This is annoying. Really annoying. Tad William's Otherland quartet is something you won't be able to get me to shut up about. Nor is Garth Nix's Abhorsen trilogy Or Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy (do not be fooled by the movie! The books are awesome! But I go and purchase one of their other books expecting the same calibre of epic storytelling and... bleh. The disappointment lies thick in my mouth like glue. I mean, some authors manage to carry themselves consistently enough (Matt Reilly, Ken Akumatsu, Terry Pratchett) but some. Egh =( What authors can you think of that you find are either on/off or awesome 24/7?
First person that comes to mind is Harper Lee. After TKAM she has tried - unsuccessfully - to write other novels and stories. Part of it has to do with the fear that your next work won't be as good and/or famous as your previous work. On the other hand, sci-fi writer H.G. Wells was consistent throughout. His stories were always engaging and well-written.
Tcol4417 you found Memory, Sorrow and Thorn (Tad Williams) bleh? Well, I assume thats what your talking about when you mention Tad's other work. If not obtain copies now! Also I'd recommend giving Tailchasers Song, his first novel, a look in. And if you haven't read it yet check out the short story "the Happiest Dead Boy in the World" in Legends II which continues Orlando Gardiner's plot-line. Garth Nix - if Keys to the Kingdom or Seventh Tower (I never really got into these either) don't do it for you. Check out some of his short fiction in Across the Wall or Shades Children. Pullman - his other stuff is ok but didn't grab me the way His Dark Materials did. I'm with on on the film. What a missed opportunity that was. Though I do note that the director has gone on to screw up the twilight series, insofar as that is possible, by doing New Moon. I am trying very hard not to start punching the air with my fist. I hope I have been of assistance. Anyway I've always found Orson Scott card's work to vary greatly in quality. For every Ender's Game or Speaker for the Dead you get a Children of the Mind, or Shadow Puppets, and while I loved the Alvin short stories in the Legend's books I've never gotten into the series proper.
I'm excited to see what Chris does with New Moon. But on topic, I think JK Rowling is something of a one-hit wonder. Don't get me wrong, she is a FANTASTIC storyteller. I adore the Harry Potter series times a billion. BUT, she hasn't written anything EXCEPT what pertains to Harry Potter, thus making her something of a one-hit wonder. I hope she decides to write something else, or at least another HP book.
"Tad William's Otherland quartet..." --tcol4417 Williams had another good one, War of the Flowers. I don't think it quited lived up to Otherland, but it was engaging enough. has second thoughts ...well, I finished it, so either it was good or it was easy to read. "Or Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy" --tcol4417 Totally second this. I tried reading Ruby in the Smoke and was just perplexed--it didn't even sound like the same author, never mind have the same magic of HDM. "I think JK Rowling is something of a one-hit wonder.--GRN Gigi But what a wonder it is. I kind of pity her in a weird way--really, where is there to go after Harry Potter? It seems to me to be unfortunate, when your first series is also destined to be remembered as your best.
I think the reason she doesn't write anything else is because she's so terrified it won't live up to HP--the story, the huge fanbase, the big movie franchise, etc. After THAT, what can you hope to write that will match it?
She could use a pen name--although it wouldn't be long before we discovered she was... well, her. Or she coud simply keep writing. Really, the worst thing that could happen would be people saying "it wasn't as good as HP", which I would bet she already knew.
^ She's in a position most writers can only dream of....having enough money that she doesn't need to rely on her next works being popular or selling well, a guaranteed publisher, a massive readership. She can write whatever she wants now without worrying about what people will think or whether she can afford to take risks.....
But being so acclaimed will naturally make you want to work harder for an even better next book, which will be Mission: Impossible as far as I'm concerned, and so she's stuck. However, I def. think that you're right. She's in the position all aspiring writers desperately dream of. So maybe it's worth it.
Agreed. The worst book, bar none, I've ever read to completion was 'Empire', by Orson Scott Card. The story seemed so promising; A second civil war in the USA, largely fought along political lines. It could have been such a great novel, especially in 2006 when much of America was polarized between their hatred of Bush and still wanting to be a patriot. But the novel turned out to be a horrible Tom Clancy-esque military/spy thriller and a diatribe against "liberals". The basic plot is that a Fox News viewer has to save America from evil liberals who somehow secretly invented giant robots. No joke! While on the other hand 'Ender's Game' is a classic that I've read 3 times, and will likely read many more times in the future.
Well thats exactly what she claimed to do for her next book. So her non-HP novel may already be out there. We just don't know it...
