/lit/ - Literature

I'm reading Borges. That counts as fantasy, right?

Favorite Conan story is "The Pool of the Black One." The whole conceit of leaving Conan's entire world behind and sailing to some distant land populated by THINGS is really interesting, plus the black ones themselves are some of Howard's eeriest creations.

Also, Conan kills the captain of his ship simply because he annoys him. It's great.

>>6697172
A Canticle for Leibowitz

Tower of the Elephant is my favorite Conan story, but Screaming Skull of Silence is my favorite Howard story

Currently stalled on reading, unfortunately. I got caught up in too many books and burned out. The Well at the World's End was the starts, but it spiraled out of control. I can read through short story collections without trouble, but whole novels are giving me trouble for the first time in my life. I have been reading a lot of Prince Valiant, though...

As for my favorite Conan story...It's a toss up between Scarlet Citadel, Red Nails, or Black Colossus.

Scarlet Citadel (and Hour of the Dragon) are good, but their biggest plus is how much they tell you about the setting of the Hyborian Age. You learn a lot about Aquilonia, Nemedia, Koth, Ophir, and other aspects of the setting that probably any other story.

Red Nails is super-refined, and is overall (imo) Howard's best written work.

Black Colossus because I'm a pleb.

I've never read any sword and sorcery, should i start with Howard or with leiber? i've got The first book of lankhmar but i've never read it.
is it good?

I've tried to read other S&S after Howard, and I can't get into it. Read others first, then come back and read Howard.

>>6697191
It's officially magical realism, but lets be honest, it's hard to draw the line with Dick and Wolfe and Borges.

>>6696092
>What's wrong with reading genre fiction?

Nothing if you don't read purely shit and read it occasionally for fun. If by genre fiction we mean schlock fantasy like got and warhammer.
If we mean all sf and fantasy well it's impossible to draw the line to what is in the history of literature exactly fantasy.

>What's wrong with reading for my own enjoyment?

Nothing. I like an occasional military sf. Just don't make it an unhealthy habit. Like fast food for your mind.

>Why is /lit/ so elitist about "literary fiction" ?

Because if we weren't we'd get flooded by even more tasteless idiots and become r/books and as a collective unironically think that Orwell was an amazing writer, that Tolkien was a great worldbuilder but a bad storyteller, that To Kill a Mockingbird was the greatest American novel and that Snow Crash was an amazing science fiction novel.

>>6697441
the first lankhmar book suffers a bit from being the angsty backstory that brings Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser together, but after that you get the more zany buddy adventures that are the real meat of the series

>>6697552

>>6697585
sounds fun

thanks

Is the mistoborn trilogy and the stormlight archive worth checking out? I need some fun and enjoyable fantasy to read. What are your thoughts on these two series?

>>6697659
Mistborn is too long for its own good. Many things are unnecessarily drawn out and the prose is not good enough to carry it.

Interesting magic, though.

>>6697552
>we'd...unironically think that...Tolkien was a great worldbuilder but a bad storyteller
Not this guy again...
Listen, reading Proust doesn't make you smarter.

>>6697172
Why do you post those links? The images are tiny and you can't see a thing.

>What SF/F books are you currently reading
"Authority" by Jeff Vandermeer

>What is your favorite Conan story?
"The Tower of the Heffalump"

>>6697659
mistborn felt like a prototype test run for an elaborate magic system

stormlight is infinitely better, and quite fun

>>6697824
yeah, i can't see shit when i open it on firefox

seems to work on chrome though, not sure what's up with that

>>6697492
Read Moorcock if you haven't. He's a self proclaimed 'Anti-Tolkien' and tries to distance himself from Howard despite it being an obvious influence. There's this great kind of Howard/Lovecraft fusion in his stories, especially the early Elric ones. Like if their letters to each other ever turned into a full on book series.

what are the best howard books to collect?

i own the centennial hardback of conan stories and a couple of the del ray releases with unexpurgated text.

About to start reading Railsea by China Meiville. Will it help my neckbeard grow?

>>6697659
>stormlight archive

I'm currently re-reading The Way of Kings since I last read it when it came out and I need to freshen up my memory before starting Words of Radiance. But yeah the first part at least is great. I have never read anything else by Sanderson, I think he has a tendency to unnecessarily repeat some things and always use the same words and phrases, but doesn't bother me too much.

I like all the characters though Shallan is sometimes annoying with her witty remarks. I'm a bit worried the second book is worse since I read she's the focal character on that one. But anyway, I'd say this is definitely a fun and enjoyable read, especially if you're a fan of cool armor, insane power levels and a weird but awesome high fantasy world which isn't a Tolkien ripoff, but something different.

And I have to add, though these books are so ridiculously long that the paperbacks are hard to handle at times, they're pretty much the perfect light summer read. The pages just fly by and I can't keep away from the book (even though I've read it before). Also I have nothing against sex or gore or what have you that's all over most modern and gritty fantasy series, but it's really refreshing how Sanderson doesn't include those. Most sex scenes in fantasy books tend to be cringe worthy anyway (I'm looking at you GRRM). In that way I'm reminded of Tolkien. There's pain and suffering included, but no stuff you couldn't read to your children.

>>6697918
if you want young witty inexperienced Shallan to finally get her comeuppance in the second book, you'll be a little disappointed

but the shit that goes down with Kaladin is pretty neat

Hard sci Fi post cyberpunk master race checking in.

Come at me bro.

>>6697824
They work fine with Chrome. The last thread had the same complaints as well so it would be nice for OP to fix them so they work for everybody. But here they are.

>>6697957

>>6697946
Shoot me recs fam

>>6697938
>you'll be a little disappointed

Well I didn't have any great expectations for her anyway.

>but the shit that goes down with Kaladin is pretty neat

Say no more, sounds great.
>mfw

Neuromancer

Pleb shit or weeb shit?

Vic Raymond's High Steaks is the best SCI FI SPY book ever written

I've never read any Conan - I got my hands on Conan the Conqueror (a.k.a. The Hour of the Dragon). Could I start with it? As far as I'm aware it's pretty far into the series, but is it THAT important to read all the short stories prior to it?

>>6697907
If by that you mean endless weeks sitting, desperately trying to finish the book, and boredom causing you to fail, then yes.

China Meiville is the ONLY writer I have ever read who somehow manages to be more boring than his inspiration, Herman Melville.

It is tiresome, and if you are reader who cares about pace, you are going to fee like you are swimming through concrete. You are two-thirds of the way through the book before any major plot elements start appearing. By which point you have forgotten why you cared about the giant mustelids being chased by whaling trains.

>>6697957
>Williams
>Rawn

Yesss, taste.

>Goodkind

Eugh.

>>6697957
>Based Susan Cooper
>Entry level

What are y'all smoking, that's some fairly advanced Celtic idealism there.

>>6694659
Bumping from previous thread

Is Tarzan fantasy?

>>6698869
Not exactly "like" Garth Nix, but this is another series I stupendously enjoyed around the same time I was reading those "Keys" books. It's a bit older, and also maybe a bit more adult, although it was fine for me in middle school, so it's probably not too challenging--pretty YA-like, I mean. I guess it's a little similar in the sense that it depicts a fantasy world that has surprising importance to the universe, and in which there are many different sub-settings with unique and charming characteristics.

Four hugely fat books. Otherland is the name of the series at large and all the individual volumes have different titles. It starts off a little slow, but it steadily builds up to become really, really cool and interesting. There's just so much going on that it takes some time to bring everything into the story.

Anyone have any recommendations for something in the vein of a Neil Gaiman or Lev Grossman? I loved Neverwhere and The Magicians.

>>6697957
>Based KJ Parker


for once bravo /lit/

>>6697767
I've read too little of Proust for him to make me smarter. Not sure when I'll get around reading it.

>>6697659
They're bretty gud. Mistborn gets nuts towards the end and Stormlight is going to be insane.

>>6697695
>too long
It's only going to be three trilogies + one quadrology!

>>6697441
Once you get past the Origin stories of the protagonists it improves drastically. The MCs are probably one of the most "real" feeling friendships ive read in any genre.
Also read Howard you wont regret it.

>>6699608
that man scares me with his ambition

crazy thing is he'll manage it

>>6697824
Remove everything from the url after the .jpg, then they work fine on Firefox.

>>6698280
There is no "order" they aren't a "series"
Each tale is set at a different point in his life yeah but it doesn't affect anything

>>6697172

>What SF/F books are you currently reading
"The Dark Elf Trilogy" by RA Salvatore, I'm reading the second and when I'm done I'll read the third.

>What is your favorite Conan story?
I still haven't read any although I've many if not almost all downloaded. Shame on me.

>>6699238
Thanks anon, I'll give them a try

>>6699502
KJP KJP KJP KJP KJP!

(I spent 20 minutes looking for the Folding Knife until I remember I loaned it out)

>>6701146
Are any of these series worth checking out? How are they?

>>6701146
(i'm that anon)
I only read The Devices series and the Fencer trilogy because they're the only one transalted in my native language, should i check out his other books?

>>6697172
Fuck yeah Robert E. Howard is one of my favorite authors. I fucking love Conan.
Tower of the Elephant is probably my favorite, but there are so many good Conan stories.

>>6701146
Where to start with KJP?

>>6701146
>>6701268
I'm obviously biased, as I'll say everything is worth it.

Fencer is his first work [under the pseudonym], and while I like it a lot, it's a bit rough around the edges. The second book in it also puts the MC of the first book to the sidelines so I'm not sure it's the best one to start with.

The Engineer trilogy is the most polished of the three, but the ending is a bit disappointing. It's a very solid story up to that point, however, and it's a story motivated about revenge too.

Scavenger is my favourite of the trilogies, and I started with it. I was absolutely hooked with "Shadow" to the point that I drove back to my place during the Christmas vacation to get the other two books to read. The only problem with Scavenger is that I'd say it's the one where Parker's pace slows the most in the two following novels. The ending, however, is stellar.

The Company, the Folding Knife, the Hammer, and Sharps are all standalones, and you can read whichever of them catches your fancy. If I had to recommend one, I'd say the Folding Knife. However, I think Sharps - while being my least favourite of them (still good) - is the most accessible.

Another valid first peek into KJP's work is Academic Exercises, a collection of novellas, short stories and three essays. Oddly enough, it's perhaps my favourite KJP work. I liked nearly every story in it very much. Many of the stories within are also available online for free, so that's a bonus point if you want to check him out quickly. The opening story, "A Small Price to Pay for Birdsong" is a good starter, and it won the WFA for best novella in '12.

(Purple and Black and Blue and Gold are novellas collected in AE as well, so no need to hunt them down separately)

In general, KJP incorporates very little magic (a rule broken only in the short work, and a bit in Fencer) and no fantastical bestiary or other stuff. It kind of reads like historical fiction, except in a made up world. I'm especially fond of KJP's main characters, who are often competent, sometimes well-meaning, but nearly always go too far in some aspect or another. KJP also likes to describe various technical stuff in the books, such as forging swords, siege weapons, etc.

PHEW! Hope that helps.

>>6701233
I'm curious, what country has translated KJP? Because I like you guys already.

>>6701451
I forgot to say: the Hammer is my favourite of the standalones, but it's an absolute gut-puncher.

>>6697172
I like how he's literally wearing a fedora.

>>6701451
Thanks for the tips anon

>>6701451
Italy

Sorry to self-promote but I just posted my fantasy collection, and was wondering what you guys thought of it/what I should purchase in the future?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFxcM58k5TE

>>6701524
I like you m8 and i like your taste in music

>>6701495
Cool man. I liked your Eurovision entry this year too.

>>6701533
Thanks a bunch bro

Has anyone read The Vagrant by Peter Newman?

It sounds interesting, all I know is that the three main characters are a guy (the vagrant), a baby and a goat, and none of them speak at any point of the book. Sounds like it could be cool or just trying too hard to be different.

So if anyone's read it pls rate.

>>6701457
WOAH A MAN WHO WAS ALIVE DURING THE 20S AND 30S IS WEARING A FEDORA?

Not reading SF now, but my most recent SF reads are:

They'd Rather Be Right - Mark Clifton
R.U.R. - Carol Kapek
The Island of Dr. Moreau - H.G. Wells
Rite of Passage - Alexei Panshin

The Island of Dr. Moreau was probably the best of those. R.U.R. is a short play and horrible. Only famous for being the first piece to use the word robot.

Where do I go with the Strugatsky Brothers after Roadside Picnic?

Anyone tried the Mythargo Wood series?

>>6701619
Just read the series a few weeks ago. The book sort of reminded me of McCarthy's Road. Lots of description of the world around the main character. The Worldbuilding is great. The plot is decent. Enjoyed it overall. It isnt that long of a read I would recommend it.

Does modern Sword and Sorcery exist?

What are some Fantasy books that feature brothels, concubines, or female sexual servitude in general?

>>6702919
Literally every medieval set fantasy book ever features brothels and prostitutes

>>6701524
the iron dragon's daughter
lyonesse
the dying earth
more gene wolfe
zothique

>>6703194
Any that feature them prominently? It is my fetish

why is this so fucking good

>>6699680
In over thirty years, possibly.

>>6703635
Shit getting real and shit HAPPENING.

>>6703635

If I didn't care for Mistborn would I like this? I didn't hate the writing or anything I just couldn't get into the world or characters.

>>6703688
i read through Mistborn but i didn't find it particularly amazing either

Way of Kings is pretty great though, give it a shot mayn

Any good dystopian fiction series that isn't shit or uninspired?

I bought this edition last month and I'm enjoying it a lot. Being fan of Conan classic comic-books since I was a cub. I really like Howard's prose.

>>6703801
Not a series but try Noir by K. W. Jeter. It's future run by the MPAA and RIAA.

What conan book should i read first?

Not even sure if its sci-fi or not, but are there any good books with a similar vibe to No More Heroes?

>>6701451
>>6701455
Really? Folding Knife > Sharps > The Hammer to me, haven't read The Company yet.

Also glad to see Purple & Black is in Academic Exercises, I have struggled to hunt that down.

>>6701975
No but it's one I've always heard good things about. Check it out and report back to us, anon.

>>6703275
Haven't read it but I think Kushiel's Legacy by Jacqueline Carey.

Also R. Scott Bakker's Prince of Nothing series features some prominent prostitute/concubine characters.

>>6704753
>>6701146
Is Savages good?

I liked The Black Stone because it was very lovecraft-esque, are there any more of his stories that are similar to lovecrafts?

>>6704753
Yeah, it affected me the most. The Folding Knife is a close second, though.

>>6704777
You noticed that, huh? Yes, it's good!

>>6704602
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rp5krDoflLI

I dont think there can be a book like a Suda51 game

>>6698075
Old-school weeb.

>>6699033
I'd say it's low fantasy.

>>6699326
What did you like about them?

>>6702919
Gor? I've never actually read that shit though. Probably terrible. Maybe the "Kushiel" series too but I've never read it either.

>>6704885
>You noticed that, huh? Yes, it's good!
Wait. I thought this wasn't out yet.

>>6705356
Why would Tarzan be fantasy though? Isn't it just fiction? I haven't read it though, if the animals talk and are all human-like like in the Disney movie then maybe in that case.

>>6701524
subbed

>>6697918

It actually really bothers me how little sexuality and foul language there is the books. I don't need graphic sex scenes every few pages, or characters using "fuck" every other word, but it feels really neutered the way it is now.

>>6703688

Didn't read Mistborn, but I liked the Way of Kings. It really depends whether you get attached to Dalinar and Kaladin. The other characters range from inoffensive to annoying, but these two, especially Kaladin, really do everything right to make you like them.

Some of the characters improve in the second book as well, but the aforementioned two carry the whole thing again.

>>6705469
That's Mormons for you

>>6705489
>especially Kaladin, really do everything right to make you like them

When he didn't take that shardblade because "boohoo it killed my friends" I really hated him for a moment. I get it works better for the story that way but come the fuck on, just take it you cunt

I liked Adolin, I think he's a pretty cool guy. I think all the main characters are annoying in some ways, Shallan the most but the rest also. I immensely enjoyed some of the interlude chapters and the side characters on those, the Collector guy was my ultimate favourite character from the first book. Also Purelake seems like an awesome and chill place, hope we'll see it again. (Haven't read the second book yet so dunno if it comes up there.)

>>6705631

Kaladin has his angsty moments, I agree, but that makes it all the more glorious when he gets over it and starts kicking ass.

I am currently reading Malazan Book of The Fallen. I'm reading them in an order so I'm switching between authors, on Stonewielder at the minute.

Does anyone have any suggestions for when I finish the series? I am considering The Black Company but I'm not sold yet.

Previous reads: ASOIAF, The Night Angel trilogy, The First Law trilogy (and standalones)

>>6697172
I am reading Neuromancer right now. Actually just about to finish it. I have tried picking this one up at least three times but all I got from reading this book was just coldness. There was some really great moments like the scene in Sense/Net, but I feel pretty much bored with he second half of this even though it is quite amusing to thing of a Rastafarian colony in space. Is this common with Gibson's other work? I was thinking about reading Count Zero in hopes of finding a progression should I?

I never read a Conan story before, but I did read Kull and Bran Mak Morn in high school. I can't say I could really remember a single story although reading those works got me into reading more often.

>>6706050
Yes, it's common with Gibson's work. You want something faster paced, read Snow Crash.

>>6706125
I already read Snow Crash and The Diamond Age ,but thanks for the recommendation. Actually how does Crytonomicon stack up against his previous works?

What should i read by this sexy mofo

Would recommend The Darkness that comes before.

It's like if GoT was well written and had a better setting.

>>6703688
No because Mistborn and Stormlight are literally in the same galaxy but that doesn't really matter right now so give it a shot.

>>6705631
Purelake might be a Perpendicularity so we'll definitely see it in the future.

>>6706589
Oh hey its Cosmere anon.
What is the best order to read the novels so I can notice the connections?

Page 400 and something I like it.... I know I'm casual...

I'm reading The sequel to warded man next.

>>6706383
He was the only one of those 3 Weird Tales dudes that was swimming in ass.

>>6704783
The Thing on the Roof

No other threads to ask this and I'd feel stupid to make a new one.
Which e-reader should I get, the kindle or the kobo?

>>6706383
zothique
it's available as a pdf free online somewhere
the recent penguin release of his stuff is alright too but i think it contains too many of his stories set in california and too few of his zothique ones

>>6706346
anathem, cryptonomicon, and the baroque cycle are all really good. i don't think he's written a bad book, really, except maybe his first.

Some good fantasy with criminal main characters?


(No urban fantasy please)

>>6706903

>>6705435
He's raised by a tribe of apes capable of some form of language (they have their own names), and his physical and mental abilities are clearly superhuman. There's a short story where he goes into the Hollow Earth and fights dinosaurs (I haven't read it).

>>6706050
I think Gibson's writing has improved through the years, but it's still pretty flat like you described. I wouldn't bother with the rest of the Sprawl books unless you really liked Neuromancer.

>>6706346
Cryptonomicon was excellent, although again, endings.

>>6697172
The Phoenix on the Sword; loved the wizard, the creature, and the fight scene where Conan fucks up a whole squad of assassins.

What's a good starting point for Murakami?

>>6704602
maybe pynchon

>>6706910

>>6705081
>strawberry jam, turkey and cereal sandwich
>"Self inflicted punishment to atone for past sins. He's setting an example."

I...what?

>>6701524
Cool collection
I'm brand new to fantasy as well and might as well follow your exploits
Thanks for sharing

>>6707268
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vRyQhJ_qKXY


You never played a Grasshopper game?
They're strange af and i really want to know if there are any books similar to them

>>6705081
>Deadly P
Swery65 did that one, actually.

He's perhaps even weirder than Suda.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cOOPPuZsBg4

>>6706910
He said "good" and not "absolutely terrible."

>>6707342
oh come on the first book was good

>>6707392
I politely disagree.

>>6707402
Well do you know an fantasy novel with a criminal MC that you think is good?

(that sounds like a provocation but im simply curious)

>>6706612
im a hundred pages ahead of you... wanna race?

>>6706605
Sorry for the late reply. Had class and stuff.

You could publication order. You won't catch anything other than Hoid unless you know specifically what to look for--Hoid is somewhat special but not really because his name is recurring so you may read your second Cosmere book and recognize his name from your first Cosmere book, depending on what you read.

Otherwise, you could read Elantris/Warbreaker/Mistborn -> Alloy of Law/Stormlight. Don't forget about the novellas either.

bumpin with drunk Leiber

>>6706032
i just got fed up recently trying to find some good sci-fi to read and after dropping 4 books i just couldn't get into i figured i'd try reading the black company books since people mention it here so often and i'm almost done with the third one now. really gripping stuff, i've had trouble getting into fantasy settings before but these i just can't put down.

>>6709041
What were the books that you put down?

>>6709072
Downbelow Station, Timescape, Tau Zero and The Algebraist.
will probably read all but Tau Zero in the future though.

>>6708135
Hey cosmere bro, do you have an archive with all those images you keep posting? Reading through the books again it would be nice to have.

>>6709085
I read all the "post-Downbelow Station" books and then made the mistake of reading Downbelow station itself. Not fun.

Try Rimrunners and Merchanter's Luck, they're miles better.

>>6707392
I agree.

>>6697172
I was planning on reading through all his Conan stories about a year ago but got sidetracked, ended up reading a bunch of Moorcock instead. I burned through the Elric stories in a fortnight or so, and really came to appreciate the concise way in which these pulpy writers get the story ou thtere. This came after I gave up on A Feast For Crows because I just stopped giving a fuck.

>>6706641
please help

What are the best pulp writers? Besides Howard, Leiber and Moorcock

>>6709085
Why did you dislike Tau Zero? It was pretty decent and a short read.

>>6709115
You can find them on Brandon's website but it's kind of aggravating to get to the exact pages where they've saved. I could make a zip file and upload it somewhere if you'd like.

>>6709755
If you could make a zip that would be nice

>>6709354
I dunno man. Make a new thread, it's a legit question.

>>6707247
Bottom left guy is a sparrow from GoT?

>>6698387

Weird how tastes vary. I think Miéville is one of the only firmly genre writers I can stomach. Also I love Melville so maybe that's telling enough. I can't stand Sanderson, Rothfuss, Weeks, Lawrence, et al.

>>6703635

It isnt. How can you read this? I felt physically ill every time I read another awful portmanteu : brightlord, shardblade, surgebinder, lordplate, plateblade, stormplate, brightstorm, platestorm, bladelord, lighteyes, plateeyes, eyeplates, sprenstorm jesus fuck make it stop

>>6709431

Machen, Blackwood, MR James, Haskell

LIVE!

>>6709826
Shit, dude. Every way I try to articulate a URL doesn't get past the spam filters. I rarely upload shit so I never know the proper way to do this. I'll make it into an imgur album if I can

>>6709431
If by best you mean pulp doing what it does best I would say Edgar Rice Burroughs, or if by best you mean pulp that got promoted to lit I would say Raymond Chandler or Jack London.

Any recommendations on books featuring occultism or witchcraft?

>>6697957
>>6697965
Thank you very much

>>6706032
Currently 200 pages into Bonehunters
love this Malazan series so much thusfar

>>6712097
I'm very skeptical about Malazan cuz, you know

>based on an RPG campaign
>game styled magic
>long ass novels, probably slogs

>>6712119
one of the greatest fantasy series ever written
just try it

Any series/books set in a place similar to GURMs Essos?

>>6712142

Don't listen to this guy. If you don't like the first book don't bother.

>>6701524
>danny brown
but anyways you seem like a good guy, and I hope you make some secondary videos discussing philosophy and fantasy.

>>6712119
It's decent but not great. I read the first four books and generally enjoyed them, but never felt the need to pick up the fifth and continue the series.

>conan thread
>no one mentions L. Sprague de Camp

smell your fingers after having rubbed them with your balls
do it now

>>6713791

>>6714004
i don't have anything to add to this thread but thanks for the pic.

>>6712200
Similar in what way?

>>6710398
I like The Way of Kings. Also, I feel physically ill every time I read someone misusing the word portmanteau, while not even being able to spell it right.

The definition for portmanteau is
>A word which combines the meaning of two words (or, rarely, more than two words), formed by combining the words, usually, but not always, by adjoining the first part of one word and the last part of the other, the adjoining parts often having a common vowel; for example, smog, formed from smoke and fog.

What you're listing there are simply compound words. I would advise to keep from using fancy words if you don't even know what they mean.

>>6712200
Essos is a pretty huge place pal, you gotta be more specific.

The Gentlemen Bastards series by Scott Lynch is set in a Venice type of setting very similar to Braavos. The first book, The Lies of Locke Lamora, was great but I didn't like the second one and haven't read the third yet.

If you want something more like Meereen or those places then I got nothing though.

is there a fantasy book that takes place in a post post apocalyptic setting, kind like fallout?

>>6714472
The Book of the New Sun by Genre Wolf
A Land Fit For Heroes by Richard Morgan

>>6712097
I loved that book. My favourite so far has been Deadhouse Gates though. The story of the chain of dogs was absolutely fantastic.

>>6714472

Mark Lawrence's books are post-apocalyptic fantasy- they're very grimdark, but can be gory good fun, so it's worth trying Prince of Thorns. The Dark Tower series too, it crashes and burns near the end, but the first few are well worth reading.

I'm not exactly sure what you're looking for with the Fallout connection, but the above are fantasy novels set in a post-apocalyptic world with remnants of modern civilisation, lost technology and radioactive wastelands, against which society has reverted back to either vaguely medieval European (Mark Lawrence) or Old West (King).

>>6713771
that's because he was shit

Genebackis continent from Malazan Book of the Fallen looks like dickbutt.
>cannot unsee

I have a two and a half hour commute every day and need more audiobooks to listen to. I've narrowed it down to two choices.

The Chronicles of Amber or Malazan Book of the Fallen

Which should I choose and reasoning for choosing that one. If you have other suggestions for fantasy, particularly fantasy with numerous volumes, I would be very willing to hear.

>>6697870
I just read Moorcock's Behold the man. The main char was wonderfully fucked up. I also like Dick for his insane truth-bending worlds.
So, since I like Dick and Moorcock, what else can you recommend me?

>>6715241
Not the guy you're asking, but whatever:

M. John Harrison
J. G. Ballard
The City & the City by China Miéville
Thomas Ligotti

>>6714472
Fallout is post-apoc, not post-post-apoc.

>>6715123
Any thoughts?

>>6715594
fallout is post-post apoc

hence the rebuilding society

>>6697172
What the shit goddamn hivemind synchronous crap is this I was just starting with Conan today after a sudden impulse...Fuck! Was it just me glimpsing this thread over the week, but not conciously registering it and subliminally getting the idea to read Conan? Hah FUCK

Anyway I've gotten good tips from 4chan consistently love you guys :3

>>6715594
This

Speaking of the devil has anyone read this pic rel. piece of /lit/erature?

>>6714472
The Dying Earth
The Book of the New Sun
The Sword of Shannara (nb: it sucks)
The Night Land, sorta
Foundation, sorta
There were at least two apocalypses in the backstory of The Golden Age but I doubt that's what you're looking for.

>>6697172
>tfw got a stack of library books

Anyone read The Black Company?

I was confused during the 2nd book, with the whole Taken planning on betraying the company thing. I just didn't understand where Croaker's suspicions came from, the Taken never did anything from what I remember to say they were going to fuck the company up, they were barely even in the story except the fighting parts against the black castle and a few times when Whisper called Croaker in to call out his incompetence in catching the body snatcher because the Lady was upset.

I could kinda pass that off as Croaker being naturally suspicious but the Captain learning of it and sending them away with the letter simply made no sense. How the hell would he find out the Taken were planning a backstab, with enough conviction to break up the whole company sending them fleeing on a boat risking the Lady's wrath. And why were the Taken going to betray them anyway? They knew the Lady loved the company. I might just be really stupid but I didn't really understand

>>6716431
I wouldn't take the Dying Earth to be Fallout-style post apocalypse. They're great stories but probably not what he's after. you can't disagree

>>6715948
I guess it depends on your own personal definition of the term.

>>6715884
Toss a coin, bud.

Read The Stars My Destination and it's my new favorite book. Is the Demolished Man nearly as good?

>>6715948
I'd say post-post-apoc would have the new society already rebuild.

>>6715123
>two and a half hour commute every day

Why in the fuck would you do that to yourself?

>>6716754
I could get there in an hour if I wanted, but I like to give myself extra time to listen to audiobooks. It relaxes me.

>>6716908
This is not me.

>>6716754
It's for 9 weeks during the summer, and I can't justify spending the kind of money it takes to live in the city.

>>6717045
Is it two and a half hours there and then the same back? Or two and a half hours all up?

>>6717175
Two and a half hours for each journey. Can blow out to 4 hours depending on traffic. Doesn't bother me, though.

>>6717197
Malazan is really good and well worth the time, it is however rather complicated and could get very confusing to listen to since you can't reread sentences or parts. Just reading it the first time a lot will go over your head, even more so when listening to it.
I have heard only good things about Zelazny and his Amber series. I would start there.

>>6717217
Thanks man, appreciate the advice. I will go with Amber first.

>>6717237
Stop pretending to be me.

>>6717217
Thanks.

What's your opinion on City of saints and madmen?
it looks borgesian af

The next Gentlemen Bastards book is out in September - anyone going to read it? I probably will, though the series has been sliding downhill since the first book. It had a lot of promise, but I feel like the author has been too ambitious setting out to write a big fantasy series. The characters aren't well suited to an epic fantasy style plot anyway, and now it feels like he's panicking and shoehorning in some revelations and surprise returns and padding the story out further than it can really go.

>>6717996
>anyone going to read it?

I still haven't read Republic of Thieves though I've had it as a hardcover waiting on my shelf since its release. I bought all the three books at once because I was so sure I'd love the series. The first book was great, but the second one was so boring it took me ages to finish. And I love sailing, pirates and all things nautical, no idea how it was so bad.

So how is the third part? I really don't feel like reading it any time soon as I have other books waiting and the second one disappointed me, but if it's good then I could try and finish it before the next one comes out. It would be nice not having to wait but have the next book to read straight away, but no point if the series sucks.

>>6716908
>pretending to be someone
>pretending to be someone on an imageboard
>pretending to be someone and not even saying something negative about them

>>6718048

I quite liked the second, but the problems that started to appear there got a lot worse in the third book. There's a meandering, unsatisfying current day plot in which not that much actually happens (Locke continues slowly dying from poison for a couple of hundred pages and then gets blackmailed into doing more crime for the next few hundred pages), and a meandering, unsatisfying plot set in the past, in which we finally meet Sabetha and are underwhelmed. And then at the end, there's some revelations about who Locke really is, which made me lose interest in him too as he was frankly a lot more interesting as a funny, peculiar but ultimately likeable idiot savant of crime. I think the author has really overreached himself- TLoLL was his first book, and he's planning fourteen books in this universe which is a lot of material to drag out from what was essentially a heist novel.

If you like nautical-themed fiction, have you read the Liveship trilogy by Robin Hobb? I put off reading that for ages as I wasn't that interested in fantasy-on-a-boat, but I really enjoyed it and thought it was the best trilogy in her whole Elderlings series.

>>6716698
It's different, also quite good.

>>6718159
Well damn the third one sounds like shit.

>he's planning fourteen books in this universe which is a lot of material to drag out from what was essentially a heist novel

The guy's fucked, this can't work out.

>have you read the Liveship trilogy by Robin Hobb

No. I've read the Farseer trilogy but despite the praise for it I didn't like it that much. It had it's moments but I wasn't that impressed, so I chose not to read the Liveship Traders and Tawny Man trilogies after it. But if this is the case
>thought it was the best trilogy in her whole Elderlings series
I might give it a shot someday.

>>6718124
beyond depth

>>6717944
Read it and tell us, anon. I haven't read any Jeff Vandermeer but I've heard good stuff.

>>6718159
I'm never gonna read book 3 so tell me, what is Locke's true identity? Spoiler it of course.

>>6718245
To be honest, if you didn't like the Farseer trilogy I don't think you'll enjoy Liveships...

>>6718124
Yeah I don't know why that guy was pretending to be me but it freaked me out.

>>6718313

It's not been confirmed yet, but he's been told he's some powerful rogue Bondmagi who managed to reincarnate himself as a small snotty street kid and lost all memory in the process. Could be that they're trying to manipulate him, and hopefully that's the case because I can't imagine the books getting better if Locke is suddenly an undead wizard

>>6718355
Not that anon but fuck, i stopped at the first book because i heard that the sequels were shit.
Thank god i never continued this series.

>>6718355
Couldn't resist.. That's just dumb, I hope it isn't true. Now I kinda want to read RoT just to read someone telling that in the book.

>>6718355
Sounds like literal fanfic.

>>6697965
You should really separate sci-fi before and after the mass computer use. There's a huge difference in preconceptions on how man interacts machines because of it.

>>6699750
>affect
Only on /lit/ would I see this.

>>6718938
but that's the proper use of affect, effect would be if he said "it doesn't have an effect on anything"

>>6714381

Most of them are actually more like kennings (surgebinding, lighteyes, etc), but I didn't use that word because I assumed people wouldn't recognize it, and because I'm not really interested in using minor arguments to try to pretend to be superior to other anons.

Sorry for mistyping a word on a cell-phone lol. Did you really like Way of Kings? It's so poorly written. And there is so much of it. It's like when I was young and poured by capful of cherry cough syrup in a glass of water because I thought it would dilute the taste, but it actually just made me suffer longer because I had to drink more.

I wish Scott Lynch would write a prequel about Chains.

>>6719057
I agree with you. I meant it to be complimentary.

>>6719093
>Most of them are actually more like kennings (surgebinding, lighteyes, etc)

No they're not. And you just picked examples that definitely are not. Lighteyes are persons with light colored eyes, there's no metaphor there. It's a very straightforward word describing the thing (or people) in question. Kennings are allusive ways of describing simple things, like in OE poetry where "sea" would be referred to as a "whale road".You just proved you don't have any idea what a kenning is either. Stop talking out of your ass, I'm a linguist and know these kinds of terms and you're just embarrassing yourself.

>Did you really like Way of Kings?
Yes I did. I enjoyed the battle scenes most and found it overall an enjoyable read.

>It's so poorly written.
I agree. It's the same with asoiaf. I really dig the story, the world and the characters though the prose is shit. And Sanderson uses a lot of unneeded repetition with everything, I don't think it's necessary to tell us for example how whenever Syl appears her dress fades to mist at the hem or whatever. We already know that, and it's not important or interesting anyway.

But like I said, I like the story and read for the plot and a nice fantasy world. If I wanted beautiful prose or deep and meaningful contemplation, I wouldn't be reading fantasy to begin with.

>it actually just made me suffer longer because I had to drink more
You didn't have to drink it, you just chose to. Could have tossed it away if it tasted like shit, and anything cherry-flavoured always does.

>>6719490

> Whale Road

I see you went to the same class on Beowulf every other freshman did :^) Light eyes describes a class of nobility silly. If whale road is a kenning so is light eyes lol you must be the worst linguist ever.

> Battle scenes

Not my thing

> I dig the story

I can understand that, I guess we just have different opinions on what we enjoy in writing.

> Didn't have to drink it

I had to drink it, my mom told me putting it in the water was a bad idea and if I did that, I'd have to drink it all because I had to take my medicine. Unfortunately I had not yet encountered Mill at age 6 :(

>>6706032
The Black Company is really good. It has a bit of a Hemingway inspired style so it's not the easiest of reads, and I can see a lot of people putting it down because of it. But if you can get past that, the story and characters are engrossing enough that reading through it won't feel nearly as much of a chore as it might to some people.

So I finally finished Chronicles of the Black Company, took me 8 days of pretty serious reading (I made a post earlier about how slow going they were for me)

The question now is - are the rest worth reading? I really enjoyed these three so I do want more but I don't know, I'm having a hard time envisioning how the rest wouldn't feel so much smaller on scale and antagonists and long series without structure sort of worry me because the ones I know like Dune and Ender's Game go to shit partway through

Does anyone else get some post finishing depression when they finish a series? I already felt it a little when I finished last night, can't imagine what it's gonna be like if I keep going and finish all of them. I really like Croaker's voice

To the guy who wanted the Cosmere images that I have: https://imgur.com/a/UkOUn

Sorry it took so long. Procrastination is a bitch.

>>6719735
Yes. The middle kind of slows down a bit with the pacing and events but overall, the series turns out to be rather solid and the story is tied up nicely with no loose ends.

>>6719778
Oddly enough I just came by to check the thread for this a minute ago and you posted just now, nice timing. Thank you, looks great.

>>6716517
I just finished the book, I got this weird vibe it was his connection with darling that made Croaker suspect the Taken

>>6719783
No problem. Hope you enjoy them.

I've had problems with imgur not wanting to make an album in the past so I'm glad it was successful this time.

>>6719654
>I see you went to the same class on Beowulf every other freshman did :^)

Never did, I haven't read Beowulf or studied it but that was the only example I could remember from a lecture on Old English. I'm Finnish so I guess we have different courses here, there is one on Beowulf but it's for more advanced students.

>Light eyes describes a class of nobility silly

Yes, but the only people belonging to that class literally have light eyes. It's kinda similar to 'gunman' which I wouldn't say is a kenning either. So I still disagree with this
>If whale road is a kenning so is light eyes
since the term isn't metaphorical or allusive. Also I think kenning as a term is used more in poetry, or what I mean is that since 'lighteyes' is an everyday word in the books it shouldn't be considered a kenning in it's context, though outside the books the word sounds like a strange term for a social class.

>lol you must be the worst linguist ever
Far from the best but still qualified to be a smartass on 4chan.

>Battle scenes
>Not my thing
Well I guess you picked the wrong book since it pretty much revolves around war. Except for Shallan's storyline, but that's the worst anyway.

>my mom told me putting it in the water was a bad idea
Should have listened to your mom, but clearly you refused to listen to someone with more knowledge on certain things. I hope you can reflect on it and trust me on this, the words you listed are simply compound words and not portmanteaus or kennings.

>want fantasy books with a young protagonist but adult themes
>don't know exactly what they're called

I've read Dragonbone Chair, Cavern of Black Ice, Wheel of Time, Name of the Wind, The Magicians, Wise Man's Fear, Lies of Locke Lamora, and Dune. I want more like these. Why is Goodreads so shit when it comes to narrowing down book searches?

Currently reading "The Mote in God's Eye." Great sci-fi. I've gone through much of Clarke's and Asimov's discographies and am looking for more hard sci-fi.

I'll be reading "Starship Troopers" next.

Hello
I just finish the Name of the Wind and i love it.
Can anyone rec me more like this BUT with more fights / magic / adventures???
And this "Elric de Melnibone" of Michael Moorcock is like this?

>>6719827

> Only example I could remember

Well if that's the only example you could remember, and you haven't actually read the source for the example, and you don't actually speak the language, why should I trust you on it?

Whale Road is just as literal in referring to the oceans as Lighteyes is in referring to the nobility in Sanderson's world, since you wouldn't have to directly observe the color of a person's eyes to understand what is signified when they're called "Lighteyes".

> Picked the wrong book

Yeah, I did, but I try to keep up with the meme authors for fun

> Should have listened

I know that now. But you can understand why i'm hesitant to listen to you when all you have is a hazy memory of an example from a book you haven't read which you can't differentiate from the examples I gave. It really just seems like you're arguing semantics anyway since kenning is just a specific kind of compound. Maybe it's time go read all the books Sanderson has published since we started arguing :^)

>>6719854
Try The Broken Empire trilogy by Mark Lawrence. I've only read the first two parts some years ago but I think they were alright, I should reread them and pick up the final book.

>>6719909
>The Broken Empire
I've read that one before. I didn't like it very much.

>>6719778
Thanks for the reply, now to just hope this seller on Amazon doesn't take too long to ship

>>6719854
I haven't read it yet myself but I've heard a lot of things about Blood Song, has a school setting so I'd assume it might fit what you're looking for.

Second on the Broken Empire rec as well

>>6719901
>Well if that's the only example you could remember

It was the only one I could remember by heart, I have others on my notes and more info on them. My notes say they're "poetic compounds, condensed metaphors" and other kennings for sea could be flood-way or bath-way, and a skeleton could be a bone-house. I think this
>you haven't actually read the source for the example
is hardly necessary to understand what they are. You could read the whole thing without knowing what is a kenning anyway, you still need an outside source to teach you that.

>and you don't actually speak the language

If you haven't noticed were arguing in English. Just because it isn't my native language, doesn't mean I can't speak it. Being monolingual would just be embarrassing anyway.

>kenning is just a specific kind of compound

Yeah, but I think the definition is more narrow than what you seem to think. You got me thinking though, and I guess the line between what is a kenning and what is not is maybe not so clear as I thought. So you got me doubting, but I still don't agree with you. I'd like to ask someone smarter than me but I think they would need to read the book to get the context right, so there's no one I know to give their opinion on this. But let me remind you that the argument started from you claiming that the words were portmanteaus, which was clearly wrong and retarded.

>meme authors

You sound like you think you have refined taste, so could you tell which fantasy books or series do you like then? I'm not trying to be a cunt and laugh at whatever you answer since I agree that Sanderson's prose is shit. Just curious.

>Maybe it's time go read all the books Sanderson has published since we started arguing

The Way of Kings is actually the only book by Sanderson I've ever read. I'll pick up Words of Radiance once I'm done with my reread but I doubt I'll read his other series, since people say TWoK is his best by far and it isn't that great anyway, just a fun read.

I've started reading SF/F last year (before that I've just read Eragon), and i've read, the Hobbit Lotr, Asoiaf, Dune and Foundation.

So far, Dune and Lord of the Rings were my favorites.

I was thinking about reading Wheel of Time, a friend said it was a mix of both. Is it good?

>>6720096
Oh well. I think they were alright, especially considering that the first part was the author's debut. The protagonist was a bit too edgy though.

>>6719875
Elric isn't really that similar a character.

>>6719858
>hard sci-fi

The only scifi book I own is The Quantum Thief by Hannu Rajaniemi, which is the first part of a trilogy. Can't say if it's good or not since I gave up after two chapters, as I've never read scifi and this was too hardcore for me. It's been like five years though so I might pick it up again sometime. My mom has the whole trilogy and she said it was good, she doesn't normally read genre fiction these days but she has a bunch of Asimov's books which she apparently loved when she was younger.

So, which writer can be credited for popularizing the cancer known as the "magic system"?

>>6720604
Could've been anybody
Who'd of thunk you'd want laws and systems around magic?
>cancer
Ok, go back to your superhero adaptations and manga

>>6720604
Gary Gygax by way of Jack Vance.

>>6717996
Yes reluctantly but the author has gone off the rails and it really shows.

I don't know if the main character's retarded actions in regards to his ridiculously unbelievable relationship with the love interest is some metaphor for the authors own failings in life but it's just down right face palm silly at this point

>>6720615
>>6720604
LOL!!

>>6721886
You could have mentioned Clarke's Third Law instead of a silly melodramatic comic.

>>6719854
Dragon-In-Chains and it's sequels by Daniel Fox

>>6719858
I thought mote was good because of niven but after reading the rest of his stuff I know it was mostly Jerry Pournelle. You should read the rest of the collaboration wortk if you like it's Luficers hammer and foot fall are great and so it the sequal to mote.

>>6706383
Nothing. CAS is too good for the likes of /lit/ plebs.

>>6716698
>Is the Demolished Man nearly as good?
Yes, pretty much as good once you get past the early bits.
Avoid spoilers though, the twists are great.

>>6702919
the night angel trilogy.

>>6720142
>wheel of time

its my favorite series, so no matter what im going to say yes go read it, but it is 14 books long, it does get long winded at parts, but if you finish, the ending, how fleshed out the world is, the detail, I don't know, I just cant find any books to match what WoT does.

>>6721886
>Meme Lawrence

>>6722660
it's a shame no one mentions him here

>>6723491
No one mentions Dunsany either.

>>6723491
Or macdonaldd for that case

Any stories with Goblins or goblin like monsters that are good? Besides Lord of the Rings of course.

>>6720142
Here's a summary of Wheel of Time:

>i am a pig farmer
>i don't want to be anything but a pig farmer
>fuck adventure, let me go back to farming pigs
>no i don't want to get married to multiple hot women and learn the secrets of the universe
>what part of "i want to farm pigs" don't you understand

Reluctant heroes are the single-worst fantasy trope that has ever been created.

>>6724329
>get married to multiple hot women
Was Robert Jordan really this blatant with his sexual fantasies?

Anybody here ever read any Clark Ashton Smith? I just found out about him earlier and his stuff sounds kind of interesting, wondered what the consensus was.

>>6725361
Good fantasy. Basically a better version of what Lovecraft was trying to do in his Dreamland series when he was trying to emulate Lord Dunsany.

>>6725361
easily the best of the pulp writers, one of my favorite writers in general, no one on here talks about him
penguin released a passable collection of his stuff sometime last year

>>6723945
i have been lax in my dunsany readings
i have fifty one tales (i think that's the name) on my kindle and have only read a smattering of them
i will need to rectify that, as i've seen several times that clark ashton smith took a lot of influence from dunsany

>>6723969
i'm not at all familiar with him, any suggestions?

How do I properly write a woman in her 40s to be a grizzled, battle hardened protagonist? Any tips? If you were reading a book with such a protagonist, what would be some things you would expect from it? What would be some things that might make you cringe?

>>6724440
he was an actual polygamist

>>6725751
I would probably cringe at

>"lol a woman, go back to the kitchen lmao"
>woman does some kung-fu and breaks his fingers
>"now that we've gotten that out of the way..."

>>6725751
don't include anything relating to her period or coming of womanhood
i cringe every time shit like that comes up

>>6697172
nice one

>>6725751
that's pretty vague

I mean, she could be a mad bitch who it would totally be in character to do
>>6725882

or she could be The Boss

or she could be a taciturn professional who gets the job done and doesn't give it a second thought

or she could be pic related

or she could be a good ol' farmer who understands the need for killing animals what needs ta be put down, be they human or otherwise

really, as long as you write her as a character and not a thin vehicle for ideology, it should be fine.

So let's say I am a complete nose-in-the-air patrician. I want to read sci-fi and fantasy with GOOD writing. I've already read Gene Wolfe and Robert E. Howard, both of whom are genuinely good writers. Who do I go to next?

I've heard good things about Ursula LeGuin.

Any good fantasy short collections? I have read lots of good science fiction ones but not so much fantasy.

>>6725944
Basically everything by Ursula leGuin is patrician as fuck

Octavia Butler is based, Lilith's Brood especially

Connie Willis's 'To Say Nothing of the Dog' is criminally unknown

>>6725944
what did you like about wolfe and howard?

the left hand of darkness and the dispossessed are worth reading, both by ursula k le guin.

the first two gormenghast books are well written. the third is as well but it kind of goes off the rails plotwise.

he's been mentioned several times already but clark ashton smith was a fairly capable writer. read the isle of the torturers to see if you like him. some may call his writing purple but i don't think it is. very close to it, though.

jack vance writes good sentences. read lyonesse. or the dying earth. whatever sounds more interesting.

>>6725882
Definitely want to avoid that. I like the idea of a female protagonist, but I think a female protagonist that men scoff at all the time is really overdone. See Brianne of Tarth. A little bit of sexism is fine, but every fucking time is annoying. Like, we get it, she's a woman in a situation people don't traditionally expect women to be.

And the kung-fu shit drives me mad. I just want her to scrap, no spinning kicks that 1-hit people.

>>6725892
Yeah, that is gross. Generally if fiction can conveniently get away with avoiding peeing and pooping, it should get away with avoiding that.

>>6725933
The Boss is part of my inspiration, originally. I've always avoided really pursuing the concept since it's Metal Gear Solid, and I'm not Kojima. So I doubt I could get away with making her not cheesy as fuck.

After seeing Mad Max: Fury Road, Charlize Theron's character has spurned my interest in the concept.

As for the vagueness, at the moment she's a character without a story. Just a concept I'd like to flesh out and maybe incorporate into a story one day.

>>6724329

>reluctant hero trope
>not mentioning Perrin

I dont want to b wulf :(((

For TEN FUCKING BOOKS!

>>6726027
I honestly forgot he existed. That's how good of a character he was.

>>6726009
Can't go wrong with Ripley.

>>6724440
Jordan is the single most consistently bad writer of women if the genre. If he cut the female POVs out of his books they would improve tenfold.

That is not a slight on women or female characters. Jordan was just shit at them.

>>6725751
What makes me cringe about those kind of character, male or female, is when they start philosophizing (Steven Erikson is guilty of this all the fucking time).

Maybe try God's War by Kameron Hurley, what you described made me think of the main character in that book (although IIRC she is at least a decade younger than that).

Well, /lit/ will probably hate me for hit but I started a ASOIAF re-read to finally get to ADWD... the show huge drop in quality made me do this. It's annoying to get through these events AGAIN (seen the show twice, read the first two books twice) but I forgot many things about the background, characters, families etc, and since this is by far the best thing about the books I want to be up to date with that when I start the last one (and probably the next one will have come out when I finish this re read before the end of 2015)

Not only reading this though. I'm going to start Flow my tears, the policeman said by K.Dick soon (have to finish to true literature first).

>>6722337

so far, I'm really digging this book. I might finish the rest of their works together. Also, I was disappointed by Neuromancer, so I never picked up the Sprawl trilogy. Worth it?

>>6720395

guess I mistook these guys for hard sci-fi. open to any suggestions for where to go after the greats (Heinlein, Asimov, Clarke, Herbert).

>>6727417
>and probably the next one will have come out when I finish this re read before the end of 2015

It won't come our in 2015. That's been confirmed by multiple sources. GRRM is hurrying to squeeze it out before season 6, but it's not certain he'll meet that deadline.

>>6725428
Lilith, phantasties, his shorts

>>6725866
Citation needed

>>6726973
I think you're wrong about Jordan, he wrote what he knew and for many of us who grew up with feminism this is what women looked like

Reading A Game of Thrones. Just finished the chapter where the reanimated black brothers are killed by Jon. Have to say lads, the prose and narrative skill of Martin is God-awful. The world building and detail into regional families, lineages and history is some of the best I've ever seen. Is "A Clash of Kings" any better seeing as there's the War of the Five Kings on going?

>>6697172
WHO /SADPUPPIES/ HERE?

>>6726955
Yung Ripley=Sexiest SciFi Semen Demon

>>6727537
Epic

>Fantasy outside of novels
>beautiful worlds, fascinating histories, new takes on an infinitely-expansive genre

>Fantasy novels
>medieval 'gritty' fantasy

W H Y
H
Y

>>6719858

I just finished Starship Troopers actually. It was an enjoyable read. Some of the 'moral theory' stuff struck me as bullshit but overall it was a great read.

>>6727567
What are you actually talking about?

>Reading "The Blade Itself"
>almost finished
>"Then I lay in bed awake, until everyone was sleeping. I crept out of the house. I went back to the grave. I stood while looking down... then I fucking pissed on it! I pulled up my shift, and I squatted down, and I pissed on him!

The writing gets better in the next two, right?

So I just finished DADOeS and I fail to see why people consider it prototypical cyberpunk. It had as much "high tech, low life" as the goddamn Caves of Steel.

>>6727430
I stopped at neuromancer as well. I should get around to audiobooking as a half as listen while I'm driving.

>>6727555
> the prose and narrative skill of Martin is God-awful

It is known, but this
>The world building and detail into regional families, lineages and history is some of the best I've ever seen
should make up for it, at least it does for me. And the books are still infinitely better than the show, which I assume you watch.

I'd say the first three parts are top notch, fourth and fifth parts are much worse due to Gurm having problems with the story since he decided to not go with the planned five-year time skip. That's why we have Dany sitting in Meereen doing absolutely nothing for ages and other stuff he originally planned otherwise. So the first three are solid and Gurm still has a hold on the story, fourth and fifth drop in quality but are still readable though some POVs are boring as fuck. But then again they have some new interesting POVs, I really liked some of the Ironborn chapters for example. But anyway, you should definitely read them all if you're into the story. The sixth book will be where shit goes down, multiple big battles coming and such. So it won't be like the series is fading to shit, more like the fourth and fifth parts are just the weaker links of the chain.

once I finish asoiaf should I start book of the new sun, kingkiller or malazan?

>>6727848
>>6727848
I need to read the books then.
This season was fucking cringey

>>6727858
Comparing The Kingkiller chronicle and Malazan to the Book of the new sun is just wrong.
Read BoTNS if you want to read a masterpiece.
If you like DBZ read Malazan
If you hate yourself read The Kingkiller

>>6727883
wasn't really comparing them they are just my current SF/F backlog, BOTNS was my first choice anyways though due to malazan being long and kingkiller being unfinished

>If you hate yourself read The Kingkiller
why?

>>6727871
>This season was fucking cringey

Agreed. Apart from Hardhome it was pretty much all shit.

>>6727858
>book of the new sun
A complex work appreciated not just as genre fiction, but as an outstanding literary work. I bought the Lexicon Urthus before starting, it helped a lot but you can manage without too.

>kingkiller
First part was a fun read, I liked it very much. Second part somehow turned into something resembling fanficton written by a horny teenager, and was quite shitty. Waiting on the third part to save the series or ruin it for good.

>malazan
Haven't read it, I hear there's a shitload of characters and the world is huge. I don't want to commit myself to a huge and long series so it isn't even on my reading list right now, but if that's what you're looking for then I'd say go for it.

>>6727887
because it really is a shit series, imho

>>6727937
wait did you read the lexicon urthus after reading the work proper or before?

>>6725379
>>6725418
Cool, I'll get hold of his stuff once I'm done with Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser.

>>6726009
>Generally if fiction can conveniently get away with avoiding peeing and pooping, it should get away with avoiding that.

Sunset found her squatting in the grass, groaning. Every stool was looser than the one before, and smelled fouler. By the time the moon came up she was shitting brown water. The more she drank, the more she shat, but the more she shat, the thirstier she grew, and her thirst sent her crawling to the stream to suck up more water. When she closed her eyes at last, Dany did not know whether she would be strong enough to open them again.

>>6727963
Simultaneously. It's literally a dictionary, Wolfe uses so many strange words I thought it would be good since English isn't my native language. But I doubt native speakers know many of the words he uses either. It isn't just a dictionary, there's other part on it too but I haven't read those yet. I just used it whenever I came across a strange word and didn't remember what it was or wandered what does it mean though the meanings were sometimes clear from the context (there's a lot of obscure latin words used as military terms for example).

>>6728014
it's a dictionary, yes, but there are also spoilers by the pound in the lexicon urthus. because of the nature of both works, i would imagine that quite a lot was revealed prematurely if you happened upon any of the sections talking about multiple severians or the conciliator myth or anything else. did it at all diminish the enjoyment of the book of the new sun?
i doubt many people are prepared for the words wolfe uses. i certainly wasn't.

Kingkillerfags are the /lit/ equivalent of FFXIVfags on /v/.

>>6725944
Alastair Reynolds for hard sci-fi. Has his PhD in Astrophysics and can spin a great story.

>>6727971
We should make a chart with all the best pulp fantasy writers.
Clark Ashton Smith, Lieber, Howard etc.

>>6728118
i agree

new thread?

Speaking of hard SF, anyone else read Blindsight or any of Peter Watts' other books? It's a blend of horror and hard science fiction (I had it recommended to me as Event Horizon: The Novel, which isn't exactly true, but it is pretty fucking creepy) that does a lot of interesting things around the subjects of consciousness and perception. I had no idea it was free online, but it was worth buying anyway.

>http://www.rifters.com/real/Blindsight.htm

>>6728054
I only checked the meanings of strange terms, stuff like "chiliad" or "archon" or such, and I didn't always have the Lexicon with me so I used it irregularly. I managed to avoid any spoilers. I looked through it more closely after finishing the books (I still haven't read Urth of the New Sun, which is why I haven't read these companion books wholly). I think most spoilers were under the characters names, which I didn't feel the need to look up while still reading.

>>6728162

>>6728177

>>6697172
So, what other stories are set in the Conan universe? Kull and Bok Mar Ba or whatever, right?
Considering that the Hyborean Age is set before regular history, could you include Howard's Sonja stories among others as well?

>>6728171
I just bought a compendium of Blindsight, Echopraxis and a short bridging the gap. I wish I'd known I could at least have sampled it first. I'm sure it'll be good though, I've seen far too many people praising it for it to be totally pants.