@hachi @ArdainianRight @ChristiJunior @rasterman @noyoushutthefuckupdad I've actually never read anything by Ayn Rand. I more aligned with Hoppe and Konkin (though I don't practice Agorism; I just like the idea of the free-market innovating to the point where virtually everyone is self-employed). I don't give a shit what she says. I don't fully agree with what anyone says, including Rothbard, Friedman, Konkin, or Hoppe. That's just retarded.

@xianc78 @hachi @ArdainianRight @ChristiJunior @Rasterman Ayn Rand's "selfishness is good" policy is disastrous. plus she's a really poor writer; no novel needs to be 1500 pages.

Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn did, but that is only because Tad Williams invented five complete languages, wrote up tens of thousands of years of history, and drew dozens of maps that all needed to be added as appendices to the books because it would become way too easy to get confused otherwise.

@Bead @ArdainianRight @ChristiJunior @Rasterman @hachi @xianc78 I take back what I said. that's a level of spergery I can respect.

2,344 pages (not including the appendices)
132 chapters (not including the appendices)
1,121,720 words (not including the appendices)
129 hours and 44 minutes of audio book that are completely confusing because no one translates any of the invented languages, you can see any of the maps, and you have no idea what they are talking about when some random autistic character from a cast of thousands has a couple of expositional lines discussing a historical event that occurred 1000 years prior to the story and which everyone who is in the scene already understands and has no need to extrapolate on.

It walks this insanely fine line of the author being too lazy to explain shit and the author being too chad to bring things down to the readers level. I absolutely loved it when I was a kid.

@Bead @ArdainianRight @ChristiJunior @hachi @xianc78 @noyoushutthefuckupdad What is it about? Is it based and redpilled or cringe and bluepilled?

It is a fantasy story. No deconstruction, no post-modernism, no irony poisoning. It is a the story of a young man who dreams of becoming a hero like those in legends realize that the men in the legends were falible, but that their actions served to make the world a better place.

>Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn takes place on the fictional continent of Osten Ard, home to several united races, including humans, elf-like immortals known as Sithi, and dwarf-like mountain-dwellers named Qanuc. Most of these races have been living in relative unity for decades, thanks to King John the Presbyter (also known as Prester John), who is known to have slain a dragon. When the first novel opens Prester John's health in his advanced age is failing and his sons, Elias and Josua, quarrel over who will ascend to the throne. Meanwhile, a dark secret held by Prester John, and the ambitions of a priest named Pryrates, threaten the stability of the continent. Williams used several characters, both villain and protagonist, as point of view characters throughout the scope of the novels.

>The series primarily follows Simon, a lowly kitchen scullion in Hayholt Castle, as he undergoes tutelage from Doctor Morgenes and is cared for by Rachel "the Dragon", the matriarch of the castle's kitchen and chambermaids. When King John dies, Elias takes the throne with the mysterious priest Pryrates as his advisor; Josua mysteriously disappears and the seasons begin changing, bringing bitter winters and drought-laden summers. Simon, ever the mischievous adventurer, accidentally uncovers some of Pryrates' true nature and becomes wrapped into a conspiracy that threatens not only his country of Erkynland, but Osten Ard itself.

@Bead @ArdainianRight @ChristiJunior @Rasterman @hachi @xianc78 >contains elves and dwarves
this sounds like an annoying fantasy cliche, but I have heard many good things about Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn. I should read it sometime.

@noyoushutthefuckupdad @Bead @ArdainianRight @ChristiJunior @Rasterman @hachi @xianc78 all of Tad Williams's books are good, and they all have the same theme of small guys getting wrapped up in the affairs of weird eldritch powers, whether it's demonic cats (Tailchaser's Song) or immortal elves (these books) or ancient pagan gods who've joined God's side and are just archangels now (The Dirty Streets of Heaven). It's the kind of theme I could imagine coming from a guy who ran away to the big city as a kid and got entangled with gangs, or maybe just a 4-year-old who sneaks onto the wrong bus and has a big adventure trying to get back home. There's some trauma being worked out in these books.

I've read lots of books about elves but Memory, Sorry and Thorn infected me as a child and I'm still infected today. Before microblogging let me say "I just thought of something cool" I would have a human explain it to some of Tad Williams' elves.

Seconding Tailchaser's song. Fairly short read, but lord the world building is insane. It is like Tad Williams hear someone say Watership Down was the best story written about animals and said "hold my beer."

@Bead @ArdainianRight @ChristiJunior @hachi @xianc78 @noyoushutthefuckupdad Sounds great. Now, about the made up languages, are there translations or are you expected to just go with it?

There are dozens of pages of translations for specific phrases, and handfuls of pages describing the rules and syntax of his invented languages.

@hachi @xianc78 @ArdainianRight @ChristiJunior @Rasterman @noyoushutthefuckupdad
>[The Native Americans] didn't have any rights to the land and there was no reason for anyone to grant them rights which they had not conceived and were not using

Let's just say it is very difficult to grant property rights to people.....who don't have to concept of private property to begin with.
Hell, even chimpanzees and gorillas have a better understanding of the concept of private property that the aboriginals ever did.