/lit/ - Literature

>>18732849
start with the greeks

has anyone read the latest too like the lightning?

>>18731293
Yes it’s a recommendation. If you want military sci fi without the bullshit you’ll probably enjoy this series.

Maedhros beat Jamie Lannister to the whole “one handed princely swordsman of complex moral standing” thing.

Any progression fantasy recommendations? I've tried to read some as of late, but the dialogue and prose comes off as awkward.

Don't you know?
There will be no Daniel Black this year.
Fuck E William Brown
Fuck Enablers
Fuck Pay Pigs
Fuck Laziness
Fuck You

>>18732935
Boo! Ignore this, go read b.v larsons "mcgill gets laid as a mercenary"

>>18732935
I've read the first 4 books and I highly recommend this series for mil sci-fi. It's basically a right-wing Star Wars with the Stormtroopers as the good guys, but not in a grimderp subversive way.

>>18733040
>Don't you know?
>There will be no Daniel Black this year.
Tell me something less obvious

>>18732849
The 22 Murders of Madison May - Max Barry (2021)
This is the seventh standalone novel I've read from this author, which is all of them at this time. I've been increasingly wondering over the years why I do so. The best I can say is that each novel he publishes is entirely different from the previous one, which is a bold move, but it's one that's made irrelevant if I don't enjoy reading the book.
As noted by the title, the antagonist murders the title character twenty-two times. He possesses an item that allows him travel to alternate worlds. All he cares about is finding a version of her that can love him. When she inevitably doesn't, he murders her.
The protagonist, a millennial in her early 30s finds herself as part of the dying industry known as journalism, and she's very unsatisfied with her life. After being pushed into events, she decides to take it upon herself to stop the antagonist, going from world to world, hoping to be able to stop him. Why? Well, why not, may as well, right? At least it isn't boring and what else is she going to do anyway? That sums up the book, things happens because they happen, because sure, why not, whatever. Does it really matter? Just have fun reading it. Unfortunately, I didn't.
Rating: 2/5

dead thread. why? the last one was lively.

>>18733980
I'm reading LotR. What are you reading freinds?

I just read the forever war. the love story captivated me more than the war stuff. i have been in real wars but have never felt love. when mandala nad marygay where seperated after heaven, after the fasted togeher on the mountain peaks. seperated by unknown stretches of time and sdpace. it reverberated within me. he had to watch her fly away, his only connection to earth, to TIME. it is almost too much to bear: having someone erased from your life noit only by mortalitry but by TIME. the immensity is staggering.

>>18733986
Cool. I'm rereading the Silmarillion. It's much more enjoyable the second time around.

>>18732939
Just another tidbit that shows how much of a hack George Martin is.
Also, Maedhros is a much cooler character.

Planning on reading Lovecraft somewhat soon. Thoughts on this list of works? Anything I should add, or isn't worth my time?

>>18733986
Halfway through these books alternating between them through audiobook, e-reader and paperback.
To sleep in a sea of stars
Mistborn FE (2nd read)
Eye of the world + new spring

>>18733986
Just finished Roadside Picnic, now I'm reading Konosuba

>>18733980
Because it's always just a few anons constantly posting, so when they aren't around it's dead.

>>18733986
The Claw of the Conciliator and this Kane novel, Dark Crusade.

>>18734121
I truly believe that if tripcodes were enforced on /sffg/, it'd be clear to everyone that there are only 5-10 regular posters in this General.

>>18733986
Just fiinshed The Second Coming of Gluttony. Really liked it, nice fun action schlock with some decent character progression. Too many characters, but that's par for the course in serial fiction.

>>18734092
I would add the silver key and through the gates of the sliver key, though most think those aren't good. I liked em.
Also I would swap out the nameless city for the whisperer in darkness, add dagon, and drop the temple and the outsider.
If it's your first time getting into lovecraft, then I would start with the colour out of space, then dagon, then either CoC or Shadow over Innsmouth or At the Mountains of Madness, and then however you want.
Also, probably don't expect lovecraft to be scary the same way most horror is. Idk what you already know about cosmic horror, so I won't blab on about it, just don't expect to be shitting yourself.

Reading Darth Plagueis and enjoying it. What are the best star wars books preferably focused on dark side users?

>>18732849
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms>A Game of Thrones

Aside from Robert Jordan, where do I find fantasy with the best "graphics"? Which author has the most beautiful imagery and pictures they write with words, and which books should I pick up from them? Bonus points for deep description and graphics of things that don't exist in real life (floating cities, fantasy creatures or plants, use of magic, etc)
Bonus points for engaging all 5 senses (describing in detail how something looks, what the character smells, how objects feel to the touch, how an environment sounds, taste of food that doesn't exist irl, etc...)
Bonus points for first person POV
(bonus points are not requirements but are a plus)

I read exclusively for injecting movies into my brain like the main character is wearing a gopro and fantasy is best at that from what I've seen

>>18734285
There are only a dozen or so regular posters in the Discord.

>>18734543
>Which author has the most beautiful imagery
Jack Vance. Read The Demon Princes and Planet of Adventure.

>>18734508
Any particular reason why I should drop "The Nameless City", "The Temple" and "The Outsider"? I added those from other anon's recommendations in the past, but you seem to know your Lovecraft.

Also, other than those you recommended reading at the start, anything else regarding reading order? From what I've heard The "Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath" should be read last, or close to last, and those "Silver Key" stories you recommended seem to be sequels/continuations of some sort to Dream-Quest.

>>18734543
Malazan has some pretty great stuff. The Siege of Pale at the start of the first book will give you a pretty good idea for what it's like.

>>18734285
There were over a hundred unique IPs in the last thread. Granted probably a third of those were phone posters.

>>18734625
Which doesn't mean much if 5 of them are posting 40 times each.

>>18734568
The silver key stories are part of the dream cycle, yes. I haven't read dream-quest yet, I'm getting there. The dream cycle is basically a bit to the side from all the cosmic horror and it's more about wacky dreamy stuff (from the silver key stories). If you want to jump into that, then I'd add "the statement of Randolph Carter" before the silver keys, but beware that it's just to clear up some references in the keys and doesn't contribute much on it's own.
Honestly I only told you to drop those because from all that I've read I remember those the least. Good HPL stories are somewhat memorable, but those just get mixed in with all the Lovecraftian themes and archetypes.
I would definitely read them if you end up wanting to absorb as much HPL as possible, but I wouldn't put those on the "best of Lovecraft" list.
About reading order... Aside from the dream cycle there isn't a timeline or anything lol. You can read the stories in any order that you want once you know the general workings of the mythos and HPLs style, which come the more you read. Actually, "the colour out of space" isn't part of the mythos, and I set it as the first thing to read because imo it presents cosmic horror in the most beginner-friendly way, and it's the most memorable one to me.
"At the mountains of madness" provides a good foundation of the history of some of the Lovecraftian creatures, but it's his longest work so I'd approach it after a few short stories.

>>18734690
Also I should mention that through the gates of the silver key is basically a more detailed version of the silver key, and that the dream cycle goes statement of Randolph Carter -> the silver key -> through the gates of the silver key -> dream-quest, but don't quote me on that I don't have a PhD in Lovecraft

>>18732908
Is that in reference to the Black Company series by Glen Cook? If so I loved that series.

>>18734092
The Mound

>>18734690
>>18734704
> Honestly I only told you to drop those because from all that I've read I remember those the least. Good HPL stories are somewhat memorable, but those just get mixed in with all the Lovecraftian themes and archetypes.
fair enough. I'm not really looking into readingall of lovecraft, just the highlights, so i have no issue with dropping them for being mediocre.
> About reading order... Aside from the dream cycle there isn't a timeline or anything
Good to know. Guess I'll just try to bunch the Dream stuff togetehr at the end in the order I find, while for the rest I'll try following your advice (Color out of space -> stuff -> Mountains of Madness)

>>18734741
Seems interesting. I'll add it in.

>>18734092
Add Solaris.

>>18734759
Just read this from cover to cover. I dont know why you are bothering to pick certain ones. Most of the stories are super short anyways. Also this book is fucking sick, the stories are mostly in chronological order and there is a small background text accompanying each story to tell more about the author. Only 1000 pages.

>>18734543
Try Viriconium by M. John Harrison. Strange and unique worlds that don't feel like some generic mishmash of fantasy stereotypes. Great prose too.

Anyone else read anything by R.A. Lafferty? I just finished Fourth Mansions and really enjoyed it, despite how obtuse and convoluted it is. Strange mix of theological sci-fi and slipstream fiction, with some of the most inventive language I've read in the genre.

>>18734092
The Last Feast of Harlequin

>>18734719

>>18734533
Dunno, but I wouldn't read about any sith in post Darth Bane era and rule of two bullshit. Maybe something from the old republic era.

>>18734533
Try the Bane trilogy

>>18734092
Read everything chronologically.

>>18732849
What is stopping us from creating a Science fiction fantasy horror general?

>>18734533
Bane books
Lost Tribe of the Sith
Darth Malgus' book

>>18735713
the same thing stopping us from taking over and creating genre fiction general /gfg/, which is to say absolutely nothing

>>18734853
I'm a bit confused regarding this collection, because the index doesn't include stories like "Through the Gates of the Silver Key", but some reviews mention it.

>>18734853
>>18735698
I've heard mixed things about his writing style, and just want to read his best/most influential work to get the gist of it. Also, 1000+ pages is pretty big an investment, and I'd rather not drop it in the middle due to some stories being boring/uninteresting.
I don't oppose reading all of it if I find reading his stuff enjoyable, but considering my own track record I doubt it'll happen.

>those new Wheel of Time Orbit covers
I am physically ill

Brandon Sanderson Brandon Sanderson Brandon Sanderson Brandon Sanderson Brandon Sanderson Brandon Sanderson Brandon Sanderson Brandon Sanderson

>>18735739
Hell yeah. Let's do it. More recs, more taste, more liveliness.

>>18735713
You can talk about horror here, thing is there isn't much to talk about.

>>18735814
What is the difference between /gfg/ and /sffg/?

>>18735752
Reading Lovecraft chronologically is based. You can see how he progressed as a writer and how he was influenced by other authors and how his earlier works contributed to his later works. Also you’ll get a more clear and concise picture of his mythos.

>>18732831
The Knight, it's severly underrated

>>18735713
>>18735739
it's been tried before, you won't last more than a couple threads, not enough users. even this general is kinda dead half of the time

>>18736031
I've been part of some dead and dying generals before. It could be much worse

>>18736031
the trick is to not start a new general but to transform an old one
next thread will be called /gfg/ formerly /sffg/

>>18736031
This thread and /wg/ have the same big problem: anime and hololive posting OP. It is like for them posting anime is the only thing that matters. They don’t necessarily even like the threads and subjects they spam, they are just looking for any excuse to post anime. Everything has to be littered with 2D women. They don’t actually even read or write books. Hololive, anime, manga are not literature. There are /co/, /a/ and /tv/ for those.

>>18736042
The current OP can’t sneed

>>18736050
What are you talking about? When /wg/ had anime pics in the OP it was alive, now its dead as fuck.

>>18736050
it's not so bad, it's related to sff. if you don't like it just make the OPs yourself, but you don't have the autism needed to keep it up

>>18736041
go for it man, i would post from time to time if i have something to say. but i guarantee you it won't last long, you'd be better off opening individual threads about concrete things

>>18736076
I'm hijacking /sffg/

>>18736067
I see I hit a nerve so:
Seethe retard. There are probably no one is /wg/ who actually writes and never was. All you trannies do is post anime and dream about writing manga.

>>18736081
>There are probably no one is /wg/ who actually writes and never was.
Literal cope. We had at least a dozen or so animewriters on /wg/.

>>18736076
>When the flowers are still white Edition
“Related to SFF”
Okay. Last time I saw proper OPs is when the one bakkerposter started making /wsffg/.

>>18736050
> manga isn't literature

Jokes aside, I also don't get why people would spam anime/jhololive stuff in unrelated threads, and I like both of those things. But I haven't seen much of it here in /sffg/

>>18736090
>writing anime
This is the state of /wg/ and so I am glad it is dead. You are not even ironic when you boast about writing fucking anime. What a circus.

>>18736021
> Reading Lovecraft chronologically is based
But what if I am cringe?

>>18736098
Manga = Japanese comic or whatever
Comics are contained to /co/
Imagine if people started posting about Donald Duck comics in /lit/

what even is hololive i need an update on the latest language sacrileges you faggots keep making

>>18736100
anime, like anything, can have real literary value. although probably in practice it doesn't happen

>>18736110
>Donald Duck comics in /lit/
/lit/ as fuck, especially the Scrooge McDuck series.

>>18736110
> t. didn't actually read the post

>>18736121
Anime is just escapist cope for modern men who didn’t win at life due to being autists, short, ugly or in other ways pure cringe. These people dedicate their whole life to a perverted version of small part of Japanese multimedia. Their whole life circles around anime and anime is their whole personality. They pervert everything they touch with anime.

>>18736121
>anime, like anything, can have real literary value. although probably in practice it doesn't happen
There's been a few with literary value, but /lit/ always rejects them because
>Muh anime.
That there's no point in arguing about it.

>>18732939
Totally different. Maedhros gives up a grudge when he's humbled by his saviour. Jamie is more complicated.

>>18736146
It is like saying movies have literary value.
Read a book.

>>18736121
> what even is hololive
Hololive is a v-tuber group that has grown quite a lot in popularity over the last year (mostly due to the quarantine).
V-Tubers are streamers who use a digital avatar to communicate with the audience instead of showing their actual faces, and (in theory) borrow a lot from japanese idol culture in regards to presentation.

For some reason v-tubers in general, and Hololive more specifically as one of the biggest/most well know companies here in the west, gather a really devout following, and some of these schizo fans are pretty annoying.I should know, I fell into the rabbitt hole and left only recently

>>18736150
To say manga is lit is to ignore everything good about it, distinct about it. No one who likes manga would say that.

>>18733986
Asoiaf. I'm on A Feast for Crows but the series seems a bit tiring now. Everything is quite wrapped up, really, and new characters are thrown in and focus shifted.
Eh.

>>18734012
This guy got it.

>>18734859
I’ve been reading his Tor Essentials collection this past week, great stuff.

>>18736011
/gfg/ will also include horror, weird fiction, westerns and romance

>>18736278
How could we exclude manga/anime/hololive?

>>18736150
>>18736160
It's more reasonable to say a VN is literary, given that it's actually something you read.

>>18736042
This. Have all the things that we put into a general sffg OP but also allow other genre fiction to be discussed. A lot of fiction being produced is hybrid anyway.

Just stared Horus rising a few days ago and I’m enjoying it so far. New to Warhammer, did I make the right choice starting with this? What should I read after this series?

>>18736292
Not literature.

>>18736305
I agree, but there are certain deranged individuals who disagree.

>>18736305
>Space Opera isn't literature because I said so
that sad state of /sffg/

>>18736316
There is space opera (Dune), which is literature
Then there is anime with some space opera characteristics, not opera. Nice try anime faggot

>>18736317
I actually don't mind animeposters as long as anime is relegated to unrelated images. VNs and Xianxia bullshit don't belong tho.

>>18736337
>VNs and Xianxia bullshit don't belong tho.
seethe

>>18736330
>Legend of the Galactic Heroes isn't literature.
Why are you trying to be reductive? It didn't work last time.

>>18736337
Based. Tho anime posters usually use anime pics almost as avatars which is against the rules.

>>18736337
The best Japanese fantasy work is a VN, though.

>>18736343
Here is a simple way to distinguish literature from non literature. If your media goes well in DVD format it’s probably not literature. If it’s mostly pictures it’s probably not literature. If it’s mostly text it’s probably literature.

I can safely abandon this series after the first three books, right? The rest are superfluous I hear.

>>18736300
>Just stared Horus rising a few days ago and I’m enjoying it so far. New to Warhammer, did I make the right choice starting with this? What should I read after this series?
You have a long way to catch up, anon.

>>18736372
Yes. Read Bakker instead.

>>18736379
Just tell me the best ones

>>18736372
>The rest are superfluous I hear.
Books 4 and 5 (really they're one book split in half, as each one has half of the POVs) are where GRRM let the series balloon out of his control and why he'll never finish it.

>>18736278
I thought that most of these were already discussed here, no? Like for horror - Lovecraft's books, Dracula and such could be considered fantasy, weird fiction too, and possible romance if it has some fantasy and sci fi elements (same for westerns, but I suppose fantasy/sci fi westerns are very rare).

>>18736488
Very little. Probably because those who want to discuss them or even rec them don't frequent these threads because of our genre specifications in the OP.

>>18736300
I have listened a bit of Horus series audiobooks, but it was a long time ago, so I can't say anything about them. Liked Eisenhorn books. I prefer Warhammer Fantasy, but even then, it's more about the inspiration from its armybooks that I got and not the novels.
>>18736372
Depends on what characters you like. I kind of stopped caring about most major houses after a certain point, but I still wonder what will happen to some minor ones. And a few major characters.
Would rather play CK2 mod desu.

Is there any western equivalent to stuff like this? Where characters have cool attacks that they call out the names of, etc. Or do I just have to read stuff from Asia?
https://youtu.be/1muOeJ4fBps?t=89

>>18736372
Meandering more than superfluous.

Should I read Wheel of Time if I'm looking for something with a lot of political intrigue? Which book does the political intrigue becomes the focus (if any)?

>>18736620
Go away and never return. You posted pure cringe.

>>18736636
It's juvenile but shit like that will always be cool to me. I don't read genre fiction to be sophisticated.

>>18736021
Do you want him to get bored and drop him? I agree that it's good to read him chronologically but as someone who's (almost) read the necronomicon from cover to cover I gotta say that his earlier stuff gets super boring

>>18736150
Are you saying that 2001: A Space Odyssey, The Truman Show, 12 Angry Men or Pulp Fiction have 0 literary value?
Books explore themes, archetypes, answer or ponder philosophical questions. Movies do the same. Mediocre books have mediocre values, mediocre movies have mediocre values.

Would you say that reading Shakespeare and watching one of his plays being performed somehow reduces what Shakespeare has to say about XYZ theme?

>Reading Children of Dune
>Get to the part where Leto makes a living super stillsuit by pressing sandtrout against his body
I thought the real weird shit wasn't supposed to start until God Emperor

>>18736725
Meant to write "watching a Shakespeare play being performed as opposed to reading it"

>>18736630
Kushiel

>>18736630
>Should I read Wheel of Time
no

>>18736752
???
>>18736763
Explain.

>>18736769
Kushiel's dart is mostly about politics

>>18736773
but more so about BDSM

>>18736763
If you like a lot of imagery and description of surroundings, yes. It's almost like watching a movie.

>>18736769
15,000+ pages is too much.

>>18736781
>feeling guilty about dropping something because you don't feel like it
Weak

>>18736773
Thanks. Tho, I was specifically asking about WoT. And that sounds more like an erotica. Is it at least based like Gor or is it full of feminist bs?

>>18736781
That's a brainlet reason. At the end of the day, you read one page at a time.

>>18736802
Opportunity costs exists whether you acknowledge it or not.

>>18736801
>>18736802
You don't understand, It's literally a few thousand pages too long. There are whole chapters, nay whole 330+ pages books where absolutely nothing happens and the status quo is maintained absolutely, where we have the same sentences repeated 10 time s in a single chapter, where a singled scene is repeated over and over gain in form different viewpoint with minimal distinction.
I feel bad not for having "dropped" it but for having wasted time with it.

>>18736636
Wuxia puppets are not cringe you faggot

>>18736824
COPE!!!!!!

>>18736824
I'm not >>18736834 but you finished the entire series?

>>18736842
No, I haven't read the first book and I wouldn't because fantasy is bad, but I know cope when I read it.

>>18736851
why are you pretending to be me?
>>18736842
Dropped it around book 10 and read chapter summaries for the rest after wasting months reading absolute garbage. The early series is not bad, that is the issue, it contently sets up ands sets up stories and plots that never get delivered in a satisfying manner, and those are the ones that don't get forgotten along the way.
Not to mention the writing quality just plummets after book 5 and it goes downhill form there.

Someone posted a fan-made map of Westeros did anyone save it/care to post it?

>>18736871
dude just go back to the last thread.

>>18736878
I meant a good detailed map, not that shitpost. Someone posted it here maybe a month or so ago

>>18736878
I cant find it in the catalog anymore

>>18736372
They're not superfluous at all, as you'll find out when you finish book 3 and are clamoring for more. The issue is he doesn't really advance the story much in the two books. Sure a bunch of stuff happens in books 4 and 5, but the issue is he introduces a bunch of new points of view in book 4 and leaves out a lot of important characters. Instead you have all these new plot lines introduced that he now has to weave into the larger story and this takes up time. Then in book 5, he brings back those points of view he left out in book 4, once again backtracking to the end of book 3's events and picks up the story from there. So really book 4 and book 5 are both sequels to book 3 but with different character focus. Book 5 is long enough though that the last about 1/3 of it picks up points of view from book 4 and becomes a sequel to that book too. In the end the story just gets bigger and more unwieldy, so even as things start to come to a head it feels like almost no progress is made because of how bloated the narrative gets. Book 5 has so many different PoV characters that you hardly get to spend much time with any of them except for Jon and Tyrion, who get their usual complement of chapters, but everybody else is limited to like 2 or 3.

>>18736871 https://atlasoficeandfireblog.wordpress.com/
>>18736951 4chan archives exist. It's even in the OP.

>>18736630
WoT does have political intrigue, but it's probably not the sort you're imagining. Most of the main cast are not nobles by birth, and don't engage in intrigue themselves. Intrigue is something that happens to them, or around them, but which they have very little agency in due to being country rubes with no experience at it. This is played to very humorous effect in book 2, but most of the time it just sort of simmers in the background, occasionally rising to the surface as politically savvy characters get focus, or when some plot or another comes to fruition.

For the most part political intrigue in WoT is treated like the buzzing of flies, something annoying going on around the main characters but treated with contempt by them as not worth dealing with. You'll occasionally hear about how the nobles are scheming, but Rand, Mat, and Perrin are the sort who prefer to solve problems with direct action rather than subtlety.

>>18736871
>>/lit/thread/S18165142#p18165344

What's the best fantasy with a grim aesthetic, mace/flail induced gore, boobs and adult themes? No saturday morning cartoon tropes like the friendship gang, magic is not a requirement and no ASOIAF pls.

>>18737083
I'd say that's true for the first few books, but over time there's a lot more involved scheming even by the Emondsfielders. Egwene in particular gets pretty adept and scheming due to being at the White Tower, and by the end of the series she can scheme with the best of them. Elayne is also nobility by birth and so is a lot more keyed into politics than the others (although she's also a flighty bimbo).

>>18737118
Read Bakker, anon

>>18737118
Malazan Book of the Fallen
The Black Company

I just finished This Immortal. I've read Amber and Lord of Light already. Are the rest of Zelazny's stories as much fun as these?
Also, can the kind folks here give me recommendations for something that has the same feel as Wolfe's Latro series?

>>18737118
I have you covered anon

>>18737044
>>18737092
The one Im looking for wasn't any of these, it was just Westeros and it had little animated people of the various areas throughout

>>18732935
Can anyone corroborate this? The marketing around it makes it sound like a mix of Star Wars fanfiction and the lesser books put out by Baen. I aint looking for anything classy, just good pulp like Hammer's Slammers.

>>18737287
it takes zero effort to just download it and read it
part of the reason why I got an e-reader

>>18737304
Planning to after I finish my current read, just wanted to hear other anons' thoughts on it.

>>18737118
>flail
The one in pic is probably a meme desu, and was not used much if t all, two handed flail maybe a bit more useful.

>>18737287
I’ve read the first book and it was basically an Iraq war story but the brown people were aliens. It was short, fun, action-packed, milscifi that I plan to read more of once I knock a couple other things off my reading list.

>>18737403
Nice, I'll download the first few and give em a shot, thanks

>>18737205
This Immortal was pretty weak. you should read A Night in the Lonesome October next, it's also very fun, more comfy than Lord of Light

>>18737118
Berserker Trilogy by Robert Holdstock. I've only read the first book, but if grim and violent S&S in a historical viking setting appeals to you then check it out.

>>18737287
Here, asshole
>>18733147

>>18737118
Karl Edward Wagner's work, perhaps.

>>18736300
Problem is there's so many books you have a lot of hit or miss. Don't feel obligated to read ALL the novels, though.

>>18737118
>flail
meme weapon. Was never used.

>>18736343
LoGH is at least translated in entirety. Guin Saga, on the other hand.

>>18736735

Did you miss the 9 year old talking to his grandmother in the voice of her dead husband and alluding to knowing exactly how they fucked?

Or the repeated points in Dune Messiah where people suggested Paul fuck his sister to secure a dynasty, and he's not 100% against the idea?

>>18737893
I read the Leopard Mask a while back and was pretty underwhelmed. Kinda chintzy and simplistic as hell.

>>18737118
>a grim aesthetic, mace/flail induced gore, boobs and adult themes

>>18732908
Soulcatcher is supposed to be incredibly beautiful, like Lady
As they have both used cosmetic magic
Croaker should have fugged her

>>18738025
Soulcatcher was a more interesting character, I would say. I feel like the fact that the Lady fell for him is ridiculous and clearly it's just Cook making her his waifu and stealing the thunder from Soulcatcher. I don't think Soulcatcher fell for Croaker, at least not in early books when she was more sane. I think she liked him as someone who was not as afraid to interact with her.

Bros, what do we think about Cradle?

>>18734092
I would also say add "What the Moon Brings". One of my favorites alongside 'Polaris'.

Any good war in space type stories that don't get too wacky? I kind of liked dune but it want off the rails and most other sci-fi, like the culture series, wants to explore concepts instead of the war and it's consequences.

>>18738155
The Forever War series, maybe, but that's more from the perspective of a Vietnam vet and physics professor...

>>18738169
Oh yeah that was good but I have already read it unfortunately as well as starship trooper a few years ago. I guess I should have mentioned it and where the desire comes from.

>>18738091

is this tr*nny fiction?

>>18738222
>female protag
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHRHRHARHAHRARJAKJHFLAJ

What should I read next?
>Urth of the New Sun
or
> The Thousandfold Thought
?

>>18738294
Are you that much of an indecisive faggot that you can't even pick a book to read?

Is it worth reading the Histories of Middle Earth series? I was amused by what I read of the first (i.e. that it was Gandalf and not the ring wraiths that Frodo his from and the sniffing came from him as a quirky elderly thing, or that Gollum is said to have done his best to give up the ring to Bilbo, etc) but I feel like that sort of thing would fall apart in later parts with a more established foundation.

>>18738222
At least it's not The Traitor Baru Cormorant. It's about a woman who fucks everything up by becoming a race traitor.

>>18738366
>written by a man
Hmm, surprising.

>>18738222
If you have to ask, yes. They're in your head rent free so ofc they'd be in every book you read.

>>18736630
Would say that by the book 6 it becomes pretty predominant but reading WoT for politics is ... particularly ill advised. Any kind of intrigue in there is poorly handled at best, comical usually.

>>18738093
http://www.castaliahouse.com/cradle/

>>18738403
He asks because basically everything today seems to be tagged with LGBTQ for some reason. You have no idea to what degree it applies.

>>18738413
It doesn't really handle intrigue is the thing. It happens in the background and is treated like an annoyance by most of the characters who view it as a silly waste of time. Usually you're just made to understand "nobles are scheming" in the same sense that "the dogs are barking".

>>18738646
There's lot of that too but that doesn't preclude it becoming relevant at some point. See Cairhien&Andor in CoS. And bayond that, Moiraine&Siuan, later Rand and Egwene, bulk of AS by the virtue of their positions engage in plenty of politicking and intriguing which shape the political landscape of the series, however silly it usually comes off as.

wish more sci-fi would focus on the more personal aspects of life, yeah the scope and grand ideas are fun and all
but some of the most fun I've had in regards to scifi is in videogames just walking around housing areas or commercial centers

>>18738930
Count Zero by Gibson. It's cyberpunk but definitely spends time getting to know the locations.

>>18738930
Neon Harvest

>>18738222
No, but it's shit. It's written by someone who appears to have no life experience beyond a high school setting and an IQ of around 90. My workplace blows the intrigues in this book out of the water, and the setting is superficial and doesn't make sense.

>>18738520
The author is a lesbian jew.

>>18739015
Speaking of Gibson, I recently get hold of a copy of Idoru. Is it a standalone read, or do I need to read the other book(s) of the series to enjoy it?
As a recovering V-Tuber fan, the premise of this book seems pretty interesting and relevant

>>18739053
It’s pretty stand alone.

>>18738093
>Bros, what do we think about Cradle?
It's pretty fun. I like that it takes most xianxia tropes/mechanics and goes for more of a squad-based battle manga style plot/characterization than the usual masturbatory self-insert glorification model (not that Lindon doesn't get to be super special but it's a bit more balanced between him, Yerin and the others who in a usual xianxia would have been left behind long ago because they can't keep up with the insane cultivation speeds of the protagonist). Eithan is sometimes a bit too much but I have to admit I enjoy Dross as a comedic character too much.

There are some aspects I really don't like, like the perspective changes to the Abidan shit and how fast-paced/rushed the story is so you really don't get to enjoy developments like Lindon awakening sage powers or grand events like the tournament that should deserve more detail if they are so important.

>>18739067
Thanks! Hoping it explores the premise thoroughly. Last I read of Gibson (Neuromancer) didn't really grip me that much though it was a translated version, so I imagine lots of the prose was lost

>>18714474
Beware Of Chicken is possibly the best xianxia story written by a westerner.

>>18739053
Probably his 2nd best after the obvious

>>18736353
I think it's getting a translation, so you gotta find another meme, dude.

Yikes

>>18736871
here you go, anon

>>18739324
It releases next month. It's actually good so I'm not memeing.

Why was Kelmomas invisible to the gods and able to act independently?

>>18739962
Because he is the no god and gods cannot perceive the no god

Any good scifi (besides Reynolds) with some or all of the following?

>hard scifi
>distant future
>gothic horror elements
>space opera

Threadly reminder that people with bobs and vagine browse /sffg/. Use this information how you will.

>>18741023
Tranny "bobs" and tranny "vagine" maybe.

>>18732935
I hate that they are written in 1st person present

>>18734543
How has no one said the Gormenghast Trilogy yet?

Is this the best series of the past 20 years?

>>18741235
Yes

>>18741235
What’s so good about it?

>>18741370
Nothing. It's a meme.

What are the Heinlein essentials? I've already read Starship Troopers, Stranger in a Strange Place and The Moon is a Harsh Mistress.

>>18741235
MAGNA

>>18741409
time enough for love
to sail beyond the sunset

>>18741661
>son
Wincest?

>>18741588
CUM

Any good novels with a little girl protagonist?

>>18740636
But that was before he became the No-God.

>>18741661
Oh no, they have even more incest and polyamory, don't they?

How do you become a No-God if you are not a god already?

So, i got into books around march thanks to audible, why does every book that has more than 400-500 pages feel like it has way too much filler? I loved the Cradle series and all the Scalzi books i've listened until now, currently on The Martian and it's great, but whenever i try the big books like Eragon (suggested by a friend, don't bully pls) or The never hero trilogy everything seems to be excessively drawn out with nothing of relevance appening left and right.
Is it a common thing or i'm just an adhd autist?

>>18741739
by being Anasurimbor apparently

>>18741674
absolutely
>>18741733
absolutely

>>18741756
Thanks for the help, but I guess I'll read The Forever War instead. I want more of military sci-fi, power suits and stuff, not some weird depraved fetishes...

lol

Alright lads I need a rec.
Just finished the Dune saga and it was breddy gud but not every entry.
I fucking HATE sequels though and got meme'd to go the whole way.
Is there anything that is anything that is like Dune that is STAND ALONE?
Lots of imperialism, myth of the blood, martial/aristocratic, Nietzschean, big braned etc.
I already read Starship Troopers, so maybe something like that.

>>18741967
>Dune
Paul a fag and Irulan the best and hottest girl. That's all I know.

>>18741972
Aye anon, actually right. Why he didn't tap that Corrino ass is beyond me. Although I would rather have insane Alia desu. You KNOW she is demonic in the sack.

Damn Hyperion is pretty good. Should I bother with the rest of the books?

>>18742093
I consider the second one necessary, it is basically hyperion part 2. It is pretty good. Didn't read endymion. Got to the flying dolphin battle jetski part yet?

>>18741967
>Is there anything that is anything that is like Dune that is STAND ALONE?

No.

Not to Bakkerfag you but, The Second Apocalypse series is the closest I can think of as it is a kind of rebuttal of Dune.

Failing that Master of Mankind or some other 40k novel lol.

>>18742121
>rebuttal of Dune.
How so?

>>18742121
Why can't Bakkerfags read?

>>18737923
The first one was more funny than weird, and the second one was just pretty bog standard royalty stuff.

>>18742140
Because after you've read Bakker there's no point reading anything else.

>>18742131
Different views on what the culmination of humanity looks like, ultimately.
Basically in Dune humanity progresses while retaining its humanity, becoming ever more human, even, like a cup filling up with "Human-ness".
For Bakker what constitutes "humanity" or humanism is contingent on our very limited range of self-reflection which is mostly supported by unconscious heuristics forged through evolution and environmental pressure. So as the ability to map the world and the mind increases humanity, or humanism, has to necessarily give way to some other kind of model, one that might not be entirely pleasant.

>>18741726
>>18741739
What comes after determines what comes before. Bakker himself said in AMA that Kelmomas was always the No-God.

>>18742104
>Got to the flying dolphin battle jetski part yet?
kek no, I'm at the part of the soldier fighting the squids on space

>I was being greeted by a silent, smiling band of bald, retarded
children.
what Dann means by this

>>18742121
>>18742171
Interesting anon, thank you. I know nothing about Bakker same the memes, not even how to say his name. I am happy for the inverse of Dune, but I just want these basic kinds of aesthetics and feels. I don't want techno-optimism cultists like Asimov who I think have their heads in the clouds. The conclusion can be different but the style is what I like.

>>18742232
it gets wild anon.

are there people who still think GRRM will release more books before he dies?

>>18739053
The book that comes before, Virtual Light, kind of explains why Tokyo is the way it is, but it's not necessary at all.

>>18741719
Narnia. The Horse and his Boy even has the best kind of little girl, a delicious brown brat.

>>18741726
>>18741739
Because time does not exist on the Outside. By becoming something that the gods could not perceive, Kelmommyfag was therefore always beyond the sight of the gods.

>>18739749
THANK YOU!

>>18734543
try god's demon by wayne barlowe

>>18736620
this is why we were put in a containment thread

>>18736630
>Should I read Wheel of Time if I'm looking for something with a lot of political intrigue?
no
>Which book does the political intrigue becomes the focus (if any)?
asoiaf is the obvious one, but you've probably read that
hobb's assassin trilogy has some
under heaven by guy gavriel kay

>>18742093
You have to read the second. t's 50/50 weather you will like it or hate it. I loved it. Disliked the third and fourth.

>>18742748
>>18736830

>>18736300
>did I make the right choice starting with this

I've decided to torture myself by reading everything HH since it's starting to wind down and I want to see what I've missed since I owned a copy of Horus Rising and False Gods as a teen the day they released and couldn't sit my dumb ass to actually read like a normal human being. Right now I just finished Fallen Angels which I feel was pretty dang cool

The books after the fifth go all over the place narratively. You'll read Fulgrim, probably be a little interested in what happens next and then BAM Descent of Angels sideswipes you with a pre-Great Crusade story about techno-medieval knights wearing power armor, shooting guns, swinging chainswords and riding horses which is cool but it sucks that were drawn away from the whole actual Horus and his Heresy which we don't even get back to until Battle for the Abyss which is so godawfully boring I would say to skip it

The short stories in Tales of Heresy are filler but "After Desh'ea", "Wolf at the Door", "Blood Games" and "The Last Church" are good, the rest are trash

I was going to post in the writing general but I figure I'll get a more targeted feel here. In short, I'm looking at doing an anthology of shorter stories in the style of Asimov that revolve around the equivalent of a space garbage man. Turns out that taking out the trash can be complicated and dangerous. Plus it lets me show off worldbuilding in natural fashion as the MC goes from job to job.

Good idea or bad idea?

>>18738155
Murderbot.

>>18742631
Care to give a TLDR? Or does it spoil something in this book?

>>18742446
GRRM himself, probably. It's the mark of the procrastinator that he'll always keep lying to himself that, surely, tomorrow will be the day when he finally gets off his ass and has the breakthrough he needs. It isn't until the deadline stares him right in the face that he'll finally admit to himself he fucked up big time and it will all come crashing down even if he finally does get off his ass.

GRRM's problem is that he has no deadline anymore except for death itself. If death should come sudden for him, in the form of a stroke or heart attack, he'll delude himself about finishing ASOIAF - any day now! - right until his very last breath. Only if he is diagnosed with a terminal illness that leaves him with a little more time on earth will the realization hit him that he bungled his life's work during the final stretch.

>>18742446
>>18743505
Leave the old man be, Preston will finish it.

>>18742956
That depends entirely on your writing ability. If your stories are nothing but dry exposition I can't see why anybody but the terminally boring would want to read about garbage collection.

>>18743505
>Only if he is diagnosed with a terminal illness that leaves him with a little more time on earth will the realization hit him that he bungled his life's work during the final stretch.
It didn't help Jordan, granted he was by that point so bogged down in side plots and superfluous characters that even if he had 5 more years instead of the pittance he got it wouldn't have been enough.

>>18741661
If my mom was that hot, I would have been breeding her too.

>>18742446
Legitimately had a dream where he died and was buried in an unknown grave because someone told the press that he was buried with the last book and who won the throne, everyone went into a frenzy

>>18744054
we *know* who won the throne, bran.

>>18744021
I'd like to think I'm decent enough. Besides, many sci fi stories (especially space operas) can be simplified to normal stories/jobs/etc. told with a sci fi veneer.

Phonefags are back bitches

One thing I struggle with is how to make a fight scene feel like it's actually high stakes. If it's a fight to the death then I want it to feel that way. I want the reader to understand the fear and dread inherent to that. But they'll know I'm not going to kill off my protagonist, nor do I want to resort to that kind of gimmick. It is difficult.

>>18742956
Wait, I'm pretty sure I recently saw some anon shitposting about this exact premise eitehr here or in /a/ recently.
Can't find it in the arcives, but people mentioned Planetes as something that executes this premise really well. I'll try to find the posts

>>18744030
I didn't say it will help GRRM. Quite the opposite. Assuming he cares about his legacy, it would make his last months on Earth miserable. But the diagnosis did help Jordan, as I recall, because it at least allowed him to make the necessary arrangements for another author to finish his work. If Jordan had just dropped dead out of the blue, I'm not so sure we would have seen the ending. I also believe that Jordan would have finished WoT on his own if he had been granted GRRM's lifespan. During the 15 years he wrote on WoT, Jordan published eleven books (twelve if you count the prequel) at a consistent pace. He never slacked off, even when he knew that death was knocking on his door. He probably would have drawn the series out even more if he lived, added a couple more volumes. But he would have finished, because unlike GRRM he had discipline and work ethic. GRRM has been at it for 25 years now and less to show for it. Such is the unfairness of life. The man who worked tirelessly had his life cut short, while the man who has all the time he needs to finish what he started is just wasting it away.

>>18742956
>>18744337
Found it. It was in fucking /tg/
>>>/tg/80526628
People there seemed into this idea

>>18744337
I saw something similar on /tg/, including Planetes. That was what gave me the idea.
>>18744358
Ah you beat me too it.

>>18744262
What happened?

>>18744331
If you don't want to set up a decoy protagonist that you can kill off, you still have the option of showing fights from the perspective of the antagonists who can and often will die. At least that is the solution I have found for myself. It will result in your anatagonists turning into scrappy underdogs, though.

>>18744362
> fellow fa/tg/uy
My man. Good luck on your writing

>>18744391
>If you don't want to set up a decoy protagonist that you can kill off
That could work but I'd want him to die extremely early so that it doesn't feel like a GRRM ripoff.
>you still have the option of showing fights from the perspective of the antagonists who can and often will die.
A good idea as well.

>>18744409
GRRM didn't invent the decoy protagonist and most likely ripped the idea off himself. Don't worry too much about it. If your decoy isn't bootleg Ned then it's perfectly fair game.

>>18744433
>GRRM didn't invent the decoy protagonist and most likely ripped the idea off himself.
Oh I know. But I feel like that's what the modern reader would think of.

>>18744401
Thanks! I'm mostly doing this new novel(la) thing so that I can combine it with my other short stories and try querying a publisher. Right now I don't have enough for a full book like most want. But anyways, what matters to this thread is that I'm hoping the initial premise isn't going to turn people off.

Speaking of decoy protagonists, this >>18736353 is a great example, though it's not thread related. The decoy protagonist (a high school student of course) is murdered by the actual protagonist at the end of the first chapter.

>>18744479
Japanese fictions are accepted here.

>>18744513
It's a VN though.

>>18744376
I can post on readchan

>>18744513
No they aren't.

>>18744526
Still accepted here.

>>18739324
>>18739933
Do the translators have a website or something I can follow for the release or should I just patiently wait until it's spammed on /a/?

>>18744781
It has an official release on August 24 from JAST. Here's their website and their Twitter account where they post updates.
https://jastusa.com/
https://twitter.com/jastusa
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uH_lYc9HzpU

>>18744740
I'm not sure what sort of sffg authority you purport to be, but we didn't elect you. Anime shit belongs in /a/ and /jp/

>>18744807
And you can fuck off.

>>18744812
You need to god back
>>>/a/

>>18744859
Nah, he’s right, fuck off. We don’t need this retarded argument again like last time.

>>18744866
>>18744812
Samefagging so much.
Stop looking for (you)s.
Anime shit will be deleted.
Last Reply.

>>18744878
Not those anons, but you need to fuck off already. We had this argument a few months ago and its accepted here.

>>18744889
it really isn't, games are not books, no matter how many words they have.

I have an extremely fucked up attention span. What's some addicting fantasy or scifi book that gets to the point?

>>18740940
>>18740940
>quantum thief
Everything but gothic horror
>delta-v by daniel souza
hard scifi

>>18744902
Visual novels are still novels. Deal with it.

>>18745125
Why don't you just read short stories?

>>18745156
You're implying he reads at all.

>>18745172
/lit/ doesn’t read books.

>>18745125
Take your meds.

>>18745125
Murderbot
Annihilation
I, Robot

>>18744798
That's sweet.

>>18744262
They never left, idiot.

Is Gentleman Bastards any good?

>>18745263
Read it and find out.

>>18745263
Just read it.

>>18745263
Can't you read reviews online?

>>18745263
Anon, just read it. Why are you asking us?

>>18745242
>>Annihilation
which one?

>>18745295
Whichever you want?

Thoughts on the John Carter series?

>>18745305
Never read it

>>18745305
Who?

>>18745305
Meh, there’s better series out there.

new thread
>>18745335

>>18745263
Yes. First book is one of the best fantasy books I've ever read. Book two I found way weaker than the first, but still pretty solid. Book 3 is in theory worse than book 2, but I enjoyed it more than it's predecessor. Overall, pretty good.

>>18745396
Thank you for giving me a real answer

>>18745401
You're welcome. But yeah, read it,Ii cant recommend it enough if you found the premise at least interesting.