Because Sam Sykes isn’t just the angriest man alive, he also wants to mess with your head in the worst possible way...
His email...
Dear Bloggers,
I had an inkling for a fun activity to do and wondered if any of you wanted in on it. After perusing your blogs for awhile, I think I've got a pretty keen grasp on your tastes. My proposal to you is this: if you should accept my challenge, I will do my best to find a book I think you will very much despise based on what I know of you. I mean, I will go balls-out offensive if I can. Your task will be to finish and review it and see what happens.
The purpose? To see how set in our tastes we are and to perhaps for me to cause you some mental anguish.
My response (upon realising that he never emailed me)...
How come you didn't pick an offensive read for me? I'm a blogger, I want to be offended dammit!
Cheers mate :o)
Graeme
Bits and Pieces of subsequent emails from Sam (once he realised I’d never read anything by Terry Goodkind)...
No Goodkind, you say? That might be nice, given that he's basically an industry bogeyman. If you've never been exposed to the reasons for the hatred surrounding him, it might be good to do a "clean read" so to speak.
It's either that or something super girly.
Having read a Laurell K. Hamilton fairly recently, I went for the Goodkind...
Well, undoubtedly you're familiar with the legacy of woe surrounding Goodkind, right? If I were to hand it over to you, I'd want to see if, as the legends say, he actually was good at some point before he went all loopy. Could you think yourself strong enough to judge the book based solely on its literary merit?
I said ‘yes’ of course :o)
Wizard's First Rule! Show us if Goodkind was the savior of humanity!
So then, that’s the task in front of me... Is Goodkind the saviour of humanity or is everything that I’ve read online about him completely true? I will tell you once I’ve read ‘Wizard’s First Rule’ (second hand copy on the way to me courtesy of Amazon). ‘Wizard’s First Rule’ is one of those books that I feel like I’ve already read, even though I’ve never gone near it, because of the amount of discussion that it generates here and there online. It’ll be interesting to see what it’s really like, wish me luck...
You poor, poor soul! I'm starting to think that Sykes actually treated me well! :-p
ReplyDeleteGood luck.. and don't...err, die?
ReplyDeleteLOL!
just kidding, I know you'll be fine...
...
I hope.
Can't wait to read the outcome :)
What is the general opinion of Goodkind? I have my own gripes, but would be interested in hearing the consensus.
ReplyDeleteOh, and Graeme, I think you'll be ok, it's not until the later books that the series becomes a vehicle for Goodkind's thinly veiled political rants.
You poor, poor man!! Mr. Sykes is a cruel taskmaster lol
ReplyDeleteA girlfreind once forced me to read Wizards First Rule..... I did as dumb boyfreinds do to please their girlfreinds...... Luckily we split up before she made me read the second one...... It was that bad honest !!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteWhat an interesting task.... can't wait to read your review of that book.
ReplyDeleteI read Wizards First Rule years and years ago. I remember really enjoying the book. However, I believe that the rest of the series got way out of control, mundane, preachy and boring.
ReplyDeleteI think if you remain open minded you might even find some enjoyment in this read!
Good luck, Graeme. If you can make it through the first book you'll be doing better than me. I got about half way through Wizard's First Rule before it turned into a wallbanger.
ReplyDelete