/lit/ - Literature

>>13498869
*tugs braid*
wheel of time

Discworld

>>13498872
Just started Crossroads of Twilight. Good shit. My brother is named Rand because my dad loved the series in the 90's (and still does)

>>13498869
Malazan has enjoyable side novels that you don't need the main story

Lord of the Rings and Narnia

>>13498869
Lotr
Worm ouroboros
Dunsany
Clark Ashton Smith
Howard
Most premodern literature

>>13498919
this. after Tolkien created the perfect example, the genre should have been left alone. it's all trash since.
>wheel of time
yikes

>>13498869
A Song of Ice and Fire by George R. R. Martin.

Viriconium
Latro of the Mist and the Wizard Knight
Earthsea
The Conan stories
The Elric Saga

A real guilty pleasure of mine that I'll reread every few years is the Riftwar Saga by Raymod Feist. The first book starts off feeling like a cheesy 80's fantasy movie but it gets really good. I think it's very underrated by a lot of people.

>>13498869
Mervyn Peake

>>13498869
LotR isn't fantasy.

the book of new sun

>>13498931
I’ve just started to read books for the first time in many years.

After showing interest in Game of Thrones, I decided to pick up the books, but the serious amount of detail he places when envisioning a scene and the words he uses to describe events has me searching google from time-to-time. Even then, I’d lose track of the words and have to re-read the sentence to get back; even then, I’d still be absolutely lost.

I read that this has to do with the idea that my brain has been wired to seek for instant gratification instead of delayed gratification, and I wish to change that. I have no problem with GRRM’s writing when it comes to dialogue, but when he describes things my brain instantly fries. It’s difficult for me to digest this and comprehend it the way the author intended.

It might also be undiagnosed ADHD, or the fact that choosing ASOIAF as my first book in a while is a bad choice, I’m not sure. I honestly just wish I can read these things and become immersed without this barrier.

Pic semi-related

>>13498921
Worm was better desu

>>13498962
Game of Thrones is one of the easiest books I have ever read.

>>13498962
Fantasy has a tradition of very thorough scene descriptions though, ever since Tolkien. The amount of lips of hills and dells and hollows and shallow valleys he describes launched a tradition that somehow it's necessary for a reader to be able to completely imagine the landscape.

>>13498962
Don't worry about it and keep reading. It'll get better as long as you keep challenging yourself, forcing yourself to read for longer periods of time and occasionally trying some harder books.

>>13498971
You know, I ask myself, how does one manage to successfully delve into a fictitious world such as Tolkiens and GRRM’s without the knowledge of Medieval fantasy and completely understand what the fuck they’re describing upon first glance. E.g. I had to look up what a pavillion, Crammogmen, and all other unfamiliar nouns used in medieval times to understand the context and picture the scene better. I don’t know how you guys do it.

>>13498983
I’ve been working on this, it’s difficult and tedious to consistently search the meaning of the worlds but with time hopefully it’ll improve.

>>13498872
I kind of want to give this series a try, but I've been hesitant. Everyone seems to say that everything grinds to a halt for like 5 books in the middle and the length of the series makes me suspect that it's bloated with filler shit in general.

Is it worth it? Does it actually manage to stay engaging for 12,000 pages?

>>13499013
words*, not worlds

>>13498869
you just posted it

everything else is fucking dogshit

>>13499013
You should try Book of the New Sun. There is an actual published dictionary for all of the obscure words Wolfe uses in it.

>>13499013
Can't you usually tell what a word means from the context? I think you're being a little autistic about it.

>>13499013
>it’s difficult and tedious to consistently search the meaning of the worlds but with time hopefully it’ll improve.
You should try to read a Clockwork Orange. Either you'll go mad or you'll learn to relax and enjoy the book.

>>13498888
i never finished it because Jordan died, so i'm re-reading it now. it's still a pleasure.
>>13499014
i never felt like it was tedious, i loved the world that much. granted, i read them when i was much younger.

>>13499032
Not him, but sometimes you lose detail in descriptors when doing that. E.g. I didn't know what "sallow" meant, and from context I would've guessed "untrustworthy".

>>13498935
How's Eathsea ? I read a summary and it looks like boring cookie-cutter fantasy

David Eddings (Belgariad, Mallorean, Elenium and Tamuli series), Terry Brooks (Shannara series), Melanie Rawn (Dragon Prince and Ambrai series), Meredith Anne Pierce (Darkangel Trilogy), Mickey Zucker Reichert (Renshai Series), Mary Stewart (Crystal Cave/Arthurian series)

>>13498955
cmd-f'd for this. second

>>13498869
The Bible.

>>13498869
lurk moar

>>13498943
Seconded. It really deserves more love.

>>13498974
What's wrong with description? Did your post-modernist english professor teach you that it's trite?

>>13499013
You just kind of figure it out through context.

>>13498918
My MAN! 5 TOPS

>>13499024
Why do people care about his autistic (not in the meme sense, but in the "he definitely has autism" sense) hyperfocus on archaic words? Everybody uses that as a selling point. Is the story really so weak that the most important part of the book is its chimeric greek lexicon?

>>13500642
Yeah? Well we're having it again, dumb mugiposter.

>>13498962
Congratulations, you are too stupid to read a comic book. Your parents must be so proud.

>>13498869
Why didn't Sauron just kill himself?

>>13501317
Why don't you?

>>13499672
I really love it, it has some interesting concepts with how magic works and some really clean, fun plots. Then again I also read it as a kid, so chalk me up to nostalgia.

>>13501351
Earthsea is really the only fantasy besides maybe Dying Earth with a decent and well thought out portrayal of 'logical' magic.
That said, only the first book is really worth reading imo.

the broken sword, original version

>>13499672
Honestly excellent, read it and Atuan recently. The first half or so of Wizard is rather dull, but it picks up from there and the final scenes are amazing (despite the conclusion being predictable). Easily my favorite of LeGuin's books.
>>13498869
>>13498919 and >>13498935. Plus LeGuin, snd MacDonald in particular deserves a mention.

the lack of moorcock in this thread is disappointing, but not surprising. Why do people tend to skip over moorcocks work? The corum series is fuckin great, and i'm reading through Elric now and its just as good. some of the best fantasy i've ever read but no one talks about it.

>>13501032
The smartness is oozing from you, bud.

>>13502205
>white-haired anti-hero defeats an evil wizard for the 500th time
moorcock is shit

>>13502205
i didn't understand Elric, everybody was telling me the hero was so different, but he is just a standard hero with white hair?

>>13498869
Conan is based.
>inb4 only chads can understand

If game of thrones delivered more with it's character perspectives it would be worth the praise it gets. It's fine, their is some cringy ass writing and some cool character moments and subversions, but I went in expecting fantasy with depth and for the perspectives to be better written like a fantasy version of As I lay Dying and has left me desperately wanting something like that.

>>13498918
never liked narnia desu

>>13503093
what's the night's king tax policy though?

>>13503166
It’s not for everyone. You have to have a certain heart for it.

>>13502196
>>13501483
I hated Left Hand of Darkness so much I am reluctant to take Earthsea. Is it a lot better?

>>13498915
Steven Erikson is a hack.
Don't post shit here.

>>13505126
why hate left hand of darkness? earthsea is more accessible you should try it

Enter the thread for recommendations and only find faggots recomending shit. Get a taste retards.

I've been trying to read Shadow of the Torturer...and NOTHING IS HAPPENING. I'm past where Severian assists Thecla's suicide and NOTHING IS HAPPENING. Does this get any better?

>>13506729
>reading for plot