/lit/ - Literature

first for zyzz

Second for GRI.

Second for Akka deserved better.

Fuck E William Brown

Fourth for I want to fucking kill myself

>>16140809
Its funny. I looked at the comments in the author's blog and people are seething about how they gave all his books one star and negative reviews because of his radio silence and paywall. I don't know if this brown guy is a master troll or just incompetent with his PR. Either way it's lulz for me.

I sexually Identify as an Attack Helicopter.

>>16140939
so what's the story on this? it was a short story and the author got published to Asimov or some shit and then subsequently both the journal and the author got BTFO by NM Jemisen or somethin..?

>The editor of Clarkesworld, Neil Clarke, removed the story from the online magazine's website a few days later.[6] According to Clarke's initial note, the withdrawal was made at the author's request.[5] In a later statement, Clarke explained that he had removed the story after a "barrage of attacks" on Fall, "for her own personal safety and health".[7] He wrote that Fall was a trans woman, but had not been out as such at the time of publication, and used an intentionally short biography and "negligible" Internet presence.[7] According to Clarke, the story was not a hoax, and Fall was not a Neo-Nazi (as some had assumed because "88" is a Neo-Nazi code). He wrote that the story was an attempt by Fall to "take away some of the power of that very hurtful meme" by subverting it.[7] Clarke wrote that the story had been subject to many revisions and it had been reviewed by trans sensitivity readers, but he apologized "to those who were hurt by the story or the ensuing storms".

Legalize hunting liberals when?

>>16140934
at this point he makes more money from his paypiggies rather than actually selling his books.

>>16140750
Akka was a cuck. Do you think Kellhus would've engineered a way to get Esme even if the Scarlet Spires hadn't attacked

>>16141840
Not really. I think she was just convenient, at least at first. It helped his his image to take in his friends widow. He would have been happy enough to keep Akka and work the Mandate out of him faster. Remember the Dunyain don’t see people as people.

Ok, I'm going to check Mask of the Sorcerer now. If it's too terrible I'll keep to the second book in the Rigante series.

Daily reminder that speculative fiction was always woke.

>>16142145
Fiction is a representation of society, and society has always been woke. The whole point of society is to stop being animals.

>added Tokien, C.S. Lewis, and G.K Chesterton to my fantasy reading chart

Anyone else?

Just finished the first 2 books, I thought this series was meant to be an all-time sci-fi classic?

>>16140685
Was anyone else quite underwhelmed with Way of Kings? Everyone keeps saying its the best book ever written but its really not that good. For example its scope is way too small, kaladin literally runs bridges throughout and shallan is in a library for 800 pages. How does this have 4.7 on goodreads? Its like a 4.1.

>>16142231
From what I've read, the consensus is that only the first was any good. Anything after was bad.

>>16142231
Its trash. The only reason the MSM loves this is because Simmons is a jew and has a jewish character in the book.

>>16142301
I wont start an unfinished series again, i got tricked twice by Jordan and Martin. Having said this, Sanderson seems to be a very productive writer, maybe if he took his time with his books the quality would go up? He has the imagination but his writing is poor at times.

>>16142339
>i got tricked twice by Jordan and Martin
shit is wheel of time also garbage? I was thinking of reading that next.

>>16142224
How the fuck should we know? You named 2 very famous fantasy writers (mostly known for writing children lit) and a Catholic better known for one allegory and a detective series.
I have no idea what you want to read. It looks like classic fantasy. Do your own research.
Mervyn Peake, Lord Dunsany, RE Howard, ER Eddison, Jack Vance, William Morris, Lindsay, etc.

Rec me a dark fantasy book with edgy gore and good love story

>>16142464
The Iliad

>>16142469
I've already read it

>>16142327
There are tons of Jew books by Jews, there must be something more to his series.

>>16142469
what the other guy said, except written post-Tolkien

>>16142464
Berserk

>a novel with a good STORY
Why is this so hard to find? Every highly rated novel I read is just flowery writing or le worldbuilding.

>>16142969
plotfags on the ropes lmao

>>16142357
Read if you suffer from insomnia or have a willow whipping fetish

Holy shit, more?
How does The Demolished Man compare?

>>16143596
The Demolished Man is also pretty good, but is brought down by a weird (and frankly irrelevant) love story. Still, I'd suggest it. The main character is also the type of asshole who is wonderfuly written enough that you want him to succeed in his endeavours.

Thoughts on Fevre Dream by GRRM? I'm finding it really fun so far even if it is a little cheesy in some areas

Any books or authors that have a more refined version of this prose I found in an old fantasy website?

>>16142231
Just finished the series. It was good. First one was the best. Endymions not so good as first two but I still liked them.

Just finished reading The Secret Commonwealth and I kinda feel like it shits all over the original trilogy. Its also a miserable book and nothing good happens in it.

Lyra better not fall in love with Malcolm in the 3rd book like the heavy foreshadowing in this book hints at. I hope Will doesn't just get tossed aside after all the shit that he went through in His Dark materials.

What am I getting myself into?

>>16142640
What are some characteristics of Post-Tolkien fantasy, /sffg/?

>>16142464

>>16143901
>the blaring of podcast trumpets
what?

>>16144521
Post-Tolkien won't exist for a few centuries.

>>16143901
Literally any writer like Wolfe or any semi respected writer, even GGK. It's not particularly great prose.
Also
>altrightfanfiction
Yikes.

Only about a quarter in, but I'm finding this slightly confusing.
Are the Stratums some sort of different "layers" of the universe or just simply regions? So far I'm thinking its something along the lines of norse cosmology, with the White Well and nether permeating everything.
How far has humanity spread exactly?
Was it ever mentioned how far into the future it takes place exactly?
What the fuck are the Workings?
Am I just a brainlet?

>>16142224
Freya! <3

Has /sffg/ read the Raven's Shadow series and its spin offs and sequels?
The first book was very poorly edited but it had so much heart. You seldom come across books with so much heterosexual male bonding and camaraderie these days.
The rest of the series was such a clusterfuck of rather biblical proportions. And then the author decided he liked money and wrote a sequel series, thus retroactively making the conclusion to the first book that much worse.
Rarely do you see an author play Brian Herbert to his own works. I would suggest the first book, Blood Song, to anyone who likes fantasy. I'll also suggest them to lay off the rest.

Fuck
All
Predatory Authors

>>16146828
Whats a predatory author?

Is he wrong, fellas?

>>16147546
there's literally nothing wrong with being a tiddy wizard

>>16144101
kino

>>16147546
He's half-right, the problem isn't big titties in itself, before you could have books with vidya tier battles and other more "literary" fantasy books, now everyting is about fireballs and breasts.

>>16147546
I guess so. There is several hot witches with bullshit powers in western mythology(Medea, for example), and even in 1920s pulp fantasy there were plenty of magical seductress could wipe powers out of their asses.

>>16146828
Is this about me?

>>16147546
Kantbot has to realize just like Spaguetti Westerns, S&S and videogames with pre-rendered backgrounds, that this kind of "pre-tolkien" fantasy is a thing of the past and we will never have writers like Lord Dunsany again. we can always go back and read those but I, for one, Welcome our New Sexy Overlords

>>16141840
>>16141978
Kell needed her cause she was the only bitch in the general vicinity who could give him dunyain babies without them turning out fully retarded, and I’m pretty sure he seduced SP grandmaster to get akka at library (theory)

God just fucking save me from anime and trannies

>>16147546
>Is he wrong, fellas?

>>16147871
>Spaguetti Westerns, S&S and videogames with pre-rendered backgrounds, that this kind of "pre-tolkien" fantasy is a thing of the past and we will never have writers like Lord Dunsany again

Any fan of military scifi here? Is the Brigador audiobook any good?

>>16142231
I'm halfway through Fall and I'm really liking it. Don't think I'll continue to Emdymion though.

>>16146610
Yeah yeah. “Your” (it’s really more of a “this” opinion at this point) opinion is very stale but it is the undisputed consensus regarding the series:
The first book litterally being the coolest shit of all time, one can see themselves on boat with the homies, bottle of fireball in hand, discussing the finer points of the 6th orders training regiment. The training montages, the bromances, the (Spoilers) heartbreaking ending beach fight,,,, fucking sick,, the coolest shit ever.
The other 2 books, NEVER HAD A PROBLEM WITH, didn’t think anything of it (mainly thanks to my low iq but also me just not caring lol) I still thought those shits were cool.
It wasn’t until I read some reddit reviews and finally got the bearing of the >general-consensus
that I was like oh maybe they do suck (you see anon I’m easily impressionable too)
then there’s the new series,, whatever, I read it, it’s cool, but as I’m typing this I do get pretty depressed thinking about how cool the series could of been if AR’s publishers didn’t dangle him over a balcony to finish the books. Very sad, but whatever, first book fucking rules

>>16142231
I loved the whole series. Anyone considering it, don't let gimps on here ruin it for you, try it yourself

>>16140685
im quite fond of the black company i have no idea why

>>16148462
Because it's great.

Post good Sword and Sorcery books please. I'll post some I've enjoyed.

>Conan the Barbarian
>Kull the Conqueror
>Solomon Kane
>Bran Mak Morn
>Cugel the Clever
>Hadon of Ancient Opar
>Song of Kwasin
>Corum
>Kane (by Karl Wagner)
>Black Company
>Mad Amos Malone

>>16148559
>Black Company
I'm not great at genre naming but it's obvious this is not S&S. It's more dark or high fantasy.

I once read a great definition but I don't recall by whom, which went something like "sprinkle some archaisms and butcher the grammar".

>>16148622
I knew it was by Delany but I couldn't find it, well.
>"Traditionally, sword-and-sorcery is written with a verbal palette knife—an adjective heavy, exclamatory diction that mingles myriad archaisms with other syntactical distortions meant to signal the antique: the essence of the pulps"

Warbreaker > Mistborn

>>16147546
hes half right.
how a wizard looks isnt really an issue. its that elaborate magic systems with arbitrary rules for every single edge case became popular.
what ever happened to fucking snapping your finger and some guys head explodes? it was a simpler time. also i think wizards dont really do wizardly things anymore except go on quests or something. there needs to be more research, learning and discovery involved. nowadays everyone went to magic school or has been kicked out of magic school.

>>16148655
>what ever happened to fucking snapping your finger and some guys head explodes?
IMO, the people grew to be more order obsessive with everything about the world being nearly fully described by science and other authority figures, so the people started to impose that onto their fiction.

Does Tarzan hold up? I really enjoyed the first five books of the Barsoom series.

>>16148692
might be because many authors have either an scifi/sf authors have an engineering or cs background so imposing math or logic on something just comes natural to them.

>>16148701
Read the first three.

>>16148692
>>16148709
It was DnD which seeped into video games, for obvious reasons since you need a logical system to create gameplay and mechanics.
Take your average fantasy reader and he probably played WoW or some other fantasy RPG at one point or another. Even the fucking Pokemon games.

God, I hate what vidya has done to literature and film.

What am I in for?

Someone here was reading Galaxy of Fear the other day, where did you get it from? I can't find it on MAM or any public trackers.

>>16148891
I hope you realize that's the series name rather than book name. It only took me a few seconds to find the entire series.

What is the newest "journey of the hero" novel out there?

>>16148647
Brando > Sando

>>16149042
see >>16149057

>>16148923
Thanks anon will try the books individually

>>16148559
A Princess of Mars
Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser
Tarzan of the Apes (more pulp than S&S but still good)

>>16149042
Not the most recent but Faithful and the Fallen is a great modern action-heavy take.

>>16149301
Is it based? Be honest with me bro

Will anybody ever read my work if I write like this?

https://www.reddit.com/r/fantasywriters/comments/iao7sm/id_like_to_know_your_opinion_about_my_story/

also yes I am aware that this is probably somebody writing about their fetish disguised as a fantasy story

>>16146610
>>16148302
Book 2 was a bit of a letdown but it did transform Frentis from a whiny pissbaby into a respectable man.
Book 3 was a disaster. Everybody betrays their character, there's little in the way of a resolution, and it had a very very rushed feel to it.
I didn't read the novellas. But I did read the second, two-book series. Spoilers here on out.
Any sense of sacrifice and long term consequences are thrown out the window as Vaelin goes on a sail halfway across the world to rescue his main girl.
Main girl cannot be arsed to care and its sad that our protagonist did not see this coming.
And the world building, oh the world building. This was rushed even harder than anything before. Most of what we see is a copy-paste of Ancient China, with Nordic Mongols thrown in the mix.
What a mess.

>>16140961
>>16141265
Serious question. Why does Nigger Koon Jemisin have so much leverage in the industry?

>>16149396
Of course. It’s like if ASOIAF had all its main characters be fighters like Jon Snow, Theon, and Bryenne, and no politicians.

First book takes a while to pick up, but the pacing is crazy fast near the end and through all the other books.

>>16148655
>what ever happened to fucking snapping your finger and some guys head explodes?

What fantasy book does it?

>>16149593
Also interested, but wasn't there such a scene in The First Law?

>>16149593
Tigana

>>16149601
You talking about Bayaz, the First of the Magi?

You have to be realistic about these things. It's better to do something than live with the fear of it.

>>16142094
I recommended both of these. My power is growing.

>>16142145
>>16142222
Never go full retard, anons. Never.

>>16142224
E. R. Eddison

>>16142464
The Throne of Bones by Brian McNaughton

>>16140685
Reddit is actually fantastic. They unintentionally created an elite reading list in their attempt to warn people away from books with sexual violence.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1hQi6C2RQvjGzjSoXU0D063fCFcz1wCHXFUe7PfEsGrk/edit?usp=sharing

>>16142969
The Broken Sword by Poul Anderson. There's two versions though (the 'younger' original and the 'older' revised version). I've only read the revised version so far, but the original seems to have more of a raw quality to it that makes me wish I had read that version first. Either way it's a good story.

>>16144521
Grimderp

>>16145761
>>altrightfanfiction
>Yikes.
Oof.

>>16146185
>Am I just a brainlet?
That or you've been reading too many books lately that focus way too much on world-building with info dumps and you have no idea how to deal with a story that isn't focused on inane world-building and backstory.

>>16147871
S&S and games with pre-rendered backgrounds are still being made though.

>>16148559
Select stories by Schuyler Hernstrom. He's writing some of the best modern S&S (and Vancian fiction).
Imaro by Charles Saunders.
The Voidal by Adrian Cole.
Rogues of Merth by Robert Zoltan (blatant Fafhrd and Gray Mouser homage, but entertaining).
Fafhrd and Gray Mouser by Fritz Leiber.
Elric by Michael Moorcock.
Gonji by TC Rypel
Berserker trilogy by Robert Holdstock
Far Away & Never by Ramsey Campbell
Bard by Keith Taylor
The Chronicles of Caylen-Tor by Byron Roberts
Bloodsong trilogy by C. Dean Andersson (hesitant recommendation).
The Incompleat Nift by Michael Shea.
Conan: Road of Kings and Legion from the Shadows by Karl Edward Wagner
Conan and the Emerald Lotus by John Hocking

>>16150018
>all those chick writers
The irony.

How should characters in fantasy stories swear/curse? I can think of 3 options:
>actually swearing "fuck it" or "damn it"
>themed curses "storm it"
>not swearing at all

>>16150089
I always cringe when "harder" cuss words show up in fantasy novels. Just comes across like the writer is trying too hard to make his story seem adult or bad ass. Shit like "storm it" isn't much better though.

>>16150089
Put soap in your mouth, anon.

>>16150083
Basedboys are more likely to go against rape than actual women, most women imagine themselves getting sexually used/raped but since beta males cant satisfy women they want to cancel rough sex for everyone.

>>16150101
It works for me in something like the Witcher which is designed to be soul-destroying and gritty and grounded but generally I agree.

>>16150125
You'd make an interesting Psychology Thesis subject anon

>>16150018
>no Wolfe

Oh the missed opportunities

>>16150018
> the rapey authors are mostly women
Top kek

>>16150204
>books about Holocaust are mostly by Jewish people
>books about slavery are mostly by black people
>books about war are mostly by PTSD sufferers

D'oh

I am once again here to shill the Books of Babel, the Chathrand Voyage and How to Rule an Empire and Get Away With It

>>16150001
Almost two thirds into Mask of the Sorcerer and I like it so far. The first few chapters made for very rough reading. If I had kept count of how many times I read the words mud and rotten I would've lost the count.
The writing was not that great but I've read worse so I plodded on some parts needing a bit of polish and editing. It picks up after a while or I just got used to it.
The setting is cool but despite the writing being very descriptive, it still feels kinda myopic and very claustrophobic, which might be deliberate to evoke the feeling of Egyptian tombs.
The MC's youth is not great. Maybe I just like tortured older narrators.

I can see how a fan of BotNS might enjoy it. Stories within stories, a deeply religious cosmogony (even with some messianic foreshadowing), multiple absorbed personalities, weird transitions followed by unclear events, dream/not dream sequences, general cluelessness, etc.

This is an apt title because you'll be taking a lot of naps while reading this. Only 4 stories in but I'm thinking this isn't for me. Reads more like "horror" for people who don't like horror.

>>16150001
>>16150237
I read the first five or so chapters on the google books preview, seems interesting. Thanks for the recommendation anon.

Because of my strong belief in physiognomy I cannot read books written by men that are fat, ugly, balding, etc. Please recommend me some fantasy books written by Chad authors.

>>16150266
Chad authors also strongly belief in physiognomy and wouldn't want to be read by hunchback goblinos like yourself. No recs for you.

>>16150266
>My time has finally arrived
City and the City
Scar

>>16150274
Yeah, OK, but Howard was an actual boxer.

>>16150101
So basically there's no pleasing you, unless you write like you're composing a letter to grandma.

>>16150214
Somehow I doubt these are rape survivor's memoirs.

>>16150340
Toni Morrison and Colson Whitehead weren't born in slavery either

>>16150018
This list is missing so much shit it's basically worthless. Also top kek at women having more red lines than men. Though men who do get it tend to get the coveted 0 no 11 yes more often (since two of the categories are dumb horseshit basically nobody can get).

This is the standard for an edgy GRI book.

>>16150018
But why?

>>16150611
So you can avoid reading these and be a good goy.

>>16150611
It's reddit.

>>16150657
I get that, but there are a ton other things that are bad as well. Are they going to avoid those as well?
Or just completely ignore a good series because of a chapter or two of rape?
How can anyone be that fucking sheltered?

I just finished "Too Like the Lightning" and I loved this strange 25th century sci-fi book with trace fantastical elements that has a hard-on for the 18th century Enlightenment.
Now I shall thrust myself upon the sequel, which I heard was intended as the second half of the first book, but was broken in half by the publisher.

>>16150666
>Or just completely ignore a good series because of a chapter or two of rape?
Witnessed, and this has been going on since 2012.
The 2020 thing is to prevent things from being published because they have a chapter or two of rape.

>>16150671
Prove that to me

>>16150672
I'll do you one better, and prove to you that people are being cancelled from being published for far less. Would that serve?

>>16150690
Please do. Gor is still being published, so good luck.

>>16150692
https://jessesingal.substack.com/p/ya-twitters-victims-and-critics-speak
https://jessesingal.substack.com/p/ya-twitters-victims-and-critics-speak-855

>>16150698
>YA twitter

Elmao, people leading twitter against YA writers, you sure showed me

>>16150718
Nigger, you demanded proof that people use lists to prevent certain ideas from being read or written about. I show you documentation. What is your point?

>>16150724
They didn't, some permavirgin bloggers attacked some nonces that caved in after the smallest bit of pressure, stop grasping at straws.

Gor is still being published, Conan and Kull and other sword and sorcery/planet stuff is getting reissues and omnibus editions, shut the fuck up

>>16150729
>shut the fuck up
Well, that's me told. Don't come crying when they come for your sacred cows.

>>16150733
They did, no one paid any attention, they moved on and gritted their teeth on avocados or whatever the fuck those people eat.

Are you implying YA shit is your sacred cow?

>>16150222
Give me a pitch because only Babel sounds interesting there.

>>16150729
Dude Gor was blacklisted in the 80s and it took him over a decade to find a no-name publisher who picked him up because he has a built-in fetish following. Howard's books are mainstream thanks to the Conan movies, what is your fucking argument here?

>>16150814
What's yours?

>>16150814
Ignore it, it's Hugo Tranny.

Post 'em.

>>16151077
>Mage Errant
Genuinely awful YA trash, the first book was barely okay then the writer ran out of ideas and resorted to falling back on cliched characters and shallow plot lines straight out of RPGs. Literally has a party composition comprised of a wise witch, a fiery short tempered red haired fire user, gentle giant (black and gay btw) and a smart and talented MC who is only held back by his low self esteem.
Of course it could have still been salvaged if it had a decent plot to go with those stock fantasy characters but every book basically has a Harry Potter tier "The adults are all turbo dumbasses, so it falls to the kids to save the world again." plot.

>>16150345
Then why are they so obsessed with it?

>>16147546
blame elves for this

>>16150667
This can’t be real. I was thinking about reading this book.

>>16151077
>evan winter
>nigger try’s to write fantasy
wew

>>16151222
>try's

>>16140712
zyzz was kind of a douche

>>16151411
FUAAAAAAARK

>>16151188
Are you genuinely retarded or something? Toni Morrison was born and lived her youth in Jim Crow and segregation era. Why are you so obsessed with people writing books you don't wanna read?

>>16151222
>try's

Wew lad, you almost made a point there

>>16150770
We follow the optimistic teacher Senlin as he ascends the cloud-surpassing tower of Babel, that seems to be built to grind down the hearts of men. Will he reach his quarry? Will he remain a bright-eyed and good man? Will he ever escape?

>>16147546
Maybe if he stopped playing videogames and read a book he wouldnt have such a retarded take.

>>16150018
>screen
These people only read/write because they weren't hooked up enough to get into the movies, right?

>>16149987
and never have to many knives or never stop hawking thick phlegm onto the cold mud or never forget the great leveller or never forget shit and piss and blood and fuck and shit and piss and damn and blast and fuck and shit

>>16150039
As much as I hate info dumps and pointless exposition, I found Nethereal's beginning slightly harder to digest than even Gardens of The Moon at first. Some backstory would have been nice, but I understand why there isn't much. About halfway through now and I'm really beginning to like the book.

>>16152201
Based

>>16150253
>Where is the guy with the big knife or a scary Japanese person???

>>16152276
>lol who the fuck is Lovecraft?

>>16150253
Ligotti is a poor man's Stephen King.

Will wow ever come out?

>>16152328
who cares anymore, man

I have a need for optimistic and uplifting sci-fi. Whaddya got that isn't on the charts?

Will he ever be surpassed?

>>16152328
>Finishing ASOIAF just so you can read thousands of pages about how Bran becomes King

Lol the jig is up

>>16152385
Nope.

>>16152385
Attempts were made. I kneel.

>>16152385
Lotr was considered vapid escapism back when it was written and time hasnt changed the fact that that's all it is.

>>16152476
if that was true it wouldn't continue to sell so well 70 years later

>>16152476
>Lotr was considered vapid escapism back when it was written and time hasnt changed the fact that that's all it is.

>>16152485
>popular=good
Not that anon, but you couldn't have picked a worse argument.

Merphy Napier's latest video

https://youtu.be/gGkzbw2FqHY

Isn't she just great?

>>16152339
I still care bro

>>16152525
what does anyone get from watching these vapid booktubers

>>16152538
(you)s

>>16152538
Merphy is lovely and primarily reads Fantasy.

Why do booktubers even exist?
I can't imagine that a lot of people watch their shit aside from a few autists.
Whats the point?

>>16152538
The term is friend simulator

I mostly know about how men use friend simulators, I think women use them more as social simulators or "frenemy" simulators, they like to make backhanded compliments and love/hate eachother in the comments

>>16147546
the only reason wizards have become more animeesque in recent years is that thousands of years of sanding the hard edges off of religion to make it more palatable for the karens of the ages has ruined it for anyone who likes fun and as a result it forced wizards to fill the role that used to be filled by mythical heroes

Zeus beat a kaiju to death with a mountain, Balor had mystic seals to keep his sharingan under control, and Moses was the servant of an ancient god who taught him to shatter the oceans and turn them to blood

once people get sick of religion, you need something secular to pull that shit off and wizards were the closest thing humanity had on hand to a denominational cleric

I had my first new novel idea in months but I'm not super interested in it because i'm 90% certain my brain created it by filing the serial numbers off of jojolion.

>>16152385
his influence? eventually, though I doubt it will be any time soon. His quality? already done. Tolkien was a visionary whose detailed world redefined the entire genre, but as a writer he had his issues

>>16151077
I read more than 60 books of my 52 books limit (a book a week). I haven't updated since January, however, so I can screenshot anything.

>>16150281
Sit down be humble

I love the narration of the Orcs in this

Anyone here read Viriconium by any chance? Just wondering what folks think of it.

>>16152385
Surpassed in his own lifetime.

>>16152919
The worst loss sffg faced, he was a giant. Fuck Princip and fuck the Kaiser.

>>16152939
>Both are 5+ book series because neither can tell a story in a concise 3 book manner

>>16152712
What are you 13? This is one of the dumbest things I've ever read.

>>16152981
You must be retarded,go back to /tv/.

>>16152988
If your story takes more than 3 parts you are either retarded or milking it

>>16152950
Based

>>16153017
according to whom faggot?

>>16152939
Gormenghast is a meme

>>16153120
lotr is a meme

>>16153131
your ass

>>16153173
no lotr is a meme

>>16151077
Why read 2 fiction books at the same time?

>>16149473
Oh shit forgot about my little nigga frentis

>>16153017
Based.

>>16152938
Covers look cool, whats it about nigga anon

Does anyone know the name of the book with the statue of liberty head cut in half on the cover? It kind of looks like that scene from End of Evangelion with rei's head in water. I am 90% sure its a science fiction novel.

>>16153248
The General Zapped an Angel

>>16153248
?

>>16148655
but cinema sins will make a mean video if you don't explain how it works.

About to start reading The black company, just hoping for a fun story about some lads doing stuff instead of plots within plots within plots

hey dol merry dol, ring a dong dillo!

>>16153308
>just hoping for a fun story about some lads doing stuff instead of plots within plots within plots
First three books, yeah, sure, they can pass off as more of the former than the latter, but it's still not gonna be a clean cut either way.

>>16153308
You're reading the wrong book then if that's what you want. Read some Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser if you want bros going on adventures. Or Rogues of Merth for something more contemporary.

what is the best Lovecraft collection to buy bros?

>>16153188
One released just recently while I was in the middle of the other.

>>16153392
Necronomicon one, but even that has a few stories missing.

>>16152626
Don't watch booktubers but isn't it really just a blog in a different format? Do you hate blogs as well?

>>16153261
thnx bud

>>16143830
better than ASOIAF

>>16151540
Why are you obsessed with anons wondering why women write about rape?

>>16152935
Does it have the immortal line "looks like meat's back on the menu, boys"?

>>16153515
yes

>>16140685

>>16153970
stop projecting, you filthy subhuman tranny

>>16153979
Did you see a truth in the image that you didn't like?

>>16154003
Not him but what I saw was a faggot trying to derail this thread, fishing for attention, and memeing about nonfiction good vs fiction bad wars.
Let me know if I was right in any way.

>>16150666
Some people get literally triggered by rape, as in they have PTSD from it, I understand how this information would be important for those people. For others though context matters, I am sure in almost all of these it's portrayed as a negative thing so what's the big d

>>16154032
So you don't think the message of the image is true?

>>16154083
no, but I do think you're a tranny

>>16154110
Quick, better scurry back to your happy make-believe land, that'll surely bring you satisfaction, right?

>>16154208
is that what you tell yourself every time you dilate?

>>16154208
It's less pathetic than baiting people. Go back to reading nonfiction as if they were self help books.

>refresh mobilism to see whats just been uploaded
>notice a book called co-ed demon sluts, written by a woman and think its some bad erotica for either men or lesbians
>click just out of curiosity
>its feminist literature
>"This series of five feminist women's fiction novels features shoes and shopping, massive quantities of food and controlled substances, all-girl hot tubbing, riot-grrl rage, rollicking, revenge, renewal, and rejoicing. Six women find out what they're made of by making themselves into something totally other."
>mfw

>>16154245
Yes, I am baiting, but only to try and engage in serious conversation regarding science fiction/escapism and its value

>>16154238
If anything the tranny is the escapist who delight in their delusions and retreats from reality. Guess that would make you the tranny then in this scenario, no?

>>16154262
>>refresh mobilism to see whats just been uploaded
How bored do you have to be to do this?

>>16154262
That sounds terrible. How come nearly all women are out of touch?

>>16154300
i refresh the page for fantasy and sci-fi like twice a day just to see whats been released. its much more convenient than looking up stuff on amazon or goodreads.
would recommend.

Don't know what to read? Read Alfred Bester, the greatest chad of the Golden Age.

>>16154321
Nah, sounds exhausting. fantasticfiction works better if you want to keep an eye on new releases.

Wtf, you guys said this was good. It's Sanders-tier writing, but more boring. Does this shit get any better?

>>16153261
is that any good?

Any diplomatic/political fiction?

Truly there is nothing out there for people like me.

>>16154521
Star Trek?

>>16154532
Sci-fi is attractive to me.

I once read a sci-fi story about humans trying to navigate diplomatic first contact with a warrior-race. It was pretty good. I read a different one about humans trying to navigate first contact with a more primitive caste society. Also pretty good.

I get the feeling Star Trek might be a bit lowbrow in its handling of diplomatic complexity though. I'm really looking for something more specialist. But I could be wrong.

>>16154540
Star Trek: TNG was all about the shit you're talking about. I assume the TNG books are also the same, but I don't know for certain since I've never read any.

>>16154418
Only reddit fags who come here every summer say that shit is any good. Should have listened when I told you it was shit.

>>16154564
Thanks anon, I'll look into it. I ended up going with pic related for now, but it's hardly /sffg/ so I won't keep posting.

>>16154262
so this... is the power... of female authors

>>16154521
Floating Worlds sounds like it's about that from what I read on the back of the cover

>>16154602
>>16154418
Only low attention span rebbitors have trouble with that book.
But if you're a readlet, just drop the book.

>>16150018
>harry potter has rape because love potions exist
My fucking sides lmao

>>16153392
the barnes and noble one with the S.T. Joshi notes if you can get it

>>16140685
why is everything so progressive now? I'm sick and tired of the strong womyn, queers, and minorities that are the mainstay of scifi and fantasy these days.

>>16154992
>a bloo bloo bloo

>>16154992
We're escaping the echo chamber.

Got my e-reader in the mail and I've been lurking for about 6 or so threads now. I'm gonna list some things that I think I might like based off of what you guys recommended and you can tell me what's shit and what I'm missing, maybe. If you're nice. Please.
Things I'm probably going to get based off of multiple recommendations and light research that I did in no particular order, except the first 3:
Book of the First Sun
Dune
Princess Bride (haven't seen the movie, so if like most things, the book is better, and people seem to fucking love that movie)
Neuromancer
Hyperion
Mask of the Sorcerer
Wizard Knight
Troy Trilogy (I asked about this one in an earlier thread. I just want some heroic bois)
Shit by Guy Gavriel Kay
Lyonesse Trilogy
Three Body Problem
Some stuff by Asimov

Stuff that I took a quick glance at and had a passing interest.
Worth the Candle
Ringworld
A Yankee in King Arthur's Court
Armor???
Blindsight
Shadow March series
The Quantam Thief
Soul cycle series?
Malazan Series?

>>16154618
As long as we're talking TV shows Babylon 5 is 100% about space politics. It is very /lit/ TV, it was created by a writer and was plotted from the beginning to be a five-season show and that was carried out.

>>16155151
We're breaking the conditioning! YAAA

>>16155232
It was plotted to be a 4 season show and then it got an extra season which was tacked on.

>>16154926
>he thinks his /tg/ fanfiction is any good
lmao

>>16152938
it is a great series, loosely related only to the titular city viriconium. The second book, In Viriconium is probably the best of the lot, the prose is excellent and better than the other two. The tone of each book is different, the first two with the traditional setting of epic fantasy, the third is more urban fantasy.

>>16142389
>Do your own research.

You mean just clicking on Wikipedia links?

Help me sffg. I'm a 100% certified coomer now.
I'm reading self published smut and walking around with a rock hard lil bro.

>>16140685>>16155585
>>16155505
>>16155411
>>16155405
>>16155371
>>16155237
>>16155232
>>16155209
>>16155151
>>16155117
FUCK AEOS
He's the reddit tranny who took over making threads. Egomaniac who are the discord
FUCK YOU, YOU REDDIT HOMO

>>16155768
u mad

>>16151077
Towing Jehovah by James K Morrow right now. really good, very witty.

What Neal Stephenson do I read next? I've only ever read Anathem - and I own both Snow Crash and Diamond Age.

dude looks like a warlock

>>16152385
I'll surpass him, just wait. I'll be shilling here when I finally release my first short story

>>16155829

>>16155829
read snow crash and then diamond age, they happen in the same universe.

>>16150015
Second this

>>16150266
Heinlein?

>>16150018
LMAOOO at r Scott Bakker

>>16150666
Witnessed

Any reccs for books with surreal worldbuilding?

>>16156044
seconded

>>16150266
The Night Land by William Hope Hodgson.

So what are good communities to hang out in and magazines to follow if I really like Moorcock, Howard, and Clark Ashton Smith? Where do I go from those three?

>>16156453
You invent a time travel machine.

>>16156545
Oh come on, sword and sorcery can't totally be dead, can it?

My spanish speaking negros, please read these books.

>>16156603
Alternative covers.

>>16152938
Once again proof that you should ALWAYS judge a book by it's cover. I've yet to go wrong choosing what to read solely based on the aesthetic of the cover art. And every time I test myself or try something different and pick something with an ugly cover, it's unreadable garbage.

>>16156621
The thing is, those covers are only for Spanish translation. English version has several different covers, this being one of them.

>>16156627
Hmm, not nearly as attractive, but not AWFUL either. I'd read the blurb and the first page in the second pass through the store if nothing else caught my eye.

>>16156633
Then you have this.

>>16153120
Filtered

So what's the overall quality on these releases? Worth the money or should I just get the regular editions?

>>16156595
Honestly, it might as well be. Sure, there's probably some stuff being written somewhere, but it's not going to be prominent. The usual themes of the authors you listed tends to show women as passive characters, if they're shown as characters rather than mentioned offhandedly, and in today's age that just doesn't get pushed by big publishers.

By the way, you might enjoy a few novels set up in Dark Sun, an AD&D setting, that were written by Lynn Abbey. The Brazen Gambit, Cinnabar Shadows and The Rise and Fall of a Dragon King are the ones I'd recommend reading from the Chronicles of Athas series. To get yourself slightly more acquainted with the setting, I recommend reading the core book for the 2nd edition of Dark Sun.

>>16154321
Literally judging a book by the title at that point lol
I did it too for a while

>>16156715
Not the guy you are responding to but you can tell a lot by how titles are constructed and by author names. Personally i avoid every author that more than one initial on the book regardless of gender.
But i mean what do you expect with titles such as "Coed Demon Sluts".

>>16154418
Its trash, it pretends to be complex by flooding you with characters that live for 1000s of years.

>>16156707
>So what's the overall quality on these releases?
Maybe ask /co/

If I worldbuild several races/factions for an actual narrative and only have room to focus on 2 or 3 major characters from each "race" it's really hard to conceptualize and juggle the characterization of groups vs the characterization of individual characters. In a regular narrative where everyone is part of the same society you can just focus on giving the characters themselves conflicting goals and beliefs, but with multiple factions I find myself having to think about the thematic dynamics of group vs group, group vs character, character vs character of same group, character vs character of opposing group and its one hell of a mess. I have to decide if characters are supposed to be stand ins for the average traits and goals of that group's members, or if they are in a position of leadership setting the rules for how the group should act, if they are supposed to contrast with their group ideology as some sort of rebel or outcast, if they are some form of idealized hero figure of what members of said group want or ought to be... and after all that I still have to establish how it compares and contrasts with the outer groups.

Any advice on how to sort this out? I'm feeling really overwhelmed.

>>16156839
Haven't been to /co/ in a long ass time, not sure if there's folks over there reading this kind of stuff, but I'll give it a go.

>>16156603
Parece lit juvenil y para leer eso ya existe Tolkien.

>>16156847
If there is ever a shelf thread, those guys will know.

>>16156845
First experiences will shape how your readers see the culture. Remember that the first character you introduce will end up being a representative of their culture, but you can use that character's PoV to characterize other societies as you see fit without worrying about how your characters reflect on them

>>16156845
It's easy: one character should be an authority figure, one character is the more stereotypical average joe and one character is the rebellious force that shakes up group order.

How's this?

>>16156919
Unironically read Mark Lawrence's review to get an idea and toss a coin.

>>16156962
>My friend said to read it because she said I'd like it, and I do.
>I'm giving it a 5.
I'm not reading the rest because I can get sour on nitpicks really easy. So I think I'll get it. $3. I've spent more on less.

>>16156977
If you're this dumb and fickle, obviously picking books on a whim, can't extract what a book might be about from a review (and compare it to your tastes), can't use the archive, why the fuck ask in the first place?
I could have literally lied and told it was great and you'd have no idea. At least I tried.

>>16156845
If your goal is to write a novel, or tell a story somehow, you should focus on the story first, not the world. You do not need many finalized details for the setting to begin writing the plot, you just need enough to contextualize character actions. This doesn't require a super detailed and coherent report on every major faction. You can fill in details as needed, like when you want to explain why your character feels a certain way and you think "maybe it's because of some kind of pressure from his family or peers, or society in general" then you can think about why he'd be pressured that way and what that says about the society or culture he lives in. When you're writing the story you should feel free to go on tangents full of exposition that explain this stuff as you think of it, just write all down as it occurs to you in order to explain why your character's actions make sense.

Later when you're editing you can just snip those really long expositiony paragraphs out and paste them in a notes document for later reference, maybe work them into the story later, or more elegantly if you find it's crucial to convey some or all of the information to the reader and not just supplemental material to help you inhabit the minds of your characters.

>>16157017
Because I knew what it would be about, dipshit.
But when you say a book is about a hero killing people with his sword and vanquishing evil, that's literally every fantasy book.

I just needed to know if this wasn't absolute trash.

I could tell by the fucking cover what the gist is. I don't need to know, "Oh, I didn't care for the Author's prose or canter, if only he used words bigger than my 1 inch micropenis."

>>16157042
I think Dune is trash and would not recommend it to anyone past the age of 15, if that tells you anything.
You needed some handholding and a blessing ("yes, it's good", "no, it's bad"). It's alright, anon. It's always a toin coss, more so in an Anonymous website.

>>16152641
Friend Simulators are youtube channels with 2 or more people reviewing / talking about media in the videos. If it's just one person solo, it's just a typical review.

>>16156453
dmrbooks.com has pretty much become the definitive modern publisher of S&S.

>>16157095
really digging those covers.

>>16150018
How can Bakker be so based?

>>16156919
Do you like the three musketeers? If yes read it, if no don’t.

This book, like every other book of Anthony Ryan's that I have read, is perfectly adequate, yet I feel so unsatisfied by reading them. The first book was by far the best, but every book after it never really managed to live up to its potential. When looking at the first book as part of the series it becomes significantly less impressive and merely passable. I find it difficult to articulate my issues with Ryan's work. I use a lot of negative adjectives but I don't hate his books, I've finished every single one that I picked up, which is more than I can say for some authors. I don't finish boring books. So I can't call them boring. But it doesn't change the fact that I feel like the story is squandering the potential of its characters and setting, like ideas aren't being fully realized, or are content to rely on cliches. It's just good enough despite this that I keep reading.

This series is the bad sex of books. At the end of the day it's still sex, so you have a baseline of pleasure, but that's it.

>>16157095
whats your opinion of mercedes lackey?
people keep recommending her books to me but i havent been able to find the time to read them yet.

>>16157055
I did need some handholding because I'm >>16155209 and I've only recently rediscovered the stories books can tell.
I don't know why but it seems like a huge waste to me if I spend $10 and I don't like the book, even though I've liked almost everything I've read up to this point if it has an adventure and doesn't contain farmers giving birth to cows. God damn it that was boring in middle school.
I just have to tell myself I've wasted more money TODAY (shitty cold meal) than I am on buying books if I hate every single one I buy, which I won't, in fact it'll probably be the opposite.
Fuck it. Going with that because it's cheap. Princess Bride, Book of the New Sun part first half, Dune, (even though you said you wouldn't recommend it because to me it seems like the big epic space story you need to have read, and desu your age 15 cap gives me hope because I'm a retard who watches youtube all day) and Neuromancer. And if I like those, then Three Body Problem, Wizard Knight and some other things.

>>16157118
Literally what I googled. So much so that I was looking at Phoenix Guards too.

>>16156655
That's pretty decent, I'd give it a shot first pass, though it depends on the spine art if it's not oriented flat.

>>16157122
I have no idea who this is, but it's a chick and chicks can't write S&S. The extremely rare exceptions being Leigh Brackett and CL Moore.

>>16157106
Yea DMR is pretty cool. They're willing to take chances and do wacky shit. They published THREE S&S/Horror/Weird fiction collections with the gimmick being it's Metal musicians writing the stories. Of course the quality of those stories is all over the place since they're all amateur writers, but there are some genuinely good ones.

>>16157123
Also I don't think I'm gonna use the b-ok books I downloaded...
It seems scummy. I buy all my videogames now, the least I can do is support probably the easiest form to steal from.

>>16157121
Read Black Song, man. Then we can share our misery.
Book 1 seemed like such a good place to end the series for good.

>>16157121
He can’t write sequels or multi POV well. The dragon safari of Waking Fire was good too, but the portions of the story that weren’t centered on the dragon safari were lackluster. He really needs an editor to tell/let him just focus on a single PoV storyline.

>>16157212
I only read physical copies and I've decided this series isn't worth hardback markup. I'm more than happy to wait for paperback. I've got other books to read in the mean time.

>>16157230
Yes the multiple PoVs feels like he did out of obligation, because GRRM did it maybe. I was willing to meet him halfway when he changed the narrative style in Tower Lord from closely following Vaelin to hopping around the world, but after finishing that trilogy I have to say the multiple PoVs did not really add much. What was the point of Frentis' perspective? We got some world building but so what? And Vaelin's perspective in Queen of Fire was superfluous, he was basically written out of the story yet we were obligated to follow him regardless. Tower Lord should have followed Vaelin like Blood Song did, and Queen of Fire should have followed Lyrna.

>>16150018
Bakker really is the king of GRI.
That list gets the GRI seal of approval.

NEW BREAD

>>16157388
>>16157388
>>16157388
>>16157388

>>16157055
You have to judge works firstly qualitatively and secondly contextually. The former might make Dune pretty mediocre but the latter makes it close to a masterpiece.