The Infernal City

GrimHarvest · Post by **GrimHarvest** » Fri Dec 04, 2009 5:45 am

Has anyone read this yet? I got mine in the post today but I won't be reading it for a few days once I finish what I'm reading already (Belgarath The Sorceror). I'm looking forward to it but I do have a few pre-read gripes about it.
It seems a little clichéd plot wise: A floating city of evil, a group of unlikely heroes, one of which is a teenager who might be the only one who can save the land.
I realise a group of heroes is a staple of fantasy but the games have all been based around a solitary hero/heroine and maybe the book should have been too. It's a little hard to have dialogue with one person though.
Also I'm a little irked at the size of it. It cost me eight quid and looks like I'll have it read in a couple of hours.

The Infernal City and an unnamed follow up are supposed to link Elder Scrolls IV and V but would you like to have seen a novel based on the games themselves. For folk like myself that have only really played Oblivion, Novels of the first three (or so) games would be really good. What do you think?

fable · Post by **fable** » Fri Dec 04, 2009 9:49 am

Since this isn't about Oblivion, or even games, I'm moving the thread from the Oblivion forum to SYM.

galraen · Post by **galraen** » Fri Dec 04, 2009 10:13 am

Has anyone read this yet?

I certainly haven't, and I won't be. I have zero interest in what some scribbler thinks may have happened between the death of Helseth, and Nerevar seizing control of Morrowind and breaking away from the evil empire, and the final days of the empire as outlined in Oblivion.

SupaCat · Post by **SupaCat** » Fri Dec 04, 2009 11:11 am

I always wonder about the quality of the writing of books based on RPG's, I certainly wonder when it's from Bethesda. While I always liked the story of the Nerevar (so much backgroundstory

), I'm afraid that Bethesda doesn't care anymore about backgroundstories (as seen in Oblivion).
And if there is a story about the reign of the Nerevar, I'll certainly be interrested, but I would probably just re-read the first 3 Dune books, as I'm sure I'll more fun with that.

What did ever happen to the Nerevar?

fable · Post by **fable** » Fri Dec 04, 2009 12:18 pm

SupaCat wrote:I always wonder about the quality of the writing of books based on RPG's...

Third rate hacks who are willing to accept bottom feeder wages in exchange for following what amounts to dictation for what/how to write, plus no percentage of the sales. What's not to like?

What did ever happen to the Nerevar?

No one knows. He/she nerevar showed up again.

dragon wench · Post by **dragon wench** » Fri Dec 04, 2009 8:44 pm

fable wrote:Third rate hacks who are willing to accept bottom feeder wages in exchange for following what amounts to dictation for what/how to write, plus no percentage of the sales. What's not to like?

So I gather it's near the top of your Amazon Christmas list.. only superseded by your ardent desire to purchase Going Rogue ?

fable · Post by **fable** » Fri Dec 04, 2009 9:13 pm

dragon wench wrote:So I gather it's near the top of your Amazon Christmas list.. only superseded by your ardent desire to purchase Going Rogue ?

You got it!

Just keep in mind that 1) this holds true for nearly all company "commissioned" novels, which have really dragged down the fantasy market in the last 20 years or so, and 2) it's the opinion of a lot of writers, too.

Ethelle · Post by **Ethelle** » Mon Dec 07, 2009 10:08 am

GrimHarvest wrote:Has anyone read this yet?

I didn't and I'm not going to. People have already told me the general outline of the novel, and as far as I can see, it doesn't go in the direction I would like Tamrielic lore to go. Lore was completely throttled down into the mud and pissed on by mudcrabs when Oblivion came out, and it seems Bethesda is determined to spoil things even further (that is, in my selfish opinion, anyway). No, I'm just going to be bitter and moan about how everything was better during the time TES3 was released, though I'm going to keep my voice down, lest I spark another one of those pointless Morrowind vs. Oblivion debates.