What is your favorite sentient non-human being in SFF?
Recommendations
>Fantasy
Selected: http://i.imgur.com/r688cPe.jpg/
General: http://i.imgur.com/igBYngL.jpg/
Flowchart: http://i.imgur.com/uykqKJn.jpg/
>Sci-Fi
Selected: http://i.imgur.com/A96mTQX.jpg/
General: http://i.imgur.com/r55ODlL.jpg/ / http://i.imgur.com/gNTrDmc.jpg/
Previous: >>8177490
Favorite pulp-scifi? Already read Stainless Steel Rat.
So is ASOIAF actually shit or do I need binge read it for the rest of the day to make a well informed opinion on it myself?
>>8180863
>That's the furries in space meme book?
>The furriness isn't more than a few sentences a few books in, unless there's stuff in Legacy (I'm 4/5, mostly through Homecoming). Butchering is mostly confined to pidgin, but it makes an effectively jarring mask over some mindsets that would feel far less convincingly alien without.
>>8182280
It is shit.
>>8182280
It is good, AGoT is pretty slow and uneventful compared to the rest of the books.
>>8182299
It's not very nice to mislead anons like that.
>>8182309
Go back to your basement shitlord.
>>8182280
Its good.
>>8182280
It's painfully mediocre.
>>8182244
>What is your favorite sentient non-human being in SFF?
The Gentleman with Thistle-down Hair.
>Clarkesworld
These stories are all so incredibly boring. I feel like I'm reading the scifi equivalent of TED talks.
What happened? I remember Clarkesworld used to actually put out some decent scifi/fantasy stuff.
>>8182280
Its a decent Series of books written by a good storyteller but otherwise completely terrible author who has absolutely no Idea where he is going with anything.
If he actually manages to finish the series properly after the seventh book in his trilogy it might be a good series worth your time but right now it really isnt.
>>8182280
It's worth reading for the sole reason that nothing like it exists, and it's probably the most /fun/ series in fantasy.
Is Book of the New Sun any good?
As a kid, I've only read the Harry Potters and Artemis Fowl: The Arctic Incident and I wanna start reading some fantasy/scifi
>>8182399
No not really.
>>8182399
I actually don't know, I don't read books, but I hear it's a very intelligent series.
>>8182399
Wolfe may be a little much if you are new to the genre. He makes Tolkien look like a breezy read by comparison
>>8182414
Tolkien IS a breezy read.
>>8182438
Tolkien is infamously long-winded and borderline archaic. Him being popular is one thing, being easy to read is another
>>8182443
What book will you start with?
>>8182446
when will you plebs ever learn, dullness is not a replacement for difficulty. a 13 year old can understand his work, he'll just be bored to fucking death.
>>8182465
A 13 year old most likely won't undestand LotR as anything but a plain fantasy adventure and miss on all the religious themes, the parallels to Tolkien's experiences on WWI, the motif with nostalgia and decay, the nods to the much older literature it is based on, etc.
>>8182465
I wasn't.
>>8182464
hobbit-->lotr--->silmarillion plus maybe then unfinished tales and children of turin
>>8182484
Half the anons here don't pick up on those.
>>8182465
I don't know of a single 13 year old who got him, I know I didn't.
>>8182490
Half the anons here are mentally 13.
>>8182446
I think he's very easy to read. Why would anyone consider his works archaic? Do they only write in ebonics and arabic in the UK now? As for being longwinded I think that's a matter of preference, the way he writes is integral to the tone of the story. If you want quick action there is always sword and sorcery stories to read but that's not what Tolkien is about.
>>8182487
Children of Hurin is the shortest or second shortest of the bunch and will give you some background for all the First Age shit referenced in LotR without having to suffer through the Silmarillion. You could try reading it right after The Hobbit
>>8182494
I don't know what you mean by "got" but I know a bunch of children who read and loved Lotr.
>>8182484
>still pretending tolkien was incredibly profound
YA Lit plebs.
>>8182500
>spends chapters establishing that Hobbits are great people but really naive and they take the Rangers' protection for granted
>"The scouring of the Shire came out of nowhere, I'm really glad Jackson cut it"
>>8182514
He's not INCREDIBLY profound, but he isn't vapid either.
>>8182487
That order is good.
>>8182514
>Fiction
>Profound
Pick one.
23 days until the great ordeal
Or 16 since the ebook day is still the 5th
Get Hyped
>>8182525
i'll give you that, he's not vapid, definitely somewhere in the middle of profound and vapid.
>start reading Rendezvous with Rama, currently got to chapter 10
>see last thread that it's basically"Nothing Happens: The Book"
>don't know if i want to keep going
I mean, i'll probably finish it because it's not likelistening to itwill take me much effort, but i'm kinda baffled, then, that it's supposedly Clarke's best work.
>>8182539
It will be trash.
>>8182562
You don't know if you're enjoying the book? That's weird.
>>8182562
If you only care about the destination and not the journey why not just read a summary and be done with it?
>starship crew slowly get dragged into a bigger and bigger clusterfuck and have to survive and maybe try to achieve something more than just survive, with a good mix of adventure, character exploration, and intrigue/mystery
Is there anything like this in books? The crew of a spaceship has been a staple focus of sci-fi TV more or less from the beginning, but seems like less of a thing in sci-fi lit.
>>8182569
So far, i'm curious as to what is actually inside Rama, and what happened there, but i'm not sure if i would call that "enjoying".
I also went through 2001 and Childhood's End, went it comes to Clarke, but i was left with mixed feelings after both.
>>8182577
It's more along the lines that i want to know if there's a point to everything that's been described so far, or if it's just "Sort-of Slice of Life: Scientists find Alien Spaceship edition.".
>>8182581
That shitty leftist expanse series?
>>8182564
All these flavors, and you gotta be salty
>>8182605
Clarke is a talentless pedophile. No, you'll never find out anything of substance about anything. There is no point, there is no payoff.
>>8179512
>If the main character is female it might be Best Served Cold
That looks like it's it. Thanks!
>>8182605
Clarke's short stories are far superior to his novels.
>>8182581
>starship crew slowly get dragged into a bigger and bigger clusterfuck and have to survive and maybe try to achieve something more than just survive, with a good mix of adventure, character exploration, and intrigue/mystery
I know I keep going on and on about it, but the Chanur series is exactly this.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1nUi3DaWzGI
Rate The Sword of Truth series
>>8182618
Fucking kek on that song
>>8182618
W-why would you post that?
>>8182635
Does filk count as /lit/ considering it's very much bardic?
>>8182642
Unfortunately it's not quite tonal to the books themselves, but it was faster than trying to find the actual cover.
How's Paul Anderson and his Broken Sword?
Will finish Wizard at Earthsea tomorrow for sure during the trip/waiting the exam, he seems to be well regarded.
So I really liked Mistborn, are there any other fantasy with a female protagonist described as petite looking?
>>8182734
>>8182734
Orphans of Chaos by John C Wright.
>>8182738
What's it about?
>>8182741
Petite 14 year old girls
>>8182738
Do epubs of book 2 and 3 exist? Only found 1.
>>8182730
Not bad, some nice Norse mythology stuff. Maybe a bit generic (by his time's standards, that is, there's not much of it published now) but also not long enough for your interest to wear off.
>>8182765
Read that one first.
It's probably on libgen.
>>8182765
I have them, so apparently yes, but I can't recall where I got them.
>>8182784
Sounds like First Law, but not awful judging the wiki.
>>8182794
Buy it poorfag, literally £0.01p on Amazon.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/offer-listing/0765353873/ref=tmm_pap_used_olp_sr?ie=UTF8&condition=used&qid=&sr=
Does Jorg stop tone down his pretentious edge inflicted mind at any point in this?
>>8182794
This is odd. All I can find is a pdf of Fugitives I converted with Calibre. It appears to be the official Tor ebook but the pages are shrunk somehow. They're not in my Kindle library so I didn't buy them. I'll run a better search, but I'll warn you I'm not as savvy with uploading as with downloading.
Have you tried Undernet bookz? Instructions are linked in the /lit/ sticky..
Casual here, really liked Ready player one. Haven't found anything like it, anyone got some recomendations?
>>8182794
>>8182840
Anyway the stories are nothing special, the kids are just trying to stay one step ahead of cool bad guys and the stakes are raised every time they escape, we learn more about them and the setting every time, and there are some sick battle sequences. I recall the action best out of all of it.
And the series doesn't really end after three. Third book had imo a disappointing ending-ending, though most of the plot threads were already resolved at that point, but Wright hopes to write a fourth book someday.
Look, John, I know you struggle with the temptations of the flesh, and you're trying to be a good Catholic, and I respect that, but ending a trilogy with Amelia being excited cause she thinks she's gonna pork Victor? I mean, if you're going to try to go sexy blow our socks off, make it twisted or make it pure, but that was just boring.
>>8182862
Yeah, check out Orphans of Chaos.
>>8182862
There's a Japanese series that's a lot like it, I think it's called My Pickle or something like that.
>>8182609
How is it if you ignore the politics?I'm a leftist.
>>8182866
Plot sounds intriguing, has 2 sequels, set in a nice envirement. Thanks man, all things I love
Is Orphans Of Chaos our very own Boku no Pico?
>>8182880
Not quite good enough, but it'll do for now.
>>8182880
It's not really a troll so no. The best thing about it is that feminists hate it.
>>8182886
>The best thing about it is that feminists hate it.
Sadly, that alone does not make it a good book.
>>8182886
this
>>8182886
>x hates y, therefore y is good
Grow up alt-right.
>>8182901
I can't hear you over the spanking sound I'm giving this 12 year old little girl who is thoroughly enjoying it!
>>8182892
I think that's supposed to be the point.
>>8182840
Bummer. I haven't really tried the IRC thing before because I always found everything on either libgen, bookzz or my private tracker. I kind of doubt it's on there if it isn't on any of these.
>>8182865
You're kind of making it sound not so good now.. what about the characters and their dialogue? Enjoyable?
>>8182929
The side characters are excellent. The series is basically the orphans going around meeting more interesting people. Dialogue isn't Wright's best.
But don't let me put you off from it. The tension and payoff is very good, consistent all the way through, and I can't stress how good the action is.
>>8182937
Cool, I'll definitely give it a shot myself. Thanks for the info.
>>8182862
Have you red Snow Crash yet?
Don't bother with Armada. Cline apparently decided that the reason people liked RP1 was the nerd references, so he just doubled down on them.
>georgerrmartinwithgiganticmanchild.jpg
Today I finished reading Non-stop by Brian Aldiss, a science fiction book written in 1958 by a British author. I thoroughly enjoyed this, and would recommend it to anybody.
Briefly, it is set in a very large ship which was formerly occupied by colonists who had set out from Earth to another planet. A cataclysm had taken place, and many years later the ship has overgrown with vegetation and several distinct groups of humans occupy different levels of the ship; some of them more primitive than the others.
If you are interested in plants, space, tribal societies, aliens, superstition, and post-apocalyptic fiction then you will like this book. The way it slowly reveals a greater truth of the ship is compelling.
>>8182979
How does it compare to other post-apoc generation ship books like Orphans of the Sky and Hull Zero Three?
>>8182968
I checked armada out, but i didn't speak to me at all, I don't really know about snow crash, I might listen to it as an audio book when i travel or something but I don't think I'd be able to get really in to it
>>8182988
OrHate Plus.
>further into Red Knight
>captain is fervently against rape
>fiending to hang some people that want to get their dick wet
>it's a not-christian book so there isn't going to be open incest
Whomever said that this book was GRI approved I hope you get raped you fagget. You wasted my time.
>>8183005
why are you such an autist m8
>>8183005
Considering your retardation is a fantastic indication of quality, I will probably read it soon, right after Broken Sword. Or heck, I'll move it up, starting it tomorrow.
>>8182886
Why? Does it have rape scenes or something?
>>8182988
I haven't read those, but in my research I found that Aldiss had written the book as a reply to Heinlein's Orphans. Apparently Aldiss wanted to do the same conceit but with more characterisation.
What I can say is that Non-stop has more characterisation than a lot of sci-fi I have read. Each group has its own ways, and there are sympathetic and non-sympathetic characters, as well as funny ones (particularly the garrulous priest.)
>>8183020
I also hated Hogg and Dhalgren.
Please go read it.
Hell read all the books I disliked:
Anita Blake, James Patterson shit, Later Percy Jackson Books and anything that Rick Riordan puts out now, etc
If you want I can make a detailed list.Fuckboi
>>8183053
Yeah it should be a better list than your chart in any case.
>>8183053
I'll read Delany sooner or later, but your autism about The Red Knight is beautiful.
>>8182562
It's like 150 pages long and you're halfway through, just read it.
I found a copy of The time machine by Wells at my local bookstore for $2 a few days back. I read 30/100 or so pages and I can't fucking get into it. Am I supposed to be blown away by? I'm about to drop the book because it's so uninteresting.
>>8183060
>I'll read Delany sooner or later
Read Hogg first :^)
>your autism about The Red Knight is beautiful
False advertising. I was promised something, and nothing of the sort happened. It's like that anon in the last thread tried to sell some anon that Book of the Long Sun was GoT in space.
The things I was told about Iron Dragon's Daughter and Hull 3 Zero were true, but for some reason an anon thought it okay to be lying about shit that didn't happen in the books he likes.
>>8183100
>False advertising. I was promised something, and nothing of the sort happened.
Yea, who the fuck cares?
I was promised fart jokes in Dubliners and didn't get them, so what?
>>8182244
That is a beautiful picture.
>>8183079
I've read War of the Worlds, which was awful, unsure how they compare.
Read his arch enemy, Chesterton, a superior writer.
>>8182626
Overall meh.Interesting magic system and story but he could have cut out 3-4 of the books and made a great series. also all the bad guys are the most over the top cliches I have ever read. Almost couldn't finish it.
>>8182626
have you heard about ron paul/10
>>8183127
The fart jokes are in Ulysses.
>>8183161
But would you be autistic enough to be disappointed by the lack of them if someone told you they were there and constantly sperg?
>>8182873
It's mediocre but if it hooks you then you won't be able to stop reading. Sort of like Stephen King or GRRM stuff in that regard
>>8183177
So it'sfun?
>>8183136
>Chesterton was his archenemy
>not Verne
What are some good fantasy series involving gay/bi romances and characters?
>>8182280
If you have a predisposition to enjoy reading about life in medieval europe or anything related to the middle ages, you will enjoy it more than someone who doesn't have an interest. Either way it's fantastic and you will likely get hooked, don't listen to the fuckwits on here that carry infinite jest under their arm as a costume accessory when they loiter in coffee shops hoping in vain that the 6/10 barista (who is out of their league by miles) notices them and starts a conversation.
>>8183315
>life in medieval europe
Anyone interested in this have absolutely nothing to gain from reading ASoIaF.
>wake up
>The Great Ordeal not out yet
>>8183005
>yfw you find out who the Red Knights dad is
So far Claw of the Concilliator is MUCH better than Shadow of the Torturer. Once Wolfe starts building up his world, everything goes so much more smoothly
Best secondary-world fantasy in an industrial setting?
As someone who knows most of the major plot points in the Second Apocalypse series, would I still enjoy reading the books? I read the prologue and some of Achamian's first chapters in Darkness, and the writing waxed between really interesting and pretty wooden, which is understandable for a first novel.
Does it get better? Does more weird alien stuff happen in the later novels?
What do you guys think about vidya-based SFF? Are they any good?
>>8182539
>>8182564
?? DAYS REMAINING UNTIL THE GREAT ORDEAL
GET HYPE
Any opinions on Guy Gavriel Kay's stuff? Found a used copy of A Song for Arbonne and was thinking of starting it tonight
Starting on this in a few, and likely going to follow it up by reading a bit on Shades of Grey by Fforde.
Also, would anyone be interested in joining an IRC channel to discuss any sort of literature? Started a new one after not being able to stand how shit the main /lit/ channel is:
#literatura on Rizon.
>>8182244
>What is your favorite sentient non-human being in SFF?
Solaris
>>8183694
Fun fact about David Brin: his youngest son went to prom with my ex. He was a pretty nice guy, although a bit of a cuck.
>>8183646
Yes. The consult plays a more prominent role in the second series so there's more weird shit, especially when the gods take a more proactive role.
Any recs for a complete pleb?
The last four things I enjoyed from any medium was Hunter x Hunter, Chronicles of Amber (Corwin cycle only insofar), Darker than Black and Hyperion.
I'm currently reading KJ Parker's Shadow but only time will tell if it's good or not (so far the start is pretty intriguing.)
Like: plot twists, tragedy scifi, fantasy, politics, edgy shit (but not the way Abercrombie writes it)
Hate: slice of life, 'adventure', loads of POVs, a series of books but each book has a different set of characters eg you never see the characters from the first book again, set in high school/school/coffee shops, elves, furries, Rothfuss, urban fantasy, pure comedy, fairy tales, GOT
Or recommend things in my backlog: Dune (in a bookshop I skimmed a few chapters of Mentat and that seemed intriguing), some things from Robert Shearman or more books from Philip K Dick, C S Friedman or Peter Watts
>>8184042
The Second Apocalypse series.
Lotr + DUne
>>8184052
Is Prince of Nothing pretty slow burn? I read the first book but a lot of threads were unresolved. LOTR I've read and Dune I haven't.
>>8184068
You could say it's a slow burn but the series has relatively short books, only 500 pages or so.
>>8184074
I'll start the second then. I do like Bakker's prose.
>>8184068
Prince of nothing is a lot of ground laying, that doesn't really pay off till later books
>>8184068
Prince of Nothing is a setup for the later stuff. It's still interesting since it's set during the fantasy crusades.
The real payoff is at the end of book 3, and in books 4, 5, and in a few weeks 6. Shit is going absolutely bananas.
>>8184068
The second book of PoN goes absolutely wild and the third book is basically a giant battle scene.
I'm working on The Judging Eye right now (which so far I haven't enjoyed as much as PoN) but Bakker's world is so fucking dope and the last two books of the PoN trilogy were legit pulse pounding
>>8183669
He's generally good but I've never read that particular book. Read it and tell us what you think.
>>8184068
Prince of Thorns is a fucking garbage book in a garbage series, it's below mediocre don't waste your time
Any fantasy about cute boys on an adventure like my favorite anime (Hunter x Hunter)?
>>8184494
Wheel of Time
>>8184494
Rodrigo of Caledon.
So I noticed this book is dedicated to Herodotus. Do I have to read the histories to understand it?
>>8184042
>Any recs for a complete pleb?
Don't worry.
Despite all my elitism I mostly read what could be best described as shit.
>anime
Maybe Phantom Requim for the Phantom.
It's certainly a tragedy.
Maybe Watership Down, you could also watch the movie both are good.
Not high fantasy just a bunch of talking rabbits and their adventure..
Parker has mostly sad stuff so I think that's good.
The Fencer trilogy has a nice ending
Maybe Mistborn but I don't know if you'd like it.
A Scanner Darkly is a tragedy I think.
Stoner by John Williams
White Nights by Fyodor Dostoevsky
A lot of short stories by Chekhov and Flannery O'Connor
>>8184042
>plot twists, tragedy scifi, fantasy, politics, edgy shit
Go with Dune
So, my insecurities tell me that i should follow a trend of a good-decent on-going series, but since i haven't read Prince of Nothing yet, i won't make it in time for TGO.
Is there another good-decent on-going series, or should i stick to ASOIAF?
>>8184681
Get into the Cosmere, it'll last a lifetime.
>>8183648
I hear the first Doom novel was ok, but the sequels veered off to be Mormon survivalist fan fiction and the author had the demons be actually aliens or something.
>>8184681
TGO isn't the last book of the series.
The Unholy consult is set to come out in 2017. With possibly a third trilogy after.
>>8184737
Neat, i'll jump into that, then.
>Felicia
>Won't help anyone
>Takes more rations for herself
>Spiteful
>Constantly complaining and insulting people
>Let an old man die because she didn't want to help
Why the fuck don't they just kill her jesus christ
>going back to edit a novella I wrote while in high school
>it's so boring to read I'm going to have to rewrite the whole thing
Surprised I was capable of writing maturely back then, the problem is it's just so formulaic as a plot (ie. protag does this, protag goes there, thing happens, protag reacts, repeat)
>>8184821
Just write a new story m8.
>>8184537
Knowing Greek history and mythology helps, but it's still a fantastic read. My favourite of the three is Soldier of Sidon and I don't know anything about Ancient Egypt or Ancient Sub-Saharan Africa
>>8183374
Granted it's not exactly completely realistic, but it clearly draws from many real-world cultures and creates a believable setting. You won't learn the daily plight of the average serf in the middle ages, but you at least get to spend a little time thinking about and observing how armor is worn, how men at arms drill, what sort of food is prepared, what people besides warriors do with their lives, etc. It's no history book, but it doesn't feel like it's lying to you about details just for the convenience of the story. And there is a minimum of fucking macguffins and coming-of-age bullshit, so it appeals to me. Cool pic btw, here's a mean helmet
>>8184824
I will, but I mean to keep the protagonist and his old asian lady boss, I think I had something going with it.
>>8184821
>writing an adventurous fantasy story
>think it's written quite well and could potentially topple mainstream fantasy books in terms of quality
>start reading Moby Dick
>realize everything I've written is vapid, worthless pulp trash with no where near the scope I realized possible
hurts to be honest
>>8184827
Don't cling rigidly to one idea. Write a bunch of short stories or novellas until you remember how to write properly, then plan out a novel and give it a shot. For each one try not to reuse any characters or scenes.
>>8184833
Thank God you got humbled now and not later.
>>8184771
JESUS CHRIST JUST DIE ALREADY REEEEEEEEEEEE
>>8183374
George R.R. Martin thinks 700 foot tall castle walls are a thing, and that people on the bottom would shoot up at them.
And honestly, actual real stuff is more interesting. Like, in the Holy Roman Empire towns had systems set up where the millers would stop their windmills in certain positions to warn other towns that there were drunk mercenaries roaming around the countryside.
>>8184870
>reading Alexiad
>mfw the Franks show up
>they're all drunks who love fighting and will try to screw you in bargains
>really tough in battle though, point 'em at Saracens and watch them restore the Empire for you
Real history is great.
>>8184873
>>reading Alexiad
muh feminist teacher told me it was great :^)
>fucking Egwene gets made Amyrlin Seat
Is this a fucking joke
Am I being rused
>>8184737
>The Unholy consult is set to come out in 2017. With possibly a third trilogy after.
He already confirmed a third trilogy.It's implied to be set years after a Consult victory.
>>8184887
No it's not a joke. Prepare for many, many, many more scenes of Aes Sedai sitting around and bickering.
>>8184926
Tbh at this point I'm assuming everyone except the main trio is Black Ajah. At least that way it makes sense why they do absolutely nothing to stop the Dark One.
>>8184894
I know it's so spoiler heavy he won't even talk about it as just naming it would be massive fucking spoilers
>>8184870
The 30 years war is a trip. Nothing like reading accounts of soldiers setting villages on fire so they've got light to fight by. Or about how Gustav Adolphus alone destroyed around 2,000 castles and probably a third of German towns and villages.
>>8185194
lol @ that one guy jacking the stew pot
everyone is busy murdering and raping, and he just wants to make some soup
>>8185194
>>8185199
He's the smart one. Soup keeps you alive, rape is a waste of calories.
>>8185194
Gustav Adolphus was my childhood hero
What is it with all the misogyny in Malazan?
>All women are portrayed as whiny brats who need to be taken care of because they can't do anything themselves
The author really needs to go outside...
Any fantasy books with a classical setting instead of a medieval one?
>>8185311
Why wouldn't you want a realistic book?
>>8185311
>All women are portrayed as whiny brats who need to be taken care of because they can't do anything themselves
Realism.
>>8185312
Gene Wolfe's Soldier of the Mist, and its sequels.
>>8185318
realy m8kes you think...
>>8185321
Thanks! I have enjoyed what I've read by Gene Wolfe so far so that sounds promising.
>>8185311
This is either a blatant lie, or bait. Bait that isn't clever, at that.
>>8182244
>What is your favorite sentient non-human being in SFF?
Rorschach might not quite count (does this definition of sentience require self-awareness?), but I'm gonna go with it, von Neumann p-zombie is interesting and a neurological implication that still annoys the shit out me when trying to sleep sometimes.
>>8185312
Don't mean to be 'that' guy, but have you read the Greek epics? They're everything you could ever want from a fantasy story and more.
>>8185334
As far as baits go it worked pretty well. Leave it to the alt right cretins to jump at the first opportunity to shitpost about hating women.
>>8185345
>Don't mean to be 'that' guy, but have you read the Greek epics?
Naturally. Which is why I want more in the same setting.
>>8185346
Seeing women for what they are is not the same as hating them.
How is Timelike Infinity? I read the collection of short stories so I'm a bit curious about the inevitable transition to full novel. I actually read the first ~3 chapters and am enjoying it fairly quick although the interaction between Michael and his dad's Virtual came off as completely unrealistic. I hope the rest of the people in this novel aren't the same.
*walks into thread
Women are weak creatures who need a support group called feminism to help with their insecurities about being inferior to men
*walks out of thread
Please help me /lit/
I am looking for a "first contact" story, where to civilizations meet and one is far more advanced than the other. Preferably between humans, or human-like beings that have similar cultures in some way.
>>8185387
Not exactly between humans but this sounds very much like Childhood's End by Arthur Clarke.
>>8185385
As opposed to being a strong man roleplaying and frog posting in a Birmani sewing convention? I'll take the women any day.
>>8185393
Oh, look she is using trick number one in the femanazi, marketing book, question a mans masculinity.
>>8185385
If you think about it objectivly, isn't this just reality? They can't take what they want or change things by force, or alone so they group together wither other males and females to make up for what they lack in physical strength. In fact I think women have developed Machiavellian emotional ninja skills as a compensation. Who's better at appealing to pathos than bitches?
>>8185379
Yeah I can already see all the misogyny emanating from you
>>8185403
It's funny because they both hate and love masculinity at the same time.
>Only alpha male cock pls
>Fucking toxic masculinity ruining everything
>>8185453
That's because one is a biological imperative and the other a cultural fad.
>>8185443
t. misandrist
>>8185461
t. bitter virgin
Feminists are stupid for hating men
Alt rightists are stupid for hating women
Can we get the fuck back to discussing SFF?
>>8185468
>alt right hates women
when will this meme stop
>>8185458
the thing I don't understand about this fad is why it demeans and belittles femininity and makes women into men. They fuck like men in the name of female empowerment, but they only end up getting used simply by the inherent nature of sexual relations between the genders. Sex holds value, and you give it away, it's also riskier and more taxing on a women emotionally and physically.
I'm not white knighting or anyhting, i think it's great is women are promiscuous but men still profit more in the end, so if this is your idea if sticking it to us guys, I don't understand. Then there's this whole new thing of "regret rape" where you can be raped after the fact, if you did not enjoy the sex, felt you were used. I find it odd how they treat women who don't confirm to this new modern idea of a women like the female equivalent of an uncle tom.
We live in wacky times. but this is a sci-fi thread and I've rambled on too much. Sorry.
>>8185467
Good for you but please take your bitterness elsewhere, you are shitting up the thread with it.
>>8185479
Hell, I don't know. But I think women do a better job of separating sex and love. They can fuck someone they don't give a shit about, whereas a man has to feel something, if only during. Or maybe that's just me.
I think my perception of women might be warped from binge reading Wheel of Time. They all seem to be the bitchiest bitches to ever bitch. And I'm only at book 6.
>>8185358
The Ten Thousand by Paul Kearney
>tfw nowhere to discuss books on the internet
:-(
>>8185479
>Then there's this whole new thing of "regret rape"
That's just a myth made up by misogynists who hate women and want to rape them, women don't and would never lie about rape
>>8185358
Redditor newfags visiting us
>>8182825
He gets more mature, and develops more doubts. But the edge remains.
>>8185358
Malazan
>>8185497
What are your top 5 books?
tell me about Dan Simmons
>>8185567
He's good at scope and imagination, cool ideas and from time to time characterisation, but he can't finish his novels.
>>8185548
Book of the New Sun
Stoner
Brothers Karamazov
Everything that Rises Must Converge
Anna Karenina
For fiction that is.
>>8185507
Isn't Children of Hurin more like Finnish mythology?
Inb4 spurdo spärde
>>8185470
They hate women because they don't vote for Shillary.
>>8185575
What do you think of Peake? Was thinking of reading him next.
>>8185588
Yes, but the plot is more or less interchangeable with Greek stuff.
You know, sad end, incest, amnesia.
>>8185598
He's a superb stylist and a good read by any standard, but he didn't hit me as hard as I expected. I'd only read Titus Groan thus far.
It's in top 10 literary fantasy for sure. You won't regret it.
Any recommendations for sciencey magic based stuff. Kinda like how it works in mistborn where "magic" doesn't just happen it has a requirement, or Kingkiller where things need to be compatible.
Finished Earthsea, starting Red Knight.
Hope modern fantasy can be not shit, this would be a first for me.
>>8185752
what did you think of Earthsea? I myself found it the absolute comfiest SFF I've ever read.
>>8182280
It's shit. You could easily pare away 40% of the book and lose nothing but chaff. If you have it already, just binge read, then you can tell us what side of the fence you sit on. I would certainly advise that no money be spent on this endeavour though.
>>8182626
A font of moral clarity: 10/10
>>8185756
It's will read to my future hypothetical children alongside Lewis and childrens Bible tier.
It's comfy and simple, but poetic where it needs to be.
>>8185794
>childrens Bible
Don't reproduce please.
>>8185794
>not exposing your children to the purity and beauty of the King James
>>8185794
>childrens Bible tier.
Is this a thing? I'm imagining things like cotton candy raining on Sodom or the Nile turning to strawberry Jell-O.
>>8184826
No? the military aspect of ASOIAF is incredibly unrealistic and don't even get me started on the food.
>>8185806
The food is top notch humour. I can't wait for magical Ugandan pancakes in the Summer Isles.
>>8185818
>fiery Dornish peppers and roasted capons
Jordan had braid tugging, and GRRM has this. Gotta pad the books, bro.
>>8185806
It's funny because GRRM doesn't seem to realize that a barren frozen wasteland like the North wouldn't ever manage to have that many people living in it. The resources simply aren't enough.
Same for the fucking Dothraki, their very way of life doesn't make it possible for them to be in the hundreds of thousands. What happens when there's nothing that can be raided? Do they all starve?
>>8185801
Not in the English speaking area for that, also, not a protestant.
>>8185804
It's basically retelling of most stories with pictures. I loved it when I was a kid, dad read it to me for a few years, a chapter every day.
I don't remember Sodom and Gomorrah, but it's been like 13-14 years so it's to be expected.
It's a great learning experience, you get to know a lot of important parables and stories referenced elsewhere..
>>8185797
Here's the thing, we aren't allowed to use contraception, chances of me reproducing a lot are higher than for most.
>>8185838
Mongols and Vikings?
Not sure how exactly it would work, but it's at least plausible.
>red knight
>expect Arthurian fantasy
>get gritty grimdark fantasy with bland prose and atheist remarks from the protagonist
>so many events, so few with relevance
>600 pages
Yeah, I'm unsure of this, I'll carry on, but I'm unimpressed to say the least
Thinking about reading Wheel of Time. What should I expect?
>>8186014
Don't.
>>8185806
>No?
Do you talk like a bitch in real life or do you just write that way? I don't really care about your opinion, and i don't think either of us will change the other's mind. For the anon that was wondering about the books, sample them or don't. What the fuck do i care, i read them all years ago and now i'm reading other shit.
>>8186014
I'm almost finished with Book 6.
It has a LOT of padding but also the most detailed world building I have ever seen, and between all the filler there are actually snippets of good fantasy.
You could try the first book to see if it's for you or not.
C A N T I C L E F O R L E I B O W I T Z
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never read the sequel
I think it was finished after his suicide? seems fishy
Serious question : why aren't Infinite Jest and Gravity's Rainbow considered science fiction?
IJ is a dystopia and GR is alternate WW2 history. Looks like sci fi to me.
>>8186066
They are science fiction, GR almost won a Nebula.
>>8186068
Then why are they read and discussed by the same people that look down on us for reading "genre fiction" and have confined us to this indian reservation?
>>8186073
because they're not garbage, they don't follow the trappings of their genre
>>8186073
Because people are hypocrites and want to feel superior, when they realy aren't.
>>8186082
Most fantasy which is held highly doesn't, and even if they do it doesn't mean they are necessary bad works since Shakespeare and all Greek tragedy was closely following the genre.
>>8186086
This is the real reason for most.
From goodreads threads it's pretty clear most people who read a lot of whats seen as classics like fantasy/science fiction.
Genre fiction is something like progressive buzzwords like 'hate'. It makes it easy to mentally categorize things into good and bad without requiring to go through the material itself.
A few threads ago I mentioned The Book of Knights by Yves Meynard, and i'm now a little more than halfway through it (very slow reader). Don't see it mentioned too often on here and i'm not sure why, it's a very enjoyable read. Not sure what the payoff is going to be, but the journey itself is written very well even though it's mostly typical fantasy fare. I usually hate coming-of-age fantasy because i think it treads dangerously close to YA shit, but Meynard did it in a much more palatable way. Anyway, should i read The Red Knight next? Is it actually any good?
>>8186100
>and even if they do it doesn't mean they are necessary bad works since Shakespeare and all Greek tragedy was closely following the genre
In a different genre than modern fantasy, first of all, so the comparison is really off the mark.
Second, maybe certain writers had elements in their writings that their audience demanded of them, but they managed to create something sublime in spite of it. Most don't. The demands placed on them also weren't generally as base as they were for sci-fi magazines, which were for young nerds to masturbate to (I know shakespearean theater was raunchy, but still.)
>>8186105
Anyway, should i read The Red Knight next? Is it actually any good?
I'm only 30 pages in, but it is not a knightly coming of age (highest quality of that story can be found in The Wizard Knight), it's about a mercenary company. It's grimdark full of hypocritical priests (he didn't invent his own religion, it's Christianity with maybe minor adjustments, or him being uneducated as they seem to believe in a widely spread medieval heresy of dualism, gnostic in origin), slutty nuns, filth, it's like First Law, trying to cash in on Asoif, it even has a big wall which divides wilderness from civilisation.
>>8186116
Plenty of sff created superb and sublime works of highest literature, even while often being completely in the genre tropes.
Tropes themselves mean nothing for a work in particular and the existence of crap in sff doesn't hinder the argument.
Shakespeare and Sophocles both adhered to all the genre conventions of plays in their time, but no one seems to scold at them for it, because it's stupid to do so, they are independent works just as quality sff works are.
Shakespeare wrote for a plebiean audience, adhered to everything they wanted and produced masterworks, why someone who has a wizard and a starship in his story would be prevented of doing so, well there isn't one.
>>8186133
he would be prevented by writing for a plebeian audience and never developing his craft, it's not made completely impossible though
if someone rigidly follows those conventions it's a bad sign, especially in the present day where there's more artistic forms available
>>8186191
And yet the form itself doesn't bar him from writing something of value, which is what this discussion is about.
I'm not going to try to convince you that most fantasy isn't trash, because it is. Half of the things mentioned here are crap.
But that in no way means that science fiction and fantasy haven't had superb writers to their names and dividing or dismissing either because it's "genre fiction" is completely retarded.
>>8186014
It's some excellent fantasy if you're willing to give it a chance and get through the slow parts.
>>8186204
What fantasy do you think has literary value to it? I've read LotR, Children of Hurin (absolutely fantastic), Wizard Knight, and aSoIaF. I'm the anon that asked about the Red Knight and i'm starting to think it's not my cup of tea. Really sick of reading books that are cynical about christianity because fucking anybody is capable of writing boring shit like that.
