>Recommended reading charts (Look here before asking for vague recommendations):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
Pagans, #1 - James Alistair Henry (2025)Pagans is an alternate present crime novel set in 2023 England. The greatest difference is that Christianity never mattered. This has both huge differences on the world and also not nearly as much as may be expected. There isn't any difference in technology and less than may be expected in contemporary social values. The difference is in the distribution of power. Overall it'd call it an inversion of the current world order. The Pan-African Unified States are the world's superpower, followed by the Mughal Empire and The Caliphate of Southern Europe. Britain is divided into three tribes: the Celts of the West who are mostly illiterate, the Saxons of the East who are a mix of modern and traditional ways, and the Norse in the North who are doing better and walled themselves off. Henry, the author, provides a bibliography of the nonfiction and fiction that he read for inspiration.That's all background though as the focus is entirely on the murder of a Celtic diplomat shortly before the next attempt at unifying the three regions so that Britain may find its place in the developed world. Aedith, a Saxon police captain teams up with Drustan, a Celtic detective inspector. Together they do a standard sort of investigation. It's not good or bad, it's just the typical sort to be expected.This book was carried by its setting. If not for that there wouldn't be anything notable about it. It is extremely evident that this was written to be a television series, the author is primarily a screenwriter so that's to be expected. Although there's a good bit of cultural difference explored, I can't help but feel like that it would be far better expressed visually and through actors. This would be the sort of television series where the writer's shortcomings are compensated for by visual spectacle and commanding presence of the actors.I had thought the alternative history setting would be enough for me to overlook the flaws it may have, but I was wrong. Despite its historical divergences I felt this book was an example of "the more things change, the more they stay the same". While this does ground it in familiarity and probably allows for better reception among a general audience, especially for a tv series, it left me wanting for something more distinct.There wasn't anything about this that was of particular concern, but the accumulation of small concerns really added up to where they became a major concern. If these concerns, which mostly the writing and other textual considerations, are below your threshold of concern I believe this book would work much better for you. Especially so if the setting really works for you.The next book of this trilogy comes out in August. I'm tending towards not reading it. I think I'll just wait and see if Apple, who has the tv option, ever adapts it. I feel that it'd be much better than this.Rating: 2.5/5
I just finished reading the Hyperion books. So many people only read the first 2 books, but the 3rd and 4th adds so much to the story. I'm very happy with my decision to read all 4, and the ending made it all worth it.
>>25434061NANOMACHINES, SON
>>25433998>I'll just wait and see if Apple, who has the tv option, ever adapts it. I feel that it'd be much better than thisThis is why your "reviews" are SHIT. Fuck off.
>>25433998your """reviews""" are SHITFUCK OFF
>>25434061The last two books' reputation is that they over-explain parts of the worldbuilding that were better left to imagination and interpretation. Does that jive at all?
Threadly reminder to report and ignore newfag spammers like >>25434095 who purposely make off-topic inflammatory posts in bad faith and has done so for four years running.>>21323327
>read Algis Budrys' review of Dune>"kids, remember that The Odyssey is much shorter than this shit"Brutal.
>>25434090Because I think it's possible for an adaptation to be better than the source material?
>>25434096Yeah. Space Tibet was also gay as hell. Many parts of the last two books are obviously just Simmons' life events shoved into his story.The only thing worth reading them for is the reveal of Nemes being pure kino.
>>25434160>trusting Apple>ever
>>25434164This is about Neuromancer, isn't it?
>>25434160Has this ever happened, even once? I can think of adaptations that can stand on their own, and those that make good companion pieces, but better?
>>25434174I explained my reasons why in what I wrote.
I read books.
>>25434170Adapting Neuromancer after Gibson said The Matrix had already done that is a bit pointless, no matter who makes the adaptation. Besides, I don't see them doing Count Zero and Mona Lisa Overdrive.
>>25434174That being said, here are some examples I agree with:The Godfather Bladerunner Children of Men JawsThe Princess Bride Fight Club The Silence of the LambsThen there are arguable ones:Arrival Lord of the Rings No Country for Old Men If you mean exclusively TV series that's a more contentious matter.
>>25434187https://bsky.app/profile/greatdismal.bsky.social/post/3mrj4rzfqnc24
>>25434188>BladerunnerNope.>>25434197Good for him, but what he said in the past is still true. Many people will compare Neuromancer to The Matrix.
>>25434174The Shining. The book is honestly the worst Stephen King I've read
>>25434206>Many people will compare Neuromancer to The MatrixSo what? People who don't know much incorrectly compare popular works all the time. It's the rule rather than the exception.
>>25434100>Report>/lit/LMAO, it does literally NOTHING.
>>25434211OK, I'll eat the Apple slop.
>>25434233I never said anything about you doing so. Why would I care? Do so or not. I didn't say your concerns weren't valid. You feel how you feel.
>>25434217It does. Review haters and schizos that have too extreme fantasies of killing pagespammer tend to get banned because they're attacking the few people who talk explicitly about books here
>>25434248Bakkerfag is disliked for a plethora of reasons scattered across the past ten years.
>>25434248>Anybody but spammer fag usually gets banned Yes, thank you for proving my point.
>>25434096This is also true of the second book
https://strawpoll.com/XOgOVq3Dan3
>>25434334kek normie retards that cant think for themselves love LOTR so much fucking retard normies even GRRM filters normies enough that they still complain about the ages, incest, and other irrelevant bullshit
Worth a read as an adult?
>>25434334https://warosu.org/lit/?task=search2&ghost=false&search_text=https%3A%2F%2Fstrawpoll.com%2FXOgOVq3Dan3&search_subject=&search_username=&search_tripcode=&search_email=&search_filename=&search_datefrom=&search_dateto=&search_media_hash=&search_op=all&search_del=dontcare&search_int=dontcare&search_ord=old&search_capcode=all&search_res=post
>>25434334Didn't see Ender
>>25434334>>25434391>i'm creating yet another poll what the best fantasy series of all time is. hopefully bakkerfag and his 573842930 vpns wont ruin itWhich is exactly what happened and why it's been posted yet again.
Why do people never seem to grasp the idea that the MORE you shill something that the LESS likely I am to be willing to engage with it at all? It's just like those dumb reels on social media where some dumb Muslim in a pile of rubble says "GO AHEAD, GO ON AND SKIP ME!!!" like, okay dipshit, I will LMAO.I'm never going to read Prince of Sloppies or Reddit Rising specifically BECAUSE of (You) and your day-to-day obsessive faggotry lmao.
>>25433962Why do they both have three arms?
>>25434437It's a metaphor
>>25434427
>25434453D'awww... lil' yaughty really thought this post was a true "gotcha"
>>25434427They only care about signaling to other people that they read it. So they don't care if you do or don't read it. It's like faggots in anime club it's a social thing rather than a self enjoyment thing. And they think they'd better than you for having read it and others who have are their equals. If people are shilling a book to the moon they are no different than one piece enjoyers who believe it's peak fiction. In reality it's just they like having a circle of peers to engage with.
>>25434516This is clearly a misdiagnosis. Shills here are not trying to become part of any "crowd". It's usually one individual anon shilling some semi-obscure book that nobody else cares enough about to discuss. On the other hand: posts about Sanderson, Red Rising, Malazan, etc, which you seem to be conflating with the aforementioned phenomenon, is not in fact shilling at all, and is almost always disingenuous.
>>25434450Is it a penis thing?
>>25434625Everything is a penis thing if you look close enough.Except the vagina things but really they just want to be penis things so eventually become one.
>>25434638Might be because vaginas are just penis holsters.
>Everything is a penis thing if you look close enough.Imagine actually, sincerely unironically thinking every little aspect of existence is about sex.GO OUTSIDE.
>>25433962>A Voyage to Arcturus in the OPExceeding basedness
currently reading chapterhouse dune and there's so much pointless filler. god emperor's ramblings were at least funny to read.
>>25434437Read the book to find out. This one>>25434650
>>25434641Or are the penises vagina hangers?
>>25434437The third arms and eyes give them new senses, I think the arm was for sensing if something is good and evil or something like that
Gonna start copycat pagespamming my next read! (He is my beige-paged idol) Any recs? Looking for something fairly obscure (because I've read a decent amount already), dense, and standalone. Preferably scifi, but I'm not entirely opposed to fantasy!
>>25434878?
>>25434878great question! to get an answer, i'm going to use the last three digits of my post mod 620 (that's the size of my calibre library)here we go...!
>>25434924924 modulo 620 is 304enjoy!!!!!
>>25434924No... please... don't... stop... please.. no
wtf is going on here
>>25434928i think we're reading books, and if not that then discussing them, and if not then at least we're mad about it
>>25434878M. John Harrison's Light. Has sequels, but they're shared universe, not plot
The Little Tin God of Characterizationarticle by Isaac Asimovthoughts?https://archive.org/details/Asimovs_v09n05_1985-05/page/25/mode/1up
>>25435109Thankfully the New Wave almost entirely washed away his ilk.
>>25434926I'm not one to spurn the proferred hand of fate, but the answer is no.>>25434943This is a good rec but I already read and enjoyed it maybe 5 years ago.Some options I'm considering from my own to-read list:>The Demolished Man>Dr. Adder>Beggars in Spain>Cinnabar (Bryant)>Vermillion Sands
>>25435122So you want characters?
>>25435200I want more than literally only ideas.
I'm new to fantasy in general, I only read Lord of the Rings and A Song of Ice and Fire. Are the books in this list any good for a beginner? What else should I add?>inb4 Moorcock and MievilleI don't trust those writers that hate Tolkien, sorry.
>>25435210Why though?
>>25435248If you like action/adventure, then add the following:Robert Howard's Conan storiesanything by David GemmellSaga of the Forgotten Warrior by Larry CorreiaThe Dresden Files by Jim Butcher If you like lots of characters + political intrigue and maneuvering, add Wheel of Time, but recognize that it is very, very long.Also, remove Name of the Wind from this list. It's overrated garbage and part of a series that the author is never going to finish.
>>25434174True BloodThe series simply did everything better. While the novels are nowhere near staggeringly bad, neither can they be called good in any capacity.
>>25435248A few of my favorites that you may consider: The Wizardry series by Rick CookThe Netheril trilogy by Clayton EmerySpellfire by Ed GreenwoodJust about anything by Edgar Rice Burroughs, but his Venus series is my favorite.
>>25435248>Winternight trilogyinsane red flag
>>25434061I think the ending is utterly horrific. It's the complete death of privacy framed as a good thing. Being a miserable experience to read because of padding didn't help.
>>25435109I'm reading a story not a scientific journal
"ROGGA"
good?
>>25435248You could do with some Dunsany. Probably "The Sword of Welleran" if you're going to pick only one collection.
>>25435109Asimov looked rather cuntish, didn't he?
>>25434061The love story between those two fuckheads has some of the most cringe shit I have ever read. I fucking hated the last two books
>>25435248>I don't trust those writers that hate Tolkien
>>25435651I hate it especially because the first book seemed somewhat promising as a followup, but then the final book hard pivots into the poorly set up romance that still somehow has redditors crying about "muh pedophilia" when the younger one initiated everything and was already almost physically an adult. This is without getting into the sci-fi wumbo jumbo magic empathy powers and prenatal communication with daddy made her mentally mature before even being born.
>>25434061Quality bait, please have my (You).
>>25435698>the younger one initiated everything and was already almost physically an adultTell that to the judge.
Thoughts on Larry Cprreia and his comments on how George RR Martin not finishing Asoiaf resulted in publishers dropping or not wanting unfinished/long epic fantasy series.
>>25435708I thought we all agreed he was a retarded liar.
>>25433962No amazon prime sticker in sight. $170 total, $12 each. Some damage, but in pretty good shape over all.
>>25435342What's wrong with it?>>25435693Art is objective in my opinion, so if you hare Tolkien that tells me you were born with no artistic sensibility to recognize his genius, which means I shouldn't bother with anything you write.
>>25435281>>25435731The chart in the OP says The Wheel of Time is only good until the fourth volume and all subsequent volumes are shit. Is that true?
>>25435736No, I read the first book and that was dogshit tooI'm baffled by WoT ever being popular
>>25435736No it's great up to the 6th volume, with 7-9 being mid, 10 being trash, and the rest being good again
>>25435736Only books 7 through 10 are good.Nah, I'm just messing with you.
>>25435736Brando Sloppo ruined it.
We need more trans representation in fantasy books! I'm tired of all those heteronormative romances.
>>25435796>t. hasn't read Le Guin
>>25435799That's just one author, I want ALL authors to include trans people in their books, it has to be normalized.
Anyone having issues with reading DUNE? I loved the first half the book, The Intrigue, the world building, it was so enticing, but after the betrayal the plot just kind of meanders around and starts getting real weird (WE ARE HARKANONS just kind of came out to nowhere lol)
>>25435796unironically name a good fantasy or sci fi novel with a well written trans character, theres gotta be atleast one, ripe character concept for a scifi novel surprised there isnt a popular or significant one trans people lord over
>>25435809Claire Russel from Cyberpunk 2077.
>>25435808>*out OF nowhereSorry, I really need to proofread my posts
>>25435809Firepunch
>>25435809Main character is a chud who troons out at the climax and finds that it fixes none of his problems
>>25435831>and finds that it fixes none of his problemswell thats a given if you're not trans
>>25435731Epic Reddit post!
>>25435833Yeah, easy to say that shit when you don't suffer from dysphoria.
>>25435804>it has to be normalizedIt can't be.
>>25435731>that file explorerTroonix?
>>25435833>>25435839Don't worry! The naked gay black author self-insert lectures him on this very point.
>>25435844Win11
>>25435858Even worse.
Berserk is better than whatever shit book you people read.
>>25435708Larry Correia is a talentless hack and has no verifiable proof of what he claims
>>25435248can confirm that thomas covenant is a snoozefest so far and I am nearly finishing the 3rd book, some interesting moments here and there but overall boring
>>25435866If it's so boring why did you keep reading it for three whole books then?
>>25435867I'm a cuck
>>25435849Checked this authors wikepedia and hes very overhyped by academics it seems. Will read Triton to see if its academic slop or what
>>25435861Probably. Doesn't make it good given how bad the books we read here are thougheverbeit.
>>25435597It's only 35 cents, so get it and report back.
>>25435861You're going to anger the newfag Tolkien fanboy. Too bad Miura died.
>tfw light resistance
>berzerkfags have infiltrated /sffg/Right when I thought this board couldn't get any shittier.
Gene Wolfe is trash
>first book is ok>the rest is absolute kino
>>25436124You can see how much GRRM took from it
>>25436133how? is it better than winter king?
>>25434061Endymion is so good. You're just not allowed to like the sequels on the internet for meme reasons.
>>25436309Jaime's character arc is heavily influenced from Lancelot's in "The Ill-Made Knight" and a lot of White's musings on what makes a good king is reflected in A Song of Ice and Fire.>is it better than winter king?Not sure, I haven't read The Winter King
>>25435708>fat>bald>talentless>not even whiteConservatives, eveyone.
aw nawhttps://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/queen-tells-booksellers-i-hate-sci-fi/ar-AA27Usfc
>>25434187>Gibson said The Matrix had already done thatHe hasn't produced anything worthwhile since the Bridge trilogy. I love Burning Chrome and both cyberpunk trilogies but apart from that he's completely lost his touch.
>>25435172>Dr. AdderDefinitely read this one. Glass Hammer and Death Arms are also alright. And Farewell Horizontal. And Noir.Haven't read Seeklight but will probably do so in the next few months.
>>25436314Excellent contribution to the thread.
>>25436538You're welcome my good sir! Here, since I can't upvote have a (You) for an excellent reply to my post!
Too much purple prose, not enough plot for my tastes, 5/10. It ain't better than Tolkien
>>25436560>It ain't better than TolkienIf this isn't engagement bait, why post it?
>>25435705They don't even have sex until she's at least 18 she just kisses him when she's 16. The book has far bigger issues but for some reason people need to virtue signal thinking that part is gross.>>25436314I liked Endymion but I hated Rise of Endymion and since they're pretty much one sequel in two volumes like the first half you can't really separate them.
>>25436513>camillaWho cares
House of Chains is really fun
>>25434174All examples I can think of are anime
>>25436744Karsa Orlong is so based.
>>25436750That's because you haven't read much, the poster formerly known as pagespammer.
>>25436796Bitch this is the first time I post in this board
>>25436796>the poster formerly known as pagespammer.what does "formerly" mean here?
Thinking of reading Nine Princes of Amber. Partly because each book is seemingly short as fuck, and also because the premise genuinely just sounds amazing. I don't usually read books that old but I might have to. Maybe It could be my "short stories" in between breaks of big series
>>25436833Why would you do such a thing
>>25436946It's divisive. I thought it was meh but I personally knew two people who couldn't shut up about it. Hope you're in the latter category.
>>25436955I don't. I hope he hates it.
>>25436962Only because you are a bitter little gnome.
>>25436955>>25436962I hope he forms his own opinion on it and has a genuine experience.
>>25436977How is that different from hoping his genuine experience is a positive one? Why did I return to this cursed thread?
>>25436982Relax lets all be nice to eachother, I think he was mostly replying to the 2nd anon than you. No need to take it to heart. I agree the generals been shit lately
>>25435708Who?
>>25436950Because I only know one guy who has read Malazan and I wanted more people to look at my silly meme >>25436744
>>25437004Malazan is pretty widely read here, but I'm saving it for an emergency.
I hear this is a rather good read. Has anyone in /sffg/ picked through it yet?
>>25436320>a lot of White's musings on what makes a good kingwhat was Arthur's tax policy?
>>25437086Yeah I've read it try Gone-Away world harkaway why are you asking me
>>25437086Yes, it's been talked about multiple times, including recently.
>>25435109>>25435109Interesting progression from his little prologue to Ellison's Dangerous Visions where he appeared much more magnanimous there. He acknowledged his place as either a transitory author between the age of the Men with Slide-Rulers and the New Age ushered in by Dune and others. It looked like he made his peace there, but I can only imagine that as time went on his star waned further, allowing pinpricks to weigh on his sufferance in the embarrassing way only old age enables. Notice if you will how he breathlessly gallops through name after name of the science fiction saints; Campbell, Van Vogt, Heinlein, Kuttner, Doc Smith. If you'll permit a little analysis of a man long dead, he's rooted in the past and in the concrete. What he doesn't really understand is that more and more people were wanting to internalize science-fiction struggles. Gone is the idea of painful radiation in space, or how to create a system of rules to handle mechanics. Of the Triple Revolution Asimov fully embodied the cybernetics revolution, and even a bit of the arms race revolution as well. Criticize him all you want he was fully correct to say he's had four decades of success in the genre, and that is entirely based on his ideas. But he does not value the human rights revolution that was intensifying, a resurgence of the concepts that Van Vogt put forward with his Slann. People wanted ideas embodied in human shells, they wanted to see human personalities engage with problems, human personalities create problems.Two examples of Asimov will I critique on this front to showcase how I feel he failed to handle this. The first is the Three Rules of Robotics. A robot must always obey human commands, a robot must not allow harm to come to humans, a robot has some self preservation excepting it violates the other laws. The resultant controversy and drama is entirely derived from cold machine logic, not the passions of humanity. Where Dune had Paul's passionate self-survival mixed with messianic self-sacrifice, Asimov has a computer coldly run an equation and execute on that. It's an excellent idea, but one that could be run entirely without proper nouns at all. The characters or even context doesn't matter, except as the smear of thin dressing Asimov put on. The second is the Mule with the Foundation. This is the closest we get to a rebellion against Aasimov's love of the science fiction idea being an autocephalous construct. Hari Seldon's Big Idea of psychohistory falters with one Great Man, the Mule. This is the one time where individual passions and humanity can actually carve out a meaningful gouge in the narrative. Without spoiling it, this is quickly resolved by creating a second Big Idea that has parallel structure and terminates any interesting individual impact.I love Asimov, and at some point any critique of his becomes sort of self-defeating. Asimov writes like Asimov, any insult against him a tautology.
>>254357968/10 bait
>>25437004Its a good meme. Thank you
Does anyone else not give a single shit about Roman inspired worlds? The Roman texture makes everything feel more pretentious, while adding nothing of value.
>>25435809>with a well written trans character"Well written" by who's standards?Are you one of those people who think that being trans should be such an understated aspect of their character, that it's practically nonexistent? Will you get upset if being trans is actually central to the narrative?
I think I've only finished one novel, I've tried reading a few others, where the main character is trans, a transman in this case, but I may be forgetting some. I didn't really care for it, since it was written in second person. I've read some short fiction that I liked though.
Is this slop anons?There's like 30+ of those "Gor" novels.Imma be honest it really seems like a cheap Conan the Barbarian ripoff for sexist BDSM gooners.But that doesn't necessarily make it bad.
>listen to audiobook version of Shambleau>expect some generic space adventure from the 30s >turns out to accidentally have a monstergirl hentai plotdude rescues a hot space catgirl who turns out to be a eldritch tentacle monster that gives it's victims mind shattering mega soul orgasms while it psionically feeds. The story tries to treat this as horror, instead I am laughing with a boner the whole time. Ends with dude's friend trying to make him promise to kill it with fire if he encounters such a monster again, dude is like "I can try but I make no promises". Still great writing and good story overall. I recommend it.
>>25437359>Will you get upset if being trans is actually central to the narrative?I don't actually care either way, I'm just in the mood for something radically different and interesting that I haven't seen or read before and trans came to my mind for some reason, theres some obvious deep stuff you could explore with identity there, so why not both? I find it hard to believe any well written trans character can be written without their transness being central, so I'll lean towards a story not completely ignoring that their character is trans, but I just want a fantasy/sci-fi story where you're inside somebody's head who's interesting and different, who's difference is relevant to the themes and plot, and by difference I don't mean arbitrary or chosen one "World revolves around this one character's actions in a contrived manner but there isn't anything actually interesting personality or thought wise about the character besides the story treating them as such"
>>25437427Fair enough. Welp, I really don't have an answer for you. I haven't read any books where a trans person is the main character. The only book series I can think of with an actual trans character is The Broken Earth by N.K. Jemisin. The trans character is just a supporting character though. Still, they're an important part of the cast.To be honest, I don't remember a whole lot about that book, since I read it years ago. But I remember not disliking the trans character.
>>25437427>>25437477The cool thing about writing fantasy is that it occurs before the discovery of hormonal chemistry, and that I don't have to contend with it's existence outside of cross-dressing. Especially when my magic system has nothing gender related.
>>25437086>recommended by Black CrotchHmmm. I dunno, bros.
>>25437421Yes, so you'll enjoy it.
>FANAC hasn't updated since July the 11thIt's dead, isn't it?
>>25436560I didn't actually mind the three pages spent on average on describing a crack in the wall, it was the dialogue with all its repetitions that drove me nuts instead. Also fucking Nanny Slagg and the retarded twins. I'm not planning to read past book one, so I don't know if Keda's story is relevant to whatever will happen, but I liked her sections the best.
>>25437421Of course it is. Doesn't automatically make it bad.That said, it takes a couple books for the degenerate sex stuff to really take off.
>>25436133GRRM took much from a lot of books.
Is it just me, or is anyone else getting dogshit recommendations from good reads? It appears to be broken, because they're basing most of these recommendations on 3 books I've read. Like 80% of these recommendations are all based on 3 books I've read. And the remaining 20% is based on only a few other books. It's not using my whole shelf. And the frustrating part is, one of the main books it's using is a romantasy. It's like the 1 romantasy book I've ever read, and it's tarnishing half of my recommendations.
>>25437710Recommendation algorithms are self reinforcing. You look at what it recommends so it recommends more of that same shit (because you looked at is so obviously that's what you want).
>>25435861If you take out the drawings of a guy fighting demons with a giant sword, it's not a particularly well told story. It's full of oddly paced filler, abandoned episodic storylines, and does nothing outstanding with language. Something like Watchmen is much tighter, but neither are literature.
It's rather shit imo
>>25437710You can manually set what it includes and excludes. You can exclude that literally only that single book if you care enough.
>>25437730Oh god, I hope that isn't really true. Sounds awful. Youtube work in a similar way. Anything you watch for even 1 second, goes into your watch history. And the watch history is used to decide what videos to recommend. I've tested this and watched my recommendations completely change in real time, by simply removing specific videos from watch history.>>25437777The shelf is the generic "read" shelf. I don't want to take anything off of that shelf, because I've technically read it. Keeping it on that shelf saves it to history in essence. The problem is that I have 119books on that shelf, and goodreads is only referencing about 10 of them. And 3 of them very heavily.
>>25437815I might have found the issue. In this menu, the read shelf was not checked for recs. I just fixed that. Now hopefully the recs should improve. I think it takes a while for recs to refresh. So nothing has changed yet. I'll check back later.
>>25437815>>25437827You can create a shelf that has all the books except that one and use it for recs. You can create a shelf that only uses specific books. You can get recs on per shelf basis and only have recs based on those single books. It's whatever you want. Personally I think Goodreads algo recs are awful, terrible, and without value. Always has been. The similar books on each individual book page is much better. I think there are better ways though that don't involve algorithms.
>>25437742no shitif you didn't think it was overrated by retards here before even reading it then i kinda feel bad for your judgement here specifically
>>25437864>judgement
>>25433962Is the Three-Body Problem actually good?
>>25437875It's the most popular Chinese SF translated into English.
>>25437887Yeah, no shit. That says nothing though. I know I am asking this on /lit/, but did someone here actually read it?
>>25437864>if you didn't think it was overrated by retards hereNormalfags come here and receive recs exclusively from other normalfags. There is no critical thinking. There is no quality control. There is only popular = good.
>>25437900https://warosu.org/lit/?task=search&ghost=false&search_text=%22three+body+problem%22lurk moar
>>25437900Couldn't stand it, and I'm chinese
>>25437900https://www.goodreads.com/group/show_book/1029811-sffg?book_id=20518872
>>25437916>>25437905>>25437921Thanks
so did we find a good trans fantasy or sci-fi yet?
>>25437742>>25437864Curious to know why you didn't like it. Was surprised to find the hype lived up to my expectations.
>>25437932https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1MCsUmr4aZgsAGN2pqUK8H3dz07N8O3J4332Sx-v8MOw/htmlview
>>25437969I'm not touching that link negro
>>25437977Coward.
>>25437875/lit/fags constantly shit on it.
>>25437998/lit/fags shit on everything so that's not helpful at all
>>25437969>1580 booksholy crap
>>25438047Now that's just not true. They all like and have extensively read the Greeks. Also Infinite Jest.
fuck all y'all
>>25438169EWWW-UHHH... A BLACK PERSON!!
>>25438175you aint shit nigga
>>25434174I liked the setting and characters but Peake didn't do that much with them.
>>25434174Drive
>>25435248Black Company was meh.
God, I hate Dune
>>25438320God, I hate people with shit taste
>>25438320>>25438307Terrible taste.
>>25438350>>25438362eat my ass, nibble on my dingleberries
Dunsany.
>>25438320Messiah is superior to Dune in every way possible.
Did his editors just give up or something? I really don't get why this thing is the way it is.
>>25438394Was surprised at how unentertaining this was given his reputation. Very tedious read.
>>25438394He and his editors and his publishers have boasted about making each one longer and figuring out how to then publish the longer book
>>25438410>given his reputation??? His reputation is that he sucks
>>25438516No /lit/ just hates everything popular.
>>25438516On here and in some other circles maybe, in most places Sanderson is still beloved
Which one of you fucks said Count Zero was unremarkable? It was better than Neuromancer in almost every way. The plot was more cohesive, the prose flowed much better, the multiple POVs really strengthened the narrative, and the payoff at the end tied everything together beautifully.
>>25438529>>25438531Most people enjoy slop and have room temp iq. No wonder they call us goy
>>25435735>doesn't know what an opinion isOh dear
Thoughts on Roger Zelazny?I recently read his very stylishly written short story “Doors of his face”. Is the Amber series good?
>>25438563People who wanted more cyberslop, probably.
>>25438580>Is the Amber series good?Not really. Read it if you run out of good Zelazny books.
>>25438580Lord of Light is awesome
>>25438580I enjoyed This Immortal. Fun book. Did not care for Lord of Light, but many people seem to love it. Read a couple other books, none notable but readable and fun. Have not read any of the Amber series; does not appeal to me.
>>25435809all you zombies
>>25438699ntaThat goes beyond trans and doesn't really have anything to do with it.
Surprised to see that the Nine Princes of Amber series is so decisive, honestly not sure what has me believing it'll be good, but I'm almost certainly reading atleast one book as soon as I'm done 2nd of Osten Ard
>>25438705it embodies everything that being trans is about.
>>25438716> the sorcerer Dworkin Barimenuh what did the author mean by this?
what do u think of the new neuromancer tv show apple tv is making? i read the novel like 25 years ago found it mid but ok at the time forgot it all idk
>>25435796I'd say the majority of speculative fiction books contain at least one trans character, it's just far future science or magic means the transition was perfect and unremarked uponThat... wouldn't be a problem, right?
>>25438725>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hBEDdMS400kcyberpunk and there's no neon purple? what the HELL
>>25435808Dune is substantially better the less space opera-y it gets. After the betrayal is when the other elements start getting much better (the religious mania, hero worship, dune as a force, worm answers, etc.) If you LIKE space feudal politics then I'd say Dune isn't your best bet. It may have launched a bunch in that genre but it's pretty basic bitch shit
KJ Parker (aka Tom Holt) is the best modern sffg writer. He's GGK without the pretension. And engineer trilogy is legitimately kino.
>>25438736
>>25435808Dune is pretty bad. It might be because the clever aspects have been iterated upon since publishing, but regerdless the book/series doesn't hold up and isn't worth reading.
>>25438755thisthe works inspired by Dune are much better than Dune itself
>>25438746>If you LIKE space feudal politics then I'd say Dune isn't your best bet.NTA, but what are the best space politics stuff? actual complex politics, I'm tired of these wannabe thin as fuck political contexts that are barely elaborated on or given weight to how they'd make sense.
>>25438580I've only read A Night in the Lonesome October which was solid enough that I'll give one of his bigger books a chance. The ending was a bit abrupt but given the entire point of the book is that each chapter is a single day in October there wasn't really room for an epilogue.
>>25438800I'll let you know once I find it, it's really slim pickings.One series I liked was the Dread Empire's Fall. In short, upon reaching space travel humanity was immediately subjugated by an evil empire that had done this many times before. Their control was so total that all strife was stamped out and people forget how to wage war at all.Due to a quirk of their species the evil race eventually dies out completely, though they believe their control was so complete that the trains would still run on time after their deaths. But things immediately go to shit as the client races try to govern and wage war, two things they haven't had to do for millennia It's complex and compelling, and imo is one of the most realistic takes on what it'd actually be like to govern a space empire if you aren't a super powerful evil species. but it can also be pretty hammy and at times like something out of a Tom Clancy novel.
is hyperion good
>>25438846Interesting...
>>25438580I'm sure there's a name for this but Amber was Zelazny's "gotta pay the bills" series. It's low effort fantasy slop
>>25438888this is disrespectful borderline trolling
>>25438902Zelazny was a good writer. Amber is not good writing.He even requested nobody else work on it after he died but his estate did exactly that anyway, because again, it's just for making fast cash
>>25438905My contrarian senses are tingling
>>25438888Potboiler is the term
>>25439071What are you having trouble understanding?Zelazny did not start out as a professional writer, it's something he did in his free time. When he started finding success he decided to quit and do it full time, but in the 60s and 70s SF authors weren't often able to sustain themselves on novel sales alone. That's why the 'greats' of that time - Le Guin, Vance, Herbert, a million others - were cranking out serial fiction and short stories for magazines.Zelazny did this as well but additionally started cranking out Amber books, thinking that a long-running series would provide better and more consistent sales and would lead to more profitable adaptations. There's ample evidence that his 2nd wife pushed him to this as she doubted his ability to make ends meet after he quit his day job.Speaking of his wife, picrel is an anecdote I did not know. There's an above average chance that the post-death sequels weren't just about making more money but were in fact due to spite and some very bad timing on Zelazny's part. If you're going to jilt your wife, try to legally divorce her before you die
>>25438580Being a TTRPG player I read Jack of Shadows because I heard some neckbeards say the rogue/thief class in D&D is based off it. Surprised to find out it's pretty kino.
>>25438175Gigas say this
2nd book of Osten Ard not as good as the 1st so far. I wonder if its consensus considered the worst of the 4 by Osten Ard fans.
Malazan is cool and all but 70 page chapters are cancer.
>>25439451yea
>>25435109bump
>>25439496He's wrong. (Didn't read it)
>>25437701I liked the twins
>>25438902>>25439071Please return to whence ye came, newfag fart-huffer.
>>25439226Source for that pic pls?
>>25438580Damnation Alley is worth a read, you can tell immediately that it's an extended short story but it's short and fun if you like post-apocalyptic stuff.
>>25438699Spoiler, faggot, REEEEEEEEEEEEE!Also anon asked for a novel. You can read All You Zombies in under 30 minutes.
>>25438725>modern adaptation of [thing]It's gonna be shit and you all know it.
>>25439777Doomerism is a bad worldview.
>>25439805It's pragmatism, aktualy.
>>25439763https://www.thechroniclesofamber.com/jane-lindskold-interviewThere's a lot of interesting stuff. Usually you don't see authors talk so candidly about this stuff.
>>25439809>aktualyThat's also a bad worldview.
>>25435735You read fucking GRRM.You have no grounds to refuse other authors.
>>25439814Thanks!
>>25439834GRRM is the greatest writer of all time
>>25439814I wonder if Donnerjack is worth reading? I heard it's good until Lindskold takes over.
>>25435809It's technically a webnovel/webcomic, but All Night Laundry is great and one of the protagonists is a black tranny
>>25439896So you can't.
>>25436355Do talentless people become BEST SELLING AUTHORS who own their own private MOUNTAINS?
>Tolkien newfag is "new to fantasy">hypes GRRMWhat a surprise. It's always somebody who knows nothing trying to gatekeep people who know anything.
>that faggot is screeching into the void againAre you having fun, at least?
Not a single science fiction novel has intrigued my interest all year long.. I've just been reading history all summer. It's BEYOND OVER for me.
>Tolkien newfagLMAO he's STILL at it? Still butthurt about Tolkien? I haven't been in the thread for DAYS
>>25439896interesting...
>>25440177It's BaynefagFor some reason he seethes when people discuss classics and not shitty self published amazon slop.
what's Neil Gaiman's best book?
>>25434174>Has this ever happened, even once? I can think of adaptations that can stand on their own, and those that make good companion pieces, but better?The Talented Mr. Ripley (the version with Matt Damon), had far more subtlety as far as the characters psychology went than the original novel did. James Elroy may be an excellent writer, but the plots toL.A. Confidential and Black Dahlia were somewhat of a mess, and both were cleaned up nicely by the movie versions, particularly L.A. Confidential. Elroy can’t seem to end his novels well in many cases. The Name of the Rose, was transferred into more of a mystery than the original novel was, and to some extent improved, although the film and movie were somewhat different. The City of Ember was arguably improved by the movie.
>>25440624Sandman.
>>25440097Bestselling authors are talented... at blowjobs.
>>25434174Silence of the Lambs movie is better than the book I'd say, the Exorcist too
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/25768.Modern_Fantasy_The_100_Best_NovelsHow many have you read?
>>254407479, which is more than I thought, but also surprised at a lot of these inclusionsI can maybe see calling Salem's Lot fantasy, but Rosemary’s Baby? The Shining? The Crying of Lot 49???
>>25440784yes
>>25440747>>25440787I see it is, I didn't notice at first. Thanks. Pringle is one of my favorite critics.
>>25440747Not much, mostly the Peakes and the Angela Carters.
>>25435731
>>25439423You mean Empire of Grass, in the new tetrology? I haven't reread them since they came out, but I feel like the new Osten Ard books Tad wrote really picked up with Into the Narrowdark.
>>25440747>Tim Powers' The Anubis GatesFuck me, I loved that book when I was 12. I've always been a sucker for time travel stories, and there was something about this book that really resonated with me. I barely remember the plot since it's been so long, but my gut tells me it was as if the MC was fighting fate itself.I think I remember the ending, too.Anyway, should I re-read it, or will I be disappointed, lads?
>>25435248Skip all of these and read>The Legend of Drizzt
>>25435248Depends how hard you want to go into fantasy right at the beginning. If you want the absolute classics of this general, Gormenghast (+Boy in Darkness and Titus Awakes, don't skip those as they are both great), BotNS, Dying Earth & Lyonesse, REH's Conan, The Second Apocalypse, The King of Elfland's Daughter, The Mask of the Sorcerer, The Broken Sword, The Silmarillion. Probably some stuff I am forgetting but that'll keep you busy for a while
>>25440854Yes. Empire of Grass has been really disappointing. I don't want to get into some of the why, because I have a feeling and worry now, that the more I write out the criticism of something, the more I think through the criticism of something, and when my criticism becomes thought out and externalized it becomes more "real" to the point where unless I receive a counter argument as thorough, even if the book never gets worse, as long as it never gets better and justifies its worst parts, I begin to lose faith in it.All I'll say for now, is that all the POVs suck right now. Morgan has been fucking around doing nothing but survival camping against his will, the book clearly wants you to think this will change him, but where im at, hes still thirsty for wine, and he still gets insecure whenever Tanahaya explains something to him. He is legit like 3rd wave feminists when they learned the word "mansplaining" he percieves every explanation as an attack on his character, and after a point its just no longer interesting, it starts feeling like a mental illness.I'm like 90% sure Pasevalles (im writing these names off memory dont got the book open right now) is killed as a POV. He hasnt said anything interesting or insightful politically recently, and based on the reveals about what hes actually been doing aside from politics, my anime senses are tingling, because this could be a more unique but still classic (old ally actually joins the dark side) trope, and Its so out of left field, but also such an extreme to be on that side, that I dont have faith in any reasonable motivations for Pasevalles being established. Do you see what I mean? The story so far has presented him as somebody who has been catapulted to a high position among the thrown, and wronged by virtually no one in 20 years? For Pasevalles to do what he is doing, you have to come up with some real bullshit that will be hard to not feel like it comes out of nowhere.Also some of the language Pasevalles uses to describe using the witness "The taste of power" or blah blah blah, something along those lines, is pure anime villainry, no real motivation, dude just like abstract power for no reason.Simon has been boring. Jesa is still the worst POV in the entire 2 books, but she rarely gets an entire chapter to herself so its whatever. Miriamele is...interesting for reasons that a bit complicated to get into without sounding like a chud. Lets just say that some characters almost seem to become simple or stupid for the sake of Miriamele seeming politically savvy.Viyeki has almost zero presence and he was one of my favourite POVs. Tzoja is just fucking around doing nothing, and she alongside some other...POVs spend an astonishingly amount of time doing literally nothing, but thinking about how disappointing and simple the men and specifically and only the men in their lives are. Oh how they dont know how much I wouldn't disagree, and how much that can be the exact problem.
So Tzoja was ruined for me too. Maybe she gained some meta self awareness and realized that the most interesting thing about her, is how her love and relationship to Viyeki, added depth of character to both of them. So thats why she needed to give a back story of being raped by men, and owned as a slave, and molested by her own grandfather, so that she had to run away just to be raped and enslaved by men. Anyway the interesting thing was, what is it that made Tzoja break through Viyeki's Hideky'a upbringing, and what is it about Viyeki that even allowed him to love Tzoja? Thats what makes Viyeki interesting, that and the clear ways he thinks critically and questions the motivations of the Queen, Hideky'a and others, because you hope theres something more there.Tzoja also being the first POV for me to be disappointed in, highlights a theme of the progress of the story so far....characters legit just standing around basically in one area doing fucking NOTHING.Do you know how long it took for Binabik to finally find anything about Morgan? And where im at he still hasnt found Morgan. How long it took for Simon to find out about Morgan and Eloair? How long it took Aelin to send his message from Eloair, and about the Storm Norns? Tiamak to tell Simon about John Josua's bullshit? Characters have just been hanging onto information, learning tiny little tidbits, mostly incomplete information about stuff that the reader already knew a hundred pages ago, maybe even 300 sometimes.Nezeru almost redeemed herself and became interesting with her interaction with Jarnulf, and then his response to her. I thought a stable relationship where both characters could be explored would finally form, but nah, they get seperated. Its clear and obvious from the last Nezeru chapter I've finished, that the story wants Nezeru and Morgan to have an encounter.Not to say that the story isn't ramping up, where Im at the Norn Queen or whatever is taking Tzoja with her to meet up with Jarnulf and the group Nezeru was formerly with. And Aelin finally communicated the information of Hugh working with the Norns to Simon, Eloair is about to meet one of Josua's kids. So shit is finally happening, its just been a lot of fucking around, and a lot of character simplification/stagnancy
>>25440953>I don't want to get into some of the why, because I have a feeling and worry now, that the more I write out the criticism of something, the more I think through the criticism of something, and when my criticism becomes thought out and externalized it becomes more "real" to the point where unless I receive a counter argument as thorough, even if the book never gets worse, as long as it never gets better and justifies its worst parts, I begin to lose faith in itWe've told you this would happen several times and it's why you've been told that you're self-destructive and determined to undermine your enjoyment.
>don't accept anything from mordeth, the big mean magic shadow killer>I didn't accept it, I took itIs Robert Jordan retarded? What a lazy way to build conflict.>>25435248Black Company is ok but it is nowhere near as dark as people say is it is. If you are looking for a grimdark setting where people are despicable and evil, you will be disappointed.
>>25440953You should speak with a therapist.
>>25440998>Is Robert Jordan retarded? What a lazy way to build conflict.Mat is a dumbass and troublemaker. Trying to weasel his way through a conflict via technicality is exactly what someone like that would do. It's great.
>>25440998That's just Mat. He's kind of a shithead in the first few books. All 3 of the Two Rivers boys have a stubborn streak in them but it comes out in different ways and at different times. For Mat, it's being told what to do by somebody he doesn't respect. He will do almost the exact opposite of what that person tells him just to see what happens. He doesn't like or respect Moiraine very much, even more than Perrin or Rand who are also not very trusting of her. Rand, at least, owes Moiraine a personal debt for saving Tam's life. Perrin is naturally respectful the way Mat is naturally impudent, so even if he doesn't trust Moiraine very much he doesn't go out of his way to make trouble. Going out of his way to make trouble is Mat's primary hobby.
>>25440953If you've read other Tad Williams stuff, you should know that his plots are a slow burn. It's not immediately obvious how a lot of the different plot threads connect, but he always connects them. Perhaps because I've been reading him for like 25 years, I just inherently trusted it would all work out, but Empire of Grass definitely felt like a book that was slowly moving characters into position, rather than a book where major events transpired. In that respect, it's typical of a book 2 or 3 for Tad, and I simply went along with it. If you haven't read other Tad stuff, I'm curious why you started with a sequel series?
>>25441030>>25441045I guess I just dislike comically stupid people then.
>>25441014he's right though desu as somebody who's read osten ard
>>25440998>but it is nowhere near as dark as people say is it isThat is mostly a symptom of you reading it decades after his style and tone have been endlessly copied by derivative authors. Yes, by modern standards it's not very gritty or dark, but those authors can only run because Cook walked.
>>25441055I don't give two shits about the book, his weird compulsion to ruin things for himself for zero reason and zero benefit has been clear from the get-go.I've thought for awhile pagespammer might be a lady, because the self-destructiveness, attention-seeking behavior, and overall being bad at reading all point to it
>>25441053Then you should be happy at the very karmic retribution that is going to befall him for the next several books. If you think he just gets away with this idiocy without paying a price, think again.
>>25441053You're not really meant to like him. I think the overall 'thesis statement' of EotW is "what if the Fellowship had to deal way more with interpersonal conflict?"He's not the comically stupid guy of the group forever. He remains contrarian to authority and acts without thinking, but those grow to be endearing and then later are major strengths. Same with all the rest.
>>25440442>strawman out of nowhereThe first author I ever spoke about with frequency in /sffg/ was Sanderson. I was talking about him before the 2016 wave of newfaggotry. You know, the little-known author who became popular due to self-publication: BRANDON SANDERSON.
>>25441051>and I simply went along with it. It's not like I've stopped reading it. I was warned the first book is slow and unsatisfying, and I loved it. It's less that characters are doing nothing, so much as, characters are being nothing. Tzoja doesn't really do anything in the first book either. But she serves a character purpose of giving context and depth to Viyeki. Viyeki also basically does nothing in the first book, but he serves a narrative context of atleast getting the reader to ask the same questions he does. With how the Nabban plot has developed, honestly in retrospect the Nabban stuff in book 1 wasn't good. Especially because of the conversation Miriamele and The Duke's brother had. Book tries to feign political complexity, but really its just two sides talking past eachother, so it makes what should be complex not actually complex, especially since the story is hammering home how much Simon (and Miriamele) think its Nabbans fault for encroaching on the Thrithings land, and gives more attention and rationalization to their perspective, while the Duke's brother's perspective can be reduced to "they're vermin" which is just too simple and stupid to give Simon and Miriamele's perspective enough weight.I'm a bit tired, so in anticipation of the "BUT IN HISTORY PEOPLE DID ENCROACH ON LANDS OF PEOPLE THEY CONSIDERED FOREIGN OR BARBARIANS" yes. I have read some history, and know what the Thrithings are broadly supposed to represent; The Generic steppes people. This stuff is really complicated historically because there are so many different variations of these "barbarian" types of people and their relationships to centralized nation states, theres the Native Americans, Gauls, Irish, Turks, Mongols, Xionghu's etc.All I'll say instead is that theres a simple fact that narrative never bothers to address to give depth to either side: 1. Why do the Nabbanians need more Land? 2. Why can't they simply negotiate for Land? With the Han Dynasty at the very least, that's basically what they did, they established a deal where they gave resources to the Xionghu so they wouldnt raid them, and then when the Xionghu kept raiding them anyway, they had enough and pushed them out. See thats already more complicated than what we have in the story. We have reasons for the actions of both sides.Obviously its possible that Simon and Miriamele are shown to be wrong and simplistic in their view by the end of the book. But the fact that the Duke's brother was given zero depth or substance doesn't bode well for my faith.This was actually one of the big things that made me sour on the 2nd book the most, when a problem is presented, and either side isnt approached with a complexity or depth that makes sense.
>>25441094You have genuine psychosis that AI is making substantially worse. This place isn't helping either but we're a lot less damaging.Be careful, get help.
>>25441171whats psychotic about it?
>>25441198you ruined this thread immediately with your presence
>>25441198Irrational, paranoid, and self-destructive. the big three.
>>25441289which part is irrational? seems like a pretty reasonable critique to say that a lack of reason for somebody's actions that isn't arbitrary hate out of nowhere can make things less interesting and complex
>>25440624The ones written by Terry Pratchett.
>>25438580I'm a fan of Zelazny's style. I like the first Amber series a lot. The sequel series is less good but I still kind of liked it because it was more Zelazny. Lord of Light is a masterpiece
>>25438580Yes, the Amber series is good and fun.
>>25440881>will I be disappointedYes. It's overlong and Powers' London is a bit disneyfied.
new thread?
>>25441739I knew it...
>>25441787It's still going to quite a few hours before it hits page 10, let alone be pushed off the board, unless someone makes it go faster.
What Fantasy books (or series) are the biggest normie filters?
>>25441980Why ask about books that would filter you?
>>25441980Any trad fantasy on Royal Road.
>>2544074714 for me
>>25440177>I haven't been in the thread for DAYS>response within an hourBuy some subtlety, Bakkerfag.
>>25442009>>>/lit//wng/
>>25441091Baynefag seethe
New>>25442189>>25442189>>25442189
>>25437875I read it, I loved it, top tier reading. If you have an engineering/systems analysis mindset you'll love it too. A little sloggy in the first few chapters of book 1. But then it doesn't stop delivering.Best I can compare the experience is like OSC's enders game quartet and bean quartet, same timeline, new ideas, just doesn't get old. But in a less personal light, and doesn't get harder to read, like how ender's game quartet gets too many characters near the end.I'm 2nd gen chinese american, can't read chinese. One reason I was drawn to it was foreign perspective. I like foreign books, international mindsets generate or interperate differently, the tropes we are used to, and so are fun in their novelty, just like their food. The english translation is a smooth read.
