2006 Year-End Awards

Hi guys!

Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas! I was finally able to put together my list of awards, so the wait is over! There's a bit of humor, of course. And as always, many of you won't agree with my selections. That's quite all right with me, as long as we agree to disagree!:-)

Happy Holidays!

Patrick
---------------------

Although the Fantasy Hotlist Awards has a nice ring to it, I'm afraid I'm looking for something with a little more cachet. In the film industry, one can win an Oscar. In the music business, you can take home a Grammy. To celebrate American Theatre excellence, one can win a Tony. So in speculative fiction, why couldn't we have a Terry?

Imagine the prestigious trophy. Can you picture that little golden statuette of man with his arms crossed against his chest, his entire demeanor radiating unflagging steadfastness? Can you see it in your mind's eye, sporting a pony tail and a beard, a hard-faced mien meant to project unyielding toughness, yet not quite capable of concealing the underlying ridiculousness of his expression? Yes, a Terry is just what we need! A plaque bearing the inscription "Fantasy is for hacks" would be the perfect finishing touch, making a Terry the second-most sought-after accolade after the World Fantasy Award. What say you, the fans!?! Could we be onto something here!?!;-)

TOP 10 NOVELS OF 2006

1- The Thousandfold Thought (R. Scott Bakker)
2- The Bonehunters (Steven Erikson)
3- Vellum (Hal Duncan)
4- River of Gods (Ian McDonald)
5- The Lies of Locke Lamora (Scott Lynch)
6- Temeraire/His Majesty's Dragon (Naomi Novik)
7- Crossover (Joel Shepherd)
8- Winterbirth (Brian Ruckley)
9- The Crooked Letter (Sean Williams)
10- Blindsight (Peter Watts)

Okay, so some of these books were released earlier in the UK or elsewhere. And yet, those titles are part of the list because I read the North American version which came out this year. But I see you coming. You'll counter by telling me that some novels in the top 10 are not yet available on this side of the Atlantic Ocean. Well, I live in Canada, which means that I, supposedly, have the best of both worlds (my country being part of the Commonwealth and all that crap!). And it's my own damn list, so I can do what I want!;-)

There are three Pyr titles in that list. Hopefully most of you will be smart enough to understand what that means. . .

BEST SFF MESSAGE BOARD

- http://asoiaf.westeros.org

I enjoy every online community I frequent, but Ran's board is where it's at! Mainly because everyone from everywhere seems to converge there!

BEST BOOK I'VE READ THIS YEAR

- Memories of Ice by Steven Erikson

Honorable mention: Deadhouse Gates by Steven Erikson

I'm a recent Malazan convert, as you well know. What can I say!?! It's been that kind of year!

FAITH OF THE FALLEN AWARD: WORST BOOK I'VE READ THIS YEAR

- Talon of the Silver Hawk by Raymond E. Feist

Honorable mentions: King of Foxes and Into a Dark Realm, both by Raymond E. Feist

Yikes! Tough year for Feist, one of my favorite fantasy authors.

COMEBACK OF THE YEAR AWARD

- Melanie Rawn, author of Spellbinder

Honorable mention: Raymond E. Feist, author of Flight of the Nighthawks

Welcome back, Melanie! And Feist proved that he could still write some ripping yarns!

THE BEASTIE BOYS "I'LL KICK YOU OUT OF MY HOME IF YOU DON'T CUT THAT HAIR" AWARD

- We have a tie between R. Scott Bakker and Scott Lynch!

Honorable mentions: Hal Duncan and Terry Goodkind, for his patented Yeard!

MOST OVERRATED NOVEL

- City of Saints and Madmen by Jeff Vandermeer

I know I'm going to take some heat for this one, but this book simply didn't live up to my expectations. It's not bad -- far from it. The hype surrounding this one was probably too strong. And I guess the squid lore didn't quite do it for me. . .

MOST UNDERRATED NOVEL

- Mistborn: The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson

Honorable mentions: Forest Mage by Robin Hobb, The Mark of Ran and This Forsaken Earth by Paul Kearney

FAVORITE RELATED BLOG

- www.speculativereviews.blogspot.com

I read and enjoy many blogs on a daily/weekly basis. I think my list of links attest to that fact (though I don't update it nearly often enough, I know!). But this year, William Lexner gets the nod.

I mean, come on! Stego's been accused of single-handedly killing Emerald City (seriously, it will be missed)and nearly destroying the Hugo Awards! And here I am, doing interviews with authors such as George R. R. Martin, Orson Scott Card and Guy Gavriel Kay, receiving Erikson's Reaper's Gale manuscript months in advance, as well as other such nonsense. Hmmm, it must be nice to have that kind of notoriety.

Keep up the good work, William!

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR AWARD: BEST DEBUT

- Hal Duncan, author of Vellum

Honorable mentions: Scott Lynch, author of The Lies of Locke Lamora; Naomi Novik, author of Temeraire/His Majesty's Dragon; Brian Ruckley, author of Winterbirth; Joel Shepherd, author of Crossover

I can't recall another year in which there was so many impressive debuts. Still, for writing such an ambitious and mesmerizing book, Duncan takes the cake!

Now Hal, I'm aware that this isn't exactly the WFA. But it's still something. . . Right!?! Let me make it up to you by sweetening the deal a bit. First drink on me, should we ever meet in person. How about that!?!

THE LOIS McMASTER BUJOLD "THIS ONE WILL WIN AN AWARD OR THREE" AWARD

- Lois McMaster Bujold, author of Beguilement

Who else, really? Every time this woman writes something, it ends up winning an award. Poor Kay, Ysabel has no chance to capture the WFA. . .

On a more serious note, Peter Watts' Blindsight appears to be a sure nominee for the next Hugo Awards.

THE MICHAEL RICHARDS AWARD: RANT OF THE YEAR

Unlike many blogs and websites out there, I don't have resident hecklers and haters. Be that as it may, I nevertheless receive occasional emails and PMs ripping me and my posts. Hence, I've decided to give you a little sample of what sometimes comes my way.

Some of you have already read or heard of the "Lemmings of Discord" rant I received last summer. For your reading pleasure, hereby you will find the best parts of that message. It's from Ron Wilson, aka MyStar, close friend of Terry Goodkind and webmaster or admin of the author's official website. At the time I was trying to get an interview with Goodkind, hoping the give him an opportunity to address many of the controversial issues that surround him. During that same period, the Goodkind parody threads on westeros really took off, and like many I made it a point to read them every day. Well, MyStar saw a glib remark from me on one of those threads, and that was the end of it. For the record, I must admit that our correspondence prior to that moment was very civil. After that, however, well let's just say that I never got a Christmas card from him. Oh, and he doesn't hold the people at westeros in his heart. . .

Here's a taste of what he had to say (the spelling and grammatical errors are his, not mine):

And as for "detractors" the 5 people at your westros board don't really count as "detractors", more along the lines of hecklers and gits. But I've got better things to do with my time than spend reading or interacting with people who are incapable of any kind of coherent thought. Attacking Goodkind for what they admire in GRRM or Bakker etc... sorry pot calling the kettle black simply doesn't warrant time from me. [...]

I've read many of your reviews for some time now. While I will admit you have wrangled a few interviews, they came not from
anything "you" did but rather you asking (most persistently I might add, so says the people offering these reviews) to do them and trying to sell yourself to the task. Mediocre at best. I've seen worse interviews, but I've seem much better as well. You seem to get hung up on "your view of things, from your perspective only", and not allowing that opposing views have any merit.
[...]

Yet, you not only lower your self by your close association with these trolls, but the quality of your work. You forget to remove yourself from a neutral standpoint and rather encourage the shtick. Bad form! I can only imagine that publishers getting excerpts of your behavior and lack of professional demeanor are going to be frowning at your so called ability to be fair and respectful. [...]

These poor pathetic people have no clue as to anything Goodkind is writing about. Faith of the Fallen in any poll out there is always 9 out of 10 top favorite of the series. That you and these lemmings of discord find it reprehensive is telling indeed. Telling everyone that you indeed have missed the whole point of the book as well as the series. No wonder you cannot tell good literature from mindless drivel. These people of Westros et al. read a paragraph, them proceed to eliminate anything they do not want to be there, and instead focus on only what they wish to see. [...] Sorry these people you hang out with have no idea about any thing other than their mindless attempts at twisting the series into something unrecognizable and vile for their own sick entertainment. [...]

You seem to be under the impression that because you read a wide Varity of "Fantasy" that you are the rule,when nothing is further from the truth. The "small" number of vulgar voices at westros et al, is but a scattering of sand in a vast sea of readers. Having just gotten back from the book signing and Meet the Author" I arrange for Terry, I have come away with some new insights. Goodkind readership is vast and world wide. These people are not only willing to travel from all parts of the world to get a book signed but to meet the man himself and tell him face to face what truly phenomenal work he has done. I've been to many many book signings by Goodkind and never once have we ever heard anything but praise and adoration of Goodkind and his work. This weekend has shown that you and your band of troll are not only wrong, but far far in the minority. Something I honestly think you are aware of but refuse to admit. [...]

Pat, the thing about all of this is honesty and respect. You show neither. You may well not care for Goodkind, fine. I've no problem with that. But you not only do yourself a disservice, but you fail all of your readers when you refuse to see that there are more positive aspects to Goodkind and his works that you are willing to let on. You do yourself a disservice when you try to dismiss the facts that are so clearly evident and rather try to diminish them by refusing to admit that Goodkind and his series has merit. Trust me when I say, you will never achieve your goals until you embrace that which you refuse to admit...the truth. I do think you have potential, as long as you can keep your focus and stop letting your friends direct your thoughts. [...]

There you have it: The truth will set us free. So forget about Bakker, Duncan, Erikson, Miéville, Gaiman, Kay, and the rest. Go read the SoT and get real!;-) As to all you trolls on westeros, see how you've ruined my reputation! Bastards, every last one of you!;-)

At least he recognized the fact that I read a wide varity of fantasy novels!

THE BEST THING SINCE SLICED BREAD AWARD

- Pyr

A breath of fresh air in both the fantasy and science fiction genres.

UNEXPECTED SURPRISE AWARD

- Kitty Goes to Washington by Carrie Vaughn

Okay, so she's won this award two years in a row. I guess I didn't think that Vaughn could do it again. . . But she certainly did!

INTERVIEW OF THE YEAR

- We have a tie between R. Scott Bakker (December 2005) and Steven Erikson (January 2006)

Honorable mention: Peter Watts (December 2006)

I've been very fortunate to get all those interviews in 2006. To me, it's a real privilege to have the opportunity to ask questions to some of the most popular novelists out there. Hence, each Q&A was an enjoyable experience for me. Hopefully the authors feel the same way!:-)

So why Bakker and Erikson? Simply because these two were the first to really take the ball and roll with it. Political correctness was left behind, and that made for two very refreshing interviews. I may be wrong, but I'm persuaded that these two interviews truly helped generate interest in this blog. Which, in turn, subsequently allowed me to secure interviews with notable authors such as George R. R. Martin, David Eddings, Jacqueline Carey, and all the rest.

MOST PROMISING NEW VOICE AWARD

- Scott Lynch

Hands down, this award can go to no one else! The Lies of Locke Lamora showed that this guy has it all and could possibly go all the way. Unless it was a fluke (which I doubt), Red Seas Under Red Skies should establish Lynch as one of the elite of the fantasy genre.

MOST ACCESSIBLE AUTHOR

- Scott Lynch

Honorable mentions: Robin Hobb, Brandon Sanderson, Joe Abercrombie, John Scalzi

I don't believe any other writer was more present "everywhere" in 2006. Whether it was on sffworld.com, on westeros, on The Right People, Scott was always there to answer questions. Heck, the guy even sent someone a personalized autographed copy of his debut for her parody of a Goodkind story using Lynch's own characters! Who else would set up a contest in which the prize is an ARC of his upcoming novel for the person who created the best drink that symbolized The Gentlemen Bastards!?!

MOST AMBITIOUS PROJECT

The Malazan Book of the Fallen by Steven Erikson

So vast in scope, it blows my mind! Erikson and Esslemont truly created something special.

K-FED AWARD: DUMBASS OF THE YEAR

- Terry Goodkind

For his outstanding contribution to all things idiotic, this one can go to no one but TG. Hard to put a finger on exactly what clinched it, as we could probably ballpark the amount of material worth winning him this award. Comparing Canadians to Iranians last spring comes to mind, though. . . Very special thanks are owed to Larry (Dylanfanatic), who doesn't miss much when it comes to yet another Goodkind cretinous moment! The beauty of it remains that most members of the author's forum regard Goodkind as wisdom made flesh. . . Food for thought. . . Oh damn! Since Goodkind doesn't write fantasy, can he still win this distinguished K-Fed Award!?!;-)

MVP: AUTHOR OF THE YEAR AWARD

- Scott Lynch

For writing an entertaining debut like The Lies of Locke Lamora; for being accessible to fans and critics in a manner that is above and beyond the call of duty; for his candor and good humor.

For all of the above, this Terry goes to Scott!

***DISCLAIMER: The owner of this blog would like to reassure the public by informing them that no bribes were received during the selection process of these awards. To anyone dimwitted enough to believe that bribes are the only way Mr. Scott Lynch could have won so many Terrys, please bear in mind that the owner of this blog is still waiting for the initial bribe he was promised for writing a positive review for Lynch's fantasy debut last June.

There you have it, folks! Hope I didn't ruffle too many feathers!;-)

Enjoy the rest of the Holidays!:-)

37 commentaires:

Anonymous said...

Decent list other than the link to the thought police blog bashing Card.

Anonymous said...

Reading Mystar makes my brain want to commit suicide.

Anonymous said...

I disagree with a lot of what Mystar said, and to clear something up, I’m saying this without bias. I used to be a huge TG fan, a true fanboy, I bought the first book based on the advice from a friend and then in one go my dad bought all the next books until Faith of the Fallen and it stopped there. I plodded through that book for months and couldn’t help but feel depressed at how bad the book was. Now, my friend started to hate the books after the Soul of the Fire, but even though he kept me that they sucked I went on until the next book and came to MY OWN CONCLUSION that Goodkind sucked and this was in 2002 or 3 and I believe online Goodkind bashing has only really begun in earnest in the last two years.
I’m actually pissed at being called a ‘poor pathetic’ person because I didn’t enjoy Goodkind’s work, which is honestly straightforward like a boring lecture not as thought provoking as when Bakker for example puts forth his philosophical views. I totally understand what Goodkind was doing, but I don’t feel like he pulled it off. Like Uwe Boll and film, Goodkind is the chosen punch bag for fantasy lit. and with some of the things that he has said, ‘I don’t write fantasy’ being the main one, makes him deserve it for now. And on that quote, it was taken out of context, but it still implied that no other author had real characters or real plots and where just formulaic.
And other fantasy isn’t mindless drivel. I find it hypocritical that people here are being criticised of not reading Goodkind and bashing him when I don’t believe that Mystar has read much of the other authors praised. Sure taste differs per person, but whose imagination is wilder than Mievilles or more epic than Erikson’s? Goodkind? Never.
And his point about fans from all over the world giving only praise is stupid, since no one is going to travel half the way across the world to not get a book signed and just say he found the book to be merely OK.


BTW Pat, great post, from a fan, not a mindless follower ;)

Anonymous said...

Wow, extetensive listings, and i've only read half the bks mentioned! Why the hate on teryy though? i'm on his second book and the series is good so far, if you got a link to that iran/canada comment or whatever he says that irks ya, i'd like too see it.
Nice blogs, keep it up
jossizboss@yahoo.com

Anonymous said...

Pat, you have outdone yourself again. *wipes tear from eye* That Westeros, we Lemmings of Discord, gain a mention just warms my leathery, scaled heart, and makes it wheeze oh the faster.

I loved your top 10, and fully agree that the other long-haired Scott (Scott the Younger) has totally made this year's reading (and cocktail inventing) worth it.

And props to Stego. Just because. :)

Here's to a fantastic 2007, and many more awesome interviews!

Anonymous said...

Good stuff. I was thinking you should name the award after your blog, but all I could come up with from Pat's Fantasy Hotlist were the "Patties", "Fannies" and "Hotties", none of which really worked for me.

How long was that rant if you only shared choice bits? As the dad on Everybody Loves Raymond would say, "Holy crap!" I hate to admit this, but I actually liked Faith of the Fallen, though I was growing bored with the same plot outline over and over.

I didn't know about the Canadian-Iranian parallel. How are you guys coming on your nuclear program?

Enjoyed the awards. Nice work!

Patrick said...

Dave, let's just say that his rant was pretty long.:-) However, I did include the "juicy" parts of it, at least those in which he throws mud at me!

To all of you who have responded here and on the various message boards where links were posted, I'm glad you have enjoyed the awards! 2006 was a terrific year for speculative fiction!

Anonymous said...

Interesting...

Erikson and Lynch definitely get a ton of votes from me too.

Bakker I *really* disliked. Anyone got a link to some in-depth dissection of his work ? (possibly in a forum) Maybe if somebody points out his genius to me (in details !), I'll realize I have erred.

Narg said...

Nice list pat. Just one thing. Publishing private emails in an open forum is bad form. No matter how funny it was it's still bad of you.

Ofcourse if you obtained his permission, my bad.

Anonymous said...

Shit, Richards should be receiving the Mystar award, not the other way around. That rant is hell.

Ed S. said...

Chrisw is correct that publishing private emails in an open forum is bad form. Nonetheless, in the same situation if I had gotten that rambling pile of crap I would not have hesitated to do the same. Perhaps if Goodkind's other fans are like that he should take the next step and form his own religion. It worked out well for L. Ron Hubbard.

I do take issue with your awarding the K-FED AWARD: DUMBASS OF THE YEAR to Goodkind. I thought Orson Scott Card far more qualified.

Anonymous said...

Yes, a Terry is just what we need! A plaque bearing the inscription "Fantasy is for hacks" would be the perfect finishing touch, making a Terry the second-most sought-after accolade after the World Fantasy Award. What say you, the fans!?! Could we be onto something here!?!;-)

But we should name it Tairy, to not confuse it with Terry Pratchett or Terry Brooks...

Anonymous said...

Pat,
Great post!
As someone who's been lurking for a while, and having read all the Terry threads at westeros (and some linked at tg.net), I've got to say I'm glad you gave MyStar a Terry. He's one of those special fanatics out there that you've just got to laugh at.
All of your picks seem right on. I'm curious if you've read Night Watch by Sergei Lukyanenko as of yet, because it was amazing and easily in my Top 10 of the year. Congrats on the great year, and here's hoping 2007 is even better.
PS. - A manuscript of Reaper's Gale!?! Good job.
PPS. - To whoever wanted more information on Bakker, try http://forum.three-seas.com/

Sarah said...

"Terry" is a great name! Haha.

Anonymous said...

I totally agree with your selection. Great picks on Bakker and Erikson. They've become two of my favorite authors, alongside Martin and Gaiman.

After reading about Winterbirth on your blog and checking out the prologue on Ruckley's website, I must say that I'm looking forward to reading it.

MyStar's rant got a snicker out of me, especially that bit about everyone being too stupid to appreciate Goodkind. Pfft.

Anonymous said...

Oh, and how can I forget Mieville? Iron Council has got to be one of the best books I've ever read.

I hope Un Lun Dun is just as good, if not better - even if it isn't set in Bas-Lag.

Larry Nolen said...

Well, while I think a certain other forum could have been a worthy winner (;)), as I said over at wotmania, nice work. And Ran, I first read that as "Werts" and all. No doubt Werthead would be flattered to know that, huh? ;)

Neth said...

Nice list Pat. I of course have a few issues (City of Saints and Madmen would be tops of my list if I put them in order), but to each their own. I also agree that while Goodkind did a lot to earn his award, that Orson Scott Card or Michael Crichton should have taken it this year.

And on to another good year...

Anonymous said...

Hey Pat,

The fact that Phantom is not part of your top 10 shows just how little you know. Most of those writers you idolize are nothing compared to Goodkind! I mean, come on, man! Bakker, Erikson, Duncan, Lynch? One Goodkind novels sells more than all of them combined!

You think you know a lot, but frankly you're just an idiot. You and your bunch of trolls can keep on mocking Goodkind as much as you like. It just shows that you guys don't get the true depth of the Sword of Truth. Evidently, Goodkind's endeavour is much too noble and profound for lame-brained fantasy fans like you guys to understand.

So continue to laugh it up and read fantasy novels that are like bubblegum for the mind. The more intelligent among you will, perhaps, one day get it. Goodkind's series is so far above what hacks like Martin and Jordan are writing.

As for you, Pat, Mystar was right on all accounts. To put it simply, you're a prick! A Faith of the Fallen award for the worst book of the year???? Are you out of your fucking mind, man??? FotF is the best book I have ever read!

I can't believe some people actually read your reviews. Pure and mindless drivel, if you ask me.

Anonymous said...

Your Goodkind obsession is becoming increasingly puerile.

Patrick said...

I've been meaning to respond earlier, but the Holidays kept getting in the way.:-) Hope everyone enjoyed the Holiday period and here's to a great year for 2007!

First of all, I'm glad most people enjoyed this post. As for my picks, well I can't please everyone, nor was that my goal. These "awards" are just a reflection of my personal taste and have very little merit beyond that.

Why the hate on TG, some of you ask? Heck, read the excerpts from Mystar's rant and you'll have an inkling as to why I'm not a big fan of the author.

By the way, that rant seems to have been appreciated by a lot of people, and some on westeros are calling for me to be the official "lemming of discord" from now on!;-)

duckman: No, I haven't read Night Watch by Sergei Lukyanenko yet. I hope to do just that in 2007!

As to our two hecklers, I don't see why you guys don't even sign your names. It's not like people here will hunt you down and beat the hell out of you. You can attack me, sure. I don't have a problem with that. But when you claim that Goodkind is better than Bakker, Erikson, Lynch, Duncan, etc, and that Phantom is better than anything I included in my top 10, I believe that you demonstrate just how uncouth you truly are. The four authors you've mentioned write on a far higher plane than Goodkind. Unlike TG, however, they don't have too high opinions of themselves.

And before I forget, even if he doesn't realize it and in spite of all he says, TG actually writes fantasy. Whether he likes it or not...

Happy New Year!:-)

Anonymous said...

"Bakker, Erikson, Duncan, Lynch? One Goodkind novels sells more than all of them combined!"
As an old german saying goes:
"Shit must be delicious, millions of flies cannot be mistaken" ;)

@Neth: Why Michael Crichton? Did I miss something? (Timeline was his last book I read)

Neth said...

-Maschine

Well, I've not been a fan of Crichton since after writing his global warming novel he decided that he was the world's greatest expert in the subject and went around telling everyone that it's just one giant conspiracy. He showed a complete lack of scientific understanding and instantly became a hit with the idiots running the US government (both in goverment and business).

Anyway, a review of that novel basically trashed it, so Crichton can't deal with the negative review writes this reviewer into his newest novel - he makes him a child rapist. A lot of people have called him on it. These links summarize it fairly well.

Anonymous said...

So continue to laugh it up and read fantasy novels that are like bubblegum for the mind


Ive read Goodkind and many of the other authors mentioned and he is in no way more complex than they are. Am I the only one who sees Terry fans like Religious Fundamentalists?

Anonymous said...

@Neth: What a pity, I always liked his books.
Ok, I was a little irritated when I read about State of Fear but I thought hey, as long as his next book is back to normal..
But if he really depicts a critic of his as a child molester, he really crossed the line

Anonymous said...

I don't think I can add anything more to the praise of Pat's awards, just a thought though: can we please have some kind of registration required for posting comments? I sure don't want to see any more trolls posting here any more.

Narg said...

"Bakker, Erikson, Duncan, Lynch? One Goodkind novels sells more than all of them combined!"

As an old german saying goes:
"Shit must be delicious, millions of flies cannot be mistaken" ;)


Ya know it would be a close run thing. Goodkinds books do sell alot and those four authors don't sell anywhere near what goodkind does.

Also me thinks the first pro goodkind poster was a fake. Sounds to much like someone pretending to be fanboi.

Anonymous said...

@chrisw: But my point was that you can't judge the quality of a book (or film) by the number of people who bought/read/saw it

Narg said...

Depends how you define quality. In my view if a book/film/song is extremely popular it has "quality". Even if it's something I dislike and call shit, i'm not going to deny that other people are getting enjoyment out of it and if more people enjoy Goodkind's books than those other 4 authors combined then he's doing the better job:).

Rogue Blades Entertainment said...

Time and exposure come into play here, lending their significant weight to TG's sales. Adding first books by Duncan and Lynch with Bakker's only two-year-old trilogy and the extremely-popular-outside-of-
and-steadily-increasing-within-America Erikson is obviously no contest for the entrenched TG with a dozen years of sales of what started out being a decent series. Let's make this comparison again once all 4 of these other authors have either as many years or as many books out as TG does - I have no doubt TG will be left in the dust at such a point.
_______________________________

Anyway, I just was stopping by to say I thought it pretty cool we agreed on what the best book we read in 2006 was, Pat -- the terrific Steven Erikson's _Memories of Ice_ - I couldn't agree more.

Thanks for the great year (not to mention the book I won back in March - the only good one you read by a certain Mr. Feist this year!).

Patrick said...

ChrisW: Have you ever been to Goodkind's website? If you peruse the forum there, you'll see that no one needs to pretend to be a fanboy to leave a comment like that.

Truth to tell, I was expecting much worst!;-)

Alice said...

Anonymous 3:05pm... that HAD to be a joke, surely? Surely?
Anyway, thanks Pat for a year of great reviews, and that pesky copy of Phantom that I somehow won and now have to find something to do with... ;)

Anonymous said...

Well, I got a good chuckle!

Sad fact is Pat that you have just (again I might add), made yourself out to be a liar. Truth of the fact is that TOR never offered you an interview with Goodkind. No you called and begged for it, kept bugging Barb and Elania to get an interview with him. But I wouldn't expect any less from you or your BFF's

As to your inclusion of my name, or my e-mail. Again bad form, but I know just how keen you are to slander and degrade some people.

The many websites out there that are full of high praise and good things to say about the series and Goodkind's efforts again far out weigh your lil tirade. That together with your vehement diatribe simply proved that there is truth to the series and to Goodkind. Fact or you would not spend so much time ranting and doing your best to belittle the man and his work. The more you do, the more his book sell and the more his fans grow.
Why you ask? Good question, because people can see for themselves what truth is and the value not only of the series but also of the message contained within. Try as you might, you cannot stop truth.
~mystar~

Anonymous said...

Mystar,

Well, as for the "truth" we're talking about the quality of a novel and a given writer. That is an inherently subjective topic. Saying a writer is good or bad is not truth or untruth, it is simply opinion.

~Ser Scot A Ellison~

Anonymous said...

Is that tool Mystar Zedd from Tairy's official forum?
My good he runs that place like a Nazi Commandant!

Anonymous said...

"Goodkind readership is vast and world-wide"

The world is full of jack-asses.

Steve MC said...

Just read your 8/09 interview, and had to check this out. First, great list - I'll be sure to check out your other year-end awards as well.

For Mystar's note, though, it wasn't as bad as I’d thought it'd be – he seems sincere and even able to joke about it all, if a bit caught up in his religious fervor.

Still, when he said, “Trust me when I say, you will never achieve your goals until you embrace…” I swear I thought he was going to say “the Dark Side.”