/lit/ - Literature

>Not writing Broken Earth 3
REEEEEEEEEEEE

Favorite and least favorite?

>Shades of Grey (ty anon who recced it to me)
>Revelation Space (not bad as such, just didn't click the way the Baxter or Wright did)

/sffg/ what do you do when the story you're most passionate about writing is just pure plagiarism all the way down to the core, stealing plot elements, characters and themes from the same source, but the parts you stole are the ones you like the most?

>>8810589
Original writing is no different to fanfiction, except original writing plagiarises without citing and has had names superficially changed for copyright reasons and sometimes it steals from >1 story.

The only people who shit on fanfiction are insecure and feel that their popularity and profit will be undermined by fans.

>>8810635
I shit on fanfiction for essentially the reasons you list. If they had just changed a couple superficial things they could make money on it.

Seems a waste of economic effort to me.

>>8810674
Same reason that people do fanart: advertisement. When they sell their books it's easier if they have a whole bunch of rabid retards around to buy it.

>spend years world building
>sometimes do it by purposefully sitting down and writing about things and places, while other times just lost in thought daydreaming
>pour love and soul into my characters, places, and world to write a story I've plotted out
>I've become so accustomed to the world that there's no excitement in writing about it and no surprises as I've loved all of it in my mind already
>I lose all drive to write whenever I try to do so because of this

Is this some sort of creative dead end? Have I accidentally locked myself into a corner of boredom brought on by familiarity? How do I overcome this? Am I alone in feeling this?

Aw, why the fuck not.

I got laid off about a month ago and i've been bummin about looking for work. Saw the goblin thread in /aco/, read a story, and accidentally volunteered to start writing.

I'm using a setting I created 10 years ago for a DnD 3.5 campaign that my group wanted. They wanted a politics heavy, combat light system, with 'new' and 'different' versions of the common races so they could feel a sense of wonder as they interacted with the setting and gave me carte blanche to go nuts.

I spent 3 months working on the setting, we did 2 sessions, and they all backed out. To paraphrase their response, they felt it was a bit too magical realm. Well, there might be a market for that it turns out, so here I am now.

This is a pastebin I'm putting together using my old notes. As of this posting, its still missing a lot of the setting (2 races, the politics, this history, and some connective tissue).

http://pastebin.com/7gcTB8Sn

Here is the first short story i've written using the setting. It is technically fetishist porn, so, yeah, NSFW. Given I've never actually written smut though, I get the feeling its pretty tame.

http://pastebin.com/sJnpE6Gb

I guess I'm just looking for some responses. Both on my writing style, and on the setting as a whole.

>>8810725
>loved all of it in my mind
Meant to say "lived" there, though the typo is also not inaccurate.

>>8810725
Leaving some things to the imagination is always more interesting than explaining it. It's the same thing that makes it impossible to make a scary sequel to a horror movie.

>>8810743
I'd argue Aliens did pretty good. Even if the rest is a failure.

>>8810725
Are the stories character driven, or plot driven? I find plot driven writing is very boring to sit down and do.

When am I supposed to start enjoying this? 5 chapters in and I'm not engaged in the plot at all.

>>8810754
>I'd argue Aliens did pretty good. Even if the rest is a failure.

Exactly the movie I was thinking of when I made the post. Aliens is great, it's just not remotely scary.

>>8810754
Funny you should mention that. It's strongly plot driven, and I've noticed recently that I actually have a strong disinterest in my character and they're mostly just a vessel to tell the story with. I've come up with another character that's more from my daydreaming thoughts, but they're completely and utterly enjoyable and fun. The whole plot would need to be rewritten, which is to say that I'd give them a drive and have them go about their business, though the core points of the world could stay.

It's just hard trying to admit to myself that I made such a rookie mistake in underestimating the importance of characters. It feels like it sets me back so far.

>>8810755
>boob armor
>with nipples on it

>>8810555
Diaspora and the Malazan series, respectively - I discovered I don't have the patience for 10 book fantasy ""epics"".

By the way, did you also make the Arthurian chart? I noticed Pendragon Protocol is on both; been meaning to get to it as the premise seems interesting.

>>8810755
So don't read it. Why complain about it?

>>8810755
I just checked and 5 chapters in is just when you reach Darujhistan, meaning you've only just been introduced to rest of the cast and the main plot of the book hasn't even gotten underway yet.

>wh..what will it be the next time I die? the... andi.. andiamine heights.. huh ?
God, why is akka such a cuckold

>>8810755
Book 2

>>8810870
this is why epic fantasy will never be proper literature

>>8810857
Because he doesn't have a spine


Remember to always stand up for yourself /lit/

>>8810540
>tfw you will never fuck the unifier's wife's sweet, sweet and super tight wetwalls
Why live? Best I get cored.

>>8811126
t..thanks dad

>>8810555
>>8810807
best i shill mine too

Is sffg now, writer's help general?
This shit is getting out of hand, multiple xbox huge paragraphs on writing... and it's starting up again.

What takes the cake though is the fucking autists who are asking for help (and got help) reposts the same question in the new thread.

If you gonna have 30+ posts talking about your writing go to the critique thread.

>>8810589
you get published

>>8811341
It's something to talk about. If you don't like it get to work filling up the thread with a different conversation.

/sffg/
>An autistic retard feeling insecure about their fetishist porn so they need to shit up the thread with tumblr tier blogging and seems to think that his shit summaries and fapping are literature
>several hypocritical self undermining fags who complain that their wordcount and plot sucks. If they hadn't wasted so much time whinging and shitposting they should have finished a novel right now
>Stevian who unfortunately hasn't committed suicide yet
>spoonfeed me writing ideas along with a brain transplant: The Game: The Story: The Experience
>If you can't get book sales, you might as well sell your body

>>8810544
>we wuz oppressed n shiet: the author

>>8811341 (You)
>>8811459 (You)
Literally complaining about other people complaining.
I've given you your daily dose of attention now how about you fuck off?

>>8811485
Two different ppl you fucktard.
kys

>>8811459
The first one is the tripfag who does book reviews here instead of in goodreads isn't it?

>>8811459

You forgot the autistic trio of Dino Anon, Women Authors Anon and R.Scott Bakker.

>>8811477

As much as I disagree with her politics, I have to grudgingly admit she's not a bad author, I went into Fifth Season expecting shit and found a decent novel.

>>8811504
There is more than one of me, if you are speaking of antidino anons.
If you are speaking of Dino Anon, yea it's only one of him.

>>8811553

actually you are both cancer, him because of "only old books are good" and you because you claim that both can be good but then your "new" suggestions suck ass while you ignore actual new AND good books.

What's next for the fantasy genre?

>>8811565

The way I see it we are going in two different directions. Mainstream fantasy will be Sanderson and GRRM's dominion for the foreseeable future, while the New Weird movement will continue to do their own thing in relative obscurity.

>>8811565
>>8811570
Sanderson's prominence makes me think the genre is getting more influence from anime. I think ten years from now the majority of western fantasy works will have this shit as their protagonist.

>>8811564
Give some "new" suggestions then, I will see if I like it.

Tad Williams

Yes or no?

>>8810857
a whore after all

>>8811320
Are you ever going to finish this?

>>8811665
His books are sloooooooooooowwwwww

If you're fine with that, he's alright

>>8810807
Yeah, 'twas me. Purser-Hallard is a (mostly) undiscovered gem, the man crams more ideas into one book than most fantasy writers have in an entire series. He's kind of like a less edgy and didactic Mieville.

>>8811648

Give me a frame of reference. How new is "new" to you? Last five years? Ten? Fifteen?

>>8811816
Not him but give me five. Just curious

Why is it always set in medieval worlds?

Do you know any books set in a fictional world that mirror the 1800's more?
And I'm not really looking for steampunk stuff, would love it be about royal people and military stuff.

>>8811858
Wheel of Time is set in a renaissance era world that is entering an Industrial Revolution by the end of the series.

>>8811858
Victor Milan's Dinosaur Lords is set in a fictional version of Europe. It's basically historical fiction with dinosaurs used as mounts and siege engines.
I understand it's not exactly what you're looking for, I only recommend it because it puts a heavy focus on military stuff.

>>8811824

The Southern Reach Trilogy
Embassytown
Chasing The Phoenix
The Three Body Problem

These just off the top of my head

>>8811858
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell is set in an alternate 19th century England

Newt's Emerald is a combination of Regency romance with YA fantasy which sounds a bit awful but works because Nix is a great author

There also seem to be a lot of dragon fantasy novels set in that era, e.g. the Temeraire series

>>8811922
Knew all of those except Chasing the Phoenix. I see it's by Swanswick. What's it like? I dropped his Iron Daughter book at 100~ pages, could I like this one still?

>>8811858
A conservative fairy tale literary tradition steeped in white supremacy, rigid gender roles and monarchical masturbation can only replicate those things ad nauseam — who knew! Although getting rid of the overt religiosity was a neat trick

>>8811960
Ironic shitposting is still shitposting.

>>8811957

It's nothing like Iron Daughter, in fact it's set in a completely different world. It follows a duo of con artists in a very strange setting where the artificial intelligence revolution has already happened and failed, and humanity had to rebuild some semblance of civilization but this time without computers.

Are pulps dinocore?

>>8811960
Then please recommend some fantasy books that are influenced by Arabic spice merchants or Mongol killer hordes.

>>8812055
>Mongol killer hordes
Elite warrior horsemen is one of the most common fantasy tropes out there

>>8812058
Yea I know, I'm just joking around.

>>8811994
If it is good then it's dinocore.

>>8812055
Arabian Nights and its derivatives (Castle in the Air, Golem and the Jinni, even Dream Quest of Unknown Kadath to an extent) are good

>>8811724
>His books are sloooooooooooowwwwww
I'm kinda loving just how slow dragonbone chair is

>>8811459

Stevian didn't do anything wrong, stop bullying him.

Are YOU self-published???

>when Adolin is getting rekt four against one and motherfucking Kaladin steps into the arena to help

I'm not gonna lie /sffg/. I felt chills and thought "fuck yeah". I accept my pleb status as a consequence of this.

>>8812055

Demon Cycle series

>>8812217
That's not even the best part of the book. Wait for the end. You'll shit goose bumps.

>>8812217
It was great but the mentality of his opponents was retarded. From the "do what we say or we hurt your brother" guy to the last one who called Adolin and Kaladin cowards for winning a 4v2 fight, Sanderson was trying too hard to make them unreasonable villains.

>>8812055
Glen Cook uses Arab or "Generic middle eastern culture" analogues in a couple stories. A supporting character in the Dread Empire series is a military commander/mercenary from the desert, and IIRC the prequel series focuses on him but I haven't read it. In the Instrumentalities series the setting is very much the Mediterranean around 1200AD, but fantasy and with cannons, and the main character is initially sent by not-Saladin to spy in not-Italy but things snowball from there and he ends up involved in much greater things.

>>8810783
It wasn't forged like that, but steel's pretty cold to the touch when you put it on in the morning.

Anyway, people bitching about boobplate are ridiculous. In the first place: absplate. Armor was often shaped in silly, fancy ways, especially for rich people. In the second place: a woman in armor in the real world is cross-dressing or cosplaying.

For an armored woman to be wearing boobplate is a good deal less silly than for a woman to be wearing armor in the first place.

>>8812454
But do we know if the armor was intended to be used on the battlefield or if it was ceremonial stuff?

>>8812402
Is cook's non Black Company non PI stuff worth reading?

>>8812464
Also abs are a far cry from two big titties that have enough curvature to focus a sword blow into the center of the chest... And that in >>8810755 her upper chest is fully exposed, like it's a fullplate tubetop or something. There's also no protection for her inner arms and forearms. Something like that would, at the minimum, be worn over leather and chain.

Asked this last time but didn't get a whole lot of responses: what are some good sci-fi/fantasy books with great, threatening, well-written antagonists?

>>8810755
I kinda liked it from the beginning. It intrigued me.

>>8812520
A female warrior is silly to begin with. She's never going to be realistic, might as well make her sexy.

Anyway, look at the guy. A full set of plate armor and no helmet. Plus that's as close as he's going to get to drawing that sword without unslinging it from his back first.

I would 100% watch a show about people fighting with fantasy arms and armor and having realistic problems with it. "Sir, half the legion is too chafed and infected to fight." "Well, it happens. What do you suppose we should do about it? Wear padding underneath?" [both laugh at the idea]

>>8812512
It depends. Dread Empire really reads like a prototype of The Black Company, it's rough around the edges but has it's own thing going on. More of a traditional fantasy to the "we're the grunts" of Black Company.

Instrumentalities of the Night is good IMO. It's very much Fantasy Europe but the outside world is dying out from the encroachment of supernatural ice and winter. Evil sorcerers, cannons, demons, papal politics, catholic wizards, Cathars, half dead Norse gods, pike and shot mercenaries and so on. I really enjoyed it but it gets cut short because the publisher apparently cancelled a 5th book.

The Dragon Never Sleeps is pretty good and is a short read.

Starfishers is okayish. The first book is a space opera about a family of mercenaries. The second two are espionage novels where a character from the first book becomes a supporting character. The third book is a unconnected prequel and can be read on it's own, and is a Das Boot style story about a stealth ship in space, and is much better than the others.

I haven't read any of his other stand-alone stuff or the Darkwar series yet.

>>8812557
>A female warrior is silly to begin with. She's never going to be realistic
>this triggers the /his/

>>8812578

Leave him be, he's the resident autist hating on women authors and women in general. His shitposting is more funny than anything.

>>8812590
Name one good

GOOD

(FEMALE) SF/F author

>>8812600

what's even the point? I could name anyone and you're just gonna claim she's shit anyway. Arguing with your kind is useless.

>>8812600
OCTAVIA BUTLER

URSULA LE GUIN

ELIZABETH MOOOOOON

>>8812600
I'm gonna say Elizabeth Moon just because she was a woman in the military so it'll double trigger you

>>8812600
You'd really say that Friedman is bad?

>>8812590
I've never posted anything against women authors.

Being realistic about the differences between men and women isn't misogyny. When it comes to upper body strength, aggression, and general toughness there's such a profound difference that women might as well not show up for any kind of hand-to-hand combat for all the differenc they'll make. And unless you get infant mortality and plagues under control, women need to be very busy producing children.

What people lack proper respect for is the pre-modern role of women in the constant struggle against extinction, and the consequent adaptations to that role. Women make very poor men, but good women.

Modern Western sex equality propaganda is an absurd distortion of reality, and not really a compliment to women at all, rather it implies a denigration of all the things that are good about women, along with a denial of the things that are good about men. It's pure manipulation, and toward no good end.

>>8812639
>defending your identity on an anonymous imageboard because you've been confused with another faggot
>posting three (3) increasingly irrelevant, offtopic paragraphs about how you're mad about female warriors but also mad about being cyberbullied by tumblr


wow thanks for posting

>>8812578

>1 freak means every other female will be as good a warrior as she

definitely

is the world ready for another Harry Potter clone?

I want money and fame too

>>8812742

Just make anime and make sure to have a lot of social commentary about the benefits of feminism, diversity, multiculturalism, open borders, how whites are racist and europeans are colonialists destroying other countries.

I would do it if I could write

Should I alter this meme so outer lit can use it?

Pol doesn't come in here anymore (praise the mods), but they still shit post outside.

Yay or nay?

>>8812752

>Pol doesn't come in here anymore
wrong>>8812639

>>8812747
Sadly I think the moment is passed on that

>>8812759
No it's not Trump isn't president yet and you can make big bucks if you finish a book in a few months

>>8812766
I need the right meme, like wizard school and assassin's training but new, fresh and relatable to millennials

>>8812766

How are the two things related in any way shape or form?

>>8812771

Just steal some shit from a book written before the 90s

It's not like any of the millenials will have read it, just ask some dinofags

>>8812776

Because he hasn't made America great again yet, so millenials will want >>8812747

>>8812779

>Because he hasn't made America great again yet

Riiight.

>>8812680
She wasn't a warrior anyway, not in the sense of fighting with her own hands. Joan of Arc was 90% figurehead. Aside from being inspiring her claim to fame is mostly being involved in discussions of strategy and tactics. It's entirely plausible that an exceptional woman would make a significant contribution this way, but it's impossible to know how much her claimed contribution was fictionalized for propaganda purposes.

There have been a few real women warriors here and there, but they're generally only remarkable for being women. About one in a thousand (undrugged) women has the upper body strength of an average man. They generally look more or less like men. A handful of those became soldiers, and gained some small fame as novelties. I know of none who credibly gained fame as champions.

Women have also sometimes had to fight out of desperation, and in some cultures routinely made some preparation for it (notably, women of the samurai class in Japan). There have been a few cases of fortresses being successfully defended by improvised forces of women.

>>8812677
Don't pretend like you're better. You're in the same argument, in the same context, and not on the side supported by evidence.

I'm so fucking tired of hearing about how it's wrong to take actual reality into consideration, but we should be dead serious about our deviations from reality so as to pretend they're realistic.

If you're going to have a slender-armed pretty girl warrior, you're not making her significantly sillier by putting her in a chainmail bikini.

I'm stuck between some Medieval Europe + Warring States Fantasy, Urban Fantasy with Quasi-Harry Potter Wizard/Magic stuff, or Bending Elements kind of deal with heavy inspiration from AtLA and LoK.

Why is everything I come up with so generic, guys? Sigh. I was even halfway into some Witcher-esque idea during the Wild West with swords and Native American Mythology mixed up in it before I gave up on that as well.

>>8813017

>Why is everything I come up with so generic, guys? Sigh.

Harold Bloom was right about Harry Potter all along. These are the consequences of the "well at least it gets kids into reading!" mentality.

>>8811504
Whats wrong with bakker or women authors ?

>>8813047

Nothing wrong with women authors, just one autistic anon who hates them for no reason.

Bakker, plenty wrong with that one. Regular poster here.

>>8813047

Women can't write.

>>8813030
dude check out Harold Bloom's own novel

reading clearly didn't help

>>8812771
>millennials
Why the fuck would you aim for a dead market?

Gen Z motherfucker. My advice: demidemons. Yep, children of goetic demons. That, or Gods in training. Gods, with a capital G.

>>8813108

That's irrelevant though, a good critic isn't necessarily also a good writer.

>>8813017
The problem is that you're obsessing too much over the setting and anime powers rather than thinking about what story and themes you want to get across. The rest is just a vehicle for this.

I'm about to start reading Discworld. What am I getting myself into? Is there anything I should keep in mind?

>>8813147
Except it goes hand it hand. You cannot be a proper food critic if you don't even know how to cook a good meal. If you criticize someone's work and you're not qualified in the field yourself, it's just another subjective opinion in the masses instead of an actual review.

>>8813157
Small Gods is the best book, and its disconnected from the main timeline so there's no reason not to start (and end) there. You can really start with literally whatever book you want though. Just, don't bother with the first three or the last few (or any, really).

Also check this out:

:^)

>>8813154
>what story and themes you want to get across.
Going from a nobody to someone revered everywhere - Someone fulfilling a passionate dream that no one thought was possible for him/her and doing heroic stuff - Very shounen with dark undertones.

I really need to focus on the details of the story and theme before anything else from the looks of things.

>>8813147
He's a blight upon criticism

>>8813181
Have the story start with protag getting raped in the ass. Blablabla sad backstory about his struggles until now. Now has motive for revenge. Realizes powers are awakening inside him. It's from the cum of the guy who raped him, a powerful magician working for the world government. In this world people die when they are raped by magic users because they can't endure the magic-infused sperm as it would explode them from the inside, however protag is special and was able to endure the sperm invading his immune system and absorbed its powers. Padding padding, prologue end, cue to chapter 1.

What is the absolute best fantasy stand-alone?

It isn't The Hobbit btw so let's just get that one out of the way

>>8813213
The Buried Giant

>>8813213
Define standalone

A fuck load of standalones like lotr got split up by publishers

>>8813204

>>8813216
I'm going to read this soon fagget.
It better be good or I will turn all my autistic glory against your shilling campaign

>>8811858
Definitely try the Powder Mage series. There's a lot of large-scale military stuff, and it's set during and immediately after a military coup/French revolution type event.

>>8811858

Also might want to look at The Thousand Names

>>8813154
>story and themes
>The rest is just a vehicle for this.
Disagree strongly. If you want everything to be a vehicle for "story and themes", there's no reason for your work to be sci-fi or fantasy.

There's nothing wrong with story and themes just being the spice for your fascinating world.

>>8813644
>implying scifi/fantasy has ever not been a allegory for stuff

>>8813685
>everything's an allegory with deep meaning even if the author didn't notice
You teach high-school English, don't you?

The way I see it, most good sci-fi starts with an idea, and just sees where it goes.

I think fantasy is a search for a world that humans belong in, where feelings and beliefs that are irrelevant or unreasonable in the real world are true and powerful.

I want your input, /sffg/. Whether it will be useful or not is up to you.
Which one of these two options roll off the tongue for you the most?
>Knightblade
>Mageblade

>>8813734
One's an Elder Scrolls Class the other's a D&D class

>>8813738
Knightblade =/= Nightblade.

>>8813734
They both sound dumb.

>>8813779

>>8813734
how about this one?

beyblade

>>8813798
More like gayblade amirite?

>>8813734
>>8813779

agree that they both sound dumb. why do you feel the need to label a character's "class". sounds like you're writing some derivative horseshit. but that's ok because we all have to start somewhere.

>>8813818
>character's "class"
>Implying
Looks like /sffg/ goes full /b/ this time at night. Oh well. Time to leave.

>>8813734
Knightblade sounds kind of redundant. Kind of like Copgun.
Mageblade sounds like you just want to say Spellsword in a different way
Try something else

>>8813734
I kind of wish that authors would stop coming up with these names for their special snowflake magic users and just go back to calling them Mages and Warlocks.

>>8813952
Pretty much. It's acceptable when it's a part of the worldbuilding but most of the time it feels like the author jerking off all over the pages.
The Powder Mage series did it pretty well, you've got the "powder mages", which is the most basic descriptive name you could give them, the "privileged", which is more about their social status within the setting, and the "knacked" which are just random dudes who are good at shit.
All the names are descriptive or emblematic rather than dumb anime shit that are supposed to sound good.

>>8813734
Knightblade is the name of a Buffy the Vampire Slayer parody in the Saints Row universe IIRC.

who else has read this? it's one of my dad's favorite science fiction books. i personally highly enjoyed the chapters from felix's pov because he came across as a less kooky ender wiggins, but found jack crow unappealing as a character. i remember liking him a lot more when i was 14.

as a side note; i can't get enough of these painted pulp fiction book covers. it's a great look that i keep hoping is going to come into its own in contemporary consumer/pop art, but it hasn't. maybe because it takes too much technical paintwork to replicate?

>>8813977
Agreed. I don't mind it sometimes but often it feels like the author trying too hard to avoid calling a spade a spade by using the word magician.

>>8814027
>>8814027
It sounds like you enjoyed the steakley book with some relish.

I've yet to read a military SF book that moved me. They are too cliched. The vernacular is the same, usually transcribed from American army life, or out of Full Metal Jacket. Or there is too much technical description, and a crow-barred pacifist subtext.

I'd like to read something that feels like the Greco-Persian wars, or the Texan-Indian wars, on other planets.

>>8813839
>Mageblade sounds like you just want to say Spellsword in a different way
Either thing sounds way too character-classy. The meme that an ordinary wizard can't wear armor or swing a sword is a D&D game balance thing, and it's terrible outside of games.

I remember how awful TSR books would get whenever they touched on a D&D mechanic. All of the sanity would disappear, and they'd make some awful excuse for it to be the same way as the rules. They could be, otherwise, some pretty decent writing, but they were generally better the more they broke the rules.

Anyway, think about the rules of the world, and then work out how people would actually behave in it. So you want a story with people who use magic and physical weapons. Are they rare? If so, why? Is there a reason they aren't the ruling class? What is it? Can they wreck a whole battlefield of conventional forces, or are they more like special forces? Is magic such a dominating force in war that there's no point for unmagical people to show up? Are the advantages of magic in a fight small enough that developing a talent for it is a questionable use of time for a warrior, or is it something you obviously do if you have the talent? How much time and effort does it take to develop? What about enchantments, charms, and blessings? Can most fighters enjoy the tactically-relevant advantages of magic without being skilled in it themselves?

Figure out all of this kind of stuff, and then think of what the people in the setting would call someone who fights physically and uses magic, if they'd even have a name for it. You'll probably come up with something less cringy than a "-blade" suffix.

>>8814112
you'd figure that science fiction would be the perfect genre for exploring the colonist/native hostility of the texan-indian wars, but maybe the subject is too racially charged?

one thing i enjoyed about armor was that the science fiction setting was necessary in order to portray the human elements of the story. sympathizing with felix would be a lot messier if he were fighting human opponents instead of scary bug alliens, and would make it harder to accept steakely's premise that war is hell and individual soldiers are good people ground beneath the wheel of heartless bureaucracy. granted, neither my dad nor i are veterans; the story might ring false to someone who's actually been in felix's position

Is Dream Quest of Vellitt Boe worth reading if I don't have a problem with feminism and really want to read about the cats of ulthar?

I just finished Lucifer's Hammer

A++ would recommend

it seems like the sort of thing that would work well with an HBO miniseries. But they would never have the budget or the dedication of crazy director to do it right
and now I want to see what goldfish taste like....

Is this any good?

>>8814725
I liked it as well. Interestingly, published the year before The Stand with which it's linked in my mind as big, seventies and world ending.

It's a surprisingly fun read. End-of-the-world books are often shaped by the author's broader pessimism -- the reason he chose to write apocalyptic fiction in the first place. Not so here where the world is saved by nuclear power and not by a magical negress.

>>8814784
Pournelle and Niven really work well together, don't they?

Now, to read footfall. I've already finished the CoDominium / Falkenberg novels.

Some good Pournelle books and a pretty snowfall sure beats studying for finals, eh?

>>8811971
>>8811922
>>8811816
>>8811564
Ah you're a science fiction buff. I'm not that much into sci-fi, I'm more fantasy.
I would read both, but my main interest is fantasy.(unless the sci-fi is futuristic concepts i.e human augmentation, bioware, AI, etc. There is enough real world hard sci-fi for me to waste time reading about it.)

>>8811693
It's kinda finished, I have to take out zealots because I can't remember which books I read where full of zealots without taking from the other sections.

I made it to have 4 recs max for each genre, people always complain about my chart being too big.

>>8814725
Is that related to Lucifer and Biscuit Hammer?

>>8813734
>>8813754
>>8813785
>>8813827
>anon gets butthurt his ideas are fucking terrible

Do we need to add writing advice and critique to this macro?

Hey what was the name of that post-apocalyptic story about a android transporting a infant child somewhere? Came up a while back because Amazon had it on sale.

>>8814915
You still haven't answered age long dark souls question

>>8815073
Unironically Wolfe.

What are some books similar to Zero Escape?

How do I know when to drop a book that I paid good money for?

>>8815096
i usually research a bit before buying. never buy on 1st day. wait a month. in today's day and age, internet can tell you all about the book.
so, in any case, i can finish the book no matter how expectation-ruining it actually turns out to be.

>>8815096
The instant it feels like the book if forcing you to read it.

Why waste your time if your not getting anything out of it.

Of course, baring things like textbooks or such for classes.

>>8815103
What if you're a Sanderson fan who just hit book seven in wheel of time?

>>8815143
Then keep reading it gets better.

>>8814937
Must be either To Killa God or The Buried Giant.

>>8814756
looks like some good shit from the cover.
probably means its bad.
always the case with scifi/fantasy

>>8815143
You're in no man's land. You've already committed a hell of a lot of time to the story but it pretty much gets progressively worse from there until Sanderson finishes the series. And even then Sanderson's WoT, while a decent effort to complete another author's work, isn't a patch on the first five or so WoT books by Jordan.

>>8815174

>but it pretty much gets progressively worse from there until Sanderson finishes the series.

I partly agree but I also think Book Eleven showed signs of Jordan getting his shit together. It's much more fast paced and filled with shit actually happening. And then he went and died.

But to the original anon : I've been where you are now. Plow through and if you survive the Crossroads Of Twilight ordeal you're pretty much over the hill.

>>8812752
>Pol doesn't come in here anymore
Yes we do. Get fucked.

>>8813072
>>>8813047
>Bakker, plenty wrong with that one. Regular poster here.
For the last time, he don't post here

>>8814915

Why isn't the Bakker meme on there?
>I smoke weed

>>8815381

Stop it Bakker, you're only making it worse

>>8815387
Stop forcing stupid meme for a moment and ask yourself why would successful and respected writer like richard, even visit this site.

>>8815411

Answer me this first, why was he shilling his book every for 2 months before it came out?

Can someone rec me a good dark fantasy book?

>>8815220
>/pol/fag calls its board Pol

>>8814937
The Vagrant?

Holy shit The Traitor Baru Cormorant is fucking funny. It's like if /pol/ managed to create a colonial empire.
>mfw a woman is getting brainwashed into being attracted to white men

>>8815411
Did you read his books? He had to get that GRI from somewhere.

I know for a fact a lot of celebrities / successful writers come here, they just wouldn't tell anyone.
Successful writers are people too, they have darkness inside them. They come to 4chen to release it.

>>8815527
>Successful writers are people too, they have darkness inside them. They come to 4chen to release it.

where to start with asimov? i see he has loads of series interconnected weirdly. where to start?

>>8815598
Foundation

>>8814915
>tfw no qt Gene Wolfe loving elf cosplaying gf

Would /sffg/ read my novel?
>A mysterious plague seizes the city-state of Celocombo for the duration of exactly one year
>Its origin is unknown, and a cure impossible to find
>The novel follows four characters trying to survive in the doomed city
>An acolyte of the Ritualists (basically an ancestor mage), a woman of a wealthy family, a merchant impressed into slavery, and a sacred prostitute
>The city itself also figures as a character, and each POV serves to illuminate its culture and society
>The essential themes are: man vs. an indifferent nature, the will to power, death, love, the nature of the "city"

I wanted to focus on a single location that is well fleshed out rather than an epic fantasy style massive journey, and the focus on a small cast of characters will keep it from being too bloated. You can rest assured it will be a single volume.

If anyone's interested, I've written a "prelude" which begins the story. It's not the final draft or anything, though, but if you'd like, here it is:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1puNib1OW61eVQEhwEgPSnYsVYZLSRYkO1WrlbICjl14/edit?usp=sharing

>>8815430
not him but people shill upcoming books all the time here.
>>8815527
>Did you read his books? He had to get that GRI from somewhere.
Bakker seems edgy enough to pull off GRI without our help

What are some good Dying Earth novels or short stories who aren't Wolfe or Vance?

>>8815693
Ballard

>>8815539

Maybe his choice of words was edgy, but his argument does make sense. Unless saying that people have an instict for doing bad shit is considered "edge" nowadays.

>>8815693

TKaG

>>8815691
Based on your prelude, I'd definitely read it. How Bloodborne are you planning to make it? I think if the plague induces some kind of zombified state in its victims I'd find it something of a let down.

>>8815539
Is it edgy that you come here to shitpost and bully newfags?

>>8815691
Sounds interesting.
>man vs indifferent nature
If you meant for this theme to come across through people surviving the plague I'm not seeing it. If you're giving an exact time frame that the plague last for then it strikes me as some man made and controlled. Then it doesn't work well as a representation of nature.

>>8815760
Imma start reporting your posts stevian. It's not funny anymore.

>>8815861
I haven't played Bloodborne yet, so I'm not sure, but it'll be pretty dark, especially in the wealthy woman's story arc. She gets utterly wrecked by the events of the story.

As far as the nature of the plague, it doesn't induce a zombified state. Full disclosure here, but it is transmitted at random, and when you've caught it, there is nothing that can be done. Death comes on in a day or less, depending on the circumstances. As you saw in the Prelude, moths gestate within the host; at the moment of death, they burst out of the chest cavity. For that reason, it's called The Moth Plague. There are other symptoms, but even these vary from person to person. The plague is thus uncurable, extremely deadly, fast-acting, and is transmitted in a totally unpredictable way.

The nature of the Plague is never stated in the book or discovered by the characters, but there are some clues left here and there as to what might be the cause. The city tries to quarantine victims and search for a cure early on, but after a month or two they realize it's mostly useless. The roadways leading to the city are cordoned off, a chain is set across the harbor, and the hinterlands are abandoned for fear of the place. Food is catapulted in for a time, but that's given up on after a while too.

So the characters of the book are essentially trapped in a city that is completely doomed. And the story is about how people act in the face of almost certain death. For instance, the "main" plot concerns the coup d'etat of the city's mercenary army, the Iguana Company, and the orgy of violence that follows.

>>8815909
The thing is, people don't realize that it will only last for one year. The inhabitants of the city have no idea what's happening, or if it'll ever end. By indifferent nature, I mean that the plague strikes indiscriminately and randomly. It's less a representation of nature than our perception of it---as in, it randomly steals away our lives and destroys us irregardless of what we do. The story is about confronting the hopelessness of the situation and struggling to find some meaning in it.

>>8815918

I'm not Steve, I just think his book is criminally underrated, everyone shitting on it hasn't even read it, why do you think you can have an opinion on a book if you haven't read it

>>8815691
>>A mysterious plague seizes the city-state of Celocombo for the duration of exactly one year
C-C-C-CELOCOMBO BREAKER!

>a merchant impressed into slavery
"So you're saying I get three meals a day without having to pay for them? AND a shiny brass collar?"

Anymore made more spurdos?
I've seen:
Witcher
Lightbringer
Prince of nothing
Conan
Botns

Can we get some others? Mistborn or stormlight, asoiaf, blindsight, locke lamora, lolita, powder mage, thousand names , etc etc?

>>8815932
>the characters don't know that it will only last for one year
What I meant to ask you was if you plan for the plague to be man made? It may be indiscriminate in who it infects but if it was created and released by a sentient being then it's pretty much bioterrorism. In that case a better description of the themes would be man vs man's creations/destructive tendencies

>>8815960
There's a LOTR one

>>8815934
Someone read it and gave an apt review.

Fuck you stevian. I'm not buying your shit book for 10 bucks to say how shit it is. I have hundreds of books to read.

>>8815975
I'll read it when I have free time next week just so I can tell this faggot >>8815934 that's it's shit with some authority.

>>8815691
>sacred prostitute
You mean scared? Or scarred? Right?

>>8815993
There can be sacred prostitutes. Chronicles of the Unhewn Throne had them. Priestesses of a God of Love who show their worship by fucking.

>>8815983
Then you will be reader no 2. Steviwn is getting fucking annoying.
He doesn't want to shill on goodreads, but he is shilling here.

I think the mods would ban him, seeing as you can buy ad space on 4chen for the cost of his book.

>>8815967
Well, not man-made, though aided and abetted by man, yes. The plague was created by a fallen god who shapes the course of history in order to subvert a millennial catastrophe; in this goal, it is aided by the Jaï, an order of blind mystics who commonly serve as advisors at the courts of Otumnos (name of the continent). For reasons unknown, within design this god detected the need for the population of Celocombo to be reduced to 1,212 people within a certain timeframe. So I suppose you could count it as both. In any case, thanks for pointing that out. I'll be sure to clarify that in the future.

>>8815993
>>8816004
What anon said. It's a prostitute who glorifies her god by collecting the semen of the faithful. She serves as a "conduit" between herself and the god, and sexual energy is what flows between them. I thought it'd be interesting to write from the perspective of someone who legitimately believes the sex act to be sacred.

>>8816004
Yes, but that book (unhewn throne) is filled with mysticism,.
The plague book anon described sounds like just some biological moth spore that is breathe in through the lungs and gestates into an adult in a few days.(from what I read that he posted in this thread)

>>8815993
It's a very real thing, anon.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacred_prostitution

>>8816026
I read the prelude he posted. I agree that it's very biological and realistic so far, but he's talked a bit about mysticism and gods in his posts.
It's sounding more Bloodborne by the second. Which is always a good thing.

>>8816018
The whore of Babylon. Not sure if I could read such a degenerate book.

>>8810540
Who is this trunk legged spunk rag?

>>8816026
There will most definitely be mysticism and theological discussions in the book. The sacred prostitute's POV is there actually to examine people's attempts to understand the plague through religion.

>>8816039
Well, if it makes you feel any better, she does go through a crisis of faith

>>8816052
Inevera from The Demon Cycle.

>>8816061
>There will most definitely be mysticism and theological discussions in the book
I hope you know your shit, trying to write about subjects you're not well versed in is something you don't really want to do.
>Well, if it makes you feel any better, she does go through a crisis of faith
That doesn't matter either way to me, the only thing I'm concerned with is truth. If you think you can depict her in a truthful way that doesn't glamourise it and also deals with the bad parts then I might read it. If it is written as an GRRM/(insert grimdork hack writer here) type of indulgence then I'm going to stay away.

>>8816073
I'm definitely doing my research so that she can be portrayed faithfully. I understand, it's a delicate balance between indulgence and truthfulness, and I don't want her to seem glamorous while still making her likable and justifying her world view from her perspective. I definitely think it'll be difficult but also interesting to get in the mind of a person like that.

I'm trying to take García Márquez's advice when he said that he writes the horrible things in a deadpan way so that it's easy to recognize them for what they are. Glamorizing sex and violence is the last thing I want to do in this book. And, ultimately, for me the characters are more important than any kind of worldbuilding. So the rite of sacred prostitution isn't there just to say "lol there's prostitutes who think fucking is sacred so grim le edge" but is internally consistent and justifiable in world.

Thanks for your advice though, I will definitely take your advice to heart in going forward.

>>8816005

Let's ban everyone who recommends a book then

>>8810540
>genetically engineered human bean just happens to be a female
>protagonist tries to fuck her
Every time. is it a good trope?

>>8816141
Steve, shut the fuck up.

>>8815993
Temple prostitutes, who were also priestesses, are a thing in the real world, especially in the distant past.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacred_prostitution

Probably grew out of fertility rituals.

Anyway, even outside of religion, prostitutes aren't always low status. The term "courtesan" is typically used for prostitutes that have a place in high society. In societies without rigid class divisions, rich men just have "girlfriends" or "friends" and it's impolite to ask questions about how they support themselves. Sometimes there's a fig leaf for the payments, like low-effort "art", "consulting" services, or an easy/unnecessary management position.

Men want sex, women want money, neither want to admit they're doing anything sordid.

>>8816241
>>Men want sex, women want money, neither want to admit they're doing anything sordid.
i'm going to use this somewhere. probably.

I met Kim Stanley Robinson one time.

>>8816330
I told him I was a huge fan, but I've never actually read any of his books.

>>8816330
>>8816338
did you ask him if he hated his father for giving him a girl's name?

>>8816219

You know Stevian most likely hasn't even visited this place after he got rekt the first time he posted
I'm not even the guy you're responding to but even I have recommended his crap book because it's a joke.

>>8816330
>>8816338
You should have asked him why he looks like the lovechild of Ben Garrison and Stephen King.

What are your thoughts on Dragonriders of Pern? I recently reread the first three books, and while the writing isn't that bad the books do seem rather short. I forgot about the twist of the setting which I liked.

Just finished this. Was awesome. How would you rank the tales? I'd say:

1. The Poet's Tale
2. The Scholar's Tale
3. The Detective's Tale
4. The Consul's Tale
5. The Priest's Tale
6. The Soldier's Tale

Also, would I be better off just never reading the sequels?

>>8815960
Can you post the Prince of Nothing one?

>>8816609
The Priest's Tale sticks in my head better than the rest.

The rest is interesting, but I think most people find the ending very bland and unsatisfying. It probably is a better work if you treat it as a standalone book than as the start of a series.

Simmons is good at setting up mysteries, and bad at resolving them.

>>8816609
Really enjoyed poet and priest stories.
Also that detective woman being bitch to poet the whole time, kinda annoyed me

>>8816647
>The rest is interesting, but I think most people find the ending very bland and unsatisfying.
I meant "the rest of the series after the first book", not "the rest of the first book", by the way.

>>8816619
I gotcha senpai

>the logos the logos the logos the logos

>>8816647
>but I think most people find the ending very bland and unsatisfying
By that do you mean the end of Rise of Endymion? Or the end of Hyperion? Because I thought them walking arm in arm into the valley was a quite a good ending.

>>8816650
The Poet was a massive asshole though, much as I love him.

>>8816653
>>8816663
Gotcha

>>8816662
Awesome thanks. The cuck tally is hilarious.

>>8816647
>The Priest's Tale sticks in my head better than the rest.
I did like the Priest's Tale, though it was a bit frustrating in that it seemed to connect to the rest of the story far less, and it didn't reveal very much about the Pilgrim it represented.

>>8816689
"...then, we would kill you again."

>>8816662
>>8816675
Reminder that my man akka cucked this dunyain dog in 3rd book

>>8816712
Wait, he did? How

>>8816711
God the Bikura were creepy. Shame they got nuked.

>>8816712
>counter cucks Kellhus, only to be recucked by imperial authority, then cucked out of his school while he's fighting a demon


Akka had a hard life. Dunyain genocide best day of my life

>>8816711
>>8816735
The concept of the cruciforms is one of the most horrifying things I've ever read.

>>8816780
Oh I don't know, I could fuck with some immortality with drawbacks.

>>8816798
>denied the sweet release of death
>doomed to eventually degenerate into a mentally retarded, albino, neutered midget

>>8816804
Well I mean, that basically is death isn't it? In the meantime I'm indestructible and can live longer so...

Revelation Space is weird.

I read Chasm City before, so I was used to Reynolds rather churlish writing style, and the predictable "what a twist!" moments.

Off the bat I think Chasm City was better, but I think is just a general critacism of both. Reynolds writes nice tech, and nice worlds too. The universe he makes is certainly solid, not as extensive as some others (Simmons, 1989) but with enough weight to rather carry the book.

Where he flops is the actual stories. I almost feel he writes the endings first and goes back. But they're not detective novels, so... There's just too many stupid twists and turns to keep track of, not enough to make it unreadable, but too many to ever really feel motived to read on by anything other than "well how's he going to sort this out." And fuck me SO many deus ex machina, mainly in the form of alien species he's mentioned maybe once or twice before in the entire book.

Also a lot of downright boring moments. And tons of really cool ideas he really doesn't work with.

I could go on, but I tink these are the main problems with RS and also CS desu. Sylveste was a cunt, Ilia was too boring an action hero, and Khouri was just dull.

7/10 I'll probably read redeption ark

>>8816609
Soldier's tale curbstomps the rest.

They're great, but fuck me, the entire section on board the crashing medicla ship just kicks so much ass.

Priests was creepy-good also

>>8816647
>The rest is interesting, but I think most people find the ending very bland and unsatisfying. It probably is a better work if you treat it as a standalone book than as the start of a series.
Going to have to heavily disagree with ya there friendo. Endymion etc suck but I felt Hyperion and Fall of were an excellent duo, with the ending of Fall of being immensilely satifying. However, when I read the rest of Fall of Hyperion it was about four in the morning in Amsterdam, and I have awful diarrhea from shitty drinking tap water, so my memory may be slightly blurred.

Wait a minute

Why didn't centuries worth of crem progressively fill up the chasm and patch up the Shattered Plains? If it works like described and no one ever removed it that's what should have happened.

>>8817022
I like that Soldier's Tale, but the part when he actually gets to Hyperion is just lame. I mean, fucking the Shrike, seriously?

>>8817240
>I mean, fucking the Shrike, seriously?
It was safe sex. They put corks on all the spikes first.

Should I pretend to be a black handicapped shemale who has grown up in asia if I want to get my book published easier or would that just end badly? I hear the science fiction publishing houses are all pretty discriminatory. Also, should I insert some sort of agenda into the story to make it more appealing? Like sudden scenes of degenerate stuff here and there?

>>8817099
Aren't there animals that eat it?

Maybe highstorms wash it away?

>>8817262
Fuck off and stop bringing your writing shit in here, this thread is for READING.

>>8817262
You should probably just kill yourself, nazi douche.

>>8817270
Wish they'd all just fuck off to one of the general writer threads or make their own

>>8817297
I could practically smell the skinnyfat nu-male on this post

Please lift and shave your pube beard

Just finished the Red Rising trilogy. Is there anything else out there that does the hunger games/battle royale shit well?

>>8817270
>>8817297
Sorry guys, I just thought you guys knew the genre landscape the best. I'm seriously considering adopting a female immigrant sounding pen name and an SJW persona. Perhaps I should rephrase the question to fit this thread better. Have any writers gotten negative blowback for pretending to have an SJW pet identity?

>>8817346
Again, fuck off and make a new thread about it.

>>8817346
Why would you want to pretend to be a minority lol
Best care scenario, nobody finds out, but then everyone thinks your work is written by a minority and making minorities look better lol
Worst case, everyone finds out and you get buttblasted and bring the entire straight white male thing crashing down lol

just b urself lol

>>8817348
Why are you so angry? Relax dude.

>>8817346
yes
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/09/books/a-white-poet-borrows-a-chinese-name-and-sets-off-fireworks.html

He got published because they thought he was chinese though

>>8817357
>Best care scenario, nobody finds out, but then everyone thinks your work is written by a minority and making minorities look better lol
This sounds preferable to not being published though.

>>8817360

not him but we were having a nice thread and all of a sudden this imbecile burst in and in 2 (two) posts manages to say blacks, sjws, nu-male and all the other shit buzzwords from /pol/. Understandably we want him to fuck off so we can get back to civilized discourse.

>>8817366
Well, it seems he had more success under the pseudonym so maybe it's worth a try.

>Metro 2035 finally gets an English language release
>I have the UK Orion editions of 33 and 34, so I thought I'd pass on the US print and wait for the British release
>only just found out today there isn't going to be a UK release
>UK and US editions are completely different size, covers and design

C U N T S

>>8816116
Sounds nice, I look forward to reading your book in the future. I enjoyed the prelude and the fact that you're planning for it to be just one volume makes it sound very enticing. I wish you good luck in your endeavour, anon. Be sure to shill it a bit here once you have finished it.

>>8815960
I made up a Powder Mage one, but I can't draw for shit.
Adro ain't free. The coming of the republic gotta be littered with the blood of nobles. Manhuouch, aka "king whore" is not my leader. He is an inbred fool and probably a Kez puppet as well :DD. Powder and guns not priviliged and gloves ok. praise adom

What's with the hype around Malazan books 2 and 3?

I found 2 lacked a cohesive story and 3 was a clusterfuck of over the top epic battles that all feel dry. Is it the emotional endings?

Even the first was better than those.

I've found 4 and 5 to both be significantly better, it's like Erikson learnt how to tell a story, and figured out constant stacato sentence fragments during big moments just makes it awkward to read.

>>8817582

It's a meme
The first book is the best one

>>8817582
How do I read Malazan? I legit don't get how people can read something so cluttered with so much stuff to keep track of. I give up in the first 10 pages of GotM every time.

>>8817009
If Deus Ex Machinas pissed you off you'll HATE Redemption Ark.
Sharply noticeable drop in quality from Revelation Space.

Interview with up and coming author "Stevian Heartbound" who just released his first masterpiece "To Kill a God".

http://seriousreading.com/author-interviews/8761-interview-with-stevian-heartbound-author-of-to-kill-a-god.html

>>8810540
Anyone want a free gaem?

>>8812752 is for >>8817262 (you)

>>8817392
>translate your shit
>realise I'm in the exact same predicament

CUNTS

>>8817718
That's not a book you filthy Gogmongler.

>>8817793
Well I'm not giving it to /v/.

>>8817756
I want a fantasy story written by a /pol/ack honestly.

>>8817718
>>8817803

I'll take it senpai, I've heard it has decent writing

>>8817852
gog dot com

LPPM807925A2ED394E

>>8817612
Accept that you're not supposed to understand everything yet and go with it.

I'm not comparing Erikson to Wolfe or Zelazny, but I found Book of the New Sun and Lord of Light similar in that regard. Admittedly once you hit book 6 or so the plot legitimately gets hard to track because he shifts PoV every 5 pages.

I'm a huge fan of Howard's Conan tales. Any recommendations on stories/books with a similar spirit to those?

Also would love more things like Vampire Hunter D if that even exists.

>>8817857
Thanks a bunch kind anon

>>8817894
Howard's other stories, Solomon Kane, Kull, Brak Man Morn, El Borak if you dont mind a more historical take

Otherwise Karl Wagner's Kane stories are pretty good.

>>8817346
>>8817262
Nice blog.

>>8817894
David Gemmell

>>8817921
Thanks for the comment, bud. 100% original quality stuff. Really makes you think.

>>8817831
What would /pol/ fantasy be?

War hammer ?

>>8817945
Goodkind

Hey lads, how high would you rank Jack Vance's Demon Princes?
I heard high praise from people here and IRL saying the 1st is merely good but gets progressively better with every book, sounds good but I'd rather have several answers than just a couple heresays

>>8817945
Probably John C Wright, though Baru Cormorant is set in a society that is basically /pol/

For Orson Scott Card, read Ender's Game and Speaker and nothing else right?

>>8818068

Skip the Speaker

>>8817578
Kek. Great. I think I saw someone so a cosmere/sanderson one too

>>8817692
3...2...1

>>8817692

Breathtaking.

>>8816609
The thing about this series is that the first book leads you to assume that the universe only seems cartoonish because it's being portrayed through people attempting to tell entertaining stories about their lives. Then you read the second book where the entire network of intrigue is revealed in a faux-zen dialogue with a quasi-omnicient AI and it becomes apparent that either Simmons got bored of writing or he genuinely has no idea how to tie plot points together.

Priest's Tale was the most memorable, followed by Scholar's.

>>8815729
This absolutely. Ballard refuses to let a metaphor exist without explicitly pointing it out in the narration, but the imagery is lovely.

/sffg/ is inserting random, rhymes here and there a bad thing if it's a fairy tale?

>>8818377
Simmons is fucking weird, without fail he gets slightly worse with every book

>>8818414
A few are fine, if sung or read by characters and of some importance. More than a few and more than two pages at a time is fucking obnoxious.

Also unless you've actually extensively studied poetry keep it simple.

>>8816609
I would suggest you NOT read the sequels. The esoteric nature of the shrek -- the suffering you seek on the path to enlightenment -- devolves into a time travelling robot or something I forget what exactly but jesus christ just leave it alone already.

>tfw you're unable to keep writing because you realized you have to change everything and add so much that the weight of it all overwhelms you and leaves you dispirited

OK, I finished The Great Hunt. Can the Horn of Valere be blown more than once? What the fuck is the point, then?

librarian: what kind of YA do you want?
me: purple prose so deep and gibbous the Byzantines would have clothed their royalty in it
librarian: i got u senpai

>>8815693
>>8815729
>>8818406
I also endorse JG Ballard if you want to read something about a dying earth. This week I finished his Drowning World, one of his disaster novels which is full of beautiful, eery, and memorable images of nature encroaching onto civilisation - giant iguanas in board rooms, trees growing on towers, underwater planetariums, looters in tuxedos - and engrossing meditative passages like this:

>This growing isolation and self-containment, exhibited by the other members of the unit and from which only the buoyant Riggs seemed immune, reminded Kerans of the slackening metabolism and biological withdrawal of all animal forms about to undergo a major metamorphosis. Sometimes he wondered what zone of transit he himself was entering, sure that his own withdrawal was symptomatic not of a dormant schizophrenia, but of a careful preparation for a radically new environment, with its own internal landscape and logic, where old categories of thought would merely be an encumbrance.

He is among the best prose writers I have encountered in SF.

Christ I knew Tad Williams was slow but I didn't realise that he'd wrote on of the fucking longest books ever to end his trilogy

>>8818603
That Rothfuss quote on the front looks like shit.

>>8818648
They're not great books desu. I read the first two and 40% of it is just lamenting the fact that not-Japan literally destroyed the world with pollution. I'm not some anti-climate change retard, but have a little subtlety. Plus Steampunk Japan feels as if it was created only to appeal to 12 year old anime fans and redditors.

>>8817894
JACK VANCE
A
C
K

V
A
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C
E

>>8818712
If it makes you feel better I'm about halfway through the third book and it's getting implied the pollution is supernatural.

>>8818509
>Can the Horn of Valere be blown more than once? What the fuck is the point, then?

Yes, it can.

>>8812639
When Plato had more progressive thoughts on women on women in the military, you know you fucked up.

>>8813697
What are you doing on a literature board?

>>8813839
Copgun is now the name of my cyberpunk protagonist.

New thread

>>8819373
>>>8819373