The Hall of Fire

I will say two things, the first generally applicable, the second more particular to the Sil, in the hopes of getting us back on track. 1) Predestination vs. free will is solely a matter of point of view; that is, whether one exists in time or not. We do, and so for us--choice and free will are nece...

I actually preferred Daniel as a main character, BTW. For one thing, he actually developed over the course of the story, whereas Jack is inalterably Jack from beginning to end.

But Eliza is better than both.

Read the cycle and the Cryptonomicon. Stephenson is a strange and interesting cross between Heinlein and Michener. Lots of the larger-than-life-and-more-accomplished-than-you-will-ever-be heroes like the former, genuine historical sweep like the latter. He can't write a sex scene to save his life, t...

I'll wait. And you know, considering how long it's been at this point since I've read the books, I'm having way too much fun pontificating about them. Thanks.

I should say, to be picky, a TYPE of Christ, that is, a fictional character whose story parallels, even invokes, that of the incarnation, but without it actually BEING Christ. It's a particular term of literary criticism (and theology for that matter). JRRT would never have made any of his character...

I think one of the reasons the Valar at least appeared to have messed up as often as they did was that they didn't really GET evil. But then how could they? I always think of the Music of the Ainur as being sort of like the opening of the fourth movement of Beethoven's Ninth. A theme, Melkor's rejoi...

Having been raised in an anti-Catholic fundamentalist household, in a city predmoninated by good Irish and German Catholics, I admit to having rather more knowledge of internacine Christian strife than I would like. ;) Anti-Catholicism has old roots in the US, dating back to anti-Irish nativists in ...

Yes, I am questioning (though a latecomer to the discussion) whether it's a mistake. There is no question it had some unfortunate and painful repercussions. But in order for it to be a mistake, either those repercussions must be worse than what would have happened otherwise (unknowable) or have no b...

Even the wise cannot see all ends...including the results of decisions born of love. I don't question that suffering came of the summons to the Quendi. But is all suffering bad? The very best traits of elf and man were only brought out by being in the very worst extremes. But is it worth the cost?

Ah, but how do you know you aren't being stealthily illuminated at the same time?

yovargas--
You can do both if you're insanely good, or perhaps lucky.

jnyusa-
I find Eco's comment interesting in light of his own foray into the field, Foucault's Pendulum. A far better book on conspiracies than Brown's, but still at heart a CT book.

The core of the story, at the personal level (as opposed to the national), is the usurpation by Ar-Pharazôn of the woman who would have been ruling queen (Míriel? I forget all those names) and the forced marriage he used to take the throne. That's the one that has to be made to matter, I think.

Lest we forget...while the bonds to our own world are strong in JRRT's work, it is, in the final analysis.. get ready... wait for it... you know what's coming... FICTION. :D Which means if there isn't a way out of the paradox, IT'S OK. No one's immortal soul is at risk because of it. Except maybe CJ...

In the same way that an anti-Semite will find justification in any goofy thing done by the Prime Minister of Israel. Yes. One of the most unfortunate trends I have seen is the confusion of Judaism, the Jewish people, and the State of Israel, in the minds of anti-Semites and supporters of Israel ali...

As I see it, making claims that the historical factoids in one's book are true is part of the process of giving it plausibility, which is a necessary thing for non-fantastic literature, and most especially for conspiracy theory stories. For me that is sufficient explanation of Brown's couching of te...

It isn't that hard to see the Christ-story as a hero's journey, Ath. There are at least echoes and sometimes clear inclusion of pretty much all of Campbell's criteria there. Depending on which gospel you look at, John the Precursor, John the Apostle, or Peter could be the close friend (the Enkidu ro...

Queen B: I agree. There is a blending of the mead hall and the trenches in JRRT's villians, of the dehumanized and the all-too-human. In a way, though he would probably hate me saying so, it's a very modern look at which evils we can stomach being in human form and which we can't...or can we? What a...

It's a nice day for the...white rider...

That alone should tell you something.

KS, you've put your finger on the underlying reason why the flower stuff and the stiff end of the poetry get to me...the uber-Victorian sensibility they both convey. Quite a bit of the Sil suffers from it too, but not the best parts...the Nin i Hin Húrin of course pops to mind. When JRRT pushes THRO...