/lit/ - Literature

>>20578325
You guys ever wonder what it’s like to live in a city like that? I know Venice it’s our closest analogy, but still, what I would give for an author that goes in-depth about their fantasy cities.

>>20578325
What are you reading and what are you planning to read?

3rd for wot

>>20573714
I haven't played Planescape but maybe Vellum by Hal Duncan?

>>20578345
I read several more chapters of the book of Martial World I'm on. I believe I'm quite near the end of the Blood Slaughtering Steppes arc. I swapped over to Dungeon Crawler Carl and I'm now a few chapters into book 2.
I do not like the abundance of references.
I do like Carl himself and his attitude, I understand the need for off-screen planning, I think the cat has been okay past chapter 3 or 4, I enjoy Carl's kleptomania, and I've become somewhat invested in the unfolding depths of Beatrice's womynly mischief.. Surprised this dude has pumped out 5 books in 3 years now.

>>20578345
not fucking shithammer that's for sure

i just started lord of the rings. one page 2 rn

READ CRADLE

>>20578145
I don’t know much about cyberpunk because I mostly read classic sci-fi but isn’t some cyberpunk intended to be a “serious” criticism of unregulated capitalism? If the is the case I feel like we should have hard cyberpunk and soft cyberpunk genres just as we have hard and soft sci-fi. I read snow crash a bit ago and it seemed way too silly for anyone to take seriously.
>>20578235
IMO the coolest cops in sci-fi are the judges from judge dredd. What cyberpunk books are you thinking of specifically?
>>20578345
The robots of dawn
>>20578395
This

>>20578325
I used to think I'm a fan of spec-fic, but most of the time I just end up dropping a book after the first chapter because it's so amateurish when it comes to prose and setting up the narrative. It's baffling that all this garbage got and still gets published.

Recommend something actually good that isn't the same old usuals.

>>20578411
I now believe you are reposting this horrible image specifically to make others in the thread despise Cradle, my only question is why?

>>20578345
Gonna start on Elric, hoping to finish the first book in time for when the next Cradle novel drops.

>>20578534
Can you give me some examples of what you do like? That always helps when it comes to recommendations.

>>20578479
>I read snow crash a bit ago and it seemed way too silly for anyone to take seriously.
Snow Crash was intended to be a parody of cyberpunk during what was the height of the subgenre, the early 90s. People have kind of lost that context somewhat as cyberpunk died out in the late 90s/early 2000s and is still struggling to revive itself to this day.

Just finished this 5 minutes ago. What a disappointing anti-climax. Dont even see the point in continuing with it. The second malowebi glimpse kelmomas, my stomach dropped, knowing bakker was about to employ the "lol divine whiteluck" gag to kill off intereting characters in the most unsatisfying way possible for the 5th time time now.
The whole white luck/god-blind thing Is one of the worst narrative tools ever imagined.
And holy fuck, do I hate that stupid little kid

>>20578634
Not really relevant. I want to read stuff different from my earlier favourites, and definitely not waste time with shitposts about the quality of the works I like.

>A single cold snort echoed out from within the Immortal's cave, causing Heaven and Earth to shake, and instantly killing half of the group.
Why are cold snorts so powerful?

>>20578784
You could try Lord Dunsay I guess. The King of Elfland's daughter is pretty well regarded. Though /sffg/ doesn't really discuss it much.

>>20578724
You could try Lord Dunsay I guess. The King of Elfland's daughter is pretty well regarded. Though /sffg/ doesn't really discuss it much.

Has anyone read red rising? I can't be the only one who hates mustang.

20 book Gamelit/Wuxia reviewfag here:

Lord of the Mysteries #1 - Clown by Cuttlefish

[Our MC] Zhou Mingrui is a plump Chinese college student who finds himself transmigrated after performing a good luck ritual in his dorm. He wakes up in the body of Klein Moretti, adding this man's memories to his own. After examining his room Zhou learns that the original Klein committed suicide by gunshot after writing an ominous message in his journal. Masquerading as Klein at first, Zhou makes an earnest effort to return home by repeating the ritual that brought him there… only to enter a mental realm within a ‘gray fog’ that lets him spiritually network with others. With the goal of returning home, Zhou lives his life as Klein Moretti - resolving to learn more about this world's mysteries.

[Plot] After discovering the gray fog and reaching out to Audrey Hall (an affluent young lady of the royal court) and Alger Wilson (a distinguished sea pirate operating for the Church of Storms), we establish the Tarot Club, specializing in trafficking Beyonder secrets. At the same time, Klein falls under investigation by the Nighthawks, a church police force, and learns that the cause of the original’s suicide is wrapped up in the investigation of a mystical notebook owned by an ancient family. After assisting the Nighthawks with their investigation, Klein is quick to join their ranks and becomes a Beyonder within just a few months after distinguished service. He uncovers the Pathway of Seer in the journals of another transmigrator, an ancient emperor. His days become mired in coincidences, leading his investigation closer and closer to that notebook which claimed his life…

[System] This world revolves around sequence potions and the ‘pathways’ of power they grant. In accordance with tarot's major arcana, there are 22 pathways available with 10 Sequenced levels. Sequence potions and their ingredients are tightly guarded by the organizations of this world (different churches or militia groups) and thus you must join them to access these Pathways. This isn’t without its peril, however: unless you digest the potion in full, you run the risk of going mad or turning into an eldritch abomination. Each Sequence represents a unique potion to consume as well, with the materials coming from legendary creatures and costing thousands.

Before you can move to the next potion in a sequence, you must completely ‘digest’ a potion in a spiritual sense. The method of breaking down each potion in a sequence through ‘acting’ the role (Seer, Clown, Telepath, etc.) is handled through immersing yourself in the title. Revelations and breakthroughs help you to metabolize the magic, which Klein receives through working with the Nighthawk agency. As he continues pursuing these cases of coincidence throughout the city, he learns lessons regarding his divinations as well as better ways to conduct rituals. The progression of both the narrative and the magic is seamlessly intertwined.

>>20578852
This is an author who knew exactly what they wanted out of their series. The plotting of coincidence and passive events between characters contributing to the larger narrative is handled better in this Chinese web novel than I've seen in most western work. Though the author reiterates details of the world frequently, it helps to build a sprawling magic system in a world that's so unique I truly wonder how deep the planning goes. The interaction between characters and how they lean on each other for their development is presented in such a pleasant way. You really feel each of these characters as a completed person; I've yet to find any two that have felt jarringly similar.

9/10

So much more to say about Lord of the Mysteries but I won’t spoil it in my review. The first 100 chapters are a roller coaster of worldbuilding and magic system development. I was gun-shy about the frequent reiteration at first, but I came to enjoy it as the exposition was layered against an event or personal growth for Klein. Someone in a previous thread said that it’s there because the actions themselves happen so fast. Without an explanation of function, the act itself is grand and concise.

Great book. The combination of charms, techniques and spells was extremely well done. Gladly picking up the rest of the series. Looking forward to going back to it after I finish the rest of this 20-book challenge. Thanks to the anon that recommended it to me in a thread some time ago.

Previous Scores:
>Cradle by Will Wight - 9/10
>Lord of the Mysteries by Cuttlefish – 9/10
>Ave Xia Rem Y by Mat Haz - 8/10
>Forge of Destiny by Yrsillar - 7/10
>A Thousand Li by Tao Wong - 7/10
>Virtuous Sons by Ya Boy - 6/10
>Bastion by Phil Tucker - 6/10
>Mother of Learning Act I - 5/10
>Reverend Insanity by Gu Zhen Ren - 5/10
>Beware of Chicken (Non-Edited for Release) by Casualfarmer – 5/10
>Soulhome by Sarah Lin - 5/10
>Beware of Chicken (Edited for Release) by Casualfarmer - 3/10
>Reincarnation: Threads by Michael Head - 3/10
>Last Ship in Suzhou by Lungs - 0/10 (Dropped)
Mean Score of 5.8 (6.3 without the dropped score)

>Current Book:
Heaven’s Laws: Prodigies by Apollos Thorne

>Next Audio Book:
Soulship by Nathan Thompson. Done with audiobooks after this. Think they’re robbing me of my experience and I fucking HATE Travis Baldree.

I also re-read Beware of Chicken in its original RR format, so I’ll provide that re-review next (changed from a 3/10 to a 5/10 above). Linking back to my old reviews seems masturbatory, so I’ll skip that and provide the links if requested. I’ve also created a goodreads account and will be reformatting most of my reviews to resemble this one. The goal in this challenge is to explore characters, magic systems, and their plots. I’ve been good about touching upon this in some respects and terrible about it in others.

>>20578856
Beware of Chicken #1 by Casual Farmer

I've gone back and re-read Beware of Chicken after my previous review on it. Disclaimer for people here, there is basically two versions of the novel out there: the original Royal Road version and a heavily edited Kindle (and Audible) published version. The re-published version adds a fair amount of exposition to the start regarding Jin and the Transmigrator's interaction, which I feel weighs down the start of the story. Personally, it made me hoist certain suspicions and expectations onto the MC that were fundamentally untrue. In the original version, a twist of fate allows this man a second chance and he chooses to spend it farming.

With the original version everything proceeds rather quickly and settles Jin into his farm life without dwelling on the Xianxia novelty of the world. I think it helps to push this idea of a Slice of Life and makes Jin a more humble character, compared to the start where he comes off as a smug body-jacker. After the first quarter of the book, things settle into a decent rhythm and I enjoyed it a lot more without all of the added exposition. The higher concepts of Xianxia felt tacked on and now I've confirmed it. I admit I was wrong with this title and allowed the setup to define expectations and suspicion of the MC throughout the rest of the book.

I'm going to try and read Volume 2 before he takes it down for another editing pass. Maybe my brain is broken, but I wouldn't recommend the official version to people. Lightnovelspot has the original chapters before the editor's pass and I really think less does more for this story. Changing my score to a 5/10. Mentioned this before but it's a bit like a... well written, comfy, Harvest Moon in Xianxia fanfic.

5/10, simple as.

give me something that's really fucking boring to the point that it's comforting

>>20578917
i don't understand that concept

>>20578917
There's a book series called Mezzarthys that I recall more or less being this when I read it as a child, but as it turns out, it has no english TL.

>>20578856
Really makes you wonder what other xiaxia authors are even doing with their lives in comparison doesn't it?
Crazy what having an actual plot and characters can do for the quality of a story!

>>20578856
Does Travis Baldtree have incriminating photos of every author/publisher or something?

>>20578917
That's word for word my definition of Tolkien's writing.

>>20578977
This is an excellent study of progression fantasy and character writing. Most authors use that first book to feel out where they want to go, but this book and its tethers into book 2 are so cleanly executed. Really something to aspire to in terms of system and world building. I teared up during the ending fight and overall conclusion.

>>20578992
Must've been Cradle, right? Everyone sees how spectacularly it does so they seek to emulate the formula. A few years later and you can't go 5 steps before stumbling over his fucking name. Especially since he absorbed all of this narration and said to himself 'me can write too'. I've heard little about Legends and Lattes but I'm sure it was a wild success in that community.

>>20578813
Personally I found The King of Elfland's Daughter a slog with a few bright highlights, but otherwise Dunsany is decent. Still, I'm not really a huge fan of that ephemeral fairy tale quality he goes for.

My personal opinion is that what sets apart a good Fantasy magic system vs a great Fantasy magic system is that in a Great fantasy there is a moral/philosophical question that is presented and the magic system, at least in part, helps answer the question by showing it.

In Full Metal Daemon Muramasa (you probably haven't heard of it so I put up a pic), the question posed is "Is there ever a good reason to kill someone?" and the magic system works like this:

If you use Muramasa to kill someone for any reason, you will be forced to kill someone else for the opposite reason. If you kill someone you hate, you must kill someone you love. If you kill someone who you believe is evil, you must kill someone you believe is innocent.

This goes back to the question "Is there ever a good reason to kill someone?" The magic system basically says that, whatever your reason for killing someone is, is made obsolete by killing someone else for the exact opposite reason. This is to show that, no, there is never a good reason to kill someone. You may disagree but that is how the story chooses to answer that question.

Take Full Metal Alchemist for example. The 2003 anime asks the question, "What is the value of a human life? And what determines it's worth?" The magic system, Alchemy and the Law of Equivalent Exchange shows the answer to this when the Elric Brother's try to use Alchemy (a science) to play God and create life. The results are disastrous and takes everything from them because the answer God gives them in return is, "There is nothing of material value equal to the value of a human life". The ending further expands on the question of "How is the worth of a life determined?" when [Spoilers] Edward comes to the answer that "The worth of a life is the sum of the memories that person has made" and Edward attempts to bring his brother's life back by sacrificing his brother's memories in life.

>>20579106
>a moral/philosophical question that is presented and the magic system
That's kinda how golden age sci-fi worked. Throw whatever technology or bullshit scientific postulations you needed to onto the page to be able to pose whatever philosophical hypothetical the author was interested in.

>>20578345
Reading some pulp-crime by Thompson, then I've got some non-fiction on the stack (Ligotti, and then a book about plagues throughout human history). I've never actually read anything by Ligotti before - I picked up The Conspiracy Against the Human Race thinking it was a short story collection.

>>20579064
If you didn't mind Dunsany and want something a little more modern and a bit humourous, you could try the Lyonesse trilogy by Vance. Although it does possess a slight fairy-tale like quality, also.

>>20579106
Good magic systems are more than simply moral questions. Take your first example, what if we had that moral question but farts are used to power the magic and it takes place in Minecraft? You'd probably not take it seriously or consider it good. Thus moral question aren't sufficient to make a good magic system.

>>20579141
Is Lyonesse Arthurian? I'm not really interested in fantasy with real-world religions.

>>20579197
>I'm not really interested in fantasy with real-world religions.
Its not a story about the Pendragons, but it makes many references to them/Merlin is in it, by various other names. Plus Catholicism and a basic paganism are all throughout the series. I'd disregard my recommendation. Have you read the Gormenghast trilogy or the Book of the New Sun before? They're both well-regarded, literary spec-fic.

>>20579208
I'm not the guy you're talking to before, I was just wondering about the Vance.
Those are both in my to-reads.

I'm looking for recommendations for fantasy on the following subjects bros:
>spooky, eerie Forest That Knows Your Name type stuff, think grimdark Mirkwood
>some grimdark subterranean cave-dwelling fantasy
>some set in the dark ages crossing the boarder between historical and speculative fiction
Do these things exist, or must I try to write them all myself?

>>20579227
Inferno by Dante Alighieri

>>20579227
Why isn't there more frog-based SFF?

>>20578357
>>20573714
There is a literature adaptation of Planescape: Torment, someone worked on it for years and from what I heard it's pretty good. Avaiable for free on the author's(?) page.

fantasy about executing haremfags and their shitty wifes

>>20579312
Dimensional traveler who enforces monogamy

>>20578856
Good to see you back, review bro. Do you still intend to read only 20 stories? Or will you read more once it's over?

Also, why Heaven's Law? I heard only bad things about it.

>>20579373
Thanks man. After these 20 I'll probably take a break from progression fantasy for a while. There's only a few titles I want to follow-up on personally, so I'll take those at my own pace. I do have another 20 series challenge planned for fantasy and sci-fi, using some of the slots as an excuse to reread series I haven't touched since HS or get caught up on others. 10 of each with titles such as Dune and Murderbot Diaries or Malazan and the Stormlight Archive.

When I was originally fishing for recommendations a few people brought up Heaven's Law. Don't have access to my original recommendation list but it was mentioned at least 3 times as something worth taking a look at. Definitely not too late to sub it out though. Got a recommendation? I plan to pick up Wandering Inn, Worm, Dungeon Crawler Carl and I Shall Seal The Heavens but my final book (and this one) are up in the air.

>>20579422
I'd recommend first tackling Worm, after that Dungeon Crawler Carl and only after DCC taking on The Wandering Inn. Worm and TWI are both long stories so it's better to pace it out this way. I Shall Seal The Heavens will most likely disappoint you, it's decent only by chinese standards. You know, for the last book Worth The Candle may be a good choice. It's very meta, deconstruction of a typical progression fantasy story, so with experience you've recently acquired you might particularly enjoy it.

why didn't cersei ever try to correct jeoffry or teach him to be a somewhat normal human?

>>20578856
glad you liked it.

need more ringworld stuff with a protag that fucks as many female aliens as he can get his hands on, fantasy is fine as well
or some spec ops time travel missions

>>20579567
She's not a normal human herself so how could she

>>20579567
>why didn't cersei ever try to correct jeoffry or teach him to be a somewhat normal human?
She's a Lannister and a noble. She believes they way he acts is normal, that he SHOULD be entitled to be trated as a king and master of all. Just typical schizo woman delusion.

>>20578917
thats brando sando's forte, read the stormlight archive for the complete enjoyment

>>20578724
some books that are not recommended much:
mask of the sorcerer
a canticle for leibowitz
windhaven
dying of the light
planet of adventure
tuf voyaging
thune's vision
viriconium

the black tongue thief
master of sorrows (one of the better ones of the current lot)

>>20579567
Why the fuck did she do that? What harm could it have possibly done? And what, is she going to keep moving it back when it just walks back to the same spot? What an old bitch.

>>20579373
>I heard only bad things about it.
>getting book reviews from anywhere other than /sffg/

Anybody read The Scourge by Calas? Interesting premise.

>>20579724
People were speaking negatively of Heaven's Law here, on SFFG.

>>20579743
Wrong.
As one of the three people now who read Heaven's Laws, I was the first person to bring it up. Nobody else has mentioned the book other than anon above and another reviewanon a few weeks ago, and it wasn't negative.

>>20579751
Idk, maybe I remember wrong, but could could have sworn someone was giving a negative review of it here.

>>20579763
>>/lit/?task=search&ghost=yes&search_text=%22heaven%27s+laws%22

>>20578325
Grief of Stones, The Cemeteries of Amalo #2/Goblin Emperor - Katherine Addison (2022)

...and so continued the further adventures of a gay melancholic elf who witnessed for the dead. This is a steampunk fantasy and gaslamp mystery. That's to say that it's almost all aesthetic, which is nice, and may suffice on its own for many readers, but it isn't enough for me. From the beginning that's been a problem for me because although the characters are elves and goblins there's almost nothing that distinguishes them or their society from humans and that bothers me.

I read this and the prior book primarily for its voice and the imagery it evokes for me. Both of those contrast with its content. Many seem able to put aside its darkness and still find it entirely comforting, cozy, and maybe even uplifting. That's confused me since the first book, since I haven't been able to do that at all.

There's murder and suicide aplenty. Within can also be found unwanted sex leading to pregnancy and then suicide, stillbirths, bereavement, ancient undead, and dozen of orphans forced into the production of child pornography. For this particular book I found myself wanting there to have been less depressing matters, if only because I felt it contrasted with much else of the book and made it more potent. Maybe I dislike such a mix even more than I already knew.

I was less taken with this book compared to the previous and I'll have to consider whether I'll read the next one or not. The ending sets up another book so it's certainly possible that there will be a sequel. At the end of the book the author thanks her Patreon supporters. As it notes, she has a day job, is an author, and has a Patreon. Certainly it's onerous to make a living depending on the circumstances, especially with a lot of personal difficulties. Prestige alone can't keep one alive.

Rating: 2.5/5

>t.Erikson

Is this worth reading lads? Apparently it's quite clunky and lifeless for a translation and obviously it's written by a chink. The first book is free on Kindle

i'm skipping the K chapters at the beginning of book 4 for now and nobody can stop me.
flos just feels weird to me, he reads more like a caricature rather than a real character. this makes it hard to take his aides and their loyalty seriously as well.
maybe that would change over the course of those chapters but i guess i'll find out another time.

Im autistic and wanna read horror literature with an autistic mc. I dont think r/autism reads many horror books so i this is propably the next best place

>>20578856
ok, yes, that's an excellent review, but is it gay?

>>20580106
This has been asked literally every thread for quite a while now.

>>20580106
Profane dry chinkscript. It sucks and is completely retarded.

>>20580117
>i'm skipping the K chapters at the beginning of book 4 for now and nobody can stop me.
>flos just feels weird to me, he reads more like a caricature rather than a real character. this makes it hard to take his aides and their loyalty seriously as well.
>maybe that would change over the course of those chapters but i guess i'll find out another time.

That's fair, Anon. You can also read them one by one, 3 normal chapters then one K chapter etc.

HOWEVER! 4.06KM is not a Flos chapter per se, half of it is an epilogue to the K arc, the other half is Izril stuff with Magnolia. That's why I'd recommend you to read at least the one chapter prior to the end, 4.05K which has the climax and will allow you to understand the epilogue which is very important to the entire Chandrar plotline.

By the way, don't feel weird about disliking Flos, many readers and fans do as well. He's probably one of the most disliked characters in the story, Chandrar plotline in general was the weakest until late Volume 6. After that it gets much better.

>>20580106
Check the archives, newfag.

What did I think of this, /lit/?

>>20580117
>he got filtered by Flos
ohnonon
I was so close to skipping them too, I feel you, man

A few dedicated anons can truly determine the thread, indeed it's the only thing that ever has.

Read I Shall Seal the Heavens

You will get: Jew lootgoblin mc, parrot that loves and rape every creature with fur or feathers, funny meatjelly and good looting scenes

>>20580188
amogus

>magic systems
cringe

The greatest problem of interaction is the inevitable disappointment.

>>20580155
Well I don't live in this thread every day nigga, I barely read sci fi and fantasy

>>20580661
then die, normoid freak

>>20578345
That is a really cool piece of art that reminds me of one of the old Conan frazetta paperback covers. Thanks for sharing it anon. I'm currently reading Reaper's Gale and planning on completing Malazan Book Of The Fallen before August. We'll see how that goes.

>>20578917
Wheel of Time is what you're looking for.

Don't read Echopraxia. It's just blindsight, but reversed/mirrored (and worse for it). Jim Moore and Valerie are fun characters though, they almost redeem the book.

>>20579277
Jesus, I can only hazard a guess as to how fucking long that must be.

>>20580852
>Jesus, I can only hazard a guess as to how fucking long that must be.
Not that long, Calibre shows me that it's only 1800 epub pages, so around ~2 modern novels. It's really not that much.

Latest Hugo winners suck recommend me some sci-fi

>>20580788
kill yourself

>>20580922
>Latest Hugo winners suck recommend me some sci-fi
Dragonriders of Pern desu

>>20580964
Not reading gay shit thanks but no thanks.

Anyone read civil war land in bad decline?

>>20580355
Someone should reread Dune or something and imagine the stillsuits as amogus suits and let us know how it goes.

>>20580964
I really should go back to read these again, I only ever got around to reading up to the point where they find the vault with the ancient tech

>>20580964
i wanna read this

>>20580563
I think the fat man is right.

>>20581044
>>20581051
>>20580986
To be honest, I recommended it only because it's a poster child for the 'Is it sci-fi or fantasy' debate. I didn't actually read it, although supposedly it's a classic for children

>>20580986
You won't like it. It's all about politics and condemns the sort you prefer.

>>20581071
>not reading what you recommend
:|

>>20580563
Magic systems are gay. This is a fact.

>>20580563
Rich argument from GURM since his medieval setting is totally broken for mundane reasons. It's almost as if he can't do anything but subvert and proffer empty criticism.

>>20581191
You come across as unhinged.

>>20581191
His series is proof that you can't rely entirely on GOTTA SUBVERT DEM EXPECTATIONS. He has no idea how to end it while keeping true to 'muh subversion' AND delivering a satisfying conclusion.

what if there were aes sedai in westeros

>>20580563
if magic can't be controlled and is unpredictable then what is the point of it

>>20581255
That is counter to how magic works in Planetos. Magic may as well be a sinister intelligence of some sort, or impenetrable gaps in information, or weird and inexplainable biology.

>>20581268
Then it's an unwieldy force you can only tug/nudge at. That's the point of it. Sorcerers risk it all. Either nothing happens or something happens.

>>20581268
>hur dur i cant use my imagination

>>20581234
It's only polite to point out when people are acting out stereotypes Anon. How are they supposed to improve otherwise?

Is this actually good? Just finished chapter 1 and it was cringe as fuck.

>>20581303
The "Early Life" is a /pol/ stereotype that you're acting out. Will you improve?

>>20581255
Aes sedai are fucking babies and about as competent too. They'd get caught up in some political plot and then backstabbed in an alley most likely

>>20581268
Martin toys with the idea that magic and science/technology are one and the same (they really are), and what separates such things is merely a matter of scrutiny. He -does- get annoyed when people try to explain the seasons of his world using science, as that defeats the purpose of magic/mystery, so clearly this only goes so far. It is plainly just 'magic' (as he says) from the perspective of the characters in his books, and it may as well be, regardless of objectivity. The waters of Asshai could be full of radiation for all we know. R'hllor could be an alien, a satellite, or something else, we just don't know - we're not supposed to know.

Magic in Martin's world is, however, an insidious and practically living thing, likely cyclic in nature, and we can conclude (more or less) that it is cosmic sleight of hand by unseen powers-that-be, and if you play by its/their rules (blood sacrifice, time and place, abiding by genetic factors, etc) you get results. So, we're left with a very good reason why the Maesters hate magic so much - it is dishonest learning/understanding that actually HAS results - like a power-tripping extra-terrestrial granting natives superior technology they will never understand ('magic') under hocus pocus trappings and convenient theological conditions/aesthetics, for a price. Favoritism is likely employed as well.

>>20581272
>That is counter to how magic works in Planetos.
yes, which is why it's an interesting thought experiment
>>20581329
but they would be the only ones capable of accessing the one power, unless wilders start cropping up everywhere. they could easily dominate the continent

>>20581344
>but they would be the only ones capable of accessing the one power
Being intelligent is a much greater superpower

>>20581339
Damn higher dimensional entities playing games with lower dimensional ants

>>20581277
>Either nothing happens or something happens.
but if you can't control it then why would anyone risk it or make a career out of it? you would be more likely to get killed than to get anything you want

>>20581319
I don't see how it's a negative stereotype unless the Times of Israel is fake or you're trying to argue that noticing things is bad.

>>20580563
Gurm is a hack fraud kike that doesn't know shit about fuck

>>20581339
>Favoritism is likely employed as well.
what makes you think that?

>>20581386
>but if you can't control it then why would anyone risk it or make a career out of it?
Because mad people exist? Religious kooks are a thing even today. In Thailand you still have people stealing fetuses and roasting them covered in gold leaf to make talismans. (Kuman Thong)

>you would be more likely to get killed than to get anything you want
They don't care. "Sorcery is a sword without a hilt, there is no safe way to grasp it". Even particularly capable sorcerers like Melisandre strategically employ ignorance.

>>20581319
>OY VEY GOYIM STOP NOTICING PATTERNS OY VEY THIS IS ANUDDA SHOAH
gas
now

>>20581414
Intelligences have biases. Moses and Solomon were favored by God. It may exactly be just that. Not everyone can perform miracles. Not everyone is favored.

>>20581386
Why do sorcerers in Lovecraft summon things that will 90% of the time consume them right after?

>>20581440
Because Lovecraft's stories only ever cover the times it goes wrong

>>20581446
Why do people piss on electric fences?

>>20581416
>Melisandre strategically employ ignorance.
What do you mean by this?

>>20581339
Coomer trash

>>20581453
>Why do people piss on electric fences?
Something funny to piss at, probably. Idk, my only experience with them is falling onto one during rain when I was doing an escort mission of a drunk guy during a 18 birthday party. The fucker pulled me onto one, next to a road. Fucking asshole.

Started "The Stars my Destination" and currently on chapter three and I think I'm getting filtered. The setting sounds interesting, but the writing feels jumbled and I don't like how the conversations flow. Is it worth ploughing on or should I just move on?

>>20581592
When in doubt always move on.

>>20581518
"The more effortless the sorcery appears, the more men fear the sorcerer".

>>20579558
Think you've given me a suggestion like this before, considering the length of Wandering Inn and Worm. I'll revise my pull list so I distance these titles out, though I'll likely continue Heaven's Laws. I got about 10% into it through the audiobook and the system isn't TOO bad. I like the idea of someone focusing on a different section of a world's cultivation and coming up with something that the traditional path wouldn't find. Character writing leaves a lot to be discovered.

>>20579571
Were you the one who rec'd it to me originally? Appreciate it.

>>20580132
Nothing inherently gay, sorry to disappoint. There is some magical MtF occurring at the Demoness Sect, however. Does that count? I have noticed after reading 3 Chinese titles that genderbending is a trope that they enjoy. Also a focus on a teenage girl's baby fat adding to her youthful look.

>>20578345
Currently reading the third Malazan book. Memories of Ice.
Honestly I'm kind of losing interest. I don't really like any of the characters, the setting is boring, the romance is absolutely awful, the tone is just all over the place(He just introduced the Mott Irregular who seem to be some kind of parody of inbred hillbillies, fucking bizarre)
I also can't stand the seemingly anachronistic tacticool dirty dozen style Bridge Burners. Especially Whiskeyjack who seems like Erikson's ridiculous self insert.(Everyone's constantly sucking his cock, 14000 year old not!Elf instantly loves him forever and ever, he's the only friend Anomander Rake ever makes etc) Probably one of the characters he played while inventing the setting.
Definitely taking a break after this. I own the next two books as well though so I'll give those a shot eventually as well and hope it wins me back again.

>>20581604
Yeah, probably for the best.

>>20581255
How many are there?
I know people like to meme on aes sedai bring incompetent, but if there was a handful of the strong ones they could easily take over nations. Nothing in westeros could combat them
Even the dragons in GoT don't have special magic to them, they are just big beasts, the aes sedai could bring them down.

>>20581686
>Does that count?
meh, it's not really my scene. But I've heard a couple interesting things about gender-bending in asia- even ignoring the insane amount of mythological creatures and spirits to choose from, there are at least a couple trans or hermaphroditic god figures, and things like kitsune are famous for their gender fuckery. In saiyuki the main goddess that's introduced on the first page has a dick. So it only makes sense that it would be more prevalent in their story telling.

Looking for some fresh S&S. Is Imaro worth a read?

>>20581350
cadsuane could outcuck them all
>>20581901
there were a little over a thousand aes sedai by the time wot takes place
>but if there was a handful of the strong ones they could easily take over nations.
true. the aes sedai in seanchan did control nations directly

>>20581966
I've only read the first book (since it's the only one online), but I enjoyed it.

Looking for a comfy cultivation story. Already read Cradle, Virtuous Sons, Bastion, I shall seal the heavens, and A thousand Li.

>Thousand Li 6 epub hasn't leaked yet
>but the audiobook has
gay

>>20578345

just started a song of ice and fire, I've not actually watched the show so don't really know too much bout it

>>20581734
MoI is peak Malazan so if you're not enjoying yourself I don't recommend continuing

>>20582242
Fun ride but it doesn't go anywhere. That copypasta you see about Dany shitting her brains out in a ditch is actually where the books leave off, and will probably never be finished.

Well Anons, I'm finally going to start Gardens of the Moon and I'm going in blind and dry. What should I expect from Erikson's writing?

>>20579272
weaponsmith on royal road
but frogs are the enemies

>>20582415
Just take some notes if you enjoy that kind of thing, or get the appendix up on a separate screen. It will help a bit if you think things get difficult to keep track of.

https://youtu.be/31afeiVj6aM
Just refound this
I should finish the books...

Hilarious that there's 2 paragraphs of spoilers for Messiah at the end of Dune by his dumbass son in an afterword.
And a promotion for his own books.

>>20578345
Sword of the Lictor and then Citadel

coat teen

>>20580350
Honestly the Violet Fate sect was a highlight and this arc afterwards with the parrot hijinks where Meng Hao casually genocides people who want to stop him from stealing and raping them is making me want to quit reading

>>20581029
I'll keep you updated.

Some anon posted a goodreads page and some random's blog, in the context of finding new progression fantasy that isn't on reddit/etc., several months back.
If anon sees this, could anon post those webpages again? progfant is such a circlejerk shithole

>>20583125
progfant rules supreme
4turds rage and scream

>>20583125
Fortunately for you I'm helpful, usually here, and able to remember. I was going to do a lot more than this, I have a spreadsheet, but that whim passed. I'll be posting more links as I usually do on a somewhat related matter around the first of next month. Maybe I should put these various things in the Goodreads group in the OP. I tend to forget what I do.

>>/lit/thread/S19900659#p19908116

>rereading MiA for the /a/ story time
What tower climban books are actually good?

>>20580926
The real measure of how good a series of books is is whether or not Brandon Sanderson can write the last three books of it without upsetting the fans.

>>20583227
That isn't tower climbing and have you read the spin-off?

>>20581734
Currently reading the seventh Malazan book. Reapers' Gale. Honestly I'm kind of loving it. I like so many characters I can't even keep track of their names, the world is massive, the romance is okay, the tone is all over the place (He just introduced the Shake who seem to be some kind of inbred witch cult, fucking bizarre)
I also love the seemingly anachronistic tacticool dirty dozen style Bridge Burners. Especially Whiskeyjack who seems like Erikson's ridiculous self insert.(Everyone's constantly sucking his cock, 14000 year old not!Elf instantly loves him forever and ever, he's the only friend Anomander Rake ever makes etc) Probably one of the characters he played while inventing the setting.
Definitely reading the rest of the books after this. I own all the books so I'll give those a read and thoroughly enjoy.

>>20583300
Wheel of time is literally about women ruling supreme over men.

>>20583350
The whole reason the women are complete harpies in WoT is because the male and female halves of the power are out of balance. This is also the reason women tug on their braids a lot and fold their arms to emphasize their breasts. Fact.

>>20583379
>This is the reason women fold their arms to emphasize their breasts
Cope, the real reason is women emphasize their breasts in Wheel of Time is to make men simp over them after they seduce them with their breasts, which allows them to rule supreme over men.

Anyone got any recent good coming of age stories in SF or fantasy? Something like Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn would be great.

But none of those shit "assassin" books from Hobbs or that other fucker. They're so terrible.

>>20581235
Did he really try to subvert expectations? It's a meme about the show, but the books are bog-standard anglo fantasy set in a generic pseudo-medieval setting, with obvious main characters with heavy plot armour. Making it extra-grumderp for pop-history cred wasn't actually a novel thing in the 90s.

Did people really think the ageing dude with a cadre of individually introduced spread out kids was going to be the main character?

>>20581313
I've listened to the audiobook. Didn't really enjoy it. The only thing it has going for it is non human characters but I didn't find them very interesting.

>>20583350
It's literally about how women spent 3000 years ruling over men and fucked everything up. Which is why Odin, Thor and Tyr have to incarnate into flesh bodies to unfuck everything.

>>20581734
it's absolutely fine to not continue, solid 7/10 series but not worth sticking with for 10 books unless you really love it.

>>20583435
Basically any YA fantasy. None of it is good, though.

>>20583350
why does that bother you so much

>>20583488
>It's literally about how women spent 3000 years ruling over men and fucked everything up.
well, technically this was all put in motion by the opening of the bore and that was done by one woman and one man

>>20583562
>the opening of the bore and that was done by one woman and one man
It was orchestrated entirely by Lanfear. Lanfear's real name is Mierin, the same Mierin who was the woman opening the bore in the Rhuidean flashback. She duped the Aes Sedai into going through with it because she wanted power. The Male Aes Sedai who helped her died immediately, Lanfear survived because she had already aligned herself with the dark one.

>>20583573
>Lanfear survived because she had already aligned herself with the dark one.
she didn't know it was the dark one and that doesn't change the fact that a male aes sedai did help as you yourself recognize

>>20583435
Lirael

SANDERBROS IN THE HOUSE TONIGHT
EVERYBODY GONNA HAVE A GOOD TIME

>>20583724
he cute

Recommend me some occult/weird detective stuff. Preferably old-school pulp, but modern is okay too.

>>20583738
REH's Skull-Face. It's rather awful but quite hilarious.

>>20583738
A Study in Emerald is the only one I know

>>20583345
The shake are based and lead to one of the most memorable moments of the whole series to me.

>>20583724
AND WE GON' MAKE YOU LOSE YOUR STEAM
EVERYBODY GONNA RAGE AND SCREAM

is sando still a mormon?

>>20583892
he'd sell his mother for a dime

>>20583892
He is the supreme leader of Mormon goons, what do you expect?

>>20582279
Well that's a shame
>>20583537
True, plenty of shit to read.

Cyberpunk 2077 rules supreme
Fantasy plebs rage and scream

>>20584099
Johnny Silverhand the ruler supreme
Packing a cyber dick that makes pussy cream

>>20578325
Years ago I tried to get into Wheel of Time, but characters were not likeable enough for me for one reason or another.
That said, series seems like some coomers fantasy. You have lesbian sorceresses, some of them also get enslaved, even have to wear leashes and collars and get mindbroken and so on. There is a bad guy that gets turned into a woman but likes and becomes bisexual.
It almost seems like Gor but with more plot and less porn and different ideology and not as heavily into BDSM and femsub stuff.

>>20583350
But some women also get btfo and become slave girls.

>>20584127
WoT is generic trash, which is given undue importance due to its status as babby's first fantasy for toddlers in the 90s. It'll be soon forgotten as dementia strikes its now elderly fanbase, Allah willing.

>>20584127
It's always funny seeing authors fetishes slip in. Slutty promiscuous lesbians are a common one. Gay men? Nowhere to be seen.

>>20584175
>>20584127
>Years ago I tried to get into Wheel of Time, but characters were not likeable enough for me for one reason or another.
>That said, series seems like some coomers fantasy. You have lesbian sorceresses, some of them also get enslaved, even have to wear leashes and collars and get mindbroken and so on. There is a bad guy that gets turned into a woman but likes and becomes bisexual.
>It almost seems like Gor but with more plot and less porn and different ideology and not as heavily into BDSM and femsub stuff.
Those were weird times in fantasy. IIRC Sword of Truth is from the same time period and we all know how wild THAT story was.

Just finished the dread empire prequels, so good.
Going onto the sequel trilogy now.
Best thing iv read in years. Above Malazan, the black company and above prince of nothing too.

>>20584175
There's a lot of cuckoldry and gay MCs in a series that gets a lot of love in these threads.

>>20584163
>>20584175
>>20584219
I'm not even complaining, I'm not gonna read the story, but I just open wiki, look up some female characters that get into bondage situations and then search up their names in the books for fun time.
I'm honest with my intent. They even made show for this stuff, which is hilarious, but showfags will miss out on the juicy scenes, no doubt.

>>20584249
>gets a lot of love
Because it rules supreme, that's why

Just finished this bros, pseud purists such as myself wouldn't really call it SF but it was quite enjoyable once I got into it

>>20583435
there won't be any recent good ones

>>20583435
master of sorrows

>>20581592
I don't recommend moving on, it's probably my favorite book, I think the clunkyness is one of it's charms. I think you should carry on especially since it's short and a stand alone, it gets better I think, it all makes sense and it is a real forerunner for new wave SF

>>20578401
finished yet?

>>20584358
yup, it was a blast. gonna try 3 tommorow

>>20581268
>

>>20583311
>reverse tower climbing isn't tower climbing

How the hell do you people read so fast? Someone said they cranked out the first Dune book in under 3 hours, dude in this thread finished LotR 1 and 2 in two days?

>>20584372
lmao unironically good one

>>20584377
>agender human

>>20584382
Speedreaders or liars

>>20584127
yeah jordan has a weird relationship with women. his books read like a misogynist who thinks he's a feminist who hates any kind of sexual explicity but has a ton of fetishes.

>>20584382
lots of unemployed people on this board

>>20584539
Yeah, to be fair, his fetish material is a bit too cruel tho. Maybe it was not intended to come off as a fetish, or maybe it did but.. I don't know, but BDSM slave fetish is one thing, them also being magic mindbroken is another.
Not that you can't enjoy both, but if it's consensual it's different.
Did Toun, for example, get some comeuppance in the series, because Jordan puts done some of his villainous female characters by yanking them from the top to the bottom in the social ladder, but what, the nation of slavers that also mind alter women into being slaves is ok because she is love interest of one of the main characters?

>>20584382
>How the hell do you people read so fast? Someone said they cranked out the first Dune book in under 3 hours, dude in this thread finished LotR 1 and 2 in two days?
These aren't long books desu
You would need what, 6+ hours to read a Dune book? Around that time for each LotR book? Unless they have other things to do, an avid reader can do that. Especially if they get into it and cut corners on sleepping. Hardcore readers are no different than hardcore gamers, they literally sustain themselves on reading.

Im only buying books with good looking covers

any recs?

>>20584352
I stopped at the conversation between Foyle and the Negro girl teacher and found the whole back and forth unappealing and confusing. Maybe I'll try one or two chapters more, see how it goes.
Thanks your opinion.

>>20584685
library at mount char
traitor baru cormorant

>>20578345
Just finished reading some non fiction so now I'm planning to start reading burning chrome.

>>20583345
Oh, you've resumed editing posts again.

>>20584381
Dante's Inferno isn't a tower climbing book.

>>20584382
Its people read speed reading books
The upside is you get through a lot more books in a shorter time
The downside is that you enjoy books less, remember them worse in the future and have much worse comprehension while going through it

>>20583350
There's literally only 3 competent women in the whole series, Nynaeve, Moiraine and Verin. Every other woman fucks up and piggybacks off of a man to be relevant

>>20584859
There are more but those are the only three likable ones

Bakker is king.

>>20584377
The caves of steel predicted this

>>20578699
Yes, the ending was honestly retarded. It actually fits the general theme of the story very well but I hated it because it’s just a means for the author to further milk the series.

>>20584377
Lol, villages and small towns are great. Don't like to be alone in a forest tho, have to admit.

>>20582415
Don’t listen to >>20582449 and just read the damn book. It’s literally just simple fantasy. By the way, Gardens of the Moon is the only truly good book in the series. Expect the whole thing to get gradually worse which each following book.

Don't reply the those who spam the same series for years on ends. Let them lie fallow for some time. Give other stuff a chance.

Is The Black Company worth reading? I’ve been hearing about this series for years now and I’d like to maybe give it a try. It seems to have many mixed reviews, with some people saying it is amazing while others completely hate it. What do you guys think? Can you recommend it?

>>20585128
In current year, it's nothing special.
Maybe in the 80s, it's bleak morally ambiguous take on epic fantasy was groundbreaking, but it's been done so much at this point, it doesn't really stand out much. Nothing remarkable.

>>20585128
I liked but I'm biased because Soulcatcher is one of my favourite fantasy characters and I like Ten Who Were Taken in general. That said, I mostly liked the first book, not so much the later ones.

>>20584347
I'll give it a shot.

I think I'm doomed to read the same books over and over again as modern releases get choked out by mediocrity and female writers. Real talent in writing doesn't mean anything in today's world, only that your story has the right themes and character colors for a modern publishing house.

Sad.

>>20583435
I really enjoyed David Edding's Belgariad as a kid. Not sure if it still holds up. Plus, just found out that him and his wife were shitty human beings. I still have them on my bookshelf and intend to read them again as soon as I get through my backlog.

>>20583821
I can't wait. I've been surprised by every book in the series I've read at this point. Things coming together in ways I never expected. Characters I didn't like becoming faves. The epic battles have no rival in fantasy.

>>20585128
Yes, really good.
Alternatively try the Dread Empire series. It's more modern in it's multi character PoVs (enemies and friendlies). Lots of grey characters.

>>20583821
>>20585237
The shake are absolutely based
Spoiler pic for a reason

>>20584127
The series isn't as good as it's reputation would have you believe. That said, your options for epic fantasy are kind of limited. There aren't that many authors weaving stories of this magnitude and most epic fantasy is deeply flawed. It was even worse back in the 90s. It's easy to see why WoT would be much loved in that context.
>>20584219
I'm still trying to forget Terry Goodkind thank you. I stopped reading fantasy for a few decades after those shitty books.

>>20584382
You don't say the words in your head. You read with your eyeballs instead of your tongue or throat. You refuse to backtrack. There are some readers that track the lines with their fingers to keep up the pace. Contrary to /lit/ belief, reading faster can actually increase retention and comprehension. That's simply how working memory functions. The slower you read, the longer you're trying to retain information before you've given it meaning.

>>20585271
Explain, the Terry Goodkind part.

>To limit Kellhus’s vulnerability to Chorae, they had agreed they should start with everything—linguistic and metaphysical—short of actual Cants. As with the exoterics, instruction in the esoterics required prior skills, arcane analogues to reading and writing. In Atyersus, teachers always started with what were called denotaries, small precursor Cants meant to gradually develop the intellectual flexibility of their students to the prodigious point where they could both comprehend and express arcane semantics.
Why is Bakker such a pseud?

>>20582415
It shouldn't prove a challenge for you unless you've been exclusively reading YA.
>>20585056
>By the way, Gardens of the Moon is the only truly good book in the series.
That's a hot take.

Has anybody here read The Broken Empire and The Red Queen’s War by Lawrence? Are they good and can you recommend them?

I miss reading I shall seal the heavens everyday

>>20585369
You actually liked I Shall Seal the McDonalds?

>>20585323
Imagine reading a fantasy series you're kind of enjoying as a kid and then the main character gets kidnapped and starts getting raped by a sorceress shoving her wand up his ass while he quotes Ayn Rand. The Terry Goodkind rabbit hole goes much deeper than that though. He's ripped off fans that backed his work. Insulted the entire genre and made the claim that he doesn't write fantasy books. Dedicated books to alphabet agencies. In general he's a shitty writer that also happened to be a shitty human being.

>>20585369
>I miss reading I shall seal the heavens everyday
Try The Wandering Inn, will last you much longer.

>>20585375
yes i had fun there were a lot of things I thought were shit at first, but when you get to the end of the last book and look back, it's like watching everyone grow from the beginning, it's a good feeling.

and i laughed a lot with the parrot and meatjelly

>>20585377
im waiting for cradle dreadgod and i think if i start TWI now i will stop to read cradle and i dont like stoping a book before ending to read another

https://i.4cdn.org/wsg/1656183802173.webm

I'm increasingly realizing how relatively narrow my tastes are compared to all the sff that the exists the more I try to read and finish.

>>20584127
>That said, series seems like some coomers fantasy. Y
only if you are mentally ill

>>20585558
Understandable. I also can't be bothered with most fantasy or sci fi or other books or media for entertainment, simply because I feel too busy as is and if something is off I just ditch it. Might as well write something of my own, but I can't write for shit, so...

>>20585441
lol

lmao even

>>20579272
There a book where pepe with a fedora comes to earth to give a guy super powers, and help him fight space aliens that are invading.

>>20579704
>doesn't know of demon canadian geese who regularly attacks eagles
peace was never an option with those fucks

Guys, suddenly a memory in my mind triggered, I have strange recollection of a literary continuation of E.T movie, but as a book sequel. It was something about E.T going back to space and talking with some old master, and then giving them part of his life cycle (some circles located on foreheads????).

Is it some old fever dream, or does this book actually exist?

>>20585775
Have you taken your meds today?

>>20585775
No idea. Maybe fanfiction. Maybe you should write it.

>>20585800
>>20585807

>> Now, at last, we see where E.T. comes from -- who he really is and what his own distant world is like. Return with him to the Green Planet, whose inhabitants are the supreme masters of all growing things in the galaxy. Wander through their immense enchanted gardens, to which E.T. has returned, with Gertie's geranium, a fondness for junk food, and an all-consuming love for the earthling Elliott and his family. But things on Earth have changed since E.T. left. Elliott has begun to notice the opposite sex, and his cherished memories of E.T. are losing ground to thoughts of a girl in his class who wears a rhinestone ponytail clip. More important, he seems to have forgotten E.T.'s teachings of gentleness and peace. "He is about to become the most terrible thing of all," observes E.T. from three million light years away. "He is about to become -- Man."

Holy shit, I found it.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/225698.E_T_

How the FUCK did a young me find this supposedly shit book while living in a post-communist country, visiting a little backwater library in my village? Who translated this? Why would anyone actually print it if it's so niche and unsuccessful? In another language? This mystery is owrthy of a PHD in Literature.

>>20585332
Because deep down he knows he's writing basic bitch grimderp so it's his way of trying to convince midwits they're reading something 'deeper.'

>>20585836
Also guys, I am reading the review of the novelization of the movie by the same person, apparently there was some strange love sub-plot between E.T. and the mother???? Something about a PoV of dog and a sexual assault in the book????
I feel like am going into some strange rabbit-hole, while I should be writing a paper for Uni and reading Kierkegaard.

>>20585863
Get the book and tell us about it in a review.

>>20584859
chuds only like nynaeve because she repeatedly betrays the aes sedai and takes rand's side

>>20585800
>>20585807
>>20585836
>>20585877
Okay, I found one in-depth review, picrel

I think my childhood memories of watching the movie are irrevocably scarred. What the actual fuck, why does it exist. Who the fuck thought writing E.T. trying to fuck the boys' mother is okay????

>>20585909
ET bone home

>>20585836
>Holy shit, I found it.
Congratulations. It always feels nice when you remember something older and obscure in your mind and it turns out true and you are not a schizo and you find it again.
Although, dementia doesn't sound good...

>>20585879
aes sedai owe me sex

>>20578345

reading a song of ice and fire, never actually watched the show

>>20585976
based

>>20578345
I've finally buckled down and started reading the Wheel of Time. Finished The Great Hunt. I'm liking it so far, but geez Egwene and Nynaeve need a couple punches on the mouth. Egwene hopefully gets some character building from being a slave for a few days, but Nynaeve still acts like she's the only person in the world who is right about everything all the time. Elayne is, so far, the only girl in the series who isn't a cunt.

>>20585909
>(((spielberg)))
I always thought the glowing finger was some kind of bad touch allegory.

>>20586010
nynaeve is hilarious, egwene and early books min are based and elayne is an obnoxious cunt and the worst character in the series along with her brother

>>20581686
>There is some magical MtF occurring at the Demoness Sect, however. Does that count? I have noticed after reading 3 Chinese titles that genderbending is a trope that they enjoy.
That might be something I enjoy too. Can you please direct me to which of the series you've read have genderbending?

>>20585863
Pozzed

>>20581313
It's really, really good at showing how non humanoid races could work, but the story itself is meh. And the ending is kinda mindrapey. The spiders concoct a brain changing virus so humans will think spiders are good friends and part of the family.
I liked the sequel a lot better, both because it has a better story, with good horror elements, and because he has better aliens too. Evolved octopus and an actual alien that wasnt made by humanity.

>>20581734
You're at the spot where the series really picks up. Expect more Conan deconstructions and cutting of baggage in the next few books (book 5 is basically a standalone with all new cast, and is the best in the series because of it).

The tonal shifts and silly stuff is something you just gotta roll with. Comedy is actually a big part of the series. Take breaks between chapters to mentally reset yourself. They are all written as short fiction.

>>20585756
What's the book's title?

>>20584382
Dune, 412 pages.
That's about seven hours for me at a casual rate, perhaps five if I push it. Three would be impressive.

>>20584573
I've read somewhere he intended to do a sequel focusing on Mat and his wife going back to that society and changing how things work there, but he died before finishing the main series.

Going through the fifth wheel of time book and the scene where moraine literally begs rand to let her help him was fucking hilarious.

>>20586129
I'd just like to interject for a moment. What you're referring to as virus created by spiders, is in fact, GNU/Linux, or as I've recently taken to calling it, GNU plus Linux. It was created by humans and implanted into races they uplifted into sentience so they would recognize the common humanity (for lack of a better term) in one another.

Now please wait a moment as I delete my appreciation for abstract math to make regain once again for my appreciation for loli.

>>20578856
>>Next Audio Book:
>Soulship by Nathan Thompson
Why? I read the blurb and the reviews and that book has a bunch of redflags. I would avoid. It's like the faggot author just wants it to take place in space. People feel you can have epic power fights on a fucking spacecraft and not jettison your ass into space?

>>20586138
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22999740-contractor

>>20582415
Expect a focus on scene and theme, while story arcs themselves usually have a lot of vagueness to them (imagine reading Frodo's journey without ever being told about the ring, and you have a typical Malazan storyline).

What's the best starting point in the Forgotten Realms, that involves a classic party (Fighter/Wizard/Rogue/Cleric etc) going on an adventure? I want to jump into the story, but want more traditional d&d character dynamics.

>>20586235
there's like one part IIRC where they have to go out into literal space, across four books
what are you even complaining about

>>20586257
I think you have the wrong idea about what the books are about how they are structured.

>>20586280
>>20586257
Which is to say, they don't really have mechanics or generally have obvious traditional stuff like that. For the most part they're just standard fantasy novels.

>>20586308
That's understandable. I guess I just want to dip into the setting, with a group of characters going on an adventure. Maybe I'll just read the Drow trilogy and stop being a snow flake.

Man Blindsight was so fucking good bros. It kinda ruined modern Sci f for me. I liked it so much I read all of Watts' books, but nothing is scratching the itch like blindsight did.
Anyone able to recommend anything similar?

Here's a thought experiment I've been doing for some days, I would like some opinions:

If you could do a crossover fighting game with book characters, which would you choose?
Assume you can use any character without caring for copyright or trademarks.
>What characters are necessary because they come from classics?
Some characters from Lord of the Rings, some from Wheel of Time, Dracula, Frankestein, Sherlock Holmes, Tarzan, Conan.
>What characters, if any, would you pick just because they would make for interesting fighting mechanics or fighting styles?
Sandersons characters would work pretty well in a game, and I could pick some from a couple progression fantasies like Cradle.
>What characters would you pick just because you really like them? Even if the series is more obscure.
I would add several urban fantasy characters, just because I like urban fantasy. Harry Dresden and Owen Z Pitt from MHI, at least. Also a couple of superheroes, because I like superhero books.

>>20586329
Deaf hearing.

>>20586329
>>20586337
incel sex

>>20586308
>For the most part they're just standard fantasy novels.
Hard disagree. Gew fantasy book are as shit as Forgotten Realms stuff. Literary the worst of the worst.

>>20586257
Read chilvaric romance for fighters, picaresque for rogues, grimoires and occult books for wizards, and religious books for clerics.

>>20586262
Read you YA shit book then. No skin off my nose.

>>20586365
>try to shittalk a book you haven't read
>be wrong
lol

>>20586400
>wanting (you)s
Didn't I say I looked at the reviews and the blurb? It looks like a shitty YA book (oh my girl spaceship core).
You do you, but I will not read it.

>>20586418
>try to shittalk a book you haven't read
>be wrong
lol

>>20586418
>try to shittalk a book you haven't read
>be wrong
lol

gay necromancers in space

>>20586456
I approve

>>20586418
>Didn't I say I looked at the reviews and the blurb?
Then why even comment on it if you haven't even read it?

>>20586541
Probably because he thought he could shit talk it without reading it. Which is a common occurrence on /sffg/.

>>20586335
>If you could do a crossover fighting game
Back to >>>/v/ retard.

>>20586143
it took me two weeks to read dune

>>20586612
Stop being a slow reader.

>>20586629
i can't change what i am

>>20586612
I read each back-half of Malazan at a week and a half lawl

>>20586641
That kind of excuse is that?

>>20586652
well, what do you want?

>>20586612
What do you do with your time? You could have finish the entire series in two weeks

>>20586654
nothing. i'm a neet

>>20586658
I can see why /sffg/ is shit then.

>>20586612
>>20586641
>>20586653
>>20586658
>neet
>Doesn't do anything
Can't even read fast
Good lord, this is just getting more pathetic by the second.

>>20586660
i hardly post
>>20586666
:(

>>20586641
Yes you can, what the fuck?

>>20586418
>try to shittalk a book you haven't read
>be wrong
lol

>>20586681
but my reading speed has hardly changed despite me reading more books

jolenta booba shining with such force that severian must fuck; right there, right nov

>>20586694
Stop being a coomer

>>20586692
doubt.

>>20584339
David Mitchell is ok, don't read The Bone Clocks though. It's the most disappointing book I've ever read.

>>20586761
What made it disappointing

make new

>>20586775
The book has a main character called Holly Sykes. The first chapter starts with her pov, but for the rest of the book her story is loosely told through the pov of several other characters.

The problem is, and what makes the book so disappointing, is that that first chapter is really good and it sets a tone that never gets matched for the rest of the book.

You read the book wanting to get another Holly chapter, but it never comes.

Check out the reviews for it on goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20819685-the-bone-clocks

I enjoyed the book but I wouldn't recommend it.

>>20586831
It’s not even page 10 retard.

>>20586856
You got to read it with The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet

>>20585879
aes sedai suck horse dick and Rand was right so it only makes sense

is this the ideal world for /sffg/ chuds?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gor

>>20586856
Ah, the old bait and switch. A tale as old as time. Don’t know why authors do it.

>>20586880
How is it related?

>>20586890
I'm sure you can make the connection

>>20586887
The first chapter is like a completely different story to the rest of the book, if he had continued it how the first chapter was written the book would be God tier.

No idea what was going through his head while writting it. It is like he started with one idea the dropped that idea and conttiuned with a completely different one.

>>20586887
>Don’t know why authors do it.
I think because they think its literary.

>>20586895
it doesn't. nynaeve is a treacherous cuck

>>20586895
I can't, it has been 3 years since I read The Bone Clocks and I've not read his other books although I'm aware that they are set in the same universe.

>>20586905
what are you talking about retard?

>>20586899
>No idea what was going through his head while writting it.
The author probably had other stories set in the same setting and tried to cram it in.

>>20586929
Yeah the other character pov are different stories but they are all connected to each other and Holly.

It all comes together at the end but it just ruins the book going from such an amazing first chapter and tone to a lesser one for the rest of the book.

>>20586950
I mean, that doesn’t detract what I said, the author probably rewrote it several times to get that point.

>>20586950
>It all comes together at the end but it just ruins the book going from such an amazing first chapter and tone to a lesser one for the rest of the book.
So, the problem is the tone shift?

>>20586856
>>20586887
>>20586950
Supermage was like that for me. I wanted the slice of life clandestine teen love story with rich girl and an over protective family and scrappy slum rat boy who gets super powers who has her affection and ends up proving himself to the family intermixed with the sexy escapades of young lovers.

Instead I got the generic overpowered boy gets cheat powers, goes to magic school and military conscription, battles in bracketed tournaments and whatever boring shit that's been told a million times over gotta save the world from monsters and evil people blah blah blah.

>>20587002
No, he said the problem was that the first chapter is like a completely different story to the rest of the book. Its literally a bait and switch and it should be a crime to do that shit.

>>20587002
Not just the tone, the other characters aren't as strong, the story plateaus and drags along with a few key events every now and then. It never reaches the level of the first chapter and you keep reading wanting more of it.

It isn't a bad book, just disappointing.
If stuff like that doesn't bother you then you will probably like it.

I did like the story and the illuminate type stuff. As I said, it does all come together at the end but it is the bit inbetween that is so disappointing.

>>20586881
>is this the ideal world for /sffg/ chuds?

>>20587029
>I wanted the slice of life clandestine teen love story with rich girl and an over protective family and scrappy slum rat boy who gets super powers who has her affection and ends up proving himself to the family intermixed with the sexy escapades of young lovers.
I dropped the series after he started getting back his memories and the author tried to turn it into some YA love shit that has been done a million times before.

>>20586042
Sure thing, pal. Lord of the Mysteries has it as a magical background feature, while Reverend Insanity turns one of the MCs into a woman by the end of the first book (chapter 200-ish?). Ave Xia Rem Y and Heaven's Laws seem to setup something like this in the background too, with the distinction between Ying (feminine) and Yang (masculine) energies being alterable. So far neither have directly demonstrated.

>>20586235
Taking the good and the bad with this experience, but Soulship received a few recommendations on my list. I'm about halfway through and the experience has lackluster. The spacecraft is more like a colony ship mixed with a biodome. Written nearly identically to Mother from Remnants, if you ever read that series as a kid. Otherwise most of the sci-fi tropes are accomplished by teleporting the MC to random planets in the system.

MEH.

New thread
>>20587234

>>20587235
And the pedofreak is already ruining the new thread.

>>20587159
>Written nearly identically to Mother from Remnants
Mother was an unfeeling sociopath, very machinelike.

>>20587270
I wouldn't give Vessa much credit in that regard, as her entire personality seems to be rather binary. Holding an imprint from Nova and becoming more human, but I'm not seeing it yet.

>I am the ninth generation demon sealer! I shall seal the heavens!
kino

>>20586143
>>20584382
Scott Brick's audiobook version is 21 hours