2. Daniel Abraham Discussion

[Philip Overby]

Number 2 on the Top 100 list is Daniel Abraham. I haven't gotten a chance to read him much, but I do own the first book in the Long Price Quartet A Shadow in Summer. From what I read, his world was very unique and not typical fantasy fare. He's also known to be a protege' of George R.R. Martin. His second series The Dagger and Coin Quintet has also gotten a lot of praise. He's also responsible for writing the comic version of A Game of Thrones. His novel Leviathan Wakes was a finalist for the Hugo Award, one of the biggest awards in fantasy. I'm interested to see where Abraham goes next as he he's been publishing short stories and novels for over ten years now.

Any thoughts about Daniel Abraham?

 

[Steerpike]

I didn't think I'd read his work, but after looking him up it appears I have read one. It was Hunter's Run. I don't remember much about it, to be honest, and I haven't read anything else by him.

 

[PaulineMRoss]

He's one of my favourite authors, possibly *the* favourite. I regard his Long Price Quartet as the finest fantasy series I've read to date, although it has its flaws. The Dagger and the Coin series is three fifths of the way to being another fine series. He also co-writes the Expanse sci-fi series (as James S A Corey) which is fun and gets rave reviews from people who read a lot of that sort of thing (which I don't). And as M L N Hanover he also writes an urban fantasy series, the Black Sun's Daughter, which is also fun in a fluffy sort of way. Yes, the guy's prolific as well as good.

 

[Philip Overby]

I picked up A Shadow in Summer from my book shelf as I was waiting for my computer to start up again (stupid Window's update) and yeah, it's really something different. I think I could pick any other random books from my shelf and I would see other similar fantasy tropes in each one. But I can't think of anything that really compares to this series (that I've read so far.)

 

[kayd_mon]

While walking the shelves at B&N, looking to spend my giftcard, his book The Dragon's Path caught my eye, and after a quick scan, I bought it. It's probably #2 or #3 in my queue of books to read.

 

[Ophiucha]

I've read A Shadow in Summer. I found some of his descriptions to be a bit hazy, unclear, and he's definitely got a few weaknesses when it comes to the writing. He can do flowery well, but some of the tighter moments get a bit lost. But his worldbuilding is creative and I appreciate a story that feels close to the characters. I really liked the people, and the story wasn't bogged down by wandering away from them too often for me to ever get a good feel for the guys. Plus, it's got a steampunk vibe, which is a setting I tend to enjoy.

I don't know if it's convinced me to read his other works, but it was definitely interesting enough that I'd read the second one if I ever see it in the library or on sale at Chapters.

 

[Bluesboy]

I know only his The Dagger and the Coin series. I like it and dislike it at the same time. While the characters are good and I can relate to many of them, because Abraham is interested in the same things as me (based on the themes he has in this specific series), but the world of TDatC seems underdeveloped to me.

For me, in order to really like any fantasy series, the lore and history of the world have to be rich. There are numerous instances where Abraham references past events, but you feel that the world really was created just to provide a setting for this book series and thus he developes only the bare bones with little meat on them that he needs and ignores the rest. That, in my opinion, cheapens it, because I get the feeling that with all his other writing projects, this is "just another series" for him, to be written as quickly as possible so that he can move on to the next thing. Seems very mechanic or at least without dedication or passion.

So I both like it and dislike it. Depends on your taste I guess.