/lit/ - Literature

>>14741712
A New Beginning Edition
This is a standardized OP that can be copypasted. Your excuses for not making the thread yourself are now invalid.

An ending and a new beginning

>>14734982
RE: The Rage of Dragons
I've read enough that I might finish it in a day which should tell you a lot.

It's a pretty straightforward revenge/military training/protags nation are the bad guys story but it executes all of this well and the little twists on the formula are fantastic.
Without spoiling too much it's one of the only eugenics fantasies I can think of where the protag is explicitly revealed not to have any secret inherited blood or powers, he is absolutely a normal man in a world of magically boosted nobles.
For another subversion there's something that happens right around page 100 (at least on kindle) that won me over to the book, it's a bit slow before that but I think the setup is needed.

Also the violence when it gets violent is good, been looking for a properly visceral fantasy for ages and this hits the spot.

recommend me some fantasy books, folks
>pic related, it's stuff I already read

- stuff shilled to me by /sffg/ which I hated: anything Sanderson, Gardens of the Moon, Book of the New Sun, Gaiman nonsense
- stuff I actually enjoyed: Titus Groan, Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, Black Company, The Two Towers (just that book), Name of the Wind (just that book), Nevernight (again, just that one), stuff by Marchetta, Novik and CM Valente

First for SJ Maas a milfy qt3.14

>>14741712
Any books with elf gfs?

>>14741818
You've put too much effort into this troll.
Here's a complimentary (you).

>>14741818

>>14741712
The thread slave is dead, long live the thread slave!

>>14741844
sounds more like magical realism, but I'll give it a go. cheers anon.

>>14741614
>You are searching for character development, dialogue quality and plot in all the wrong places lil' nigga.

What do you suggest then?

>>14741832
https://www.amazon.com/Dragon-God-Saga-Woodcutters-Son-ebook/dp/B07K87DMGV

>>14741818
Read Bakker

>>14741934
It was only a matter of time before the Bakker meme came into play.

>>14741901
To be completely honest I haven't really been into fantasy for quite some time but I do have a recommendation that might be up your ally.
It's a dark (but not grimderp) fantasy, there are no world shattering events, no Robin Hoods, just hoods robbin'.
The name of the series is Scourge of the Betrayer by Jeff Salyards.
Good characterization (the first book is through the innocent eyes of a scribe hired to chronicle the actions of said hoods), fairly dark but not over the top, the author is a reenactment nerd so the descriptions of the equipment and fights are above the average, generally just a solid fantasy.

If you would like to spread your wings outside of fantasy, I would also recommend Cold Skin by Albert Sanchez Pinol (also made into a movie).
And last, but definitely not the least, if you are in for some brilliantly written historical fun I would recommend Captain Alatriste by Arturo Pérez-Reverte.

Is the First Law Trilogy overrated garbage recommended by ASOIAF fans? Or is a legitimately worthwhile read? I keep seeing people say that Abercromie "gets better" with each book. This makes me worry about the quality of these books in general. Thoughts?

>>14742019
I think you should read them and afterwards, if you didn't like them, heap insults and abuse on anyone who mentions them.
It's the /sffg way.

>>14742035
The problem being I'm trying to decide what to spend my limited book money on. Otherwise, I would do exactly this.

>>14742052
>spending money
Not even once.

>>14742052
You could always turn to piracy.

>>14742019
/sffg/ rating of The Blade Itself
14 ratings total
5 stars: 4
4 stars: 8
3 stars: 1
2 stars: 1

>>14742052
Libraries exist. Overdrive exists.

My book is a mess, so much that I forgot characters. Luckily, it can't hurt the plot, since there is no plot yet.

>>14742019
It’s super overrated imo. Especially once you realize what he’s doing with the series. You should know by halfway through book 2, at the very latest, he’s not subtle.

>>14742059
>>14742061
>>14742094
Thank you. I'm aware of these possibilities. If the books aren't worth buying, they're definitely not worth taking the time to read.
>>14742073
I guess I was kind of hoping somebody would sell me on reading the books. I don't find ratings particularly useful and booktubers might as well just recommend every single book they read. They all seem reluctant to hate on any series that has a fan base of any sort.

>>14742199
Thanks. I haven't even read the books and I already feel like I can guess what the author is doing with the series. Perhaps, I should avoid.

Is there any good dark urban fantasy out there that isn't borderline erotica or a twilight love-triangle knock-off?

I think The Magicians might fit for me, I saw a bit of the TV Show but heard that the book is way worse, so no clue about that.

>>14742263
Just (re?)play this.

>>14742263
Depends on how much depressed whining and goatman rape you can handle

>>14742214
>he thinks he can judge if it's worth buying prior to reading it
l m a o

>>14742214
>would sell me
If you have to be convinced then it isn't for you.

>>14742279
What if I can handle large quantities of both?

>>14742227
Just read the free previews online.

>>14742263
The TV series starts out as bad book adaptation but eventually it goes completely off book and ignores all the source material which makes it better.

The books are ok to, but it's definitely going to be hit or miss for a lot of people. Personally, I think Fillory should have never been introduced.

>>14742294
Then start reading

>>14741818
Anything by Lord Dunsany

>>14742304
True, I liked the concept, especially the hedge witches were interesting, Fillory seemed a bit over the top for the plot

>>14741988
I had that series marked as to be read but then lost it. It seemed similar to Black Company. Thank you, I have to read that. Is Cold Skin the base for the movie The Lighthouse? I've seen the trailer.

>>14742227
It's not a great series, but it's not bad either, it's just a bit meh. Kinda forgettable. It's worthy just because of Glokta, the only interesting character in the series.

>>14742304
Plus the TV series has Dudley and her udders.

>>14742214
>Thank you. I'm aware of these possibilities. If the books aren't worth buying, they're definitely not worth taking the time to read
How about you just pirate books that are worth buying??

>>14742477
>The Lighthouse
No, the movie is called the same as the book and has no connection to the Lighthouse.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1034385/

>>14742542
>How about you just pirate books that are worth buying??
How about you just stop being poor?

>>14742549
I have long time ago. Thats why I pirate books among many other things

>>14742362
already read 'King of Elfland's Daughter'. was thinking about 'Gods of Pegana', is it any good?

>>14742621
How about you stop being poor... in your soul?

>>14742073

3/5 stars

>>14741779
thanks for the review, I will pick it up!

Are there any good fantasy books about a serial killer on the loose?

>>14742754
the examples I can immediately think of are both books where the serial killer plot is the weakest element

Should I put in the time reading A Fire Upon the Deep

>>14741818
Just gonna go ahead and use this opportunity to shill a cavern of black ice.

LIFE IS PAIN

>>14742785
>female author

>>14742785
for a moment there I thought that it was written by the 'wonderful' Robert Jordan and that the cover was being sarcastic
sounds legit, cheers for the recommendation

What's the opinion on Mercedes Lackey? I picked up one of her books on whim (By the sword) and it's been a slog to get through. Not terribly written but the characters are not engaging at all and the imagery is kinda dull.

>>14742785
That's some good readin' right there.
Too bad it never got any traction, awash in a sea of shitty fantasy.

>>14741818
Did you like Starless Sea? The Night Circus is one of my favorite books. It isn’t sff but Melina Marcheta’s Jellicoe Road is good YA.

>>14742768
What would they be?

>>14742854
At least she’s been updating her patreon. We lived to see mount and blade bannerlord, now we might live to see J.V Jones’ Endlords.

>>14742899
Unnatural Magic - Serial Killer is eventually the main plot but the side plot romance carries the book
Whatever the fuck Mitchell Hogan's first book was called - lots of dread around the protagonist unknowingly interacting with the serial killer and then nothing happens
Magii of Cyador - More sociopath than serial killer, protag just murders anyone in the way of his goals

All of them would be bad picks if you want serial killer stuff
>>14742842
She's incredibly samey but even then by the sword isn't good lackey, it basically exists just to link up some of her series set in that world.
Her best stuff is pretty consistently about an abused character recovering from their trauma usually in school and then going on to do intrigue.
And even I, someone who liked her, got bored when all the similarities kept cropping up between books.

If you want to give her another go Collegium Chronicles, Arrows of the Queen or Obsidian Mountain would be better jumping on points.

>>14742019
>that Abercromie "gets better" with each book
that's hilarious because every book is worse than the last lmao
the trilogy is decent and worth a read, the stand-alones are hot garbage

>>14742785
One of the dullest things I've ever read, couldn't even finish the last book
1500 pages leading into it and none of the characters have developed past a one-dimensional personality

>>14743076
Thanks for the thoughtful response, anon. I looked up Obsidian Mountain and it seemed promising. I'll give it a try.

>>14742797
I know, I know but this is an exception.


>>14742836
It's certainly worth a try with the last book finally coming out this year, definitely my all time favorite series.

>>14743094

Factually incorrect.

>>14742872
I loved the Starless Sea, I think it's the best fantasy novel of 2019. Yet it was long, meandering, and technically speaking there was no Big Bad Guy, but it incredibly lush and imaginative, and some of the stuff she came up with was mindbogglingly wonderful (like Kitchen, and aaall that honey). Haven't read Night Circus yet.
Marchetta's Lumatere Chronicles is one of my favourite trilogies of all time.

>>14742842
Only read Arrows of the Queen. It was nothing outstanding, a lot of Harry Potter similarities (but written 10 years before), a bit repetitive and even moralizing. What I did like was the portrayal of female characters, relationships and mental health, but there are better books out there if you're into these topics.

>>14743470
>Yet it was long, meandering
meant to say Yes*

We are at page 7 and I'm not bumping. Watch sffg die tonight.
Last post.

I hate this /sffg/. I hate that no matter how much work I do to get better I can't just write well on command. If anything, it feels like I'm just getting worse and worse and worse every time I do it

>>14743898
That is not dead which may eternal lie.

>>14743898
quit shitposting with your "I'm really leaving guys, watch me leave, guys?"

>>14743898
We'll just make a new thread then. Don't worry about it. It's really not that big of a deal man.

>>14743935
Take a break then. Go read some books on writing or podcasts or videos about it.

>>14743991
I've been taking a break for two or three weeks at this point. it feels worse than my ineffectual faliling at the keyboard did. At least before I was making progress. now I feel like I'm just waiting for the only part of my life that has a chance of mattering to resume

>>14743987
>>14743976
>>14743943
>>14743898
>>14741712
>>14741717
Reeee. I'm important, you need me. You can't survive without me. I am needed, I'm not a waste, I make meaningful contributions to society.

>>14743446
100% factually correct, and you better not be the anon who recommended to me in the first place. I swear to god I will find you in real life

>>14742073
4/5. Couple of memorable characters, couple of forgettable ones. His writing has significantly improved in his newest trilogy.

>>14742073
The blade itself is good it's the run from the final 3rd or so of hanged into last argument where he lost my interest

>>14744022
do other things related to writing. writing for me has 4 parts:
> writing
> learning about writing which includes writing but also reading author interviews, reading books about writing, watching a movie/reading a book a second time and taking notes, reading outside my genre like plays and poetry, etc
> research into one of my book's subjects
> living some life so i have material because i tend to stay home a lot

>>14742263
The magicians isn't really urban it's a riff on "wot if narnia was bad/wot if harry potter had depression"

The two urban fantasy series I did like are Felix Castor which is basically just Mike Carey continuing to write Hellblazer with some slight changes to avoid being sued and
The Last Sun which is about 4 changes away from just being a White Wolf tabletop campaign.

>>14742263
Vurt - Jeff Noon
Last Call - Tim Powers

>>14741779
Finished this, pretty typical ending once it tells you where the plot is going but executed well.
Interested to see if it's kept at just a trilogy because there's multiple almost entirely unknown mythical enemies that only get the slightest mention in the book so stuff is gonna be kept pretty fast paced if it is.

Wouldn't call it perfect but it's the first book this year I think I've read in a 24hr span so it stayed gripping throughout.
I do wonder why I never found out about it before when I was going through a phase of trying to read military academy fantasies.

First for Dragonlance Legends

Guys... I'm sick of it.
I'm sick of EVERY FUCKING BOOK doing this.
The little histories at the beginning or end of every chapter. It's so banal and cliche and meaningless and self serving, and I hate it.

Every book thinks they can just sprinkle these little world building segments in between chapters, where they drop random histories or shit. It SUUUUUUCKS. I don't know how else to say it. It's just an awful thing, that I wish everyone would stop doing.

>>14744250
Well, how would you prefer it?

>>14744250
Never seen that in my Chinese web novels mate

>>14744250
I don't like word-building at all to be completely honest with you senpai

>>14744260
Just tell the story! If I need to know info about the world, then incorporate it into the story itself. For the mega nerds who care about random as fuck details not pertaining to the story, well make a world book or something for them. You can flesh it all out in the world book, without interrupting the story to tell me random histories.

>>14744087
Talk about projecting your own insecurities.

Can someone link some Kane stories please?

>>14744420
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cain_and_Abel

>>14741712
discord link is dead lol

i'm currently tossing up whether to read a series I'm just getting into on kindle, or as physical books.

How do you guys like to read? I love physical books, but I also love the convenience of chucking my kindle in my back pack and not lugging around a huge paperback door-stopper.

>>14744676
Whatever the library has available usually decides for me.

>>14744483
just checked and it's working. maybe you're one of the few people who were banned.

>>14744742
Nah, I just copied it wrong.

Name a single science fiction novel in the last 50 years that is better written, more poignant, and captures the modern zeitgeist better than Warren Ellis's Transmetropolitan.

>>14744775
Asking someone to prove that you'd enjoy something that you haven't read more than your favorite graphic novel is an idiotic query at best.

>>14744775
Transmetropolitan was alright. Too pretentious at points though.

>>14741712

ive barely done any reading in my life but ive read the standard shit like catcher in the rye, 1984, brave new world, some jules verne.

never read asimov and im looking for really exciting and dense books. i like conversation. i. recently finished Something Happened by Joseph Heller and loved it.

Should I go into asimov or is there something denser?

>>14744676
I used to be physical for books, but a decade ago I went digital. It was hard at first to transition (especially not being able to put in my bookmarker), but I accepted change and never looked back.

>>14744839
No, stick to literary novels.

>>14744872
Digital was a failed revolution. Digital sales and usage drops every year now.

>>14744676
I have a Kindle (which is ancient, might get a Kobo next) but lately I've been buying books for the mouthfeel and cos I have more disposable income

>>14744775
Idk man, go read some books actually by Hunter S Thompson

>>14744915

what do you mean "literary novels"? any recommendations? i want really dense good shit

>>14744250
Name ONE book

>>14744966
You're in the wrong thread for what you want.

>>14744952
>buying books for the mouthfeel
How often do you eat your books?

>>14744921
>Digital sales and usage drops every year now.
Sales may have dropped, but usage hasn't. It's just that people aren't announcing that they are using it. Same with music, tv shows, and movies. Sales doesn't always show usage, especially when it comes to digital items.

>>14744952
>buying books for the mouthfeel
>we have literal rat people in this general who buy books to read them, them make a litter out of the finished novel by nibbling them
Are you some escaped experiment?

>>14744839
you might try
A Clockwork Orange
Lord of the Rings
Station Eleven
Book of the New Sun

>>14742780
Read it if you like fantasy because it isnt science fiction

>>14745294
You must consume all aspects of a book, with all five senses to really appreciate it.

>>14744775
Virtual Light. Transmetropolitan is fucking full of fanservice

>>14745503
Have you ever fucked a book?

>>14744676
Physical books if my local library system has them, mainly to help keep circulation up, or epub if not, I'm more likely to buy stuff if it's small press or if the author has some way to directly purchase it. If I had a full-time job I'd probably stop pirating stuff entirely, but I don't.

Nowadays I only really buy hardcopy if it's old stuff that's out of print/obscure, if only to cut down on clutter.

>>14744966
Try Umberto Eco's stuff.

>>14744133
Yeah I know the magicians is really urban fantasy, I just mentioned it because I was looking for something in that direction of the magicians without fillory.

Thanks for the recommendations though ^^

I'm rereading red rising before I read Iron Gold and Dark age, forgot how fucking fun those books are.

>>14743090
heroes is the best book you buffoon

Give me the top 10 best sci fi for my book collection.

I already have 2001, Dune, Stranger in a Strange Land, Foundation and War of the Worlds. So I need 5 more.

>>14746217
Have you never fucked a book?

>>14746303

Do electric sheep dream of androids

>>14746303
Hyperion
Ender's Game

I have a question about Dune Messiah. Why does Paul lose his prescience after Chani's death? I understand his literal sight is gone, but for what reason does her death cause him to lose his power?

>>14746367
[spolier]Paul does not loose prescience. In order to compensate for the loss of his sight due to the rock burner his prescience becomes laser focused on the immediate. In effect he does not actually see, he predicts with absolute clarity the near future.[/spoiler]

>>14746453
Well fuck.

>>14746453
when Chani dies, Paul loses his ability to see the future, therefore losing his pseudo-vision as well

>>14746282
>reading the forced pandering in the books after the trilogy

>>14746453
>coom brain thot poster can't spell spoiler after masturbating away all his intelligence and money to patreon thots

>>14746474
I don't think it happened that way, but it was quite a while since I read the Dune.

>>14746542
Don't act like a tranny bro, you are so much better.

>>14746303
Neuromancer
Demolished Man

>>14746670
So anyone who doesn't clap at your thot posts is automatically a hon pretend thot tranny who is jealous of real thots?

Is Xianxia considered SF?

>>14746928
No, it's not even literature.

>>14746942
Then what have I been reading?

>>14746945
Chinese webnovels.

>>14746945
I really don't care.

>>14746928
It's clearly fantasy.

Which book (or series) has the best sense of intrigue and/or plotting? Any real theme or level (Personal, Local, State, etc) doesn't matter.

Been getting a kick from CKII but it's getting to the point where events have repeated themselves now.

>>14746999
>CKII
Crusader Kings II, a grand strategy PC game set in the Middle Ages.

>>14746843
Calm down bro.

>>14746993
Traveling with spaceships between worlds and waging intergalactic wars goes beyond fantasy no?

>>14747036
Not if it's badly written.

>>14747036
I don't think you understand what you are talking about.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xianxia_novel

>>14747063
I do since I've read a bunch of them. Yes at the start it's really grounded with characters fighting in their own world against a bunch of factions, but start reading a couple hundred chapters and it's pretty common that you'll first explore the galaxy then the entire universe.

>>14746942
>>14746968
>>14747050
Cope

>>14747080
Just because it changes the setting doesn't change what it is. You have a fundamental misunderstanding between the differences of fantasy and science fiction.

>>14747093
Related: Star Wars is a fantasy series.

Any good books about martial arts that aren't wuxia or xianxia?

>>14747119
You mean you want actual literature where Long Dong is breaking 1000 year old trees with his mastery of Hung Wang fighting technique?
No idea.

>>14747151
No. I don't mind it getting Jackie Chan tier but nothing above that. I'm talking actual martial arts.

>>14747156
I think this would be right up your alley.
https://www.amazon.com/Worlds-Deadliest-Fighting-Secrets-Count/dp/1897307322

>>14747113
Nobody denies this.

>>14747191
No.

>>14746999
Long price quartet by Daniel Abraham.

>>14747199
Okay. What about this?
https://www.amazon.com/Secret-Man-American-Warriors-Uncensored/dp/0060391529

>>14747192
>>14746928
>>14747036

Just got the complete French edition of the Book of the New Sun.
Do you like it?

>>14747344
Gotta say that cover looks pretty metal.
Frenchies know where it's at.

I would like m-more drama p-please.

>>14746532
Meh Ill read the book and then form an opinion,

/sffg/, i'm bored and getting frustrated. I want to be into fantasy again dammit!

What was Redwall Abbey's tax policy?

>>14741818
You have a bad taste. And yes, read Bakker.

>>14744087
K

>>14747344
Cool cover desu

if this general didn't exist everything would be a lot better because it would force people to create threads about specific books and there would be a lot more and better discussion in general than the random nonsense that is these threads

Just started Nine Princes in Amber and this feels like Bukowski trying to escape from an hospice. I was definitely not expecting this but I love it.

e rozoi haynnok judept avo avioukh. etryiurto eh mwehh avyytv, ietva? ea eh uww er tyyk byr urslus.

Entertainment is poison.

>>14746999
Nine Princes in Amber - Zelazny

>>14747658
what have you read and liked

>>14747997
the orphan's tales, the golem and the jinni, and the dresden files to name a few

>>14747932
>Just started Nine Princes in Amber and this feels like Bukowski trying to escape from an hospice.
What an insult to Bukowski.

Are there any books where a protagonist learns magic and/or fighting without ever going to a magic school or training under some master.

Getting kinda bored of fantasy schools/academies
>>14746282
my problem with Red Rising was that the jackal stuff was so obvious upon reread that it actually annoyed me having to read through it

>>14747658
read chalion

>>14748024
maybe try
The Night Circus
Bear and the Nightingale
Vurt

>>14747707
There is no money in Redwall

>>14748358
Wise words of chairman Mao.

>>14747707
Redwall is communist, the only reason the plucky mice aren't getting sent to the gulag is because they don't allow reptiles into abbey grounds

Is Bernie Sanderson's The Cosplay mega series the pinnacle of fantasy writing?

Anyone familiar with the Dragonmaster trilogy? Are the books any good?

>>14748217
read the first one twice (loved it, but you only get the experience once)
tried the second one but icy northern settings tend to depress me
third one I might give a go, though it doesn't look like something I would read

>>14747903
still mad that we didn't die in the previous thread uh? keep seething

>>14747903
What hogwash.

>>14748638
I just finished my reread of Night Circus and damn I loved it all over again. She has a new book out Starless Sea but I haven't read it yet.
Hild is historical fiction but it sounds like something you might like. I started Station Eleven and it seems p good so far.

I'm almost near the end of The Way of Kings by Sanderson after a rec by some guy drinking alone in the pub i started talking to while he was reading it

And yet I still have no fucking idea how these bridges work exactly and how the parshendi get across without them, and why are they always on the shattered plains, i probably missed an early detail but I still have no clear picture in my mind of how they get a bridge across what the fuck

>>14748790
it's just like sliding a ladder/board between rooftops

>>14747903
You must be new. I was here before the general became a thing. Genre Fiction was (and still is) looked down upon in outer lit. You wouldn't believe the shit you had to go through to get a good discussion going (if any).
When a new Dresden Files book was being releases was the only time that it seemed acceptable to discuss genre fiction.

Those threads used to get hundreds of replies. Lit was fungi growing slow then, no philofag and polfags shitposting at the speed of light.

>>14748895
>no philofag and polfags shitposting
If only they were shitposting about anything but their real or perceived inadequacies, social ineptitude and thots. All that loser talks.
Alas!

What are some popular authors, other than the Strugatsky bros and Zamyatin, that wrote science fiction in Russian?

>>14749037
Sergei Lukyanenko, Dmitry Glukhovsky, maybe Victor Pelevin.

>>14748713
maybe mood swings are coloring my opinions. i was hypomanic when I read it the first time. the second I wasn't. its kind of hard for those experiences to measure up

>>14747903
No it wouldn't, the rest of /lit/ has sucked since day 1
Book discussion threads never worked because the default reaction was /v/ style shitting on the subject most of the time without having read it.

>>14749037
There's tonnes of early soviet stuff which is good but it is very early scifi so you might not like it.
On top of the authors other anon mention Vita Nostra by the Dyachenkos who are ukrainian but write in russian got translated recently and is good.

>>14748160
While I certainly do not agree with the post you're replying to, zelazny was leaques above bukowski.

>>14750083
vita nostra isn't science fiction tho, it's literally magic school.

>>14744775
Planet For Rent,
Life During Wartime,
Mockingbird,
There's like a fuckton, man.

Are there any fantasy books that feature cute traps?

>>14750357
Yes, webnovels, fanfiction, light novels, and various self-published works.

/sffg/, today I realized that hating myself for writing badly won't make me write any better. I need to love myself, and feel proud of myself when I keep going even if the going gets tough. At the risk of sounding weird, I need to learn how to be my own mom.

Lost Race of Mars - Robert Silverberg (1960)

I picked a short novella I had available and went into it mostly blind. This must have been written for children. Maybe if I had read it when I was around 8-10 or around that I may have enjoyed it. As I am not, I wasn't able to.
Story summary: Family travels to the Mars colony which was established in 1991, the current year is 2017. The father's goal is to find Martians. His children find them by stealing a sandcrawler and journeying out into the wastes with a martian cat. A sandstorm happens. The martian cat leads them to the Martians who tells them they understand the true meaning of friendship. The children return and convince the colonists somewhat about their existence. The children go back to the Martians and take pictures of them. The Martians say only these two children understand and that they will never meet any other humans ever. The children return and prove the Martians are real. The End.
2/5, being generous really.

The Secret Sharer - Robert Silverberg (1988)

Having been disappointed by the previous, I read another Silverberg novella. While presented as a far future science fiction story, this is really more about the nature of interpersonal relationships and introspection. It bears some thematic similarities to his novel, Dying Inside, which I greatly enjoyed when I read it. It seems that I don't think it worked as well this time.
A newly appointed space captain finds that one of the passengers that is being transported as an uploaded consciousness has broken free from their data storage unit and is basically a data ghost that wanders around the ship until she possesses the captain. The captain quickly learns to enjoy this and starts a troubled relationship with her.
I have severe doubts about the characterization of the two primary characters as well as various other concerns.
3/5, rounded up.

Gods, Monsters, and the Lucky Peach - Kelly Robson (2018)

Third novella for the day. I didn't and still don't like the title. The Lucky Peach is a vehicle. The protagonist, shown in the image, is an 85 year old human female with prosthetic octopus legs. The year is 2267 and the setting is a world several decades into recovering from multiple catastrophic events where humans have begun to reclaim the surface. The synopsis says, "uses time travel to merge climate fiction with historical fantasy." All three of those are generous descriptions. The first half, and I mean literally 50%, is preparing for the time traveling which involves haggling for funding from "private banks" and similar bureaucratic disasters. There's not much worldbuilding beyond what is immediately necessary, so if you're someone who wants that, this isn't that. I was left with many questions about most everything. While it's ostensibly about climate as that's about the vast majority of this is about, it's entirely superficial and doesn't say much other than "Wouldn't it be nice if humans could consider the long term rather than being exclusively concerned with the present?" The "historical fiction" is traveling back to 2000 BC and their interactions with the people back then, which was not something I would personally describe as historical fiction in any way. At the 75% mark exactly, the big drama and twist begins to happen. The story ends very abruptly and seemingly badly for the protagonists, but then maybe it doesn't actually considering the also abrupt change in the antagonist's behavior. There's supposedly going to be a sequel novella sometime, but I don't know if I'd want to read it.
3/5, rounded up, because I liked the prose.

How do I get a sweet, perfect, star-worshiping elf wife, /sffg/?

>>14751260
Be a prince. Its that easy

>>14751260
become a famous sff writer. the cosplayer girls will beg for your d

>>14750475
>>14750540
>>14750650
My man how do you have the time to read so much

>>1474467
auidobook
there is no saving me

>>14751634

>>14751366
dobt be dumb

>>14751646
I mean... isn't that sort of basically why it happened in King of Elfland's daughter?
Did I miss something there?

>>14751388
those are novellas. you could read all 3 in a day.

I really like the premise of Malazan but I hear the first books is a slog. Just how bad is it? I don't mind slow starts if the payoff is good.

>>14751714
The entire series is a slog.

>>14751728
Not them, but in what way?
Genuinely curious, seen my normie friends praise it on GR and not really a whole lot else.

>>14751758
>Constantly introduces large numbers of new character then proceeds to no nothing at all with them
>Constantly establishes rules and systems trhat don't actually matter at all
>Every second book is an entirely new cast of characters with an entirely new plot that you don't give a fuck about

>reading through God-Emperor
>women are better soldiers than men because men can only think about rape and we need women to educate men to fix humanity
Should I just drop it?

>>14751903
You should grow a pair and stop being a pussy and just continue reading the bloody thing. It's called a "story"

>>14745269
can someone explain this pl0x.

I've been out of the loop for a while, bros. Any news about The Doors of Stone?

>>14752091
I regret reading the first two books. When the third and final book comes out I'll no longer remember most of the details.
Can he even finish the story in a book? Instead of wasting pages on Kvothe fucking a fairy or drinking in taverns banging whores, he could've actually made some progress in the story.

>>14752133
You stupid nigger. Reread the Felurian sequence and you'll find tons of worldbuilding.

Fucking brainlet.

>>14752138
What are you even talking about, if not for The Cthaeh that chapter would be a borefest. Totally unnecessary.

>>14752147
Nigger didn't you listen to Felurian talk about the time before the Creation War?

>>14752149
Jax and the moon? That was a cool story.

>>14752177
Or in other words, the reality of what happened in the past of KKC's world.

>>14750475
>>14750540
>>14750650
Just wanted to say thanks for going beyond 99% of /lit/ and taking the time to write high effort reviews for these so we can seek/avoid them.

>>14752346
I should have written the full 3,000 characters a post allows for the 3rd one, but I was tired and went to sleep early so I didn't. There are a lot of "high effort reviews" that have been written by /sffg/ anons in the goodreads group. They just don't post them here for whatever reason. I haven't put put most of the ones I've done on there though.

Wew guys that malazan book 3 is really lame.
Huge contrast with based book 2 and coltaine's train.
Its just so haphazard. Toc is stuck to some lizard matron who crushes him to near death? What was the point?

Le pannion domin meme army. Gates fall in one day. Everyone has stomach cancer. Some random dude siddenly becomes soletaken and turns into a bird because ???

3 guys and 2 dogs and a sorceres destroy entire legions? Mmmkay

Tell me this shit gets good, because so far, this is gay af

>>14751714

I skipped book 1. Book 2 is great. Currently in book 3 would recommend skipping that as it is tied to book 1. Hoping book 4 is more like book 2.

BARGHAST WOMEN ARE WHORES

>>14752473
>explicitly asking people to change your mind because what you personally believe doesn't matter
Just stop reading it.

>>14752479

Is 4 gonna be good or not. Book 3 really dropped the baL

>>14752486
I haven't read them and they didn't interest me. It's a general statement.

> And what of my sisters? Forget it. Bitches all, they.
Damn.

>>14752533

Well keep your general statements to yourself, despite my harsh words im still a malazanchad, and everyone knows malazanchads alongside the guenónists (pbut) reign this board and indeed this general with a fair but iron fist.

>>14752794
>with a fair but iron fist.
The proper idiom is "iron fist in a velvet glove"

>>14746303
The Stars My Destination
The Stars My Destination
The Stars My Destination
The Stars My Destination
and last but not least The Stars My Destination

>>14741712
Any novels that use a creative way of formatting text for an artistic purpose, a la alice and wonderland?

>>14752988
The Demolished Man?

Is the Deverry cycle by Kathrine Kerr worth reading?

>>14751260
Get a norf gf

>>14751260
The answer is always: "Make more money."

>>14752988
House of Leaves

>>14753043
First four books are great and a complete story. If you like them, the next four are alright too. Not so much the later ones.

>>14752642
he was in a bad place at the time

GLORY

Anyone read this? So far its incredibly great.
2nd hand bookstore 3.50 euro.

>>14753756

>The Goldenwing spaceship "Gloria Coelis" approaches the Colony planet Voerster with an essential supply shipment ordered centuries before. Settled by South Africans determined to preserve the apartheid, Voerster us now threatend by revolution and war...

>>14753763
Oh that sounds horrible, just horrible.

The First Law series is to Fantasy as __________ is to Science fiction?

>>14753725
Indeed. That was a terrible moment for him, and the best part of the book too. Deirdre though, she didn't deserve it.

>>14753916

Gay niggers from outer space

evening /sffg/, any actually good sci fi horror that you'd rec? in return i'll share this picture of kelp at peace in the sea

How do you push yourself to read through a dozen books of just ONE series?
I can do 3 or 4 but when I see 14 or 20 books I just give up.

>>14754057
It helps to enjoy what you're reading.

>>14742899
If I remember right there is one on the lose in one of the later Sword of Truth books

>>14754057
You read a series one book at a time. You don't sit there worrying about the page count. If you don't enjoy it, you don't have to finish it.

/sffg/, im bored out of my mind, and my head doesn't have a single thought in it. what's happened to me?

>>14754057
I don't bother with huge series anymore

>>14752133
Wait, there's fairy fucking in this?

Any non-fiction books that would kind of complement a scifi book?
For example, one of the core themes of a book is time travel, I'd read a non-fiction book about time travel at the same time.

Any suggestions for stuff like Dune or Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?

>>14754297
>non-fiction book about time travel
that would be a pretty slim book

Finally finished Way of Kings today took me just over 2 months. Although i hated the shallan chapters by the end im hooked.

I hadn't read a book for years and nothing of this size before this but as cringey as the scenes and dialogue are im hooked on the mystery and lore now and feel like reading the rest

Is this me being a fucking pleb because I haven't read anything better, if so what should I read?

MUH WINDSTANCE

>>14754301
>he doesn't own a time machine

At what point does sci-fi turn into fantasy?

>>14754291
Yes, for a chapter. It's like a tutorial on sex for the MC.

>>14754291
Yeah he meets the slut fairy who routinely fucks men to death in her magical realm. He loses his virginity to her and manages to impress her with his virgin fucking prowess that she allows him to be the only man she lets survive. He then goes on to “play women’s bodies like one plays an instrument”

>>14754305
Have you read Mistborn? I tried and I couldn't stand the dialogue. So bland and childish. Is Way of Kings any better? I see that book recommended a lot of times. Try anything by Glen Cook or Gene Wolfe next.

>>14754337
>>14754346
Sounds dumb.
I like it.
A friend of mine recommended me these books, she says they're fun despite Kvothe being a gigantic Mary Sue.

>>14754375
He is. He goes a long way to be fair, suffers a bit as well. It's a fun read but you should know that it may never have an ending.

I was looking at Ender's Game and the ratings drop off quite a bit after the first book. Is it the only good one or what?

>>14754357
The dialogue is pretty cringey, theres some guy who acts like a mexican ayyy papi boss but with fantasy words and then this girl who likes jam and tries to turn everything into a witty comeback which gets tiring to read. The talk with the bridge crew sometimes sounds like "I AM SPARTACUS" when they work as a team and sometimes reminds me of fast and furious la familia kind of cringe

But the lore is so good in my opinion i don't have much experience with fantasy outside LotR.

Everyone kept recommending me mistborn as a complete trilogy that's faster paced but don't want to start another series, what is it thats so bad??

>>14754418
You're looking at the wrong sequels

Speaker for the Dead is the spiritual sequel and is more highly rated than ender's game. In fact it's the book OSC wanted to write first but he had to write Ender's Game as a set up for Ender's character

>>14754357
author can't do teen girls without them coming off lolsoquirky

>>14754435
It's the only other book above 4.0 so it's probably not that bad.

Really not sure I am mentally prepared to read 3000 chapters of machine translated web novel

I will have to ponder this

I like the story but machine translation does funny things to the mind...

I'm working on a book that I want to get traditionally published. The problem is that I posted a repeated phrase in it on [s4s] before as some esoteric shitpost. Would this come back to bite me if they found the phrase on 4plebs?

>>14754301
it was an example :(

>>14754525
Just don't, every time I tried I regretted this. Wait for the translation and read something else in the meantime.

>>14754525
Just learn the language bro.

>>14754525
>web novel
Don't lower yourself to this garbage you weeb. Have standards. Even human translated web novels are shit because the original was written by an amateur. They're more like drugs intended for quick consumption.

The very fact that you're willing to even think about reading machine translation means it's garbage on the linguistic or literary level, only the plot matters to you.

>>14754594
>only the plot matters to you
Where do you think you are?

And no matter how low brow the snobs think genre fiction is, people here won't start reading "machine translations" en masse.
The very fact that isekai garbage overtook manga/anime and the stinking fad is still running strong 4 years later shows you how juvenile the weeb demographic is.
Imagine for a moment that /sffg/ is filled with self published litrpg. That's what would happen if we were on the level of these weebs.

>>14754613
On /lit shit-for-brains. It seems you mistook this place for /v weeb.

>>14754631
>not using // and only /
Detected

Er Gen is a good author even if he's writing xianxia webnovels.

>>14754682
Your cognitive distortions are becoming ever more severe.

>>14754322
It's all fantasy.

>>14754322
Don't quote me on this but I think the general rule of thumb is whether the events of the story revolve around magic or technology.
Plenty of authors blur the line though so I understand why you're asking.

Is there any good lovecraftian books not written by Lovecraft?

>>14754305
Brandon Sanderson is popular for a reason. No author is perfect. Take a look at the charts at the top of this thread and just follow your curiosity. No need to take it too seriously.

What's so bad about Terry Goodkind

>>14741751
Is this series ever going to finish?

>>14747344
Does there exist a worse cover?

>>14747344
Severian is fucking jacked.

>>14755070
Isn't that a bit wrong? I was under the impression that he was skinny enough for muscles to be visible, but clearly sickly looking, and lanky still being young and awkward

>>14754714
An Evil Guest

>>14755093
Yeah, I always imagined him as someone with clear muscle definition but also pale and lanky like you mentioned. That cover is not the only one in which he's depicted like that though, he's also very buff in my version of the books.

>>14755157
Check out Japanese-Severian

>Writing a book
>It's an edgy battle royale
>Which I can't delete because I put two years in it

Recommend me a battle royale set in a fantasy or a sci-fi setting.

Finished Paladin of Souls finally.
Both it and Chalion are just fantastic cases of how a good and crucially detailed ending can elevate a book.

>>14755248
Red Rising. It's near adequate.
Also:
>sunk cost fallacy

>>14754858
He’s not even kind of good.

>>14754712
That's entirely wrong though.

>my encrypted message post was deleted
well ok then

>>14754305
>just over 2 months
>The average reader, reading at a speed of 300 WPM, would take 16 hours and 43 minutes to read The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson.
>just over 60 days
>that's 17 minutes per day on average
>basically 2 hours per week, reading 1 day per week

>>14754714
The Fisherman by John Langan

>>14754322
Fantasy = I'm special because of my innate specialness
SF = this new specialness is available to all of society

>>14755688
That's entirely wrong as well.

>>14755376
why tf am i seeing Chalion literally everywhere. this is some years later word of mouth bullshit.

>>14754530
What is the phrase?

>>14755698
Name one other place besides this thread where you saw it.

>>14755705
https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/f6fa91/fantasy_where_the_main_protagonist_is_an/
> submitted 7 hours ago

yes I browse reddit, idc if you hate me.

>>14755714
That's what I assumed. Two places isn't "literally everywhere". I should have disqualified reddit beforehand for being too obvious.

>>14755687
I read only while im on the underground and only days i go into work it helps with the routine

>>14755698
It's a modern classic, if you hang around in sff spaces you'll see it get mentioned at least once a month.
Also the novellas set in the same world are currently getting published as collections.

>>14755730
>underground
PLS BE LONDON

time for a new thread slave to step up to the plate.

>>14756037
>not a different person making it every time

>>14756311
Now he's making more and more threads, not being satisfied with constantly blogging in the thread

>>14756326
anon YOU are the one shitting up this thread

>>14756358
The thread will be dead in a couple hours at most. It's irrelevant.

>>14755721
>>14755705
> Name one other place
> Two places isn't "literally everywhere".
nigga you asked, now you're moving the goalposts. anyway, still curious as to why it's popping up.

>>14756380
>>14755733
yeah it's moving up my TBR list

>>14756387
>implying the order of a TBR list means anything

>>14747903
EXAMPLE
>>14750952

hai guise i herd yuo liek new threds

>>14756626
>>14756626
>>14756626

>>14756629
The hero we need and deserve.

Ted Chiang's second short story collection is the most massive dropoff I've ever seen from a writer I thought competent at the very least; his editor seems to think so, too, so 'Lifecycle of Software Objects' got included in this one.

New stories though? Stinker after stinker after stinker, and most have so half-assed ideas that I don't think they would get published anywhere if he wasn't renowned.