Saturday 27 June 2009

Which Fantasy Writer are You? quiz

Which fantasy writer are you? Go here for the quiz. thanks very much to Cath at Read-Warbler, who did the quiz first......


Your result for Which fantasy writer are you?...

Katharine Kerr (b. 1944)

-1 High-Brow, -19 Violent, 5 Experimental and -15 Cynical!


Congratulations! You are Low-Brow, Peaceful, Experimental and Romantic! These concepts are defined below.


Katharine Kerr is a US author who is best known for her books about Deverry, the result of a thought experiment of Kerr's: What if a tribe from the culture of Celtic Gaul had escaped the Romans and moved to another world? The answer is the culture of Deverry, a fantasy world with, among other things, functioning magic, called dweomer. What sets dweomer apart from many other kinds of magic is that it's a system, with detailed descriptions of how different magical actions are performed by those cunning in it, often reminiscent of new age literature, but actually drawing heavily on as diverse systems of thought as buddhism, the Kabbalah and gnosticism.


Another prominent feature of Deverry is the presence of reincarnation, with parts of the plot (or plots, really) concerning the attempts of various characters to overcome their weaknesses in order not to repeat the mistake they made in previous lives'. All this allows for some rather typical fantasy romanticism, while still allowing a huge amount of plot twists and turns, sometimes making the history of Deverry complicated to the point of resembling a highly experimental suite of novels.


Kerr's fans are often real enthusiasts and it is easy to see that those who have the brains to follow the twists and turns of Deverry history are in for a journey into great tales of tragedy and destiny.


You are also a lot like Orson Scott Card.


If you want some action, try C S Lewis.


If you'd like a challenge, try your exact opposite, Michael Moorcock.



Your score



This is how to interpret your score: Your attitudes have been measured on four different scales, called 1) High-Brow vs. Low-Brow, 2) Violent vs. Peaceful, 3) Experimental vs. Traditional and 4) Cynical vs. Romantic. Imagine that when you were born, you were in a state of innocence, a tabula rasa who would have scored zero on each scale. Since then, a number of circumstances (including genetical, cultural and environmental factors) have pushed you towards either end of these scales. If you're at 45 or -45 you would be almost entirely cynical, low-brow or whatever. The closer to zero you are, the less extreme your attitude. However, you should always be more of either (eg more romantic than cynical). Please note that even though High-Brow, Violent, Experimental and Cynical have positive numbers (1 through 45) and their opposites negative numbers (-1 through -45), this doesn't mean that either quality is better. All attitudes have their positive and negative sides, as explained below.



High-Brow vs. Low-Brow



You received -1 points, making you more Low-Brow than High-Brow. Being high-browed in this context refers to being more fascinated with the sort of art that critics and scholars tend to favour, while a typical low-brow would favour the best-selling kind. At their best, low-brows are honest enough to read what they like, regardless of what "experts" and academics say is good for them. At their worst, they are more likely to read what their neighbours like than what they would choose themselves.



Violent vs. Peaceful



You received -19 points, making you more Peaceful than Violent. This scale is a measurement of a) if you are tolerant to violence in fiction and b) whether you see violence as a means that can be used to achieve a good end. If you aren't, and you don't, then you are peaceful as defined here. At their best, peaceful people are the ones who encourage dialogue and understanding as a means of solving conflicts. At their worst, they are standing passively by as they or third parties are hurt by less scrupulous individuals.



Experimental vs. Traditional



You received 5 points, making you more Experimental than Traditional. Your position on this scale indicates if you're more likely to seek out the new and unexpected or if you are more comfortable with the familiar, especially in regards to culture. Note that traditional as defined here does not equal conservative, in the political sense. At their best, experimental people are the ones who show humanity the way forward. At their worst, they provoke for the sake of provocation only.



Cynical vs. Romantic



You received -15 points, making you more Romantic than Cynical. Your position on this scale indicates if you are more likely to be wary, suspicious and skeptical to people around you and the world at large, or if you are more likely to believe in grand schemes, happy endings and the basic goodness of humankind. It is by far the most vaguely defined scale, which is why you'll find the sentence "you are also a lot like x" above. If you feel that your position on this scale is wrong, then you are probably more like author x. At their best, romantic people are optimistic, willing to work for a good cause and an inspiration to their peers. At their worst, they are easily fooled and too easily lead.



Take Which fantasy writer are you?
at HelloQuizzy



I'm not sure I completely agree, but it's very interesting. And in keeping with the fantasy themes of my recent posts! I have read Katherine Kerr, the first two of the original trilogy, and it's something I've been meaning to continue reading when I can get all the books in the ever-exanding series. And I really enjoy Orson Scott Card!

5 comments:

DesLily said...

well Chris will be jumping all over you since you are like Orson Scott Card! LOL LOL.. at least you are "low brow".. I can't imagine what answers I gave to become "high brow" or Cath either! I can't even spell simple words let alone be snobbish and use big words! LOL..I don't think the quiz is "spot on" lol

Cath said...

It's a laugh, this meme, and no mistake. Like Pat, I have no idea how I got 'high brow', it's preposterous. I haven't read any Katherine Kerr but own one book by her - A Time of War. I need to look at a list of her books on FantasticFiction and see where that comes in the series.

Susan said...

Deslily: I've been reading Card for ages! I love the Seventh Son series....I just haven't caught up to the latest books in the series in a while. And I have book 4 of the Derwei series, but don't have book 3! I need to go to a used book store *rubs hands happily* I think this test is a bit screwy too, since I don't read what other people are reading! that makes more of a snob than anything else!!! lol but somehow I ended up lowbrow anyway!!

Cath: It is a fun series, it does have rebirth - souls coming back and being recognized by the (mostly wizards) who live longer. At least what I recall, it was over 10 years ago that I read the first two books. I think A Time of War is later in the series.

And read my remarks to Pat - I love the idea of you two as book snobs! lol it's so not either of you!

Debi said...

How fun! But I've never read any Katherine Kerr. Perhaps I'll have to now. :)

I went and took it. I got Susan Cooper. And I'm also a lot like Ursula Le Guin. Gotta admit, I wasn't sure how to answer some of those questions though.

Susan said...

Debi: I know what you mean. I hemmed and ha-ed over quite a few myself. You're not the only one to get Susan Cooper either! It's fun to take, though, isn't it? :-D