Australian Members

[Prince of Paisley]

What is all this fantasy stuff? I don't want to denigrate anyone's tastes and to each his own and all that, but putting the lord of the rings in the pantheon of great literature is overstating the case. I might pick up a Robert Ludlum novel at the airport but theres little doubt that in 6 months it will be toilet paper. Something to occupy the mind but we have angry birds for that now.

 

[fxh]



By the numbers:
LOTR is approx. the third best selling novel of all time.
The Hobbit is approx. the fourth best selling novel of all time.
The three films are in the top 30 grossing films all time.
The franchise as a whole is the seventh highest grossing franchise all time.

aaw don't lachy - dont ....

by that criteria 50 Shades of Grey/Gray is a major literary work. Along with all L Ron Hubbard's works.

Anyone comparing LOTR to GRRM Martin books is either provocative, misinformed, or just plain silly.

Or in my case all three?

 

[md2010]



woohoo my first pair of AE's (walnut strands) arrived. They are a tad tight at the top near lacing, but i think sizing is close to spot on.
also any ideas on darkening these? i feel the walnut is a tad too light for my liking.

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

[

They are lighter in person. I have used neutral polish in an attempt to darken them. Which helped a bit – but I think this will be process over time. Just keep wearing them and you will get used to.

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

 

[fxh]



woohoo my first pair of AE's (walnut strands) arrived. They are a tad tight at the top near lacing, but i think sizing is close to spot on.
also any ideas on darkening these? i feel the walnut is a tad too light for my liking.

I'd return those - they seem to be slightly mismatching colours.

 

[Gerry Nelson]

I'd return those - they seem to be slightly mismatching colours.

Bah! Only a fusspot like you would even notice the difference.

 

[g-banger]



I'd return those - they seem to be slightly mismatching colours.

good one.

The other pair is my herring hampstead. Being a member of this forum has cost me alot of money

They are lighter in person. I have used neutral polish in an attempt to darken them. Which helped a bit – but I think this will be process over time. Just keep wearing them and you will get used to.

okay will do, ill give it a try.

 

[md2010]

Gents, I have a Staple Navy blazer from Brooks brothers for sale. Made in Italy. Brand new with tags.
3 button, half lined. Yoox advertised it as EU44(US34R). But Tag says EU54(US44R). Its 5 size(or 10 size) bigger than my size !!!
I won’t bother returning. Want to get only $200. I paid over $256 with shipping.Below are the images. Its really nice fabric. I am in Sydney. If you want to pick up I will shout a cup of coffee or a drink. You choose!

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

 

[lachyzee]

At some point, X million people can't be wrong. I'd argue that 200 million is well over that mark.

Since judging books is an inherently subjective activity, all we are left with are things like sales, critical reception, influence and legacy, whether a book stands the test of time, "top 100" type polls etc. etc.

In all these categories, LOTR does extremely well (it's in both Le Monde & Time's top 100 novels, for example... and in terms of legacy, well Tolkien practically invented the high fantasy genre which accounts for a huge portion of fiction book sales today... to be more specific he invented things like Orcs, who are a mainstay of books/films/games these days).

LOTR has demonstrably stood the test of time, unlike some of the other books mentioned (and unlike most of the books in the "top 100" lists). If people are still buying and talking about 50 Shades and Game of Thrones in 50 years time, then yes, they will have to be considered for the same category.

I had a good laugh at whoever said that Game of Thrones is a better series than the Middle Earth books... I like the books (have read three so I can't say I am on top of it all - will finish them in a month or two), but ... really? What is so novel about Game of Thrones? It's a good story, but it doesn't break any new ground whatsoever. Also, the LOTR "universe" is far more intricate and complex.

 

[lachyzee]



Don't see how The Hobbit can be turned into three films sounds as if the book has been turned into a machine for making money.

Significant portions of both the first and second films are devoted to things not in the original novel, but which appear Tolkien's other works and appendices. The idea is to provide a more complete story and to bridge the gap between the Hobbit and the LOTR films for those who haven't read the books.

The third film is, apparently, almost entirely in this category.

Having said that, I don't doubt for a moment that, from the studio's point of view, squeezing as much money as possible out of the franchise was an important consideration.

I am unsure about this too, the Hobbit was written for children and always intended to be a fast paced and humorous adventure novel.

 

[fxh]

When I read the Hobbit it was read aloud to the children in bed when they were small. I tried to read LoTR for myself later and gave up and skipped through it.
I've been to see the films and they have their moments as spectaculars. I'd never watch them more than once though.

I can appreciate that LoTR is a great melancholic catholic work incorporating Beowulf into a modern/ancient english world, but, at least these days, I get my dose from Graham Greene, James Lee Burke, Peter Temple, Ian Rankin and Mankell et al.

 

[tobiasj]

Perhaps oddly to some, fantasy/sci-fi is the only fiction that can really hold my interest these days. Non-genre fiction is just so dull and predictable in comparison. Take Franzen's latest novel: a boring unlikeable woman cheats on her boring husband with his unlikeable musician friend WHO CARES. I stopped reading half-way through. Fantasy authors construct entire worlds for their readers to lose themselves in; how can non-genre fiction possibly compete?

 

[Prince of Paisley]



woohoo my first pair of AE's (walnut strands) arrived. They are a tad tight at the top near lacing, but i think sizing is close to spot on.
also any ideas on darkening these? i feel the walnut is a tad too light for my liking.

They are lighter in person. I have used neutral polish in an attempt to darken them. Which helped a bit – but I think this will be process over time. Just keep wearing them and you will get used to.

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

Rather than neutral polish I'd suggest using a shoe cream coloured the same or slightly darker than the leather. Walnut or mid brown cream will darken the leather over time and give it a nice depth of colour, along with age.

I've read some (American) members here have used black polish to darken tan shoes but I'd avoid doing that or you will risk staining the leather and getting ugly black residue around the seams etc.

Personally I think you've done well - they are a handsome shoe and if you don't do anything too drastic they will age nicely.

 

[Prince of Paisley]



Fantasy authors construct entire worlds for their readers to lose themselves in; how can non-genre fiction possibly compete?

I don't see this as an inherent advantage of sci-fi or fantasy. The key to any good writing is to create an entire world for readers to lose themselves in. That doesn't mean the book has to be set on another planet.

My problem with a lot of modern fiction of all genres is that it's written for the twitter generation. The language is generic and common, and the storylines lack subtlety.

Hence the old saying: when a new book comes out, buy an old book.

 

[TehBunny]

Hahaha; didn't know we had so many lovers of fantasy on here! I am nowhere near as widely read as most of you but was just asking what fantasy (more swords rather than lasers) you would reccommend to someone who has just gone down the rabbit whole (bar LOTR, Hobbit etc. which I have read in my youth).
P.S.
Don't know how we got into comparing LOTR with ASOIAF?

 

[tobiasj]



Hahaha; didn't know we had so many lovers of fantasy on here! I am nowhere near as widely read as most of you but was just asking what fantasy (more swords rather than lasers) you would reccommend to someone who has just gone down the rabbit whole (bar LOTR, Hobbit etc. which I have read in my youth).
P.S.
Don't know how we got into comparing LOTR with ASOIAF?

Give The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss a burl.