Kiwis rule - but only if it's ok with the rest of you

[threemonkeys]

Aotearoans take note - the following from Russell Kirkpatrick's Blog -
"I've been told by my US publisher that my debut novel, 'Across The Face Of The World', is the US's best-selling debut fantasy/scifi novel of 2008."

Compare that to the rather poor sales his work has had at home. I guess the ol' cultural cringe is alive and well. Perhaps we should give him more awards to compensate.

Comments

[cat-i-th-adage.livejournal.com]

I tried the book.

You know those beautifully drawn, detailed maps at the start? The story walks the reader across every damn foot of them.

Coupled with a generic plot and characterics that I didn't particularly like (didn't dislike 'em mind, but they weren't charming), and I got maybe a third of the way.

Kudos for gorgeous covers and wonderful evocative titles though.

[threemonkeys.livejournal.com]

I'm sure Russell will appreciate that you were prepared to try it.

Of course traversing the maps was the point when he first started writing - Russell being much more obsessed by maps than mere storytelling.

[stephanie-pegg.livejournal.com]

Good for him.

Sorry, I stopped reading three volume fantasies a while ago. I saw part of one of his talks back when the first one came out, and I thought the sheer scope of the maps was mind-boggingly cool, mind.

[threemonkeys.livejournal.com]

No need to apologise for not reading big epic fantasy. At most all I'm after here is to encourage people to spread the word about Russell to people who might read such book.

[russellk.livejournal.com]

I'm also very cool with it, the not-reading I mean, or the part-reading. The reviews of my early books are mixed. Some like them, others - usually experienced fantasy readers - feel they have read it all before. I just wrote what I wanted to read: in 1986, when I started, there weren't so many BFF's out there.

Thanks for having a crack at it, and thanks Ross for the mention.

[littenz.livejournal.com]

I started with the second "trilogy", and found it went against a lot of the cliches. Good to see maining and death to central characters in book 2 (or 5 if you will).

Must admit to being out of the habit of reading multi-volume epics. They got too predictable and cliched. That said, I am really looking forward to volume 3 of "Path of Revenge" to the extent I might even forgive a volume 4 in the series.