Spike Jones wrote:
>
> Jim Fehlinger wrote:
>
> > I've watched B5 I have always winced in pain at the thinly-disguised
> > allusions to Tolkien -- "It was the third age of mankind...", the
> > Rangers, the Shadows, etc. Sets my teeth on edge.
>
> Jim, think of it as a tribute to, not a ripoff of, Tolkien.
Yeah, well. I just remembered another one -- Za'ha'dum as an imperfect anagram of Khazad-dum. Groan.
> I suspect
I suppose. Marion Zimmer Bradley does it too. There are two ways of
looking at this: 1) as an homage to "the master"; 2) as a conspicuous
lack of
> the master will be a major influence on sci-fi and fantasy literature
> forever.
originality on the part of the influencee. Of course, if the reader (or
viewer) is altogether unfamiliar with J.R.R.T., it won't matter
to ver at all; otherwise, I suspect that many, maybe even most, would
find it as
jarring as I do.
Jim F.