Epic Pooh

Epic Pooh is a 1978 article by the British science fiction writer Michael Moorcock, which reviews the field of epic fantasy, with a particular focus on epic fantasy written for children. The article has proven controversial amongst fans and writers of fantasy literature, particularly for Moorcock's critique of J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings.

Moorcock criticises a group of celebrated writers of epic fantasy for children, including Tolkien, C. S. Lewis, and Richard Adams. His criticism is based on two principal grounds: what he sees as the poverty of their writing style, and a political criticism. Moorcock accuses these authors of espousing a form of "corrupted Romance", which he identifies with Anglican Toryism. The defining traits of this attitude are an anti-technological, anti-urban stance which Moorcock sees as ultimately misanthropic, that glorifies a vanished or vanishing rural idyll, and is rooted in middle-class or bourgeois attitudes towards progress and political change.

The title arises from Moorcock's argument that the writing of Tolkien, Lewis, Adams and others has a similar purpose to the Winnie-the-Pooh writings of A. A. Milne, another author of whom he disapproves: it is fiction intended to comfort rather than challenge.

Moorcock's essay has drawn criticism for its portrayal of the themes in The Lord of the Rings and Tolkien's other works. Epic Pooh accuses Tolkien of glorifying war, preaching "cowardly self-protection," avoiding the subject of death, and forcing a happy ending upon the reader.

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: RevolutionSF - Epic Pooh : Feature

I am not a big fan of fantasy (I love good sci fi though). However I enjoyed the Hobbit and the first book of the trilogy, but felt that it was too repetitive after that. I much prefer CS Lewis.

I know how you feel about online books but I found an amazing selection today, just googling around around looking for the "Starship Troopers" novel.

I thought that everything under a certain age was copyrighted but there were hundreds of popular novel's available, including C S Lewis's, for free download.

I doubt I could read a full length novel online though.

The Burgomeister's Books: Truly free ebook download library (#1)

I doubt I could read a full length novel online though.

There are a lot of people that feel this way about reading off a computer screen and now that I have seen several models of e-book readers (IMHO they suck even when they use e-ink which many don't), I do not feel threatened. E-book readers are too expensive, as of now, and fine for certain uses, but I'm guessing that it will be many years before they are as comfortable to read as paper books. Despite all the hype, they still have a long way to go.

The only thing I am afraid of is publishers conspiring to stop the sale of new paper books (because they make much less profit on them). However, so far, they have still not really caught on as anything more than trendy toys and the way things are going, getting rid of traditional books does not seem very likely.

Just discussed it with my neighbour who knows everything about the internet etc (he's Dutch ) and he said that

"If you buy a book, you can only read it on the kindle. You cannot transfer it. Worse if they have a dispute with a publishing company they can kill your book online and remotely remove it from the kindle."

Personally I think a book lover will stick to books, I'm downloading a few Peter O'Donnell graphic...alright, comics... books at the moment but I don't consider them "books", and they are almost collectors items in hard copy these days anyway.

In my experience, anyone who paid $300 for one of the gadgets will insist that reading them is more fun that mainlining heroin, but if I paid $300 for one, I would read the lousy thing even if light reflects off the screen and it is difficult to read the print. 

My know all neighbour just said pay the extra and get an iPad, you can do all sorts of other stuff and they are also far better to read on.

I agree that the iPad is a much better deal, but it does not use e-ink so is the same as reading off a computer screen. I want an I Pad for watching movies and surfing the net while traveling, but not for reading books. 

Just discussed it with my neighbour who knows everything about the internet etc (he's Dutch ) and he said that

"If you buy a book, you can only read it on the kindle. You cannot transfer it. Worse if they have a dispute with a publishing company they can kill your book online and remotely remove it from the kindle."

Personally I think a book lover will stick to books, I'm downloading a few Peter O'Donnell graphic...alright, comics... books at the moment but I don't consider them "books", and they are almost collectors items in hard copy these days anyway.

UG and all the usual suspects had a discussion about this a while back on the CM forum,

I'm firmly in the against camp. Your neighbour is right about the kindle not being able to transfer books. Is Peter O'Donnell the Modesty Blaise guy?

Personally as I get older I find most modern fiction that is recommended turns out to be pretty poor I've recently finished the Reluctant Fundamentalist and The White Tiger which were raved about by the critics and in my opinion were way overrated.

Crime and Historical fiction are the only two genre's that I think are improving fiction wise, I thought the Stieg Laarson Millennium books are amazing.

So most of the time I'm back on the non-fiction, currently reading The Looming Tower by Lawrence Wright which is a history of the last 50 years or so of radical Islamism that led to the destruction of the twin towers. It's a great book that reads like a good thriller.

Yeah, O'Donnell is the MB guy. He wrote a series of books that were good fun to read as well as the comic strip. They are sadly in need of re-publishing.

I agree with your thoughts on modern literature, I regularly read the book section of "The Weekend Australian" and frequently become excited when a new book receives glowing reviews. When I finally get my hands on a copy it turns out to be pretentious crap, the review is just the Aussie literature scene old boys (and old girls) club taking care of their mates.

I liked the last few Cormac McCarthy novels. He has changed his style quite a bit and for the better.

Memoirs of a Geisha by Arther Golden was enjoyable.

High Fidelity by Nick Hornby might have been his best.

Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts always gets great reviews (but have not read it yet).

I like anything by Bill Bryson, but he only writes non-fiction. 

I have read anything by the first four, Bill Bryson is the King of Travel Writers. I intend to start on McCarthy one day.

I currently read a lot of Crime Thrillers. James Lee Burke is my favourite, closely followed by Michael Connelly.

A recent happy discovery is Brit writer Val McDermid, who writes like a bloke. (I looked at her bio, that's not all she does like a bloke either ).

I have read anything by the first four, Bill Bryson is the King of Travel Writers. I intend to start on McCarthy one day.

I currently read a lot of Crime Thrillers. James Lee Burke is my favourite, closely followed by Michael Connelly.

A recent happy discovery is Brit writer Val McDermid, who writes like a bloke. (I looked at her bio, that's not all she does like a bloke either ).

If you like gritty crime, try Stuart Macbride. Scottish chap who bases his books in Aberdeen. Outstandingly dark

I have read anything by the first four, Bill Bryson is the King of Travel Writers. I intend to start on McCarthy one day.

I currently read a lot of Crime Thrillers. James Lee Burke is my favourite, closely followed by Michael Connelly.

A recent happy discovery is Brit writer Val McDermid, who writes like a bloke. (I looked at her bio, that's not all she does like a bloke either ).

If you like gritty crime, try Stuart Macbride. Scottish chap who bases his books in Aberdeen. Outstandingly dark

Cheers mate, I've made a note. I'll ask my Mum too, she's a big crime thriller fan and I always leave their house with half a dozen books.

I love James Lee Burke, his Dave Robicheaux novels are at the top of their class for dark.

I have read anything by the first four, Bill Bryson is the King of Travel Writers. I intend to start on McCarthy one day.

I currently read a lot of Crime Thrillers. James Lee Burke is my favourite, closely followed by Michael Connelly.

A recent happy discovery is Brit writer Val McDermid, who writes like a bloke. (I looked at her bio, that's not all she does like a bloke either ).

If you like gritty crime, try Stuart Macbride. Scottish chap who bases his books in Aberdeen. Outstandingly dark

Cheers mate, I've made a note. I'll ask my Mum too, she's a big crime thriller fan and I always leave their house with half a dozen books.

I love James Lee Burke, his Dave Robicheaux novels are at the top of their class for dark.

You will really enjoy Macbride. All of the cops over here think his work is well worth the effort.

 I intend to start on McCarthy one day.  

I was not crazy about his earlier stuff, but there is one that I have heard good things about, but have not yet read. it is not part of his trilogy. I can't think of the name offhand.

Sadly Thailand is not yet covered but for those elsewhere, check out Free delivery worldwide on all books from The Book Depository

Started by a chap from Amazon, they offer good prices and FREE delivery to places like OZ, HK etc.

No connection with them, but highly recommend their fantastic service, for those who love books !!!!

I am at the moment reading a hard back version of all the Winnie the Pooh books. What i took for granted as a kid has found me laughing out loud now!!

I love those old books by A.A. Milne. I still have my original copies from when I was a child. The books are over 60 years old. I have memorized about a dozen of his poems from "Now we are Six" and recite them to my grand kids. My daughter has newer copies and they are still popular. Good writing transcends time.

That brings back so many memories. I have my mum's copy of Now We are Six somehwere. It is the copy she used when teaching primary school kids.

I have an eclectic bunch of different novels and short stories in my library... besides all my reference books on fishing, hunting and art.

I hate to admit it, but I'm fan of Maeve Binchy. I guess I'm trying to get in touch with my feminine side. However, I do prefer Binchy's short stories to her novels.

Being a kind of macho male, I like Robert Ruark's books: Something of Value, Poor no more, Uhuru and the Honey Badger. Of course, Ruark was really just loosely writing about his own life. Hemingway did the same.

I've got a bunch of novels by Len Deighton, Tom Clancy, Jeffry Archer and James Mitchner. However, I've been told that some of those guys had ghost writers do some of the writing and the famous guys just signed their name to it.

If you enjoy pets, then James Herriot book of dog stories is great. They made a television series after his stories.

Another book I read several times was The Big Sky by A.B. Gutherie.

If you want to read a great, true adventure book, then find a copy of West With the Night by Beryl Markham. She grew up in Africa and knew all the famous people of Africa's glory days. If you saw the movie "Out of Africa" with Meryl Streep and Robert Redford, then Beryl Markham was part of that gang.

I discovered Ruark when I was about 16 and couldn't wait to start work so I could buy (more) guns and head for Africa, stopping off in the American South to catch fish on the way. Neither eventuated which was probably appreciated by various fish and animals.

Ruark is totally out of fashion now, his books are hard to find, been out of print for years. He epitomised what a lot of people despised about the hairy-chested male writer/correspondent of those times. Shooting some endangered animal while groping a blonde with one hand, clutching a double bourbon with the other with a foot firmly planted on the neck of one of the local n***ers.

Still great fun to read though!

"A suitable boy" by Vikram Seth (no it's not gay) and Rohinton Mistry's books are well worth reading.

Indeed, A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry is much beloved. I fully intend to get around to it some day. 

"A suitable boy" by Vikram Seth (no it's not gay) and Rohinton Mistry's books are well worth reading.

I read Seth's biography about his aunt and uncle and really enjoyed it.

And am also a huge Bryson fan, he's not strictly a travel writer, I plan on getting dictionary of troublesome words and the shakespeare biography when I go to the US this summer. Its difficult finding his less popular books. I loved his language books; Mother tongue and Made in America

"Cutting for Stone" by Abraham Verghese. A story of Indian doctors in Ethiopia written by an Indian doctor who was bought up in Ethiopia and who's now Professor of Medicine at Stamford. A really excellent novel.

"Cutting for Stone" by Abraham Verghese. A story of Indian doctors in Ethiopia written by an Indian doctor who was bought up in Ethiopia and who's now Professor of Medicine at Stamford. A really excellent novel.

Blimey, he sounds like one tough ( and bright ) cookie.

"Cutting for Stone" by Abraham Verghese. A story of Indian doctors in Ethiopia written by an Indian doctor who was bought up in Ethiopia and who's now Professor of Medicine at Stamford. A really excellent novel.

Blimey, he sounds like one tough ( and bright ) cookie.

Ethiopia seems a pretty unique country too

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethiopia

I know how you feel about online books but I found an amazing selection today, just googling around around looking for the "Starship Troopers" novel.

I thought that everything under a certain age was copyrighted but there were hundreds of popular novel's available, including C S Lewis's, for free download.

I doubt I could read a full length novel online though.

The Burgomeister's Books: Truly free ebook download library (#1)

Well that's buggered UG's business !!

Now to buy an iPad

I doubt I could read a full length novel online though.  

There are a lot of people that feel this way about reading off a computer screen and now that I have seen several models of e-book readers (IMHO they suck even when they use e-ink which many don't), I do not feel threatened. E-book readers are too expensive, as of now, and fine for certain uses, but I'm guessing that it will be many years before they are as comfortable to read as paper books. Despite all the hype, they still have a long way to go. 

The only thing I am afraid of is publishers conspiring to stop the sale of new paper books (because they make much less profit on them). However, so far, they have still not really caught on as anything more than trendy toys and the way things are going, getting rid of traditional books does not seem very likely. 

I don't think so and the iPad is the same as a computer screen. They don't even use e-ink. . 

I doubt I could read a full length novel online though.  

There are a lot of people that feel this way about reading off a computer screen and now that I have seen several models of e-book readers (IMHO they suck even when they use e-ink which many don't), I do not feel threatened. E-book readers are too expensive, as of now, and fine for certain uses, but I'm guessing that it will be many years before they are as comfortable to read as paper books. Despite all the hype, they still have a long way to go. 

The only thing I am afraid of is publishers conspiring to stop the sale of new paper books (because they make much less profit on them). However, so far, they have still not really caught on as anything more than trendy toys and the way things are going, getting rid of traditional books does not seem very likely. 

I don't think so and the iPad is the same as a computer screen. They don't even use e-ink. . 

I much prefer the feel of paper in my hands, however, these electronic book readers are getting better and cheaper. The Kindle, which think may be the best, as it is not like a computer screen (not back lit) and therefore doesn't hurt your eyes, is now about $150. It has a link to amazon to purchase on the go and can hold something like 5,000 titles.

I am considering it as my wife hates my books and has threatened to leave them all behind when we move to Thailand. So, maybe a small Kindle might save some of my library.

I might use one for traveling somewhere where paper books were very hard to find, but I much rather get an iPad for the other features such as watching videos and doing e-mail. However, they are not any more comfortable to read than a computer.