/lit/ - Literature

Haven't read it, but have heard it's good.

Prince of Nothing is interesting. It's so grim it makes ASOIAF look like a walk in the park, though.

>>5252466
I started reading it in the interval. It's very interesting, feels Very sci-fi for something set in a high fantasy world

>>5252515
Stormlight archive, that is to say. I have this feeling that it's going to be like deathgate

>>5252527

>>5251967
>Prince of Nothing is interesting. It's so grim it makes ASOIAF
>The Black Company not being the most Grim Ever

>>5251967
Way of Kings is good but if you don't like Sanderson you might not like this doorstopper, my advice is to get another Sanderson book(something with less than 1000 pages) and if you like it read The Way of Kings.

Also list what you like to read in fantasy(rape, magic, vampires, witches, etc etc) and I(listfag here) could give you some recs.

>>5252538
but are they more grim than malazan BOTF?

Wow. Maybe you smarty pants can help me :^)
I'm trying to find that one book, what was it? With the tiny guy who had to walk to a volcano with a ring while he gets tender loving from his "servant", Samuel?
What's the name of that one?
:^)

>>5252538
I've never read Sanderson before, like I said not huge on modern fantasy.

I like dragons, but I hate when they're cartoony or cliche. I like wizards, but if the author isn't going to use them to talk about something deeper he should skip it. I read enough of the shannara books to know that I hated them, but they were the only fantasy in the school library. I hate pseudo-Tolkien fantasy. I feel like I really SHOULD like China Melville, but I've never managed to finish even one of his books.
Golden Compass, Sabriel, and death gate were my favorite fantasy series

>>5252555
Ebin

>>5252553
MBoTF took inspiration from the Black Company.

I mean what can be more Grim than a mute, deaf 9 year old girl being repeated raped by soldiers who are pumped up on adrenaline after ram sacking a village?

>>5252555
Skyrim

>>5251967
>tfw I want to do a sincere fantasy story but the genre is inherently dead and stagnant

>>5252576
how about a boy being crucified and having his entire face scooped out and living through the experience?

To me reading Sanderson feels like masturbating to weird porn. It's the hottest shit ever while you're doing it and you just can't stop but afterwards you realize it wasn't even that good and then you feel all dirty and violated

>>5252582
>sincere
>stagnant

What does that mean?

Write it. Even better, write one powerful scene from it. If you're saying something powerful , people will read it.

Harry potter was about death from book one chapter one. That's why adults liked it so much.

way of Kings wasn't bad, but it was barely a step above young adult as far as the prose is concerned

>>5252594
Uh oh hahah

>>5252615
I'm fine with simple prose; is the story/ themes deeper?

>>5252564
Checks the blurbs on pic related and tell me what you think(the ones with the arrows).

Also I hate Dragons.

>>5252586
I would really like to do this, match parts from BC with BOTF but i read all 10 books months ago and my mind is polluted with the several books I read since then.

I am getting shit mixed up, I don't know if it was Black Company that had live people on crucifixes to use as a mile marker.

>>5252649
I've read most of those. People keep bringing up the black company, will have to check it. Have you read "book of the new sun"?

>>5252745
It's on the list, so I read it. Everything there I read.

I liked the part where He fucked his own grandmother constantly.

>>5252624
no

what are some good series with a lot of books written?

i recently finished discworld and read wheel of time before it. the latter dragged on towards the end but it was still enjoyable. any series that are more than trilogies?

>>5253266

Gene Wolfe's Solar Cycle has already been mentioned here, it has 12 books in all though it's actually two series which are only vaguely related, taking place in the same universe.

I hear good things about Malazan Book of the Fallen and Joe Abercrombie's First Law universe, which is a trilogy followed by three stand-alone books.

>>5253315
i was meaning to read first law, thanks for the reminder.

not so sure about malazan if it's like black company; i got pretty bored with the latter by the halfway point of book 2. people say to stick it out through the first book but it wasn't for me.

The Way of Kings is one of the best fantasy books in recent memory.

It is slow so it's not for everyone, and it's in no way a nuclear allegory. It's just a really interesting story set in an awesome world, the themes aren't very deep or profound but they are there. If you can get past the workmanlike and occasionally awkward prose (which admittedly works in Sanderson's favour sometimes because it puts the focus squarely on the tale being told) and the slow build, it's excellent.

If you're new to fantasy, I'd recommend his Mistborn trilogy since it's complete and has a very fast pace to it.

Tigana by Guy Gavriel Kay is also a good starting point. Emotionally powerful with great prose, so it holds up no matter how much of the genre you've read.

The Stormlight Archive is totally worth reading. The 2 books that have come out are both over 1000 pages, so it lasts a bit, that's always great.

>>5252582
It's only dead if you lack creativity. Don't let a saturated market stop you from writing a taut story.

>>5252624
Yes they are.
You have to reread to get shit.

>>5253266
>what are some good series with a lot of books written?
Dresden Files
Iron Druid Chronicles
They are both ongoing series.

>>5251967
The only answer is the "Geralt of Rivia/The Witcher saga"

>>5251967

Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrel is good, really good especially if you like history stuff. Also check out Weaveworld by Barker.

It's Young Adult fiction, but it's VERY good: The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss

Whats some good modern fantasy that isn't trying to be dark or 'realistic'?
I'm really pining for an ongoing series that's just a fun pulpy adventure.

>>5257641
look
>>5256069

>>5257694
>Urban Fantasy

>>5257773
>hurr durr all fantasy must happen in contemplatory times and include dragons

>>5257990
I don't think I said that.
But it's definitely what I prefer.

>>5251967
Stormlight Archive is good, OP. Wait until you get into the meta.

>>5252527
>be like deathgate
How so?

>>5252594
>not that good
I dunno, man. Lots of crazy shit happening.

>>5252624
Pretty much.

>>5254393
The first Mistborn trilogy is complete, yes.

>>5257570
Oh, I missed this one.

>Name of the Wind
>VERY good

>the tale of the Kvothinator who is the smartest of the smarts and gets everything he wants while mastering anything he wants
>also fucked a faery sex goddess thing :-)

>VERY GOOD

>>5251967
If you haven't read it yet, ASOIAF is a cornerstone of modern fantasy, as evidenced by /lit/'s nascent hatred of it.

>>5258731
ASOIAF is both great, and shit.
A Storm of Swords and everything leading up to it was phenomenal, but A Feast for Crows and A Dance with Dragons really dropped the ball. The story grew extremely bloated and it felt like nothing was really happening. But AFFC and ADWD did feel like they were setting up for something big.

If things go well, Winds of Winter and Dreams of Spring could end up fucking incredible. ASOIAF will either go down like a champion, or it will just fizzle out disappointingly if the last two books fuck up.

>>5258779
I found that the problems of pacing in AFFC and ADWD could be alleviated if you treat them as one massive book.
http://boiledleather.com/post/24543217702/a-proposed-a-feast-for-crows-a-dance-with-dragons
This doesn't fix everything, but it's an improvement.

>>5258779
winds of winter or dream of spring will be the next ASOS
agot and acok built up the suspense for war of the five kings and then the arc ended in ASOS, good payoff
build up AFFC ADWD TWOW payoff ADOS

>>5258475
yea

name of the wind is good fantasy

>>5259383
You're cute.

>>5259488
thanks! I like to think so too

>>5252466
>ASOIAF
faggot.

>>5252538
>>5252553
>>5252576


Talking grim? Prince of Thorns, King of Thorns, Emperor of Thorns has to take the grimmest title.

>>Kid gets drugged and raped by a priest so he hammers a nail into the perpetrator's skull.

>>Dad makes the kid break his dog's leg and then sets it on fire to teach him lesson.

>>Etc...

what about that magicians series by lev grossman

>>5260003
actually not too bad of a series. op should read.

>>5258475
It's an entertaining read if you can stomach the friendzoned "love" sub-plot. I also really like the way the author deals with the concept of magic in the series; it's treated as a science rather than "mysterious."
I also enjoyed the culture shock Kvothe received when he lived in the warrior culture where facial expressions didn't exist and sex was as common as eating. Of course, I had just taken my first psychology course, so I thought I was hot shit for understanding everything.

>>5258475
Do you think that giant crab would taste like chicken?

>>5259997
plebian please
In the Riyria Chronicles, the guy's dad gave him a chicken as a pet and make him look after it and treat it like family. When the boy was attached to the chicken to dad told him he would have to kill the chicken and cook it for dinner, if he didn't he would starve. The boy put it off for a few days then had to give in.
'If that is not coldhearted I don't know what is.

>>5260003
>magicians series by lev grossman
Q_Q book 3 is out already and book 3 for the lightbringer series is coming at the end of the month.

WHAT DO?

>>5257570
>Kingkiller Chronicle
>YA

why are you trying to upset me

>>5258475
It's an excellent book and the sequel is even better.

Everybody always refers to the fae sex goddess as if it's self evidently bad. You guys must live on a different planet from me.

I dunno, nothing else I've read has the thematic coherence of Rothfuss's books. There's genuine depth there if you care to look, but it seems from your post that you're not bright enough to do so.

>>5257570
>young boy is gang buggered
>YA
What kind of fucking committee said it's okay to put shit like that in YA?
If NOTW was a movie it would be rated R or 17+ not fucking PG13

GTFO

Also not this fag whose jimmies are being rustled>>5261744

>>5261748
>nothing else I've read
That is, nothing else in modern fantasy. I don't mean to imply it can fuck with Great Literachuh or anything.

>>5261751
nice save mate

I agree with those saying Name of the Wind is fantastic. It is definitely not Young Adult fiction. He has a ton of sex in book two. Granted the fairy sex part is the worst part of the two books.

The great part about the series is that yes Kvothe is very intelligent and adept at many things. However all the great things that he is accredited to either did not happen, was some kind of weird trick, some sort of accident that he had nothing to do with other than being present, etc...

It is interesting because the story is about an intelligent man who has become a legend in his world. Even though most of the things attributed to him either didnt happen or were simple accidents or tricks.

Other than that I support most of the other ideas in this thread. Here is a list of some awesome series.

A Song of Ice and Fire
Malazan
The First Law Trilogy
The Gentleman Bastards
The Black Company
The Stormlight Archive

Gentleman Bastards for the win, even if Republic of thieves was sub par.

>>5261865
>However all the great things that he is accredited to either did not happen, was some kind of weird trick, some sort of accident that he had nothing to do with other than being present, etc...

But it goes further than that. The various accounts and origin stories that Kvothe relates about how the world came to be and what constitutes the nature and character of the various forces at work within it all conflict with one another. And, the primary aspect to the magic system pertains to having knowledge of a thing's true essence and the power over that thing that knowledge grants.

So this whole business of Kvothe as an unreliable narrator, and the nature of storytelling and truth, is woven throughout every element of the work. It's tremendously wrought stuff and I think all the complaining /lit/'s fantasy segment does about Gary Stu's and fairy sex really fucked up their appreciation of one of the stronger modern fantasy series I'm aware of.

I mean think about nearly any little aspect of the story: the Cthaeh that fucks with your destiny by telling you specially selected truths, toxic little narratives.

Also, I never bothered to go back and check, but somebody claimed that in Kvothe's scenes with Denna, the things he says to her tend to be seven word phrases. If you get why that is and still don't love this series, I have no help to offer you.

>>5262390
>all conflict with one another
They don't ALL conflict with one another, but the fact that Kingkiller's world doesn't have one unifying lore and that people believe in different accounts, and that which account they chose to believe in has ramifications in the central conflict of the book, is pretty refreshing and something I'd like to see more of.

>>5262113
I'm about halfway through the second book.

Honestly I want to love this shit but I haven't felt the magic since the first third of book 1. There's bits and pieces that keep me going like the Amusement Wars. It's not awful. I dunno.

>>5261744
>>5261750
Honestly, I felt it read like Young Adult fiction even if the content was more mature.
Maybe I'm just getting smarter and books are becoming easier to read

>>5261537
I have read both books, anon. Nothing new as far as Fantasy goes. Does nothing different as far as Fantasy goes. Utter filth. IMO.

>>5261683
Probably taste like space crab!

>>5261748
>you didn't like the book so you're probably stupid
Typical rebuttal of somebody who enjoys that type of book.

>>5264181
>Probably taste like space crab!
Aren't the great shells' meat acidic or toxic?
Also I'm confused, are you shitting on all Fantasy or just Kingkillers because I see(from the pics) that you are a Stormlight fan.

Any good fantasy that deals with mermaids or fae or other realm like settings?

>>5265448
Only Kingkiller because it's crap.

>>5264181
I expounded upon why I thought the book was good at some length:
>>5262433
>>5262390

I'm not saying this is irrefutable, but it's certainly more substantial than the guy I was arguing against.

>>5265461
The Wise Man's Fear