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<blockquote data-quote="Charles Dunwoody" data-source="post: 9645438" data-attributes="member: 17927">I agree, and I think it is more than that. I know that Sanderson and Abercrombie are good writers. However, I also think that Sanderson and Abercrombie write about themes completely opposite to Tolkien.Evil wins. Sacrifice doesn't lead to victory. Less so in Sanderson's books of course, but still he starts with the victory of evil. But in Abercrombie's world the protagonists kill kids, torture the innocent, and betray the ones they love. The Gandalf like figure in his books is a red herring and is actually the cause of great suffering in the world, worse on a global scale than what Saruman or even Sauron accomplished. I actually find the nihilism and embracing of despair, pain, and loss in The First Law trilogy tiring and depressing.Tolkien wrote about the everyman sacrificing himself to save all and we believe it, because Tolkien saw it. He lived it. Evil doesn't win no matter what modern fantasy tries to get us to believe. Those stories ring hollow which is why Tolkien, being full of myth and poetry and wonder and love of fellow beings and self-sacrifice for the greater good, is so powerful.Tolkien had flaws of course and so did his protagonists. But they didn't celebrate or revel in those flaws. They actively fought against their base natures. And those people in the books that gave in to despair, nihilism, and evil caused great suffering. But even those people could be redeemed or at least end up doing some good in the end. That is a powerful and mythic narrative.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Charles Dunwoody, post: 9645438, member: 17927"] I agree, and I think it is more than that. I know that Sanderson and Abercrombie are good writers. However, I also think that Sanderson and Abercrombie write about themes completely opposite to Tolkien. Evil wins. Sacrifice doesn't lead to victory. Less so in Sanderson's books of course, but still he starts with the victory of evil. But in Abercrombie's world the protagonists kill kids, torture the innocent, and betray the ones they love. The Gandalf like figure in his books is a red herring and is actually the cause of great suffering in the world, worse on a global scale than what Saruman or even Sauron accomplished. I actually find the nihilism and embracing of despair, pain, and loss in The First Law trilogy tiring and depressing. Tolkien wrote about the everyman sacrificing himself to save all and we believe it, because Tolkien saw it. He lived it. Evil doesn't win no matter what modern fantasy tries to get us to believe. Those stories ring hollow which is why Tolkien, being full of myth and poetry and wonder and love of fellow beings and self-sacrifice for the greater good, is so powerful. Tolkien had flaws of course and so did his protagonists. But they didn't celebrate or revel in those flaws. They actively fought against their base natures. And those people in the books that gave in to despair, nihilism, and evil caused great suffering. But even those people could be redeemed or at least end up doing some good in the end. That is a powerful and mythic narrative. [/QUOTE]

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