/lit/ - Literature

First for I've never actually read Sanderson and so I have no strong opinion about him either way.

second for sanderfag a hack

Third for Blindsight

just did a massive smelly robert jordon lads

99% of what I read is YA fantasy and I feel no shame

Seeing Wolfe in the obituaries still makes me a little sad...

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/19/obituaries/gene-wolfe-dead.html

If you had to recommend one sci-fi/fantasy novel to someone that's never read a novel in their life, what would you choose to leave the strongest impression on them?

>>12975232
Dune

>>12975232
If I respected their intelligence as a person, The Three Body Problem. If I respected their ability as a reader, Hyperion. If I thought they were little better than a casual magazine reader, The Hobbit. Not that there's anything wrong with The Hobbit, it's just a very well written children's book that would probably blow an inexperienced adult's mind.

Need more degenerate shit like ELLC.
I've tried:
Wild Wastes = Alright, don't care for sequel
Super Sales Super Heroes = just ecchi I want more fucking
Some Angel + Succubus thing, too vanilla/ boring

>>12975216
Reading all these recent butt-kissing articles about Gene has been a trip.


>Gene Wolfe Was the Proust of Science Fiction
>Out of the trauma of war, Wolfe found redemption in Catholicism and his voice in futuristic, philosophical novels
https://archive.fo/J2zgA

>Before the Labyrinthine Lore of 'Dark Souls,' There Was Gene Wolfe
>The author of 'The Book of the New Sun' was a master of creating playful and ambiguous lore
https://waypoint.vice.com/en_us/article/pajdwn/before-the-labyrinthine-lore-of-dark-souls-there-was-gene-wolfe

>>12975323
Is Book of the New Sun the Dark Souls of literature?

>>12975232
The Stars My Destination

Anon who recommended this to me a couple of threads ago: you are quite alright mate, this was a very nice read.

>>12975337
>ywn raise a family with your cute immortal fairy gf

>>12975240
I've heard Dune is an amazing novel, but the descriptions of it make it sound rather mundane. Why is Dune one of the most recommended sci-fi books of all time?

>>12975232
I can't recommend just one.
For classics I would recommend Frankenstein or 1984.
Outside of obvious Hobbit/LOTR/ASOIAF, I would recommend A Wrinkle in Time or the Coldfire trilogy.

>>12975376
It's well-written particularly by genre standards, very influential, dense without being neither bloated nor too challenging to a new reader, and multifaceted enough that it will probably help you figure out what to read next.

It's also not the best SF novel ever written, but it's good enough that if you can't stand it the genre and/or reading might not be for you.

>>12975216
No word on what his last words were but it's presumed they were overlong and in need of an editor.

I want to thank /lit/ for introducing me to this author.

>>12975316
deathcreator is peak degeneracy

>>12975494
Read Rigante next, it's his best work imo.

Also, stay away from Hawk Queen, probably his only bad series.

>>12975494
Gemmell popped my fantasy cherry. Had an e-friend from Bongistan recommend him years ago and ended up buying almost all of his books. His Jerusalem Man trilogy might be my favorite of his works. It's like Gemmell read The Dark Tower and thought he could do better (and he did).

Has anyone read this?
I've read 3 books so far and liked them. Sci-fi version of heroic fantasy with a heavy dose of war and politics.
My question to those who have read all the books is if I can skip book 4. It follows a different character I'm not interested in and reviews say it has an alternate ending to the one in book 3. Was wondering if I can skip it and go directly to book 5.

>>12975232
Something by Kurt Vonnegut or Philip K Dick. Something light, funny with some big ideas put across mundanely.

Download in the OP yo

I just finished this and it was okay. The way it handled sex was kind of strange, but I guess that's kind of understandable given the environment the main characters were in.
No second book until March 2020 though which is a bit disappointing. I generally like Feist's works purely because they're pretty straightforward and unpretentious.

>>12975316

>>12975905
>Has anyone read this?
After his Angel & demon series went to shit in book two, I swore off anything that author wrote.

So, Crest of the Stars, and Banner of the Stars, are getting a revised translation and omnibus re-release. Anyone looking forward to crusading space elves?
https://twitter.com/jnovelclub/status/1119707093479690240

>>12976095
What was with the sex then?

>>12976754
It's just treated in a way that's very detached and dispassionate. Two of the main characters are raised from childhood (they're like 14 or 15 in the book) as part of a large organized crime empire, which does everything from street thuggery to regicide, the female of the pair is sent to train in a brothel for a while to learn how to be a honey trap, so she's made to sleep with a bunch of dudes to learn the ropes. Turns out she's a dead fish so she gets sent to do something else more in line with her talents.
Like I said, it's justified by the setting, but most writers would have added a lot of melodrama. Whereas here, they make a joke and just move on, because it's not important. It just stood out to me a bit, but like I said, it's totally justified within the plot.

>>12976752
>space elves
elves are for slavery.

>>12976799
less weird writers would've just not made her train as a whore at all

>>12975316
Have a link to an epub/mobi of this shit?

>>12976945
It's a free web novel retard. Make your own fucking epub.

>>12976965
I know man, but I'm a lazy fuck, and besides what else is this site good for besides links to shit?

>>12977008
We aren't your tech support. If you want links go to rebbit.

>>12977008
> I'm a lazy fuck
You're a dumb fuck is what you are.
It takes less than a minute to create an epub out of a web novel.

I need a fantasy book with trains.

>>12976945
Web2Epub chrome extension, you fucking degenerate.

>>12977067
Well done, exactly what this place needs, more posts encouraging every brain dead newfag that can't google basic shit.

>>12977008
>it takes more effort to type and post your message than to get the epub.

>>12977095
If they get too uppity just report them for advertising and begging.

>>12977063
You want the trains to be prominent or just exist in the world as a means of travel?
If it's the first try, Half Made World. Steampunk Western.
If it's the latter try, Sol's Harvest. Redemption arc set amidst a reimagined American Civil War with one of the more unique magic systems I've come across in recent years.

>>12975376
Ive read it and many other sff books and i honestly couldnt tell you. Its one of the most over rated books of all time imo. Its ok, but I really couldnt see why people loved it so much.

>>12977063
mother of all learning

>>12977456
>all learning

>>12975430
Really? I'm reading it, almost done with the second part, and I wouldn't say Dune is unchallenging to a new reader. Not only because of the use of five made up words every paragraph, but because there's a lot of stuff going on in the background which the reader never really gets to understand, nor does the author try to spoonfeed you. I'm not new by any means to fantasy and sci fi, but Dune is not easy on beginners.

>>12976695
Is Wild Wastes actually just a novelized version of a story straight out of the monster girl general on /jp/?

>>12977456
Have read it, almost a masterpiece, but not enough trains. Nothing ever happens in the train, and there is only one route.

>>12977569
More like babbys first monster girl series. Mostly green skinned humans and plant humans.

Hey pros and scholars. I have been methodically trying to read some high fantasy to get better at world building. Never read any before. I started with William Morris, the guy who invented modern fantasy in the 1890s, and have read his last 6 books so far. All of them are high fantasy, except them having Christianity, along with Christian lore of real life far off places like Jerusalem (pic related, see the compass) or Babylon. I like his believable place names and heraldry, even if somewhat simple, and his sparingly used magic and magic items. His wank endings are lame to me but it doesn't matter since I'm only reading for the world building. His people names are a bit uninspiring, but I prefer them to invented names that have no invented languages or word lists to back up their etymologies.

I would like some more recommendations.

Last time I was recommended Edward Plunkett and Eric Rücker Eddison. I didn't like Plunkett: not much world building, silly invented names without etymology. Eddison is more promising but it's hard for me to read and his names, place names and heraldry seem shoddy, his geography seems better.

However there's a 25 year gap between Morris and these two. Did no-one really write any high fantasy during that time? I don't care if it's someone obscure or someone who is considered less good. Or should I just skip to Robert E. Howard and Tolkien?

I just finished reading LOTR, and I got Silmarilion , Children of Hurin, Beren and Luthien and fall of Gondolin in the mail.

I didn't know "Unfinished Tales" existed until now should I get it or are the stories there already expanded in their own separate books? Also is there anything else of Tolkien I should get?

>>12977845
Check out Bramah's Wallet of Kai Lung (1900).

>>12977845
>should I just skip to Robert E. Howard and Tolkien?
Fuck no. If you are actually serious about studying fantasy, that's a hell of a leap to make. Have you read George MacDonald? He is one of the most influential writers in the history of the genre.
I personally have a soft spot for Robert Chambers, though he is more of a horror writer.
David Lindsay and John Ruskin and is also considered to be of great importance.
Apart from that, try reading the (sorta) fantasy works of mainstream authors not generally defined as being fantasy writers, but rather more literary: Dickens, Poe and Wilde come to mind.

>>12977845
>get better at world building
For what purpose? It's not a useful skill. At best you need to know that a load of arbitrary weird names are annoying rather than exotic and intriguing, which you've already established.

>>12977845
At some point read the David Gemmell's Drenai Saga, he for sure was influenced by Robert E. Howard.

How does mobilism not get shut down?

>>12975494
Didn't enjoy druss the legend. I much prefer the Lion of Macedone followed by Troy series.

>>12978310
Because every time an author complains to them they remove every book from that author.
Most authors don't care or don't know about the page.
On the other hand, Paulo Cohelo was pirated in russia and he got extremely popular there and when eventually he published there there was an already established fanbase. He is a fan of piracy now.

Where do I find obscure new(ish) fantasy releases?

Has anyone else here actually read Worm? Does he get any better in his more recent material about not filling the word count with characters thinking to themselves?

>>12978613
Literally /r/fantasy's weekly self-shill thread

>>12978729
im waiting for ward to finish before reading

>>12978729
I did read all of worm when it first came out, I enjoyed it

Ok I'll have to force myself try the Worm Ouroboros again, then try some of the suggested stuff before moving to Tolkien. Thank you scholars.
>>12977977
Thanks. Seems like a surprisingly useful read for my purposes.
>>12978142
Not studying fantasy in general. That would be a lifelong endeavor. I can't. That's why just worldbuilding for now. Reading 10-50 pages a day I'll eventually go through one book from all of those authors but I can't now. If you have any suggestions from those authors for me to prioritize, books where you could draw the world of the book on a map or ones where there are more than a few locations. Also you mean Robert (W.) Chambers or someone else?
>>12978202
It is an important part of creating engaging fiction. Not just about believable maps and names but about culture and religion and language and everything in-between too.
>>12978211
Looked like some GRRM tier meme stuff at first glance but seeing the reverent talk of him ITT I'll definitely take him more seriously once I get to that year.
>>12978729
The Worm Ouroboros?

>>12978773
>Worm Ouroboros
I thought we were talking about worm by wildbow

Anyone here read Too Like the Lightning?

>>12978748
Worm's story is pretty complete, but I don't really recommend it unless you've got nothing else to read. Sections 12 through like 25 (out of 30) aren't good. Read it or don't, I don't think you need to wait for Ward.

>>12978771
I can see the right type of person liking it. If you're a fast reader who can skim over the flaws, sure.

>>12975232
The name of the wind, obviously. All the other recommendations are trash.

>>12978876
>If you're a fast reader who can skim over the flaws, sure.
Yeah, unfortunately I am a fast reader, in fact I can't remember the name of a single character beside the main one

>>12978806
Ok good just wanted to make sure.

Any updates on the following
book 4 by scott lynch
book 3 by fatrick rothfuss
book 6 by grrm
???

>>12979037
>grrm
give up

Anyone got royal road recs? Mother of learning was pretty enjoyable, is there anything else worth reading on there?

>>12978773
>It is an important part of creating engaging fiction
I don't agree. Most people don't much care as long as it isn't too egregious or bland. Write a decent story with interesting characters and people will accept whatever nonsense world you put them in.

>>12979054
you know he's just holding back because of the show right
book 6 comes out this year

>>12977063
city of stairs

>>12978916
I dunno if I'll remember much after six years even as slow as I do read, honestly. There were some memorable things, but they were diluted by crappy sections like the Nicole/Echidna stuff and the SH9 tests.

>>12975216
>mfw it’s real
I didn’t need this feels, not today

>>12979144
i think the show being this huge and concluding the story for him has killed his motivation, he doesnt need to finish it anymore for all of teh fans because the ending will be in the show

>>12977845
I think the "world building" style of BotNS is underutilized, where the story doesn't really take a turn to delve into it. Things are just shown, and the narrator might share a bit about what he knows about them, which isn't usually much. It relies pretty heavily on real-world etymology, too, which is interesting.

>>12975494
Honestly just stop reading his books, you’ll only get sad that he died before his time

>>12979207
He doesn’t care because the shekels dingus. It was always about the shekels

>He spoke endlessly, like a mosquito

>>12979227
i still think he would feel an "obligation" to conclude the story for the fans

>>12978916
> I am a fast reader, in fact I can't remember the name

Speedreaders everyone.

>>12978818
Check the archives. Too like the meme was aggressively shilled here. I expect when the new book comes out the shilling will pick back up.

>>12979253
>i still think he would feel an "obligation
Then you don't know gurm

>>12979207
>because the ending will be in the show
Never watched the show, never will. Don't even know if I will read the book, even if he publishes it, which he wouldn't.

>>12979073
Blue Mage raised by dragons.

>>12979271
I do remember enjoying it though

>>12979253
>he feels obligated
Bless your soul child

I'm way too late to start the April book of the month right. Should probably just join in next month no?

>>12979379
I used to feel bad for reading "slowly", but thanks to people like you I don't feel so bad anymore.

Although I experience the same problem when watching anime or other series because I tend to browse forums on the other half of my screen. I keep forgetting/missing details.

>>12979412
I mean, it's not like I skip words while reading

>>12979144
>believing this

>>12979144
I want to believe that as well, anon. I really want to.

>the protagonist needs to get something from somewhere else
>the protagonist needs to take something somewhere else
>the protagonist needs to escape a bad situation
>the protagonist wants to kill someone (probably to save someone else)
Is there any other start to a fantasy story

>>12979698
but that's how every single books opens, not just fantasy

Aslan's the best character and Susan becoming a thot isn't Lewis's problem.

>>12979714
Which of Infinite Jest is those

>>12979737
the fuck is that

>>12979761
>this is the book that never ends

>>12979799
like the neverending story?

>>12979737
Hal needs to escape a bad situation

Rate my novel idea:
>year is 2071
>Earth has been terraformed by advanced robot race, humans are nearing extinction with only a few million left
>new mutation has arisen, giving some humans the ability to harness massive amounts of adrenaline, fighting well beyond what would kill most people
>most of the robots known as "Null Drones" use zerg rush tactics and blade based weapons
>leader of humanity seeks to find the source of the hivemind and kill it before humanity is wiped out completely
>his wreckless leadership and desire to end the war as quickly as possible leaves many, many people dead

I just finished the second chapter. Have been creating this world in my head for years now.

>>12979892
but why do robits need to terraform earth? id understand if they were aliums but robutts?

>>12979902
Its revealed in the end that the robots are sent to every planet with intelligence and they basically stress test the life there in order to become better at killing

So they terraform the Earth to cause chaos, which leads to a nuclear war, which leads to a few safe haven cities to be created.

These cities are then attacked by the robots.

>>12979892
I liked the adrenaline part. Make sure it isn't too cliché tho

Why is this fucking book such garbage. Cyberpunk is my genre and this is god fucking awful. How do people like this trash

>>12980017
something something seinfeld

>>12980034
The fact that Gibson's name is on this trash in the form of an endorsement quote makes me sick.

Is it wrong that ive started collecting Gor books?

>>12980059
No; I've read around five or six of them, but they get a bit repetitive

>>12980059
>Is it wrong that ive started collecting Gor books?
libgen has a .rar file with all of them and the spinoffs.

>>12977962
>Also is there anything else of Tolkien I should get?
no

>>12980073
link? i cant seem to find em

>>12978818
Yes

>>12979799

>>12980017
I loved it when I was 16

What should I read if I want pic-related but actually good?

>>12976095
>>12976799
>an electrifying tale of two young men whose choices will determine a world’s destiny

Getting flashbacks here for SOME reason. Did he get significantly better since Magician, I felt most characters in that were very one dimensional. And why would you make a main female character a dead fish unless maybe it was just the fact they were strangers did nothing for her and she discovers passion with someone later on. Is it just treated that way in that one example or with everyone?

>>12980017
Cyberpunk is trash and this book was written specifically to laugh at it.

>>12980059
Nah, they have cool covers

>>12980017
>read Neuromancer, Virtual Light and Idoru, love them
>hear a lot about this book, see it in the library and look at the back text
>wtfamireading.png
It honestly seemed like a low-grade joke, masquerading as a book. I was so appalled, i decided to pick up Erikson's Gardens of the Moon instead of a cyberpunk book
I'm fucking addicted to the Malazan series now, just finished the 6th one

Anyone has experience with worldwide shipping of Barnes and Nobles? I live in North Macedonia and shit from Amazon gets to me just fine, but ebay has fucked me over twice

>>12980282
>look at the back text
It's called a blurb.
You just learned something new today.

>>12980291
>shipping from ebay
Amazon is the corporation, ebay is the individual.

>>12980302
Much appreciated, i'm not a native speaker of english and though i'm fluent in it, sometimes simple words elude my grasp

>>12980302
>>12980328

>>12975041
planning out a book based around a scholar right now

>>12980282

I get that it's supposed to be funny somehow, but fuck me if I can't find a single bit of fucking humor in this. Maybe I just don't get it. Maybe I like cyberpunk too much and somehow it is trying to make fun of it in some ham-fisted way. Maybe the fact that I work in security makes it to where the hacking references make my skin-crawl, but none of that excuses the chapters after chapters of the most boring info-dumps about theology and anthropology where nothing fucking happens. The main character just sites and learns about Mesopotamia for like 10 chapters.

The books alright when there's some action but no-where near good

>>12980378
You got the double whammy of actually liking cyberpunk and not liking Neal "infodump" Stephenson's style.
I think it's the best cyberpunk novel honestly.

>>12980335
What's that image supposed to be?

>>12980424
disgust at passive aggressive politeness that is presented in a sarcastic manner.

>>12980439
Which one is he passive aggressive one?
The one that doesn't know what a blurb is, or the one telling what a blurb is.

>>12980439
Excuse me? Nothing in my post was passive aggressive or sarcastic
t.europoor

>>12980398

This makes sense. I think it's trash, but it seems like it definitely just isn't for me. I wanted to read cryotonomicon. Maybe if I find it actually funny I can appreciate his style, but I think Snowcrash is the Colbert Report and I'm a Neo-Con so I don't get the satire because I'm the target of it.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1LgWdJsxn27s89Bm_yl9ZDEePa3qt05ma-lWzpwcGLT0/edit?usp=drivesdk

Someone please give me some general feedback on this really rough draft? I just started on chapter 3 and have burnt myself out writing today.

I'm
>>12979892

>>12980577
I should also add I've never written anything before.

>>12979240
Doesn't even make sense.
>He spoke endlessly, like a woman
There. Much better.

hey /sffg/, how was your weekend?

I greatly improved my outline, made a feast of roast lamb with mint-butter rice, feta-stuffed dates, roasted spring onions and romesco sauce for the holidays, found a brunch place the next day that serves rosewater waffles and duck bacon, and garlicy steak sandwiches, and now I'm procrastinating on writing for god knows what reason

Also, my friend brought me back cheesecake kitkats from japan so this entire weekend has been nonstop gorging, some light reading, and no writing.

>>12979240
>>12980822
>he droned endlessly, like a fly stuck in my ear canal

>>12975316

Super Sales Super Heroes

The setup for the first book had me intrigued. However by the second and particularly the third it was apparent the writer didn't know what to do.
More and more waifus were thrown in to compensate. There was so many waifus and were brought in so fast that I just couldn't keep track of them.

>>12980967
wow it really is a light novel.

>>12980894
>he droned endlessly, like a fly stuck in my ear canal
Unnecessary bloat.
>He wouldn't shut up

>>12979892
I feel like it’s conceptually muddled. The first half sounds like decent eco-critique, the latter like an examination of Stalin and Russia in WWII through a disassociative lens. You’ve got two stories there. Focus on and develop one, set the other aside for another project.

>>12981062
>him talky
get on my level bitchboi

>>12980577
You've got big ideas and clearly want to share them. That's good. Your prose is pretty flat and your dialogue is very cliche as are the characters.

For a first piece of writing it could absolutely be worse, but there's a lot to work on. Ask yourself: why should the reader care about the traumatic events occurring here? I don't know these people you're writing about. Make me care about them. You clearly want to write action, but good action has build up and pathos behind it.

Keep at it dude. Thd only way to improve is to take advice and keep trying.

>>12981084
Based

>>12980059

On Earth it would be wrong, on Earth the weak masters of society would deem it transgressive and sick, denying you the basic needs of your urgings. On Gor you know it is right and can submit fully to the collection even as you collect them.

>>12981409
>this is what degenerates actually believe

How are the Jirel of Joiry stories?
I know, I know...
>female protagonist
>female author
but they were written a long time ago, right? I assume they are not like modern fantasy.

>>12980059
Why the fuck do you people like this vintage barbarian fiction

>>12981467
They don't actually like it, it's just culture war virtue signalling.

>>12981474
Jesus what a miserable reality
Pretending to like things just to own nonexistent libs in your head

>>12981459
They're not like modern fantasy, if anything they're like Howard's Conan stories or the other way around to be more accurate as Moore was a huge influence on Robert E. Howard.

What's more interesting?

>a tree whose amber is actually a liquid area of stopped time
>a tree that turns flesh to stone and bone to fossil. When the flesh is broken open an undead skeleton emerges

>>12981467
>>12981474
>>12981488
Get over yourselves. Some people here just like to read.

>>12981518
The second but I am in no way saying it's good

>>12979698
The protagonist needs to spend 100 pages infodumping

>>12981152
I've noticed a lot of those issues you pointed out when I reread what I wrote.

I'm really just trying to get this idea on to paper and go from there for right now. I'll definitely keep the build up in mind though.

>>12981550
It's true though retard. Most people really just like being able to say they read 1920s fantasy because old = good. Most self published amazon YA fantasy is better. It's just bragging rights for tryhard contrarian fags

>>12981669
Where we gonna brag about it, here? No one else cares what kind of fiction you read. Your statement on self published dreck is laughable. They may be written in the same vein, but one lacks an editor. I assure you, a pitiable circumstance indeed.

desu I only read approved historical philosophers, advanced mathematics textbooks and monthly rereads of Infinite Jest, and the rest of you unenlightened plebs should honestly kill yourselves

>>12981558
eh, it needs to be something along those lines. Specifically for it to work for my story, it needs to be able to put living things in stasis, and if it can create undead that's a bonus

third possibility:
>a tree/cactus that mummifies those pricked by its thorns

I've never asked in here but I've exhausted everything I could think of. Does anyone have an epub or mobi of The Wake by Kingsnorth? I'm very close to buying it if I can't find it. It's historical fiction but I want to read it to get some inspiration for some Warhammer stuff.

>>12981774
https://forum.mobilism.org/viewtopic.php?f=121&t=845311&hilit=paul+kingsnorth

>>12981818

You are both a gentleman and a scholar. I apparently really suck at searching for things. Thank you very much. Saved me $15.

"Do you really thing you'll survive against him?" His words did not settle light on Dimitri's ears.
"If I don't fight him, who will? Our sons? Or should they save the battle for our grandsons? If I don't at least try to stop him..." Dimitri spoke as he unsheathed his Charger Kitana. "Who will?"

>>12975232
>>12978915
This but unironically.

>>12980214
What do you mean? Like a darker fantasy story?

Black Company.

>>12980214
malazan

>>12982372
hahahahahHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

>>12982410
You'll have to be a bit more specific.

>>12982410
he said good, not less shit

>>12982372
wat

>>12982414
Malazan is prettt good, it's just way longer than it needs to be.

Which of you fucking faggots made this thread
>>>/v/459457209

>>12980577
>https://docs.google.com/document/d/1LgWdJsxn27s89Bm_yl9ZDEePa3qt05ma-lWzpwcGLT0/edit?usp=drivesdk
>ramirez
>cole
>matt
>plasmatic laser rifle
>"I’m going to personally get that damn chip!”
>trying so hard to establish how 42 years of life is nothing, likely because humans can life well into their 200s in this future
>"You’re a brave son of a bitch Ramirez, most greenhorns start off doing patrols or other tedious work before springing into larger offensives.”
most greenhorns do whatever they're told to do
>"the metal sheets of flooring creaking under his boots"
Metal does not creak. Wood creaks. Floor creaking under boots is a common fantasy phrase. In scify we use thumping, if anything. Most likely wheezing from the anti-gravitational propulsion systems.

Eh, I'm 3 pages in and I already see so many military scify cliches I'm dropping it

>>12982561
I saw it and thought "Sanderfag a hack lmao" and then moved on. Didn't make it, though.

>>12982330
>Black Company
>actually good

What book like dark soul

I want to get into gene wolfe, where do I start? most are saying fifth head of cerberus, but soldier of the mist looks more interesting to me.

>>12982798
BOOK OF THE NEW SUN

>>12982564
>Metal does not creak. Wood creaks.
Metal can creak but it's not the same as how wood creaks. Maybe creak would be the wrong word to use here, but it does make a sound if it's not bolted into place pretty tightly.

So I just finished this after seeing all the hype for it.
It wasn't that good. People call this book a masterpiece but, honestly, I don't see it, even though I did sort of enjoy it. The author prides himself on making a "hard-to-read" book when it's just written obtusely for no purpose other than shoving it in peoples' faces and saying "this is no entry level fantasy epic, bucko."
Hell, it isn't even that hard to read. The characters shit exposition every chapter so you always know they're explaining a previous event, foreshadowing a future one or telling you something about the world.
Speaking of the world, what the fuck are those names even supposed to be? There is no consistency at all. It's like he used a random generator or worse, he made up names that "look" fantasy enough.

The Book of the New Sun was hard to read with a purpose. It made you think about things, it made you question the narrator, it had a lot of literary value past making up contrivances for the purpose of showing your fellow authors and your readers how cool you are for not explaining things properly and writing like a madman.

Am I the only one with these opinions?

>>12983007
I don't think the author tried to perpetuate the "Malazan is a challenging read" meme. I've seen a lot of YouTube Malazan commentary which describes it as difficult literary fantasy but tend to disagree, as you do.

>>12982978
squeak?

>>12983077
Yeah, squeak would be better as it implies a higher pitched sound. Squeak, groan, whine...

Is Prince of Nothing any good? Kinda interested on it.

>>12983007
> hype
What hype surrounding GotM?

>People call this book a masterpiece
Who?
GotM is generally ranked as the weakest or among the weakest books in the series.
Deadhouse Gates is where the hype starts. Although I didn't it was that great either, and neither did I like Memories of Ice.

>The author prides himself on making a "hard-to-read" book when it's just written obtusely for no purpose
This is true, if you want hard-to-read then go with "Wanderers and Islanders."

>Hell, it isn't even that hard to read.
True.
It's mostly speed readers who think it's difficult because they can't remember all the names.

>>12980214
The accursed kings

What are some Western sci-fi novels similar to Texhnolyze?

>>12983362
I made a thread about this a few months and got a lot of helpful replies.
>>/lit/thread/S12322359

Is this worth reading?

>>12983377
Thanks based fellow thoughts posters.
Have you seen "Casshern Sins?" It kind of fits the same tone, it's about a sentient robot who became immortal and brought ruin to the world. The art is as barren and lifeless as it gets.

Any books similar to pic related?

>>12983362
>>12983377
Seemed like a pretty horrific anime desu.

If anyone is also a big fan of: Revelation Space, Evangelion, Blindopraxia, PKD, Strugatsky Bros, Lem, Darker than Black, Shinsekai Yori, 1984, Burroughs stuff, Stand on Zanzibar, Psycho Pass, Jasper Fforde's stuff, Childhood's End, Devilman Crybaby, Hyperion Cantos, Ellison's I Have No Mouth and Must Scream and Vonnegut's stuff: please tell me if you also liked Technolyzed.

I didn't really like Ballard's stuff, Gibson was bad in hindsight and could never get into Stross, Chiang and VanderMeer.

>>12983433
Yes. Absolutely. It's nothing like the movie, but still very enjoyable and very easy to read.

>>12983501
>Seemed like a pretty horrific anime desu.
It's very good. It's certainly unsparing in its depiction of humanity, though. The ending is beautiful.

>>12983502
Thanks, haven't watched the movie so I'll be going in knowing nothing.
Where does it rate on the scale of Heinlein's best works and what is his best work anyway?

>>12983524
I guess I should put in my watchlist then.

weebs, please fuck off back to your containment board.

>>12983501
>Evangelion
>Darker than Black
>Shinsekai Yori
>Psycho Pass
>Devilman Crybaby
Texhnolyze is a fair bit more nihilistic than those are.

>>12983045
Well, that's what the foreword to the book implies, so I don't know what to say.

>>12983140
>What hype
I see Malazan compared with The Black Company and other multi-volume series such as The Wheel of Time, all the time. Plus, a lot of people have recommended it to me, so I thought it must have at least some hype behind it to be regarded so highly.

>GotM is generally ranked as the weakest
Where is it at its strongest, in your opinion? I am willing to read on if it's worth it.

>Wanderers and Islanders
Thanks, I'll put it on my TBR list.

>can't remember all the names
Well, they are horrific. I have no idea how I managed to remember most of them.

>>12983583
>Where is it at its strongest, in your opinion?
General opinion has Memories of Ice at the top. Deadhouse Gates is generally highly rated. Both are right after GotM.

>Plus, a lot of people have recommended it to me
And no one ever told you that generally GotM is regarded as the worst of the bunch? Not even that the writing gets much better after GotM? Find that hard to believe.

But if you ask for my opinion, just read something else. You aren't missing much and there's plenty better. But I'm not an "epic"fantasy fan. I actually thought it went downhill after GotM, but that makes me a minority.

>The Wheel of Time
It's not like WoT is that good either.

>>12981605
If you can look back on it and see the faults then that's very valuable and you can address them going forward. Write what you want to write but always look for ways to improve it, even if they aren't immediately obvious.

Good luck man.

>>12983657
Eh I'm probably gonna just delete whole thing. I've gotten some criticism from people other than in this thread and it seems writing probably isnt for me

>>12983666
>Eh I'm probably gonna just delete whole thing.
dont, no matter how bad it seems you can always improve

>>12980577

>plasmatic laser rifle
>ramirez

It was allright, know that youve got an interesting world so show more of it. When they in the chopper why not describe what the characters see.
Open dessert, ruined towns? Some highway jammed with dead vehicles? Helps with the worldbuilding and setting. Same with the bunker they was in.

Furthermore. Explain how characters look, if you dont wanna do it dont include them as characters.

Less "fucks", swearing is generally a no-go

Final tip: keep action sequences limited. You can have them firefight with drones sure but describing every action gets tedious and readers dont like that. Find a better way of conveying action. If you limit mechanical action scenes they impact more when they do appear

>125 yards. 5 men. 400 Null Drones.

I liked this.

>>12980214

The history of Austro-Hungarian empire and the Hapsburg dynasty.

>>12983666
Deleting is the way forward.
If you want to become a good writer be prepared to suffocate your 'children' in their crib time and time again, because the learningcurve is steep and with exercise you get a lot better - fast.

>>12983007
I've read about half of it and I think that it's just an entertaining adventure story and doesn't even try to be much beyond that. Not really what I was looking for honestly but yeah it's easy to follow if you're not a complete brainlet.

>>12981459
I read Black God's Kiss and it was a pretty good time. Not really a whole lot of fighting, she bonks a guard over the head or something and cuts through a few ankle biting monsters. The main draw is the kind of spooky and strange other world which I guess makes sense since it was published in Weird Tales.

>>12979926
>terraform the Earth

Your biggest problem is that you quite evidently don't understand what "terraform" means.

>tfw the north american empire will fall in your lifetime and it will all be accomplished from within
Books that have large empires brought down from within because of incompetency?
Already read mistborn and a song of incest of fidelity-faking

>>12982978
Metal strains, it doesn't creak.

>>12983666
Don't delete it. Start something else instead. Deleting something you write because you lose hope for it is foolish. Speaking from experience

Romance craving anon, if you're still around, I just finished pic related and it was ok.

>>12983666
>try something once
>it’s not a masterpiece so I give up forever
ISHYGDDT

>>12984129
Sounds like Baru Comarant, if you can tolerate the shoddy writing.

>>12983433
The movie is more relevant to the modern era, but like Dune, Starship Troopers is a genre-defining book, so very much worth reading.

>>12984426
Thankfully he left a long time ago, or at least stopped putting his autism up on display. You should too.

>>12983950
terraforming refers to any large-scale geoengineering project meant to render a planet inhabitable by a given race. Whether or not that the planet is earth makes no difference.

Next time you try to be pedantic, make sure you're not retarded first

>>12984543
Maybe you're thinking of the period where they asked every thread. I've seen them around since.
>You should too.
You should be so lucky, kek
We should all be so lucky...

>>12984204
oh, and this too. god you're obnoxious

>>12984583
Oh* God*

>>12984566
brainlet BTFO

>>12983950
You are really dumb.

Is this a good book? https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23437156-six-of-crows?ac=1&from_search=true

>>12980017
yeah Neal Stephenson is a shit writer

>>12985017
About as good as Throne of Glass.

>>12985110
And Throne of Glass is good or bad?

>>12985118
Good.

>>12985135
Top 2 reviews of Throne of Glass on GR are quite upset with it, giving it 1 out of 5 stars.

>>12985140
> I had hopes that the book would pick up once the competition began, and for a split second, it did. But then they added more drama in the form of more suitors for her big-hearted future love interest, and there was another potential love interest, and I just really can’t be bothered.

Jesus, it sounds quite slow, and bad. Drama and romance focuses. That sounds disgusting.

Almost done with Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep. Honestly thought that at least one of he androids wouldn't be a sociopath, but ti doesn't look like that's happening.

>williams d arand hasn't updated in 2 weeks, not even when his book was released
I don't think he is doing so well guys.

>>12985174
The first book in the Throne of Glass series and the first half of the second book aren't that great. But then it becomes a different story and is really great.

>>12985320
Alright then, I can skip to the second book immediately then?

>>12985335
Don't read it. It's a trap

>>12985335
Yea, that lets you avoid 75% of the YA drama. I don't think the first book had anything too important. And the tournament is stupid either way. The first few chapters of the 2nd can be skipped too.

>>12985118
It's trash and trolled by some idiot here.

>>12985360
You are serious? How many chapters of book 2 can I skip?

>>12985380
Dunno.
It's a quick read anyway.

>>12985389
Does the self-insert bullcrap(love triangle), and fake "competent" assassin(she's famous, so can't be a good one, and she gets imprisoned) bullshit end in book 2?

>>12985405
>love triangle
Stops existing after book 1.

>bullshit end in book 2?
Mostly.

Is this book even better than Throne of Glass?

>>12985424
How pervasive are the sex scenes in book 5? I've read a review where the reviewer got quite annoyed with them.

>>12985464
Not very and they're hilarious.

>>12985110
>Sarah Maas is a thicc blond in real life
>her self insert protagonist is a skinny albino assassin
Sad!

>>12985454
I know you're shitposting but it's not YA, it's not a shitty love triangle, it's better written, has better characters and plot. So yes it's better.

>>12985478
Have you even read any of those books?
Magic Bites is just a poor man's Anita Blake's Guilty Pleasures.

>>12985499
> Have you even read any of those books?
I've read them all. I go through phases of reading as much as I can on particular genres and because of my long commute and work trips I read *a lot*.
> Magic Bites is just a poor man's Anita Blake's Guilty Pleasures.
I don't disagree. The early Anita Blake novels were excellent. Ilona Andrews stuff is well above average but no comparison to those. Maas writes simplistic teen YA trash with no redeeming qualities.

>>12979411
You have more than a week and it's both a short and easy read. As long as you're not an extremely slow reader or is really busy during the coming week you can easily make it.

>>12985542
Sometimes I wish I had a train commute, it makes reading a lot easier.

>>12985542
> The early Anita Blake novels were excellent.
That was and still is the best Urban Fantasy series until the author had a mental breakdown and tanked it harder than any series I've ever read.

>>12985802
>>12985542
>>12985499
>eye colour
>hair colour
>tight and wet
>how are you so tight
>hair descriptions
>eye descriptions
>some girl doesn't like anita and she has to be put in her place
>some man doesn't like anita and has to be put in his place
>magic vagina solves everything at the end of the day
>god still favours her even though she stuffs her vag with as much bestiality and necrophilia it could hold
This is every book since obsidian butterfly.

>>12985477
There is thicc then there is fat. She fat and uses FGAS to make herself look thicc.

>>12983461
seconding this

Also something with a "fairy realm feeling" if it makes any sense, think of spice girls "viva forever" clip. Ephemeral magical experience without the need to explain/justify everything.

>>12985901
I was thinking more "two worlds" feeling but sure, that too

>>12985843
Pretty much. There's more badly written sex and less plot in the later Anita Blake books than almost every litrpg smut novel. I swear to god there was one of the books that was several hundred pages of sex scenes with 10 pages of story. It's a real shame considering how good that series start out, it's tarnished all the books for me now.

Need some new releases.
Hit me up.

Just finished Anathem. What a ride. Stephenson talks a bit too much and boy did that ending feel rushed but man this book was packed with a bunch of great ideas, and I loved all of the philosophy. How does lit like his other books?

[Spoiler]I guess Fraa Jad was the wisest since that fucker could move through other universes[/spoiler]

How's your novel coming along /sffg/?

>>12986672
>>>/lit/

>>12986692
anon...

where do you think we are...

>>12986692
>>>/lgbt/

>>12986722
/sffg/

Welp I finished Runeforged and started Runefate. It's definitely not!Mistborn with some deviations that hopefully lead down fun paths.

>>12983007
YOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO DON'T READ A BOOK CALLED THE CRIPPLED GOD YOUR QUESTIONS WILL NOT BE ANSWERED

>>12986672
72 pages into the second draft

>>12986672
not much progress. At this point I've been procrastinating for over 8 months now. I just need to write. Instead, I sleep

>>12984129
Who said America is going to fall?
America is eternal.

What are some things written by people better known for scientific work?
Here's a short story by John McCarthy, who was the first to coin the term "artificial intelligence" and creator of the LisP programming language (a favorite of enthusiast programmers for over half a century). It's pretty edgy and weird.
http://jmc.stanford.edu/articles/robotandbaby/robotandbaby.pdf

>>12987188
All empires fall

>terraforming refers to any large-scale geoengineering project meant to render a planet inhabitable by a given race.
No, it doesn't. It's literally in the name you pillock.
TERRA-forming is defined as deliberately modifying a bodies atmosphere, temperature, surface topography or ecology to be similar to the environment of Earth to make it habitable by Earth-like life.

>>12987525
>he's too retarded to even know how to (You)

>Wen’s eighth birthday is in six days. Her dads not so secretly wonder
yikes. dropped

>>12986672
I wrote over a thousand words today, and deleted all but 135 of them. Literally over a thousand words of me sperging over the flavor compounds coffee and cocoa have in common like I'm trying to show off. It's not even some clever situation where the MC food-sciences his way out of a problem, it's just him trying to remember what a mysterious brown powder he accidentally inhaled tastes like

>>12986559
>How does lit like his other books?
Snow Crash and The Diamond Age are great in a kinda schlocky over-the-top way.

>>12978915
I'm very new to fantasy books, but I dropped Name of the Wind.
The magic system was very interesting, but I didn't like Kvothe or his story too much

>>12988197
NotW is bait here newfriend.

>>12975232
Silmarillion

>>12977962
Unfinished Tales has some good material, I'd definitely get it if you're also into Silmarillion.
Has more info about the palantiri, the Numenoreans, Galadriel, the Istari.
There is a little bit of overlap with Silmarillion, but not that much.

Is it worth a read for someone in their mid-20's?

can I get a quick rundown on Discworld

>>12988671
its reddit

>>12988583
Yes.

To the anon from a few weeks ago who dropped The Expanse after the "eye of a dark god" scene, you may have wanted to keep reading.

I just finished Babylon's Ashes; books 5 and 6 aren't about the aliens at all, they're about a Belter faction being major dicks while the main cast's backstories are expanded.

>>12976041
>tfw just started this
>huw did the ancients live in rooms not designed according to the Taylor Theorem
>muh Immanuel Kant
D-503 might be the most autistic main character I've ever encountered.

wanna read a fantasy book but haven't read fiction in a while. want it to have adult subject matter like violence and sex, but also want it to have a decent message behind it. nothing too political, just nothing thats a good story for the sake of a good story. what should I read?

>>12989383
You mean you want a big blatant metaphor running through it and slapping you in the face at the end? Because a good story will have plenty of little messages in the series of events that comprise it.

>>12989404
ok give me the good story then please

>>12989408
I haven't read any, sorry. Lemme know if you find one.

>3 pov book
>1 strong enough to carry a book without the other 2
>1 solid
>1 boring as shit
every fucking time I read a multi-protag book it turns out like this

>>12975905
I've read it, I skipped the 4th because it went back in time but I'll read it at some point. The fifth has about two pages of callback to the events of the fourth book but it's nothing you couldn't work out from reading the blurb of the fourth book

Is Thorin supposed to be Moses in The Hobbit?

Hey I was wondering if any of you guys have read Conan and which books you’d recommend. How are the Robert Jordan ones? I feel bad for not ever reading them considering how they’ve been around so long.

>>12988671

>>12988671
not funny reddit-tier shit

Anyone else getting burnt out on sff books?
After I reached my 1500th book earlier this year I feel empty. Nothing I read really hits the spot.
Reading was the only thing keeping me from an heroing, so if my passion isn't reignited by the end of the year I don't think I will be seeing you guys anymore.

>>12989887
genre fiction is more of a side bitch for me, I think it works better that way

>>12975232
Never read a novel before? The Hobbit or Enders Game. Those are solid starters.

>>12989887
How many books do you read each year and how much time do you spend reading?

>>12989887
Mix it up retard. I'm on like 800ish books and I know that once in a while I need a show to binge or a game to play or to just take a break from everything and tryout irl stuff. Without breaks you will go mad and enjoy things less, doesn't matter what you're doing.

Any series similar to pic related?

A german folklore style maybe with a little distortion to it

>>12986672
I haven't found the right music to listen to while writing yet.

>>12988671
It's British humor. You're too old to like it anyway.

>>12990077
Sigur Ros is pretty chill for writing imo.

>>12990081
Thanks, that'll do.
Now all I need is the right brand of tea and an idea to write about...

>>12990085
Don't we all?

>>12981518
What about a tree whose flowers slowly turn people who enter in contact with them into new trees as a form of reproduction. Maybe have this be an ancient problem that only one misterious healer knew how to solve and our protagonists need to know the answer before time runs out

currently enjoying malazan

>>12985542
>The early Anita Blake novels
>not enjoying absolute degeneracy

>>12990115
>enjoying malazan

>>12990120
whats a better book then?

Name of the Wind and Wise Man's Fear.

>>12990115
Me too. Currently reading Assail.

Malazan fags are not allowed beyond this point.

>>12990130
>>12990130
>>12990130
>>12990130
>>12990130

>>12990126
Most books. If you're specifically looking for long ass series Black Company, LotR and ASoIaF are better.

>>12990129
you can tell the author didn't plan out anything before he started writing the book

i didn't mind it though

>>12990054
Never liked games, I lose interest after a while. Even back when I used to play gta3, I just ran around killing people and playing music, never really did the missions.

Lost interest in anime and manga a few months ago. Tv shows is the same shit regurgitated.

Thoughts on Joe Abercrombie's First Law Trilogy?
Im currently on the first book. I'm finding it a little generic but with potential i suppose. Some characters are interesting others are super bland.