Inverarity is not a Scottish village

I banned fpb because of his persistent, abusive behavior on my LJ, not because of anything he posted elsewhere.

I haven't done anything to prevent him from reading my posts. I don't even know how I could do that. My journal is completely open; I have never posted anything friends-locked. I have also never deleted anyone's comments, with the exception of spammers. I have screened a very small number that were over-the-top abuse and/or trolling (or, in one instance, an enormous wall of text copy&pasted from his own LJ, for which I provided a link instead).

If banned users are now restricted from reading posts on an LJ from which they have been banned, that's a change LiveJournal has made. The banned user FAQ says nothing about banned users being unable to lurk. (It seems like it would be a silly change for LJ to make since you could cirmcumvent it simply by browsing without signing in to your LJ account.)

As for his whining that I won't answer him, there is an old Korean saying: When I walk around a pile of shit, it's not because I'm afraid of it.

I have never written anything that wasn't the truth as I see it. I may be wrong, I may even be an asshole, but I don't lie.

People are free to read what I've written and read what he's written and make up their own minds. I am happy to answer reasonable questions from people who are not fpb* if they really want clarification about any of my words.

* I'd answer reasonable questions from fpb but he's never written anything reasonable when he disagrees with meanyone.

( ETA )

One-line summary: In pre-apocalypse America, a teenage girl with a prodigious intellect and disabling empathy flees the destruction of her community, and founds a new religion destined to take humanity to the stars.



Four Walls Eight Windows, 1993, 299 pages

When unattended environmental and economic crises lead to social chaos, not even gated communities are safe. In a night of fire and death Lauren Olamina, a minister's young daughter, loses her family and home and ventures out into the unprotected American landscape. But what begins as a flight for survival soon leads to something much more: a startling vision of human destiny... and the birth of a new faith.

( If this had been published today, it would have been called a Young Adult novel, given a hottie cover to trick kids into reading it, and Octavia Butler would have blown a lot of young minds, raised the bar on the genre, and probably gotten optioned by Hollywood. )

Verdict: This is an exciting, complex, thoughtful, tense, dark but hopeful story that succeeds on every level. Most dystopian fiction you're reading today is weak, dumb tea, especially if it comes from the YA shelf. I'm all for reading stories just because they make you think and make you uncomfortable, and Parable of the Sower does that, but it's also just plain good storytelling.

One-line summary: A sensationalistic saga of oil and politics in 1920s Southern California.



Reviews:

Goodreads: Average: 3.57. Mode: 4 stars.
Amazon: Average: 4.0. Mode: 5 stars.

In Oil! Upton Sinclair fashioned a novel out of the oil scandals of the Harding administration, providing in the process a detailed picture of the development of the oil industry in Southern California. Bribery of public officials, class warfare, and international rivalry over oil production are the context for Sinclair's story of a genial independent oil developer and his son, whose sympathy with the oilfield workers and socialist organizers fuels a running debate with his father. Senators, small investors, oil magnates, a Hollywood film star, and a crusading evangelist people the pages of this lively novel.

( There Will Be Blood -- also, oil, sex, money, politics, war, and CLASS STRUGGLE! Sinclair is the anti-Rand. )

Verdict: It's a product of its time and its author, but still a surprisingly good read. If you're interested in the setting and time period, definitely read it. But the movie is better.

One-line summary: An epic fantasy full of unoriginal cliches that is nonetheless EPIC and FANTASTIC.



Reviews:

Goodreads: Average 4.5. Mode: 5 stars (63%)
Amazon: Average: 4.4. Mode: 5 stars (72%)

My name is Kvothe. I have stolen princesses back from sleeping barrow kings. I burned down the town of Trebon. I have spent the night with Felurian and left with both my sanity and my life. I was expelled from the University at a younger age than most people are allowed in. I tread paths by moonlight that others fear to speak of during day. I have talked to Gods, loved women, and written songs that make the minstrels weep. You may have heard of me...

So begins the tale of a hero told from his own point of view —- a story unequalled in fantasy literature.

( Great writing and a great story beats everything else when you're walking down a well-trod path. )

Verdict: If this was the first epic fantasy you ever read, it would set a pretty high bar. If you're a veteran of the genre, then while it may not rock your world, I guarantee you'll find it a highly enjoyable read.

Charming drawing by Becca, aka clabbert2101, of MNFF


I am actually rather agnostic about both the Word of God and the Author Is Dead, but I do believe that a story should stand on its own, without intervention, explanation, or clarification from the author. You may not care or want to know what Inverarity intended, what Inverarity was thinking, or how Inverarity feels about what he wrote. If that's the case, no problem, and if you still have critiques, lemme have 'em. But if you don't mind having your reading of the book "tainted" by the author's voice, this is my big rambling tl;dr Author's Notes on Alexandra Quick and the Deathly Regiment, in which I will answer questions (but not give any extra-book "canon" information) and discuss my reasons for doing certain things. All below the cut...

Above the cut, though, a special mention to people whom I've mentioned before but deserve mention again: my betas, Miles2go and swissmarg. They pointed out everything from typos to plot holes, and the result was absolutely a much tighter story. For those who say that my writing has improved since Alexandra Quick and the Thorn Circle, I'd point out that AQATTC was never seen by betas or anyone else before I posted it online.

Also, I neglected to mention (gotta fix that when I post revised versions of the entire story) that the reference to "dead man's finger" in the last chapter of AQATDR actually came from swissmarg's story Survivors, which is the only Snape/Hermione story I've ever read that didn't suck greasy hairballs. (I still think Snape/Hermione is complete mindfuckery, but seriously, Survivors is a good story.)

Second, a shout-out to anthonyjfuchs, the diligent maintainer of the Quickipedia, which I'm sure will be useful to those of you trying to remember who's who and what's what when you come back to Alexandra Quick after a year or more. Although it's a public wiki, and therefore open for anyone to contribute, almost all of the work has been done by Anthony. (I occasionally make small corrections, but otherwise try to leave it alone.) Yes, I actually named William's familiar in his honor. Anthony has recorded nearly every little detail about the AQ universe revealed in the books so far. (Though I notice you never did catch the passing mention of the names of two of the Pritchards' brothers. ;))

All right, on to the authorial pontificating...

( In which I pontificate pontificatingly )