/lit/ - Literature

>>20262768
Nope. Do I need a name or something to distinguish myself and avoid these conversations? Can I just name myself '# of 20' since I only pop up once a thread when I've finished a book? Simple as.

>>20262878
No worries, I get it. I've said this previously but the cultivation system and use of allegory to convey the narrative was a huge plus for me. When I finish the rest of my reads and separate the wheat from the chaff, it's on the list of titles to revisit and push through.

>>20262890
meant for >>20262858

>>20262878
I'll check these two titles out, not really familiar with Korean series either. What can you tell me about these titles?

Progression fantasy fag here, continuing my read of 20 books in the genre. Note for all you autists: my definition of this term is broad and includes xianxia, progression fantasy, gamer lit, etc. I tend to join the thread once a week and post my review before arguing with the Reverend Insanity guy until the thread 404s. I've just wrapped up my read of Forge of Destiny by Yrsillar, which is released weekly on Royal Road.

One of the anons in this thread mentioned that it was written by committee and it shows after the first 3/4 of the book. I dug into this further and saw that the author will post a regular weekly vote for what the main character will do and then executes the chapter along those lines. Everything produced on Royal Road and Audible have had an editing pass done to make a coherent story out of it. Unfortunately this leaves this rather directionless and the pace falls into a rut quickly. Ling Qi is a simple xianxia school girl who goes to class, trains, cultivates and socializes with her friends.

This is all she does. When you think the story is about to catch and finally begin escalating, the chapter ends with Ling Qi receiving a new manual or tool and moving along. There's also a few females in this story that aren't written with a unique voice and tend to run together, especially since they've all got similar Chinese names. The author tries to surprise you with older characters returning but there is such an extensive cast that I lost track of several of the faces by the end. Aside from those gripes, the story's cultivation system is its strongest feature.

Each character forms their own techniques by binding an element to internal qi meridians. These meridians intersect major organs which, depending on the organ, allows a different technique to be used. Heart meridians allow for support techniques, meridians in the brain allow for perception of time to be impacted, etc. Each character has their own discipline that they explore to the fullest and this is definitely the first time since Cradle that I've enjoyed the wide array of techniques and styles available in the world. In addition to techniques, several characters are bonded with spirit animals or have spirit animal ancestors and animal features.

These companions cultivate their own path and support their partner, requiring them to advance to higher levels of cultivation. All in all, interesting features and system in a very limited environment.

Final Score: 7/10 but I don't see this score holding up into future volumes. I'm tentative on picking up future volumes, given it doesn't have a clear direction.

Next up: The Last Ship in Suzhou by 'Lungs'

Previous Scores:
Cradle by Will Wight - 9/10
Forge of Destiny by Yrsillar - 7/10
A Thousand Li by Tao Wong - 7/10
Virtuous Sons by Ya Boy - 6/10
Bastion by Phil Tucker - 6/10
Reverend Insanity by Gu Zhen Ren - 4/10
Reincarnation: Threads by Michael Head - 3/10

>>20276420
>>20276425
Pic related is one that I've drawn from and had several anons recommend from. I'm open to suggestion but have got this list...

Definite Reads (5+ Recs):
>Mother of Learning by 'Nobody103'
>Worm by 'Wildbow'
>The Wandering Inn by 'Pirateaba'
>Soulhome - Weirkey Chronicles 1 by Sarah Lin
>Ave Xia Rem Y by Mat Haz
>Lord of Mysteries by 'Cuttlefish'

Tentative Recommendations (2+ Recs):
>Ascendance of a Bookworm by Miya Kazuki
>Soulship by Nathan Thompson
>Heaven's Laws by Apollos Thorne
>Sufficiently Advanced Magic by Andrew Rowe
>The World After the Fall by Sing-Shong
>The Second Coming of Gluttony by Ro Yu-jin

Chopping Block (2+ Discouraged):
>Coiling Dragon by Wo Chi Xi Hong Shi
>The Menocht Loop by Lorne Ryburn

>>20276423
That's a shame to hear, I figured she'd get some interesting moon-aligned spirit... like a moth, I don't know.

>>20278758
Shame that Reverend Insanity isn't more interesting, better written or aptly translated. I say it every thread at this point, but when I finish this 20 book run I think I'll go back and push through just for the cultivation aspects of RI. Most of these series are garbage or fall apart quickly. The Last Ship in Suzhou is an absolute piece of shit, for instance. Makes RI look like spun gold.

>>20278968
In fact, fuck this book. I'm breaking my rule of dropping profoundly bad titles.

Review of The Last Ship in Suzhou: Pure fucking garbage. The writer dwells so much on describing the nape of a 14 year old girl's neck that he forgets to add a story or anything of interest. The MC was trying to save someone's life and then had a random thought about his mother's drinking that extended for 5 pages??? The Cultivation system is an internal biological rhythm that sweeps people up in the feeling. Both characters (two asian americans) fall into Romance of the 3 Kingdoms and immediately find a mural depicting a lost sect art.

Luckily they're both asian american so they naturally know kung fu, how to play ancient instruments, and how to read ancient mandarin???

2/10.

>>20279014
Amending this again. Dropped books don't get a score - 0/10.

Subbing In: Mother of Learning by nobody103

>>20279024
>>20279122
I'll add Infinite Realm to the list along with Web of Secrets. Anything with fully explored cultivation systems would be great. I'm starting to learn that I can't expect much out of character writing in these. Thanks for the recommendations.

Been around a month since I last posted in thread. Working on a move and a new job, so all my reading has been for business rather than... self-flagellation. I'm around 1/5 of the way through Mother of Learning at this point and can only say its just 'okay'. Very simple magic system based off of DnD but the author seems to be moving towards a niche for the MC. The MC is a shitty character and is overshadowed by his supporting cast frequently.

Everyone says this story is supposedly a banger, along the same lines of Cradle but I'm struggling to keep interest. Zorian's response to his time loop is so casual that it takes all potency out of it. There's an escalating conflict in the story... somewhere? Unfortunately the last time I was updated on it, as a reader, it was in a 2 page exposition dump between Zorian and a psychic spider. The entirety of investigation regarding the time loop is regulated off screen.

Point of the story seems to be the hard magic system and building up on the concepts therein, but just as you're getting comfortable with one direction it changes. Spell formulae was replaced within a chapter by mind magic and now the MC is a secret empath. This was set up just fine ahead of time, it just seems like the author can't decide what they want our MC to do with all this time... so he doesn't do much at all. It's training but after establishing a rough idea of what the training might be (and under who's tutelage), they push all the actual participation and learning off screen.

I'll stick with it but this is a slog so far. In comparison, I've been listening to Soulhome by Sarah Lin on audiobook when I've been going to the gym. Though its a time loop story of sorts like MoL, it dives directly into its cultivation system and stays there. The MC of this story has lived an entire life, cultivated an entire path, and knows which features of his soulhome that he needs to improve. Building a strong foundation becomes literal as one is assembling a yard and basement for their soulhome - an internal tower of cultivation.

Previous Scores:
>Cradle by Will Wight - 9/10
>Forge of Destiny by Yrsillar - 7/10
>A Thousand Li by Tao Wong - 7/10
>Virtuous Sons by Ya Boy - 6/10
>Bastion by Phil Tucker - 6/10
>Reverend Insanity by Gu Zhen Ren - 4/10
>Reincarnation: Threads by Michael Head - 3/10
>Last Ship in Suzhou by Lungs - 0/10 (Dropped)

Pending Scores:
>Mother of Learning by 'Nobody103'
>Soulhome - Weirkey Chronicles 1 by Sarah Lin

Up Next:
>Ave Xia Rem Y by Mat Haz

>>20367274
Going to repost my current recommendation list, along with the reading guides I've been sent before...

Definite Reads (5+ Recs):
>Worm by 'Wildbow'
>The Wandering Inn by 'Pirateaba'
>Ave Xia Rem Y by Mat Haz
>Lord of Mysteries by 'Cuttlefish'

Tentative Recommendations (2+ Recs):
>Ascendance of a Bookworm by Miya Kazuki
>Soulship by Nathan Thompson
>Heaven's Laws by Apollos Thorne
>Sufficiently Advanced Magic by Andrew Rowe
>The World After the Fall by Sing-Shong
>The Second Coming of Gluttony by Ro Yu-jin
>A Practical Guide to Evil by ERRATICERRATA

Thread Recs::
>Defiance of the Fall by TheFirstDefier
>Infinite Realm: Monsters & Legends by Ivan Kal
>Web of Secrets by David Musk

Chopping Block (2+ Discouraged):
>Coiling Dragon by Wo Chi Xi Hong Shi
>The Menocht Loop by Lorne Ryburn

>>20367504
You're correct, I wrapped up Arc 1 last night. Not a bad finale to the first part compared to the rest of what's going on. I'll give Arc 2 a fair shake. It was pretty clear near the start that the writer is a non-english speaking native. His methods of character writing tend to come from a direct template and his narrative voice is limited.

My biggest take-away after reading the first 7 books (and I think I've mentioned this in my previous reviews), is the importance of narrative voice in these stories. Most of them lack a coherent one and each one that manages to pull it off almost always rates a 6 or above for me. Unfortunately, all the young characters in MoL are written exactly the same. His sister and most of the aranea, for example. Starting to think I'm too critical of these Royal Road submissions.

Appreciate your recommendations as always. Different systems of cultivation is always a plus.

>>20367542
Didn't hear how extensive the prologue was but that seems to be the case with a bulk of these cultivation books... My interest in Ave Xia Rem Y is that basis for something more serious. Think the trick to writing this is having the adventure before your system. Most of these stories feel directionless outside of 'we're Chinese Harry Potter, look!'

>>20367549
>>20367848
Don't think I'm as worn out on time loops as you are, but I completely understand where you're coming from. Though its not the case here, by the time we see the loop in action you're brining an overpowered element from the future and giving them a second chance with something they've already dominated. Even though you have the opportunity to explore both their original decision and deviations within, very rarely does the author give you anything informative or deep from this reboot. It's always just 'ah, I recall this happening on the evening of the spring dingle equinox... Only then can I cultivate Three Bears Pissing Divine Water defense form. Shishishi.'

There must be a better way of representing the loop and I haven't found a Wuxia book yet that handles it well.

>>20368093
Reminds me that something called Beware of Chicken (pic related) was recommended to me for parody of wuxia/litrpg tropes too. I'll add both to my Thread Rec section.

I wrapped up Soulhome because it was easy listening. Only around 7 hours in audiobook form and it's surprisingly easy to fit that time into humdrum bullshit throughout the day.

The best part of Soulhome by Sarah Lin is the cultivation system, by a wide margin. Instead of a traditional core, a person's soul is a flat landscape based on the current health of your soul. Laying the foundation for the first room makes you a soulcrafter, and each room feature you add is a different technique. Doors allow a soulcrafter to view their external body and the area around them for protection purposes, windows allow one to filter incoming stimuli - light, sound, etc. By adorning a curtain to your window, you effect the level of the technique.

As you advance and build additional levels to your soulhome, you increase the amount on 'cantae' you generate. This is just a replacement for qi and is nothing special beyond that. Archcrafters tend to have homes that look like personal villas carved out of ornate materials. These homes support weapon rooms, allowing them to manifest a soul weapon. Inner chambers which can house mini suns to power techniques. Pedestals, depending on their material, can power techniques based off of the sublime material or trophy that tops it.

This is about where things end. The techniques when translated to combat are lukewarm at best, often being illustrated as glowing lights accompanying someone's weapon or fist. Fights often end with a attack-defend-counter-win formula. She's got all the structure here to represent techniques with amazing flourish and fanfare, but it comes across as absolutely nothing. A flash in the pan.

The main character Theo is someone who's experienced this world before and cultivated, once being part of a band of heroes seeking to challenge demons. After being betrayed, he is returned to earth at the point of his isekai and spends 60 years trying to find a way back. Despite the experience of a man around 150+ years old at this point, he acts like a child. The narrative also explains that 40 years have passed in this fantasy world, so he exists in a world he's had significant influence over. This is not explored in the least.

More often than not, Theo has no idea regarding the conventions he's being told. There are regular concepts in this world that are completely lost on him, while he can explain the cultivation system to advanced teachers more often than not. He's also a pouty piss baby who seems to pride himself on a failed relationship back on earth, where his wife told him he was a black hole of feeling that sucked all the happiness and warmth from the people around him. Taking this to heart, he decides to cultivate gravity magic. We'll see if this dude's bitterness holds up, but the first novel was... just alright.

6/10

Still working on Mother of Learning, but I'm into Act 2.

Next Up: Ave Xia Rem Y by Mat Haz
Reading Book Two: After everything else, sure.

>>20374490
I take back that 6 and put it at a 5. I'm starting to think I treated Reverend Insanity too roughly compared to the rest of the fairing here. If I'm starting to judge by cultivation systems alone vs. narrative, then it would be much higher... Fuck.

Previous Scores:
>Cradle by Will Wight - 9/10
>Forge of Destiny by Yrsillar - 7/10
>A Thousand Li by Tao Wong - 7/10
>Virtuous Sons by Ya Boy - 6/10
>Bastion by Phil Tucker - 6/10
>Soulhome by Sarah Lin - 5/10
>Reverend Insanity by Gu Zhen Ren - 4/10
>Reincarnation: Threads by Michael Head - 3/10
>Last Ship in Suzhou by Lungs - 0/10 (Dropped)

My Recommendation system can be found here, people have expressed interest before. I'll probably update it after I finish Mother of Learning, a review of Act 1 can be found in this thread too:>>20367298

>>20374518
I heard Street Cultivation was weird like that. One of the reasons Soulhome hit the list and that didn't.

>>20374524
Reminded me of those blocky Harry Potter covers from the early 2000s.

>>20374566
MC is miserable and the magic system is just DnD 5e with a few random Quality of Life cantrips thrown in for variety. At least for Act 1. Everyone who shills for it says that Act 2 is when it truly begins, and I can't say that the beginning of Act 2 hasn't been done better in other novels. A Thousand Li, for instance. One thing I've learned is that I'm truly sick of hearing 'it doesn't start for real until a quarter of the way in!'

I remain... pessimistically optimistic.

>>20374570
No shit? Took the author 8 years to bang out the equivalent of... 3 books? I suppose the buzz around it is that the first Arc got an audiobook in the last few years.

>>20374584
That explains it. Might make it easier to inhale. Thanks, anon.

>>20374643
I'd agree with this. The high point of Act 1 with me was Zorian coming to understand Kirielle, alongside working with the morlock family. I was disappointed they didn't circle back to this until the end of the Act, which I'd say was my second favorite part of the Act. Kirielle and Kael add a lot to Zorian as a character.

That's 3 or 4 chapters out of 20, however.

>>20374717
The character is perhaps 16 years old at this point and comes to understand that his sister has a struggle of her own, being barred from entering the magical academy because she's got an arranged marriage waiting. Due to the power dynamics of this family, Zorian is the black sheep while all the other children are bargaining chips of different measure. It's a small point, but being able to understand people's perspectives in a time loop where you can do something about it once you're out is important. If you can't identify how moments like this may add to a pithy teenager's character, then you've got work to do.

Can't believe you mother fuckers make me defend things I don't have a strong stake in.

>>20374721
I'm a fan of Sanderson usually, going to read Oathbreaker at the end of this 20 and get caught up on the series. He makes great use of the magic in his writing presentation-wise. Wish I could find a happy medium for that in cultivation books beyond Cradle.

>>20374752
>>20374769
This. Mother of Learning may be some's first exposure to a timeloop. Unfortunately I've ingested that... 4 times now, so the potency is lost on each iteration (just like a timeloop's - rimshot!). I may be more receptive to it otherwise. I'm guilty of lumping genres together at this point. Fair amount of litrpg in my list.

>>20374781
My list is pretty broad - cultivation, isekai, litRPG and light novels have been peppered in now. It's meant to explore the genre and pays off in its own way. I have not yet heard of Savage Divinity but I'm always taking recommendations in these threads. I'll take a look at that now. Thanks.

>>20375307
>feed a 16 year old girl's tender breast meat to an actual bear just to make your cool ass beetle bigger
>not evil

Fang Yuan is nothing if not classy.

>>20375327
Correct. Or maybe when he rewound time to kill everyone in his village before the psychic vampire could, stealing all the power of their bloodline for himself? I think him and Bai laughing about it and highfiving during the orgy of blood was pretty evil...

>>20375335
Ah, Fang Yuan (Chinese Bug Man)'s mentality. 'We are no better than beasts because we kill them with impunity hohoho'

>>20375352
If you want to take it to an absurd autistic moral high ground, sure. Lavishing in the act is what makes him evil then. You Reverend Insanity fans all come off identically to American Psycho fans.

>>20375372
Beautiful crop.

>>20375378
End of Chapter 197: Changing Fate!

Fang Yuan laughed loudly, saying to Bai Ning Bing: "Come, kill them all with me!"

Before he finished he acted. As the razors on the Chainsaw Golden Centipede moved, he slashed a Gu Master nearby into half!

Blood Skull Gu!

Soon after, Fang Yuan actived the Blood Skull Gu, absorbing the blood.

Chapter 198: Ruthless in murdering people, cruelty exercise to profit from disaster

"Hahaha, interesting!" Bai Ning Bing laughed loudly, suddenly attacking and killing someone beside him.

...

Bai Ning Bing laughed maniacally, "Since you can kill your own clansmen, I can't lose to you. Sigh, since too many deaths have occurred, Bai clan's future is ruined already, we can no longer be a village. The clan leader I'm indebted to is dead too, I might as well kill them now, and enjoy the fun."

"Hehehe, that's great," Fang Yuan laughed, heartily, his body moving quickly, starting his slaughter.
=====

Imagine being a disingenuous faggot like yourself. Disgusting.

>>20375401
At least you're on message. Next line is exactly:

Since these clansmen were going to die anyway, they might as well die at Fang Yuan's hands, contributing to his aptitude growth instead of First gen Gu Yue.

>>20375562
Bai Ning Bing was adopted by the Bai Clan leader and declared their number one genius. He never hurt for resources nor companionship and was never treated with anything beyond awe. What the fuck are you talking about? The entire point of his character is that he's bored with his life and waiting to die, killing people for fun until Fang Yuan inspires something in him.

Do you ever feel embarrassed that everything you say is a fundamental lie, representing something incorrectly for false points? I've already made a point of commenting that people represent themselves much better than you, you insipid little faggot. And psued? Do you know where you are right now? We're both reading cultivation fantasy, this isn't exactly literary gold.

Get the fuck over yourself and re-read your fucking series. It's incredibly clear you do not remember fuck all about its beginning.

>>20375439
Why can't you be more like this? I can at least appreciate the need to adjust my expectations to a hard approach to good and evil and the gray in-between. I'm not bashful about giving Reverend Insanity credit where its due. Let's not pretend it is something its not, however. Fang Yuan is a self-serving villain acting against other self-serving villains.

The only 'good' character we witness in the first 200 chapters is the divine detective and his daughter. He's led to his death, which Fang Yuan profits off of (mostly by escaping with his life). Him and his daughter were the only interesting introductions to this series and they are gone all too soon.

>>20375451
This in the smallest of ways. You get people who make points and then you have miserable faggots who lie through their fucking teeth.

>>20375607
I do it to myself.