/lit/ - Literature

Patrick Rothfuss is the best Fantasy author of all time

>>11197015
That’s would be Sarah Maas

>>11197015
Powerful and true post

>>11197061
and that's a good thing!

Silk for caldé!

>>11197015
>>11197044
Honestly, Sarah Maas is the female equivalent of Patrick Rothfuss. They both write power fantasy, Mary Sueish characters in series which have mass pleb appeal.

If you read in English, make sure your version is the 2011 translation.
Download: https://share.soupwhale.com/bibliotik/files/Solaris%20-%20Stanislaw%20Lem/

sanderfag a hack

Currently reading A Wizard of Earthsea.

What's a good fantasy book which isn't as well known? A hidden gem?

>>11197322
Kings of the wyld is a pretty good book I read recently and I’ve literally never seen it shilled here

alright so I finished this royal bastards book. Here >>11189315 is my review of the first 50 pages or so and now a little more. I don't normally read yalls fancy novels from the 70s and big 4 or 5 authors that get posted here. I like randos I find on amazon and generally average tier fantasy. That being said this was without a doubt the worst book I ever read. I mean this literally, not in the 4chan joking kind of way, but this is a cuck fantasy novel.

99% of white people are bad, black people are smart and sexy. The white girl MC falls in love with the black warrior. The white boy who has been fawning over her for years turns into an evil villain and betrays them because she chose the negro. The negro princess is super smart and loyal. The MCs white half brother dies.

1/4 of the book is spent on the MC girl going "omg why am I blushing around the black warrior lol why do I feel like this omg" even though sex is brought up often so its not some foreign feeling. The characters themselves are retarded and one page they barely speak to another and the next they joke like they've known each other for years. They jump from point A to point B and the overall progression is awful.

Unless you're into your wife's son type of fantasy stay far away from this book.

>>11197342
oops I meant to link this post >>11189617

>>11197342
>/pol/ tries to read a book for the first time

>>11197291
I literally don't even know who you're talking about, why do you post this every thread

>>11197348
Anon an uncultured hack

>>11197154
But she doesn't look like someone fucked Brian Blessed with a rabid honey badger

I read The Lord Of The Rings once so I belong here bassically.

Anyway I was wondering if you SFF people had any recommendations for short stories? I want to get back into SFF but I can't really take a lot of time at the moment. Thanks.

>>11197360
Do you really belong /outerlit/?

>>11197360
Harlan Ellison's stories
The Last Question by Asimov

>>11197362

>>11197360
>any recommendations for short stories
The first that come to mind are the Conan stories by Robert E. Howard. If you want more LotR there's Unfinished Tales of Númenor and Middle-Earth, which is basically short stories.

>>11197322
traditional fantasy
Nine Princes in Amber

modern setting:
Last Call
Zod Wallop
Vurt

>>11197359
i keked

>>11197365
Thanks fren
>>11197372
Thank you. I actually have the unfinished tales and the history of middle Earth collection. I was a huge LOTR nerd, but was generally unsatisfied with other fantasy stories. I am hoping I can find some better stuff from here.

>>11197378
If you want a longer work similar to LotR you could read The Fionavar Tapestry by Guy Gavriel Kay. He edited The Silmarillion together with Christopher Tolkien which influenced him.

You can also take a look at the selected fantasy chart in the OP. I'd recommend The Once and Future King, Lyonesse and Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell if you like Tolkien.

If I could ask for just one more recommendation, what are some fantasy books with really unique worlds? I am thinking something that does not draw from the typical medieval Europe thing at all.

With another Disney Wars upon us what are some proper Golden Age pulp fiction Planetary Romance and Space Opera as well as new modern day New Space Opera to read instead?
>Northwest Smith - C.L. Moore
Smith IS Han Solo, Solo is a total rip off

>>11197439
I'm currently enjoying The Cloud Roads by Martha Wells

>>11197439
Tome of the Novel Star

Does anyone remember the demonata series by darren shan (also wrote cirque du freak)? I'm in the mood for some demon based sword/sorcery fantasy and I don't think I ever finished the series. Was going to read and see if it holds up. I remember some grisly scenes.

>>11197439
Warrior of the Fog

>>11197439
I've recently started taking an interest in pic related.
It has a really cool world.

>>11197555
Why do you peddle your books here of all places Sarah?

>>11197360
Any of Dunsany's early short stories. Some of them are less than a page.

>>11197555

>>11197598
Have you even read any of those books?

>>11197619
Yes.

>>11197598
Sarah Maas graduated Magna Cum Laude you know.

Is there any good modern weird fiction?

More like Mega Cum Lord

>>11197689
Weird fiction was never good.

>>11197680
She got cum were?

>>11197689
Not in my opinion but I've only read 2 examples:
Perdido Street station by Mievelle which is often listed in that rubric was trash and actually upset me. How it got such raving reviews and awards is completely beyond me.

Second was city of saints and madmen by Vandermeer. Nothing really bad but also not very interesting.

>>11197044
This, she graduated magna cum laude did you know?

>>11197346
Ebin

>>11197692
>>11197804
>misogynists on my 4chan

>>11197342
>blacks as main characters in a fantasy book
Say no more, not touching it.

How are the Bionicle books, /sffg/?

>>11197655
Ok, then you should be able to summarize it.

How do we get the Maas shitposter banned /sffg/?

Post your favorite little boy protagonist /sffg/.

>>11197360
From These Ashes by Fredric Brown is GOAT

>>11197959
Arya stark

What novels let me read about a skeletal lich?

>>11198008
FUCKING NONE
LICH NOVEL WHEN?

Developed a pathological hatred for Robert Jordan lads

>>11198084
Why?

>>11198086
Donno.

>>11198084

>>11198086
He's a massive faggot.

>>11198266
In what ways? I only read like half of the first book or so, until they meet fantasy gypsies.

>>11198281
They're fantasy Jehovah's Witnesses, I think you'll find.

Is there a fantasy series that has a interesting, complex and charming cast of characters? Pretty much everything I've read so far just has tropey stereotypes except for A Song of Ice and Fire maybe but that series starting sucking major balls after the third book.

>>11198398
Latro in the Mist

>>11198398
>charming
Not sure what you mean by that. I would say Black Company?

>>11198414
>Black Company
>Charming characters

>>11198441
That's why I said I'm not sure what you mean by that. But characters seemed interesting enough.

>>11198281
Every man in the series is a carpet.

>>11197598
Which are the absolutely amazing

Why are fantasy authors so shit at portraying nobility fairly?

>>11198497
What do you mean?

>>11196978
>the retard fucks up the previous threads once again
How hard is it to remember the new threads go on top?

>>11197336
That's because you are a newfag. No one is reading that shit.

>>11197920
Well, which one of them do you want summarized? (You asked if I've read any, I've read 8 of the 12 books featured in the image.)

>>11197336
I've been stuck for two months now. I'm about halfway through. It's really generic and gay so far though. I wonder if I should just give up at this point.

And what the fuck is with that cuckold shit?

>>11197920
>do my work for me so I can pretend as if I read them
If you don't read, why are you in the general?

>>11197947
Report when they post.
It's that easy!

>>11198544
>And what the fuck is with that cuckold shit?
Examples?

>>11198497
1% plz leave. You don't like that you can't control your image? You are all fatcat pighat scum.

>>11198566
Literally the character they call The Cuckold king because his crazy wife fucks some randy.

>>11198494
This is of course subjective but personally I consider TLtL and Mists of Avalon absolutely amazing. Then it goes Jonathan Strange > Lud-in-the-Mist > Howl's Moving Castle = Earthsea > Long Tomorrow > Black God's Kiss

>>11198573
>The Cuckold king
If someone can convince me that this is not GRRMs and /pol/s fault I'm going to print this thread and eat it.

>>11198567
I'll give you 1000 quid if you change your mind.

What was your biggest surprise in Throne of Glass?
[Spoiler]I never expected her to be a Fae[/spoiler]

>>11198573
>>11197342
I though that at least fantasy books were save from this shit.

>>11198542
So you're hating on a series you've never read.

>>11197336

>>11198595
Whenever I found out she graduated major cum lord

>>11198555
Been doing that. Bet I'm not the only one either

>>11198601
I'm hating on the shill, or more specifically how the series is shilled. The series is collateral damage.

>>11198644
The one you replied to probably IS the shill. Same guy going around responding to every criticism of him with shit like "So you hate women?" and "So you've never actually read the books?"
Classic bait, normally I'd ignore it but he's been shitting it up for several threads now.

>>11198447
Complex yes, Charming no

>>11198648
Most likely, yeah. I find it amusing to watch him trying to come up with new ad hominem arguments against me as each one fail.

>>11198648
To be fair, there's a lotta fags here who do hate books for being about/written by women. That's not to say some of those aren't shite.

I've decided to put down Metal Boxes by Alan Black for a while. I'm just struggling with it. I very rarely give up on books, but this one is really testing my patience. It's not marked as YA but it really is. So instead I'm going to try Green Mars.

>>11198644
So can you admit that >>11197598 is a shitpost?

>>11198751
No, that is a fantastic post.

>>11198648
So what you're saying is that somebody who is saying a series is crap despite admitting he never read any of those books is not bait.
Yet when I point it out that he has never read them I am bait?

>>11198665
>asking somebody who later admits has never read the books is an ad hominem.

>>11198668
>To be fair, there's a lotta fags here who do hate books for being about/written by women.
This.

>That's not to say some of those aren't shite.
As with everything, not like most here in the thread can judge because they don't even bother reading something written by a woman.

>>11198758
I've never claimed to have read the series and the only comment about their quality of the books is the general claim that YA is a trash genre.

>>11197897
What's wrong with misogyny?

>>11197439
China Mieville's Bas-Lag books

>>11198769
Hating people because they are superior to you is petty.

>>11198789
Well, you don't actually expect him to be a stable and reasonable guy do you?

>>11198609
lel

>>11198789
What's wrong with pettiness? Women make it their life mission to be as petty as possible, and it never hurt them any.

>>11198820
Oh Lord you're such a butthurt little incel

>>11198769
That it enable shitposters like >>11198789, >>11198811, >>11198820, >>11198833.

>>11198833
I can't be an incel if I like willies you fucking homophobe.

>>11198853
So women's rejection hurt you so bad you started sucking dick? That's pathetic even for your kind

>>11198859
>implying it's a choice

>>11197360
The Science Fiction Hall of Fame Vol 1.

The Rediscovery of Man

The Island of Doctor Death and Other Stories and Other Stories

Harlan Ellison, he has several collections and they all contain at least a couple of solid stories.

Awake in the Night Land

Story of Your Life and Others

There's an exhaustive compilation of Arthur C. Clarke's short stories still in print. At least 50% of them are good.

Dangerous Visions, pretty dated but worth it just for Faith of Our Fathers by PKD if nothing else.

>>11197439
Awake in the Night Land
Perdido Street Station

>>11197452
A Princess of Mars/John Carter in general
Lensman (start with Galactic Patrol)
The Skylark of Space is generally considered the first space opera, but Lensman is better
Dune
The Neutronium Alchemist
Count to a Trillion
Leigh Brackett, although I've never read her, supposedly similar to C.L. Moore.

Any sci-fi series that are actually space operas? Something like Gundam or Macross but without robots, potentially even without war (as a major focus of the book). Just drama that takes place in a sci-fi environment?

>>11198935
Foundation

Are we discussing Solaris yet?

How do you think Tommen is going to die? I reckon he jousts anyway as protest against Cersei as Margary fills his head with shit about Rheagar and dies in some kind of accident. Either that or Cersei begins a sexual relationship with him to get a stronger hold on the crown, Tommen strangles her by accident fulfiling the Valonqar prophecy then jumps out the window.

>>11198935

Does such a thing as sea opera exists? Something like space operas but taking place entirely underwater and humanity meeting some kind of intelligent underwater life on par with humans? Always figured that would be something cool to write but the medium seems void of any.

Is Bakker worth reading?

I have only read the following sci-fi books and enjoyed them all
>book of the new sun + short sun
>fifth head of cerberus
>rendevous with rama
What should I read next?
It'd be nice if it had nobles in space but if it doesn't i'm not fussed

>>11198935
LMMB's Vorkosigan saga is probably the best modern space opera series out there. Long but it's not heavy reading, I'd suggest omnibus order, Shards of Honor takes a little time to get good though so don't give up.

There are a couple wars, but they're mostly background details. Eg, the main character ends up the admiral of a mercenary fleet for a while, but when they show up it's more stuff like the payroll getting stolen while they're hiding in a backwater system or "my clone brother has stolen part of the fleet!"

>New Dread Empire's Fall book finally coming out
Are you happy for me /sffg/?

>>11198998
Dune is about a power struggle between noble houses over a planet's resources, however it's not really set in space and I've never read the sequels.

Behind the Throne by K.B. Wagers was okay and entertaining from what I read of the series. Gun-runner princess gets dragged back home after a conspiracy murders everybody preceding her in secession.

The Vorkosigan saga (>>11199008) is about a guy who's part of his planet's military/noble ruling caste. He gets a lot of shit for being a "Vor lordling" and because he was the emperor's playmate as a child, so a number of the stories revolve around him having to fulfill his noble/governmental obligations.

>>11199067
They all sound shite tbqh

Oh man, I actually watched (half of) Sanderson's lecture on dialogue last night. Before I had to turn it off due to heavy cringe, here's what I got:
>accents are going to be racist if you as an author don't have that accent
>there are two ways to write "smart" characters: you can either have them be quippy with lots of pop culture references or very argumentative
>smart people don't use big words in speech
I'm sure there was more I've forgotten. Who went into Sanderson's class wanting to write dialogue in particular more like him? Makes sense that the other half of the lecture was dedicated to literary agents or something. Dude literally couldn't even figure out how to fill an hour talking about dialogue.

>>11199101
>tbqh

Sorry, I don't speak retardeese.

>>11199118
To be quite honest.

Tbqh, he is retarded

>>11199118
tee bee qu aich

>>11196978
I don't like how small this art makes the Whorl look

>>11198868
>implying

>>11199111
>1:25:50
>That hat

Do you have the times for when he says some especially stupid shit?

>>11198935
Revelation Space

>>11197816
Because the author is a commie faggot and everyone sucked his dick once upon a time

I've been trying to remember a book I read in my high school library.

The main character is part of a low-tech human tribe that exists on a seemingly post-apocalyptic word with many other tribes of different intelligent species. All said tribes hunt each other for food. I think the MC's tribe is inbred and dying or something and he goes on a journey which eventually leads to him discovering the entire planet is either a giant show for the galactic populace or is how the various races decide who gets what planet or something I don't exactly remember. He somehow cheats the system to send his gf off planet into safety.

I specifically remember there being a river scene where a sentient aquatic species is trying to eat them. And I believe they kill a white, meat-skeleton humanoid and eat him describing the meat as "sweet"

>>11198998
Read Dune. I actually recommend reading all six Dune books written by Frank Herbert, avoid all those published after his death. Certainly read up to and through God Emperor of Dune. I hear some hate about Heretics and Chapterhouse, which came after God Emperor but I enjoyed them. Thing is, by that point the series has advanced around 5000 years from the first book so I think it's worth reading them to get a better understanding of the consequences previous characters had on the galaxy at large.

>>11199255
sounds like book of the new sun, by Gene wolfe

>>11199255
If you find it, let us know because that sounds kinda interesting

>>11199255
Dossadi Experiment by Herbert.

what should I expect? I want to get into the big sci fantasy epics like dune and book of new sun so I thought I'd start with this since I am already familiar with stephenson

>>11199390
boredom

>>11199390
It's Stephenson so it's shit.

>>11199414
good reply. have you even read it or any of his books?

>>11199420
No, I haven't read anything by him. I struggled however with Snow Crash, Cryptonomicon and Quicksilver: they all suck ass

>>11199459
then I don't need your opinion if you 'struggle' to read fucking stephenson

>>11199366
While similar, I don't believe that is it. I'll give it a read and see.

>>11199366
>>11199687
That's not it.

>>11199255
>they kill a white, meat-skeleton humanoid and eat him describing the meat as "sweet"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x69VpqoAj1w

>>11199390
It was fun. If you're not a brainlet you can enjoy it.

>>11199420
I read seveneves
good it sucked
at least I finished that though, I didn't get more than a few chapters into anathem
motherfucker puts all his detail into world building autism and none into the prose or the characters or the fucking plot

>>11200001
I heard seveneyes was crappy so I avoided it. I have read snow crash, diamond age, and cryptonomicon though and enjoyed all 3, the latter being the best. I agree he is a love or hate writer and can't seem to do satisfying endings.

>>11200007
i don't think authors that you can only like if you have no standards other than "puts a lot of words on the page" for them qualify for that label
I think he's just a bad author and his readers have bad taste
seriously, read seveneves and tell me I'm wrong
neil degrasse tyson is a major protagonist

>>11200037
like I said, even his fanboys thought seveneyes was not a good book.
>reading for plot

Any good novels with a little girl protag?
How's Throne of Glass anyway?

I am around halfway or a little over through Diaspora by Greg Egan and this is not at all what I was expecting, then again I feel that comes with Egan regardless.

>>11200127
Empress by Miller
kinda The Risen Empire by Westerfeld

>>11200127
>>11200201
deja vu

>>11200127
Have you tried reading any of the recommendations given to this question in the myriad previous threads?

>>11200444
Checked.

>>11200384
Yes, lets not make it two threads in a row. And Throne of Glass is unironically shit, but just try it for yourself by reading the amazon preview

>wife asks me what I'm reading
>It's called Cryptonomicon, you wouldn't like it
>She tells me I don't know that
>I read it aloud
>The chain of Turing’s bicycle has one weak link. The rear wheel has one bent spoke. When the link and the spoke come into contact with each other, the chain will part and fall onto the road. This does not happen at every revolution of the wheel—otherwise the bicycle would be completely useless. It only happens when the chain and the wheel are in a certain position with respect to each other. Based upon reasonable assumptions about the velocity that can be maintained by Dr. Turing, an energetic bicyclist (let us say 25 km/hr) and the radius of his bicycle’s rear wheel (a third of a meter), if the chain’s weak link hit the bent spoke on every revolution, the chain would fall off.....

Good stuff, would read again in a few years/10

>>11200047
I'm not a fanboy and I liked seveneves.

>>11200564
Well? Did she like it?

Just finished both books of Super Sale on Super Heroes and its probably the best mmo/rpg/card games inspired series i read so far.
Tried few of them so far, all were awful, this one knows what it is and dosnt hold back, in fact every time you think it cant get any more committed to the so fall not so popular genre it goes another step forward.

What at first made my wary before reading is the description its a harem book even in its official release materials, which isnt true so i assume it was planned as one but it was dropped before publishing.
In fact its less of a harem/romance book than 90% series written by women where love triangles is whats its always about, at lest here MC has the decency to pick someone straight up without fucking around.

Also its apparently written by ourguy as reddit and 4chan both get directly referenced at one point or another.


Learned of it from someone posting a pic of rpg/stat books, it included Super Sale, Gamer for life, Fimbulwinter, D list Supervillain and Wild Wastes Eastern Expansion and decided to give all of them a go.
So far Gamer for life was shit, a waste of time, D list was mediocre, a great idea but so rushed and so short barely anything is there, and Super Sale was great, best of the bunch by a mile. Gonna do the remaining 2 next.

>>11200564
>Cryptonomicon
Dropped one third into, maybe sooner
Did one of those exposition dumps too many times and for me to stomach, it actually made me angry and i forgot to ever come back to it

Anything were traditional gender roles aren't a bad thing?

>>11200599
I read that whole part out following her around the house. She told me to stop repeatedly and I kept going.
>why can't you just look at porn?

>>11200616
Welcome to the fold.
When you finish Wild Waste and Daniel Black you will feel empty.
>tfw super sales, daniel black and wild wastes are all getting releases this fall

>>11200633
Try again in English.

>>11200634
>why can't you just look at porn?
I hope you said something terrible like
>because I have you
then winked

>>11200650
I'm shocked no one has posted he released a new book a week or two ago.

>>11200650
Hope they are good. gonna do Wild Wastes next.
I was really getting into D list supervillain, but then 3/4 into the second book the author goes "and then he solved all the problems, killed the bad guy and became a beloved hero, he died, THE END" when the fucking story was just getting started, what the fuck man, come on.
And then the third book basically pretends it didnt happend, jumps back few months and keeps on going, But at this point i just lost interest, way to shoot yourself in the foot.

>>11200681
We are /audiobooks/ here. When the audibook is out we will shill it.

>>11197689
The Scar is pretty good.

>>11200704
You have to read D list villian in the correct order. There is book 1 2, then the prequel.
I just enjoyed that it wasn't your normal "muh morals" book. The guy did what he had to do. No cheesey shit, just doing what you have to, to survive. I don't think you understand how much of a fresh air that is.

I also recommend Waldo Rabbit.

>>11198935
Iain M Banks Culture series might be what you are looking for.

>>11200127
the diamond age by neal "the real deal" stephenson

>>11200759
>You have to read D list villian in the correct order. There is book 1 2, then the prequel.
Wait what, dosnt the series start with origins? What the fuck.

>>11200127
>How's Throne of Glass anyway?
Fuck off.
Where the fuck are the mods, we get spammed by this cunt in every thread.

>>11200787
https://www.goodreads.com/series/131864-d-list-supervillain
I started with confessions, then origins, then Secrets, then rise

>>11200796
Not every thread. Multiple times a thread.

>>11198998
bump

>>11200931
>>11198998

Reading the Innocent Mage now, anyone here finish it? Does it get any more interesting or any less cliche? About quarter through and waiting for something to happen already

>>11200616
you probably want to read all of williams/randis books. theyre all interconnected. it started all with otherlife.

>>11201054
>the painted man

Since you asked me for updates on Mists of Avalon:
For fucks sake, Lancelot you bloody faggot, why won't you just fuck Morgaine?At least the author does a great job of describing the sexual tension and religious repression, if feels like Lancelot and Jesus is physically cucking me.

Can we talk about this fucking piece of shit?

>literally doesn't answer any of the key questions posed in the first book except how Kvothe lost his virginity yet continues to get perpetually cuckolded by the girl he loves

>>11201230
>he made it past the first half of the first book

>>11201251
It becomes enjoyable once Kvothe gets to the university

>>11201167
I read the first book and enjoyed it until the boy turned into the weird feral tattoo man. The jongleur and virgin girl who got raped by thugs were kind of annoying. Jumped into book 2 and the first 50 pages were about that shitty muslim sand tribe. Skipped ahead and the whole book seemed to be about the fucking sand people. Read some amazon reviews and most people were giving 2 stars because the whole focus of the first book was scrapped for sand people and the rest of the series changed characters too so I just dropped it. Disappointing. Could have been a good adventure series about demons if he just focused on the boy and made the virgin girl and jongleur team up with him

>>11201230
What were the list of things his story were going to tell?
From memory it covered half the things he said his story would. We talked about it a little in the last thread and one before.
I just remembered another thing it glossed over though. One of the important key things was supposed to be the trial, and he literally skipped it saying there are already better recounts of it available.
>>11201254
That's were it becomes more cliche and more cucked by his girl.
Auri is the only good character imo and I will read just to hopefully learn more about her. His friends calling him out on his shit is good too.

>>11201254
No it doesn't. I remember him being at the uni and whinging about some older student talking to a girl.

>>11201167
You like royalty huh? You've been posting this wanker's pic awfully a lot.

>>11201301
Yeah he white knights hard, starts a feud, and refuses to back down like a pig headed spoilt brat that he claims the other guy is.

>>11201274
The 3rd book is from the sand person's wife's pov too.

>>11201307
I just like his face there.

>>11201313
>conveniently ignoring the guy abusing his position of power to get Kvothe banned from the archives over banter

>>11201376
>conveniently forgetting that Kvothes name wasn't on the list of allowed people and that he picks the fight himself and gets banned as a repercussion of his own "I'm important let me do what I want" actions

>>11201376
Kvothe is a faggot and deserved it.

>>11201376
>is a cunt to a person in power
>wtf he abused his power causing me problems
kek

where my /litrpg/ bros @?

Whats the best fantasy book in terms of imagery and escapism?

>>11201432
why are all litrpg authors russian?

>>11201435
Lotr

>>11201432
Emerilia reporting in

What do you guys think of Ted Chiang?
I've read some of his stuff and think he's pretty good, but haven't seen him mentioned around here.

>>11201432
What a fucking harsh ending.

>>11201432
I don't see why people in these threads always freak out about the possibility of other /sffg/ers reading stuff like Rothfuss and Sanderson but never say anything about the people openly discussing a genre which by its very nature is a thousand times worse than anything Rothfuss or Sanderson could dream of producing.

>>11201054
>Green
I can't tell if this is good from reviews or not because all of the e-shitters say "WOW lesbian material? With a TEEEEEEEN protagonist?? NO STARS!!!!"
Has anyone actually read this? Is it YA, or will I actually find it somewhat interesting?

>Halfway through Lies of Locke Lamora
>mfw they kill the most likable characters
why the FUCK do writers even do this? Like seriously Im debating wether I should stop reading this or not

>>11201504
Absolutely fucking love his stuff. Tower of Babylon is one of my favorite short stories.

>>11201621
litrpg succeeds within its own modest ambitions while Sanderson declines with every novel and Rothfus is a pompous fool.

>>11201153
oh, i will then

Question. I have a kindle paperwhite that recently updated itself to the latest firmware (5.9.5.1). I'm used to reading at a font size 8 with Caecilia. Now the 8 is almost the same size as 7, and if I go to 9 is too big. Is it just my kindle or can you anons reproduce this "bug"?

>>11201633
Yep, still not as bad as the sequel
If you stick with it do yourself a favor and dint read the next book
Lock randomly turns into a ninja and a mass murdering psychopath razing entire villages for kicks and giggles leading a large group of murderers rapist and thiefs

Worst case of incoherent inconsistent characterization i saw

>>11201753
Nigga does this look like a tech support forum? Why even pick this thread?

>>11201780
Firstly, because I'm active in these threads, secondly, because I assume many of you have kindles and thirdly because fuck you that's why.

>>11201621
litrpg isn't popular so they can't act cool by hating it

>>11201787
i have a kobo

>>11201774
Stop speedreading. I don't like the series either but what you just said is pretty inaccurate. You're like the opposite of a shill.
Locke razes Salon Corbeau not for "kicks and giggles" but because of the Amusement War. There was literally an entire chapter devoted to how disgusting he finds the amusements and the fact that he thinks it is cruel. THAT'S why he incorporated it into his plan. Also, he doesn't "randomly turn into a ninja" - his need to recover his old skills is pretty clearly detailed and he fumbles a lot at the start of the book.

>>11201787
>because I assume many of you have kindles
I read physical books. The fact that owning a kindle apparently turns you into a hilarious parody of a spoiled adult who complains about the size of the font on his infinite library of books justifies my continued reluctance to buy one.

>>11201797
>I read physical books.
I read. I don't care about the medium, I'm not a fucking hipster.

>>11201621
Everyone who reads litrpg knows its garbage and doesn't pretend otherwise whereas the others you mentioned with vehemently deny such accusations about their own authors

>>11201794
>b-but he feels bad about it
Fuck off.
The guy who last book was willing to die for people he hated as he seen just is now happily taking part and in fact orchestrating mass scale murders just to reach his goals.
They arent even close to being the same person, its clear the idea plot came first and trying to somehow squeeze it into this series came second.

>>11201207
She's the mousy girl who hides in the library and he's the captain of the football team who likes the cheerleader.

>>11201504
Story of Your Life is one of my two most favorite short stories. But almost everything Chiang writes is great. I don't care if he never writes a novel because his short stories are jewels.

>>11201753
My Kindle Keyboard still keeps going so I haven't bothered to upgrade or update.

>>11201842
>My Kindle Keyboard still keeps going
Mine I had to change because half the screen died, I blame a particularly hot summer day for that.

>>11201818
So you admit that your earlier comment was an inaccurate portrayal of the events that actually happened?
That was easier than I expected, thanks!

>>11201504
Exhalation is his best. Tower of Babylon is also great. Story of Your Life is his most overrated.

>>11199171
Post more Long Sun art. There doesn't seem to be a whole lot out there

>>11201439
their computers can't run everquest or wow so they need to make the stuff up in their head.

>>11202026
>he played everquest or wow instead of writing a series of books

>>11202025
There is no Wolfe art, you don't have time to draw when you have to reread BotNS for the 21st time and notice that one detail you missed the first 20 reads and puts a character in a completely different light.

>>11202025

>>11199171
How big is the Whorl supposed to be exactly? Was it ever fully described?

>>11202689
Not as big as Gene's passion for Pringles.

>>11201633
Finish it, the ending is good. Then drop the series.

>>11200564
>Good stuff
Really I read it but do not have any fond memories of it. Just that is was quite long.

So Solaris is just Blindsight but with ocean vistas instead of Geiger architecture?
Kinda disappointed. But I guess that's the point? Because we feel exactly like the protagonist?

>>11203070
Point is you probably shouldn't be reading Lem. he's kinda outdated at this point.

>Blindsight
>LOL vampires dude!

Dropped.

>>11203094
>anon
>LOL I'm stupid doood!

Dropped

>>11203091
No, read better authors not trendy ones.

>>11203178
Lem is trendy in a retro kinda way. I still think he isn't worth the praise

>>11201633
>>11201774
I also ignored advice to stop after the first book and dropped it during the 2nd when they put the plot on hold to join the morally pure, led by strong womyn of color, empowered and sexually liberated (read: fucking gay), not killing their prisoners but giving them a fair chance, group of fucking PIRATES. Actually the cringiest shit I've read in my life and I've been wanting to read a pirate fantasy story, this was like a monkey's paw.

>>11202689
Big enough to fit dozens of city states and the territory in between. Gene has been asked the question and said he doesn't know.

>>11203101
Quick question: Blindsight is about vampires, yes or no? Only a 'yes' or 'no' answer is accepted!

>>11196978
Why are princes or rulers called caldé? Doesn't that word mean "hot"?

>>11201621
Despite our best efforts litrpg survived whereas Rothusfags where battered into silence. Can't let them gain ground.

>>11199390
Just jump into Book of the New Sun. There’s no reason to trudge through something else first.

>>11203431
No

If a book includes a concept or term do you think that makes the entire book "about" that? Don't try so hard to be some evolved, mature reader who won't even approach something because you saw a term or concept you deem childish. You're only exposing yourself as someone who can't figure out what the book is actually about.

>all of this assuming you're the first poster who said you dropped it because of the vampires and not some other anon unironically asking

Anybody read through the Shadow Campaign by Wexler? I just started book 4 and I want to know if he finally stops beating us all over the head with the fact that Girls Own are just as capable, strong, and good at fighting as all the veteran guys. I don’t really have a problem with the book focusing on an all girl battalion in what’s basically Napoleonic warfare. I just wish it would stop being so hamfisted in pointing out how they can do everything the guys can, but all kind of better too.

Beyond that I actually really like the series. The setting is cool, I like Napoleonic warfare, and the characters are all actually enjoyable.

>>11201633
The ending is good. The second book is a hot fucking mess. That being said I actually thought the third book was decentish. Nowhere near as bad as the second. Not as god as the first.

>>11201774
None of those things happened.

>>11203599
> the fact that Girls Own are just as capable, strong, and good at fighting as all the veteran guys
Well I can safely take this off my list.

why do some books feel so disjointed? Like they are describing something then suddenly they straight up jumped to a character scratching the back of his hand. Like what the hell man>

>>11203672
They don’t pop up till the third book, and even then they’re not terrible, but it is annoying how often Wexler needs to point out just how capable they are.

>>11201623
I read everything on that list. That is why they are on the list.
If it helps green came out a decade+ ago, before pandering became a thing.

P.s. If you are one of those that likes to say that you should only read dead authors.. Then Jay Lake died a few years ago.

>>11201504
>haven't seen him mentioned around here.
Hi Mr Newfag. If you have questions about anything, always check the archive first.

I really love LeGuin, particularly The Dispossessed. Anyone got some similar quality (not necessarily anarchy related, talking more about character depth and emotions) SF & F recommendations?

>>11201633
I barely got through the first one. I thought it was an incoherent piece of shit. I don't understand why people shill this fucker. He just can't write.

>>11201850
Shill

>>11203735
>If it helps green came out a decade+ ago, before pandering became a thing.
I don't give a shit
I want to know if it's YA garbo or not
YA garbo has been around longer than a decade
You also recommended a bunch of other stuff I have no interest in like Sanderson and Niven and Stephenson so I'm not looking for your subjective take on it, I just want to know if it was written for my demographic (i.e. BotNS shitposter)

Who else waiting for the latest in the series?

>>11203950
Literally said I don't like the series you massive faggot, but neither am I dumb enough to forget entire chapters of it.
But yes continue ignoring your shortcomings and other comments calling you out like >>11203618

>>11204010
I haven't tried this series, is it good? I might give it a go, but only if the author graduated magna cum laude.

>>11204022
It's like Mistborn but not as anime.
She graduated magna cum laude.

>>11204033
She did what with cum?

>>11204033
>She graduated magna cum laude.
Slut

>>11204010
Downloading the audiobook right now. Will report back tomorrow.

>>11204183
I hope you didn’t pay actual money for it

Just read Kallocain, Do Androids Dream... , and Ubik

In the sci-fi dystopian mood. Working on Neuromancer right now but after reading PKD it seems way too grim.

>>11204033
When I read Mistborn I remember enjoying the setting and the magic system enough to keep me reading, but the characters and all of their interactions were such a goddamn slog. Breeze was okay though.

Goddamn I wish I hadn't read the whole trilogy since only the first is worth half a damn. I'm a sucker for series though, my fantasy progression basically went >Discworld>WoT>LotR>ASoIaF>The Dark Tower>Dune> Now reading BotNS.

I basically feel like I got tricked into reading a shitty series by its mildly interesting premise and setting.

>>11204192
What if I bought it?

>>11204010
3...2...1

should i cop

>>11204361
>I basically feel like I got tricked into reading a shitty series by its mildly interesting premise and setting
When Sanderson lectures on fantasy writing, he literally has entire class sessions devoted to "developing magic systems"
He basically should have trademarked the term "magic systems" because I feel like people only ever use it in reference to his novels
There's a reason nobody else seems to care about it, if you ask me

>>11204643
I haven't read Sanderson, what do you mean by magic system? Is the Red Knight's magic comparable?

>>11204033
>It's like Mistborn
Ah, best to avoid it then,

>>11205009
Sanderson's magic systems are like systems from a video game, so they have complex rules and boundaries and the stories focus on them. In Mistborn, some characters can consume flakes of metal and "burn" them to gain powers. There are different metals which give different abilities, and most people can only consume one type. Then there are Mistborn, who can burn them all.

Then there are two other systems, one which allows storing power into the same types of metal, then being able to burn it for an excessive burst of the power later. And another which has spikes being driven into people's bodies so that they can somehow use the power permanently or something, fuck idk. They're kind convoluted and they just give the feeling that they'd be better off in a video game than a novel.

>>11205009
>>11205069
Sanderson's excuse is that he thinks that when magic is used to resolve conflicts in a story, the more constraints your magic has, the less contrived and cheap it feels
However, this is bullshit and I think a fundamental misuse of the fantasy genre
To be fair, Sanderson's books are purely escapism and have virtually no literary merit, so maybe it's not what he's going for - but you have a character like Gandalf, whose magic is basically completely unbounded at the time, and when he uses it to stop the Balrog it doesn't feel cheap because there's also a character moment there
Magic in fantasy doesn't need to be like super hero powers, it needs to have some connection to what characters are going through when it's used to be effective
Super hero powers are well defined so that they can sell kids lots of toys, and give those kids an easy set of rules to imagine those toys playing in
Fantasy novels in my opinion should be about telling good stories, but it seems like what Sanderson has found is that adult readers basically want the same shit from him that kids want from Marvel - simple stories made to convey a set of rules so that they can imagine their own stories within that set of rules

Just fucking play DND, stop paying the man to lecture, goddamn

>>11199467
Struggled to stay awake you nigger.

>>11203972
But I also have botns on that chart...

>>11205225
"Sanderson's first law" is actually valid in the sense that if you have magic constantly solving your characters' problems without ever so much as implying what magic can and can't do then it comes off as deus ex machina. One of the reasons Harry Potter fails even as children's literature is that Rowling just introduces new rules about magic by fiat whenever Harry needs to overcome a challenge and then forgets about them afterwards. On the other hand something like The Hobbit has a whimsical magic system that feels fantastic, but there are limits on what it can actually do for the main character. The Ring has specific effects, it doesn't just give Bilbo new powers as the plot demands.
Of course, Sanderson takes this as justification to be a complete autist about "magic systems" as long as they're later used in some convoluted way to solve a problem in the story. But what he's saying isn't wrong in principle.

>>11205225
>how did they publish Sanderson and not me
That is what I read from your wall of text.

>>11205283
If it's something you're using constantly without justification, you're probably just a bad writer
I think it worked for Harry Potter for the same reason it works for Sanderson
It gave children something to imagine
You can have a magically intelligent owl, or a cat! You can have this invisibility cloak! You can make things float, that tree with really big roots might grab you, there's this place with shops full of magical items, just think about all of them!
That's basically what Sanderson's doing
Adult readers just need a little bit more rigor to get their imagination to work with it because they understand how the world works better
It doesn't really have any more literary merit

I liked "magic system" in this.

>>11205308
Well Sanderson has sent a book to a publisher, for one
I wasn't ever hating on him because he's successful
I think he's recognized a gap in the market and filled it
I hate it when people recommend it alongside other literature though because having something as childish as Way of Kings or whatever on there completely throws the rest of their taste into question

>>11205069
This sounds really boring and annoying desu.

>>11197555
Oh yeah does it have a really cool magic system too?

jesus that colin guy in the daniel black forum is a full faggot. He just goes on and on about boring shit no one cares about. I called him a faggot but someone deleted my comment.

>>11205225
Nice post anon. People are influenced by the things they consume when they're young. Classic fantasy authors grew up on folk tales and ancient legends, and thus the magic in their books was actually magical; it was esoteric and beyond this world. Modern fantasy authors grew up on comic books, hence why their magic resembles superpowers.
I think it has something to do with the spirit of the age too. You can't speculate about the world and human nature like people did in the 19th and early 20th century. Things are more scientific and methodological now, which reflects on the literature too.

>>11205404
I was going to ask what the fuck you're talking about, but I don't care, so instead I am just informing you that nobody knows or cares about whatever you're doing on some other site

>>11205366
>a sff taste connoisseur judges everyone in this thread
an hero now. If it is fun I will read it fagget.

Fuck off back to outer lit you pompous pretentious poseur of the poetic arts and polite populous.

>>11205428
https://williamscorner.blog/

Tapped out of WoT 5 books in lads.
Sanderson or Erikson?

>>11196978
is Dune worth reading
thinking of getting a nice copy of it once I return

>>11205492
>once I return
Stay gone

>>11205468
Why would you read more of the same?

>>11205468
>Tapped out of WoT
Sanderson. Erikson is just as fluffy as Jordan

>>11205464
Oh no, someone who likes good books said what they don't like about bad books
Fuck off back to /r/fantasy, if we're going to that level
You can talk about how your favorite fanfic author just released their first novel and how SUPER fun it is way more actively with them

>>11205569
never went to reddite, never will.
Since you know where to go, maybe you should return to your safe space where people don't argue with you?

>Female authors who self-insert as some woman with s uper powers
>And use their super powers to sleep with lots of men
>Author is actually fat

s m h

>>11205683
And fat male authors never self-insert?

>>11203385
Generally pyrates were relatively lenient to other sailors rather than officers or ship owners. Sounds like you're just triggered.

>>11205702
Phrasing!

>>11205639
>I'M NOT REDDIT YOURE THE REDDIT! SAFE SPACE! NO COLLUSION!

>>11205706
Both interpretations are valid.

>>11205702
name one

>>11205683
>Male authors who self-insert as some guy with s uper powers
>And use their super powers to sleep with lots of women
>Author is actually fat

s m h

(funny how many litRPG authors use cover art on their goodreads accounts instead of a photo, it's dumpy white guys all the way down)

>>11205542
But didn't Sanderson finish WoT?

>>11205771
Hahaha exactly this. The litrpg authors are way worse and have far more examples than any women authors doing the same thing.

>>11205861
Yes. Jordan's problem was his slow moving plot, which basically halted for a few books. Sanderson came in after his death and was tasked with ending the story. Their styles are separate and distinct.

>>11205865
>>11205771
>l-look guys do it too!
I smell vagina coming from you two.

>>11205872
What are the female characters like in Sanderson's/Erikson's work like, honestly in WoT they were driving me mad and I don't want a repeat.

>>11205917
Jordan has notoriously annoying females. Sanderson has "strong independent we want the nerd girl audience" characters, but also some good ones. Erikson has average fantasy women

Is there any fantasy where the magic is based on 'actual' magic? Meaning the occult/magickal practices people in history actually used, "as above, so below" and all that? I know Arthur Machen was in the Order of the Golden Dawn, and Alan Moore puts "workings" into his fiction.

New Thread
>>11206028
>>11206028
>>11206028

>>11203573