and "Madouc", are excellent if you like that sort of thing.
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sjones
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response 101 of 195:
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Feb 5 22:13 UTC 1999 |
remmers, you master of all trades, you...:)
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remmers
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response 102 of 195:
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Feb 6 10:54 UTC 1999 |
Omigosh, I didn't really think I'd be right. Okay, I'll try to come
up with a new quote later today.
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janc
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response 103 of 195:
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Feb 6 15:11 UTC 1999 |
Hmmm...I've read most of that trilogy, but don't remember anything about
it.
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mcnally
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response 104 of 195:
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Feb 6 21:16 UTC 1999 |
Well, the plot is pretty conventional for the genre, deliberately so
(I think..) What I liked about them was the somewhat droll manner in
which Vance treated a conventional fantasy tale..
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flem
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response 105 of 195:
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Feb 7 03:28 UTC 1999 |
Ha! I knew I'd read it. As soon as I read "Jack Vance" in remmers'
response, I smacked myself. :)
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remmers
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response 106 of 195:
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Feb 8 14:48 UTC 1999 |
(I haven't forgotten that I'm up; just been busy with other things.
Hope to have a quote later today, or tomorrow.)
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mcnally
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response 107 of 195:
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Feb 8 18:28 UTC 1999 |
Based on previous experience I'd say I'm in the minority with this position
but I'd rather have a carefully selected and interesting, amusing, or
enlightening quote than just have something posted quickly because you
were in a hurry.. In other words, I vote that you take your time..
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sjones
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response 108 of 195:
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Feb 9 13:39 UTC 1999 |
<slightly shamefacedly> yes, i pretty much agree with that in principle,
i think... although i can imagine, hypothetically speaking obviously,
enthusiastic people getting a little carried away while they look
forward, er, enthusiastically to the next quote...:)
but not being a hypothetical person, i also vote that remmers takes his
time <sits on own hands>...
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