So this week I’m still reading the original Shannara trilogy, having just finished up Elfstones and moved on to Wishsong:
As previously mentioned, Elfstones was quite a bit better than Sword, although as epic fantasy it’s still not quite up to the level of, say, the “Fionavar Tapestry” or (*cough*) “Strings“. But the writing was a lot tighter, the plot was better, the main characters were (mostly) less annoying, and, crucially, the bad guys were way, way smarter. All of which portends well for Wishsong, which starts on a nice fall day.
A change of seasons was upon the Four Lands as late summer faded slowly into autumn. Gone were the long, still days of midyear where sweltering heat slowed the pace of life and there was a sense of having time enough for anything.
Ah, yes, I remember days like that. We called it “summer vacation”. And speaking of summer vacation, the current and I hope final round of editing on Father’s Books (which takes place over the course of several days in August — see? Summer vacation!) continues apace. In the scene I’m currently on, two of the main characters are taking a little walk in the upstate New York woods, where one of them can’t help but mansplain a little.
“This is Coffee Creek” Ozzie said. “So named for the color. Tannins leaching from fallen leaves.”
“I’m familiar with tannins,” she said.
Tannins: Not to be confused with the Lost City of Tanis. Otherwise, you’re digging in the wrong place.
Viscosity 