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20147334 No.20147334 [Reply] [Original]

On the hunt Edition

Previous Thread:>>20141275

>Recommended reading charts (Look here before asking for vague recs)
https://mega.nz/folder/kj5hWI6J#0cyw0-ZdvZKOJW3fPI6RfQ

>Archive
>>>>>>/lit/?task=search2&search_subject=sffg

>Goodreads
https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/1029811-sffg

>A link to the ultimate colossal science fiction and fantasy collection torrent
>>>/t/1023504

>Discord
Never going to be created.

>> No.20147337
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20147337

What are you guys currently or planning on reading?

I’ve just bought the game of thrones books so that’s what I’ll be that reading soon. How about you?

>> No.20147345 [DELETED] 
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20147345

The Blond Beast King comes marching
Brown peasants begin cowering
Blond Beast dominates the crowd
With a shout so fierce and loud

Simple as.

>> No.20147367

>>20147337
After reading Foundation again, I started reading Gibbon's History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire which has quite good prose despite being a history book. Will probably start reading Three-Body Problem next

>> No.20147401
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20147401

are these books good? im balls deep in a law degree and dont have the brainspace for anything super complex. for reference i like well-wrought prose, deep characters worldbuilding

>> No.20147410

>>20147401
It's of the typical watered down pop-history type of fantasy, where the metaphysics are just convenient and arbitrary superpowers. Prose, plot, characters and worldbuilding are all utilitarian gruel.

>> No.20147411

>>20147410
what do you consider good writing?

>> No.20147418
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20147418

why can't Sanderson write good dialogue

>> No.20147439

>>20147401
it's the most "ok" thing I've ever finished reading

>> No.20147440

>>20147418
His writing is in general fucking awful. I absolutely HATED the first Mistborn book and when I see people praising him as being one of the best fantasy writers at the moment I just don't understand it

>> No.20147452

>>20147411
As in good writing for easy to read fantasy? Jack Vance, for example, but that's not really the same thing.

Don't take me wrong. The Powder Mage trilogy isn't altogether awful, only terribly lukewarm. The action is exciting enough, I guess, and the books never truly bored me but the expedient pace runs on pure convenience (especially when it comes to the worldbuilding).

>> No.20147521
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20147521

da cyber voodoo mon

>> No.20147596

>>20147452
Fair enough. What would you recommend I read instead? Already read Vance if that's your #1. I've been reading a lot of Warhammer tie-in books lately cos they're good to decompress after writing essays about international criminal law all day but it's like eating pizza, you shouldn't do it all the time

>> No.20147600

>>20147521
I hated Neuromancer, are his later Sprawl books decent?

>> No.20147644

>>20147401
It's pretty good. Characterization is strong, plot moves at a good pace, and the author is able to write characters who are often severely flawed, but likable all the same. It does suffer from the "every chapter cuts to a different character" meme, but as much as I hate that style, it's less offensive here simply because all of the viewpoint characters are very distinct and interesting in their own way. For example you have Taniel who is a young, bullheaded Sniper, contrasted with Adamat, who is an elderly, slightly stuffy detective.
Prose is serviceable, it's never as god awful as something written by Sanderson, but the authors real strength lies in characterization and plotting.

It has a sequel trilogy, following a mostly new cast of characters, which I think is better than the first trilogy in most aspects.

>> No.20147657

>>20147401
I didn't regret reading it.

>> No.20147661

>>20147521
Loved the homage to count zero voodoo in the altered carbon sequel.
We need more mysticism in cyberpunk.

>> No.20147663

>>20147600
I don't see how you could like it if you "hated" neuromancer.
if you're being hyperbolic, maybe.

it's told from 3 pov that tie together later, instead of 1, and isn't a heist story if those were your gripes

>> No.20147698

Sanderson is such a faggot. You can't even find any negative reviews on his books behind all the 5 star posting women. They post their faggot GIFs about how happy they are for completing their normie tome on goodreads. I just want to gas them all.

>> No.20147705

>>20147663
I don’t recall Neuromancer that well but my main gripes were that the prose was annoying and pretentious and so were the characters. One of those books that tells you a little bit more about the author than they probably intended

>> No.20147729

>>20147698
Based

>> No.20147796

Time Out of Joint has my favorite simulation. What is your favorite simulation?

Still need to make up a cool name for our reading sect, other 5 people who read books!

>> No.20147870

One of the worst things about Sanderson's writing is modern colloquialisms.
"we don't know how the mechanics work" is a line by a MC when literally talking about magic. No, they don't have any mechanical inventions. They literally have their black slaves still pulling wagons because their livestock is so slow. Yet Sanderson makes sure to lecture you on race, gender quality, and social justice.

>> No.20147893

For a general that allegedly hates Sanderson you sure talk about him a bunch

>> No.20147901

>>20147337
About a quarter of the way through Hyperion. The Down Syndrome colony section part was absolute fucking kino. Probably take a break from Sci-Fi after this and then read Neuromancer.

>> No.20147913

Thought on The Three-Body Problem? I've read a many Asian novels as a kid (Chinese, Jap, etc.), and this series is mediocre at best, and I have no idea why people from the west praise it so much lately.

>> No.20147918

>>20147596
Not him but I'd rec
>Gotrek and Felix
>Malus Darkblade
>Tyrion and Teclis
All fairly low-brainspace requirement, and written by experienced guys comfortable in that style (william king and Abnett, two guys who've been writing those sorts of stories for approx 2 million years). None of them waste your time, which is also a plus.

>> No.20147931 [DELETED] 
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20147931

>>20147893
>For a general that allegedly hates Sanderson you sure talk about him a bunch

>> No.20147942

>>20147870
They literally have mechanical inventions. They have an idea of how windmills and all that work. That's also a fucking stupid complaint, because the term "mechanics" is just a word describing the workings of something in this case.

>> No.20147950

>>20147942
cope

>> No.20147955

>>20147337
I've been reading Garrett PI. They're very easy to blow through and leave you ready for more. I've wanted to take a break and read some standalone in between, but nothing has been able to grab me as well as this have. Once I've finished I'll probably start Gentlemen Bastards.

>> No.20147973
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20147973

>>20147337
I'm reading this series, because it's just a thing to read and I felt like Street Cultivation was well-written I just didn't enjoy its protagonist.
This one just feels lacking in comparison, it has the fancy magic system that functionally doesn't really MEAN much. Building a home in your own soul space or whatever is a neat concept, but it's just used for vague powers that do stuff.

>> No.20147995

>>20147973
Oh, gonna add on, Theo is just a more bland protagonist than Rick. I didn't like Rick, but Theo I just have no opinion on because he's entirely goal-oriented so I have basically no real reason to like him besides the fact that he's the protagonist.

>> No.20148018
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20148018

>> No.20148019

>>20147418
some of the worst shit I’ve ever seen. it literally reads like a screenplay for a c-tier movie. This guy raised ~40000000 for his books? wtf

>> No.20148024

>>20148019
I think this might genuinely be some of his worst, but it is very bad. I'm surprised Elantris reads so much better than Mistborn, looking back, given it's his first published book.

>> No.20148032

The Stormlight 5 rough draft preview put me in a mood to reread Stormlight 1-4 so I am going to do so

>> No.20148042

>>20147901
amazing book. At least read Fall of Hyperion for closure, even if it’s not as good as the first part

>> No.20148053
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20148053

>>20147870
>>20147950
Machina is a Latin word that was used to refer to things like siege machines and catapults during the middle ages. I don't think being too anachronistic is a problem.

"Magic mechanics" does bring to mind discussions videogame combat and magic systems, and I have heard people complain about the magic in Sanderson's books being to videogamey.

>> No.20148056

>>20148024
After the brand-making and sufficient sunk cost, only thing required is pumping out serviceable products.

I have to say I don't really get the man. He's set for life, so why not write something good? I'd assume that's what authors ultimately want to do, but only few get the opportunity to break from the commercial grind if they ever even get on board.

>> No.20148058

>>20148053
Sanderson views magic as just "additional natural laws", especially in Cosmere shit. It is fairly game-y in a sense, but making a very hard, structured magic system can be tricky to NOT make it feel game-like.

>> No.20148063

>>20148056
I think he does write good stuff, just not all of it is good. Era 2 Mistborn is actually fairly solid all-round, and I know people shit on Stormlight but I think it's mostly good.

>> No.20148080

>>20147418
how many times are you going to post this?

>> No.20148093
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20148093

>>20148056
he can write good stuff, his shadows for silence in the forests of hell won a hugo in the novella category in 2014, problem is and he has stated this on record that he wants to give something extra to the fans to read, the bloat in oathbringer could have been avoided had he focussed on tightening it instead of needlessly inflating

>> No.20148097

>>20148056
He wants to turn Cosmere into a brand, like Marvel.

Pride was always the worst sin.

>> No.20148101

>>20148093
Emperor's Soul is also just a genuinely really good one. Sanderson can write good stuff, he just has terrible pacing problems in his longer books, which these days is his main focus. Mistborn Era 2 is working out better because each book is relatively short.

>> No.20148150

>>20148101
I've read all 6 mistborn books. Each mistborn sequel is progressively worse. I've read the first two stormlight books. I'm putting down oathbringer and I'm never reading another one of his books again. I kept going just to critique it but it's so bad it's not worth it. Every sanderson fan seems to cite his novellas. Nobody cares. His prose are bad, but that's the least of his problems. I don't care about his novellas, he's proven to me through over 8 books that he's consistently getting worse and worse. Seems like his early books were more sound and since he's been going with his own publisher he has free reigns to not be challenged by editors. Looks to me like he's surrounded by sycophants. I think he knows who his stupid audience is at this point, and that's stupid women or under read readers.

>> No.20148158

>>20148150
I have no idea how you can say Alloy of Law is worse than Hero of Ages.

>> No.20148159

>>20148080
Until you admit defeat

>> No.20148166

>>20148158
Okay alloy of law yes, as hero was shit. But mistborn 5 and 6 are worse. I agree with you here.

>> No.20148169

>>20148159
I accept your surrender.

>> No.20148170

>>20148101
Yes, emperor's soul is also among his more superior books, in general I would say that his these 2 novellas are Brandon that we would never get with his longer works, mistborn era 2 is good but still has dialogue issues and general quipping.
Silence and soul have a more stated, sombre feel and Brandon executes them well.
With regards to his secret projects, on a prima facie basis, #1 is fey, #4 is action without introspection, only #3 gave the impression that it would explore a sombre outlook

>> No.20148173
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20148173

what are some fantasy series that actually have a "journey" to them like lotr?
i feel like the only ones i can think of are thomas covenant and prince of nothing especially in the latter as the whole thing is about going to shimeh
but is there anything else where you start with a character or a set of them and just follow their progress on a map?

>> No.20148192

>>20148170
I'll probably continue reading Stormlight at the least, I hope Stormlight 5 doesn't just feel like set up for the timeskip to Stormlight 6. That's my other main issue with Sanderson is almost everything feels like set-up with minimal pay-off. Every Stormlight book is setting up every plotline to ALL pay off in the climax or in the next book and it's just... I just FORGET some of these plotlines by the time they resolve.

>> No.20148193

>>20148170
Even if mistborn is less shit than snorlight, what is the point in continuing? There are no stakes in mistborn. God (sazed) just gives MC plot armor to the point where he resurrects him and tells him that he's the chosen one. It's all so silly. If they blow up Era 2 in the upcoming war, they can just go into the bunker and rebuild the world. It's fucking stupid.

>> No.20148207

i have never read a sanderson book nor do i plan to

>> No.20148209

>>20148173
The first six books of Wheel of Time are like that.

>> No.20148217

>>20148209
i... i don't really want to read that...
i feel like it's one of those series i've consistently tried to read since i was 12 but just like shadow of the torturer, i get a little further each time, but i never actually grow to enjoy it, it just feels like a chore to do before i die

>> No.20148223

>>20148193
I think in the latter half of the cosmere, stormlight 6-10 and mistborn era 3 &4, roshar and scadrial are in a space race, that is the pay off for persisting I suppose.
Also by mistborn 6 sazed is under indirect attack by Trello so his position is not secured.

>> No.20148228

>>20148173
I have not thought of this series in a while but uhhhh try the Fires of Heaven trilogy by Russell Kirkpatrick(?) He is a cartographer too so he drew his own maps.

>> No.20148230

>>20148032
>reread Stormlight 1-4
insanity. dont even know what kept me reading book 4. i'll pick up 5 though probably. fucking hell.

>> No.20148232

>>20148230
I am not interested in SL5 but I will probably read it because the thread will read it lol

>> No.20148233

>>20148192
Mistborn 7 should come by the end of this year, I am optimistic on Brandon's usage of more mature prose given his experience and size of the book

>> No.20148234

>>20148230
If 5 generally feels like a solid open-ended conclusion and not just set-up for the ten years time skip to 6, I'll probably enjoy it.

>> No.20148238

>>20148228
>"Slow plot and tedious descriptions make this a considerably more boring read than it should've been; at one point, Kirkpatrick spends a whole page just describing the greenness of the valley, the way the canopy blocked out the sun, the different plants in said valley, the ground, the soil, etc. If the unnecessary rambling about the setting was cut out, the book would probably have been reduced to half its size."
>every negative review is by a woman
>and he's an autistic cartographer
ok anon you sold me on it

>> No.20148239

>>20148233
To this day I still don't know what the fuck everybody's deal with Sanderson's prose is. Maybe I just suck at recognising good/bad prose, but I rarely read anything that felt "bad" to read.

>> No.20148260

>>20148239
Have you read his shadows for silence? For starters, t>>20148239
he prose in that and in any of his other works is vastly different, there's no silliness or quipping, no usage of the word awesome

>> No.20148265

>>20148238
I read it once when I was a teen, and its sequel series and don't remember much but I am pretty sure I do remember why women would hate it.
Anyhow let me know how you like it. The little party does travel far.

>> No.20148267

>>20148239
It is YA-tier at absolute best, is the problem. It is insulting.

>> No.20148271

>>20148260
I did read it, but I personally don't remember much of it. I think I'm just somebody who cares more about what's being written about instead of how it's being written. Also I don't have a problem with quips as long as they're kept to scenes/characters where they fit. I really liked Kaladin and Shallan's second meeting just being them insulting each other, for example.

>> No.20148275

>>20148267
But what's actually BAD about it? I still don't really understand, and nobody seems to have an actual answer beyond "it's not really flowery" or something.

>> No.20148281

>>20148275
Poor vocab and nothing aside from some of his battle scenes feel evocative, for starters, and yet he is one of the biggest known fantasy writers currently.

>> No.20148294

>>20148275
nigga just read one page of moby dick and then read a page of mistborn and you will have your answer
or hell, even read bakker, his prose is god tier compared to sanderson

>> No.20148311

>>20148281
I admit I'm a little confused why he's so big. He's good, sometimes really good, but nothing spectacular apart from his output. He's got solid characterisation down (it was a lot messier in earlier books), he can clearly make good moments even if they're a little cheesy ("Spear that would not break" and "You cannot have my pain" are both over-the-top and almost a little jarringly 'anime' but they still work), but there's also a lot of waffling and pacing issues even in his shorter books.

>> No.20148320
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20148320

>>20148311
>his output
that is why he's big
because sanderson is a professional, and he is reliable, and this is his main job
a publisher can hire him and be confident that he puts out something that normies will like and that he will deliver it in time and not balk from making changes if it's demanded of him
the vast majority of fantasy writers are retarded faggots that spent 20 years in another profession but think they're geniuses and then decide to write their first book and it's a 10 volume fantasy story they can't even finish before they die

>> No.20148330

>>20148320
I mean, Sanderson is doing a similar thing (he's projecting mid-early 2030s before finishing the Cosmere I think?) but he just has an absurd output so his scope is massive. So many people seem to have their first book be the first in a long series and I don't get why. Just write a trilogy or a standalone as your first thing, I think, anything else is too much.

>> No.20148343

>>20148320
When people talk about why they like an author, it isn't primarily due to any release schedule.
I believe anon was inquiring toward the reader view and not publisher/financial success.

>> No.20148359

>>20148343
readers what whatever you put in front of them, they're consumerist scum
that's why they buy books put out by publishers and not better books self-published on kindle
their opinions don't matter one iota

>> No.20148363

>>20148343
Steady stream of familiar and unchallenging products is a commercially popular formula across media.

>> No.20148364

>>20148343
Well, his name is so constantly out there because of his output. He's sort of become known as "the magic system guy" too, and being known for something is just how people learn of authors. Any discussion of magic stuff online inevitably leads to one person bringing up Sanderson because he did some cool magic systems, etc.

>> No.20148365

>>20148330
yes but he's an established name now, so like a well-known director he can do some shit that he wants to do
at this point he can negotiate from a superior position, he could put his books out without a publisher and still make money, they are his bitches now
but trust me, finding a reliable and halfway competent author like brandon is hard

>> No.20148368

>>20148359
I personally agree with you here.

>> No.20148372

>>20148359
most self-pub is trash
recommend something worthwhile

>> No.20148374

>>20148365
That's very fair. A lot of the more 'consistently good' authors with semi-reliable output I've seen nowadays are self-publishing (I'd say Will Wight fits here, even if Traveller's Gate was JUST 'decent') or just sort of stopped all output (like GRRM).

>> No.20148384

>>20148374
If Simon were MC of Cradle, that shit would be wrapped up by now.

>> No.20148395

>>20148384
I just... Don't give a fuck about Simon. I got almost no handle of what sort of personality he had because he just went cool fightmode all the time. And I liked the fights, Will Wight writes fights right (that feels like a tongue-twister), but Simon himself just seemed... Vaguely curmudgeonly and then oh I guess he and Leah were supposed to be teased as a couple? I didn't really get that. Everybody besides Simon seemed well-characterised, Simon himself was just kinda nothing.

>> No.20148417

>>20148395
He was more progression-focused than Lindon and in a much more unforgiving environment. I do forget the exact reasons why initially as it has been a while. I didn't get the idea that the two were set up as a future couple; if anything, the opposite where they are both too busy to fuck around. Have you read the accompanying short stories?

>> No.20148422

Reminder that Mistborn era 1 was xianxia

>> No.20148425

>>20148417
Yeah, I read the whole "all Traveller's Gate stuff in one" book, and it had those stories at the end. In one of them, it's VERY heavily teased that Leah and Simon are a thing, or about to be. And I get that about Simon, but he didn't have much character to him besides getting stronger. He had some decent snark, but Lindon feels like a more memorable character to me, because... Well, he's actually a fairly unique protagonist in that his main traits are ambition and greed, very traditionally villainous traits, but twisted heroically.

>> No.20148429

>>20148239
He doesn't have any poetry. No color in his writing. No art. It's soulless writing. It's student level prose. Also worldbuilding, which is an overused and misunderstood concept is hardly there because he gives the reader little to imagine. They are shallow characters driving a story on a theater stage. There is nothing in his words that leave you with imagination. There is nothing in his world that exists for flavor. Everything he mentions is to drive characters and plot. It's the most bland cringe dialog.

>> No.20148443

>>20148173
>a
A wizard of earthsea

>> No.20148447
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20148447

Finished pic related recently, I should have dropped it early on honestly. I kept reading hoping it would improve, and it did right near the end but overall wasn't worth it. A significant portion of the book is excessive worldbuilding that isn't required at all and it's a long book.

>> No.20148534

>>20148042
Fuck Fall of Hyperion

>> No.20148537

>>20148447
Zanzibart... forgive me...

>> No.20148572
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20148572

Are there any good urban fantasy books?

>> No.20148582

>>20148572
American Gods is always a good one, I think. Young audience, but Percy Jackson is one I've heard good things about but haven't read. Pretty obvious recommendations, but it's a relatively small subsection of fantasy right now.

>> No.20148589
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20148589

>>20148582
American Gods was a decent read, I didn't like the spinoffs. Percy Jackson is just boring though. I once tried to read the Garrett P.I. novels by Glen Cook, but the main character was just fucking annoying.

>> No.20148599

>>20148572
Have you read the Dresden files?

>> No.20148621

>>20148429
This is all true. Yet he’s by far the most popular and best selling fantasist working today. Are fantasy readers really this dumb and soulless? Why is it that a genre which thrives on the imagination is ruled by an author whose work quashes the imagination?

>> No.20148624

>>20148599
I gave it a go, but didn't like the titular character. Too much moping, self-depreciating and quipping.

>> No.20148639

>>20148621
i never would have read a book of his without him finishing up wheel of time. once i was done with that series i though might as well check out what his series is like... fwiw i liked the first mistborn book, really hated the others, could not stand stormlight but read out of boredom

>> No.20148641 [DELETED] 

>>20148234
I'm expecting it'll be like Mistborn 3, tying up loose ends and closing the overall story arc to be picked up my new main characters in the second set. In one of the four previews he sent out ||Sizgil is no longer in Roshar and presumably hasn't been for some time. This is presumably due to the whole war and whatnot being resolved so he is free to do other things||

>> No.20148675

>>20148621
He isn't. Not at all.

>Way of Kings, #50
https://www.amazon.com/gp/bestsellers/books/16190

>> No.20148685

i'm sorry, but i'm done with this general, i am done with edgy sci-fi and fantasy
from now on i'll be reading vampire YA only, goodbye forever

>> No.20148697
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20148697

>>20148675
>maas actually sells books out of her fucking ass
why do women have such shit taste

>> No.20148705

>>20148675
>erotic fiction on top 100
>harry potter books
who would have thought women would buy their gangbang books along with harry potter.

>> No.20148706

>>20148685
At this point vampire YA is hoary throwback genre, so ok boomer.

>> No.20148713

>>20148697
Rhythm of War (The Stormlight Archive #4) by Brandon Sanderson · 81,211 ratings Published November 17th 2020 by Tor Books
A Court of Silver Flames (A Court of Thorns and Roses #4) by Sarah J. Maas 280,175 ratings · Published February 16th 2021 by Bloomsbury Publishing

That she does.

>> No.20148740

Resistance to LitRPG is futile.
This is the future of all SFF.

>> No.20148759

>>20148740
This is grim but true. Speculative fiction will be abstracted until it's nothing but computer generated arrangement of statistic interactions, fed as an endless torrent of background noise.

>> No.20148761

Shirtaloon makes $20,000/month writing LitRPG on Patreon
Then he removes them from everywhere else and sells them on Amazon as best sellers on Amazon
What a double-dipping madman and his fans love him for it!

https://ellegriffin.medium.com/shirtaloon-makes-20-000-month-writing-litrpg-on-patreon-7612c976a446

>> No.20148769

>>20148761
advertising/begging

>> No.20148777

>>20148173
Book of the New Sun

>> No.20148793

>>20148761
Good. Always happy to see authors succeed without a publisher. Who cares what he writes when he's making tons of cash doing something he loves? The man's a winner.

>> No.20148795

>>20148769
Being oblivious to the changes in the world doesn't help you. Denial can only take you so far.

>> No.20148803

>>20148793
>succeed without a publisher.
Well, about that:
>Luckily, it’s gone pretty well for me because, though a lot of people self-publish on Amazon, I’m going through a publisher and they do the marketing and the publicity, make sure it’s a professional product, provide good covers,

https://aethonbooks.com/

>> No.20148820

>>20148675
uh oh litrpghaterbros we got too cocky..

>> No.20148825

It should only be expected that anything independent that is popular is eventually corporatized and becomes increasingly more traditional as time goes on.

>> No.20148838

>>20148825
Why are there no heterosexual books about magic schoosl?

>> No.20148840

>>20148572
In a Glass Darkly and Dracula are technically urban fantasy. Gaiman probably has the least bad contemporary offerings. Sandman, American Gods (less good spinoff of Sandman), and Neverwhere are all pretty solid.

>>20148589
Garrett is fantasy urban rather than urban fantasy, and I recommend starting the series with Old Tin Sorrows if you get into it. The first book is pretty rough.

>> No.20148841

I find it interesting how some countries in Latin America were totally dominated by a few banana companies in the past. Are there any science fiction books that deal with a similar situation, where a society has a corporation come in from abroad and totally dominate the society? The East India company did something similar to India. The East India Company was a private company but it was indistinguishable from the British monarchy/state or something like that, and America does something similar to this day where the state is intimately connected to a number of corporations. Basically I'm looking for any books dealing with crony capitalism, corruption etc.
https://vimeo.com/81230547

>> No.20148849

>>20148838
Xanth

>> No.20148852

>>20148841
Isn't that basically cyberpunk?

>> No.20148858
File: 432 KB, 1304x1818, 1428862392759.png [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
20148858

>>20148841
I got one homegrown cooked up for you anon

>> No.20148866

>>20148803
I take it all back what a sellout

>> No.20148870
File: 41 KB, 200x294, Shadow_of_the_torturer.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
20148870

Bout to read this dumb piece of shit, how far in should I be before I get to decide whether or not I like it enough to keep reading?

>> No.20148871

>>20148795
lurk moar
everyone who isn't embarrassingly new knows that patreon can pay really well and that KU requires you remove your book from everywhere else and that many authors switch over to KU and then remove their novels from the internet

>> No.20148873

>>20148866
based fuck that guy

>> No.20148881

>>20148871
That wasn't what was meant.

>> No.20148886

>>20148866
Sellout is such a ridiculous term.

>> No.20148891

>>20148881
I fail to see your point, probably because you had none but to advertise your shitty story.

>> No.20148894

>>20148891
I hope you find a way to be able to afford your medications again!

>> No.20148896

>>20148675
>LitRPGs
>Probably erotica about shifters
>Harry Potter
>Maas
Damn, popular stuff is fucked.

>> No.20148898
File: 159 KB, 1493x600, Atlantic_cable_Map.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
20148898

>>20148858
QRD? I heard about how people protested in India when they started building telegraph lines there. I find the whole history of telegraphy very interesting. Not sure it relates to science fiction, but if there are any science fiction books about telegraphy that would be kind of cool, maybe something merging the Wild West genre with science fiction. I find the Wild West fascinating, or similar situations in other parts of the world, basically anything where you have an undeveloped or underdeveloped area of land and it gets developed and exploited technologically, particularly 1800s stuff, which I guess is called the age of exploration or some shit like that.
https://youtu.be/94kh-lzUuNw

>> No.20148904

>>20148894
Good to see that I was right as you are unable to refute me, stooping to ad hominem instead. Have a nice day, shilling an unreadable story.

>> No.20148913

>>20148898
The Victorian Internet is a really fun non-fiction read

>> No.20148915

>>20148871
Kindle Unlimited is probably a really big reason smaller books get anywhere on Amazon. People are more likely to read a book if they're not paying for the book itself.

>> No.20148916

>>20148870
About 1/3 of the way into the next book.

>> No.20148928

>>20148675
I did not realise how many fantasy books were romance shit or shifter shit or whatever the fuck Dante King writes.

>> No.20148935

>>20148915
Well they switch to KU from free sites where it's obviously free so it's even treasurer to find readers. Honestly pretty smart in a jewish way. They milk what they can from RR and when their patreon gain stalls they can earn a little more from KU while keeping the patrons by offering chapters of yet unpublished novels.

>> No.20148942

I just started The Wizaed Knight. I'm a couple chapters in. Holy fuck can anyone stop this American kid ? He's already hunted and survived off the land, humiliated a squire, has already gotten laid with a goddess, turned into a literal Chad by her, dubbed himself a knight, ravished a peasant girl, bullied her brother and slapped the shit out of anyone in his way thus far. Fuck we were born in the wrong time lads. What the fuck have I been reading up until this point?

>> No.20148946

>>20148935
Addiction models are quite profitable.

>> No.20148948

>>20148935
I see some RR series stay up even when published, but those are the ones that don't get KU going I suppose (they might not even be allowed to in that case?), but the thing there is dedicated readers probably have KU already, so the cost to the reader is the same, but the author makes more money (and has more eyes on it) with KU.

>> No.20148955

>>20148942
>Gene Wolfe is a literary genius!
>writes isekai wish-fulfillment power fantasy
So this is the power of double standards.

>> No.20148959

>>20148948
They stay up, but only have a teaser of first novel and chapters of yet unpublished sequels.

>> No.20148963

>>20148898
idk how it would be sci fi since it's literally what happened, you sound like you're looking more for a history book lol
That pic about Gandhi is just a decent sci fi analogy for what happened in India. They were fairly happy with the British presence for a long time because of all the good things they did. There was a mighty amount of fuckery too it overlooks in particular how oppressive the tax system was on the poor or things like a famine being caused because farmers were forced to grow a dye (indigo) and then the Brits didn't want it and the farmers starved. But from an elite educated Indian perspective it's a good summary. They were annoyed they couldn't run their country themselves and that Brits continued to think of them as being lesser, and according to them it was probably better for the Brits to be in charge since they would cock up governance. Which they more or less did initially, but there's that whole Matrix thing about being free and living in a shitty situation or being a slave and having a better one

>> No.20148966

>>20148959
Is that actually a rule for doing KU? I know they can't publish outside of Amazon if they're doing it, but can they not have it up on Royal Road either?

>> No.20148980

>>20148942
WK is great. It also has the best written cat in all of literature.

>> No.20148983

>>20148966
From their service agreement:

1 Exclusivity. When you include a Digital Book in KDP Select, you give us the exclusive right to sell and distribute your Digital Book in digital format while your book is in KDP Select. During this period of exclusivity, you cannot sell or distribute, or give anyone else the right to sell or distribute, your Digital Book (or a book that is substantially similar), in digital format in any territory where you have rights.

>> No.20148994

>>20148983
Ah, so Royal Road does count as distribution I suppose. Fair enough.

>> No.20148995

>>20148983
Example:
>>20116461

>Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) forbids me from posting this ANYWHERE else. Put simply, it's an exclusivity deal. If I give Amazon exclusivity, I get a 70% royalty on Amazon sales for letting them cuck every other publisher. That means posting this on 4chan is a direct violation of my contract. Fuck Amazon. I'm getting my cake and eating it too.

>> No.20149041

>>20148963
Your post is fucking unreadable.
>since it's literally what happened
Are you retarded?

>> No.20149048

>>20148995
This explains why my kobo store isn't loaded with litrpg titles. I had always wondered yet never cared enough to look up why

>> No.20149067

>>20149048
based amazon keeping their competitors' sites trash free (if someone publishes on KU their novel is bottom barrel without fail)

>> No.20149088

>>20149067
If I was a self-publishing author I'd sell my shit on kobo anyway with a different title and pen name. Amazon doesn't even stop plagiarism on its own site there's no way they'll bother checking another store

>> No.20149091

>>20149088
>Make the title a synonym
>Pen name is an anagram
>Text is exactly the same except some character names

>> No.20149134

>>20149088
That's a nice way to say that you know you'd never become popular enough for it to ever become an issue.

>> No.20149155

The beginning of the Warrior Prophet is so fucking kino with the dragon. Too bad the rest of the book was a major fucking disappointment.

>> No.20149180

>>20148942
good prose doesn't just change it's another cringe wish fulfillment fantasy.

>> No.20149206

Literary: Style > Content
Genre: Content > Style

>> No.20149215

>>20148447
I enjoyed myself the whole way through.
Though in looking at what else he wrote not sure if i would pick up another one of his books.

>> No.20149233

>>20147901
>The Down Syndrome colony section part was absolute fucking kino
Yup, body and spiritual horror blindsiding the reader and ends terribly for all involved.
The scholars story hits different when you become a dad.
I enjoyed the last line of the book, one of the few where the ending is going to srick with me for a long time to come.
Seconding you read Fall of Hyperion later.
If you end up enjoying Neuromancer, Id recommend Gibsons short story collection Burning Chrome.

>> No.20149435 [DELETED] 
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20149435

physically unattractive

>> No.20149461
File: 349 KB, 640x853, Sanderson is serious.png [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
20149461

>>20149435
Can you repeat that? What did you say?

>> No.20149468

>>20149435
nah bruv he poppin

>> No.20149477
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20149477

>>20149435
more like ph(ysically un)at(tractive?

>> No.20149484

>>20149435
fantasy authors and their fucking leather jackets

>> No.20149497

>>20149477
he'd probably be attractive here with a better haircut

>> No.20149505

I read Protector by Larry Niven and thought it was pretty good. As usual from Ringworld and Footfall Niven is more interesting when it comes to concepts than characters. The main human characters aren't that interesting, basically exposition deliverers, and the protectors aren't really alien in the way I think you should expect a mutant hyperintelligent eugenicist to be. But I think the idea itself of protectors is interesting, and I greatly enjoyed the sections near the end about interstellar combat at sublight speeds. Would read a whole book about that.

Also as usual for scifi of the era, lots of quaint (or depressing) misunderstandings of how technology would develop. People born in the 1950s living to see asteroid colonies, but also public information terminals that print paper documents.

>> No.20149507 [DELETED] 
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20149507

>>20149435
do you guys think they...

>> No.20149515

>>20149507
How else do you think he got the job?

>> No.20149520

>>20149507
>shy skinny virgin with glasses gets virginity stolen and taught the ropes by mature degenerate cougar.jpg

>> No.20149522

>>20147418
>using the names on nearly every line
How did this guy make it? This reads like ai generated dialogue

>> No.20149530 [DELETED] 

>nobody posted Ooklara's thoughts on Sanderson yet

>> No.20149546

>>20149530
>who

>> No.20149566

>>20147410
Imagine complaining about "the metaphysics" of a fantasy story

>> No.20149598

>>20149477
I know the 30s are like a second puberty for us but jesus

>> No.20149606

>>20149206
how do i achieve Style = Content ?

>> No.20149609

>>20149505
>public information terminals that print paper documents.
For me its the crumpled fax and the plastic tapes that litter every alley and run down apartment corridor in Gibsons sprawl series.

>> No.20149765

>reading Citadel of the Autarch
>learn about the Ascians
lmao I didn't know this was a political satire

>> No.20149806

>>20148870
I found the first two enjoyable but not too special. The world building is the best part and the characters take backseat in the first two, but the third one is pure kino front to back. The narrative picks up and you start to see the MC really flesh out. It's strange because, at least for me, the third book retroactively made the first two better. There are alot of things that are in the first two that come to a head in the third one and they way things all wrap together is magnificent. That being said, if you didn't enjoy the first one, you probably won't where the plotlines end up going. It's a slowburn, but once you're invested it's kino

>> No.20149819 [DELETED] 

>>20149765
[Spoiler]>does it bother you that these soldiers have been doing their best to kill ascians?
>ascians are not human[/spoiler]
Holy fucking based kek

>> No.20149821 [DELETED] 

>>20149819
[S]hit sorry bros

>> No.20149824

>>20149765
>does it bother you that these soldiers have been doing their best to kill ascians?
>ascians are not human

Holy fucking based kek

>> No.20149826

>>20149765
I think it's more against the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis than against any political tendency

>> No.20149828

>>20149821
Well, fuck. He does say in that chapter in the lazaret that the man has the emptiest eyes he'd ever seen, and he'd imagined their nation as a horde of insects (I think he uses the word insects?)

>> No.20149847

>>20149806
It's crazy how at the end of the first book, of all the friends in Severian's group one woman had been dead for 100 years, two of them are some kind of artificially mutated near cyborgs (I don't know how else to describe it), and THREE of them are androids.

>> No.20149868 [DELETED] 
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20149868

>>20147418
>Dockson said
>Kelsier said
>Dockson said
>Kelsier said
>Dockson said
>Kelsier said

>> No.20149943 [DELETED] 
File: 195 KB, 480x640, Vox_Day_by_Tracy_White_promo_pic.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
20149943

the real king of /sffg/

>> No.20149977

>>20149943
It seems not all the rabid puppies have died yet from their affliction.

>> No.20150000

>>20147337
I want something like:
Forever War
Brave New World
1984

>> No.20150033

>>20147337
Currently reading pyramids.
After that either Mort or The Grapes of Wrath.
Depends on how upbeat my mood is.
In between books I read a couple Conan stories, get my dose of steel thewes and tightly corded backs rippling like a panther.

>> No.20150071

>>20150033
Pyramids is the one Discworld novel I just have zero recollection about. Everything else I at least have a vague memory, but I am just blank on Pyramids.

>> No.20150095

Was wanting to finally get into LOTR and I saw this package of the three books plus a readers companion, and this pack apparently has a bunch of corrections and fixed errors and was overseen by Christopher Tolkien. Is that what I want as a first time reader?

>> No.20150156

>>20150071
Assassin prince has to come home early to resume kingly duties and pyramids channel quantum energy.
Dead pharoah questions everything he held as good and proper when his ghost sees the banality of it all.
Camels make for excellent mathematicians.

>> No.20150180

>>20150156
>Camels make for excellent mathematicians.
Oh nevermind I did retain that. I thought it was from Small Gods. A lot of Discworld does blur together, because as good as it is, it's a lot and I can't compartmentalise much further than "Discworld stuff".

>> No.20150409
File: 23 KB, 448x336, 420241c9a4bbfde9f4db717c4fe54105--brings-the-house.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
20150409

The Blond Beast King comes marching
Brown peasants begin cowering
Blond Beast dominates the crowd
With a shout so fierce and loud.

Simple as
Kek It seems we have to start doing this again

>> No.20150431
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20150431

Greatest sff work ever. Literature for Kings and nobles while brown peasants cower in fear.

>> No.20150450

>>20148761
>you will never make a bajillion dollars doing basic bitch shit like this retard or sakimichan

>> No.20150468

>>20148803
He does his audiobooks through Podium.

If you are self published, getting your ebooks through Aethon and audiobooks through Podium is a great decision.

>> No.20150472
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20150472

Finishing up Cradle now, any more fun progression fantasy with good fight scenes and likeable characters?

>> No.20150487

>>20150472
I like Mage Errant well enough, though its characters and fight scenes aren't quite up to Cradle's level (Cradle has weirdly great characters honestly, how the fuck is Eithan a thing). It's also debateable how much it counts as progression fantasy, but, eh.

>> No.20150490

>tfw too busy with uni to write my 2nd book

maybe over the summer break

>> No.20150502
File: 3.14 MB, 3500x3500, Isekai and Gamelit Recs V3 SFFG.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
20150502

>>20150472
Many of these are progression fantasy. Not to Cradle's level of kowtowing though.

>> No.20150510

>>20150431
I want to read Warrior Prophet but I hardly remember anything from the first one

>> No.20150522

>>20150472
A Thousand Li starts pretty slow but improves as it goes along.

>> No.20150526

Is there any fantasy that escapes the Tolkien influence?

>> No.20150531

Anyone read Joseph Delaney's Spook's series? I read the Spook's appreciate as a kid and really liked it, but I'm unsure if I was a little pleb or not

>> No.20150535

>>20150531
I read some of it when I was younger, and I keep meaning to go and try to finish it one of these days. Probably a little too YA for me nowadays, but hey.

>> No.20150554

>>20150526
Pretty sure there's a chart for non Tolkienized fantasy in the op. Also the genres of Xianxia and wuxia I guess.

>> No.20150567 [DELETED] 
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20150567

>>20150472
>likeable characters

>> No.20150569

I completed Heaven's Laws: Prodigies. It was a fun ride at nearly 80 chapters. Book 2 whenever the author can afford to write it.

Give me another fun title. I've probably already read what you will recommend me.

>> No.20150571

>>20150569
Tigana

>> No.20150573
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20150573

>>20150567
Name 15 characters who aren't likeable

>> No.20150578

>>20150569
Either the steel remains or a practical guide to conquering the world

>> No.20150579

>>20150573
I honestly didn't care for Sesheth, he felt like a generic bad guy, even with his backstory. That's about it.

>> No.20150581

>>20150569
library at mount char

>> No.20150583

>>20150573
every single woman in cradle also Lindon who quickly turns into an idiot.

>> No.20150598

>>20147600
No. Neuromancer is excellent and you got filtered. The later Sprawl books are worse, but not in a way that would make them more appealing to you.

>> No.20150603

>>20150567
SFF books always have terrible fanart. I blame it on there being no official art to use as a base on so you need to have actual fans of the work do the art and not twitter trannies cashing in on whatever flavor of the month anime or netflix show is popular.

>> No.20150611

>>20148582
>Percy Jackson
Obvious and boring midwittery.

>>20148572
Night Watch

>> No.20150615

>>20148740
What are your top three?

>> No.20150625

>>20147334
If you were in the Night’s Watch and had to choose between castle black, the shadow tower, and eastwatch by the sea, which would it be?

>> No.20150626

>>20150095
broskis?

>> No.20150629

>>20150581
Are you the original lamc fag or just a fan?

>> No.20150641
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20150641

>>20150629
OG

>> No.20150644

>>20150611
I haven't read Percy Jackson it's just one I know of. Urban fantasy is a genre I've somehow not really delved into and I dunno many.

>> No.20150653

>>20150603
I mean, Cradle DOES have official art for most of the characters on the bundle covers. Though I remember thinking back in the books and I don't recall if they ever really describe Lindon outside of "big" and "looks mean". I guess you just kind of assume most people have black hair because Eithan's blond is specifically called out as weird, but it's still strange getting no real idea of his whole look.

>> No.20150660

>>20150641
Based. It's a unique and interesting book I would recommend to anybody. A book you don't have to like to appreciate.

>> No.20150671

>>20150653
I like how the setting has people with casual lightning ghost scorpions crawling up their arms and Lindon is mostly confused about why Eithan is wearing a yellow mop on his head.

>> No.20150673

>>20150653
I figured the "everbody has black hair" was a lowkey way to suggest everyone on the continent is asian and Eithan was from a part of the world where people had European features. But ultimately that's speculation on my part.

>> No.20150679

>>20150671
Well, he WAS shocked about that, and he just assumed Eithan, the only person he's seen without black hair, had a Goldsign that made his hair like that. It's not unreasonable, but it's still funny. Also can I say that I actually disliked Eithan in Soulsmith? Something about him really rubbed me the wrong way, but he grew on me really well.

>> No.20150687

>>20150644
It's okay. I dislike it more than it deserves because the author never seemed to take a risk, or inject anything personal or clever into his writing. It always colors within the lines. It feels like it was written by the YA marketing department.

>> No.20150695

>>20150673
I'm pretty sure that's more-or-less explicit. The continents have minimal mixing due to lack of travel, but there's that one group of people from across the desert or whatever and they're implied to be more African-ish,, whereas the continent Eithan's from, Rosegold, is very European in nature, etc. We don't know much about Rosegold, but we do know handshakes are a tradition there, whereas on the Ashwind continent where the series largely takes place, that's just not really a thing.

>> No.20150698

Should I suck it up and finally read Reaper? I'm in the mood for more cultivation. I already read LaMC and I'm not interested in the others.

>> No.20150705

>>20150698
Are you just waiting on the next two books to get the final bundle, or what's the hesitation for?

>> No.20150708

>>20150698
Reaper is much better than Bloodline

>> No.20150715

>>20150705
Cradle sucking and stagnating in quality is a big reason why.

>> No.20150719

>>20150625
Eastwatch-by-the-sea because nothing happens there

>> No.20150722

>>20150526
No. Tolkien is to fantasy what mount fuji is to Japanese artists. They either draw direct inspiration from him, or try to distinguish themselves by omission, and inadvertently point toward him by their resulting emptiness

>> No.20150723

>>20150715
I think it's a solid push up from Bloodline. It also left me really wanting to see what the fuck the next two books are and also had me wondering how the fuck can this series wrap up in two more books.

>> No.20150724

>>20150719
Isnt that where things in the deep are stirring by the end of dance with dragons?

>> No.20150731

>>20150722
>or try to distinguish themselves by omission, and inadvertently point toward him by their resulting emptiness
Examples?

>> No.20150734

>>20150723
I only just finished Bloodline and I'm worried the ending of book 12 is gonna be the start of a sequel series where they all ascend and the main focus of the story is the cosmic fantasy bullshit that I've found way less interesting than what's happening on Cradle.

>> No.20150735

>>20150723
I'm not really interested in the Abidan plot or at least I wasn't until it became the main plot, I'm wondering how much of a power gap there is between a Monarch (with Lindon is close to) and the Abidan (who he and Yerrin will have to be on a somewhat equal footing with by the end of another book or two?)

>> No.20150736

>>20150731
He's paraphrasing Terry Prachett there.
>J.R.R. Tolkien has become a sort of mountain, appearing in all subsequent fantasy in the way that Mt. Fuji appears so often in Japanese prints. Sometimes it’s big and up close. Sometimes it’s a shape on the horizon. Sometimes it’s not there at all, which means that the artist either has made a deliberate decision against the mountain, which is interesting in itself, or is in fact standing on Mt. Fuji.

>> No.20150744

>>20150734
I've wondered about that myself. I think it might happen, but I don't think it'd focus on Lindon. Having a new protagonist freshly ascended from some other world could be a neat thing to see.

>>20150735
There's some implication that Northstrider could've fucked up that Abidan that watched over the tournament, at least.

>> No.20150748

>>20150723
I hated Bloodline so fine I'll give it a go.

>> No.20150776

>>20150615
I don't read it.

>> No.20150789

>>20147334
I don’t read

>> No.20150790

>>20150776
>t. the most well read /sffg/ poster alive

>> No.20150852

>>20150526
Tolkien doesn't escape the pre-Tolkien fantasy influence, and unless you're making up fake languages or using Middle Earth proper as your setting, you're probably copying someone who came before Tolkien.

>> No.20150904

Looking for an early scifi (kind of?) book. I remember little about it, but what I do remember is distinctive.

I think it was an early 20th century book. Has a framing device where the book starts contemporaneous but the main character is soon transferred into the far, far future.
It described a society living in a giant pyramid-city? And if I recall correctly, it was far enough in the future that the sun had gone dark or something like that. Outside of the city was a wilderness wasteland of extremely weird and creative monsters with a dash of horror, the most interesting part of the book. I think the far-future main characters aren't humans either.
I remember the story and characters sucking. The plot was simple and consisted of the main character having to go on some sort of journey far away from the pyramid-city and back, but I don't remember the goal. There was also a stupid love side-plot.

Anyone have any clue what the fuck I'm talking about?

>> No.20150912

>>20150904
Sounds Night Land ish

>> No.20150919
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20150919

Kill, marry, fuck: Robert, Stannis, Renly

>> No.20150922

>>20150912
That's the one, thanks anon

>> No.20150944

>>20150919
Marry Stannis
Fuck Robert
Kill Renly

>> No.20150964

>>20150919
Fuck stannis
Marry stannis
Kill stannis
This is the game of thrones we're playing,innit?

>> No.20150967

For me it's Kill Fuck Eat

>> No.20150999
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20150999

>>20147334
What would alien literature look like? Kurt Vonnegut thinks their stories would be polyvalent and not linear at all.

>> No.20151043

>>20150999
Checked.

We have literally no way of knowing. I suspect there's a good chance if aliens ever discovered us they would find our obsession with fictional stories baffling.

>> No.20151399 [DELETED] 

Currently in my second run throught Book of the New Sun. I finally realized that either Wolfe was either the greatest writer this genre ever had, or an actual lunatic.

>> No.20151407

Currently in my second run throught Book of the New Sun. I finally realized that Wolfe was either the greatest writer this genre ever had, or an actual lunatic.

>> No.20151418

>>20151407
>greatest writer this genre ever had, or an actual lunatic.
He could be both, never doubt that.

>> No.20151456

>>20151407
You reading anything else after him?

>> No.20151482

>>20151456
Yes, the Bible, and theology in general.

>> No.20151504

>>20151482
Ah, what bible version?

>> No.20151530 [DELETED] 

>>20151504
I am a spic protestant trying to expand my horizons, so I guess I will begin with the apocrypha and then move to the orthodox study bible. After a live without much knowledge about christian tradition, theology and the rich symbology of the faith, I want to explore these subjects and, if possible, come to the best conclusion regarding denominations and dogma. May God help me.

>> No.20151540

>>20151504
I am a spic protestant trying to expand my horizons, so I guess I will begin with the apocrypha and then move to the orthodox study bible. After a life without much knowledge about christian tradition, theology and the rich symbology of the faith, I want to explore these subjects and, if possible, come to the best conclusion regarding denominations and dogma. May God help me.

>> No.20151552

>>20151407
The chapters in book 4 where he's convalescing in the lazaret are so funny. He finally tries to return the claw to the pelerines and the lady assumes he's touched and doesn't let him speak.
I'm just stumped about Miles. I know there's half a dozen mysteries up to this point I haven't fully grasped but the return of Jonas into someone else's body is something I couldn't have expected and I can't square it. But I refuse to reread any chapters until I finish.
At this point I'm hoping he explains as little as possible by the story's end, so I can enjoy connecting dots on the re-read that much more, because he sometimes explains things outright.

>> No.20151582

>>20151552
Prepare to even worse mindscrews once you reach Urth of the New Sun. The way Wolfe can change your perspective of the whole saga in a single page is amazing.

>> No.20151588

>>20151482
You should check out C.S. Lewis' work. You can alternate between his religious works and his fictional things to have a nice variety. I haven't read the cosmic trilogy yet, but I've heard it's great and I've enjoyed everything else I've read by him

>> No.20151605

>>20151588
Oh, I am very familiar with Lewis; his work was my first taste of christian apology and theology, so to speak. Ironically the Cosmic Trilogy and Narnia are great unknowns for me, and I should take time to read throught them one of these days.

>> No.20151640

>>20149606
You have to have "It", my dude. Some people do, some people don't. Most that don't can get one of the aspects of writing perfected after a ton of effort and dedication, but it's rare they can get multiple aspects to be equal in quality. The people that have "It", tho, to them it's effortless. It just happens. Try to find out if you do. If you do, do on. If you don't, do on but don't expect perfection and don't compare yourself to those that do
>t. Have It probably

>> No.20151662

>>20151605
Nice, fren. I have a ton of him on my shelf but haven't made my way through all of them yet. Narnia is great and cosy. Out of his more religious or philosophical works, i think the Abolition of Man is his best and probably the most important (though I don't fully grasp it honestly) my favorite by him is Till We Have Faces, tho. Absolute masterpeice.

>> No.20151707

>>20151662
>Till We Have Faces.
Cant believe I never heard about this one. Well, is going into the list.

>> No.20151716

>>20151582
I got the impression from other posts that Urth explains things a little more explicitly. Would it spoil in some sense things I'd pick up on a reread?

>> No.20151749

>>20151716
Urth is an epilogue, but I would say that how much it explains depends on the reader. Talking about my own experience, while it did several changes in retrospective, most of the mysteries and symbology of the saga remains shrouded. I have the feeling that Urth gives you far more questions than answers overall. As always, rereads of the entire cycle will be necessary.

>> No.20151777

>>20150919
if you cared about maintaining your rule of the 7 kingdoms, everyone knows you'd marry Stannis, fuck Robert, and kill Renly

easy to spot the poseurs by whoever recommends killing Stannis

>> No.20151813

>>20151749
All right that's cool, thanks. I'll do what I'm feeling, which is reread a selection of certain chapters starting from the beginning. Which will probably end up being most of book 1. The atrium of time scenes, the whorehouse, father inire's mirrors, everything with baldanders. There's a lot there.

>> No.20151818
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>>20151716
The set I bought was called "the Complete BotNS". It seems to me like it's a direct sequel and I'm planning on starting urth immediately after I'm done with Citadel in a few weeks. I've never been advised to do otherwise

>>20151707
Many people, himself(and myself) including, consider it to be his magnum opus. I won't spoil what it's about since you already committed to reading it, but I'll give a quick word about it incase other anons want to pick it up. It does sort of fit in line with this general, mythology is basically the original fantasy, if you look at it that way. Don't read the next paragraph if you want to go in completely blind

Till We Have Faces is a retelling of the greek myth of cupid and psyche. When Lewis read the myth, he was annoyed about some of the characters behaving irrationally and with simple(boring) motivations. His work retells the story from the perspective of psyche's sister- and it's told in a northern barbarian kingdom instead of greece. The narrative, the themes, and the characters (and their motivations) all are very complex. Lewis has a deep understanding of religion, not only his own, but greek mythology and philosophy aswell. All of this blends together to create a very compelling theme and tone. What I love the most about it, tho, is the language. There are many books you can read from start to finish without encountering a single beautiful line. This book cannot go a chapter without a line or passage that is drenched in beauty. There are so many of these lines I recall on a daily basis, not only because they're beautifully written, but because they all have so much weight behind them. I've not read all that much in my life, only like 50 books so far, but Till We Have Faces is the greatest one I've encountered yet. Other works are going to have to fight tooth and nail to take that mantle away from it. Actual 10/10 in my eyes. Kino in literary form

>> No.20151827

>>20147334
<span class="xae" data-xae="alien">&#x1F47D;[/spoiler]

>> No.20151828

/s<img class="xae" data-xae width="32" height="30" src="https://s.4cdn.org/image/emotes/f0a256b9_PressF.png">fg/

>> No.20151833
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20151833

>>20151818
Also, if you read the book, don't look up the myth first if you don't know it already. It will spoil the book, even though it's different in many aspects. There's a note at the end of the book that explains the differences and why Lewis chose to write it.

>> No.20151844
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20151844

>>20151749
What should I read by wolfe after botns? Long sun, short sun, or his other works like wizardknight?

>> No.20151863

>>20151844
Being honest with you, I have no idea: Book of the New Sun is my first contact with Wolfe too, but after reading some stuff online I guess Long Sun is the next step.

>> No.20151909

>>20151844
Personally I'm going to finish the Soldier of the Mist series because I've already started it, that was the first book I read by him. Then check out some of his one-off novels, and Wizard Knight, before starting Long Sun since that goes for 4+3 books.
It feels great that he's written so much, like I have an endless treasure trove, even though I know I may not like many of them as much as BotNS.

>> No.20152025

>>20151844
Long sun <span class="xae" data-xae="ok">&#x1F44C;[/spoiler]

>> No.20152092
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20152092

Seinfeld effect or overrated?

>> No.20152112

>>20152092
What are you on about iPhone poster?

>> No.20152126
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20152126

Thoughts?

>> No.20152128

>>20152112
All of the free love stuff he talks about isn’t as shocking today, the entire hippie movement is more or less what the book preaches

>> No.20152132

>>20152126
My thoughts are that you should stop repeating the same question.

>> No.20152134

>>20152128
okay, that's just society moving forward. What does that have to do with the Seinfeld effect? <img class="xae" data-xae width="28" height="27" src="https://s.4cdn.org/image/emotes/ad2977e6_FeelsWeirdMan.png">

>> No.20152150

>>20152134
Fuck me. I’ve been using that wrong, I thought that was when a show gets copied by so many other later shows that when people watch the original show for the first time, it seems unfunny

>> No.20152165

>>20152150
Anon….

>> No.20152182
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20152182

>>20152165
Really wish I could delete my post rn, sheesh
I’ve been using that expression wrong for years

>> No.20152193

>>20152182
Well, at least you know now.

>> No.20152288

>>20151844
Wizard knight, if I’m being honest.

>> No.20152307

>>20151552
I don't know that Miles is actually Jonas. I think Severian just projected his old friend onto his new acquaintance, who's too out of it after his resurrection to contest the identification. Unless I missed/forgot something, which is probable.

>> No.20152308

Not going to lie, but I'm loving this April fools <img class="xae" data-xae width="31" height="32" src="https://s.4cdn.org/image/emotes/a6d16707_GoodNight.png">

>> No.20152319

>>20151844
I read straight through the rest of the Solar Cycle, with Fifth Head of Cerberus thrown in there somewhere. Would recommend Long Sun, then Fifth Head, then Short Sun because I persist in the belief that Fifth Head is deep in the Solar Cycle's past, and reading it before Short Sun will help you see it.

>> No.20152327

>>20152319
Is Wolfe still going strong in his other stories?

>> No.20152344

>>20152327
Wolfe is dead, may he rest in peace, but if you mean 'are other Wolfe stories good,' yes. I've heard good things about the Latro trilogy, though I haven't read it yet. Instead of a narrator with an eidetic memory you get a narrator with no memory at all.

>> No.20152348
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20152348

>>20152132
And my thoughts are you shouldn't reply to my post if you dont want to give your opinion

>> No.20152354

>>20152348
He's right. Fuck off with repeating the same question already.

>> No.20152357

>>20152344
Ah, it’s good to know Wolfe’s other stories are good. I thought they dropped in quality due to his old age.

>> No.20152367

>>20152344
The first two Latro books are probably my personal favourites from Wolfe, but that's likely due to how much I like Herodotus and co. They also influenced my own writing (mostly the handling of mythology rather than the messed up narrator). The third Latro book however felt aimless, disconnected from the previous installments and overly episodic.

>> No.20152393

>>20152367
>The third Latro book however felt aimless, disconnected from the previous installments and overly episodic.
You think his old age played a factor into it?

>> No.20152405
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20152405

>>20152354
I'm right . Fuck off with replying to my post if you don't address the question

>> No.20152423

>>20152393
Possibly, though I feel the biggest culprit is that Wolfe wanted to do way too much with the whole new country and mythology. The plans for the series were apparently quite ambitious, but historical fiction was too much of a time sink for him to commit further.

>> No.20152424
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20152424

>>20152405
Fuck off already

>> No.20152429

>>20152424
Fuck off aswell

>> No.20152458

>>20152423
>Wolfe wanted to do way too much with the whole new country and mythology. The plans for the series were apparently quite ambitious, but historical fiction was too much of a time sink for him to commit further
Shame, I always hated the fact that some authors are held back on what they want to do with their novels.

>> No.20152494

>>20151540
>spic protestant
A rare breed if I ever saw it. Well, good luck on your Bible reading.

>> No.20152513

>>20150736
Tolkien really left his mark as the grandfather of fantasy. Sad to see he hasn’t been surpass.

>> No.20152518

>>20152513
George RR Martin is doing his best. He's the only good fantasy author alive.

>> No.20152538

>>20152518
One he finishes his series, we’ll see if that’s true.

>> No.20152552

>>20152538
I wish I had your optimism. At best, we will get Winds of Winter. Dreams of Spring will never be finish.

>> No.20152562

>>20152552
We was under house arrest due to covid. He had to have worked on both books.

>> No.20152572

>>20152562
Fire & Blood came out in 2018. And that's not mentioning The Rise of the Dragon: An Illustrated History of the Targaryen Dynasty, Volume One that's coming out this October. He's working on other things.

>> No.20152577

>>20152572
He’s written another history book? The fuck.

>> No.20152582

>>20152572
The one that comes out with the new tv show? Surprised HBO is even bothering with that happen in the series finale.

>> No.20152584

New thread
>>20152583

>> No.20152952

<img class="xae" data-xae width="31" height="25" src="https://s.4cdn.org/image/emotes/2b414cf1_YesHoney.png">

>> No.20153247

>>20149233
Appreciate the rec, I'll look into Fall and Burning chrome!

>> No.20153277

>>20151827
It begins.

>> No.20153721

>>20148267
Agreed. Worst of all very few people recognize how bad GRR Martin is despite his common syntax errors.