Challenge From Beyond edition>Recommended reading charts. (Look here before asking for vague recs)https://mega.nz/folder/kj5hWI6J#0cyw0-ZdvZKOJW3fPI6RfQ/folder/4rAmSZxb>Archive>https://warosu.org/lit/?task=search2&search_subject=sffg>Goodreadshttps://www.goodreads.com/group/show/1029811-sffgPrevious Thread: >>23962354
post the best haremshit
Finished reading this last night, on an anon's recommendation some weeks ago. I was halfway through the book when I concluded that this wasn't going to be about a magical adventure at all. It was in fact a low-fantasy character study about a man coming back home from war and healing his soul, and could very well have been set in real-life medieval Europe. Then pretty much on the very next chapter it suddenly took a drastic turn and the book went from "slice of medieval life about former soldier trying to rebuild" to an exciting story full of intrigue and magic. After reading so much about the main character's, Cazaril's, suffering, I started to think that the curse referred to in the title was a metaphor for the war afflicting the land, only to soon discover that nope, there's a very real magical curse that he now has to deal with. Overall, 7/10 I had a pretty good time reading this, would recommend. Didn't grab me enough to immediately want to read the sequels, but if I can't come across anything interesting in the near future, the other Chalion books will be there for me to fill my time.
What are some whimsical fantasy novels like pic-related?
You guys weren't joking about scifi being woke. I checked the hugo award list and the last 10 years every single book has a female main protag, half of them speak about gender issue and the rest is about colonialism
>>23972301Just read 20th-century stuff. There's enough good sci-fi and fantasy to last you your whole life.
>>23972289The sequel is much more chick-lit than Chalion so I wouldn't recommend it purely on the basis of having enjoyed Chalion>>23972295Discworld?>>23972301https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/conquests-laws-john-derbyshire/
seventh for Mat Cathon's calves
>>23972302Sure, and this is why I didn't see it until you guys talked to me about it. Has anyone read The Calculating Stars, this thing almost sound a something a talented troll from here could write
>>23972301literary awards have become utterly unreliable
>>23972301Read Theft of Fire. The author is a socialist hating Trump supporter.Its a great read.
---Spoiler for Unholy Consult---So what exactly did the Celmomian Prophecy accomplish? The prophecy was real, provided to Celmomas by the Gods (or one of them), but the Gods cant see the No-God so it was kind of a false prophecy?
>>23972406>Read Theft of Fire.no I don't think I will
>>23972426based on the shitty cover? fair enough.
>>23972301I am not a racist and I have 0 knowledge on world politics but I noticed that book awards go to african american authors or queer authors most of the time. I don't understand why. It seems like they're limiting themselves to less books that way.
More like this?https://sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/cosy_catastrophe
>>23972459I can only think of the manga Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou
>>23972406Your Neo nazi elon worshipping bitcoin grifter who you're trying to stealth promote favorite author is one of those weird asses with multiple wives.
>>23972459>coined by Brian W AldissOf course it would be him. Check out thw Monk and Robot novels, although>Becky Chambers
>>23972472>Yokohama Kaidashi Kikousenpai-tachi
>>23972475Four.More.Years.
>>23972475haha oh no, multiple wives, how terrible
>>23972477sex with alpha
>>23972459I'm struggling to think of an apocalypse story that doesn't slot into this category, if only vaguely. There must be distinctly and deliberately angry and vivacious apocalypse stories but I can't think of any
There's a TV Tropes pagehttps://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/CosyCatastrophe
I know The Sunlit Man takes place after Stormlight but do you guys think you should read before Wind and Truth?
>>23972426That's a pretty decent cover for modern standards.
>>23972501Well Sanderson certainly intended for you to read it first since he published it first lol
>>23972459Tunnel in the Sky
What are some over-the-top fantasy books? Books where characters can level mountains with their fists, jump to the moon, etc?
recommend a third person Book of the New Sun please.
>>23972713Book of the Long Sun and Book of the Short Sun
>>23972638Marvel Cinematic Universe Superhero storiesMagic the Gathering Planeswalker XianxiaLitrpgProgression fantasy
Should I stick to Dragons of Autumn Twilight until I finish it, or take a break to read one of the Witcher Short Stories in the Last Wish?
>>23972914>Dragons of Autumn TwilightWhich characters do you like so far?>Sturm, Raistlin, FlintKeep reading>Tanis, CaramonIt's a tossup.>Riverwind, GoldmoonRead Witcher.>Tasslehoffkys yourself
>>23972954Tasselhoff just kept showing up in books he had no business being in
>>23972496The Road isn't very cosy.
>>23972961the writers needed a kender, dwarf, or gnome for every time travel story, and Tass was popular for some reason
Im on book 2 of red rising and honestly its been a pretty fun ride, even if the writing and characters can be a bit juvenile at times. The biggest draw for me is where the series will end up, now that we're done with the obligatory school tournament arc
I know these tie in books are usually pretty mediocre, but i might as well ask, anyone read it? The trailer for exodus looked pretty good and all the info thats coming out about it is pretty interesting, so i was thinking of giving the book a chance and i also really miss mass effect
>>23972954I don't really have a character I out and out hate, but Tas is my least favorite yeah.
>>23973097>where the series will end up, now that we're done with the obligatory school tournament arcPain and suffering
Anyone read this series? It sounds a lot better and not as edgy as Prince series
>>23972418Time doesn’t exist in the Outside. It was Ajokli/Kellhus making a self-fulfilling prophecy about himself.
>>23972301Wrong. The Children of Time Won best series and it was written by a white guy. Also he rejected the award because chick's stacked the deck last year
Give me the best and most shameless wish fulfillment fantasy series filled with cute girls made for cis straight white men
>>23973286The Broken Sword? It's a fantastic book. The elf chicks are sluts. But I don't think you actually want a good book
GOAT
>>23972301>checked the hugo award listTheres where you went wrong
>>23973286Lots of Heinlein books. Check out Glory Road or the Lazarus Long books.
Finally finished The Witcher, now I feeling empty at least to December
>>23973501>at least to December?
>>23973286My diary desu ne
>>23973573New Witcher book is getting released in December.
>>23973690oh shit i thought wapchklpski died
>>23973328>But I don't think you actually want a good bookWhat makes you think wish fulfillment stuff can't have good writing?
Is there any series that combines conventional s&s fantasy and cosmic horror?
>>23973821Bskker
>>23973825Which one
>>23973858THE one
>>23973866???
>>23973892
>>23973898Oh great, now the bakkerfag has found generative ai art. >We are now one shitpost closer to our robot overlords
>>23973258Didn't check best series. Is it good?
KING status?
Seth Dickonson wrote a lot of the crazy alien lore for Destiny, which has always intrigued me. What are your thoughts on The Traitor Baru Cormorant? The way it's described makes me worry that it's lesbian-core.
>>23972287 these authors will get you startedTamryn TamerCebeliusRandi DarrenMisty Vixen
Brittanybros we are so fucking back
>>23972301Literally disregard anything written post-2010 (except Tad Williams's new Osten Ard series) and you'll be much happier. Wokeness was seeping into stuff in the 2000s but at least they somewhat disguised it with actual good stories.
>>23974094I loved herald of shalia. Anything more like it?
>>23973821Kane.
>>23974419The one written by wagner or rick riordan?
>>23974487About halfway thought this book and I am impressed and mad about how this book made one fantasy world invading another so bloody boring. There is time skips everywhere with 'it's a stalemate and the front's haven't moved in X years.'I got recommended this from /tg/ and I wonder why. Is this one of those longass series that 'gets good' three books in
>>23974556If anything the series only gets worse over time, but the ones Janny Wurts cowrote are the peak
So I keep seeing recommendations for the Expanse all over the internet, but I see it criticized here.. My question is this: is it like Red Rising where it's poppy scifi but still really fun to read and interesting? Or is it reddit scifi where it is poppy to the point of being like marvel? What are the downsides of the series?
>Be a man, age 103 spending 50 years in a mental battle against an alien race. Not wavering once.>time has come to pass the torch>woman successor who values maternal instinct, love and peace ruined all previous effort within 15 minholy shit I haven't laughed like this in quite some time
>>23974617the problem with this series is it goes from contemporary earth to near future to far future to "WTF is even happening." Most scifi authors can only write one period well, so it is bound to fail in some aspects. It was a fun series but it doesn't hold up to good scifi imo, particularly the end. The first book was the best of the three
>>23974623Ehh I haven't finished it but so far I like it. I just found that moment to be very funny. As if the author (again) points out that women shouldn't be people with such huge responsibility where emotions could lead to disaster
>>23974625right I was just speaking more broadly about the series
>>23974487Wagner.
>>23974617It's Chyna. They're based in treatment of women.
>>23974639>Chyna
>>23974697Yes?
>>23973928>now
>>23974699Rip queen
>>23973099just read the revelation space trilogy. it's what bioshit ripped ME's story from>>23973928he's been doing it for some time now. part of the reason why the thread is unbearable for actual discussion.
>>23973222>Children of Timethe only mark lawrence book i have read was prince of thorns, it was bloody awfuli would steer clear of his work
Anyone got an ebook copy of Navigator’Children? Haven’t found it yet
>>23974975It's on Mobilism.
>>23972295Clark Ashton Smith's stories. Pretty sure Vance actually credits him as an inspiration.Fritz Leiber's Lankhmar stories are fairly similar in tone and they do get similarly whimsical.Some of Lord Dunsany's stories as well.
>>23972638A large chunk, but not all, of Xianxia.Once they start mentioning how the huge empire of billions of people is actually just a dinky little backwater that cultivators avoid for lack of aura or once they start involving space and other planets it's usually one of the high powered ones.
>>23974617>>Be a man, age 103 spending 50 years in a mental battle against an alien race. Not wavering once.>>time has come to pass the torch>>woman successor
>>23973813name 3
Pale LightsDungeon Crawler CarlOne Piece
>>23975353hope you're joking
It's that time again folks, thoughts on Goodreads choices this year?https://www.goodreads.com/choiceawards/readers-favorite-fantasy-books-2024https://www.goodreads.com/choiceawards/readers-favorite-science-fiction-books-2024
>>23975525Sadly they're all pozzed.
>>23972250Any scifi that have with wacky space time as a major factor in world building besides Vinges A fire upon the deep? I think i just outperformed myself in creativity to an insane degree and wrote a an outline for a scifi plot in a bit over an hour from scratch. The most glaring problem with it has to do with how to make the world to make sense with drastically different time perspectives. Could use inspiration since i don't want this thing to completely fizzle out as it usually does.
Can I skip thuvia maid of mars and go right to chessmen of mars? The plot of that one doesn't seem that interesting
I have predominantly spent my literary brain cells on lit-rpg during this decade. Is there any mentally edifying traditionally published text from within this decade that would convince me to convert back to the crusted teet of sensitivity tested literature?
>>23975847No. You can't go back. As with any who dwell in the dark for too long, light has become anathema.
>>23975525Hey there's that 6'7 guy book in fantasy section.
Any decent books (series or independent) with fantasy Middle-East / India things going on?
>>23975957Bakker unironically.
>>23975839You can skip any story after the first three. From Thuvia onwards they are almost entirely standalone.
>>23973930It's good. Better than The Expanse
>>23975855Alas, what I feared has come to 4chanpass.
Is A Fire Upon the Deep good, worth reading? The general setting seems interesting, but is the story itself good and well written? I keep seeing it get mentioned in all the Top-## lists of space sci-fi, but unsure if I should pick it up, 400 pages is a commitment for this kind of genre literature
>>23976095Not really.
I finally finished the new Dungeon Crawler Carl. What a fucking ending.
>>23975639The Eighty-Minute Hour, by Brian Aldiss
Any recommendations for a novel or series that realistically tries to predict our world around or shortly after the year 2100? I'm especially interested in orbital politics being a factor. Even if it's told from a more non-fiction POV like George Friedman's Next 100 Years and his shot at trying to predict geopolitical developments around technology in the century to come.Planetes is one of my favourite stories, but I've always imagined sociopolitical dynamics in orbital space to be a bit more.../Corporate/. Not saying that stuff wasn't necessarily there in the background, but it was much more concerned with nation-state exploitation when touching on anything political. Not that I need one way or the other, just looking for more in general.
>>23976185Transhuman Space, but it's an RPG setting. I don't know of any novels but they could exist.Isaac Arthur's "Colonizing the Solar System" series on youtube
>>23976185oh and also John Lumpkin's "Through Struggle, the Stars", maybe
>>23976185Oh, just for a wide enough net, I'm also extremely interested in any Academic's forecast of technological (and related social) progress, whether it's a Theoretical Physicist or active Aerospace Engineer. As with Friedman it doesn't have to be fiction-oriented, closer to Speculative based on actual science.>>23976194>>23976196Nice try, Mr. Lumpkin. Kidding, will check the book out. Isaac Arthur channel also looks interesting (potentially as well as Fraser Cain, who hosts the first part of that series you mentioned.) Thanks!
Quandary: is weird west/western books with fantasy elements appropriate for this thread?
I'm just starting Memories of Ice I have a rough idea of how powerful some of these cosmic beings can be but for example if you were to drop Sauron, Femto, and Kellhus into this Malazan universe where would they fall under the power scale compared to your typical Malazan Pantheon?
>>23976299Sure, why not.
How come I don't see any mention of James Hogan's Inherit the Stars series here? It's in my handful of favourite sci-fi series ever. I know why it's not more well known in the west (Hint: It's anti-semitic at its core), but that doesn't hold here.
>>23976324The Crippled God already shows you what happens when a deity from another world is introduced there, shit's fucked because the magic is foreign and the world and deity are poison to each other
>>23974842>revelation space trilogyIll check it out, thanks anon. Still looking for anyone who actually read exodus
>listening to way of the kings audiobook while on work, half focused>0 clue of what the fuck any of the names of countries and their calendar system areI like his brand of autism, but i really dont understand how people actually enjoy audiobooks, its an equivalent to speedreading, perhaps even worse
I've been thinking I should do a reread of LotR. I haven't read it since I was 12 and I'm 31 now. Should I just start at The Hobbit?
>>23976610All of my coworkers listen to audiobooks while working, and I have no fucking clue how they retain anything. It baffles me. I can barely follow podcasts while working, let alone writing. The only time I can do audiobooks is long drives on the highway
>>23975525>look at those covers>they pretend romantasy is another taglmao
>>23975847Wouldn't say so no. It's either litrpg, chinese webnovels, people who ape anime and chinese webnovels or new pulp stuff that don't make any bones about being entertainment.Literary stuff is dead and buried. Probably deservedly so.
>>23976095I've found that a lot of top lists for fantasy and sci fi are written by people who've never actually read the works and just repeat old lists from others so i'm always skeptical of them. So many supposed great SF&F works that are fucking shit or have one good idea and then no authorial skills whatsoever beyond schmoozing with other convention authors.
>>23976765I can retain basic plotlines, but the finer details are completely lost to me. Its just not worth it, unless im listening to something im not that interested and just using it to kill time in other words consume slop
>>23976829I got memed into reading sword of kaigen and i have no clue what the fuck these people are reading that they're finding this amazing. Im 150 pages in and i couldnt give two shits about any of it, absolutely tedious and devoid of anything interesting with constant info dumps. And this is coming from a guy who doesnt mind the slog in wot.
>>23976941I could probably do a reread while multitasking. But first time shit isn't comprehensible
>>23976765>and I have no fucking clue how they retain anything.They don't. They get the gist of it at most. Unless you're actually paying attention to audiobooks they're just background noise you're vaguely aware of.
Is there any sci-fi which tries to describe radically different universe? Like with different physical laws and chemical elements.
>>23977047Greg Egan, Diaspora
What are some books about interesting people fighting other interesting people?
Are there any sci-fi n novels that take place in a ringworld that aren't Niven's book?
>>23977183Death's Head: Maximum Offence by David Gunn. it's the second book in the Death's Head series though
>>23977124Can you be more specific? So conflict? That could be anything from Dune/GoT to whateverthat book you posted sounds interesting. I like zelazny
I think that Chinese was wearing a MAGA hat, so he'll probably be sent to the suicide chamber for hate crimes against humanity.I hope that construction worker gets a medal.
>>23977047Greg Egan in general, especially his newer works,The Orthogonal Trilogy onwards, which are only that to where he doesn't include almost anything else.
This was so good. 8/10, will probably reread within six months. I love that Dinniman doesn't steer into the cringey mess that LitRPG's can turn into, no page-long stat pages and item lists and all that nonsense. It's book seven, and he acknowledges that you should know what the characters are capable of by this point. He throws in new elements and uses them in creative ways, not to mention the action and Tarintino-level gore. The chemistry with the cast is fun and interesting, and holy shit the world building went through the roof in this one. Consequences will never be the same.My only gripe with the story is that, with the story being told in first person for the most part, a lot of what is happening feels distant and detached. There's a Carl-gets-his-groove-back moment toward the end but he spends quite a bit of time moping in this one.All in all though, it's solid. The world of the story advanced a lot in fun, exciting, and unexpected ways. What an ending. What a set up for the sequel.Thanks for reading my blog.
Once again someone has applied to the group without answering the question. If you're seeing this, apply again and answer the question. That means you CC LOR.
>>23977425Sell me on these books. Why are they worth reading?
>>23972301can my dystopian homosexual story have a chance for a reader?
>>23977709Are you White?
>>23977425No dinnerman for the thousandth time, I will not read your anthropomorphized cat companion infested slopstick dross.
>>23977680No. Retarded books for retarded Redditors.
>>23976829>”im gonna revolutionize the genre in a bold new outing that’s never been done before. I’ll subvert old themes to catch reader off guard” Repeats the same tired subversions that have been repeated for the last 40 years by people who rely on tv tropes/ random consensus more than reading an actual book. It’s how we end up with takes like “severian from botns is actually a liar that’s evil and constantly lies in his book to look better”
Starting book of the long sun. I’m at the section in the brothel. It’s always amazed me how straight faced gene manages to make his books when they’re absolutely hilarious at times. The entire section in the manor weirdly reminded me of a comedy like nacho libre, and silk being called out for having such an idiotic plan is hilarious
>>23977841name 5 "tired old subversions"
>>23977845I wish the book was first-person like Botns.
>read s Anderson's next book's preview chapter>30 chapters in (basically 200 pages) >its a sloppest slop with characters just talking, zero character development and nothing interesting happening unless you are hardcore cosmere fag (I'm not) Jesus Christ, how can you go from badass people fighting in fantasy exoskeletons against each other or against kaiju, dramatic stories to the people butt checking, contemplating the environment and talking about shit from some other series of novels, and doing only that? And the worst thing - there won't be proper character development because of retarded idea to fit the whole thing into 10 days time period. Man just lost the plot, predictably so.
>>23977886Who's S. Anderson?
>>23977886Forgot to add - people are memeing about SA being MCU sooo, but it actually reminds me of the Avengers movies. Characters showing up and acting just for a readers to clap and cheer and plot being so noticeably manufactured that it lost all its soul. Path from TWoK to Winds and Truth reminds me the path from first Iron Man to Endgame. It just lost its spark and sincerety along the way.
>>23977878read 5 books
>>23977903Probably read more this month than you have in a year, chumly
>Lightning from a clear sky smote the Necropolitan Hill. One bolt struck the bronze plaque sealing the tomb of the forvalaka, obliterating half the spell of confinement. It rained stones. Statues bled. Priests at several temples reported sacrificial victims without hearts or livers. One victim escaped after its bowels were opened and was not recaptured. At the Fork Barracks, where the Urban Cohorts were billeted, the image of Teux turned completely around. For nine evenings running, ten black vultures circled the Bastion. Then one evicted, the eagle which lived atop the Paper Tower.
>>23977916I can't tell if Cook can actually write or not. Most people seem to dislike his terse STYLE more than literary competence.
>>23973099Does it count if the game hasn't released yet?
>>23977922>We took the fort.
>>23974842>it's what bioshit ripped ME's story fromdidn't they rip off Babylon 5?
I just dropped Worm for probably the final time a few hundred thousand words in. Is Wildbow an autogynephile? Most of his characters are women, there are so many lesbians, the most fleshed out and sympathetic characters are women, masculinity barely exists and when it does it's in a two-dimensional dumb asshole who dies badly. It's fucking annoying and it's so prevalent it kills my immersion. I picked it back up several times just to run into it again.
>>23977047I am going to third Greg Egan. Dichronauts is really fucking weird.If you want something more readable (Egan is far better at concepts than he is at writing) The Inverted World might be of interest.
>>23978013I suspect he just suffers from the same sort of mental illness that leads men to create shit like Girls und Panzer
>>23978013Pact has a male protag but he has a female version of himself that lives in the mirrorworld or something. I dropped it myself after flashbacks nested three-deep, Inception-style, where every major plot point was "Here's someone doing something unforgivable... here's why they actually did it for a nice reason! what a tweest!"
>>23978069>I suspect he just suffers from the same sort of mental illness that leads men to create shit like Girls und Panzer>>23978120>Pact has a male protag but he has a female version of himself that lives in the mirrorworld or something...so he's an autogynephile?
>>23978144>...so he's an autogynephile?yeah I was agreeing with you
>>23977922>>23978009I like that purple prose doesn't really exist for cook.
Which of these should I read next? I'm almost finished with my current book.
>>23978325Reaper Man. I've only seen Tatami Galaxy's anime.
>>23978325Tatami. It's the only one I've read but it's great.
>>23978325throw out sanderfag and the chink
Just finished Norstrilia and enjoyed it. But it felt really jumbled and many of the plot threads felt rushed didn't really go together in the end. Should I have read his short story collections before this book? Felt like I was missing something. On another note is Sanderson's Mistborn series really bad/good? I mostly read sci-fi, but wanted to at least try some Fantasy and this is the most recommended series next to The Wheel of Time. Can I get a verdict if it is an enjoyable read or is if it cringy redditor slop?why do I have to wait 15 minutes to post what happened to this site
>>23978486>Is Sanderson reddit slopYes. Next question.
>>23978488>>23978488but is it the borderline enjoyable reddit slop or is it the existential horror "I browse r/pics unironically for the epic bacon funny CHONKER cat 69 420 zingers " reddit slop
I loved Neuromancer but have never read the other two books in the Sprawl trilogy, how are they?
>>23978508He's written some enjoyable things, sure. But his priorities as a writer are all wrong (quantity over quality, elaborate magic systems and world building over character or the sublime)Personally I'd tell you to read Wheel of Time and if the novels Sanderson wrote at the end of that series don't seem like a quality drop, then check out Mistborn.
>>23978325The Three-Body Problem
>>23977926The guy that wrote the book is also writing for the game, so if the book sucks, its safe to say the story will suck in game too.
>>23977425I really want to read the next few new chapters of book 8 just to see the reactions to the end of book 7 and JL's grand plan.>he cawed into the skyDonut had some of her best lines in this book and the trauma/grittiness was at its peak, approaching K:BS taint. So much going on. Juice Box is going to be a monster next time we see her. The size of the AI's "back" is the exact length of Carl's foot. And it took me until this book that we will probably, at some point, get a Carl chapter like the other cookbook authors did. If it ain't the last chapter and everything isn't burned down to the ground, I'm going to riot.
can you guys please stop reading such shitty books. God damn it's embarrassing
>>23978486>Should I have read his short story collections before this book? Felt like I was missing something.Yes, Nostrillia is the end of the Instrumentality of Mankind series
>>23973928>generative ai arti use it to make art of my hag waifu Polgara
>>23978486oh, another Cordwainer enjoyer!!I read all his works years ago (in order), what a great author!!YES, read his short stories, are more enjoyable!!and...about Sanderson's Mistborn...don't waste your time, mate!!
>>23978657This. I'm reading Tad Williams' Bobby Dollar series instead.
>>23977878Religion bad, the evil monsters are actually good(some analogue for a minority), the bad guy is in someway correct and isn’t irredeemable, chosen one is evil/morally dubious, damsel in distress is actually a girlboss/ over competent, etc… most of these subversions are so overused that most of them have come back around to being refreshing to see
>>23978750The unsubverted versions I mean. Grr I hate mobile
Question for Bakkerheads:How did Sorweel evade being completely mentally subdued by Kellhus? Cnaiur was insane, Akka internalized what he learned from Cnaiur, Conphas was extremely conceited etc. Basically if your willpower is strong enough you can see through the manipulation, or if you're warned in advance the brainwashing doesn't take?Also pour one out for poor Sammi
>>23978677I love mommy Pol
This was a great short story. Disgusting and sad. I know the last of us guys are hacks already but I feel like they stole their zombie design from this.
Any good fantasy with an Autumn atmosphere?
>>23978960Dragons of Autumn Twilight?
>>23972475Biden lost.
>>23972638The Stars, My Destination felt a bit like that
>>23978986This. There's also The Name of the Wind.
Lately, I read through all Jirel of Joiry stories and loved them, so I went looking for more fantasy with badass female protagonists. I thought finding them would be easy. As it turned out, there is nothing easy about that, and most female protagonists are killjoys traumatized by the patriarchy or some shit like that. Why can't we have more cool chicks who don't give a fuck and just wreak havoc, like Jirel?
>>23978960I think most Dresden Files books take place around Halloween.
>>23978936The real soul of the Belgariad, the books wouldn't be as fun without her.
>>23976185Theft of Fire, Devon Eriksen. It's a near-future solar system wide lolbert setting that's all corporate controlled and nation-states barely have any foothold in space (they tried to at some point, but were beaten back), but still avoids being a depressive "cyberpunk" dystopia and has an overall optimistic tone. Elon Musk is a character in the lore, he's not mentioned by name, but it's obviously him.It's not extremely realistic, tech-wise, since there are torch drives and alien metamaterial stuff, but still harder than 99% of anything out there.AndSemper Mars, Ian Douglas. Even harder than Theft of Fire, basically all tech is realistic, and the plot revolves around a political crisis triggered by the discovery of alien artifacts on Mars (which are only used as a macguffin for the plot) and tensions between globalist and nationalist forces on Earth. It's a more nation states than corporate driven setting, though. Author had something to do with early lore for Traveller and Battletech IIRC.>>23972638Currently reading Galactic Patrol by E.E. Doc Smith, and it's pretty much this. Also feels like Star Wars ripped off a lot from it.
>>23977425>start reading this>first human antagonists are ICE agents who murdered a bunch of heckin undocumented immigranterinos and are now murdering anyone elseD R O P P E D
STOP reading modern slop PLEASE
>making up blatant lies about a book because you don't like itChildish.
>>23962408How much you can enjoy Clarke is probably directly proportional to how much you understand, and are interested in actual science and physics of space travel and such.He writes directly to people who are actually into that stuff.If you're just looking for fantasy in space or larger than life interpersonal drama look somewhere else.
>>23976185the expanse does hit pretty good in this regard. but definitely check out Adam Roberts' Gradisil. very interesting bush-era novel about the development of orbital politics and the crises that lead to the first president of space and orbital sovereignty. tensions between governments, corporations, billionaires, etc.
>>23978640Agreed, I hear there are illicit sites to pirate patreon posts if you want some early access to chapters. Or sign up to his patreon. I'm a sign, not a cop.>JL's grand planIt's kind of self explanitory but I'd love to see the reactions too.>Rich fucks playing God games get boned by banished gods and inability to use followers>Double rich fucks partying in the final boss's intestines get double boned by their club/hotel becoming a violent entity>Everyone who dies, dies forever no-takesie-backsies and no one can leave until the game is upCan't wait for smug Donut tho. Also I love ten thousand people being squished through wire mesh with "bap"s
>>23979353whats the cutoff year/period?
>>23979344What?
>>23979396>It's kind of self explanitoryDon't know how the Nothing opened into Scolopendra's Lair though unless through some All Tree root shenanigans. Imagine Juice Box touching and turning into Scolopendra to break the entire dungeon, as JL's prophecized her being the weapon to end all of it.Shame Huanxin cloned herself but seeing her get played with was fun. Donut finally using her Claw skill.Carl with long hair is a fucking chick magnet.BOOK OF BOOM
>>23977205>Death's Head Goofy series. I loved it as an edgy teenager but found it incelcore as an adult. All I really remember is Sven's massive cock and the diarrhoea symbiote kek
>>23979420What exactly are you struggling with here?
>>23979468I hadn't expected Juice Box to have the importance she has. I know Jinx thought he was onto something with the changeling corpse, but what is the the eldrich death-god and why has more than one changeling touched it? Also what are the implications of the AI having its range of influence expand, the gods and their abilities can manifest?
>>23978922Because he was protected by Yatwer…. duh.
>>23973928
>>23979353Bloodsworn saga is kino though
>>23979525Same. Then again, we got Samantha in the same book who ended up being one of the more important side characters too.>Juice Box jumpscaring everyoneWe probably won't learn more about the spooky boogeyman until the next book or at least when they hit floor 12. In the patreon, there was a retconned part during the conversation between JL and JB about the changelings planning to touch as many gods as they could, in relation to the Gate, which obviously didn't happen.> Also what are the implications of the AI having its range of influence expand, the gods and their abilities can manifest?That's the fun part. Changed the universe. The AI's sphere of influence is only growing larger and larger, to become a challenger to the Eulogist. I wonder what all the stuff about the River will end up doing.
>>23979539>tfw no milf barbarian orka gfpain...
>>23979520I have no idea what you're talking about? Are you talking about Maggie and her Husband? They're not ICE and the people they killed weren't "le heckin illegals", they were literally triads.
>>23979550I'm talking about the very start of the series where the very first hostile humans the MC runs into are ICE agents who executed all the illegal minorities they were in the middle of arresting and then try to kill the MC.
>>23979562They aren't ICE, they lied to give themselves legitimacy, though one of them is a cop, also the people they killed weren't illegals, they were gangsters, but nobody was being arrested,.If you're going to go out of your way to find shit to be offended by you might as well stop reading.
>>23979549She's literally a mother and have a son
>>23979584Oh yeah, cocksucker? Well if that's true then I'll go back and start reading it again. How do you like that, huh?
>>23978325Read the Three Body Problem and tell me if it's good. I liked the TV show
>>23978510They get slightly less good by release order, but all are worth reading IMO. At least do Count Zero.
Damnhttps://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Letter_224
>so far more things have happened in the prologue and first chapter of Knife of Dreams than the entirety of Crossroads of Twilight How the fuck did Jordan manage to write 624 pages of literally nothing?
>>23979690He was literally lying in the hospital dying. By the time he got to Knife he had an assistant helping him write because he wanted to finish the series before he died.
>>23979343>>23979391Some good recommendations here, but key word is "realistic," so no alien tech discoveries or protomolecules. Might look into that Theft of Fire book regardless, but otherwise Gradisil seems pretty in-line with what I'm looking for. Thanks!
Actually good sff:>The Time Machine>Conan>The Hobbit>Titus Groan>The Broken Sword>The Stars My Destination>Solaris>Dune>Lord of Light>A Wizard of Earthsea>The Knight of the Swords>Swords and Deviltry>The Forever War>The Shadow of the Torturer>Fevre Dream>Neuromancer>Bridge of Birds>Ender's Game>Assassin's Apprentice>A Game of Thrones>The Darkness That Comes Before>Black Leopard, Red Wolf>Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind>Berserk>Lovecraft's Tales>Borges Labyrinths>Dick's Selected Short Stories >The Jack Vance Treasury>John Crowley's Otherwise>The Very Best of Fantasy and Science Fiction Sixtieth Anniversary Anthology >The Oxford Book of Science Fiction
>>23976185Signal to Noise by Eric Nylund was fun
>>23979532I don't get it, is it an independent entity that's helping the Consult?
I read "Gideon the Ninth" out of curiosity and I'm honestly impressed: it might the most devoid of tension or thrill fantasy book I ever read. I saw it recommended in /tg/ as an interesting take on necromancy but I don't think it (maybe apart from the basic concept of death energy). Pop fantasy struggles painfully when it comes to the concepts of personhood, substance, soul etc
Anyone read this series? I just finished the first book and found it pretty bad. I'm learning it was self-published which is why the editing and constant perspective shifts for marginal plot progression each time felt so jarring. Is the rest of this series worth reading through? I wasn't expecting it to feel quite as much as a YA book, I was expecting Metro 2033 but in a nuclear silo or something.
>>23980052Yatwer is one of the gods of Earwa, The Hundred. She is opposed to Kellhus for reasons that will be revealed (not sure if you've finished it).The gods become increasingly important to the narrative.
>>23978922he was getting divine signals constantly that he needed to kill Kellhus everything was lining up for him
New Red Sonja novel by Gail Simone. I've liked some of Simone's comics and I liked the RS novels I read in the past so I'm going to give this a shot and pray for some s&s kino.
On your recommendation finally finished the Prince of Nothing and Aspect-Emperor series.Loved it, it was a wild ride.
For what purpose did Ajokli try to take over the mortal world? Was he also going to kill everyone?
>>23977425This series started good, then it became about the cat, and Carl was sidelined. Who wants to read a book where a self important sassy mush face cat is the protagonist? Donut should have died in book one.
>>23980885Reminds me of how Drizzt was supposed to be a side character for Wulfgar but ended up being so popular with readers that he took over.
>>23980927Carl is the main character and the majority of the book takes place from his point of view. That faggot in particular squeals like a pig about Donut, a side character who travels with the MC, any time the book is brought up and makes up fabrications, like the ICE nigger.
>>23980638>Gail Simone>expecting kinoAnon, I...
>>23980943Are you saying that after book one the books weren't written to favour fucknut? Are you saying that Carl, even though he is the protag on paper, is sidelined for mush face?Just admit you're a furry cat lover and that is the reason you enjoy the sassy mouth all caps cat book.fucking neck yourself
>Are you saying "thing I said"?How psychotic.
Is the cat autist the same faggot that always screeched about carl being cuckshit as he desperately tried to get people to avoid reading the books he clearly never read? Or are there two retards seething over the series?
>>23980052My dude, did you read the books?
>>23978922It's actually the other way around. It was Kellhus who was deceived by Sorweel. This assuming that kellhus wasn't playing 4d chess for some unkown reason. Only his son was able to see through Yatwer's influence for some reason. Maybe because he is ltierally the Non-God
>>23980998I think cuckfag was one of the chart spammers but now that you mention it, I haven't seen cuckfag in a while. Not like this thread talks about DCC much either way.
>>23980998>only two people would dislike this book>I like something, so everyone else loves it except two fucks on 4chan
>>23972250Are there any recent and decent Warhammer (Old World) books/serie? I remember having tons of fun reading Gotrek and Felix and Malus Darkblade when I was younger
>>23981093There was 1 new BL book published for warhammer fantasy this year that I know of (Lords of the Lance) but I don't know if it's good.
I just got caught up on the Stormlight Archive in time for Wind and Truth. I've tried looking for theory videos and fuck me the people making the videos are the most normie, autistic type of people you can imagine.
>>23981155>most normie, autistichuh
Reminder that the Cosmere will never be completed and Stormlight is one singular 10-book series.
>>23981201>will never be completedWhat makes you say that? Sanderson's slop comes out regularly.
When is this slop coming out?
Any news on this Beautiful mother fucker?
yes. it's mormon capeshityes. there's a character a wheelchair, a character with multiple personality disorder. everyone pogs when a woman holds a swordbut it's still good
>>239812506th December, though there are like 30 preview chapters out>https://reactormag.com/columns/wind-and-truth/
>>23981340>but it's still goodYou are actually delusional if you think that anything past book 2 was good. It went from Anime Kino to Mormon Wokeshit.
>>23981348i thought that when I read it years ago. but now rereading it i feel a little differentthe philosophy is interestingwhat is the most important step a man can take etc
Is Dying Earth the "roguelike" of literature?
>>23981340I'd rather read Ender's Game through Xenocide again.
>>23981369oh god come on man you can't be serious
>>23981368yes and BOTNS is the roguelite of literature
>>23981367>the philosophyThis is bait.
>>23981201>if you want to have a grasp on the world you have to read 20+ booksYeah, fuck that. Same reason i dont read comics, its just too much work and research.
>>23981093Maybe C.L. Werner's books ("Matthias Thulmann: Witch Hunter" and "Brunner the Bounty Hunter")
>>23981404its notalmost all mormonslop is just about forgiveness
I'm seeing Gideon the Ninth shilled for a lot. Is it legit, or the usual current day woke slop?
>>23981452As an ESL, it was the first time I literally couldn't understand a book, or what the hell it was trying to say.
>>23981452It's a book about lesbians written by a fanfic author. That said, it is rather good.
Gardens of the Moon is so fucking boring, holy shit. I can barely get through it. Fall asleep after 20 minutes each time.
>>23981296no doubt mind broken by the election
>>23980752Think he was gonna eat everyone's souls, become more powerful than the other gods by getting at em before they could
Just started The End of Eternity. So far it's good.
any tips for getting out of reading slumps? i have so much to read and waste so much time consuming media that isn't even 10% as enjoyable compared to a book i have, if i would just read it....not sure why i find myself in these slumps... i'm not even particularly bored with the 2 books im reading...
Any interesting books about radio astronomers? The movie Contact or Cosmos (2019). I'd really like some sort of emphasis on radio astronomy but if all people can recommend is arrival or similar books that might be OK too...Or books that have to do with amateur or even professional astrophotographers who come across stuff? First contact I guess would be most likely for a lot of the directions of these stories but I'm open to whatever.
>>23981368What do you mean, could you elaborate?
>>23981452I didn't like it:>>23980086wouldn't recommend. The author was actively trying to make scenes more boring than they could be
>>23972301Boomer scifi is a hive of sexpests and sex criminals (Clarke is the exemplar), inherently pinko coded where interwar Futurisms & Cosmisms were anything but. Hugos have had all the relevancy of the Academy Awards for decades-- Pulitzer/Nobel Prize industry circle jerk for fourth rate talents.
>>23981746I haven't read it but you know Contact was a book right?
>>23981562Whenever this happens but I want to give it a chance I skip ahead a few chapters (or even to a random middle page) and see if that sparks any interest - if not DROPPED
>>23981800Yeah I'm not sure how I forgot to mention I knew it was a book... I think I last rewatched Contact maybe 8 or so years ago.. so I guess I could withstand a read through of the book. I hope it has backwards bendy leg aliens in it.
>>23979587Lmao you're a fucking idiot
>>23981981>A Y R>The name Ayr can be traced back to a pre-Celtic word meaning "watercourse" or "strong river".[8] This name was used before the establishment of the Julian calendar in reference to the River Ayr. The town was formerly known as "Inverair" or "Inverayr", meaning "mouth of the river Ayr"; this was later abbreviated to "Air", now spelled "Ayr". The full name remains in the Scottish Gaelic name for Ayr – Inbhir Àir.[9]what does this say about me?
>>23981990It says you got called gay like ten times before your vocabulary caught an obscure word
>>23973097If you find yourself content at the end of the trilogy, consider stopping. The next three go pretty far afield.
>>23982010Ayr is a basic Celtic word anon. Not my fault you see gay everywhere you look.
>>23980986Cocker-Spaniel paws typed this post
>>23982017>Ah yes, my barbarian tongue, when translated to the Roman alphabet, has outsmarted this meme! What a fool are they, and what a wit am I!I'm glad you had this moment, dumbass
>>23982031>you right now, after some harmless banter
>>23982041I accept your apology, and I hope you refrain from any further "erm ackshully" posting in the future.
>>23982045You can relax now anon. The banter is over.
Finished Corwin's story in The Chronicles of Amber. I took a break partway into book 4, and then picked it back up again, which is why it took me so long. I don't really have much to say, except it was what I was looking for, and a good recommendation.I'm probably going to wait a while before getting into the second story. Because I just want the first one to get settled. And not get burned out on this world.Pic related: The reaction I get every time I talk about this series.
>>23979777>>23981717I keep taking that on and off my list, let me know what you think
>>23972289Don't listen to the other anon. The sequel isn't Chick-lit. But it does leave Cazarill's perspective, and changes to a woman's perspective. She's a mature woman though. So much like Cazarill, you're getting the point of view from an adult. Not some young girl.The sequel(Paladin of Souls), is structured very similarly to Curse of Chalion. Where the protagonist is returning from a long traumatic experience, and trying to re-assimilate to her home, and live a real life again. The difference though, is that while Carill's experience was external, Ista's experience was internal. Still, that experienced robbed her of her cognition for many years. Only having regained clarity recently in her middle years.Paladin of Souls expands on the magical concepts already explored in the first book. You get to know more about the gods, their workings, and what humans can do when god touched.I won't deny there is some romance mixed into the story. But I will stress that it's NOT chick-lit. Not even close. I think that since you gave the first book a 7/10, then the second is worth trying, since it's more of the same.
>>23982051>Pic related: The reaction I get every time I talk about this series.it's literally the same anon every time, i don't why he hates zelazny so much lmao
>>23981736Just read, nigga. Don't constrain yourself to what you "should" be reading, pick up a book and finish it.
series where female mc wears bikini armor or something similarly lewd/skimpy for most of the book?
