tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4438041449595085165.post833885813794067895..comments2024-03-17T14:31:27.014-04:00Comments on Fantasy Book Critic: “Never Knew Another” by J.M. McDermott (Reviewed by Robert Thompson)Roberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15006565422867420980noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4438041449595085165.post-44811689867890766132012-01-30T17:59:47.567-05:002012-01-30T17:59:47.567-05:00The lack of world-building is never a problem; it ...The lack of world-building is never a problem; it is always a blessing. The inclusion of pages upon pages of expository world-building is a plague on the realm of modern, post-Tolkien Fantasy that McDermott is helping to rid the world of. He's taking fantasy back to the times of Lord Dunsany, when stories were more brief, and weren't bogged down with volumes of over 800 pages each.D_Davishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11285095470205441820noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4438041449595085165.post-12499541019504139212011-06-21T14:48:41.372-04:002011-06-21T14:48:41.372-04:00I understand where you're coming from Andrew, ...I understand where you're coming from Andrew, but I'm not saying McDermott needed to write a 1000-page tome. Just a few details presented here and there could have really fleshed out the setting, while preserving the novel's mysteriousness. After all, at only 240 pages long, a few pages (or even a dozen) of additional world-building would hardly have mattered...Roberthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15006565422867420980noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4438041449595085165.post-84543987620368493312011-06-19T16:53:21.776-04:002011-06-19T16:53:21.776-04:00I just finished Never Knew Another and I really en...I just finished Never Knew Another and I really enjoyed it. I respectfully disagree with your comment about the lack of worldbuilding. I personally am quite tired of fantasy novels that devote far too much space to background information. I much prefer the gradual unfolding of the world through characters' thoughts and dialogue than a shopping list of religions, races, political divisions, etc. I honestly don't want to know more about the gods and history of this world than the author has dished out until the next book serves up some more. I like the mystery; far too often there is no mystery and a book becomes quickly forgettable. I look forward to the next one.Andrewnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4438041449595085165.post-46828371183072551152011-02-27T22:08:11.084-05:002011-02-27T22:08:11.084-05:00Yeah, I didn't like the way the book ended, bu...Yeah, I didn't like the way the book ended, but I guess it's one way to keep readers interested in the sequel :)Roberthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15006565422867420980noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4438041449595085165.post-21180327018822447492011-02-18T23:06:54.070-05:002011-02-18T23:06:54.070-05:00I've just finished reading it on my kindle and...I've just finished reading it on my kindle and I couldn't believe that it ended at the part it did! It felt so incomplete I'm a little depress that it's so short. It's definitely a good book but I would have been more satisfied if it had been able to stand on its own. :(<br /><br />It was a great read until the end, where it left a lot of things hanging.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com