/lit/ - Literature

die in a fire op

>>10255488
Holy fuck I was obsessed with this as a child. 11/10 comfiness but really sad ending.

Looking for a short story/novella which I heard as a podcast.

A lady in an Asian court (not sure of her exact role) executes a plan that sends herself into exile but makes her son the next emperor.

All pointers welcome.

>>10255483
>men and elves live in a rudimentary medieval society
>meanwhile hobbits have invented democracy, guns and the steam engine
Why does nobody ever talk about this?

>>10255530
>democracy
>a post-medieval invention
Anon...

>>10255537
That may be so but my point is that men and elves clearly haven't figured that shit out yet.

>>10255540
>implying democratic government is a win state that all societies inevitably progress towards
>implying the only reason the vast majority of governments have not been democratic is because they "hadn't figured it out"
And that's without getting into how hobbit democracy actually worked. They were only ruled by a mayor because they weren't important enough to need protection by a lord, and because their king was killed a thousand years before the story started and they were just so backwater they didn't notice. They're intensely class-stratified - you think Sam calls Frodo "Master" as a joke? Ever wondered why Merry and Pippin never make friends with him? Because he's literally a peasant, that's why. The Rohirrim are way more egalitarian than the Shire.

>>10255555
The Rohirrim are more egalitarian for sure, but they live in mud huts and longhouses. Forget I ever said democracy, don't you find it at all impressive that this tiny backwater state produced technologies that the rest of the world couldn't even dream of? Not even Saruman got remotely as far as the hobbits.

Nice digits though.

>>10255567
But they didn't make guns and steam engines, I have no idea where you pulled those from.

>>10255483

>>10255575
Here's a list of things Hobbits have knowledge of, considering LOTR and The Hobbit are written by Bilbo and Frodo in-universe:

>"The dragon passed like an express train

>"If you had dusted the mantelpiece, you would have found this just under the clock,"

>"Carefully! Carefully!" he said. "It is not like you, Bilbo, to keep friends waiting on the mat, and then open the door like a pop-gun!

>The roar of his voice was like drums and guns

>He was watching Bilbo now from the distance with his pale eyes like telescopes.

>>10255530
>>10255537
It really depends on what kind of democracy it is. You're not going to get a constitutional democracy in medieval or some time post medieval. It could be an oligarchy.

At this rate I'm going to have to wait until release day like a pleb.

>>10255620
>You're not going to get a constitutional democracy in medieval or some time post medieval.
If you don't find one it won't be because nobody thought of it.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solonian_Constitution
A village council is a really basic form of democracy, more intuitive really than aristocracy. You'll find those all over the medieval period, and even in a lot of tribal societies.

>>10255600
They're written in-universe by Tolkien using Bilbo and Frodo as sources.

Any good books about slutty non-blonde elves?

>>10255655
my fanfictions desu

I'm 65.800 words in, a bit more than halfway finished, maybe 65% or so. Say the whole book will have 100k words. Is this okay with a first book for publishing?

>>10255627
I don't remember shit about the first two and do not think I care enough to reread them. How do people deal with this?

>>10255663
length does matter if your story is shit

Will normies read a fantasy novel that has copious human/monster sex, both straight and gay, in it?

>>10255667
Endless theorizing. It helps that Sanderson publishes about a book per year, so there's always something new around the corner.

Still, that happened to me with ASOIAF. I read it in 2011, and I'm so burnt out waiting for Winds of Winter I have trouble giving a shit now. I've forgotten all the subplots, and the dumpster fire of a show will spoil the big-picture ending anyway.

Redpill me on the last of the renshai.

>wheel of time
>every single one of the female characters are the same underdeveloped tsundere.
Is this statement true?

>>10255684
Unless it's erotica, I doubt it.

What's the concept though? If you've got more story than just monster/human orgies, it could still be interesting.

>>10255684
dont mix sexualites.
market it as erotica and stick to straight/lesbian/mff+ but dont include straight up gay sex with mc or mcs closes characters unless its lesbian etc. also harems. normies love harems. turns people off.

or go the other way around and make it full on smut faggotry. in this case only whackjobs and women will read it.

also audiobook.
digital and hardcover book sales are overall on the decline. even indies go the audiobook route now as it offsets the readership decline. theres also people that only listen to audiobooks due to various reasons. be it time constraints or impatience.

>>10255849
gay sex turns people off i meant*'
your main readership is going to be male obviously.
if you want an example of kinda allright monster girl fuckery look into wild wasets. it ticks all the normie fetishes
>various monster girls, some less human others more so
>mc gets his own harem of women that are literally living for his dick only
>mc also gets to build his own town, ergo empire building checked off the list.
>outside of the sex scenes theres actually a story that moves rather fast
>women are generally powerfull and independant but still rely on mc

its a few things the book does right.
its not by any means a good book but in all honestly it could have been way worse. also it has audiobooks narrated by a women. which is also important. if its on the erotica side.

>>10255817
>>10255849
>>10255875
It's not an erotica story. The concept is pretty typical fantasy stuff but the story takes place across Russia and Scandinavia with creatures from Slavic and Norse folklore living in their own societies separate from humans. The MC is based on the Russian stock character of Ivan the Fool and travels around occasionally fucking and getting fucked by monster girls and monster boys. The fucking isn't even a huge part of the story, it just happens like 4 or 5 times.

>>10255901
if the fucking isnt going to be a huge part of it id leave it out completely. its not worth it really.
maybe have a love interest here and there.

>>10255908
But don't normies only read fantasy if it has fucking in it?

>>10255912
yeah but you can imply it or have a some flirting and playful banter with pillowtalk afterwards or before.
unless you do erotica dont do copious amounts of sex. and leave out gay sex regardless. unless you really want to target women. but in that case you will loose a lot of the demographic that would buy your book. fantasy readers are largely male. women mostly only read young adult fantasy which doenst contain much graphic content beyond murder.

>plot out elaborate stories
>come up with characters and write up detailed backstories
>time comes to put it all together and I can't
>sit down and decide to just shit something out that comes to mind
>story emerges organically and I seem to come up with what's going on as I write
>don't like it as much because it's not something I preemptively dedicated my time to
I JUST WANT TO WRITE THE STORIES I HAVE PLANNED OUT.

any good bookaroos then

>>10255663
Might be a little much for a first.
Tomes scare away normies, and you aren't a known name yet.

What are some of the least typical novels out there?

There is any good fantasy book with romances as good as wheel?

>>10255918
Thanks very much anon. I wasn't planning on making it too explicit anyway.
And would men really be that put off by implied gay sex? I mean I read Mishima, Wilde, etc. without any problems.

>>10256130
It's 2017, i wouldn't lose any sleep over it.

Do your thing.

>>10256130
Bakker recently made a whole book about gay sex and no one seemed to care, go for it

>>10256130
The only sff book I've ever put down due to sexual content was The Steel Remains and not because the main character is gay but because it seems like the author has some issues with sex in general.

brapap

>>10256058
broken empire

>>10256241
Care to elaborate? I want to know how not to write sexual content.

>>10255488
>die in a fire op
Why? What did I do?

>>10255667
i find what matters usually fades back in

>>10256344
This

Things came flooding back once I started reading the preview chapters

Anyone here read Glen Cook's Instrumentalities of the Night? A friend recommended this to me after I finished the first three books of the Black Company series.

>>10255809
No it's not true. Only Nynaeve and possibly the Aiel chick fit that description. The rest of the women are more or less normal.

>>10256365
I'm a fan of it. Basically it's a fantasy setting very heavily inspired by the late middle ages and stuff like the Cathar heresy, with the added concept that ice is slowly encroaching on the world and the oceans are drying up and there's less arable land and so on. The main character is a sort of elite Janissary in a generic Ottoman eastern empire, he uses a cannon filled with silver coins to kill a monster of "the night" and then gets sent to not-Rome as a spy, but ends up getting drawn into far more important things after discovering some stuff about his past and falling in with a cabal of ancient magi. The series starts out mostly medieval but rapidly progresses to early gunpowder/pike and shot warfare.

Overall I think it's on the high end of Cook's work. Apparently there was supposed to be a 5th book but the publisher cut the series short so the 4th is kinda rushed.

>>10256533

Gonna give it a shot then. Thanks, anon.

>>10256068
>good fantasy book with romances
The Lions of Al-Rassan

What are some good fantasy books with no romances or at least very minor ones involving side characters and not the MC? I've gotten into the habit of immediately dropping any fantasy book that has a major romantic subplot.

>Durdane series for $4

This is such a fucking steal.

>>10256768

Hmm, do you mind reading D&D fiction of a sorts?

I know it might sound strange like hell, but there's a few books from the Dark Sun setting which are pretty great, feature an ugly cunt for a protagonist and there's very, very little mention of romance of any sorts.

The Brazen Gambit, Cinnabar Shadows and The Rise and Fall of a Dragon King are the ones you might want to look out for.

>Still no Oathbringer leak
>Having to wait for release date like normies

REEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

>>10256768
These doesn't exist because it would alienate half of the reading population.

>>10256485
Nynaeve is my waifu, desu.

>>10257113
Pevara is top waifu you pleb.

>>10257125
Go home, Androl.

>>10255809
>really like Lanfear
she dies twice
why

i want to fuck amarie

woudlnt do that to felagund tho, he's the ultimate dude bro

>>10257202
Are you a dog? (White girls fuck dogs)

>>10257205
Why do you keep on posting this?

>>10257205
bitch im a dog woofwoof

praise Felagund and here is his device

what a great bro

>>10257231
Because white girls fuck dogs

>>10257245
Yeah but why do you keep on posting it

>>10257253
Someone else posted it originally and the naivete and insecurity of it made me laugh.

>>10257261
>>10257253
I am enjoying your exchange but let's decide who we would fuck in Arda.

Here by Goldberry, if you want Bombadil's seconds.

Maybe you guys are into sindar girls. So here is the ultimate grey elf gal

maybe a Valië, hippie chick, digs trees

Last not least can't go wrong with wincest.
Fëanor was a stand up guy compared with Túrin, what a cunt... I mean I'd like him better if he just admited he was a cunt, and he's thing was killing and not giving a fuck,

>>10256130
I wouldn't read it. Literary homosex is for the gays and effeminate ivory tower types who might as well be.

Here is Feanor's Heraldic Device.

Feanor did nothing wrong. Except dying.

>>10257321
That's the silmaril in the center.

Finaly I give Luthien's device, quite something.

>>10257325
>Luthien's device

>>10255483
Anyone here read The Bear and the Serpent yet?

>>10256793
Where?

>tfw new Undying Mercenaries this month

>>10256799
Thanks a lot anon, will check those out. I have nothing against D&D fiction.

>>10256768
Young Adult fiction targeted at Christian kids?

How do you go from this...

>>10257660
...to this?

Just finished pic related. Started the sequel today. The Dark Forest. Great stuff. Who even knew Chinese sci fi was a thing?

No forced love stories, rarely explored concepts, cool characters. Check it out.

>>10257664

What's wrong with fantasy authors?

>>10257664
>>10257720

These stupid hats they wear. What's their problem?

I'm about to go into Nemesis Games

Is there a book or series like these? I really like the theme of not being overtly futuristic while having plausible concepts. Not to mention the grit.

Rothfuss is a bad writ-

>>10257869
I'm surprised there's no Neil Gaiman quote since he seems to show up everywhere.

>>10256912
This. What the fuck is going on?

>>10257750
Mars Trilogy?

Who is the best out of the big three science fiction writers?

>>10257869
I will never understand the hype for him. Why does he get so much praise? The Name of the Wind is average and the sequel was awful

>>10257927
Arthur C. Clarke.
They all have their high points though.

>>10257927
Stanislaw

>just finished BotSS
When Horn fell into that cave that Krait later rescued him from, he saw a man with a long nose, I think it was, that touched his forehead with something. Was that Severian?

>>10257911
Word on the street is Target and Walmart broke street dates too many times, and TOR isn't fucking around anymore.
Walmart won't get it on shelves until the 16th.

>>10258045
Interesting. Thanks.

>>10255687
This, that fat turd martin won't release winds of winter before the show is finished.

>>10255483
His works are beautiful, philosophical, and speculative: he's a recognized grand master with several hugos and nebulas to his name, he's more classically sci-fi than half the authors on your "selected" lists: and yet he is unknown almost everywhere. If you really want to introduce people to good sci-fi, and not just rehash the same bland recommendations everyone makes, ADD SIMAK. I will make the image if you agree to put at the top of these thread.s

>>10258170
Make intro to Simak image please.
Anyone have those other author spotlight images hanging around so that anon can see the style? They were pretty good.

>>10258170
Simak's just budget Cordwainer with a little Bradbury to be honest. Not saying he's not great reading. City > Way Station though.

opinions on the gentleman bastards series? ive just finished the lies of locke lamora. wondering if the series gets better or worse

>>10258234
Not a fan after the first.

>>10258234
Worse. I finished the whole thing though.

>>10256768
Iirc library at mount char

Fantasy Newbie from the last thread here, is there an infographic for good fantasy floating around or something?

I'll be done with Oathbringer not long after it's out and I'll need something new.

Ideally, something with cool worldbuilding, a neat concept, and I don't give a fuck about prose.

>>10257202
>>10257279
>blonde
>blue eyed
>slender
Of course. I see it started with tolkien.

>>10258364
Is there not one in the OP?

>>10258373
tolkein was a lefty who supported white genocide

>>10257342
>reading anything by this ant-kin cucking moth lover

>>10258364

>>10258376
Gotta be honest, my eyes always gloss over links in OPs

>>10258396
>Windup Girl
>not-asia
That takes place in Thailand tho

>>10258415
>Gotta be honest, my eyes always gloss over links in OPs

Anon, I'll let you off with a warning this time, but for shame.

>>10257678
>Who even knew Chinese sci fi was a thing?
I did not, until I read Three-body Problem. It's am amazing series. I gotta say, reading some non-fiction dealing with the cultural revolution (Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China, in my case) really enhance the experience.

>>10257907
Gaiman actually have excellent taste. I'm surprised to see LeGuin there however, she also have quite good taste in general.

>>10257678
Everyone, china is pretty much a dystopian sci-fi setting at the moment anyway.

>>10258364
>and I don't give a fuck about prose
FUCK

You've read Tolkien right? Go ahead with Wheel of Time. Sooner or later you'll start caring about prose, ask again then and then read BotNS.

>>10257678
The translator Ken Liu is pushing for more Chinese SF in the Western world. He put out a collection of Chinese SF short stories, for example, I guess he'd be a good starting point for more Chinese SF.

For Japanese SF there recently was even a Humble Book Bundle (spoilers: most of it was pretty trashy, I read a few). It mostly comes from only one publisher in the US.

Is there Korean SF? There must be....

>>10258460
>korea sci-fi

Most Korean literature reads like a soap opera, but it does exist.

They've gone more weeb with it like japan has though.

>>10258460
am I gonna end up reading this ken liu star wars shit?

has this been done

>character is a body-stealer, but their mind is limited and affected by the host's brain
>taking a dull, brain-damaged or mentally ill person's body can cause immediate permanent damage to the mind while taking a genius's brain increases the character's memory and processing power

>>10258453
I like stories above all else anon. The only time I notice prose is when it's flowery and terrible terrible or pretentious and overdone. The whole middle spectrum is just a vehicle for the overall story and characterization as far as I'm concerned.
Y'all who dig prose tho, good for you. You can appreciate writing on a level I do not.

As for Wheel, I'm trying to work my way through EotW right now. Jordan's needless exposition is taking me out of the story though. The gang just screwed over that guys ferry, so I'm still pretty early on.

Kind of a meta question, but is it possible to write fantasy in a purely "show, don't tell" way without losing almost every aspect of world-building? I've read 70% of the fantasy recommendation's chart, and most of them have to outright tell you how amazing things are, or spell out how a character felt.

Is this for convenience, so the story doesn't go out of focus? Is this a fault of the authors? I'm in no way saying this happens everywhere, but it's enough for me to notice.

>>10258508
Eh, maybe try Lovecraft. His prose is among the most readable there is but people seldom notice.

>>10258516
J A C K V A N C E
A
C
K
V
A
N
C
E

>>10258521
>look him up
>read what his stories are about and the little spin he puts on them over other pulp authors
Absolutely based anon. I can only say I hate you because you've immensely increased my backlog.

>>10258516
I think this is Sanderson's strong suit. His worldbuilding is on point, and it doesn't ever feel like a lore dump.

>>10258516
>show, don't tell meme

Sometimes it is faster and better to "tell" and allow the reader to fill in the gaps. Maintains immersion and doesn't break the flow of a story.

>>10258551
That's lazy, and time is not that valuable.

>>10258555
It's not lazy, it's called mastering the craft.

Ignoring rules like "show don't tell" and "avoid cliche like the plague" when they conflict with immersion are the signs of an experienced author.

The same is true for every creative discipline in some form.

>>10258491
yeah, in the tv show "quantum leap"

>>10258234
Lies >>>> Republic > Seas

>>10258518
>Lovecraft's prose
>not flowery and terrible

To the shill that was banding this(pic related) around. Is this a webnovel? I don't see any books on my PRIVATE.

>>10255488
>>10256328
Kek. I think he is the anon from the last thread that tried to filter us.

>>10258377
>>>/pol/ you fucking inbred. Don't bring your retardation in the general, cunt bitch.

>>10258555
If you're at a level where you still have to follow style guides as absolute law then you're not a professional writer yet.

>>10257731
What sort of hat do you wear?

>>10257720
presumably they're like us but worse

>>10256241
I had the same problem. I don't mind sex in books, but graphic gay sex every few pages where the MC talks about the smell of shit on his dick...
Sure, describe it a few times, but then fade to black for the rest.

>>10258521
I'm simply baffled every time I read Vance, I don't understand how he constructs such concise yet fulfilling fight scenes.

>>10258377
>lefty who supported white genocide
sauce?

>>10255483
What does it say in the OP pic?

>>10258855
The only thing that makes a writer professional is if you can quit your day job.

You can be talented as fuck, but if your shit doesn't sell then you're not a professional. Professional doesn't say anything about quality. It just means you got normie attention and made the next Twilight.

brapap

>>10256947
Tolkien is the most widely read fantasy author of all time. LOTR only contains a little bit of tangential romance towards the end and The Hobbit has 0 female characters to begin with. Tell me again how romance-free fantasy doesn't exist and alienates the reading population.

I just finished reading all of Tolkien's major works and I feel empty. Where do I go now? What are some fantasy series with an equally compelling world and setting? Right now I'm looking for something to read mainly based on the cover of the book because I have no idea what I'm really even looking for. Help pls

>>10259277
>reading Tolkien for the worldbuilding and not the medievalist ethics and subtle philological/academic jokes

>>10259282
Sorry, not autistic

>>10259131
So apparently that "tangential romance" was enough to keep women interested.

The idea that women on average read stories of war, blood-shed and destruction and find it interesting is laughable.

>>10259286
>LotR
>story of war
Do you actually read or do you just skim Goodreads reviews then come here? It's a story about hope, friendship, and determination, the war is a backdrop.

>>10259284
If you define autism as the opposite of autism, I guess you're not.

>>10259289
Literally not an argument.

Are you telling me the obverse of this is also true? That the reason harlequin romance novels still sell, is because men like reading about a single virginal woman taming a beast of a man?

Bitch please.

>>10259305
No, I am not making that delusional argument you made up in your head. I'm not telling you that at all. I'm telling you that women like LotR because it's about cute hobbits and Strider going to cool places and relying on each other and not because of Aragorn/Arwen and Faramir/Eowyn in the appendices.

>>10259312
>No, I am not making that delusional argument you made up in your head.

It's not delusional at all you moron. Most harlequin romance is written by women for women.

LOTR is quite obviously not written for a female audience, and the woman who actually enjoys the book an exception to the rule.

>>10259044
It's ditto for talented.

Talented comedians know when to ignore the rules of comedy, talented artists know when to ignore the rules of art (there are so many rules for art) and talented authors know when to tell rather than show.

>>10259321
Forget reading books, do you even read your own posts before you hit send?

>>10259342
Do you actually have something to respond to me with other than butthurt, because you've done it twice now.

>>10259344
Look dude, first you said I wasn't making an argument, then you said I was arguing that Harlequin romances succeed because of male audiences, then when I called you a retard because I didn't make that argument at all you acted like I was defending it. You're obviously in your own little world.

>>10259347
>then you said I was arguing that Harlequin romances succeed because of male audiences

No, I was ASKING you whether you thought the obverse of epic fantasy was true, e.g that men enjoyed harlequin romances as much as women enjoy epic fantasy.

Which is self-evidently not true, because women and men enjoy different things.

Just because you personally like LOTR and you have a gash between your legs, doesn't mean it is typical of women to like epic fantasy.

Deal with it.

>>10259369
Epic fantasy is a female-heavy genre. If we were talking about Louis L'Amour or mil-sf you might have a point.

>>10258508
>As for Wheel, I'm trying to work my way through EotW right now. Jordan's needless exposition is taking me out of the story though.
If you like stories above all then you'll love WoT, although a certain degree of perseverence is necessary, as you're beginning to notice.

I'm sad that you're reading it post-completion, though. A lot of the fun I had was discussing and reading about fan theories online and trying to guess at solutions to mysteries and so forth. You'll not get as much out of the story reading it now, and not participating in those discussions, although you'll the whole story and exactly that.

>>10259386
Women read fantasy precisely because of those "tangential romances" that was talked about earlier, which is why fantasy without those romances doesn't exist.

>>10259386

Women truly will never understand the joy of history.

>>10259421
They have all the history they need encapsulated within the ideology of feminism. Or so they think.

>>10259277
You can try the tight pussy series, or the one before, night angel trilogy.

>>10259286
And yet women read The Hobbit.

>>10259445
The Night Angel Trilogy is the second worst piece of fantasy I've ever read in my life (the worst being The Name of the Wind).

So if Middle-Earth is eventually supposed to become present-day earth, how did the land masses change so drastically?

>>10259369
Anon pls, do you know where you are? Boys don't read books.

>>10259286
You have no idea what women like anon.

>>10259738
Continental drift faggot.

>>10259738
Iluvatar farted

Has oathbringer leaked yet

>>10259805
Yes, downloading it now.

>>10259805
my boy sandy just slipped me a pre-release copy last week, I'll let you know how it is

>>10259805
About thirty chapters have been so far, we're waiting for the rest on Tuesday.

brapap

>>10259783
I have a pretty good idea from my own research and others research into gender-based psychology.

Men overwhelmingly gravitate towards subjects about technology and things and women overwhelmingly gravitate towards subjects involving other people and emotional content.

That doesn't mean there doesn't exist exceptions, but exceptions are exceptions.

>>10259277
Nobody equal's Tolkien's world building, you ought to know that by now. There's a reason he's still venerated to this day. There's plenty of good series out there with interesting world building, but if you use Tolkien as a benchmark you will never enjoy anything.

>>10259978
Explain why women don't care about history. It's 80% people 20% technology.

>>10260014
see
>>10259431

>>10259702
tried it

>bigs
>smalls
>wetboys
>mfw

>>10259277

>>10255530
That was always weird to me. But that's just what happens when you take an optimistic parody of the rural part of your home country and shove it 1000 years in the past.

>>10255959
If it's the first draft, don't sweat it. You can reorganize, edit, cut, insert, whatever and however you please. But it's important to get your ideas out there on paper first.

>>10260086
Why is Geralt on the cover?

What's a good example of the monomyth plot structure (Joseph Campbell) in SF and Fantasy?

it strikes me as I plan my next novel that the idea of doing what many of my favorite authors did - of creating a complex and engaging world that will stand the test of time - its not something that can go hand-in-hand with genre deconstruction.

I wonder if there's a middle ground of the gritty shittyness of reality and the indifference of the universe that blends seamlessly with a fantastic setting that makes readers say "the world is shitty, but being there I don't think I'd mind so much"

Babylon 5 is more cyberpunk than actual cyberpunk

hear me out on this

>gods have been at war since time immemorial, with no end in sight
>Every hundred years, mortals are given the opportunity to step up and defeat the gods, but every time they fail
>the gods are not unkillable, but in every reality in which a god is killed, their final act is to bring about the apocalypse before their succssor has a chance to stop it
>the gods want to be defeated, but having mortals kill them defeats the point of the test.
> the gods don't want murderers as their successors, they want someone who can convince them to surrender

>>10260664
thats like every fourth fantasy series ever anon.

>>10260666
Did you stop reading after the first >, or do you just not read fantasy at all?

>>10259810
Why you gotta lie to me like that anon?

>>10260664
I don't get it

>>10260760
I did not lie

>>10259321
LOTR is quite obviously written for children, in a story where the forces of GOOD defeat the forces of BAD. Thought it was the best shit ever when I was eleven years old.

>>10260810
It's not on my trackers, where'd you find it?

>the world is full of magic and knights
>protag can't fight or do magic, he can only rely on his wits
I need stuff like that. Already read Dying Earth, btw.

Do you imagine the Oathbringer audio book will get uploaded before the e-book version? Is there even an e-book version, actually?

>paying for genre shit
Or rather, I've spent too much on books lately.

>>10260888
Ebook will get up first.

>>10260892
Fuck, I listened to the first two books and would like to listen to this one as well. Maybe I'll just have to pay up.

>>10260866
If he had "wits" he would learn to fight and do magic.

If you're willing to go "weebshit" mode there's a korean light novel named "dungeon defense" that's all about scheming and shit.

>>10260888
Don't pay for e-books. If you're going to spend money, actually try to buy something of real value.

>>10255483
Malazan

>>10261010
*tips fedora*

>>10258396
what the fuck is this? Urban fantasy? Young Adult? Fucking duane reade women's smut? Recommending a sequel in a trilogy but not the first? But then you toss in valid shit like HG Wells, Clarke, and Vance? I don't get it. You don't mix memes and good shit.

>>10258460
>Korean SF
too busy play sc2dota2 to be creative, 미안해

>>10261032
you make a chart then.

>>10259277
Book of the New Sun tbph

>>10261083
Tell me about the cacogens. Why do they wear the masks.

My WIP is about a mage who specialises in magically altering and deleting memories to improve people's outlooks being sent to a city on the brink of revolution to fuck around with a paranoid duke's mind to make him less of a tyrant. Not sure my ending isn't retarded:
> She realises he's inherently bad and going to be a dick anyway so she magically rewrites everything to the extent she feels guilt about basically "killing" him

Would anyone read this shit?

>>10261095
i would.

>>10261099

That means a lot desu lol

>>10261087
to blend in, duh
or perhaps, to decieve?

Does anyone else think that the authors on this board should post their ideas on /tg/? I see more threads about fantasy stories and worldbuilding on there.

>>10261104
I am glad :)

>>10261095
It lacks the obvious twist: the protagonist has rewritten her own memories for some purpose

>>10261111
I feel like fantasy and sci-fi should be its own board.

We're out of place here and on /tg/

>>10261095
Concept sounds okay. Could be easy to fuck up though.

>>10261121

Ohhh. That'd be interesting. Like, realising she'd done this exact same thing dozens of times before.

>>10260260
Books in the heroic fantasy sub-genre typically use some form of the hero's journey outline. David Gemmell used it to good effect in his Drenai Series, Conan the barbarian and John Carter would also fit fairly well if you want some examples from the pulp era.

http://www.thewritersjourney.com/hero%27s_journey.htm

>>10261159
If you like the idea of memory fuckery, read Emperor's Soul. It's a novella, quick read.

>>10261143
This is a slow thread even as a broad general, a full board would definitely be dead.

I honestly think we'd be better off rolled into /tg/ than /lit/ though.

Anyone good Warhammer fantasy novels?
I just finished The Red Duke, and I liked it. Also going to start Felix & Gotrek.

Any of you guys moonlighting as weebs? I've got call to find out if and where nihonjin get their illicit native ebooks and audiobooks.

>>10261215
Who would thrive on /tg/ though?
Wolfe and his dinosaurs or Bakker and his Malazans?

can someone suggest something /comfy/, i need something to read when it's cold outside and warm inside. Vielen Dank

Your story is shit and will never be published.

>>10261302
Do you realize how much toilet paper gets published?

>>10258516
Everyone always teaches show don't tell, but they don't teach explain that it is sometimes better to just tell.

What will make you a better writer is learning how to show well but also when to just tell.

>>10261299
Redwall.
Fionavar Tapestry.
The Dark Tower
Vorkosigan saga

Rated in order of comfiness.

>>10261347
What's a good example?

>>10261305
do you realise how much doesn't?

>>10261302
I dislike smug anime girls.

>>10261364
Make some real life friends and show them the story. If you need validation for your story you're fucking up.

>>10261358
Malazan.

>>10261285
>Bakker and his Malazans
I don't understand how these are related

>>10261479
Quentillionologies that don't fucking end.

>>10261487
>don't end
But Malazan Book of the Fallen was finished the better part of a decade ago.

Can I get some recommendations on some books that contain high fantasy?

Themes akin to Final Fantasy and World of Warcraft are what I'm really interested in as I've come to play video games less and less while growing more curious into the worlds that they contain.

And on a side note, what are some sci fi books that give that noir and depressing cyberpunk feel from movies like Blade Runner? Obviously I'm a brainlet and I'm trying to get into other mediums aside from video games

>>10261542
Why not the WoW novels?

>>10261542
I will help you only if you describe to me in your own words what you think High Fantasy are. And no deflection via name dropping other series.

>>10261542
This >>10261548

>>10255809
Jordan's female characters are all based on his harridan wife, aside from whom Jordan had zero experience of any sort with women.

>>10258460
Korean "sci fi" barely exists and what does exist is trash. It's basically knockoff otaku bullshit or retarded K-Drama soap operas depending on whether the target audience is make or female.

>>10260664
Only complaint is that it relies on the idea that killing an opponent in a fight to the death is an act of murder. That's subjective. Very creative. I think.

>>10261544
I want to branch out to different series, I've been watching wow lore channels on youtube and I really love it, but I think its time for some different creatures, enemies, heroes, etc

>>10261548
I'll try my best not to name drop any series;

The lone adventurer goes on a journey to some unseen land, meets new allies, some that join him on his journey, some that dont. Encounters monsters that prove to be a more than just a fight, help him discover new abilities and such.

Magic is kind of a given in high fantasy, with elves being present but when I think of high fantasy, Im thinking of something more fantastical, like worlds that are more than a color palette swap of some environment seen on earth.

I know I've done a shit job at explaining it in my own words, so in essence, a series that resembles the D&D theme or parts of it

>>10260664
That's actually really cool. A true god would want someone who creates, not destroys to take over their legacy.

>>10261542
You may enjoy Neuromancer or Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?

Whichever of you convinced me to catch up on Attack on Titan, the basement was fucking bullshit and the backstory blows.

>>10260260
Conan
Dune
John Carter
BotNS

Are the most obvious ones

>>10260664
Convoluted and kinda dumb.

>>10260053
You genuinely need to go outside and meet people.

>>10260664
I love it. I'd read it.

>>10261803
>watching that shit past ep 6

The fuck is wrong with you?

What's the proper way to insert symbols into a book? I have a few that I want to use, though they'll probably need a real artist's touch once this is all done

Just finished all of the books in the Cavern of Black Ice books (The Black Sword)

It was good but I'm sad that the author has taken such a long break in writing - I doubt the tone will be the same even if all the plot points wrap up. Assuming Jones finishes the last novel.

Anyone have recommendations for books similar to this series?

>>10261661
Lord of the Rings, of course.
Thomas Covenant, for a subversion.
Book of the New Sun, for the David Lynch version.
There's also Dresden Files, but that's urban fantasy.

The GOAT is obviously Book of the New Sun. You won't understand much until the very end though. It's also science-fiction, but don't tell the main character that, he doesn't know

>>10261542
Malazan will do you good. It definitely has a scope as big or bigger than warcraft. He can be tough to get into, though.

You could try Mistborn or other things by Brandon Sanderson. He's more easy to read.

>>10261803
What did you want the basement and backstory to be?

I'm one of those fags who thinks he can be an fantasy author

I'm having a hard time writing quotable shit. You know, the shit people slap on an obscure background and make a wallpaper out of. I have your typical mentor type characters and I don't know to make them appear wise or even different from their pupils in their dialogue WITHOUT sounding cheesy.

Ever get these dreams that have god tier character and lore and are semi coherent? I wish I had the skills to write them

brapap

>>10262304
>recommend a ridiculously long series with a bad first book to someone trying to get into reading

>>10262674
I'm trying to write a fantasy novel too. You can't fake wisdom tho. Maybe don't have a mentor spouting that shit.

>>10262674
>>10262861
Get out some philosophy shit, read it, steal it.

>>10256241
>The Steel Remain
Fucking this. Also applies to pretty much all his books. Atleast the ones ive tried have gone way over the top with the depiction of sex scenes. I mean in SSF books there is:
A) well written sex scenes that serve purpose and dont deduct from overall quality of the story.
B) over romantization + cringeworthy pussyfooting around writing sexual acts. Painful to read.
C) slightly uncomfortable graphic depictions where you can read into the authors personal fetishes between the lines.
D) balls-in-your-face disgusting pseudo-erotica approach where its impossible to keep the story flowing due to author shoving an ocean of unnecessary graphical sexual details over several pages.

And richard k morgan is the worst kind of offender when it comes to D).

>>10255521
Avatar: the Last Airbender

>>10263042
Thanks, but no thanks. It isn't To Kill a God either, doesn't feature a little girl protagonist, and isn't The Berried Giant.

>>10256768
Lord of the Rings
In the Sparhawk series by Eddings the romance is quite subdued.
Flatland
Hyperion
In the Vlad Taltos series the romance isn't very prominent and lasts at most 2-3 books.
The Chronicles of the Black Company
In the Darksword there's not a lot of romance
Peter Grant series
Narnia
Iron Druid
most novels in the Discworld
Prince of Thorns etc
Sanderson's books have romance but he writes it in a he-held-my-hand-i-blushed style
Johnatan Strange & Mr Norell
Johannes Cabal the Necromancer

>>10256241
Pretty sure I read an interview with this idiot who said he specifically wrote Steel Remains to upset people. And I, too, dropped Steel Remains for the same reason. Had no problem with the MC being gay, but the writer took the gayshit to the extreme like some fat feminist blubbering around a subway completely naked.

>>10263109
>Hyperion
I'd say Hyperion has pretty damn major romantic subplots that involve main characters. Granted they are used to a great effect and serve clear narrative purpose, but still.

>>10263330

Absolutely this. It's practically romantic Keats fanfiction, for god's sake.

>>10263330
Shit it's been a while since I read it but after jogging my memory you're absolutely right

>>10259702
>>10260077
>i didn't like something so you shouldn't read it
>i am too low iq to understand names
>i am Americlap, everything must have americlap names, they know third world countries have better reading results than the Klapistani

Why can't Americlaps read and comprehend? Every Klapistani I met was shamefully ignorant when it comes to reading and writing

>>10260086

>>10260519
>>10260664
Trying too hard to b8 m8

>tfw the efg's never found a home despite having more traffic than the entire /lit/ board.

>>10261215
We won't, this is the literature board.

>>10260705
I've read something like that before. Can't remember where with the hundreds of books I read, but it has been done before (like everything else). The real test is how it's executed, because everything was done before.

>>10260866
There are a bunch of those, the problem is, the protag was doing magic all along, usually ends up being the big reveal.

>>10261143
>We're out of place here
It's literally a thread about books on a board about books.

>>10261032
The chart is supposed to be the most requested recommendations that pass through this general.
If you can't read, ya is trash. Do you read trash anon? If that is your thing go ahead but it was a warning for people who actually read .

>>10261143
>We're out of place here and on /tg/
>as a fellow genre reader we are out of place here
>trust me, as one of you genre readers we need our own board
>sff is not really literature

bwapap

>>10261558

>>10262674

It was the dawn of the third age of mankind – ten years after the Earth-Minbari War.

The Babylon Project was a dream, given form. Its goal: to prevent another war, by creating a place where humans and aliens can work out their differences peacefully. It's a port of call – home away from home – for diplomats, hustlers, entrepreneurs, and wanderers.

Humans and aliens, wrapped in two million, five hundred thousand tons of spinning metal . . . all alone in the night.

It can be a dangerous place, but it's our last best hope for peace.

This is the story of the last of the Babylon stations. The year is 2258. THE NAME OF THE PLACE IS, BABYLON 5.

du du du dududududu

>>10262315
Something more satisfying than a backstory about notJews being being quarantined on cannibal island

Can someone recommend me fantasy with a well-written antagonist-that-turns-out-to-be-a-good-guy?

>>10263764
But please dont spoiler me which character it was.

>>10263764
The Iron Dragon's Daughter.

>>10263380
>immediately assumes I'm American
Missed my location by 7 time zones, buddy.

>the Graphic Audio audio book version of Oathbringer wont be released until spring 2018
FUCK. I don't want to have listen to that fucking married couple, but I don't know if I can wait another half year for the GA version to come out.

>>10263380
>immediately assumes I'm American because I don't like some garbage he likes
You missed my location by 6-11 time zones, buddy.

>>10263845
>7 time zones
>6-11 time zones
Posters on this site are so fucking hilarious about trying to keep their anonymity.

Any recommendations for fantasy short story collections that feature a recurring central character/group of characters? Something like the Conan, Elric, and Fahfrd and the Gray Mouser stories. Doesn't have to be Swords and Sorcery though. I no longer have time for epic length novels.

>>10263853
Man GA is so fucking good.

>>10263908
>tfw they cut out the rape in night angel trilogy
It physically hurt

>>10263907
But if you read enough short stories, won't that just be the same as one epic?

>>10263854
>7 time zones
Russia, iraq, Saudi Arabia, Ethiopia, Yemen, etc

>>10263960
Yes exactly. However, I prefer reading many complete stories over a long period of time instead of finishing one long book. For instance, in a day I can get read three different adventures of Conan, Elric, and Fahfrd and the Gray Mouser.

Cyberpunk doesn't really exist outside of a aesthetic for video games does it?

you told me I'd never make it /sffg/, that I'd never finish a novel. Well guess what motherfuckers: 170 pages, 70k words, and I just finished the final sentence last night

>>10262843
>bad first book
Good enough for the publishers wanting another nine books.

>>10264131
But now you have to get it published.

>>10264142
>this eternal argument
Twilight, for example, got published. Published doesn't equal good.

You know what? I like GotM better than most other Malazan books. At least it's only 700 pages long. That's normally the point in a Malazan book where I realise that nothing has fucking happened yet.

>>10264131
I wrote a book, but it was a self-referential inside-joke wankfest that only my friends in the know would like.
So I feel like I haven't actually written a book.

>>10264131

>>10263954
How would they even do that without messing up the plot? So much of it is dependent on rape.

>>10263973
Forgetting that the US stretches across 6 or 8 zones, too...

>>10264439
All i remember is that I expected rape and buggering sounds in certain parts and didn't get any.

>>10264481
>striked close to home so he's getting scared
I started counting after the last time zone that the us occupied.
It not a problem african/asian/european bro, we don't judge you.

>tfw CANADA last read a book in September
is he dead? come to think of it I haven't seen certain key personalities in sffg for sometime now... only swamp invader is seen with frequency

Where is the leak reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

When is the Oathbringer ebook even going up? I have the hardcover ordered but I'll be damned if I'm going to wait all morning for it.
Sanderson is such a cute Mormon boy I can't steal from him

>>10261299
Assassin's Apprentice is the comfiest book I've read in a while.

Comfiness drops in the next books tho.

Why is egwene such a bitch?
in the 11 chapter of first book and she's all " oh my adventure blabla i am gonna be aes sedai rand", fuck this bitch, does she think she is playing dnd?

Congraduration on achieving your goal ms. sockman

>>10257205
shitskin

Check your mail, Amazon just delivered my copy of Oathbringer.

>>10264696
Ahaha, come back when you've met some of the older women.

>>10264760
Egwene is by far the worst of them. She's one of the absolute worst human beings in the entire series.

>>10264768
>>10264760
i really hope she kicks her arse and go for a more non retarded woman

>>10264563
It's just you an me here anon. All those other "personalities" are merely paranoid delusions.

>>10264754
E-book?

>>10264908
Sorry, hardcover.

>>10264936
Try uploading it to MEGA anyway.

>>10264936
Just start retyping it, we'll wait.

>comfy taverns and residences
>detailed interactions between characters in said taverns and residences
>usually some irony woven into a characters demise
>often amusing solutions to problems
>relaxing, picturesque journeys with great repartee between the travellers
>fun wordplay
>quaint descriptions of a persons hair/attire
Is there anything as cozy as reading a jv novel?

>>10265073
jv?

>>10264696
I am feeling a bit ntr'd with egwene simply forgetting about rand and going all the time out with the morgaine.
I mean she is suposed to love him but can stand not talking with him for 3 days when she's fuckin beside him?

>>10265083
i assume he means jules verne

>>10264612
Step up senpai. I bought the e-book before the hardcover arrives.

I think this is his best work yet.

>>10264997
450k words at 32wpm is nearly 10 days of non-stop typing.

>>10265197
Patience is a virtue.

This is the story of the last of the Babylon stations.
The year is 2258.
The name of the place is
Babylon 5

I'm fifty pages from finishing my Claw Of The Conciliator reread, which I will save for tomorrow. This volume feels more eventful than Shadow Of The Torturer, and Jonas' character is a delight to observe the second time around - piecing together the enigmatic hints of his past, and his asides about the exultants and cagogens. The same goes for Dorcas, Talos, and Baldanders - their hidden natures are laid bare on the re-read and they appear more vividly. There is a lot more explcit detail about Urth's wider lore and history volume, where science fiction elements become prominent. However, I am still not a fan of Dr Talo's play - it's too long, obscure, and difficult to visualise who is who. The plotting, characters and setting nevertheless remains superb, with lots of memorable small moments and cameos among larger ones.

I wonder how on Earth Mr Wolfe did it. He definitely outlined and revised extensively, and I would pay willingly for a facsimilie of his notes, flowcharts, index cards, spider diagrams, etc.

>>10265289
>I wonder how on Earth Mr Wolfe did it.
By injecting saint-grade Catholicism straight into his veins

>>10255901
>The fucking isn't even a huge part of the story
>>10255684
>copious human/monster sex

does the interspecies gay sex actually enhance the story?

>>10265289
dorcas = elle

>>10265319
Some of the women on pornhub remind me of Jolenta.

>>10265197
>>10265223
>>10264997
>>10264936
>>10264908
>>10264754
My sides

>all these fantasy books getting turned into tv shows
just saw amazon is making a series based on silmarillion, or something like that.
i don't want to scream about normies, but it's interesting how GoT managed to shatter the general disdain for fantasy stuff in the public eye

>>10260664
sounds convoluted

>i want to be defeated
>but you have to convince me to do something i already want to do
>also if you kill me fuck you even though i want to die

>>10265368
>but it's interesting how GoT managed to shatter the general disdain for fantasy stuff in the public eye
>GoT
that's a weird way of writing lotr of the rings

>>10265094
>>10265083
Naw. Japanese Visual novel. aka light novels.

>>10265411
>Japanese Visual novel. aka light novels.
visual novels and light novels are not the same thing

>>10265418
Aren't they all books with art and words (moonrunes) in them?

>>10265411
gimme some recs.

>>10265425
You are mistaken senpai.

>>10265425
visual novels are games like this
light novels are just shorter novels with pictures

>>10265425
VN look like pic related. They're basically video games, and LN are basically YA fiction.

New Thread
>>10265473
>>10265473
>>10265473

>tfw Rowling stole the wizard school and magic wand concepts forever
hahahaha

hold me