Science Fiction & Fantasy General

[Anonymous No.7074319]

>Recommendations:
>Fantasy
http://vignette4.wikia.nocookie.net/4chanlit/images/a/a8/1307836551252.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20110612005642
>Sci-Fi
http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/4chanlit/images/a/a6/Scifilit.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20100710233344

>What Fantasy and Sci-Fi are you reading right now?
>What was the best Fantasy and Sci-Fi book you read that was written in the last several years?
>Besides /lit/, where else do you get Fantasy and Sci-Fi recommendations.

[Anonymous No.7074854]

>>7074319
>Slaughterhouse Five instead of Cat's Cradle and Sirens of Titan
>Way Station instead of City
>no Cyberiad
What a plebeian list

[Anonymous No.7075559]

Fantasy > Sci-Fi

Look deep down in your heart and accept the truth.

[Anonymous No.7075753]

>>7075559
Why not both together?

[Anonymous No.7075777]

someone suggested Anna Kavan to me. ice sounds pretty nuts, should I give it a try?

[Anonymous No.7075825]

>>7074319
Reading Robert E Howard's Conan for the first time. From the Del-Rey edition, The Coming of Conan. Should have done it sooner, was too much of a Tolkien snob to give it a chance as a youth.

[Anonymous No.7075840]

>>7075825
What're you thinking of it so far? Been wanting to read some Sword & Sorcery stuff as well, and was thinking of reading Leiber's Lankhmar stuff, but never considered Conan before.

[Anonymous No.7075848]

>>7075559
That's only because sci-fi is a subset of fantasy, not that it's better.

[Anonymous No.7075858]

>>7075825
Tolkein actually really liked Howard's stories. It's speculated Conan was an inspiration on Aragorn.

[Anonymous No.7075865]

>>7075840
I enjoyed it from what I read so far. It's a bit more thoughtful than what I expected, given the fanbase. The comments on civilization vs barbarism, though they seem to be a disguised version of Howard's views of city folk vs rural people.

[Anonymous No.7075888]

Why can't I find the old general in the archive?

[Anonymous No.7075916]

>>7075858

>Tolkein actually really liked Howard's stories.

The only source for this claim is Decamp in "Literary Swordsmen & Sorcerers" which while interesting is occasionally full of shit. He also had a vested interest in selling Conan stories.

>It's speculated Conan was an inspiration on Aragorn

This I seriously doubt and have never seen a shred of evidence to support.

Can you really imagine Tolkien reading Weird Tales?

>>7075840

The Conan stories vary from really important stuff to random wacky pulp written to make a buck. Howard is worth checking out though, he had a real gift with style.

[Anonymous No.7075938]

>>7075865
I forgot to add with his writing his writing style is quite pleasing. In the pulp era, because of the word-rates, a lesser writer would take a small story, then stretch it thin to accommodate a penny a word. In a Conan story, it's like the opposite. It feels like big stories whittled down into short fiction, and the writing has the feeling of tight compression and the sense of looking through a pinhole in a much larger world.

[Anonymous No.7076006]

>>7075938
Another thing that struck me is with Hyboria, Howard had already done Westeros before GRRM did it.

[Anonymous No.7076068]

>>7075559

0/10

[Anonymous No.7076402]

What's some Sci-Fi/Fantasy similar to Star Wars and Dune?

>Advanced technology, sword fights, space monarchies, space mysticism

[Anonymous No.7076448]

>>7076402
Halo

[Anonymous No.7076587]

>>7076402
The Barsoom series by Edgar Rice Burroughs

[Anonymous No.7076623]

>>7076402
Warhammer and Book of the New Sun.
Now do you want Joyce tier or pulp?

[Anonymous No.7076719]

Has anyone here read Metro 2033 and or Metro 2034?
I recently played the games and I really liked the setting so now I'm interested in reading them.
If the books happen to be shit then what would you recommend that has either a similar setting or theme?

[Anonymous No.7076738]

>>7076719
I'm no expert when it comes to dystopian literature but I enjoyed reading these books. The authors criticism of modern russian society is a bit too obvious but it's still a fun read, just don't expect too much of it. It's also way more interesting if you've actually been in the moscow metro but I'd still recommend it, even if you haven't.

[Anonymous No.7076739]

>>7076719
I am Legend

[Anonymous No.7076787]

>>7076738
I'm not expert on anything, so I wouldn't really be comparing it to other works, I just wanted to know if it was not a terribly written book.
Thanks for the input bruv, I'll check it out.

>>7076739
I've been meaning to read this, thanks for reminding me about it.
From what I understand, they changed the ending in the movie because it was too grim or something like that, so I guess if I read the novel then I will know how it actually ends.

[Anonymous No.7076800]

http://boards.4chan.org/lit/thread/7072802/
p-pls respond

[Anonymous No.7076807]

>>7076800
Sorry m80, this is not /v/ where people shitpost about games they never played, I can't comment on something that I haven't read.

[Anonymous No.7077254]

>>7074319
How about epistolary science fiction? Check out The Start of The End of the World by John Hale, I need to talk about it with someone but its super unpopular :(.

[Anonymous No.7077594]

>>7074319
>What Fantasy and Sci-Fi are you reading right now?
The last Dark Tower book.
>What was the best Fantasy and Sci-Fi book you read that was written in the last several years?
Bakker's Second Apocalypse stuff
Abercrombie Last Argument of Kings/Best Served Cold/The Heroes
The Gone-Away World by Nick Harkaway
>Besides /lit/, where else do you get Fantasy and Sci-Fi recommendations.
I don't bother any more tbh. I have way too many books on my shelf to read. Used to be a member of a couple of message boards and follow a few blogs but that's going back a few years now.

[Anonymous No.7077605]

>>7076807
Just watch a video of someone reading the book, then you'll know all about it.

[Anonymous No.7077615]

>>7074319
>>What Fantasy and Sci-Fi are you reading right now?
I just finished Dune. About to re-read Armor.
>>What was the best Fantasy and Sci-Fi book you read that was written in the last several years?
Still very fond of Hyperion.
>>Besides /lit/, where else do you get Fantasy and Sci-Fi recommendations.
I just pick up what sounds interesting when I go shopping.

[Anonymous No.7077629]

>>7077605

[Anonymous No.7077925]

>>7076623
Doesnt Book of the New Sun take place on Earth only?

[Anonymous No.7077934]

>>7077925

Except for the fifth book, yeah. It takes place in the really far future - mankind once had a galactic empire but it's long gone. You can see glimpses of the big picture tho

[Anonymous No.7077938]

>>7077934 here. Also Warhammer has some surprisingly good stuff for grimdark pulp military space opera. Overall better than the Star Wars EU

[Anonymous No.7078050]

It seems like modern fantasy trends are all about overly long political dramas or grimdark assassin teenagers. I never thought I'd miss the good old straight-up party of young friends going on adventures stories so much. For all of it's problems, Wheel of Time at it's core was everything I really enjoy in fantasy - believable/relatable characters traveling to lots of exotic locations, with their quest growing more dangerous and complex as they go. I just wish it had been executed a bit better, or at least Jordan surviving to finish it properly.

I haven't really touched fantasy in a few years. It all started to feel too style-over-substance to me. Have there been any more old-school stories recently or is everyone still stuck trying to cash in on ASoIaF's popularity?

[Anonymous No.7078132]

Any thoughts on pic related? I've seen Vandermeer's other stuff mentioned here before, wanted to know what SF&FG thought of this trilogy.

[Anonymous No.7078158]

>>7078132
There's like one guy who has read these I think.

I've never read any Vandermeer even though I'm 100% sure I'd like his stuff. Don't even have any of his books on my shelf. Don't know why.

[Anonymous No.7078169]

>>7078132

I've read them. They're phenomenal. Strange and baroque. They remind me a little of Jeffrey Ford and Thomas Ligotti.

[Anonymous No.7078277]

>>7078050
I can understand how you feel. The whole dark and gritty that has become the standard can be cool, but not everything has to be the same.

I loved TWOT when I started reading it in 99. When I read the first ASOIAF books a year later, I also really enjoyed them, for different reasons. If you haven't tried them, the first few Sword of Truth books are a bit like TWOT and pretty cool IMO.

You don't seem to like how Sanderson finished TWOT, but I think you still might enjoy his Mistborn trilogy.

Will give my little library a look to see whether I can think of something more old-school/adventurous :)

[Anonymous No.7078284]

>>7077925
No, if you count Urth of the New Sun which takes place on a spacetime ship made of kinda wood.

[Anonymous No.7078285]

Thinking about getting into malazan, Is the first book is as awful as people make it out to be

[Anonymous No.7078308]

>>7076006
>Howard had already done Westeros before GRRM did it.

[Anonymous No.7078333]

the best fantasy by far I have read in the last few months were the original The Witcher short stories by Andrej Sapowski

>no le epic battles
>no dark lord
>no politics

it felt so fucking refreshing to read them, they invert so many clichees with such humor, yet they still manage to get tense and exciting and they always make you think and are very sensitive when it comes to characterization

unfortunately after that I started reading Bakker for the first time:

>le epic battles
>le scary dark lord
>le political intrique

and some terrible characterization on top of the shitpile.
I feel like after reading The Witcher its possible that I wont enjoy other fantasy anymore.. help me Anons..

[Anonymous No.7078370]

>>7078333
What do you like in your fantasy?

[Anonymous No.7078416]

>>7078370
F U N

[Anonymous No.7078418]

>>7078333
Shit taste tbh. Bakker is about as far away from typical epic fantasy as you can get while still being epic fantasy. Are you foreign or something?

[Anonymous No.7078430]

>>7078285
It's not awful, but it's a bit of a trudge. It does pick up towards the end, and it's well worth sticking with, the pay-off is a vast quantity of very enjoyable reading.

[Anonymous No.7078434]

>>7078416
What would you think about a fantasy that's just a slice of life about people having every day interactions with their gods and magical beings

[Anonymous No.7078438]

>>7078434
I think it could be amusing if executed properly.

[Anonymous No.7078494]

>>7078132

I've only read Acceptance and it didn't sit very well with me. Too much insanity, too little telling what is actually going on.

[Anonymous No.7078500]

>>7078494

Blargh, I meant Annihilation (the first book)

[Anonymous No.7078540]

Has anyone here read Spin by Robert Charles Wilson? Am I the only one who thinks of it as a cuckold fantasy with sci-fi elements added on top?

[Anonymous No.7078566]

>>7075777
Ice is pretty good.

[Anonymous No.7078577]

>>7078540
Yes. No.

I really enjoyed Spin, I've read it twice. Wilson almost always starts out with a big idea and then runs with it. In this case: what if the Earth was suddenly covered with a giant sphere? (Not wanting to spoil it, I'm not saying more.) Or in the case of the Chronoliths for instance, what if all of a sudden giant pillars started appearing all over the Earth saying a battle was won at that location by a warlord in the not-too-far future.

[Anonymous No.7078583]

>>7078577
Oh wait, should be yes and yes, saying as you're asking if you're the only one ;) I don't agree on the cuckold fantasy thought.

[Anonymous No.7078637]

>>7074319
Just finished Peter F. Hamilton's Commonwealth Saga.
Legit really enjoyed it.

[Anonymous No.7078671]

>>7078434
any recommendations that fit that description?

[Anonymous No.7078679]

so what can you guys tell me about KJ Parker?

[Anonymous No.7078680]

Please recommend for me the sci fi equivalent of ASOIAF

[Anonymous No.7078685]

>>7078418
>while still being epic fantasy
maybe thats the problem

[Anonymous No.7078690]

>>7078680
Frank Herberts Dune

its a bit more demanding though (but also better)

[Anonymous No.7078718]

>>7078583

Huh. For me that registered as a pretty major theme of the book and was pretty off-putting. [spolier] Throughout the whole book the main character sees the love of his life getting fucked by other people, and at one time she even joins a cult that does orgies(!). [/spoiler].

[Anonymous No.7078721]

>>7078583

Huh. For me that registered as a pretty major theme of the book and was pretty off-putting. Throughout the whole book the main character sees the love of his life getting fucked by other people, and at one time she even joins a cult that does orgies(!). .

[Anonymous No.7078730]

>>7078721
I understand where you're coming from, but the main character wasn't getting off on it, he wasn't enjoying it, so it doesn't seem to be meant as a cuckold theme, right?

[Anonymous No.7078737]

>>7078679
One of my favs. That reminds me, I have some Two of Swords installments to catch up on.

[Anonymous No.7078742]

Finished Hyperion recently and enjoyed it a lot, I think my favourite tales would be Kassad's, Martin's and The Scholar's but I was wondering if the sequel goes more into the origins of The Shrike?

Also managed to find Player Piano and reading that now since it is out of print here in the UK.

[Anonymous No.7078756]

>>7078333
Did you enjoy the incest in Bakker's books?

[Anonymous No.7078767]

>>7078434
Are you talking about Trudi Canavan, N K Jemisin or Jay Lake?

[Anonymous No.7078778]

>>7078730
Cuckold originally meant fucking another man's wife(being the recipient husband).

Now a days it's used a fetish, as a man wanting to see his wife fucked, but before it meant some man fucking your waifu.

[Anonymous No.7078860]

>>7075559
There is literally not a single properly "good" fantasy book, whereas more than a few sci-fi books have changed the world.

So... no.

[Anonymous No.7078869]

>>7078860
A writer like Tolkien had just as much cultural impact than a writer like Orwell, whereas both genres have roughly the same about of garbage.

So... no.

[Anonymous No.7078870]

>>7078860

>sci-fi
>changing the world

kek, calm down sperg no need to make outrageous claims because you prefer sci-fi to fantasy.

[Anonymous No.7078874]

>>7078870
There are people who work at NASA and CERN today because of Star Trek, just saiyan tbh smh ugh

[Anonymous No.7078878]

>>7078874

And millions watch movies and tv shows inspired by fantasy novels, generating thousands of jobs and billions of dollars in revenue. What is your point?

[Anonymous No.7078882]

>>7078742
it does go into the Shrike origins, but in my opinion it does this in a bad, bloated, and uninteresting way. fall of hyperion has same good parts in it, but for the most part it is simmons jerking off to keats, and you are better off just reading the wikipedia plot summary. it focused too much on politics, and didn't have enough of the stuff in it that made me like hyperion.

[Anonymous No.7078884]

>>7078878
Questionable at best that any group of fantatrash actually outperforms sci fi patricianwork at the economic level tbh

[Anonymous No.7078898]

>>7078884

You doubt that fantasy entertainment beats out sci-fi at the economic level? Are you simple?

[Anonymous No.7078901]

>>7078898
I'd say most of it depends on if you consider Star Wars to be fantasy or sci-fi...

Going with the latter, it goes without saying that fantasy is poverty tier

[Anonymous No.7079298]

>>7078730

I still consider it a cuckold theme as the beta main character, even though he might not be getting off on it, waits patiently until she fucks half the earth, instead of finding someone else.

[Anonymous No.7079313]

>>7078882
>>7078742

Fall of Hyperion is a very different book, true, but I also found it enjoyable, precisely because it explains the world better. I also didn't like jerking off to Keats, though. Fortunately, those parts can be ignored.

[Anonymous No.7079539]

>>7078742
See you later, alligator

[Anonymous No.7079560]

I can recommend the culture books from iain banks fuck yeah

[Anonymous No.7079573]

>>7076402
quest by andreas eschbach:
advanced technology: 3/5
sword fights: 0/5
space monarchies: 4/5
space mysticism: 5/5, the whole book is about that

[Anonymous No.7079638]

>>7078416
lord of light zelazny

[Anonymous No.7079642]

>>7079560
What is your favourite culture ship name?

[Anonymous No.7079646]

>>7078901
harry potter?
lotr?

[Anonymous No.7079671]

>>7078901
>Considering Star Wars fantasy over sci-fi

You for real nigga?

If it has got space ships it is sci-fi

[Anonymous No.7079702]

>>7079671
its not that easy Anon, the argument is often made based on that SW uses mainl fantasy tropse, just set in a scifi setting

>wise old magician (yoda, obi wan)
>sword fights
>evil dark lord
>rescue the princess
>dark knight, light knight (luke, vader)
>magical weapon of ultimate doom (deathstar)

etc.
though I agree, if it has spaceships, its scifi its only that space opera is a very close relative to fantasy and probably more similiar to it than to, say, hard scifi or dystopian lit

[Anonymous No.7079744]

>>7075559
>Fantasy > Sci-Fi
This doesn't sit with a literary sensibility at all since SF is so geared toward ideas and possibilities while fantasy is more inherently escapist (although I'll acknowledge its attention to concepts like honesty, nobility, etc.).

>>7075848
>sci-fi is a subset of fantasy
No, there are several significant differences. SF has a future orientation, while fantasy is the opposite. Also, SF is more concerned with what is (theoretically) possible/plausible, while fantasy sits squarely on the side of the impossible. (inb4 >wrong because faster-than-light travel etc.)

[Anonymous No.7079835]

>>7079539
While, crocodile.

[Anonymous No.7079847]

Is Snowcrash actually good? Is it pretty dated by now?

I guess you could describe the novel I'm working on as cyberpunk, but the only cyberpunk book I've ever read is Neuromancer. What other worthwhile books are there in the genre?

[Anonymous No.7079908]

>>7079847
none, only Gibsons, its a one man genre. you should read Neuromancers sequels and also the second trilogy he made

Stephenson is alright but Snow Crash is overrated, it reads like an anime

the only other worthwhile cyberpunk book I ever came across is Random Acts of Senseless Violence, and thats all punk and no cyber

[Anonymous No.7079917]

>>7079847
also wtf are you doing writing a book in a genre you know nothing about

[Anonymous No.7079932]

>>7079847
Those are the main two. I wonder whether cyberpunk at this point has much to say to current life or maybe instead mainly has nostalgia value.

[Anonymous No.7079938]

>>7079917
I work as a computer programmer with a degree based strongly on AI. I know plenty about the technical side of what I'm writing. I'd describe it more as science fiction, but because it involves a lot of VR, at times it has that whole "malnourished pale youth slumped in the corner wearing a headset" kind of vibe that I associate with cyberpunk. Just wanted to read around and see what was already out there.

[Anonymous No.7079942]

>>7079917
He's not. What the fuck are you doing speaking a language you can't read?

[Anonymous No.7079961]

>>7079642
I haven't read any of the books more than once as I'm not really a re-reader, so I can't recall to many names, but I liked the thing with the Mistake Not... although I'm obviously unable to quote the whole name :)
other question. whats your favorite non-culture faction? Over all the books I've decided that the Idirans are the best

[Anonymous No.7079976]

>>7079702
Sure, it might have a formula similar to fantasy, but it's still sci-fi.

There are alot of elements that you don't find in fantasy, as the story taking place in space, space ships, lasers, lightspeed, aliens, robots and advanced technology to name a few.

The force can be scientifically explained, if you count the prequels, even though that explenation is shit.

Just because the story has a hero, a villain, swords, princesses and other shit doesn't point to it being fantasy. Do you perhaps consider Dune as fantasy as well, because it has swords and daggers and princesses?

[Anonymous No.7079994]

>>7079976
>Do you perhaps consider Dune as fantasy as well, because it has swords and daggers and princesses?
Yes. Dune is a fantasy novel set in space.

[Anonymous No.7079997]

>>7078577
>>7078540
I considered reading spin but I was put off by the fact that a lot of people seemed to dislike the sequel (vortex?)
can you just read the first one and ignore the others? are they not that bad?

[Anonymous No.7080017]

>>7079994
What would you say Dune is most, sci-fi or fantasy?

[Anonymous No.7080029]

>>7078742
>>7078882
>>7079313
>>7079539
>>7079835
so, after reading both thewhole Hyperion Cantos (2x Hyperion, 2x Endymion) I have to finally fucking ask, maybe I missed it:
WHERE THE FUCK IS THE FUCKING TECHNOCORE

[Anonymous No.7080043]

>>7080029
It's been years since I read them but as far as I can remember it was inside hyperspace / the space which those farcaster portals went through

[Anonymous No.7080057]

>>7080029

It was a while ago, but if I remember correctly, In the fist 2 books it was in the "space" between the portals, which exactly was the reason the portals were collapsed somewhere in the second book. Don't remember the second two very well. In the cross-thingys perhaps.

[Anonymous No.7080076]

>>7080057
>>7080043
yes, yes excactly I thought that but from what I remember, wasn't this at some point confirmed as false? as bullshit?
In endymion the technocore was still there and didnt anaea at some point also say that it isnt really in the binding void?
I also remember passages saying it is just in physical substrates somewhere. or did those passages just say that humans believed that BEFORE they thought it's in the hyperspace? Im so confused

[Anonymous No.7080221]

What is your opinion on Harlan Ellison

Just finished this and thought it was entertaining, if a bit meandering and inconsistent

[Anonymous No.7080254]

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

[Anonymous No.7080287]

>>7080076
Fall of Hyperion was really dissapointing. Didn't bother to read rest of the Cantos.

[Anonymous No.7080337]

>>7079702
With that logic ASOIAF is a political drama thriller, and Nothing Lasts Forever, film version known as Die Hard (yes I know, shit example but the principle still aply), is a fantasy

[Anonymous No.7080365]

i need book i kneed i need BOOKS

[Anonymous No.7080372]

>>7078679
This is on my list of books I saw at a book store for a dollar or so and missed the chance to get it

Right along with Mason & Dixon

[Anonymous No.7080380]

>>7076719
I've read 2033 and am currently reading 2034. They are good books, with an interesting post apoc world. Keeping track of the characters whereabouts in the metro with help from the map is a bit of a puzzle, but quite fun.

I read the first in swedish and am reading the second in english. I found it annoying that in the english version the translate the names of the stations everywhere except for the map in the beginning, which makes keeping track much harder.

[Anonymous No.7080455]

>>7079908
>its a one man genre
I want to argue, but there's definitely room for more authors to make a scene

[Anonymous No.7080490]

Been in a Sword & Sorcery mood lately, so thinking of starting Conan

Is there a definitive edition? I've seen good things about the Del Rey books.

[Anonymous No.7080545]

>>7080490
The Del Rey are the most definitive. Unless you're made of money you can buy the Wandering Star versions. The only downside of those versions is the lack of a good Hyboria map. Just get one off the net.

[Anonymous No.7080551]

>>7080545
I dont suppose there are any editions that have the Frazetta illustrations?

[Anonymous No.7080579]

>>7080551
Unfortunately those tend to be re-edited by Sprague De Camp to line up with his Conan pastiches. They're nice for collecting though.

[Anonymous No.7080587]

>>7076787
Metro 2033 is a fun read, I enjoyed it. I'm not a literature snob and just read for entertainment. I'm assuming if you want to read it because you enjoyed the game then you will like it.

Also, I feel like the movie I am legend is more inspired by the book than based on it. The book is far better and feels different. Also the vampires are completely different in the book. I hated the movie, it defiled the book.

[Anonymous No.7080618]

I've heard Dan Abnett is allegedly writing a Dark Angels novel. I'm pretty hyped since he and Adb are the only consistently entertaining and readable authors. And I love edgy marines.

[Anonymous No.7080620]

Currently reading: dark tower: wastelands by Stephen king
2- can't really say I've particularly enjoyed any recent sci-fi or fantasy. I prefer the older stuff.
My favourite is gateway by Frederik pohl
3- I usually just check amazon, good reads, /lit/ and just browse the library or book store.

[Anonymous No.7080623]

>>7076402
I'm not even joking. This book is pretty good.

[Anonymous No.7080643]

>>7080623
Would have been better if it were cut in half. The second half dropped.

[Anonymous No.7080657]

>>7080623
It's better than the movie?

[Anonymous No.7080659]

>>7080623
that cover

where's the babe in bikini wrapping her arms around his leg?

[Anonymous No.7080663]

>>7080623
I remember the old covers on them. Bridge/Galaxy press out Baen's Baen's garish covers.

[Anonymous No.7080674]

>>7080657
They're both shit. They're just shitty in different ways.

[Anonymous No.7080677]

>>7080657
Yes lol, the movie is an embarrassment to this book.
>>7080659
Pretty much.
>>7080663
Yea, I honestly like the covers for some reason.

[Anonymous No.7080693]

>>7080677
This one is missing a review on the bottom saying;

"Bad to the bone!"

[Anonymous No.7080715]

>>7080693
What it's actually missing is the bestiality that takes place in it (you can notice the sign on them motel says "Pets Welcome"). The dude on the cover is also a necrophiliac. I'm looking forward to this one, I'm on book 5.

[Anonymous No.7080787]

>>7079961
The Affront are my favourite, so much energy and joie de vivre but its channeled into exquisitely fucking other people up. The challenge they present to the Culture is one of the most interesting ones dealt with in the book, and I think I has plenty of applications to our own political problems.

[Anonymous No.7080863]

>>7079560

I tried to read Consider Phlebas and gave up a hundred or so pages in. The writing was... not to my liking. There were too many plot digressions that served no purpose whatsoever and weren't enjoyable to read on their own.

[Anonymous No.7080880]

I think I should try to transition over to writing sci-fi.

I tried to write medieval fiction (As in based in a medieval world, not based in the historical middle ages) and I found the constants of realism too much to handle.

With sci-fi, literally anything is possible. Writing an epic similar to Asimov's Galactic Empire trilogy (Which I have yet to read) is my dream. If you like the Romans, you can work their culture into a sci-fi novel and end up with a Romulan like state, or if you like medieval knights, you can work them in and end with something like Space Marines.

[Anonymous No.7080968]

I have been staying up late at night reading Robin Hobbs books about the world of the Elderling. So far i have finished the farseer and the tawny man trilogies. I am really having a ton of fun reading them.

I read a ton of books when i was younger but i have not really read all that much for the past couple of years. It is really nice to get back into it and it is fun to go and look at different charts for best fantasy books and basically not recognizing any names.

Would any of you recommend any specific fantasy author for a person that basically only have read Tolkien, Paolini, R.R.Martin, Rowling and the other more mainstream ones?

[Anonymous No.7081033]

>>7080968
Philip K Dick,Gene Wolfe, Le Guin, Zelanzy. Check them.

[Anonymous No.7081055]

>>7081033
Thanks, will do.

[Anonymous No.7081158]

Does anyone have any opinions on Samuel Delany? I've read the shit out of Dhalgren like 3 or 4 times now, it's easily one of my favorite books but I'm looking to branch out to some of his other writing. I wanted to start with Stars in my Pocket like Grains of Sand or maybe his Neveryon series. Does anyone have any experience with his actual sci-fi and fantasy novels?

[Anonymous No.7081255]

>>7080863
>Consider Phlebas
I despised that book. I've heard that the other Culture books, like Use of Weapons and Player of Games, are much better, but Phlebas completely used up all good will I could have for Banks's writing, with or without the M. in his name.

[Anonymous No.7081333]

>>7080968
Joe Abercrombie's First Law is pretty good for people just getting into reading again. His writing isnt the best in the first book, but then it gets pretty good and the story is excellent.

[Anonymous No.7081380]

If anyone here is a college student and is looking for some free reading, Baka tsuki is an online site which translates a bunch of Japanese light novels for free. A lot of it is easy, brainless reading, but there's a decent minimum quality I guess. Check it out if you're interested.

[Anonymous No.7081388]

>mfw writing the first waifupunk epic

[Anonymous No.7081398]

Jhereg, stranger in a strange land, the loneliness of the long distance runner, dragonlance, most of the forgotten realms stuff, ravenloft books (especially the short story books), fiest's riftwar saga. For ya fiction Unwind series.

I can think of more. Elric series especially. HPL.

[Anonymous No.7081481]

>>7079847
Don't know about snowcrash but...

I recently read Revelation Space. It's hard scifi that gave me a cyberpunk kind of vibe. Regardless of whether you get that vibe or not, it's still a great novel.

[Anonymous No.7081517]

What do you think about The Kingkiller Chronicles by Patrick Rothfuss?
Why is it not in the recommendations?

[Anonymous No.7081685]

>>7081380
Do you have any recommendations?

Really surprised there isn't a light novel crowd on /lit/, the real joy is in finding stories with the most ridiculous premise and having fun with it. I wish there was more effort in translating them than with Japanese porn games

[Anonymous No.7081690]

>>7081517
Does this really have to come up in EVERY thread?

[Anonymous No.7081709]

>>7081690
Is Gene Wolfe good?

[Anonymous No.7081713]

>>7081709
Hack fraud.

[Anonymous No.7081744]

>>7081709
I'd rather talk about good things 100 times over than bad things.

[Anonymous No.7081751]

>>7081685
I actually haven't read a ton of them, but "All You Need Is Kill" is short and action packed. The movie edge of tomorrow was based on this, which I thought was pretty awesome. That isn't even on the website, but I googled it and found a pdf like a year ago. Sci if btw, a lot are fantasy too.

[Anonymous No.7081781]

>>7081744
It's funny, though

And sometimes people just forget little comments people have said

Like, I wanted to ask if the Horus Heresy Warhammer books are good, I searched through the archive and I saw good things about them. But if someone was at a book sale, and wanted to have a nice list to look for, they wouldn't remember that one thread 3 weeks ago that mentioned whatever they wanted to know

And let's face it, Rothfuss and Sanderson are going to be at a bookstore, so they're gonna be mentioned.

[Anonymous No.7081794]

>>7081781
I get it. And I'm not really that upset about it, honestly. Just eye rolling.

[Anonymous No.7081800]

>>7081794
>I get it.
ok good
now we can move on to bigger things, like:

now is sci fi fantasy, or not?

[Anonymous No.7081830]

>>7081800
sci-fi is a subset of fantasy

[Anonymous No.7081874]

What scifi lit comes closest to the same level of artistic merit as a tarkovsky film?

[Anonymous No.7081879]

You can drop many fantasies into a sci fi setting but you cannot drop sci fi into fantasy without changing it utterly. I adore fantasy books but sci fi>fantasy.
Can't you all stop splerging out over the tiniest things for five whole consecutive minutes or not?

[Anonymous No.7081914]

>>7081874
a pure cinema documentary on a pile of steaming shit tbh

[Anonymous No.7081917]

>>7081879
>not using magic as a substitute for science
>not writing about wizards traveling a magic space whale to zap the shit out of martians

[Anonymous No.7081949]

>>7081917
Why does this sound so familiar?

[Anonymous No.7081966]

>when you wanna read Sci-Fi but still have a big backlog of Fantasy

[Anonymous No.7081985]

>>7081917
I love any approach to either genre but there is a line between hard sci-fi and z star wars since forever. You could drop avatar and lotr into a star wars like universe easily.
I could be wrong and I'm perfectly ok with it, if someone wants to take me to task over my entirely subjective opinion. I have a true love for these genres.

[Anonymous No.7082170]

I just finished asoiaf, how do I graduate up with sci-fi/fantasy.

is asoiaf verboten on /lit/ btw? i feel like it's too pleb

[Anonymous No.7082211]

Sword of Truth: Yay or nay? I feel like all I've ever heard about it is how terrible it is, especially with shit like the evil chicken thing. But every once in a blue moon someone will seriously recommend it.

[Anonymous No.7082214]

>>7082170
You can't finish ASoIaF, GRRM will die before it's finished.

And just read whatever you want. If you spend too much time fussing over whether /lit/ approves of your bookshelf you'll just die alone and miserable and having never read anything you actually enjoy. That's no way to live.

[Anonymous No.7082215]

>>7081879
How does not being able to drop scifi into fantasy make scifi inherently better than fantasy?
Wouldn't you prefer some consistency?

[Anonymous No.7082219]

>>7082211
Good. A little preachy, but good.

[Anonymous No.7082224]

>>7081966
>tfw you want to read Sci-Fi but all you want is people cruising in spaceships blowing each other up and maybe some alien sex, and all you get is space politics

[Anonymous No.7082229]

>>7082214

It's more that I can't get rec info from /lit/ bc I can't reveal my pleb starting places

[Anonymous No.7082251]

>>7082214
>caring about what /lit/ thinks of you
No one ACTUALLY thinks this way, right?
It's a joke, right?

[Anonymous No.7082259]

>>7082214
>If you spend too much time fussing over whether /lit/ approves of your bookshelf you'll just die alone and miserable and having never read anything you actually enjoy.
really wish people would say that more

and it applies to everything else, including out of 4chan

[Anonymous No.7082261]

>>7082251
Well we all post in a general dedicated to Genre fiction so already much of /lit/ hates us

[Anonymous No.7082279]

>>7082251
Most of /lit/ only cares about shitposting and trolling. It's very hard to stay on subject unless you're trying too hard to be retarded.

[Anonymous No.7082297]

>>7082251
>An experiment is conducted in which five rhesus monkeys were placed in a cage together with a banana hanging high on a rope outside the reach of the monkeys. A step ladder was placed in the cage that would enable the monkeys to reach the banana. Whenever one of the monkeys attempted to climb and reach for the banana, ALL monkeys were sprayed with freezing cold water.
>After a few attempts, all the monkeys learned the association between reaching for the banana and the group collective punishment of being sprayed with freezing water. There was no longer need for the water; no monkeys would attempt to reach the banana.
>The researcher then replaced one of the five monkeys with a new monkey. The new monkey, not aware of the icy water treatment, tried to reach for the banana. Within a fraction of a second the other four monkeys attacked him again and again, until he no longer tried to reach the banana. One by one, the monkeys who had experienced the original icy water treatment were replaced by a new monkey. With the introduction of each new monkey, the other monkeys would attack him until he quit trying for the banana.
>Eventually, the cage was populated by five new monkeys, none who had experienced the icy water treatment. The experimenter then introduced a new monkey to the cage. When this monkey tried to reach for the banana, all five monkeys attacked him.

[Anonymous No.7082358]

>>7081517
First book was really entertaining, the second book was... much less entertaining. Huuuuuge parts of it were very boring.

[Anonymous No.7082372]

>>7082211
I greatly enjoyed it, especially the first few books. Book six sometimes feels a bit like it was written partly by Ayn Rand, but it's still good. Seven and eight were a bit slow imo.

[Anonymous No.7082428]

Are there any goodbooks that focus on a knight and squire as main characters? I really enjoyed GRRM's Dunk and Egg stories, way more than the rest of his Ice and Fire books, because of the whole squire and knight relationship, and I can't think of any books I've read before that really feature a squire prominently.

[Anonymous No.7082537]

>>7074319

Just finished Snow Crash, thought it was absolute shite. I love cyberpunk, but there are so few great books within the genre that everyone seems to lower their standards.

[Anonymous No.7082556]

>>7082537
Ever read Crashcourse by Wilhelmina Baird?

[Anonymous No.7082560]

>>7082556

Nah, is it any good? I'm on the lookout for some more cyberpunk to read.

[Anonymous No.7082605]

Reading this and just finished Nightside, it felt more clearly like the first quarter of a book than Shadow of the Torturer did. Working out the details of the setting is fun (ie the 'sign of addition' and where the taluses might get their name) but the narration is much less compelling than Severian's first-person.

[Anonymous No.7082630]

We need to make better charts, especially for Sci-Fi

[Anonymous No.7082633]

>>7082605
Yea, over all, it doesn't have that same amazing writing as New Sun, and the story is way more straight forward. I almost like Long Sun more than New Sun. I don't quite know why. Viron and all the people in it just seem so much more real. And it helps that it followed by Short Sun, which is just amazing. Just because the writing style isn't as complex as New Sun, and the writer is dumber than Severian, just means the underlying story is that much more complex.

[Anonymous No.7082684]

What are some books that get down to business and flow nicely from the beginning? It seems like every book I open is a sludge, falling out of its container fast but once it hits the ground it doesn't look like it's going anywhere.

[Anonymous No.7082702]

>>7082684

If you want something lighthearted and fun, read the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy if you haven't already. It's entertaining from the very first page all the way to the last.

I said I didn't enjoy Snow Crash at all, but at least it isn't a slow start, you might enjoy it so you might want to give it a go.

[Anonymous No.7082741]

>>7082702
>I said I didn't enjoy Snow Crash
>>7082537
>Just finished Snow Crash, thought it was absolute shite

This worries me

On this, I was looking at Anathem since it puts it under a Math book. Do you think I should still read it? And do you or anyone else have an idea of books that uses math concepts?

[Anonymous No.7082778]

>>7082279
Most people here don't read than 20 books a year and most read fantasy. It's really the people who don't read at all who meme that.

[Anonymous No.7082785]

>>7082428
>>7082428
Literally and actually The Wizard Knight by Gene Wolfe.
>>7082633
I found it to be simpler even in the underlying story, just overall a less ambitious work that does less. If it wasn't Wolfe it would probably be the best work of any other author, but this is just mid tier.

[Anonymous No.7082792]

>>7082785
Why did Typhon build the Whorl?

[Anonymous No.7082795]

>>7082741
I thought Snow Crash was brilliant, don't listen to these losers. The Diamond Age is still the superior novel.

[Anonymous No.7082818]

>>7082792
I'm 900 pages in and still don't know. Maybe to jerk his ego.

[Anonymous No.7082820]

>>7082818
I won't comment if you're not finished. My point merely was that nothing is as it seems.

[Anonymous No.7082827]

>>7082820
I know to expect that to be the case, Wolfe is my most read author after all.

[Anonymous No.7082829]

>>7082795
conflicting opinions
might as well check for myself, but if you liked two books of his, I'm hoping Anathem will be good, too

[Anonymous No.7082902]

Is there any good super hero literature out there?

[Anonymous No.7082912]

>>7082902
No

[Anonymous No.7083034]

>>7081055
Wolfe is great but avoid him for the time being. If you're still new to the genre, some of his books are nigh impenetrable, especially Book of the New Sun. Wizard Knight isn't too hard to get into though.

[Anonymous No.7083080]

>>7082902
You could try the Ex-Heroes series. It's a fun series about a world in which a zombie-apocalypse starts shortly after a few people develop super powers.

[Anonymous No.7083136]

>>7075753
Exactly

[Anonymous No.7083289]

>>7082560
It's good, it's not as widely read. It's from that era rather than the later wave.

[Anonymous No.7083399]

>Nobody would ever recommend me any books about hunting monsters/supernatural beings in these threads

At least I got Monster Hunter International from larry correia which is fun, I just want more of this genre.

[Anonymous No.7083451]

>>7083289

Will check it out, cheers.

>>7082741
>>7082795

To me it's just the weak attempts of humour, the stereotypical characters, the nonsensical motives some of the characters seem to have in points (often to act as weak plot devices) and that the book and its author seems to be all over the place and doesn't really seem to ever feel concise. It also feels as some of his conversation with his librarian should have been cut short (perhaps even in half) by his editor.

[Anonymous No.7083518]

>>7082902

Soon I Will Be Invincible.

[Anonymous No.7083684]

>>7081874
The obligatory and most correct answer is Lem.

[Anonymous No.7083695]

>>7083399
I'm interested in this, too

[Anonymous No.7083714]

[Anonymous No.7083979]

>>7078285
I finished the first one recently, kinda slow but epic still. I started Deadhouse and it's great, so yeah you should start it.

[Anonymous No.7084606]

>>7078285
i liked them but i didnt actually get hooked untill the fourth book. after that i couldnt stop.

[Anonymous No.7084749]

gonna read this

what to expect?

[Anonymous No.7084768]

>>7084749
pulpy goodness
at least 9 more books to read
and a surprisingly good love story

[Anonymous No.7084847]

>>7084749
Real good, although I only read the first trilogy.

[Anonymous No.7084861]

> The Thorn of Emberlain is almost a year away
> Doors of Stone still has no release date
> Winds of Winter will never be released

Why live?

[Anonymous No.7085011]

>>7081481
>I recently read Revelation Space.

Have you read Chasm City?
I liked Revelation Space so I went with the second book but I found it a bit boring, the flashbacks and world building are nice but I just can't give a fuck about the main plot and character.

[Anonymous No.7085017]

Anyone else here who thinks Ready Player One is a hunk of shit?

[Anonymous No.7085072]

>>7085011
I haven't. I'm reading Redemption Ark currently. I definitely plan on reading it in the future though.

[Anonymous No.7085214]

>>7084749
>what to expect

Bad writing

[Anonymous No.7085387]

>>7082605
>>7082633
I actually enjoyed Long Sun's first half almost as much as New Sun. Its scope can hardly compare to New Sun, for the world-at-risk is on a different scale and the powers at hand are much smaller, but it's still amazing and very rich.

I do agree that it suffers a little from the lack of a first person perspective, but it's still very vivid and it's still there throughout Short Sun. The best of the narrative, I think, is that it carries a little more color than Severian's seemingly dry ramblings, which sometimes turn to long metaphysical expositions or purple verbosity. While Severian depicts them and introduce a dreamlike feeling of his surroundings, the Whorl simply feels more accessible and real. While in New Sun the powers at hand were largely hidden and inaccessible, clearly suggesting abandonment and even hinting at anarchism (due to whole thing of the Sun dying), Long Sun shows a different picture, on how those powers (though largely inferior to the Hierodules and Erebus/Abaia, damned petty Pas and his horrid family) can be dealt with dominion of oneself and unity. Its social significance is more closely relatable than New Sun, and maybe Wolfe was inclined to this political* approach to religious transformation (*though not explicitly inspired by any real life events of the early 90s)...

At any rate, I like to think of it of a sf Plato's Cave, and even though I don't necessarily agree with Patera Silk's feelings of the Outsider, and the ending is rather obvious (because what other escape from mainframe would be left free for a early christian archetype), the sheer lunacy of what those first lines accomplish is amazing.

There's a couple of great reviews/essays at Ultan that inspect the whole religious transformation in detail.

[Anonymous No.7085438]

>>7083451
Snow Crash should've been a comic or book.

I like though.

>>7085017
just about everyone who gets past the "dude 80s lmao" references and nerd revenge fantasy is pretty much sick of it

[Anonymous No.7085445]

>>7085387
(Cont'd)
Btw, what do you Wolfe readers feel about the framing of the Solar Cycle stories?

In New Sun, Severian writes his diary and throws it into the void. We can read it thanks to a translator who obtained it through almost miraculous means.
Long Sun follows Patera Silk and the changes in Viron, and we later find out how that book came to be written (which I won't spoil). And then there's Short Sun, and the copyist nature of its distribution...

A part of me can understand how they can be viewed as gimmicks, post factum frames written exclusively as a pretext for the admitted inadequacies of either the plot, the whims of the narrator view or even the language/vocabulary.
But in truth, I just think they just add a lot more to the story, and even though it's obvious it's just Gene Wolfe's style, I can't fully articulate a reason why they're a "worthy" device by themselves.. It's similar to how I feel in regards to some Borges short stories: the foggy lens of the narrative imply hidden meanings, compounded by the fact that language is sometimes highly inefficient at conveying meaning and emotion. I just love the hidden implications, which inevitably turn to very personal and multifaceted interpretations of the text. Mind games. The Pancreator bless Wolfe and his fucking gears.

[Anonymous No.7085447]

Has anyone read this?

I think it's more speculative fiction than sci-fi but it got a movie hook by the dude that directed Sinister, but the book never struck at any time to be even vaguely horror-themed

[Anonymous No.7085460]

>>7083399
Monster Hunter ;^)

[Anonymous No.7085471]

>>7085387
What 90's event are you referring to?

[Anonymous No.7085508]

>>7078132
I read the first and liked it enough. Those covers are extremely sexy though.

[Anonymous No.7085522]

>>7085445
That the Solar novels are all non-fiction documents in their reality is great. And the ways their are written hint at the major themes of the books. New Sun is individuality, Severian is writing a story more about himself than his adventure. Long Sun is community, its a journalist novel, written by two people, and it includes lots of frankly unexciting stuff, that wouldn't be included if the book was fiction. Short Sun is family, its a journal written by two generations of a family, that's very personal and emotional. How Short Sun sorta ties into New Sun shows a progression, communities creates families create individuals.

I would like Wolfe to write another Solar novel. I just finished Peace. Book of the Old Sun, about Typhon, in a dimension where he lives, thinking about on his centuries long live, waiting for the Conciliator to return and challenge him again.

[Anonymous No.7085544]

Anybody else read pic related? I had every intention of hating it and not finishing it, but ended up liking it a lot. Really enjoyed the second book too. I listened to the audio book while driving truck all day so I may have had a different experience than most.

[Anonymous No.7085545]

>>7085447
I like some Deadspin writers but I think the one who wrote that book is kind of a tool. That said I'd read it if others thought it was good.

[Anonymous No.7085565]

>>7080254
The ending?

[Anonymous No.7085577]

>>7082297
So what you are saying is that /lit/ is one big social experiment?

With most(if not all ) the oldfags gone, are the newfags the ones trying to drag others down from enjoyment?

[Anonymous No.7085604]

>>7084861
WoW(lel) suppose to be released next year.

You also got 2 new Sanderson books a new Jim Butcher series at the end of this month and a new Dresden files next year.

Hold on!

[Anonymous No.7085622]

>>7085438

Yeah, I'd probably enjoy Snow Crash a lot more if it was in the form of a comic book.

[Anonymous No.7085700]

>>7085604
I enjoyed the Dresden Files TV show. How are the books? To be perfectly honest, I got kind of turned off by the covers. I liked seeing Dresden as a normal dude, not a duster-wearing, long haired, cliche of what a nerdy basement dweller finds cool.

All of which I can totally forgive, as long as he doesn't act how he looks on the covers.

[Anonymous No.7085970]

>>7085700
I only read the first book, and to be completely honest the first like 3/4ths of the book was incredibly dull. Also really early on he goes on about his duster and his karate skills or something and it comes across as ridiculously cheesy and stupid. It really turned me off from finishing it, but eventually I picked it back up. The final quarter of the book really picked up and got interesting though and felt worth it all in the end. I still haven't gotten around to the second book, but I've got a few friends who've told me the series didn't get really good until 3 or 4 books in.

Speaking of urban fantasy, I read the Iron Druid Chronicles and enjoyed them quite a bit. They also had a bit of the weird cheesiness, but it didn't take itself as seriously as Dresden files. Also it had a lot more interesting characters and premise than the first Dresden book did.

[Anonymous No.7086054]

Anyone wanna share goodreads profiles?

I have no reading friends ; ;

[Anonymous No.7086084]

>>7083399
Gonji you fucking nerd

[Anonymous No.7086097]

>>7084861
> The Thorn of Emberlain is almost a year away

The fuck are you talking about

[Anonymous No.7086522]

Who Thieves World here?

[Anonymous No.7086538]

username: Cheesewheels

[Anonymous No.7086579]

>>7086538
>Cheesewheels
please link

[Anonymous No.7086603]

Any thoughts on pic related? Never read Zelazny before, was thinking of giving Amber a shot.

[« Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ » No.7086627]

>>7086522
I remember this book. Didn't get to read it though.
I read his Myth Adventures books though. More thieves.

Peter MacNicol played Skeeve in my head.

[Anonymous No.7086630]

>>7085700
The show is SHIT compared to the books. If you read the books first you would want to cut the tv show's director 's throat.

The first books are kinda meh, but you push through them, you would find a new fav Author.
After I finished a few of his books I was hooked.

Read his Codex Alera series and going to read his Cinder Spires series.

[Anonymous No.7086655]

>>7086603
Always heard good things about it, but I've never read it because I don't think I've ever read and enjoyed a story where people from the real world are transported to a fantasy world.

[Anonymous No.7086669]

[Anonymous No.7086721]

>>7082428

The Red Knight and to a lesser extent The Fell Sword feature the main character grooming his squire for Captaincy.

It's probably not as full-on man and master as you'd like though.

[Anonymous No.7086729]

>>7075559
The setting of almost every fantasy story could be said to be a backwards planet inside the setting of a sci-fi story.

Sci-fi > Fantasy.

[Anonymous No.7086733]

>>7074319
/m/ here
Does anyone here have any opinions on the old Gundam novelization? Was thinking of ordering it.

[Anonymous No.7086772]

>>7086721
I'll check it out then. There's so little of what I'm looking for I guess.

>>7086733
If you're a Gundam fan, definitely check it out. It's a pretty interesting alternate telling. It reads a little stiff at times, that may just be due to the translation. If you're not a Gundam fan it'll probably not be worth reading.

[Anonymous No.7086790]

>>7086655
Yeah, that's why I'm unsure about it

[Anonymous No.7086816]

>>7086655
>>7086790
One of the best worlds in fantasy ever, you fags are missing out

[Anonymous No.7086839]

>>7080380
then stop reading books that aren't made for you swede.

[Anonymous No.7086854]

what are the best stand-alone fantasy novels?

[Anonymous No.7086881]

>>7086854
Things that you wouldn't enjoy, probably

[Anonymous No.7086887]

>>7082428
then read Don Quixote, you ignorant fuck.

[Anonymous No.7086889]

>>7086887
Spaniards are subhuman trash. No thanks.

[Anonymous No.7086894]

>>7086881
thanks that was super helpful

[Anonymous No.7086897]

>>7086894
no problem dogg, i'm just looking out for you

no point casting pearls before swine, know what I'm saying?

[Anonymous No.7086904]

>>7086054
https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/36194796-gantzgantz

[Anonymous No.7086955]

>>7078742
The Shrike was modeled after Kassad and das it mane. Simmons doesn't bother explaining half of the major plot points, and the few that are have extremely half-assed explanations because he's fucking lazy.

>>7081481
This. Revelation Space was the first hard sci-fi series I've read and it's set my standards so high now. Way too good.

>>7084749
Real shit going down.
Water fucking sleeps, my nigga.

>>7085011
You best not be talking shit about Redemption Ark.

[Anonymous No.7087031]

>>7085522
>>7085445
>>7085387
Quality posts

[Anonymous No.7087036]

>>7086897
Not that guy, and I know you are just pretending to be retarded, but I have never EVER heard someone who was not a pretentious, insufferable cunt use that expression.

[Anonymous No.7087038]

>>7087031
Once discussions on Wolfe get past "genre writer" or "misogynist", they tend to be of the highest quality on this board. Wolfe provokes some deep thoughts.

[Anonymous No.7087041]

>>7087036
Are you calling St Matthew a pretentious insufferable cunt?

[Anonymous No.7087045]

>>7087038
What's a good place to start with Wolfe?
Do I need to commit to one of his books that are part of a series and read them all?

[Anonymous No.7087049]

>>7087041
Well, I didn't hear HIM say it.

[Anonymous No.7087077]

>>7087045
The series are just really long novels. So yes. I started with this opus, Book of the New Sun. Though the rest of his work is brilliant, its his masterpiece. Knowing what he can do gives you reason to read the rest of his work. New Sun is in your face greatness, while the rest of his work requires a little more patience to enjoy.

>>7087049
"Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you."

I interpret that as "don't feed the trolls".

[Anonymous No.7087093]

>>7087077
Cool, I was planning to start with either that or Latro in the Mist, but if Book of the New Sun is generally considered his best work then I might as well start there.
Thanks for the input m80

[Anonymous No.7087112]

>>7087038
We don't have misogyny discussions at least.

[Anonymous No.7087132]

What /lit/ think of the Malazan series?

By far my favourite Fantasy.

>all the magic fantasy beaties get REQT by mortal humans

[Anonymous No.7087187]

>>7087132
It's absolute garbage. It's a dnd/anime and not even a particularly good one.

[Anonymous No.7087239]

>>7086854
Tigana

[Anonymous No.7087290]

>always wanted to write a sci-fi
>want it to be realistic
>so autistic it needs to be 100% realistic, ie hard sci-fi
>don't know enough about science to properly do hard sci-fi

[Anonymous No.7087301]

Someone a few threads back recommended a sci-fi book but I can't remember the title now.

Forgotten army, or lost army or something.

Anyone help me out? Cover art, iirc, was a bunch of soldiers coming through a giant door, or standing in front of it or something.

[Anonymous No.7087320]

I have literally yet to see any good fantasy, or at least, any good fantasy prose. Like - Wolfe is bad to average. Mervyn Peake is OK, I guess. But can't anyone tell my why I shouldn't just give up on reading fantasy altogether and ever again? Like, there's nothing there.

[Anonymous No.7087322]

>>7087320
*tell me why

[Anonymous No.7087325]

>>7087290
>be me
>study law
>want to write sf
>don't know relevant scientific theories needed for sf
>have no interest in actual science
>have no ideas in realism
>the few stories I actually wrote people liked
>I will never be Gene Wolfe

[Anonymous No.7087331]

>>7087320
Wolfe has brilliant prose, I'm not sure what you are talking about. Tolkien also was really good at it. Le Guin was solid. Haven't read much else, but these were top tier writers in all aspects.

[Anonymous No.7087361]

>>7087331
>replying to bait

[Anonymous No.7087530]

>>7087361
I can't tell the difference.

[Anonymous No.7087588]

>>7087301
The Lost Fleet? Military SF by Jack Campbell. After a few books, it becomes a bit formulaic, but it's a decent representation of the Navy in space. The art you describe sounds a bit like that of Dauntless or Valiant.

[Anonymous No.7087776]

Just finished ASOIAF and Stormlight, what else is good?

[Anonymous No.7087792]

>>7087776
If you enjoy Sanderson, try his Mistborn trilogy (and the subsequent series that hasn't been finished yet, if you don't mind waiting).

[Anonymous No.7088039]

Just finished Hyperion. Disappointed it ended with a cliffhanger, but it was so good I'll go pick up Fall of Hyperion promptly. I loled when I saw >pee pee poo poo.

[Anonymous No.7088080]

Hello g/lit/eratis!

I'm looking for a fantasy book, this is the little I know of it:

Written in 1955-65-ish.
Features a mountain with a city on one entire slope. (The city is prominent in the story.)

Please help.

[Anonymous No.7088212]

>>7087132
It's alright. Read the first 4 books and had no urge to continue. It's pretty much the Dragonball Z of the fantasy genre.

[Anonymous No.7088233]

There's this book that I remember the cover for but I don't remember the title or the author.

It had a white silhouette of a man on it with a cog and it related to an alternate history europe with androids or cyborgs I don't remember which.

Also is there any book out there with some sort of Seraphim creatures or just angelic beings in general? I've been looking for a good one but I keep getting recommended Maximum Ride which makes me die a little inside.

[Anonymous No.7088265]

>>7088233
Hell's Demon - although its mostly about devils rather than angels
The Book of Joby (I didn't like this one)
Oh - the Deepgate Codex by Alan Campbell. Weird books but kinda cool.

[Anonymous No.7088972]

Oh wow no sanderson bashing in this thread so far. I guess the moons have aligned.

[Anonymous No.7089001]

Currently reading Neuromancer. Seems good so far, albeit kind of dated(as in the tech described in the book was probably amazing in 1985, but today it's a joke, RAM cartridges with 3 megs etc.)

[Anonymous No.7089049]

>>7080863
consider phlebas is a really distinct cultre books.
its more of an acion novel that doesnt feel like the other ones.
it's pretty much a prequel to the whole series and you can skip it, I can totally imagine that someone who dislikes Consider phlebas doesnt have any problems with the other culture books. i found it okay but not as amazing as the rest

[Anonymous No.7089151]

>>7088080
Is the city important

I.E, the center of the universe type thing?

[Anonymous No.7089232]

>>7074319
I would love to try and write a fantasy novel, but the amount of input required to make something that is a unique story, whilst taking place in an interesting world limiting typical fantasy tropes, means that I never actually get around to the writing part.

Perhaps it's better if I just risk writing a generic fantasy novel in order to get my creative juices flowing, rather than spending so much time world building that I never actually write anything?

Anyone else faced this dilemna?

[Anonymous No.7089324]

>>7076719
I read Metro 2033 and I absolutely loved it. There were almost no areas that stood out to me as not fitting with the rest of the book. I'm a bit of a casual by /lit/s standards but the way I was dragged in to the book and felt like I was inside Artyom's head was great. I really felt the fear and relief of the situations he was in.

[Anonymous No.7089355]

My personal recommendation for you guys.

[Anonymous No.7089385]

>>7089355
I would like to know more.

[Anonymous No.7089395]

>>7089385
80's action movie as a book.

[Anonymous No.7089400]

>>7089385
The Count of Monte Christo in space. It's great. You might not think you will like it, but read it anyway.

[Anonymous No.7089401]

How do you guys feel about The Knight?
I picked it up because everyone seems to love Wolfe, but this doesn't seem to be a very impressive story so far.
I might not be in the right state of mind to be reading it, though.

[Anonymous No.7089413]

>>7089401
I read it all and I don't really know what to say. It was very strange.

[Anonymous No.7089418]

>>7089151
Dunno, but it seemed like a character in itself.

[Anonymous No.7089420]

>>7089395
>80's action movie as a book
Written in the 50s.

[Anonymous No.7089424]

>>7089401
It's really good. But it takes time to set in, the story itself and the themes in you.

[Anonymous No.7089429]

>>7089400
I love Wolfe, Tolkien and Dick in sf fantasy, how does it compare?

[Anonymous No.7089541]

>>7087588
>The Lost Fleet

Yeah, that's it. Thanks anon, if you're still in this thread.

[Anonymous No.7089963]

>>7075916

>Can you really imagine Tolkien reading Weird Tales?

Way late but I actually have to recant this, although I still have not seen anything to suggest that Tolkien had ever read pulps in general or Conan stories in particular -- flipping through Letters the other day I found a bit from the late 60s where he mentions that he reads a lot of fantasy and sci-fi. He singles out Asimov, Mary Renault's Theseus novels, and John Christopher's "Death of Grass".

[Anonymous No.7090992]

>>7088233
>Seraphim creatures
Dante Valentine by Lillith Saintcrow
Rough Mage by Faith Hunter
Madison Avery by Kim Harrison (lel)

[Anonymous No.7091019]

>>7086889
>being this misguided and ignorant
Well, whatever dude, you're missing out on the most important product of a life-long reading of chivalry tales. Definitely the most meta of approaches to knigh-squire relationships, written in a hilarious style.

[Anonymous No.7091143]

>>7091019
I read it but it sucked.

[Anonymous No.7091257]

>>7088972
What's wrong with Sanderson?

[Anonymous No.7091288]

>>7089541
You're welcome! :)

The Lost Fleet (Dauntless, Fearless, Courageous, Valiant, Relentless & Victorious) is mostly about space battles, how they are affected by relativity, talks a lot about formations etc. I enjoyed it, but it can get a bit repetitive/formulaic.

If you want to read more about the hierarchy and structure of the Navy (in space), you should try his Paul Sinclair/JAG in Space-series: A Just Determination, Burden of Proof, Rule of Evidence & Against All Enemies. This incorporates a lot of law too, but I enjoyed it greatly :) This series is written under his real name, John G. Hemry.

[Anonymous No.7091692]

>>7089401
I couldn't get into it either. Try Book of the New Sun instead.

[Anonymous No.7092033]

>>7091257
A lot of /lit/ hates him because of the stock standard invisible prose and his popularity.

Still has his fans though, especially Stormlight tends to get good recs aeound here.