As I read some of this I can't help but think of anyone doing a prequel about anything. George Lucas didn't have to do the Star Wars prequels but... The thing that I've noticed is that the people who really enjoy the new trilogy were the ones who've never seen the original trilogy before.

I don't know where I'm going with this anymore. I'm tired. Make of it what you will.

Will-do. Promise.

Heh.

-Wapitikev

Will-do. Promise.

Heh.

-Wapitikev

Smack my face and call me Scumbag Charlie, but I didn't even like the first STAR WARS. Found it pandering sf of the weakest sort. 2001--=that= was a fine film!

As I read some of this I can't help but think of anyone doing a prequel about anything. George Lucas didn't have to do the Star Wars prequels but... The thing that I've noticed is that the people who really enjoy the new trilogy were the ones who've never seen the original trilogy before.

I don't know where I'm going with this anymore. I'm tired. Make of it what you will.

You reminded me of a recent conversation I had with my father:

He has recently retired from the fire brigade and finally has the time to rekindle his interest in reading sci-fi. He went to Waterstones and bought out the entire rack of Dune books, except the first prequel, House of Atredies or whatever the hell it is.

I asked him how far he'd gotten through Dune, and he said he hadnt even started yet. He wants to wait until he has the earliest prequel, so he can read through them with the same chronological order as events in the stories occur.

This struck me as odd; previously it has only ever occured to me to be the right way to read a series was to start with the first one to be published, and then read on in order of first publiscation. If sooner or later you come across a prequel, then it's not better to have rad it first.

I dunno. :dontknow:

My feet smell.

You're not alone Bones. I read series in the order of publication too. Back in the late '90's I read Brian Lumley's Necroscope books (the first five) and immediately went into The Lost Years. I spoiled parts of The Vampire World trilogy for me even though they take place decades apart.

Dr. Wilson:

I'm a fan. I'm a huge fan. I discovered you back in 1979 when I read The Keep on a Greyhound Bus on my way to a college interview, and I never let go. I've read two of your medical thrillers (meh), the entire LaNague cycle and, most importantly, both the Adversary Cycle and the Repairman Jack series.

And, after reading Black Wind and By the Sword back to back over the last week..... WTF are you doing?????????

You already wrote what is probably the best horror/adventure/sci-fi combo series there has ever been. The Adversary Cycle is a true work of art, spanning 50+ years and at least four different literary genres to tell an amazing story... a story that is neatly wrapped up and actually contained within the six books.

As much as I love Jack, you've lost all focus.

And I DO love Jack. The Tomb rests solidly amongst my Top Ten books of all time, and I do my best to sing your praises and win converts on other book/Kindle forums.

But... WTF????

By my last count, you now have at least seven different players involved in the Nightworld-Endgame. There's this unborn baby--that means everything... even though we know it doesn't. (Cuz we've all read Nightworld and we know it comes down to a showdown between Glaeken and another Rasalom-rebirth/empowerment.) Septimus. Kickers. Kaze. Dormentalists. Kakureta Kao. The Katana that means nothing because we already know the source-metal for the Sword... The Lady... you have, over the last few years, made them all important in the final scenario... when you already had a perfectly crafted final scenario!

I admire you greatly as an author. But do you truly believe that you can somehow wrap all this together and write a better version of Nightworld when the time comes with all these disparate, random (though fascinating) threads out there?

I just don't get it. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

There is one thing that I've learned, always reserve your commentary until you've seen the Author's vision completed.

I believe that it's possible for The Man to wrap up everything of importance in Ground Zero, which is slated to be published next year some time.
As far as reading anything in chronological order, I wouldn't worry too much about it, as I originally read The Tomb first and then Nightworld second, and still enjoyed the entire Adversary Cycle thereafter. I was young and unfocused back then and didn't make any connections between The Tomb and Nightworld considering there was a span of about 8 years in between reading both novels. However, knowing what happened in the end just made me want to read all of the other AC books that much faster so I knew what eventually caused everything to go haywire...

i too read most of the adversary cycle OUT of order, peppered into the RPJ series. a friend of mine had a copy of the barrens...and i was REALLY intrigued by the title story...then when i read 'a day in the life' i lost my shit.

jack has since then, been one of the ONLY series i have read aside from the eragon books (which are great) and a few 'mystery thrillers' from various authors

never read nightworld, reprisals or anything else...waiting for RPJ to wrap up first...but if i had read them, i could understand some of the frustration. its how i feel about LOST...they give you all this story, then all of a sudden, its between WAY MROE players than you ever thought and there are only 16 episodes to go!

just have faith.

I haven't been keeping up with the books (shame, SHAME on me) so I'm a little confused as to what is going on. I've been through this whole thread and things appear to be a bit amorphous to me.

What is the esteemed Mr. Wilson doing, exactly? Is he expanding the whole series to include another thread being tied in from another line of thinking? Is it a reworking? Is he just throwing everyone for a loop and coming in from left field? I'm very curious to know.

As for someone else in this thread speaking about other fiction books being "dreck?" Those of us not as well-known as FPW are just doing what we can to tell our own stories.

I haven't been keeping up with the books (shame, SHAME on me) so I'm a little confused as to what is going on. I've been through this whole thread and things appear to be a bit amorphous to me.

What is the esteemed Mr. Wilson doing, exactly? Is he expanding the whole series to include another thread being tied in from another line of thinking? Is it a reworking? Is he just throwing everyone for a loop and coming in from left field? I'm very curious to know.

As for someone else in this thread speaking about other fiction books being "dreck?" Those of us not as well-known as FPW are just doing what we can to tell our own stories.

The Dreck comment wasn't aimed at you, specifically TLW. It's just that most other novels let me down compared to FPWs...that doesn't mean that I don't buy them or read them, just that I do not enjoy them as much.

Plus, in my own defense, it was 4:00am. I was likely typing before thinking.

2 prime examples of what I consider to be dreck are works by Stephenie Meyer or Stephen King in the last decade. If your plots are more interesting than that, then your work likely floats somewhere above the level of dreck.

Keep on telling your stories, TLW.

-Wapitikev

In response to Bacardi Jim's appraisal of The Dark Tower series, King DESTROYED a beloved character in the Gunslinger. I skipped through the Wolves, skipped Susannah, and only needed to know that the final book was sacrilege to refuse finishing it. Whoa, that's out.
BTS and Bloodline definitely had a different feel, wrapping up Jack's involvement in the fight rather than focusing him on one particular fight. I prefer books like Harbingers, Gateways or All the Rage but will stand by FPW and his superior writing. At least he has something new with every story.
I just put down a Dean Koontz book for the first time and may not read him again. I no longer read Clive Cussler for the same reason; there is nothing new!
I'll continue to read FPW but need to jump back into some simple pleasures of sci-fi or dark fantasy.
The Dune prequels were quite good, maybe better than the originals, fleshing out major storylines.
Have Faith in FPW. He's still the best.