Talk:David Zindell

The Idiot Gods (in Neverness series?)
This is the same author of a book released 13th July 2017 called The Idiot Gods that I believe is part of the Neverness series, but I can't seem to find any references to that on here, or in the page relating to the Neverness series. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Requiem_for_Homo_Sapiens (I don't know how to do the normal Wikipedia references, rather than a cite)

The book details from the publisher are here in this cite

MavericTB (talk) 00:08, 6 November 2017 (UTC)
 * Thanks, have added to the list. I can't see anything linking it to the Neverness series. Greenman (talk) 08:16, 6 November 2017 (UTC)

Untitled
The Lightstone was published as one volume in both hardcover and trade paperback (in 2001!) before being split in two for the mass market paperback edition. Before reverting Timb0h's edit of the 26th of June, is there a convention for which version to list in such cases? -> Since no one has answered, I've made this edit. The reason I judge this way to be right is that George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series also has had its hardcovers split in two for the paperback releases, yet on his page it records the hardcovers. (And I'm assuming his page gets a lot more attention/scrutiny than this one, so the standard set there is likely to be "right".)


 * I think both versions need mentioning as otherwise people are likely to be confused Timb0h 16:01, 9 November 2006 (UTC)
 * Ea Cycle (UK). All three titles need to appear. Concerning only the list of works, no prose:
 * Relying on ISFDB for some more data to add, I also reorganized with the 2001 publication primary, annotated concerning the two 2002 volumes (all in UK editions; see below). So the two half-titles appear but they are not bullet points. I understand the content is simply reprinted.
 * --P64 (talk) 21:16, 29 July 2014 (UTC)

Sentence
''Zindell's science fiction novels, beginning with Neverness (1988), work to overcome the dichotomy between materialism and spirituality, being in part a mathematical search for the Source. His fantasy series, the EA Cycle is a grail-like exploration of the evolutionary progress of consciousness.''

I'm sorry? The books are a mathematical search for the Source? I thought they were just really good stories.

And in what way can an exploration be grail-like? Personally, I've been involved with explorations that have been so tiring as to give me a tremendous desire for a glass of wine but I never knew I could have drank the wine directly out of the exploration itself. Transentient
 * I also don't see what's going on w/ the mathematical search stuff. For the grail stuff, perhaps "a search much like the grail-quest" or something. You can't have a grail quest, there's THE holy grail quest which arthur's knights set out on, that's it.--159.28.162.146 17:36, 7 September 2007 (UTC)

...and Gene Wolfe, who is connected with Zindell in a way Wolfe himself was with Jack Vance, described Zindell as  Could someone who knows what this refers to please clarify this sentence? It should in any case be "in a way which Jack Vance was with Wolfe" but I have no idea what relationship is being referred to. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 117.47.202.81 (talk) 11:10, 5 June 2009 (UTC)

New American chronology contains a separate volume called "The Silver Sword" that contains different material from the volume called "The Lighstone"
Regarding noting the split, in the U.S. I have seen new editions where the correct order is The Lightstone, then a novel called The Silver Sword (this contains new material not in the version called The Lightstone, which I'm assuming came out in 2006 as the article reads) which came out in 2007 or 2008. Then there is a new American edition called Lord of Lies which I'm assuming is the same as the U.K. edition, this came out in 2009 or 2010. I have attempted to put this down in the article but it may be confusing for people. Basically, if left unedited as it is now, a reader in the U.S. would probably mistakenly read The Lighstone and then skip the volume called The Silver Sword, thinking it contained the same material when in fact it does not, and then begin reading Lord of Lies, which would be confusing and out of order for an American reader.

Perhaps putting in two sections, one for the U.K. chronology, and one for the U.S. chronology, would help.

While as it is I see it was an attempt to prevent U.S. readers from buying the same material twice (since in the U.K. The Silver Sword is the second half of the American edition The Lightstone), it could also mislead U.S. readers into never buying The Silver Sword and so missing the second volume in the series which is required for understanding the third volume. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 67.142.130.16 (talk) 05:05, 2 January 2011 (UTC)
 * Ea Cycle (US or North America). If I understand correctly this concerns the first North American edition (and perhaps all Amer. eds.) --not a New American ed.-- of the material corresponding to the The Lightstone (2001), and thus to The Ninth Kingdom and The Silver Sword (2002).
 * Relying on ISFDB for some more data to add, I tried also to be clear regarding the contents. "The Lightship (Revised)" is straight from ISFDB.
 * Are The Lord of Lies, Black Jade, The Diamond Warriors considered to be books 3-4-5 or books 2-3-4 in the UK? If 3-4-5 then it will be easier to be clear both in the list and in prose, but the point should be made either way.
 * --P64 (talk) 21:16, 29 July 2014 (UTC)

The British connection
We call him simply American and place both his college education and current residence in the US state Colorado. We don't mention UK, British Isles, Britain, England --nor any overseas territory or people, nor Canada-- in prose.

Is the contest Writers of the Future essentially North or US American, or was it in 1985?

At least one early short story, "Caverns" (1985), was published in the British magazine Inferno (magazine). After the first novel Neverness (1988), all(?) were published primarily in the UK, if i understand correctly.

What's the British connection? Did Zindell live there? Marry a London editor who works remotely? Join the spec fic community via British Convention?

Furthermore, do we know why his Ea Cycle novels are published in American editions with such long lags? Does their popularity differ greatly? Do British libraries or schools buy them and Americans avoid them?

--P64 (talk) 21:26, 29 July 2014 (UTC)

Genre Classification
The article states that the Ea Cycleis sword-and-sorcery. I'm convinced that indeed it is high fantasy as it matches every single characteristic - e.g. a superhuman antagonist, the struggles of the protagonist being depicted as a bildungsroman etc. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 85.212.118.177 (talk) 21:01, 18 February 2021 (UTC)

The Lightstone page
I have just made the page for The Lightstone a redirect to here, as it contained nothing except in-universe material and a partial plot summary. CohenTheBohemian (talk) 12:42, 27 November 2021 (UTC)