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An annoyance
Jan. 8th, 2010 11:32 amSo I've just started Brian Sanderson's Elantris, and I'm a little annoyed. The concepts are very interesting, although the writing is just a hair, I don't know, clunky. Dealable, though. But the names are getting really annoying. There's the character Raoden, another character Elao, the country Teod, the magical process Shaod, the inversion of the magical process (I think? very badly introduced) Reod, the floating magical balls Seon...what the hell's with the vowel+o combo that this guy can't get over? I can't figure out how he wants any of these pronounced, and so my brain comes to a screeching halt every time I hit one. And at least one shows up probably at least once per paragraph, so it's like being in a stick-shift car with a novice driver, stalling out every ten feet.
Also? Too many made-up words. Way, way too many made-up words, dumped in together too quickly without good enough explanations of what any of them are. I'm willing to grant one or two made-up terms that characters toss around casually and the reader gradually understands the meaning of. But he doesn't explain very many definitions, or doesn't explain them for chapters. And there are dozens. There's a magical city, two different kinds of magical transformations, a system of magic, magic intelligent floating balls, at least two or three religions (one of which's god appears to have at least three or four names or maybe I'm confused because he hasn't explained anything), the priests, acolytes, warriors, rituals, and accoutrements of said two or three religions (actually, there might be only one, or more than three, again with the lack of explanations)...and each of these have their own made-up names, almost none of which have been clearly defined. Oh, and multiple languages, which people will drop one or two "foreign" words of into conversations. Without defining them.
And almost every made-up word has two random vowels pushed against each other. Usually one's an o. I haven't hit the double or triple o yet, but I know it must be lurking, waiting for me to become complacent. And I bet he wants you to pronounce it "Hroo-oh-oother" or something.
Seriously, dude. I'm going to put a ban on introducing any more words until you've defined the ones you've used in the first three chapters, ok?
Also? Too many made-up words. Way, way too many made-up words, dumped in together too quickly without good enough explanations of what any of them are. I'm willing to grant one or two made-up terms that characters toss around casually and the reader gradually understands the meaning of. But he doesn't explain very many definitions, or doesn't explain them for chapters. And there are dozens. There's a magical city, two different kinds of magical transformations, a system of magic, magic intelligent floating balls, at least two or three religions (one of which's god appears to have at least three or four names or maybe I'm confused because he hasn't explained anything), the priests, acolytes, warriors, rituals, and accoutrements of said two or three religions (actually, there might be only one, or more than three, again with the lack of explanations)...and each of these have their own made-up names, almost none of which have been clearly defined. Oh, and multiple languages, which people will drop one or two "foreign" words of into conversations. Without defining them.
And almost every made-up word has two random vowels pushed against each other. Usually one's an o. I haven't hit the double or triple o yet, but I know it must be lurking, waiting for me to become complacent. And I bet he wants you to pronounce it "Hroo-oh-oother" or something.
Seriously, dude. I'm going to put a ban on introducing any more words until you've defined the ones you've used in the first three chapters, ok?
