I have to say this is probably some of the worse writing I've waded through in some time. The number of foot notes alone are enough to drive you nuts. The story itself is reasonably interesting, and the characters are ok, if a little shallow. The main attraction of the series is the strange worlds that the series is set in. The sheer uniqueness of them is enough to keep some interest alive, but not enough to justify 7 books. When I finally finished the series my principal reaction was. "That was kind of pointless". Over all I would recomend a PASS on this series.
Posted by odd at November 24, 2002 01:04 AMI don't think you should be reading fantasy books, because Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman are incredible writer's, and if you dont like the Death gate novels, you should go to hell. How dare you tarnish the death gate novels you sick fuck! you fuck yourself!
Posted by: Rudy on February 19, 2003 01:27 PMwrite me back
Posted by: rudy on February 19, 2003 01:28 PMI'm twelve years old and am on the sixth book in the death gate cycle. I'm also a lord of the rings fan and this is the first series that actually rivals it. I think that a lot of fantasy fans would agree that this is a great series, Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman are excellent writers, and that you are an old hag who has no interest in a good fantasy novel. GET A LIFE LOSER!
Posted by: ??? on September 9, 2003 08:53 PMBoth Tom and I agree the series rivals the Lord of the Rings quality and that if you do not like the series: GO to Hell.
The characters in the Death Gate Cycle are far from shallow. The main characters in the book experience dynamic changes and the supporting characters evolve through a series of events on their home planets.
As for your idea that the books were "pointless" do you have no soul? did you not read the books? are you fucking blind? or maybe slightly remedial?
Come on, you need to re-read everything.
If anyone is shallow and pointless it's you.
Posted by: Janelle & Tom on October 22, 2003 11:45 PMLook, Your allowed to think what you want but if you think thoose books were the worst writing you have read you must not read much im not a reviewer or any thing but i picked up the book(the first one) at a yard sale and i loved it and am soon going to get the others.
P.s. you tell him Rudy
Posted by: Daniel Dawkins on November 5, 2003 01:17 PM Okay, look, YOU. Of course some of the characters are shallow: They're mensch! They're supposed to be individually shallow but deeply profound as separate races and even more so as a body of mensch. The Patryn and Sartan, on the other hand, are individually very deep and well defined, while as races, they have little motivation or character.
I think, odd, that the big thing that you are missing is the symbolism. Each aspect of the different worlds represents something within our world and within ourselves. The Death Gate Cycle is what, in the NON-radical literary world, we would call a *concept* series. Which means that the content and characters fulfill a philosophy. They are a means to explanation, teaching tools, if you will, of some greater purpose, ideal or intellection. I explain all of this with depth:
1. Because my definiton may differ from yours
2. Because it is entirely possible that you have no idea what the bloody flaming smock your talking about.
Well, thank you for posting my comments. I hope that you don't except any postive reinforcement as far as flaming the DGC. . . If so, have several methods of suicide ready and on hand, for I don't think that anyone could withstand that kind of rejection.
"Because, sometimes, Death is preferable to life."
-Haplo, Chelestra, Serpent Mage, vol.4 of the DGC-
For Frane. Always for Frane.
---[]Addison[]---
Post Script- What fantasy -would- you prescribe as pointful? Shannara?
BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!
Yo, Odd! Are you EVER going to read your own boards, dude? Or is it that your mindless rabble of a topic (which seems to have been formed as logically as choosing two discarded Snickers wrappers with "Death Gate Cycle" on one and "Loathing" on another) cannot stand up to my superior writing and arguements? Well, good luck with that, fella.
---[]Addison[]---
I agree with Rudy! You shoud go to hell if you
don't like The Death Gate! You say it's Pointless,
obviously you didn't understand what you were reading! How dear you insult the Death Gate!!!
As a HUGE fanasty reader I have to say that the death gate cycle are an extremly engaging read, i would go to say they are more interesting then the Dragon Lance books (yes all of them!!!) They are for the older reader, they are intelligent and they have messages again complacancy in the instution, acceptance of others and they are thought provocing, if all books were of this standard then the fanasty genre would be the best of all. (Please excuse any incorrect spelling, i'm a reader not a writer)
Posted by: Geri on May 11, 2004 07:22 AMI find it very interesting that someone did NOT like this book series. I have read it over 7 times now, and I can't get enough of it. The only fantasy books I have spent more time on are The Wheel of Time, and this is because those books are a bit on the long side... The characters in Death Gate are AMAZING! You might want to look up "Shallow" in a dictionary before you use that word to describe them. My favorite part is the good vs evil aspect. At first it's ALMOST clear that you have "good" (Sartan) vs "evil" (Patryn). By the end though, you realize that no race is better than the other, but each has its flaws and its good sides (hmmm, I guess that is a rather pointless idea to express though). The arrival of the Serpents is a beautiful way of showing the inner evil that is within everyone. We all have our demons, and I believe Death Gate Cycle has a way of exposing a physical entity that defines this inner evil in all of us. Way to Go Weis and Hickman!