Interview Annie Carlson: From English Bachelor degrees to video games

[Shannow]

I confess I'm not fond of modernists or post-modernists. Hate most of them, actually, hate them with great hate.

I've not read King beyond that one short book--Carrie--but nothing about it was remarkable. I wonder if I'm missing out; not having read him means I can't join in the hate of yet another mediocre yet commercially successful author. But I guess that I've got Salvatore, Meyer and JK Rowling covered, which will have to suffice.

What? No Robert Jordan? You're really missing out.

Oh, and "graphical novel" *shudder*

 

[Lesifoere]

I couldn't get past the first two-three chapters of the very first Waste of Time book. I think I dodged the bullet on that one.

 

[LeStryfe79]

Jordan doesn't really suck when compared to the rest of his peers. The problem is that ALL modern fantasy novels suck. I read about 50 of them back in 1998. Jordan, Brooks, Goodkind, Williams, Feist, Weiss/Hickman, Salvatore and so on couldn't write themselves out of a Final Fantasy to save their souls. These are all very successful best selling authors, and not a one of them has the slightest drop of originality or style. Adhering to various cliches while creating bulk content got the job done for these pedestrians. After that year, I decided I was done with it. Despite the praise I've heard for George Martin, I ain't buying it. If he gets off his lazy ass and finishes his saga, I might reconsider...

 

[Lesifoere]

Jordan doesn't really suck when compared to the rest of his peers. The problem is that ALL modern fantasy novels suck.

No, your problem is that you appear to only read writers off the New York Bestseller lists or some such equivalent. Don't blame the genre when you only buy things that come with massive hype. You might as well claim that all CRPGs suck because you've only played Oblivion.

 

[Shannow]

What Lesi said, and The Wheel of Time is pretty much the runt of the litter. Jordan spends as much time describing dresses as Tolkien spends describing landscape

 

[OSK]

 

[LeStryfe79]

Jordan doesn't really suck when compared to the rest of his peers. The problem is that ALL modern fantasy novels suck.

No, your problem is that you appear to only read writers off the New York Bestseller lists or some such equivalent. Don't blame the genre when you only buy things that come with massive hype. You might as well claim that all CRPGs suck because you've only played Oblivion.

Fine. Thank you for pointing out the obvious. Now, instead of being a fucking bitch you can offer something intelligent. I used the word "peers" for a reason. If they ain't popular, then they ain't in the same boat. Based on the inconsistencies of your posts here, I'm willing to bet that you don't really care what you write, so long as it makes you feel smart.

Truthfully, my claim was only an educated guess, since I haven't read EVERY fantasy novel from the last 32 years. That guess was not, however, without merit. Cliche books, much like cliche games have a much better chance of being published. Unlike games, however, a book's production value is seldom compromised by not being trendy. A good book gets out there, and eventually gets read. A good book will never be kept in the dark by poor graphics.

If you give a shit about being informative, you might try giving a few examples to help your point, instead of making personal attacks.

Good luck in the future on this! :D

 

[Annie Mitsoda]

[paraphrased]

"Sure 90% of science fiction is crap. That's because 90% of EVERYTHING is crap."
-Theodore Sturgeon

I actually used this as my thesis on my honors project. Basically: fantasy and sci-fi are legitimate genres deserving of study because despite 90% crap rate (which is really ubiquitous in all genres), the 10% worth studying is quality work that kicks the crap out of people's inherent exceptions of that genre.

Yes. Nerd. Heard it before. MOVING ON!

 

[Shannow]

If you give a shit about being informative, you might try giving a few examples to help your point, instead of making personal attacks.

Good luck in the future on this! :D

You yourself said you were unwilling to try better ones like Martin (who despite the deterioration of the series is still quite good), so why bother? You didn't ask for suggestions, you just played Oblivion, Dungeon Siege and NWN and said all RPGs are crap.
Tell us what other books/media you do like and we might have suggestions. But knowing human nature, even if you tried any of the recomended books, you'd say they suck just out of spite...

 

[Lesifoere]

What Lesi said, and The Wheel of Time is pretty much the runt of the litter. Jordan spends as much time describing dresses as Tolkien spends describing landscape

I haven't even read them (those first fifty or so pages aside) and I've heard of the infamous "She tugged her braid. She crossed her arms." I think Jordan copy-pasted the Fremen and Bene Gesserit, too? I don't understand why people don't just read/reread Herbert. Not dumbed-down enough, I guess.

I made a dumbfuck blanket generalization and got called out on it. Oh no, personal attacks! :'(

My "personal attack" was downright mild, so either you're on the wrong forum or you're intellectually insecure. I'd tell you to go educate yourself, but I suppose that requires effort and willingness on your part. Google up "new weird" or "slipstream." China Mieville, KJ Bishop, Jeff VanderMeer, Catherynne M. Valente, Geoff Ryman, Ekaterina Sedia, Mary Gentle, Hal Duncan, Shelley Jackson, Jay Lake: the quality varies from truly great to self-absorbed gibberish artsy-fartsy to mediocre, but you aren't going to find pseudo-medieval Europe populated by farmboy heroes, elves, dwarves and dragons in these people's works. Hell, even some of the older writers--like Moorcock--turned out stuff that's far from generic fantasy (yes, that guy writes things other than Elric books and many of those things aren't even close to typical sword-and-sorcery fare).

Although I should note that if you think Jordan is "not that bad", then most of these might not appeal to you at all.

 

[quasimodo]

Jordan really creeps me out when I walk by his section in the bookstore. Beware any author whose collected works could kill you should they all fall at once.

 

[Lesifoere]

Thought you were going to cite the "he died before he finished that shit" factor. Would King also qualify for that? His collected works are probably even more hazardous.

 

[zerotol]

In before a pic of Lesifoere.

 

[PrzeSzkoda]

Modern/contemporary: basically shit covering F. Scott Fitzgerald onward. There's kind of a hazy line on where "modern" lit starts, some say 1945 or so, but I went "Fitzgerald," the dept. head agreed with me, and on I studied. THE END. I prefer that area because 1) I like emergent genres and 2) I can't fucking stand 19th century writing, holy shit, paid by the word NO KIDDING. Also "contemporary" is like, 25+ years ago. It's a vague fucking title. Shakespeare is almost refreshing because it's ONE FUCKIN GUY. (maybe)

Funny thing, hereabouts (Pollackistan) there are people who claim that modern literature is anything from 1918 onwards. Althought I admit it's quite a stretch. Still, lotsa stuff from the period in-between the WWs is unmatched to-date, creatively and artistically, like the stuff this Witkacy dude's written (SO I PREACH HIS NAME, INFIDELS - there was a pretty neat translation of his fav. novel of mine, "Insatiability"; one of the chapter titles was translated as "Deflowerfucked". Snazzy. Here - http://www.tinyurl.pl?3l1KRVmn - it's "Sexphyxiation". Also pretty neat, even snazzier).

And to all of you modernism haters, Beckett owns your ass. Worstward ho!

 

[Luzur]

Jordan could atleast have died after finishing his series, now someone whose not familiar with his style (not sure ont his one) will take over.

 

[Krash]

Jordan could atleast have died after finishing his series, now someone whose not familiar with his style (not sure ont his one) will take over.

Yeah that asshole, he had like one book left and then he just called quits. But this way we might actually avoid a mile of descriptions before the interesting stuff starts (page 400).

Also: I've heard his son's going to finish the series.

 

[Luzur]

he has a son? didnt know that.

well its only 2 books left now, i hope it wont go the same way like other great series has gone, sputtering out like a candle drenched in shit instead of a blaze of glory (Might and Magic, Ultima) just cuz someone mess up the last part.

 

[Krash]

Correction: After checking wiki (which would have been the non-retarded way to do it), it seems like Brandon Sanderson will write the last book.
Whoever that is.

 

[LeStryfe79]

I smell horsepussy for some reason.

 

[tunguska]

Also in the future I do want to work on a game where “Mature” doesn’t mean “the characters say words like ‘shit’ and we get to show boobies,” but actually attempts to tell and interesting, complex, and well-crafted narrative. Please.

It would be nice if a publisher would pay for a game like that. I think one problem lies in an underappreciation that an older demographic is going to buy a game. I think most publishers are first concerned with how the 12-16 crowd is going to react to the game. If some older people buy it too then so much the better. Would PS:T qualify as mature? I played it when I was about 30. I got the impression that some of the younger codexians were not as happy with the game or the story. If there has ever been a game that was targeted more at adults than children, it was PS:T. I am trying to remember what people were complaining about that made me think they just had not lived long enough to be able to relate to such a dark character. Or haven't suffered enough in their life maybe. I look at the world very differently from the way I did at 18 and very, very, very differently from the way I did at, say, 12.

I find it interesting that Chris Avellone and VD are both about my age. So if they are making games that they themselves would like to play, it is naturally going to be something that appeals more to an older demographic at least to the extent that it doesn't have universal appeal. VD can do whatever he wants, but MCA has to please a publisher with his game. So he probably cannot just go make whatever kind of game he would most enjoy playing.

 

[quasimodo]

Thought you were going to cite the "he died before he finished that shit" factor. Would King also qualify for that? His collected works are probably even more hazardous.

Pretty much anyone who looks like they got paid by weight.

 

[Darth Roxor]

Funny thing, hereabouts (Pollackistan) there are people who claim that modern literature is anything from 1918 onwards. Althought I admit it's quite a stretch. Still, lotsa stuff from the period in-between the WWs is unmatched to-date, creatively and artistically, like the stuff this Witkacy dude's written (SO I PREACH HIS NAME, INFIDELS - there was a pretty neat translation of his fav. novel of mine, "Insatiability"; one of the chapter titles was translated as "Deflowerfucked". Snazzy. Here - http://www.tinyurl.pl?3l1KRVmn - it's "Sexphyxiation". Also pretty neat, even snazzier).

Witkacy was full of win. At least he was one of the very few honest people who admitted using various, uh... 'herbal helps' when writing/painting.

 

[PrzeSzkoda]

Funny thing, hereabouts (Pollackistan) there are people who claim that modern literature is anything from 1918 onwards. Althought I admit it's quite a stretch. Still, lotsa stuff from the period in-between the WWs is unmatched to-date, creatively and artistically, like the stuff this Witkacy dude's written (SO I PREACH HIS NAME, INFIDELS - there was a pretty neat translation of his fav. novel of mine, "Insatiability"; one of the chapter titles was translated as "Deflowerfucked". Snazzy. Here - http://www.tinyurl.pl?3l1KRVmn - it's "Sexphyxiation". Also pretty neat, even snazzier).

Witkacy was full of win. At least he was one of the very few honest people who admitted using various, uh... 'herbal helps' when writing/painting.

Preach it, brother!

Actually, he was sorta like Huxley in several respects. His vision of the future in the "Insatiation" thingy is very similar to that shown in "Brave New World", although not as explicitly; it's more of a sinister looming thing (coming from China to boot, lawl). And his stance on "herbal helps" was akin to that of Huxley's - whatever drug he was on whilst working on a painting, he made a note of it next to his signature (and he did include everything he ever took, ranging from peyote and mescaline through hash and alcohol, even coffee and cigarettes).

 

[kris]

What is the obsession of someone being original? The important should be to be well written and interesting and you don't have to write about giant hairy midgets that drink blood with their toenails for that.

 

[PrzeSzkoda]

What is the obsession of someone being original? The important should be to be well written and interesting and you don't have to write about giant hairy midgets that drink blood with their toenails for that.

Writing something good would put you in the 10% of decent literature. I'd say that's pretty original.

Besides, giant hairy midgets have been done to death already.