[HPFGU-OTChatter] Re: Paolini's "Eldest" SPOILERS

[Laura Ingalls Huntley]

Alla:
> To be quite honest ( and please believe me when I say it ), even
> though I love LOTR very much, I find   the characters to be quite
> undeveloped  for the most part. ( Alla  runs and hides). I truly
> admire Tolkien genuis, the book sounds like music to me, but none of
> the characters ( except maybe Boromir) touched me as much as JKR
> characters do.

I agree with you 100%, Alla.  Tolkien was certainly a genius, but 
character development was never his strong suit -- or even something he 
was particularly interested in.

Alla:
> You know, it is funny. For some reason that did not bother me much.
> maybe because as Steve said I am used to Elves and Dwarves having
> similar qualities now throughout many books of this genre.
>
> I think that Tolkien influenced the genre so profundly that it is
> impossible to find the book which is not touched by it in one way or
> another. They key of course as you say to make it your own.

Joe:
> I think that most any fantasy story will be compared to or accused of
> borrowing from Lord of the Rings.

Oh, agreed.  Definitely.  Hell, Harry Potter has been lengthily accused 
of stealing from LOTR, and it's not even the same sub-genre.  IMHO, 
however, Paolini just didn't quite cut it in the make-it-your-own 
department, at least not in ERAGON.  *shrugs* Feel free to disagree 
with me, of course, and know that, despite my criticisms, I still 
greatly enjoy his work.

Laura (me):
>> It's kinda too bad, IMO, that he started so young.  Maybe if he were
>> older, he would have had the confidence and experience to be able to
>> write the Inheritance trilogy the way it *could* have been written.  
>> As
>> it is, I doubt he'll get another shot at writing an epic fantasy that
>> is popular with the masses.
>>

Alla:
> Why not? Maybe  his other book will be even more popular?

Well, it could certainly happen.  However, public acclaim to the extent 
he has with the Inheritance Trilogy is pretty rare -- it'd be kind of 
like lightning hitting twice.  Now, I'm not saying he won't be a solid, 
popular writer in the future, but for some reason I feel like ERAGON, 
et al. will be his crowning achievement.

Laura (me):
>> P.S. His vocabulary makes me giggle like a schoolgirl.

Alla:
> Please forgive me, but could you explain why? I missed the joke. :-)

Oh, I didn't mean anything particular, really.  I just find big, 
obscure words sort of obscenely sexy.  Kind of like someone talking 
dirty in a public place. ^_~ It's a quirk.

Laura