Saladin Ahmed's discussions

"Saladin Ahmed (you probably don't know him, but his book sounds pretty cool)"

I know that guy. He's a jerk. (More seriously, you'll love Howard's book, which is wonderful.)

No, I don't remember that. Because, since its inception, book publishing has excluded some voices and overemphasized others. The idea that there's ever been a level playing field where great books thrive regardless of 'external identifications' is...erroneous.

Leaving aside the implicit assumption that 'great' writers will be likely to be white and male, exactly 0 people mentioned above are proposing anything vaguely like 'a Maoist style cultural revolution.'

Anyone can publish a book, but a whole slew of factors ensures that some authors get more attention (and thus more sales) than others. The idea tha all good books have an equal chance in the market is a fantasy.

I was really hoping some folks would post lists in comments! Thanks!

"Vote with your dollars" Read more

1) By tearing out my hair - and maybe making a private wiki for my world, as some doorstopper-writers I know have done. Read more

The mix of 'experience levels' will continue, but even our younger characters will soon be forced to develop even thicker callouses on their souls. Read more

Cheers, and thanks for reading!

Hm. I'd almost say that I *use* sword-and-sorcery to after *epic* fantasy's baggage. Gritty old hero instead of fresh young one. Putting the East at the center (weirdly, I'd argue Conan was more 'Eastern' than LotR, for exapmple). Short book versus long book. Working-class heroes instead of noble princes. Etc.

I've sold two sequels, and am working on them now. They will expand in scope in terms of geography and plot threads, veering closer to epic fantasy - while still maintaining a sword-and-sorcery core. Ninjas, crusades, renegade dervishes, and the Queen of the Djenn! Read more

For me it came naturally. I'm pushing up on 40, and have always had a streak of grumpy old man. The motives and rives of teenagers aren't really what inspire me to write. Read more

I probably had a bit of a head-start as far as knowing a bit more about various Islamic cultures than the average fantasy writer, but I still had to do a ton of research. A few sources included 1) Lifting plebian details from the 1001 Nights, which merges its fantastic tales with very mundane 'realistic' details… Read more

Hey folks. I'm the author of the Salon piece. Thanks to those who ACTUALLY READ the article, and for the (mostly) thoughtful responses. Read more

FWIW, while my talents aren't anywhere near GRRM's, I have in fact written my own fantasy novel. And some folks (incl io9) have dug it: Read more

Well, hey, happy Monday to you, too! Glad we could keep things nice and grown-up here!

Nowhere in the actual article does it say 'White people are universally good in Tolkien.'

FYI, I do talk about the Summer Islanders in the actual Salon article.

Article author here ::waves:: Read more

Thank YOU for reading!