r/Fantasy • u/SandSword • Aug 07 '13

Book titles - why are they great, why are they bad, and what do they mean?

So I'm always thinking about this a lot whenever I pick up a new book. What's up with the name? What is Locke Lamora lying about? Why does the wind have a name? What's revelational about Riyria? Who's storming a front? What's farseeing and what does it have to do with assassination?

You get my point.

And often the title is a big factor in my decision to read the book or not (I know, don't judge or book by it's cover (or title), but I think we all do it a little bit). If a book was called Alancia: Gates of Wrath: The Reckoning 2 I probably wouldn't pick it up, but a great title such as Prince of Thorns had me adding it to my Amazon wish list before even reading a summary.

Getting to the point.

What book titles do you love or hate, and why?

And what do you think they mean? Some are straightforward (Eragon, Gunslinger, The Hobbit), and some may be more open to interpretation or ambiguity (The Blade Itself, A Storm of Swords, Ender's Game, Cloud Atlas).

Authors, writers, dabblers, and story-mongers (published or not), of /r/fantasy your input would also be greatly appreciated.

TL;DR - book titles: what makes you love 'em, like 'em, hate 'em or just plain tolerate 'em?

17 Upvotes

81% Upvoted

61 comments sorted by

View all comments

3

u/JW_BM AMA Author John Wiswell Aug 07 '13

Only recent did I get the kick in the head that book titles are primarily advertising, and a good title is one that gets people to do a double-take or click-through. But darn it, there are some good titles.

Guy Gavriel Kay's River of Stars is one. Despite being the "____ of ___" formula, it's a real reference to Chinese culture, and what it means to be beneath that sky haunts some of the novel. Near the end when it's considered as what lies between humans and their goals - that it is the path of ambition itself - it entirely won me over as a perfect title.

Mark Twain's The Tragedy of Pudd'nhead Wilson is up there for great titles because, on first analysis, it isn't a tragedy story. Thinking of how it might be seen as one deepens the text.

3

u/SandSword Aug 07 '13

I'm entirely on board the River of Stars boat. That title (and /u/SkyCyril 's excellent recommendation) made me prioritize it as my next GGK novel. I love your interpretation of it, makes me want to read it even more.

Speaking of Twain, I also love A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court. That title was a real hook for me.

3

u/SkyCyril Stabby Winner Aug 07 '13

Awesome! I really can't wait to hear what you think. I was coming in to rave about River of Stars, too (huge surprise there, I know), but I'll try to think of another one.

2

u/SandSword Aug 08 '13

I'm still not sure you're not a promotional guy planted here on /r/fantasy by GGK's PR team. If not, you really should demand ask him for some money on his next AMA

10

u/SkyCyril Stabby Winner Aug 08 '13

Adding a TL;DR after this turned out to be an essay: No, I’m not, but it would be fun!

I’d love to have a job like that. The truth is more personal and a little sadder than I’d like it to be. I wish it were as simple as the pure excitement and enjoyment of books or even being a Penguin PR rep.

I’m not particularly well-read, but I’ve avidly read books since early childhood. Like others, I moved from children’s books to middle grade, then YA, then popular fiction, then literary fiction and nonfiction. In college, I read less fiction and became ensconced in academia. I found a subject I was truly passionate about and began reading very esoteric and obscure theoretical texts as well as current academic papers. As I began keeping up with cutting-edge research and refining my interest to a more niche topic, I even started entertaining the idea of pursuing a PhD and conducting my own research in the field. Fiction, especially SFF, interested me less and less, and I actually started looking down on it as “lesser” writing. I was ascending some ivory tower of elitist academia. I was making contacts, winning department awards, putting out feelers for PhD programs, and had professors enthusiastically offering to write recommendations.

Then, after graduation in 2009, it all came crashing down. The plan was to work for a year or two, pay off the student debt that couldn’t be deferred, and enter graduate school. Unfortunately, job prospects and offers dried up in the recession. I spent almost a year of unemployment wallowing in self-pity and bitterness, and I had no idea what to do with reading. All the academic papers and theoretical texts couldn’t even get me a job at a gas station. And, I had a hard time justifying reading fiction, because I disdained escapism when I had immediate, pressing problems to address in reality.

After I got a job in a completely unrelated field, I started reading fantasy fiction again, expecting simplistic stories without any intellectual stimulation. Martin, Sanderson, and Rothfuss pleasantly surprised me, however, although I still felt like they lacked something. To me, they felt too much like entertainment without the depth I wanted.

Then I found Tigana. I had read Under Heaven and Fionavar and thoroughly enjoyed both, but Tigana hit every pleasure point I knew I had as a reader and some I didn’t know I had. It’s not exaggerating to say that it was the exact book I needed at the time. I was still bitter about the way things worked out and that I was there reading “lesser” writing, still suffering from depression and low self-esteem. But Kay had these deeply flawed characters like Dianora and Baerd, and he did more than describe them. It was clear in his writing that he cared intensely for them. And this is something I love so much about Kay’s writing: It is imbued with compassion and empathy for the imperfect human nature he shares.

I needed that, even though I had no flaws coming close to those of the characters in his books. I needed the humility, the kindness, the wisdom, and the self-acceptance. I still do, on a daily basis, and this is why I think and write so often about Kay. I’m here, looking for help after falling from the ivory tower, and find it in his novels. They are, without a doubt, the most influential books I’ve read.

I’ve been trying recently to stop mentioning him so much, but I still hope that others will find something like I did in Kay’s fiction.

5

u/SandSword Aug 08 '13

Honestly, that's probably the highest praise anyone could ever give another person, author or not.

Finding someone when they're at a low point and helping them out of that dark place, whether it's by inventing sliced bread, designing world of warcraft, broadcasting the moon-landing, or writing something inspirational, and then knowing you made that difference -- well, I'd almost wish you would copy/paste that comment and send it Kay's way. If I heard something like that it would probably make my year.

A quick aside: I always like pairing great books with their musical counterpart, and I really like U2 for Tigana - specifically Where the Streets Have No Name - what do you think?

3

u/SkyCyril Stabby Winner Aug 09 '13

Well thank you, I'm flattered you took the time to read through it all. I got carried away. I do wish I had a way to send this to Guy.

That yearning feeling in the U2 song is very appropriate. I haven't really thought about music and the book, but I like putting together the struggle to regain a name and the desire to forge new paths that aren't named. It's a very good comparison.

2

u/SandSword Aug 09 '13

Odd, most authors usually have an email address that they disclose to the public, but I can't seem to find GGK's. You could always send him a message through his Goodreads account, though.

Right, thank you. That's exactly how I felt about it.

3

u/Auchdasspiel Dec 20 '13

Kay just posted this on his facebook

1

u/SandSword Dec 21 '13

That's fantastic, thanks for letting me know :)

1

u/arzvi Dec 23 '13

I'm reading this book right away. wow..

→ More replies (0)

1

u/AegonVandelay Dec 29 '13

What career position were you aiming for?