/sffg/ - Science Fiction and Fantasy General

[Anonymous No.8488853]

The Autarch on His Throne Edition

Thank you to all the participating voters, including anons at /g/.


Recommendations:
>Fantasy
Selected: http://i.imgur.com/r688cPe.jpg/
General: http://i.imgur.com/igBYngL.jpg/
Flowchart: http://i.imgur.com/uykqKJn.jpg/

>Sci-Fi
Selected: http://i.imgur.com/A96mTQX.jpg/
General: http://i.imgur.com/r55ODlL.jpg/ http://i.imgur.com/gNTrDmc.jpg/

Previous thread: >>8480598

[Anonymous No.8488858]

>>8488853
hey, why don't you link that poll now.

[Anonymous No.8488940]

Whoever made that poll, I dare you to make a duplicate on Reddit and see what the contrast is.

[Anonymous No.8488948]

>>8488853
This poll is statistically invalid because it didn't contain an "other" option. We have no idea how many of those voters had to pick a second or third choice.

[Anonymous No.8488956]

>>8488948
I asked voters to offer alternatives. You could probably do a more precise one using some combination of google docs and a poll. I invite you to supplant the one I made.

[Anonymous No.8489038]

>>8488956
boo

[Anonymous No.8489065]

>>8489038
hello malrubius' ghost

[Anonymous No.8489077]

>>8489065
What the fug was Patera Pike's ghost? More aquastor monkey business?

[Anonymous No.8489080]

>Could feruchemical Nicrosil be used to store other invested abilities, such as a Returned breath or the abilities of the Knights Radiant?
>Yes, that's possible

Das pretty neat

[Anonymous No.8489082]

>>8488940
This would actually be worth doing

[Anonymous No.8489145]

>>8489082

Asimov and Gibson win the Reddit poll hands down. It's not like those people would be able to appreciate Wolfe.

[Anonymous No.8489179]

Should I read chasm city or tau zero first?

[Anonymous No.8489200]

>>8488853
>91 people voted for just Wolfe
Like 40 people here max have read him in the first place. Same for Lem. Lit doesn't have enough posters to have this many voters for the two.

[Anonymous No.8489225]

>>8482361
I felt the same way you did the first time I finished, was quite shocking and demoralizing. Second time around I remember appreciating it a lot more and liking it, although I'm sure a lot of that comes from the knowledge you gain from reading the 2nd series so that you're not just abruptly left in the dark

Yes you should absolutely read the Tawny Man trilogy, it continues the story and is done quite well. I appreciated them a lot more on a 2nd read as well since I was older and I found the bits of Fitz really growing into a middle aged man to be done really well and some of it really hit home with my now older mind. I dislike the ending to them but its definitely not the same as the first so you don't have to worry - she was clearly impacted by the criticism to the first series ending so it has a lot more closure.

>>8484879
>>8484882
Are you guys memeing? I gave the 2nd book 1 star (first I've ever given) but planned on continuing on the hope or idea that it was an outlier. Are the rest of the books really more like the 2nd than the 1st?

[Anonymous No.8489395]

What am I in for?
No spoilers please

[Anonymous No.8489440]

>>8489395
Why the fuck do you idiots post the same fucking question every fucking thread?
It's still shit and hasn't changed since the last 300 threads where it was also shit.

[CS !ONk14TfQNk No.8489450]

>>8488853
The omission of Kurt Vonnegut from the poll is questionable, whether you like reading him or not. His most well known stories are SF: Player Piano,The Sirens Of Titan, Cats Cradle, Slaughterhouse 5. Even his black comedies use SF tropes e.g. Kilgore Trout.

And that's saying nothing about Robert Heinlein. There ought to have been an 'other' category at least.

[Anonymous No.8489460]

>>8489450
>Poal.me
>unlisted/private
>'allow user added answers'
Poal.me is superior in every way to strawpoll.

[Anonymous No.8489488]

>>8489440

That's just your opinion
I liked it and I think it was one of the best things in fantasy

[Anonymous No.8489498]

PDF?
Pls respond

[Anonymous No.8489499]

>>8489498
You should buy it, the mobi is just $10 each, if it doesn't make enough money they will stop at book 3 and won't translate books 4 to 10.


mobilism.org has both

[Anonymous No.8489518]

>>8488940
>Reddit
Sort of like polling the whole of 4chan
Polling /r/books would give the same kind of basic pulp as /g/
Polling /r/literature would line up with the better of /lit/

[Anonymous No.8489526]

>>8489518
I agree desu

[Anonymous No.8489562]

>>8489488
Yes, because you are an tasteless idiot.

[Anonymous No.8489587]

>>8489499
I'd rather buy a physical copy then.
I just want to check it out

[Anonymous No.8489609]

>>8489395
I swear to god if you come in here crying about the book after we told you not to read imma get everyone to report your ass. Fed up of this trolling shit.

[Anonymous No.8489651]

>>8489450
That's because /sffg/ has morphed into Reddit, they don't read authors who upset their political sensibilities.

Soon we'll start having daily discussions on the latest tor.com article.

[Anonymous No.8489716]

>>8489651
Can you even pin Heinlein down to a particular "political sensibility", though? He's all over the map.

[Anonymous No.8489721]

>>8489651
You give the newfags far too much credit. Literary ignorance and an unwillingness to read supposedly dusty and old books isn't the same as having political sensibilities.

The past few threads have been nothing except anons fawning over the Wheel of Time and Brandon Sanderson.

[Anonymous No.8489734]

>>8489450
Heinlein should be on there.

Vonneguts inclusion I would argue would open up the floor so several other authors

[Anonymous No.8489768]

>>8489651
>they don't read authors who upset their political sensibilities.

Sorry I don't want feminist bullshit hamfisted into every fucking fantasy series I read

[Anonymous No.8489776]

>>8489716
Individualism and voluntarism are constant underlying theme in Heinlein's works, even in Starship Troopers, he most (purposely) misunderstood book.

[Anonymous No.8489820]

>>8489776
It's amazing how many people think they know Starship Troopers because they've watched the films, I giggle like an idiot when people describe the society in it as "fascist".

[Anonymous No.8489853]

Is the Kate Daniels series worth reading?

[Anonymous No.8489881]

Just marathoned half of this book. When does it get good?

[Anonymous No.8489887]

>>8489881
Never.
You just got memed by /stfu/

[Anonymous No.8489898]

>>8489768
Vonnegut was privately racist and sexist as fuck m8, the guy was a mess.

[Anonymous No.8489963]

>>8488654
I've always called my parents by their first names though. Is Thai supposed to be strange.

[Anonymous No.8490058]

>>8489768
Welcome to the Monkeyhouse has a grandpa raping a woman and its played for laughs.

[Anonymous No.8490061]

>>8489963
Only single children call their parents by their first name, It's incredibly weird to everybody else.

[Anonymous No.8490063]

>>8489395
I'm over halfway on the Eye of the World. I'll tell you that I'm really enjoying it so far. It's not as gripping as some other books I've read but it has been a solid series so far. You'll follow the entire journey from village to village with multiple characters but the action scenes and revelations start happening along.

Jordan has a very compelling way of writing. I'll admit it's not for every one, but it's worth a try.

Also:
I fucking hated Bakker

[Anonymous No.8490073]

>>8490063
I forgot to say: it's also very slow paced, but I figured any one knows that by now considering there are 14+1 books in the entire series.

[Anonymous No.8490098]

>>8488853
I couldn't in good conscience participate for the lack of a crowning Cherryh. That's just in bad taste.
(ok, I've yet to read Wolfe... or Lem)

[Anonymous No.8490131]

>>8490061
Now that I think about it, you're right. I do that sometimes, and the only other people I've known to do it have been only children as well. But why is that? Why do you think it's weird? Do you not imagine your parents to have names, or something?

[Anonymous No.8490235]

>>8490131
I don't know in your culture what's normal but in NA it's pretty weird to call your parents by their names. I sometimes hear them call each other by their names, but when they refer to each other they don't i.e. "Go ask Dad what he wants for dinner". I didn't learn my parents names until I was about 5, and I've never used them. Personally they are "Dad" and "Mom" in my head. I rarely think of their names unless a form needs that information. Using their names would be taken as indicating estrangement.

[Anonymous No.8490315]

>>8490235
Maybe it's because when I was very young I called my parents by more "babyish" terms than mom and dad, and so as I got older I needed a more "grown up" form of address. Now I alternate between "Mother and Father," "Mom and Dad" (usually when I'm saying "my mom" or "my dad" in the third person to other people), and their names.

I think I've always known my parents names, as they address each other by name, and I am named after (but don't go by the same name as) my father.

[Anonymous No.8490326]

>>8490235
I'd add that I do know some people who have only ever called their parents by their first names, and use no other forms of address within the family.

These tend to be more "progressive" families though.

[Donkey !HOTAY/zB0Y No.8490431]

>>8489716

I'd say he and Clarke are about the same: technocrats with the added addendum that all women (or in Clarke's case, little boys) must be available for unquestioning sexual relations with persons named Robert A. Heinlein or Arthur C. Clarke.

Asimov had the same technocratic leanings but without the overt sexual desperation--one presumes he got laid on occasion.

In other words, they had the political sensibilities of the average /lit/izen: a ridiculous sense of their mental superiority over objectively superior males.

>they were obvious betas like us except they could write (more or less) and were in the right era to succeed at it

[Anonymous No.8490515]

>>8490431
? What.

Heinlein and Clark were both officers and passed stringent physical fitness exams, however Asimov is a different story.

[Donkey !HOTAY/zB0Y No.8490524]

>>8490515

Betas weren't always fat. That's more peculiar to our era.

[Donkey !HOTAY/zB0Y No.8490543]

>>8490515
>>8490524

Here's some evidence of this that I happened across yesterday: NSFW

http://io9.gizmodo.com/5895773/a-treasure-trove-of-cosplay-from-the-swinging-1970s-nsfw

That's what amateur cosplay looked like in the late Seventies. Not exactly a swimsuit competition but nobody is morbidly obese, either.

[Anonymous No.8490642]

>>8489820
It's always funny to fuck with the people who go the other way and are all "you should only be able to vote if you're in the military! like in Starship Troopers!" because they apparently skipped the part where anybody can do federal service and receive a vote, regardless of if they're a social worker, DMV clerk or a soldier.

[Anonymous No.8490714]

>>8490642
A character even comments that It's the governments duty to find you a suitable federal job even if your crippled, retarded and blind, you literally can't be denied service even if its just counting caterpillars.

[Anonymous No.8490734]

>>8490431
>Arthor C. Clark

[Anonymous No.8490777]

>>8490734
Donkey and CS, as with all tripfgs, have down's syndrome. filter them and move on.

[Anonymous No.8490785]

>>8490777
>as with all tripfgs

[Anonymous No.8490797]

>>8490063
>I fucking hated Bakker

[Anonymous No.8491133]

>>8489881
You heard people praising it to high heaven and were expecting something really interesting and compelling weren't you? Too bad, they were praising it for its "substance" and "brilliance" neither of which make it particularly fun to read. I've found that any book that /sffg/ hates is usually enjoyable and anything they claim is amazing is tedious and overwrought.

[Anonymous No.8491136]

>>8491133
>contrarian pleb fggot bait
9you0

[Anonymous No.8491152]

>>8491136
If I'm a contrarian for not liking your meme author then what does that make /sffg/, which regularly shits on Tolkien, Jordan, Vance, Le Guin, Rothfuss, and any other popular author?

[Anonymous No.8491156]

>>8491152
I like how you call Wolfe a meme author and then list authors that people who like Wolfe also shill and are just as meme.

[Donkey !HOTAY/zB0Y No.8491165]

>>8491133
>>8491152

Have you read the New Sun series? I haven't yet. I admit /lit/ has piqued my interest enough to find out, after I finish "Heart of Darkness".

[Anonymous No.8491179]

>>8491152
I'd like to hear some of the negative opinions on Le Guin, I've only ever come across three of the Earthsea books and really enjoyed her general tone and style of medium-length prose. The only other friend I've had who's read her enjoyed the work as well, though I've never done much research on her as a person. Is she an evil vampire or something?

[Anonymous No.8491180]

>>8491156
I DON'T LIKE ROTHFUSS AND JORDAN FUCK OFF

In any case, Wolfe is too complex for the current demographic of /sffg/, the newfags from reddit and other boards. He requires active reading and close attention.
I think I'll pick up New Sun again some time this year. I wonder how it will read for the 3rd time.

[Anonymous No.8491182]

>>8491180
More like he is too shit. I love it when people try to mask bad writing with "2deep4u".

[Anonymous No.8491210]

>>8491180
>>8491182
>>8491152
Aramini posters, members of the Wolfe pack, and other honorary heads of cerberus, please, please, please, get rid of baiting faggots like these.

[Anonymous No.8491216]

the last five or so threads have been really bad

[Anonymous No.8491233]

>>8491216
where exactly do you think you are

[Donkey !HOTAY/zB0Y No.8491273]

>>8491179

>Is [Ursula Le Guin] an evil vampire or something?

What gives you that idea? These threads have the usual misogynistic posts--whether feigned or real, who can say--but I don't recall any negative analysis of her work recently.

Of her work, I have only read "The Left Hand of Darkness". I didn't enjoy it much as I found the subject matter of sociology and politics, dressed up in a thinly veiled transexual theme, fairly unimpressive. I don't recall her prose having any special redeeming flavor however I did finish a book that was largely about an Earthman eventually wanting to fornicate with an alien tranny so it couldn't have been too bad.

[Anonymous No.8491294]

>>8491216
>>8491233
Utter shit even.

I think we can get rid of many of the plebs by flaming them.

[Anonymous No.8491327]

>>8491273
Interesting, I've been on a bit of a strict high fantasy bend the past few years but will have to check out her other spec fic work. In general I guess I just found the rather mellow rhythm she sets into and evident desire to deal with concepts not traditionally seen in most fantasy very attractive, though I see how that can just turn into a 'meh' feeling for a lot of readers if it turns towards being drole.

[Anonymous No.8491334]

Any thoughts on the Thomas Covenant series?

[Donkey !HOTAY/zB0Y No.8491345]

>>8491327

>I see how that can just turn into a 'meh' feeling for a lot of readers if it turns towards being drole

Well, "Left Hand" is probably a unique case. The gender swap concept is going to be either interesting or offputting without a lot of ground between.

Unfortunately the only encounter I've had with Earthsea is the terrible anime that Studio Ghibli excreted.

[Anonymous No.8491351]

>>8491334
If you like rape a lot then you're set.

[Anonymous No.8491358]

>>8491345
Le Guin was especially upset with how that turned out, I've definitely seen it but blocked the experience from my memory. On the subject of Ghibli movies from books, the work that was done for Howl's Moving Castle was spectacular by contrast. I've read the book and seen the movie, and Miyazaki did an incredible job with giving its gushy romance a better grounding in the universe Diana Wynne Jones only briefly ever touched on (if at all) and added the subplot of international war fairly well without distracting from the charming feel Jones originally was trying to create. Imho the movie actually turned out better than the book, was a much more rewarding experience and felt more well-wound in terms of its plotlines.

[Anonymous No.8491368]

>>8491351
This could be copied and pasted for half the series on /sffg/ honestly

[Anonymous No.8491630]

Would you like to live in The Culture?

[Anonymous No.8491651]

I wrote this short story that I want to adapt into a screenplay at some point and try to sell it. It's a long shot, but whatever.

It's about the concept of alien invasion on Earth with the catch that they look like humans and are humans in all aspects but in how their culture and thinking developed, about which we don't know a lot. It is portrayal of ultraviolence, distrust and dehumanization that occurs during the war between what are essentially groups of humans that went through extreme estrangement. The aliens are especially creepy because their concepts of morality, life and things our civilization is built upon mean nothing to them and it seems their brains are also wired differently because of the way they use their language and the way their society is, its very collective.

This tries to capture the utter fear different groups of humans had for each others even historically, for example Romans and Germans. Now such encounter of completely different people is impossible, so these aliens bring the shock and terror with the way they think, dress, feel, facial expression they make, things they find appropriate and horrible things their willing to do.

[Anonymous No.8491666]

>>8490431
To be fair to Heinlein he was clearly a cuck, and Clarke never advocated for pedophilia, at least in any of his many stories I've read.

[Anonymous No.8491697]

>>8491334
I thought the first book was pretty painful because of how hateable Covenant is, but I finished the trilogy and liked it.

I read the second trilogy and was underwhelmed; I'm not planning to read the Final Chronicles.

[Anonymous No.8491702]

>>8491651
>Now such encounter of completely different people is impossible
I can tell you aren't a western woman and haven't been to the orient.

[Anonymous No.8491704]

>>8491702
I've been to Germany.

[Anonymous No.8491714]

>>8491704
before or after the migrant storm?

[Anonymous No.8491716]

>>8490431
Knighthood
On 26 May 2000 he was made a Knight Bachelor "for services to literature" at a ceremony in Colombo.[15][45] The award of a knighthood had been announced in the 1998 New Year Honours list,[14][46] but investiture with the award had been delayed, at Clarke's request, because of an accusation, by the British tabloid The Sunday Mirror, of pedophilia.[47][48] The charge was subsequently found to be baseless by the Sri Lankan police.[49][50] According to The Daily Telegraph (London), the Mirror subsequently published an apology, and Clarke chose not to sue for defamation.[51][52] Clarke was then duly knighted.

[Anonymous No.8491722]

>>8491714
Both

[Anonymous No.8491790]

>>8489881
It's compelling right from the start.

If you're not there, toss it out and move on.

[Anonymous No.8491798]

>>8490063
Don't give advice on Jordan halfway through the first book. Chances are still good you'll fall into the same pit as everyone else.

*Sniffs*

[Anonymous No.8491806]

>>8490797
lel

[Anonymous No.8491819]

>>8491179
I'm currently enjoying the Dispossessed, and felt LHoD was missable ambitious middlebrow stuff.

The Word for World is Forest, however, was dreadful. Cringy noble savage dreck from start to finish. My co-worker kept asking what was wrong because I kept accidentally saying eww and ugh aloud as it got worse and worse.

I almost wasn't going to read the Dispossessed after that but it was on my list and autism. But halfway into that I find it balanced and thoughtful so I guess the moral is she's hit and miss.

[Donkey !HOTAY/zB0Y No.8491824]

>>8491716

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/it-was-a-relief-when-i-got-the-knighthood-because-it-got-me-off-the-hook-an-exclusive-interview-with-9571057.html

>BBC presenter
>knighted by the British monarch
>knighted by the Roman Catholic Pope
>sexually molested hundreds

Were you going somewhere with that or just helpfully pointing out that Clarke received handy whitewashing before his knighthood.

[Anonymous No.8491830]

>>8491334
I like it. If somebody wants to list the flaws I will probably agree with all of them, but still...

There are set pieces and images that have stuck with me through all the years since I read it. That's really what I'm there for, with fantasy. You can always find better prose and characterization outside of the genre. That fantastic element really came across in the Covenant books.

Haven't read the final chronicles, though.

[Anonymous No.8491925]

I wish there was a website where writers could post their original fiction and get fucktons of followers.

I'd do it on tumblr, but my followers only follow me for shitty fan theories

[Anonymous No.8491930]

>>8491925
No one cares about original fiction.

[Anonymous No.8491940]

>>8491930
people who actually read do

[Anonymous No.8491944]

>>8491940
Yeah but with so many books and professional authors around how are you going to set yourself apart?

[Anonymous No.8491956]

>>8491940
I do but I have no interest in trawling through amateur shite in the hope of something decent

Publishing's selection process is incredibly bad but it does weed out about 99 out of every 100 shit books

[Anonymous No.8492128]

>>8491925
>shitty fan theories
What kind of shitty fan theories?

I have a tumblr dedicated solely to posting random pages from manga as I read them. I don't care about followers but I got a ton once I began posting YYH stuff.

[Anonymous No.8492230]

>>8488853

>zelazny on the bottom

[Anonymous No.8492304]

>>8490543
>DARE YOU ENTER MY MAGICAL REALM?

[Anonymous No.8492306]

>>8488853
>#1 is some guy i've never even heard of

is there nowhere one can go to escape contrarianism on the internet in this day and age? yes, I'm sure he's better than Asimov and PKD. Sure of it.

[Anonymous No.8492308]

>>8492306

please be a real post

[Anonymous No.8492312]

>>8492308
It is a real post. If he were as good as Asimov, PKD etc I would've heard of him in my life. I am not a poorly-read person.

It's some hilarious maymay on this board I guess, right? Can't escape 15 year olds anywhere on this site? or 30 year olds with 14 year old mentality?

[Anonymous No.8492351]

I just finished Perdido Street Station and holy fuck I'm absolutely nauseous from despair over both the fates of the characters and the sudden careening plummet in quality and I need to rant a little. Two-thirds of the way through the story I thought I had found a new favorite that I'd recommend frequently. That was before:

>all sapient villains are inexplicably written out entirely with the exception of a brief reappearance by one at the very end
>a dull cliche evil robot hive mind is introduced for little to no reason and never properly justifies its existence in the story, taking up valuable time that could have been relegated to actual characters
>all major conflicts are resolved by super-powerful deus-ex-machina characters who show up to save the main characters but can't do jack shit to prevent their lives from becoming even worse than they already are
>the second of the two main characters is written off as dead for the last third of the book, then turns out to be okay and is rescued, then is made permanently mentally retarded beyond repair as some kind of punishment to the reader for expecting anything nice to ever happen
>it all turns out to be a pseudofeminist shaggy dog story about how rape is bad
>let's not forget a particularly stupid and witless Trolley Problem in which the main characters kidnap and sacrifice an innocent sick homeless old man

I'm left with that unpleasant taste in my mouth of "wanting to read the second half of the book you were enjoying 300 pages ago".

[Anonymous No.8492368]

>>8492351
And really I think I'm mostly pissed that it was a perfectly good sci-fi-fantasy city biopic with intriguing characters, and then it just turned into a pure mediocre action movie, or, more accurately, a really tiresome DnD campaign you're forced to sit in on where everyone keeps bungling their rolls really badly.

[Anonymous No.8492375]

Just finished the Unhewn Throne books.

Liked it quite a bit, but it had some issues especially in the 3rd book. Those last ~30 pages were painful to read.
>Nira and Oshi confrontation
>it happens "off-screen"
>expect some cool dialogue with Ran il Tornja, and every major char at the top of the spear
>Adare cucks everyone by pulling a knife out of her ass and stabs him
>Ran il Tornja, the master of everything apparently, doesn't see it coming because ?????
>Kiel just stopped existing
>Adare didn't die

The 3rd book was bloated with chapters where people do fuck all, especially Adare.
The whole synergy between Adare, Kaden, and Valyn was really cool to read. Was kinda hoping they'd all go in a blaze of glory in the end, would have been fitting to be quite honest senpai.

Oh well, it was still enjoyable overall, so I would recommend reading. The ending is gonna leave a shit taste though.

[Anonymous No.8492378]

>>8492351
>>8492368
Yeah, there's a bunch of ideas in Perdido that are good by themselves, but you can tell he hadn't learned to think out the actual structure yet. (Though there is a short story that explains who Jack was and what he wanted, if that helps at all).

[Anonymous No.8492406]

>>8488853
>almost proper hard sci-fi
>good characters
>well developed setting
>technology believable
>66% of the way into the book
>suddenly
>alien vomit zombies

FUCKING WHY?

[Anonymous No.8492410]

>>8492406
The book has a super cool ending imo. It improves from where you are now. I don't want to spoil it but there is still a lot of cool stuff that happens that makes the story great.

I know I read the first and second in the series, stopped after that since the second just didn't draw me in like the first did. Anyone who has made it farther have any thoughts?

[Anonymous No.8492433]

>>8491630
Anyone who says no is lying or deluding themselves.

[Anonymous No.8492517]

>>8491358
There's also a film which is even worse (for example, they turned the Kargish cult of the Nameless One into good nuns).

[Anonymous No.8492528]

>>8491179
She's pacifist leftie. It doesn't show much in the first three books of the Earthsea series. But just as >>8491819 says there could be more of it in the other, especially later, books.

[Anonymous No.8492707]

>>8492528
>pacifism is a pejorative now

[Anonymous No.8492744]

>>8492312

The man is a grand master, you having not heard of Wolfe belies your sense of being "well read"

[Anonymous No.8492758]

I just read B V Larson's Undying Mercenaries and some of Star Force series. Pretty gud if you like military scifi.

Suggest a book with protagonists that are not self-hating, self-loathing, oh-no-i-have-so-much-power-but-i-am-unhappy drama queens.

[Anonymous No.8492767]

>>8492707
Welcome to a post-puppies world.

[Anonymous No.8492776]

Ok Book of the New Sun has just arrived after about a week and I've got questions which have erupted from lurking here

Is Wolfe a meme?
Is it more fantasy or scifi? And don't say it's both, at least give me a 40/60 or 30/70 proper ratio of some kind.
Is is honestly as good as everyone says?
Is it just Dune/Foundation?
Is there any hard sci-fi in it at all?

Given its length and how my term is starting next week I'm somewhat eager to know the answers to these questions before I begin it.

[Anonymous No.8492778]

>>8492776
Yes
Scifi
No, it's pretty meh overall
No
No

[Anonymous No.8492787]

>>8492776
It felt to me a lot like Fantasy but you know clearly from reading it that it's based in 'reality', it's Science Fiction presented as Fantasy, probably the reason it's called 'Science Fantasy'

'Good' depends on your taste I guess, I would say it's very good, yes.

[Anonymous No.8492795]

>>8492767
What are puppies?

[Anonymous No.8492818]

>>8492795
Some kind of small biological stress alleviation device, they also slowly develop into hunting machines of varying skill

[Anonymous No.8492820]

>>8492787
>>8492778
>open book
>no maps or charts of any kind

Poor show for a "Fantasy masterwork".
But thank you both for your replies.

[Anonymous No.8492829]

>>8492818
If you say so anon.

[Anonymous No.8492836]

>>8492795
The sad puppies was some sort of alt-right sffg autist squad who were triggered by black people getting nominated for the Hugo awards or something

[Anonymous No.8492844]

>>8492836
What a bizarre name.

[Anonymous No.8492852]

>>8492820
Fantasy does not entail the necessity of a map.

[Anonymous No.8492902]

>>8492776
>Is Wolfe a meme?
ofc he is
>Is it more fantasy or scifi? And don't say it's both, at least give me a 40/60 or 30/70 proper ratio of some kind.
10 sci-fi 90 fantasy
>Is is honestly as good as everyone says?
ofc he isn't
>Is it just Dune/Foundation?
no
>Is there any hard sci-fi in it at all?
kek

[Anonymous No.8492914]

Whats so bad about the Kingkiller Chronicle?

Granted, Kvothe is quite irritating but I thought it was ok. Now I find out /lit/ believes it to be hell incarnate.

What alternatives would you recommend that are not hard to read (eg: not pages and pages of lore and exposition before I am at least somewhat invested)

[Anonymous No.8492918]

>>8492914

[Anonymous No.8492943]

>>8492918
I.. have to agree with everything it says lol.

I still enjoyed it. As I started the book I thought it was going to be your typical big bad guy hunt all book long. I kinda enjoyed the pointless meandering harry-potterish thing it turned out to be.

Sometimes the prose was unnerving. I swear, if he had said the whole "but because this is no fantasy story.." thing before going ahead and indulging into a classic fantasy trope I would have stabbed my kindle

[Anonymous No.8492947]

>>8492914
Kingkiller was fine until it turned into an entire book of retarded magic elf sex. Even my chinese cartoons don't jump the shark like that.

[Anonymous No.8492951]

>>8492943
NotW was not too bad just overrated, but WMF is legitimstely awful

[Anonymous No.8492953]

>>8492947
I feel like "fine" is overselling it a bit. The second book was much worse, but the first was still 500 pages of Kvothe being an insufferable cunt, and constantly explaining that you as the reader have no idea what it's like to be poor.
There are little bits in there that redeem it somewhat, but it's definitely not good.

[Anonymous No.8492962]

>>8492947
I have to say I kind of enjoyed this.

I mean, all the book is relatively grounded, you know there is ancient magic and that stuff but I could have never imagined it going into the deep end like that.

I felt the segment was too long (kinda skimmed through it) but not too bad overall. I wish there had been more evil tree and less elf though - everytime I though it was just about to end there were 3 more chapters of it.

What I thought was kinda silly is how he suddenly becomes a sex machine after that is done but then like kinda doesn't and then he throws in this segment where he learns to sword fight because he is supposed to know how to do it but it doesn't really fit it with anything.

[Anonymous No.8492970]

>>8492375
>recommend reading
>telling people to read adare
Fratricidial whore

[Anonymous No.8492974]

>>8492962
>segment where he learns to sword fight because he is supposed to know how to do it but it doesn't really fit it with anything.
That's really my problem with the series. Kvothe seems to just stumble into situations that progress his story without ever really making any decisions of his own. He gets an invitation to the court of some king, he gets dragged into the fairy realm, he gets pressured into going to ninjaland, but very little of it seems self-motivated, or realistic within the world.
And that could be fine, but Kvothe is so smug about everything that it makes the story fucking infuriating

[Anonymous No.8492976]

>>8492758
I'm glad at least two people the Neal Asher books and the BV Larson books after I was shilling them for months.

[Anonymous No.8493011]

>tfw my english isn't good enough to enjoy Wolfe.

It's not fun having to look so many words in the dictionary.

[Anonymous No.8493018]

>>8493011
Buy a kobo. I'm sure he's not as bad as Bakker in that sense.

[Anonymous No.8493019]

>>8493011
stop reading GoT and Harry Potter

[Anonymous No.8493029]

>>8493018
It's not that bad to be honest but i was expecting more sci-fi vocabulary in Shadow of the Torturer not so many armigers, chatelaines and ophicleides.

>>8493019
Fuck off.

[Anonymous No.8493071]

>>8493029
Like some one said in this thread, Don't force yourself to read books you aren't enjoying just because others did.

I never left my home country (not anglo) and I know for a fact that my level of English surpasses the vast majority of those living in English speaking nations. Having that said, and I know people will mock me, I find certain authors unreadable.

[Anonymous No.8493113]

Quantum Thief worth reading?

[CS !ONk14TfQNk No.8493120]

>>8493029
Wolfe's vocabulary isn't altogether forbidding. They're not completely made up words like in Dune. My editions of BOTNS come with appendixes, written by Wolfe, which explain the words to do with classes and hierarchy. There are only a small number of recurring words to learn, to do with class and station.

Exultant: most noble/patrician class, by birth only. Includes Chatelaines

Optimate: wealthy mercantile class, non-exultants, a 'middle' class.

Armiger/armigerous: person who has the means to carry armor

Hipparch: horse commander

The other words can be understood by context, or are words seen elsewhere in the genre anyway (balustrade, chalcedony)

[Anonymous No.8493185]

>>8493120
None of Wolfe's words are invented you pseud. They all are derived from our world, and all exist in normal English dictionaries (some in corrupted form).

Will somebody please ban pseuds like CS and >>8492312

[Anonymous No.8493222]

>>8489395

It's one of the best fantasy series ever written.

[Anonymous No.8493247]

>>8493222
*tugs braid*

[Anonymous No.8493272]

anyone else hate when books create brand new religions/currency/language etc wtithout making any attempt what so ever to explain them? Book of The New Sun does this constantly, even down to referencing animals and shit in the sceneray without so much as a goddamned Glossary

[CS !ONk14TfQNk No.8493274]

>>8493185
You haven't comprehended my post

[Anonymous No.8493314]

>>8489395
Love the series but it's very flawed.

Biggest issues for me were that most female characters have the exact same unlikeable personality type and that the series really starts to really drag about a third of the way in, with a whole lot of walking, talking and planning but very little actually happening until the very end of each book.

[Anonymous No.8493317]

>>8492836
You're thinking of the rabid puppies. Except they seem to be more of a marketing ploy to stir up controversy by an independent publisher.
The sad puppies wanted more pulpy space adventures winning hugos instead of books about transexual dinosaur weddings (see I can do it too).

[Anonymous No.8493328]

>>8489651
>That's because /sffg/ has morphed into Reddit, they don't read authors who upset their political sensibilities.

well excuuuse me for not wanting to read "Mom, I'm Gay: IN SPACE"

[Anonymous No.8493478]

Why do people hate Bakker? The least you could do is insult his books rather than the person.

And I'm asking seriously. Can anyone write at least 3 sentences critiquing him ? Literally everything I see are stupid memes...

[Anonymous No.8493484]

>>8492375
This is what feminism does. Take out all the "feminist" themes and you have a pretty OK series...

[Anonymous No.8493489]

>>8493478
>The least you could do is insult his books rather than the person.

Hello Bakker.

I hate you because you shill on /sff/ and made me bought your book, only to drop it.

If you think that self indulging writing, for the sake of it, makes you good you're wrong.

[Anonymous No.8493492]

>>8493489
>bought

buy*

[Anonymous No.8493502]

>>8493478
The only people who hate him are the Wolfefags because of their insecurity.

[Anonymous No.8493507]

>>8493502
>The only people who hate him are the Wolfefags because of their insecurity.

I never read Wolfe and still dislike Bakker.

[Donkey !HOTAY/zB0Y No.8493570]

>>8492312

You're not alone. I had never heard of him either before I stopped by /lit/. I too am skeptical.

[Anonymous No.8493791]

>>8492312
>It's some hilarious maymay on this board I guess, right? Can't escape 15 year olds anywhere on this site? or 30 year olds with 14 year old mentality?
see >>8491180 the average wolfe fan. Probably never read a non-SFF book.

[Anonymous No.8493793]

>>8493570
Literally cancerous tripfags.

According to these pseuds, fame=quality. They need to be exterminated really.

[Donkey !HOTAY/zB0Y No.8493858]

>>8488853

>91 votes for best science fiction author

>>8492902

>Book of the New Sun
>10[%] sci-fi 90[%] fantasy

>>8493793

>[meme] [meme] [meme].
>According to these [meme], [meme]. They need to be [meme] really.

Does anyone have a better argument than this cretin?

[Anonymous No.8493863]

>>8492312
>>8493570
Wolfe is pretty terrible, I fell for the meme and read him. Don't bother, there is nothing of quality in his books.

[Anonymous No.8493864]

>>8493858
It was a cross board poll, that's why there were a lot more votes than you would expect.

[Anonymous No.8493867]

>>8493863
Wolfe isn't terrible, you're just memeing and retarded.
There is a reason he is so highly respected by his peers and it's not because he's famous.

[Anonymous No.8493870]

>>8493867
Because he's a retarded 90 year old with alzheimers and they feel sorry for him, so they're complimenting him to not hurt his feelings.

[Anonymous No.8493904]

>>8493870
>>8493858
>>8493863
Don't feed these trolls, I don't like being elitist, but they're definitely too dumb to get Wolfe.

[Anonymous No.8493916]

>>8493904
>write bad, convoluted book
>insert some superficial symbolism to make it seem deep
>normal people: uh that sucks, i'll pass
>Wolfefags: WOW THIS IS AMAZING, literally changed my life, anyone who doesn't like this is too dumb to get it haha

[Anonymous No.8493970]

Does Blindsight have any more substance than the (correct) conclusion that humans are dumb and are therefore fucked if there happens to exist something, or someone, smarter?

[Anonymous No.8494082]

>>8493970
no

[Anonymous No.8494238]

>>8489395
Just read the golden compass I liked it a lot how does the other books hold up?

[Anonymous No.8494261]

>>8494238
Secon one is on a similar quality, then Amber Spyglass kind of veers off into love-it-or-hate-it territory

[Anonymous No.8494355]

I just finished this and it was actually very good. Book two when?

[Anonymous No.8494449]

>>8494355
gr8 b8 m8

[Anonymous No.8494481]

>>8494449

It's not bait. Have you read it? It seems like every that criticizes it does so because they don't like the author, and they make it obvious by not even talking about the book but the authors supposed racism in their reviews. The book itself is pretty unique due to the Roman fantasy setting and the author seems to enjoy subverting the readers expectations because it happens quite a bit throughout the book. The world and characters feel authentic.

[Anonymous No.8494482]

>>8494449
impartial third party here
What's wrong with it?

[Anonymous No.8494585]

>>8493113
It's 4chan the novel, so yes.

[Anonymous No.8494590]

>>8493272
>my autism is so high that everything must be explained in detail for me to enjoy it

[Anonymous No.8494595]

>>8494355
Fuck off, shill.

[Anonymous No.8494630]

>be me
>buying big pile of dinosaur-tier used books
>catch sight of Wise Man's Fear in premium $1 section as my purchase is being bagged
>consider blowing $1 on Memefuss
>walk over and pull it out of the shelf
>"Can I add one more?"
>nearby young woman turns to face me
>gestures at book
>"That's a really good book, you'll enjoy it :)"

Did I just get memed?

[Anonymous No.8494634]

>>8494630
Well yeah because it's the second book in a series

[Anonymous No.8494636]

>all this hate for books others recommended
>maybe people will read and actually admit that they liked my books this time

[Anonymous No.8494701]

>>8494634
Yes, I know. I have a massive backlog, so I just buy stuff as it's encountered, eventually filling out series.

[Anonymous No.8494704]

>>8494636
I like a decent percentage of your books - Johannes Cabal, Anathem, Jonathan Strange, based Strugatsky brothers, even Ocean at the End of the Lane is really nice for atmosphere - but then you go and add something like Furies of Calderon that even Butcher admits has a shit premise. And you've got Breeks tainting the whole fantasy section.

[Anonymous No.8494706]

>>8494595

Why so angry? I'm honestly curious.

[Anonymous No.8494739]

>>8494704
Hi breek anon, didn't see you in a while.
Where you been?

[Anonymous No.8494748]

>>8494636
>The Witcher
>GoT
>Sanderson

Hi redd1t.

[Anonymous No.8494751]

>>8494704
Codex Alera and Brent Weeks is better than a James Patterson book any day.

I've read 100s of books over the years, this is the best that might interest yall anons. I had to scrap my first chart because no one would even glance it's way because I has female authors section in it.

[Anonymous No.8494763]

>>8494636
Those aren't "your" books. I like a couple of them but hate most others. You basically have no taste so you threw in things of all levels.

[Anonymous No.8494771]

>>8494748
Never went there tbqh

Sanderson and GURM was recommended to me here on lit 5+ years ago.

If you are really a lit user(and not some redshitor trying to fit in) you would know me by list anon.

[Anonymous No.8494773]

>>8494763
My "recs" then

[Anonymous No.8494782]

>>8494751
>Codex Alera and Brent Weeks is better than a James Patterson book any day.
Well... sure... but that doesn't actually mean they're *good* as such, or have any interesting ideas in them. Not even fussed about female authors, Diana Wynne Jones or someone would also be better than those two.

[Anonymous No.8494785]

>>8494763
>You basically have no taste so you threw in things of all levels.

[Anonymous No.8494787]

>>8494748
>Hi guys, I'm going to pretend I don't like Sanderson even though I've read multiple books from him.

[Anonymous No.8494791]

>>8494636

If you're going to recommend books you should at least tell us what they're about or what you liked about them. All I see are random book covers.

[Anonymous No.8494795]

>>8494238
I've read The Golden Compass numerous times, I was only able to force myself through its sequels twice each.

[Anonymous No.8494796]

>>8494787
How am i supposed to know i dislike him before reading his books?

[Anonymous No.8494806]

>>8494795
so they're still good?

[Anonymous No.8494808]

>>8494796
It's actually very easy. I'm doing it right now.

[Anonymous No.8494811]

>>8494796
So, are you admitting that popular books belong to Reddit is that it?

[Anonymous No.8494820]

>>8494808
You're just following memes instead of forming your own opinion then.

[Anonymous No.8494839]

>>8494806
They're okay, they're very dull compared to the first.

[Anonymous No.8494909]

>>8494808
There is no excuse not to have read a book that you intent to criticise. This is /lit/ not a reddit circklejerk. It should barely take you longer than two and a half hours anyway you lazy shit.

[Anonymous No.8494949]

Unfamiliar with /lit/ and made an unnecessary thread.
>>8494895
Is Malazan good?

[Anonymous No.8494951]

I want to try Gene Wolfe.
Long or New sun?

[Anonymous No.8494976]

>>8494949
>really long
>PoVsplosion
Eh, I like it so far. Taking a break after Reaper's Gale. Supposedly begins a drop in quality at this point. Number of PoVs did make the last one drag a bit.

[Anonymous No.8494990]

>>8494355

That final battle was ridiculously good with the way the POV changed between characters. I've never seen anything like that done before.

[Anonymous No.8495004]

>>8494636
How dare the broken shit trilogy be next to Sabriel

[Anonymous No.8495007]

I recently read this while I enjoyed Tyen story I found Rielle to be quite boring and found myself half-reading her chapters. Does she get better in the sequel?

[Anonymous No.8495019]

>>8495004
make a better chart than plebchartanon, meme it, then everyone will forget about his

[Anonymous No.8495044]

>>8495019
There's this one from a while back

[Anonymous No.8495045]

Any suggestions for scifi/fantasy in the style of cold war spy/espionage thrillers?

[Anonymous No.8495069]

>>8493113
>Quantum Thief worth reading?
Yes it's fun af

[Anonymous No.8495073]

>>8494782
>fussed about female authors
How you feel about pic related?

[Anonymous No.8495078]

>>8494990
Inda does it miles better

[Anonymous No.8495079]

>>8495072
https://www.baen.com/Chapters/0671319590/0671319590.htm?blurb
>Planet Dilbia is in a crucial location for both humans and their adversaries, the Hemnoids. Therefore making friends with the Dilbians and establishing a human presence there is of the utmost importance, which may be a problem, since the bearlike Dilbians; stand some nine feet tall, and have a high regard for physical prowess. They're not impressed by human technology, either. A real man, er, bear doesn't need machines to do his work for him.

>But Dilbians are impressed by sharp thinking, and some have expressed a grudging admiration for the logical (and usually sneaky) mental maneuvers that the human "shorties" have used to get themselves out of desperate jams. Just maybe that old human craftiness will win over the Dilbians; to the human side. If not, we lose a nexus, and the Dilbians will learn just how unbearable Hemnoids can be....

[Anonymous No.8495084]

Lem is so underrated. I think he's the best. PKD has good stories and ideas, but I hate him as a writer.

[Anonymous No.8495092]

>>8494636
>maybe people will read and actually admit that they liked my books this time
Mate I've been reading your chart and eveything I've read is bad at best

Butcher and Ryan fuck the second book
Broken Empire is trash
Wexler takes forever for a relatively plot to happen
Painted Man is legit the worst written novel I've read
Powder Mage is the lowest of the sanderson clones
Even scifi suffers because of the strain being bollocks


I'm legit upset that you've recommended me so much crap fantasy

[Anonymous No.8495097]

>>8488853
currently reading Foundation (as in, the first 300 page booklet). what the fuck are people finding in that thing? it's the most dry peace of "literally nothing is happening" I've ever read.

all the interesting progress (how the foundation expands, etc.) seems to happen in between chapters, while the text itself seems to be concerned only with laying out the barely interesting details of how the various characters deal with crisis etc.

I haven't finished the book yet (50 pages or so from the end of the first one), so maybe I'm in for some massive reveal (for example, I'm not sure if that 'reduce 30k years of chaso to 1k years' is the true motivation for the foundation, would seem pretty fucking lame) or something, but so far I'm disappointed.

on another note, I finished seveneves a couple of weeks ago and it was alright. all the meat is in the first two acts, the "5000 years later" part seemed pretty lame. it was interesting to see how humanity evolved but it didn't seem all to believable and could've been way less drawn out.

[Anonymous No.8495108]

>>8489651
that's unfair. I read all of stephensons SJW garbage!

[Anonymous No.8495120]

What does this mean in the eye of the world? There's no context

>Perrin blinked; he had caught the edge of a wagoneers oath, and a coarse one.

[Anonymous No.8495122]

>>8490431
wasn't asimov a major gigolo?

[Anonymous No.8495126]

>>8495120
someone swore and he heard it

[Anonymous No.8495130]

>>8495084
I'm poll anon. Same opinions, and slightly sad that Lem didn't make the top, but not surprised.

Dick's writing was passable in Scanner, but too little too late.

[Anonymous No.8495143]

>>8494791
If you want to know you could ask about what caught your eye, or you could google it.

Looking for something specific?
You can say what you like in books and I could give you a recommendation.

The chart is just following the time ole methods used in bookstores.
You see a cover, it interests you? You pick it up and look at the blurb, but this is the internet.
If you have the ability to see my chart, you have access to google. Just google what peeks your interest and look at reviews of high and low ratings to form a concise decision to read or not.

If you are that info-chart anon, go fuck yourself. I already wasted hours making the chart as it is, only to have the naysayers shittalk about what was listed and what wasn't. You think I'll place blurbs under each rec? You are fucking delusional.

[Anonymous No.8495151]

>>8495143
>If you are that info-chart anon, go fuck yourself. I already wasted hours making the chart as it is

Hours? I could make something better than it in less than one. You suck lol

[Anonymous No.8495157]

>>8492410
well at some point later the book goes "oh btw we have wormholes now and disembodied voice of the detective is speaking to us" and goes full interstellar space travel non-hard-scifi

[Anonymous No.8495160]

>>8495007
As someone who enjoyed black magician and the age of the white series.. that millennium shit was just awful, I wouldn't read the sequel, nor recommend the first book to anyone.

[Anonymous No.8495168]

>>8493185
don't call me pseud you pseud

[Anonymous No.8495173]

>>8495160
Had the exact same opinion

Age of the Five is like my favourite world in fantasy ever

So disappointed by her new series

[Anonymous No.8495201]

I'm thinking of starting Neal Asher's Polity series, should I go with publication order or chronologically?

[Anonymous No.8495204]

>>8495092
>he strain being bollocks
>doesn't like the devil being a vampire and ruling the world

[Anonymous No.8495217]

>>8495204
like the concept but it gets tired before the end of book one

[Anonymous No.8495222]

>>8495151
then do it faggot and stop shitposting
show the chartfag you are better
need new charts anyways

[Anonymous No.8495238]

>>8495151
>I could make something better than it in less than one.
You're a big guy. The graphics may be simple, but compiling a list takes time. My chart took hours as well.

[Anonymous No.8495243]

>>8495222
Please yes, trips confirm.

I think chartanon is a gaping faggot as well. Please offer counterweights.

[Anonymous No.8495250]

>>8495201
Go to his Wikipedia article. They list the books in order.

internal chronological order[7]

Prador Moon
Shadow of the Scorpion
Gridlinked
The Line of Polity
Brass Man
Polity Agent
Line War
The Technician
Dark Intelligence
War Factory[8]
The Skinner
The Voyage of the Sable Keech
Orbus
Hilldiggers

How i read them, but I stopped at dark intelligence

[Anonymous No.8495257]

>>8495222
>>8495243
>>8495238
>Being generous to constantly bitching ingrates with temperaments of drug addicted high school dropouts, in addition to contributing to a cesspool of a board that's 90% shitposting.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

[Anonymous No.8495269]

>>8495257
>notice me senpai is generosity

[Anonymous No.8495331]

I just finished reading Elantris. I thought it was pretty decent for your average high fantasy adventure story. Weakest point IMO was how he spent the time setting up the priest's crisis of faith, but it felt like it got cut short.

[Anonymous No.8495335]

>>8495331
I liked that it was a complete story in one volume.

It kind of brought the idea of an ending back to fantasy

[Anonymous No.8495362]

>>8495335
Yeah that was nice too. Standalone stories, or even unconnected books in the same setting, are far too uncommon these days.

>oh boy it's a interesting looking fantasy/scifi book on the new arrivals shelf at the library
>"Book 3 of 5 in the Codex of the Overwrought Fantasy Name Cycle: This time they spend 250 pages traveling because it's a filler book"
>"Book 9 of 16 in the Slabb Bulkhed, Star Pyrate series. 'Baen keeps giving me contracts, I have no idea why' says author in interview"

[Anonymous No.8495436]

>>8493314
What really bothers me is the way his farmer boys interact with importante people and kings. Every one is acessible. Its retarded really.

[Anonymous No.8495512]

>>8495436
If anything to me that threw me off was the relationship between Rand and his three gfs.

And the pity party he had going on. Hated reading his parts. I stopped reading after book 9 I think, couldn't really be bothered by it. I'm now reading the mazalan series and really enjoying it.

[Anonymous No.8495575]

>>8495512
Does he write in a self indulging way like bakker and wolfe? What I mean is: is he readable to people who have an average vocabulary? English is not my native language.

I hate authors who resort to fancy words to show off. In any language.

[Anonymous No.8495597]

>>8494785

Hey, an Andre Norton sighting.

[Anonymous No.8495611]

>>8495575
Jordan writes like a child who only knows 200 words. It's the extreme opposite of wolfe

He's so repetitive

[Anonymous No.8495621]

>>8494238
Sequel is pretty good, author couldn't handle upping the scale in the third and it crashes and burns.

[Anonymous No.8495657]

>>8495611
What about sanderson. I find him readable.

[Anonymous No.8495682]

>>8495097
I'm sorry that Asimov didn't turn e first Foundation novel into a 14-book series so he could spoon feed you everything. I'd recommend Robert Jordan, Sanderson, or perhaps GRRM if you need more pages to read.

[Anonymous No.8495805]

I haven't finished a single fucking story in months /sffg/. I can write in maybe three day bursts before I lose interest in my story, or try to change it necessitating a full-rewrite that never gets off the ground. I don't know how to control myself and just. fucking. write.

I'm disgusted with what's become of myself

[Anonymous No.8495809]

>>8490642
The point is though that federal service is mostly military.

When you signed up you basically gave them a blank piece of paper that said 'just fuck my shit up'. Sure you could be a paper pusher, or you could be a fucking cap trooper or field testing dangerous shit. And if you refused the service that you were assigned you were fucked for voting for the rest of your life.

Especially given that most of the cruisy desk jobs probably went to cripples and older people.

[Anonymous No.8496317]

>>8495331
Hrathen for best Sanderson character.

[Anonymous No.8496449]

>>8492758
bumping for interest

[Anonymous No.8496678]

>>8495097
The fact stuff happens inbertween is a crucial aspect of the narrative, and part of what gives Foundation such a sense of a scale.

waiting until Foundation and Empire if you're desperate for action

[Anonymous No.8496685]

>>8495805
Just write short stories

Or use your short bursts to your advantage, tell a larger story from multiple perspectives with shorter stories. Maybe a military book which is told through extremely short accounts of various soldiers before they die?

Or just snort some Ritalin idk man

[Anonymous No.8496733]

>>8494238
I loved "The Subtle Knife" as much as the first book. The last one is shit though. Pullman went completely over the top and couldn't handle the insane scale.

[Anonymous No.8496773]

>>8496317
>Nothing I do is just for show

[Anonymous No.8496788]

>>8492758
>self-hating, self-loathing, oh-no-i-have-so-much-power-but-i-am-unhappy drama queens.
>>8496449
You could try fifth season, one of the few modern books where the protagonist doesn't do shit to seem more human.

You know some books where someone kills your loved one, they swear that they would kill him, and go on a campaign killing underlings... but when they meet the person face to face they don't do shit, the author tries to make them "more human" that way.... pisses me off, well none of that in fifth season.

Johannes Cabal also isn't a pussy, kills and doesn't try to find the philosophical meaning to life. He uses his power to the fullest.

Black Company has that too, but I don't know if you are willing to go through with all of the books.

You could also try some of BV Larson's other books, like the mech series.

Or Neal Asher's shadow of the scorpion, futuristic earth is battling armoured space crabs that want to breed us and use us as livestock because we are delicious to them.

[Anonymous No.8497056]

>>8495097
That's because Foundation is basically a short stories collection about "social-cosmic detective stories" just like Robots were "robot mystery stories"

Asimov wanted to write future Sherlock Holmes

[CS !ONk14TfQNk No.8497219]

>>8497056
That form worked well in Bradbury's Martian Chronicles, too. I'd like more SF books like in that format, linked short stories.

[Anonymous No.8497265]

>>8497219
Van Vogt wrote a lot of fix-up.
Also Simak's City.

[Anonymous No.8497453]

One thing I've wondered about fantasy and science fiction literature, how come there are rarely Illuminati type groups exploiting events for personal gain and profit? I'd like to see that done, especially in a fantasy setting.

[Anonymous No.8497474]

>>8497453
Without trying to sound critical the idea of the illuminati is pretty stupid.

And it hasn't existed for that long. Most good and discussed sci-fi is fairly old and before the idea of the illuminati took off. I can't talk for fantasy.

I'm certain what you're describing does exist, cue anons below me listing relevant material.

[CS !ONk14TfQNk No.8497500]

>>8497265
Where to even begin with A.E. Van Vogt? His bibliography is large.

[Anonymous No.8497512]

>>8496685
Anon, its the short stories I can't finish. I don't have the attention span to even finish one of them! At this rate I can only finish flash fiction!

[Anonymous No.8497532]

>>8497453
Check out Europe at Midnight.

>>8497474
It's especially stupid when you consider that the actual Illuminati was a Freemason/Rosicrucian style group of rationalists and anti-clericalists who were all "smash the pope, philosophy now" instead of "secret cabal runs everything."

[Anonymous No.8497533]

>>8497512
The stories I write are 1-2000 words long. If you really can't finish a 1200 word novella off I don't know what to say.

Glass of water?
Coffee?
Hard drugs?

[Anonymous No.8497546]

>>8497474
>And it hasn't existed for that long. Most good and discussed sci-fi is fairly old and before the idea of the illuminati took off.
Are you a pseudo intellectual trying to sound smart? The Illuminati was around before the most of the books discussed here... They were formed before Americlaps got their independence.

[Anonymous No.8497559]

>>8497532
People want to believe in such organizations because it's oddly more comforting than the terrifying possibility that nobody is in control and shit just happens for no reason.

[Anonymous No.8497568]

>>8495120
I think that was Egwene swearing wasn't it? Basically he just barely heard it and wasn't sure he heard right. There's no real swearing in Jordan's books, get used to descriptions like those. Or when you meet Uno or when Matt gets better you'll have tons of fake swearing.

[Anonymous No.8497577]

>>8497533
maybe that's my problem. The introduction to my short story is 2000 words long

[Anonymous No.8497616]

Looking for some nice Eastern fantasy, meaning set in the East, either by Western or Eastern authors. I'm reading Hearn right now and liking him, and I loved Bridge of Birds, but that's pretty much where my knowledge ends. How are Musashi and Romance of the Three Kingdoms? More just culturally relevant, or are they actually good reads?

Especially looking for some Warring States era shit or anything that takes place in Asia outside of China/Japan.

[Anonymous No.8497642]

>>8497616
Tales of the Otori by Gillian Rubinstein. Though I only read the original trilogy, I kinda lost interest by book 4 or so.

There's also Shogun by James Clavell if you'd rather historical fiction than fantasy.

[Anonymous No.8497646]

>>8497616
The Grace of Kings by Ken Liu

[Anonymous No.8497658]

>>8497642
>>8497646
That's actually what I'm reading now, didn't realize Lian Hearn was a pen name. The rest look good, though, thanks!

[Anonymous No.8497677]

>>8497616
I read a book a while back called Black Wolves by Kate Elliot which was good, basic premise (IIRC) was that a general from Fantasy China invaded a neighboring country and set himself up as king, but he dies and his heir gets assassinated in favor of a younger brother. Something like 70 years later one of the general's secret policemen gets called back to duty by the younger brother to save the kingdom.

[Anonymous No.8497694]

>>8497577
SHORT story anon, SHORT story. Read some magazines stuff, that's always hella short.

>>8497559
I mean the popular idea of the illuminate, which has only really been going in a big way since the 90s. I'm sure tinfoils today love showing photos from the like 1960s of the eye of providence on some obscure building but people back then didn't care. It's not like the Illuminati is real anyway.

[Anonymous No.8497700]

>>8495682
ayy lmao. literally nothing happened in 300 pages, the absolute last I want is it to be drawn out into a '14 book series'

[Anonymous No.8497716]

>>8496678
I don't care about action, what I'm talking about is the fact that everything that is there in text is relatively meaningless. the introductory chapter that sets it up is nice, how they use religion to get the first couple of solar systems under their control is nice, but literally all the rest of what is described in text, sub text, or implied to have happened in between the chapters, seems pretty meaningless. as in, I absolutely do not see the point of it being there at all, instead of a shortened version that conveyed the same information in 10 pages or less

[Anonymous No.8497810]

Kinda want to read something else like Red Rising which has that training school/battle royale but concept without totally falling into YA territory

Is there anything else like that out there? Doesn't matter if fantasy or sf

[Anonymous No.8497812]

>>8497500
Probably Slan and/or Null-A. They're easy to find classics and they'll give you a taste of what he's about enough to decide if you want to start digging into his bibliography.

[Anonymous No.8497888]

Why are these threads so shit?

Literally reddıt tier analysis and endless /r/ing.

So bad.

[Anonymous No.8497911]

>>8497888
Quote the "good" posts you made this thread.

[Anonymous No.8497943]

/r/ good cyberpunk books.
No Neuro pls

[Anonymous No.8497975]

>>8497943
Altered Carbon

[Anonymous No.8497980]

>>8497888
/lit/ as a whole is one of the worst five boards. The sooner you learn that the better.

[Anonymous No.8498010]

>>8497888
That's all they're really here to be, a place where sff fans recommend books to each other

/lit/'s never been good for "discussion" but it's become appalling for it since some twats from other boards decided to try and take it over

[Anonymous No.8498040]

>>8497943
>cyberpunk

None of them.

[Anonymous No.8498047]

>>8497911
No point in trying to contribute unless there's a solid base of about 5 other people.

Back to shitposting it is.

[Anonymous No.8498065]

>>8497980
/lit/, /v/, /b/ and /tv/ spring to mind. What would you consider a fifth? /co/? /int/? I consider /int/ and exceptional board at its one job (International meming) but I know others dislike it.

To stay on track let me just say the Book of the New Sun starts too bloody slow.

Also is pic related the ship from Tau Zero?

[Anonymous No.8498082]

>>8498065
>call board bad
>WAH THIS BOOK IS TOO SLOW
So this is who the moaners are

[Anonymous No.8498090]

>>8498082
>call board slow kind of as a joke seeing as I'm on it you dingus
>not recognising the Wolfe meme

You've given yourself up at this point

[Anonymous No.8498099]

>>8498090
This is your problem, all your personally have to add is non-points and when you're called out on these they become "memes" to excuse criticism you contribute absolutely nothing and yet moan

[Anonymous No.8498147]

>>8498065
>all the boards I visit are shit

Every board in 4chan is shit except for this one. At least for me. I have no shame admitting that i started reading thanks to /sff/. And by reading I mean always having a book to read after work, virtually evey day.

[Anonymous No.8498169]

>>8498099
Hey man a post is a post. I think most people here would readily admit that /sff/ has been on a slow and stead decline since it was first created.

Literature in general doesn't really need an image board format to discuss it.

People read books over quite a long time, and at their own pace. There's no real massive surge in popularity in literature, so there isn't huge amounts of fan related content produced. There will never be a "stream" or "first look" at a book to discuss in real time on /sff/, and even if there was something remotely close to that, there's no way enough people would be here to make it a worthwhile experience.

Genuine discussion, of specific series and novels does certainly exist, but the fact it's often lost among the throng of memes and ask for recommendations isn't really anyone's fault. There will always be more new readers than those already versed in the genres, and there will always be more meming idiots than serious posters.

If non-points weren't posted here, this general would stagnate and die in a matter of hours. Have you never been on 4chan ever? That's what this entire site is about. Trawling through stupid and useless shit until you find something interesting.

[Anonymous No.8498171]

is Gene Wolfe a good writer?
What do you think /ssftfu/?

[Anonymous No.8498173]

>>8498171
Fuck off

[Anonymous No.8498176]

>>8498169
>If non-points weren't posted here, this general would stagnate and die in a matter of hours. Have you never been on 4chan ever? That's what this entire site is about. Trawling through stupid and useless shit until you find something interesting.

That would be tolerable if it was about 80:20 shitposting to discussion, but it's more like 95:5 shitposting to discussion. It's overwhelmingly unbearably redddit posting. I don't even visit the /sffg/s anymore. Abandon ship.

[Anonymous No.8498184]

[Anonymous No.8498191]

>>8498171
>>8498184
/stfuf/? (science-topical fictional unbearable faggotry)

[Anonymous No.8498213]

>>8495597
Yeah, she seems to have written slightly under a billion books. Got quite a few in my backlog.

[Anonymous No.8498229]

>>8498173
>8498173
That was a legit question m8

[Anonymous No.8498266]

>>8498229
Who shat you to existence?

[Anonymous No.8498283]

>>8498266
/sffg/

[Anonymous No.8498587]

>>8497642
Seconding Shogun.

[Anonymous No.8498589]

>>8489881
It only gets good on the second read through of the quadrilogy.

Here's what'll happen
>1: meh
>2: hmm
>3: dat alzabo tho
>4: daaaang

>1 again: oh shit
>2 again: hmmm
>3 again: no way
>4 again: oh my fuck :')

Real talk your first read through can be light so long as you are getting the overall picture of whats going on. It gets more enjoyable as it goes on, but the first book is slow.

Take a break of a few months.

Come back and read the quadrilogy again, this time read it in detail. Use the knowledge of what will happen in the books to pick out how fleshed out the world really is and all the subtle links and exposition that didn't make a lot of sense the first time around.

[Anonymous No.8498605]

>>8493029
>armigers, chatelaines and ophicleides
You aren't supposed to know what these words mean outside of the context you get from the book. Its clear that armigers and chatelaines are some kind of class of people. Making that association and vaguely understanding whether they are nobles or peasants or whatever is good enough. At the end of one of the books, Wolfe details what the classes actually are.

[Anonymous No.8498611]

what are some comfy /sffg/ books?

[Anonymous No.8498631]

>>8488853
What's /sffg/'s opinion on Terry Pratchett?

[Anonymous No.8498636]

>>8498611
Tau Zero is pretty comfy... I mean, as comfy as you can get and still have an actual problem or conflict in a book.

Rendezvous with Rama is also pretty comfy (don't read the sequels)

[Anonymous No.8498638]

>>8498631
Shit for plebs

[Anonymous No.8498645]

>>8498631
Worth reading. After the first few he tries for feels along with comedy and sometimes he pulls it off.

I dropped it after the setting became too much of a modern analogue.

Best book is Reaper Man.

[Anonymous No.8498665]

>>8498645
>I dropped it after the setting became too much of a modern analogue.
It always was desu

You probably just don't notice it because the first books are in the context of 80's britain

[Anonymous No.8498713]

>>8498631
Neat guy, best books are the mid-period Watch ones (and Nation).

[Anonymous No.8498752]

>>8494820
>>8494909
Why should I waste my time reading a book in which I have no interest? I'm not a fan of fantasy novels.

It's not as if I'm on here, spamming up the thread with constant memery (unlike some people), I just made a simple comment pointing out that it's not for everyone.

[Anonymous No.8498756]

C.S. Friedman is really really good

Pretty sure there was just one random post here last week about Coldfire that I found out about her from but thanks

[Anonymous No.8498800]

I'm hoping someone here can assist me.

I'm looking for a novel in the sci fi or fantasy genre that isn't complete shit/written for 8th graders. I haven't read anything enjoyable in a while. Malazan was DBZ, WoT was just the same cunty woman and useless side characters, and I'm so damn tired of the black and white morals so many of these authors assign

as fucking plebian as it is I really enjoyed game of thrones. The characters aren't flat, the setting is gritty and I gave a shit what happened to them. Shit on my taste but please give me some recommendations

[Anonymous No.8498826]

>>8498800
Here's some that I've enjoyed
Blood Song
Shattered Sea Trilogy
The First Law Trilogy+Red Country
Heroes Die, Blade of Tyshalle, Caine Black Knife, Caine's Law
Eskarr Saga
The Strongbow Saga
The Farseer Trilogy
The Tawny Man Trilogy
The Fitz and The Fool
The Hangman's Daughter series
and of course Lord of the Rings, if you haven't read it

[Anonymous No.8498839]

>>8498826
Thank you for the recommendations! I've saved the list and will look into each.

Are there any in that list that you'd recommend beginning with/are a personal favorite?

[Anonymous No.8498840]

>>8498800
The famous quote is, The golden age of Science Fiction is twelve.

I don't think you can enjoy the genre unless you can accept that, at least to some degree.

[Anonymous No.8498875]

>>8498840
What do you recommend doing? I've tried cultivating a taste for other genres but they feel flat and boring to me.

I've had my fair share of classics in high school/college and I can appreciate them but not fall in love with them

Are my best times behind me?

[Anonymous No.8498876]

>>8498800
Read pic related.
Also, For a Breath I Tarry by Zelazny is a quick and very satisfying read.

[CS !ONk14TfQNk No.8498894]

>>8498875
i don't know anyone who didn't like ray bradbury's martian chronicles. he writes simply but with a poet's ear for prose.

[Anonymous No.8498896]

>>8498800
Well go in at the deep end and read Gormenghast

Then come back here in a week and bitch that it's too wordy
>and I'm so damn tired of the black and white morals so many of these authors assign
lol, the biggest problem with the past decade of fantasy is everyone doing muh grey morality edgelords

Read KJ Parker, Black Company or Richard Morgan if you insist upon having that, at least they're good at it

[Anonymous No.8498909]

>>8498894
It's yer lucky day tripfag, I thought they were mediocre. Only read them once though. We'll see how the eventual second chance evaluation goes. It's possible I just wasn't in the right mood.

[Anonymous No.8498911]

>>8498756
>tfw you will never read Coldfire again for the first time
Gerry carries the book though.

[Anonymous No.8498913]

>>8498875
I'm not sure. You could maybe wait it out, read /lit/ stuff until you're over the hump and can forgive twelve-year-old boys for being what they are.

Or maybe take a more analytical approach to stuff you used to wallow in. There's a fun Great Courses lecture series on sci-fi that rekindled my interest in the genre. Maybe tracking the books discussed in that will give the stories the added dimensions of a reader, a time and a place.

There's a torrent floating around of it and a writeup here http://www.sfsignal.com/archives/2016/02/great-science-fiction-works-course-sf-gary-k-wolfe/

[Anonymous No.8498937]

>>8498896
I did try black company but it was edgy for the sake of being edgy and I couldn't get into it.

I'm fine with morals but there has to be reasoning to it. Not just "killing is bad and im not bad"

[Anonymous No.8498944]

>>8498896
And also thank you for the Gormenghast recommendation. it looks promising

[CS !ONk14TfQNk No.8498946]

>>8498909
all the descriptions of mars - cities like ancient chess pieces, wine flowing in canals, the music, the depiction of a culture that had balanced life and art, then debased by ignorance. that's the good part.

[Anonymous No.8498961]

Goodreads is a pretty incredible indictment of reader, there's so many reviews complaining that the author doesn't infodump at the beginning

>>8498911
He's da best boy.
Wish half the other authors attempting villain povs read coldfire and took notes

[Anonymous No.8498964]

>>8498913
Thank you so much for your recommendations!

[Anonymous No.8498979]

>>8498961
>Goodreads is a pretty incredible indictment of reader, there's so many reviews complaining that the author doesn't infodump at the beginning
That's why you reading reviews has value. Being forced to explain their opinions surely reveals which reviewers are complete idiots, and which ones you might consider listening to.

[Anonymous No.8499031]

>>8498946
Those descriptions were in turn debased by my attention span. What did I mean by this?

[Anonymous No.8499038]

I just found out that Robert Jordan was a Free Mason.

I kept coming across strange references in The Wheel of Time.

I just noticed

"Do you follow the craft or not? You look as if you have been traveling."

Free Masons greet each other (one way) by asking if they are a Traveling Man, or if they follow the craft.


http://13depository.blogspot.com/2002/03/freemasonry-and-wheel-of-time.html?m=1


After learning much of Masonic mythology this story is even more rich.

[Anonymous No.8499042]

>>8498800
Red rising

[Anonymous No.8499050]

>>8499038
This quote was from the Dragon Reborn chapter 48

[Anonymous No.8499062]

Someone made a new thread
>>8498819
>>8498819
>>8498819

[Anonymous No.8499272]

>>8497219
A lot of Gene Wolfe's books are like that. Like 5th head of cerberus. Also a lot of New Sun feels this way, eg the brown book interludes, the library chapter, the master Ash chapter.

[Anonymous No.8499296]

>>8488853
I really don't think that Asimov is a good writer, his genius shows more with the world he created.

[Anonymous No.8499312]

>>8498631
He wrote many books, many of which are good.

[Anonymous No.8499323]

>>8498800
Maybe you should try reading something by Alastair Reynolds, like Revelation Space or Chasm City for example.

>>8499042
>Red rising
This is technically young adult, and despite the moral gimmicks it boils down to the evil overlords ruling over the innocent rest.

[Anonymous No.8499734]

>>8498040
Unfortunately, this.

[Anonymous No.8499898]

Anyone read this? It felt like a short story taken too far