/lit/ - Literature

I grabbed a few fantasy books from a second hand shop recently pretty blind (quickly googling aggregate ratings on my phone in the store but no more research than that) but got burned super hard on the first one I read, The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley, which was fucking disabolic My First D&D Campaign level trash.

I've got Daughter of the Empire, Tomoe Gozen, The Weirdstone of Brisingamen, The Warlord of the Air and The Girl with Ghost Eyes left.

Please tell me at least one or two are decent.

sanderfag a hack

3rd for Allah

Diskworld

>>13139299
Haha fuck you buddy

Is this actually any good or just a meme?

>>13139072
Seconding this.
Something like The Broken Sword but in a Celtic setting, I guess. Anything related to Celtic myth will do though.

>>13139358
We're against Bakker here.

>>13139361
Piece of advise, stay away from any nerdy chicks who are into the whole celtic/irish/gaelic aesthetic and fantasy.
You know what I mean, broads with celtic knot tattoos, "trying to learn gaelic!", and weirdo neopagan types. They are all insane harpies and the lefthand of satan.

>>13139382
Why?

>>13139396
He is a degenerate.

>>13139382
>we

>>13139400
How?

>>13139404
This conversation is over, citizen.

>>13139417
Why?

>>13139390
kek
I've only met one like that but she really was a bit... off, so you might be onto something.

>Birdboi posts a summary of his novel on /tg/
Who wants to laugh at it with me?
>>>/tg/66291515

>>13139290
Alan Garner is pretty legit. Dunno about the rest.

>>13139548
No one sane cares, faggot, give it a rest.

>>13139548
You're a bigger autist than birdboi. Get a life.

Ignore and report, guys

>>13139358
Unironically my favorite grimdark series. But you either love it or hate it. It’s not for everyone.

>>13139665
>written by a Canadian
How grimdark can it be?

What's the difference between SF and fantasy? What's the definition of each?

>>13139776
>hahaha Americlap jokes so funny. Canada hahha. America fuck yea amirite guise?
Kys

>>13139829
Whether your elves are hippies or not.

>>13139829
The difference doesn't feel as clear now with all the different subgenres that each has spawned, but as far as I can tell, if the driving force behind the unrealistic events of the story is magic then we're talking about Fantasy, and if it's Technology then it's Sci-Fi
This is a pretty half-assed and very generic explanation though, I'm sure someone else here can do much better.

>>13139846
It was just a jape, friend, calm your autism.
I'm not even American.

>>13139852
I always thought fantasy = completely alternate world, sf = an extrapolation from the real world along a technological or scientific dimension.
So something like Star Wars is actually a fantasy that just happens to be in space.

>>13139874
So if I took a sci fi novel and replaced every mention of earth with urth it would become fantasy?

>>13139874
This is what I meant with how the difference is not that clear sometimes; I have always considered Star Wars sci-fi but now that you mention it, some people could call it Fantasy, and that's according to the "definition" that I gave you myself.
It's been a while since the last time I saw anything Star Wars related, can The Force be considered a type of magic? Sort of?

>>13139829
Sci-Fi in its purest form deals with the hypothetical impacts, or moral implications, of future/alien technology, or scenarios only made possible by future/alien technology. I don't read much fantasy, but to me it seems that fantasy usually focuses on characters, and how they are affected by living in whatever magical/wonderous world they live in. That's why people often call Star Wars fantasy that just so happens to be in space. Star Wars does literally no discussion of technology, and is really just about a young farmer meeting an old wizard, learning the ways of magic, and defeating the empire of evil.

Are the Warhammer fantasy books any good? I want to read something with KNIGHTS in it.

>>13139926
Yes! that's what I meant

>>13139776
Pretty grimdark.

>>13140005
Is it fun?

>>13139358
It's biggest crime, like a lot of epic fantasy, is being a complete fucking bore at times. I can deal with the edginess and nihilism cranked up to 11, but when you have a naked sorceress with a magical sword battling an ancient, gigantic dragon and it somehow ends up being a fucking slog to read? Unforgivable.

>>13139926
>Sci-Fi in its purest form deals with the hypothetical impacts, or moral implications, of future/alien technology, or scenarios only made possible by future/alien technology.
This isn't true at all. Sci-fi, in its "purest form," is no different from fantasy. What you described is only a different take on sci-fi.

>>13140063
No. It takes itself WAY too seriously.

>>13140178
That sounds like an accomplishment in and of itself.
I haven't read it, and probably won't, how did he manage to make that scene boring?

What is your honest opinion about Alastair Reynolds? Just getting started with science fiction but apparently he has some stories about space travel and exploration, right? I'm interested in that.

>>13140297
>how did he manage to make that scene boring?
Well it went on forever and a lot of it was dedicated to the character's inner thoughts instead of the actual action and making it interesting. I don't even remember how it ended; I just became so bored by all of it.

>>13140464
(fuck spoiler fail)

I finished the first book of Book of the New Sun, didn't enjoy it much - things sorta just happen to the narrator and he glides through it all effortlessly. It's cool how you find out the torturer's tower is made from a spaceship but in the end it's a meaningless detail. Is it worth continuing, does it get better?

Any good stories bout farmers doing some farming

>>13140467
It's too late Anon, I saw it, I saw the whole thing.
Book of the New Sun is now forever ruined for me.

>>13140467
It definitely gets better.

>>13140467
>in the end it's a meaningless detail
At the end of the first quarter. It's called "The Book of..." rather than "The Books of..." for a reason. The dreamlike qualities are maintained, though he does face more challenges later on. I suggest you at least give Claw a try if you don't mind the style because shit gets way crazier and it's the sort of series where all the details are very important.

Is the Wheel of Time good or just a meme?

Book of the New Farm hahaha would be gud

>>13140402
I loved Alistair Reynolds. It's one of the better hard sci fi. Revelation space has an excellent story. can be long winded at times though

>>13139548
I’ll be honest it doesn’t sound that bad.

>13140512
Are you rebbit users going to ask this every thread?
Fuck off.
Find something new to meme.

>>13139290
>Daughter of the Empire
>The Warlord of the Air
Based
>>13140476
Farmer in the Sky by Robert Heinlein

>>13139940
Warhammer fiction (both Fantasy and 40k - idk if there's any Age of Sigmar fiction, because it's an abomination) is 80% worthless drek, 15% decent stuff you can enjoy, and 5% great stuff. The trouble is finding the good shit. I've only read a few Fantasy series, so I can't really help you with your knight fetish, but maybe the anons over on the Warhammer containment board (that is, /tg/) can help you

I'm the anon that slogged through House of Blades, and decided to try Unsouled
It's far, far better, so far - even if that dedication at the beginning made me cringe
But while I'm here, what's something similar to the Goblin Emperor?

>>13140767
Try xianxia

>>13140186
>wHy CaNt ScIeNcE FiCtIoN jUsT bE fUn!?!?!?!?!

>>13140617
>"""denying""" (You)s
>m-muh Reddit, in fucking 2019
Imagine being this dumb and autistic.

>>13140791
>REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE SCI-FI IS ONLY GOOD WHEN IT'S BORING AND NO ONE WANTS TO READ IT

Sci-fi is best when it follows or only loosely bends the laws of physics
Anything else might as well be f*ntasy which is awful

Books with a similar atmosphere/setting?

>>13140814
>iDeA HuRt ThRoG bRaIn WhY nOt FuN lIkE sTaR wArS!?!?!

>>13140836
Dumb wojakposter

[Tl notes: I guess he is referring to the saying that if one remains a virgin after 30, he would become a wizard. Damn, I’m getting close to being a wizard]

>>13140467
just ctrl + s for spoilers newfriend

>>13139290
>Daughter of the Empire
Couple people here like it. First book of a trilogy though.

>>13139829
SciFi projects possible futures, Fantasy explores alternative and mythological pasts. Y'know, classically.

>>13139361
Cherryh wrote a couple. The Ealdwood Stories.

I kinda want to get the illustrated Earthsea omnibus, but some people say that only the first 3 books are good.
Would you agree with that, /sffg/?

>>13140806
>thinking because it's the current that you are going to be accepted
Rebbit trash.

>>13140823
Hard sci-fi fags need to noose themselves .

Opinions on the Hyperion Cantos? I really enjoyed the first two books, not super sure about the sequels. Kind of stalled a third of the way into the third one: not really a fan of the 'prophesied super-messiah' trope.

>>13140959
Fuck off with your plot contrivances and space magic

>>13140955
Tehanu disgusted me, wasn't interested in continuing after.

>>13140956
Knock yourself out m8, I'm just pointing out that it's fucking retarded to partake in high-school tier turf wars, even more so because 4chan stopped being muh sekrit club fucking ages ago.

>>13140969
>muh human understanding of physics and forces is all there is
>no other knowledge can't exist
>muh reality is firmly explained

>>13140980
I don't care if normies know of us, but I will not conform to their expectations, nor their PC status quo. And that includes me accepting rebbit, or it's users.
Kys

>>13140992
Well tough shit faggot, non-autists don't give a shit if someone posts in several different websites, and there is literally nothing you can do to stop people from posting here, regardless of what other places they come from.

>>13141006
>non-autists
Where do you think we are?

>>13141008
A place polluted with non autists, desu.

>>13141006
>stop recognizing me as a contaminant
>just let me fit in already
>baaawww

>>13140836
>SCI-FI SHOULD BE LIKE READING AN INSTRUCTION MANUAL

>>13140961
The series is shit after the first two books. Personally I think even the second book is a significant decline in quality from the first, although it's still fine.

>>13140976
>disgusted
Never read it
What's so wrong with it?

>>13141077
>aNyThInG tHaT iSiNt StAr WaRs Is BoRiNg TeChNiCaL wRiTiNg!!!!

>>13141128
She caught the feminism.
Standalone I probably wouldn't have cared much, but it was painful to read as a follow up to the originals.

>>13141289
>She caught the feminism.
Didn't she always have it though?

>>13140063
You won’t find much to laugh about. It’s pretty bleak. But still my favorite series.

Can someone recommend a series like ASOIAF, but good?

>>13141337
she was an oldschool feminist, somehow she became a tumblrite.

>>13141422
Wolfblade by Jennifer Fallon

>>13141426
How unfortunate.
The first 3 Earthsea books have a conclusion though, right? As in, if I read only those 3 I won't feel like I read an unfinished story?

Sorry for asking here but I figured it's the best place. Are there any books that give the same feeling of terror that the Karazhan Crypts give?

>>13141422
Eragon

>>13139299
cringe

Is Doctor Sleep worth reading, if only for the movie that's coming out?

>>13141665
generally everything king is worth reading. his stories vary in quality but they are all pretty good overall.

>>13141676
I ask because it's a sequel to The Shining, one of his most popular and beloved books (which I've read and liked). I guess what I'm asking is, is it peak King like his books from the 70s and 80s or 11/22/63?

>>13140828
Revelations

>>13141422
Eragon

>>13141686
its kinda somewhere in-between. i think its worth reading. though its not as good as shining.

Is there any book with an immortal character who actually wants to keep on living or that's just different from the usual self-destructive/wiseass characters most immortal characters tend to be?

The closest example I can think of is Hohenheim from Fullmetal Alchemist.

>>13141710
Karl Edward Wagner's Kane

>>13141850
Do no fall for this cuck lovers bait.

>>13141896
explain.

>>13141556
I wouldn't know. Ask /tg/ or /v/. I don't play games.

>>13141710
Plenty. Read more than the women's romance that have some immortal super rich guy want to give it all up for some cunny, when he literally fucked tens of thousands.

>>13140828
speaking of comics has anyone read prophet?

>>13142252
Yep. Apparently Metabarons is similar if you want something in the same vein.

>>13142266
Metabarons is the shit

>>13140512
Thanks for all the answers, bunch of pieces of shit

>>13142594
It's the same answer every thread. It's very good, very flawed, read it.

>>13142594
Lurk more you worthless sack of shit, the same question is asked and answered verbatim in every thread. You didn't even check the previous thread before asking your stupid fucking question.

And yes, read it. You certainly deserve to.

>>13142642
Why do I need to read a thread I don't even regularly visit just for one information that could be answered by anyone from said thread in just one word. ONE FUCKING WORD. Are you so fucking stupid and lazy that you find answering a question with one word tiresome? Go suck a fuking dick.

>>13142662
>why can't you guys keep answering the same question every fucking thread
>why do I have to search the archive when you guys can just make my work easy and answer it for me
>as a Klapistani I am entitled to things, and you have to do what I want
Kys now. No joke. Serious here. An hero asap. It's shit like you who stagnate these generals.

>>13142716
Yeah, I "stagnate" an entire general because I asked one question that could be answered with one word, either "Good" or "Meme". Are you so motherfucking lazy that you can't even type a 4-letter word? I bet you're a NEET virgin procrastinator, wouldn't be surprising if you're a regular on the Fantasy General. Bye, I won't be answering you dipshit anymore.

>>13142662
If you don't participate in the threads regularly then no one here has any reason to answer your shitty question. You don't want to be here, and no one else wants you to be here, so fuck off.

>>13141940
Retards like this fag >>13141896 don't understand context.

>>13142252
I have. Unfortunately it's almost entirely world-building which is the worst sin modern storytelling commits on a regular basis. BUT since it's a comic book that had really good artists working on it, and the world-building IS creative, it's more forgivable.

>>13140828
snow crash ch 1, or just snow crash in general

What fantasy book has the most literary merit?

>>13143016
Fuck off /outerlit/

>>13139243
>find a book by PKD on a shelf
>haven't even heard of it
>buy and read it anyway
>it's mindbending good shit

Always happens, how the fuck was he so consistently good?

>>13143057
That's the only PKD I own that I haven't read. My cover art might beat your cover art, but I'll let others be the judge.

Is like classic PKD "Bro what even IS reality" or something a bit different?

>>13142441
Jodorowsky sci-fi FTW

While I'm enjoying watching HBO's GOT crashing down in flames and the fanbase autistically reeing, it actually got me curious at trying the fatass' books, just to see how they compare.
Should I take the plunge or is it a waste of time?

>>13143104
Start here

>https://philipdick.com/resources/miscellaneous/the-religious-experience-of-philip-k-dick-by-r-crumb-from-weirdo-17/

>>13143153
They're good but the prose is not the best and Martin sometimes strays away from what he's good at to do Robert Jordan'esque things. You might also consider that he's likely never going to finish the series. Even considering all that the books are still solid though.

>>13143153
the first three books are pretty decent. he just goes way off tangent in books four and five and everything becomes less focused and more sprawling and

Does Sanderson actually suck or is that a meme? I haven't actually read any of his books.

>>13143195
> everything becomes less focused and more sprawling
Definitely this. Honestly I think he became worse than Jordan ever did in WoT and much sooner.

>>13143203
it's basically all YA shit and most of it is very samey. the guy is just ultra prolific and releases four books a year so he has a massive fan base of people who enjoy his works (because if you like one you like them all). his characters are notoriously weak and if that's important to you then you probably won't like his books.

>>13143203
Depends what you're looking for.
If you like thought-through worldbuilding and plots where every little detail neatly falls into place, you'll like it.
If you're in for varied, deep characters and beautiful prose, you won't.
Try the first book of Stormlight. If you like it, you'll like the rest. If you don't, then don't bother with sanderson again.

>>13143203
Depends, he writes a particular kind of books and he's rather limited in his range but if you like his style then sure he's readable.

He has his flaws and for the record I do not like his style or his books but he's not an actual worthless hack like say Rothfuss or Brent Weeks who write utter garbage.

Basically, if you like Anime you'll love his books. There's a lot of extreme world building and rational, thoroughly explained magic systems and "le epic" conclusions. He also has a great work ethic and writes like a machine, so he delivers his books when he says he will. You don't have to worry about him not finishing something, if he starts something, he'll finish it in a timely manner.

Now for the bad; His autistic world building and complex magic systems come at the expense of well developed plots of which he has none, they're all shallow and his characters just like his plot lines are also similarly awful and have no depth to them. His dialogue is bland and his prose while not bad is just serviceable. He hasn't quite grasped the mantra of "show, don't tell." either, as it's all tell and tell some more with him. He's also a devout Mormon and it reflects in his books as they're all sanitized to the extreme.

Try one of his book, a standalone would be best (I think he's hardcore fans recommend Warbreaker a lot; but do check with them again) and see if you like the style. If you do you just found yourself a shit load of similarly written material to read. So yeah, he's at least worth trying once, especially if you like Anime.

>>13143287
I liked the first two SA books but hated the third
it was too long by half and abandoned already done character development just to give the characters the same damn arc again in book three
his books are all "le sanderson avalanche" where the entire book builds up to an epic battle but SA 3 was so fucking long that I stopped caring about the conclusion at some point and when it came it also was too damn drawn out

>>13143324
I have no idea why anyone woudl claim this is characteristic of anime, which is full of careless, ad-hoc world building, goofy nonsense, and non-endings while focusing far more on character and character interactions.

>>13143358
/sffg/ using a buzzword regardless of meaning to dismiss something they don't like? unthinkable!

>>13142137

Then give an example of this plenty, for fucks sake. If I'm asking is because I don't know where to look for.

>>13142594
It's shit for kids

Dare I ask... what's /sffg/'s favourite star wars book?

>>13141422
First law trilogy by ambercrombie

>>13143615
Star Wars has been so completely ruined for me that I can't enjoy it in any capacity and don't want to ever think about it again.

>>13143016
The Lord of the Rings and Book of the New Sun

>>13142755
>bye
Are you a woman?

>>13143615
None since Star Wars is fucking trash and you should hang yourself for thinking that was a question worth asking.
j/k, I haven't read a single SW book in my life

>>13143203
If capeshit is your favorite film genre then you would enjoy Sanderson.

>>13143615
X-wing series

>>13143203
Great world building. Passable prose. Whatever plot. God-awful characters like holy fucking shit his dialogue reads like every character is a 16 year old's OC and everyone is talking about how witty people are when they're just making fucking butt puns.
An understated strength of his is description though. Beyond the world building itself, he's fantastic at setting a scene and making it vivid in your mind down to the tiny details.

Liking Sanderson is a matter of priorities. I enjoy him despite his incredible glaring flaws because I like what he does well. But anyone who wants more character driven series isn't going to enjoy themselves, even as a fan I have to pause every time a character makes a quip to get over how awful it was.

Writing about incest is actually pretty fun.

>tfw you will never have a superior, genetically-engineered, slave-owning and world-conquering waifu
context below, spoilered as to spare you the sperg
Draka as a whole is about alt-universe South Africa being ruled by whitoids who want to conquer and rule the universe. First they start out with the native africans and take over about a third of Africa, then when WW2 rolls around they join the not-quite-Allies to fight the Nazis, as they see them as the biggest threat (and having, in their view, a weak, shittier variant of their own ideology). Then they have a little cold war with most of the planet before it gets hot, and then ooh, space shit. It' s not exactly great, but hey, it was interesting enough.

>>13143016

Gormenghast and Little, Big.

I want to get into fantasy but I'm really picky about what I read. I've avoided fantasy for a long time because I always thought it was vapid and without substance, which is ironic because I read a lot of sci-fi which can be just as vapid.

Anyway, maybe you guys can point me to a book or series based on what I like from sci-fi?

My favorite sci-fi books are:

Dune
Snow Crash
Blindsight
The Expanse Series
Takeshi Kovacs Series

Thanks

>>13140828
Frank shits on Dredd.

>>13143630
Wrong. The difference between First Law and ASOIAF is that First law is boring as fuck with an incredibly bland world.

>>13143615
tales from the mos eisley cantina

>>13143104
>having a cheeky version of yourself, that fucking thing Peter Weller meets in Naked Lunch and Peter Weller from Naked Lunch on the cover

All the new PKD editions in my country have this neon blue-orange-white type cover with dark on top. Nice to look at tebehe.

>>13143057
>Always happens, how the fuck was he so consistently good?
He's not. Lies, Inc is trash, and some of his lesser-known novels that I've read aren't much better.

Thoughts on the Black Company novels?

>>13143153
Don't bother until the fat fuck gets around to finishing the series.

>>13143783
The Wizard Knight

>>13143981
I liked the 10 I read.

>>13143981
First one was great, but then they just drag on and get progressively mediocre. The newest one is supposedly shit, but that consensus is coming from the usual brigade of retarded cunts on Goodreads complaining about how "misogynistic" the new book was instead of leveling any actual criticism.

>>13143615
Leia's Motherly Touch (how did Kevin j Anderson get away with this?)
>http://pyrosteed.blogspot.com/2014/07/leias-motherly-touch-part-1-special.html
>http://www.hentai-foundry.com/stories/user/maskedmarmoset/18807/Leias-Motherly-TouchTwice-Trouble-Double-Fun/page/all
>https://www.hentai-foundry.com/pictures/user/turk128/374540/Leias-Motherly-Touch-Too-Hot-for-HoloNet
Also I,Jedi by Michael Stackpole

>>13143971
There are subpar PKD novels but Lies, Inc was not one of them.

>>13143638
Yes.

Postan

>>13143981
The first four are good,only read the rest if you really like them.
>>13143714
Based
>>13144079
Then you are probably gonna love WoT.

why is it so much easier to write 1000 words of flash fiction than 1000 words of novel? my character interactions are so goddamn and out of character it's unbelievable

>>13143783
Legend by David Gemmell
Farhd and the Grey Mouser
Hawkwood's Voyage

>>13143783

>I've avoided fantasy for a long time because I always thought it was vapid and without substance

Nah, there's plenty of good fantasy out there. You just gotta take care with what you read. There are plenty of vapid works in any genre.

>Dune

Gormenghast or Lord of The Rings: the first if you want a bunch of mad people in a castle, the second if you...well, you know LOTR. Maybe Viriconium too: this one is a somewhat balanced blend between fantasy and scifi. I think The Broken Sword might be your thing as well but I haven't read it yet.

>Snow Crash

Perdido Street Station.

>Takeshi Kovacs Series

Hm, maybe The City and the City for a detective fantasy story, and Conan for fast-paced action.

Some books I personally recommend: Little, Big, Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, most main Chesterton novels and Borges/Calvino works.

You might like The Book of the New Sun as well, haven't read it but well, everyone loves it.

>>13143981
I didn't hate the one I read, but I didn't want to read more either.
The narrator spend the whole novel reminding you that they're a band of ruthless mercenaries working for the Bad Guy, and at the end he's appalled to discover their employer is a bad guy and wants to break their contract and leave. Also the only real evidence of the Bad Guy being "bad" is dealing ruthlessly with rebels and traitors.

>>13144138
Your high standards and perfectionism leave you too afraid of writing anything "wrong" to write anything at all for a project you actually care about. Your first draft is going to be shit, but the finished novel can't exist without it.

>>13142716
hi, is WoT any good or should I stick with asoiaf? thx

>>13143016
>literary merit
you ever just read for fun? I know, I know. But hear me out. Things can be fun, and that's what gives them value, not an elitist hivemind circlejerking each other and pretending to be clever because they recognise "shocking similarities and echoes of modern societal dysfunction" lmao

>>13144224

Don't be so insecure. You don't need to take such a simple question personally.

>>13144224
For all we know that anon might do 90% of his reading for fun and he's looking for lit fantasy as a change of pace. No need to pounce on this.

>>13144224
t. utter retard
Now go back to spamming on twitter how star wars and GOT are great because the only thing that matters is that they're fun

What's some comfy SF and Fantasy? I'm not fussy, I just want something relaxing

>>13143016
Anything written by Lord Dunsany.

>>13143324
>or Brent Weeks who write utter garbage.
Why are you so butthurt anon? Did Weeks fuck your girl or something? You've been raving about Weeks for years. Give it a rest.

>>13143837
Punisher is shit and I never liked his comics, but at least he is better than Batman, in that he kills people.

>>13144138
Are you going to be the new cosmerefag, flavouranon? Are you going to post that food chart in hopes of being recognized?

So when are you all actually going to get serious about writing your Fantasy novel?

>>13144683
Raccoon eye shore. Begone.

>>13144627
>Did Weeks fuck your girl or something?
No, it's worse than that. I read a book he wrote.

>>13144709
I know who you are Breeks anon, I've seen you post that exact excerpt before. Just chill with the autism.

>>13141422
The Inheritance Cycle

>>13144714
You know me, I know you, you worthless Night Angel shilling crayon eater.

>>13144741
But they're good for you.

>>13143981
The first one is sort of fun, but don't bother with anything after that.

The entire premise of the books is that they're a mercenary company working for the big bad guy, but it quickly turns out that they're working for the lesser of two evils and the even bigger badder guy is behind the supposedly good rebellion. Don't even get me started on the cheesy romantic subplot.

>>13140297
>I haven't read it, and probably won't, how did he manage to make that scene boring?

Bakker's biggest crime was listening to his dumbshit shekel-grabbing publisher and splitting up the last two books. He then had to pad the remainder with philosophical rambling, so we got two 5/10 books instead of one 9/10.

The books are filled with five star moments, but they're filled-out with a lot of horseshit. Even Bakker says he wished he'd spent less time on that and more time working on minor characters.

Whatever. Fuck this gay earth.

>>13141604
>>13141693
>>13144724

I'm surprised to see Paolini being recommended here. I thought he would be universally hated.

That said, Eldest is a fucking bore. Eragon was derivative and shallow but at least was a very fun read. I gave up halfway through the sequel.

>>13145090
I hope you don't think they're being serious.

>>13144683
Fantasy is for backwards wankers.

Cringe question here.
What fantasy book has the best description of large battles. doesn't necessarily have to be Grimdark, just not glossed over. I like military history i guess

>>13145100
Book of the New Sun. There's only one though

>>13145095

I mean, the guy asked for something like ASOIAF but good, so...maybe?

Reccomend me something that has just PURE hype moments, excitement, and other things of the like.

Pic not related

>>13145110
You haven't been here very long.

>>13145090
>>13145110
Hello there, welcome to 4chin's Science Fiction and Fantasy General!

>>13145090

>>13145125
Desolate era

>>13144171
>>13144155
>>13143982
Thanks for the recommendations. I've been trying to do some research on my own and it's pretty hard to sift through the schlock. For example, I'm seeing stuff like Brandon Sanderson at the top of every list and from what I've seen he's not exactly what I'm looking for. Though the magic systems of Mistborn and Lightbringer seems really interesting, if I can get past the characters that those authors tend to write.

>>13145344
I wish Brandon Sanderson were more charming. I really like a lot about his books but his autism drips off of the pages the way his characters talk.
>I GUESS I'VE GOT TOO MUCH ASS SASS OF MY OWN FOR THOSE ASSASSINS.

>>13145073
Think of the bindings goyim! Our poor books can’t handle being 1200 pages! Just be a good goy and buy two ok?!

Daily reminder that fantasy is actually for complete mongoloids

>>13145310
At one point does Desolate Era get real? I hear both that and Coiling Dragon go to shit after the god level, confirm/deny?

>>13145594
I enjoyed all of desolate era, didn’t read coiling dragon

>>13145594
Coiling Dragon is shit, Desolate Era is based.

Desolate Era actually gets hype af towards the last 25%-30% or so and this is the part when the MC becomes really strong but the strength comes with a severe price, it's not some god mode shit. And ngl that "price" leads to some really touching moments full of feels.

Anyone read William D Arand's two latest books?
The zombie harem and the urban fantasy harem?

>>13142914
>protagonist is called Hiro Protagonist
Not that I only read things that are 100% SERIOUS BUSINESS but is this a parody of some sort?

>>13143203
The Stormlight Archives are the only thing worth a damn. The Wheel of Time doesn't count as he pretty much did what Frank Herbert's son did and used old notes to finish the series.

>>13145713
No it's not a parody, it just has ridiculous over-the-top characters and setting. Just read it, it's one of the best sci-fi books out there.

Opinions on The Chronicles of Amber?

>>13145744
It is a parody. Just happens also to be better than the source material.

I've only read the first book so far and it's pretty alright. My only complaint is that I expected the author to go into much more detail when describing Amber itself, don't know if I'll get more of that in the next books.

>>13145760
Meant to quote >>13145750

>>13145713

No it's not, it's just very over the top, very similar to Transmetropolitan.

>>13145100
David Gemmell always did a great job of it, he was a military history buff. If you like heroic fantasy/sword and sorcery I’d give him a look. Robert Jordan was also good at it. RJ was a mil his buff and Vietnam vet, so military stuff was one his strengths.

What are some good books where magic actually feels like a big deal, something that doesn't show up very often but when it does it pretty much feels like reality has just broken for a bit.

>>13145966
The King of Elfland's Daughter
Though depending on your taste the book can be a beautiful thing or a fucking slog to read.
I liked it.

WHY DID NO ONE TELL ME GENE WOLFE DIED
am i going to have to read BoTNS again

>>13145705
Yeah they’re ok. He’s trying to be a bit edgier, but it doesn’t quite work in Remnant. Ok beginning, weird, timeless middle, but the story finally starts moving in the last 30%. That said, the main girl is top tier, maybe one of my favorites. But that might just be because I like goat girls.
Swing shift is pretty traditional, for an urban fantasy series. The ending was pretty decent thought. So a better story, but worse girls imo.

>>13145992
There was a sticky you pussy

Where do I start with the Warhammer 40k novels?

Never played the games, know absolutely nothing about the universe or lore. Always see them mentioned online, and always see stacks of the fuckers at bookstores. Like the aesthetic, big reader of sci-fi in general, generally leaning towards the more literary stuff.

Thought I'd ask you guys before looking for a list or some shit. Like to keep some pulp-ier stuff around for the summer, and want to see what Warhammer is all about

>>13146141
Read Horus heresy, disregard the rest unless the bug really bites you.

Skip Horus heresy

>>13146147
just searched that. seems to be a series of ~90 books. Just start with the first one written or what?

>>13146153
Any other suggestions, then?

>>13146161
Last Chancers series

Any books with helper dogs/wolves like ASoIaF or MGSV?

>>13146224
The Knight by Gene Wolfe
Haven't read The Wizard yet but I assume Gylf is still there.

>>13143615
The Bacta War. I sometimes reread it in isolation of any other of the X-wing novels, because it works so well as a standalone book. I think people who have never even read Star Wars could probably enjoy it.

>>13141710
Tide Lords by Jennifer Fallon - the protagonist, who became immortal by mistake, is suicidal at the start of the book, but throughout the quadrilogy he comes to embrace his immortality. If we're going outside the strict /sffg/ spectrum, Louis in Interview With The Vampire seems to love life, even if he thinks immortality is as much a curse as a blessing.

>>13140951
Thanks lad, I'll look into these.

>>13140512
It's mad comfy at times. Good use of foreshadowing, some epic scenes. The characters are so and so, some likeable and some not, and some whose decisions don't seem to make sense. It's a 10+ book series anon, I enjoyed it but can't say it's for everyone, or that it's worth the investment. Try the first book and see how it goes.

>>13145705
didnt like remnant. liked swing shift a lot.
also its totally obvious who kat and leanne are. also trish.
im happy theyre alright. theyll probably play a bigger role down the line. and felix will probably show up eventually too.

>>13146224
The Death Gate Cycle
The Farseer books by Robin Hobb
>>13146161
Horus Heresy is a newfren trap,keep away from it.
Start with Eisenhorn or the Gaunt's Ghosts books by Dan Abnett,he is one of the best 40k writers.

What self published books are you guys reading right now?

The Chad milsf author

>>13146511

>>13146500
My diary, desu.

Makaria had solid ideas, but the ending was a bit shaky. I also don’t get much of it because I’m not a Christfag

>>13139243
>4,228 pages long
>198h 53m for the audiobooks

Honestly, is it worth it?

>>13146743
How much does the idea of reading a story with no actual ending bother you? Because he's not going to finish them.

>>13146743
"Sunset found her squatting in the grass, groaning. Every stool was looser than the one before, and smelled fouler. By the time the moon came up she was shitting brown water."

-Excerpt from A Dance with Dragons

>>13146779
I wonder how the people narrating audiobooks felt when they reached that scene desu

>>13146779
sounds pretty nice to me

>>13146232
He is.

>>13145992
Read Peace instead; it was his favorite novel of his own

>>13146779
Even GRRM knew she was a braphog

>>13146511
The Interrogation Team is amazing, it's military science fiction but also a horror story.

>>13139243
Literally middle school tier, Gary Paulsen - The Hachet series.

RECOMMEND ME SOME GOOD COSMIC HORROR FUCK
I've already read Laird Barron

>>13146917
clark ashton smith

How is this, /sffg/?
From what I understand, J.R.R. Tolkien himself wouldn't have published this but his son edited it and finished it or something? Is it good?

>>13146930
>How is this, /sffg/?
I thought it was excellent, assuming you've already read The Silmarillion, Children of Húrin and Beren and Lúthien.

>From what I understand, J.R.R. Tolkien himself wouldn't have published this but his son edited it and finished it or something?
Christopher edited his fathers manuscripts to form a more consistent narrative, I'm happy he did or else those books might never have seen the light of day

Monthly reminder that Gormenghast is overrated.

Seriously, why do people keep reccomending it, I stuck through all the books because I figured it must get good at some point and it just never did.

>>13146141
Start from the beggining. The first five books of Horus Heresy situate you in the setting and kickstart the Heresy and so on, from then on it becomes more loose with overlapping timelines and standalone stories and such, but the first five absolutely should be read in that order.

>>13146141
Eisenhorn, Gaunt or first couple HH books

trying to get back into reading, reading count of etc etc rn

I plan to get black company book 1 and neuromancer, are there any other good cyberpunk books or are they all just derivative "oooheee wowee robot neon!"?

I don't like hard scifi

>>13147075
>I don't like hard scifi
then you dont like scifi

>>13147080
yeah maybe I don't, does that upset you autist?

If you enjoy reading 3 pages about the exact movment of the quarks and atoms that allows a ship to move at near light speed then more power to you

>>13147087
you ask for scifi recs and then say you dont like scifi, and i'm the autist? okay bud

>>13147040
When I told you it's shit, you listened to the other anons who were praising it. You made your bed, so lie in it.

>>13147080
I know you're doing this for (you)s, but I still can't let your stupidity fly.

>>13147040
I'll gladly admit that the third book is not that good. The two first however. Free from Tolkien's influence, truly unique and with beautiful, vivid, descriptive prose. What's not to like?

anybody know the source of this list?

>>13147535
Hell.

>>13147535

>>13147080
>hard sci-fi is sci-fi
oof never go full retard. Hard sci-fi is literally the LEAST popular form of sci-fi. Barely anyone actually reads it.

>>13147535
Reddit

>>13147535
I like how every writer in the top 20 is either pure shit or completely average except for based Gemmell. A bunch of bongs must have voted on this list.

>>13147266

This is what I like about Peake's world building and backdrop. He does his own thing and is completely original without having to rely on some stupid Tolkien inspired gimmick

Is the first law trilogy worth £15? I'm looking for a new series, haven't read a fantasy book in a while. I've also been recommended the Drenai series and Farseer.

What's some good chinkshit (wuxia and xianxia, whatever the differences are), or stuff in the style of chinkshit?
I've read some shitty web novels and the concept appeal to me, but the universal retardedly OP-from-the-start protagonists annoys me

I'm looking for a meaty series with a strong character focus that doesn't completely ignore worldbuilding. Series with intricate worlds seem to jump protags/time a lot (Malazan, Drenai), and those with great characters have barebones settings (First Law). There must be some overlooked series that do both decently.

>>13147654
Why a bunch of Bongs?

>>13147696
>comparing Drenai to Malazan
Oh man. You have no idea what you're talking about do you?

>>13147684
I didn't like the first law, felt like a chore to read because the world and characters are so boring.

>>13147776
Because Gemmell was British and was most popular in his native Bongistan for the longest time.

>>13147788
yet number 1 is a mutt and has ruined fantasy going forward

>>13147788
How is Gemmells last book ?

>>13147783
Please explain.

>>13147828
If you mean the Troy series, it's pretty good. He passed away before he could finish the last book, he had only written a part of it and his wife finished the rest. She did a decent job though so it's still worth reading.

>>13144491
I think I'll go with Dunsany, after cursory browsing of /lit/ fantasy discussions he and Le Guin were the two authors who seemed most palatable.
Also my uni's rare books library has some very expensive illustrated editions of his work that it might be cool to check out.

>>13147266
You know there are thousands of books free from Tolkien's influence? You self-uninformed cunt kys.
You should read more books instead of the same small sample size that reinforces the narrative that everyone and their grandmother is copying Tolkien. You go and read a bunch of Tolkien clones then cry that fantasy is Tolkien clones.
>Free from Tolkien's influence
You guys that don't read always out yourselves when you talk about all fantasy being Tolkien clones.

>>13147685
Just read all the staples first, martial world, true martial world, renegade immortal, desolate era, world of cultivation, talisman emperor, sovereign of the three realms, immortal mortal, a will eternal, etc

>>13147696
>those with great characters have barebones settings (First Law).
>first law
>great characters
There was only 2 characters of note in the first law trilogy. Everyone else was a chore. Two persons of capital quality, and all the other fuken pinks were shit.

What are you guys expecting for the rest of the year?
Is tight pussy part 2, skin game, thorn of embalen, and the host of other editing hell books going to be released? Is 2019 the year?

>>13148354
Tight pussy part 2 comes out this fall.
I doubt the others you listed get published.

Anything about ascending to a higher plane of existence?

>>13148325
Glokta and Logen?
God i found that book series such a bore couldnt make it past halfway through the second book

>>13141710
Utnapishtim from the Epic of Gilgamesh

>>13148366
It was supposed to be released last fall too.

>>13148376
Gloktha and west. Logen was annoying.
A decade after finishing the series and I still remember him pissing me off. Him and his got to piss friend.

The Hobbit movies were not as bad as they were made out to be. I watched the extended addition and really the only deviation from the book that I really took issue with was the Elf chick.

>>13148479
>>>/tv/

>>13148554
>>>/lgbt/

wow thanks fuckwit had no idea that board existed. almost like i was talking about a difference with the book

>>13148354
Nope. We'll hear about the release date at least 6 months in advance and since we're almost 6 months into the year I doubt any of them are coming out in 2019.

I'm only really excited for Blood of Empire which is coming out in Dec.

I suppose there's also the next Cradle book but that series is going to shit rather rapidly.

>>13147849
Malazan is grimderp epic fantasy with the main focus being on world-building and has an overall arching story across 10 books. Drenai is the complete opposite: there is no overall arching story across its books, it's not grimderp epic fantasy, and the focus is on the characters and stories first THEN the world-building.

>>13145713
it is over the top near parody stuff, but is dredd not the same? the first chapter is basically him as judge dredd delivering pizza

>>13148568
>h-hey guys, if you don't want film goer people to post about movies in the fucking literature board you're a discord tranny

>>13148590
We have a release date for Burning White, the last light bringer book. October 22.

Also fuck you, Underlord was good.

>>13148571
no one cares tolkien a shit

>>13147828
It was fine, but I only read it once years ago and I definitely remember reading certain parts and thinking, "Yea his wife definitely wrote this."

>>13148639
And it was August last year.
Tight pussy 2 electric bogaloo isn't coming.

Never cared for fantasy. Any time I see a synopsis for some long epic thing with its backstories and races and warriors and whatever my eyes glaze over. Never read Lord of the Rings. Only tangentially interested in GOT and kind of liking the first book for the vivid descriptions of the land and the politics. Discovered I actually do somewhat like medieval settings. Always loved the Legend of Zelda games despite telling myself I disliked sword and sorcery crap.

Recommend me a fantasy series.

>>13148651

>>13148651
>I disliked sword and sorcery crap.
Normies referring to basic Heroic Fantasy as Sword & Sorcery will always trigger my autism.

>>13148651
The Broken Sword by Poul Anderson. I recommend the 1970 version since that's the version I've read.

Someone rec me some real Arthurian shit where magic comes from when another world bleeds into ours. Already read The Knight.

>>13148690
See >>13148687

>>13148568
>>>/reddit.com/

I like how when someone posts a question, no one responds, but as soon as I post my chart everyone is quickly telling the guy recommendations.

>>13148606
but the world of Malazan is boring and shit

>>13148708
Such prose.

>>13148707
What was your question lad

malazan
(infinitely expansive power gap)
everything else

>>13148687
Okay, this looks promising. A little basic, but promising.

>>13148707
Nothing on that chart interests me.

>>13148651
>Never cared for fantasy
>Recommend me a fantasy series
What makes people think this is not a retarded thing to ask?

This way to reach the Game of Thrones viewer support group.

>>13148735
>>13148735
>>13148735
>>13148735
>>13148735

>>13148738
>>13148759
Or how about some like Zelda or Etrian Odyssey fanfiction that doesn't suck or sucks so much it's funny.

>>13147684
Books are free now, even one peso would be overpaying.

>>13144683
I wrote some 4+ hours today finishing the 4th part of my first fantasy novel. Been writing for years now so i can assure you that its actually not shit.

>>13148372
Light.

>>13147605
if there is no science in the science fiction then it is just fiction

>>13148439
West is a shit, logen is a waifu! Mediocre book anyway dont get the fuss about it.

>>13149759
Science is for nerds anyway and nerds NEVER get pussy unless they stop being nerds (crypto demi-chads)