You know, thinking about the "fall of Honor Harrington" as I said in my last post, I'm reminded of the fact that so many of my favorite authors have begun to "lose it."
Tom Clancy: Done lost it.
L.E. Modesitt... getting into a severe repetitive rut.
David Eddings... fading fast
Raymond Feist: On life support
David Weber: midair over a shark.
This does seem to point out the fact that what's even harder than writing interesting books, is to keep drawing stuff from the well that's fresh and interesting.
Take Modesitt... still the author I look forward to the most. The sad part is that he's so deep in a rut. You see it in all of his Spellsong books, all the Corean, and most of the Recluse books. The hero learns who he is, and what his powers are. Fights a desparate battle against forces that badly outnumbers him/her... usually at a nasty cost, both in friends dead, but also in terms of what it does to their body (blindness, et al). They keep getting asked to do more and more, and eventually manage to win out at the end.
You know, my favorite "bit" of Modesitt is still the way that Lerris "discovers himself", not in using his powers, but in becoming a woodworker. That's something you just don't see any more.
It makes it all the more impressive when you consider authors who have a long series of books that haven't "fallen apart".... too bad it's hard to name many.
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