Why you like ITL...

[Falconer]

Why do you like the most about ITL? What's your favorite aspect of the story? Who's your favorite character besides the siblings? What are you most excited about?

Please don't answer with:

-The sex (duh, it's Matthew!)
-The writing/prose (see above)

More than one answer or post are acceptable and welcome!

Alright, let's do this!! 

[Falconer]

For me, first reason that comes to mind is how different and not different the world is from ours. I find it fascinating how Matthew explores these aspects. The fact that Kudorin is both a god and a human and the belas for example: different. The interaction between the characters, the emotional aspect: not different.

It's Fantasy, but it's also very relatable.

[LilacMajesty]

For me, I am totally fascinated that this entire extremely diverse world came out of the head of one human being. 

[mc_cart_ny]

I agree with Falconer.  I think one of the things I love most about ITL is the fact that it is fantasy but it seems so real and I feel as though it'd be so easy to step right into the book.

It's like LOTR, I would absolutely love to live in this world and I could see myself living here.  I'm fascinated by seeing every aspect of their lives and learning more about how everyone lives.

It's just so great! 

~McCartny~

[SilverMoon28]

So... I can't say that I love ITL because of the way Matthew's written such complex characters?  Because it's one of the reasons I love ITL so much.  He's created amazing characters who all have a seamless story.  Each story interweaves with one another to create... In This Land.

I'm not so surprised that all of that can come out of a person's head: JK Rowling and JRR Tolkien have done it, but I do think it's awesome.

And yes, the sex is amazing, but even without it, ITL would be breathtaking.

Vani

[Falconer]

I find it interesting how ITL reminds us of works like LOTR and/or Harry Potter because these series have so much more going on than ITL (wars, different creatures and species, prophecies, evil lords, etc.), and yet for us, ITL is just as intricate, just as complete, and sucks us in just as much. Why is that I wonder? Is it that the focus on relationships can be just as intense as universal wars and wizards and trolls and elves and prophecies?  If you had asked me two months ago, I would have said  , but now... 

[mc_cart_ny]

I think it might be because at the heart of LOTR and HP are the relationships between the charecters and how certain events affect their lives.

Watching Orinakin and Bade fall in love and admit to each other and themselves was so amazing and the best thing ever to read.  And the falling out between Sam and Frodo and watching Sam still fight on to take care of Frodo is so heartwrenching and noble that Sam is one of the most loved charecters in the books.  Having the opportunity to see these magical worlds through the eyes of the hobbits and Harry Potter really helps the reader to see just how different our worlds are, just like having the chance to see Orina Anoris through the eyes of the Nosupolins.  Had we only seen Rivendell and Hogwarts for Aragorn and Ron's point of view then we would not get the full glory and wonder of these places.  Which is the same as how great it is to have the chance to see Orina Anoris from an outsiders perspective rather than that of an Anorian, as an Anorian simply would not marvel at the differences between two cultures in the same way as we would.

I don't know if any of that really made much sense -- it all kinda just rambled out of me.  Sorry if it's too cluttered up and full of half-formed ideas, I'm hungry and tired and my brain isn't working quite right at the moment......

~McCartny~

[Falconer]

I like your parallel between the perspectives... like in the Purple Book, Bade was our hobbit or Harry (I don't know, I've never read the HP books)... Bade was the ideal person to introduce us to Orina Anoris because he's wondering the same things we do, and the people of Nosupolis have similar views on some things as most of us as readers do (I'm thinking specifically of their attitude towards sex but maybe also about the gods--how they aren't as "present" as the Anorian gods, but that's potentially a controversial subject so I'll try not to go there... ), and in LOTR, the hobbits had never left the Shire so we kinda discovered the world with them as well.



Favorite character besides the siblings: Can I go with Jekari? I'm shipping him with Selorin so hard, it's unhealthy. If not, Vade. I love the way he is around Remin and he's extremely funny! If not... Ouneaoaunaeat from A Brother's Tale.
 
What I'm most excited about: Everything! There's just so much...I'm excited about Desin's book, because I have no idea in what direction it's going to go. Remin's of course should be fun. And Selorin's. I'm excited about the Xio Voe/Kudorin resolution and the wedding! The Talin/Hitari resolution (and the wedding  ). And what Anosanim's gonna wear for Talin's wedding...

[SilverMoon28]

Actually, for me, I think of HP and LOTR because it's a completely different world.  I can shove Narnia into that as well, without adding the borders into our world.

I'd love to post more but... a big building and a pile of work call to me... *NARF*!

Oh, I also love ITL cause of all the colors .

What?  I do!

Vani

[mc_cart_ny]

I like your parallel between the perspectives...

Thank you!

I'm gonna copy off of you....

Favorite character besides the siblings: Does Bade count?  He's not techincally a sibling even though Kudorin calls him his brother.  I'm going with Bade.  I absoultly adore Bade -- he is such a sweetie and really cute and I lvoe the way he thinks.  He's so naive and innocent and it was so funny to listen to him back when in begining when he was really really embarrassed about everything that happened.

What I'm most excited about: Ummm...Talin and Hitari's wedding and the blessing and the engagement!  I'm so excited for them!

~McCartny~

[LilacMajesty]

I think that my favorite character outside of the Seven Siblings (Eight!)  is a tie between Bade and Vade.  I am FOREVER asking questions and trying to figure everything out, so I really identify with those two.

[Falconer]

What I'm most excited about: Ummm...Talin and Hitari's wedding and the blessing and the engagement!  I'm so excited for them!

~McCartny~

Yeah, and the most exciting part is that we don't even know for sure whether it's going to happen or not...  so we're basically just cheering them on and keeping our fingers crossed!  

[SilverMoon28]

Personally I can't wait to see who Remin's going to end up with and whether Rini's going to admit to himself that he's completely in love with T'rin!

That and I can't wait to see Anosukinom's marriage to Xio Voe and Selorin's courtship of Bade .

Vani

[LilacMajesty]

I really don't think that Orinakin would appreciate his brother courting his husband. 

[SilverMoon28]

Bade, Vade... THEY'RE INTERCHANGEABLE TWINS!

Okay so Ori and Sel can always tell them apart, but still.

[LilacMajesty]

Wait, wait, wait - you've given nicknames to two Children of the Gods??  Somehow, I don't think that would fly with them.

[Susanne]

I like ITL because it's profoundly entertaining, from the sex to the the romance to the humor and the drama.

I love the anticipation of what's going to happen next. 



Favorite character besides the siblings: My favorite character besides the siblings would be Vade. There is something about his character that I really connect with. He's charming, witty, smart, funny and adorable.
I like his more layed back nature, I like how he knows when to have fun but knows when he needs to be serious.

I like how he is so curious about everything and argumentative at times and so dedicated to Bade as his brother.
I think there's alot more to Vade. 

Not to mention I think he is perfect for   

[Rhia]

I like this question!

I really didn't expect to like ITL, actually. Jae spent a week or two nudging me in the direction of the webpage, and I finally relented because she and I have similar taste in a lot of fictiony-type-things. Also, because Jae uses a pointy stick when she nudges people.

I looked over the page while we were on the phone, so I had the benefit of a running commentary helping me to link together the info on the page. "Huh," said I. "It seems like this Matthew guy has put a lot of thought into his world building. Okay, I'll try the first three chapters, and if I like it I'll subscribe after I get paid this Friday."

"You'll get hooked," Jae warned. She may have laughed maniacally.

...I subscribed the next day. And called Jae at what for her is an indecent hour. I think the first words out of my mouth were, "You got me hooked on literary CRACK! At the start of the semester!" I'm also pretty sure that's how I started every conversation with her for at least two weeks.

I think I'm babbling on about how I got started because I can't really pinpoint what got me hooked -- or rather, I'm not sure I want to list all of what got me hooked. Like I said, the amount of thought put into the world building gets me. I love the characters, too; they change and grow, but in ways that make sense and at a nice, steady pace. I absolutely love that there's humor mixed in with the serious drama; I think that might have been a lot of what prompted me to subscribe, because I'm always terribly impressed when an author can pull on my heartstrings and make me bust a gut laughing in the same scene.

And yeah, the sex scenes are awesome. They need to be mentioned, I think, if only because so much of the explicit sex that gets written is just... not good.

Favorite character not a Sibling: I'll admit I haven't thought about that one because, while I love 'em all, I'm choosy about calling favorites, and both of my current ones are from the Siblings. Anikira, I think.

Excited about: Remin's book, I'll admit.

...okay, I think I'm done. For now. Sorry, this got a bit rambling -- I'm tired.

[Susanne]

 Jae spent a week or two nudging me in the direction of the webpage, and I finally relented because she and I have similar taste in a lot of fictiony-type-things.

Liz did the same thing with me only it sat in my favorite places for close to a year !! I also told her I didn't know if I could get into a story like this....lol

"You'll get hooked," Jae warned. She may have laughed maniacally.

Liz told me the same thing !

...I subscribed the next day.

I read the first 3 chapter just to make Liz happy and I did the same thing the next day 

[JaeFire]

Why do you like the most about ITL? What's your favorite aspect of the story? Who's your favorite character besides the siblings? What are you most excited about?

Honestly, I can't even begin to list the million reasons I love ITL, and my favorite aspects of the story (all of them?), so I won't even try. 

I will tell you (and it is no surprise, I'm sure) that my favorite non-Sibling character is XIO VOE (nom nom nom).  (2nd place goes to Bade, because how can I not love "dear, sweet Bade"?)

And I'm most excited about 2 things:
(1) Kudorin & Xio Voe and seeing how they work it all out, what's going to happen to them
(2) Remin's book (because I ADORE Remin and I can't wait to watch him fall in love!)

...these two things might, perhaps, maybe have something to do with the fact that my favorite Siblings right now are Kudorin and Remin.  (And Anosanim, but I feel no urgency for him right now.)

- Jae

[emmytie]

I've actually been thinking about this a lot lately because I haven't been reading ITL. Not because I don't want to, but because 1) ohmygod grad school is killing me and 2) bc I've gotten sucked in fandom (it's all Matthew's fault, but in a really roundabout way) and 3) because I love reading several parts in a row (I just got caught up, I had over 10 parts to read all at once it was GLORIOUS except that when I went to click and got the 404 page and about cried. Cutting down on the crying is why I like to read multiple parts in a row really).

Ok. Fav character that isn't one of the siblings? Does Bade count? He hooked me and continues to capture and keep me. I like Xio Voe, I really really do, but I love Bade. I love how open he is, but still shy. How curious he is (I self-identify here a ton). How he sees how wonderful all the siblings are, but his love for Orinakin is undeniable. He's a million kinds of awesome.

Strangely though, I really think I'd get along better with Vade. He's got that touch of realism (cynicism?) and mischief that doesn't come to Bade as naturally.

But what I love the most? Rini. I normally have love/hate relationships with the babies in families. I'm an oldest, so my patience sometimes wears very thin. I adore Rini though. I have to say it's one of the things that makes me get Kudorin. I loved Rini when he first showed up and flustered Bade. I loved Rini when he was sad he couldn't have sex with all the suitors. I loved that Rini started giving Xio Voe hugs. I love how he rolls with the bad shit in life even when he's at his most spoiled.

And I had a few thoughts on the LOTR and HP comparisons. Those stories are both epic save the world stories. One told through a hobbit and the other through a teenage magician. Both discover a new world, face a foe much bigger than themselves, and both triumph with the help of friends. ITL is similar in that it is epic. It differs in that it's not exactly a save the world and it's told through a family instead of a single POV.

I think what makes ITL compelling is that it's not just a series about eight siblings falling in love. It's about politics and religion and having a place in your family and your world. It's about growing up and being a grown up. It's the fact that Matthew isn't writing about eight siblings falling in love and getting married. He's writing about a period in time for Orina Anoris and about a generation coming into their own and about the entire world's dealings with this new generation and about their mistakes and successes.

Can you tell it's not just Rini that I love?

[LilacMajesty]

See Sue - that's why should ALWAYS listen to what I tell you.  I'm always right, and you know it.

[Susanne]

See Sue - that's why should ALWAYS listen to what I tell you.  I'm always right, and you know it.

  ears would be burning sooo bad right now. 

[Rhia]

And I had a few thoughts on the LOTR and HP comparisons. Those stories are both epic save the world stories. One told through a hobbit and the other through a teenage magician. Both discover a new world, face a foe much bigger than themselves, and both triumph with the help of friends. ITL is similar in that it is epic. It differs in that it's not exactly a save the world and it's told through a family instead of a single POV.

True, that. I think another reason I get the feeling of LotR/HP is because Bade's POV is the first one we get. It's the person who's used to a smaller, quieter world being exposed to new and different things beyond their front door; the reader gets to learn about Orina Anoris through Bade's eyes, just like the reader gets to learn about the magical world through Harry's eyes. Bade acts as a proxy for the person reading the story, because we get to experience all the wonder and newness of the world the story's set in right along with him.

Excellent post, by the way.

(Also: Teehee, I'm drunk dialing the board!)

[emmytie]

True, that. I think another reason I get the feeling of LotR/HP is because Bade's POV is the first one we get. It's the person who's used to a smaller, quieter world being exposed to new and different things beyond their front door; the reader gets to learn about Orina Anoris through Bade's eyes, just like the reader gets to learn about the magical world through Harry's eyes. Bade acts as a proxy for the person reading the story, because we get to experience all the wonder and newness of the world the story's set in right along with him.

Excellent post, by the way.

(Also: Teehee, I'm drunk dialing the board!)

I totally wasn't thinking about how ITL starts off. Because if you look at it from the way a new reader would, then yeah, ITL does have more in common with HP/LoTR than I was originally thinking. For a new reader though, I think that might be a really good comparison. "It starts off something like LoTR or HP if HP had more main characters, except it's a romance. And eventually you get intimate with everyone. And they get intimate with other people. And they have colored hair."

[SilverMoon28]

Colored hair.  That's something I just love

Vani

[Rhia]

I totally wasn't thinking about how ITL starts off. Because if you look at it from the way a new reader would, then yeah, ITL does have more in common with HP/LoTR than I was originally thinking. For a new reader though, I think that might be a really good comparison. "It starts off something like LoTR or HP if HP had more main characters, except it's a romance. And eventually you get intimate with everyone. And they get intimate with other people. And they have colored hair."

*laughs* It's entirely possible I still have new-reader brain, since I've only been around for a couple months. Yeah, a major difference is that HP is third-person limited, so we never wander away from Harry's POV. In ITL, we get POVs other than Bade's, but he's still a very good introductory character for we-the-readers, because in many ways he's just as clueless as we are. We learn as he learns.

Colored hair.  That's something I just love

I was recently dangling ITL before a coworker of mine who seemed interested and (with the benefit of a few beers), I found the words "color-coded for your convenience!" popping out of my mouth.

[SilverMoon28]

It's true that in HP, unlike LOTR, we never really wander away from Harry's POV except in the first two chapters of Half-Blood Prince and in the first chapter of The Deathly Hallows.

Here, I adore how we have different points of view and how the books are mainly in one brother's point of view (or rather, how we get more of a specific brother's point of view).

Vani

[Dena]

I'm randomly looking through posts and picking ones that I'd like to reply to, so hopefully that's okay and not annoying!

What I like Best/Why I like ITS -
There are a lot of reasons to love the series.  There is a warmth to the writing that pulls you in and invests you in the characters.  The characters themselves are so richly different without becoming caricatures or archetypes - which I really doubted was possible in the beginning, given the set up.  (Seven perfect, sexy, brothers.  In the hands of many authors at least a couple would have become interchangeable or overdone.)  The dialogue and banter is fantastic, the relationships organic and fun to explore and easy to believe in.  It's hot, naturally, but more than that somehow they remain, despite the fantastic nature of the world, very human.  Put aside the bright hair, the child of the gods-ness, the abilities and the superhuman beauty and I believe that I could walk out my door and meet someone whose personality and core being were Desin, or Selorin.  (Of course then I would stare like a loon and consider taking up a career in stalking, possibly.)  They're very complex and nuanced and despite the fact that they've got a god in their corner, I believe they're capable of making mistakes and missteps and of acting like real people - sometimes blowing up, sometimes falling for the wrong person, sometimes missing something that seems obvious.  The super-human, fantastic elements are what makes the world unique, but it's the humanity beneath it that makes it addictive.

That said - I'm completely blown away by the world details and worldbuilding.  I LOVE the richness of the cultures.  I loved that I get a clear and distinct feel between people from different nations and backgrounds.  I love that the dialogue reflects different cultures - they may all speak Anorian, but the speech patterns tend to differ.  You can read a line from Heir Voe and one from T'rin and one from Selorin all out of context without identifiers and more or less tell who was talking anyway.  I love that though there's a lot of explanation and exposition worked it, it feels like enriching the world, not like infodumping.  I love exploring the different philosophies (I always find Vade and Selorin's arguments incredibly fascinating as they're an excellent view into the differences in Vade/Bade's culture and the Anorians.) 

The world feels incredibly live and complete.  I get a clear picture of everything as I read, and find myself wanting to know more about incidental characters, about little-mentioned cultures.  I love the stories.  I love the relationships and the characters but for me one of the best parts of reading about all of that is that in the process of doing so, I get to watch the growth and development of the world they live in, and see all of its detail. 

Favorite Non-Sibling Character-
Oh man, tough call.  Bade was the gateway character, and our initial introduction character, since we learned about the world and people through him, and he had such a charming, fresh POV that he's hard not to love and want to cuddle like a fluffy (curly) dog.  But I think Vade with his snark and bickering might have eclipsed him for me, just a little.  I also really love Anikira. 

Most Excited About-
Again, really tough call.  I'm looking forward to seeing the resolutions of Talin/Hitari and Voe/Kudorin of course.  I think in Voe's case I'm really hoping to see more of his family, and him interacting with his siblings at some point, and see how the ways being with Kudorin and with the siblings (and Bade) has changed him, and how it will change his siblings and through that the Empire.  I'm ITCHING for Remin's book.  (And whoever said "nymphomaniac gourmet chef" originally - OMG YES.  lol)  I really want to see him drawn to someone and probably fighting himself tooth and nail about it.

[Mountie]

I asked this question over on the JR Ward board where me and CL have been pimping ITL and I came here to do some research on timelines and found this question so I thought I's post my answer.

I have a couple of things that just rock my socks as a reader, that I find In This Land.  I love stories that have a large cast of characters and lots of opportunities for them to interact with each other.  The opportunity to get to know, extremely in depth, each and every character isn't something that I, as a reader, often get when I read stand alone books.  Books that feature the same characters from book to book and over time, I used to be able to only find in science fiction or fantasy series when I was younger.  Anne McCaffrey's Dragon Riders of Pern and Anne Rices Vampire series were 2 that come to mind.  Then Mercedes Lackey wrote The Last Herald Mage series and introduced me to Vanyal and Stephen and M/M serial in fantasy and I was hooked.   Just because it took forever for another author to come up with a fantasy epic M/M (thank you Lynn Flewelling) doesn't mean I would not have read it if it was there.  Cause it really is my favorite genre within M/M.

I think that Matthew does an amazing job on character devlopment.  Each one of the siblings is very different, even the nuances between Orinakin & Selorin and Bade & Vade are appartent as well as the similarities.  Matthew captured the essence of each of the brothers from the beginning and has been abe to build on those base personalities with skill and precision.  No one has done anything out of character, and the glimpses we get into some of the more intriguing brothers (LOL Yes I am speaking about Remin) makes me just hungry for more.

I like the blend of humour in with the story, the little quips, the interactions between all the Siblings, the older family, the younger cousins, the bela's and freinds is always fun to run across and gives me a happy glow.  Yes there is angst but it isn't overdone, and I appreciate it.  The problems are identified and dealt with in a way that doesn't have me as a reader going   :roll:  Come On Just Deal With It! which I really really appreciate.  Other stories, that are event dense in short periods of time can drag but I don't find that at all with In This Land.  I have to research (which I tried but I got lost in reading chapters and over an hour has gone ip in a poof of smoke) exactly how much time has passed but it isn't very long, less than 2 years I think and already we have surpassed the equivalent of 10 books.  It really doesn't get much better than that.

[LilacMajesty]

Ohhhh Grasshopper - McCaffrey and Rice, you and I are going to get along fantastically!!

[Mountie]

I have been a fantasy reader since my Mom read to us as children Pierre Burton's Secret World Of Og.  I am never happier than when I am engrossed in fantasy or paranormal reads.  I love the alternate worlds that authors build and populate in their mnds.  They just really grab me and drag me away into an exordinary place.  When excellent writing and amazing world  building is combined I am truly captured and I never forget them.  In contemporary stories, even if the wrting is excellent the stories have a tendency to fade.

[Shanghi]

All of what Mountie said.

And I was the one who pimped Lynn Flewelling's Nightrunner series to her as well as shipped her the books, cause pb's are way expensive in Canada.

And I love all the brothers....haven't been able to pick a favorite, though with my love of animals (professional pet groomer) and gardening, I'd probably get along with Desin best.