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 Author | Topic: EPT Novels (Read 727 times) |
Finarvyn
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« Thread Started on Dec 5, 2007, 9:09am » | |
I found the first two EPT novels by MAR Barker (Man of Gold and Flamesong) and am hoping that reading them will give me a better feel for the world of Tekumel.
For anyone who has read these, did I choose well? (Logic tells me that the first ones should be the best, but sometimes that doesn't work out.)
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greentongue
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« Reply #1 on Dec 5, 2007, 9:50am » | |
I liked them.
I found them easy to use for getting the feel of the world but then I knew some about EPT before reading them.
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calithena
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« Reply #2 on Dec 5, 2007, 11:20am » | |
Man of Gold is almost everyone's favorite Tekumel novel. My second choice is Lords of Tsamra, which also features Harsan. The others are rich in world information but not quite as good as stories IMO (although they're more readable than a lot of the horse puckey on the shelf at Borders etc.).
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Epengar
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« Reply #3 on Dec 5, 2007, 12:34pm » | |
You chose well. In addition to the two you've got, the three more recent ones were released by an amateur publisher (one of Barker's players). As Calithena says, they are not as good as stories, and they are not nearly as well edited as the first two were.
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badger2305
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« Reply #4 on Dec 5, 2007, 1:53pm » | |
Quote:| You chose well. In addition to the two you've got, the three more recent ones were released by an amateur publisher (one of Barker's players). As Calithena says, they are not as good as stories, and they are not nearly as well edited as the first two were. |
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Actually, there's at least some question as to the amount of editing either Man of Gold or Flamesong really received. Don Wollheim's acceptance method was "if I get to the end of the manuscript, I'll buy it" (or so was reported to me by various members of the NY publishing establishment). It's possible that they were edited, but Prof. Barker's relationship with Wollheim goes back a LONG way, and Phil never cottoned to being edited very closely (look at S&G if you doubt me).
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coffee
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« Reply #5 on Dec 5, 2007, 2:48pm » | |
Quote:| You chose well. In addition to the two you've got, the three more recent ones were released by an amateur publisher (one of Barker's players). |
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I almost took exception to this, until I read it again.
But I work for the company that printed these later books, not the publisher (who very well may be amateur, for all I know). (It's a print on demand shop that I work for, so we get all kinds.)
I have Prince of Skulls and A Death of Kings, as well as the two volumes of the Mitlanyal (book of gods).
I tried reading one of the novels, but couldn't get past the language. Perhaps one of these upcoming long winter nights I'll give it another try.
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alvahardison
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« Reply #6 on Dec 5, 2007, 3:39pm » | |
I've read all 5 books. "Man of Gold" is a very good introduction giving a person without access to the Swords and Glory V1 Sourcebook enough background info to use for a game or whatever. "Flamesong" is the better of the early 2, while "Lords of Tsamra" and "A Death of Kings" (in that order) were the best of the modern 3. "Prince of Skulls" is, IMHO, lame when compared to the others but still worth having and reading.
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foster1941
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« Reply #7 on Dec 5, 2007, 5:31pm » | |
I've got copies of both Man of Gold and Flamesong kicking around somewhere, but haven't gotten around to reading either one yet. They're on the list, but not particularly near the top and it's a very long list...
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Finarvyn
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« Reply #8 on Dec 5, 2007, 10:18pm » | |
Quote:I'd like you to think that I was brilliant in my selection, but actually I had been looking for Man of Gold on e-bay (since it was the first written) and happened to find a single auction with MoG plus Flamesong. I figured, "what the heck" and bought the combo......
Brillance by accident? 
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thorswulf
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« Reply #9 on Dec 5, 2007, 11:15pm » | |
Maybe I just have good used book stores and paper back exchanges in Olympia. I have seen at least 5 copies of Man of Gold this year! I liked Flamesong better than Man of Gold myself. I have wondered why Barker never wrote a story during Nayari's reign. Then again it probably would be to *ahem* explicit.... A fun read though!
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grodog
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« Reply #10 on Dec 8, 2007, 10:18pm » | |
I only know of Man of Gold (which I don't own), and Flamesong (which I do). What other EPT novels are out there (and what about short stories, other than those on the tekumel.com site)?
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Epengar
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« Reply #11 on Dec 8, 2007, 11:20pm » | |
grodog, there are three more novels: Prince of Skulls, Lords of Tsamra, A Death of Kings. They have been published by Zottola Publishing, which is run by one of Barker's players. Their website hasn't been updated in years, but it has some information about each of the novels in the Products section. Click on cover icons to see more:
http://www.zotpub.com
I don't know of any short fiction that isn't on the tekumel.com site. You've seen the "Visitations of Glory" pages there, I hope.
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grodog
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« Reply #12 on Dec 10, 2007, 8:16pm » | |
Thanks epengar, that's just what I was looking for 
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Rhuvein
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« Reply #13 on Dec 22, 2007, 8:10pm » | |
I've got to get these ~ add to list. I'll guess that eBay might be a good way to buy!
Haha, will you look at that? Just bought one on eBay for $3.40!
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Thorulfr
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« Reply #14 on Jan 3, 2008, 2:44pm » | |
Personally, I liked Man of Gold a little better than Flamesong; the earlier book gives one a better feel of the current culture(s) and political situation on Tekumel, while Flamesong gives you a whirlwind tour of some of the stranger byways of the planet, giving you a disturbing sense of the sheer antiquity and staggering variety of the place.
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