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HR MEGA FORUM => HR MEGA FORUM => Topic started by: Perry on March 19, 2019, 03:55:48 PM



Title: Yo, Jimmy, 'lil help?
Post by: Perry on March 19, 2019, 03:55:48 PM
So I know you have talked to me/advised me on the Wheel of Time series and I am sure that during that conversation I had asked you about Terry Goodkind, I think I must have, but I will be damned if I remember if you were a fan or not. I have the opportunity to get a couple of his first novels, or in this case audio books, in his Sword of Truth series for cheap but I want to know if it is worth the time or not?

I would probably not listen to them for ... a year at least knowing me  ;D, but as an investment in future entertainment are they worth the time?

I enjoyed the first Wheel of Time book and even though I have yet to start the second book in that series (further proof of how long THIS one will probably take me to get to  :D), I am always looking for a good deal on audio books, regardless.

Sooo is the series worth anything? I see two camps here and both are very far apart. One half of the reviews think his stuff is golden, up there with the best fantasy but the other side seem to think it is juvenile trash that a 5th grader could write. There seems to be little to no middle ground here.

Help?


Title: Re: Yo, Jimmy, 'lil help?
Post by: Jimmy T on March 19, 2019, 06:08:54 PM
Terry Good kind is an Ayn Rand believer. I LOVED the first 3 books to death.4th was okay, not as good, but no clunker. The 5th hit me wrong. First 119 pages are main character lecturing people in why he doesn't need to help them, how their situation doesn't need to move him, and their coercion of him is unjust.

It sat so... weird. Found an interview at that time, some Atlas Shrugged nonsense in his talk (direct quotes too). Suddenly the entire series clicked into place.

I walked away, never to return.

You'll have to decide if that's a milieu you find interesting. I rather loathe it now.


Title: Re: Yo, Jimmy, 'lil help?
Post by: Perry on March 19, 2019, 07:33:58 PM
Ouch, yeah, I'm not a Rand fan myself (by any stretch)

Funny that I can normally separate creators personal stuff from the work as long as I don't see/hear/watch the creator talk about it  :D (IE Orson Scott Card ... I was fine reading his stuff and I knew how he felt about homosexuals but was, well not okay with it but okay with it until I actually saw a video where he voiced his opinions on said homosexuals. Just couldn't get past it. I tossed everything I had and vowed never to pick up a single thing with his name on it ever again, even if it were to be a much needed fire extinguisher). Always found that aspect of myself funny. Like myabe I am hoping that everything a creator says or does that I don't like is just hearsay until I see it in print or on film
 :D :D :D

I do get and totally understand how that ruined the experience for you.

Damn, not sure I want to try it or not now. It is the first two, before the rant, so maybe ... maybe ....

Much thanks my man!!!


Title: Re: Yo, Jimmy, 'lil help?
Post by: Jimmy T on March 19, 2019, 08:52:38 PM
Well, my perspective of the first two to three books became colored, because now I could recognize all the themes in those books. once I knew about his existentialism thinking back on the books I really loved, I could see its trademark nonsense all over it. change the coloring of those books in my perspective because I knew the way he felt and thought. It was all over them, I just couldn't recognize them at the time.


Title: Re: Yo, Jimmy, 'lil help?
Post by: Jeff on March 20, 2019, 02:37:31 AM
I bought almost all of them and they sat on the shelf.  I never finished the first one for some reason.  Probably b/c of my comic backlog.  I got the first one on Audio book hoping to get through it in the car.  Thanks for the reminder!


...some Atlas Shrugged nonsense in his talk...

Now, now, don't go hatin' on my girl Ann.  Atlas Shrugged is an awesome book.  One of my favorites.   ;)


Title: Re: Yo, Jimmy, 'lil help?
Post by: Perry on March 20, 2019, 10:33:06 AM
Now, now, don't go hatin' on my girl Ann.  Atlas Shrugged is an awesome book.  One of my favorites.   ;)

 :-\ :'( :'( :'(

See? That always confused me. And I am not jumping on you for your feelings or certainly not your beliefs, but it just puzzles me when Christians enjoy Rand. It seems like it breaks one of the main tenants of Christianity (or religion as a whole) because if you follow her, it seems to me ... and I want to fully express that it may be just me ... but it seems the act of "helping your fellow man" goes out the window does it not? Rand's, each man of his own, by his own and for his own just slaps that in the face and cries nothing but Capitalistic, self centered ideology. Again, not attacking you ... I know you are a amn of feelings  :) and you know you're my Texan, dude! ;) ;D ... but I figure more Atheists like me would be Rand followers, but that never seems to be the case.
 ;D
I mean could you imagine, many years back, Christ himself standing in line to get Ayn Rand to sign his copy of Atlas Shrugged?
 ;D
I sure as hell can't picture her asking him the same with the Bible
 :D :D :D :D :D

Although signing the Bible would be weird for anyone to do  :P
 ;)
 ;D


EDIT - Yes, okay, that last one was an unnecessary dig. I apologize for that one.



Title: Re: Yo, Jimmy, 'lil help?
Post by: Jeff on March 20, 2019, 04:11:04 PM
Helping others is never addressed in her philosophy.  That does not mean she believes you can't help others or that you have to.  If it makes you happy, then help people.  I do.  What her philosophy is against is one man (or more specifically government) forcing another man into doing something against his or her own interests.

I started to write a lot more but I don't like engaging in debates that could end friendships.  Jimmy clearly has a hatred for her and his friendship is more important to me than going down a rabbit hole.  I do find it interesting that Jimmy loved the books but now doesn't because of the author's personal beliefs.  From my own experience, Tom Cruise's personal beliefs are beyond stupid - yet I love his movies.

It's an interesting conversation, but I don't want to cause any schisms.



Title: Re: Yo, Jimmy, 'lil help?
Post by: Perry on March 20, 2019, 04:20:04 PM
... Tom Cruise's personal beliefs are beyond stupid - yet I love his movies.

AMEN!!!!!!

It's an interesting conversation, but I don't want to cause any schisms.

Yeah, this is best left on the side I think. I know I was worried about what I said, and the possibility that it may upset you, and that was just an "on the surface" type of post. Best leave the shovels where they are and not go digging on this one. Even though, I think Rand is a little more ... well ... let me follow my own advice here and drop it.
 :D


Title: Re: Yo, Jimmy, 'lil help?
Post by: Jimmy T on March 20, 2019, 05:12:59 PM
I certainly want to follow forum rules, I don't want to hurt any friends, and I guess I'm sorry if I was far too brash with my initial post. It's just that, skirting the edge, I find current government leaders who follow a skewed Rand philosophy to be more hurtful to the country than helpful. That to me has made it a terrible drawback as an influence.



Title: Re: Yo, Jimmy, 'lil help?
Post by: Jimmy T on March 20, 2019, 05:15:09 PM
Also, I forgot, as far as the book goes? The writer directly made it an existential hero of Ayn rand's writings. It wasn't that it was just his personal philosophy;  he made the books about it entirely.


Title: Re: Yo, Jimmy, 'lil help?
Post by: Jeff on March 20, 2019, 09:44:43 PM
I certainly want to follow forum rules, I don't want to hurt any friends, and I guess I'm sorry if I was far too brash with my initial post. It's just that, skirting the edge, I find current government leaders who follow a skewed Rand philosophy to be more hurtful to the country than helpful. That to me has made it a terrible drawback as an influence.

No hurt feeling here, my friend.  We're all good.  I think we all hate the government for many different reasons.


Title: Re: Yo, Jimmy, 'lil help?
Post by: Jimmy T on March 21, 2019, 01:17:47 AM
How do I like it upvote that comment on a message board? ;D


Title: Re: Yo, Jimmy, 'lil help?
Post by: Perry on March 21, 2019, 11:24:21 AM
 ;D

And hey, while I'm talking about this stuff ... Jimmy (or anyone else, surely) have you read Brandon Sanderson's Stormlight series and/or any of Steven Erikson's stuff? If so, any opinion on any of those?
 


Title: Re: Yo, Jimmy, 'lil help?
Post by: Jimmy T on March 21, 2019, 06:32:09 PM
I really dig Sanderson, and the Stormlight stuff. Haven't read book 3. But they are HUGE books. Very detailed and slow. This is not a ride, it's a walking marathon disguised as a lazy Sunday drive
Steven Erikson is one I want to get to. Him and Stephen Donaldson.


Title: Re: Yo, Jimmy, 'lil help?
Post by: Perry on March 22, 2019, 07:31:01 PM
Okay,  :) Okay, I got ya.
Thanks man


Title: Re: Yo, Jimmy, 'lil help?
Post by: jedicow on March 28, 2019, 12:28:50 AM
I'm just gonna jump in here....have any of you read The Highwayman or any of it's sequels by R.A. Salvatore?

I loved the first one when I read it about 5-6 years ago.  I just started the second one last week and am digging it so far.


Title: Re: Yo, Jimmy, 'lil help?
Post by: Jimmy T on March 28, 2019, 02:44:17 AM
That one I did not.

I had tried his other non-Drizz't books, the Woods out Back, and I simply did not like it. I found too many of the same cypher characters that just seemed to be copied from his other work.

When I saw later 'The Demon Wars'...I just passed on it.

Is 'Highwayman' a big step up from the prior trilogy?


Title: Re: Yo, Jimmy, 'lil help?
Post by: jedicow on March 29, 2019, 02:16:16 AM
That one I did not.

I had tried his other non-Drizz't books, the Woods out Back, and I simply did not like it. I found too many of the same cypher characters that just seemed to be copied from his other work.

When I saw later 'The Demon Wars'...I just passed on it.

Is 'Highwayman' a big step up from the prior trilogy?

I really haven't read too much fantasy stuff so the only other Salvatore books I have read was The Spearweilder's Tale series and the first D'rizzt series.  While I enjoyed both of those series, I found The Highwayman to be far superior to the aforementioned tales.


Title: Re: Yo, Jimmy, 'lil help?
Post by: Jeff on March 30, 2019, 01:29:59 AM
Hey Jedi - is that Highwayman book related to the movie that just showed up on Netflix today?

https://www.netflix.com/title/80200571?trkid=13710079&MSG_TITLE=80200571&lnktrk=EMP&g=15111177A4E9F62E2B24935020651DA664557907&lkid=TITLE_TITLE (https://www.netflix.com/title/80200571?trkid=13710079&MSG_TITLE=80200571&lnktrk=EMP&g=15111177A4E9F62E2B24935020651DA664557907&lkid=TITLE_TITLE)