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Violanthe
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PostREVIEW: Heroes Die

Posted: Thu Oct 26, 2006 12:37 pm
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Our newest article on ARWZ is my review of Heroes Die by Matthew Stover.

You can read the review here:

https://www.arwz.com/zinereviewVIO40.php

So, has anyone else read this book? Do you agree or disagree with the review? Have you read any other titles by this author? What's your take on those?
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Last edited by Violanthe on Thu Nov 09, 2006 2:21 pm; edited 1 time in total
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DougGogerty
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Posted: Thu Oct 26, 2006 5:00 pm
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Of course, I have read it. (It's Frameshift law I believe...) I would agree with your assessment for the most part.

I did not particularly care for Pallas Ril in this particular story. It is just me, I know. It is not that she wasn't a really well done character or anything. It is just that I did not find her likeable. So, it is actually a good thing...
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Violanthe
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Posted: Thu Oct 26, 2006 5:47 pm
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I suppose she isn't meant to be particularly likeable in this one. Mostly because she's feeling rather negatively toward Caine for a lot of the book. But it was her negative feelings toward Caine that I found so well done.

That's what I think is part of the problem with the misconception of what it means to "write women well". They have to be strong and likeable according to so many folks. In general, I think that likeable character are overrated.
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DougGogerty
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Posted: Wed Nov 01, 2006 4:04 pm
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I fully agree that she was written well. Not all women should be June Cleavers. It is one of the things I like about the story is that he was not afraid to put unlikeable characters in the book. In fact, very few characters in the book were completely likeable. They were real and had depth.
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Violanthe
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Posted: Thu Nov 02, 2006 10:17 am
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I'm quite a fan of unlikable characters myself. Underused in SFF.

And Matt Stover is hugely under-read. While the R-rated quality of the books does limit their readership, people who like adult fantasy should move this book to the top of their reading lists. I would say this book is a must read for any fantasy fan - providing they aren't faint of heart.
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Violet "Violanthe" Kane
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DougGogerty
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Posted: Thu Nov 02, 2006 6:03 pm
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Agreed! It has something for everyone. It just didn't have enough killing! (joke)
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Violanthe
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Posted: Tue Nov 07, 2006 7:07 pm
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I'm really shocked that the Caine novels haven't gotten wider-spread attention. Do you think that the graphicness of some scenes is off-putting to a larger audience? It seems like that's what people are looking for in modern fantasy, though.
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Violet "Violanthe" Kane
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DougGogerty
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Posted: Wed Nov 08, 2006 1:10 pm
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I think some of the language he uses is a bit too much for some. There is a lot of swearing in the book and I think that puts some readers off. It is hard to recommend a book with so many references to goat fornication.
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Violanthe
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Posted: Fri Nov 10, 2006 6:44 pm
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Well, at least MWS has the goat fornication market cornered...

Seriously, though, isn't the SFF reading public hungry for shocking, disturbing and gritty storytelling? Just look at GRRM. Does Stover go too far? Does the crossover aspect turn people off? I just can't understand, for the life of me, why more people aren't reading these books.
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