Ea R'lyeh Aboleths.

[HoneyBadger]

Yes, I do very much enjoy...let's say the *concept* of the Council Wars series, MaxWilson, and I've actually posted about them on these forums before, since I borrowed or was otherwise inspired by some of his ideas, for the campaign setting I'm working on for Dom3.

It's a fantastic (no pun intended) setting for a fantasy series. But as far as execution...John Ringo isn't a totally awful writer, he tries hard, he's fearless, and he really does come up with some great original ideas, but he desperately needs a good editor. His writing ranges from terrible to so-so, which is a shame. His works aren't even as fun to read as they could be, honestly, because they suffer so much from the poor editing.

The military stuff and the dark bits I don't personally mind, but yes, some of the things he writes about are quite hardcore, and can be *extremely* dark, both in terms of graphic violence and graphic sexuality. That aspect of his writing doesn't seem to offend me as much or make me quite as squirmingly uncomfortable as when it appears in some writers' works, since atleast Ringo is straightforward about it and consistently pretty over the top.

He doesn't try to slip it in and tantalize you with it, or bring it on gradually, so that you feel like you've been either pressured, or tricked, into accepting it. He also doesn't (maybe have the skill to) cast bad things in such a nasty light that you can't manage to read through a scene and go on with your life.

Ringo straight-facedly takes these extremely questionable things, and just keeps whacking you over the head with it, without really trying to make excuses or pretend that it's not jarring. As a result, I don't end up feeling like I need a shower after reading one of his books. Indignation and outrage, and maybe a licensed firearm, but not as though I've been dragged through a sewer.