Welcome to the market, gaming industry. Nearly every market of this kind "suffers" from this scenario. The gaming industry isn't _losing_ money; it just isn't making 100% profit. Poor babies. Used items for sale are just another matter of "overhead" that every company which sells a physical product has to deal with. (and I don't want to hear that crap about software not being such; piracy is a completely different issue.) No one makes 100% profit. There's no reason for them to start complaining just because they have to play by the same rules as everyone else.
Imagine if the automobile industry started making the same claims, that used car dealers were not right because everyone should buy a new car. Gee, that makes sense.
this book being reviewed. For a long time I've held it as the very best sci fi book I've ever come across; I can't even count the number of times i've read it over the years (another that comes close is "Omnivore" by Piers Anthony, another oldie).
Yama is one of the coolest characters, along with the demon lord (Taraka, was it?). The overall characteristics/personality/beliefs of the demons was really interesting. But Zelazny's integration of Sci Fi and religion was the real masterpiece of this novel (yes, I suppose I'm repeating a lot from the review, but whatever...).
Zelazny was such a unique and versatile author; I've never read anything by him that wasn't likeable. The whole Amber series (how many were there?) was just fantastic.
If you like Sci Fi and haven't read Zelazny (especially this book), then you are missing out on something great.
"there's been nothing new under the sun in Fantasy for so long - Tolkien said it all"
I'd like to agree with on this, being a hardcore Tolkien fan. However, there is a reason why it would seem this way and not actually be.
The problem is that you've setup your perspective of the fantasy genre in the image of Tolkien's works; you've made tolkien the basis for the category.
How could any author write something that will live up to the expectations of this perspective without actually being a Tolkien book?
There are many works out there that could be considered the equal to Tolkien's (or superior), so long as you broaden the scope of your expectations.
Tolkien will always be the best, if you expect every great fantasy novel to be his.
I agree with the Piers Anthony statement (read "Omnivore"), but what could he possibly do, short of copying Tolkien's style?
Slashdot Mirror
...whiners.
Welcome to the market, gaming industry.
Nearly every market of this kind "suffers" from this scenario. The gaming industry isn't _losing_ money; it just isn't making 100% profit. Poor babies. Used items for sale are just another matter of "overhead" that every company which sells a physical product has to deal with. (and I don't want to hear that crap about software not being such; piracy is a completely different issue.)
No one makes 100% profit. There's no reason for them to start complaining just because they have to play by the same rules as everyone else.
Imagine if the automobile industry started making the same claims, that used car dealers were not right because everyone should buy a new car. Gee, that makes sense.
this book being reviewed. For a long time I've held it as the very best sci fi book I've ever come across; I can't even count the number of times i've read it over the years (another that comes close is "Omnivore" by Piers Anthony, another oldie).
Yama is one of the coolest characters, along with the demon lord (Taraka, was it?). The overall characteristics/personality/beliefs of the demons was really interesting. But Zelazny's integration of Sci Fi and religion was the real masterpiece of this novel (yes, I suppose I'm repeating a lot from the review, but whatever...).
Zelazny was such a unique and versatile author; I've never read anything by him that wasn't likeable. The whole Amber series (how many were there?) was just fantastic.
If you like Sci Fi and haven't read Zelazny (especially this book), then you are missing out on something great.
amosley
"there's been nothing new under the sun in Fantasy for so long - Tolkien said it all"
I'd like to agree with on this, being a hardcore Tolkien fan. However, there is a reason why it would seem this way and not actually be.
The problem is that you've setup your perspective of the fantasy genre in the image of Tolkien's works; you've made tolkien the basis for the category.
How could any author write something that will live up to the expectations of this perspective without actually being a Tolkien book?
There are many works out there that could be considered the equal to Tolkien's (or superior), so long as you broaden the scope of your expectations.
Tolkien will always be the best, if you expect every great fantasy novel to be his.
I agree with the Piers Anthony statement (read "Omnivore"), but what could he possibly do, short of copying Tolkien's style?