/lit/ - Literature

>>12352502
Doing this crash course in Fantasy from /sffg/.

Other than that, I'm also doing a Sci-Fi Crash course. There's something fun about reading the classics.

>>12352502
Gentlemen Bastards series
Anything by China Miéville

>>12352502
Original image please

a little obvious,

but Ghormenghast by Mervyn Peake

Viriconium by M. John Harrison

The Book of The New Sun and it's sequel by Gene Wolfe

and my personal favorite so far, The Dancers at the End of Time by Michael Moorcock.

If you're into comics, look up The Incal or the Metabarons by Alejandro Jodorowsky.

>>12353781
That is not good for you, brother.

>>12353781
Emperor Trajan

>>12354456
nice

>>12352502
Malazan books basically only get good for the last 100-200 pages. Every time. Everything before that is a slog that badly needs an editor.

>>12352741
Im not much into Sci-Fi, but I might try it.
I have read some Philip K Dick, found it acceptable. Maybe I'm just reading the wrong books. Some days ago I almost bought Dune.

>>12352752
Never heard people talking about Gentlemen Bastards. Will look into it.

>>12353832
First time I hear about Ghormenghast, sounds really interesting. Will look into it.

>>12354492
Thats a shame if true, because I had high hopes for it. People praised it so much

>>12352502
The first book is pretty slow, the second, third and first part of the fourth book are great, I would recommend you keep reading.

>>12352502
The first one was serious trash. Just terrible prose, characters, boring.. I had to stop. So I don't know what good fantasy to read because I suspect none of it is good and can't be bothered to try.

But if anyone suggests Malazan they're a complete pleb and you should disregard their opinion on everything they say.

>>12354769
Why keep reading if it's shit?

>>12354456
based

>>12354456
I should have seen that coming but dammit I chuckled out loud

>>12352741
Wrong image, no? Have you got the fantasy equivalent?

Malazan is literally world building only, theres barely a story to be found

>>12353781
I'm know I'm ruining the joke, but whatever man

source: ultraviolet darling

>>12352502
It's fantasy done "well" from a historical-anthropological perspective, and as a case of worldbuilding, but not as fiction. It's closer to a knock-off literature than a pleasure read of fiction, although that repugnance tends to come from older writers with careers under their belt.

I believe what this is is an older man's tendency toward higher logic, less affinity with passions, and forgetting the sense of wonder that should come with reading... It is also the learning curve of a particular author -- not for their style per se, but for their influences. I find Erikson (tenured academic) a slough for different reasons than Martin (historical fiction), and again for Rothfuss (ye olde tymes, that one idiot bard from The Witcher series).

For MBotF, I'd suggest
>Book 3
>Book 1
>Book 2
in that order, to start with. Unless you're like me and willing to go through a grueling process of forcing yourself to read them in order, that's the best to start from. Book 3 is the best written, Book 2 has the best set up, Book 1 is, amusingly enough, the most accessible. Granted, Gardens of the Moon is a tome, and three quarters of it is foreshadowing for the next... 8 books?

>I'd suggest The Dark Tower for easier but more confusing reading and Wheel of Time for a longer, unnecessarily comvoluted read as far as "series" go. >Le Guin's series captures the magic but it speaks more to passions than an inherent logic.

As far as one-off's go, probably Amy Thomson's Storyteller for a fantasy/sci-fi mix. Always the Thrawn books from Star Wars. Dune is good, the others... not so much. If you like westerns, Louis L'Amour can be interesting. I'm fond of Valley of the Sun and Haunted Mesa. If you don't mind ooga-ooga woman as a protagonist, Jean M. Auel's Clan of the Cave Bear series is an interesting take.
>And if you want to like Malazan but can't, Glen Cook's Black Company may be your saviour. A lot less of a dry read, and much darker humour.

>>12355368
Thanks for the big, detailed answer.
First time I see someone suggesting Book 3 first.

>Dark Tower
Already finished it, enjoyed it

>Black Company
This one has been on my list for a long time.

OP here, decided to buy pic related
Let's see how it goes

>>12354456
Absolutely based and without a doubt redpilled

>>12352502
Keeping long-running series interesting is hard, but imo Malazan does a very decent job at it. But prepare for some books that could have way too many pages for their actual content in the series. If that's okay you will be able to enjoy a pretty rich world with a lot of hidden depth and a unique feeling due to a lot of tropes being defied or turned on their heads.

It's also awesome that there are 6 spin-off books that could basically be considered main entries of the series and directly tie in into the main books.

>>12352752
> Gentlemen Bastards series
Yes, if you only read the first book, which had a unique setting and was awesome. For the other two I'm still disappointed that the depression didn't make the author kill himself.

Black company is somewhat slower paced, but very well written and the pages are packed with edge.

The Name of the Wind by Rothfuss is the best fantasy book in terms of prosa. Truly comfy to read.

>>12352741
I would add this as well...

>>12357167
You will like the Gormenghast books.

>>12357379
Why do you say so?
I'm eager to get my hands on it, to be honest. But the same happened with Malazan, so I gotta keep my hype down

There is no good fantasy apart from Tolkien.

>>12352502
The Worm Ouroboros
Phantastes
>>12352741
Surprisingly good chart. I found Asimov very overrated as a writer, but is definitely huge in the genre and John Wright, Zelazny, and Vogt are nice to see- no Wolfe though? I'd also recommend Michael Flynn.

>>12354456
lmao

>>12353781