ARC Anon is a Fag Edition
Previous thread >>8054973
>Fantasy
Selected: http://i.imgur.com/3v2oXAY.jpg/
General: http://i.imgur.com/igBYngL.jpg/
Flowchart: http://i.imgur.com/uykqKJn.jpg/
>Sci-Fi
Selected: http://i.imgur.com/A96mTQX.jpg/
General: http://i.imgur.com/r55ODlL.jpg/ / http://i.imgur.com/gNTrDmc.jpg/
Have you ever received an ARC?
What was it?
Did you lie about it being shit so you could get more books at a later time?
first for Would spaceships have bugs on them
>>8065920
>ARC Anon is a Fag Edition
Just because we would jump in ARC anon's pants for a copy of the book doesn't mean we have to be rude about it.
>>8065924
Not if you could sterilize everyone entering or exiting.
Even then, it might be impossible to avoid without some kind of futuristic tech
>>8065735
>I'm glad he didn't wait until the last book to show us black AND white luxin drafting in PoV.
oh god oh god oh god oh god
why did you have to tell now the wait is even worse fuck
>>8065956
I'VE ALREADY REREAD THIS FUCKING SERIES TWICE
Is there "Ninja Scroll"-type-fantasy book?
>>8066198
That seems like a Breeks's book.
>>8065920
>>Have you ever received an ARC?
Yes.
>What was it?
Iron Chamber of Memory.
>Did you lie about it being poop so you could get more books at a later time?
Gave it an extra star because the man's pretty sensitive but I was honest about its faults. It was really really good when you look past those, though.
>>8066491
Terry? Tim?
>>8065924
They'd bring roaches to clean up all the dead skin and fingernails, but the roachmeisters would have to keep it kinda secret because it's gross.
>>8066500
Just an ordinary man who wants Wright to be Chesterton and VD to be Campbell. They're not, but they try, bless their hearts.
what did he mean by this?
>>8066507
The field is too splintered now for there to be a "new Campbell", it's all about niche presses and (god help us) self-publishing.
Anyone here sent emails to authors and have them reply?
Most of the ones for me have been super arrogant all on their high horses "I'm so much better than you"
>>8066696
post the replies
>>8066649
An editor with enough talent could bring the field together. A niche press could gather the cream from self-publishers and Wattpad, shape and mentor them, and work word-of-mouth magic so we've heard of them.
VD and Castalia are banking on the anti-SJW/Gamergate/Euroidentity people to carry them, though, so IMO quality's never going to be as high as they want - no incentive, write as bad as you want as long as you criticize the right people. Which is of course what Tor et al do half the time anyway. I just want Mom and Dad to stop fighting and take us to Disneyland.
>>8066696
Does anyone remember that kid who sent a bunch of letters to authors in the 80s for a school project? Had a bunch of poorly formatted questions about intentionally including symbolism. I remember Asimov wrote an epistle and Ayn Rand just said "No, that's stupid."
>>8066649
>and (god help us) self-publishing
What's wrong with self publishing?
To me it seems like that just gives you more control over what ends up in the books and what has to get cut because the publishers don't like it
>>8066696
>tfw the author didn't reply
>spent 2 hours writing the email
I cried after a week of realizing the reply will never come, I've been shitting on his works ever since, serves him right
>>8066736
What's her name?
>>8066725
it's the new meme. You end up doing all the work of a typical publisher (editing, marketing, promoting, spamming, etc). You get bigger cut, but you work more. And like trad publishing, your chance of success is just a dim...
>>8066748
>marketing
I do that by giving people ARCs and have them viral market the book, doesn't take too much effort.
The readers do almost all of the marketing and promoting work for me.
And editing is also a non-issue since the same people also give feedback
>>8066725
And there's no one with a million years of publishing experience that can help you polish. Your options are solo or crowd-based, neither of which are worth much.
>>8066785
I'm making drivel to get money, I'm not making literary works that will stand the test of time, if I cater to what my readers expect and want, they will buy all of my future works
>>8066796
And that's what's wrong with self-publishing.
>>8066796
>I'm making drivel to get money
Are you the Plagues and Priestesses guy?
>>8066813
I can't say I'm not jealous.
I want to write literary works that will stand the test of time, though.
First for charts
>>8066874
~improved version~
>>8066813
Chuck Tingle is that you?
>>8066736
Dinosaur anon is that you?
>>8066882
You still haven't "improved" it faggot.
DELETE THIS
>>8066901
>Pounded in the Butt by Anon's Big Post
What does /sffg/ think of T. H. White? What are some good books by him other than The Sword in the Stone and The Once and Future King?
>>8066950
>What are some good books by him other than The Sword in the Stone and The Once and Future King?
Anything that isn't Arthurian shit.
>>8066754
interesting, I want to hear more about your experience.
What do you think are the best written 'mystery' SFF books? Slowly unraveling plot and intriguing circumstances, that kind of stuff
>>8066254
>a Breeks's book.
What?
>>8065920
>Bonehunters Chapter 7
What do you faggots think about pic related?
>>8066949
Anyone here ever read Chuck Tingle?
What are his books like?
>>8067040
>actual photograph on the cover
>authors name is larger than the title
It failed the book cover test and is thus shit.
>>8067050
I didn't originally post the better cover because the ant version is the only one I can find.
>>8067059
This one has a larger version along with more books of the same series
>>8067022
Not him, but i think it goes like this:
>make goodreads author account
>give ppl ARC
>they like it
>they spam their friends with it
>gets bigger
>people ask you questions on goodreads/Twitter /failbook
>you answer in a non splerg
>they like you
>they go out their way to shill your book
>more people read
>Hollywood is out of ideas
>they are buying book rights up and down town
>they buy your book
>made into successful tv show/movie
>rake in the dosh
>have avid fans who want you to dick them down
>live the life
I would put good money on Red Rising getting a movie deal sometime in the near future .
>>8067021
>implying
>>8067040
>Elizabeth
It's shit.
I keep warning you guys.
Female authors aren't good
>>8067040
I don't judge books by their covers nor did I read the blurb but tell me if i am right.
It's some Joan of Arc book, she falls in love with the guy on the horse, and she is wearing the chainmail helmet. The guy on the horse thought she was a guy all along and is surprised when she does her reveal.
How right am i?
>>8067085
The guy's social media game is pretty great. Otherwise I don't see how a story so unapologetically traditionalist/admiring of space Nazi Romans could get so popular.
>young married protagonist, this is portrayed as a positive
>combat repeatedly glorified, occasional begrudging admissions that it can be bad sometimes
>Sometimes Golds gas Red villlages; this is entirely in the background and is never compared with the Holocaust
>Main character threatens to gas his own village to test the character of the petty bureaucrat that rules it
>No character ever advocates democracy, even the technocrat acknowledges it never worked
>Main character comments often on how fun it is to be a space Nazi Roman and how awesome the things they built are
>tfw no official artwork for Revelation Space
>don't even know what else to search to find book artwork for
>>8066696
I emailed Sanderson once like 2-3 years ago to get a copy of Aether of Night and White Sand. Finally got a response months later (pretty typical) containing the two books as .pdf files and an apology for such a long response time.
Ended up not even reading them.
>>8067096
K.A. Applegate was alright.
>>8067106
The cover barely resembles two characters which rarely, if at all, meet in the actual story.
It's about a woman that has experience in working as a mercenary. The family ofevilwizards she originated (but got chased out of) from is no longer trusted enough by the king to have any of the legitimate of their name rule their duchy so instead he appoints the woman to rule it and she has to unfuck all the vicious magical and physical traps put around the place, as well as help improve the life of the people inhabiting Africa-tier villages.
Turns out that theevilwizard familypoisonskidsto teleport their souls into the corpses in the short span of time they're able to before the body is really deadThis results subplots ofevilwizardswith fucking strong magic masquerading as little kids that want to kill shit
There's also multiple side-plots about the woman's former mercenary company, another ex-mercenary that has proven to be the half-elf king of the slav-tier-poor kingdom that neighbours the previously mentioned one, and some thief that is turning his life around with the help of not!Jesus. Both are relevant because they kill someevilwizardchildren
Sorry if everything's so convoluted but it's been a while since I read the books and I haven't been able to find the last one for sale here in slavshitstan, which makes me unmotivated to read the thing again.
>>8067138
There's alsodragonsand someevilturk fuckamassing an army in the not!Mediterranean to do evil guy shit. The fourth book ends with him ready to march on not!Europe and I suppose he dies in the last book or something
>>8067129
Kek, if your post is some sort of meme reverse-psychology magic designed to entice me into reading that book then you're doing great.
>>8067155
The book overview on goodreads makes it out to be your generic "capitalizm is ebul guise lol" dystopia.
What makes a "good" fantasy novel?
What separetes a "mediocre" fantasy book from a classic? I've read a little of both but I don't think my literary tastes are developed enough to form a conclusion.
If I want to become a writer at some point in the theoretical future, what pitfalls should I avoid?
>>8067182
I like my fantasy heavy handed and heroic with loads of classical references, like the Malazan Chain of Dog's arc.
>>8067204
Thanks for your response anon.
I realize that not everybody's into classical references but getting into the classics actually seems like a good idea.
>>8067158
There is one capitalist. He is sick of the space Romans LARPing around the solar system having grand old wars with each other.
>>8067085
This doesn't really happen, apart from when it does and the author realizes the studio wants to butcher your story and turn it into a period romance drama with occasional grimdark happens.
>>8067296
There are IP squatter firms that buy movie rights to moderately popular works, some of them self-published, just in case someone really wants to make a movie someday.
>>8067027
Murder in Cormyr
>>8066949
>by Anon's Big Post
So he is impaling himself on my fence post?
>>8067030
A book from Brent Weeks. I find it easier to remember his name by writing it like that.
>>8067042
I only read this one, where he explains the inner workings of the "Tingleverse". Surprisingly not shit (depending, of course, on how you feel about butts).
>>8067733
wh-what?
Why aren't you reading Dresden Files?
http://imgur.com/gallery/e2rYv
>>8067902
Trashy prose and plot, too long.
>>8067902
Because a zany premise is no substitute for good writing and nobody's convinced me it has that yet.
>>8067902
Because it's urban fantasy and reddit-tier, whatever the hell that means in regards to a book, and everyone on this board has to act superior to something. Since everyone else on this board looks down on genre fiction, the people that like genre fiction picked urban fantasy to look down on.
i just picked this up. it was kind of ok.
will also be reading the new ken macleod book soonish.
Hi /lit/, this is my first post here.
I'm currently on the hunt for a good fantasy read that isn't Game of Thrones, Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter, because I've read them all.
I'm semi-interested in Malazan, but I'm not really sure if it's for me. Got any good recommendations?
Not looking for fantasy books that are typically for children, like Harry Potter etc. Thanks.
>>8067902
I did. It was alright.
>>8067974
You literally said nothing about your tastes. Look in the OP for generic recs.
>>8067902
I don't have much interest in urban fantasy
>>8067902
>Karin is tough as nails, in spite of being about 5 feet tall, and cute as a button were it not for her intimidating demeanor. She has mastered Aikido as well as several other forms of martial arts, allowing her to use the comparative size of her opponents against them, as well as competition level firearm proficiency.
okay.
>>8067986
How autistic do you have to be to not understand what someones taste is when they list a line of books, then say one of them is not preferred? They're literally all epic fantasy books. What more do you need?
>>8068010
>all ultra generic popular shit
And there's epic fantasy books in the OP, retard. Do everyone a favor and hang yourself.
>>8067974
the malazan books were ok, but prepare for feels at the end.
joe abercrombie writes pretty ok - he writes action oriented fantasy where all of the established tropes are undermined somehow - basically most of his characters are cunts.
terry brooks and raymond feist are ok, but it's kind of like reading some DnD club's AAR, especially feist.
i've read lots of pulpy shit i can barely remember. good signs for a pulpy fantasy novel are if they've basically set it in a pseudo version of a real european country (author is trying something well researched), or have angus macbride-esque cover art. in the end it's all pseudo-europeans whaling on each other with swords and demi-god powers. the only difference is the flavour.
also: james barclay was ok, as was andrejz sapkowski, guy gavriel kay, terry pratchett (for lols), m d mclachland and maybe neil gaiman i guess?
>>8068025
Ofcourse it's generic. Why else would I come here, if it wasn't to look for things that isn't as generic?
I saw those, and again, not sure if that's for me, hence why I'm asking. There are sure to be tons of other books you could've recommended thus far, but no, here we are. What a pointless remark you're making.
>>8068026
Thanks man. I believe I'm going for Malazan, heard only good things about it, and I like immersive lore.
I'll have your other recommendations in mind.
>>8066507
I think Wright's writing has unfortunately stopped improving since City Beyond Time, I suspect from a combination of having to write to feed himself (for a while, apparently he has a day job again) and starting to buy into his own hype a bit. He used to be more modest, some of his comments defending his Hugo noms were pretty pompous.
On the other hand Iron Chamber was a legitimately challenging concept so I think he's still trying to push his comfort zone.
Anyway, Wright has a better claim to being the new Van Vogt than the new Chesterton. In fact I think Wright has improved on VV.
>>8066725
The problem with self publishing is twofold. The first is that publishing houses provide services beyond just printing the book: they also do marketing, art, and editing. It's possible to do that on your own but it's more skill/knowledge on top of just being able to write. You can still pay for these services of course but now the burden is entirely on the author instead of being shared with the publisher.
The other is the lack of filtration/curation, which makes it harder for readers to identify what they like.m these aren't insurmountable problems but they are real.
>>8066696
Maybe you just put them up on a pedestal because you're the one that emails authors regularly apparently. And they, (like any musician actor or entertainer who is sick of fans demanding their time, attention, and input) were mildly short with you and you got all butthurt,
>>8066804
People writing drivel to eat isn't something unique to self publishing anon.
>>8068108
He wrote much, much better fiction with David Hartwell, except Hartwell worked with Tor so he's only been helping with the Count to the Eschaton books, and also Hartwell died recently. Wright claims Vox Day is a perfectly sufficient editor but I don't see that at all, the beginning of Somewhither was a mess and I couldn't get into it, and Iron Chamber had more of that pomposity and sermonizing. Iron Chamber edited by Hartwell would have been amazing.
>>8067902
The inconsistency about how magic works, how powerful it is and characters limitations are enough to drive anybody insane.
What sci fi books/series have the best atmosphere like The Forever War? I've heard Old Mans War, Starship Troopers, and Ringworld are pretty good choices. Looking for humans vs aliens but not just a battle book. More like war, loss, progress, long amounts of time passing, survival, etc.
>>8068313
Considering Old Mans War literally just recycled both The Forever War and Starship Troopers it isn't a particularly good choice unless you like ridiculous amounts of the same.
>>8068313
Armour.
>>8068392
>Armour
Eurofags get out! REEEEEEEEE!
>>8068407
Huh. I recall the version my brother didn't want me to read being spelled English-wise. I read it halfway anyway, probably didn't get any of it.
>>8068407
>Klapistani
I really want to write a war drama fantasy. What would you recommend for me to develop a prose that can fit the bill?
>>8068917
The Iliad
>>8068187
Hartwell dying was the worst thing that could happen to sf, honestly. Now we are left with the banal identity politics that celebrates lowest common denominator multiculturalism. Sometimes genius knows no social or cultural precedent - sometimes artists are more than their ethnicity and sexual orientation. David Hartwell let Wolfe do what he wanted, by and large. Will a new editor at Tor even buy Wolfe's next book?
>>8067902
Codex Alera was a lot better tbqh
Though all I've read of Dresden is the short story in that one GRRRRL Power xD anthology
>>8069057
>I was just on twitter for a regrettable half-second, and — despite my aggressive pruning of my TL to keep it relatively free of sf nonsense — even in that brief time I saw reactions to the recently-released, entirely uninspiring Nebula nominations that suggested it was fundamentally illegitimate to react to the list with a "meh", and that it is — I quote — "weird" to object to bad literature being nominated for a literary award if the writer of the bad literature is from a marginalized population. OK. (Meanwhile the liberals will swear up and down that the "puppies" — because when fascists give themselves a diminishing name, good liberals go along with it — are wrong when they say the liberals only care about identity, not quality. A field in which the literal actual for real fascists are even slightly closer to honest and correct than the closest thing to a "left" alternative is not a healthy field.)
>>8066505
At that point, I feel like some private companies would come along who would try and genetically engineer the perfect cleaning "bug" to market to most captains and space docks.
Due to consumer demand, they would try and make these bugs less and less revolting, eventually engineering them into tiny little harmless pill bug things.
Of course, those that can't afford it, or those that don't care, would probably just buy a whole boatload of roaches or something. Yuck.
>>8069147
There is an ideal reaction to this: develop really really good authors that push modern boundaries and market them really well. It would expose the SJWs for the Mrs. Grundys that they are, and that would have repercussions throughout society.
I'm just not sure pushing inferior JCW novels through the Hugo nominations isn't counterproductive. I agree completely with what Vox Day wants to do. I just don't think his way will work.
And he's way too radical to be a fascist.
>>8069156
In-story, they kept roaches in boxes and had some way to lure them back in when they were done. It was a part-time job for the mysterious blues guitarist that was hiding on board.
I just finished swords and deviltry. I enjoyed fafnrds background story, but the mouser and the whole ordeal with the thieves guild was subpar. Does it get better in the second book to warrant me to keep going?
>>8069182
Gross desu.
There simply MUST be a better alternative than roaches...r-right, guys?
>>8069350
Most of the story was about saving the solar system with the power of rock, though.
Trying to find the title of a sci-fi book I read a long time ago. I remember it vaguely, it involved a boy/man on a future earth, going on a wild adventure among aliens, who at one point watched human lives like a sort of tv show (which was a popular pastime of some aliens). I remember at the beginning of the book he sliced bread off of a loaf that regrew itself, and his father had tattoos that changed and moved. Have been trying to find this book for a while, and it is driving me mad.
>>8068341
That's Scalzi for you, he just recycles themes from older sci-fi classics that did it much better. Somehow this makes him the "big guy" of the field, which just shows how much of a rut the entire industry is in, artistically.
>>8068187
I really hope that Hartwell finalized the last Eschaton book before he passed. As annoying as Montrose is, I enjoy the series and I'm going to be really pissed if it takes a nosedive in the last 1-2 books.
>>8069262
Yes.
>>8069262
No.
>>8069461
I've always liked Montrose, but it was still great fun watching him get shut down all through Architect of Aeons.
>last 2 books are angry Catholic ideologuing
I'd consider dropping Wright. It would take a lot, I hung on after Somewhither/Feasts and Seasons, but he's working with something huge here.
>>8069421
I can understand Sanderson having fans but I can't imagine anyone calling themselves a Scalzi fan.
>>8067974
The Prince of Nothing by Bakker.
>>8069478
What are some of his best aside Golden Age? I've read two of those, which were great.
Any fantasy with a little girl protagnoist?
Well don't think anyone cares but I won book 1+2 of Stormlight Archive for 4,50€~ on ebay in new condition.
Feels good man.
>>8069698
i read this for my AP literature class in highschool.
was brediguut
Hey i have to write a 5 page paper on scifi and create a governing authority on what defines scifi. Ive come up with this: "For a novel to be considered sci fi, the plot must contain a main goal or problem that the protagonist has to achieve or solve that is foreign to the current human race and also be scientifically possible." But i ned support, any help? Any short essays or books i can reference to support this?
>>8070747
start with the greeks
>>8070701
Nice, I always like hearing about sweet gets.
>>8069718
Basically early Wright > current Wright, all the ego-fluffing from Castalia has gone to his head at this point.
>>8070747
There's probably some essays by Gernsback and/or Campbell floating around, when they were codifying just what SF meant. Of course Gernsback called it "scientifiction", which is pretty great in itself.
>>8070790
Thanks!
>>8069478
Azarchel really stole the show in Architect.
>Admit it, you want more than just peace; admit it. You want to see the heat death of the universe as much as I do, or grasp the farthest quasar in your hand, or hear the mysteries whispered beyond the curve of the universe. You want to be an architect of worlds and of destinies, and decree the fate of suns and constellations! You want the future, the shining future, the golden land of tomorrow! Confess it!
God is going to show up in the last book, everything points to it. The whole series actually is making a pretty good point about what it means for a being to be the lord of the entire universe, I'm not sure any other SF work has handled scale as well as Eschaton. The Xeelee Sequence novels tried but Wright's exceeding them here.
>>8069718
Finish Golden Age
Awake in the Night Land
City Beyond Time
Null-A Continuum if you've read Null-A
If you still want more, start the Countdown to Eschaton books. The first one, Count to a Trillion, is a little weak but sets up the rest of the series.
>>8070701
Just wait for the shipping to kick in. Unless you're both in the US, in which case fuck you guys for having media mail. But I guess not since you use Euros. Either way, grats!
>>8070747
The best theorist of science fiction is Darko Suvin, who defines SF as "the literature of cognitive estrangement" in which narrative is driven by a fictional "novum" (strange novelty or innovation) that is validated by cognitive logic.
Read these essays:
http://www.strangehorizons.com/2014/20141124/1suvin-a.shtml
http://www.depauw.edu/sfs/backissues/17/suvin17.htm
See also, this essay by Lem:
http://www.depauw.edu/sfs/backissues/1/lem1art.htm
>>8070857
Much appreciated
>>8070747
A work of fiction is classified as "Science Fiction" if it meets the following two conditions:
1) the setting or narrative involves elements considered 'alien' or 'strange' in relation to contemporary everyday life;
2) the setting and narrative presuppose an underlying philosophy of metaphysical or methodological naturalism: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naturalism_%28philosophy%29
>>8070844
Free packet shipping, is here in 2-3 days. The main thing is the books are in English, and he's selling it in a non-English speaking country so I sometimes get lucky snatches like that. Oh and in the description he says it was too hard for him in English so he's switching to the German versions lol
>Sanderson
>hard
>>8070857
Okay follow up on the paper progress - I cannot thank you enough. these articles are an intellectual gold mine and I feel like I learned more about the genre than in 1 hour by reading these than what my teacher has been teaching me all semester.
>>8070832
In Montrose's madness in the first book he saw beings outside the universe looking in. A lot pops out on a reread.
The poorest excuse I've ever heard from somebody who read translations instead of just in English was because his English "was already at the point that it can only improve by speaking with people"
>>8070832
>Null-A Continuum if you've read Null-A
Vogt's Null-A?
>>8070747
I liked this definition by PKD:
http://litru.ru/book/?p=154725
>I think Dr. Willis McNelly at the California State University at Fullerton put it best when he said that the true protagonist of an sf story or novel is an idea and not a person. If it is good sf the idea is new, it is stimulating, and, probably most important of all, it sets off a chain-reaction of ramification-ideas in the mind of the reader; it so-to-speak unlocks the reader’s mind so that that mind, like the author’s, begins to create. Thus sf is creative and it inspires creativity, which mainstream fiction by-and-large does not do. We who read sf (I am speaking as a reader now, not a writer) read it because we love to experience this chain-reaction of ideas being set off in our minds by something we read, something with a new idea in it; hence the very best science fiction ultimately winds up being a collaboration between author and reader, in which both create—and enjoy doing it: joy is the essential and final ingredient of science fiction, the joy of discovery of newness.
To me, this is most of the appeal of sci-fi and the main reason I read it.
>>8071281
Thanks! This will also be included on my paper!
>>8071265
Yes, his estate contacted Wright to finish the series.
Tangentially related, but with the talk about japanese fantasy books and metro 2033 from that one guy before, i was kinda wondering, is it harder to learn russian than it is to learn moonspeak? I want to learn a new language this year, but japanese being entirely based on moonrunes put me off a fair bit, and seeing how russian's alphabet is just different letters instead of symbols made it seem easier.
>>8071359
Russian is easier.
>>8071359
Japanese grammar is extremely easy. It's just grinding vocab mostly. Dunno about Russian, but it doesn't look as simple.
You should choose depending on which content you like more though, not which is easier.
>>8071359
If It's simply which is overall easier, It'd probably be Russian.
But that's terrible criteria.
And remember what ever you do don't fucking learn Chinese.
>>8071373
>>8071377
>>8071380
Thanks, guess i'll see a way to learn russian, just because i think it sounds cooler.
That being said, at first i wanted to learn moonrunes for untranslated vidya, but given that i almost completely stopped playing vidya due to catching up on books and college, i think i just lost my main drive to learn it.I also took a chinese course for3 or 4 classes. It sounded hilarious, but there being syllabes which can have 4 different pronunciations and mean different things just made it seem like hell to learn.
>>8071404
There's lots of cool untranslated Japanese books too, just saying. I'm learning it currently and I have no interest in video games really.
>>8071417
Shusaku Endo has only 3 translations into english :,(
>Scalzi having yet another meltdown on Twitter
I refuse to believe this guy doesn't have actual autism.
Anyone else feel like most SFF books lately are mostly the same?
I really miss experimental stuff, or at least stuff with a glimmer of creativity.
>>8071585
Actually, anon, no. Sounds like you're the problem. What are these samey books you've been reading?
>>8071501
>Notes for new and potential Twitter followers
He's the gift that keeps on giving, isn't he.
What meltdown were you talking about, though? It looks like he's constantly doing awkward white knight tweets where he tries to be condescending but comes off retarded, like the kid on the playground that comes up with a comeback that's only funny to him, a few seconds too late.
I want a series of fantasy books with an unlikable main character that isn't a good guy. Maybe he rapes people or something, who knows.
>>8071684
Isn't that like half of all fantasy protags?
>>8071684
It's like literal the book around here, known as Book of the New Sun by Meme Wolfe
>>8071684
Just keep an eye out for GRI.
>>8071684
Try Thomas Covenant.
What's some good modern soft scifi?
>>8071841
New Gene Wolfe novels
Golden Age by JCW
>>8071841
peter f hamilton
iain m banks (rip in peace)
ken macleod - although he is at the harder end of the scale
>>8071841
Red Rising.
/lit/, I'm currently looking for stories focused on a few main themes because I feel these are the themes closest to my heart and wish to flourish my field of knowledge in knowing these themes in their depths as I move into my own writing
The themes being
Betrayal being the worst of all crimes, either to others or of one's self.
The Hero forced to take on monstrous power and the war between succumbing to the powers temptation and losing his soul or managing to hold on to his humanity.
The choice in which how one should use their life and how repaying those that went before them.
The grand exodus of a group to reach a new land in which hope may be found, littered with hardships, sacrifice, and pain.
I'd much appreciate any recommendations.
>>8071024
Nice, happy to help.
>>8071875
I've read two, which kept me entertained.
>>8071906
You're gonna hate me but I'm 100% serious.Red Rising.
>>8071860
hamilton
- pandora's star
- judas unchained
- the naked god
- fallen dragon
(note some of these are parts of series so make sure you get the first part - same with the authors to follow)
banks
- player of games
- excession
- the hydrogen sonata
- the algebraist
- consider phlebas
- feersum endjinn (only read this if you can read, understand and enjoy 'oor wullie' comics)
- against a dark background
macleod
- cosmonaut keep
- engine city
- the sky road
- dark light
- intrusion
i've just got dissidence, which has just come out.
ken's an old lefty, and it shows. banks is an SNP soft left liberal type, and it shows. hamilton is a soft tory, and it shows.
>>8071932
>Red Rising
>YA
When will this meme end?
>>8071906
Dune
>>8068313
Neal Asher's Polity Series
>>8068313
Dune
>>8071713
>Severian
>unlikable
>not a relatively good guyThen again, i'm only in the first book.
>>8071906
Except for the exodus part, those are all present in Dante's Inferno. The game, that is, the novel only has the first one.
>>8072094
He's got a silver tongue.
>>8071684
Prince of Nothing by Bakker
>>8071932
>YA is bad, it all has bad prose and Mary Sue protagonists
Not really, here's a list of counterexamples that manifestly...
>Those are obviously bad, because they are YA.
So was that essential little girl chart ever made?
>>8072372
It's up to pedo-kun. He needs to read all the recs and construct one.
>>8072372
>essential little girl chart
What
We're allowed to share ideas, right?
>>8072613
Yes.
>>8072613
yes, share your idea senpai
>>8072613
>>8072630
Okay, I'm gonna go ahead and share an idea I've been developing.
It's sort of based on my favorite things from the Bronze age, especially in terms of the politics and of course the mythical air and spiritualism inherent in all of the history we have from that era.
The concept and sort of background to the story is that the Elves have been steadily conquering over the budding Human cities and civilizations in their fertile stretches of land and on the rivers for help in their long wars against the various monsters of the world which the Elves claim to be demons. Now all these different human settlements and city states all have their own sort of in house god that they worship, and it's very much a patriotic sort of thing for them. Now the Elves when they conquer the various human cities have often replaced their gods with various Elves, since elves are magical and immortal, they have many properties that can be ascribed to a god.
Now this serves as a sort of background to the story, which concerns events in the last human city to fall to the elves in their conquest of all humanity. It had been almost half a generation since that happened and the story centers from the perspective of a man who had grown powerful and wealthy in the city under the Elfin government there on account of his betrayal of the city during their invasion. He is beset with much guilt and self loathing over the whole affair, and eventually story takes to him secretly joining and following a man who claims to be the son of the last king, who the man thought had been killed, and also purports to have been spoken to by the town's old god to drive out the elves not only from their city but all lands where people dwell. In following this King the man is risking his family and future so that he can feel better about himself, though he isn't the only one attracted to this. Many sons of jilted priests and former city aristocrats flock to this new king so that they can be in charge again.
Sorry if this sounds unorganized, but it only goes on from there. I also have plans for there to be a few different sort of meta-narratives going on where there are multiple sources for the story and you can see it contradict itself like a text from a time that ancient.
>>8070698
His dark materials, pedo
Looking for some recs for recent mind-fucky science fiction. Any suggestions?
>>8072789
>Elfin
>not Elven
fucking trash it
Otherwise it sounds really good and interesting, I'd definitely read it. The whole "dying race" thing that happens to elves is a meme that needs to die, and your plot is starting off solid. How will you have the humans be able to attack, what with their being so inferior? Zerg rush because of high birth rates, some kind of innate ingenuity or perseverance, or outside allies, probably the elves' "demons"?
>>8073045
Greg Egan maybe. I don't know what you mean by recent. Margaret Atwood has, like, two scifi books I think.
Did he crack the code on time travel fiction?
Does anyone know of any fantasy novels featuring extremely powerful sorcerers? I'm a a sucker for characters like those.
>>8073133
It's probably not up your alley, but The Belgariad fits. Related to this Anon's question: does anyone know of any fantasy novels featuring extremely powerful sorcerers, that's written very well and with beautiful prose and descriptions? Like Dune, but in a fantasy setting I guess.
>>8066696
dude I've met alot of larger authors in person they're pretty chill
>>8073198
>larger authors
>three posts down from a GRRM picture
heh
>>8068407
>that feeling of despair knowing there will never be a sequel because he died.
>Also that feeling when you order it online and it's the fucking awful cover that's just an armored leg, then you find the magnificent retro cover version for 80 cents at a garage sale.
>>8073117
>time travel
>doesn't matter, it only ensures that shit happens
I'm sure this happened in fiction a few more times already. Mainly fucking BttF in the 80's.
>>8073114
It was late at night when I was writing that and I was heavily relying on spell check, apparently fifty years of Elven being more common isn't enough.
Anyway, I think a lot of it has to do with Humans having the home advantage in the city, and also the fact that they have doubtlessly greater numbers in one place than the elves can muster, since there are probably continuing wars and conquests done by the Elf King somewhere else, and he can only afford to keep a small garrison in every human city to report back to him.
Also, yeah, I love Tolkien and his whole take on the Elves as leaving with the magic, and I don't want to disrespect that idea in the slightest but I also want to explore the fact that elves are immortal and have natural powers "above" the ability and maybe even understanding of humans, so that if they don't also have the virtue that Tolkien had them blessed with, they would be quite expansionist and conquering indeed.
I also thought that the idea of Humans worshipping elves as gods to be enticing as well, since pretty much anything with powers above a human with bronze tools would be awesome (in its original sense and emotion) to a city dweller who saw their own god or idol taken and crushed by invaders.
>>8072178
Achamian did nothing wrong, fuck the Gods.
Neither did Kellhus.
>>8068407
Having read Old Man's War and Starship troopers and both being shit, would I like armour?
Hopefully it'll like the other two without being filled with nutty militarism for babies or progressive propaganda.
>>8071906
>Betrayal being the worst of all crimes, either to others or of one's self.
ASOIAF
The Silmarillion
>The Hero forced to take on monstrous power and the war between succumbing to the powers temptation and losing his soul or managing to hold on to his humanity.
Wheel of Time (not a fan of it but it fits)
First Law trilogy sort of
A Land Fit For Heroes
>The grand exodus of a group to reach a new land in which hope may be found, littered with hardships, sacrifice, and pain.
Deadhouse Gates
>>8074032
Armor is less preachy in anything, but since it's "early" powerarmor so most concepts are well-known to you. But it's been a few years, I may have forgotten preachiness.
Just finished Royal Assassin.
Jesus christ what happened? The first Farseer book was a strong 9/10 with a fantastic ending.
Book two was like a 6/10, and only that because the ending was good. Half the book was fucking whining and cringey romance while Regal mustache-twirled and got away with literally everything.
I mean jesus fuck, how is Fitz even an assassin? He LITERALLY hasn't even assassinated anyone in the entire series yet.
I'm still gonna read the final book because of the massive cliffhanger but does it get any better?
>>8070747
The Seven Beauties of Science Fiction is a book which identifies seven traits, the more of which a work possesses the more it will be considered a good example of SF:
>fictive neology, fictive novums, future history, imaginary science, the science-fictional sublime, the science-fictional grotesque, and the Technologiade (“the epic of the struggle surrounding the transformation of the cosmos into a technological regime”)
>>8069396
When you find it post desu.
>>8074211
Oh yeah, the MC was one of the humans who benefited under Elven rule itself. The style of conquest and consolidation that the Elf King does is a successful method partially based on that of Cyrus the Great. It goes as follows:
>Establish connections and emissaries to the city
It's important that the people know of the elves first of all, so that they're not complete strangers invading. Also it creates a channel for propaganda, hearing about the prosperity and wealth of the Elf King, as well as hearing of his many conquests of other cities and their gods.
>Find dispossessed/Disadvantaged groups or powerless factions
These people are the most important, because should the city leadership not consent to Elven annexation, they're their keys into the city gates, and are usually the ones that are put in important positions within the cities after the great Elven army decides to leave.
>Invasion
After they take a city over they destroy or confiscate any icons of the city's god and will work immediately on deifying an Elf and the Elf King as well. The common argument the Elf's make is that the city's god was weak and allowed the Elves to come in and take his place when he couldn't defend the city himself.
Now this process of conquest has been going on longer than a lot of human lifespans, so i comes that there are many cities who have forgotten their gods and worship elves instead.
>>8074170
The final book is a bit of a slog. There is far too much of a focus on the journey than any specific events actually happening. Lots of new characters get introduced just to fill out the crew but ultimate the ending is rushed like Hobb didn't quite know where she was going.
The conclusion of the whole trilogy is literally about 2 chapters worth and everything leading up to that is either travelling, finding something weird or Dragonball powerup segments.
>>8071932
Red Rising is GRI APPROVED
What YA has gay, rape and incest in it? Preferably all three happening at the same time?
>>8074311
Just fuck my trilogy up senpai, jesus christ.
I'm going to bear it because I like Fitz, but I'll probably be mad.
At least I've heard Liveship Traders and Tawny Man are both good.
Granpa here, I should probably make a list of granpa approved sff
>>8074344
That you should, let me help you start.
>>8074359
I know the titles which should be in. It isn't really entirety old.
It's just that old fantasy has been filtered by time and with new the shit is still floating, I didn't have much luck with it.
>>8074367
So you're a bottom feeder trash eater?
You like all the waste that has been filtered and litters the floor?
Instead of grabbing the fresh and nutritious new feed?
It might not be to your taste, but you just have to swim a little to find the sweet spot. Don't dive to the bottom anon, there is a reason those shit sank.
I've just finished reading K-PAX. It was very similar to the movie and I enjoyed it quite a bit. Are the sequels worth reading?
Is prot still left as vague as he was? Or is too much explained?
>>8074382
Very nice metaphors, are you a writer?
>>8074277
So what event or condition will the patriotic humans use to gain the support of those that are ambivalent, or even worship the elves? Will they use the elves' "demons" as allies?
>>8074425
Is this sarcasm because I can't tell.
>>8074473
Are those nice metaphors?
>>8074382
I think what anon is saying is that we know what old sci-fi and fantasy is good because we've forgotten the bad stuff. Whereas today, since fantasy itself hasn't gotten any better or worse, you have to dig through nine shitty books for every good one.
In other words, that other anon drinks water that has been purified of all filth, and you're over here drinking out of the taps in Flint and saying HEY THERE'S WATER IN HERE TOO YOU GUYS.
>>8074485
I don't know, I shittalk in read life, so I'm usually quick with a comeback.
>>8074540
>water is cleaner the closer is to bottom
>never settled water
>doesn't know the impurities sink and the top stays fresh
Nice try kid, but do your research before trying metaphors.
>>8074440
The demons that the elves have been killing were likely the gods that the humans worshipped after awhile, and many of them are probably dead. The general plan of the humans is to appeal to the dispossessed who DIDN'T benefit from the elves coming in and the unseated aristocrats and the like.
There may be natural events happening at the same time, a drought in the area, an earthquake or storm. Something to convince certain people that the old god is not dead, and he is angry.
AGE OF MYTH WHEN
STORMLIGHT WHEN
DRESDEN FILES WHEN
BLOOD MIRROR WHEN
LOCKE LAMORA WHEN
W H E N
H
E
N
>>8074599
Do you have a fetish for bad books?
>>8074569
Alright, nice. Have the elves brought technological advancement as well? Are they vulnerable to iron, as many elves and magical creatures in fantasy are? That'd be pretty cool, have a human "discover" iron, or buy it from a trader, or be given it by a "demon", and spread its use until it threatens the elves.
Is there a major difference between urban and rural humans? Are rural areas remote enough that elves can barely govern there? Do the rural humans cling to the old gods?
Just interested here, this is pretty cool.
>>8067974
People shit on Wheel of Time in these threads, but I suggest them. I'm on book seven and it has hit a bit of a slump but they're fun to read if you feel like turning your brain off
>>8074599
>STORMLIGHT WHEN
Novella later this year. SA3 late next year.
>>8074546
>tfw 4chan helps you with your humor and wit irl
>>8074676
Actually i was this way before 4chens, used to read a lot so I had a large vocabulary to play with from a young age.
>>8074676
>late next year.
>LATE
FUCK YOU AND THE HORSE YOU RODE IN ON MOTHER FUCKER
RRRRRRRRREEEEEEEEEEE
FUCKING SANDERSON
>>8074682
I used to read a lot too but 4chan really helped increase my synaptic firing and give me that subtle humor that works well irl.I've been on this miserable site for nearly nine years; it's a part of me now.
>>8074692
Fall 2017 yessir.
I agree.
>we're gonna release a Stormlight every other year!
>never actually does
>>8074682
And most of my friends post here or on other boards or learn from the rest of us so memes are the usual shittalk way of communication.
>>8074642
>Technological advancement
The elves themselves would probably appear to be only slightly more advanced than the humans in many respects, since Magic generally makes certain things unnecessary to them. However under the elven empire you see merchants from other human cities coming and going freely now since the elves brought peace without fear of raiding armies of kings from different cities.
As for iron, I'm not sure yet, maybe, but that wasn't something I had put a lot of thought into, not sure yet though.
As for rural and urban differences you see that rural humans are more beholden to the cities themselves and don't notice, and they probably already worshiped a different sort of pagan (in the sense of being country beliefs) gods already that they'll keep worshiping.
But it could be that the first King of Man will try to stomp these out of the farmers in favor of the Last City's God and of course that certain demands for a growing city under the elves might make the rural population angry.
>>8071841
Quantum Thief
Should I read the Arabian Nights?
>>8075391
Follow your heart.
>>8075391
You can ask me to tell you if you liked it or not later
>>8067841
He's the guy who got nominated about his Gay Erotica books in the Hugo awards by a sub-group of writers and readers. Sad/rapid puppies.
Those guys got pissed about message choaked sci-fi/fantasy novels winning awards in the Hugos.
>>8074653
>turning your brain off
Why not just watch Captain America and post about it on tumblr?
>>8074722
So the elven occupation, even after it ends (if it ends), will probably have an overall centralizing effect. People get used to fine, cheaper, and available goods from other cities, and are enough used to being ruled from afar to except at least a confederation (I mean like a loose empire of city states) of sorts.
Nice Anon, thanks for sharing your idea. Have you actually written any parts of it?
>>8075860
It isn't. Just check the OP for recs, most of them are solid intros into fantasy.
I can't tell if I like this narrator's hazed and smoke chiseled narration or not.
http://www.audible.com/pd/Sci-Fi-Fantasy/Illuminatus-Part-I-Audiobook/B002VA3OGO/ref=a_search_c4_1_1_srTtl?qid=1464040792&sr=1-1
Well I'm falling for the Red Rising meme. Hope it doesn't turn out to be cringily written YA shit as I'm expecting it to be...
Rothfuss is not shit and Weeks is not edgelord
I finished Gardens of the Moon early. While it was confusing as fuck, most of it made sense by the end. To anyone who's read the series before, are the novellas by the other author and the short stories any good? Keep finding conflicting lists of the publication order of all these side books, so I figure it's just easier to stick to the main novels for now.
>>8075998
And God doesn't exist and the Catholic church isn't his body on Earth
>>8076141
If God doesn't exist then the second part follows. I'm not saying anything about God one way or the other, but you're being redundant.
>>8075998
Sanderson is still anime though
>>8076158
The second post's explicit claims are neither true or false from our frame of reference, but you have just proven its implied claim.
>>8075753
How can you receive an Hugo nomination when you don't even have an editor.
The "receives and email" is really getting the grammar OCD drilled into me over the years.
>>8076200
>How can you receive an Hugo nomination when you don't even have an editor.
By having a troll group stuff the ballot box
>>8074653
I liked Rothfuss and think WOT is shit.
>>8076208
That would imply they've got a bunch of extra ballots they could stuff it with. They had a troll group buy memberships and vote. That was the original rationalization for the other dino porn Hugo - if you don't like it, why don't you vote for something you do like, not so tough now huh.
>>8075940
It isn't just don't drop it after the fucking cringey hearbeat hunger games/divergent shit. It just gets better and better.
>>8076226
Yeah, I finally sent my copies to the thrift shop after realizing there would ALWAYS be something I wanted to read more.
>>8076116
Just read the main author, that's what I did.
We got the blood mirror arc anon, is there any age of myth arc anon in thread?
How does it compare to the riyria books?
