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Dear God - Athans Allowed to Write Again!

Discussion in 'Booktalk' started by Taluntain, Jan 24, 2004.

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  1. Taluntain

    Taluntain Resident Alpha and Omega Staff Member ★ SPS Account Holder Resourceful Adored Veteran Pillars of Eternity SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!) New Server Contributor [2012] (for helping Sorcerer's Place lease a new, more powerful server!) Torment: Tides of Numenera SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!) BoM XenForo Migration Contributor [2015] (for helping support the migration to new forum software!)

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    Philip Athans, the man responsible for writing probably the worst books I have read in my whole life (Baldur's Gate 1 & 2), is being allowed to ruin another book - Annihilation, book 5 of the War of the Spider Queen series. The title is tragi-comically fitting, for I have no doubts he'll manage to annihilate the series single-handedly.

    Here's the link to the book at Amazon.com.

    The other editors at the WoTC book department must all be brain-dead from the attack of Athans' mind-flayer mercenaries to allow him anywhere near another novel, let alone one in a decent series.
     
    Taluntain, Jan 24, 2004
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  2. fade Gems: 13/31
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    I think I will reply for most of SP.


    *sigh*


    How many are in the series total? Will the 5th one be the last one? Wait, what am I saying, after he writes it, it WILL be the last one. No one will want to read them anymore, so they won't have anymore. Kind of a low point for an ending eh?

    *sighs again*
     
    fade, Jan 24, 2004
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  3. Taluntain

    Taluntain Resident Alpha and Omega Staff Member ★ SPS Account Holder Resourceful Adored Veteran Pillars of Eternity SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!) New Server Contributor [2012] (for helping Sorcerer's Place lease a new, more powerful server!) Torment: Tides of Numenera SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!) BoM XenForo Migration Contributor [2015] (for helping support the migration to new forum software!)

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    No, I know there'll be at least one more after that. Not by Athans.
     
    Taluntain, Jan 24, 2004
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    [​IMG] Nice one, Tal.

    Annihilation indeed. :D :D

    By Bhaal, Athans is one of the worst writers I've ever read.

    And I'm pretty lenient when it comes to FR/D&D books.
     
    Shura, Jan 25, 2004
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  5. chevalier

    chevalier Knight of Everfull Chalice ★ SPS Account Holder Veteran

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    I didn't read the BG1&2 books in full, for obvious reasons.
     
    chevalier, Jan 25, 2004
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  6. a soubriquet Gems: 5/31
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    Eh, yeah, he is pretty bad. It won't kill the series, though, if everyone thought the other ones were very good.

    There's supposed to be one more written after Annihilation, which will be Resurrection by Mel Odom.

    I just hope Salvatore intervenes, somewhat, with Athan's book.
     
    a soubriquet, Jan 25, 2004
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  7. casey Gems: 15/31
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    Maybe we could all find a way to kill him and make it look make it look natural? there's always dreams...
     
    casey, Jan 25, 2004
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  8. Taluntain

    Taluntain Resident Alpha and Omega Staff Member ★ SPS Account Holder Resourceful Adored Veteran Pillars of Eternity SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!) New Server Contributor [2012] (for helping Sorcerer's Place lease a new, more powerful server!) Torment: Tides of Numenera SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!) BoM XenForo Migration Contributor [2015] (for helping support the migration to new forum software!)

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    Taluntain, Jan 25, 2004
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  9. Shura Gems: 25/31
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    Hmmm. Although Paul Kemp is a fairly good writer, as seen in his Erevis Cale trilogy, I think that even he will not be able to redeem the mess that Athans will make of the series...
     
    Shura, Jan 25, 2004
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  10. Arabwel

    Arabwel Screaming towards Apotheosis Veteran

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    *hits the wall with her head*

    Damn, I like that series!

    Seeingf as I have yet to be exposed to Athans' so-called writing, I dread the day I get that book in my hands....
     
    Arabwel, Jan 26, 2004
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    I have yet to read those books. Can anyone bear to say what he did that was so horrible? Or will the painful memories break you all?
     
    Mystra's Chosen, Jan 30, 2004
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  12. david w Gems: 19/31
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    His standard of writing is slightly less accomplished than that of your average chimpanzee* and that's just being kind. Truthfully, he has got to be the worst writer the world has ever seen and why he's been allowed to write again after what a mess he made of BG1 & 2 is a mystery I doubt even Holmes could get to the bottom of.

    If people got arrested for poor standards of writing, Athans would have spend his entire adult life behind bars. Which, when you think about it, might not be a bad idea...


    * Sorry if I offended any chimpanzees there.
     
    david w, Jan 31, 2004
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  13. Apeman Gems: 25/31
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    I knew it from the beginning, sadly I read the first ones anyway and now I'm kinda hooked, with the knowledge that it will be screwed.

    Let's hope someone keeps a very close eye on him.
     
    Apeman, Feb 2, 2004
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  14. Scythesong Immortal Gems: 19/31
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    I've read BG1. I find item descriptions in BG2 better works overall.
     
    Scythesong Immortal, Feb 2, 2004
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    I was actually looking forward to getting into that series and now I will have to give it miss :cry:
     
    Sarevok•, Feb 3, 2004
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    He hasn't even released it yet and you all jump to conclusions just like that? :rolleyes:

    Well sure the BG books blew big time and I only needed to read the sample chapters from SP to know that, but maybe he had a legit reason for it?
     
    casey, Feb 4, 2004
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  17. Scythesong Immortal Gems: 19/31
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    I wasn't judging the man, but his book. Maybe the new one will be good - or a complete turnabout, in fact.

    And I know several Starcraft players who would have made award-winning fanfic authors given BG1.

    [ February 04, 2004, 15:19: Message edited by: Scythesong Immortal ]
     
    Scythesong Immortal, Feb 4, 2004
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    Come on guys, you got to give that guy some credit. he probably took on all his shattered ego together to come up with yet another story.

    And if this one stinks still, I say, to the pike goes his hiney!
     
    Zephyr Angel, Feb 4, 2004
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  19. david w Gems: 19/31
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    Casey, a legit reason for making the BG books suck? Do you mean in the sense that the publishers came to him and said:

    Publishers: "Phil, mate, we've got this series of games that everyone loves to death and we want YOU to write some books for it."

    Phil: "Me?"

    Publishers: "Yep, you. We want you to be the person to bring Baldur's Gate to the literary world."

    Phil: "Great. I'll make it an epic, sweeping masterpiece; it'll have wonderfully detailed characters; villains with depth and believability; a style of writing that humbles Tolkien-"

    Publishers: "Nah. We want you to write it crap."

    Phil: "Crap?"

    Publishers: "Sure. We don't want people to read these books and like them. We want people to read them and think 'hey, this Phil Athans. He must be the world's worst writer!' You think you can do that?"

    Phil: "Well... sure. But wouldn't you prefer me to write something good?"

    Publishers: "You'd think so, wouldn't you? But nope, we want crap and so we came to you."

    Phil: "You came to the right bloke."


    Is that the sort of thing you had in mind? :p
     
    david w, Feb 4, 2004
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  20. Taluntain

    Taluntain Resident Alpha and Omega Staff Member ★ SPS Account Holder Resourceful Adored Veteran Pillars of Eternity SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!) New Server Contributor [2012] (for helping Sorcerer's Place lease a new, more powerful server!) Torment: Tides of Numenera SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!) BoM XenForo Migration Contributor [2015] (for helping support the migration to new forum software!)

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    Actually, the mystery is much more complicated. This abomination of a writer is one of the WoTC book editors.

    I suspect he must have something in his contract which is forcing them to allow him to write the crap that he does. Either that, or he's got enough power there to force his way into writing novels. Because I can't imagine anyone sane contracting him to do any writing.
     
    Taluntain, Feb 4, 2004
    #20
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