Fat fantasy with maps

[sholio]

When I was accumulating reading material for my anticipated downtime this winter, I came across the Riftwar series (Raymond Feist) in a box of books from my teenagehood in the attic. I've now reread the first one and part of the next, and I just gotta say that while some of my childhood book loves have transferred over well to adulthood, I seem to have had a way higher tolerance for blatantly Tolkein-inspired Fat Fantasy when I was a teenager than I do now. A lot of this is grindingly dull for me now.

I also wonder if this would be marketed as YA now, with the first book's focus on the teenage protagonists' coming of age and first loves.

However, I'm enjoying it enough to keep going, and I still remember my favorite character in these books: Arutha, the brooding prince with the crooked smile. And he's still my favorite, so clearly that much about my tastes hasn't changed in the 30+ years since I last reread these! In fact, while I remember nothing else about the books, I still remember what part of which book in which Terrible Things Happen To Arutha because evidently I reread those parts a lot.

Comments

[sholio]

Yeeeeuuuup, even no further along than I am (which is a couple of chapters into the second book), it's abundantly clear that Our Relatable Heroes are from Fantasy Europe, while Our Mysterious and Incomprehensible Invaders (with their slavery and warlike ways and social structure far too complex for outsiders to comprehend) are from Fantasy Asia. I am not charmed to say the least. :///

(I may skip a lot of this book, which I'm currently finding racist AND boring, but I at least need to read as far as book 3, the book that promises an Arutha-centric plot on the cover which I remember being highly disappointing due to mostly not being about Arutha at all. xD)

HOWEVER. Look at these publication dates:

LOLOLOLOL, I don't know whether to be impressed or alarmed that she's still going. I think I did read the Wurts collaboration Riftwar books back when I was very Read All The Fantasy in high school (but don't remember them now AT ALL) but never read any of her main series despite being vaguely aware of it. I was limited to the contents of Waldenbooks and occasional trips to the library.

[yhlee]

I understand! I will stick it out LONG past what's resaonable either because I want MOAR of a favorite character (or I'm waiting for a character I hate to die, haha). I did not realize that the main Riftwars books had...even more of the racism. :/

Oh gosh, I remember Waldenbooks...;_;

[sovay]

Oh gosh, I remember Waldenbooks.

I worked at Waldenbooks.