/lit/ - Literature

reposting from previous thread:

>>21577420
>Could you elaborate? What happened before that?
i don't remember much, but it was at the start of the story. he just joined a sect and he somehow joined the "cooks" of the sect, they were all fat. there were nicknames like "fatty zhao" thrown around iirc.
anyway, these cooks would constantly sneak bites of high quality food meant for the top brass when nobody was looking, and that was how they cultivated.
something like that.

>>21578451
Started Empire in Black and Gold by Adrian Tchaikovsky. It's readable, but quite banal and thus far dull. He is at the same time trying to create a somewhat odd world and massively lacks descriptive ability.

Bakker - King
Chinkshit - trash
Litrpg - not literature

I think I have book burnout. Whenever I want to read or even look at my books I feel stressed out. It's been over a month since I read anything from a book and it sucks. What do?

>>21578504
>It's been over a month since I read anything from a book and it sucks. What do?
I don't know what you read, but going from the taste of most posters here, it was utter trash. Consider picking up something that is goign to engage you rather than simply entertain you.

>>21578513
Consider picking up something that is goign to engage you rather than simply entertain you.
Hmm, you make a good point. The last book I read was Mistborn and I was on chapter 7. Not sure what'll engage me, though.

>>21578524
whoops forgot the meme arrow lol

>>21578524
>The last book I read was Mistborn and I was on chapter 7.
No wonder you aren't feeling engaged, you are reading Sanderson.

>>21578543
Perhaps. I tried reading John Gwynn a while back but don't like his style

Read The Wandering Inn, Read Mother of Learning, Read I Shall Seal the Heavens.

Also read The Prince of Nothing, Neuromancer, Cradle, A Song of Ice and Fire, Hyperion, Between Two Fires, The Poppy War.

>>21578562
Try the classics. Tolkien, Wolfe, Vance, Lovecraft, Howard, Smith etc. From the new authors, I like John C. Wright, his Superluminary was an absolute blast of insanity and imagination.

>>21578570
Stop trying to wiggle your chinkslop along with actually good stuff

>>21578603
Thanks anon. I do have The Complete Cthulhu Mythos Tales - H.P. Lovecraft sitting on my shelf, I'll start with that.

I don't read fantasy books, but I would like to know if there are any that have a sort of mysterious scene where the protagonist discovers a tucked away secret, similar to the feeling you get when you find a legendary Pokémon or secret boss in a hidden cave. I want it to feel like it's really out of the way of the main plot. I think that adds to the mysteriousness.

>>21578504
Try to read something light and possibly funny, have you read any of the Discworld novels by Terry Pratchett? Also give Raymond E Feist a try for something above Sanderson but not complex and easy to read.

>>21578628
Lord of the Rings actually has that feeling in abundance

>>21578628
Try Malice by John Gwynne.

>>21578628
have you read Dune?

>>21578647
>>21578657
I have read both of these and I do not remember having that feeling. But it was some years ago. I seem to get this feeling more from video games.
>>21578652
Can you post an excerpt, especially from the scene you think I want to see? I'm not going to just read any book without you selling it to me

>>21578611
Mother of learning is my fav from this entire recc, take ur meds bro

So did these awesome covers for Bakker stop at Book 2 of The Aspect-Emperor series? I cant find book 3 and 4 in this art style?

>>21578680
>Mother of learning is my fav from this entire recc
Yeah, I believe you.

>>21578757
Try not responding to obvious newfags.

>>21578603
>Wolfe
fuck off

>>21578827

>>21578841
Fat hack faggot

>>21578847

>>21578671
>I'm not going to just read any book without you selling it to me
Beggars can't be choosers, find your own excerpt.

>>21578853
retard

>>21578757
>>21578788
meds please, newfags

>>21578860

>>21578757
>>21578788
>>21578860
>>21578853
>>21578847
>>21578841
>>21578611
retards kys
bakker is king

>>21578725
Must be a publisher thing, afaik only Overlook Press did these covers - and the one you posted is different to the mosaic style like picrel. It's a shame because the guys-face-on-cover ones suck and I've refrained from getting the last couple of Bakker books because of it.

>>21578854
Because I don't want to read what I'm not looking for?

>>21578827
Sneed harder bud, everyone knows that HUWITE CATHOLIC MEN write the best speculative fiction. If BotNS went over your head then I'm sorry.

>>21578881
>>21578886
wolfefag zoomers
>>21579078
catholics aren't white, and BOTNS is a midwit filter for zoomers like you who are too stupid to read hodgson or vance or ashton smith

>>21578652
John Gwynne's books are shit, I read that series and his follow up one
world building might have been interesting but characters were bad, prose was bad, plot was bad

>>21579245
bro are you STILL here getting triggered by every wolfe post? You've done more to promote his books than any fans on this board possibly could. I bet you're doing this for free as well

>>21579260
Buttmad zoomer at his shitty father figure insulted
Keep on insiting wolfe is the greatest author of the 20th century you delusional faggot

>>21579267
He's my favourite author and I still think about him less than you. Rent-free. Hahahahahhahahahahaha

>>21579245
>wahhh people can't like books that I don't understand
Don't get so triggered man, it's just the internet

>>21579267
>buttmad
>zoomer
>midwit
Keep projecting, it's entertaining

>morning newfags argue with newfags power hours

>>21579276
>>21579277
>>21579283
>Overall, I found nothing unique in Wolfe. Perhaps it's because I've read quite a bit of odd fantasy; if all I read was mainstream stuff, then I'd surely find Wolfe unpredictable, since he is a step above them. But compared to Leiber, Howard, Dunsany, Eddison, Kipling, Haggard, Peake, Mieville, or Moorcock, Wolfe is nothing special.

>Perhaps I just got my hopes up too high. I imagined something that might evoke Peake or Leiber (at his best), perhaps with a complexity and depth gesturing toward Milton or Ariosto. I could hardly imagine a better book than that, but even a book half that good would be a delight--or a book that was nothing like that, but was unpredictable and seductive in some other way.

>I kept waiting for something to happen, but it never really did. It all plods along without much rise or fall, just the constant moving action to make us think something interesting is happening. I did find some promise, some moments that I would have loved to see the author explore, particularly those odd moments where Silver Age Sci Fi crept in, but each time he touched upon these, he would return immediately to the smallness of his plot and his annoying prick of a narrator. I never found the book to be difficult or complex, merely tiring. the unusual parts were evasive and vague, and the dull parts constant and repetitive.

>The whole structure (or lack of it) does leave things up to interpretation, and perhaps that's what some readers find appealing: that they can superimpose their own thoughts and values onto the narrator, and onto the plot itself. But at that point, they don't like the book Wolfe wrote, they like the book they are writing between his lines.

>>21579245

Has anyone here read Inda? If so, would you recommend it? I'd love to dive into a new epic fantasy.

>>21579297
Tldr, Wolfe is on par with the best sci-fi and fantasy writers of the last century, and I'm salty he didn't hold my hand and explain everything at an 8th grade level. Nice.

>>21579304
Haven't read it but reviews seem to indicate there is a lot of world building, if that is your thing.

>>21579332
Nope, he's a hack author who appeals to zoomers like you who find literal pulp authors like Ashton Smith too hard to read

>>21579344
My favorite authors are literally Howard and Smith, and I'm older than you for sure. You just cannot stop talking out of your eternally devastated ass, I almost feel bad for you lol

>>21579355
No they aren't
Wolfe appeals to spastics like you who find ashton smith too hard. I've talked to wolfefags on here who thought wolfe invented the dying earth genre and had no idea who ashton smith was, LOL
Keep on spouting bullshit like "Wolfe is the greatest author of the 20th century" and "Wolfe is better than proust"

>>21579355
I wasn't a big fan of Smith (because his quality was all over the place, but makes sense, as it was a chronological collection I read). I was thinking of Zothique soon to give him another chance.

>>21579363
>"Wolfe is better than proust"
This is true.

>>21579363
Are the "wolfefags" in the room with us right now, anon?

>>21579452
I am inside your walls

>>21579024
True. But anything is better than those ugly covers with the faces. Maybe Bakker doesnt care anymore (if he's still alive).

>>21579024
i only bought the books until book 2 of the Aspect Emperor, I refuse to buy those dumb faces covers.

>>21578481
Honestly you might be thinking of a different novel, the closest thing I can think of to that is when he joined the Violet Fate Sect's alchemy division and everyone asked the people from the regular division that commissioned them for more materials than they needed (in case of accidents) so they could make stuff for themselves on the side. But honestly the only major fat character I can remember is Fatty himself.

Also I'd like to somewhat repeat what I asked last thread, how fulfilling of a read can RI be considering it "ended" in the middle of the story? Everyone likes it but I don't know how I'd feel never getting a conclusion. Someone was making it sound interesting but it seemed to be mostly based off of the simplicity of the combat system

>>21579304
Avoid reading books written by women.

>>21579541
Each arc is pretty much self contained, and it's 1700 chapters long, so think of it more like a 10 book long series with the final book only half done and it'll make more sense.
And it's just really good, to the point where those individual arcs are better than most entire other series.
Also BECAUSE it got axed mid-arc there actually wasn't much of a cliffhanger, sort of the opposite. It felt like the next major arc was just about to be introduced, but hadn't been yet and it was just in the middle of a rest period where the MC was consolidating his gains and making plans. A few chapters later it may have introduced something major and become intolerable to wait, but instead you've got only a vague idea of what might be coming next.

>>21579737
Was it just me or did others also guess that a major timeskip was about to occur?

>>21579737
Actually, it's more like it got axed in the epilogue, right after the climax, but before the cliffhanger for the next arc. And he IS coming back to finish it, after his current series ends, so it's no more unfinished than any other series with gaps between books.

>>21579745
Either a timeskip or some sort of major twist/new character introduction definitely. The current situation was getting too simple and there were a bunch of hints that weird shit was about to go down in the background.

>>21579747
Did he actually post this on his media platforms or is thus pure cope?

>>21578570
Based rec anon

>>21579758
>>21579753
>>21579747
>>21579745
>>21579737
>>21579545
>>21579541
>>21579521
>>21579516
>>21579499
>>21579452
>>21579379
>>21579366
>>21579363
>>21579344
>>21579338
>>21579332
>>21579304
>>21579302
>>21579297
>>21579289
>>21579283
>>21579277
>>21579276
>>21579267
>>21579260
>>21579252
>>21579245
>>21579078
>>21579051
>>21579024
>>21578886
>>21578881
>>21578860
>>21578854
>>21578853
>>21578847
>>21578841
>>21578827
>>21578788
>>21578757
>>21578725
>>21578671
>>21578680
>>21578657
>>21578652
Sneed

>>21578628
Not exactly sff but read pic related

This was super dull until the last quarter, then it became great. I've heard Roadside Picnic is similarly paced.

>>21579304
Yes, it's good, it's like Robin Hobb but with a bigger scope and slighty less suffering

>>21579304
>>21579917
It has hot pirate ladies too

Please recommend something with lots of interpersonal conflict, betrayal, lies, etc. But without much romance, if possible.

is the guy looking for dorcas in the lake of birds related to severian

>>21580070
Everything's related, it's just a matter of how.

>>21579758
He did, but he said it'd be at least 5 years until he's finished with the current book. It's not like fat fuck syndrome, he's still writing and publishing another series, he just had to switch over cause he needed the money and doesn't want to stop in the middle to go back. RI was even unbanned after a year or so once it was reviewed so he could go back and finish it whenever he wants to.

>>21579737
Alright, sounds about good. Still bad to not have a conclusion, but as permanent hiatuses go it doesn't get much more convenient than that.
>>21579747
How can he? Didn't the CCP specifically make him stop writing it?

>>21580237
Only issue is he had a total mental breakdown and spent weeks incoherently ranting after he got banned and his new series sucks so bad no one will even translate it so he may have been buck broken and lost his mojo.

>>21580239
They preemptively banned it after it was reported, then after reviewing it a year later unbanned him. Probably the guy who reported him out of butthurt just made up a load of shit and they found out.

>goodreads blurb completely spoils the book
What did they mean by this?

>>21580252
Okay, people should probably mention that more since they make it sound like it'll never have a conclusion ever. First I've heard that it wasn't is right here

>>21579541
aah yes. you're right. i'm thinking about "a will eternal" by the same author. they do say it's like ISSTH, but with the comedy turned up 300%.

i did start ISSTH as well and got to when he was taking an exam or something. unless i'm mixing things up again.

so I started reading this after seeing it recommended pretty strongly, and looking at a brief synopsis of the premise it seemed pretty interesting, but something about The Deed of Paksenarrion is rubbing me the wrong way and I can't quite put my finger on it

>>21579297
I'm not a huge fan of Wolfe but this is peak midwit cope

Felisin is filtering me harder than GotM ever did.

>goblin rap battle

I'm looking for defeatist science fiction, depicting a jaded dystopia - probably tied to space exploration. Books about the impossibility of not only reaching the stars, but colonizing the planets nearby due to lack of resources, biological limits and the like. Or at least some sort of a novel where an attempt to do so results in increased entropy and total depletion of Earth's resources. Anything like that available?

>>21580631
Read a newspaper or turn on the TV.

What books can give me a lampooningly good time?

>>21580631
You are describing Aurora.

>>21580700
Sounds somewhat close, thanks, although a generational ship immediately makes the concept more optimistic.

>>21580704
The core moral is that generation ships are inherently wrong, because space colonization can't work for all kinds of scientific reasons, and because no one has the right to condemn innumerable future generations to that kind of inevitable torment and failure.
Because of the history of science fiction and the expectations of readers, the book kind of had to start out with at least the potential for optimism, because that's the attitude sci-fi readers have towards space colonization by default. KSR gradually peels back the layers, sowing doubt, before eventually delivering a series of gut punches (and a literal slap in the face) meant to shame and devastate readers for bringing that kind of attitude.

>>21580631
Blindsight and The Three Stigmata of Palmer Edlritch, but I feel like everyone already read those.

>>21579304
I adore it
Like would probably be my favourite series ever if I read it a bit younger.
Think King's Thief is the only thing in that not labeled ya but is still about coming of age subsection of fantasy that I would say is definitely better.

>>21580744
Queen's Thief even

>>21580631
Luna New Moon, humanity gets to the moon but no further and life on it fucking sucks unless you're the neo-aristocracy. And despite being dependent on imports they don't want to go back to earth because life's shit there too
Still need to finish off the series but it hits all of those notes.

>>21580733
>>21580734
>>21580700
>>21580755


https://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/2007/06/the_high_frontier_redux.html

This pretty much describes my stance.

>>21580070
>related to severian
Yes. You make a good catch.

>>21580759
/lit/'s own cstross?

>>21580760
this is like my 5th reread of botns
managed urth last time and some /tv/ fren said to read long sun, tryna get to that this time around

>>21580755
it sucks, the protag is some street rat female or some shit

>>21580780
There's like 6 povs and only one of them is poor from what I remember

>>21580773
Long Sun is actually really good. It's something like War and Peace in space with more crypto-Christianity and generally insane plot. There's actually more reflection by Silk than by Severian. Short Sun is excellent and has the best plot twist I've ever read. Left me gaping because it was obvious and hammered to the reader on one side, but so weird you won't send it coming.
The man looking for Dorcas is Severian's grandfather, Dorcas' husband.

>>21580799
Severian isn't his own grandfather? Ok, I may have misinterpreted a few things.

>>21580799
>The man looking for Dorcas is Severian's grandfather, Dorcas' husband.
when he called her cas it clicked, dunno why now & not the other times i've read it
>>21580809
doesn't he just smash

>>21580815
I was taking all the "Severian's Mausoleum" stuff literally. I had the impression that he had been sliding around in time, sometimes without realizing (not just one round trip from the end of the world to the beginning and back). But it's confusing, because there's also the concept of there being sequences of universes that influence each other in a time-like way that isn't time. So there was definitely a multiversal "ancestor" of Severian who influenced the life of the books' Severian, but not necessarily as literal biological ancestor in Severian's own world and timeline.

>>21580631
The Best one is Stand of Zanzibar (1968), it's like John Dos Passos USA Trilogy but scifi, and it's still very relevant to this day.
Canticle for Leibowitz, so depressing that the author killed himself lmao
The Genocides thomas disch (spoiler: it's shit)
The Long Loud Silence

>>21580809
It was the old guy looking for "Cas" in the botanical gardens. Dunno how you could read the book and miss that.

>>21580834
That could be an alternate Severian though (like Burgundofara and Gunny)

>>21578451
The official Mom Protagonist SFF List.
I apologize for the lengthy (ie autistic) list. I may update it later.
>Caught in Crystal (1987) by Patricia Wrede
>The Interior Life (1990) by Katherine Blake
>Raven's Duology (2004-2005) by Patricia Briggs
>Wolfblade Trilogy (2004-2005) by Jennifer Fallon
>Bridge of D'Arnath (2004-2005) by Carol Berg
>The World Gates Trilogy (2004-2005) By Holly Lisle, She wrote Minerva Wakes and the Arhel trilogy, those two books also have mom mc
>Dragonsbane (1985) by Barbara Hambly
>Paladin of Souls and Vorkosigan saga by Lois McMaster Bujold
>Sunrunner Saga (1988-1993) by Melanie Rawn. Mommy Sioned best yandere girl
>The Empire Trilogy (1987-1992) by Janny Wurts
>Liveship Traders (1998-200) by Robin Hobb
>Birthgrave (1975-1978) by Tanith Lee
>Heart of Bronze (1997-1998) by Matthew Stover
>Karavans Trilogy (2006-2012) by Jennifer Roberson
>Skinwalkers (2014) by Wendy N. Wagner, about an ex-pirate Axe wielding mom!
>Frostfell (2006) by Mark Sehestedt
>Legacy of Steel (1998) by Mary H. Herbert
>The Traitor Spy Trilogy (2010-2012) by Trudi Canavan
>Sevenwaters Trilogy (1999-2001) by Juliet Marillier
>Blood songs (1987, third book in the Frost trilogy) by Robin Wayne Bailey
>Bloodsong Trilogy (1985-1986) by Asa Drake
>Gypsies (1988) by Robert Charles Wilson
>Child of Time (1991) by Robert Silverberg
>The Wayfarer Redemption (1995-1999) by Sara Douglass, by book three almost every character is pregnant, after book three there's a 20 year time-skip so all the mcs have grown-up children
>The Forgotten Beasts of Eld (1974) by Patricia A. McKillip
>The Keys to Paradise Trilogy (1987-1988) by Robert Vardeman, trio of mcs all of the same importance, veterans of the Trans-War that ravaged the country, one of them is a cat-girl who saves a slave kid and adopts him
>Bitter Angels (2009) by C.L Anderson
>The Great Wheel (1987, book three of the Tredana Trilogy) by Joyce Ballou Gregorian
>Daughter of the Bear King (1987) by Eleanor Arnason
>Night-Threads series by Ru Emerson, portal fantasy about a druggie mom, her sister and her teenage son.
>Frostflower adn Thorn (1980) Phyllis Ann Karr
>Fifth Millenium by S.M. Stirling, Shirley Meier, and Karen Wehrstein
>Spellsong Cycle (1997-2002) by L.E. Modesitt Jr
>The Sword of Lyric by Sharon Hinck, christian portal fantasy about a soccer mom and her son fighting against Not-Satan
>Cradle of Sea and Soill (2020) by Bernie Anes Paz
>Boneshaker (2009) Cherie Priest
>The Gap Cycle by Stephen Donaldson, absolute grimdark kino but like most of Donaldson's work it has a happy ending, the main characters just have to go through hell to get it.
>Dragon Gate by Lindsay Buroker, a six book epic about a Mother-son duo
>Memories of Ice (2001 Book 3 of Malazan Book of the Fallen) by Steven Erikson
>To Sail Beyond the Sunset (1987) by Robert Heinlein
I'm open to any suggestions for SFF books with mom mc
Don't forget to check out Kate Elliott's new book the Keeper's Six.
Bakker is king etc. etc.

>>21580845
Is this a fetish, or are you a tranny or what?

>>21579366
his Averoigne stories are also good

any books featuring tall muscular women?

>>21580850
I'm a guy who likes moms.
>>21580864
Dark Sun Prism Pentad by Troy Denning
Twilight Giants trilogy also by Troy Denning

>chivalry cucks burrich
>fitz cucks verity
>burrich cucks fitz
why do women write like this

>>21580908
hobb likes old men, her husband is like a decade older than her. i'm glad she cacelled the Bee spin-off series, she would probably make Bee get gangbanged by octagenarians or something like that

well I was gonna talk about how much I'm enjoying Sword of the Lictor but it looks like from reading the top of this thread this is not the place to have that discussion
side note pic rel is all I could imagine Jolenta as the entire time I was reading and I hated it

>>21581023
bitch wanted the BTC

>>21580440
>While he was taking an exam or something
He does that a lot, every other arc he blows people away by crushing past records in something or other. Not that I ever got tired of it
I've also heard the same about AWE, which makes it sound pretty good. I like plot but I'm not here to read super serious ruminations as much as I am to have a fun time

>>21581023
lit pseudo intellectual contrarians refuse to admit that botns is kino

>>21581113
>AWE
it was way too goofy for me. that is why i thought ISSTH might be for me, but i just forgot about it. i think i was catching up on another big webnovel at the time. maybe i'll give it another shot.

>>21578628
stick to video games. reading isn't for you

>>21578725
Truly the greatest atrocity of all.

Also chink covers (with corrected circumfix) when.

>>21581276
Whose face is that even supposed to be that suddenly starts appearing on the covers?

While I'm rereading DCC, tell me your favorite scenes (to the three relevant anons who read.)
For me, it was Loita's death in book 4 but GLURP GLURP in book 2 was when I knew I'd be reading this until the end. The finale of book 4 and book 5 were nuts too and nearly everything from book 6 so far has been great.

>>21581276
>Jacket Art by Shutterstock

>>21581378

Left Hand of Darkness - worth reading? Why is it such a popular collectors' book?

>>21581789
It's a long form thought experiment. I'd call it more interesting than good, but worth reading if you're feeling patient.
>Why is it such a popular collectors' book?
It's Thus Spake Zarathustra for troons and shitlibs. They pretend to like it but only read in excerpt if at all.

>>21581789
I found it very "meh", and I'm not even a r*ghtoid.

Why is there no hardcover version of rendezvous with rama with a good cover? Should I just suck it up and accept the polka dots?

>>21581946
Well there are but they all cost an arm and a leg

Just finished The Andromeda Strain and I'm not sure what to think

>>21581023
It's both the best and the worst place to have the discussion and the way you imagine Jolenta is pretty damn accurate. And soon you'll learn why.

any new contemporary, scifi book with heavy romance elements?

>>21581983
are there even any old, classic scifi books with heavy romance elements?

>>21582047
I guess the forever war counts?

>>21582076
Not really. He has a gf who he marries at the end but their relationship is not a large part of the story.

>tfw the best scifi romance story you've read is an urusei yatsura fanfic from 30 years ago

>>21581983
it's hard to find them because "romance" is dominated by women's erotic schlock

>>21582107
I fucking hate how romance is just women's Jack off material

>>21581280
curious, they translated Scott Baker but not the R lol

any zahler fags on /lit/

>>21581983
not really romance, but erotica - Sexy Space Babes was a fun read. came for the smut, stayed for the story
https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/37934/sexy-space-babes

Recommend me a good standalone (not part of a series) fantasy novel

>>21582363
Poul Anderson wrote a bunch of standalones that /sffg/ recommends

>>21581365
-Book 4 finale
-The whole Butcher's Masquerade sequence
-First time getting the cookbook

It's not specific scenes I like. It's the writing , the world building and the revolutionary themes. NPC free will , crawl lore and quests , high level diplomatic plays and little by little everyone realizing that this is not going to be an ordinary season.

>>21578486
I'm 1/4 into the novel and it feels like I'm reading a boring video game plot.
>>21582370
>>21582363
Indeed, his Broken Sword is really good. I would also go with Vance, his Dying Earth is excellent and short. Also, by not part of a series is relevant in terms of publication (LotR and Book of the New Sun were just split for publishing reasons for example) or you don't want to read 2000 pages of crap?

idk but i feel like reading novels that dont show pages is slower than reading books where i can see pages? maybe is subconscious

i started reading Lord of the Mysteries and im enjoying but it feels so fucking slow, like, i reached chapter 130 but the novel have 1400 chapters and i have no idea how long is that, how many chapters u guys usually read a day?

i just downloaded 3 stupidly long wuxia stories, which one is the best?
Lord of the Mysteries
Reverend Insanity
I Shall Seal the Heavens

>>21582687
Lord of the mysteries > I shall seal the heavens > Reverend Trash

>>21582647
>how many chapters u guys usually read a day?
I dropped it a chapter 34, this is the most boring webnovel I've ever read.

>>21582888
im enjoying and had no problem with the early chapters, I found the sequences interesting and how someone can rise from a commoner to become a deity

My problem is that my OCD is messing with the fact that I don't know how long it takes to read since I can't see pages

>>21582303
absolutely fellow zahlersister, I've read all of what's here minus Chickpenny. His novels read a lot like his movies - just fast and violent and pulpy. The westerns were good, Mean Business and Slanted Gutter read a bit like Dragged Across Concrete and they too were good. I had high hopes for Corpus Chrome since I'm a scifi dork but it was just OK. It read a lot like a PKD book and was just overall very schizo and scattered. The best part of Corpus Chrome was that murder is morally wrong on an objective and universal level: the notion that people have a shadow self that lives in the Moon(?), and if you murder someone, your shadow self gets transported to the Sun where it burns for all Eternity. In this book, a murderer is brought back to life and he claims this is what happened to him, and everyone thinks he's full of shit. I wish Zahler explored this idea more, it was scary and neat

any good standalone fantasy? I've been playing DnD with friends[/friends] and playing cRPGs for the PC and I just want something that captures adventuring and villains and racial tensions between elves and dwarves and cool magic. No series please, just standalone

>>21582927
woops, I'm the schizo this morning with my spoiler tags and I also see what >>21582363 asked..

>>21579828
I read Roadside last week. It's not bad but dull is a decent word to use for it. Russians are just dull man, dull and bleak.

I wish there were sci fi/fantasy romance novels aimed at guys. The majority of it is written for chicks, and the little that is for guys is harem/animu/coomer garbage.

>>21578451
I just finished reading sphere. Shit was crazy

>>21582944
romance is for women and queers

>>21582944
That's because romance is dominated by women and women only write fap material for each other. Even the harem erotica ones are actually for women, because the male protagonist is usually a dick mannequin enjoyed by all the sexy smart confident women in the story

Will you read AI SF-F novels once they exist? It's obvious they're going to swarm the market at some point.

>>21583263
>Will you read AI SF-F novels once they exist?
Doubt it. They may replace lower end trash, but won't offer the depth and imagination needed to keep me interested. Much like AI art of today. It looks neat sometimes, but never profound.

>>21580779
Hah! Great work of parody, really captures the shittiness of DragonballZ fanfic! Can't wait for you to write an actual story that's meant to be good, it might be worth the effort of shilling it.

picrel is my sci-fi pleb filter.

Easily top 3 sci-fi series of all time, The Saga of Pliocene Exile.

If you haven't read it/don't like it chances are you're a pleb and I don't want to associate with you.

>>21578628
Try the Black Company by Glen Cook, I think it happens often

>>21583400
No thanks, RI already has a beautiful story (and a lovely mc).

>Aragorn died in the age of 210
Wait he isn't human?

>>21583929
>The Nonborn King
What a retarded title.

Has anyone read Ian Banks' Culture series? I've only read 'The Wasp Factory' and 'Stonemouth'. I heard he's a better sci-fi writer.

>>21580631
If I remember that correctly, Ben Bova "Grand Tour" looks like that, especially Mars, Venus, return to Mars, Titan

>>21584017
Explain

>>21584022
Checked and yes I'm sure a bunch here have. Culture series is great. They are all disconnected books in the same universe. Consider Phlebas is first in publication order but a bit weak. Start with Use of Weapons, Excession or Player of Games.

>>21583987
The Dunedain have longer life spans. Elf is in their bloodline I believe

>>21582927
I also left Hug Chickenpenny till later as it sounded too different from his others. Do yourself a favor and read it.

>>21584219
How long do orcs live (corrupted elves?)

>>21581276
Can't /lit/ creat/commission a new cover like that anti-terf dude with Rowling did?

>>21584138
Youve read it havent you? How about you explain the context of the poorly worded title.

>>21584231
They are immortal like elves

>>21584232
Yes, but that will never happen.

>>21584232
Just StableDiffusion your own jacket.

>>21581307
I thought the face on TUC fit Akka, but he's Ketyai so it can't be him.

Any fantasy literature out there that isn't cynical as fuck?

>>21584366
Much of current fantasy and science fiction, especially those written by women. Look into hopepunk and other similarly uplifting themes.

>>21584519
How exactly is cucking, antiwhite agenda and bbc porn uplifting?

>>21584519
>[Whatever]punk
Lol lmao even

I think soon we're going to see a huge surge in racequeenpunk

>>21584765
For me, it's sizequeenpunk

>>21584519
>>21584531
Yeah seriously, modern fantasy is deconstructivist drivel full of niggers and strong independent women.

>>21584979
>strong independent women.
nothing wrong with that

>>21578451
Was just looking at some of the recommended reading charts, what makes the wheel of time books 5- so shit? Asking because I just finished the first book and thought it was alright.

>>21581365

the fight on the train in Dungeon anarchists' cookbook when Helka and Katia went sideways. the other would be all of Butcher's Masquerade. the ending was epic! the final note on who currently has the tiara was...yikes! thats going to be a tough one.

when is 6 getting published? reading on RR is a drag.

GLURP GLURP

>>21581365
My favorite scene was when they first played the clips with the catch phrase, because it was so obvious but I never saw it coming. Maybe it wasn't the best scene, but it's where I came to trust the books.

I have been reading Tolkien.
The Hobbit, LotR, Silmarillion. Currently on Unfinished Tales.
I heard that 'they' made a new book recently called the Fall of Numenor.
Is this one good? It seems like it's in the same 'series' as Children of Hurin, Beren and Luthien and Fall of Gondolin, which I have heard are good.
But those were all edited by Tolkien's son yes?
Have any of you read this new book? Is it on the same level or at least still serviceable when compared to the books Christopher Tolkien Edited?

>>21585050
https://kemono.party/patreon/user/5429305

>>21584022
It's controversial because it takes a political stance. If you're neutral or positive on its politics then you will probably like it.

>It's a "dialogue in a foreign language that the author gets wrong" chapter/book

>>21584366
Similar question, I'm looking for an interesting low fantasy world that isn't particularly dark or gritty. Seems like anything low magic has to be full of grimdark suffering by default and anything lighter is a kitchen sink with someone who can shit lightning on every street corner.

>>21584366
>>21585251
Thomas Covenant

>>21585095
>https://kemono.party/patreon/user/5429305
thank you kind anon. you are my favorite now.

>>21585362
We're two chapters into Part 2 so now is a great time, depending on how you look at it, to read whatever material RR lacks. The writing has been superb. The setup for the endgame (of this book) is here.

Any good mystery books?

Or good hard-fantasy mystery books or hard-science-fiction mystery?

Basically, that there is a consistent logic whether it is explained at the beginning or later on as we go along.

>>21585394
did you read 7 1/2 deaths yet?
great fun until it (big surprise) falls apart at the end

>>21583263
I think a lot of people are worried about (or maybe looking forward?) AI writing novels, but I think you're underestimating just how overly saturated the market is already

if you go to Amazon's kindle store and show sff novels in released in *just* the last 30 days, you get 400 pages of books. It's a bit overly inflated due to duplicate releases, magazines and non-novels, etc., but it still represents thousands of books released in a single month on a single platform

That's the market AI books will ultimately be competing in, and maybe one day will replace, but it's the dregs and crumbs of the industry that nobody actually reads beyond a few degenerates and confused dads. if you already don't read that shit, why would you start when AI is the doing it instead of an ESL?

>>21585396
I just started, I'm just on the 3rd chapter and I have a feeling I'm going to like it. Not a fan of the main character but he's believable and doesn't seem silly to me.

I'm taking note (mentally) of all the strange events.


I haven't read the spoiler obviously and as a precaution against the trolls here, I'll come back here when I've finished the book to see the answers.

>>21585280
people somewhat familiar with Thomas Covenant might think this is a joke but anon is 100% correct

Tommy C the protagonist starts out cynical and devastatingly depressed, but *everything else*, from the side characters to the worldbuilding and the actual, literal trees and dirt, exudes hopefulness and optimism and health and love

The entire series is about fighting despair (in some cases literally) even when it seems hopeless or impossible. It's such a beautiful book and I wish more people read it

I just finished reading this friends. It is now my favourite fantasy novel.

>>21585456
Added, started listening to a lot of books at my new job

>>18337489
I just liked imagining Jefri's shota ass getting railed by every part of Amdiranifani and that's what got me through the Tines sections. It's honestly not that bad if you interpret it as fantasy fiction that happens to be part of a larger scifi book.

>>21582363
Weaveworld

>>21585687
Have you tried Nifft the Lean?

>>21581365
I really like reading the past messages from cookbook owners.

I just started this - a crazy plague ridden slut just made out with Thomas after he defeated the river monster - and Im enjoying it so far. Its like the Arya/Hound chapters of GoT.

>>21585456
Thomas Covenant is the worst book I ever read
>be random dude
>become sick with leprosy
>develop severe psychosis
>find yourself in a fantasy world
>you're not sick! This has to be a dream
>sonce it's a dream, the first thing you should do is rape the first woman who appears in front of you five seconds later
>whoops it wasn't a dream
>decide this is part of being a leper and that you are deeply sick and unclean
>never fail to mention this every two seconds to everyone in the fantasy world
>everyone defers to you because you're the destined hero, even if you are constantly abusive to them for no reason
Why would anyone subject themselves to this drivel? I finished the first book and felt like puking

None of you reminded me >>21561461
So I forgot to check again. I thought you guys had my back. Looks like you really can't trust anyone for anything.

>>21586280
I can trust you to be a faggot.

>>21586290
No, you cannot. I'm a loner now. I don't consider myself part of the gang.

>>21586297
what was the last thing you read?

>>21586313
The last thing I read was this reply that I'm writing now.

>>21579828
No, actually it's the opposite. They lay out an intriguing premise and then do nothing with it.

>>21586314
See? I knew I could trust you.

>>21586102
I have not. Looks good though, I'll add it to the list. Thanks friend.

How do I wean myself off chinkshit? I can feel my English skills deteriorating by the week and it's my native language

Growing up every kid read and loved Harry Potter, but I could never get into it.
I've been wondering, are they actually good, fun? Or just meme kids novels?

>>21586497
The plot is pretty shit but the whole series up til the last book are super comfy. I only read the first 4 when I was a kid but I read the whole series over the last few months in preparation for the game. They still hold up. It's comfy escapist fantasy but it's damn good comfy escapist fantasy.

Just don't take the plot too seriously because it's pretty bad. The slice of life magic school parts are great. The plot heavy last 25% of each book not so much

>>21586497
It's great when you're 13 and dream of magic wands and riding dragons with your school buddies

>>21586544
How do I get a Luna buddy? Asking for a friend.

I really loved the idea of songs of power in Silmarillion, like the battle between Finrod Felagund and Sauron in Tol-in-Gaurhoth:

>Then the gloom gathered; darkness growing
>In Valinor, the red blood flowing
>Beside the Sea, where the Noldor slew
>The Foamriders, and stealing drew
>Their white ships with their white sails
>From lamplit havens. The wind wails,
>The wolf howls. The ravens flee.
>The ice mutters in the mouths of the Sea.
>The captives sad in Angband mourn.
>Thunder rumbles, the fires burn—
>And Finrod fell before the throne.

Are there any more books that use concepts like this, rather than just outright blasting magic at each other?

>>21586747
It's pretty hard to do that kind of stuff because it requires having a brain so no

What’s the current Status on Bakker?

I only come here every couple of months to check on him.

>>21586823
King of /sffg/ .

Simple as.

>>21586747
I hate to say it, but the Kalevala, that is one of the aspects of it that Tolkein was inspired by.

>>21586823
still meme due to spam-poster

i really need to stop looking for Lord of the mysteries art, already got me some minor spoilers bc of that....

>>21586204
Same.

>>21585050
That cat ruined the entire fucking series. I can't even start book three, and I had it for years.

>>21585089
Everything published after Tolkien's death was compiled from copious notes he kept.

>>21587398
I DON'T THINK THE CAT IS THE PROBLEM HERE, ANON.

>>21586480
Stop reading MTL dumbass
If you've read everything worth reading with a good translation it's time to stop. Go over to Royalroad or other Western xianxia like Cradle to scratch the itch (with competent English) while you find some other genre to clean out

>>21587439
>le I'm so funny
>I will quote the book and type in caps like the cat
>so quirky
kys and an hero

>>21587678
>2012+ newfag spews newfag shit
le epic post, better type le acronyms so le mommy doesn't walk in and whoop your ass for telling le strangers on le internet to kill themselves le ex dee
>>>/v/

>>21587694
>thinks I joined in 2012
When I joined 4chan, there wasn't a lit board, fagget
Neck yourself, and take your shit cat with you.

>>21586823
Still the king
Still no PhD
Still dead in a ditch

>>21587710
>>>/v/
take your le epic posts to the le containment center with all the other le epic newfaggotry
you newfags don't fit in and don't even try

>>21585687
Is there a better cover in all of scifi/fantasy?

reminder that if a fantasy series you're reading doesn't have at least one heavy metal band named after or dedicated to it in its songwriting, its probably shit.

Are there any fantasy novels where the protagonists rapes a boy?

>>21587784

>>21588224
ya my book I'm writing atm

Thoughts about this?

>>21588419
Started nice, got shit when they started the love interest / romance shit.
Girl did stupid shit that made the protag get fucked up.
I would say read until you don't feel like anymore. I stopped at book 8.

What is the best character introduction you've ever read?

>>21588419
Only read the webtoon adaptation it had and kind of dropped off it. Did some neat stuff with the concepts it had going on, I appreciate that it's explicitly an isekai deal where the protagonist's past life matters an awful lot actually.

>>21588428
>>21588429
yeah i read the webtoon when im bored but it looks silly af bc the art is not that good/my type, was thinking if the novel is better but hmm nvm, maybe i will read it when i dont have anything else

>>21582647
I've been reading it 40 chapters at a time, sometimes 20
I'm at chapter 503 and am amazed how this guy can write 5 chapters of nothing happening yet be very interesting to me. Maybe I've adapted to it but I think its a good example against showing vs telling (although I do have to admit you can cut the book by 400 chapters and it would be better)

Why do authors try to make getting raped to be a faith worse than death?

>>21587398
It's funny how in later books they explicitly make fun of people that don't like Donut by having her comment on what she reads on the alien social media. The author took permission to use real comments from reddit and RR.

>>21588746
Stop reading shit authors.

>>21585687
>Selling a fairytale princess to a clan of inbred backwoods people for guidance across as 100 foot wide patch of forest.
Just Cugel Things™

>>21588419
Webtoon version is ok so far.

>>21588752
Oh those are actually real? Funny.

Amazon canceled their Consider Phlebas adaptation. Curtis can no longer roll in his grave

>>21580631
Not really the same thing but the Maurai series is pessimistic about Terra

>>21589091
Not a surprise. The budget required would have been huge, it's also not even close to being his best book.

>>21587163
Klein's sister is cute. CUTE!

I find the lack of Poul Anderson on the recommended sci fi reading charts disturbing. I’ll just go to the library and pick up what good sci fi they have (not a blog post)

>>21589369
get some Dick (not a joke)

>>21588419
schlock
same as every other progression fantasy

Recommendations for books with cute vampire girls?

>>21589455
Wandering Inn

>>21588224
Didn't know Marion Zimmer Bardley posted here.

>>21585089
The Fall of Númenor compiles all related material from other books (such as Unfinished Tales and HoMe)and presents them in chronological order. There's no new material and there's even some editorial selection, when there are multiple versions of the same event.

>>21585089
>>21589565
Here's the book, btw:

https://litter.catbox.moe/yxuh81.pdf

>>21589390
You read my mind, sir. I got Exegesis and LOA 183 60s-70s novels.

>>21586255
Reddit-tier opinion

>>21587163
>>21589310
man i forgot a lot of minor details about LOTM already. it's been too long.

>>21588746
guess.

>>21586255
obviously you don't have to like the book, but based on your meme arrows I don't think you actually understood the things that happen in it.

how old were you when you read it? I don't mean the question insultingly, but it's a book that does well with teens (because they're angsty and cynical like Covenant and the themes go over their heads) and really well with adults and seasoned readers (who pity Covenant and understand the themes of healing and acceptance) but I can definitely see it disgusting young adults or more amateur readers who get stuck on the surface level things

Give it another shot if it's been awhile

>>21589993
>I don't think you actually understood the things that happen in it.
I understood that Covenant is a really awkward attempt at psychological realism within a Neo-Tolkien setting but failed in its objective.

>>21585687
Make sure to check out Cugel's books and Songs of Dying Earth. Rhialto the Marvelous is skippable

>>21586255
I really like the part where Thomas was being a whiny bitch throughout the first novel. Really made me wonder why I took a /sffg/ serious in the first place.

>>21586255
>Why would anyone subject themselves to this drivel?
/sffg/ only shills it here because a few people got mad at the rape scenes. They also ignore the fact that the books are terrible.

>>21589993
>who pity Covenant and understand the themes of healing and acceptance)
You’re just trying to search for themes that aren’t there.

>>21585046
Ive hit a wall in book 6 and might throw in the towel, its formulaic in its storytelling which becomes especially apparent after book 4, and all the characters are absurdly stupid and they really start wearing you out. Its YA fantasy, if you can stomach the cringey melodrama press on but theres really nothing it excels at and there is so much useless repetition that im constantly reminded of writing terrible essays in school just crawling to the minimum word count. egwene and perrin are brutal hard skips pretty much every time

>>21590108
>>21590140
>>21590066
>>21590172
>Samefag r*dditor can't into literary fantasy
go back to webnovels and have sex lmao

>>21590184
The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant is not literary fantasy. Alright, its time you accept that. Pretty much everything, with the exception of a few of the fantasy characters like the giants, the entire cast was just deeply uninteresting. Truth be told, I barely even remember the rape, what I mostly think about the book is how Lord Foul coming across as childish. Also, I don't even read web novels since the majority of them, if not all of them, are garbage.

>>21586255
Christ, why didn’t you stop at some point?

What's your favorite nonhuman fantasy race in a book or series? Could just be a depiction of something generic or something really wild.

>>21590264
Why do you want to know?

>>21590264
the slimedogs from Mistborn are all right

>>21585089
Children of hurin is one of the best novels I ever read.

>>21590288
How does it compare to Beren and Lúthien and The Fall of Gondolin?

>>21590264
The T'lan Imass from malazan, malazan has many retarded and unnecessary(to the plots) races but T'lan are really cool.
>>21590279
Sorry didn't read them, but for comparison I read The Hobbit,Dunc,three books of malazan, and /lit/erary fiction like Cannery Row and Of Mice and Men, Blade runner and other lesser titles. But the children of Hurin is better than almost all of those.
>Then Morgoth stretching out his long arm towards Dor-lomin cursed Hurin and Morwen and their offspring, saying: 'Behold! The shadow of my thought shall lie upon them wherever they go, and my hate shall pursue them to the ends of the world.

>>21590305
Children of hurin is easily Tolkien’s darkest work.

>>21590305
>>21590288
is there any reason to read these if I've read the silmarillion

>>21590345
If you want to learn more about the First Age, then yeah, there’s a reason to read them.

>>21582370
Call Me Joe is a fun little read and it's blatantly obvious Cameron ripped it off when he made Avatar.

Bakker is king.

>>21590345
If you like Tolkien then give those two a read.

>>21590350
>>21590410
but didn't I already read it? Is it different from the silmarillion?

Thoughts on Tad Williams, Patricia McKillip and Peter S. Beagle? I just want something comfy and soulful, not le edgy grimdark.

>>21590422
Yes.

>>21590457
Not sure about those authors.
Lord Dunsany isn’t ever that grimdark and it’s more dreamy than anything, but I guess he has an element of the bizarre or evil entities. I really liked his poetry.

>>21590248
NTA but I have a compulsion that forces me to read trash that I hate once I've purchased it
It's a matter of personal principle that I insist upon finishing any single piece of print fiction that I start, no matter how much I regret starting it (Crimson Shadow and Chronicles of Amber are particularly bad offenders) and I have only ever broken that rule once in my life to my recollection, and that was trying to read the Richard Burton translation of 1001 Arabian Nights - not because it was bad, but because the flowery archaic grammar and vocabulary it used was so completely unreadable it made the more mind-numbingly monotonous books of the Bible like Chronicles or Leviticus seem as riveting as Conan the Barbarian or Mike Hammer by comparison

>>21590470
Sounds like a waste of time.

>>21590457
>I just want something comfy and soulful, not le edgy grimdark.
Then read something comfy and soulful.

>>21584366
>>21590457
the little prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

>>21578451
I've finished the first three books of the Black Company and read the Silver Spike, currently in the first book of the South. Was wondering if anyone else starting to lose interest in the books of the south. In the Silver Spike he started doing the split narratives between two sets of characters it was done decently enough but I lacked interest in the set of the new characters and found myself skimming through their chapters just to read the chapters from Corbie's perspective. In Shadow Games he does it again with the split narratives (even though they come together eventually.) Should I tough it out to the next book? Writing this out I realized that he did it in Shadows Linger but Shed was connected to characters from the first book and was a lot more interesting to read about him, Raven, and the chaos of the city around him. I just don't find that with these last few I've read.

>>21590525
Cool, just sit on it for a while then decide if you want to continue reading

>>21590470
>have a compulsion that forces me to read trash that I hate once I've purchased
I don’t I’m willing to give books a chance, but if I ever feel like they’re just wasting my time, I just drop them and try and find new books.

>>21590562
Some people have the tism and can't drop a book even if they wanted to, lord know I have that.

>>21590525
I mean, just stop reading the book if you're no longer interested in them, anon.

>>21589565
That’s neat. I’ll buy it.

>>21590264
I liked the Tines, despite a lot of people saying they hated that part of A Fire Upon the Deep. imagine the sex with a pack, little vaginas, dicks and sharp teeth all over in perfect synchrony

>>21590288
Never knew Tolkien had it in him to write dark stories.

>>21586280
>I thought you guys had my back
Why would you ever think anonymous strangers will ever have your back on anything? Is it really that hard to write a note down somewhere to remind yourself?

>>21590607
that's definitely part of it for me. but there's also sort of a self-fulfilling prophecy in that I tend to generally like, even just a little, any book that I finish

I find that's especially true of fantasy. probably because of its general focus on worldbuilding and characters and adventures, I can usually find at least one thing I find compelling through the whole book, and that's enough

>>21590525
It’s general well establish once they go south, the quality goes down with it. So, no, you aren’t alone in that thinking.

>>21590607
>>21590713
I don’t know how you two can delude yourself into think this. Just close a book and start a new one, or do something else than sitting and reading a book that just brings you nothing but misery.

>>21590721
But then it'll be a waste of money if I do that.

>>21590715
I feel as if that’s overblown and just repeated here since that’s the popular opinion on /sffg/

>>21590747
I'll say it was more of a letdown, but not a huge disappointment that others feel for the books.

>>21590737
It's a waste of money, time, and happiness if you do. The more you continue, the more you lose. You have to know when to cut your losses.

>>21590757
No point in trying to talk sense into them

>>21590757
This is how I view reading. The whole not dropping a book thing is such a foreign idea for me.

>>21590757
Maybe you're right, it still something I don't want to give up.

>>21590721
A book has never made me miserable, though. A bad movie is torture, as is a bad TV show, partly because you have such little control over it. You have to just sit and experience it, and if the experience sucks than yeah, it's a big waste of time

But you have so much more control over a book. It's so easy to skim things that aren't interesting, or skip around to the parts you like, and a good imagination can make even a bland narrative interesting or exciting.

I've dropped plenty of nonfic, and I'll happily drop more technical fiction if it's difficult to read because then it turns a pleasure into a chore

but I like seeing plots through to the end, and i value that end more than I value any perceived time or happiness saved letting the thread dangle forevermore

>>21590801
>It's so easy to skim things that aren't interesting, or skip around to the parts you like, and a good imagination can make even a bland narrative interesting or exciting.
Then you aren't even reading the book at that point. Just making things up.

>>21590818
What’s important is that he thinks he’s reading the book.

>>21590850
But he's not even reading. he's just going over the important points while ignoring the smaller details.

>>21590781
You wouldn’t understand.

>>21588429
That yellow eyed guy with a rapier from dying earth. Instantly iconic and archetypical within the first paragraph, highly entertaining throughout his entire story without ever deviating from his initial character impression.

>>21588286
Good book that never gets discuss here.

>>21590750
Meh, I still think it’s overblown.

>>21590721
>Just close a book and start a new one
That's what normal people do, sadly, you're not dealing with normal people.

>>21590853
That’s why I said thinks.

>>21590517
He won't.

>>21590264
The shoggoth's masters from mountains of madness, the Elder Things. I like how they're simultaneously incredibly alien, disturbing, unfathomable, but also somehow relatable and vaguely sympathetic.

>>21590801
I was like you once, then a series of shitty books broke me of the habit and I discovered the joy of dropping things when I lose interest. I still never drop something on the first day, but after going to sleep and waking up I re-evaluate it and decide if I really want to continue.
The secret is that what you imagine in your mind COULD happen is often much more interesting than what actually occurs. I now find it more enjoyable in most cases to just read the beginnings of books, speculate about what may happen later, and then never finish them.
That only applies if the book loses my interest though, and if I'm not reading alone I also finish just so I can discuss things.
Also, I don't mean I drop badly written books, usually I hate-read those to completion so I can rant about them later. It's mostly the middle of the road by the numbers slop where halfway through you feel like you could write the second half verbatim without bothering to read it that get dropped.

Just finished Starship Troopers and I have to say it was a fantastic read. What is it about this book that makes people sperg out? The idea that most people are too retarded to be allowed to have a say and you should have to demonstrate some minimal level of self sacrifice in order to vote?

>nooooo everyone should be allowed a say in how complex societal matters are run just because they got shat out of a womb

Omega kek

>>21590960
Basically it filtered brainlets. Also, Heinlein, at the time, had a reputation as a turbo hippy, peace pipe smoking swinger, so reading something written by him that didn't toe the lefty line was a huge shock to the expectations of his fans. Heinleins books are all inherently political, not in the sense that he's soapboxing a particular ideology, but in the sense that he's taking a political stance, then saying "What would a world that obeys this ideology look like?" and then writing a book set in that world. The fact that so many of his works were based on left wing ideas created a lot of dissonance for people expecting more of the same, when Starship Troopers was based on Greek Democracy rather than modern political schools of thought. The most famous example being Verhoeven, who directed the movie, who claimed Heinlein was a fascist.

>>21590345
The Silmarillion presents events in a more condensed format. It does not show some of the events in-between and omits some dialogue.
In the Children of Húrin, for instance, you read the full dialogue between Húrin and Morgoth; and entire chapter that's condensed into a couple of sentences.
Another example would be with Tuor's travels, from Mithrim to Vinyamar to Gondolin; in the Silmarillion it is told in 6 paragraphs while the Last Version of the story tells it in 193.

>>21591176
interesting thanks

Why do fantasy covers always tend to look cheap, or young-adult fiction?

>>21591254
Since anything can look cheap or like a YA fiction to someone that's a useless statement.

>>21591257
You disagree?

>>21591257
I think contemporary fiction covers look like shit.

New thread
>>21591294

>>21580631
I found The Book of the Short Sun to be quite depressing.

>>21589993
I was in my early 20s, it's been a while, but I don't think ithe story is salvageable.