[-*spilt milk*-]

velcum celebrian.... :D
i love cats :D
nd itz dead cool how ur a twin. :D
btw- i found out my elvish, dwarf, nd human name off this lord of da rings site... cnt remember wot mine was tho....
o- nd celebrian's from da appendices, init?? :confused: she gets attacked by orcs or sumat??

[soon2b_author]

hiya,
i jst signed up 4 this forum coz i only just found out about it!!!

im an aussie all da way and luv the pellinor series

[Alassė]

hey nice to meet you

[alison]

Hi Alasse - Celebrian's twin! Nice to have a pair of elves here. And welcome too soon2b_author -

A bit busy today so I doubt I'll get to your questions, but maybe tomorrow... :D

[Evil Agent]

Hi. :)

I'm Evil Agent, I'm 26, I live in Vancouver, Canada, and I've never read these books. I'm fairly well-read in Fantasy (Eddings, Feist, Tolkien, Hobb, Martin, Erikson, Jordan, Goodkind, Williams, LeGuin, King, Brooks, Weis and Hickman, Kay, Lewis, Donaldson, Rowling, Pullman), but I get the impression these books are sort of YA (Young Adult).. is that correct? I also get the impression that there's a heavy love story element.

I could be completely wrong though. :p

Now, hopefully this doesn't make everyone angry, but I have to voice my dislike of the name Pellinor... All I can think of is that it sounds exactly like the Pelennor Fields, from Lord of the Rings!

Ok, that's all from me. :D

[alison]

Hi Evil Agent - yes, they are YA books - at least, marketed that way in the US and the UK, if not here in Oz - although they do have many adult readers. The name Pellinor comes from Morte D'Arthur and is said differently from the Pelennor Fields, where the emphasis is on the second syllable, not the first. You are free to dislike it, of course. But do dislike it for the right reasons. Perhaps you should read the books first before making judgements.

As for the romance - they are romances in the old fashioned sense (ie stories of adventure etc) but the romantic element is more at present in the desires of the fans than in the actual stories ;) - I shall duck at this point. There is certainly no heavy emphasis on a romantic story. They are character-led stories, which is I suppose why people are so interested in the characters and what they might possibly do. A review I got in the post yesterday from the Bulletin of the Centre for Children's Books puts it this way:

"An epic tale both like and unlike Tolkien's "lord of the Rings"...Croggon paints her characters with a more lifelike brush than Tolkien used - though participating in an epic tale set in a fantasy world, the cast members display a quotidian side to their personalities that makes them appealingly realistic. Via these characters, mystery, prophecy and conspiracy unite to create an exciting story told in a sophisticated blend of poetic and demotic prose that is often shot through with humor and wit. Like Tolkien, Croggon makes ample use of original poetry couched as bardic texts - her excellent pieces mimic Beowulf and other ancient epics as well as haiku. ...the first is a projected quartet, this Australian import is high fantasy of high calibre."

[Evil Agent]

Hi Evil Agent - yes, they are YA books - at least, marketed that way in the US and the UK, if not here in Oz - although they do have many adult readers.I do admit that I read YA books, including Harry Potter and His Dark Materials... Maybe it's because they remind me somewhat of the Chronicles of Narnia, which were my introduction to Fantasy when I was 12.The name Pellinor comes from Morte D'Arthur and is said differently from the Pelennor Fields, where the emphasis is on the second syllable, not the first. You are free to dislike it, of course. But do dislike it for the right reasons. Perhaps you should read the books first before making judgements.I stand corrected. :)
Good point though, about making judgements... Maybe rather than dislike, I should have said it 'vexed' me. But your explanation was pretty good. ;)

Nice blurb, by the way. The poetry aspect sounds interesting.

[alison]

Thanks, EA. It was a nice review, and arrived with a bunch of other nice ones on my birthday (yes, guys, I am 43!!! Just one year past the Meaning of Life!) which seemed all very auspicious... :D

[Evil Agent]

yes, guys, I am 43!!! Just one year past the Meaning of Life does that mean you've figured out the Ultimate Question yet? ;)

Anyway, I'm starting to accept the aging process..moving towards 30. But I actually think/hope that my 40's will be some of the best times.

[alison]

Yep. The Ultimate Question is, Why????

For me, turning 40 was a blast, and so far I'm having the most fun ever. I didn't go to Venice or Iceland until I was 40. I'm meeting fabulous people. &c. So I like it...