/lit/ - Literature

Daily reminder to start with The Darkness that Comes Before by R. Scott Bakker.

Otherwise you will miss on a lot of what’s going on here.

Ignore the tranny haters and scat spammers. Those people have not read the books and got filtered by the prose.

Ignore this dude. Read something good instead.

why do people always refer to le guin by her full name? i always see it in these threads, don't know if it's an inside joke or that they are shilling her and want people to know the full name or what

>>18845494
Based.

>>18845509
Who are you talking about?

>>18845544
Says it right there in that post, the author of Guin Saga

I know some of you fags read xianxia, why do you do it?

>>18845494
I just started reading this am I’m having a blast.

>>18845489
It took a white man to make Xianxia good.

>he doesn’t care about prose
NGMI

>>18845866
prose in books is arguably like graphics in videogames

>>18845550
Why read western anything once you’ve read the classics? I don’t want to read about mutt adventures in some mixed race shithole...

>>18845509
Her name isn't very search engine friendly.

>>18845939
No, not really.

>>18845973
what do you mean? she is every single result

>>18845939
Graphics are important.

>>18846009
Less important than anything else

>>18845957
Europoor or Chink?

>>18846058
I don’t play video games, but I would argue that the prose of a book can be equated to a mixture of Graphics and remote controls (i.e. feeling and responsiveness). Which is what prose actually is, a great medium to deliver a good story. Seldom will you find good prose without a good story.

>>18846084
>Seldom will you find good prose without a good story.
Highly subjective, but something like Hannu Rajaniemi's books. Imaginative science, neat prose, but absolutely basic-ass plotting

What made you read Bakker?

For me it was certainly this review:
https://youtu.be/exDVJXYEFSM

>>18846107
I will literally buy every book that she says not to read. It has been working great overall.

>>18846058
Then why haven’t you published anything yet? Sounds like a cope to me.

Saying that prose doesn’t matter is like saying that modern art is great.

>>18846153
This.

Proselets BTFO!

Whats a good philip k dick novel?

>>18846139
????????

>>18846107
She’s still seething in the comments.

>>18846171
Electric sheep
I feel like contemporary sci-fi and fantasy has eschewed the satirical approach PKD had

>>18846171
Seconding sheep

>>18846107
How can you listen to that thing for more than 30 seconds?

Why does the wheel of time have so much pointless nudity? I love it can I get some recs for this sort of thing. Ritual nudity and enf is based.

>>18846635
Roberto Jordano was a perverto.

>>18846647
Yeah it's clear he is heavily into femdom. It actually explains a lot of his writing.

>>18846698
Too bad he’s a terrible writer.

>>18845777
it still isnt good.

>>18846760
True... shame it's such a niche fetish barely any authors put it in books.

>>18846815
Reading R.A. Salvatore's descriptions of Drow society as a young man was important to me

Is a song of ice and fire worth starting knowing it will never be finished and martin published his last book?

>>18846826
It's still an enjoyable read.

>>18845550
Cultivation Fantasy is highly entertaining. When you grew up on "Harry Potter Magic" then suddenly a Chinese world of brutal sect warfare and magical systems unlike anything in Western fantasy becomes very engaging.

>>18846826
I don’t mind reading unfinished works, I’m not a man-child.

>>18846836
Yeah, but after being trough disappointed with dune's "ending" I really don't feel like getting into a huge saga just to leave it completely open ended.
If the books are more and less self contained that can be overlooked, but if they are trying to tell a story that would work just as well as a single huge book then it's a different matter.

>>18846858
Then don't read them. Read the Dunk & Egg stories instead, they share the same setting.

>>18846847
Only the first few series or so. After that you start to notice the absolute lack of originality in the writing as a whole.
There is a mount hua sect in at least 4/5 of the novels I have read, for example. They didn't even bother to fucking rename the groups for fucks sake.

>saw somebody selling an edition of The Last Continent: New Tales of Zothique on ebay for $50
>"Meh whatever"
>months later realize that book is super rare and the cheapest physical copies are about $500
fucking hell why the fuck didn't I buy that shit

>>18846107
Someone should suggest Gor books to her. Just for kicks.

>>18846107
She actually does a really good job of selling the book without intending to, I'm surprised.

>>18845509
Yeah 4chins is prime ground for viral marketing, but I doubt that old bitch knows that. It could be a very dedicated fan though.

>>18845489
>Book Club
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22816087-seveneves

18 weds: part 1
22 sun: part 2
26 thurs: part 3

>>18845957
Based.
>>18846073
It could very well be a deluded American who still can't process that he also is a mutt.

>>18846873
I know almost nothing about chinks, but I'm assuming that the same as with "nips ripping off Susanoo from Naruto" in reality they are all just referencing some myth/legend/famous classical story from their culture. Next you will claim that every story with elves is bad.

>>18847042
If that were the extent of it that would be fine, but they use the same or very similar cultivation system items and -even more agregious- character, tho they at least change the names. It like you are reading the same story over and over again, less like having elves in your story but being eye of the world to tolkien's story, but with the one ring and mordor still being called mordor, and the same magic system.

Has sffg taken the Malazan-pill yet?

>>18847065
Yeah I'm not saying the average cultivation story is good (I haven't read enough to claim that it's true for every single one). But referencing their culture isn't the problem, copy-paste characters and formulaic stories are the problem.

>>18847071
I can only imagine how annoying it would be to have to wait for the next installment of Deadhouse Gates.

>>18847071
Malazan is not bad. It’s not amazing either. I enjoyed it nonetheless.

>>18846003
I mean vatnik libraries and DCC bots where most of us get our epubs, not Amazon.

Is Throne of Glass the best?

>>18847377
I believe that the iron throne is sturdier.

>>18845939
If you're going to make such a dumb analogy, then prose is more like the code that actually allows there to be a videogame to play. Prose is the means by which the author communicates their ideas and story. There is no story without prose. Just because some writers suck at it, doesn't make it any less essential.

>>18845494
>got filtered by the prose
Does Bakker actually filter people like that? I'm not a native English speaker and I met zero issues reading him.
Wolfe on other hard was fucking brutal. I managed to finish Book of the New Sun but it required extreme concentration and I feel that way too much still went over my head.

>>18847071
It's a pretty mediocre series. It's only claim to fame in speculative fiction circles appears to be its ability to confuse brainlets, but not too much. It gives a chance for stubborn and insecure idiots that usually only read really basic YA (e.g. Sanderson) to stumble along forcing themselves to finish it all, just so they can pat themselves on the back for being able to complete a series of books that didn't just info dump exposition at them constantly. You know, the kind of dorks that unironically parrot "it doesn't hold your hand" as if that isn't something most competently written books do all the time. I can't quite put my finger on whether it's more of useful a litmus test for identifying idiots based on their reactions to it, or a dire indictment of the general state of fantasy as a genre if something so middling manages to stand at the top of it as something noteworthy.

Now that eva is finished i already miss it recommend me a series with the some themes

I don’t know but I’m pretty disappointed in fantasy so far.
Wolfe and Vance are good, Tolkien is alright, Gaiman comes somewhat close I guess but it’s like he doesn’t dare to go into the deep. If I had read more I could probably mention more.
So much of fantasy in my mind is either just a Tolkien rip off or some generic world with glimpses of dream elements like asoiaf and whatever else surrounded in boring elements. Considering these are books, I expected people putting the most amazing things on paper but so much of it is generic or some boring, ego? fest around modern identity or some soulless isekai story. I’m not sure what to call it. And I don’t understand what people see in some of these known fantasy stories reading 1000 pages of another asoiaf or Sanderson book. Filling their book shelves with works like them.
Hell reflecting on this I’d actually put Harry Potter somewhat high, even if it’s a nonsensical and inconsistent kids story, Rowling at least uses her imagination a lot and adds a lot of fun elements.
I see people online obsess over magic systems? Cardboard characters and super generic world building around the complexity of the goblin caves economic system or something.
Sorry for the rant, I just want to know if I was simply filtered or not.
I wanted stuff like pic related, what I got was a jumping human with long ears killing everyone with a knife as they battle the evil king of evil with half the book fleshing out the fantasy monster cooking system of the story because the human was once a chef at an inn where he met the most wonderful girl but actually the girl is the evil king and he also plays the flute and there are goblins but in this story they are good. Why?

>>18847519
>Does Bakker actually filter people like that?
Go on Goodreads and see for yourself. Some of them aren’t even ESLs.

>>18847757
You should seriously consider reading Bakker. It’s part of the mandatory canon. Start with the Darkness That Comber Before.

>>18847757
I just read it because it helps me fall asleep, but yeah Wolfe and tolkien are the only authors worth anything

>>18847757
And my picture doesn’t really give the feeling of what I mean. Here’s another one, but still. Just an actually fantas-tic, mysterious and dreamy world.

>>18847757
Oh and don't fall for the Bakker meme

>>18847820
Why?

>>18847757
>hasn’t read Bakker

>>18847757
I know that feeling; after you've read all the big names, fantasy becomes really stale; especially the newer stuff. At that point you're better off writing your own stuff; that's what I (and I'm sure there are plenty others too) am doing

>>18847757
>Wolfe and Vance are good, Tolkien is alright,
you might have unironically just be filtered.

>>18847757
Try reading Guy Gavriel Kay, he's severely underrated here and doesn't get much love.

>>18847832
Because almost every fantasy book I’ve read afterwards felt like shit in comparison.

>>18847757
>>18847863
Also, read either Tigana or The Lions of Al-Rassan. Both are equally good starts.

>>18847846
Yeah considering it, most of my amateur short writing goes into surrealism either way
>>18847863
What book do you recommend by him

>>18847757
Since you are clearly aware of Bakker, but chose to leave him out of your rant, my only question for you is: why?

>>18847952
I haven’t been visiting /lit/ for about a year, and I never visited sffg. All that I know about Bakker is that one recent wojak spammer.

>>18847949
>What book do you recommend by him
Tigana or The Lions of Al-Rassan. There's also the Sarantine Mosaic which is a great read as well.

>>18847952
>>18847980
Bakker is a literal p-zombie. Every non-trivial take he has is some stupid anglo hylic shit. Firmly in the midwit zone.

>>18847995
I will be the judge of that.

>>18847980
Buckle up buckaroo.

>>18848010
Enjoy reading about how you are actually not conscious

>>18848016
Cute that you’re trying to dissuade me from reading some random author.

>>18848028
You are not the center of the world, man. I was giving an opinion about a fanatsy writer in a fantasy thread. Did your parents not give you rnough attention when you were growing up?

>>18847980
Bakker is the most controversial author in /sffg/. Whether you love him or hate him, you are simply missing out on what is arguably one of the most seethe inducing fantasy writers in modern fantasy.

>>18848038
Didn’t ask.

>>18848044
>implying there are things to miss out on in modern fanatsy

>>18848055
>on in

>>18848054
Then gtfo

>>18848054
>>18848028
Based.

>>18848038
>>18848060
Based.

>>18847570
tldr read bakker.

>>18848038
>rnough
Did your parents not teach you how to write?

>>18848058
>>18848089
>>>/reddit/

>>18848078
We accept your defeat.

Bakker bros there are too many series being mentioned in this thread. We need to do something about this.

>>18848099
>We

>>18848089
>>18848058
Proselets BTFO!

>>18848108
Yes.

>imaging seething over what others choose to read
Yikes!

Another thread for the Bakker chads.

Alright, lads. I’m doing it! Just ordered “The Darkness That Comes Before” to see what the fuss is all about. Anything I should be aware of going in?

>>18847757
Seconding Guy Gavriel Kay

>>18848156
Bakkerbros, why is anagogic sorcery so much cooler than the gnosis? The allegories are much more interesting than bright lights.

>>18848169
All you need to know is that if you like it, you're a bakker chad. One of us. If you don't like it, you've been massively filtered. I hope it's the former future bakker bro.

>>18848014
>>18848156
Based.
>>18848169
Go in with an open mind. It can be quite confusing at the start.
>>18848180
I wish we got to see more of it. In insight, it’s funny that Akka was afraid of the Scarlet Spires.

>>18848169
Keep a tab on how often Bakker mentions "armpits." It might come up later ;)

So recently, in this thread and in that other horror thread, there's been a lot of talk about CA Smith's work. I looked into some modern print editions of his work and a.) they're very expensive and b.) they are fuck ass ugly; I'm sorry but those covers are horrible.
Now, a large majority of CA Smith's stuff is in the public domain, specifically all of his stories that were published in the Weird Tales magazines; apparently he has a literary estate but they only hold the rights to some of his more obscure stuff.
What's stopping me from taking some of his original Weird Tales stories, formatting them really prettily (I have a large interest and some knowledge in typesetting and bookformatting and can use LaTeX fairly well), giving them some decent covers, and making them available as print-on-demand on Lulu??? The main draw is that it would be a scholarly reference volume: restrained, elegant, simple but well-designed, no weird fonts like those Del-Ray reprints of the Conan stories or Tor's reprint of Shadow and Claw; something more similar to The Collected Works of Plato (pic rel), but for CA Smith's stuff and maybe some of the other old school authors whose works are in the public domain (like RE Howard's Conan stuff). It would most likely say on the cover something like "The Selected Stories of Clark Ashton Smith" with a small biography and a picture of him on the back cover.
On lulu, a 600 page 6x9 paperback with a glossy cover and cream-colored paper is only $14 (already $3 cheaper than the Night Shade reprints), and If I lower the price to the point so that I don't make any profits and add some coupons, I can probably get it to $11. I'm only thinking about doing this so I have a nice affordable physical copy for reference on my shelves but I can make it publicly available if any other anons would be interested. Thoughts?

>>18848365
TL;DR

>>18848387
would you be interested in a well-designed, affordable, scholarly paperback edition of Clark Ashton Smith's weird tale stories? I'm thinking about making some available on Lulu (I'd make no profits from it)

>>18848396
no

>>18845777
house of blades was god awful, every character has the same quippy 'i have to have the last word in every conversation and nothing can be taken seriously' personality. not to mention the lol so quirky 'he has a doll collection and talks to them' cringe. can't imagine this guy writing anything worth reading, imagine the archetypal redditor that has only every watched marvel movies and then wrote a book, dude makes sandersons look like tolkien

>>18848396
Is that legal?

>>18848423
see >>18848365
basically, some of his stories that were published in Weird Tales magazines are in the public domain (same thing with all of the original Conan the Barbarian stories); so yes, It is legal for me to compile them into a volume and sell them; people are already doing this, type "Clark Ashton Smith" into the Amazon search bar and look at all the self-published garbage that comes up.
Note that I'm not doing this for personal profit, I'd be doing this because I personally want a nice edition of his stories and I have the skills to do it; I was just seeing if any other anons would be interested too

>>18848411
>dude makes sandersons look like tolkien
Kek

>>18848387
read bakker.

To whoever recommended me Sanderson: Go Fuck Yourself.

>>18847071
it was popular here a few years back before everyone took the Bakker pill, these generals seem to have waves of popularity as people read what someone suggested then everyone parrots till the next wave roles through. feels like a less gritty black company with more world building, i've only read the main 10 book series and i keep meaning to get the others

>>18848497
As someone who likes Bakker, I’m actually surprised that his popularity doesn’t seem to disappear, especially here. And that’s not necessarily a good thing.

>>18848516
he's pretty edgy and most fantasy these days is pozzed, his popularity is a much a fuck you to the powers that be as it is good in its own right. but yeah spamming is never good, i myself have had to resist the urge to repeatedly post the same series over and over just because it was the last good thing i read

>>18848556
Fuck you. This is a bakker general.

>>18848556
I’m ready to give up on fantasy altogether. I’m not really a sci-fi guy, but I’m tempted to check some of the classics out.

just finished the 2nd and its pretty meh but not terrible, nice to see a rouge character thats actually an asshole for once also its pretty clear the author has read fafhrd and the gray mouser

>>18848560
fuck you i'm already part of the fold, brother.

>>18848569
>sci-fi
check out
the culture series
star ship troopers
forever war
moon is a harsh mistress
mote in god's eye
lucifers hammer
rendezvous with rama

>>18846847
>Cultivation Fantasy is highly entertaining
Not really for the right reasons, anon.

I got tired of reading and I wanted to take a break... less than 2 days latter I am aching to read more even tho I "don't want to".
What kind of curse is this? Have I become depend on reading? I want to play game and watch movies but I just don't have time, when I get absorbed in a book I have little free time for anything else besides finishing it.

>>18848649
Better that way. Most Films and video games are an insult to anyone’s intelligence.

>>18848676
To be fair I have tried reading some recently published fantasy and I wouldn't call it mentally intriguing by any measure.

>>18848703
Read fiction, unironically. It took me a long time to realise that the best fantasy is under the fiction label.

Page 150 of Bakker.
When do the anime battles start? So far its just Game of Thrones: Islamic Isles DLC
The Emprah guy is funny I like him

>>18848648
Not going to lie, but that's kinda funny. Also, nice for the Chinese to revere McDonalds.

>>18848767
this isn't sanderson. the action is all mind games and manipulation with the occasional dickgirl & cucking

>>18848767
Second half.

>>18848767
Page 159

>>18848778
With how many retards we get here I could almost believe that it isn't a bait, but you were just a bit too obvious.

Is William Gibson /lit/?

>>18849026
>He doesn't want to read a story about fastfood
Pathetic. Go back to whatever european country you're from.

>>18849037
Now that's more like it. An admirable effort, this could be believable if weren't already onto you I could believe that you managed to misunderstand what I meant.

Someone pointed me to this general to shill my book, Arcadia's Reach. It's pretty much inspired by anime and Avatar The Last Airbender but I worked on it over the course of 7 years and pretty much avoided reading books because I just detested literature. But I detested basic bitch ass Isekai shit so much that I avoided trite, tropey bullshit as much as I could help it. It's a world where a giant fantasy world with demigods got split up, one grew up with magic and the other is pretty much an alternate earth, and they both recombined. Story takes place 100 years afterwards.

>50 unique characters, every person in-universe has super strength and magical powers
>35 chapters
>688 pages physical
>I think it was 200k words
>Juggles between ultra-serious and comedy, at least I tried to add some levity after serious conflicts
>Dumb anime action that also takes it self seriously enough to make all the characters human but also routinely has ball-busting as a combat tactic

It's on Amazon Kindle because it was the easiest option

>>18849053
Didn’t ask.

>>18849053
>This post is advertising or begging.

>>18849053
This sounds absolutely terrible.

>>18849053
>>>/a/

>>18849034
Yes, how is this a question.

>>18849053
Is this free?

>>18849053
*spits on you and reads Bakker*

>>18849095
It was for a bit but that time's past. Amazon won't let me do it for another three months.

>>18849053
>Mexican

Say what you want but we walk the fine line between based and unbased routinely. Untouchable by the white man and colored folk.

>It's got Arcadians, the human demigods
>Advanced technology
>A magic system with technical depth
>Important shit that happens in backstories and with what's actually happening in the present
>Gets real gritty but doesn't wallow in grimdark shit
>Magic academy setting with college aged characters and staff members with little patience for anime pettiness
>Bloodthirsty motherfuckers who know they have to take matters into their own hands for real change.

I don't even read books, but I hope this appeals to casual normies and dedicated literature readers. I've come to see books as a pretty based medium even though I learned English and how to write so I could make a quick buck

>>18849108
The sample on Amazon is like 4 chapters, if any anon's curious about seeing if I'm a hack or schizo who's onto something.

Now that I think about it, some anon asshole told me to post here so I could get fucking banned lmao

>>18849129
You have to go back.

>>18849154
I-I'm sorry massa. I didn't mean no harm

>>18849053
>>18849108
>>18849129
This entire segment has been fucking hilarious. Thank you, this general needed some humour.

>>18849161
lmao. As long as my utter troglodyte-ness can at least brighten up one person's day, then I unironically feel better

I could probably post up a majority of it up somewhere if someone knows a good site

>>18849173
I don’t know what David did to you for you to mock him thus, but do tell him that his prose is not very good.

>>18847096
>But referencing their culture isn't the problem, copy-paste characters and formulaic stories are the problem.
Anon, that's literally a Chinese culture problem. They do the same blind copying in literally everything else from aerospace to architecture to politics.

>>18849192
It's what happens when I avoided reading so much. I am starting to get in the habit of actually reading. I got the first 3 books of the wheel of time, Shogun by James Clavelle, and a bunch of other shit that I'll sit down to read before I even attempt another book.

>>18847757
Read Lovecraft and extended mythos stuff then. It's at least different.

>>18849129
>>18849053
Here's 24/35 Chapters. If anyone wants to see what absolute dogshit a book can be if an author writes without reading books, then it's at least a good example for curious/broke anons to see what not to fucking do

You don't make pizzas by studying what each ingredient is and how that affects the flavor profile while exclusively eating calzones, spaghetti, and ravioli
https://mega(dot)nz/file/LwlSxRAL#jqtRDIINrGuIlHnO3F63aJOP79Xf5cTuGcJ5bCGGrg4

I always knew you people didn’t actually read.

>>18849369
It's no surprise when they literally avoid book recommendations from other people. This spic shill isn't helping shit

>>18849369
I read Dragon Ball

>>18849384
Based as fuck. Literary autistic are the real retards for taking shit so seriously

>>18849311
Another sample page where the more serious shit happens

Any books with straight anal sex?

I fucking love anal.

>>18849500

>Mobile

Like 90% of this book was written on my phone with google drive. The rest I did get a laptop for and reworked it with about 8 drafts. Most of it was written as I went, pretty much all improv on paper or in my brain

Schizo hours.

>>18849500
>>18849541
No o e is going to buy your shit book.

>>18848784
>occasional dickgirl
How occasional are we talking?

>>18849594
Once involving sex, twice if you count every instance.

>>18849560
I know, it's better they wait until I start shitting out the sequels so I can make this one free

>>18849603
>when you're snogging your mum and she gets an erection

>>18849615
Bakker truly is something else. I hope he is doing alright.

>>18849626
any word on if he's found a publisher for the 3rd series, i heard he was dropped probably for being to edgy

>>18849633
He’s fucked. Especially in the current “me too” era. He either gets a TV deal or we will probably never see the sequels, unless he self-publishes, which I highly doubt.

>>18849391
Good to know there's others as well.

>>18849666
Based mangachad. Umineko reader too, the VN and manga. Novels are for fart-smelling queers.

>>18849789
>Umineko
Patrician taste.

>>18849815
The world can learn a lot from Chaddler's utter baffoonery.

How is the Solomon Kane series? The premise seems interesting but I don't know where to begin

>>18849845
I'm trying to remember that one VN that's either coming out this month or the next.

>>18849868
Ciconia When They Cry? I haven't consumed much VNs aside from Va11-Halla, Ace Attorney, Danganronpa, 999, and Higurashi.

>>18849875
>Ciconia When They Cry?
No, but thanks for reminding me of that, also

>Va11-Halla
Such an underrated game.

>>18849882
Based

It's what made me decide, "Fuck it, I'll just shamelessly rip it off for chapter 1" and decided to just write a novel because it was the easiest way of making a story.

Visual Novels and other media are based as fuck, Va11-Halla especially for making people talking at a bar interesting

Even Disco Elysium surprised me. Thought it was just communist propoganda but the schizo shit that happens in it is fucking fun, especially with max stats hacked save to just have the full voices in my head experience

>>18849384
Based as fuck. Also Gohan is the best character.

>>18849603
Mmmm how much of a faggot am I for only being interested in reading Bakker after finding out he includes dickgirls in his books

>>18849929
A huge one, but dickgirls fucking make me diamonds so it's all in the eye of the beholder

>>18845489
Goddamnit I fucking hate Sanderson. Nothing is more fucking frustrating then actually being interested in a current plot line and then him giving me fucking blue balls every chapter. Like bro, I don’t give a singular fuck what these random ass side characters are doing that you’re telling me about to world build. I’m about 30 seconds from just straight up dropping this shitty series and never coming back to it.

>>18848365
make it lad. the modern editions of CAS's work are shit, i collect the old ones but one huge book of his work would be based

>>18849916
Got dealt a shitty hand by having Goku as a dad but got won the lottery by training with Piccolo

>>18849866
solomon kane is based, as good if not better than conan imo, get the del ray collection

>>18849942
I figured, but I’m a fucking freak and I accept that.

>>18848767
>Game of Thrones: Islamic Isles DLC
?

>>18849976
Cumming buckets is the best, doesn't even matter what some poltard thinks.

>>18849966
At the very least he got good moments and his transformation to Super Saiyan 2 is kino.

https://youtu.be/iFPmUc34JNk

>>18850021
Pure, unadulterated kino.

That Broly movie was pretty damn good too

>>18847071
from top left to right

ganoes paran
the adjunct
no idea
felisin
quick ben
no idea
no idea

Post the worst series you've read to completion in the last few years

>>18850137

>>18850137
I've long learnt to control my autism and just drop books that are bad so it wasn't actually all that bad, but The First Law, I guess.

FINISH THE BOOKS YOU FAT FUCKING HACK AAAAAAAAAAH

>>18846171
Ubik

Help! I can't stop comparing every sci fi book I read to the perfection that is this trilogy. The only thing on the same level is the Hyperion Cantos.

>>18850210
Westeros is a poor reimaging of Europe

>>18850210
Give up on it.

>>18850397
No it isn't.

So is this stuff worth reading or should I read some classics first

>>18849633
he was dropped because he's insufferable to work with. he has an ego the size of quebec, and a personality to go along with the worst of them. he refused to meaningfully edit the aspect-emperor series, wastes years and thousands of dollars in delays and plot dead-ends, ends up copying/pasting things from his earlier books and changing up some of the words with a thesaurus. then proceeds to try to mainline cannibal holocaust into the series and acts offended that it's not a commercial success.

then he basically hides away teaching community college because he can't finish his fucking phD, periodically masturbates while screeching about drumpf on his disastrous blog, and to top it all off, likely got addicted to painkillers for a time.

so yeah, he definitely got dropped for being "too edgy"

>>18850210
Unironically a good book though, you should read it.

Which should I read next?

Red Rising

First Law

Realm of the Elderlings


Probably going to read all 3 at some point but not sure what to go with next

>>18850454
Red Rising

Is that one creepy obsessed grishaverse anon still around? I want to laugh at him.

Just finished Titus groan. It was not what I expected, but it was moderately enjoyable. Are the next two books in the trilogy better? I'm deciding whether to start gormemghast or book 2 of the prince of nothing trilogy.

>>18850532
start gormemghast

>>18845509
I always shill my favourite author, Jack Vance, with his full name

>>18850532
I found Gormenghast a lot better. Don't bother with the third book.

>>18850536
>>18850566
Ok I'll start gormenghast. I'm surprised to hear the third book isn't worth it. Can you say why without spoiling anything?

>>18850397
Europe is a poor reimagining of Europe.

>>18850575
The setting is radically different and a lot of the charm of the first two comes from the setting.

Recommend me more LGBT free modernish fantasy novels/series

>>18850615
Yeah, go to reddit.

Is that a troll? That's where I'm trying to escape from, every 2nd reddit post on /r fantasy is 'more lgbt books, more women authors, more muslim paraplegic authors, why are male authors always so *inset pejorative*, I'm trying to escape from that

>>18850615
Unironically Bakker since there is no LGBT gay there, only gachimuchi gay.

>>18845489
That mega needs to be in the sticky.

>>18850615
Dragon ball.

>>18850688
General Blue is gay

>>18850701
And it’s portrayed as a bad thing and gets killed because of it.

>>18850703
Nice deflect but it's still present so no cigar

>>18850701
You mean the guy that’s in like ten or so chapters and gets killed shortly afterwards?

>>18850735
Another nice deflect but it's STILL present in the story.

>>18850738
Yeah, as a gag and nothing more. How can anyone in the right state of mind say shit like Dragon Ball is LGBT friendly for that shit.

>>18850755
>friendly
Yet another deflect. What was requested was LGBT FREE material.

>>18850761
And I gave you one, since literally ever major character is straight and has no lgbt influence.

>>18850509
No, I think he left.

>>18850768
How is this so hard for you to understand? The character is gay, therefore the story is not FREE of gays. Stop trying to defend it.

>>18850210
The guy had like a decade and he still hasn’t finished.

>>18850789
And gets killed and leaves no impact whatsoever.

Is there an actual reason why Martin won’t finish his series? Someone one said it’s due to him killing off a character that turned out to be important later on.

>>18850837
He just don't fucking want to do it, probably burnt out of it so he gave major plot points to people making TV series and fucked off.
As of dead characters, he could just asspull them if he wanted them so much.

>>18850845
>As of dead characters, he could just asspull them if he wanted them so much.
From what I remember he killed the character tee in the first three books so he can’t asspull

>>18850837
>Is there an actual reason why Martin won’t finish his series?
Yes; he became so reliant on GOTTA SUBVERT DEM EXPECTATIONS that he literally ran out of subversions that would actually surprise his readers. He knows he can't simply wrap everything up the way the average non-subversive writer would and his series is so popular that plenty of fans have probably come up with better subversive endings than he himself has thought of. He's basically painted himself into a corner by focusing so much on subversion; which wouldn't have been a problem if he had mapped out his entire overarching story beforehand, but it's clear he started winging it some time after book 3.

>>18850876
Try as early as book 2. He had to fuck over the Starks and Stannis just so the Lannister could win through bullshit reasons.

>>18850646
I don't mind reading women or LGBT or anything, but the current trend of essentialism irks me. Author is black? Write African fantasy.
>but I'm not African
Okay, you can do slavery fantasy instead.

Would love of adventure rather than a reluctance towards it be a good deviation from the hero cycle?

>>18850918
Imaro is good

I actually wouldn't mind good African based fantasy, or even female authors or authors of any race, I just don't want to read anything so clearly filled with what is the current modern political climate, I'd almost rather read a translated story from another culture rather than some 3rd generation 'white people and straight people bad I'm a minority'

>>18850928
>t. someone who has never read adventure fiction

>>18850928
Rise of the Ranger

>>18850941
I've only read the first Imaro book (since it's the only one that has been digitized), but it was written in the 70s/early 80s or so and is completely free of woke nonsense.

>>18850941
This. I’d love a Polynesian/Samoan/Hawaiian fantasy setting with tikis and shamans and tropical islands/jungles and stuff. No IdPol garbage just a pacific island type setting.

>>18850930
Not saying they aren't allowed to do it, just that the exception is rare. More of a /tg/ thing, but I like how Mike Pondsmith's oeuvre has nothing that would overtly categorize him as a black author.

>>18850814
Why are you doubling down on your idiocy? It's not free of gays

>>18850959
Okay I'll do that

Exactly, its like yeah I do want to read some Chinese authors take on fantasy, some african's take on it, some islander take on it, what I don't want is any of this garbage you will spew into it.

>>18850968
>Won’t read a series because of one arc that isn’t even long to begin with

Stop trolling, lgbt free really just means lgbt agenda free, no one cares if there is some gay guy gag, its like with a crossdresser, its fine when its clearly meant to be some sort of negative or joke

>>18850978
>what I don't want is any of this garbage you will spew into it.
That's more of a western problem.

Yeah exactly, which is why if I want a Chinese take on fantasy for example I'd be much more keen on a Chinese national author rather than some 3rd generation chinese immigrant from the US

There is a gay character in the lore of the world I’ve been working on but he was a king from a long time ago who wasn’t very well liked because of his vice and degeneracy and is portrayed as a Caligula-type character.

>>18850999
There's Xianxia.

>>18851005
Is he important in any way?

>>18847155
>searching by author instead of by title to download an epub
what the fuck man

>>18850959
I think the problem is that most modern fantasy writers simply want to write derivative 'epic fantasy' with a generic medieval setting since it's easier to draw from something historical that has pretty good documentation. A setting specifically like yours would work best in a Sword & Sorcery structure (short stories based around single adventures). Of course the vast majority of modern fantasy writers don't want to write S&S and they especially don't want to write short stories since there's almost no market anymore for it.

>>18851015
Not to the narrative, no.

>>18851007
Wouldn't wuxia be better if you want power levels approaching the majority of Western fantasy?

>>18851019
>Of course the vast majority of modern fantasy writers don't want to write S&S and they especially don't want to write short stories since there's almost no market anymore for it.
I hate the fact that the niche market is often ignored.

Reminder that the best Japanese fantasy work has a translation being released next week.

>>18851031
Small publishers exist for it, I’ve seen a few take stories from royal road. So there’s that.

>>18851032
link to the site so I can preorder.

>>18851049
They don't have a page set up for it on their store yet, but you can buy it here once it releases on the 24th
https://jastusa.com/
Here's an information page about the game
https://press.jastusa.com/full-metal-daemon-muramasa

>>18851069
Thanks

>>18851032
Sell me on it. You shill this yet I know nothing of it.

>>18851098
The game is rooted in traditional warrior philosophy and packed full of action, drama, and humor, this epic visual novel is an experience you'll never forget.

>>18851098
I linked a page with a plot summary here >>18851069. It's a dark fantasy VN set in fully realized alternate history shogunate Japan (called Yamato) in which people possess supernatural sentient armor suits created from living souls. It's written by an IRL expert swordsman and contains detailed descriptions of kenjutsu in fights. It's hard to go too much into the plot without spoiling things, but it's also a philosophical story exploring the themes of justice and vengeance and the author's novel ethical philosophy of the counterbalance of good and evil. Really it's just the best VN.

>>18848365
I would be very pleased to have an anthology of his works, keep us updated if you go through with it.

>>18851128
Okay, but how does that differentiate itself from other VN?

>>18851142
I think most of the things I just said differentiate from other VNs lol

>>18851128
It's also very long. The English TL is 585,000 words.

>>18851147
Not really? There's some other VN with alternate history.

>>18851153
I still feel like I clearly differentiated it already? I've read many VNs and it's quite unique. Here's a decent review of it that doesn't spoil everything
https://gareblogs.wordpress.com/2019/08/29/the-anti-heros-journey-discussing-soukou-akki-muramasa/

>>18851165
I'm just making sure, I've been burnt before with "unique" VN, so I'm just making sure.

>>18851179
I understand. There's a lot of generic crap in the medium. Read that review I linked though, I think that gives a better idea of it than I can.

>>18851192
Thanks for understanding.

>>18851128
>It's written by an IRL expert swordsman and contains detailed descriptions of kenjutsu in fights.
I’ll buy the game just for this. Want to see how he writes sword scenes.

>>18850417
its a mishmash bundle of historic events with a fantasy veneer

>>18851272
It's literally just the UK and Ireland joined together in an era that's war of the roses.

>>18845550
Very much this >>18846847
Chinese cultivation has many flaws but the fact that chinese authors lack concepts like social justice, feminism and equality and that reflect in their work is already a good enough reason to abandon most modern western literature.

>>18850454
First Law trilogy is great, the novellas only Best Served Cold is worth reading, haven't checked out the age of madness books
>>18850615
the culture scifi series is super pozzed, set in the future where a galactic civilization is controlled by ais and technology allows people to change sex merely by thinking "i want to be a woman/man now". one of the books is even about a couple that impregnate each other by each changing to the opposite sex back and forth

>>18851270
You should read Hanachirasu, which is by the same author and kind of like a short prototype of Muramasa. It has the same type of sword-fighting detail.

>>18851165
Ah yes, another cumbrain game

>>18850941
>I actually wouldn't mind good African based fantasy, or even female authors or authors of any race,
Why?

>>18851337
It has a relatively low amount of porn.

>>18851346
Why not?

>>18851032
>>18851121
>Reminder that the best Japanese fantasy work has a translation being released next week.

>The game is rooted in traditional warrior philosophy and packed full of action, drama, and humor, this epic visual novel is an experience you'll never forget.
Best japanese fantasy work is a game/visual 'novel'. Kek

>>18851366
Yeah, the western world is way behind and should catch up.

>>18851353
Why yes?

>>18851370
Western Visual Novel is in its infancy.

>>18851370
As if we need more coom shit

>>18851386
Then go read your leftist sjw books then.

>>18847757
>>18847812
there's stuff out there that you might like, you just have to dig a little further than reddit or /sffg/

>>18851370
Why does japan lack so much in literature? Is it cultural? Maybe japanese language and writing system is just not suited for long texts and precise expression of prose is not possible? Could this have influenced literary japanese society and japanese reader to the point where they need to include pictures and visually draw scenes to portray characters and the world, because the reader is simply unable to infer such details from written text himself?

>>18851406
>Why does japan lack so much in literature
It doesn't.

>>18851366
As far as the text goes it's the length of a massive novel >>18851152

>>18851393
>t. Jew porno addict

>>18850978
read some then. not all fantasy novels were written in the last decade.

>>18851411
Can I just get the text version and read it like a book?

>>18851420
no

>>18851301
>novellas
the standalones are full length novels.

>>18851420
Get with the times, boomer.

>>18851420
Why miss all of the extra stuff added to the presentation?
https://files.catbox.moe/qr9cwj.webm

New thread
>>18851428

>>18851427
Because I do not lack imagination.

>>18851434
I don't require it either but I don't have anything against it.

>>18851441
You're talking to a boomer.

>>18851441
the prose and literary descriptions are replaced by visual images, I don't see how that is preferable unless you want to watch a movie and read movie script and subtitles than read an actual book

>>18851457
Ultimately VNs are their own medium. I think the writing is the most important aspect of it, though, at least for me, as without a good story I wouldn't want to read one.

>>18850422
>source: my ass