/lit/ - Literature

>The ideal girl: In the first place, she should be at least six feet tall and weigh about two hundred pounds, so she could take in washing or coal heaving at wharfs, while I took a vacation. As beauty is apt to make a woman vain, she should have a face that resembled a female crocodile with hippopotamus ancestors. As to hair, eyes and so on, I have no especial preference, but if she squinted with one eye and goggled with the other, it would be all right. Also, she should have a strong Swedish accent.

>>14811369

BOOK CLUB VOTING

https://www.strawpoll.me/19464920

/sffg/ March Book Club

This Is How You Lose the Time War
The Light Brigade
Gideon the Ninth

I picked these books because I want to read them. Suck it.

>>14811403
>>14811350

just finished the witcher books and admittedly i am being hit with the "finished a series" blues

>>14811510
I haven't finished some of my favorite books because I didn't want them to end.

>>14811515
feels real bad, man.

>>14811403
These were all published in 2019.
Have fun I guess.

>>14811520
Superman got old. He should dye and cut his hair.

>>14811620
Well yeah. A book club is only fun if you haven't red the book before. The older the book, the higher the chance that people have read it already.

>>14811702
Not really.

>>14811510
I'm Polish and I tried reading the English translation once and it was terrible.
What version did you read?

>>14811620
It's funny how (presumably) a science fiction fan can be afraid of new things.

>>14811762
I read it in English, and I'm sure it was translated poorly. Even beyond probable bastardization of authorial intent, the books had a lot of egregious typos. Thoroughly enjoyed it regardless, just gave it some slack

>>14811800
Everything new has politics I dislike and refuse to read.

I finished The Hobbit. By far the best part was from Gandalf leaving the party at Mirkwood to Smaug leaving the mountain. That was some proper adventure shit that I liked a lot, especially since I really like giant spiders and dragons in lairs as enemies, even if I don't read much fantasy. Still, I felt pretty cucked when some side character killed Smaug, and the battle of five armies felt pretty rushed and unnecessary, especially since the story before that part had been tight to Bilbo and the party of dwarves.
Pretty good read overall, although I'll probably give Lord of the Rings a miss, seeing as it seems to be more of the larger-scale stuff I didn't like.

>>14811807
so in other words, you're afraid of new things

>>14811746
"No." isn't an argument, especially if you want to have an actual discussion. You clearly don't want to actually try and convince anyone of anything.

Kings of the Wyld is such a shit book. Felt like all those randumb anime, not nearly interesting enough to suffer through the sheer retardation.

>>14811839
>You clearly don't want to actually try and convince anyone of anything.
Exactly.

>>14811702
Depends. I'd prefer obscure older books to be honest.
>>14811800
The currently popular stuff isn't new in the slightest, just bad.

>>14811811
Lotr is utter shit, hobbit is fun.

>>14811833
It isn't about being new or old. It's about being disagreeable.

>>14811877
You should your own book club then.

>>14811845
You were told not to read Kings of the Wyld, you wanted to be a rebel. Fuck off, no one wants to hear you cry.

>>14811884
I do. The only member is me.

150 members

>>14811925
All of them are me.

>>14811930
Nice work

>>14811350
So, what are the thoughts about The Witcher books?

>>14812131
my 2 cents after finishing: solid sense of humor/self-awareness, some cool characters and setting, mediocre prose at best (in english, unsure of other languages)

i think the short stories are significantly better than nearly all of the novels, but the last novel vindicated the preceding ones

>>14811510
I'm in that same boat with Animorphs, actually.
Much better than I expected YA or Sci-fi to be, having previously not been a huge fan of either.
Still 90's as hell, but there's a charm about it and the prose is a lot less grating than you'd think, even if it's a bit simple and repetitive.

Cassie worst girl, worst animorph and in general worst person

>>14812159
When you say last novel do you mean Lady of the Lake or Season of Storms?

I agree the short stories are significantly better and Season of Storms gave me the same feeling reading it as I felt while reading the short stories

>>14812159
>>14812211
Does the author miss too much the spot on the novels?

>>14812211
i meant lady of the lake. i thought it was better than blood of elves - tower of swallows
>>14812216
i think sapkowski's writing usually succeeds when focused on Geralt, his companions, and the villains, and suffers when focused on Ciri or the sorceresses. he does a good job writing believable females but these specific characters aren't particularly likable or pleasant to read

>>14812301
I see. I'll take a look at the short stories then, thanks.

>>14812177
>tfw Rachel sacrificing herself
>tfw the series had dark elements then went up to 11 during the last 15 or so volumes
WILD TIMES

Anyone know any good standalone fantasy novels?
Don't feel like reading a series at the moment.

>>14812480
The Curse of Chalion

>>14812480
Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson

>>14812480
Desolate era

>>14812480
The Broken Sword

>>14812352
She was my favorite of the gang, damnit
There was something nice about her relationship with Tobias
It should've been Cassie instead, that morph-cube giving little bitch

Starting this shit because it looks cheesy and edgy as fuck and I'm really into shadow assassin knife fights nightlords, which is why I liked Mistborn so much.
What am I in for?

>>14812982

Whores

>>14813009
Nice

>>14812480
Tigana

>>14812677
Is that how she produced all that milk to feed him?

>>14811510
I hear you brother. Just finished the last Dune book and now going on to another book feels strange because Herberts writing style was so good.

Fellow Elric reader. Have you finished The Weird of the White Wolf? I'm currently reading it. I wasn't aware that there was a book that contained the first three books of the saga. Anyway, about The Sailor and the Seas of Fate: I didn't care much for book 2, the story of the Earl didn't interested me that much, maybe I wasn't invested enough in the characters introduced and the whole reincarnation thing, I don't know. I did like and enjoyed book 3, getting to read about Elric's origins, on how his people prospered, the deal they made and so on. Even though I wasn't impressed by his companions this time, It was great to see the Stormbringer going rogue. I do wonder what Elric actions will do now. Just to save that man, that weirdly wasn't mad after ten thousand years of living in that island by himself.

>>14811510
Having recently read the Wheel of Time I'm not even sure what to do with myself anymore. I'm currently reading Warbreaker and moving on to the Stormlight Archive. Though Malazan feels like it's yelling my name.

>>14812982
Satisfying character arcs and conclusions to a host of supporting characters.
I don't know if I can say the same for the main cast.

>>14812480
Any book in the Discworld setting. They're self contained so you can just pick one and read, but it gives you the option of continuing in the same setting with many of the same characters if you decide you'd like more of the same afterward.

>>14813876
I should finish the third and last book of weird of The Weird of the White Wolf today.
About Sailor: I felt book two to be a little too filler-y but it wasn't bad. Elric was suprisingly chivalrous here and I was left a bit puzzled by the girl's decision to go with the knight.
Book three was more interesting, that line of foreshadowing by Dyvim revealing itself to be true. The passage about the sailor who lived and died for absolutely no reason stuck with me.
I was also curious about what the deal was with Erekose, Corum and Moonhawk since they felt like such important people and the thing is everything written by Moorcock is part of the same loosely connected multiverse and just like Elric each one of those three is one incarnation of the Eternal Champion and the protagonist of his own books saga. It was a crossover episode.

Why books no make pp hard no more?

>>14811811
Yeah the Hobbit is smaller adventure stuff, LOTR has that but is more of an epic and has fewer variety
Hobbit is more like fun D&D campaign

>>14812480
If you want to see The Black Company prototype check out Glen Cook's The Swordbearer. I would say it's definitely more on the tolerable side rather than good and you can see how hundred or so more pages would've helped it.

>>14813344
Yes, too bad she gets gangraped by trolls later in the book

>page 9
lmao

>>14815985
Stop bumping the thread. At least sage.

Okay guys. Thanks for the book recommendations. I'll be back next year after I get through this giant stack of books. :)

What are your favorite Doctor Who books, /sffg/?

Fuck E William Brown.

>>14815214
She wasn't ganged raped by trolls in the Broken Sword...

>>14812565
Greetings, fellow Daoist.
I am finishing this thing fucking finally holy shit one day
I'm around 86% now where Ning is meeting with the Realmslord about the item to help with his Daomerge

>>14816435
Then you get to start on the next one hehe

>>14812480
Little, Big - John Crowley
A Night in the Lonesome October - Roger Zelazny
Declare - Tim Powers
The Once and Future King - T.H. White
Echoes of the Great Song - David Gemmell

akka is a cuck
das rite

>>14816922
Dunyain please go. Sranc rape pits are too good for you. Dunyain genocide best day of my life.

>>14816419
doing gods work

Anyone familiar with these books?
>Never Die (Rob J. Hayes)
>United States of Japan (Peter Tieryas)
>Dragonmaster Trilogy (Chris Bunch)
I've been debating ordering them for a while now, thought I'd get /lit/'s opinion(s)

>>14817187
Never die was was enjoyable enough.

>>14817187
Have you read the free previews? If not, why not? Have you read what other people thought aside from asking now?

>>14817187
In true /lit/ fashion, I haven't read any of them and I'll give you my opinion.

>Never Die
Would not read, have looked at author's other works in the past and did not like them.

>United States of Japan
May read, but it's debatable.

>Dragonmaster Trilogy
Most certainly would not read.

Enjoy these worthless and counterproductive opinions.

>>14817410
>Have you read the free previews?
No
>If not, why not?
No real reason I suppose. I've never really been inclined to read any in the past if that matters
>Have you read what other people thought aside from asking now?
4chan(nel) is the only social media forum I post on. I've read a few Amazon and goodreads reviews for broad analysis but as usual I find them wanting, so here I am

man, I don't know how people who put out content on a regular basis do it. I can barely even get myself to write regularly for more than a week, let alone write consistently publisher-quality content without going back and changing scenes or the plot.

>>14817468
>I've never really been inclined to read any in the past if that matters
Why not? Isn't actually reading it yourself the best test?

>>14817481
Now you truly understand the actual value of self-discipline.

>>14817483
Generally speaking yes, absolutely. Unfortunately I find myself with the unenviable disposition of both wanting to know a book is worth reading beforehand and wanting to read it proper in one sitting. Furthermore, I'm no longer as avid a reader as I was so what little time is spent on it I wish to ensure it's not wasted on something I won't enjoy, hence my question. I admit this is a problem I've crafted for myself and I apologise if I've wasted your time with my unironic autism and poor grammer

REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

>>14818143
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQrjbRz3y7A

>>14811807
Old books do to they just dont seem controversial now because those ideas are commonplace.

>>14818193
Old books get a pass because 'you can't judge a different culture'.

I don't think I like fantasy books anymore

>>14818190
Wait frogs making that reee sound is actually real? What the fuck.

>>14814690
Damn it, I just finished a reread of the black company after reading Port of shadows and was going to read swordbearer hoping it would be good enough to take my mind off those soul crushing last few lines. Still pissed about how they did my boy Goblin.

>>14818332
Time to explore the rest of the speculative fiction genre.

>>14818332
Why my brother?

>>14818332
maybe you should read good fantasy for a change

>start reading Caves of Steel
>Lewinsky this murder has got the entire city on edge, and I want you on the case.
>Oh by the way your partner will be a nigg- I mean robot
p l e a s e tell me it gets better

>>14811510
I didn't get that with the Witcher books because the ending was fucking wack.

>>14812480
Pretending that Blood Song is a stand alone novel is pretty kino.

>>14818845
Almost all the non foundation Asimov book are about the difference between man and machine. What's the problem here?

>>14818886
Robots being treated by characters as a some kind of undesirable lesser race seems comically stupid

>>14818918
It's a metaphor.

https://www.janefriedman.com/book-pl/
>Note: Authors receive an advance against royalties; as books sell, authors earn a percentage of sales for each copy sold (a royalty), which is applied against the advance they received. Only once the advance is fully earned out do authors start actually receiving royalty payments. Industry insiders estimate 70 percent of authors do not earn out their advance. Authors do not have to return their advance if the book doesn’t earn out.

>For a variety of reasons, it’s fairly common for Big Five houses to offer an advance they know won’t earn out. If you want to look at publishers in an altruistic light, by offering an advance that won’t pay out, they’re essentially agreeing to pay a higher author royalty rate than what’s stated in the contract. (Put another way: they’re fully aware they’re paying an advance that will never be earned back.)

>>14811369
AARRROOOOOO

>>14819018
No wonder so many people just self-publish on amazon. You get a larger cut, free basic marketing and print on demand that is payed from the actual purchase.
Why would anyone go to a publisher anymore?

>>14812982
Literally the worst fantasy books I have read in 10 years.

>>14819230
Publishers handle a lot of the promotional business side of the work. I think self publishing probably requires a fair amount of commercial nouse and persistence that most people can't handle or are incapable of doing. Also you need to have a certain standard of writing to get published, there are a lot of shit terrible stories on amazon.

>>14819319
You can tell by the covers.

>>14811369

>>14812177
Yeah Rachel really was the best of the 90s TV archetypes and Cassie really was the worst.
>tfw random jaunts to alien planets to fight for alien gods
>tfw Elfangor's backstory
>tfw Ax threatens to nuke a city and isn't sure he wouldn't
>tfw the alternate history where they didn't get powers and won the war faster

>>14818918
Why? He bases it well.
They are a symbol of their enemy and Earth's sorry state. They are a reminder that humanity is not as special as they once were.
I don't think it's a metaphor, Asimov just likes to play with different societies.

Any word on Bakker finding a publisher to finisher his series. I need me some more curved phalluses spewing black seed.

>>14818862
it made the feeling worse for me because that's "the end" of the story for those characters, as far as authorial intent goes. none of the likable characters get a satisfying conclusion, which is very depressing

>>14819511
Also, they are treated as a legal lesser race in Asimov fiction. They have laws that bind them and they exist to serve.

>>14819230
>a larger cut
of the 25 total books you sell
>free basic marketing
laughingqts.jpg

Publishing is a hit driven business. My goal is to write something amazing, find an agent who then shops it to different publishers who engage in a bidding war for my advance. This creates buzz and attracts studio attention who then buy the movie/tv series rights for another healthy deposit to my savings account. (Then after I quit my day job, I buy a house with a three car garage for my new sports cars, build a second garage for the rest of my new cars, get four kittens to entertain me, buy my dad a house, etc etc.)

anyone else read gormenghast? I'm torn between reading it, or book of the new sun next.

what's some literary scifi/fantasy?

>>14819800
Viktor Frankl

Help a sci-fi semi-novice out on a topic:

Stories, doesn't matter if old or new, about interstellar settlers arriving from a long-as-fuck journey in suspended animation (the most plausible way to do that in the future, as far as we currently can tell) to their new system and, well, being settlers. Can be a first contact situation, but even better if it's not, and there's no native intelligence.

(to clarify on semi-novice: I've read many of the classics AND newer stuff, but inconsistently. English isn't my first language, and while sci-fi is accessible in my native language, it pales greatly to the massive varieties available in English, in which I did not feel comfortable reading fiction for most of my life).

>>14814513
The boys got together to defeat a pair of buildings.
About The Weird of the White WolfI have read the first two books. I'm a bit surprised by Elric actions in the first one. To destroy Melniboné? I get that it was probably something inevitable, the downfall of his people, but even so. To destroy the great towers and the Dreaming City.. Seemed a bit mental. Elric is changing, as he can't seem to find purpose in life. By book 2 it looks like he grabs to what he can in order to continue living. Again we get a female character that appears to be like Cymoril, as soon as they get in danger she says they are doomed. Meh. I failed to get invested here. Even thought her quest made it interesting and thanks to that we got Moonglum. He seems intriguing. In the end I thought Elric would contemplate suicide. He could throw himself to the weird no-sea where Stormbringer had no power and end his life. He talked about doing it earlier. I'm also curious about the prologue and what can come of that.

>>14819361
>self publishing probably requires a fair amount of commercial nouse and persistence that most people can't handle
Like E William Brown. He can't market his own shit to save his life. He is just looking after his patreon users.

>>14819592
Nice dream. What happened when you woke up?

>>14819391
I don't even read.jpg

>>14819800
see >>14819708

>>14817410
Free previews are free only if your time is worthless.

>>14819814
Red Mars, which is about settling Mars and thus not interstellar, but goes into the hundreds of years of terraforming and politics.

>>14820004
The interstellar element means there's no chance of aid or interference from the homeworld, and I can't think of any straightforward colonization stories like anon is asking about from the top of my head. It's much more common as backstory or a goal.

>>14819930
Why the fuck would you think your post brings anything worthwhile to the table if he already wrote that it's just his dream?
Next you will tell me that my tulpa isn't real.

>>14819864
I think it really shows that it's the first book to be published, it's hard to believe it is the same Elric who was adamant on staking his life to save one random girl just one book ago, now leaving the one guy who trusted him to die without a second thought. I get that he grew bitter over time, waging war was is only option and it is stated he went on a number of untold adventures between the second and third book but I'd have liked a more gradual evolution. Moreover the whole fall of the city and slaughter of both his cousins took place over just some 30 pages. I do wonder if Dvym Tvar will come for Elric later on.
I'm glad I didn't go with the publishing order after all, imagine starting from here.

>>14818717
Is there such a thing?

>>14819989
If you're in this thread, you treat it as such anyway.

>>14817481
This is why you're not a writer. The one thing that writers do is write.

>>14820125
Reading 4chins is mildly interesting for whatever reason, can't say the same about most of the crappy books on the market.

>>14820022
Dunno, I started with the vaunted Elric of Melniboné and found it only occasionally entertaining. I dropped Sailor on the Seas of Fate a third of the way through, even though I considered it a marked improvement.
I can read mediocre fantasy, I've read through both The Broken Empire and Darwath, but this is just both tiresome and boring.

>>14820022
Yea, this would be a weird place to start. I do think Dvyam Tvar will appear later on. I wonder if Elric will explain his actions to him. Do you think Tvar would listen or could be persuaded to take Elric's side? Even though he liked Elric, I'm afraid he won't be happy with what happened. Maybe his kids died as well. I was a bit tired of Yyrkoon by the end, he clearly went mad as well.

>>14820021
>Next you will tell me that my tulpa isn't real
Anon...I

>>14820189
I think that will could be the case, his kids died in the sacking and he wants revenge on his former emperor. After all being Elric is mostly suffering.

Sometimes
some books
when you hold them between your hands
they almost have a pulse
each word a heartbeat pumping life between the pages

They are pieces of a universe that exists somewhere else
you've never seen it
yet you know when you meet it
you simply know
firmly
surely
and a little bit excitedly
you know that these books
are made out of stardust of the same star
scattered between worlds

Discovering them is like a piece of miracle
cutting time and space in two
whispering a secret

Life, memory
are hardly linear

Some books make you live twice, thrice
countless times
not because you read them again
but because
they are so full of life
life is so densely packed in them
life is dripping from the ink into your fingers
so reading them is like a blood transfusion
is like topping up on oxygen
is like a supernova the size of your palm.

Some books exist in other books
like lives exist in other lives
and stories inside other stories
like embroidery
stitch inside another stitch
and there is affection in this pattern
there is love
and a kind of thirst too
surely
you'll notice it

Some books talk not about the stars and the skies
but talk in the language of the stars and skies themselves
they become an origami firmament
the Milky Way their spinal cord

Some books have been kissed by time
they age so wonderfully
like the year
blessed with the beauty of alternate seasons

Some books
the moment you finish them
they make you have a single wish

Go back to the beginning and start over

This is one of those books.

>>14820883
I read your post and I'm gay now, take responsibility

>>14820114
Yes

>>14820883
Is that a quote from pic related?
Also, do you know of any good non-fantasy fiction you would reccomend to someone who is a proficient reader but is just starting out to doing it in his leisure time once again?

>>14811369
>>14819420
BASED

>>14820890
Put this one first, then we can talk.

>>14821262
here you go you little slut

>>14821274
Now this is a post I can get behind

what is a book where a young male protagonist teams up with a sexy sorceress mommy gf who may or may not be evil and has a femdom vibe?

>>14821274
I want you to wear the clothing, your little whore. Then fix up your pussy for the sausage.

>>14821446
too late, you're already wearing it
now you are the gay

>>14821201
I could deal with the thighs, but not that belly.

Has anything noteworthy came out of kids-lit lately?

>>14821374
The Belgariad

>>14821603
But the belly is the best part!

>>14821723
Nation - Terry Pratchett

>>14822009
>lately
>12 years ago

>>14822150
Oh how time flies when you're reading good books.

>>14821723
Ten Thousand Doors of January
Red Rising
The Graveyard Book

kinda depends what you mean by noteworthy

>>14822285
Well, do be careful if you want to read the Red Rising series to kids as it contains rape, infanticide, cannibalism, etc.

>>14822285
>Red Rising
>kiddie lit
Now I know you fucks don't actually read, and just see what other people say and take it as truth. Either that or your country has zero morals and would teach your kids anything (you're probably American).

If it wasn't for that fag who came in here to cry all the time about himself, we would have been a finished general.

>>14822440
>>14822460
ok i didn't think about 'kiddie-lit' as distinct from YA.

Just finished The Name of the Wind today. First fantasy genre I've ever read. Really enjoyed it, had a lot of relatable descriptions and dialogues. Making me excited about hiking the Appalachian trail within the next few years.

>>14822608
i wonder why fantasy and sci-fi are so unpopular on /lit/. they seem popular everywhere else on the internet and irl

a month in. still waiting for my passion to come back.

I started reading a YA book called Shadowscent because the vague description I read seemed very similar to my idea, only with scents instead of flavors. 1/3 of the way in I can confidently say that this is nothing like I imagined, but it's middle eastern fantasy so I don't have any strong complaints

I'm not sure I'd recommend it, but given that I've run out of adult fantasy I think i might as well start picking at more YA

>>14822608
you're welcome

>>14822800
they were unpopular long before I came here. The reason SFF is unpopular here is because 4chan scorns unironically enjoying anything unless you can find a way to be elitist about it. The primary difference between /sffg/ and outer lit is that outer /lit/ reads for the sole purpose of justifying their superiority complex, while /sffg/ develops a superiority complex to justify their reading habits

the whole thing is honestly really pathetic, and considering how pathetic I am that's saying something

Like everyone else I've wanted to write a novel my whole life, but I have no idea how to get started. I can spend hours thinking about the setting and miscellaneous characters or plothooks, but when it comes down to actually putting it to words I can't even get a paragraph in

Advice?

>got to end of what I thought was a very good second book by an author
>see copyright and a different name, one I sorta recognise
>google it and the publisher made the author writer under a different name to dissociate them from sales of their past (very good) books
>this apparently happens all the time

fantasy publishing sucks so much lol just spend literally any money on marketing you mongs

>>14823103
write a very brief outline from start to finish, then slowly add substance

>>14823344
This is the most concrete way to go about it, it's less prone to fizzling out than writing solely when the inspiration hits with no structure. A year of constructing an outline and you'll be hard-pressed not to have a full story by the end of it. Then you just fill out scenes.

>>14823397
>>14823344
Thank you, it's roughly what I've been poking away at for awhile now, was thinking of trying to practice by throwing out short-stories in the setting to see which ideas are better than others as well

>>14811350
Finally reading LOTR, but with an audiobook and while im playing diablo 3 and ETS2 mindlessly grinding and driving.

Am I doing the bad?

>>14819516
I honestly felt cheated by the ending of the books. It seemed to me that Sapkowski really didn't know how it was supposed to end. I really didn't like the Arthurian stuff at all either.

>>14823430
>reading
>but with an audiobook
be gone thot

>>14823430
>ETS2
doing it right my dude.

>>14821262
Is that a penis? Or is her pussy extra fat?

To the fucker who recommended me Daniel Black, fuck you. I finished the last book and it seems the author is dead. He hasn't updated his blog in a year plus. Now you got me started on another series that will never be completed.

Gonna post a handful of books I saw at the bookstore that caught my eye. Haven't read any of them.

Let me know if they are worth a shot.

1/9

>>14823923

2/9

>>14823928

3/9

>>14823934

>>14823940
5/9

>>14823944
6/9

>>14823954

7/9

>>14823959

8/9

>>14823967
9/9

>>14823980
Last is literally the only one I've ever heard of, and it's a choice in the monthly poll.

>>14823928
Haven't read this one but I enjoyed his other book The Initiate Brother

>tfw you realize the only part of your story that actually compels you is the blatant self-insert romance between your MC and your waifu who is just an idealized version of the girl you had a crush on in middle school

>>14822440
Doesn’t it have homosexuals and trannys too?

>>14823940
Complete shit

>>14823860
He’s still living off his patreon bux. Gotta wait for those to run out first senpai. Which is for the best after that mess of a last book.

>>14823103
Broad details like that are the easiest part of the story, the low-hanging fruit, putting it into words is labor and you need to forget about nice paragraphs dropping fully-formed from your imagination until you put the work and practice into learning the trade. Write a bunch of trash, figure out what about it made it trash, take notes while you're reading other things of what worked and what didn't. I'm talking surface-level stuff, what they start their paragraphs with, how often they use characters' names rather than pronouns. Respect writing, it's a different thing than plotting and you need to give to get.

>>14822440
My children will be prepared.

>>14823940
Author shit the bed with this series. Don't read any of his empire series. Only read his first 6 books if you have to.

>>14824012
The books after the original trilogy are pandering hard.

>>14824119
Based. Don't forget to use lube while prepping.

>>14824007
Lmao nerd

>>14824028
If he getting patreon cucks to fund him it will never run out. At least other authors who have patreon actually publish.
Fuck E William Brown

Why is surprise incest so hot?
A royal pining for cunny/dick, only to find out they are full blooded relatives just makes me diamonds.

>>14821201
Imagine the smellz

>>14821772
kek, i never thought of it that way before

>>14823103
Besides outlining you also need to stop fucking around with minor characters and shit to focus
on a main character and their desire/goal. A strong first chapter will start with a good opening line, a strong image, or conflict. Don't begin with backstory or weather. There's lots of resources for beginning writers: books, podcasts, classes. The ones about screenwriting have the same principals as those on novels.

Has anyone ever encountered anything that could be considered Paleo-Fantasy? I mean like magic cave men fighting dinosaurs in weird primordial jungles in worlds that aren't quite finished baking? It's just something that popped into my head recently and I've never encountered anything like it before.

>>14824620
Turok: Son of Stone comes to mind.

>>14824627
Huh, yeah now that you mention it Turok is kind of similar, but I also remember playing around with a flechette gun in a Turok game as a kid so I thought that was more of a time-travel deal.

>>14819432
>tfw all of this
>tfw someone else realizes who best and worst girls are

>tfw will never have a cozy Yeerk waifu
>tfw will never be the Yeerk inside of a waifu

Didn't come by the alternate history one, what's that again?

Also, Ax is just a fucking top tier lad, could easily have been really grating, but turned out to be pretty based.
In general, all the non-Cassie animorphs were really cool in their own ways, if I'm honest.

Not gonna lie, not a fan of the Chee's pacifism protocols, but I guess I get it. I did marvel when Erek went full fucking Terminator, though, that was pretty insane.

>>14819432
i missed out on animorphs as a kid. i thought it was furryshit but this sounds pretty good.
i think ill look for an ebook collection and work my way through them when i have time off work.

>>14824840
https://animorphsforum.com/ebooks/
all online with the author's blessing

>>14824845
thanks m8

>>14819814
>Two hundred colonists arrive on Avalon, having made the 100-year journey from Earth in suspended animation on the starship Geographic. The colonists, selected for their outstanding physical and mental acuity, make a terrible discovery: the suspended animation has damaged their intellect and reasoning skills. Some are only mildly afflicted, while others have serious intellectual disabilities; eight cannot be reanimated at all.
>The colonists build a settlement on an isolated island, and begin growing crops and stocking the nearby waters with terrestrial species to complement the samlon, a local aquatic species. The colonists become overconfident in their security, to the frustration of expedition security officer (and former soldier) Cadmann Weyland. When unsettling events begin to happen – missing animals, fences torn down – the colonists' impaired minds prevent them from properly analyzing the situation. Weyland is suspected of sabotage to further his agenda of building up defenses...

>>14819592
what disgustingly bourgeois desires

>>14824845
downloaded everything except the parody.
the metadata for all the books was already in the files so no metadata editing in calibre was needed. neato. should i read the side stories in order too or leave those for last?

>>14824944
Look up publication order for the side stories and slot them in with the regular books. Alternamorphs are trash. A bunch of the regular series are ghostwritten and can be safely skipped, though they can be pretty fun sometimes.

>>14824950
alrighty thanks for your help anon.

Just how bad are the Brian Herbert Dune books?

>>14823478
I didn't really mind the Arthurian stuff too badly, since Sapkowski had used folklore and cheeky real-world references since the beginning of the franchise. But the ending definitely sucked. Geralt's "death" seemed rushed, tacked on, and unnecessary. Would have made more sense if it simply happened in the bath with Yennefer, or if it had been a monster.

>>14824865
Thanks, I'll check it out!

>>14820013
Pretty much yeah. Humans, but completely removed from all the rest.

>>14824620
Julian May wrote sci-fi Pilocene. Kim Stanley Robinson and Jean Auel write shaman main characters but are more faux historical than magical

>>14824865
Sounds rather lazy, compared to trying to write a story that makes sense.
>everybody IS supposed to be retarded
>therefore my story being retarded is akshyually a good thing

>>14824964
They're about as good as any second-class tie-in novel written by a hack author. Think the Star Wars, Star Trek, Warhammer 40k, or X-Files novelisations that got churned out five a year by literally who while those franchises were popular. You might read them and get some enjoyment out of them if you're on a plane or 16, but otherwise they're trash.

>>14825364
It uses the brain damage not so much to move the plot along as to explore the human condition. But yeah it's Larry Niven, there are all sorts of contrivances in there to justify the world, it doesn't really diminish from the story.

>>14825375
Bad comparison, since some of the WH or SW (e.g. Shatterpoint) books are actually enjoyable.

Thoughts on this? I'm a big fan of Shad's youtube channel and I've heard good things but thought I'd ask anyways.

>>14823944
Bear is generally good haven't read this one
>>14823967
liked this, takes a while to get going but it's a lovely melancholic fantasy without ever being quite as cruel as Robin Hobb gets doing the same thing
>>14823980
probably the best book of last year

>>14824620
There's a series of kids books that are caveman fantasy called spirit walker iirc (if not one of the sequels is called wolf brother).
I liked them when I read them at 13 or whatever.
Imaro is african tribal sword and sorcery but it's clearly set later on probably post-middle ages from what time indicators are present.

>>14811811
Reading The Hobbit was one of the most memorable and enjoyable reading experiences I have had in a while. It does not take an eternity to read like LOTR and gives you a great sense if fulfillment. LOTR is not bad just be ready for a few hundred pages of Frodo walking around Middle-Earth.

>someone I respect the opinions of really likes the sarah j maas book that came out today
I'd try it but I'll never get over her being a meme here

>>14825729
Shad is based

>>14823923
>Writer, dancer, singer, and stay-at-home dad. Author of the #Godserfs trilogy of theological epic fantasy, published by
@angryrobotbooks
. He/him.
hmm

>>14825906
It's very generic YA, you decide.

>>14825729
thats not THE shad, right?

>>14826158
nah this is her branching out to "serious" fantasy it's an 800 pager lol

>>14824845
Well that kinda spoiled a bit

>>14825729
I've heard not good things but haven't read it myself

>>14826188
Shad is short for Shadrach. It's a biblical name.
No, it's not the Swiss artist you have in mind.

One of Our Asteroids Are Missing - Robert Silverberg (1964)
This novella really ought to have had a better title as no asteroid goes missing. A more appropriate title would have been "An Unbelievable Claim". The protagonist is an asteroid prospector and there explicit parallels made to the 1849 California Gold Rush. The first 10% is about the daily life of an asteroid prospector. Just before he's entirely given up all hope, he strikes it rich. He puts in his claim at the Mars office, which has had a colony since 1998, similar to other Silverberg novellas of this era that I've read and the year is 2015.
Thinking that's well and settled, he returns to Earth, only to find that all digital and official proof of his existence has been erased. He then battles bureaucracy and succeeds somewhat, only to be targeted by a drive by shooting after he leaves. And so he leaves Earth to return to his claim. To where he finds that corporation that has more power than most governments has been behind everything. The asteroid is not what it appeared to be. Inside is an alien, which reminded me of the ones in Ted Chiang's "Story of Your Life" in a lot of ways, of which the movie "Arrival" is based upon. After that is resolved, they all live happily ever after.
I was going to write more when I read it yesterday, but I don't quite remember what it is that I was going to write about. Probably silly, digressive, rambling nonsense though.
Rating: 2.5/5

>>14820463
About Elric. I have just finished the first book of the Vanishing Tower,It's so hard to follow the albino mood swings. He may be bipolar for all I know. At once he may run across the continent to chase a book, save a mans life or kill hundreds with it's wicked sword just to have his revenge. You can never predict what he is going to do next. And now he bangs every woman that crosses his path lol. At first I thought that the chimeras were Dyvim Tvar's work, since those from Melniboné had an history with the beasts.

The Silent Invaders - Robert Silverberg (1963)
This is very much a Cold War novella, even though it doesn't have anything to directly do with the Cold War. Two alien races are having a propaganda battle with each other to manipulate the media and politics of Earth so that Earth will join their side in the war. A lot of times the alien bit seems entirely irrelevant and is plainly seen as an artifice of the plot to provide a veneer of being sci-fi. Takes place in 2520, though advancement has apparently been very uneven.
The protagonist, one of the aliens, has to decide where he's loyalties truly life. It's all resolved in the end by a deus ex utero as the other race has actually been cultivating mutant humans to create a super race who will challenge the universe at a fundamental level and the aliens hope by helping that they will take pity on them and allow their race to survive once they come to dominance.
Rating: 2/5

I plan to continue reading the Silverberg novellas every Monday and Tuesday, when able to do so, until I run out of them I have and then I may or may not get more of them, for no other reason than that's what I feel like doing. I have to say I've been rather disappointed so far though. Also, these are more book summaries rather than reviews, but that's more because I didn't like them enough to go into more detail of that sort.

>>14826749
I read ought to have read this through once to proof it.
>he's loyalties truly life.
his loyalties truly lie.

Do any of you write reviews in goodreads? I do wonder sometimes if I should, but I never do, what if someone answers and then you have to argue and waste time. So ultimately, what is the point of writing a review in that site? Most books have a hundred reviews already, and more often than not it's always the same members with the top comments. I could name like 4 or 5 that I see everytime, how come?

>>14826740
I finished the Vanishing Tower today, so far it's my favourite one. I liked the second book (story) in particular.
To make sense of Elric'd mood I think you have to look at the date that specific book was written, later ones (Elric, Sailor, Tower) have a more mature, compassionate and composed Elric while the early ones (Wolf and the two of the classic saga we have left to read, Bane and Stormbringer) have an Elric who's bitter, uncaring and lashing out at the world.

Does the future Aviendha see where the Seanchan tear down the White Tower and genocide the Aiel come true? That would be surprisingly based and make trudging through this shite worthwhile.

>>14825729
It's okay is the best I can say about it. Story would have been better if Daimlin was actually the grandson of the conquerer
Also ifidnt like the industrial revolution setting, especially not from fucking Shad, tell me about thatch houses, castles and plate armou, the main character constantly whining about his guilt got on my tits too.

>>14823940
This book is aids and the author deserves a firing line

>>14826935
I'm glad to hear it. I'm gonna start book 2 today. I liked book 1, especially the part where he calls Stormbringer and it comes to him murdering those on its path. That was pretty dope, reminded of that dude from the Guardians of the Galaxy movies, that whistles. I only wish that Moorcock would give us a little more on Elric's companions, sometimes they feel a bit flat.

>>14826884
Write reviews for yourself so years later you can look back and remember what you thought.

>>14825729
>blue haired mc with magic sword
>based old (black) mentor
>swordwoman who's probably a tomboy
Yes i love 90s Jrpgs too

>>14811762
Polaki przejmują ten fred

Anyone here read this? Is it good?

>>14825729
I tried it. then skimmed it a bit. Did not like it, seems to serious for its own good and I did not much care for the MC and the supporting cast.
>>14826188
the sword guy, not the porn guy.

>>14823103
Write your plot hooks. use text highlights to separate ideas,chapters,etc. for example I wrote first 3 chapters then jumped to chapter 10 and then went back to write in those missing chapters once inspiration came to me. To not lose an idea its best to write a note of "X did Y,etc,etc" and then flush it out once you sit down to writing it. drafting is a real thing, many times I had to rework an idea from early chapters because it was not working later on. Its also important to keep in mind that you are telling a story, not info dumping so even if you have every aspect of the world planed out its better to show bits of it in appropriate places or if all else fails add a world bible along with the text, instead of killing pacing by going on long or clumsy info dumps. If characters feelings or thinking can be shown in a dialogue (for example would X be willing to open up to Y about this, if yes write a dialogue) in other words avoid internal monologue as much as possible

>>14823328
and then the fool has crossovers with books he wrote under a different name

do we have an IRC channel? i could look into hosting one if it would replace the discord shit

>>14827388
That would be great. I don't really like Discord. It's the only reason I haven't joined yet.

>>14811369

>>14827409
>>14827388
what is wrong with Discord?

>>14826884
I got an author to bitch about me on his twitter lol

>>14827247
I liked what I read of it although the bit I stopped on was losing my interest
It's basically a different fantasy microgenre each time he goes up a floor.

>>14827555
It kills any community purpose and is everything against which places like 4chinz stand.

>>14827555
it demands my phone number to use it (this may be because i was banned). in any case it's bloated proprietary garbage, it reads all your messages, it can delete your channels if it wants to and so on. it has has a bad rep on /g/ in general but specially the desktop app because it used to log your pc's installed programs or something that, i don't remember

let me know if you guys don't like IRC, there are other more modern alternatives

>>14827388
By hosting do you mean your own server? If not, which server would you make it on? Also, I doubt would there would be any activity.

>>14827625
None that anyone would use though. For what purpose would it be for anyway?

>have a slow but stable thread
>people always want to move to chatrooms
why you can talk about whatever you want here already

>>14827247
i absolutely loved the everything about the first half, but then it's just ok. the final third or so i didn't like, it betrays the atmosphere and story and it ends with a big stupid fight like a hollywood movie, it's dissapointing. still I recommend it

>>14827630
>>14827639
i just made #/sffg/ to try it out on rizon, it's really easy and free it seems. i realize nobody who uses discord would be willing to change, it was just in case. the purpose is so that I could join you guys and post occasionally

>>14827647
its not as fast and needs captcha

you guys ever stress over which edition and book cover to get?

>>14827709
no

>>14827605
Well, that's quite the accomplishment lol. Were you then attacked by his/her fan base?

>>14827247
Yes. Yes.
I even liked the sequels. Worth a read.

>>14827883
is the baths the art heist bit? that's where I got bored

>>14827890
Yes. But Senlin leaves right after the heist.

>>14827247
It was not for me. It felt a lot like Hitchhiker's Guide, which I also didn't like.

>>14827614
And IRC is somehow different?

>>14827933
I never endorsed it.

>>14827789
well fuck me then
every time I decide on a book to read, I pretty much spend a day checking out which editions of the book are available and which cover I find the best

>>14827933
it would be a better alternative to discord. if you need emojis, riot.im also exists

>>14827907
and everything afterwards is terrible i couldn't stop rolling my eyes

Holy hell the Locke Lamora writer is obsessed with opulence. Like yes I know, the nobility and finance classes are rich as fuck, but these guys are basically Bond villains

>>14828594
I don't know anon why does the series of heist novels focus on opulence

>>14826975
I don't give a shit about the White Tower but the Aiel are great.

>>14824964
I've read Paul of Dune and while it wasn't awful he clearly either doesn't care or doesn't give a fuck for the source material

>tfw dnd is eating up all your writing inspiration

>>14826884
Looking back through reviews you made is fun, it's like a diary of time wasted

How cheesy would it be to have characters in a post apocalyptic America refer to pre-war USA as "The Eues Empire"?

>>14827682
>>14811350
http://qchat.rizon.net/?channels=/sffg/

I'm sick of edgy fantasy. Give me some well-written fantasy novels with unironic knights as the protagonists, please.

>>14811350
Does the discord have an irc bridge? :/

>>14829602
Check our subreddit

>>14827684
Sanic.tiff
>gotta go fast

>>14829602
lolno

>>14829585
Go to outer lit then fag.
You want the most over used boring generic shit that people started to avol

>>14829585
The Elenium
Dorian Hawkmoon
Three Hearts and Three Lions
Gawain and the Green Knight

>>14829689
You can literally see the Clozapine kick in mid-post.

>>14823103

Unironically: Adderall.

>>14829585
pick up one of the many king arthur retellings

Anyone recommend some good sci-fi published in the last five years or so?

It’s fucking brutal trying to find new sci-fi online. Everything is just pushed by the author’s gender, genitals and skin color now.

>>14811350
>>14811403
BOOK CLUB SELECTION:
Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

Discussion will be held in thread, starting around the 25th (trialing week-long end of month discussion).

what are some good self insert wish fulfillment books
i mean books where the main character is super badass, has a big dick, and everyome respects him and thinks he's cool even his mom

>>14811350
Daily reminder it's very likely that fat old fuck GRRM will keep over and die from coronavirus.

>>14829585
The Briar King

Just finished God Emperor of Dune. The fact that a lot of people consider this on par or even better than Dune is utterly insane. It is absolute madness to think that it's even close to Dune. It's just as ridiculous and eye rolling as Messiah and Children. That said, all the books have been wonderfully written so far and Frank Herbert's style is what makes me move onto the next book. I do not dislike God Emperor at all but Dune made much better use of its pages.
Dune 9/10
Messiah 7/10
Children 7/10
God 6/10

>>14829844
Are you fucking serious?

>>14829849
Rich shut-ins are the least likely to die.

>>14830000
OwO

>>14828838
Fag

sanderson is a hack

sanderhack a fag

sanderfag is a son

>>14830672

Good detective novels? Doesn't have to be /sffg/.

>>14829724
You seem to have used it to know how it works...

>>14829847
>has a big dick
>everyome thinks he's cool
>even his mom
So... Some incest?

>>14830756
Aurora Rising (originally titled The Prefect)

>>14830756
Glen Cook's Garret Files
Or you could read the best, Raymond Chandler's Philip Marlowe

>>14830824
>>14830822
Thank you.

>>14830607
Fuck E William Brown

>>14829844
Man the cover tricked me so hard. I expected a cool lesbian necromancer, instead got a whinny edge girl straight out of divergent and "convoluted house politics"

Can anyone recommend some new-ish non-woke sci-fi?

>>14830972
I thought it was a boy. It's not a boy?

>>14831006
it is not.
Brought up by unfriendly, ossifying nuns, ancient retainers, and countless skeletons, Gideon is ready to abandon a life of servitude and an afterlife as a reanimated corpse. She packs up her sword, her shoes, and her dirty magazines, and prepares to launch her daring escape. But her childhood nemesis won't set her free without a service.

Harrowhark Nonagesimus, Reverend Daughter of the Ninth House and bone witch extraordinaire, has been summoned into action. The Emperor has invited the heirs to each of his loyal Houses to a deadly trial of wits and skill. If Harrowhark succeeds she will become an immortal, all-powerful servant of the Resurrection, but no necromancer can ascend without their cavalier. Without Gideon's sword, Harrow will fail, and the Ninth House will die.

>>14831000
if you can deal with it being needlessly wordy and predictable with all of humanity being Mary Sues koban is a good choice

>>14831000
Neil Asher is good.

>>14831000
The Murderbot Diaries

>>14831020
How on earth did this book win? Did the 6 people that voted even read what was it about?

>>14831052
>Did the 6 people that voted even read what was it about?
I think The Light Brigade might have been a better choice but I would need to see a sample and my gut tells me they are all equally bad options.

Help a nigga out. Should a first read William Hope Hodgson's The Night Land in original or John Stoddard's retelling?

>>14830756
The Last Good Kiss
Zelazny's Amber books are swords and sorcery with a lots of mystery elements: figuring out murder, kidnapping, disappearance, etc

>>14830756
Unironically the Eisenhorn series

>>14831079
Stoddard's a good writer but you need it in original to really feel the slog.

>>14831000
I have pleb taste so forgive me
>Sol Shall Rise
>Galaxy's Edge series
>Outriders
I haven't finished the last one yet but so far it seems fine

>>14831000
John C. Wright, Count to the Eschaton series

>>14829844
It's a good book you whiny bitches
t. non-bookclub voter/participant

And where is OP with the new thread?

>>14811350
I just finished George RR Martin's hedgeknight books? What are your opinions of them. I enjoyed them

>>14831568
They are okay. Check out The Wizard Knight by Gene Wolfe. It's a tough read but it's worth it.

>>14811880
End your existence

>>14831306
Make it yourself.

Help, I need the most batshit insane novel you can think of, I'm talking Mike Kirkbride getting high on cocaine and writing about a dude getting his hands cut off so he's better at debating an autistic robot god to death levels of "what the fuck am I reading?"

>>14831623
You first faggot. Let me fuck your mom first though.

>>14825729
His latest videos about women in armies are extremely homosexual.

>>14831726
Naked lunch

new thread

>>14832209
>>14832209