Fable lad, Salvatore bein' a bad writer?

fable · Post by **fable** » Wed Jun 20, 2001 2:50 pm

Kayless writes:
Fable, You gotta give Tolkien credit for orcs at least. Whether you want to say that Hobbits were created by Oscar Wiggerstomper of Maine in 1879 is your prerogative.

Oh, Tolkien created hobbits, alright. But the orc itself is adapted from the old Teutonic kobold (not the modern AD&D version), while Tolkien got their name from a medieval story I read a while back. (In fact, another story in that collection has a king whose name is Gandalf. Heh.) He was quite an antiquarian, and proud of that fact.

Gwalchmai · Post by **Gwalchmai** » Wed Jun 20, 2001 2:57 pm

Don't read this if you don't want then end of a book spoiled for you.

So, here I was, inspired by this thread and in a book store just an hour ago. I thought that I might check out this Salvatore guy seeing as how I had never read him. So I picked up a book (I forget the title) and opened it to very near the end, maybe the last chapter. I read that a female character sees someone with whom she has just spent the better part of the book having adventures, and had grown quite fond of him in the process. She shouts his name, and two people turn around! One a large ranger (her buddy), the other a red-headed guy (a stranger). The stranger says, “Do I know you?” etc. Everyone quickly explains that the ranger has used the red-head’s name throughout the whole mess due to the fact that he is none other than the Prince of Everything and he didn’t want anyone ‘to be knowin’ it.’ He is apparently even a Greater Hero and a Better Person than anyone had previously thought, least of all the woman.

Having read this, I suddenly had NO desire to find out what had transpired earlier in the book and I resolved to never pay actual money for the book. Have I misinterpreted this fairy tale, soap operatic ending? Or can I correctly guess basic character developments and storyline from reading this one page?

[ 06-20-2001: Message edited by: Gwalchmai ]

Kayless · Post by **Kayless** » Wed Jun 20, 2001 3:06 pm

Originally posted by fable:
Oh, Tolkien created hobbits, alright. But the orc itself is adapted from the old Teutonic kobold (not the modern AD&D version), while Tolkien got their name from a medieval story I read a while back. (In fact, another story in that collection has a king whose name is Gandalf. Heh.) He was quite an antiquarian, and proud of that fact.

No, actually Hobbits were created by Oscar Wiggerstomper in his novel ‘Faeries in my Neighborhood, Pixies in my Pants”. It was self published and only five copies exist today. Some guy from Atlanta had one on the Antiques Road show.

Seriously, the orc thing is debated by those with much more knowledge then I in the Grey Havens web site. They seem pretty confident that the word orc comes from a term used in Beowulf. They're actually fairly nonpartisan about Tolkien, but they're still likely to rip an argument to shreds, burn the rubble then p*ss on what’s left (these guys know everything remotely related to Tolkien).

fable · Post by **fable** » Wed Jun 20, 2001 8:27 pm

Kayless writes:
Seriously, the orc thing is debated by those with much more knowledge then I in the Grey Havens web site. They seem pretty confident that the word orc comes from a term used in Beowulf. They're actually fairly nonpartisan about Tolkien, but they're still likely to rip an argument to shreds, burn the rubble then p*ss on what’s left (these guys know everything remotely related to Tolkien).

I avoid fanatics of all stripes, including Tolkienians. They're rabid.

Nippy · Post by **Nippy** » Thu Jun 21, 2001 2:15 am

@ fable

I can't beleive you wrote that, 1826 words long. Man, were you on a mission or just writing an essay!

fable · Post by **fable** » Thu Jun 21, 2001 10:31 am

Nippy writes:
I can't beleive you wrote that, 1826 words long. Man, were you on a mission or just writing an essay!

Right in one: a mission from God.

Nippy · Post by **Nippy** » Thu Jun 21, 2001 1:07 pm

Originally posted by fable:
Right in one: a mission from God.

He he not bad, would that be Oghma (knowledge God) j/k

fable · Post by **fable** » Thu Jun 21, 2001 1:18 pm

@Nippy, I'm not that knowledgeable about runes, so probably Hermes.

[ 06-21-2001: Message edited by: fable ]

Kayless · Post by **Kayless** » Sun Jun 24, 2001 3:38 am

Originally posted by fable:
I avoid fanatics of all stripes, including Tolkienians. They're rabid.

Have you ever played Simon the Sorcerer? It's an older computer game but it's hysterical. There's a point when Simon comes across a Golum impersonator who talks about the Tolkien Society. “You’re mad!” “No, we just worship Tolkien.”

fable · Post by **fable** » Sun Jun 24, 2001 11:53 pm

Heh, @Kayless, it's been a longtime since I played one of Steve Meretzky's graphical adventures! They were fun, though--shame the market seemed to be shrinking for that traditional kind of game in the US. I reviewed Space Bar, his last, about four years ago. Attractive game, but very linear, with all the usual get this and put that kind of thing. Didn't do well, unfortunately. I'll always remember his Leather Goddesses of Phobos.