FANTASY: I AM SORRY TO SAY...
By Alex Ness
July 23, 20206
I don't like the idea that someone might shred one's creative work, with the agility of a hippo. I received many fine reviews for one work, but the one poor review was clearly about something they didn't read in the work. They were a famous libertarian, and posted about their own hatred of Vegans with bile. They thought because of my attention to a variety of ancient traits we still have as modern humans, that I was a vegan, and that I was a socialist. This was absolutely false. However, they weren't judging the work, they had decided that the writer (me) of the story was something they hated, and never tried to understand the actual story.
But I certainly do love Fantasy, and to make those writing emails or messages asking for a list of stinkers, I am going to share works that didn't move me. Having said that, I trust that they may move you, will do so for whatever reason you have. It certainly doesn't effect my outlook, and it might give me a new reason to appreciate whatever was in question.
Films
I've mentioned many films I have truly adored. Across fantasy I loved Excalibur, DragonSlayer, I have liked the PJackson LOTR cycle, loved the Bakshi unfinished LOTR. It is a world of creation where there are memorable works. I enjoyed many films even empty headed. Sorceress was a stinker, but so bad it was rather funny. The Sword and the Sorcerer was bad overall, but had a number of fun and quirky aspects. But Willow worked so hard to be sincere, that it seemed cynical. Reign of Fire was a good idea, but it was soooo over the top and poorly acted, it couldn't be realized. DragonHeart, for me, was a stinker. It was filled with points at which I thought, ok, here it will be more than idea. It never did that. In 2000's Dungeons and Dragons, it made me angry for the crappola it was. It didn't feel like the world of imaginations found in various humans. It felt like it was a story told to allow the title, rather than to embrace the worlds already imagined. Of all the works, this was truly awful.
RPGs
I have not played Earthdawn enough to crap on it. I get that. Some players might well have enjoyed it way the hell more than me. I played with bright humans, imaginative people, and we all abandoned the campaign in almost two seconds. It didn't feel authentic, it felt like a set of rules rather than a setting and system that was worth exploring. But despite the people, it could be it was better for younger aged players. (We were all 30+).
COMIC BOOK
I was never a collector so this isn't about cost and worth. At the time of the B/W explosion, independent works flourished, and that was great. However... some of the works were impossible to enjoy. The ADVENTURERS was popular for some stores. But finding copies on the shelf I was not interested. When I was offered at one store a reader pack of 10 comics for $3, I tried it. The art was unusual, detailed and not bad at all, but the stories were empty of value, a bit moronic. And the stories felt like they were written to kill characters in unusual and graphic ways. 20 years later, I found the first five issues, and thought what if they weren't so bad. They were worse even. In the time in life I'd be become more mature, and they felt more teenage male sick and cruel. It might be that the creative talents went on to be famous. I never looked them up. This work was putrid crap.
BOOKS
I know that the world of fantasy has a reader population that is great in numbers. So my own outlook is that whatever my views, the works, if popular in sales, is meaningless. That is, again taste is the reason for the difference and why some works are good, and others are stinkers. As such, I am not telling you what to like, what you think is wrong, why like something that moves you. I found Sword of Shannara to be truly annoying. I liked the Brothers Hildebrandt cover, I kind of liked aspects of the world built, but I never ever came close to liking it. There were areas of difference from other famous trilogies, seemingly just to say it was not a page by page analogue. More issues, were odd or stupid decisions by characters, poor character building, and other issues. I didn't like it, but all those things might have been perceived as new, different, valid, or interesting.
LINKS:
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