Sun Eater filters midwits EditionPrevious: >>25285785>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>Goodreads:https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/1029811-sffg
>>25293823I just finished all the Elric of Melnibone books. Besides the gratuitous use of proper nouns and deus ex machina, I thought it was quite enjoyable. I performed the proverbial basedface a few times whenever I noticed a motif common to later fantasy works appear as a copy from these books. Aside from all of that, what did I think of it?
What is it with Bakker and curved cocks? I always thats actually fairly rare
Why does hw write like this? These super stupid random superficial conflicts. Does he think it makes his characters seem more real by making them come across as childish and one dimensionally minded? This bitch is technically supposed to be like a couple hundred years older than Hadrian too or so. I mean none of the important characters actually age physically so idk how much that matters.But its just so obnoxious and silly. "Barbarian" woahhh epic tsundere catchphrase!
>>25293850>>25293853Go to >>25293859
>>25293861No. This is the scifi and fantasy general.
damn, this general is fucking dead these days, all it took was two schizos to snuff it out
How do you write a good dinosaur story?
Future Hadrian needs to save me from this shit dialogue, and dynamic between Hadrian and any character that acts lile a child. I literally never ever need to hear about Retarded Teenage Brain Hadrian, and Retarded Slice of Life Tsundere Valka ever again. This is the only way I can believe in this series. I don't even necessarily agree with him entirely (though I agree with nonetheless) This perspective reeks of religion and spirituality, but I respect and appreciate it because its atleast offers a perspective that challenges the simplicity of a prior perspective.
>>25293915>>25293859
I'm getting started with 40k, should I begin with the horus heresy series or something else?
>>25293946you should begin with Eye of Terror -Bayley (1999). i wouldn't read most of it. it kind of sucks, and you're doomed to knowing that nothing ever changes. Product sales direct the narrative more than good story telling.
>>25293946Read the early three Eisenhorn books and the Ciaphas Cain novels. Eisenhorn is serious business blah blah blah and quite engaging. Ciaphas Cain is quite funny. The heresy books aren't fantastically written.
>>25293946>should I begin with the horus heresy series or something else?something else, as in not 40k. do you really want to slog through dozens of potboilers from mediocre authors?
I refuse to accept the obvious fact that its meant to be forced stupidity and simplicity. That doesn't make it any less so. Banking so hard on the books to follow to make an entire 700 pages of retarded simplistic children acting retardedly and simplistically, is one of the very reasons I hate these near 1000 page 4+ book series. Its so cheap, so unearned. It gambles with the idea that whats to come will be better. And indulges itself to waste so much time with the stupid shit like living homeless with Cat.Hadrian says it so often because theres not enough depth in the actual events to do more than tell. But what "growth" was there from living with Cat? That he hates nobles? That he feels imprisoned by their wishes? We already knew that with his hate for his father, the chantry, and the fact that he never wanted to actually follow in his fathers stead. He told us all that already from the beginning, so what was the point of the meandering homeless arc and cat? That he now knows what its like to be a plebeian? Wtf did that change? The most "negative" behaviour he had towards plebeians was calling them ugly. But there has been nothing to suggest he even cares about or values beauty much beyond commenting on it, so it rings hollow. Also his sympathies for the slaves that were killed in his hometown colosseum and his attraction to Kyra (honestly cant remember if she was a pleb or not) already implied that. The character is SO simple. SO fucking simple. SO on its face, you know and understand everything about Hadrian from like the first hundred or so pages. So what is the point of all the arcs that come after? None of it matters, it just affirms what we already know. Almost all the colosseum stuff, and all the homeless arc stuff can be cut out. The only thing that matters is meeting Balatro or whatever his name is, so that he can meet Valka which the story is so clearly going to force down our throats for the rest of the series. Who herself, Im now realizing, reaffirms that switch problem, where they have zero reason to do this, since the behaviours of Hadrian reflect nothing typical of the nobles they hate, but they drag on this superficial conflict of how much they hate nobles and think Hadrian is one...for what? To ultimately affirm what we already know that Hadrian isnt like that? Beyond how badly written those conflicts and characters are for the reasons I say. I have to ask, what is the point? Why did we waste so much time to get to the point that my screenshot is about?I've gone and looked at some Sun Eater fans on youtube, and I genuinely do not think they derride this book as much as they should. Im sure all my questions are meant for the subsequent books, but that only makes this book worse.I almost never do rankings, but I got fed up with this book so much faster than DTCB and Too Like Lightning, because I dont think they ever stagnated for this long in simplicity.
>>25293997>>25293859
Yeah I couldn't believe it worked either Hadrian, because of how blatantly contrived it was. Is the author lampshading here? Or making some kind of joke? I don't know at this point I just want to be done with the book.
>>25294005This is a pagespammer-free zone.>>25293859
>>25294006fyi
>>25294018kek, this should be the next OP image.
sigh stop baiting me future hadrianthe author must have known how unbearable what he was writing was. theres no other reason I can think of to have future hadrian commenting on his retardation, future hadrian rarely shows up anyway, hes the only thing that saves the book, the only counter perspectiveits the reason I surmise that this book exists merely for the sake of the future books to shit on the first hadrian we're presented with. I just dont know why it had to be so long. why some arcs that seemingly add nothing to the character beyond reaffirming what he already is to us.
>>25294023This comes right after this text, which brings up a question I've had. Sometimes I cant tell which Hadrian is which. Calling them Narrow for opposing your perspective right after you admitted your younger self wrong, seems odd unless its not the same Hadrian, or he's contending with the specific way they disagreed, but thats silly because their contentions are completely reasonable, whether future hadrian said so or not, and hadrian just ignores that to affirm his ideals.They ask young hadrian "what makes you think you can get them to talk?" The fact that you can understand somebody's language doesnt necessarily mean you could converse with them cordially. Hadrian doesnt answer, and Olorin notes that. What is narrow about that? Its a practical question. Which makes me think that the hadrian that calls them narrow cant be the same hadrian that calls his younger self wrong. But I really cant tell. They blend together too seamlessly, I mean their judgements of the interaction literally come right after one another
The more Sanderson I read the more I'm convinced he's not worth the seething. He lacks depth but that's not saying much in this genre.
Is this the secret? They consume humans to birth more Ceilcin?
>>2529401810/10, would use again.
>25294048I hope someone bans this faggot's entire IP range.
>>25294018What does this filter exactly? It's clearly not pagespammer.
>>25294018you're a good chap.
>>25294060No moderation on /lit/. Go ahead, report xir for spamming. Nothing will happen.
Finally. The title name drop.
>>25294060>>25294066Do you fellows realizing you're acting like reddit? No rule is being broken. You are like redditors. Seek to control and restrict not because there is need to, but out of a desire to stamp out an outsider.
What specific words are you guys keying in on to filter ebookpage bitch?
>>25294064All of pagespammer's images are named with a bunch of numbers.>>25294072>Spamming/flooding.Kill yourself. We're sick of your shit.
>>25294072Also avatarfagging
>>25294072> extremely low quality> spamming / flooding> not being a cuntyeah, but no
>>25294018Thanks. Adapted for XT in case anyone else still uses it:/^\d{16,}\./;boards:lit;op:no;type:filename;reason:pagespammer
>>25294018>>25294114What or who exactly are you filtering here? It's clearly not pagespampiggy
>>25294141Are you blind or just stupid? It filters out all his crap.
>>25294145It clearly doesn't. I still see his posts ITT
Don't take the bait, buddy.
>>25294150Then you've configured it wrong. It's working great for me.
>>25294155I think you're lying. It filtered out sixteen threads in the catalog but nothing ITT.
>>25294158user error
>>25294162I'm on mobile, anon.
>>25294164I'm sorry, but kudos for being brave enough to admit that.
100 pages left
>>25294181UNTIL YOU KILL YOURSELF!?! :DD
Working like a charm.
>if you use a filter, it magically goes away!This thread would be better if the pagespamming newfag AND the filter-using newfags all left.
>>25294340Oh hypocrite you are. You too are not contributing to the thread!As penance, you must reply to my post here >>25293838
>>25294348None of them ever contribute anything, just whine and complain, because they think that a virtue in and of itself. Much like Twitter, swaths of retards who collect followers and likes merely off of reporting a complaint, never actually contributing anything, barely an extension from the vapid "reaction" that is a like, a dislike, or a rewteet.
>>25294348>dude I read one of the most megapopular entries in the genre!*makes hang ten motion with his fingers*
>>25294424Did you read it?
>>25294427My interaction with Moorcock has been strictly limited to the Eternal Champion trilogy and I have felt zero reason to expand.
>>25294430If you didn't read the books, why should I consider your opinion on them?
>>25294436Why do you post about an author brought up about every other thread, on a public website, and expect other people to not engage?>nooo only positivity!Then get back to your favorite social media platform.
>>25294442>Why do you post about an author brought up about every other threadBecause i'm not a regular poster. You are free to say negative things about the books (if you've read them), but I personally don't care about categorizing things by authors, or discussing any trivia or gossip pertaining to authors.
HOw is this so good?
>>25293946Read Gaunt's Ghosts and Space Wolves instead>>25293996Bolter porn is nice to unwind to.
>>25294447https://warosu.org/lit/?task=search&ghost=false&search_text=elric
Okay here's the plan. Bribe the moderation to give us bakkerspammer/pagespammers IP address, find him. Then we skin and gut him alive.
i got some cuties liking my 150+ 1* wind and truth goodreads review O_O
finished some hours ago but forgot to post, just reading the afterword stuff now and then will give my final thoughts on empire of silence, which will actually just be thoughts on the direction of the series because ive said what ive said already
If you enjoy Elder Scrolls then I strongly suggest checking out this tale on royalroad.
How cum Carl's new book (official edited release) is not on mobilism or AA?
Enjoying this great book. I'm 30 some chapters into it and it is 50+. Can't imagine how the ending will mindfuck me.
>>25294565>If you enjoy Elder ScrollsI do not. But I read your screenshots to see if anything would pique my interest anyway.I'm finishing up the glossary section of Empire of Silence so I have time.Tor Paulos is an interesting nod to the future of this series. So Hadrian does meet with the Scholiasts eventually? And is considered a Lord again despite being disowned by his father?
I didnt even yet process that the Mericanni or whatever are probably supposed to be descendants of Americans or something
>Sold his first book at 22Hoooly shit. That explains a lot. I'm not going to expose my age but I'm barely older than that right now, and I basically think I'm stupider ever year before the year im currently inhabiting. Its both impressive but also puts the "It gets better after the first" into perspective. Reading Sun Eater was sort of what I thought Red Rising would be like, and why I didn't want to read it. At the books lowest, it was a 2/5. I used out of 5 instead of out of 10, because there isnt really much need for nuance and extremity to criticize. The Larger the range, the closer to the edges extremes are emphasized. It wasnt horrible, but it wasnt great, at its best it was a 3.5 and the only reason I havent settled on it being a two, is because everything from the Cielcin crash on the Calagh ruins planet up until the Torture sequence was really gripping. Legit that entire stretch saved any faith I had left. Particularly because of Future Hadrians timely comments.Too much of the book felt like YA adventures, especially random shallow conflicts with friends. I expected other characters to be simple, but Hadrian himself? I didnt expect to be so equally simple.I'm still thinking on that quote where Future Hadrian says he was wrong to think that war is won with words and they could simply talk to the Cielcins. Very clever way for Ruocchio to real you into the next book, out of wonderance at how the guy who just successfully talked to a Cielcin, even though he fucked up, comes to the conclusion that theyre not amicable.One thing I'll say, is that if this series ever gets good, if it ever gives the impression of a 4.5 out of 5 in any of its books, it will be one of the biggest whiplashes I've experienced since maybe Chimera Ant when I was younger. Only shonen tends to produce that two sides of boring low quality simplicity, masking unexpected depth and quality. The whiplash alone if successfully pulled off might make it one of my favourite series ever, but I'm getting ahead of myself.
I have no idea how people pull off these 600+ page reads so consistently, this shit drags so easily at certain points, the will to keep going ends up feeling like work at a point. But I'm glad I did it. It means I haven't yet given up in believing. It means I can still hopefully find good stuff in the future.
>barely older than 22It is always a 14-25 year old newfag.
Holy fuck does good reads love slop
>>25293946don't get fooled into reading Horus Heresy thinking you need to start chronologically - you absolutely don't. HH is 30k not 40k it's literally a different setting. It's generally a soap opera for the most unwashed fans and you will miss out on basically all the tropes that make 40k cool if you read this shit. Read actual 40k books and if you like the setting well enough to eventually dip into HH, do that.
>>25294630The botposter cannot create a post without "slop".
So Bakker's Nonmen basically look like engineers from Prometheus?
Any books that scratch the Littlefinger itch? Finished the third Red Rising book (insult me for it, but recommend me something along) and the Jackal has to be my favorite character
>>25294762The Gormenghast trilogy
Does anyone know where I may be able to find an archive or something similar to view /lit/ memes related to Bakker? I have been looking for that one flavortown meme for 5 years and still can not find it.
>>25294928There is no "archive of Bakker memes". It's all coming from one guy's hard drive and diseased mind.
>>25294948That can't be true because I created many despite being a perfectly healthy BAKKERMENSCHEN
>>25294948 Is this the guy? >>25294951Please post the flavortown meme if you are the bakkerposter
>>25294976Sorry, I didn't make that one. The guy you're responding to is the deranged anti-bakkerfag who claims that only one mentally ill person could possibly have ever liked bakker when in fact it's most of the regulars
Does anyone here read SFF on webnovel sites like RR or Spacebattles?
>>25294948Oh no anon, he retaliated using a buzzword in all caps. How surprising of Bakkernigger!
Daily reminder that Bakkertranny and pagespammer are the same person.
So, is the guy who mindbroke you a Bakker fan or an anti Bakker? Make up your mind schizophrenic retard
Any books like sailor moon?
Ban tranime pigs from /lit/
>>25295370this. theyre deliberately ignoring that screenshot anon came in critical of bakker
>>25295378anime website newfag
>>25295378This
>>25295374For (You)
>>25295551can I have one
>>25295605No
tfw someone says Warhammer 40k is better than Tolkien so you have to defend Tolkien despite not really liking either
>>25295605For (You)
>>25295548Only newfaggots use the "le anime website" excuse
>>25295713true
Literally nobody but me knows that the movie Get Out by Jordan Peele is a direct satire of the book The Elementals. This both frustrates me, because nobody talks about it. And it makes me feel superior for being the first to notice it.I've mentioned it here before. But I just remembered it again, and the frustration returned.
I'm scared. I fear it won't improve.
If digits, pagespammer will never enjoy a single book he reads ever again until he stops pagespamming.
>Kellhus spends months deconstructing his close ally's sense of self and identity>then he just has gay sex with himBakker is now officially my favourite "so bad its good" author in fantasy
>>25295634Thank you magical chinaman, I think I’ll do just that.
Unfortunately Valka is on like two of the future covers, so I know this gay love affair, as much as I dislike Valka, is fake as fuck. I have an even graver hunch that Jinan dies by the end of this book. I thought it would have been Switch and it really does deserve to be switch because he was almost singlehandedly the biggest reason my opinion on Sun Eater soured in the last book...but I know that switch survives atleast this book, and watched a video where Daniel Greene was defending switch doing something bad by essentially going "Hadrian you make mistakes too its unfair to criticize Switch!" which rubbed me the wrong way both because I dislike switch and because I very much dislike the way accusations of hypocrisy are used to like flatten criticism.
First thing I've noticed about Howling Dark So far. All the chapters are more than 15 pages :(
I've been reading peoples' takes on Urth of the New Sun. What I see a lot is people talking about 'iterations' of Severian. Like it was a Neo kind of situation, he kept being subjected to the trial until he passed. I don't think this is right, I think there's just one Severian. OK, he dies and becomes an eidolon of himself on Tzadkiel's ship, and then again when he's Apu-Punchau, but it's still just the journey of one entity. Other autarchs, not Severian, tried and failed to win the New Sun, and then happenstance brought about that Severian should try, and he won, and the moment he passed he had always passed, such that his New Sun powers helped him on his quest retroactively. And then he went time traveling. People seem to think it's a time loop situation, like there were other Severians who tried and failed in previous loops and it's their influence that intervenes in his life, like a chain of Severians in a vast timeloop, each of them paying forward a little more assistance until Severian could pass the trial. I don't think this is the case, I think there's just the one Severian and he experiences his time linearly as he wanders around the corridors of time to the past and future. The supernatural things that happen to him, which he attributes to the Claw, is just the powers of the New Sun echoing backwards through time, because he had always been will pass the trial.And you??
>>25295378Your newfag ass can go out the door first, Bakkerfag/pagespammer.
>>25295913Shut up, tranny. Go get your cock removed so that you can finally be more like your waifu.
I feel like if your story revolves around the main character having a secret, it needs at least one antagonist who strongly suspects them, and immediate downsides if their secret ever came to light.I've seen stories that try to make a big deal about their MC's secret, but it ends up generating no tension because they fail to do these things.
>>25295971anon…
Oh look, janny applications are open if anyone wants to end pagespammer and the bakkerfag.
>>25295974What?
>>25295927>I'm new!We know.
>>25295980You’ll figure it out.
>>25295865why's nobody responding to this guy? i didnt read cuz i dont want to be spoiled on book of the new sun but this looks like good discussion
>>25295989It's only been over an hour. Rest assured, someone will reply and continue the never-ending streak of BotNS mentions.
>>25294018It works.
>grinned evillynot sure why this made me laugh
Clearly never a real character, or a real relationship. Ruocchio likes to lampshade this fact.
Is there someone trying to say something? I can't hear him.
>>25296138For (You)
Tutturu!
>>25293850>>25293853>>25293915>>25293997>>25294005This nigga has a page by page reaction 4chan thread at this point. I'd rather have Bakkerfag, desu.
Bassander is my new favouritr character. Hes really the only one that can drag these childish characters into any semblance of sense. Unfortunately its typical of YA, and shonen, to undermine the reasonable, harsh seeming character who casts a shadow over the twinkled eyed ambitions of the young "believe it" minds. We'll see if this series, which has yet to give me any reason to consider it anything but YA. Addresses Bassander with any nuance moving forward.
>>25296159It's the same guy. It IS bakkerfag.
>>25296159He will deny being Bakkerfag up until some arbitrary point when his ego kicks in, one persona replaces the other, and he begins to smugpost, lashing out at anybody who finds fault in his commentary.
I am still trekking through the Drizzt series, having pledged to read the whole thing this year. One book a week, I just finished Orc King, book 20. Checking online I see I am just halfway through, which is astonishing. Might not make it all the way to the end of it this year. I could do it, but I am getting tired of some of the characters and need a break. Will at least finish this trilogy though, then we'll see.
I made a mistake of spoiling myself watching a bit of a review on Howling Dark and it only makes me less confident in it once they started talking about the themes. I can only cope that the reviewer doesnt understand thematic depth because hes a Red Rising fan so thinking "Woah...different cultures...believe in different things....truth is shaped by cultures, you cant judge the cielcin by our standards" is deep would make sense because they think depth is perspective without substance.Might give up on books if my opinion doesnt turn around by the end of Howling Dark, I'm having doubts, starting to think that everybody who treats the 2nd book like a massive step up, is a retard. The amount of reviewers telling me to my face that "Its been 48 year...and Hadrian has actually changed, hes less childlike by the start of Howling Dark" is driving me insane, they were even trying to imply some development by the end of Empire of Silence.I do know for a fact that Hadrian doesn't believe the Cielcin can be peaced with...because he says so himself in Empire of Silence. So its really just about if its change from simplicity to depth, or change from simplicity to an alternative simplicity that seems deep because it renders a prior simplicity invalid. This is what i mean by confusing perspective with depth. There are some people who already view the world in such a simplistic way, that simply replacing that simplicity with a different one seems enlightening because it introduces new information and...perspective.I really hope my doubts are wrong. The novel so far has started off on the same quality as Empire of Silence.
The story has not earned this. It has no earned the consequence of writing a true, real, "living", "breathing", character with even the slightest inkling of depth not validly reducible to a mere 5 words. To spend this much time, showing us how sad he makes the characters and how much he matters to them. See this right here, is a perfect and explicit example I have finally found to illustrate why "show dont tell" is an empty hollow platitude. The book was fairly careful here to not tell us how much us he mattered because it said he did, to show us how Ghen's death was weighing on Hadrians childish contentions. But it wouldnt be made deeper if you removed any more words, or if you added anymore. Its already not made deeper by spilling out every little persons personal story about him, rather than giving him an actual character or personhood.Flashbacks too can be considered show dont tell, and Naruto abused them to hell and back to substitute a lack of character it rarely established beforehand. Because Information isn't character. Events aren't a story. Context isn't depth.
>>25296258>Might give up on booksYes, you should, the entire medium. Books have disappointed you. They're no different than any other media.
>>25296313>Context isn't depthAll literary criticism btfo'd.
>She was a booptroopian; her strange, deep booptroopian accent sounded really different than anything you'd ever heard IRLScience fiction/fantasy are just a meme nowadays
>>25296333>somebody actually betrayed the general and read a screenshot
>>25296327What does this mean?
>>25296318>Books have disappointed you. They're no different than any other media.I know you just want me to stop posting screenshots and I likely will if Howling Dark disappoints, but this is just too sad. All I want is depth and substance, is that so hard to find? To harness? To construct and express? I know what you'll say "It is you", "You can't appreciate the meaning" if you've read all my criticisms and come away believing that, then I don't know what to say, maybe things don't need to mean anything because we're meant to understand without reason to. But why then pretend what we believe is meaningful rather than simply a preference? I guess with the blossoming of the word subjective we've attempted that, but not really. Not truly, not that subjectivity is true in any sense of its use anyway, theres more underlying that, thats why
>>25296370>All I want is depth and substanceSo read books that try to do those things.Not every author can, not every author wants to.But clearly this shouldn't be a surprise to you. The books you've chosen have been because they come up a lot in these threads, but you don't seem to know why. Bakker does some interesting things but here he's just a meme guy, you mention his name and you get funny reactions. Sun Eater gets discussed a lot because it just recently wrapped up and it's pretty good at what it does, but what it does well is not what you want.You need to approach this problem in the exact opposite way you have been, or else change your expectations outright. You cannot have arbitrary selection criteria and be upset that your choices suck.
>>25296384For example.
>>25296258Please cease and desist posting on the literature imageboard if your entire perception of literature of based off of gay-ass Sun Eater.
>>25296365What did you think literary criticism is?
>>25296396I don't know what your point is so I can't even answer that beyond the basic definition: An analysis or judgement of the merits and/or values of a piece of written work.
>>25296313>I'm 15 and this is deepdoes this faggot really?
>>25296421really what?
Does this dumb, gay little girly man REALLY screenshot and navel gaze every single page?
>>25296437>gay little girly man?
>>25296437yes and his antisocial mental disorder causes him to take any critical post as a personal attack
>>25296443wouldn't an antisocial person feel little to nothing because the have suppressed emotions?
>>25296401What do you believe is the basis of depth for books? What makes a book deep?
>>25296450not at all whatsoever.
>>25296384>So read books that try to do those things.>Not every author can, not every author wants to.Well My complaint is kind of predicated on the idea that I don't know how to find what I want. I interested myself in Sun Eater because people noted the protagonist has philosophical musings, what I forgot is how low a bar the general public needs, to call anything philosophy because most of them have never touched a philosophy book in their life.Still, I don't strictly need philosophy to enjoy a book. Well explored themes, deeply laced characters with conflicting beliefs, ideas, feelings and questions, and a well layered plot is good too. But as you can maybe tell, my idea of what makes a good character or theme or plot, in a world where "show don't tell" is still lauded by the average reader and maybe even writer, isnt easy to find and identify in what people tend to like and talk about, and I'm not well read enough to make connections to what I'd consider good books to find new good books.I'm too stupid to enjoy the typical stuff that people consider good character studies like Dosto (I'm of the similar opinion of that meme that says Dostos characters sin their way to God; clearly contrived writing, but smarter ppl than I love it, so I just dont get it) and whoever else is lauded as a classic, I really havent tried that many because Dosto gave such a bad impression that every writer just conveniently writes the conditions for the point they like and think true...to come true in the story. (Similar reason I haven't read Dune)I thought Sun Eater would be good...for reasons I honestly can't remember anymore, the first time I heard about it ever. I thought it sounded like generic YA, then I heard it in a different way (probably when somebody mentioned Hadrian talks about philosophy) and viewed it differently. Something about no morally grey characters, which if you're keen I've been critical of the concept, but something forced me to think it would be different about it...Well theres still Howling Dark to find out.
>>25296466>I thought <megapopular series> would be good>I guess I'll read another bookI hate sharing a planet with <100IQ mouthbreathers like your pagespamming abortion reject excrement.
>>25296451I've talked about it in bits here and there accompanying screenshots and arguments here and there against Terra Ignota defenders. But I'd have to take time to formulate it in a simple and coherent way. The problem is it requires a lot of context and elaboration so I'm afraid a simple answer wont communicate anything due to the trappings of language that dictate we fill in the meanings of words not how theyre expressed, but based on the precedent of how we're used to understanding them.But I also don't want to waste my time writing up something long that wont be understood. I only do so when I feel like I need to communicate my understanding for myself aswell as anybody who would care to hear. And I already understand enough of myself.
>>25296469Why wouldn't, couldn't, and shouldn't a megapopular series be good, or worth merit and value? Even the value I specifically seek. Maybe its different with videogames and thats why I think this way, but I know that when I play a videogame even if its popular, I typically appreciate it for different reasons most people typically do, so even if its intended for a wider audience, I can reap some value from it. That doesn't seem as easy with books so far in my journey, but I don't see why it couldnt be.
There's no way in hell that pagespammer and bakkerspammer aren't the same person. Bakker posting been REAL quiet lately.
>>25296482He only reads megapopular series. Give it time and his ego will shift.Pattern recognition is the biggest bane to newfaggotry.
>>25296474>Context isn't depth>requires a lot of context Context isn't depth but requires context to explain its depth? It sounds more like you have no idea what you're talking about. >I only do so when I feel like I need to communicate my understanding for myself aswell as anybody who would care to hear. And I already understand enough of myself.Solipistic autism at its finest. "Why would I ever tell anyone anything about myself when I know about myself."
>>25296488>Context isn't depth but requires context to explain its depth? It sounds more like you have no idea what you're talking about."You say a story isnt just a words but a story requires words to express what it wants?" You're the retard for not having the shame to realize the error of framing and make sure you weren't just fishing for an own but saying something of substance.
>>25296536That's a terrible analogy because my complaint is that context has a lot to do with depth, while you said it doesn't. So when you provide anology saying that they are related then you're undermining your own argument.
>>25296556The point is very simple. Just because words are part of a story, doesnt contradict the fact that a story is not just a collection of words. Similar, just because context (surrounding information, factors and conditions surrounding a focused "thing") is a factor of depth, doesnt mean that context is depth. No idea whatever else you think your response addresses. I simply used a short and simple analogy mimicking your framing because it obviously demonstrates the incoherence of your assertion in the first place. But that didn't get through to you so I had to explain it like this.
>>25294181Wow anon your so interesting I think you should tripfag.
>>25294624Imagine reading a book on your fucking iphone lmao.
Why are people suddenly mockingly making fun of me?
>>25296636Are you the page spammer? spam every thread with screenshots and don't engage with anyone
>>25296658He engages with anons plenty when they object to his spam and he questions them, not understanding how anybody would grow tired of his behavior.Genuine autism.
>>25293823>epic fantasy by female author>okay, i'll give it a try cause there is not much left to read>quickly gets bored of itevery goddamn time
>>25296606It's misleading to provide an negative then claim it's included as a subset. Example: You: Apples are not red.Me: Apples are red though.You: There are apples that are red, but there are also apples that are other colors, so therefore apples are not red.
Been out of these threads for a while. So that Bakker autist now reads Sun Eater?
>>25296694No you're just being dumb and not applying context clues.For your analogy to be equivalent, apples as a concept would have to be representative or encompass red very stronglt, or almost entirely. Apples itself would almost have to be core to what makes RED the concept RED. But its actually vice versa. The concept red is created in a general sense, then applied after the fact to an apple.This is why I call what youre doing "framing" youre framing a concept in a way that it can be interpreted in a way that deliberately misses the point being made. Red isnt a descriptor of Apples. Red is one of many abstract concepts that allow apples to even be understood as apples.If you flipped the words: Red is not an Apple.It would more appropriately reflect what I was communicating, and equally appropriately reflect the absurdity of the claim. True, Red is not an Apple. Context is not Depth. Red is a feature of an Apple. Context (surrounding information of a focused "thing") is a feature or facet of depth.
>>25296700If you would please consult the graph >>25293823>Sun Eater filters midwits Edition
>>25296692Women simply don’t have that kind of autism that male authors do.
Why does GoodReads hate Jade City? This is an astonishingly low score considering the 4.6's stuff like Dungeon Crawler Carl gets. I was almost going to make a rule of lower rated (but not the lowest rated) GoodReads books being of high quality
>>25296706>4/5>low scoreSo we're at that point now.
Fuark, I shouldnt have done it. I shouldnt have given goodreads another chance at any respect. Why is it always the critical reviews that are way more indepth and specific about their problems? None of this is high criticism or anything but its basic criticism that actually elucidates something, that highlights another aspect of the simplicity of the book I felt in Empire of Silence that I wasnt even conscious of: Young Hadrians commentary. I briefly mentioned this with Switch and Valka I think, and even Hadrian himself, where he tells us how much hes changed, but the reality is if you actually look at every arc, he hasnt changed beyond the superficial fact that he learned what shaking somebodys hand means as a plebeian gesture.This review highlights something that I praised the book for ironically, where Hadrian says "uhhh have you guys ever thought of peace? huh? have you ever thought of just talking huh? im clearly the only singular person in the universe that can communicate with the cielcin, so uh just shut the fuck up and let me save the world with peace you hear?" and then old Hadrian goes "I was wrong and retarded" the reason I found that significant is because the book the entire time had been SOOOO one dimensional. SOOOO simple. Even in one of Switches later arguments Hadrian has to tell us he was right...when he was objectively wrong and retarded, for what? Why does Hadrian endorse simplicity and stupidity?At first I thought this was a feature, make him as annoying and simple as possible so that when he actually has to deepen his perspective it hits hard...until I watched a youtube review try to talk about the themes, and my intuition was the exact problem described here. That theres little actual back and forth, little actual exploration, little actual conclusion (conclusion matters because it shows a throughline of logic from premise to conclusion where you understand the necessary and sufficient conditions for something being true, thereby making the conditions for it to not be true, clear and thats important so that how sound it is can be understood)The contending view point is either too superficial and stupid (switch in empire of silence) or too conveniently conciliatory (olirin just agreeing to let him talk to the cielcins) or inbetween feigning depth (Wow the extrasolarians are weird and inhuman, truly inhuman and uncomplicated but atleast Valka is cool. Hadrian doesnt hate black people he has a black friend) This is my prediction on the stupid ship of theseus point I think the story will make.Anyway it might truly be over, all the people critical and even the ones that like the book says its slow to start, and is a slog in the middle...thats like 60% to 70% of the book. But the ending is apparently SOOOO epic that it doesnt matter...is that not concerning? Fuck this series might just break me.
>>25295551I have seen you posting in other thread before. What exactly are these? where can i find more?
>>25296718I guess everything on goodreads is inflated, and I guess the inflation is worse than MAL
I don't believe ill be able to get through Howling Dark so I'm thinking about casting aside my reservations and diving into Farseer since thats the one book I can remember in here somebody said has strong character writing. Only problem is all these fantasy series are so so long. I need like a sub 500 pages trilogy at most. No more than 4 books, no more than 500 pages each. Its killing me. Figuratively.
>>25296706I think people generally just don't like diaspora authors, especially chinese diaspora writers, even among normalfags.
>>25296692>epic fantasy by female authorWhich ones have you read exactly? The Darkover books are more space opera than pure epic fantasy, Friedman's Black Sun Rising and its sequels are also science fantasy rather than epic fantasy. Earthsea is about inner conflict I don't know who would categorize that as epic fantasy. Dragonriders of Pern is also science fantasy. What did you read?
>>25296692luv Jannysimple as
>>25296755shut the fuck up dude your half the posts in the thread
>>25296795It's not a thread anymore, it's his blog, and you're subscribed.
>>25296731Google "Jade City Inflation" for more info.
>>25296795Ill falter whence my dilemma is resolved
>>25296755Here is an idea: You either make a Substack or you just give a review after you finished or DNF a book. Sounds good? Now fuck off
>>25296706It should be FAR lower than 4/5.
>>25296729It's an illustrated version of the I Ching. No, I'm not him and no, I don't remember the exact version.It's a divination tool, which makes it demonic and ghey.>t.former I Ching user.
Turns out, prose can not carry a fantasy series.
Turns out, well-written books can carry a fantasy series.
>>25296755The Farseer is the first trilogy of Realms of the Elderlings. The entire series is currently 16 books. Many people have a lot of complaints about the characters, especially the protagonist.
>>25296731>everything on goodreads is inflatedmostly newer stuff. I also think I'm getting sick looking at my picture
>>25297017Hot
>>25297362goodreads, and books in general honestly, is pretty good proof that people will like what ever they are supposed to like.
>>25297389Social media in general is proof of that.
My hobbies? Killing Noldor. Making the live of Noldor worse. Sailing. Spreading anti-Noldor sentiment
>>25297467Get back in your void box, Morgoth
>>25297467This sounds like something the Noldori themselves would say and do
>The shards of Gurthang! The blade that felled Glaurung, the father of dragons…>tch! Still smells…
>>25297017>woman writes fiction>it's just pornRepeat x1000. It didn't use to be like this what happened?
there's this narrow, mercenary (or police-like, or military) mentality in glen cook's novels that gives you exemption for being conscientious, or an even remotely decent person, because your actions are judged only by your ilki know it is a good representation of how pigs think and do, but still it feels deeply nihilistic the more you read it, or even as a cop out.
How is Lightbringer by Weeks? Friend of mine recommended it but I dunno, it looked a bit too much like a japanese LN for me.
>>25296794So do I, but a bad example to counter the "they're boring" argument.
>>25296755wtf no, stop flailing around! You will fucking HATE the Farseer books. It's true they have phenomenal character writing and narrative depth, but it's about a bunch of miserable and depressed characters making bad, unlucky choices. That's hard even for people with robust immune systems to handle, and you have AIDS.You want The Winter King by Bernard Cornwell.
I need a story where>There's a king/leader of a small nation >Even though he's supposedly a king he leads armies into battle personally>Everyone who disagrees with him is portrayed as a moron >Lots of purple proseExamples: >Gods of Mars>The Iron Dream>Hour of the Dragon and other Conan stories where he's a king
>>25297017this is just typical cringe slop, hardly makes poor writing, have you seen gene wolfe write about sex nigga?
>>25297129This was obvious to those destined for God's Heaven
I still just can't believe that Sun Eater was YA shit that isnt actually that deeply written or thoughtful I just can't believe it. I should have seen the red flag when two youtubers known for not just liking but LOVING red rising, thought Sun Eater was amazing, but I coped and looked towards the youtubers who were meh or fine with Red Rising as cope. How did I not see it? I just can't believe it. It can't be true, it must all be some kind of trick, some ruse. I have to keep reading Howling Dark especially since Farseer is apparently like 16 books long and people are trying to (possibly as a trick of their own...) convince me it sucks
>>25297582>You want The Winter King by Bernard Cornwell.Where have I heard this?
>>25297582>and you have AIDS.Whats the point here? That I'm sensitive to disappointment or slow development or something? Tf does Aids, even figuratively, have to do with anything?
>>25297626I knew it was shit the moment the guy at my church who really likes Warhammer 40k told me he was into it. then I looked at that YA ass cover and noped the fuck out. No I haven't read it.
>>25297660>then I looked at that YA ass cover and noped the fuck out.I like cool looking covers though...
>>25293823I've read over 4,000 works of short fiction by more than 1,700 authors. I've only read a single story from 1,156 of those authors though. What that means is outside the scope of this post. This only includes what I've read from magazines, anthologies, collections and similar. Novellas that are exclusively published on their own are not included. That's also a separate discussion.Their length has strongly skewed the distribution to the lower end of my ratings. Due to their relatively short length I tend to read through it all rather than dropping as I would do with a novel. This has resulted in me believing that the vast majority weren't worth reading at all and most of the rest were no more than decent. Even so, I still find it worthwhile. I've been rating them for 20+ years, so there's a lack of consistency over time. Early on I only noted standout stories. What I used to be believe was the among the best I've read may only be moderately enjoyable now. There's a lot that I ought to reread. With these qualifications in mind, I present these listings of authors.The 49 Authors Who Wrote A Story That Received My Highest RatingAlan Dean FosterAzuma HirokiBao ShuBrian StablefordBruce SterlingCarrie VaughnCharles OberndorfChristopher BarzakCinda Williams ChimaCongyun "Mu Ming" GuGeoff Ryman and David JeffreyGeorge R. R. MartinGeorge SaundersGreg EganGregor HartmannGregory BenfordH. Beam PiperJake KerrJames Patrick KellyJames Tiptree JrJean-Marc LignyJohn KesselJohn LanganJustin C. KeyJustina RobsonKen LiuKenneth SchneyerLauren BeukesLee KonstantinouMark StasenkoNaomi KritzerNick WolvenOliver LangmeadPaolo BacigalupiPaul Di FilippoPhilip K. DickRobert SilverbergS. L. GilbowS. M. StirlingSaad Z. HossainSamuel R. DelanyShiv RamdasTad WilliamsTed ChiangTed KosmatkaTom MaddoxUrsula K. Le GuinWang JinkangWole Talabi10 Authors That I've Read 5+ Stories From And Consistently Disliked Or HatedBen H. WintersBenjamin RosenbaumCharlie Jane AndersGardner DozoisHan SongHugh HoweyKim Stanley RobinsonMary Robinette KowalNnedi OkoraforTananarive Due10 Authors That I've Read 5+ Stories From And Consistently Liked Or LovedBruce SterlingGregor HartmannH. Beam PiperLeah CypessMack ReynoldsMary RosenblumNick WolvenPaolo BacigalupiR. S. BenedictUrsula K. Le GuinTop 20 Authors I've Enjoyed Reading The Most Stories From In Absolute TermsGreg EganKen LiuNaomi KritzerUrsula K. Le GuinH. Beam PiperCarrie VaughnPaul Di FilippoPaolo BacigalupiWole TalabiRobert SilverbergPhilip K. DickBruce SterlingTed ChiangGregor HartmannAlastair ReynoldsRobert ReedMatthew HughesMichael SwanwickJoe AbercrombieNick Wolven
>>25297728The 74* Stories That I've Currently Given My Highest RatingPardon Our Conquest - Alan Dean FosterThe Fish in Chryse - Azuma HirokiWhat Has Passed Shall in Kinder Light Appear - Bao ShuMortimer Gray's History of Death - Brian StablefordBicycle Repairman - Bruce SterlingDeep Eddy - Bruce SterlingImmortal Beauty - Bruce SterlingBannerless - Carrie VaughnA Hunter’s Ode To His Bait - Carrie VaughnThe Art of Homecoming - Carrie VaughnAnother Life - Charles OberndorfMap of Seventeen - Christopher BarzakThe Trader and the Slave - Cinda Williams ChimaBy Those Hands - Congyun "Mu Ming" GuThe Many Different Kinds of Love - Geoff Ryman and David JeffreyThe Rogue Prince, or, A King's Brother - George R. R. MartinMeathouse Man - George R. R. MartinSea Oak - George SaundersCloser - Greg EganLearning to Be Me - Greg EganThe Moral Virologist - Greg EganLearning To Be Me - Greg EganDust - Greg EganWorthless - Greg EganA Solitary Crane Circles Cold Mountain - Gregor HartmannThe Sigma Structure Symphony - Gregory BenfordA Slave is a Slave - H. Beam PiperBiographical Fragments of the Life of Julian Prince - Jake KerrSolstice - James Patrick KellyThe Girl Who Was Plugged In - James Tiptree JrRealLife 3.0 - Jean-Marc LignyThe Last American - John KesselThe Wide, Carnivorous Sky - John LanganN-raptured - Justin C. KeyI Give You the Moon - Justina RobsonA Brief History of the Trans-Pacific Tunnel - Ken LiuByzantine Empathy - Ken LiuThe Regular - Ken LiuThe Tortoise Parliament - Kenneth SchneyerSlipping - Lauren BeukesBurned Over Territory - Lee KonstantinouOvervalued - Mark StasenkoCat Pictures Please - Naomi KritzerArtifice - Naomi KritzerWe're So Very Sorry for Your Recent Tragic Loss - Nick WolvenCaspar D. Luckinbill, What Are You Going to Do? - Nick WolvenCarbo - Nick WolvenGlitterati - Oliver LangmeadPop Squad - Paolo BacigalupiMika Model - Paolo BacigalupiStone Lives - Paul Di FilippoNine Hundred Grandmothers - Paul Di FilippoA Short Course in Art Appreciation - Paul Di FilippoThe Skull - Philip K. DickThe Exit Door Leads In - Philip K. DickThe King of the Elves - Philip K. DickSailing to Byzantium - Robert SilverbergRed Card - S. L. GilbowAncient Ways - S. M. StirlingThe Endless - Saad Z. HossainTime Considered as a Helix of Semi-Precious Stones - Samuel R. DelanyCompany Man - Shiv RamdasAnd Ministers of Grace - Tad WilliamsThe Truth of Fact, The Truth of Feelings - Ted ChiangUnderstand - Ted ChiangN-Words - Ted KosmatkaSnake-Eyes - Tom MaddoxA Man of the People - Ursula K. Le GuinA Woman's Liberation - Ursula K. Le GuinForgiveness Day - Ursula K. Le GuinParadises Lost - Ursula K. Le GuinThe Matter of Seggri - Ursula K. Le GuinSeeds of Mercury - Wang JinkangEncore - Wole Talabi*504 have my second highest rating. Several more may be included here if I reread and several may no longer be included if I reread.
>>25297728>Ken LiuInteresting...I've seen some hype for this guy, but his TV show he made convinced me hes retarded...maybe hes grown...
>>2529772973, included one twice. >>25297736The show is loosely based on three stories that don't represent his overall work. That being said I liked the story. The ending of the second/final season was terrible though.
>>25297741*stories and the show.The stories were originally published in a gimmick anthology trilogy. He's had other stories adapted, though they aren't ones I've really cared for.
>>25297741>The ending of the second/final season was terrible though.I think the show was always bad from the get go even if an interesting premise, but yeah the ending is just a different level of bad and messy.
>>25297628I came up with "immune system" first, and then when trying to find a way to extend the metaphor to you I came up with AIDSIt goes without saying I don't actually know you or have your specifics likes / dislikes, tolerances, etc/ dialed in. But from what you've shared, you strike me as someone who wants stories in a specific way and really dislikes them when they aren't like that. Am I wrong?I'm really not trying to be a jerk here, plenty of people are like that. The problem is that in the Farseer books the author is deliberately writing in an unfair way. Good, honest characters are put through the wringer. Hood knows exactly what we want to see from a fantasy epic about a royal bastard orphan, and she deliberately does not give us what we want.It's a bummer of a series. I don't think you'll like that.
Since I've listed stories from anthologies and a tv series was mentioned, here's an extra thing: Some Speculative Fiction Anthology TV Series That I've WatchedBlack MirrorExtrapolationsL'Effondrement (The Collapse)Love, Death + Robots Philip K. Dick's Electric DreamsWeird CityMaybe I should do "my favorite SFF" stuff for various media again sometime.
>>25296706>4.06/5>an astonishingly low score
>>25297786>But from what you've shared, you strike me as someone who wants stories in a specific way and really dislikes them when they aren't like that. Am I wrong?Idk what you mean, if you mean to ask whether I have a standard. Yes, I do. If you mean to imply I only like certain genres, then Idk. I probably wouldn't like Horror much, and tend to avoid it in all mediums. Otherwise I don't really think about genre.>It's a bummer of a series. I don't think you'll like that.The most discouraging thing about Farseer as of now, is its length, and the implication im gathering, that the first trilogy isnt actually the best one. One thing I cant currently tolerate is 600+ page trilogies, that you have to wait past the 1st or 2nd book to actually get good.
>>25297812not that anonWhat about reading standalone novels or even long novellas that are basically novels?
>>25297811It is, relative to the best. 4/5 is only 80%. That's a mediocre score. That's just barely better than a C as a grade. The great books need to be 90% or higher at least. 95% would be preferable
>>25297838You are retarded.
>>25297841xcooz me pwincess fo habing standerds
>>25297831>What about reading standalone novelsI'm debating reading Piranesi soon, but I want a simple trilogy as backup for when Im done incase I crave more stuff.Also debating reading Dune now too, because the amount of people positive of Sun Eater that I've seen say "Sun Eater is what Dune wishes it was!" now has the wheels in my head turning, curious if Dune could possibly actually be worse than Sun Eater. Their criticisms was largely that Paul is less of an emotional character than Hadrian, and that dialogue is more philosophical than emotional or whatever, which isnt actually a good thing, based on how bad and childish the Sun Eater dialogue is, and how simple of a character Hadrian is.But I don't know. I don't like the way Herber talks about charismatic leaders in interviews and stuff, it sounds equally as simple, and the proposition that the Emperor is Sun Eater wouldn't be strictly good or evil, was one of the things that made me preference it over Dune, but now I dont even trust that it does that well, I figure that Sun Eater succumbs to the aesthetic of moral greyness, and approaches the issue with no real complexity. Sort of like what is already implied with the Chantry "Well...theyre evil and despite the fact that torture is objectively stupid and ineffective...they are right about technology and the cielcin...so its a necessary evil" Theres just nothing interesting about a necessary evil, because youve made it necessary by definition, so its no less simplistic and one dimensional than black and white morality.
>>25297728>he didn't read https://www.lightspeedmagazine.com/fiction/travellers-rest/
>>25297841He's right as far as Goodreads goes, though. Something like 99% of all books there are rated between 3.5 and 4.8. You have to grade on a scale, and on that scale a 4.04 is below average to bad.>>25297851Piranesi is fantastic. You'll love it.But given all the criteria you've told us you're looking for, you really, really want The Winter King. Well written trilogy, fun characters, great story, emotional, full of love and loyalty and violence and humor.
>>25297867>Something like 99% of all books there are rated between 3.5 and 4.8.Exactly, it doesn't take much critical thinking to realize that numbers aren't literal and just because in your experience a certain number has been associated with a certain value, doesn't mean that value exists in some essential platonic sense with that number.
>>25297867>But given all the criteria you've told us you're looking for, you really, really want The Winter King.I'll try it.
>>25297860There are a lot of magazines and I've read almost none of them. I should provide a list of magazines I have sometime. I really ought to get around to reading more.
reading a lot of older sci fi books that mention black people is funny. the way they describe them and use the term negro.
>>25297728>>25297729I have a great deal of respect for your autism
>>25297987That isn't even the tip of the iceberg.
>seeing how much aurax had been broken by the mutilated dunyain and cet’ingira and probably the rest of the consult, breaking him for eonsFuck that gay world. Fuck the Consult and Kellhus. And FUCK Bakker. I hope the no-god consumes everyone
Any other humble (no more than 700 pages) Fantasy Trilogies or Sci Fi with good characters and themes, and philosophy only as a bonus, not a necessity, because I'm coming to terms with the fact that nobody cares enough about philosophy to actually know what it is beyond A-Z quotes. In case I don't like Winter King, or incase I like it too much and am left wanting something more to read after finishing it?
A Very Incomplete List of ~255 Speculative Fiction Magazineshttps://pastebin.com/z0nxGLRq
>>25298089I'm The Winter King anon and I missed that you wanted philosophy. I thought you were upset at that aspect of Sun Eater, actually. That's my bad.Ok, then you want A Requiem for Homo Sapiens. Start with either Neverness or The Broken God. It's insanely good. Unbelievably good prose, the best character writing I've ever seen in almost any book, and one of the few genre books that make you feel smarter for having read it. Philosophy, math, religion, ethics, it covers it all, yet without even the hint of smugness. Some of the philosophy is familiar but the majority of it is either alien (because it comes from aliens) or filtered through a thick scifi lens.My only knock is that the protagonist is a bit of a Gary Stu, but only in the sense that he's unusually good at accepting new philosophies and concepts, when most humans would be highly resistant to the mental changes he goes through. Not a deal breaker, and it's needed for the book to work, but just fyi.
>>25297660>YA ass coverHow the fuck is it YA?Because it has a character on the cover?
How is that one anon from last thread(?) getting along in his Bayneread? You really telling me that if I described these as older Westerns then I could have gotten more than one (1) other curios to read it over all these years? Good lord, you need to become a figurative god to convince anybody on /lit/ to read something that is not on a bestseller list or propped up on a stand at the local bookstore.
>>25298269Very good and nice reccs man, thanks alot. Maybe best sequence of replies I've gotten yet.
Just finished the Chimera series by Cate Glass. Has anyone else read these?I'd describe these books as cozy. Each book focuses on a heist/operation that the main character Romy, her younger idiot brother, and two friends have to complete. All four of them are sorcerers and use their skills to help in their quests, though sorcery is illegal so if they get caught they get killed.The stakes are low in these books, at least in comparison to contemporary fantasy. There's no epic battles with the forces of evil over the future of civilization, just trying to steal a statue or a list of names to foil some schemer's plan. They also avoid a lot of annoying tropes. There's no endless supply of guards for the main characters to slaughter their way through (I think they don't even kill anyone til the 3rd book), no power scaling, and no society-upending revelations. No romance either.I'd give these a 3.75/5. Not the most addictive stories I've read by any means, but still fun. Good reads for anyone looking for heist novels.
It seems more and more that at some point I'm going to have to read Dune to understand why Philosophical percieved Sci Fi is so commonly associated with Dune, and why so many protagonists are apparently Paul-like. I'm just too scared of disappointment at this point, especially because that one guy said Sun Eater is what Dune wishes it was. If thats the case...how bad can Dune possibly be to not meet the ambitious standard of what people think of Sun Eater? Scary thought.Anyway I'm excited for this series. Just a question of debating with myself of whether to start Winter King first, or this one first.
>>25298349https://warosu.org/lit/?task=search&ghost=false&search_text=%22Cate+Glass%22not many hits
>>25298358>omg DUNE or SUN EATER :OOOOOO
>>25298339>need to become a figurative god to convince anybody on /lit/ to read something that is not on a bestseller list or propped up on a stand at the local bookstoreIt's on a person by person and book by book basis. Some people are much more open to doing so. It can be very dependent on the book. Most of time you'll never know that they did. I've read several due to others and many of them know that I did, because I told them.
>>25298390ok.
I brought a book on a trip with me thinking I wouldnt finish it. I ended up finishing it a couple days into my trip. I went to two different bookstores in the city that I'm in but neither bookstore had anything from my back log so I didn't get anything. I'm not returning tomorrow having not gotten a new book for my return flight.Realistically, what is the best science fiction book I can get from an airport hudson news type place or newsstand? I've likely read most classics
>>25298399Find something on Anna's Archive and read on your phone. Yeah, it's not ideal, but it's just for the flight.
>>25298402>anon believes a phoneposter knows what AA islol
>>25298339I'm the anon you convinced last year to read it and I think "old western" really is a fantastic descriptor. It's swords and sorcery with an old western structure, sorta like what The Dark Tower was until it very much wasn't.Genuinely and earnestly: the Bayne books rule. It's not a thread meme, you should actually read them. They're brisk, fun as hell, and frequently surprising. Approach them like a B-movie, but an actual good B-movie that you want to eventually own on Bluray
>>25298402>Anna's ArchiveIs the site even still up after the recent fine and legal nonsense?
>>25298399Those places will have nothing but romantasy and maybe Hail Mary if you're lucky.I'd do the epub on your phone thing, otherwise get a book in a completely different genre. It's hard to fuck up a mystery book too badly and airport stores will have many of those
>>25298428It never went down. It turns out law only applies to people who want to operate under it. Otherwise you can just ignore it.They didn't pay any fine and the only fallout was losing two alt domains, but the site never was taken down and they just replaced the domains. The wikipedia page always lists the most active ones:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anna%27s_Archive
>>25298428https://open-slum.org/Do not act ignorant.
>>25298438Also https://open-slum.pages.dev/
When I look at somebody like Elon Musk and that he's basically the foremost ambitious "Lets send ourselves to space" guy. I can't help but think about how simplistic, stupid, one dimensional and anime like her concept of a Utopian group of people who just loooove progress, are ds hardest workers, and create wacky things like technological AI built spacr dragons that are loyal like pets.The fact that Terra Ignota and many popular space operas somehow just do away completely with corparitism and billionaires so that they never actually have to ask the hard questions of what and how Humanity's unrelenting desire for progress, could possibly have any complexity in its connection to capitalism, politics, and philosophy, is just pathetic
And i say all this as somebody who doesnt care about muak and was only reminded about him recently, the point is about how much of the representation of the future in sci fi like terra ignota feels lacking in the complexity of how a society, its progress, its technology, its understanding of technology, its reception to technology, its political goals related to technology that Elon Musk alone represents.
>>25298482>elon>terra ignotaholy newfag nigger
>>25298482You think that because you are very unread and unaware of what exists. There's a lot that does and not only books.
>>25298613I posted that reply half because I knew exactly that and hoped somebody would prove me wrong, besides, my point was mostly centered around terra ignota anyway
I haven't given up on Howling Dark btw. I just need something to convince me that I'm not delusional and wrong about something everybody else likes and finds deep and thought provoking. If I need to see and understand whats the difference between a complex text, and a simple text. Not to say that simpler writing can't be good, I've heard Herberts prose and writing is very dry and direct. But I need to see the differences to test my own judgements
Ah "Old Earth" where have I heard that recently before?
>>25298713>I just need something to convince me that I'm not delusional and wrong about something everybody else likes and finds deep and thought provoking. They don't though. It's not that popular or deep and a lot of people dislike it.
>>25298762>or deepI know this.>They don't though.This and>a lot of people dislike it.This im not sure about though.When I first did my little research on the series, it was the first book that drew all the derision. From what I can tell based on other platforms, and Good Reads, the rest of the series is fairly well rated.My impression was that it only gets better from Empire of Silence and infact theres a huge leap from Empire of Silence to Howling Dark. It was a lie, worst of all, too much of a lie, even if the book gets good by the end. There was a goodreads review that put it perfectly. Ruocchio wastes far too much time prosing all over a page, and spamming shitty childish dialogue that it takes too long to get to the "good stuff". I seriously have no idea why anybody pretended Howling Dark was different, it starts off exactly the same as most of Empire of Silence. The ending cannot be THAT impactful in your minds that you just ignore the fact that most of the book is the same quality as Empire of Silence. This is why I have to still get through it some day to make sure.Do you know how long it took me to find reasonable seeming criticism of the series? I had to actively search for bad reviews, and even then, even by the end of Empire of Silence when I searched for a bad review. One review in particular sticks in my mind just because of how dismissive of it I was until Howling Dark.It was a review on Empire of Silende that noted the childish dialogue and simplicity, and said that they read over half of howling dark and nothing changed that I remember. Still bought into the hype, I dismissed it, and used that single review to dismiss all bad reviews of Sun Eater (not that I found many at that time anyway) because my impression was that goodreads readers or readers in general couldnt criticize as well as my low standard allowed praise to be considered "well".It wasn't until I actually read Howling Dark and that review pulled itself up from the dredges of my mind, and stunned me like a prophecy, that I felt like what I imagine somebody prophecized to bring destruction feels. That its all coming together, all the signs, all the doubts, the questions, the concerns, the odd bits I dismissed and coped about to keep going, rearing their heads to reveal themselves as "Fact".The review was right. I hadnt even gotten past more than 150 pages and the review was right. I felt trapped. Like there was no where to go. I did more digging, watched more youtube videos closely this time to see the cracks, and it all started falling apart. That review was the real omen. Not anything in the book itself. That one review I dismissed in passing, always at the back of my mind. Drowned me in doubt and despair for the series.
>>25298779and so, you continue to hit yourself. Maybe you're a masochist.
Something I find interesting about this series, and I'll be called a normie or something for this, is how its basically toying with all the same concepts Sun Eater is (Genetically constructed to resist disease and certain environmental temperaments, or be more susceptible to certain temperaments, aswell as living longer than "plebeians") Im sure all this is actually super typical in sci fi, but my point is just that, if thats the case, I will hopefully get to see how a different hopefully deeper sci fi approaches the same sort of modification and technology related concepts that Sun Eater tries to tackle.I'm really starting to slowly wonder now if all the people with the plagiarism criticisms were just lazily communicating something of substance underneath, and that the fact that theyve read so many sci fi and fantasy is exactly what left them unimpressed with Sun Eater, the real criticism isnt plagiarism, its the fact that Sun Eater does little/less with what already game before.The only problem with this is all the booktubers who have read far more fantasy and sci fi than me who still love Sun Eater (one of them also loves Red Rising which is a red flag I should have cared more about if I wasnt trying to be open minded) It reminds me of the lesson I learned as a teenager where 30 year old adults had watched thousands of anime, but would still praise the most generic moe slice of life slop, but actually thats okay because they also jumbled in the "classics" like ghost of the shell alongside it. It was when I learned those people have no coherent taste or standard. That consuming a lot of something doesn't necessarily sharpen your critical thinking skills and ability to identify quality.
>>25298784>Maybe you're a masochist.Such are the conditions we find ourselves in the endless search for meaning.
>>25298791>The only problem with this is all the booktubersTheir goal is to make money. To do that they find whatever is currently trending and praise it. If you think they're doing something else ,you're almost always going to be wrong. There's rarely any profit in being negative about consumer products. Especially if it may cause problems with publishers and sponsors.
bruh. dont read this if you don't like nasty sounding experiences, but this whole sequence was crazy
>>25298803>To do that they find whatever is currently trending and praise it.Doesn't make sense if Sun Eater actually wasn't that popular like another anon suggested. Besides, I understand tentative praise. But "Howling Dark is a 5 out of 5" and "Demon in White is now in my top 5 books ever" is a different kind of praise. Its hard not to get swept in whatever hype is behind that. Why all that for a series that isn't "that" popular?
>>25298820You're so naive, gullible, and easily influenced. Marketers must love you. I have no further response other than to say that I hope you're pretending to be this ignorant about social practices.
>>25298820You can find that kind of praise for almost every popular book. My advice is to only take recommendations from circles that share a similar taste and reading level as you. You’ll never hear this kind of praise for Sanderson’s books from Wolfe fans, but in tiktok YA circles, they’re all considered 10/10 masterpieces.
>>25298827If somebody existed to promote every currently trending book series then sure "5 out of 5" would be a fine enough commonality, but "top 5 book ever" would simply dilute the value of their words if they said it every time for ever popular book. Its also odd specifically to 5 out of 5 Howling Dark which isnt one of the most popular books of the series, its not low, but rarely is it that high.But maybe you're right, maybe I'm just subconsciously trying not to feel left out.
>>25298831nta It's too late tonight, but I'm going to look into this claim sometime after I wake up.
>>25298832I stopped getting free books from publishers because it affected how I covered them too much, even when I was intentionally trying not to be, and I wasn't even do it for anything other than myself. It is nice to get books many months before they release though, despite the other problems that come with it.
I do not like quote philosophy. And I tend to be more critical of philosophy that expressing something I already agree with, because its easier to be wrong then. But despite that, the simpleness of this is somehow more properly done and profound than anything I've encountered yet in Sun Eater. The problem of this is to think about why. For me its because I've simply read so many philosophers talk about this fact, and if you just have any sufficient familarity with philosophy, you can logic yourself to this conclusion. It's not "deep". But its simply justified, and thats more than I can say about the assumption laden quotes of the other things I've read prior.
>>25298834I understand this. Based on my experience with booktubers, the most generic "criticism" to give to not seem like a shill, is "pacing" because its so vague and subjective that anybody can take it however they want. After all, there are a bunch of 700+ page books that are beloved that fans would say are not poorly paced. When I was doing some research, goodreads reviews on the Fools Errand, noted constantly how basically nothing happens in the book and yet they couldn't put it down. Its so subjective. So when I look for criticisms of "pacing" I look for stuff like the series of reviews that further soured my opinion on Howling Dark, the types of reviews that can't vaguely be reduced to "some parts are boring". But that specify how certain aspects of the book do not justify themselves strictly and specifically.Like how I noted that Hadrian does not change for most of Empire of Silence and that you could skip the whole homeless arc and most of the gladiator arc. Even though Switch and Ghen show up in the next book, their characters were never not simple enough that anything that happened with them couldnt be understood within like a paragraph. But Ruocchio wanted to mimicm and give the sense and impression of earned familarity and association with the characters by telling us how many shitty fights they survived, that Switch cried alone in the shower or something, and that Ghen calls Hadrian "Your Radiance". None of it adds character, but it adds "flavour" it adds a "sense" of character. And despite that not being enough for the mourning and grieving over Ghens shitty death to feel deserved, he has to emphasize it anyway, because its about tasting distinct, not filling one up.Don't even get me started again on how Switch's conflict in Empire is just another "sense of character" moment that is made worse just by how badly written it is in a fundamental sense.Its just so disappointing. It makes me so sad and mad looking back at how I coped for that moment. That moment that was the beginning of the end. I tried so hard to not add finality to it being a "bad omen" a "red flag".Sometimes I still question if im overreacting, if im hallucinating it all. Nobody else notes and points out these things that I do, maybe its just all in my head and Sun Eater is great and I just can't tolerate simple hiccups. That terra ignota anon that implied such almost got to me, but I feel more strongly against Terra Ignota because I gave it SO many more chances, and got no real counters.
>the last remnants of humanity>he felt the power flow through him>he had seen beautiful women before, but she was *beautiful*guys i can't do this anymore... rhyming fire with desire as a whole species of literature, why... adieu genre fiction
This is absolutely one of the guys he watched to hype himself up on Sun Eater lol
Other than Bilbo, Frodo, and Harry Potter who are some sff protagonists who can turn invisible?
>>25298911me on a bad day outside
>>25298890I hate facecam-tubers so much it's unreal.
I wish Bacigalupi would write something. Windup Girl and that whole setting is one of my favourite things ever
>>25298437very cool
>>25293823barefoot hero.. vgh
>>25293823Has anyone read this?It is by pretty big youtuber.I found the cover extremely generic
>>25299051>I found the cover extremely genericCovers are usually chosen by the publisher, not the author. I've seen authors complain about their books having bad covers but saying it's out of their control.
>>25299051>It is by pretty big youtuber.>I found the cover extremely genericNo reason to read it then.
>>25299070I think she is the spectrum.
>>25297531Mercenaries are often depicted as rotten unreliable bastards in fiction, especially fantasy but the real world is not really that grimdark. There's tons of examples in history of mercenaries dying to a man rather than abandoning their posts and duty. For example the Varangian Guards have only betrayed an emperor once in the hundreds of years of their existence, and then only over an injustice done to a woman.
>>25297531Just because the book doesn't explicitly condemn the actions of the protagonists doesn't mean it condones them either.
>>25297611The Dragon Masters by Vance.
>>25298860Is this from whatever the spamming nigger is reading?
>>25294567Yes why is this I found a pirated copy of the audio book but not the ebook... I can't listen without following along because I am a retard.
>>25294567>>25299130Nvm I found it bro. It's on zlib so if you are still looking for it check there
>>25298860Is this from Sun Eater? Or Red Rising?
>>25294762Is red rising good? I have it on my shelf because I got it as a gift a while back but haven’t touched it. Seemed like young adult slop like hunger games or something
>>25298791Ruocchio committed the cardinal sin of plagiarism accusations: he addressed it poorly.Someone accuses you of something you should ignore it or deny it. Ruocchio (including through his wife iirc) instead tried to justify it, turning it into a debate as to when pastiche and homage crosses into plagiarization.He then committed the 2nd cardinal sin by then deleting and denying it ever happened.
>>25299374
>>25299212The first book is hunger games inspired because otherwise he couldn't publish it. The rest is space opera. I only read the first three books, but they were the staple of a page-turner. I found the philsophy for normie book surprisingly deep (still shallow, nevertheless). I heard the second half of the series is much grittier. TLDR: If you just want a engaging story and a solid space opera, go for it. (Love the Jackal, literally me)
>>25299409Thanks, I’ll give it a go. Doesn’t seem like it’ll take too long to read anyway
>>25293823why are they so comfy brehs
>>25299424Which one do you recommend to start first witht? Debating about either reading the Eisenhorn trilogy or if I should read a Star Wars series (interested about the Thrawn triology)
>>25299430for the EU books I would start with Thrown Trilogy or even shadows of the empire, shadows takes place between empire strikes back and return of the Jedibut thrawn is always a safe bet
