/lit/ - Literature

>>22499015
First for cute fantasy women.
I had a massive heartboner for Arya from Eragon when I was 12.

>mfw god emperor of dune
The fuck was that? I swear fantasy writers are weird friggin' sickos.

>>22499189
>complaining about sickos
>on 4chan

Lol

>>22499015
MEGA notes:
https://mega.nz/folder/kj5hWI6J#0cyw0-ZdvZKOJW3fPI6RfQ/folder/guIyhAzS
now redirects to the main directory, which is https://mega.nz/folder/kj5hWI6J#0cyw0-ZdvZKOJW3fPI6RfQ/folder/guIyhAzS
The link for the specifically for the SFF books is now
https://mega.nz/folder/kj5hWI6J#0cyw0-ZdvZKOJW3fPI6RfQ/folder/4rAmSZxb
more /lit/ stuff, including sff related stuff can be found in the /lit/ found in the zboards folder. The direct link to that is
https://mega.nz/folder/kj5hWI6J#0cyw0-ZdvZKOJW3fPI6RfQ/folder/syhUEZyS

Who is your favorite wizard character in fantasy literature?

started rereading wheel of time. will i appreciate the book 7-10 slog more with the benefit of knowing the plot already?

>>22499015
I got the Malazan humble indie bundle and have been reading it. Really enjoying it so far, I love political shit in fantasy

>>22499826
Yes and no. Some of it is easier to get through because you have more context but there is still a lot that remains "was all this tedious bullshit really necessary?" I give him some leeway because by that point WoT was single-handedly keeping Tor alive and it was also around then he found out he was dying.

Give me recs for a good story where the protagonist starts off as a nameless mook and ends up as one of the elite, please.

I'm trying to write a WN where a dude like this realizes how empty his life is and decides to go and try to make friends and a family.

Yes, I know it's a repost.

>>22499995
old man's man
literally who old man joins the army and becomes big dick soldier by the end

started reading starship troopers
it has nothing to do with the movie

>>22499995
Slumrat rising is good, and hits most of those beats/themes.

>>22499995
If you want a WN that fits a lot of those themes try: A Practical Guide to Evil. Also a story about a nobody joining the elite basically sums up the entire Red Rising series.

>>22500055
I think you mean Old Man's War.

>>22499759
Iuconu

>>22500055
he asked for a good story

>>22500133
Old mans war is decent but Ghost Brigades is excellent and in my opinion Scalzi's best book

read bakker

>>22499015
Recommend me sci fi with 0 lgbt representation and that is not written by a woman, thank you

/SFFG/ Recommendations:

Read Reverend Insanity, Lord of The Mysteries, Neuromancer, Hyperion, The Prince of Nothing

Also read The Wandering Inn, Between Two Fires, Mother of Learning, Cradle, I Shall Seal the Heavens, A Song of Ice and Fire, The Poppy War.

is there such a thing as hard fantasy

/SFFG/ Recommendations: LITRPG Edition

Read Azarinth Healer, Primal Hunter, He Who Fights with Monsters, Dungeon Crawler Carl

Also read System Universe, Dissonance, Defiance of the Fall, Iron Prince.

>>22500250
It's called being old and having ED

This is actually pretty damn good.

>>22499015
>A man arrives on a planet populated only by women where men were known only through mythology.
Get your hands off me, you bitches! nooooo!!! hnggggg!!!!

>>22499995
>I'm trying to write a WN where a dude like this realizes how empty his life is and decides to go and try to make friends and a family.
Nobody is going to read that

Is there anything good on royal road besides MoL?
I'd prefer something with short chapters if possible

I wanna get into ASOIAF but the future of the series seems very uncertain...

What series is written with wanton scientific exposition reading like a technical document. Something like Niven's Ringworld's Engineers

>>22499015
First for books with older women and romance

>>22500207
Classic SF.

>>22500318
Is it better than new sun? In halfway through citadel

>>22500696
They're so different that which one you think is better is going to come down to your personal preferences.

>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Jw0z31vJLw&t=6622s&ab_channel=TheSwordandthePenReflections
>came for WoT rants
>stay for a cute white woman
she cute.

>>22500538
go for it, it's a great series. if the show never existed it would be one of the most praised things in this general easily

>>22500765
>wh*te w*m*n
stay away from snow bunnies, steve urkle

>>22500765
For me it's unhinged boomers talking about vintage scifi new wave
https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=8l-Sq2W4XMQ

>>22500773
Actually memory, sorrow and thorn is better

>>22499995
My book Chateau Cascade (and its two sequels) has themes like this. Main character is a boy with dreams of becoming a hero, doesn't know shit about battle or spellcraft, etc. Dreams of joining an elite group of warriors & mages called the Cascadian Knights. Throughout the books he gains power that can almost rival those of the biggest players in the world..

Who's the closest character to Xenu in scifi lit?

>>22500765
The hag guy will love this one

>>22500907

Anyone trying to get published and need an editor? I'm free this week while I wait for a client to transcribe her book into a Word document

>>22501068
I am new to literature What do you (the editor) do exactly? Fix typos? That kind of stuff?

>>22501076
I do punch ups, improve plot and dialogue, fix typos, provide comments, etc. Most editors only fix spelling and grammar mistakes. Hit me up at
https://www.fiverr.com/matthewg42

The first several pages are better than the rest of the book.

>>22501215
Many such cases.

>>22501201
Too bad it's english-only. I'm not confident enough to write in a foreign language.

>>22501201
Would you be willing to record a positive affirmations script?

>>22501201
Someone who only fixes spelling and grammar mistakes is a proofreader, not an editor.

>>22501488
What's the difference

>>22501423
Sure. We've done both fiction and nonfiction

>female protagonist goes on about lusting for a guy who's tall, strong, perfect with blonde hair and huge dick that would make her pregnant
God dammit I hate reading female POV fantasy because shit like this makes me feel insanely uncomfortable.

>>22499759
Pic related

Brittany!

>>22501496
It's semantics.
https://ca.indeed.com/career-advice/finding-a-job/types-of-editors

>>22501558
Uhh, so why are you reading it?

>>22500130
>>22501566
Based, I love the asshole wizards of Jack Vance.

How does a grammatical error like this happen. To and too is so.. basic. How the fuck does an author AND the editor miss it.

>>22501578
I didn't expect it to happen. With Bakker people told me that there are gay sex scenes in some chapters so I avoid it

>>22501586
I don't really mind these minor typos in large books, author and editor are both humans and it can slip up from both people's eyes

>>22501568
Who is this goblin and why do you keep posting her?

>>22501568
>she's reading malazan
oh boy

>>22501602
I'm still reading, and just this final part of the book alone there seem to be a ton of errors. They've gotten a city name wrong, and repetitions, too. Just annoying being engrossed into a book and then random things like this just take me out.

Take the web novel pill anons
https://files.catbox.moe/g431ou.png

just busted a huge nut bros.
btw I'm still reading mask of the sorcerer, it's really great so far.

Which would you recommend?
The Wheel of Time or The Inheritance Cycle
>inb4 neither

>>22501841
I read the first book and a half of WOT and did not enjoy it but Eragon is literally baby tier, is it not?

>>22501841
WoT. Eragon is shit.

>>22501841
Wheel of Time. Eragon is so shit that even my 13 year old ass didn't read it all when it was popular like 15 years ago.

>>22500740
Is long sun not sci fi/fantasy?

>book starts off with some tragedy and drama
>fine with it since it just means the mc's rise will be very satisfying
>the book ends with the protag just sufffering and never winning
what is with these masochists?
i enjoy a bit of angst but come on?

>>22501841
Belgariad

>>22501922
Fantastic writer.

>>22501908
Nihilism is the flavor of the day. What book was it?

>>22501908
Robin Hobb?

>>22501873
>>22501889
>>22501899
>>22501922
Thanks. Eragon it is. Always do the opposite of what /lit/ says.

>>22501948
The author was 15 when he wrote it, and it shows. Don't say we didn't warn you.

>>22501908
>>22501936
I thought about Robbin Hobb too but the entire fitz saga is still my favorite fantasy series out of the hundreds I've read. Shame she went on to write a book about a dude becoming fat.

>>22501971
>Better magic system at 15 than anything in WOT or the majority of fantasy.
Impressive.

>>22501821
>btw I'm still reading mask of the sorcerer, it's really great so far.
It really is. Wait until sorcerer school

>>22500861
The second and third books are not on libgen, do something about it.

>>22501993
That's illegal anon. Shame on you. Stick to webnovels.

>>22501986
Magic systems are the least important aspects of good story telling.

>>22501903
I don't understand this response. It's the sci-fi just like BotNS. They're part of the same series.

>>22501993
You really don't want to read the libgen version of the first book - somebody put it on there to try to piss me off. It's an ancient alpha version of the book. The second edition that's out now is much improved.

There's no reason for it anyway. All of my books are available on my website under a "pay what you want" model anyway. They're literally free if you want them to be, just put 0 in the price field.

https://rosecrypto.com/shop/eBooks

>>22502026
>the story is the least import aspect off story telling
Cope.

Where should I start if I want to start reading Star Wars books set in the Old Republic era?

>>22502034
Is English your second language? You sound like a retard.

So I Robot movie adapted the Book of the Long Sun and nobody realized it?

>>22502028
I mean in what way are they different

>>22502133
Different setting and different style. It's not BotNS 2.0

Sorry for shilling but I made this:
If you want to discuss your own fictional setting, or ask for advice on how to create one, be sure to visit us: >>22502086

>>22502048
Revan is a solid one

>>22501841
>>22501948
Based. Eragon is a very sovlful fantasy story. WoT is a schlock soap opera.

>>22502026
They aren't if they provide interesting situations and scenarios for stories. But your argument is pure autism, having an interesting and fleshed out magic system can be a pleasure to read for some.
Anti-worldbuilding fags are the worst scum of this board.

>>22502048
Based TOR anon. It's the best part of the whole franchise

>>22501986
>Wholesale lifted from Earthsea

>>22501986
Make way for the most based magic system ever created.

>>22502222
Gets of truth
Doors of stone when btw?

Why are they curved?

only OGs know

What fantasy book should I get for my little sister? She's 12, likes anime, I think she's a furry. She asked me for a book.

>>22502317
redwall

>>22502317
Redwall.
Book about cute anthropomorphic mice totally murdering things.

>>22501821
>>22501987
Is it mask of the sorcerer by Darrell Schweitzer ?

>>22502349
Is it possible to partially murdering things?

>>22502317
>likes anime
Oh nonono...

>>22502345
I'll probably get this for her. She's got a dinosaur furry mask or whatever, forgot to mention, but I know Redwall is good.
>>22502399
What?

>>22502133
The first thing that comes to mind is that Long sun isn't first person. It's been a while since I read it, but I don't think Wolfe was playing quite as much with his beloved unreliable narrator. And Silk is a much more likeable protagonist than Severian. He's a well educated priest who deeply cares about his people. The entire initial plot starts because he wants to save his parish from back taxes.
But yeah, like anon said, its completely different. It's still well worth the read. And when you get to it, Short Sun is back to Wolfe fucking with us.
>>22502349
It's not always mice, sometimes we get badgers going berserk too!

>>22502181
>having an interesting and fleshed out magic system can be a pleasure to read for some
I never said this wasn't the case, and just because someone can enjoy it doesn't mean that it isn't the least important component. You CAN have a great fantasy story without an "interesting and fleshed out magic system." You CAN'T have a story at all without a fucking plot, characters, and setting for it to be a part of (key word being part). Acknowledging this does not make one anti-worldbuilding or anti-magic, you stupid homo.

>>22502495
Aren't badgers always berserk?

>>22502563
Not really. Badgers are basically blind and deaf, and move with the grace of a sock puppet.

>>22499826
I'm reading for the first time, on Winter's Heart now.
Books 7 and 8 weren't as bad as I was expecting; in fact they each had some great moments (Crown of Swords had a lot of focus on based Mat, and I enjoyed the march on the Seanchan in Path of Daggers). Winter's Heart itself started strong with the first ~200 pages focusing on the kidnapping plot.
But god damn I am tired of Aes Sedai vs Knitting Circle vs Wise Ones vs Seafolk squabbling. This shit has been picking up since book 7 but now I can't help but groan every time I get to a Nynaeve/Elayne chapter. So many interesting threads from the earlier books like the door to the warped palace, the Horn, even the Forsaken and their cronies... but nope, all of that has been MIA for the past 1000+ pages in favor of petty politics and drama.
I'm still enjoying myself but man is my patience beginning to wear thin.

>>22502368
yea

>>22502206
I’m glad it’s being ignored to be honest. Disney and the current Lucasfilm producers will absolutely fuck it up if they touch it.

Halfway through Stone of Farewell and I'm convinced Williams is more deserving of "American Tolkien" than anyone like GRRM or Robert Jordan really likin these books so far but they really don't seem to have the big mainstream pullers like WOT or Ice and Fire do

Is Lovecraft sffg approved?

>>22502775
Proto chud

>>22500861
>Chateau Cascade
Well, at least you're admitting to it being your own book now. Still bad, though.

Personally, I found the first two Gormenghast volumes as boring as Tolkien (bar The Hobbit). Boy in Darkness and Titus Alone were way more interesting though.

>>22502701
>I'm still enjoying myself but man is my patience beginning to wear thin.
Take a month's break or even two before you lose it entirely.

>>22502701
I skip all books that have politics in them. It's boring. I read fantasy to get away from that.

Does anyone read fantasy harem books?

>>22502781
Yet he redeemed himself by marrying a jewess queen. So i'm saying more chad than chud.

>>22502832
*Ahem*
Yes, I'm the official harem connoisseur of /sffg/. Want some recommendations?

>>22502806
I considered that a few times up until now, but everyone I know who has started the series ultimately took a "break" that ended up being indefinite.
I WON'T be filtered by the filler!

>>22502846
How can you enjoy these books with the insufferable women in it
God damn I hated Egwene in book 5 so much I threw my physical books away

>>22502775
He legitimately has good books.
The shadow over insmouth, The call of cthulhu, The color out of space and The Dunwich horror (among others) are actual good stories, let alone how visionary they all were.

>>22502832
mato seihei no slave

>>22502873
Go away! >>>/a/

>>22502846
If you're not drawn back to the book, then isn't that just proof that you're not all that interested in it? If you really wanted to finish the series, you'd be itching to be able to read the next book.

>>22502843
Yes. I assume the genre is pure schlock, but I would prefer a well written story with solid characters.

>>22502788
>Well, at least you're admitting to it being your own book now

When wasn't I?

>Still bad, though.

Nah you're just dumb and jealous that you'll never succeed in writing a book yourself, let alone three.

>>22502919
Well written stories with solid characters is asking too much from this genre my fellow friend, but if you don't mind rough spots here and there, you can definitely enjoy a few series.

>Heretic Spellblade
Guy is sent back in time and tries to save the world from invading demons while getting cute girls along the way. I like this one because the protagonist is in his 30s and likes to get things done.
>Master Class
Enchanter guy follow his friend's wish and helps a cute catgirl to run an orphanage. He learns how to teach and handle children while getting a harem of cute monster girls along the way. More slice of life than action in this one.

Try one of these and see if you like it.

>>22502920
>>22473348

any good recommendations that give off frank franzettas art vibes? I love the whole barbarians, boobs, and battleaxes thing

>>22503052
Conan the barbarian, perhaps?

>>22502977
Thanks I'll try spellblade. I'm not really into slice of life

>>22503052
>I love the whole barbarians, boobs, and battleaxes thing
The genre is usually called Sword & Sorcery, but boobs are not always included, and barbarians with axes are interchangeable with swordsmen. Maybe you'll enjoy Elric of Melnibone.

>>22503052
I'll throw out the obvious ones:

Bran Mak Morn
Conan the Barbarian
Karl Edward Wagner's Kane
Dying Earth
Red Sonja
Jirel of Joiry
The Barsoom Saga
Clark Ashton Smith's Hyperborea
Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser

Of the above I can recommend Barsoom AKA John Carter of Mars if you want an alien world where a Confederate officer sets things right by noble violence; Or if you still want fantasy then Robert E. Howard's Conan or Kull or Bran Mak Morn are the classic examples for a reason. If you want something starring a female lead then C.L. Moore's Jirel of Joiry is an amazing little set of stories that has a unique perspective on sword and sorcery. If you want to twist things towards the grotesquely humurous, Fafhrd. If you want to go ever towards horror, then Clark Ashton Smith's Hyperborea or Zothique has what you desire in spades.

To go further afield from the usual recommendations I have a fondness for Imaro, an African inspired warrior hero written by one of the first real black authors who attempted a conanesque. Sadly you'd have to find older editions of the work because one of the stories was removed, it was apparently too closely related to a genocide that went on in the late 20th century.

Harold Lamb, who wrote a great history of the Crusades that you might also like (Iron Men and Saints) also wrote some great "barbarian" fiction with Wolf of the Steppes, a series about a Cossack hero who may not wield a battleaxe but certainly is very inspirational to other authors in the genre.

>>22503079
>>22503091
Appreciate it :)

Any cultivators playing The Wandering Sword?

Neighbor recommended "The Fourth Wing," saying it was like Game of Thrones.

It is not Game of Thrones. It is Pern retold by the Hunger Games lady after masturbating her way through the entire Sasuke section of AO3.

>be fantasy/sci-fi author
>finish a trilogy
>becomes the thing you're known for
>try to develop new series
>they all flop
>go back and make new stories set in your first universe
how did fantasy end up a one-universe-per-writer genre? it seems to have hamstrung Tad Williams and Guy Gavriel Kay from becoming the household names they deserve to be

>>22503050
idgi

>>22502048
The old republic was mostly fleshed out in other media (videogames and comics) the only good old republic books are the Darth Bane trilogy and MAYBE (this is a big maybe) the Revan novel and Knight Errant.
>>22502206
i have a soft spot for the New Jedi order because i dig the whole space zen buddhists vibe that luke order had. then troy denning happened and ruined the whole franchise lol
pregnant mara and baby ben were cute too.

How can these fucking chinaman be so horny and yet fail to make any harem novels?

>>22503174
I saw this on amazon. It sounded like harry potter with more dragons. I was also turned off by the sizzling sexual tension part

>>22503146

>>22503198
Speaking of sizzling sexual tension, the MC has special lightning powers and accidentally blows up furniture when she orgasms. (She's also just the same unlikable cunt at the MCs in Poppy War and Iron Widow.)

>>22502701
the worst of the filler is behind you. winter's heart has one of the most kino parts of the series in it so stick with it

>ASOIAF
>Stormlight Archive
>Dune
>Malazan
>The Wheel of Time
>The First Law
>Red Rising
>Mistborn
>Lord of the Ring
>Berserk
>The Witcher
What other big series are there? I like getting lost in these worlds and having more and more to read

>>22503261
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/35776

https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/35857.The_Most_Popular_Fantasy_on_Goodreads

>>22503261
black company is good until it goes to not-india then it sucks ass

Just finished Well of Ascension. Holy shit that plot twist was so good. Love how the story is forming, Are the author annotations worth reading btw?

>>22503327
of course

Hey, guys.
I wanna get into cyberpunk stuff.
From what I've gathered, Gibson's Sprawl setting and Stephenson's Snow Crash are the "best" go-to's for the genre.
Anything else I should have in mind?

Did Patrick Rothfuss and George Martin write themselves into a corner?

>>22503343
Neuromancer

>>22503343
fupunk is a shit "genre"

>>22503353
Yeah, I guess it died too quickly. Oh well.

>>22503343
There's a lot of Cyberpunk short fiction. There's also a lot of contention about what isn't and isn't Cyberpunk.

>>22503261
The Solar Cycle
The Dark Tower
Foundation Saga
Discworld
The Hyperion Cantos

>>22502222
That's an ugly (and fat) Gu.

>>22503361
Well, if you have any short stories (or collections of them) to suggest, I'm all ears.

>>22503374
If you promise to never use the word "cyberpunk" again except derisively I'll recommend Altered Carbon.

>>22502030
very cool, bookmarked

>>22500861
Middle book has absolute kino cover art

>>22500861
zero niggers in the covers, already a winner

>>22500765
>>22500937
hag guy here, her vids are very interesting and she's pretty cute too

Am I getting filtered by Jack Vance’s prose? People keep saying that “it’s very beautiful” or “marvelous”, but it reads like a castrated Hemmingway. I’m reading the Dying Earth, and it’s nowhere near as easy and pleasant Wodehouse is to read.

Am I missing something?

Best scifi books for someone with a short attention span?

>>22503531
flowers for algernon

>>22503531
Most Dick novels are under 200 pages

>>22503531
The Stars My Destination

>>22499759
Varthlokkur is the greatest and also most traditional wizard in all of fantasy

>>22500223
>50% chinkshit
>overrated garbage
>homoshit

there is nothing good here

who are you fooling with this?

Objectively a fantastic book.

>>22503569
most of redwall is pretty good ngl

Read foundation and was actually disappointed in the end. Starting reading Foundation & Empire and it's already better

>>22497052
yea, you can use this order

Foundation [FOUNDATION]
Foundation and Empire [FOUNDATION]
Second Foundation [FOUNDATION]
Foundation's Edge [FOUNDATION]
The End Of Eternity [stand-alone]
The Complete Robot (The stories from Runaround onwards) [ROBOTS]
The Caves of Steel [ROBOTS]
The Naked Sun [ROBOTS]
Mirror Image (short story) [ROBOTS]
The Robots of Dawn [ROBOTS]
Robots and Empire [ROBOTS]
Foundation and Earth [FOUNDATION]
Prelude to Foundation [FOUNDATION]
Forward the Foundation [FOUNDATION]

>>22503524
Vance's Dying Earth isn't the height of his prose, I don't consider him to be "beautiful" per se, what he provides is a density and levity of the world, creating rich questions out of ten cent words. What is Ascolais of the Falling Wall? What is the Eye of the Overworld?

Dying Earth especially must be read in the manner that everything is to set up witticisms delivered by characters to one another, the plot and setting all exist so that Cugel or the hero can say something cutting or joust verbally. I think if you want prettier prose you'd go for Lyonesse, Dying Earth is a comic picaresque.

>>22503632
Foundation.
What's it like to hold the hand of someone you love? Foundation.
Do they teach you how to feel finger to finger? Foundation.
Do you long for having your heart Foundation? Foundation.
Do you dream about being Foundation?
Have they left a place for you where you can dream? Foundation.
What's it like to hold your child in your arms? Foundation.
What's it like to play with your dog? Foundation.
Do you feel that there's a part of you that's missing? Foundation.
Do you like to connect to things? Foundation.
What happens when that linkage is broken? Foundation.
Have they let you feel heartbreak? Foundation.
Did you buy a present for the person you love? Within cells Foundation.
Why don't you say that three times? Within cells Foundation. Within cells Foundation. Within cells Foundation.

>>22500765
new bookfu just dropped

>>22503752
That's not in the novel.

>>22503344
>Did Patrick Rothfuss and George Martin write themselves into a corner?
They are both what you call "Pantsers" (aka writers who just make shit up as they go along and try to retroactively fit it into what they already wrote) the opposite of a "Plotter" (somebody who plans out a story beginning to end).

If Rothfuss or Martin were plotters they'd have already finished their series' by now. But because they both ascribe to the "I'm not gonna plan shit and just make shit up as I go along" they, unsurpsingly, have written themselves into a corner. They can't figure out how to finish their stories to save their lives.

The lesson here is: always fully plan out your stories beginning to end or you will end up as another Rothfuss or GRRM.

>>22503817
"I think there are two types of writers, the architects and the gardeners. The architects plan everything ahead of time, like an architect building a house. They know how many rooms are going to be in the house, what kind of roof they're going to have, where the wires are going to run, what kind of plumbing there's going to be. They have the whole thing designed and blueprinted out before they even nail the first board up. The gardeners dig a hole, drop in a seed and water it. They kind of know what seed it is, they know if planted a fantasy seed or mystery seed or whatever. But as the plant comes up and they water it, they don't know how many branches it's going to have, they find out as it grows. And I'm much more a gardener than an architect."

George R.R. Martin

>>22503834
I think most writers are gardeners considered architects only in retrospective.

>>22502030
its that sum cat ladies?

I finally got around to reading Malazan and cant put this shit down. Thank you anons.

>>22503974
based
dont stop
it only gets better

some anons dont agree but you may enjoy more mixing in the esselmont books, for the chronological order of the whole thing
personally, i read it the first time that way and loved it, feel like it added a whole lot to the whole experience
some people however dont like it

something to consider

>>22503974
I've tried to get into it but I've bounced off the first book twice now. It is one of the very few books I've actually dropped and left unfinished.

>>22503996
Thanks anon. I'll look into that but im already on book 5 lmao. Also holy shit esselmont also has an archaeology background.

>>22504021
I dont think I can fault you for that. Not sure how to describe this but the writing style isnt the most.. straightforward? I forced myself to keep going because I wanted to know what the fuck was going on. I was hooked toward the end of the first book, thankfully.

>>22504143
Reading Night of Knives before The Bonehunters and Return of the Crimson Guard before Toll the Hounds is as much mixing as is generally recommended.

Some people love Esslemont just as much as Erikson, I personally think he's a mid writer carried by the setting. However, I did think that while the books weren't that good, NoK and RotCG added to then overall experience.

>>22504021
what is it you don't like? that it just dumps a bunch of shit on you? i personally find that the best part

Has there been anything published in the past five years that you enjoyed?
Not a hard and fast rule, I'm just trying to see if there's anything worth keeping up with.
I'll start
>Larry Correia Black Sword books
>Brandon Sanderson Stormlight. I didn't like his latest side projects, but this series is still fun to flip through.
>TImothy Zahn's Icarus Hunt
I've recently grown tired of reading stuff from the 1950s, even though it's comfy.

>>22503344
>>22503817
I can see GRRM not knowing what to do after the last book, the transition after the third book was a mess and he probably still doesn't even know how to fucking end asoiaf, but Rothfuss?
He could give any ending to his new book and there wouldn't be any problem at all, in fact, his last (actual) book has a lot of foreshadowing and it had a pretty straightforward ending, pointing out what will happen next, so I really wonder what's up with him.
Like, either he's too perfectionist, wants to copy GRRM in being a lazy fat cunt, or maybe he just got too much money to give a fuck anymore.

>>22504179
the unholy consult

feels great having a 3 digit IQ and not being a casual normalfag who gives a fuck about germ and rotfuss

I want to read a Light Novel that's genuinely well written. Fantasy, of course.

Any recs? Or should I just start Slayers?

>>22504254
idk overlord was pretty good, or youjo senki

i want a science-fantasy book but not in the sense of fantasy with a scifi theme (star wards) but rather scifi with a fantasy theme

>>22504268
iron dragon's daughter :)
do you like dragons which are actual fighter jets?

>>22504268
The shadow of the torturer, it sells itself as being a fantasy book when in reality is a sci-fi one. It's well done, though its language can be complicated, to say the least.

>>22504165
Thanks anon. Hopefully my love for the setting will put me in the former camp. Would be nice to extend the series with esselmonts books.

>>22503344
GRRM could write himself out of the corner but it would take more than two books and he's run out of time.

>>22503344
>>22504309
Killing Quentyn was such a bad idea.
I once read he confessed to a publisher that one of the reasons he's taking so long is because he killed a character he shouldn't have and now he's kinda lost. I bet my balls that it was Quentyn.

>>22503397
Thanks man, I hope you enjoy!

>>22503421
Thank you fren. Artist did a great job with it - gave me exactly what I wanted. I was really worried the cat girl would come across as some furry bullshit and he made sure that didn't happen. Also very impressed with his ability to get facial expressions exactly as I intended, especially as relates to the main character.

>>22503442
Just wait until I sell out and change all of the characters to gay black transgender women of color in order to get rich and famous

jk I'm not doing that

>>22503888
There is one cat girl, yes. She's physically strong and uses an estoc like a fencing sword, basically smashing it into people even though you're supposed to pierce with it. She exists as a metaphor for -- well, you'll have to read the series to see for yourself :)

PS: pic related is an image that gave some inspiration for the first book

>>22504258
Overlord is edgelord wank and YJ is the same, just less.

>>22503817
being a pantser would be fine if you're not writing a 10 volume epic.

>>22504268
The Barbarian at World's End

>>22504179
No. I'm still reading my grandpa books.

>>22503344
George seems like he doesn't even want to be here or talk about his work. It's unironically over. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7R4c_2uaxT8

>kingdom building with female protagonist
great way to ruin a good premise fuck

>>22504585
I've never finished a book with a female lead.

>>22500193
I am it’s literally just the fucking crusade so far

>>22504617
Not even alice in wonderlands?

>>22504177
> that it just dumps a bunch of shit on you?
That was certainly part of it. It was like the author was intentionally trying to make everything as unclear and obtuse as possible. A huge infodump without any coherent story to keep me wanting to turn the next page.

>>22499759
actually a mage but whatever
Zorian aka literally me

>>22504651
Spider fucker

>>22504630
Nope. I stopped reading around the point in the book where the Queen is introduced. Granted, I didn't stop reading on account of Alice, but rather I felt the attempt to create a sense of whimsy was too forced, and too frequent for me to enjoy (there was also a pervy undertone to it all I felt). Perhaps I'm just too old for it idk

>>22504268
HPMOR

>>22499759

>>22504653
I'll be honest I'm not even sure Zorian knows what sex is.

Lud-in-the-Mist is a really, really weird book

>>22504660
Lewis was a lolicon.

>>22503176
Stephen Donaldson too, the third thomas covenant series was painful to read, is the last king of osten ard any good? I love MSaT (Josua a real bro and Rachel the Dragon best mom)

>>22504268
Lord of Light, its about a space colony rebellion lead by the mystic Buddha and features a lot of associated mythology.

Creatures of Light and Darkness, its a proto-cyberpunk farflung future that's mainly about the Egyptian pantheon.

>>22504905
Its often fascinating to read prototypes of a genre, or even predecessors because they clang of familiarity but then they veer off in different directions. Lud-in-the-Mist defies being anything that I'd consider a "proper fantasy" at the beginning, its such a strange story even when you recognize what it's doing.

I guess he never miss, huh?

>le hecking awesome pringles man xd
Can we talk about somebody else for a change?

>>22505055
Who do you want to talk about?

>>22504922
>Not a mothercon
Pathetic

>>22505062
I'd like to see more Jim Butcher discussion. He has a new non-Dresden novella coming out tomorrow and a new novel releasing in November. Both are part of his Cinder Spires series. Since I plan on shilling this series here relentlessly over the next few months it would be very helpful to me if you guys just read it and discussed it of your own volition.

>>22505062
Fantasy recs for pic related

>>22505097
I looked at wiki and it seems to be a standard nyt bestseller coomer/whiteknight fantasy with strong females. Butcher even said he wants a 6 book series but ...publisher only wants to release three books! lol cucked by publisher, many such cases, I don't understand why can't he self publish gives his success with Dresden (surely he can afford it, so why is he allowing the publisher to fuck him in the ass?)

>>22505131
Publishers are prone to start with 3 book deals and then extend the series based on sales. Butcher has said he could get Cinder Spires up to 9 books but I hope he doesn't because I hate series that go on for too long.
>standard
It has very good nautical action scenes which alone set it apart from the rest imo. Everything else is a bonus on that
>coomer/whiteknight
I have no idea what this is supposed to mean

Are hopeless dystopias dead in fiction? I'm trying to think of dystopian science fiction from the last 10 or so years that didn't focus solely on revolution, or some other kind of technological paradigm shift. It feels like it's always either an uprising, a hacker uprising, or an AI uprising.
The last book I can recall reading that very clearly maintained its stagnant dystopian setting was The City and the City, which is weird, considering what a commie China is.
I'll admit it's a (very specific) kind of fiction that I'm not too familiar with, but it still feels odd that if I want to avoid reading about hacker-man saving the day and bringing down the corporate machine, I'd need to go post-apocalyptic. Is this a modern politics thing? Or am I just missing the obvious?

>>22505097
Ah yes, Jim "That 9 year old had a nice rump but I wasn't distracted because I'm not a pedophile" Butcher.

>>22505062
If Goodreads YA section was a man
>>22505100
Elric of melnibone fights against creepy monsters sometimes
>Inb4 that anon who hates MOREcock calls me a jew

>>22503558
Just learned about The Dread Empire, I'll put it on my list

>>22505147
Do you mean like 1984?

>>22505237
Not necessarily, but that's kind of what I'm getting at. Most classic examples seem to actually be far bleaker in tone and subject matter than modern dystopian fiction, despite modern titles having an aesthetic that would suggest the contrary.
Even works in-between then and now like Neuromancer seem to want to end on a more hopeful note, along the lines of "Maybe AI and future tech will help fix this shit."
If it wasn't obvious, I'm just being autistic. I'm setting a very specific criteria and then asking why modern books don't fit that criteria, but even seemingly darker/edgier modern works still focus on revolution and the idea of being able to 'fix' the dystopia.

>>22503261
Realm of the Elderlings, Discworld, Warhammer 40k (Most is shit but anything by Abnett or Dembski-Bowden is pretty good)

>>22505258
Maybe you'll find something where the protagonist benefit from the dystopia being as it is and thus do everything they can to maintain the status quo and destroy anyone who has those ideas you don't want to see.

>>22505147
>>22505258
I don't really understand. Are you saying you want society to be indifferent and apathetic that they live in a dystopia? What would the conflict be, if any? Or are you trying to find something that reminds you of yourself and what you think of the world? I haven't read any of it, but by reputation maybe Ligotti or Cioran.

>>22505329
I'm not looking for something that validates my views, or even strictly for recommendations.
>Are you saying you want society to be indifferent and apathetic that they live in a dystopia?
That would be one answer, sure. That's why I gave The City and the City as an example. It's undeniably set in a dystopia but it doesn't even try particularly hard to ram that down the reader's throat, as the protagonist largely fails to question why those cities operate the way they do, and revolutionaries are largely treated as lunatics.
I realise this board is full of culture war brainrot but I'm trying to ask about a trend, not peddle my own bullshit. I'm asking for popular examples to disprove what I think I've noticed.
I've seen multiple articles over the last few years about how modern sci-fi or dystopian fiction is all edgy doomer garbage, yet it actually seems far less bleak and in some ways more naïve than the classics.
Wasn't Snowcrash kind of criticising this? The idea that a hacker-man can just save the world by being special? But, again, that's an older example, not a modern one.

>Finally finished First Law Trilogy
What a let down. Glokta being the only one that gets a happy ending is pretty funny, but I heard all about how Bayaz was actually evil and he wins at the end, and that amounts to fuck all.
Logen getting a non-ending, Farro getting a non-ending, Luthar getting a non-ending, not a fan.
Should I even bother with Age of Madness, or is it just more of the same?

>>22505355
This is all assumptions so bear with me. You think their issue is that it's all doomer and you don't see that as the case. I think that they think that dystopia is being written at all is the doomer part. The actual content is irrelevant.

>>22505400
>I think that they think that dystopia is being written at all is the doomer part. The actual content is irrelevant.
That actually does at least give me an answer to think about, thank you. I know I've not explained myself that well, but it's a rather nebulous/autistic issue I'm having.
I probably would have been better off asking something like:
"Why is medieval fantasy allowed to be set in medieval fantasy settings and have whatever conflict it wants without focusing solely on stories regarding peasant revolts, but dystopian fiction has to hyperfixate on overturning its own setting?"
Which, again, you have actually given me an answer for, so thanks for that.

>>22505400
Fiction is a reflection of the the times when it was written. More dystopia means that more people think the world as it currently is. The revolutions, uprisings, and whatever else are their fantasies of change. For example look at Soviet SF and its concerns, or the fiction of any particular nation. The dystopias you mean were the result of two world wars and a huge rise in governments that were considered awful. That's all. The fiction you present may eventually come, but only when the majority of people have given up hope entirely.

>>22505422
*particularly authoritarian

https://wikipedia.org/wiki/Climate_fiction
That this genre exists at says a lot about what people believe regardless of anything else, as does most any genre.

>started reading Lord of Mysteries due to constant shilling
>kinda bored a hundred chapters in, but kept reading due to boredom
>then reached Vol. 1 finale
Holy SHIT that was fucking kino. I totally didn't expect it to happen at all

>>22504935
>Its such a strange story even when you recognize what it's doing.
You mean (relatively) modernising Rossetti's Goblin Market? I think I'm too much of a brainlet for Lud-in-the-Mist, it seems there's definitely a deeper, allegorical meaning (as with Goblin Market) that I am certainly missing.

>>22505508
>Goblin Market's deeper meaning
Dude lesbians lmao

Is there any character in western fantasy as intelligent and brutal as Fang Yuan?

>>22505147
Tsutomu Nihei manga fit this mood, Blame! in particular

PLEASE recommend me a fantasy book where the MC starts from nothing, gains power that make them the strongest in their world, yet doesn't die/sacrifice themself for the "greater good" and just lives a happy life with their SO and friends after beating the big baddie.

>>22505554
Texhnolyze

>>22505558
I shall seal the heavens
a lot of harem lit is like this too

>>22505558
This is what progression fantasy is, and all of it is irredeemable garbage. Have fun

>>22505558
No, fuck you and your dogshit taste.

>they say as mistborn is one of the most dicksucked books in this thread

>>22505467
>kinda bored a hundred chapters in
Yeah, the first 100 chapters are infodump snooze, you need to solder through to get to the good part and I failed...

>tfw googling a seemingly innocuous question about a book and google's spoils shit in the "people also ask" section

>>22505620
>googling a seemingly innocuous question about a book
Your fault for being a retard

>>22505390
Haven't read Age of Madness myself, but definitely read the standalones (Best Served Cold, The Heroes, Red Country). By far the best Abercrombie stuff, and Logen actually gets an ending (sorta). Age of Madness is on my TBR, but I know Glokta is pretty relevant in it so you might enjoy it

>>22505062
I like how even his dickriding ass is coming down on the Live action Wheel of time

this shit was literally anime

>>22505670
No he's not he's still fucking shilling it.

>>22505728
The main red flag for me was hearing that the author was a fan fiction writing lesbian.

>>22505728
Why did you read that shit? lol

>>22505767
>fan fiction writing lesbian
Who always seem suspiciously obsessed with gay male romance

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/IcxBT2dkecs

>>22505558
Literally Cradle.

>>22505780
This girl looks like she has actual goblin dna

>>22505767
>>22505768
it's not that bad, i expected it to be much worse, based on >author was a fan fiction writing lesbian.
it just reads like a decent yuri shonen.

>>22505767
It definitely reads like it's written by somebody who wrote Homestuck fanfic.

>>22505790
>it's not that bad
>just reads like a decent yuri shonen
you need to read better fantasy

>>22505728
pffft nigga the cover says it all get absolutely worked.

>>22499015
Finished the first hawkmoon series, a lot of it was kinda slow and fine, but it really picked up in the latter half and I was getting so into it. Makes me want to go on a fantasy adventure...

I'm almost done reading through Fortress of the Pearl, and I'm not sure what to read next.

>>22501215
I know it's supposed to be the best one but Titus Groan was just so much more interesting imo

>sci fi set in the far future or another dimension
>characters start complaining about nazis or communists
Dropped.

>>22505859
Titus Groan stopped being interesting when things started developing. I was hoping that nothing of substance would happen the whole novel, unironically.

Thread's too fast, guys.

>>22505825
I see that one Algis Budrys book and I have to recommend Rogue Moon if you haven't. Found out about it because Wolfe praised it in his Castle of Days and it's a good mix of those messed-up characters and creative ideas that make me love sci-fi

>>22505876
name five fictions where this happens

>>22505887
The atmosphere is just so comforting. I really liked reading about all of the little characters and once Gormenghast came around and things started to feel more serious I couldn't help but be let down. I think Gormenghast has and will grow on me as I keep it in the back of my mind but the first one was too good

I still haven't decided if I'm gonna read the third one, probably will but definitely need to give myself some time

>>22505901
I'll definitely keep that one in mind. The only book on the shelf I've read so far is Walpurgis III by Mike Resnick. I had fun with it. It definitely plays into the depravity of a satanic society pretty hard, with things getting progressively more fucked up as the protagonist gets closer to the BBEG's lair.

>>22505728
The life is strange pool scene in the book was out of place but very amusing to me.

>>22505960
Just looked it up and the covers for that one look sick. I will definitely be reading this at some point.
Also I'm retarded and didn't realize you posted books likely to choose among. Haven't read any of those so I can't provide any meaningful input there...

>>22505390
If you can't appreciate negative arcs that guy's writings isn't for you.

I found a nice sci-fi blog with some thoughtful reviews of undiscussed works. No, I won't be sharing.

>>22506156
Undiscussed works covers 99.999% of books here.

>>22506004
it was tongue-in-cheek, just like some other tropes/references.
just by looking at the protagonist it's clear the book doesn't want you to take it seriously.

>>22506188
Sure, the first book doesn't want you to take it seriously, but I think that changes afterwards for the following novels and short fiction.

>>22506252
With a few exceptions.

>>22505903
Dune
Several episodes of Star Trek
Paratime
Everything Borges wrote, he just couldn't help himself
Ubik

>>22505620
>tfw googling a seemingly innocuous question about a book and google's spoils shit in the "people also ask" section
Happened to me twice then I learned to never google shit about anything until I finish the book.

Shatterpoint is so fucking good and I'm not even half-way through it. Stover is too good for Star Wars.

>>22506386
This is a literary scifi general.

>>22504254
Zaregoto and Monogatari are good
Ascendancy of a Bookworm is alright
so is that Spider Isekai one
most of it is garbo, and translated badly on top

>>22506414
You obviously haven't read Stover if you're saying that.

>>22506156
not even if I say please (▽)

>>22505960
>>22506029
I like Mike Resnick

I want to read something big like Lord of Mysteries but not something too big like Wheel of Time. What are my options?

>>22506521
Even if you were genuine, I wouldn't want to open this guy up to the 4chan horde.

>>
>>22506583
chronicles of Thomas covenant

>>22506607
Die

It doesn't live up to the hype of being the sequel to Lord of Mysteries. I don't really enjoy Lumian's personality much, but there are some cool scenes and our beloved Mysteries characters appeared again, including Amon.
The translation is actively hurting the story as well. For the first volume, it was the incessant use of french words and now it's the french names and some flowery words that feels like filler.

>>22503569
if you're 10

>>22499015
just finished Revelation Space
I really enjoyed the characters, especially Volyova, I thought that the dynamic between her Khouri was engaging
it's a shame the stories don't follow the same characters but I'm sure I will enjoy the new ones as well
gonna read more of the series

>>22503261
You could dry the DWARVES series by the German guy
Pretty brutal, if you like the first then look online for the chronological order and read the DARK ELVES ones

>>22506583
You do realised that Lord of Mysteries isn't that far off Wheel of Time when it comes to word count right? Also most of those words were badly translated trash so honestly >>22506762 should be used to that.

Fucking hell people weren't kidding when they said this was a massive improvement over Red Rising

>>22507020
its all still YA trash man
i dont know why this gets recommended so often, maybe its just because there is a severe lack of even mediocre sci fi series

>>22507062
It gets recommended because it's popular. It has 80% of the ratings of Way of Kings. It has almost twice as many as Leviathan Wakes. It has almost as much as Foundation. It's one of the most popular SF series there is. Popularity begets popularity. Just wait until it gets a TV series. It'll really go up then.

>>22507082
i should have said
i dont get why it gets recommended HERE so often

>>22507102
Would you rather more shitrpg or bugman webshit discussion instead?

>>22507102
There's no difference. If you look how many have rated it and highly it's been rated by /sffg/ then you'll see why. You may not have an accurate view of /sffg/ overall. It's certainly not a monolith and for the most part all sff communities have the same general reading and liking of whatever it may. The differences are exaggerated. This thread is often filled with vocal minorities and those pushing an agenda hard. It can be easy to develop a distorted view of what's popular among those in the thread. When combined with one's own views, it can be very difficult indeed. Quality and popularity may not be all that correlated on an individual level.

>>22507102
this general is infested with normalfags who have the most mundane taste in books

>>22507157
nta
What wouldn't be mundane taste to you?

>>22507062
Look man I know it could be a more complex story if it weren't locked to a single POV and as a result the story is simpler than it could be but you're just being a contrarian if you pretend it's not a well written and compelling story.

>>22507179
>Win a battle royale with a bunch of kids
>Suddenly commander of space ship
>Suddenly commander of space fleet emperor of space
>Everyone wants to suck my dick
>hundreds of thousands of people but somehow only 5-6 people really matter and I'm one of them because I won a battle royale since I'm le different
>There's like two people who can oppose me because I got so strong mining
>Make them my friends
>Universe is mine
>Cringe predictable characters
>Cringe predictable storyline
>Battle royale happens yearly yet for some reason everyone important is related to people who were in my br

It's just not good, sorry it's just not
I read it all
Sorry
It's not good on any levels

>>22507179
The only thing compelling was my anger at being baited into reading the series since faggots here claimed it only got better after acknowledging the first book was predictable ya battle royal garbage.
It didn't.

Bought A Song Of Ice And Fire and The Kingkiller Chronicle today :D

>>22507188
imagine reading through the entire series just to bitch about it on a Bhutanese flute carving forum and be a contrarian faggot in the end
if you had any sort of conviction you would have dropped it the moment you didn't like it

the books subreddit is so fucking bad lol

I'm not sure what I expected when I started reading Wells and Verne, but it definitely wasn't gigakino of the highest order

>>22507484
I'm not being contrarian, it's just not that good.
I kept reading because people said it gets better. It does, but overall its just not that great.
It's hard to take a galaxy spanning epic seriously when everything revolves around one highschool class.

big fan of reddit personally

this is reddit

22507449
-normalfag with mundane taste in books

22507817
-upset his le underground series isn't as popular

>le
why do newfags jump up and immediately oust themselves at every first immediate opportunity?

>>22507903
This is a newfag thing to say

>>22506774
I mean, as far as YA fantasy goes, you could do a lot worse than Redwall.

>>22507657
>hurr durr the story revolves around the characters introduced in the beginning

are you seriously this fucking retarded
enjoy the space opera shlock for what it is, not every book needs to be a millenia spanning 1000 character Malazan clusterfuck

>>22507928
Yes, "le" originated around 2012, thanks to the Reddit immigration, and is a newfag thing to say.

Someone make a new thread before I piss myself