Shameless Rip Offs

It has been said that every story has already been written. While I disagree with this statement in general, it seems that some people are out of ideas... but they're still getting published. It is becoming a trend. A book comes out that becomes a hit, the story idea becomes a trend and people milk for everything its worth by shamelessly ripping off the story and changing a single major detail such as the setting.
Here are a couple examples. (Keep in mind I haven't read all of these books, but the premise speaks for itself.)

Eragon

This is a little less shameless than most and mostly a product of a 16 year old writing it. I myself look back at the stories I wanted to write when I was a teenager and they were not all that original either. However this is worth noting.

Assuming that everyone reading this knows the plot of Star Wars see if this sounds familiar. A teenage boy was raised by his uncle on a farm. His uncle is killed in an attack from the empire around the same time that an old wise man finds the boy and teaches him about magical powers and tells him that he needs to defeat the evil empire. Also the old wise man dies in the first installment of the story.

If you can't tell which plot that synopsis is, the answer is both. Everything in that synopsis applies to both of these stories. Once again Paolini can't be blamed as he was a child when he wrote it, but still a note worthy example.

Percy Jackson and The Lightning Thief

While the plot on this one has its original aspects, the basic story seems to strangely reminiscent of everyone's favorite wizard.

"The protagonist is Percy Jackson, who discovers that he is the son of Poseidon, god of the sea. He learns that the legendary beings of Greek mythology still exist and have always existed, including monsters, cyclopes, empousae, Titans, and the Greek Gods" -Wikipedia

"Taking place in New York, the novel features a host of half-human, half-god people, referred to as half-bloods..."

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2915776/a_review_and_summary_of_the_lightning.html

For those who have read Harry Potter this may sound somewhat familiar. Though the actual plot line follows its own course the basic premise is incredibly similar and such exploitations of a trend should not be ignored. However this is nothing compared to the next example.

Fallen

While I am not one to stand up for Twilight under any circumstances, this kind of blatant rip off is just ridiculous. Here is a plot synopsis that I found:

"Luce must spend her senior year at reform school... When she meets supernaturally gorgeous Daniel, she feels a familiar longing, making her believe they have met before. Although Cam is clearly interested in her, Luce only wants Daniel, who runs both hot and cold. He tries to keep Luce at a distance, telling her that the truth would kill her as it has many times before... Instead of vampires, though, these are fallen angels." -School Library Journal

In comparison to twilight:

"Bella's life changes when she moves to perpetually rain-soaked Forks, Washington. She is instantly drawn to a fellow student, Edward Cullen, beautiful beyond belief and angrily aloof. Bella senses there is more behind Edward's hostility, and in a plot that slowly and frighteningly unfolds, she learns that Edward and his family are vampires--though they do not hunt humans. Yet Edward cannot promise that his powerful attraction to Bella won't put in her in danger, or worse. Recklessly in love, Bella wants only to be with Edward..."

This is the most blatant rip-off I ever heard of. Stephanie Meyer wrote a book, it was a hit and became a best seller really fast, so naturally another author thought they could just jump on the train with the exact same story and make a quick buck. It is shameless and ridiculous.

So don't buy into the shameless rip offs. Find something original, there's enough of it out there. A story only needs to be told once. I don't want this to across though as a bash on anything that draws inspiration from anything else. If a writer can provide a new and interesting take on an old story that is excellent. The best example of this is the Lion King. It tells the story of Hamlet in a new and interesting way that makes it more accessible to everyone and not just those who understand Shakespeare, no easy feat.

The Dark Elf Trilogy

The Dark Elf Trilogy

I was first introduced to these books by my brother, who interestingly enough, had never read them. When I decided to by the first book I was very skeptical for two reasons. The first was that little insignia at the top, Forgotten Realms. It was hard for me to imagine that a book based in a Dungeons and Dragons Campaign setting could be any good. The second reason was that there are nineteen books in the whole series. It seemed like they might be... mass produced.

My skepticism was soon set aside as I delved into the books.

The Dark Elf Trilogy, as the name implies, tells the story of a dark elf, or drow, of the underdark, a world of twisting tunnels beneath the land of Ferun. The drow's name is Drizzt Do'urden and he is surrounded by the darkness and evil of his people. He, however, has an innate goodness in him that speaks against the dark ways of his people and also their worship of the Spider Queen, Lolth.

Finding no reconciliation between the ways of his people and his internal beliefs, Drizzt leaves the underdark to join the surface world, where he is met with nothing but malice from all save a few who meet him.

Despite my skepticism when I first started reading, this series has turned into one of my favorites. It is filled with intriguing characters, fascinating settings, engaging plot lines and deep themes that provoke thought on new subjects. It delves into the philosophies of morality while maintaining that there are such things as good and evil, even if we're not sure which is which.

Drizzt stands as one of the most fascinating characters in the history of the fantasy genre and these books are definitely worth reading for anyone, even those who don't particularly like fantasy.

Understanding that there are nineteen books in the series I plan to post about them in chunks, talking about each subset of books rather than each book.

To read about the next trilogy: The Icewind Dale Trilogy

No Country For Old Men

No Country For Old Men

In a world like ours today its hard to imagine that a book like this would get its due credit. In a world where Twilight passes for quality literature and half the other best sellers are the same basic story line with another "twist" to it. I know, why don't I write a book about a teenage girl who falls in love with a mysterious man then finds out he has super natural powers of a generally dark nature. Anything with that as a premise is guarantee to be followed by, New York Times Best Seller.

Once in a blue moon though an author will emerge from the shadows with something that would be numbered among the classics of tomorrow. This is one them.

Telling the simple story of man meets two million dollars in cash, the tale quickly accelerates as the protagonist is pursued by a heartless and creepy madman with an oxygen tank and a stun gun.

Through all this though, Cormac McCarthy brings up deep subject inlaid throughout the plot. Subjects of good and evil, old age and youth, life and death. He remains a realist throughout it all telling things as they are and not how most think they should be.

This book stands as the most outstanding piece of literature I have read and it provokes thoughts long after the last page has been read and the book closed.

So next time you find yourself wading through the dribble that is modern literature, look for this and take a break from the mundane repetition of the over-told love story. If a book doesn't make you think and question, its probably not worth reading.